Monday, November 17, 2014
Baby elephant rescued from water hole before being reunited with its family
A group of Italian tourists on safari in the Tsavo East National Park, Kenya, witnessed this touching elephant rescue by staff from The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust last week.
As you'll hear, the lady filming became quite emotional.
YouTube link.
As you'll hear, the lady filming became quite emotional.
YouTube link.
Scraps of paper, a coin and sack of numbered ping-pong balls used to settle Florida election
Scraps of paper, a coin and a sack of numbered ping-pong balls settled a deadlocked local election in Florida on Saturday morning.
For the first time in Duval County history, an election tie was broken by a game of chance, after the two candidates running for Neptune Beach city council seat four were tied at 1,448 votes apiece.
“You just have to prepare mentally for either way because it can go either way,” Richard Arthur, who emerged from the games of chance the victorious candidate, said. “You can never prepare for a game of chance. You just have to go in with the best attitude either way however it turns out.” On Saturday morning, Arthur and his challenger, Rory Diamond, met at the supervisor of elections office in Jacksonville, Florida, to settle the tie once and for all. “The statute says a game of chance,” Diamond said.
“I would have done a coin flip, because if it’s good enough for the Super Bowl it’s good enough for me. But ping-pong balls is just fine.” The rules governing the three-round game, (pdf doc), stipulated that the outcome would determine the winner of the election. Both men agreed to the terms. In the first round, the candidates’ names were written on “equally sized pieces of paper” and placed in a container. The supervisor drew a name: Diamond. He therefore got to call a coin toss in round two.
The supervisor flipped the two-sided coin and Diamond called heads. He won again, and therefore earned the right to decide if he drew first or second in round three. Diamond elected to draw second from a sack of ping-pong balls numbered one to 20, the drawer of the highest number being the winner of the election. Arthur selected a ball numbered 12. Now it was Diamond’s turn to draw. He drew No4, and lost. “We’ve seen so much,” said the Duval County supervisor of elections, Jerry Holland. “We’ve seen close races, as close as two votes, but I’ve never seen a tied race. So it’s great to be a part of history,”
There's a news video here.
“You just have to prepare mentally for either way because it can go either way,” Richard Arthur, who emerged from the games of chance the victorious candidate, said. “You can never prepare for a game of chance. You just have to go in with the best attitude either way however it turns out.” On Saturday morning, Arthur and his challenger, Rory Diamond, met at the supervisor of elections office in Jacksonville, Florida, to settle the tie once and for all. “The statute says a game of chance,” Diamond said.
“I would have done a coin flip, because if it’s good enough for the Super Bowl it’s good enough for me. But ping-pong balls is just fine.” The rules governing the three-round game, (pdf doc), stipulated that the outcome would determine the winner of the election. Both men agreed to the terms. In the first round, the candidates’ names were written on “equally sized pieces of paper” and placed in a container. The supervisor drew a name: Diamond. He therefore got to call a coin toss in round two.
The supervisor flipped the two-sided coin and Diamond called heads. He won again, and therefore earned the right to decide if he drew first or second in round three. Diamond elected to draw second from a sack of ping-pong balls numbered one to 20, the drawer of the highest number being the winner of the election. Arthur selected a ball numbered 12. Now it was Diamond’s turn to draw. He drew No4, and lost. “We’ve seen so much,” said the Duval County supervisor of elections, Jerry Holland. “We’ve seen close races, as close as two votes, but I’ve never seen a tied race. So it’s great to be a part of history,”
There's a news video here.
Robbery suspect accidentally killed self while hiding from deliveryman he thought was police
One of five suspects wanted in connection with a smash-and-grab robbery at a Cartier jewellery store in Midtown Manhattan is dead.
Ralik Hansen, one of the fugitives in the Jan. 30 brazen midday robbery, accidentally shot and killed himself on Oct. 31, according to the FBI.
A FedEx delivery man came to Hansen’s home in Brooklyn and knocked on the door. Hansen, 28, thought it was police at the door so he hid under the couch. His gun then discharged, killing him, according to the FBI.
Hansen was wanted on federal charges and considered armed and dangerous. He faced a federal indictment in April, but remained at large. The FBI and NYPD say he was a member of a violent interstate robbery crew from Brooklyn that also orchestrated heists in Atlantic City and Virginia.
Ralik Hansen, one of the fugitives in the Jan. 30 brazen midday robbery, accidentally shot and killed himself on Oct. 31, according to the FBI.
A FedEx delivery man came to Hansen’s home in Brooklyn and knocked on the door. Hansen, 28, thought it was police at the door so he hid under the couch. His gun then discharged, killing him, according to the FBI.
