Monday, July 06, 2015
Accused shoplifter undone by his 6-year-old daughter
A man accused of shoplifting from Walmart was undone by his 6-year-old daughter, police said.
Police said Scott Birk, 31, of New Berlin, Wisconsin, was caught red-handed and his claims of innocence were shot down by his own child.
Surveillance video of Birk at the Walmart store last month shows him in the jewellery department, where security said he broke into a case, took some earrings, put them on and threw out the packaging. A security guard shadowed him in the store, later telling police he listened as Birk's "6-year-old daughter told him several times to stop breaking into the jewellery case."
Later, security followed Birk into the toy area, where according to the complaint, Birk "put sets of toys that he had in his cart into his shorts." He was stopped as he left the store, but his daughter wasn't quite finished. Officers asked Birk how they got to the store since he doesn't have a driver's licence.
YouTube link.
He told them they walked. But, according to the complaint, his daughter corrected him again, telling police they drove and pointing out the car in the parking lot. Birk is charged with theft and bail-jumping, both misdemeanors, but because of a previous drug conviction, he faces up to five years in prison, if convicted. He's scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
Surveillance video of Birk at the Walmart store last month shows him in the jewellery department, where security said he broke into a case, took some earrings, put them on and threw out the packaging. A security guard shadowed him in the store, later telling police he listened as Birk's "6-year-old daughter told him several times to stop breaking into the jewellery case."
Later, security followed Birk into the toy area, where according to the complaint, Birk "put sets of toys that he had in his cart into his shorts." He was stopped as he left the store, but his daughter wasn't quite finished. Officers asked Birk how they got to the store since he doesn't have a driver's licence.
YouTube link.
He told them they walked. But, according to the complaint, his daughter corrected him again, telling police they drove and pointing out the car in the parking lot. Birk is charged with theft and bail-jumping, both misdemeanors, but because of a previous drug conviction, he faces up to five years in prison, if convicted. He's scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
Man killed after trying to launch firework from top of his head
Maine state police say a man celebrating the Fourth of July died when he tried to launch a firework off the top of his head.
Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine department of public safety, says 22-year-old Devon Staples of Calais had been setting off fireworks with friends on Saturday night in the backyard of a friend’s home.
He says Staples placed a fireworks mortar tube on his head and set it off, injuring his head. He died instantly. Police say the friends had been drinking.
McCausland says Staples’ death marks Maine’s first fireworks fatality since the state legalised fireworks several years ago. Calais is in eastern Maine, on the Canadian border near New Brunswick.
Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine department of public safety, says 22-year-old Devon Staples of Calais had been setting off fireworks with friends on Saturday night in the backyard of a friend’s home.
He says Staples placed a fireworks mortar tube on his head and set it off, injuring his head. He died instantly. Police say the friends had been drinking.
McCausland says Staples’ death marks Maine’s first fireworks fatality since the state legalised fireworks several years ago. Calais is in eastern Maine, on the Canadian border near New Brunswick.
Belgian Rail involved in unfortunate camel and cat identification misunderstanding
Belgian Rail company NMBS tweeted a message on Saturday about delayed trains to Aywaille (Wallonia).
The reason was said to be a camel on the tracks. The official tweet said the delay 'could take up to 10 minutes', but not longer.
Later, this turned out to be a misunderstanding due to a confusion of tongues. The NMBS apparently received a French message about "un chat mort" (a dead cat) but interpreted it as "un chameau" (a camel).
NMBS tweeted a message later in the day to correct things. "It was a warm day for everyone! The camel that we tweeted about was a dead cat" they wrote.
The reason was said to be a camel on the tracks. The official tweet said the delay 'could take up to 10 minutes', but not longer.
Later, this turned out to be a misunderstanding due to a confusion of tongues. The NMBS apparently received a French message about "un chat mort" (a dead cat) but interpreted it as "un chameau" (a camel).
NMBS tweeted a message later in the day to correct things. "It was a warm day for everyone! The camel that we tweeted about was a dead cat" they wrote.
Grumpy delayed postman had altercation with Tour de France officials
A frustrated postman in Utrecht, the Netherlands, had a brief altercation with Tour de France officials on Saturday morning.
