Saturday, February 28, 2015
Woman knocked unconscious in drive-by egging
A woman was knocked unconscious in Seattle early on Tuesday when an egg thrown from a passing truck hit her in the head.
According to police, several people were standing outside a Crown Hill bar when someone inside a pickup “let loose a volley of eggs.”
At least two people, including a bar employee, were struck by the eggs. A woman was hit just behind her ear and was knocked unconscious. Police said her friends caught her as she fell to the ground.
The victim’s friends drove her to the hospital where she was treated. Witnesses told police the vehicle was a small black or green pickup with a canopy and dark tinted windows. Police are seeking more information about the incident.
According to police, several people were standing outside a Crown Hill bar when someone inside a pickup “let loose a volley of eggs.”
At least two people, including a bar employee, were struck by the eggs. A woman was hit just behind her ear and was knocked unconscious. Police said her friends caught her as she fell to the ground.
The victim’s friends drove her to the hospital where she was treated. Witnesses told police the vehicle was a small black or green pickup with a canopy and dark tinted windows. Police are seeking more information about the incident.
Commuter escaped injury when escalator ate his trousers
A 35-year-old man lost his trousers at the Davis MBTA station in Massachusetts during the morning commute on Thursday.
T rider Greg Murphy, who witnessed the aftermath, said he was on his way to work when he and dozens of other commuters happened across the bare-legged man and a disabled escalator at about 8:30am.
“I saw two MBTA workers at the bottom of the stairs, a guy wearing some fashionable blue gym shorts, and some pants at the bottom of the stairs that looked like they had been sucked in,” Murphy said. “He looked fine. He was just standing there, he had his backpack up on the side there and they seemed to be taking some information from him for a report.”
Murphy added, “He seemed to be taking it all in stride. He was keeping it cooler than I do on my best day.” T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the unidentified commuter told T officials: “He was running down the escalator to catch a train when he slipped and fell. His pants got caught in the escalator. He was not injured and he did not request any medical attention.”
That escalator was examined by state inspectors, who found no defects and cleared it to reopen. “Customers are urged to please be mindful of loose clothing, keeping it clear of steps and sides and to stand clear of the sides of the escalator,” Pesaturo said. “It’s also important that escalator users face forward and keep a firm grip on the handrail.”
“I saw two MBTA workers at the bottom of the stairs, a guy wearing some fashionable blue gym shorts, and some pants at the bottom of the stairs that looked like they had been sucked in,” Murphy said. “He looked fine. He was just standing there, he had his backpack up on the side there and they seemed to be taking some information from him for a report.”
Murphy added, “He seemed to be taking it all in stride. He was keeping it cooler than I do on my best day.” T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the unidentified commuter told T officials: “He was running down the escalator to catch a train when he slipped and fell. His pants got caught in the escalator. He was not injured and he did not request any medical attention.”
That escalator was examined by state inspectors, who found no defects and cleared it to reopen. “Customers are urged to please be mindful of loose clothing, keeping it clear of steps and sides and to stand clear of the sides of the escalator,” Pesaturo said. “It’s also important that escalator users face forward and keep a firm grip on the handrail.”
Man set fire to his house because his niece wouldn't take him to buy more booze
After his niece refused to drive him to the store to buy more liquor, a Florida man decided to set fire to his house, according to authorities.
On Dec. 14, Jerome Clemons, 44, of Boynton Beach, who had already been drinking, asked his niece for a ride to the liquor store.
She told investigators she told him "No" and they got into an argument. To avoid further confrontation, the woman said she left the house. Not long afterwards, Clemons' brother arrived at the house. He told investigators Clemons was standing out on the porch mumbling to himself about being "tired of it all."
His brother started making dinner and went out to see if Clemons was okay. Then, he saw a huge flame burning at the northeast corner of the house. Clemons' brother was able to extinguish the fire with a hose. Officials said the structural damage was minimal, but a garbage container and an all-terrain vehicle were slightly damaged.
Boynton Beach fire officials later found Clemons walking down the street with a large burn on his forearm. Investigators determined Clemons poured gasoline against the wall outside and on the all-terrain vehicle and lit the fire while his brother was inside. Clemons had left the hospital before Boynton Beach police were able to detain him. He was arrested on Wednesday, where he was charged with arson, and is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail without bail.
