Really odd news!

[samanthajane13]

Suit against God thrown out over lack of address
Wed Oct 15, 2008 2:39 PM EDT

LINCOLN — A judge has thrown out a Nebraska legislator's lawsuit against God, saying the Almighty wasn't properly served due to his unlisted home address. State Sen. Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God.

He said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers has said he filed the lawsuit to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are rich or poor.

On Tuesday, however, Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk ruled that under state law a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a lawsuit to move forward.

"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Polk wrote.

Chambers, who graduated from law school but never took the bar exam, thinks he's found a hole in the judge's ruling.

"The court itself acknowledges the existence of God," Chambers said Wednesday. "A consequence of that acknowledgment is a recognition of God's omniscience."

Therefore, Chambers said, "Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit."

Chambers has 30 days to decide whether to appeal. He said he hasn't decided yet.

Chambers, who has served a record 38 years in the Nebraska Legislature, is not returning next year because of term limits. He skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians.

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/1...ack-of-address

[samanthajane13]

Fri Oct 17, 12:51 am ET

CLEARFIELD, Pa. – It took Brad Sciullo 4 hours and 39 minutes to finish a marathon. A meat marathon, that is. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound western Pennsylvania chef is the first person to eat a monstrosity called the Beer Barrel Belly Bruiser: a 15-pound burger with toppings and a bun that brought the total weight to 20.2 pounds.

The mountain of beef is the product of Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Clearfield.

Sciullo, 21, of Uniontown, said he was surprised he finished the sandwich Monday. "About three hours into it, things got tough," he said.

When asked what possessed him to eat a burger that big, Sciullo said: "I wanted to see if I could."

The burger included a bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, mild banana peppers and a cup each of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and relish, pub owner Dennis Liegey said.

For completing the challenge in the under-five-hour time limit, Sciullo won $400, three T-shirts, a certificate "and a burger hangover, as I call it," Liegey said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081017/...Y3S15Mrniek3QF

[samanthajane13]

LONDON (Reuters) – A man discovered making kebabs near a corpse has been banned from managing food businesses and fined 3,800 pounds, Wolverhampton City Council said Tuesday.

Jaswinder Singh, 45, was found by police making kebabs at Pappu Sweet Center and Catering in Wolverhampton in August in a kitchen where a dead man was lying on a sofa.

As well the corpse, the policeman discovered another man smoking and spitting repeatedly on the floor, while in a room near the kitchen, a defrosting chicken, oozing blood and juices, was covered with flies.

Environmental health officers had visited the shop over a number of months previously where they had warned Singh to improve his food hygiene standards after finding rat droppings as well as a dead rat beneath a pot.

"We were called to reports of a sudden death," said West Midlands Police spokeswoman Joanne Hunt. "A post mortem was carried out, but found the death was not suspicious, so the matter was referred to the coroner."

Wolverhampton's city council's chief environmental services officer Nick Edwards said: "The council will not tolerate those who put the public at risk by preparing food in insanitary conditions.

"We are pleased that the council's actions have resulted in the courts banning this individual from ever running a food business again."

(Reporting by John Joseph; Editing by David Clarke)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081015/...fxNq_pKA_tiBIF

[samanthajane13]

World record sandwich? Iranians eat evidence
Fri Oct 17, 8:46 am ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran failed Friday to register what it said would be the world's largest sandwich in the Guinness book of World Records after people rushed forward and began eating it -- before it was measured.

Event organisers had planned to stuff the 1,500-metre-long sandwich with 700 kg of ostrich meat and 700 kg of chicken, and display it in a park in the capital Tehran.

But as the sandwich was being measured, chaos ensued. The giant snack was gone in minutes, a Reuters witness said, leaving the three Guinness representatives present with a dilemma.

One of the event's organisers said video footage of the sandwich would be sent to Guinness officials.

"We still think the sandwich will be recorded in the Guinness book because of all the evidence and footage that we will send them," Parvin Shariati said.

(Writing by Zahra Hosseinian; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081017/...3g.IHqD_XtiBIF

[samanthajane13]

"Trash bin bears" seek space in Romania
By Luiza Ilie Luiza Ilie – Fri Oct 17, 3:16 am ET

BRASOV, Romania (Reuters) – Sprawled on the side of a narrow road that winds up the Carpathian mountains in central Romania, a brown bear buries its snout in a paw, eyes peeking playfully at cars passing by.

As drivers pull over to take pictures, the bear strolls towards the cars, striking cute poses and hoping for food.

A few yards down the road, a large billboard urges tourists not to feed bears but across the street, open trash bags are scattered carelessly -- and invitingly -- across pine needles.

With half of Europe's brown bears -- roughly 6,000 -- living in the largely unspoilt Carpathian mountains, environmentalists and authorities are struggling to keep the wild animals and residents in mountain towns like Brasov safe from each other.

Several people, including foreign tourists, have been mauled to death in recent years by hungry or irritated animals, who come daily to towns and villages in the southern Carpathians in search of food.

The most recent death came in August when the torn body of a local man was found some 500 metres from the centre of Brasov. Officials say bear sightings have risen in the past few years.

Bears forage through trash cans, nap in apartment buildings and have even broken into the grounds of pubs and hospitals.

The bears' natural habitat is being destroyed and increasingly fragmented by rampant construction for Romania's fast-developing tourism industry. And their feeding habits are changing as they become a high-adrenaline tourist attraction.

"Each evening, there is a show, a circus," said Flavius Barbulescu, an animal control official in Brasov. "People sit on fences or in cars, and they watch. You cannot fine a person for standing on the sidewalk and watching."

"TRASH BIN BEARS"

Mountain towns such as Brasov want to keep the bears away from inhabited areas: they empty trash bins three times a day, have relocated scavenging bears to wilder areas and fine people caught feeding or photographing the wild carnivores.

