Thursday, December 04, 2014
Man who wore Donkey Kong costume for one day is suing Nintendo over broken heart
Attorneys for an actor hired by Nintendo to wear a Donkey Kong costume for an event at the Los Angeles Zoo say he is suing the gaming giant after suffering a serious heart condition.
Parker Mills was hired to play the role of the iconic video game ape on May 24, 2013, for the launch of a Nintendo 3DS game, “Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D,” his attorney Tyler Barnett said on Tuesday.
But the job of playing Donkey Kong proved to be stressful, Mills’ attorneys said. Mills was denied breaks and not provided with the required ice pack to cool him down as he talked to zoo guests in the hot Southern California sun, according to the suit. "It created a very stressful environment," another attorney for Mills, James Carr, said.
Mills’ lawsuit against Nintendo was filed on Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. It alleged that the company ambassador who was hired to escort him and oversee and control his activities failed to provide the proper oversight. Mills’ attorneys said he suffered an aortic dissection, which is a tearing of aortic walls.
He had to undergo surgery to implant a permanent heart defibrillator, they said. A news release put out last year on Nintendo’s website touted the event as a chance for fans “to take pictures with the costumed Donkey Kong character around the zoo. Fans will get a chance to spend time with Donkey Kong and some of his friends from the animal kingdom at the L.A. Zoo.”
But the job of playing Donkey Kong proved to be stressful, Mills’ attorneys said. Mills was denied breaks and not provided with the required ice pack to cool him down as he talked to zoo guests in the hot Southern California sun, according to the suit. "It created a very stressful environment," another attorney for Mills, James Carr, said.
Mills’ lawsuit against Nintendo was filed on Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. It alleged that the company ambassador who was hired to escort him and oversee and control his activities failed to provide the proper oversight. Mills’ attorneys said he suffered an aortic dissection, which is a tearing of aortic walls.
He had to undergo surgery to implant a permanent heart defibrillator, they said. A news release put out last year on Nintendo’s website touted the event as a chance for fans “to take pictures with the costumed Donkey Kong character around the zoo. Fans will get a chance to spend time with Donkey Kong and some of his friends from the animal kingdom at the L.A. Zoo.”
Suspected car thief tried to flee on skateboard after police chase
It started out like an average police chase in California, but ended with a skateboard, and a TV reality star.
A stolen BMW was driving in the wrong lane against traffic in Van Nuys, doing 90 miles an hour at one point. And then, “He just crashed”
The alleged car thief then ran across three lanes of traffic clutching the longboard. For five seconds the suspect tried to skateboard away from officers in hot pursuit on foot. Back on foot, he ran into trouble when a red pick-up tried to block his path.
He went around it. And then as police were closing in, the same red pick-up cut him off and practically pinned him. The driver of the pick-up turned out to be the former star of a now-cancelled reality show.
YouTube link.
Luis “Lou” Pizarro used to run around dramatising car repossessions, so it seemed natural to help real police officers get their man. Pizarro said, “It’s just instinct, just to block the guy off.” 33-year-old Jesus Zamora was charged with auto theft. Police recovered the skateboard, presumably for evidence.
The alleged car thief then ran across three lanes of traffic clutching the longboard. For five seconds the suspect tried to skateboard away from officers in hot pursuit on foot. Back on foot, he ran into trouble when a red pick-up tried to block his path.
He went around it. And then as police were closing in, the same red pick-up cut him off and practically pinned him. The driver of the pick-up turned out to be the former star of a now-cancelled reality show.
YouTube link.
Luis “Lou” Pizarro used to run around dramatising car repossessions, so it seemed natural to help real police officers get their man. Pizarro said, “It’s just instinct, just to block the guy off.” 33-year-old Jesus Zamora was charged with auto theft. Police recovered the skateboard, presumably for evidence.
Man assaulted wife with McChicken sandwich
A man was jailed on Tuesday for reportedly using a McDonald's McChicken sandwich as a weapon against his pregnant wife, according to a police report.
Marvin Tramaine Hill II, 21, admitted to police that he threw the sandwich at his wife "because he doesn't like them."
Hill was arrested for simple domestic assault and taken to the Polk County Jail. Police in Des Moines, Iowa, met with Hill at the couple's home. Hill told police it was actually his wife who assaulted him. Hill said his wife woke him up at around 1pm with a McChicken in hand.