Unhappy at his route being blocked, he threw his orange panniers full of post, followed by his bicycle over a barrier. He then pulled the barrier down. "I'll knock your teeth out," the English-speaking postman says to one female official.
Following a conversation with his manager, the postman has indicated that he regrets his actions and that he wishes to apologise to the volunteers he threatened. PostNL speaks of an overheated response.
Contains NSFW language.
LiveLeak link. Alternative YouTube link. Original video from here.
"This is inexcusable but our employees have been working for days in the heat and a complex traffic situation. Moreover, this man had taken extra work of his colleagues in addition to his own route and he was already 20 minutes late due to detours."
Unhappy at his route being blocked, he threw his orange panniers full of post, followed by his bicycle over a barrier. He then pulled the barrier down. "I'll knock your teeth out," the English-speaking postman says to one female official.
Following a conversation with his manager, the postman has indicated that he regrets his actions and that he wishes to apologise to the volunteers he threatened. PostNL speaks of an overheated response.
Contains NSFW language.
LiveLeak link. Alternative YouTube link. Original video from here.
"This is inexcusable but our employees have been working for days in the heat and a complex traffic situation. Moreover, this man had taken extra work of his colleagues in addition to his own route and he was already 20 minutes late due to detours."
Climate change protesters buried their heads in the sand
Some 150 demonstrators of all ages gathered on Sandymount Strand on the east coast of Ireland on Saturday morning to carry out an unusual protest.
Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris this November, Stop Climate Chaos say it is time for the government to take environmental issues “seriously” before the major talks “that will decide the future of global climate action.” Sorley McCaughey, a spokesperson for the group said the government has not kept promises to pass legislation that could help curtail pollution.
“The government have their heads in the sand on climate change. They promised to pass the Climate Bill into law before the summer recess but it is yet to happen," he said. “We currently have no action plan to address Ireland’s rising emissions, despite being among the worst in Europe when it comes to climate change emissions.” He added that the “serious lack of urgency” was resulting in the poorest communities in the world “who have done least to cause climate change, being hit the hardest”.
Earlier this year it was reported that Ireland could face sanctions for failing to meet EU emission targets for 2020. The EU Commission report published last February criticised the country’s “insufficient” climate change measures, predicting that Ireland will only be able to cut emissions by 3% instead of the required 20%. The government has publically indicated that complying with targets between 2017-2020 will be a significant challenge.
Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris this November, Stop Climate Chaos say it is time for the government to take environmental issues “seriously” before the major talks “that will decide the future of global climate action.” Sorley McCaughey, a spokesperson for the group said the government has not kept promises to pass legislation that could help curtail pollution.
“The government have their heads in the sand on climate change. They promised to pass the Climate Bill into law before the summer recess but it is yet to happen," he said. “We currently have no action plan to address Ireland’s rising emissions, despite being among the worst in Europe when it comes to climate change emissions.” He added that the “serious lack of urgency” was resulting in the poorest communities in the world “who have done least to cause climate change, being hit the hardest”.
Earlier this year it was reported that Ireland could face sanctions for failing to meet EU emission targets for 2020. The EU Commission report published last February criticised the country’s “insufficient” climate change measures, predicting that Ireland will only be able to cut emissions by 3% instead of the required 20%. The government has publically indicated that complying with targets between 2017-2020 will be a significant challenge.
Man claims to be the first to go to the toilet on a pogo stick
Pogo stick world record holder, Jack Sexty, has revealed how he thinks he may have set inadvertently made his way in to the Guinness book.
The Bristol man smashed a world record in America last week by achieving 88,047 consecutive bounces on a pogo stick in a 10 hour and 20 minute showdown, beating the previous record of 75,005.
Jack was competing for the consecutive bounce title against the current world champion Casie Merza and previous record-holder James Roumeliotis in Philadelphia. But the 25-year-old from St Anne's said he thought he may have set another record as the only person to go to the toilet on a pogo stick. He said: "Someone just held a pot below me as I was jumping. I had only met the guy who offered to hold it about 48 hours before. I couldn't be very accurate.