But the tourists still come to places like the Racadau neighbourhood, a grim cluster of grey apartment blocs that seems to be the bears' preferred hang-out spot.

"They come late at night. I saw one ... by the bus stop where I live," said Vasile Kolumban, 57.

Wildlife experts say the animals, dubbed "trash bin bears," will continue to scavenge in cities as urban sprawl eats into their habitat, and if people continue to feed them.

"Restaurants should not leave food out," said Victor Watkins, a wildlife adviser with British World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).

"The public should not encourage bears. If they want to see the animals, they should come to a bear sanctuary," said Watkins, who has worked in sanctuaries around the world, including in Zarnesti near Brasov.

In one part of Racadau, apartments rise up right at the edge of the forest, separated by a narrow meadow from a fenced-in area that holds four overflowing trash containers. The meadow is often used, particularly in the summer, by sunbathers and people barbecuing or roasting eggplants.

While these activities are all traditional past-times in Romania, the smells and carelessly discarded trash are the kinds of things that attract some bears to towns like Brasov.

HUNTING TROPHIES

Romania's lush mountains have been home to brown bears for centuries. The numbers surged in 1970s and '80s when communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu banned hunting for all but himself.

Ceausescu, who was executed by firing squad in 1989 during Romania's violent anti-communist revolution, used to invite friends and foreign dignitaries to lavish hunting parties, sometimes bagging dozens of bears in one day.

Ceausescu won many world bear-hunting trophies, and after his death, hunting parties remained popular with some politicians, like former prime minister Adrian Nastase, a leader of the ex-communist Social Democrat Party.

Now, the law limits bear-hunting to around 300 animals a year, which officials say is needed to maintain their population.

Not far from Brasov and its posh tourist lodges, perched on the hills around Zarnesti village, lies Romania's first bear sanctuary, an isolated spot with only the cawing of crows to break the silence.

Nearly 40 bears live here. They were rescued from ramshackle zoos or cages at roadside inns and restaurants, where they were used as entertainment. Most bears being relocated from Brasov also stay here, before they are taken to remoter parts.

"Even if we took all bears living near Racadau, other bears would still come because it's the cause that must be removed, not the effect," said sanctuary manager Cristina Lapis.

Romanian officials and authorities from other Carpathian states are considering plans to open up mountain pathways used by bears for centuries that would help them move more freely through the Carpathians and find food.

But until such time, the bears will be part of Brasov.

"Bears make the law here. Good thing they're not (as big as) grizzlies," said Kolumban.

(Editing by Clar Ni Chonghaile)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081017/...j5KlY1TQ_tiBIF

[samanthajane13]

Secret London wartime tunnel complex for sale
Thu Oct 16, 12:11 pm ET

LONDON (Reuters) – A once-secret 1940s tunnel complex under the centre of London that housed military intelligence and linked the cold war hot line phone between Washington and Moscow has been put up for sale.

Former state telephone monopoly BT says the one mile long network of tunnels below Chancery Lane underground station is now surplus to requirements.

The complex was dug in 1942 as a bomb shelter for 8,000 during World War Two but was taken over by military authorities as a communications and intelligence centre.

The Public Records Office used the site, known as Kingsway Tunnels, after the war to store historic documents.

The Post Office later took over the property as a more secure location for its long distance phone exchange, including the 1950s hot line directly connecting the White House and the Kremlin.

When telephony was split from the Post Office, the tunnels passed to British Telecom, now privatised and known as BT.

In the 1980s the government used part of the complex as a temporary backup for its top secret Pindar war control bunker.

Sales agent Farebrother said there had already been a lot of interest in the now disused property.

It has a total floor area of around 7,100 sq metres but can only be reached by two street-level lifts, restricting its potential use.

Farebrother partner Niall Gallagher said there had been an "eclectic" mix of enquiries.

"Private individuals, companies, corporations, government departments -- we've got the whole spectrum at the moment," he added.

(Reporting by Tim Castle)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081016/...SDlq3HmGjtiBIF

[samanthajane13]

Don't eat those nuts, police warn thieves

BERLIN (Reuters) – Thieves who stole 660 pounds of hazelnuts in Germany have been urgently warned not to eat them.

Hamburg police spokesman Holger Vehren said the sacks containing the nuts were full of poisonous hydrogen phosphate gas, used to extend their shelf life. The nuts must first be treated to make them safe for consumption.

"We're looking for the perpetrators because they could face a very serious health risk if they eat these hazelnuts," he said. "The gas is even lethal if they inhale it."

(Reporting by Josie Cox, editing by Mark Trevelyan)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081014/...JwFDrnm5kSH9EA

[brandy]

Originally Posted by samanthajane13

Suit against God thrown out over lack of address
Wed Oct 15, 2008 2:39 PM EDT

LINCOLN — A judge has thrown out a Nebraska legislator's lawsuit against God, saying the Almighty wasn't properly served due to his unlisted home address. State Sen. Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God.

He said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers has said he filed the lawsuit to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are rich or poor.

On Tuesday, however, Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk ruled that under state law a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a lawsuit to move forward.

"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Polk wrote.

Chambers, who graduated from law school but never took the bar exam, thinks he's found a hole in the judge's ruling.

"The court itself acknowledges the existence of God," Chambers said Wednesday. "A consequence of that acknowledgment is a recognition of God's omniscience."

Therefore, Chambers said, "Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit."
Chambers has 30 days to decide whether to appeal. He said he hasn't decided yet.

Chambers, who has served a record 38 years in the Nebraska Legislature, is not returning next year because of term limits. He skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians.

