Wednesday, October 15, 2014
When Mr Niazi talked to the animals
Back in 1954, Mr Niazi visited England from Pakistan to demonstrate his zoological linquistry.
YouTube link.
YouTube link.
Man arrested following aggressive mopping incident at hotel
A man in Southington, Connecticut, was arrested on Monday after a disturbance at a hotel, during which police say he grabbed a mop from an employee and mopped the floor aggressively.
Officers responded to the Double Tree Hotel at 6:27pm and learned that the man, identified as John Thornton, had grabbed a mop from an employee as she was mopping the floor.
Thornton allegedly "began to mop the floor but became more aggressive and mopped over the employee's shoes several times," police said. The employee, a 27-year-old woman, asked Thornton to stop, but he backed her into a corner. Thornton was arrested on a charge of second-degree breach of peace.
While he was being transported to the station, Thornton allegedly shouted insults and expletives at the officers and threatened them, police said. He was additionally charged with second-degree threatening. Thornton was released on bond and is scheduled to appear in court on October 27.
Officers responded to the Double Tree Hotel at 6:27pm and learned that the man, identified as John Thornton, had grabbed a mop from an employee as she was mopping the floor.
Thornton allegedly "began to mop the floor but became more aggressive and mopped over the employee's shoes several times," police said. The employee, a 27-year-old woman, asked Thornton to stop, but he backed her into a corner. Thornton was arrested on a charge of second-degree breach of peace.
While he was being transported to the station, Thornton allegedly shouted insults and expletives at the officers and threatened them, police said. He was additionally charged with second-degree threatening. Thornton was released on bond and is scheduled to appear in court on October 27.
Flower pot digging estate agent joined marathon while trying to run from police
A Chicago real estate agent being chased by police on Sunday dashed onto the Chicago Marathon route and ran a portion of the race before being tackled to the ground by police.
Bryan Duffy, 29, allegedly joined a pack of runners, and bumped into several of them, after police began chasing him on State Street, which is near the start of the marathon route.
Officers wanted to talk to Duffy, of Avondale, after he was spotted digging around flower pots along the route. When officers approached, Duffy ran away and joined the runners. Officers caught and tackled him to the ground. In court, during a brief hearing on Monday, Duffy's face revealed apparent road rash.
Officers found an Altoids box with 10 capsules of suspected MDMA (also known as ecstasy or Molly) and a wad of bills totalling $531. Duffy was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and reckless conduct for putting marathon runners in danger, according to the report. A Cook County judge set Duffy's bail at $10,000.
There's an audio report here.
Bryan Duffy, 29, allegedly joined a pack of runners, and bumped into several of them, after police began chasing him on State Street, which is near the start of the marathon route.
Officers wanted to talk to Duffy, of Avondale, after he was spotted digging around flower pots along the route. When officers approached, Duffy ran away and joined the runners. Officers caught and tackled him to the ground. In court, during a brief hearing on Monday, Duffy's face revealed apparent road rash.
Officers found an Altoids box with 10 capsules of suspected MDMA (also known as ecstasy or Molly) and a wad of bills totalling $531. Duffy was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and reckless conduct for putting marathon runners in danger, according to the report. A Cook County judge set Duffy's bail at $10,000.
There's an audio report here.
Drunken zombie Santa woke up in strangers' home
An intoxicated stranger dressed as a zombie Santa Claus terrified two teenagers when he entered their home in Minneapolis–Saint Paul over the weekend.
A 14-year-old boy fled from the Macalester-Groveland house to get help and his 16-year-old sister locked herself in a bathroom, said a neighbour, Margaret Marrinan, who is also a Ramsey County judge.
"This guy ought to be examining his conscience ... for what he did to those kids," she said.
The children were scared but are fine now, Tom Sullivan, their father, said on Monday. "The police did a nice job of calming them down and explaining the individual meant no harm," he said. "Fortunately, it had a happy ending, and no one will ever think of Santa the same way. If you're going to have a break-in, this is the best kind - someone who means no harm and was looking for a place to sleep."
Police cited a man who is a University of St. Thomas senior for trespassing. The university is about six blocks from the home. A police report didn't say where the man was coming from. Officers were called to the home at 9:45pm on Saturday. They were told that a man had entered the residence wearing a Santa suit and looking like a zombie, said Sgt. Paul Paulos, a St. Paul police spokesman.
