Monday, May 11, 2015
Three little birds
Steve-san Onotera from Manitoba, Canada, engages in a spot of multitasking, simultaneously playing an organ, bass, three ukuleles, a tambourine, a snare drum and a harmonica in order to perform Bob Marley's Three Little Birds.
YouTube link.
YouTube link.
Foolish tourists chased by bear and cubs after getting too close at Yellowstone National Park
Tourists in Yellowstone National Park got a little too close to the wildlife last week, and one mother just couldn't bear it.
A watchful black bear sow sent the curious onlookers running after they crowded her three cubs in a section of the park in Montana.
"Keep going! Go! Go!" Yellowstone Park Ranger John Kerr is heard yelling as the tourists scatter in a video. "These tourists were absolutely in danger," Bob Gibson, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Communication & Education Program Manager, said. "Black bears are usually shy of people. But you put them with their cubs and they get really protective.
"But you put them with their cubs and they get really protective. You never want to be between a bear and its cub." The cubs in the video are about 13 months old. A black bear cub spends the first year or so of its life learning survival skills from its mother before going off on its own. The mother becomes less protective as the cubs get closer to leaving her den.
YouTube link.
According to Gibson, this encounter could have been deadly. "Had they been the young of the year and 10 days old, the mom would have been all over the tourists." Gibson advises visitors to Yellowstone to stay as far away from the bears as possible, especially in the spring when cubs are born and in the fall when the bears are getting ready to hibernate and are more protective of their food sources.
"Keep going! Go! Go!" Yellowstone Park Ranger John Kerr is heard yelling as the tourists scatter in a video. "These tourists were absolutely in danger," Bob Gibson, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Communication & Education Program Manager, said. "Black bears are usually shy of people. But you put them with their cubs and they get really protective.
"But you put them with their cubs and they get really protective. You never want to be between a bear and its cub." The cubs in the video are about 13 months old. A black bear cub spends the first year or so of its life learning survival skills from its mother before going off on its own. The mother becomes less protective as the cubs get closer to leaving her den.
YouTube link.
According to Gibson, this encounter could have been deadly. "Had they been the young of the year and 10 days old, the mom would have been all over the tourists." Gibson advises visitors to Yellowstone to stay as far away from the bears as possible, especially in the spring when cubs are born and in the fall when the bears are getting ready to hibernate and are more protective of their food sources.
Naked man broke into home and ate family's chicken
George Leverous Bennett, 24, of Sylacauga, Alabama, is currently in the Talladega County Metro Jail on a charge of burglary in the second degree.
According to Talladega police Chief Jason Busby, a patrol officer was transporting a prisoner to the jail on Tuesday when he spotted Bennett wearing only a pair of tennis shoes.
The officer notified the jail staff, who sent deputies to look for Bennett. As the deputies and police officers began looking, Bennett allegedly kicked in the back door of a residence and went inside. The residence was occupied by a woman and three children, Busby said.
Bennett allegedly made his way to the kitchen, where he ate Zaxby’s chicken valued at $13.98, according to the incident and offence report. The woman who lived in the house gathered up the children, called 911 and fled. By this time, probation officers and jail staff had also joined the chase. Bennett was eventually located and restrained without further incident. His clothes were recovered at a different location.
According to jail records, Bennett had been arrested for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace the day before and had only been out of jail for about an hour when the chase began. The burglary charge stems from his breaking into the house. He has not been charged with any other offences. Burglary in the second degree is a class B felony in Alabama, punishable upon conviction by two to 20 years in prison.
The officer notified the jail staff, who sent deputies to look for Bennett. As the deputies and police officers began looking, Bennett allegedly kicked in the back door of a residence and went inside. The residence was occupied by a woman and three children, Busby said.
Bennett allegedly made his way to the kitchen, where he ate Zaxby’s chicken valued at $13.98, according to the incident and offence report. The woman who lived in the house gathered up the children, called 911 and fled. By this time, probation officers and jail staff had also joined the chase. Bennett was eventually located and restrained without further incident. His clothes were recovered at a different location.
According to jail records, Bennett had been arrested for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace the day before and had only been out of jail for about an hour when the chase began. The burglary charge stems from his breaking into the house. He has not been charged with any other offences. Burglary in the second degree is a class B felony in Alabama, punishable upon conviction by two to 20 years in prison.
Mother unhappy that daughter is required to perform naked in order to pass art class final
A professor at the University of California, San Diego, is having his students take their final exam completely in the nude, and he says he's been doing it for years.
A mother of one student in the class is completely outraged that her daughter is asked to perform naked.
