Monday, August 25, 2014
Newborn elephant takes its first tentative steps
A female calf African elephant, born at Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Arizona, on Wednesday stands up for the first time and wobbles about a bit.
YouTube link.
YouTube link.
15 feet high parking signs halved in size to prevent confusion
For a brief time on Thursday and Friday the parking regulation signs outside Linwood E. Howe Elementary School in Culver City, California, topped 15 feet.
The signs were meant to clarify a new drop-off and pick-up procedure for when classes resume at the school.
But people found them confusing. Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells said the plan was for the signs to only be displayed temporarily. “They just didn’t look temporary,” she said. “So they were going to be taken down. And it looked like … whoa. It was pretty impressive.” By late on Friday, half of the signs were gone, although that still left more than a few regulations for spaces near the school.
Culver City resident John Ikuma said parking near the school is at a premium. “There’s nowhere for the teachers to park,” said Ikuma. “And then we also have restaurants down the street. We had permits put in about three years ago, four years ago, and that’s helped. But this is a whole new level.”
YouTube link.
Parent Donna Thorn said parking tickets in the area can cost as much as $73. “As it is it’s already hard to get your child to school on time, now we have to stop, look, read the sign,” Thorn said. “And then I like to help out in the morning, so I really have to read these signs so I don’t get a ticket. Because it’s common over here.”
But people found them confusing. Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells said the plan was for the signs to only be displayed temporarily. “They just didn’t look temporary,” she said. “So they were going to be taken down. And it looked like … whoa. It was pretty impressive.” By late on Friday, half of the signs were gone, although that still left more than a few regulations for spaces near the school.
Culver City resident John Ikuma said parking near the school is at a premium. “There’s nowhere for the teachers to park,” said Ikuma. “And then we also have restaurants down the street. We had permits put in about three years ago, four years ago, and that’s helped. But this is a whole new level.”
YouTube link.
Parent Donna Thorn said parking tickets in the area can cost as much as $73. “As it is it’s already hard to get your child to school on time, now we have to stop, look, read the sign,” Thorn said. “And then I like to help out in the morning, so I really have to read these signs so I don’t get a ticket. Because it’s common over here.”
Firefighters rescued poodle with paw stuck in bathtub plug hole
A poodle in Albuquerque was freed with the help of firefighters after one of its paws got stuck in a bathtub plug hole for several hours.
Selene Ortega, 12, said she was giving Morita the poodle a bath at her home night when something went wrong.
“I tried picking her up and she kind of like, screamed,” Ortega said. “I checked what was going on and her foot was stuck in there.”
It got stuck in the bathtub plug hole. “I was a bit scared because she was yelling,” Ortega said. When Ortega and her family couldn’t get Morita out, they called for help. However, it was tough finding the right person for the job. “I had to call several places because I called the vet and they told me to call the plumber and the plumber told me to call housing and housing told me to call 911,” Ortega said.
911 dispatched Animal Welfare, which then had to call in the Albuquerque Fire Department. “First, they were trying to get her foot out of there with lotion and shampoo, oil and stuff like that,” Ortega said. Then, the last resort: Firefighters had to cut open the bathtub, sending Morita and the plug hole to a vet, who eventually removed it.
YouTube link.
Ortega said Morita didn’t break anything and is just recovering from the swelling. “She is doing good,” she said. “I guess she has to be taking pills for the pain.” Now, the family is working on getting their bathtub replaced. It is unclear how much that will end up costing. Animal Welfare said pet owners should use plug hole covers to prevent situations like this.
It got stuck in the bathtub plug hole. “I was a bit scared because she was yelling,” Ortega said. When Ortega and her family couldn’t get Morita out, they called for help. However, it was tough finding the right person for the job. “I had to call several places because I called the vet and they told me to call the plumber and the plumber told me to call housing and housing told me to call 911,” Ortega said.
911 dispatched Animal Welfare, which then had to call in the Albuquerque Fire Department. “First, they were trying to get her foot out of there with lotion and shampoo, oil and stuff like that,” Ortega said. Then, the last resort: Firefighters had to cut open the bathtub, sending Morita and the plug hole to a vet, who eventually removed it.
YouTube link.
Ortega said Morita didn’t break anything and is just recovering from the swelling. “She is doing good,” she said. “I guess she has to be taking pills for the pain.” Now, the family is working on getting their bathtub replaced. It is unclear how much that will end up costing. Animal Welfare said pet owners should use plug hole covers to prevent situations like this.
Mass evacuation after woman took unexploded World War Two bomb into police station
A shopping centre in the West Midlands was evacuated on Saturday afternoon after a woman walked into a police station with an unexploded World War Two bomb.
The woman found the device during a shed clearance. She then took it to a police station on Homer Road in Solihull.
Police confirmed the device which caused the security scare was a Luftwaffe incendiary bomb.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police tweeted: "Solihull security alert is all over. Army bomb disposal experts identified the item as a WWII Luftwaffe incendiary bomb. Now taken away." Officers quickly cleared the building and also evacuated nearby roads and the town’s Touchwood Shopping Centre at 1pm. The centre was reopened shortly afterwards at around 2.20pm but the police station remained closed as a precaution while officers waited for bomb disposal experts to assess the device.
The security alert was called off at 3.10pm and the device removed from the scene. A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “Just before 1pm, a resident brought what is thought to be an unexploded bomb in to Solihull police station. The device was found while the resident was clearing out a shed and is believed to be from the Second World War. The police station was evacuated as a precaution until bomb disposal teams arrived to assess the device.
