Thursday, April 07, 2011
Couple's honeymoon covers cyclones, fires, floods, quakes and a nuclear disaster
Honeymoons aren't always easy for newlyweds, but six natural disasters? When Stefan and Erika Svanstrom of Stockholm set out on their four-month-long honeymoon with their baby daughter on December 6, they said they got more than they bargained for - immediately they were stranded in Munich, Germany, due to one of Europe's worst snowstorms. But that was just the beginning.
After that, Mr Svanstrom said, they experienced the devastation of a cyclone in Cairns and the flooding in Brisbane, and narrowly escaped the bushfires in Perth. Just before the trio arrived in New Zealand, the 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch. "We were there, the whole town was a war zone. We could not visit the city since it was completely blocked off," Mrs Svanstrom said.
In Tokyo, they felt Japan's largest tremor since records began, Mr Svanstrom said. "The trembling was horrible and we saw roof tiles fly off the buildings. It was like the buildings were swaying back and forth," he said, adding that he survived the devastating tsunami that hit south-east Asia in 2004.
On March 29, the family returned to Stockholm after a much calmer visit to their last destination, China. Mrs Svanstrom said she could "only laugh". "You think: 'Are we weather persecuted? What will happen next?' It is almost absurd."
With news video.
After that, Mr Svanstrom said, they experienced the devastation of a cyclone in Cairns and the flooding in Brisbane, and narrowly escaped the bushfires in Perth. Just before the trio arrived in New Zealand, the 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch. "We were there, the whole town was a war zone. We could not visit the city since it was completely blocked off," Mrs Svanstrom said.
In Tokyo, they felt Japan's largest tremor since records began, Mr Svanstrom said. "The trembling was horrible and we saw roof tiles fly off the buildings. It was like the buildings were swaying back and forth," he said, adding that he survived the devastating tsunami that hit south-east Asia in 2004.
On March 29, the family returned to Stockholm after a much calmer visit to their last destination, China. Mrs Svanstrom said she could "only laugh". "You think: 'Are we weather persecuted? What will happen next?' It is almost absurd."
With news video.
Swedish flamingoes massacred in frenzied anteater attack
A flock of ten flamingoes have met a brutal end at a zoo in Eskilstuna in eastern Sweden after a curious anteater broke into their compound and clawed them to death, leaving a further five birds nursing injuries.
"It is not as dramatic as it sounds. The anteater panicked when the birds cackled and flapped their wings and it struck back," Helena Olsson at the Parken Zoo said. "The anteater is not a meat-eater, unless you consider ants meat, but when it feels threatened, it will defend itself," she said.
Olsson said that the South American animal, whose claws she said are strong enough to damage concrete, became curious and managed to pull apart the fence separating their pens and enter the enclosure holding the long-legged birds. "The birds are very frail and the anteater is very strong," she said.
Zoo wardens reacted swiftly to the commotion to put a halt to the one-sided slaughter, Helena Olsson said, furthermore confirming that the fence has been repaired in a bid to avert a repeat. Aside from the ten fatalities a further five birds were injured in the incident but they are expected to make a full recovery.
"It is not as dramatic as it sounds. The anteater panicked when the birds cackled and flapped their wings and it struck back," Helena Olsson at the Parken Zoo said. "The anteater is not a meat-eater, unless you consider ants meat, but when it feels threatened, it will defend itself," she said.
Olsson said that the South American animal, whose claws she said are strong enough to damage concrete, became curious and managed to pull apart the fence separating their pens and enter the enclosure holding the long-legged birds. "The birds are very frail and the anteater is very strong," she said.
Zoo wardens reacted swiftly to the commotion to put a halt to the one-sided slaughter, Helena Olsson said, furthermore confirming that the fence has been repaired in a bid to avert a repeat. Aside from the ten fatalities a further five birds were injured in the incident but they are expected to make a full recovery.