“It's just wrong. Is this the memory that my daughter's going to carry with her for the rest of her life? It bothers me. I’m not sending her to school for this. How terrible. This sucks. This is just wrong. And to blanketly say you must be naked in order to pass my class, it makes me sick to my stomach,” the unidentified mother says.
Students are required to create “a gesture that traces, outlines or speaks about your ‘erotic self(s),'” according to the Art Visual course syllabus. In the performance, all of the students are naked, along with the professor, Roberto Dominguez, who has taught the class for 11 years.
YouTube link.
“It’s the standard canvas for performance art and body art,” Dominguez says. “It is all very controlled. If they are uncomfortable with this gesture, they should not take the class.” Professor Dominguez adds that he has never before received a complaint.
“It's just wrong. Is this the memory that my daughter's going to carry with her for the rest of her life? It bothers me. I’m not sending her to school for this. How terrible. This sucks. This is just wrong. And to blanketly say you must be naked in order to pass my class, it makes me sick to my stomach,” the unidentified mother says.
Students are required to create “a gesture that traces, outlines or speaks about your ‘erotic self(s),'” according to the Art Visual course syllabus. In the performance, all of the students are naked, along with the professor, Roberto Dominguez, who has taught the class for 11 years.
YouTube link.
“It’s the standard canvas for performance art and body art,” Dominguez says. “It is all very controlled. If they are uncomfortable with this gesture, they should not take the class.” Professor Dominguez adds that he has never before received a complaint.
Mounted police officer hailed a hero after reviving dog with mouth to mouth
Pam Curry from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, can't describe how thankful she is that Mounted Patrol Sgt. Jon Levi saved and revived her dog, Abby, from their smoke-filled home on Wednesday.
Abby, a Bichon, is owned by Timothy and Pam Curry. Abby was in her kennel inside the garage when smoke filled the home. Sheriff's deputies responded where Timothy's mother asked Sgt. Levi, who was backup supervisor, to rescue the dog inside the garage.
Sgt. Levi went inside to rescue Abby, who was unresponsive in her kennel. "The dog was seizing and couldn't breathe," Sgt. Levi said. "I grabbed the kennel and snatched the dog out of it. The dog was gasping. I grabbed the muzzle and gave breaths. I gave the dog more breaths," Sgt. Levi said. "She took a deep breath." Sgt. Pedigo and Deputy Nick Coble then put water on Abby to cool her down. "I gave more breaths," Sgt. Levi said, adding when Abby started panting he thought it was a good sign.
When Curry arrived, Abby was lying on the ground covered with soot and wet. "I was just glad I was there at the right time at the right place," Sgt. Levi said. "I would want somebody to do the same for me. I'm sure the dog is part of their family. I'm just glad it worked." The Currys took the dog to a veterinarian for treatment. "If it wasn't for Sgt. Levi's fast actions, the animal would not have survived," Sgt. Pedigo said.
Pam Curry said she was happy Sgt. Levi revived Abby. "He didn't have to do what he did," she said. "I thank him so much. Words just can't express how thankful my family is." Sheriff Robert Arnold said Sgt. Levi did an "awesome job" in saving the pet. "Sgt. Levi has a great love for animals and he showed that by going above and beyond to save Abby," Sheriff Arnold said. Sgt. Levi will receive a Letter of Commendation for saving the pet.
Sgt. Levi went inside to rescue Abby, who was unresponsive in her kennel. "The dog was seizing and couldn't breathe," Sgt. Levi said. "I grabbed the kennel and snatched the dog out of it. The dog was gasping. I grabbed the muzzle and gave breaths. I gave the dog more breaths," Sgt. Levi said. "She took a deep breath." Sgt. Pedigo and Deputy Nick Coble then put water on Abby to cool her down. "I gave more breaths," Sgt. Levi said, adding when Abby started panting he thought it was a good sign.
When Curry arrived, Abby was lying on the ground covered with soot and wet. "I was just glad I was there at the right time at the right place," Sgt. Levi said. "I would want somebody to do the same for me. I'm sure the dog is part of their family. I'm just glad it worked." The Currys took the dog to a veterinarian for treatment. "If it wasn't for Sgt. Levi's fast actions, the animal would not have survived," Sgt. Pedigo said.
Pam Curry said she was happy Sgt. Levi revived Abby. "He didn't have to do what he did," she said. "I thank him so much. Words just can't express how thankful my family is." Sheriff Robert Arnold said Sgt. Levi did an "awesome job" in saving the pet. "Sgt. Levi has a great love for animals and he showed that by going above and beyond to save Abby," Sheriff Arnold said. Sgt. Levi will receive a Letter of Commendation for saving the pet.