The man had vomited and didn't know where he was when police woke him up, Paulos said. Police cited Brock Quinn Johnson of Roseville for trespassing and took him to the detoxification centre, Paulos said. Marrinan said she saw the man when he was brought to a squad car and the boy's description was right - he was dressed like Santa and looked like a zombie. He wasn't wearing a mask, and Marrinan suspected that makeup caused the zombie effect. Sullivan and Marrinan said their area is normally quiet.
The children were scared but are fine now, Tom Sullivan, their father, said on Monday. "The police did a nice job of calming them down and explaining the individual meant no harm," he said. "Fortunately, it had a happy ending, and no one will ever think of Santa the same way. If you're going to have a break-in, this is the best kind - someone who means no harm and was looking for a place to sleep."
Police cited a man who is a University of St. Thomas senior for trespassing. The university is about six blocks from the home. A police report didn't say where the man was coming from. Officers were called to the home at 9:45pm on Saturday. They were told that a man had entered the residence wearing a Santa suit and looking like a zombie, said Sgt. Paul Paulos, a St. Paul police spokesman.
The man had vomited and didn't know where he was when police woke him up, Paulos said. Police cited Brock Quinn Johnson of Roseville for trespassing and took him to the detoxification centre, Paulos said. Marrinan said she saw the man when he was brought to a squad car and the boy's description was right - he was dressed like Santa and looked like a zombie. He wasn't wearing a mask, and Marrinan suspected that makeup caused the zombie effect. Sullivan and Marrinan said their area is normally quiet.
Pizza Hut apologises after calling customer Pink Fat Lady on receipt
A Pizza Hut Singapore customer found the words "Pink Fat Lady" written on her pizza takeaway receipt at the Bukit Merah outlet on Sunday evening. Posting a photo of the receipt on Facebook on Sunday night, the customer, Aili Si, said: "I don't think it is nice for your staff to describe me as such on my receipt... As a customer I definitely hope to be treated with basic respect deserved by any others.
"I hope to receive an apology from the staff and Pizza Hut." On Monday, Pizza Hut Singapore replied to her post on Facebook and said that the incident has "definitely rocked us in our seats". It wrote: "That should not have happened at all and we feel that we cannot begin to appropriately apologise to you at this point, but we are, indeed, sorry for this...Our team is keen on finding out further details of this incident in order to launch an investigation."
Pizza Hut Singapore's senior marketing director Juliana Lim said that they have been in touch with Ms Si and apologised for the incident. "She expressed her understanding of the matter, which was a genuine error of judgement with no intent to offend, and has accepted our apology. We are grateful to her feedback and as a result, we are taking measures to improve our customer service standards," said Ms Lim.
Ms Si said she would not pursue the matter further. "I appreciate Pizza Hut's effort in addressing this matter and handling it in the best possible way they can," she said. "I would also like to thank the public who support and focused on the idea of good customer service at a fundamental level." She added: "And to the public who focused mainly on the negative effects regarding obesity, I sincerely request you to be sympathetic and to open your hearts and minds to what an obese individual may be facing that many may not be able to see on the surface."
"I hope to receive an apology from the staff and Pizza Hut." On Monday, Pizza Hut Singapore replied to her post on Facebook and said that the incident has "definitely rocked us in our seats". It wrote: "That should not have happened at all and we feel that we cannot begin to appropriately apologise to you at this point, but we are, indeed, sorry for this...Our team is keen on finding out further details of this incident in order to launch an investigation."
Pizza Hut Singapore's senior marketing director Juliana Lim said that they have been in touch with Ms Si and apologised for the incident. "She expressed her understanding of the matter, which was a genuine error of judgement with no intent to offend, and has accepted our apology. We are grateful to her feedback and as a result, we are taking measures to improve our customer service standards," said Ms Lim.
Ms Si said she would not pursue the matter further. "I appreciate Pizza Hut's effort in addressing this matter and handling it in the best possible way they can," she said. "I would also like to thank the public who support and focused on the idea of good customer service at a fundamental level." She added: "And to the public who focused mainly on the negative effects regarding obesity, I sincerely request you to be sympathetic and to open your hearts and minds to what an obese individual may be facing that many may not be able to see on the surface."
Police advise unhappy school student's against putting laxatives into teacher’s drink
A 14-year-old high school student in Perth, Australia, has been given a juvenile caution after slipping a laxative substance into a teacher’s drink.