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/1...ack-of-address

This guy is a piece of work. I must admit I did have a laugh- "the Almighty wasn't properly served due to his unlisted home address."

[samanthajane13]

More than 100 sick as too many cooks spoil broth
Mon Oct 13, 2:54 pm ET

BEIJING (Reuters) – Some 170 wedding banquet guests were rushed to hospital in north China when powdered rust remover was added to the pot instead of salt after they all decided it needed added flavor, Chinese media said.

In a bizarre coincidence, 61 wedding guests were taken to hospital with similar symptoms a day earlier after a duck-and-donkey-meat banquet in northwest China.

In the rust remover case, the bride's proud father invited 170 friends and relatives to the wedding banquet at a village in northern Hebei province on Friday, the night before the nuptials, the Beijing News said.

"All food was stewed in a big pot but after dinner started, all of them felt the taste was too bland," the newspaper said.

Someone added what he or she thought was salt -- several times. An hour later, the guests were being rushed to hospital.

"When I arrived at the hospital, the observation room was packed with people vomiting, with stomach pains and with diarrhea," a doctor was quoted as saying.

The symptoms were short-lived and all the victims were released by the next day.

A day earlier, 61 wedding guests suffered food poisoning at a banquet in impoverished Gansu province, local authorities said.

"Currently, 17 people have been discharged but 44 are still in the hospital. No one has died," Xinhua news agency quoted an official as saying.

Duck, donkey meat, chicken and shrimp were the main dishes served at the dinner.

China has been hit by a series of food-safety scares in recent years, most recently when thousands of infants fell sick from contaminated milk powder. At least four died.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Nick Macfie and Paul Tait)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081013/...riO1XhIncSH9EA

[samanthajane13]

Note to self: Taser no good on wild boars
Wed Oct 15, 8:42 pm ET

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. – While normally effective on people, a Hernando deputy learned the hard way that Taser stun guns do not work very well on wild boars.

The sheriff's office reported that Deputy Joseph Tibor responded to complaints of an "extremely large pig" tearing up a resident's yard in a Brooksville neighborhood Tuesday morning. He quickly found a 450-pound boar rooting up shrubbery and threatening a water fountain.

The animal then flashed his tusks toward onlookers. Tibor tried to stop it with his Taser, but the 50,000 volts had no effect on the animal.

The boar was eventually corralled into a neighbor's trailer.

___

Information from: St. Petersburg Times, http://www.sptimes.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081016/...DEoMJ.sessQE4F

[samanthajane13]

Suspected man-eating croc to be put out to stud in Australia

SYDNEY (AFP) – A giant crocodile believed to have eaten an Australian holidaymaker will spend the rest of its life on a farm, breeding more crocodiles, an official said Thursday.

Human remains thought to be those of Arthur Booker, 62, who disappeared last month while holidaying with his wife in north Queensland, have been discovered in the stomach of a 4.5-metre (15-foot) crocodile captured in the area.

A spokesman for the state's Environmental Protection Agency said that because of the reptile's size it was a protected animal that could not be killed.

It would also not be released and under Queensland state law it cannot be displayed in a zoo or wildlife facility with any sign indicating it had eaten somebody, so a breeding programme was the only alternative.

"Any crocodile four metres or over is under the conservation plan an iconic crocodile, so it needs to go into a facility where it can be used in a way that benefits crocodile conservation," Michael Devery told national radio.

Booker disappeared on September 30 after he went to check crab pots in a river near Cooktown, in the so-called "Cape Crocodile" region of far north Queensland.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081016...NmCTBOLgqgOrgF

[samanthajane13]

Greek nun hands hefty labour bill to ex-sisters
Tue Oct 14, 2:25 pm ET

SALONIKA, GREECE (AFP) – A Greek nun ousted from a nunnery in the north of the country has demanded over 240,000 euros (326,000 dollars) in arrears for 23 years of hard labour, a justice source said on Tuesday.

The unidentified 45-year-old nun filed a complaint with a court in Salonika demanding the sum, plus another 54,349 dollars she had allegedly donated to the convent, the justice source said.

She claims to have worked as a full-time labourer at the nunnery, building, digging and carrying heavy loads in a job description which would have earned at least 30 euros daily in the outside world.

The nun said she was ousted from the nunnery in Koufalia, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Salonika, after publicly disagreeing with the mother superior.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081014...b7vxQQaqGgOrgF

[samanthajane13]

Nervous anteaters at Bangkok zoo evacuated after protests

BANGKOK (AFP) – Two anteaters at Bangkok's main zoo have been given a three-month holiday to recover after violent clashes between police and protesters erupted near their enclosure, the zoo director said Sunday.

The four-year-old male and female anteaters were moved to a zoo in Chonburi province east of Bangkok soon after Tuesday's protests, when tear gas and loud bangs rang through the streets around parliament next to their enclosures.

"A pair of anteaters had come from the United States about a year ago. This animal is sensitive about noise, and they have not yet got used to loud noises," Dusit Zoo director Kanchai Sanwong told AFP.

The other animals in the park, however, had been there a long time and are used to Thailand's shaky political situation, with noisy protests often held in the Dusit government district, he said.

"The kangaroos and elephants who live near the wall opposite parliament were excited and acted a little jumpy, but they have lived here for a long time and it is easy for people who take care of them to calm them down," Kanchai said.

"The deer and birds who also live next door have been little impacted."

Zoo employees sprayed water around the animals' enclosure to help alleviate the lingering tear gas, he added.

Two people were killed and more than 400 injured when the anti-government protesters tried to surround parliament, prompting police to try and break up the rally with tear gas.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081012..._mVlkUSeagOrgF

[samanthajane13]

In September, Switzerland enacted a comprehensive list of animal rights, improving life for dogs, cats, goldfish, even rhinoceroses

Chuck Shepherd Chuck Shepherd – Sun Oct 12, 1:00 am ET

The world's most extensive array of animal "rights" took effect in Switzerland in September.

