Friday, July 13, 2012
Chinese road fence collapses like row of dominoes
A road dividing fence chain on a bridge fell like dominoes, with the last section hitting a minivan, on Tuesday in Jinhua City, China's Zhejiang Province. Fortunately, no serious damages were caused.
A surveillance camera footage recorded the spectacular domino display of the 1.5-kilometre long road dividing fence chain on Shuanglong Bridge in just 30 seconds.
Local traffic police soon arrived at the scene to lift the 10-ton road dividing fence chain section by section.
YouTube link.
This is the second time for the fence chain to fall, according to Shao Zhichang, deputy head of a traffic police brigade in Jinhua. The first fall happened ten days ago.
A surveillance camera footage recorded the spectacular domino display of the 1.5-kilometre long road dividing fence chain on Shuanglong Bridge in just 30 seconds.
Local traffic police soon arrived at the scene to lift the 10-ton road dividing fence chain section by section.
YouTube link.
This is the second time for the fence chain to fall, according to Shao Zhichang, deputy head of a traffic police brigade in Jinhua. The first fall happened ten days ago.
Would-be thief accidentally stole plastic sandwiches
A hungry thief looking for a meal was thwarted when he stole two fake breakfast sandwiches from a convenience store.
The incident happened on Tuesday at about 3 a.m. at the 7-Eleven store at the corner of Nicol and Milton streets in south Nanaimo.
An employee told police a man entered the store and stole two breakfast sandwiches that were actually plastic sales props worth about $70 each. When he realized the sandwiches were fakes, the suspect tossed one across the street and pocketed the other.
Police found the suspect and fake sandwich at a nearby hotel and returned the prop to the store. Since both items were recovered undamaged the store manager opted not to press charges.
The incident happened on Tuesday at about 3 a.m. at the 7-Eleven store at the corner of Nicol and Milton streets in south Nanaimo.
An employee told police a man entered the store and stole two breakfast sandwiches that were actually plastic sales props worth about $70 each. When he realized the sandwiches were fakes, the suspect tossed one across the street and pocketed the other.
Police found the suspect and fake sandwich at a nearby hotel and returned the prop to the store. Since both items were recovered undamaged the store manager opted not to press charges.
Man spent two days on toilet to show he gives a crap
Australian entrepreneur has spent the last 51 hours sat on the throne, raising cash for the developing world by fighting the good fight on sanitation. And he's winning. Griffiths is a man on a mission which, like the Who Gives A Crap toilet paper he's selling (he'll split the profits 50-50 with WaterAid), is two-fold:
•Step #1: Raise $50,000 to fund the first production run of Good Goods' socially responsible bog roll; and
•Step #2: Get off the toilet, raise more money, and build toilets in places that really, really need them.
Griffiths might be crazy enough to sit on a toilet at his Melbourne-based Poo HQ until he's raised $50k, but he's no drifter. This is a man who, with university degrees in engineering and economics, turned his back on a lucrative white-collar career to change the world for the better. His passion to do something meaningful for sanitation has taken him nearly everywhere in the developing world. Needless to say, he knows a lot about toilets. "It's borne out of using disgusting toilets myself and being concerned for my own personal hygiene. It's a much, much higher risk for people who live in those circumstances," he said.
The Who Gives a Crap campaign has been the sexy hook on an unsexy topic - sanitation. It's not sexy, but it matters; around the world, 4000 children under the age of 5 die from diarrhoea-related diseases every day. Every single day. Griffiths is on a mission to change that. Not by 2070, or 2080, as current estimates suggest would be the break-even point on world sanitation. No, he's cooked up a new way of raising money: "consumer-driven philanthropy". "This whole concept moves astronomically far away from what the average Australian thinks about donating," he said.
YouTube link.
"It's not about pulling on heart strings or giving something extra from your paycheck. It's about selling a product that's fairly priced, the quality is just as good, and the purchase of that product is motivated by want and not guilt. Who Gives A Crap is about taking an unsexy product and turning it into something that's incredibly fun. Toilet paper is all about pillows and puppies and babies. But we want to promote a product that's not traditional, yet it's soft, it's great and it works. We're doing something really energising and enjoyable."
•Step #1: Raise $50,000 to fund the first production run of Good Goods' socially responsible bog roll; and
•Step #2: Get off the toilet, raise more money, and build toilets in places that really, really need them.