Hansen was wanted on federal charges and considered armed and dangerous. He faced a federal indictment in April, but remained at large. The FBI and NYPD say he was a member of a violent interstate robbery crew from Brooklyn that also orchestrated heists in Atlantic City and Virginia.
Slamming door led to heavily armed police response
Heavily armed tactical officers surrounded a 12-unit apartment building in Waterloo, southern Ontario, Canada, on Saturday afternoon, after citizens and police reported gunshots.
But about two hours later, Waterloo Regional Police determined it was someone who had repeatedly slammed a door inside one of the apartments in the building. Nobody was hurt. No charges were laid, said Staff Sgt. Deborah McBride. "Apparently there was a heavy door that when it was slammed sounded just like a shotgun," McBride said.
"The officers who arrived heard it." Police were first called at 1:40pm after tenants in the building reported gunshots. When officers heard similar noises, they surrounded the three-storey building and called for backup. At least 10 police cars raced to the area to cordon off the area. Then tactical officers arrived to take over.
When they entered the building at about 4pm, they detained a man but didn't find any evidence of gunfire. "We don't know who slammed the door, but we don't think there was malicious intent," McBride said. Public safety concerns prompted the big police response, she said.
But about two hours later, Waterloo Regional Police determined it was someone who had repeatedly slammed a door inside one of the apartments in the building. Nobody was hurt. No charges were laid, said Staff Sgt. Deborah McBride. "Apparently there was a heavy door that when it was slammed sounded just like a shotgun," McBride said.
"The officers who arrived heard it." Police were first called at 1:40pm after tenants in the building reported gunshots. When officers heard similar noises, they surrounded the three-storey building and called for backup. At least 10 police cars raced to the area to cordon off the area. Then tactical officers arrived to take over.
When they entered the building at about 4pm, they detained a man but didn't find any evidence of gunfire. "We don't know who slammed the door, but we don't think there was malicious intent," McBride said. Public safety concerns prompted the big police response, she said.
Brain fart probably caused man to let 10-year-old girl drive car in busy traffic
A man in charge of a 10-year-old girl driving erratically in busy traffic in Dunedin, New Zealand, thought it was okay as he too learnt young.
Senior Sergeant Dave Scott, of Southern police, said police noticed a Ford Falcon driving "in a poor manner" in the Dunedin suburb of St Clair at about 9pm on Saturday. When the vehicle was stopped, police found a 10-year-old girl behind the wheel, he said.
A 52-year-old man, not believed to be related to the driver, was in the passenger seat, while another 10-year-old was also in the vehicle, he said. The man seemed to have had a "brain fart" and believed it would be okay to teach the girl to drive, as he had learnt to drive at a similar age, Scott said.
Police returned the children to their parents, and the vehicle owner was served with a ticket for aiding and abetting an unlicensed driver. Police were considering if further action was appropriate. The pair's actions had been very risky, as the area had been very busy and the girl was not driving well, Scott said.
Senior Sergeant Dave Scott, of Southern police, said police noticed a Ford Falcon driving "in a poor manner" in the Dunedin suburb of St Clair at about 9pm on Saturday. When the vehicle was stopped, police found a 10-year-old girl behind the wheel, he said.
A 52-year-old man, not believed to be related to the driver, was in the passenger seat, while another 10-year-old was also in the vehicle, he said. The man seemed to have had a "brain fart" and believed it would be okay to teach the girl to drive, as he had learnt to drive at a similar age, Scott said.
Police returned the children to their parents, and the vehicle owner was served with a ticket for aiding and abetting an unlicensed driver. Police were considering if further action was appropriate. The pair's actions had been very risky, as the area had been very busy and the girl was not driving well, Scott said.
Bad Santa hunted after post office robbery
A man in a Santa Claus suit has robbed a post office in Melbourne, Australia, escaping with cash.
The man entered the post office at about 11:30am on Saturday and demanded money from a female staff member, police said.
The woman gave the man cash and he put it in a red Santa sack.
YouTube link.
He left the shop and drove away in a cream-coloured Jeep with false number plates. Police said the man did not appear to have a weapon and no-one was hurt.
The man entered the post office at about 11:30am on Saturday and demanded money from a female staff member, police said.
The woman gave the man cash and he put it in a red Santa sack.
YouTube link.
He left the shop and drove away in a cream-coloured Jeep with false number plates. Police said the man did not appear to have a weapon and no-one was hurt.
Indian man's bride turned out to be 15-year-old boy
Balak Ram of Biharipur village, Uttar Pradesh, was a bachelor aged 37 and frequently taunted for it.
His family had long been hunting for a bride for him. He was renowned for being a little 'off his rocker' and no woman agreed to marry him.