Dog owners must take, at their own expense, classes in pet care (and anglers must take a class in humane treatment of fish).

Animals listed as "social" (including goldfish, hamsters, sheep, goats, yaks) must be kept with or near another of their species.

Goldfish must have some "privacy," e.g., no completely transparent tanks, and can only be killed humanely (never flushed alive).

Even mud-loving pigs are entitled to showers.

Yet, Swiss animal rights activists complained that the country still permits trading in cat fur (supposedly a pain-reliever for rheumatism), and that some new protections (for example, for rhinoceroses) are still inadequate. [Agence France-Presse, 9-1-08; The Times (London), 4-26-08]


http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20081012/...w/nwx081012xml

[delaineyrae]

well god did know of the lawsuit, haha but what does this guy hope to gain? i dont get it. if he wins i think i might take god t small claims court and sue him for pain and suffering.

[samanthajane13]

Police arrest Mich. man for car wash vacuum sex
Sat Oct 18, 7:56 pm ET

THOMAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Police say a Michigan man has been arrested after "receiving sexual favors from a vacuum" at a car wash.

The Saginaw News reports the 29-year-old Swan Creek Township man was arrested Thursday in Saginaw County's Thomas Township, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.

Police Sgt. Gary Breidinger says a resident called to report suspicious activity at the car wash about 6:45 a.m. An officer approached on foot and caught the man in the act.

The suspect, whose name wasn't immediately released, is being held in the Saginaw County Jail.

___

Information from: The Saginaw News, http://www.mlive.com


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081018/...zwA6Dc4vntiBIF

[samanthajane13]

Wallet missing for 6 decades returned to family
Sat Oct 18, 7:51 pm ET

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – More than 60 years after Mary Ruth Justice's wallet disappeared, her family returned to Georgia College & State University to claim it.

Her niece, Majorie Williams, and nephew, Sterling Justice, went to campus Thursday to get the alligator-skin wallet of their aunt, who died two decades ago.

Construction crews renovating the university's theater found the wallet a few weeks ago on the ledge of a wall in the basement. It contained five black-and-white photographs, a Social Security card and a Georgia state employment card bearing the woman's name.

Campus officials tracked down her family and told them about the wallet, which disappeared in the 1940s.

Jutice was born in 1920 in Sparta, but eventually moved to Buffalo, N.Y., where she died in 1978. She is buried in Milledgeville.

___

Information from: The Union-Recorder, http://unionrecorder.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081018/...0XU6BI6IjtiBIF

[samanthajane13]

Bold thief leaves police red-faced
Sat Oct 18, 1:24 am ET

PERTH (Reuters) – Australian police have been left embarrassed after a man stole a large quantity of seized drugs from a police station.

More than 2,000 ecstasy pills as well as small amounts of cocaine and amphetamine, with a street value of about A$27,000 (10,700), were stolen from an exhibit room of the Maroochydore police station in the northeastern state of Queensland, police spokesman Ben Tracey said.

A small amount of the stolen drugs has since been recovered but most of the drugs are still missing, police said.

A 36-year-old tradesman, who was given unsupervised access to the room which contained the drugs, will be charged next week on 10 charges including drug theft.

(Reporting by Fayen Wong)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081018/...Qjs.q2OrntiBIF

[samanthajane13]

British burglar says 'sorry' with flowers
Fri Oct 17, 8:03 pm ET

LONDON – A repentant robber in England sent his elderly victim a bouquet of flowers to apologize for frightening her, police said Friday. A 91-year-old woman received the flowers and a note after confronting a burglar in her home around 4 a.m. on Oct. 9, police said.

The card explained that the burglar thought the property in Halifax, about 200 miles north of London, was empty and apologized for breaking in.

Police said the woman was "very shaken" by the confrontation.

"Whoever did this has a conscience, and feels guilty for what he has done," West Yorkshire Police Det. Insp. Tony Nicholson said in a statement.

Police said the burglar fled the house empty-handed and appealed for him to come forward.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081018/...cU4vwnteztiBIF

[samanthajane13]

Texas Zoo says camel and pony sidekick are missing
Fri Oct 17, 9:20 pm ET

CEDAR CREEK, Texas – A 6-foot-tall camel named Moses and his pint-size pony sidekick Coco are missing from a small Texas zoo. Officials at Capital of Texas Zoo in Cedar Creek, about 15 miles southeast of Austin, have reported the theft of the kid-friendly creatures.

Zoo founder Michael Hicks says that the 3-year-old, 500-pound camel and the nearly quarter-century old pony are "best friends" and follow each other.

"The staff and I are heartbroken," Hicks said. "We raised Moses on a bottle. He thought he was a person, loved everybody....It was comical; they went everywhere together. Coco is over 20 years old, and she mothered the camel like he was her baby."

Hicks, who lives on the grounds of the zoo, told The Associated Press that both animals were wearing halters when he last saw them in a front pasture Tuesday night.

He discovered the one-hump camel and the female Shetland/Welsh mix pony were gone Wednesday morning. Hicks says overnight rain washed away any potential vehicle tracks.

Hicks has offered a $400 dollar reward for information leading to the safe return of his animals.

___

On the Net:

Capital of Texas Zoo, http://www.capitaloftexaszoo.org

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081018/...1LJfnC3DPtiBIF

[samanthajane13]

Mom who joined cheerleading squad pleads insanity
Fri Oct 17, 6:26 pm ET

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A 33-year-old woman accused of stealing her daughter's identity to attend high school and join the cheerleading squad has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Wendy Brown faces a felony identity theft charge after enrolling in a Wisconsin high school as her 15-year-old daughter, who lives in Nevada with Brown's mother.

