Saturday, December 15, 2007
Judge rules Americans can swear at toilets - Update
A woman who was cited for loudly cursing at her overflowing toilet — and then at a neighbour who told her to quiet down — has been acquitted on First Amendment grounds.
District Judge Terrence Gallagher dismissed the disorderly conduct charge against Dawn Herb, 33, ruling Thursday that she was within her rights when she let loose a string of profanities Oct. 11.
Although the language she used "may be considered by some to be offensive, vulgar and imprudent ... (it is) protected speech pursuant to the First Amendment," the judge wrote.
Herb was cited after Patrick Gilman, a police officer who lives near her, called authorities to complain.
District Judge Terrence Gallagher dismissed the disorderly conduct charge against Dawn Herb, 33, ruling Thursday that she was within her rights when she let loose a string of profanities Oct. 11.
Although the language she used "may be considered by some to be offensive, vulgar and imprudent ... (it is) protected speech pursuant to the First Amendment," the judge wrote.
Herb was cited after Patrick Gilman, a police officer who lives near her, called authorities to complain.
Have you seen this mummy?
Someone stole a life-sized dummy of a mummy from a haunted house in October and the owners want it back.
The mummy is five foot, nine inches tall and made out of foam and rubber.
It disappeared just before Halloween from a tomb at the Hollywood Horror Show on Bass Mountain Road in Alamance County.
If you have an information about the missing mummy, you are asked to call Burlington Crimestoppers.
The mummy is five foot, nine inches tall and made out of foam and rubber.
It disappeared just before Halloween from a tomb at the Hollywood Horror Show on Bass Mountain Road in Alamance County.
If you have an information about the missing mummy, you are asked to call Burlington Crimestoppers.
Indian man bites rabid dog and ends up in hospital
'Man biting dog', the proverbial basic lesson of all journalism manuals defining what is "news", has literally happened in a village in Kerala, India when a 65-year-old man, in a fit of anger, bit a rabid dog for attacking his duck and ended up in hospital.
Pappan bit the dog so hard in its throat that it bled profusley. However, it was later clubbed to death by the irate villagers.
The rabid dog had been frightening the residents of Pakakkadavu village in Kollam district for the past few weeks. On Wednesday, the dog strayed into Pappan's compound and took away his duck. An angry Pappan sprang on the dog and the duo started a fight in a slushy ditch.
The man-dog fight that went on for a while, drew a fairly large crowd around them. According to witnesses, the dog held one of Pappan's palms firmly in its mouth. He, in turn, bit the dog's throat with all his force to get his palm freed.
Soon, both the animal and the man got exhausted, and the onlookers saved the man and beat the dog to death.
Pappan was first taken to a local hospital but was later referred to the Medical College hospital in Thiruvananthapuram for treatment of rabies.
Pappan bit the dog so hard in its throat that it bled profusley. However, it was later clubbed to death by the irate villagers.
The rabid dog had been frightening the residents of Pakakkadavu village in Kollam district for the past few weeks. On Wednesday, the dog strayed into Pappan's compound and took away his duck. An angry Pappan sprang on the dog and the duo started a fight in a slushy ditch.
The man-dog fight that went on for a while, drew a fairly large crowd around them. According to witnesses, the dog held one of Pappan's palms firmly in its mouth. He, in turn, bit the dog's throat with all his force to get his palm freed.
Soon, both the animal and the man got exhausted, and the onlookers saved the man and beat the dog to death.
Pappan was first taken to a local hospital but was later referred to the Medical College hospital in Thiruvananthapuram for treatment of rabies.
Australian tuna tossing festival to use fake fish
The annual tuna tossing competition at Port Lincoln's Tunarama festival in South Australia will use a fake tuna next year.
Festival coordinator Merriwyne Hore says the decision to change from frozen tuna to a replica is mainly due to the waste involved; literally throwing away very expensive fish.
The replica has been sculpted by Ken Martin, the same artist who made the statue for Port Lincoln of its champion racehorse, Makybe Diva.
Ms Hore says she is confident the fake tuna will be better than the real thing, eliminating a lot of the mess.
"What happens when the tuna is tossed, even though it's frozen and frozen very solid, it does start to break down as it's tossed," she said.
"The tail comes off, the fins come off, the eyes fall out and then the underbelly breaks and you know it really, it gets to be extremely messy."
Festival coordinator Merriwyne Hore says the decision to change from frozen tuna to a replica is mainly due to the waste involved; literally throwing away very expensive fish.
The replica has been sculpted by Ken Martin, the same artist who made the statue for Port Lincoln of its champion racehorse, Makybe Diva.
Ms Hore says she is confident the fake tuna will be better than the real thing, eliminating a lot of the mess.