Man delivers decomposing body to emergency room
A strange scene unfolded in Espanola on Tuesday after a man delivered a decomposing body to an emergency room. Police say Jerry Maestas, 64, drove up to an Espanola hospital with the body of May Marquez, 33, propped up in the passenger seat of a vehicle.
Maestas then asked the hospital staff to come out and help his friend who was sick but when hospital employees came closer to the car, it was clear the woman had been dead for awhile.
YouTube link.
“They found some early stages of decomposition …. and also the smell they detected when they walked up the vehicle,” explained Jeremy Apodaca with the Espanola Police Department.
Police estimate Marquez may have been dead for 24 to 36 hours. There’s still no word on the exact cause of her death. Meanwhile, Maestas will be charged with failing to report a death.
Maestas then asked the hospital staff to come out and help his friend who was sick but when hospital employees came closer to the car, it was clear the woman had been dead for awhile.
YouTube link.
“They found some early stages of decomposition …. and also the smell they detected when they walked up the vehicle,” explained Jeremy Apodaca with the Espanola Police Department.
Police estimate Marquez may have been dead for 24 to 36 hours. There’s still no word on the exact cause of her death. Meanwhile, Maestas will be charged with failing to report a death.
Firefighters rescue 93-year-old woman who was stuck on toilet for several days
A 93-year-old woman has beenrescued from her own toilet at a senior-citizen apartment building in North Philadelphia after being stuck there for days, a Fire Department official said. The woman, who was not identified, lives at Tioga Presbyterian Apartments, an independent-living facility for senior citizens, according to Dan Magee, spokesman for Presby's Inspired Life, a nonprofit developer of affordable housing for seniors, which runs the building.
Magee said the woman was last seen by another resident on Sunday. Yesterday morning, her representative at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging called the building's service coordinator after she was unable to contact the woman for a scheduled phone call. The representative and the coordinator went to her apartment and found her sitting on the toilet.
Magee said she appeared to be asleep but had not fallen off. At about 10:55 a.m., firefighters were called to get her out. The woman said she had been stuck on the toilet for two or three days. Each apartment in the building is equipped with a long emergency cord in the bedroom and bathroom that is connected to a 24-hour security-guard station, Magee said.
The woman never pulled the cord, which was within her reach from the toilet, Magee said. The cord was checked and found to be operational. After the woman was extricated from the toilet, she was taken to Temple University Hospital and was in stable condition.
Magee said the woman was last seen by another resident on Sunday. Yesterday morning, her representative at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging called the building's service coordinator after she was unable to contact the woman for a scheduled phone call. The representative and the coordinator went to her apartment and found her sitting on the toilet.
Magee said she appeared to be asleep but had not fallen off. At about 10:55 a.m., firefighters were called to get her out. The woman said she had been stuck on the toilet for two or three days. Each apartment in the building is equipped with a long emergency cord in the bedroom and bathroom that is connected to a 24-hour security-guard station, Magee said.
The woman never pulled the cord, which was within her reach from the toilet, Magee said. The cord was checked and found to be operational. After the woman was extricated from the toilet, she was taken to Temple University Hospital and was in stable condition.
Nose-blowing man jailed
It all started with a man trying to blow his nose. He was using paper towels off of the maintenance cart at the Ashby MARTA station, however, and that’s when the police got involved. Alfred Murphy and another man walked up to one of the maintenance carts at the MARTA station on Monday afternoon, according to a police report. Murphy grabbed some paper towels from the cart and began blowing his nose.
A MARTA police officer saw Murphy and told him he couldn’t take those paper towels – they didn’t belong to him. Murphy kept on pulling the paper towels from the cart – and blowing his nose. The officer again told Murphy to stop. Murphy continued, saying because he paid his MARTA fare, he was entitled to the items on the cart.
The officer asked Murphy to leave. Murphy instead went to a MARTA police phone and “began to make incoherent statements about being assaulted and officers trying to kill him.” The MARTA police officer called for assistance.