According to a federal complaint, Brown attended one day of classes, practiced with the cheerleading squad and went to a party at the coach's house.

Brown also faces theft and forgery charges from an unrelated case, where she is accused of collecting money for an apartment she didn't have authority to rent.

She could face up to nearly 13 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

___

Information from: Green Bay Press-Gazette, http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081017/...48zg4aTSwsQE4F

[samanthajane13]

Women ride Vienna dancing horses after 436 years
By Alexandra Zawadil Alexandra Zawadil – Wed Oct 15, 1:49 pm ET

VIENNA (Reuters) – An Austrian and a Briton have made history at Vienna's Spanish Riding School by becoming the first female riders to pass the entrance exam and trial period in 436 years.

The women rode the school's white Lipizzaner horses in public for the first time Wednesday and now have the chance to train for five years to become part of the official performing troupe at the school, which was founded in 1572.

The school did not ban female riders previously but has a masculine image because of its military background.

"Today both men and women need to equally earn their daily bread and prove their worth," said Elisabeth Guertler, who became the school's first female director a year ago, and said it needed to keep up with the times.

The horses, which are trained to perform complex moves such as springing from their hind legs, draw sell-out crowds in Vienna and on tour abroad.

But the new recruits have to do some unglamorous stable work before performing difficult manoeuvres on the white stallions.

"We have to feed and groom the horses and clean the stables," said 21-year-old Austrian recruit Hannah Zeitlhofer.

"I always wanted to work directly with horses. I didn't want a purely theoretical job."

The school has been on the lookout for riders with short torsos and long legs, suited to the physique of the smaller horses. In terms of character, riders have to be tough and persistent, Guertler said.

"I think (the horses) are wonderful," said 17-year-old British trainee Sojourner Morrell, who grew up in the United States. "I thought a barn full of stallions was going to be a lot of work but no, they are very calm and beautiful."

(Writing by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Jon Boyle)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081015/...Drr9fucLOdk3QF

[samanthajane13]

British granny gives thieves a run for their money: reports
Tue Oct 14, 9:31 pm ET

LONDON (AFP) – British youths who tried to snatch a grandmother's purse got the fright of their lives when she turned out to be a former cross-country champion and chased after them, according to report.

Janet Lane, 68, was waiting for a friend on a park bench in Torquay, in the southwestern English county of Devon, when one of three young men grabbed her bag containing her pension payment in cash, the newspaper reports said on Wednesday.

"I think those boys saw a little old lady and thought I was easy pickings, but there was no way I was going to sit there and let them get away with it," she said.

"Without thinking I jumped up and ran after them as fast as I could. I was screaming at them too. I felt outraged."

She followed them to the grounds of a nearby hotel and caught one of them by the collar.

"He was so afraid he dropped my bag but then managed to wriggle free," said Lane, who was a junior athlete for her county in the 1950s.

The retired nurse, who keeps herself in shape by swimming and walking, reportedly added: "I was delighted to get it back. I haven't run like that since I was a girl. It must have been a bit of a sight."

Police said they were investigating the incident but recommended members of the public do not follow Lane's example.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081015...46XYc.MzmgOrgF

GOOD FOR YOU, GRANDMA!!!

[Super Volcano]

Originally Posted by delaineyrae

well god did know of the lawsuit, haha but what does this guy hope to gain? i dont get it. if he wins i think i might take god t small claims court and sue him for pain and suffering.

The real kicker is when God judges HIM for his deeds come judgment day. The guy is a TOTAL idiot.

[Super Volcano]

Originally Posted by samanthajane13

Mom who joined cheerleading squad pleads insanity
Fri Oct 17, 6:26 pm ET

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A 33-year-old woman accused of stealing her daughter's identity to attend high school and join the cheerleading squad has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Wendy Brown faces a felony identity theft charge after enrolling in a Wisconsin high school as her 15-year-old daughter, who lives in Nevada with Brown's mother.

According to a federal complaint, Brown attended one day of classes, practiced with the cheerleading squad and went to a party at the coach's house.

Brown also faces theft and forgery charges from an unrelated case, where she is accused of collecting money for an apartment she didn't have authority to rent.

She could face up to nearly 13 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

___

Information from: Green Bay Press-Gazette, http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081017/...48zg4aTSwsQE4F

Man, where do you get these gems? Very interesting, (sometimes frustrating) read. Thanks!!!

[delaineyrae]

[quote=samanthajane13;9132668]Mom who joined cheerleading squad pleads insanity
Fri Oct 17, 6:26 pm ET

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A 33-year-old woman accused of stealing her daughter's identity to attend high school and join the cheerleading squad has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Wendy Brown faces a felony identity theft charge after enrolling in a Wisconsin high school as her 15-year-old daughter, who lives in Nevada with Brown's mother.

According to a federal complaint, Brown attended one day of classes, practiced with the cheerleading squad and went to a party at the coach's house.

Brown also faces theft and forgery charges from an unrelated case, where she is accused of collecting money for an apartment she didn't have authority to rent.

She could face up to nearly 13 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

___
its always wisconsin. and that side of the state, no offense to my new bf (who lives over there) but those ppl are just strange. does anyone else remember hearing about the groupof teens who dug up a schoolmates grave withthe intention of sleeping with her? that was another messed up Wisconsin crime

[samanthajane13]

Maybe it's all the cheese and cows...LOL!!!

[SaraSidle]

Originally Posted by samanthajane13

Maybe it's all the cheese and cows...LOL!!!

LOL You sure can find the stories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[samanthajane13]

Thanks bushels, Sara.

We all need a good laugh now and then, considering the type of message board this is.