He admitted to police that he became upset and threw the sandwich at her,then picked up some of the bun, throwing it at her again. The woman went to the bathroom to clean herself up but Hill followed her and began recording her using his cellphone, which he later shared with police. In the video, police saw the woman knock the phone out of his hands.
Hill's wife had mayonnaise on her shirt and face when officers located her. According to the woman, Hill had forcefully smashed the bun into her face. Police noted that the woman's nose was swollen and believed Hill was trying to entice the woman into knocking the phone out of his hands to make her appear aggressive, the report stated. Hill was arrested and his weapons permit was confiscated. He remains in custody at the Polk County Jail.
Hill was arrested for simple domestic assault and taken to the Polk County Jail. Police in Des Moines, Iowa, met with Hill at the couple's home. Hill told police it was actually his wife who assaulted him. Hill said his wife woke him up at around 1pm with a McChicken in hand.
He admitted to police that he became upset and threw the sandwich at her,then picked up some of the bun, throwing it at her again. The woman went to the bathroom to clean herself up but Hill followed her and began recording her using his cellphone, which he later shared with police. In the video, police saw the woman knock the phone out of his hands.
Hill's wife had mayonnaise on her shirt and face when officers located her. According to the woman, Hill had forcefully smashed the bun into her face. Police noted that the woman's nose was swollen and believed Hill was trying to entice the woman into knocking the phone out of his hands to make her appear aggressive, the report stated. Hill was arrested and his weapons permit was confiscated. He remains in custody at the Polk County Jail.
Trapped cat survived 36-day trip without food and water in moving box
Ashley Barth's cat Mee Moowe survived a month-long trip from Suffolk, Virginia, to Maui, Hawaii, without food or water.
That trip started when movers went to pack up the Barth family’s home in September. Mee Moowe went missing.
“I was really worried and starting to think the worst,” Barth said. “Maybe she ran away, maybe the movers scared her and she decided it was too much noise and she took off.”
The family delayed their move to Hawaii, staying three more nights in their empty house, hoping Mee Moowe would show up. Eventually, they couldn’t wait any longer.
“It made me sick. It was heartbreaking,” Barth said. “My girls were devastated trying to tell me that I couldn’t leave without Mee Moowe.” The land and sea journey or the Barth family’s belongings took more than a month. Thirty-six days after their Suffolk home was packed up, the boxes arrived in Hawaii. When movers began unloading, Barth said she heard a quick, faint 'meow.' “The guy goes, ‘what was that sound?’ and my heart just kind of sunk for a minute and I thought, ‘no, no way.’ And then we heard it again. And the guy said, ‘was that a cat?'” Barth said.
Barth said the noise was Mee Moowe, clinging to possibly her last life. The cat, which was anemic and had lost half its body weight, could barely walk. Barth said Mee Moowe’s eyes were crusted shut. “I was in shock,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I think I was grateful that she was alive, but I was furious this happened to her.” The veterinarian’s office that treated Mee Moowe in Hawaii say she exhibited classic symptoms of starvation, but somehow, she survived more than a month without food or water. “She came right up to my daughters and right to me and wouldn’t let us leave her side,” Barth said.
YouTube link.
But the reunion was short-lived. Mee Moowe wasn’t supposed to go with the family to Hawaii right away. She was supposed to stay in Virginia with a family member and finish the vaccination process needed to make the move. Since things didn’t go as planned, Mee Moowe is living at a veterinarian’s office in Hawaii in quarantine for three months, and that’s costing the Barth family $4,000. Veterinarian’s offices in Virginia and Hawaii both say it’s not likely a cat could survive without food or water for 36 days, they said it’s not impossible. Both vets said a number of factors come into play, like the cat’s health before it moved, the amount of humidity and temperature inside the box and the shipping containers.
“It made me sick. It was heartbreaking,” Barth said. “My girls were devastated trying to tell me that I couldn’t leave without Mee Moowe.” The land and sea journey or the Barth family’s belongings took more than a month. Thirty-six days after their Suffolk home was packed up, the boxes arrived in Hawaii. When movers began unloading, Barth said she heard a quick, faint 'meow.' “The guy goes, ‘what was that sound?’ and my heart just kind of sunk for a minute and I thought, ‘no, no way.’ And then we heard it again. And the guy said, ‘was that a cat?'” Barth said.