Murphy “then became violent and began to struggle while holding on to the telephone receiver,” the police report said. He hit one officer in the face, cutting part of his forehead and area under his right eye. Murphy also punched the other officer in the nose, causing it to bleed. Officers arrested Murphy and discovered he was on probation. He was booked in the Fulton County Jail on two charges of battery, obstruction and hindering of a law enforcement officer and criminal trespassing.
A MARTA police officer saw Murphy and told him he couldn’t take those paper towels – they didn’t belong to him. Murphy kept on pulling the paper towels from the cart – and blowing his nose. The officer again told Murphy to stop. Murphy continued, saying because he paid his MARTA fare, he was entitled to the items on the cart.
The officer asked Murphy to leave. Murphy instead went to a MARTA police phone and “began to make incoherent statements about being assaulted and officers trying to kill him.” The MARTA police officer called for assistance.
Murphy “then became violent and began to struggle while holding on to the telephone receiver,” the police report said. He hit one officer in the face, cutting part of his forehead and area under his right eye. Murphy also punched the other officer in the nose, causing it to bleed. Officers arrested Murphy and discovered he was on probation. He was booked in the Fulton County Jail on two charges of battery, obstruction and hindering of a law enforcement officer and criminal trespassing.
Colon cleansing course fined for toilet shortage
The arrangers of a Hawaiian colon cleansing course in northern Sweden that worked a little too well have been fined for not having enough toilets. One of the course's female participants reported the company that arranged the course after she was forced to empty her bowels outside in front of other participants.
According to the woman, the fact there were more participants than toilets forced participants to employ a "first come, first served" policy, much to the detriment of those for whom the treatment worked less urgently. The course in Hawaiian colonic cleansing was organised at a residential study centre in Ångermanland in northern Sweden.
The centre has now been ordered to refund 1,000 kronor ($158) to the woman after she complained that not only did the toilet facilities not meet demand, the course was too short and too expensive. "The board assumes that the vast majority would prefer, and even take for granted, the possibility to defecate in private, unless otherwise apparent from the event's information," the Swedish National Board for Consumer Disputes (Allmänna reklamationsnämnden - ARN) wrote in its decision.
Hawaiian colon cleansing is a process developed by the island nation's Kahunas - taken to mean variously expert, sorcerer, magician or minister - for the radical purging of bowel plaque and acids. The cleansing process is completed by drinking large quantities of lightly-salted water and herbal concoctions over the course of several days.
According to the woman, the fact there were more participants than toilets forced participants to employ a "first come, first served" policy, much to the detriment of those for whom the treatment worked less urgently. The course in Hawaiian colonic cleansing was organised at a residential study centre in Ångermanland in northern Sweden.
The centre has now been ordered to refund 1,000 kronor ($158) to the woman after she complained that not only did the toilet facilities not meet demand, the course was too short and too expensive. "The board assumes that the vast majority would prefer, and even take for granted, the possibility to defecate in private, unless otherwise apparent from the event's information," the Swedish National Board for Consumer Disputes (Allmänna reklamationsnämnden - ARN) wrote in its decision.
Hawaiian colon cleansing is a process developed by the island nation's Kahunas - taken to mean variously expert, sorcerer, magician or minister - for the radical purging of bowel plaque and acids. The cleansing process is completed by drinking large quantities of lightly-salted water and herbal concoctions over the course of several days.
Luna, the cow who thinks she's a showjumping horse
When Regina Mayer's parents refused to buy her horse, she refused to give up on her dream of showjumping. The German teenager went straight out to the dairy paddock on her family's farm and saddled up one of the cows.
Regina, 15, spent months training Luna and can now ride her with ease. Not only do the pair regularly go on long rides through the German countryside, they also hurdle over makeshift jumps created with beer crates and painted logs.
Regina, who lives in Laufen, southern Germany, said of Luna: "She thinks she's a horse." They started off with gentle walks after the animal was born on the Mayers' farm two years ago.
YouTube link.
Gradually Luna became more accustomed to human contact and riding equipment.She now understands commands such as "go", "stand" and "gallop". "When she wants to do something, she does it, when she doesn't, she doesn't," said Regina. "And she's often very headstrong but can also be really adorable."