If this thread brightens somebody's day, my work was work it.

[sharlock]

Detoxed elephant unfit for the wild


October 20, 2008 - 12:20PM
Source: ABC

An elephant once addicted to heroin-laced bananas in China has kicked his habit, but in the process has become unfit for the wild, state media have said.
The four-year-old bull elephant, referred to alternately as "Big Brother" or "Xiguang", went through a lengthy rehab course after traders captured him in south-west China in 2005 and used heroin-spiked bananas to control him.
"Three years of domestic life and a huge amount of rehabilitation medicine have changed the physical situations, odours and habits of Xiguang," a Yunnan Wild Life Park manager was quoted as saying.
Xiguang will divide his time between two wildlife parks in the south-western province of Yunnan.
-Reuters

[sharlock]

Stayin' Alive could save your life: doctors


October 18, 2008 - 10:03AM
Source: ABC

US doctors have found the Bee Gees' 1977 disco anthem Stayin' Alive provides an ideal beat to follow while performing chest compressions as part of CPR on a heart attack victim.
The American Heart Association calls for chest compressions to be given at a rate of 100 per minute in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Stayin' Alive almost perfectly matches that, with 103 beats per minute.
- Reuters

[sharlock]

Prince Philip leaves Google red-faced


October 17, 2008 - 11:00PM
Source: ABC

Britain's Prince Philip, who has a long history of provoking embarrassing moments, unintentionally left Google chiefs red-faced this week, a report said.
The 87-year-old was visiting the online giant's London headquarters on Thursday (local time) with Queen Elizabeth II, and its bosses were giving them a presentation of the signature Google Earth application.
Using Buckingham Palace as an example, they demonstrated how it could zoom in close to show astonishing detail of buildings, streets and even vehicles from a bird's eye view.
Philip, always ready with polite questions at such functions, asked if it could beam in on Google's own offices, the plush but relatively new buildings in which they were all gathered.
"Do you know where it is?" he asked, according to the Times account of the incident.
With a few mouse clicks, the computer screen scanned across the few hundred metres from Buckingham Palace to Belgrave House, Google's HQ in nearby Buckingham Palace Road ... but it wasn't there.
While surrounding streets could be seen, the space where Google should be was an empty site.
"It is just that the picture came from a time when it was a piece of land," said Nikesh Arora, Google's president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, refusing to show embarrassment.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has long been notorious for outspoken comments and plain gaffes.
At one point during Thursday's tour he asked a Google worker, dressed casually in hooded top, slacks and running shoes like many of his colleagues: "Just come back from jogging?"
- AFP

[samanthajane13]

Scholars say movie theater debuted here
By Mark Sommer NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 10/19/08 7:01 AM

About 35 people on Saturday celebrated the site where, according to some film scholars, the world’s first purposely built motion picture theater once stood.

Mitchell and Moe Mark opened Vitascope Hall in the basement of Ellicott Square 112 years ago, with the entrance through the Marks’ first-floor Edisonia Phonograph Parlor, an early penny arcade that featured the inventions of Thomas Edison.

The theater is believed to have been in the basement, in what is now a carpenter’s shop beneath Crinzi & Gullo Jewelers.

The Mark Brothers operated the 72- seat Vitascope Hall — also known as Vitascope Theater — for two years. They went on to become movie impresarios, opening more and larger theaters in Buffalo as projection technology improved. In 1914, they opened the first movie palace, the Mark Strand Theater, on New York’s 47th Street and Broadway.

“Mitchell and Moe Mark of Buffalo . . . were clearly the visionaries who saw the future of motion pictures and motion picture exhibition,” said Edward Summer of the Buffalo Film Festival. “They vanished from history for all sorts of reasons, but they’ve been rediscovered and we think their place, and Buffalo’s place, will be restored.

“And hopefully someday the Vitascope Theater itself will be restored.”

The building’s owner, developer Carl Paladino, has said he wants to commemorate the groundbreaking theater through a window display in the building’s atrium and possibly a plaque outside.

Summer said the Buffalo Film Festival is exploring the possibility of purchasing a rare, original Vitascope movie projector, which it would use to screen a film at a later birthday commemoration in Ellicott Square.

Buffalo artist Scott Alexander Wood produced a limited number of fine prints to celebrate Vitascope Hall. The celebration also featured a birthday with candles and the reading of a mayoral proclamation.

msommer@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregio...ry/467613.html

[samanthajane13]

Hertel Avenue icon vanishes
Note, theft of statue bear earmarks of possible hate crime
By Gene Warner NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 10/18/08 6:51 AM

A smiling chef who had become a sidewalk fixture in front of an Italian restaurant disappeared this week from the Hertel Avenue scene — replaced by a nasty, hate-filled note.

The owner of Filippo’s, at 1264 Hertel, reported Thursday that someone had stolen the 6-foot statue of a chef arrayed in the colors of the Italian flag from in front of the establishment.

“I was mad,” Filippo Inglima said Friday. “That statue has been with me for 10 years. It became a symbol for Hertel Avenue.”

He was even more disturbed by the note that the same thieves apparently left in a nearby flower pot, saying: “[N-word] Lover.”

Inglima said he has little doubt about the note’s intent: He supports State Sen. Antoine M. Thompson and Mayor Byron W. Brown.

With Thompson, he held a fundraiser for Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and he has photos of both politicians in his restaurant.

“That’s the idea I have — that it’s because we support these two people,” Inglima said. “It’s all political.”

But Inglima remained perplexed Friday that someone could have left such a note.

“They’ve got to be out of their minds,” he said. “To think that there are still people like this, it blows my mind.”

He was especially surprised that such a message could be left on Hertel Avenue, a melting pot of sorts in North Buffalo.