She told investigators she told him "No" and they got into an argument. To avoid further confrontation, the woman said she left the house. Not long afterwards, Clemons' brother arrived at the house. He told investigators Clemons was standing out on the porch mumbling to himself about being "tired of it all."
His brother started making dinner and went out to see if Clemons was okay. Then, he saw a huge flame burning at the northeast corner of the house. Clemons' brother was able to extinguish the fire with a hose. Officials said the structural damage was minimal, but a garbage container and an all-terrain vehicle were slightly damaged.
Boynton Beach fire officials later found Clemons walking down the street with a large burn on his forearm. Investigators determined Clemons poured gasoline against the wall outside and on the all-terrain vehicle and lit the fire while his brother was inside. Clemons had left the hospital before Boynton Beach police were able to detain him. He was arrested on Wednesday, where he was charged with arson, and is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail without bail.
Elephant unlikely to face charges after lifting up drunk man with its trunk and flinging him aside
Saying an endearing 'hello brother' to an elephant in Tamil Nadu, southern India, nearly cost a man his life. The pachyderm did not take kindly to his greeting and flung the man a few yards away. The man escaped with minor injuries to his leg.
The elephant, belonging to the Kulasekharapatinam mosque, is also taken to participate in private functions in the region.
On Tuesday morning, the elephant, accompanied by its mahout, was on its way to participate in a function in nearby Udangudi when the man, Mandiram, 40, of Somanadhapuram in Tuticorin, accosted the pachyderm near a bazaar and tried to fool around with it. Eyewitnesses say that Mandiram suddenly appeared in front of the elephant in an inebriated state and saluted it. He had then shouted to passersby that lord Ganesha had come to see them.
The mahout told him to stop harassing the animal, but Mandiram, perhaps emboldened by the liquor he had consumed, clung to the elephant's trunk and said, `Hello brother, how are you?' The animal, apparently agitated, lifted him with its trunk and flung him at an autorickshaw standing nearby where he fell to the ground. The animal then ran after him and attempted to trample him and prevent him from getting up. The mahout swung into action and brought the animal under control.
Members of the public rushed to Mandiram's help and took him to the Tiruchendur government hospital, where he is being treated for his leg injuries. Public told the police that the mahout was not to be blamed as he had warned the man, who refused to pay heed. Police sources say that they have not filed a case yet. "If the case is filed it would involve taking the animal to court and that would be a cumbersome process. Moreover, the case would be against the animal and we are at a loss as to what to do," they said.
On Tuesday morning, the elephant, accompanied by its mahout, was on its way to participate in a function in nearby Udangudi when the man, Mandiram, 40, of Somanadhapuram in Tuticorin, accosted the pachyderm near a bazaar and tried to fool around with it. Eyewitnesses say that Mandiram suddenly appeared in front of the elephant in an inebriated state and saluted it. He had then shouted to passersby that lord Ganesha had come to see them.
The mahout told him to stop harassing the animal, but Mandiram, perhaps emboldened by the liquor he had consumed, clung to the elephant's trunk and said, `Hello brother, how are you?' The animal, apparently agitated, lifted him with its trunk and flung him at an autorickshaw standing nearby where he fell to the ground. The animal then ran after him and attempted to trample him and prevent him from getting up. The mahout swung into action and brought the animal under control.
Members of the public rushed to Mandiram's help and took him to the Tiruchendur government hospital, where he is being treated for his leg injuries. Public told the police that the mahout was not to be blamed as he had warned the man, who refused to pay heed. Police sources say that they have not filed a case yet. "If the case is filed it would involve taking the animal to court and that would be a cumbersome process. Moreover, the case would be against the animal and we are at a loss as to what to do," they said.
Friendly dogs to be painted blue in bid to curb killer canine attacks
Desperate district officials in Baheri, Bareilly, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which has been reeling under the attack of killer dogs who have devoured as many as five children in the last 40 days, have come up with an unusual way to tackle the menace.
District authorities said on Thursday that starting on March 1, they will start painting dogs that people need not fear, blue. This, they added, would help differentiate 'normal' dogs from the killer ones.