Regina, 15, spent months training Luna and can now ride her with ease. Not only do the pair regularly go on long rides through the German countryside, they also hurdle over makeshift jumps created with beer crates and painted logs.
Regina, who lives in Laufen, southern Germany, said of Luna: "She thinks she's a horse." They started off with gentle walks after the animal was born on the Mayers' farm two years ago.
YouTube link.
Gradually Luna became more accustomed to human contact and riding equipment.She now understands commands such as "go", "stand" and "gallop". "When she wants to do something, she does it, when she doesn't, she doesn't," said Regina. "And she's often very headstrong but can also be really adorable."
Woman in shop wearing just a sock admonished
A woman who walked into an Aberdeen shop naked apart from a sock after a drunken dare has been admonished. Jennifer Bruce strolled into her local Co-op store wearing only a single sock after her friends dared her to strip off.
Passers-by - including children - were left in a state of fear and alarm when they spotted Bruce in the supermarket with no clothes on. The 32-year-old was later found in a drunken state by police in a nearby pub and was arrested.
When the mother-of-one sobered up, she said she could not remember the incident. However, she admitted breaching the peace in Aberdeen's Lewis Road on September 5, 2009, when she later appeared in court. Sentence was deferred for her to be of good behaviour.
Bruce, now 33, said: "I am absolutely mortified about what I have done. I've moved on with my life. I'm now married and do voluntary work with my husband. I don't wish to be in court again - I don't want to be involved with the police again." Sheriff McLernan admonished Bruce.
Passers-by - including children - were left in a state of fear and alarm when they spotted Bruce in the supermarket with no clothes on. The 32-year-old was later found in a drunken state by police in a nearby pub and was arrested.
When the mother-of-one sobered up, she said she could not remember the incident. However, she admitted breaching the peace in Aberdeen's Lewis Road on September 5, 2009, when she later appeared in court. Sentence was deferred for her to be of good behaviour.
Bruce, now 33, said: "I am absolutely mortified about what I have done. I've moved on with my life. I'm now married and do voluntary work with my husband. I don't wish to be in court again - I don't want to be involved with the police again." Sheriff McLernan admonished Bruce.
Motorist was so drunk he drove four miles with only three wheels
A motorist was so drunk he didn’t realise he was driving a car with a wheel missing. Andrew Mackay trundled through a city centre with sparks flying from the bare metal hub as astonished police trailed him for four miles after he left a New Year’s Eve party.
The partly-deaf 29-year-old narrowly escaped jail, despite being three times the legal limit when he was stopped. Recorder Mr Michael Norman gave jobless Mackay a 10-month suspended sentence and a three-year driving ban. He told him: “You had a gross amount of alcohol, you weren’t able to exercise self-control and you were seen four miles before you were stopped.
Images from SWNS.
“The comic aspect of driving a car with three wheels is well outweighed by the dangerous aspect of you doing so in a state of inebriation.” Mackay admitted driving with excess alcohol and dangerous driving. He had left the party and set off for his home at Bitton, near Bristol.
Mackay lost a tyre but was so inebriated he never noticed and the metal wheel of his Skoda Octavia wore away completely, leaving just the central hub it was originally attached to. Prosecutor Neil Treharne told Bristol crown court: “The car had three wheels. It should have had four.” Mr Norman also ordered Mackay to do 150 hours unpaid work and obey a night-time curfew for the next six weeks.
The partly-deaf 29-year-old narrowly escaped jail, despite being three times the legal limit when he was stopped. Recorder Mr Michael Norman gave jobless Mackay a 10-month suspended sentence and a three-year driving ban. He told him: “You had a gross amount of alcohol, you weren’t able to exercise self-control and you were seen four miles before you were stopped.
Images from SWNS.