The incident happened last month at Melville Senior High School and resulted in the student being suspended.
The matter was also reported to police and the boy was interviewed after he put the laxative substance into a female teacher’s drink. Palmyra police station officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Craig Collins confirmed the student involved had been given a juvenile caution.
Sen-Sgt Collins said such acts had the potential to put the victim in danger. “The message we want to get out there is this kind of behaviour is not tolerated and can be dangerous,” Sen-Sgt Collins said. Melville Senior High School principal Phillip White confirmed the incident happened at his school.
“While the student may have thought this was a harmless prank, it could have had a serious effect on his teacher’s health – something which he has now recognised in a written apology,” he said. “School staff dealt with this issue swiftly by suspending the student for the remainder of the term and referring the matter to police.”
The matter was also reported to police and the boy was interviewed after he put the laxative substance into a female teacher’s drink. Palmyra police station officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Craig Collins confirmed the student involved had been given a juvenile caution.
Sen-Sgt Collins said such acts had the potential to put the victim in danger. “The message we want to get out there is this kind of behaviour is not tolerated and can be dangerous,” Sen-Sgt Collins said. Melville Senior High School principal Phillip White confirmed the incident happened at his school.
“While the student may have thought this was a harmless prank, it could have had a serious effect on his teacher’s health – something which he has now recognised in a written apology,” he said. “School staff dealt with this issue swiftly by suspending the student for the remainder of the term and referring the matter to police.”
Family included pet cat in order to get an extra AU$140,000 for the sale of their home
An Australian family have sold their beloved pet cat in order to get an extra AU$140,000 (£75,000, US$120,000) for the sale of their home.
The unusual arrangement happened after a potential buyer saw the house and said they would buy it as long as the cat, named Tiffany, was included in the sale.
The cat's owners, the Perceval family, agreed to let the buyers take their home in a Melbourne suburb along with its feline resident. Fran Perceval said that when the five-bedroom house in Glen Iris was being viewed Tiffany got numerous admirers. "We jokingly said all the people coming through are loving her," she said.
"We said to the agent, 'She goes with the house, hahaha' not expecting at all to actually have a clause written into the contract saying it includes the cat." The house was auctioned at the weekend and bidding reached just over AU$2.06m (£1.125m, US$1.8m). But at the last minute a bidder upped the stakes, offering AU$2.2m (£1.2m, US$1.9) if the cat was included.
YouTube link.
The agent, Glen Coutinho, said: "I've had plenty of people say they'll throw in their partners but not pets. It's a first." One person who might not be so happy with the deal is Michael and Fran Perceval's 19-year-old son, Sam. He bought the cat four years ago and was particularly fond of the pet. His parents have told him they may well soon be making a trip to the local animal shelter.
The cat's owners, the Perceval family, agreed to let the buyers take their home in a Melbourne suburb along with its feline resident. Fran Perceval said that when the five-bedroom house in Glen Iris was being viewed Tiffany got numerous admirers. "We jokingly said all the people coming through are loving her," she said.
"We said to the agent, 'She goes with the house, hahaha' not expecting at all to actually have a clause written into the contract saying it includes the cat." The house was auctioned at the weekend and bidding reached just over AU$2.06m (£1.125m, US$1.8m). But at the last minute a bidder upped the stakes, offering AU$2.2m (£1.2m, US$1.9) if the cat was included.
YouTube link.
The agent, Glen Coutinho, said: "I've had plenty of people say they'll throw in their partners but not pets. It's a first." One person who might not be so happy with the deal is Michael and Fran Perceval's 19-year-old son, Sam. He bought the cat four years ago and was particularly fond of the pet. His parents have told him they may well soon be making a trip to the local animal shelter.
Hedgehog pitch invader brought football match to a halt before stabbing assistant referee
A spiky pitch invader brought a non-league football match between Hitchin Town and Arlesey Town to a brief standstill on Monday.
An hour into the Red Insure Cup tie at Top Field, one of the referee’s assistants was notified by the crowd that a hedgehog had scampered on to the pitch – and set about trying to rescue it.
He flagged to the man in the middle to pause the game, before walking on to the pitch. However, noticing his colleague had yet to blow his whistle he hurriedly tried to pick up the mammal, only to jump back reeling in pain as he’d grabbed hold of the creature’s spines – much to the amusement of the fans.