"The teams which had been constituted to track the killer packs were unable to differentiate between normal dogs and the aggressive ones. Therefore, it was decided at a meeting convened by the district magistrate and attended by scientists of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute as well as forest and police officials, to paint the normal ones with blue colour. This will help us in distinguishing the dogs even from a distance," said Rameshwarnath Tiwari, Sub-Divisional Magistrate for Baheri. As to how they will go about colouring the dogs, the SDM said, "It will be difficult for us to catch them and paint them.
"Instead, we will get villagers to pour buckets of thick blue paint on the animals. The colour is expected to remain on the dogs for at least 10 days." But with Holi around the corner, wouldn't such arbitrary colouring add to the confusion? "We will also be marking the dogs that have been painted blue with a cross mark to prevent confusion," said the SDM, adding that a team comprising nearly 15 villagers along with officials of the forest department and Nagar Palika will start combing the affected villages from Sunday. "Our plan is to give drugs to the dogs to induce behavioural changes as well as sterilise them for controlling their population," he added.
The administration's plan, though, hasn't found much favour with animal activists. "Painting dogs is not a solution to this serious menace," said Dheeraj Pathak of the NGO, People for Animals. "There is a possibility that villagers may end up painting the wrong set of dogs. Also, if buckets full of colour are poured on dogs, there is a high possibility that the colour would enter their eyes and affect their eyesight." Some villagers were also not exactly convinced about the painting project. Bhupinder Singh, headman of Tanda Meernagar village, said that the problem cannot be solved like this. "The district authorities need to catch or kill the ferocious dogs. If there is further delay, more lives can be lost."
"The teams which had been constituted to track the killer packs were unable to differentiate between normal dogs and the aggressive ones. Therefore, it was decided at a meeting convened by the district magistrate and attended by scientists of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute as well as forest and police officials, to paint the normal ones with blue colour. This will help us in distinguishing the dogs even from a distance," said Rameshwarnath Tiwari, Sub-Divisional Magistrate for Baheri. As to how they will go about colouring the dogs, the SDM said, "It will be difficult for us to catch them and paint them.
"Instead, we will get villagers to pour buckets of thick blue paint on the animals. The colour is expected to remain on the dogs for at least 10 days." But with Holi around the corner, wouldn't such arbitrary colouring add to the confusion? "We will also be marking the dogs that have been painted blue with a cross mark to prevent confusion," said the SDM, adding that a team comprising nearly 15 villagers along with officials of the forest department and Nagar Palika will start combing the affected villages from Sunday. "Our plan is to give drugs to the dogs to induce behavioural changes as well as sterilise them for controlling their population," he added.
The administration's plan, though, hasn't found much favour with animal activists. "Painting dogs is not a solution to this serious menace," said Dheeraj Pathak of the NGO, People for Animals. "There is a possibility that villagers may end up painting the wrong set of dogs. Also, if buckets full of colour are poured on dogs, there is a high possibility that the colour would enter their eyes and affect their eyesight." Some villagers were also not exactly convinced about the painting project. Bhupinder Singh, headman of Tanda Meernagar village, said that the problem cannot be solved like this. "The district authorities need to catch or kill the ferocious dogs. If there is further delay, more lives can be lost."
Smokers compete to create longest cigar ash
Hundreds of stogie aficionados gathered in Havana for a competition to create the longest unbroken ash at Cuba's annual cigar festival.
Contestants were seen exhaling clouds of smoke and gently holding on to their 7-inch Cuban cigars to keep the ash from falling as long as possible.
Havana's annual cigar festival has attracted aficionados from near and far for some 17 years.
YouTube link.
A thick cloud of smoke hung in the air as foreigners and Cubans competed for the coveted title.
Contestants were seen exhaling clouds of smoke and gently holding on to their 7-inch Cuban cigars to keep the ash from falling as long as possible.
Havana's annual cigar festival has attracted aficionados from near and far for some 17 years.
YouTube link.
A thick cloud of smoke hung in the air as foreigners and Cubans competed for the coveted title.
Pygmy possum returned to original habitat after hitching ride in bottom of mailbag
A pygmy possum has hitched a ride around southern Yorke Peninsula in South Australia in the bottom of a mailbag.
The mail sorter at Minlaton post office, Jack May, said he thought at first there was a mouse in the bag from Foul Bay, but then noticed large eyes and a curled tail.
"It was hard to know who got the biggest surprise - me or the possum," he said.