Man compared neighbour's Hindu statue with Nazi swastika
A religious spat has broken out between two neighbours in rural Auckland, New Zealand, after one erected a 6.4m (21-feet) statue of the Hindu god Shiva.
Ravin Chand says he installed the 30-tonne religious effigy so that he and his family could pray to it.
But neighbour Bryce Watts, a Catholic, said the marble statue was "bizarre" and "offensive".
"Religiously and culturally it's a bit insensitive to us and I can't believe they're able to do this. Part of our property looks at it and it's part of a religion we don't agree with," he said.
"I don't see why we should have it poked down our throats in such a big way."
It took Chand more than a week to assemble the statue and he defended it saying it was part of Hindu culture. "It's just that the size is a bit bigger," he said. Asked why he had mounted the giant deity, Chand said: "Do you need a reason to pray? I don't think so." He would not reveal what the statue cost, saying only "it cost me an arm and a leg. I don't want to put a price on god", he said. Chand said he commissioned the carving of the marble statue from a sculptor in China in June last year. It arrived in New Zealand in April, and had been sitting in a container on his Clevedon property before being erected this week. It was so large it had to be mounted on solid concrete foundations.
Chand said the correct council consent and geo-technical inspections were completed beforehand. But Watts said he was not informed about the proposed statue, and said it was "bizarre" it could be erected without any consultation with neighbouring properties. "They've let it go ahead to be built without consulting us, and we're probably the most affected here because everywhere we go on our property it's kind of there." Watts said he had complained to Chand but there was little else he could do because the Auckland Council had already consented to it being built. "I've been to the council and asked about it and evidently it was within their rights to do it and it doesn't need a permit, even though it's a 6.4m-high concrete statue.
"It's 10m from our boundary which is within the rules where you can build a building. It's like, 'bad luck, if you don't like it, it's your problem'. I find it really hard to believe in this day and age that this can happen." Chand said Watts had phoned his wife, but was the only person to complain. "Everybody else who has gone past has stopped and admired it," he said. "[Watts] compared it with 'me putting up a [Nazi] swastika next door to you'. I said, 'Well if you want to put it up, feel free to put it up. Nobody can stop you from doing that, it's your property.' I'm not bothered. I haven't got time for people like that. I think it's just because it's something different, that's why [Watts is complaining]. People aren't used to it," he said.
There's a short video here.
It took Chand more than a week to assemble the statue and he defended it saying it was part of Hindu culture. "It's just that the size is a bit bigger," he said. Asked why he had mounted the giant deity, Chand said: "Do you need a reason to pray? I don't think so." He would not reveal what the statue cost, saying only "it cost me an arm and a leg. I don't want to put a price on god", he said. Chand said he commissioned the carving of the marble statue from a sculptor in China in June last year. It arrived in New Zealand in April, and had been sitting in a container on his Clevedon property before being erected this week. It was so large it had to be mounted on solid concrete foundations.
Chand said the correct council consent and geo-technical inspections were completed beforehand. But Watts said he was not informed about the proposed statue, and said it was "bizarre" it could be erected without any consultation with neighbouring properties. "They've let it go ahead to be built without consulting us, and we're probably the most affected here because everywhere we go on our property it's kind of there." Watts said he had complained to Chand but there was little else he could do because the Auckland Council had already consented to it being built. "I've been to the council and asked about it and evidently it was within their rights to do it and it doesn't need a permit, even though it's a 6.4m-high concrete statue.
"It's 10m from our boundary which is within the rules where you can build a building. It's like, 'bad luck, if you don't like it, it's your problem'. I find it really hard to believe in this day and age that this can happen." Chand said Watts had phoned his wife, but was the only person to complain. "Everybody else who has gone past has stopped and admired it," he said. "[Watts] compared it with 'me putting up a [Nazi] swastika next door to you'. I said, 'Well if you want to put it up, feel free to put it up. Nobody can stop you from doing that, it's your property.' I'm not bothered. I haven't got time for people like that. I think it's just because it's something different, that's why [Watts is complaining]. People aren't used to it," he said.
There's a short video here.
Missing search and rescue dog found after week-long search and rescue - Update
Missing search and rescue dog dog Thames has been found safe and well a week after he disappeared in the Tararua Ranges, New Zealand.