"What happens when the tuna is tossed, even though it's frozen and frozen very solid, it does start to break down as it's tossed," she said.
"The tail comes off, the fins come off, the eyes fall out and then the underbelly breaks and you know it really, it gets to be extremely messy."
Playful puppy latches on to urinating man's member
A drunken Cambodian reveller received an unexpected lesson in why not to urinate in public when his wedding tackle was mauled mid-stream by a playful puppy as he relieved himself through a fence, local media reported yesterday.
The daily Rasmei Kampuchea reported Kann Veasna, 23, had been drinking wine at a street stall when he excused himself to urinate through a small hole in a fence into a nearby lot.
However the movement of putting his member through the hole attracted the attention of a resident puppy which grabbed it with its teeth, apparently thinking it was a toy.
Veasna was forced to admit his painful secret when he fronted at a hospital in the capital for treatment for severe lacerations.
"It's undoubtedly sore now, but luckily it should still be useful to him in the future", a doctor said.
The daily Rasmei Kampuchea reported Kann Veasna, 23, had been drinking wine at a street stall when he excused himself to urinate through a small hole in a fence into a nearby lot.
However the movement of putting his member through the hole attracted the attention of a resident puppy which grabbed it with its teeth, apparently thinking it was a toy.
Veasna was forced to admit his painful secret when he fronted at a hospital in the capital for treatment for severe lacerations.
"It's undoubtedly sore now, but luckily it should still be useful to him in the future", a doctor said.
Crinkly the ugly swan finds love after seven years
A male swan who was shunned by females due to his oddly deformed neck may finally have found a girlfriend after seven years of waiting.
Crinkly the ugly swan has become a well-known face at a Gloucester bird sanctuary, having flown in from frozen Russia every year since 2001 to spend Christmas there.
But conservation workers have watched with dismay as Crinkly failed miserably to attract the opposite sex.
"We were worried about Crinkly because he is such a strange-looking bird," said Jools Mackin, spokesperson for Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, which is the swan's Christmas home. "Every time he returns it is against the odds."
Until now, none of the females at the trust was prepared to mate with him - but conservation workers say they can see the signs of a budding romance.
"We are delighted because we think Crinkly has finally found a girlfriend," said Ms Mackin.
Crinkly the ugly swan has become a well-known face at a Gloucester bird sanctuary, having flown in from frozen Russia every year since 2001 to spend Christmas there.
But conservation workers have watched with dismay as Crinkly failed miserably to attract the opposite sex.
"We were worried about Crinkly because he is such a strange-looking bird," said Jools Mackin, spokesperson for Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, which is the swan's Christmas home. "Every time he returns it is against the odds."
Until now, none of the females at the trust was prepared to mate with him - but conservation workers say they can see the signs of a budding romance.
"We are delighted because we think Crinkly has finally found a girlfriend," said Ms Mackin.
It's the One o'Clock bum
It is an unlikely tourist attraction created to have a sly dig at a local "coo-ncillor".
But now an unusual model of a cow's backside on the side of the Rowan Tree bar in Edinburgh is bidding to put the wind up some of the most famous monuments in Europe.
The Cowgate sculpture has been given a cheeky mechanical dimension that means that three times-a-day, it will lift up its tail and break wind.
It is scheduled to pass gas – in the form of white smoke – at 11am, noon and 1pm, though it's owner, former Scotland rugby star Norrie Rowan, insists he is not trying to challenge the One o'Clock Gun.
Instead, he is touting it as Edinburgh's answer to the world-famous Astronomical Clock in Prague.
But now an unusual model of a cow's backside on the side of the Rowan Tree bar in Edinburgh is bidding to put the wind up some of the most famous monuments in Europe.
The Cowgate sculpture has been given a cheeky mechanical dimension that means that three times-a-day, it will lift up its tail and break wind.
It is scheduled to pass gas – in the form of white smoke – at 11am, noon and 1pm, though it's owner, former Scotland rugby star Norrie Rowan, insists he is not trying to challenge the One o'Clock Gun.
Instead, he is touting it as Edinburgh's answer to the world-famous Astronomical Clock in Prague.
Without a wing and prayer, four walk free after plane crash
Three people celebrating a 40th birthday with a joyflight had a miraculous escape after their pilot was forced to crash-land his plane on a quiet Australian road, despite losing the aircraft's wings on the way down.
All four walked away from the crash with minor cuts and bruises after their single-engine Piper Warrior stalled and plummeted to earth, losing its wings on powerlines as fuel spilled into trees alongside the road and burst into flames.
