Wednesday, April 01, 2015
Bats enjoy a nice cup of tea
Walter the Grey-Headed Flying-Fox is partial to a cup of tea. Then all the other bats want some.
YouTube link.
YouTube link.
Man shot in the foot after staring contest at petrol station
Police in Jacksonville, Florida, say a man was shot in the foot after he had a staring contest with someone at a gas station.
The incident happened at the Murphy's Express gas station on Beach Boulevard, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
The victim told police he was a passenger in a vehicle and had a staring contest with someone, who then shot him in the foot. No words were exchanged in the incident.
Police are not sure if the person who shot the man was male or female. The driver of the vehicle took the man who was shot to St. Vincent's Hospital, where he is in a stable condition.
With news video.
The incident happened at the Murphy's Express gas station on Beach Boulevard, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
The victim told police he was a passenger in a vehicle and had a staring contest with someone, who then shot him in the foot. No words were exchanged in the incident.
Police are not sure if the person who shot the man was male or female. The driver of the vehicle took the man who was shot to St. Vincent's Hospital, where he is in a stable condition.
With news video.
Shrine constructed to mourn eagle eggs that didn't hatch
Roses and hand-written notes now adorn a fence in Hays, Pittsburgh, mourning two bald eagle eggs that failed to hatch this spring.
The first broken egg was pushed out of the nest on March 14, and the second of two eggs laid last month was said to be no longer viable on March 27. Both eggs were expected to hatch late last week. The loss of the eggs prompted support from people who have kept track of the pair of eagles for the past two years.
Last year, the 6½ year-old female laid three eggs, and all survived and fledged. Real and fake roses are now wound through the fence along a bike trail near the nest surrounding a large card reading, “Next year, Mom and Dad. We love you!” One eagle watcher tied a stick to the fence with a sentimental note for the eagles.
“To our beloved and devoted Hays eagle parents, Dad – Take this stick as a reminder of all the Hays eagle watchers who love you and mourn with you both. Place it 2 inches to the left of the V. Mom – Go ahead and move it to wherever suits you. May it comfort you both, may it strengthen your nest, may you both soar free in good health and may you have a successful 2016 (and beyond) nesting season! – Eyes Skyward”
The first broken egg was pushed out of the nest on March 14, and the second of two eggs laid last month was said to be no longer viable on March 27. Both eggs were expected to hatch late last week. The loss of the eggs prompted support from people who have kept track of the pair of eagles for the past two years.
Last year, the 6½ year-old female laid three eggs, and all survived and fledged. Real and fake roses are now wound through the fence along a bike trail near the nest surrounding a large card reading, “Next year, Mom and Dad. We love you!” One eagle watcher tied a stick to the fence with a sentimental note for the eagles.
“To our beloved and devoted Hays eagle parents, Dad – Take this stick as a reminder of all the Hays eagle watchers who love you and mourn with you both. Place it 2 inches to the left of the V. Mom – Go ahead and move it to wherever suits you. May it comfort you both, may it strengthen your nest, may you both soar free in good health and may you have a successful 2016 (and beyond) nesting season! – Eyes Skyward”
Coyote spotted on roof of New York bar
People in Queens did a double take on Monday, when a coyote was spotted roaming along the roof of the LIC Bar in Long Island City.
Many people spotted the animal roaming on the bar’s roof before it ran into a broken window of an abandoned building next door as police officers tried to catch it.
An animal control officer searched the scene, but the only coyote he could find was jazz musician Coyote Anderson. Yes, that is his real name. “My name is Coyote Anderson,” Anderson said.
YouTube link.
“Believe it or not, my parents named me Coyote Anderson Moore.” Of all the nights that Anderson’s jazz quartet could have a gig, it was on the night that LIC Bar received its unexpected visitor. “We couldn’t be blessed with a better omen,” Anderson said. He said he was dedicating a song or two to the creature.
Many people spotted the animal roaming on the bar’s roof before it ran into a broken window of an abandoned building next door as police officers tried to catch it.
An animal control officer searched the scene, but the only coyote he could find was jazz musician Coyote Anderson. Yes, that is his real name. “My name is Coyote Anderson,” Anderson said.
YouTube link.