Along came the referee to see what the fuss was about, and between the two officials they gently lifted the pitch invader to a safe place and resumed the game. Arlesey eventually won the game 6-5 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
An hour into the Red Insure Cup tie at Top Field, one of the referee’s assistants was notified by the crowd that a hedgehog had scampered on to the pitch – and set about trying to rescue it.
He flagged to the man in the middle to pause the game, before walking on to the pitch. However, noticing his colleague had yet to blow his whistle he hurriedly tried to pick up the mammal, only to jump back reeling in pain as he’d grabbed hold of the creature’s spines – much to the amusement of the fans.
Along came the referee to see what the fuss was about, and between the two officials they gently lifted the pitch invader to a safe place and resumed the game. Arlesey eventually won the game 6-5 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Dispute over hot air balloon and stampeding pigs settled by professor of mathematics
A legal dispute involving a herd of pigs and a hot air balloon has finally been settled thanks to the expertise of a professor of mathematics.
The problem arose two years ago when a herd of pigs on a farm at Sand Hutton, near York, were disturbed by a low-flying hot-air balloon as it fired its burners.
The terrified pigs, around 200 sows and eight boars all owned by Gilling East-based Ian Mosey (Livestock) Limited, then stampeded.
They all fled in the same direction, injuring each other as they went, and ended up in a ditch at the end of the field.
Four of the animals died, but most of the sows in the field were pregnant and around 70 per cent of them aborted because of the shock. Farmer Dan Gilbank was at Low Moor Farm when the incident happened and said: “We saw the balloon and were heading towards the pigs when the burners went off to help it get over the trees. There was nothing we could do and the pigs just ran.” He added: “We’ve had problems with balloons before and that’s why they are not supposed to come within 500 metres.” One of the key points in the ensuing legal battle was the exact location of the balloon in relation to the animals.
The insurers for the company providing the balloon ride used GPS data generated during the flight to claim that the balloon didn’t come closer than 750 metres from the pigs, and so could not have caused the stampede. But York lawyer Darren Morgan, of Langleys Solicitors, disputed that and obtained a picture of the balloon that had been taken by the wife of another farmer. Professor Chris Fewster, of York University, was then able to use information gleaned from the picture to mathematically prove the balloon was only about 300 metres from the pigs.
That was much closer than the balloon company’s insurers claimed and following Prof Fewster’s report, and having made an initial offer of £10,000, they agreed a settlement of £38,782. Professor Fewster said: “The wonderful thing about mathematics is that it helps us think clearly about the world. This case shows how even relatively simple mathematics like trigonometry can make an important contribution. I am delighted to have helped the parties arrive at a settlement.” Mr Morgan said: “This was a particularly interesting case because the exact position of the hot air balloon in relation to the herd of pigs would have been almost impossible to prove without both the initial photographic evidence, and the subsequent calculations from Prof Fewster.”
Four of the animals died, but most of the sows in the field were pregnant and around 70 per cent of them aborted because of the shock. Farmer Dan Gilbank was at Low Moor Farm when the incident happened and said: “We saw the balloon and were heading towards the pigs when the burners went off to help it get over the trees. There was nothing we could do and the pigs just ran.” He added: “We’ve had problems with balloons before and that’s why they are not supposed to come within 500 metres.” One of the key points in the ensuing legal battle was the exact location of the balloon in relation to the animals.
The insurers for the company providing the balloon ride used GPS data generated during the flight to claim that the balloon didn’t come closer than 750 metres from the pigs, and so could not have caused the stampede. But York lawyer Darren Morgan, of Langleys Solicitors, disputed that and obtained a picture of the balloon that had been taken by the wife of another farmer. Professor Chris Fewster, of York University, was then able to use information gleaned from the picture to mathematically prove the balloon was only about 300 metres from the pigs.
That was much closer than the balloon company’s insurers claimed and following Prof Fewster’s report, and having made an initial offer of £10,000, they agreed a settlement of £38,782. Professor Fewster said: “The wonderful thing about mathematics is that it helps us think clearly about the world. This case shows how even relatively simple mathematics like trigonometry can make an important contribution. I am delighted to have helped the parties arrive at a settlement.” Mr Morgan said: “This was a particularly interesting case because the exact position of the hot air balloon in relation to the herd of pigs would have been almost impossible to prove without both the initial photographic evidence, and the subsequent calculations from Prof Fewster.”
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