Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Unusual encounter at music festival
This wayward mole's activities were spotted at the Fusion Festival in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany, last week.
YouTube link.
YouTube link.
Bear cub with head stuck in animal-crackers jar rescued from tree
A 6-month-old black bear cub got his head stuck in a jar and had to be rescued from 40 feet up a tree in Ringwood, New Jersey last Friday.
The 28-pound bruin tested the skills of rescuers as he became wedged in the tree, his head stuck in a large animal-crackers jar.
"It was an oversized animal cracker jar. We suspect he got it from a neighbour's trash container. We did find trash on the ground," said Larry Ragonese, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). "He was trying to eat what remained in the jar and pulled the jar over his head," Ragonese continued.
"He got spooked and went up into the tree." He credited the Ringwood and Wanaque police departments, the Wanaque Fire Department, and two of the DEP Division of Fish & Wildlife with rescuing this bear from what could have been a tragedy. When the call came in of a bear in distress at roughly 6pm, Wanaque Fire Department used a bucket truck to climb up and assist the bruin.
With the help of local police, the state workers arranged netting in case the bear were to fall to the ground. Due to his troubled state, the bear had to be tranquilized, Ragonese said, as Ringwood and Wanaque firefighters gingerly cut the jar off the bear's head. After at least two hours up the tree, the cub was dehydrated so he was dunked in some cool water to revive him, said Ragonese. The cub is now in the care of a local rehabilitator.
"It was an oversized animal cracker jar. We suspect he got it from a neighbour's trash container. We did find trash on the ground," said Larry Ragonese, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). "He was trying to eat what remained in the jar and pulled the jar over his head," Ragonese continued.
"He got spooked and went up into the tree." He credited the Ringwood and Wanaque police departments, the Wanaque Fire Department, and two of the DEP Division of Fish & Wildlife with rescuing this bear from what could have been a tragedy. When the call came in of a bear in distress at roughly 6pm, Wanaque Fire Department used a bucket truck to climb up and assist the bruin.
With the help of local police, the state workers arranged netting in case the bear were to fall to the ground. Due to his troubled state, the bear had to be tranquilized, Ragonese said, as Ringwood and Wanaque firefighters gingerly cut the jar off the bear's head. After at least two hours up the tree, the cub was dehydrated so he was dunked in some cool water to revive him, said Ragonese. The cub is now in the care of a local rehabilitator.
Dog coughed up owner's missing diamond wedding ring five years after it disappeared
A Wisconsin woman found her wedding ring that she lost five years ago in the most unusual way.
The family's dog, 10-year-old Tucker likes getting into trouble. He’s known in the family to be the food burglar. It’s because of that nickname that a secret hiding in his belly would be revealed.
Two weeks ago, Tucker’s owner Lois Matykowski and her granddaughter were eating Popsicles outside. “After I turn around and look at my granddaughter,” she said, “the Popsicle is gone and there’s Tucker smacking his jaws.” The “food burglar” had struck again, swallowing the Popsicle whole. But the snatched food soon came back up, “stick and all, everything came out.”
Two days later, Tucker started vomiting again, only this time it wasn’t a Popsicle stick. “And I look in the paper towel and here is my wedding ring,” Matykowski said. “I kid you not. My wedding ring was in Tucker’s puke.” About five years ago, Matykowski said her ring went missing. She searched the house high and low with no luck.
YouTube link.
“I was devastated. How do you replace something like that, not only the value of the ring but just the emotional ties, too.” Matykowski’s veterinarian says the Popsicle stick may have dislodged the ring inside tucker. An X-ray showed there are no more treasures hidden in Tucker’s belly. Despite Tucker’s crime as a jewel thief, Matykowski said all is forgiven. “I’m just elated that he threw up on the carpeting and I don’t even care,” she said.
Two weeks ago, Tucker’s owner Lois Matykowski and her granddaughter were eating Popsicles outside. “After I turn around and look at my granddaughter,” she said, “the Popsicle is gone and there’s Tucker smacking his jaws.” The “food burglar” had struck again, swallowing the Popsicle whole. But the snatched food soon came back up, “stick and all, everything came out.”
Two days later, Tucker started vomiting again, only this time it wasn’t a Popsicle stick. “And I look in the paper towel and here is my wedding ring,” Matykowski said. “I kid you not. My wedding ring was in Tucker’s puke.” About five years ago, Matykowski said her ring went missing. She searched the house high and low with no luck.
YouTube link.
