Tuesday, April 23, 2013
RIP Richie Havens
Richie Havens, the singer, songwriter and activist who opened the Woodstock festival in 1969, died of a heart attack on Monday morning at his home in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was 72.
YouTube link.
Puppy gets new artificial limb after losing foot in coyote attack
Little Bandit was going through a dark time in his life a few months back. Abandoned in the backwoods of Kentucky, he was attacked by a coyote, which bit off his left front foot.
He wound up at Sweet Adoptables, a Westport pet adoption agency that specializes in finding homes for strays from the South. "They contacted us to inquire about a prosthesis," said Jeff Rubelmann, a technician at BioMetrics, a company in Trumbull that makes artificial limbs and braces.
Only one problem. BioMetrics makes artificial limbs for humans, not animals. In this case, however, Rubelmann made an exception. "When he came in to see us, we found out that he was up for adoption, so I adopted him and made a prosthesis for him," Rubelmann said.
Rubelmann went to work and made a plaster cast of Bandit's leg, just like he does for his human patients. Bandit's new foot is similar to a leg that might be used for a small child. The people at BioMetrics hope that as Bandit ages, he'll grow to accept his new leg as his own.
There's a news video here.
He wound up at Sweet Adoptables, a Westport pet adoption agency that specializes in finding homes for strays from the South. "They contacted us to inquire about a prosthesis," said Jeff Rubelmann, a technician at BioMetrics, a company in Trumbull that makes artificial limbs and braces.
Only one problem. BioMetrics makes artificial limbs for humans, not animals. In this case, however, Rubelmann made an exception. "When he came in to see us, we found out that he was up for adoption, so I adopted him and made a prosthesis for him," Rubelmann said.
Rubelmann went to work and made a plaster cast of Bandit's leg, just like he does for his human patients. Bandit's new foot is similar to a leg that might be used for a small child. The people at BioMetrics hope that as Bandit ages, he'll grow to accept his new leg as his own.
There's a news video here.
Referee suing Kenyan football federation after testicle squeezing by coach left him impotent
A Kenyan referee is suing the national football federation, saying he was left
impotent after a coach grabbed and squeezed his testicles in a pitch
invasion.
Referee Martin Wekesa said he was seeking $US240,000 in compensation from FKF
after the alleged assault in a game in September last year, when he was kicked
and hit by members of the Sparki Youth team before being "attacked in my private
parts" by one of the coaching staff.
Wekesa said Daudi Kajembe came onto the field and assaulted him after a decision to send a Sparki player off. "He pulled my testicles. He actually pressed them and I was hanging on him when he was pulling me. I was crying and could not get myself out from his hands," Wekesa said. "I remember Kajembe told me, raising his hand, 'I can kill you in a minute,' and came directly to my testicles." Wekesa was rescued by a police officer, he said, but slumped to his knees in pain on the pitch before being taken to the hospital.
He is now unable to have sex with his wife, he claims, saying it is "impossible." "It is so painful, painful, painful in my areas," he said. Kajembe is due to appear in court in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa on Thursday on a charge of assault and causing grievous bodily harm, while Wekesa is claiming the 20 million Kenyan shillings in compensation from the federation for his expensive medical bills and the problems the assault has caused him and his wife, Mary.
YouTube link.
"We used to live as wife and husband. Nowadays we don't, so that's how the life has changed," Mary Wekesa said. Wekesa said he had sent a letter to the Kenyan federation to demand the compensation, but had not yet heard back. Kajembe pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.
Wekesa said Daudi Kajembe came onto the field and assaulted him after a decision to send a Sparki player off. "He pulled my testicles. He actually pressed them and I was hanging on him when he was pulling me. I was crying and could not get myself out from his hands," Wekesa said. "I remember Kajembe told me, raising his hand, 'I can kill you in a minute,' and came directly to my testicles." Wekesa was rescued by a police officer, he said, but slumped to his knees in pain on the pitch before being taken to the hospital.
He is now unable to have sex with his wife, he claims, saying it is "impossible." "It is so painful, painful, painful in my areas," he said. Kajembe is due to appear in court in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa on Thursday on a charge of assault and causing grievous bodily harm, while Wekesa is claiming the 20 million Kenyan shillings in compensation from the federation for his expensive medical bills and the problems the assault has caused him and his wife, Mary.
YouTube link.
"We used to live as wife and husband. Nowadays we don't, so that's how the life has changed," Mary Wekesa said. Wekesa said he had sent a letter to the Kenyan federation to demand the compensation, but had not yet heard back. Kajembe pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.