"I also had to have a personal towel holder. I went one-footed for a while, which I'm usually really good at but this was six hours in and I was starting to struggle. My feet were hurting so badly that I just needed something to help with the pain. It got so boring at some points. I really wanted to ring my mum so I got someone to hold the phone as I bounced and I spoke to her on speaker phone. At other times, I was just thinking about when it would be over and I didn't want to speak to anyone. It's all psychological.
"I could probably have carried on for another couple of thousand bounces but after ten hours, I could see in everyone's faces that they just didn't want me to. I really didn't expect the challenge to be so physical. I had pain around my knees from hugging the stick. I also suffered severe arm cramp and had to go one-handed for a time. At another point it felt like I'd broken my foot - I spent an entire hour balancing on the pogo pegs with just my toes." Jack was raising money for Alzheimer's Research UK, in honour of a close relative living with dementia.
Jack was competing for the consecutive bounce title against the current world champion Casie Merza and previous record-holder James Roumeliotis in Philadelphia. But the 25-year-old from St Anne's said he thought he may have set another record as the only person to go to the toilet on a pogo stick. He said: "Someone just held a pot below me as I was jumping. I had only met the guy who offered to hold it about 48 hours before. I couldn't be very accurate.
"I also had to have a personal towel holder. I went one-footed for a while, which I'm usually really good at but this was six hours in and I was starting to struggle. My feet were hurting so badly that I just needed something to help with the pain. It got so boring at some points. I really wanted to ring my mum so I got someone to hold the phone as I bounced and I spoke to her on speaker phone. At other times, I was just thinking about when it would be over and I didn't want to speak to anyone. It's all psychological.
"I could probably have carried on for another couple of thousand bounces but after ten hours, I could see in everyone's faces that they just didn't want me to. I really didn't expect the challenge to be so physical. I had pain around my knees from hugging the stick. I also suffered severe arm cramp and had to go one-handed for a time. At another point it felt like I'd broken my foot - I spent an entire hour balancing on the pogo pegs with just my toes." Jack was raising money for Alzheimer's Research UK, in honour of a close relative living with dementia.
Woman says seagull tried to snatch her dog
Gloucester woman Angela Thompson, 52, says a seagull attempted to snatch one of her Yorkshire terriers.
She was walking her pets in Quedgeley when the winged predator struck on Thursday.
She said the bird started circling and swooping above her head before she took refuge in the nearby McDonald's drive-through restaurant.
Believing the coast was clear, she set out again for home but the trio were immediately ambushed by the winged menace, which landed on 14-year-old Micky. "The gull swept down from behind me and then circled around before coming down again and tried to take my dog," she said. "There was a scuffle and I was screaming and flailing my handbag at it then I just ran with them down the road.
"I just had that feeling it was going to come back. It was horrifying, a really terrifying experience." She managed to flee the scene and take refuge in a nearby bus shelter before safely getting her pets home. "It was huge. I just didn't understand why it was trying to take something so big," she said. Gull numbers are considered a big problem in Gloucester and many are having chicks.
Dave Painter, reserve manager at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, said: "The bird was likely protecting a perceived threat to its young but was rare they would physically attack people or dogs. Entering a colony of gulls can be quite dangerous as they could strike you as they are quite big birds. They are serious predators, not just scavengers and are quite capable of hunting small animals."
Believing the coast was clear, she set out again for home but the trio were immediately ambushed by the winged menace, which landed on 14-year-old Micky. "The gull swept down from behind me and then circled around before coming down again and tried to take my dog," she said. "There was a scuffle and I was screaming and flailing my handbag at it then I just ran with them down the road.
"I just had that feeling it was going to come back. It was horrifying, a really terrifying experience." She managed to flee the scene and take refuge in a nearby bus shelter before safely getting her pets home. "It was huge. I just didn't understand why it was trying to take something so big," she said. Gull numbers are considered a big problem in Gloucester and many are having chicks.
Dave Painter, reserve manager at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, said: "The bird was likely protecting a perceived threat to its young but was rare they would physically attack people or dogs. Entering a colony of gulls can be quite dangerous as they could strike you as they are quite big birds. They are serious predators, not just scavengers and are quite capable of hunting small animals."
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