“I was devastated. How do you replace something like that, not only the value of the ring but just the emotional ties, too.” Matykowski’s veterinarian says the Popsicle stick may have dislodged the ring inside tucker. An X-ray showed there are no more treasures hidden in Tucker’s belly. Despite Tucker’s crime as a jewel thief, Matykowski said all is forgiven. “I’m just elated that he threw up on the carpeting and I don’t even care,” she said.
Man with 63 names may have world's longest
A Swedish man may have the world's longest name.
Kim-Jong Sexy Glorious Beast Divine Dick Father Lovely Iron Man Even Unique Poh Un Winn Charlie Ghora Khaos Mehan Hansa Kimmy Humbero Uno Master Over Dance Shake Bouti Bepop Rocksteady Shredder Kung Ulf Road House Gilgamesh Flap Guy Theo Arse Hole Im Yoda Funky Boy Slam Duck Chuck Jorma Jukka Pekka Ryan Super Air Ooy Rusell Salvador Alfons Molgan Akta Papa Long Nameh, is the first name of the 25-year-old.
But these days he goes by Papah Long Nameh for short. Papa Long Nameh was once known as Alexander Ek. That was long ago. Ek, from the town of Haninge near Stockholm, began changing names at the age of 18. In Sweden a person can change his or her name once free of charge. After that each change costs 1,000 kronor (£87, $149). Ek has now changed names six times, and each time he adds a handful of carefully-chosen titles. "My parents were a little confused the first time a letter came addressed to Usama-Bin Ek instead of Alexander," he said.
"I don't always get my mail and sometimes the electricity bill is late, but that's part of the charm." Ek was one of 44 Swedes who changed their name to Klaus-Heidi earlier last year for the chance to start a new life in Berlin. He didn't win, and he no longer counts Klaus-Heidi Bratwursten among his names. "It would be wonderful to win a trip to North Korea now, but then I probably wouldn't have come back," he added. The Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) has no official limit on how many names a person can have. Ek now holds the record of Sweden's - if not the world's - longest name.
Kim-Jong Sexy Glorious Beast Divine Dick Father Lovely Iron Man Even Unique Poh Un Winn Charlie Ghora Khaos Mehan Hansa Kimmy Humbero Uno Master Over Dance Shake Bouti Bepop Rocksteady Shredder Kung Ulf Road House Gilgamesh Flap Guy Theo Arse Hole Im Yoda Funky Boy Slam Duck Chuck Jorma Jukka Pekka Ryan Super Air Ooy Rusell Salvador Alfons Molgan Akta Papa Long Nameh, is the first name of the 25-year-old.
But these days he goes by Papah Long Nameh for short. Papa Long Nameh was once known as Alexander Ek. That was long ago. Ek, from the town of Haninge near Stockholm, began changing names at the age of 18. In Sweden a person can change his or her name once free of charge. After that each change costs 1,000 kronor (£87, $149). Ek has now changed names six times, and each time he adds a handful of carefully-chosen titles. "My parents were a little confused the first time a letter came addressed to Usama-Bin Ek instead of Alexander," he said.
"I don't always get my mail and sometimes the electricity bill is late, but that's part of the charm." Ek was one of 44 Swedes who changed their name to Klaus-Heidi earlier last year for the chance to start a new life in Berlin. He didn't win, and he no longer counts Klaus-Heidi Bratwursten among his names. "It would be wonderful to win a trip to North Korea now, but then I probably wouldn't have come back," he added. The Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) has no official limit on how many names a person can have. Ek now holds the record of Sweden's - if not the world's - longest name.
Spanish government says no to testicles for lion statue
An appeal calling for testicles to be added to one of two bronze lions outside the Spanish Parliament in Madrid has been rejected by Spain’s Culture Minister for being potentially harmful.
The lion statues are named Daoíz and Velarde after two Spanish soldiers who lost their lives in the 1808 uprisings against France’s occupation of Madrid under Napoleon. One of these two statues, however, is posed in such a way as to reveal that the lion is incomplete and has no testicles.
The campaign was launched in 2012 by Carolina Godayol, head of Spain’s History Channel, who found no artistic, historical or biological reason for Daoíz to be lacking his ‘lionhood’. The TV channel offered to cover the cost of having Daoíz endowed for the first time in its 142-year life.
YouTube link.
But José Ignacio Wert, Minister for Education and Culture, has alleged the lion’s castration was just a “factory defect” and that adding genitalia made from a different metal could have “harmful effects” on the statue. “This can be a particularly serious problem for metal sculptures as adding a different material can cause galvanic corrosion,” Wert said.
The lion statues are named Daoíz and Velarde after two Spanish soldiers who lost their lives in the 1808 uprisings against France’s occupation of Madrid under Napoleon. One of these two statues, however, is posed in such a way as to reveal that the lion is incomplete and has no testicles.