In their search for a bride, his family sought the help of a man who led a 'natak mandali' (dance troupe), Hukkam Singh.
Singh agreed to get Balak Ram a bride, at a fee of Rs 50,000 (£520, $810). He said he had found a "beautiful and homely young girl," in Mathura.
Balak Ram's family travelled 160 km from Badaun to Mathura on November 2, and were pleased to be introduced to 29-year-old Raj Kumari, their daughter-in-law to be.
Raj Kumari hailed from Japarpur village in Mathura.
The wedding was solemnized 48 hours after Ram's family first met Raj Kumari. Money was paid to Hukkam Singh, as promised. A number of Balak Ram's relatives attending the ceremony. The woman's parents and Hukkam Singh represented the bride's side of the marriage party. The bride cried as she left her parents' home to go with her groom. A whole week after the wedding, Balak Ram did not have a notion what his bride looked like. She would never lift her veil. He did not even know the sound of her voice - she never spoke. She indicated that it was all part of some vow she had taken for her marriage, and Balak Ram's family thought it would all settle in time.
Last Saturday night, though, a few village women saw, through a window in Balak Ram's house, a young boy donning a saree. They realised that the new bride was not a woman. He was, in reality, 15-year-old Rajkumar. Investigations showed that Hukkam Singh had duped Balak Ram's family. Rajkumar was a member of Hukkam Singh's dance troupe, and had agreed to don the role of bride for a payment of Rs10,000 (£105, $160). Policemen are unsure how to proceed in the case - there is now no trace of Hukkam Singh; and they do not quite know what to do with the minor. Rajkumar said Hukkam Singh had asked him to play the role of bride, and offered him Rs 10,000 for it. Hukkam Singh had advised him to run away from the village the first chance he got, Rajkumar said.
"The boy has not yet received his due, and will not leave the house till he gets Rs 10,000. He is a minor. We are not in a state to "rescue" him. Balak Ram's family has not lodged a First Information Report in the matter, and is waiting for Hukkam Singh to return the Rs 50,000. I don't know what to do," Vipin Maurya, from Hazratpur police station, said. Balak Ram and Rajkumar are now settling into being the butt of the villagers' jokes. Rajkumar no longer dresses the role of the bride, and is back to his shirt and pants, but does not mind occasionally wearing the saree. Balak Ram too is delighted to pose with his new bride, so what if she turned out the wrong gender. Assistant Superintendent of Police Maan Singh Chauhan of Badaun said, "We have not received an FIR. I have instructed the station officer of Hazratpur police station to take appropriate action. We have called the other party and will try to solve the matter amicably."
The wedding was solemnized 48 hours after Ram's family first met Raj Kumari. Money was paid to Hukkam Singh, as promised. A number of Balak Ram's relatives attending the ceremony. The woman's parents and Hukkam Singh represented the bride's side of the marriage party. The bride cried as she left her parents' home to go with her groom. A whole week after the wedding, Balak Ram did not have a notion what his bride looked like. She would never lift her veil. He did not even know the sound of her voice - she never spoke. She indicated that it was all part of some vow she had taken for her marriage, and Balak Ram's family thought it would all settle in time.
Last Saturday night, though, a few village women saw, through a window in Balak Ram's house, a young boy donning a saree. They realised that the new bride was not a woman. He was, in reality, 15-year-old Rajkumar. Investigations showed that Hukkam Singh had duped Balak Ram's family. Rajkumar was a member of Hukkam Singh's dance troupe, and had agreed to don the role of bride for a payment of Rs10,000 (£105, $160). Policemen are unsure how to proceed in the case - there is now no trace of Hukkam Singh; and they do not quite know what to do with the minor. Rajkumar said Hukkam Singh had asked him to play the role of bride, and offered him Rs 10,000 for it. Hukkam Singh had advised him to run away from the village the first chance he got, Rajkumar said.
"The boy has not yet received his due, and will not leave the house till he gets Rs 10,000. He is a minor. We are not in a state to "rescue" him. Balak Ram's family has not lodged a First Information Report in the matter, and is waiting for Hukkam Singh to return the Rs 50,000. I don't know what to do," Vipin Maurya, from Hazratpur police station, said. Balak Ram and Rajkumar are now settling into being the butt of the villagers' jokes. Rajkumar no longer dresses the role of the bride, and is back to his shirt and pants, but does not mind occasionally wearing the saree. Balak Ram too is delighted to pose with his new bride, so what if she turned out the wrong gender. Assistant Superintendent of Police Maan Singh Chauhan of Badaun said, "We have not received an FIR. I have instructed the station officer of Hazratpur police station to take appropriate action. We have called the other party and will try to solve the matter amicably."