Griffiths might be crazy enough to sit on a toilet at his Melbourne-based Poo HQ until he's raised $50k, but he's no drifter. This is a man who, with university degrees in engineering and economics, turned his back on a lucrative white-collar career to change the world for the better. His passion to do something meaningful for sanitation has taken him nearly everywhere in the developing world. Needless to say, he knows a lot about toilets. "It's borne out of using disgusting toilets myself and being concerned for my own personal hygiene. It's a much, much higher risk for people who live in those circumstances," he said.
The Who Gives a Crap campaign has been the sexy hook on an unsexy topic - sanitation. It's not sexy, but it matters; around the world, 4000 children under the age of 5 die from diarrhoea-related diseases every day. Every single day. Griffiths is on a mission to change that. Not by 2070, or 2080, as current estimates suggest would be the break-even point on world sanitation. No, he's cooked up a new way of raising money: "consumer-driven philanthropy". "This whole concept moves astronomically far away from what the average Australian thinks about donating," he said.
YouTube link.
"It's not about pulling on heart strings or giving something extra from your paycheck. It's about selling a product that's fairly priced, the quality is just as good, and the purchase of that product is motivated by want and not guilt. Who Gives A Crap is about taking an unsexy product and turning it into something that's incredibly fun. Toilet paper is all about pillows and puppies and babies. But we want to promote a product that's not traditional, yet it's soft, it's great and it works. We're doing something really energising and enjoyable."
Police found 119 bags of heroin in man's underpants
Carlisle police say they found more than 100 bags of heroin in a surprising place while serving a search warrant on July 5.
Police served a Cumberland County Drug Task Force warrant on Jalil Nickerson, 23, in the 200 block of West North Street at 10 a.m., according to police, who noted that Nickerson resisted arrest.
Photo from here.
Once he was taken into custody, a search revealed a concealed compartment in the crotch area of Nickerson’s underwear, police said. In the compartment, police say they found 119 bags of heroin.
Nickerson was charged with two counts of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to deliver and two counts of criminal use of communication facility. Nickerson was arraigned and placed in Cumberland County Prison on $25,000 monetary bail, which he was unable to post as of Wednesday.
Police served a Cumberland County Drug Task Force warrant on Jalil Nickerson, 23, in the 200 block of West North Street at 10 a.m., according to police, who noted that Nickerson resisted arrest.
Photo from here.
Once he was taken into custody, a search revealed a concealed compartment in the crotch area of Nickerson’s underwear, police said. In the compartment, police say they found 119 bags of heroin.
Nickerson was charged with two counts of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to deliver and two counts of criminal use of communication facility. Nickerson was arraigned and placed in Cumberland County Prison on $25,000 monetary bail, which he was unable to post as of Wednesday.
Vehicle crashes onto docked boat
It was a strange sight on a usually quiet dock in Ottawa County on Thursday morning. "In 22 years you don't expect to get a call of a car sitting on top of a boat," said Sgt. Curt Theune of the Spring Lake-Ferrysburg Police Department. For the second time in three years the same woman has been involved in a crash involving her vehicle and a body of water.
Witnesses said Cari Draft's vehicle backed into some machinery in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn in the 900 block of W. Savidge Street in Spring Lake. She then drove forward and her vehicle went between some trees, airborne, over a nearby dock and landed on a boat in the water.
YouTube link.
Witness Ed Gillies saw Draft sitting on the boat after the crash at around 5:50 a.m. "She looked at the car and she said, 'Boy, I really did it this time,'" said Gillies. "She said she just started getting dizzy and next thing she knows she's sitting on the bow of a boat with her SUV there." Gillies said Draft was on her way to teach a fitness class when she pulled over into the parking lot.
Police said alcohol was not involved. They believe a medical issue caused Draft to crash. Draft, 47, was taken to North Ottawa Community Hospital for treatment to a small cut on her face. In 2009 Draft was driving on Boom Road near 148th Avenue near her home in Ottawa County when she felt dizzy and pulled over but crashed into the Grand River.
Witnesses said Cari Draft's vehicle backed into some machinery in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn in the 900 block of W. Savidge Street in Spring Lake. She then drove forward and her vehicle went between some trees, airborne, over a nearby dock and landed on a boat in the water.
YouTube link.
Witness Ed Gillies saw Draft sitting on the boat after the crash at around 5:50 a.m. "She looked at the car and she said, 'Boy, I really did it this time,'" said Gillies. "She said she just started getting dizzy and next thing she knows she's sitting on the bow of a boat with her SUV there." Gillies said Draft was on her way to teach a fitness class when she pulled over into the parking lot.
Police said alcohol was not involved. They believe a medical issue caused Draft to crash. Draft, 47, was taken to North Ottawa Community Hospital for treatment to a small cut on her face. In 2009 Draft was driving on Boom Road near 148th Avenue near her home in Ottawa County when she felt dizzy and pulled over but crashed into the Grand River.