Four-year-old Thames had parted company with his handler Mike Wakefield and a small group who were completing a search and rescue exercise last Sunday morning. More than 20 searchers in the first two days of Thames' disappearance had unsuccessfully scoured the dense off-track terrain where he was last sighted.
After heavy weather forced the suspension of searching for two days, half a dozen civilian and police officers had resumed the hunt at higher altitudes on Saturday morning. Police spokeswoman Kaye Calder said two search teams were flown in to the area on and had camped out overnight, scouring the top High Ridge area.
"Paw prints were spotted and the searchers honed in on them following a fresher track," she said. "Thames was sighted, the teams called and whistled him. He was hungry but fine and no doubt Constable Wakefield gave him the long promised cuddle and tummy rub," she said. "We are absolutely delighted at the news and Mike is ecstatic," Senior Sergeant Mark Davidson, Wellington Police Dog Section, said.
There's a news video here.
Four-year-old Thames had parted company with his handler Mike Wakefield and a small group who were completing a search and rescue exercise last Sunday morning. More than 20 searchers in the first two days of Thames' disappearance had unsuccessfully scoured the dense off-track terrain where he was last sighted.
After heavy weather forced the suspension of searching for two days, half a dozen civilian and police officers had resumed the hunt at higher altitudes on Saturday morning. Police spokeswoman Kaye Calder said two search teams were flown in to the area on and had camped out overnight, scouring the top High Ridge area.
"Paw prints were spotted and the searchers honed in on them following a fresher track," she said. "Thames was sighted, the teams called and whistled him. He was hungry but fine and no doubt Constable Wakefield gave him the long promised cuddle and tummy rub," she said. "We are absolutely delighted at the news and Mike is ecstatic," Senior Sergeant Mark Davidson, Wellington Police Dog Section, said.
There's a news video here.
Towels covered in massage oils caused fire at launderette
Towels soaked in massage oils sparked a fire at a launderette in Crawley, West Sussex, last Saturday night.
Three fire engines were called to the launderette on Tilgate Parade at about 10.15pm. It is unclear exactly how the fire started but it is believed to have been accidental and caused by the towels combusting due to the oil becoming hot.
The crews used four sets of breathing apparatus and two hose reels to tackle the blaze before leaving the scene at 10.50pm. A spokeswoman for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said: "The circumstances of this fire are unusual, but certainly not unheard of.
"If materials with oil residue are heated and then left in a tumble dryer, or are folded into piles or stacks before they are cool, there is a risk of self-combustion. It is really important to wash materials that have absorbed oil at a high temperature and to use the right detergent."
Three fire engines were called to the launderette on Tilgate Parade at about 10.15pm. It is unclear exactly how the fire started but it is believed to have been accidental and caused by the towels combusting due to the oil becoming hot.
The crews used four sets of breathing apparatus and two hose reels to tackle the blaze before leaving the scene at 10.50pm. A spokeswoman for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said: "The circumstances of this fire are unusual, but certainly not unheard of.
"If materials with oil residue are heated and then left in a tumble dryer, or are folded into piles or stacks before they are cool, there is a risk of self-combustion. It is really important to wash materials that have absorbed oil at a high temperature and to use the right detergent."
Pet passport forgery on the rise
Trading standards in Nottinghamshire say the use of forged pet passports is on the increase as they seized one a month over the last year.
The team said the problem was leading to more illegally imported puppies in the UK and a heightened risk of rabies. Pet passports were introduced nationally in 2012 and allow animals to travel freely between member countries.
Officer Paul Gretton said the problem of forgeries was almost non-existent three years ago. "People are often tempted by cheaper pedigree dogs sold on the internet," he said. "Unfortunately they are often from a dubious source.
"Owners are then faced with the agonising decision that it could cost hundreds and in some cases thousands of pounds in quarantine and veterinary bills - or face having their pet destroyed." Mr Gretton said dealers were forging passports and falsifying details to bring puppies into the UK when they were too young and without vaccinations. They are also often advertised online for half the price.
The team said the problem was leading to more illegally imported puppies in the UK and a heightened risk of rabies. Pet passports were introduced nationally in 2012 and allow animals to travel freely between member countries.
Officer Paul Gretton said the problem of forgeries was almost non-existent three years ago. "People are often tempted by cheaper pedigree dogs sold on the internet," he said. "Unfortunately they are often from a dubious source.
"Owners are then faced with the agonising decision that it could cost hundreds and in some cases thousands of pounds in quarantine and veterinary bills - or face having their pet destroyed." Mr Gretton said dealers were forging passports and falsifying details to bring puppies into the UK when they were too young and without vaccinations. They are also often advertised online for half the price.
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