“Touchwood was originally included in the cordon but on further review and advice from explosive experts, the centre was later reopened.” The spokesman added that the risk of it exploding had been "low" but the area had been cleared as a precaution. "The device had been stable for a long time and was likely to remain so," the spokesman said. He said if anyone finds such an item the advice was not to take it anywhere, but to leave it in place and call the police.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police tweeted: "Solihull security alert is all over. Army bomb disposal experts identified the item as a WWII Luftwaffe incendiary bomb. Now taken away." Officers quickly cleared the building and also evacuated nearby roads and the town’s Touchwood Shopping Centre at 1pm. The centre was reopened shortly afterwards at around 2.20pm but the police station remained closed as a precaution while officers waited for bomb disposal experts to assess the device.
The security alert was called off at 3.10pm and the device removed from the scene. A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “Just before 1pm, a resident brought what is thought to be an unexploded bomb in to Solihull police station. The device was found while the resident was clearing out a shed and is believed to be from the Second World War. The police station was evacuated as a precaution until bomb disposal teams arrived to assess the device.
“Touchwood was originally included in the cordon but on further review and advice from explosive experts, the centre was later reopened.” The spokesman added that the risk of it exploding had been "low" but the area had been cleared as a precaution. "The device had been stable for a long time and was likely to remain so," the spokesman said. He said if anyone finds such an item the advice was not to take it anywhere, but to leave it in place and call the police.
Man had to undergo surgery to remove live moth which had been buzzing in his ear for three days
A man had to undergo surgery to remove a live moth from his ear which had been buzzing inside his head for three days.
Rob Fielding, 43, of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire was reading in bed when the insect perched on his ear. He instinctively reached up to poke it away but ended up pushing the insect into his ear canal.
Images from SWNS.
After three restless days, his wife sent him to hospital for an examination. The insect was eventually removed during a 90-minute operation where his ear canal was prised open and the moth pulled out with a tiny pair of forceps.
Rob now displays the dead insect on his mantlepiece as a souvenir of the ordeal. He said: "It was awful knowing the moth was flying around inside my head and every now and then when I felt it move, it made me jump out of my skin."
Rob Fielding, 43, of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire was reading in bed when the insect perched on his ear. He instinctively reached up to poke it away but ended up pushing the insect into his ear canal.
Images from SWNS.
After three restless days, his wife sent him to hospital for an examination. The insect was eventually removed during a 90-minute operation where his ear canal was prised open and the moth pulled out with a tiny pair of forceps.
Rob now displays the dead insect on his mantlepiece as a souvenir of the ordeal. He said: "It was awful knowing the moth was flying around inside my head and every now and then when I felt it move, it made me jump out of my skin."
Grandmother unhappy about finding dead mouse in her cornflakes
A grandmother has told of the moment she poured her grandson his cereal only to see a crispy mouse drop into the bowl.
Pauline Henderson bought the Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes from her local Tesco in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and was preparing breakfast for young Toby.
But the 50-year-old was left disgusted when she spotted the rodent in the bowl.
Luckily, Toby had yet to tuck in.
She said: "It was horrible. If Toby had eaten it I could have been rushing him to hospital. I put the box and the mouse in the freezer until an environmental health officer came over. It’s annoying because I won’t go near any of my food in there." Ms Henderson went back to the store later that day to make a formal complaint. She said: "The first man that served me laughed and I was like 'it’s not funny, do you see me laughing?'.
"Then the manager came out and asked for a receipt but I couldn’t find it. I know when I bought it so I don’t see why they can’t just check the CCTV. I went back on Monday, and all the boxes are still on the shelves – if one of them had a mouse any one of the others could too." A spokesman for Tesco said: "We set ourselves the highest standards for the quality and safety of the food we sell and were concerned to hear of this.
"We would like to thank Mrs Henderson for alerting us and we will work with the supplier to support their investigation." According to Ms Henderson, there was no damage to the box prior to opening it. She added: "I spoke to Kellogg’s and they didn’t really seem interested. They asked me if I wanted another box and I said 'no I do not'." A Kellogg’s spokesman said: "We received a call from the customer and are carrying out a full investigation to identify if and how this occurred as it hasn’t happened before. We take food safety extremely seriously and carry out regular quality checks in our factories."
She said: "It was horrible. If Toby had eaten it I could have been rushing him to hospital. I put the box and the mouse in the freezer until an environmental health officer came over. It’s annoying because I won’t go near any of my food in there." Ms Henderson went back to the store later that day to make a formal complaint. She said: "The first man that served me laughed and I was like 'it’s not funny, do you see me laughing?'.
"Then the manager came out and asked for a receipt but I couldn’t find it. I know when I bought it so I don’t see why they can’t just check the CCTV. I went back on Monday, and all the boxes are still on the shelves – if one of them had a mouse any one of the others could too." A spokesman for Tesco said: "We set ourselves the highest standards for the quality and safety of the food we sell and were concerned to hear of this.
"We would like to thank Mrs Henderson for alerting us and we will work with the supplier to support their investigation." According to Ms Henderson, there was no damage to the box prior to opening it. She added: "I spoke to Kellogg’s and they didn’t really seem interested. They asked me if I wanted another box and I said 'no I do not'." A Kellogg’s spokesman said: "We received a call from the customer and are carrying out a full investigation to identify if and how this occurred as it hasn’t happened before. We take food safety extremely seriously and carry out regular quality checks in our factories."
Police rescued snake stuck in plant pot
Police in Kent were called to the rescue of a serpent stuck in a plastic plant pot.
Officers from Sevenoaks attended the incident on Friday.
The grass snake had got stuck after weaving itself into two holes at the bottom of the pot.
The snake was later released unharmed, but the plant pot had been destroyed.
Officers from Sevenoaks attended the incident on Friday.
The grass snake had got stuck after weaving itself into two holes at the bottom of the pot.
The snake was later released unharmed, but the plant pot had been destroyed.
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