"I thought they'd all be dead. All that was there was 10 feet (3m) of metal, no wings, nothing," said Brian McGrath, who witnessed the accident on Thursday on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne.
The flight had been intended as a 40th birthday present for a nurse, who gave her name only as Kerry as she walked away from the cabin of the crashed plane, which came to rest on its side in bushes surrounded by debris.
"It was their lucky day. She's had her birthday present," rescuer Bill McNamara said.
More here and here.
All four walked away from the crash with minor cuts and bruises after their single-engine Piper Warrior stalled and plummeted to earth, losing its wings on powerlines as fuel spilled into trees alongside the road and burst into flames.
"I thought they'd all be dead. All that was there was 10 feet (3m) of metal, no wings, nothing," said Brian McGrath, who witnessed the accident on Thursday on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne.
The flight had been intended as a 40th birthday present for a nurse, who gave her name only as Kerry as she walked away from the cabin of the crashed plane, which came to rest on its side in bushes surrounded by debris.
"It was their lucky day. She's had her birthday present," rescuer Bill McNamara said.
More here and here.
9-year-old girl drives stepdad to safety after heart attack
Timothy Webber, a Brunswick, Maryland man is lucky to be alive after suffering a heart attack while driving.
It's all thanks to his quick-thinking nine year-old daughter, Cheyanne, who drove her dad to safety.
"I steered and I mostly pushed the gas and the brake", recalls Cheyanne.
It's all thanks to his quick-thinking nine year-old daughter, Cheyanne, who drove her dad to safety.
"I steered and I mostly pushed the gas and the brake", recalls Cheyanne.
Schoolgirl told to sit outside class – for smelling of Lenor
An eight-year-old girl was segregated from her classmates because her teacher is allergic to the fabric softener on her clothes.
Hope Nichols was made to work in a corridor on one occasion and moved to the back of the class.
Mum Sarahjane, of Thoresby Avenue, Gaywood, thought it was a joke at first when the school asked her to change her fabric conditioner brand, but then explained Lenor was the only one which does not irritate Hope's eczema and dermatitis.
She was later sent a letter from Gaywood's Howard Junior School headteacher Gregory Hill demanding a doctor's note to prove Hope has a skin condition.
Mr Hill had warned Mrs Nichols that if she did not reduce the amount of softener she uses or swap brands, Hope's class teacher may have to have time off work because of a "severe allergy to perfumes and fragrances".
Mrs Nichols said: "It's just totally bizarre. I've never heard anything like it in my life."
Hope Nichols was made to work in a corridor on one occasion and moved to the back of the class.
Mum Sarahjane, of Thoresby Avenue, Gaywood, thought it was a joke at first when the school asked her to change her fabric conditioner brand, but then explained Lenor was the only one which does not irritate Hope's eczema and dermatitis.
She was later sent a letter from Gaywood's Howard Junior School headteacher Gregory Hill demanding a doctor's note to prove Hope has a skin condition.
Mr Hill had warned Mrs Nichols that if she did not reduce the amount of softener she uses or swap brands, Hope's class teacher may have to have time off work because of a "severe allergy to perfumes and fragrances".
Mrs Nichols said: "It's just totally bizarre. I've never heard anything like it in my life."
Man jailed over 14 million fake £1 coins
A counterfeiter who produced fake £1 coins with an estimated total value of £14m, has been jailed for five years.
Marcus Glindon, 37, from Enfield, north London, made the coins over seven years from a workshop near his home.
Glindon admitted five counts relating to counterfeiting the coins at Wood Green Crown Court.
He said that he worked mainly alone.
With news video.
Marcus Glindon, 37, from Enfield, north London, made the coins over seven years from a workshop near his home.
Glindon admitted five counts relating to counterfeiting the coins at Wood Green Crown Court.
He said that he worked mainly alone.
With news video.
Santa Claus fined for vandalism
A father Christmas has been branded a vandal and fined £80 by police for spraying festive messages with fake snow.
Santa Ryan Williams, 20, and his elf Jonathan Dawson, 23, were daubing buildings in Bristol for radio station GWR when an officer spotted them.
Ryan said yesterday: "She shouted: 'What the hell are you doing.'
"Then she told me it was vandalism, made me get in her police car and take my beard off."
He was freed after agreeing to the on-thespot police fine.
The elf wasn't fined.
Santa Ryan Williams, 20, and his elf Jonathan Dawson, 23, were daubing buildings in Bristol for radio station GWR when an officer spotted them.
Ryan said yesterday: "She shouted: 'What the hell are you doing.'
"Then she told me it was vandalism, made me get in her police car and take my beard off."
He was freed after agreeing to the on-thespot police fine.
The elf wasn't fined.
Friday, December 14, 2007
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