Virgin Mary spotted in tree
The Virgin Mary's likeness was spotted in a tree at 60th Street and Bergenline Avenue in West New York, a New Jersey section of the New York metropolitan area.
The Virgin appeared yesterday afternoon and has had a constant stream of visitors praying to her since that moment.
A local bus rider noticed a crowd around a tree when she returned home from work yesterday at around 6pm. She was heard saying she, "thought perhaps someone died because she saw the flowers and people praying."
YouTube link.
As she approached, however, she saw the likeness and began to pray.
The Virgin appeared yesterday afternoon and has had a constant stream of visitors praying to her since that moment.
A local bus rider noticed a crowd around a tree when she returned home from work yesterday at around 6pm. She was heard saying she, "thought perhaps someone died because she saw the flowers and people praying."
YouTube link.
As she approached, however, she saw the likeness and began to pray.
Chimpanzees escape from enclosure and roam zoo
Five chimpanzees broke out from their enclosure at a German animal park Wednesday, injuring a five-year-old girl and sparking a temporary evacuation of 2,500 visitors. It is thought the five primates used wood that had fallen into their pen from recent gardening work to climb out and run for freedom at Hannover's Experience Zoo.
The five-year-old girl sustained light head wounds after she was apparently knocked down by one of the marauding chimps. She was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
Four of the five escapees "had a quick look around and then jumped pretty quickly back into their compound," said spokeswoman Simone Hagenmeyer. "The fifth and oldest chimp went off to visit the head gorilla," she said, adding he was a bit harder to cajole back to captivity.
YouTube link.
"He's getting on a bit, so we offered him a ladder to get back into the enclosure," she said. Some 2,500 people were evacuated from the zoo in the northern city of Hannover while the escape bid was quashed, the spokeswoman said.
The five-year-old girl sustained light head wounds after she was apparently knocked down by one of the marauding chimps. She was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
Four of the five escapees "had a quick look around and then jumped pretty quickly back into their compound," said spokeswoman Simone Hagenmeyer. "The fifth and oldest chimp went off to visit the head gorilla," she said, adding he was a bit harder to cajole back to captivity.
YouTube link.
"He's getting on a bit, so we offered him a ladder to get back into the enclosure," she said. Some 2,500 people were evacuated from the zoo in the northern city of Hannover while the escape bid was quashed, the spokeswoman said.
Stepfather's prank prompts police involvement
What started as a prank on a Wyoming homeowner ended with a visit from police. Neighbours were not amused when a male body part appeared carved into a tree stump on 40th Street SE just off Clyde Park Avenue. They complained to police.
The homeowner said she recently purchased the house and said her stepfather carved a part of the male anatomy as a prank instead of cutting down the tree.
Wyoming Police showed up at her door and her stepfather showed up soon after to chop down the evidence. "Cops came a couple of times," said homeowner Mariah Cordes. "We decided to take it down."
Police said if the woman had not taken the stump down willingly, they would have sent the case to the city attorney's office to see if the carving violated the city's ordnance against disorderly conduct. Officers say their biggest concern was that people walking or driving by - especially those with children - might be offended.
The homeowner said she recently purchased the house and said her stepfather carved a part of the male anatomy as a prank instead of cutting down the tree.
Wyoming Police showed up at her door and her stepfather showed up soon after to chop down the evidence. "Cops came a couple of times," said homeowner Mariah Cordes. "We decided to take it down."
Police said if the woman had not taken the stump down willingly, they would have sent the case to the city attorney's office to see if the carving violated the city's ordnance against disorderly conduct. Officers say their biggest concern was that people walking or driving by - especially those with children - might be offended.
Snuff World Championship held in Germany
Competitors from all over the world battled it out to put as much snuff up their noses as possible, at the 18th annual Snuff World Championships in Bavaria, Germany.
Nearly 300 men and women gathered in Peutenhausen, Germany's powdered tobacco heartland, with the ultimate aim of consuming five grams of snuff in 60 seconds. The rules may be straightfoward but as last year's champion Christian Knauer Junior explains, competition is fierce:
"It's like being a football player, he also wouldn't say after 90 minutes that his feet didn't hurt and it was just a nice walk. Instead you have to get into it. The nasal mucosa suffers a bit, but that goes away after a few minutes, then it's okay again."
YouTube link.
While many are proud to take part in the competition, others like American Wayne Smith prefer to keep it under wraps: "We keep it a secret. I tell them we're representing the United States of America in an international competition, a world championship."