His friends, he said, include Italians, blacks, Poles and members of other ethnic groups.

He also said he has a reputation for helping people with donations and by feeding the hungry.

“I’m surprised to see this on Hertel,” he said. “I’m not blaming the community. It must be one bad apple, or a few bad apples, on a tree. That bothers me a lot.”

The Buffalo police report lists the crime as a grand larceny and harassment.

Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark said the charges could be upgraded.

After consulting the state Penal Law, Clark said he thought the note itself would justify a charge of second-degree aggravated harassment, a Class A misdemeanor.

Under the state’s hate-crime law, signed in July 2000, certain specified offenses, including that harassment charge and the grand larceny of the statue, would be upgraded to a more serious level if they are deemed hate crimes.

So the fourth-degree grand larceny charge would rise from a Class E felony to a Class D felony.

The harassment charge would rise from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony.

“Obviously, you would have to make the connection between the note and the theft, but once you do that, is there any question that it’s a hate crime?” Clark asked. “Absolutely not.”

The brief racial slur qualifies as almost a definition of a hate crime, he suggested.

“It’s as textbook as a burning cross or a swastika,” Clark added.

Inglima said he was convinced that at least two people, with a truck, stole the plaster statue of the colorful chef, which weighs about 150 pounds.

What is message for the thieves?

“I hope they grow up or get some brains,” he replied. “It’s insane.

“To me, they are cowards.”

gwarner@buffnews.com


http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregio...ry/466951.html

[samanthajane13]

Hey! Who Put the Caffeine in My Soap?
By JOHN CLOUD John Cloud – Mon Oct 20, 11:10 am ET

Most adults know how many cups of coffee we can have before we get twitchy. We're a race of well-practiced, high-functioning junkies. After all, regular human consumption of caffeine began at least 2,000 years ago, and until recently there was no reason to think our little global addiction posed any threat.

But recently companies began unleashing a barrage of unfamiliar products packed with extreme amounts of caffeine. The trend started with super-caffeinated energy drinks in the '90s, but more recently scientists and marketers have created caffeinated foods and even personal-hygiene products. In the past five years, according to the market research giant Mintel, firms have launched at least 126 caffeinated food products for sale in the U.S. Twenty-nine such products have been introduced this year alone. The offerings include things like Morning Spark oatmeal, NRG potato chips, and - my favorite, if only for the brazen attempt to draw kids into caffeine culture - Jelly Belly's Extreme Sport Beans, which call themselves "Energizing Jelly Beans." You can also now buy caffeinated toiletries like Bath Buzz Caffeinated Lotion.

Public-health officials are worried about the new products for two reasons: first, people might simply add the new products to their typical ration of coffee or tea. That could increase their risk for caffeine intoxication, a condition that causes symptoms like nervousness, insomnia, tachycardia and psychomotor agitation. Caffeine intoxication is not uncommon: according to a 1998 study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 7% of caffeine users have experienced it. The symptoms usually abate quickly when people quit caffeine, but in rare cases the symptoms can lead to death.

The larger problem with the new caffeinated inventions is that their labels don't typically disclose how much caffeine they contain. And yet some of them are crammed with the drug: Sumseeds, a brand of caffeinated sunflower seeds, contain 120 mg of caffeine per packet, 16% more than in a typical 6-oz serving of coffee. Shower Shock soap is designed to deliver a crackling 200 mg of caffeine when lathered into the skin, twice the amount in that same cup of coffee.

Earlier this month, a Johns Hopkins neuroscience professor named Roland Griffiths, one of the world's leading caffeine experts, sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration urging it to require specific caffeine labeling in light of all the strange new caffeinated products. Nearly 100 fellow scientists and public-health advocates signed the letter. Griffiths reminded the FDA that it has yet to decide on a 1997 petition filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) requesting caffeine labeling.

The FDA has not yet responded to Griffiths. FDA spokesman Michael Herndon told me in an e-mail that the CSPI petition is still "active and pending." When I asked why it has taken 11 years - so far - to review it, he replied, "Some petitions may take longer depending on agency workload and complexity of the issue."

But caffeine labeling is not a complex issue. Consumers should be able to make informed choices; people should know that a Starbucks venti drip coffee can have as much as 400 mg of caffeine.

Griffiths says there's no good epidemiological data yet to show whether the new caffeinated food and hygiene products are affecting public health. But he does worry about one group that can readily access these products: kids.

Doctors recommend that pre-pubescent kids not have any caffeine, and yet caffeinated candies and gums and chips have strong appeal for kids. Earlier this year, four middle-school boys in Broward County, Fla., had to go to the hospital after drinking energy drinks. The boys were sweating so much that school officials thought they might be having heart attacks.

That's an extreme but not isolated case. Those boys probably wouldn't have paid much attention even if labels did include caffeine content, but the rest of us should be able to calibrate our addictions with more information.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/2008102...XJkHVl.jQR.3QA

[samanthajane13]

89-year-old charged with keeping kids' ball
Mon Oct 20, 3:07 pm ET

BLUE ASH, Ohio – Police in Ohio say an 89-year-old woman is facing a charge of petty theft because neighborhood children accuse her of refusing to give back their football.

Edna Jester was arrested last week in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash.

Police say one child's father complained that Jester kept the youngsters' ball after it landed in her yard. Police Capt. James Schaffer says there has been an ongoing dispute in the neighborhood over kids' balls landing in the woman's yard.

Jester said Monday she has received many calls and didn't have time to discuss the matter any more.

Jester is to appear in court next month. The maximum penalty for a petty theft conviction in Ohio is six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

___

Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com


If I were the one kid's grandma, I'd slap the Hell out of my SON for letting this thing escalate, not teaching the kids respect, being a bad example to the kids, and for taking this poor old lady to court!