Post office staff called on the team from Natural Resources Yorke and North to arrange a return of the tiny possum to its home, about 90 kilometres from Minlaton. Deborah Furbank from Natural Resources said many rural properties used empty drums as their mailboxes and these proved to be popular napping spots for native animals. "The possum was fine, it was very frisky and very curious when we looked in the bag," she said.
"We gave it flowers with nectar so it had food to eat." Ms Furbank said it was important to release the possum back to where it had travelled from. "They are territorial so it was really good that the post office kept the details of which bag it had arrived in so we knew where to let it go," she said. "It travelled over 200 kilometres by the time we got it back to its original destination. It must have got picked up in the morning and was replaced the following morning, so it must have been about 24 hours.
"It was a big day for a little possum." Another member of the Natural Resources team, Cath Cameron, was due to travel from Minlaton to Foul Bay so got the extra job of chauffeuring the pygmy possum home. "It was a classic case of return-to-sender," she said. "When I dropped it back near the mailbox it hopped off my hand and scampered into nearby bush without even a wave."
Post office staff called on the team from Natural Resources Yorke and North to arrange a return of the tiny possum to its home, about 90 kilometres from Minlaton. Deborah Furbank from Natural Resources said many rural properties used empty drums as their mailboxes and these proved to be popular napping spots for native animals. "The possum was fine, it was very frisky and very curious when we looked in the bag," she said.
"We gave it flowers with nectar so it had food to eat." Ms Furbank said it was important to release the possum back to where it had travelled from. "They are territorial so it was really good that the post office kept the details of which bag it had arrived in so we knew where to let it go," she said. "It travelled over 200 kilometres by the time we got it back to its original destination. It must have got picked up in the morning and was replaced the following morning, so it must have been about 24 hours.
"It was a big day for a little possum." Another member of the Natural Resources team, Cath Cameron, was due to travel from Minlaton to Foul Bay so got the extra job of chauffeuring the pygmy possum home. "It was a classic case of return-to-sender," she said. "When I dropped it back near the mailbox it hopped off my hand and scampered into nearby bush without even a wave."
Man convicted of belly bounce assault on elderly neighbour
A man from Belfast in Northern Ireland has been convicted of assaulting an elderly neighbour by using his belly to “bounce” her away from his home. Morrison Wilson, 58, claimed he was simply trying to get the pensioner out of his garden path during a dispute.
Belfast Magistrates Court heard the woman suffered injuries when she fell during the incident in October 2013. Wilson denied a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Although he was acquitted of that offence a judge found him guilty of a lesser common assault.
Wilson claimed the victim had been aggressive and “sticking her nose in” as he spoke to a motorist outside his home. He told Belfast Magistrates’ Court: “With my big belly, because she was flailing her hands about, I just bounced her back.” According to his account she fell backwards, landing on her tail bone area. He also claimed fertiliser was flung at him after the fall.
Questioned by the prosecution about his claim to have bounced his neighbour, Wilson replied: “What am I going to do? Grab her with my belly?” He added: “She was very aggressive, she wasn’t getting her own way... and I knew what was coming next.” Following a contested hearing District Judge Ken Nixon dismissed the assault occasioning actual bodily harm charge. But he ruled: “On an admission in terms of the defendant’s own evidence there is a conviction of [common] assault.” Wilson will return to court to be sentenced next month.
Belfast Magistrates Court heard the woman suffered injuries when she fell during the incident in October 2013. Wilson denied a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Although he was acquitted of that offence a judge found him guilty of a lesser common assault.
Wilson claimed the victim had been aggressive and “sticking her nose in” as he spoke to a motorist outside his home. He told Belfast Magistrates’ Court: “With my big belly, because she was flailing her hands about, I just bounced her back.” According to his account she fell backwards, landing on her tail bone area. He also claimed fertiliser was flung at him after the fall.
Questioned by the prosecution about his claim to have bounced his neighbour, Wilson replied: “What am I going to do? Grab her with my belly?” He added: “She was very aggressive, she wasn’t getting her own way... and I knew what was coming next.” Following a contested hearing District Judge Ken Nixon dismissed the assault occasioning actual bodily harm charge. But he ruled: “On an admission in terms of the defendant’s own evidence there is a conviction of [common] assault.” Wilson will return to court to be sentenced next month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)