Barth said the noise was Mee Moowe, clinging to possibly her last life. The cat, which was anemic and had lost half its body weight, could barely walk. Barth said Mee Moowe’s eyes were crusted shut. “I was in shock,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I think I was grateful that she was alive, but I was furious this happened to her.” The veterinarian’s office that treated Mee Moowe in Hawaii say she exhibited classic symptoms of starvation, but somehow, she survived more than a month without food or water. “She came right up to my daughters and right to me and wouldn’t let us leave her side,” Barth said.
YouTube link.
But the reunion was short-lived. Mee Moowe wasn’t supposed to go with the family to Hawaii right away. She was supposed to stay in Virginia with a family member and finish the vaccination process needed to make the move. Since things didn’t go as planned, Mee Moowe is living at a veterinarian’s office in Hawaii in quarantine for three months, and that’s costing the Barth family $4,000. Veterinarian’s offices in Virginia and Hawaii both say it’s not likely a cat could survive without food or water for 36 days, they said it’s not impossible. Both vets said a number of factors come into play, like the cat’s health before it moved, the amount of humidity and temperature inside the box and the shipping containers.
Amanda Miranda Panda and accomplice charged with shoplifting and burglary
Two Idaho teenagers face burglary charges on suspicion of shoplifting from multiple Boise businesses and stealing from two cars, Boise Police Department officials have said.
Amanda Miranda Panda and Tristen Bubba Parsons, both 18, each face three counts of burglary. Parsons is also charged with resisting and obstructing officers. At about 4pm on Monday officers responded to reports of a shoplifting and stealing from parked cars.
When officers arrived, they spotted Parsons checking parked cars for unlocked doors. When they tried to speak to him, he fled on foot, and was arrested after a foot chase.
Panda was arrested without incident. In the suspects' vehicle, officers found multiple clothing items from four different stores, as well as recently-purchased items that appeared to have been stolen from other vehicles. Both were booked into the Ada County jail.
Amanda Miranda Panda and Tristen Bubba Parsons, both 18, each face three counts of burglary. Parsons is also charged with resisting and obstructing officers. At about 4pm on Monday officers responded to reports of a shoplifting and stealing from parked cars.
When officers arrived, they spotted Parsons checking parked cars for unlocked doors. When they tried to speak to him, he fled on foot, and was arrested after a foot chase.
Panda was arrested without incident. In the suspects' vehicle, officers found multiple clothing items from four different stores, as well as recently-purchased items that appeared to have been stolen from other vehicles. Both were booked into the Ada County jail.
Overly-curious polar bear tranquilized before being airlifted far away by helicopter
A two-year-old female polar bear paid for her curiosity when she was shot with a tranquilliser dart after constantly showing up at an oil depot facility looking for food.
The 200-kilogram (440-pound) animal was transported away via helicopter on Monday from the Toboyskoye oil field in the Nenets Autonomous Region of the Russian Arctic. The polar bear had been carried away three times previously but kept returning in the hope she would be given further milk and canned meat.
She is now likely to end up in a zoo or on another island away from the oil field. “The bear was shooed away towards the coastline. Regrettably, four hours later she was back at the same production facility,” said oil worker Vadim Svishchev.
YouTube link.
About 2,500 polar bears are believed to inhabit the Nenets Autonomous Region, and their population has continued to grow since Russia banned polar bear hunting in 1957.
The 200-kilogram (440-pound) animal was transported away via helicopter on Monday from the Toboyskoye oil field in the Nenets Autonomous Region of the Russian Arctic. The polar bear had been carried away three times previously but kept returning in the hope she would be given further milk and canned meat.
She is now likely to end up in a zoo or on another island away from the oil field. “The bear was shooed away towards the coastline. Regrettably, four hours later she was back at the same production facility,” said oil worker Vadim Svishchev.
YouTube link.
About 2,500 polar bears are believed to inhabit the Nenets Autonomous Region, and their population has continued to grow since Russia banned polar bear hunting in 1957.
Father has become human punch bag to raise money for leukemia-stricken son
A young father who has been dressing up in a T-shirt reading "human punching bag, 10 yuan per punch", (£1.05, $1.60), has taken to standing on a street in Beijing, China, in order to raise money in an attempt to save his two-year-old son, who has been diagnosed with leukemia.
Xia Jun, aged about 30, has displayed a donation box in front of where he stands, soliciting for "punches", and the box is also covered with diagnosis certificates by hospitals reporting that he hopes to raise money for his son.