Nearly 300 men and women gathered in Peutenhausen, Germany's powdered tobacco heartland, with the ultimate aim of consuming five grams of snuff in 60 seconds. The rules may be straightfoward but as last year's champion Christian Knauer Junior explains, competition is fierce:
"It's like being a football player, he also wouldn't say after 90 minutes that his feet didn't hurt and it was just a nice walk. Instead you have to get into it. The nasal mucosa suffers a bit, but that goes away after a few minutes, then it's okay again."
YouTube link.
While many are proud to take part in the competition, others like American Wayne Smith prefer to keep it under wraps: "We keep it a secret. I tell them we're representing the United States of America in an international competition, a world championship."
Drunk man directing traffic told police: 'I'm Batman'
A man stood in the street in Plymouth and directed traffic while drunk, a court heard. James Sayle, aged 36, later told police he was 'Batman', Plymouth magistrates were told. Sayle, of North Road West, admitted being drunk and disorderly in Stonehouse on June 5.
Gareth Warden, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said officers were called to deal with a man standing in the middle of Cecil Street trying to direct traffic. He added that officers saw he was unsteady on his feet and believed he was drunk. Mr Warden said Sayle was given some 'words of advice' and told to go home. But he added that 45 minutes later police were called to the Melbourne pub because a man was refusing to leave.
Mr Warden said they found Sayle, who had been thrown out of the pub, 'shouting at the top of his voice'. He added he was saying he was 'Batman'. Mr Warden said police again gave him advice but he continued to swear and shout until he was arrested. Sayle, representing himself, said he had broken his ankle which 'aggravated the situation'.
He added he did not drink all the time, but when he did he had trouble stopping. The court heard that his case would be referred to drink and drugs counselling service Harbour. Presiding magistrate Yvonne Quinlan said Sayle 'caused havoc'. The bench gave him a 12-month conditional discharge.
Gareth Warden, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said officers were called to deal with a man standing in the middle of Cecil Street trying to direct traffic. He added that officers saw he was unsteady on his feet and believed he was drunk. Mr Warden said Sayle was given some 'words of advice' and told to go home. But he added that 45 minutes later police were called to the Melbourne pub because a man was refusing to leave.
Mr Warden said they found Sayle, who had been thrown out of the pub, 'shouting at the top of his voice'. He added he was saying he was 'Batman'. Mr Warden said police again gave him advice but he continued to swear and shout until he was arrested. Sayle, representing himself, said he had broken his ankle which 'aggravated the situation'.
He added he did not drink all the time, but when he did he had trouble stopping. The court heard that his case would be referred to drink and drugs counselling service Harbour. Presiding magistrate Yvonne Quinlan said Sayle 'caused havoc'. The bench gave him a 12-month conditional discharge.
Loudmouth parrot visited by police after driving neighbours crazy by screeching out taxi bookings
A parrot called Pepe who used to live in a taxi firm office has been driving neighbours round the bend – by screeching out taxi bookings all day long. Retired shipyard worker John McAlinden, 55, was given the yellow-headed Amazon by a friend two months ago by a friend who told him “he hardly says a word”.
Photo from SWNS.
But as soon as Pepe perched himself in the dad of four’s flat in Govan, Glasgow, he started shrieking orders. And the feathers really flew when a long-suffering neighbour called police to complain. Police were shocked when they turned up – perhaps expecting to find a rogue taxi firm operation – and were confronted by Pepe.
Red-faced John said: “He mainly shouts out bookings, like ‘taxi for Govan’ and ‘taxi for Lidl’. He also says things like ‘car one’, car two’ and ‘10-4’. It’s hilarious. I’m sorry if he’s caused any upset to my neighbours.
YouTube link.
“Hopefully he’s learned his lesson and will settle down a bit.” Speaking about the callout, Strathclyde police said: “The owner was given advice and no further action was taken.”
Photo from SWNS.
But as soon as Pepe perched himself in the dad of four’s flat in Govan, Glasgow, he started shrieking orders. And the feathers really flew when a long-suffering neighbour called police to complain. Police were shocked when they turned up – perhaps expecting to find a rogue taxi firm operation – and were confronted by Pepe.
Red-faced John said: “He mainly shouts out bookings, like ‘taxi for Govan’ and ‘taxi for Lidl’. He also says things like ‘car one’, car two’ and ‘10-4’. It’s hilarious. I’m sorry if he’s caused any upset to my neighbours.
YouTube link.
“Hopefully he’s learned his lesson and will settle down a bit.” Speaking about the callout, Strathclyde police said: “The owner was given advice and no further action was taken.”
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