[samanthajane13]

Pa. woman ordered out of chemical-free 'bubble'
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM, Associated Press Writer Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press Writer – 6 mins ago

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Ten hours a day, every day, Elizabeth Feudale-Bowes confines herself to a galvanized-steel-and-porcelain shed outside her house. Inside are a toilet, a metal cabinet, a box spring with the metal coils exposed, and a pile of organic cotton blankets. Aluminum foil covers the window. The place is as austere as a prison cell — but it's also her sanctuary from an outside world that she says makes her violently ill.

She and her husband call the structure "the bubble."

This bubble, though, may be about to burst: A judge has ordered it taken down by the end of the month.

Some of the couple's neighbors in suburban South Whitehall Township complained that the 160-square-foot building is unstable and so unsightly it could drag down their property values. The couple also hooked up electrical, water and sewer service without securing permits.

"For the wife's medical problems, there is sympathy. For the owner's defiance of the township's lawful directives, there is no excuse," Judge Carol McGinley ruled earlier this month.

Feudale-Bowes, 52, says she was diagnosed several years ago with "environmental illness," described as extreme sensitivity to everyday substances.

Some doctors question whether environmental illness is a genuine physical disorder and suggest it is psychological. Feudale-Bowles says she was diagnosed by Dr. William Rea of Texas, who has been accused by the Texas Medical Board of promoting "pseudoscience." He vigorously disputes the charge and continues to see patients.

Feudale-Bowes says fabric softener, nail polish, perfume, new sneakers, upholstery and many other items can make her body go haywire. She says she has suffered from a range of chronic ailments, including migraines, joint pain, bladder inflammation, seizures and temporary paralysis. Her insides, she says, have sometimes felt like "fire with ground glass in it."

A couple of years ago, the couple settled in South Whitehall, moving into a Lustron house, a 1940s-era prefabricated home made of porcelain-enameled steel that serves as their main residence. They paid an additional $10,500 for the bubble.

The zoning board has recommended the couple explore other options, such as an addition to their house.

"We're just asking them to comply with the same safety codes that every other person in the community has to comply with," said Township Manager Jerry Gasda.

The couple are threatening to sue the township under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

"My wife's not a lawn mower, and I didn't put up an illegal shed just to mess with the township," said Craig Bowes, 52, who owns a company that cleans supermarket floors.

Some neighbors question whether her ailment is genuine. But they and others say the main issue is the couple's disregard of the zoning rules.

Thomas Kelly, 53, who lives across the street, said that while he feels sorry for Feudale-Bowes, her husband "just did whatever he pleased."

"We don't live like that," he said. "We live in a society governed by laws."

But Feudale-Bowes said: "If I don't live like this, my pain level is so severe that I can't function, I can't live, I can't survive. It's excruciating."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081020/...l_shed_allergy

[samanthajane13]

Fla. woman chooses to go jail over $7.45 bill
Tue Oct 21, 12:12 am ET

FORT PIERCE, Fla. – A woman decided to go to jail rather than pay her bill at a Fort Pierce Waffle House restaurant. The total she went to jail over: $7.45. According to a police report, Maryanne O'Neill, 66, ordered coffee and a sandwich at a Waffle House restaurant on Saturday but refused to pay the bill.

The report said an officer asked her to pay or go to jail and she refused.

A jail official said she was released Monday from the St. Lucie County Jail. She was charged with obtaining food or lodging with intent to defraud, a second degree misdemeanor.

If convicted of a second degree misdemeanor she could face up to 60 days in jail and a fine of $500.

___

Information from: Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers: http://www.tcpalm.com

[samanthajane13]

Drug suspects kept lions and tigers at mansion
Mon Oct 20, 2:14 pm ET

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Suspected drug smugglers kept lions, tigers and panthers in the garden of a Mexican mansion where a Colombian-led gang was arrested at the weekend on drugs charges, police said on Monday.

Police found two adult African lions, two white-coloured tigers and two black panthers in cages in the grounds of the plush, wood-panelled house where the drug suspects were holding a party.

The house also boasted a suit of armour and a pond with what appeared to be a live hippopotamus, according to a video shot by Reforma newspaper.

"The animals are endangered species," said a spokesman for Mexico's federal police. Police raided the house in misty hills on the edge of Mexico City on Saturday.

The big cats appeared to be in good physical condition.

The 11 Colombians, lead by kingpin Teodoro Mauricio "The Dove" Fino, are accused of shipping cocaine to Mexico for powerful drug lords the Beltran Leyva brothers to sell in the United States. Two Mexicans, an American, and a Uruguayan were also arrested.

Drug violence over smuggling routes is spiralling in Mexico, with some 3,700 people killed this year.

Six soldiers were killed in the northern city of Monterrey over the weekend, Mexican media said on Monday, in a spurt in violence following police raids in the city last week.

(Editing by Sandra Maler)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081020/...OU0ItJTqztiBIF

[samanthajane13]

Great Dane gives birth to great litter: 16 puppies
Mon Oct 20, 9:02 pm ET

FRUITVALE, Colo. – Stephanie Pino was expecting her Great Dane to give birth to about a dozen puppies, but instead she got 16. Pino's dog, Kyla, had the doggy baby boom in 20 hours of labor on Sept. 11. She had 19 in all but three died.

The frisky survivors now weigh 12 to 15 pounds each. Pino plans to offer them for sale when they reach 10 weeks.

Pino said even her vet was surprised at the size of the litter.

"They just kept coming and coming and coming, and we were like, 'Oh my gosh,'" Pino said.

___

Information from: The Daily Sentinel, http://www.gjsentinel.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081021/...HFHMR7hH3tiBIF