Xia's son Guo Guo was diagnosed with leukemia in October last year by a hospital in Sichuan province which suggested Xia and his wife go to Beijing to look for treatment for their son. In July, Xia, along with his wife and mother-in-law took Guo Guo to Beijing and saw doctors from three hospitals. Xia said Guo Guo had a bone marrow transplant surgery on November 17th. and 18th. The medical fees now cost over 700,000 yuan (£73,000, $114,000).
Wang Jingbo, Guo Guo's doctor, said that Guo Guo suffers from acute myeloid leukemia and that it will take him at least two and a half years to go through the critical phase, including the three stages of rejection, infection and recurrence. "But the first year will be the most dangerous stage for him as he's so young. His later treatment will cost around 400,000 yuan", (£41,500, $65,000), Wang added.
Xia had collected a sum of 10,000 yuan, (£1,050, $1,650), from warm-hearted passers-by since November 27. He said that he has sold his house in his hometown and borrowed another 40,000 yuan ,(£4,200, $6,600), from others. Some passers-by donated money to Xia while others doubted his intentions. He admitted that he had been struggling with a way to raise money. In the beginning, he thought of begging on the street, but was afraid that nobody would pay him attention. "Different people would possess different opinions on this issue," he said, "but maybe it's the best way to help my kid. I have a clear conscience on this."
Xia's son Guo Guo was diagnosed with leukemia in October last year by a hospital in Sichuan province which suggested Xia and his wife go to Beijing to look for treatment for their son. In July, Xia, along with his wife and mother-in-law took Guo Guo to Beijing and saw doctors from three hospitals. Xia said Guo Guo had a bone marrow transplant surgery on November 17th. and 18th. The medical fees now cost over 700,000 yuan (£73,000, $114,000).
Wang Jingbo, Guo Guo's doctor, said that Guo Guo suffers from acute myeloid leukemia and that it will take him at least two and a half years to go through the critical phase, including the three stages of rejection, infection and recurrence. "But the first year will be the most dangerous stage for him as he's so young. His later treatment will cost around 400,000 yuan", (£41,500, $65,000), Wang added.
Xia had collected a sum of 10,000 yuan, (£1,050, $1,650), from warm-hearted passers-by since November 27. He said that he has sold his house in his hometown and borrowed another 40,000 yuan ,(£4,200, $6,600), from others. Some passers-by donated money to Xia while others doubted his intentions. He admitted that he had been struggling with a way to raise money. In the beginning, he thought of begging on the street, but was afraid that nobody would pay him attention. "Different people would possess different opinions on this issue," he said, "but maybe it's the best way to help my kid. I have a clear conscience on this."
Falling down prank man banned from shops for one year
A Brisbane man has been banned from a number of Australian retailers over a video showing him pretending to fall over in their stores.
For over three days Adrian Van Oyen, 20, visited a number of Woolworths, Big W, BI-LO, Target and Coles stores and was filmed pretending to fall over. Mr Van Oyen explained the prank was carried out with the help of his friend - whom he is reluctant to name.
"He usually films me while I do the prank," he said. Mr Van Oyen said his only mission behind the prank was to garner people's reactions to him falling down. "Usually they just have a laugh and come to help me - everyone is really nice though," he said. Everyone, that is, except for the supermarkets he targeted.
YouTube link. Additional falling down video.
"I was taken to court by Coles and got charged with being a public nuisance," Mr Van Oyen said. "Then Woolies came along and took me to court. Now I'm basically banned from any Coles and Woolies-run store." Despite the ban, Mr Van Oyen doesn't regret his prank. "I'll be right, I'll manage," he said.
For over three days Adrian Van Oyen, 20, visited a number of Woolworths, Big W, BI-LO, Target and Coles stores and was filmed pretending to fall over. Mr Van Oyen explained the prank was carried out with the help of his friend - whom he is reluctant to name.
"He usually films me while I do the prank," he said. Mr Van Oyen said his only mission behind the prank was to garner people's reactions to him falling down. "Usually they just have a laugh and come to help me - everyone is really nice though," he said. Everyone, that is, except for the supermarkets he targeted.
YouTube link. Additional falling down video.
"I was taken to court by Coles and got charged with being a public nuisance," Mr Van Oyen said. "Then Woolies came along and took me to court. Now I'm basically banned from any Coles and Woolies-run store." Despite the ban, Mr Van Oyen doesn't regret his prank. "I'll be right, I'll manage," he said.
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