Grieving widow took dead husband’s ashes into phone shop in bid to have his contract cancelled
A grieving widow took her dead husband’s ashes into a mobile phone shop in a bid to have his contract terminated.
But Maria Raybould has continued to receive bills from T-Mobile and even been threatened with bailiffs.
Her loving husband, David, died of cancer on August 29 aged 57.
Before his death he was paying £26 a month for a Samsung Galaxy mini SII on a T-Mobile contract.
Maria, from Tongwynlais, Cardiff, Wales, said: “The money that they are charging is for bills since he died. Everything was paid by direct debit before he passed away.
“David died on the Friday and the day after my son Craig went in to sort out the phone bill at their Caerphilly branch so it would be one less thing for us to worry about.
“They told him he would have to bring in David’s death certificate. He went back with the death certificate and they told him they would send a copy of it to head office.” Maria thought that would resolve the matter but she has since received intermittent letters from the company demanding money. She said: “It’s gone downhill since then. I’ve had texts since then asking if David wanted to pay an extra £2.50 for broadband and letters saying that bailiffs would be coming.” Maria, 56, who is bi-polar and struggles with anxiety, said on her third visit to the shop in a bid to end the contract she even took her husband’s ashes into show the staff. She said: “I’ve been up to the shop with the death certificate, with a letter from the crematorium, the funeral bills – even his ashes. I took in everything I could.
“I lost it in the shop. I gave them 20 minutes to sort it out. I went outside and had a panic attack and took some diazepam. When I went back in the girl told me she had spoken to the manager and they were going to stop the contract. Then I had another letter about the bailiffs. My son spoke with T-Mobile again and was assured it was an automated letter sent in error and that it wasn’t going to happen again.” But on November 8 Maria received another letter addressed to her late husband from T-Mobile customer finance department. It asked for an overdue amount of £129.48 to be paid and threatened to apply a cancellation charge due for the remaining months of the contract as well as stating the account will be passed to a debt collection agency.
Maria said: “Now in my hand I have another letter saying there is £129 overdue. It says they have disconnected him and if he doesn’t pay this money they are going to take him to a debt collection agency. They just don’t seem to understand. I have tried and tried to get it through to them. The contract needs to stop. How much clearer can I make it to them? What more can I do? “How dare they put me and my sons through this after all we have been through already? I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what we have gone through over the last few months. It was easier for us to bury him than sort this out.” A spokesman for T-Mobile said there was a delay to the automated process that cancels the balance, which resulted in the letters being issued. The spokesman added: “We apologise to Mrs Raybould for any distress caused at this difficult time. We can confirm that the account has been closed and the balance cleared.” They are writing to Maria to apologise.
“They told him he would have to bring in David’s death certificate. He went back with the death certificate and they told him they would send a copy of it to head office.” Maria thought that would resolve the matter but she has since received intermittent letters from the company demanding money. She said: “It’s gone downhill since then. I’ve had texts since then asking if David wanted to pay an extra £2.50 for broadband and letters saying that bailiffs would be coming.” Maria, 56, who is bi-polar and struggles with anxiety, said on her third visit to the shop in a bid to end the contract she even took her husband’s ashes into show the staff. She said: “I’ve been up to the shop with the death certificate, with a letter from the crematorium, the funeral bills – even his ashes. I took in everything I could.
“I lost it in the shop. I gave them 20 minutes to sort it out. I went outside and had a panic attack and took some diazepam. When I went back in the girl told me she had spoken to the manager and they were going to stop the contract. Then I had another letter about the bailiffs. My son spoke with T-Mobile again and was assured it was an automated letter sent in error and that it wasn’t going to happen again.” But on November 8 Maria received another letter addressed to her late husband from T-Mobile customer finance department. It asked for an overdue amount of £129.48 to be paid and threatened to apply a cancellation charge due for the remaining months of the contract as well as stating the account will be passed to a debt collection agency.
Maria said: “Now in my hand I have another letter saying there is £129 overdue. It says they have disconnected him and if he doesn’t pay this money they are going to take him to a debt collection agency. They just don’t seem to understand. I have tried and tried to get it through to them. The contract needs to stop. How much clearer can I make it to them? What more can I do? “How dare they put me and my sons through this after all we have been through already? I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what we have gone through over the last few months. It was easier for us to bury him than sort this out.” A spokesman for T-Mobile said there was a delay to the automated process that cancels the balance, which resulted in the letters being issued. The spokesman added: “We apologise to Mrs Raybould for any distress caused at this difficult time. We can confirm that the account has been closed and the balance cleared.” They are writing to Maria to apologise.
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