“Believe it or not, my parents named me Coyote Anderson Moore.” Of all the nights that Anderson’s jazz quartet could have a gig, it was on the night that LIC Bar received its unexpected visitor. “We couldn’t be blessed with a better omen,” Anderson said. He said he was dedicating a song or two to the creature.
Turkish beekeepers to get bear insurance
Turkish beekeepers can now get insured for bear attacks on their hives. Beekeepers across the country from now on will be able to tap into the Agricultural Insurance Pool (TARSİM).
Turkey Beekeepers Union President Bahri Yılmaz said that their efforts to get bear attacks on beehives included in TARSİM had succeeded. For years, beekeepers in the east and southeast Anatolia had been complaining about the significant monetary damage caused by bear attacks without any compensation, Yılmaz said.
"No matter what they did, bears were able to damage the hives. Some tried to hang the hives high up the trees. Some used live wires. However, nothing worked. Bears were able to destroy the hives no matter what we did. From now on, beekeepers will be given TL 175 (£45, $67) per hive destroyed," he added.
Neşet Nuhoğlu, a beekeeper from Ordu on the Black Sea coast, said he was glad hives were covered by TARSİM. "The law bans the shooting of wild bears. That's why this insurance is very important." Another beekeeper from Ordu, Murat Şahinkaya, said they would continue to protect the hives but the insurance covering bear attacks would allow them to sleep better at night.
Turkey Beekeepers Union President Bahri Yılmaz said that their efforts to get bear attacks on beehives included in TARSİM had succeeded. For years, beekeepers in the east and southeast Anatolia had been complaining about the significant monetary damage caused by bear attacks without any compensation, Yılmaz said.
"No matter what they did, bears were able to damage the hives. Some tried to hang the hives high up the trees. Some used live wires. However, nothing worked. Bears were able to destroy the hives no matter what we did. From now on, beekeepers will be given TL 175 (£45, $67) per hive destroyed," he added.
Neşet Nuhoğlu, a beekeeper from Ordu on the Black Sea coast, said he was glad hives were covered by TARSİM. "The law bans the shooting of wild bears. That's why this insurance is very important." Another beekeeper from Ordu, Murat Şahinkaya, said they would continue to protect the hives but the insurance covering bear attacks would allow them to sleep better at night.
Ram-raiders' shopping centre smash and grab caught on CCTV
Two hooded men have been filmed ramming a stolen car into a shopping centre, then skidding through corridors so they could loot a jewellery store.
The raid, captured on CCTV, saw a Subaru Impreza career through the entrance of the Kippax Fair mall in Canberra, Australia.
YouTube link.
After unsuccessfully reversing into a cash machine twice, the robbers drove further inside and tore through the shutters of Exquisite Jewellers.
They then used crowbars to smash through glass displays, and three minutes later left with their haul in the same stolen car shortly after 6:25am on Monday.
The raid, captured on CCTV, saw a Subaru Impreza career through the entrance of the Kippax Fair mall in Canberra, Australia.
YouTube link.
After unsuccessfully reversing into a cash machine twice, the robbers drove further inside and tore through the shutters of Exquisite Jewellers.
They then used crowbars to smash through glass displays, and three minutes later left with their haul in the same stolen car shortly after 6:25am on Monday.
Flying motorcycle helmet led to broken leg
A bizarre chain of events in which a helmet flew off a motorcyclist, resulted in a man breaking his leg near Murchison in New Zealand on Monday.
A man in his 50s was flown to Nelson Hospital by the NZCC West Coast Rescue Helicopter shortly after 4pm after he slid off his bike on State Highway 6, just north of the township.
He came off his bike while trying to avoid the flying helmet from his friend who riding ahead of him. The injured motorcyclist was among a group of several motorcyclists in convoy.
Helicopter pilot Angus Taylor said the incident in which the man's helmet "unbelievably blew off" resulted in the following rider being run over by a third motorcyclist, breaking his lower leg.
A man in his 50s was flown to Nelson Hospital by the NZCC West Coast Rescue Helicopter shortly after 4pm after he slid off his bike on State Highway 6, just north of the township.
He came off his bike while trying to avoid the flying helmet from his friend who riding ahead of him. The injured motorcyclist was among a group of several motorcyclists in convoy.