“The comic aspect of driving a car with three wheels is well outweighed by the dangerous aspect of you doing so in a state of inebriation.” Mackay admitted driving with excess alcohol and dangerous driving. He had left the party and set off for his home at Bitton, near Bristol.
Mackay lost a tyre but was so inebriated he never noticed and the metal wheel of his Skoda Octavia wore away completely, leaving just the central hub it was originally attached to. Prosecutor Neil Treharne told Bristol crown court: “The car had three wheels. It should have had four.” Mr Norman also ordered Mackay to do 150 hours unpaid work and obey a night-time curfew for the next six weeks.
Schoolboy, 9, sparks alert after finding bomb in the woods and taking it home to show his granny
A nine-year-old boy found an unexploded bomb while out playing - and took it home to show his gran. Gavin Chapman's discovery sparked panic and the evacuation of half a street. Explosive experts were scrambled to remove the World War II device after his horrified gran Helen phoned the police.
The Oxgang Primary schoolboy found the bomb among trees in fields on the edge of Airdrie, Lanarkshire. With the schools out for the Easter break, he was visiting his gran's house. Helen, 58, said: "Gavin came in and said, 'Gran, I've found a bomb'. To start with, I didn't think much if it. It was only after his uncle took a picture of him with it that I started thinking, 'What if it is still live?'
"I thought about it and said, 'Hold on, we should get it out of here.' They buried it in the front garden under some sand which we had out there because we're doing up the garden. The police were here within minutes and said we'd done exactly the right thing. When they left, the police were joking with him and said, 'Next time you find a bomb, find it in Kirkintilloch, not here.'"
About 20 homes were evacuated by police after Helen called them at 5.10pm. They were allowed back in about two hours later after Army explosive experts had removed the bomb, which was thought to be a World War II practice device used for training.
The Oxgang Primary schoolboy found the bomb among trees in fields on the edge of Airdrie, Lanarkshire. With the schools out for the Easter break, he was visiting his gran's house. Helen, 58, said: "Gavin came in and said, 'Gran, I've found a bomb'. To start with, I didn't think much if it. It was only after his uncle took a picture of him with it that I started thinking, 'What if it is still live?'
"I thought about it and said, 'Hold on, we should get it out of here.' They buried it in the front garden under some sand which we had out there because we're doing up the garden. The police were here within minutes and said we'd done exactly the right thing. When they left, the police were joking with him and said, 'Next time you find a bomb, find it in Kirkintilloch, not here.'"
About 20 homes were evacuated by police after Helen called them at 5.10pm. They were allowed back in about two hours later after Army explosive experts had removed the bomb, which was thought to be a World War II practice device used for training.
Amazement as five fire crews sent to rescue cat from roof of house
Health and safety regulations meant more than 20 firefighters were called to rescue a cat from the roof of a two-storey house in North Suffolk. Five crews – two from as far away as Bury St Edmunds – were sent to a residential road in Leiston when the tabby cat got stuck. Their attendance was to comply with national “working at height” regulations and the need to ensure the health and safety of firefighters and any people who may have needed rescuing. Suffolk Fire Service sent a turntable ladder from Bury St Edmunds – a similar ladder at Ipswich is currently out of service – with a two-strong crew, which was accompanied by a support crew from the same station. They set out on the 60-mile trip to Leiston at about 9.45am on Monday.
Firefighters with specialist training in working at heights – each likely to be four or five strong – were also mobilised from Felixstowe, 30 miles away, and Bungay, 20 miles away, to the scene in Roberts Road. But the crews were turned back within minutes when an on-call firefighter from the Leiston crew climbed a ladder and collected the distressed cat – under the guidelines firefighters are allowed to work temporarily from the top of a ladder. Suffolk Fire Service recently adopted national regulations drawn up in 2005 to ensure the safety of people working at height, according to the Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU).
The response would have cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds. The crews from Leiston and Bungay are on-call, or retained, while the other stations involved have day-only cover. Andy Vingoe, Suffolk branch chairman of the FBU, said: “Health and safety says that if we go up on to a roof, it brings into play our working at height procedures and safety system. If a cat is stuck on a roof, there is a chance the owner could get distressed and try to rescue it themselves and we would end up having to rescue them as well.