The campaign was launched in 2012 by Carolina Godayol, head of Spain’s History Channel, who found no artistic, historical or biological reason for Daoíz to be lacking his ‘lionhood’. The TV channel offered to cover the cost of having Daoíz endowed for the first time in its 142-year life.
YouTube link.
But José Ignacio Wert, Minister for Education and Culture, has alleged the lion’s castration was just a “factory defect” and that adding genitalia made from a different metal could have “harmful effects” on the statue. “This can be a particularly serious problem for metal sculptures as adding a different material can cause galvanic corrosion,” Wert said.
Police apologise after fining one-armed cyclist for only having one handlebar brake
Police in Germany have apologised to a one-armed man after fining him for only having one hand brake on his bicycle.
Bogdan Ionescu from Cologne modified his bicycle so that he could drive it safely using his one hand. But he was stopped at the end of March by a policeman who told him the bike was illegal according to German road safety laws.
The bicyle had no right-hand brake and so was not roadworthy, the officer told him, and handed him a €25 fine. It turned out Ionescu's modifications were fully legal. A spokesman for Cologne Police said they had now apologised to Ioenscu for their mistake. The city's police chief Wolfgang Albers is also set to apologise personally to him.
Ionescu, who works in a theatre box office in Cologne, is said to be relieved that the fine has been dropped. "It's great news, I'm really happy," he said, adding that the incident had been weighing on him over the past weeks. He felt frustrated and believed he had been discriminated against. "It's good that this is how it ends, it's unbelievably good," he said.
Ionescu said police stopped him on March 25th at around 1.15 pm. "Your bike is unsafe, you have no brake on your right handlebar," the officer told him, according to Ionescu. "I know," he answered, "but I have one on the left and I have a back pedal brake so that I can stop the back wheel.”
The bicyle had no right-hand brake and so was not roadworthy, the officer told him, and handed him a €25 fine. It turned out Ionescu's modifications were fully legal. A spokesman for Cologne Police said they had now apologised to Ioenscu for their mistake. The city's police chief Wolfgang Albers is also set to apologise personally to him.
Ionescu, who works in a theatre box office in Cologne, is said to be relieved that the fine has been dropped. "It's great news, I'm really happy," he said, adding that the incident had been weighing on him over the past weeks. He felt frustrated and believed he had been discriminated against. "It's good that this is how it ends, it's unbelievably good," he said.
Ionescu said police stopped him on March 25th at around 1.15 pm. "Your bike is unsafe, you have no brake on your right handlebar," the officer told him, according to Ionescu. "I know," he answered, "but I have one on the left and I have a back pedal brake so that I can stop the back wheel.”
Owl rides shotgun with Russian lorry driver after he rescued it from middle-of-the-road
An injured owl found at the side of the road by a Russian lorry driver has now become a permanent fixture inside his cab.
Yevgeny Zolotukhin, 51, said he had been travelling on the road to Chita when he saw the owl standing in the middle-of-the-road and had slammed on the brakes.
He said: "I could see that she had an injured wing, and as there aren't exactly a lot of animal charities in that part of the world I drove to the next town and purchased some raw chicken which she happily ate in the cab." He said he had been on a busy schedule and so had been on the road travelling from one destination to the other before he finally returned home where he hoped to get the local zoo to adopt the bird, which he had called Sonya.
He said: "I knew that the owl felt happy with me in the cab because although her wing seemed to be better, she consistently refused to fly away, and I figured she probably had become used to the domestic life. That was when I decided to hand her over to Novosibirsk Zoo but they called me after a week and said that I have to take her back, because she was refusing to eat.
YouTube link.
"When I got there, she ate straight away from my hand and nobody else is allowed to feed her. Zoo keepers told me it's probably because she's got used to me and I noticed it's true, she also gets upset if I am away for any length of time." He said: "She is great company, she sits there alongside me and is never happier than when were on the road it seems. I have a small fridge in the cab, where I keep chicken and beef fresh and she eats that every day at the same time as me."
He said: "I could see that she had an injured wing, and as there aren't exactly a lot of animal charities in that part of the world I drove to the next town and purchased some raw chicken which she happily ate in the cab." He said he had been on a busy schedule and so had been on the road travelling from one destination to the other before he finally returned home where he hoped to get the local zoo to adopt the bird, which he had called Sonya.
He said: "I knew that the owl felt happy with me in the cab because although her wing seemed to be better, she consistently refused to fly away, and I figured she probably had become used to the domestic life. That was when I decided to hand her over to Novosibirsk Zoo but they called me after a week and said that I have to take her back, because she was refusing to eat.