Woman fined for riding double decker bicycle while talking on mobile phone
A woman in Australia has been fined for riding on a bizarre custom-made "double-decker" bicycle while talking on a mobile phone.
The woman was spotted riding the rather deadly-looking machine while talking on her mobile phone in Prospect, Adelaide last Tuesday.
The bizarre bike appears to be two frames welded together, one on top of the other. She was fined $110.
Police remind cyclists that it is an offence to use a mobile phone while riding a bike. "Cyclists are vulnerable road users and are reminded that the road rules also apply to them," a spokesman said.
The woman was spotted riding the rather deadly-looking machine while talking on her mobile phone in Prospect, Adelaide last Tuesday.
The bizarre bike appears to be two frames welded together, one on top of the other. She was fined $110.
Police remind cyclists that it is an offence to use a mobile phone while riding a bike. "Cyclists are vulnerable road users and are reminded that the road rules also apply to them," a spokesman said.
News presenter suspended after dropping f-bomb on air in first few seconds of new job
It was AJ Clemente's first day on the job and he was a little nervous.
Contains NSFW language.
YouTube link. LiveLeak link.
But most people's first-day work blunders are not broadcast to thousands of viewers and don't include double-barrelled profanities.
News presenter AJ Clemente launched into his first-ever broadcast as a weekend news anchor for KFYR by saying "F*ckin sh*t!" into a live microphone.
Clearly thrown by her new colleague's colourful language, his co-presenter tried to quickly move things on by getting Clemente to introduce himself. Clemente was immediately suspended for his on-air blunder.
Contains NSFW language.
YouTube link. LiveLeak link.
But most people's first-day work blunders are not broadcast to thousands of viewers and don't include double-barrelled profanities.
News presenter AJ Clemente launched into his first-ever broadcast as a weekend news anchor for KFYR by saying "F*ckin sh*t!" into a live microphone.
Clearly thrown by her new colleague's colourful language, his co-presenter tried to quickly move things on by getting Clemente to introduce himself. Clemente was immediately suspended for his on-air blunder.
Donald Trump ad linking wind farm policy to Lockerbie bomber 'misleading'
An advertising campaign by Donald Trump attacking Alex Salmond's support for wind farms, will this week be condemned as "misleading." The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will on Wednesday publish a damning ruling on adverts that appeared in Scottish newspapers last December. The adverts linked the First Minister's backing for wind power to the Scottish Government's decision to free the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi.
The adverts featured a picture of a forest of wind turbines on a hill overlooking a motorway in California under the heading "Is this the future for Scotland?" Below was a photograph of Salmond smiling and giving the thumbs up. "Tourism will suffer and the beauty of the country is in jeopardy," said the text. "This is the same mind that backed the release of terrorist al-Megrahi 'for humane reasons' after he ruthlessly killed 270 people on Pan-Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie."
The adverts, which ran in the Aberdeen Press and Journal and the Dundee Courier, prompted 21 complaints to the ASA, claiming it was misleading and the reference to al-Megrahi offensive. The ASA has concluded that the claim tourism would suffer "could not be substantiated", while the picture of California wind farms was "misleading", it said. On both counts Trump has broken advertising rules, and the ASA has banned the adverts from appearing again.
It told Trump "not to make claims unless they could be substantiated with robust evidence and not to use misleading imagery". The ruling, the second against Trump's anti-wind farm campaign in Scotland, has been welcomed by environmental groups and wind lobbyists. But it has prompted the Trump Organisation, which confirmed the ruling against it, to berate the ASA for being "disorganised, inefficient and wasteful".
The adverts featured a picture of a forest of wind turbines on a hill overlooking a motorway in California under the heading "Is this the future for Scotland?" Below was a photograph of Salmond smiling and giving the thumbs up. "Tourism will suffer and the beauty of the country is in jeopardy," said the text. "This is the same mind that backed the release of terrorist al-Megrahi 'for humane reasons' after he ruthlessly killed 270 people on Pan-Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie."
The adverts, which ran in the Aberdeen Press and Journal and the Dundee Courier, prompted 21 complaints to the ASA, claiming it was misleading and the reference to al-Megrahi offensive. The ASA has concluded that the claim tourism would suffer "could not be substantiated", while the picture of California wind farms was "misleading", it said. On both counts Trump has broken advertising rules, and the ASA has banned the adverts from appearing again.