Helicopter pilot Angus Taylor said the incident in which the man's helmet "unbelievably blew off" resulted in the following rider being run over by a third motorcyclist, breaking his lower leg.
Man given 26,000 years to pay back €3,000
France's national employment agency Pôle Emploi has made an unusual repayment request, asking a man to pay back 1 centime a month for the next 26,126 years.
The man, from the town of Mios in the Gironde in south western France, had a debt of €3,135.20 due to an overpayment by the job agency.
The overpayment occurred several years ago after the worker was paid benefits after being fired from his job. But after the reason for the sacking was altered at an employment tribunal, the Pôle Emploi found it have overpaid the client and the agency demanded its money back.
The man protested but soon Pôle Emploi was taking money out of his account to the tune of €150 to €200 a week. The aggrieved former worker called in a lawyer and just a week before the hearing he received a letter from the agency telling him that his application to have the repayments staggered had been "accepted".
But instead of setting out any kind of logical repayment scheme, Pôle Emploi's said that he would be charged one centime a month for the next 26,000 years. Although the Pôle Emploi have not officially commented, a spokesperson from the CFDT union blamed the letter on a computer error and that it was not written by a member of staff.
The overpayment occurred several years ago after the worker was paid benefits after being fired from his job. But after the reason for the sacking was altered at an employment tribunal, the Pôle Emploi found it have overpaid the client and the agency demanded its money back.
The man protested but soon Pôle Emploi was taking money out of his account to the tune of €150 to €200 a week. The aggrieved former worker called in a lawyer and just a week before the hearing he received a letter from the agency telling him that his application to have the repayments staggered had been "accepted".
But instead of setting out any kind of logical repayment scheme, Pôle Emploi's said that he would be charged one centime a month for the next 26,000 years. Although the Pôle Emploi have not officially commented, a spokesperson from the CFDT union blamed the letter on a computer error and that it was not written by a member of staff.
Glow-in-the dark tampons help identify sewage pollution in rivers
Engineers from the University of Sheffield have discovered that glow-in-the-dark tampons can be used to stop sewage leaking into rivers.
The untreated white cotton used in tampons glows under UV light when they're soaked in dirty or polluted river water.
This works because chemicals called optical brighteners are used in things like laundry detergent, shampoos and toilet paper to enhance whites and brighten colours. When a tampon comes into contact with water contaminated with even a small amount of optical brighteners, it will absorb the chemical and glow under the light. Researchers suspended tampons for three days in 16 pipes that ran into streams and rivers in Sheffield and then tested them under UV light.
Nine of the tampons glowed, showing that the water running into the rivers was polluted. Going back through the pipe network system with the help of Yorkshire Water, they dipped a tampon in at each manhole to see where the sewage was entering the system and households that had a problem. The team now wants to trial it on a wider scale in Bradford. Professor David Lerner who led the study explained that more than a million homes had sewage running into the river rather than going to a treatment plant.
He said that using tampons was a cheap and effective solution to a difficult problem which is hard to detect. He said: "The main difficulty with detecting sewage pollution by searching for optical brighteners is finding cotton that does not already contain these chemicals. That's why tampons, being explicitly untreated, provide such a neat solution. Our new method may be unconventional but it's cheap and it works."
This works because chemicals called optical brighteners are used in things like laundry detergent, shampoos and toilet paper to enhance whites and brighten colours. When a tampon comes into contact with water contaminated with even a small amount of optical brighteners, it will absorb the chemical and glow under the light. Researchers suspended tampons for three days in 16 pipes that ran into streams and rivers in Sheffield and then tested them under UV light.
Nine of the tampons glowed, showing that the water running into the rivers was polluted. Going back through the pipe network system with the help of Yorkshire Water, they dipped a tampon in at each manhole to see where the sewage was entering the system and households that had a problem. The team now wants to trial it on a wider scale in Bradford. Professor David Lerner who led the study explained that more than a million homes had sewage running into the river rather than going to a treatment plant.
He said that using tampons was a cheap and effective solution to a difficult problem which is hard to detect. He said: "The main difficulty with detecting sewage pollution by searching for optical brighteners is finding cotton that does not already contain these chemicals. That's why tampons, being explicitly untreated, provide such a neat solution. Our new method may be unconventional but it's cheap and it works."
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