YouTube link.
"When I got there, she ate straight away from my hand and nobody else is allowed to feed her. Zoo keepers told me it's probably because she's got used to me and I noticed it's true, she also gets upset if I am away for any length of time." He said: "She is great company, she sits there alongside me and is never happier than when were on the road it seems. I have a small fridge in the cab, where I keep chicken and beef fresh and she eats that every day at the same time as me."
BMW rebuked over 'Drive it like it's stolen!' Mini billboard advert despite thefts of billboards
BMW has been rebuked over a controversial Mini billboard advert that was placed on the outskirts of Soweto, South Africa.
The advert featured an outline of a Mini Cooper, with a large hole where the car should be.
A banner across the advert read: “Drive it like it's stolen!” Two residents complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and said the advert promotes and glorifies the stealing of cars, speeding and reckless driving.
Macbeth Ngema and Candice Nene said the billboard was especially distasteful as it was placed near where musician Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye and his friend Themba Tshabalala killed four school children and seriously injured two others in 2010 while racing Mini Coopers. The two were sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012.
The ASA decided not to rule on the matter after BMW promised not to use the phrase “Drive it like it's stolen” in future. BMW defended the advert and said the wording was chosen after the original billboard was stolen. It said the phrase “drive it like it's stolen” was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the theft. The ASA also noted that, subsequent to the complaints, the second billboard was also stolen.
A banner across the advert read: “Drive it like it's stolen!” Two residents complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and said the advert promotes and glorifies the stealing of cars, speeding and reckless driving.
Macbeth Ngema and Candice Nene said the billboard was especially distasteful as it was placed near where musician Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye and his friend Themba Tshabalala killed four school children and seriously injured two others in 2010 while racing Mini Coopers. The two were sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012.
The ASA decided not to rule on the matter after BMW promised not to use the phrase “Drive it like it's stolen” in future. BMW defended the advert and said the wording was chosen after the original billboard was stolen. It said the phrase “drive it like it's stolen” was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the theft. The ASA also noted that, subsequent to the complaints, the second billboard was also stolen.
NatWest business manager accidentally left customer phone message calling him a knob
NatWest Bank has apologised to a customer after a business manager accidentally left him a voicemail calling him a "knob".
Nathan Eames, 39, received a call from a business team manager to discuss the feedback he had recently left in a customer service survey.
The call, from 'Sarah' - believed to be Sarah Shah, the Business Specialist at NatWest in Salisbury, Wilts, went straight to answerphone and the business manager left a polite message requesting he call her back. But the worker then failed to hang up properly and immediately began joking with colleagues and poking fun at Nathan - unaware the voicemail was still recording.
YouTube link.
She added: "God, I'm glad he wasn't there, 'cause he's a knob." Nathan, from Poole, Dorset, who declared himself bankrupt in 2009 due to the financial downturn, said he was "shocked" at the message. The freelance photographer said: "Going bankrupt was an extremely difficult decision for me but, at the time, I didn't feel I had any other choice. But the bankruptcy was completely discharged and, for the past five years, I have been trying to get back on my feet.
"So to hear someone, who doesn't know me, insulting and mocking me to colleagues was completely unjustified and demoralising. Natwest should train all their staff to understand the complexities of going bankrupt. It was the hardest thing I have ever done." A Natwest spokesperson said: "We apologise unreservedly to Mr Eames. This is not the behaviour we expect from our people and we are currently investigating this incident, dealing directly with the members of staff involved."
The call, from 'Sarah' - believed to be Sarah Shah, the Business Specialist at NatWest in Salisbury, Wilts, went straight to answerphone and the business manager left a polite message requesting he call her back. But the worker then failed to hang up properly and immediately began joking with colleagues and poking fun at Nathan - unaware the voicemail was still recording.
YouTube link.
She added: "God, I'm glad he wasn't there, 'cause he's a knob." Nathan, from Poole, Dorset, who declared himself bankrupt in 2009 due to the financial downturn, said he was "shocked" at the message. The freelance photographer said: "Going bankrupt was an extremely difficult decision for me but, at the time, I didn't feel I had any other choice. But the bankruptcy was completely discharged and, for the past five years, I have been trying to get back on my feet.
"So to hear someone, who doesn't know me, insulting and mocking me to colleagues was completely unjustified and demoralising. Natwest should train all their staff to understand the complexities of going bankrupt. It was the hardest thing I have ever done." A Natwest spokesperson said: "We apologise unreservedly to Mr Eames. This is not the behaviour we expect from our people and we are currently investigating this incident, dealing directly with the members of staff involved."
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