It told Trump "not to make claims unless they could be substantiated with robust evidence and not to use misleading imagery". The ruling, the second against Trump's anti-wind farm campaign in Scotland, has been welcomed by environmental groups and wind lobbyists. But it has prompted the Trump Organisation, which confirmed the ruling against it, to berate the ASA for being "disorganised, inefficient and wasteful".
Man ordered to remove lion-topped gate posts from outside his castle
A millionaire property developer is embroiled in a planning row with his local council after he was ordered to remove two £15,000 lion-topped gate posts from his castle. Edward Packer, 73, is furious after officials ruled that the 12ft high Bath stone pillars outside his seven-bedroom folly are “out of keeping” with the local area. He has been handed an enforcement notice to remove the structures, which were modelled on the entrance to Chepstow Racecourse.
But Mr Packer says the posts have been well-received by local residents and has vowed to fight the “unelected officials” who are demanding their removal. The property magnate, who lives in the Sneyd Park area of Bristol, stormed: “An Englishman’s home is supposed to be his castle. Well, I live in a castle but it doesn’t feel that way after seeing these officials come up here and tell me to take my pillars down.” Mr Packer moved into Cooks Folly, which was built in the 1840s, around 15 years ago and built the pillars just before Christmas.
A letter from the council states the new pillars are “out of keeping” with the listed 1860s house and have “no substantial public benefit”. But Mr Packer disputes the council’s claim and says the posts are an asset, which enhance the road. He said: “They say it is out of context with the area, but it’s the area which is out of context with our house, with all the modern developments which were allowed to be built around here.
“I see the posts as an asset, which enhances the folly. I haven’t met one person who doesn’t like them. Apparently there have been five complaints but no one has told me they don’t like the gates. One person said they didn’t like the colour. Some people have been talking about me like I’m some toff. My father was a prisoner of war in Japan and he died in 1950 because of it. My mother bought me up in a council house in Bristol. I’m just a working class, hard working builder.”
There's a short video here.
But Mr Packer says the posts have been well-received by local residents and has vowed to fight the “unelected officials” who are demanding their removal. The property magnate, who lives in the Sneyd Park area of Bristol, stormed: “An Englishman’s home is supposed to be his castle. Well, I live in a castle but it doesn’t feel that way after seeing these officials come up here and tell me to take my pillars down.” Mr Packer moved into Cooks Folly, which was built in the 1840s, around 15 years ago and built the pillars just before Christmas.
A letter from the council states the new pillars are “out of keeping” with the listed 1860s house and have “no substantial public benefit”. But Mr Packer disputes the council’s claim and says the posts are an asset, which enhance the road. He said: “They say it is out of context with the area, but it’s the area which is out of context with our house, with all the modern developments which were allowed to be built around here.
“I see the posts as an asset, which enhances the folly. I haven’t met one person who doesn’t like them. Apparently there have been five complaints but no one has told me they don’t like the gates. One person said they didn’t like the colour. Some people have been talking about me like I’m some toff. My father was a prisoner of war in Japan and he died in 1950 because of it. My mother bought me up in a council house in Bristol. I’m just a working class, hard working builder.”
There's a short video here.
Crows build nest on crow's nest
A family of crows has taken the nautical term crow's nest
literally and built a home on top of a yacht's mast at Aberystwyth marina. Staff there said the birds started building their nest a few weeks ago and it
had recently survived strong winds.
Yacht owner Mick Fothergill joked he would take the nest down once the crows' young had fledged because he feared looking ridiculous out at sea with a real crow's nest on his mast.
"I went down to the marina a few weeks ago and I saw a few twigs on top of the mast," he said. "I went down a few weeks later and they had built a complete nest. I feel quite privileged really - there are 50-odd boats in the marina and they've chosen mine to build on."
Marina manager Mike Harris said he had seen ducks nesting on boats but he had never seen a real crow's nest on a mast. Mr Harris said: "There's a couple of young in the nest. It's been quite windy but the nest seems secure - they're good quite good at building these things."
Yacht owner Mick Fothergill joked he would take the nest down once the crows' young had fledged because he feared looking ridiculous out at sea with a real crow's nest on his mast.
"I went down to the marina a few weeks ago and I saw a few twigs on top of the mast," he said. "I went down a few weeks later and they had built a complete nest. I feel quite privileged really - there are 50-odd boats in the marina and they've chosen mine to build on."
Marina manager Mike Harris said he had seen ducks nesting on boats but he had never seen a real crow's nest on a mast. Mr Harris said: "There's a couple of young in the nest. It's been quite windy but the nest seems secure - they're good quite good at building these things."
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