“It is crazy and it’s overkill and if we are having to send five teams to an incident like that, what happens if there is a serious incident elsewhere?” A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said it had been called by the RSPCA to help with the incident and that the response was in line with national regulations. Due to the nature of the incident, fire crews with the specialist training and equipment were called to attend, in addition to the local crew. The incident was quickly dealt with by the local crew so the specialist teams were stood down and did not attend,” she said.
Firefighters with specialist training in working at heights – each likely to be four or five strong – were also mobilised from Felixstowe, 30 miles away, and Bungay, 20 miles away, to the scene in Roberts Road. But the crews were turned back within minutes when an on-call firefighter from the Leiston crew climbed a ladder and collected the distressed cat – under the guidelines firefighters are allowed to work temporarily from the top of a ladder. Suffolk Fire Service recently adopted national regulations drawn up in 2005 to ensure the safety of people working at height, according to the Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU).
The response would have cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds. The crews from Leiston and Bungay are on-call, or retained, while the other stations involved have day-only cover. Andy Vingoe, Suffolk branch chairman of the FBU, said: “Health and safety says that if we go up on to a roof, it brings into play our working at height procedures and safety system. If a cat is stuck on a roof, there is a chance the owner could get distressed and try to rescue it themselves and we would end up having to rescue them as well.
“It is crazy and it’s overkill and if we are having to send five teams to an incident like that, what happens if there is a serious incident elsewhere?” A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said it had been called by the RSPCA to help with the incident and that the response was in line with national regulations. Due to the nature of the incident, fire crews with the specialist training and equipment were called to attend, in addition to the local crew. The incident was quickly dealt with by the local crew so the specialist teams were stood down and did not attend,” she said.
£20,000, eight police, one helicopter, two dog units and three patrol cars to trap recyclers who took 47p of scrap
Two keen recyclers claim police blew £20,000 on a huge operation to arrest them – for taking 47p worth of scrap from a rubbish tip. Salvage experts Owen Gray, 50, and Angela Cubitt, 34, helped themselves to an old PlayStation 3 and a Black and Decker drill which had been dumped at their local recycling centre.
But they were stunned when a police helicopter, two vans, two dog units and three patrol cars swooped to arrest them as they walked home. They claim officers told them the cost of the arrest operation was £20,000 and that the scrap value of the old electrical goods was just 47p. Owen and his friend Angela, an out-of-work chef, were arrested after visiting the unmanned Hempsted Household Recycling Centre in Gloucester on the evening of March 27.
They were walking away from the dump when they heard the buzzing of the force helicopter above – before they were stopped and arrested by an officer with police dogs at around 10pm. The pair were taken to a local police station and held in a cell overnight before being questioned the next day.
Owen was eventually ordered to pay £20 to a charity through the Community Oriented Policing (COPs) scheme, which allows police to deal with small crimes directly. The charges against Angela were later dropped and the pair were released at 3pm the next day. Gloucestershire Police defended its response and confirmed eight officers attended.
But they were stunned when a police helicopter, two vans, two dog units and three patrol cars swooped to arrest them as they walked home. They claim officers told them the cost of the arrest operation was £20,000 and that the scrap value of the old electrical goods was just 47p. Owen and his friend Angela, an out-of-work chef, were arrested after visiting the unmanned Hempsted Household Recycling Centre in Gloucester on the evening of March 27.
They were walking away from the dump when they heard the buzzing of the force helicopter above – before they were stopped and arrested by an officer with police dogs at around 10pm. The pair were taken to a local police station and held in a cell overnight before being questioned the next day.
Owen was eventually ordered to pay £20 to a charity through the Community Oriented Policing (COPs) scheme, which allows police to deal with small crimes directly. The charges against Angela were later dropped and the pair were released at 3pm the next day. Gloucestershire Police defended its response and confirmed eight officers attended.
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