A woman is suing a Chicago-area zoo for a 2008 fall near a dolphin exhibit, accusing zookeepers of encouraging the mammals to splash water and then failing to protect spectators from wet surfaces, local media reported.
In her suit filed early last week, Allecyn Edwards said she was injured while walking near an exhibit at Brookfield Zoo, where a group of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins were performing, media said.
Officials "recklessly and willfully trained and encouraged the dolphins to throw water at the spectators in the stands, making the floor wet and slippery," but failed to post warning signs or lay down protective mats or strips, the suit said, according to the reports.
Edwards is demanding more than $50,000 for lost wages, medical expenses and emotional trauma from the Chicago Zoological Society and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, which operate the zoo in Chicago's southwest suburbs. The suit was filed in Illinois' Circuit Court of Cook County.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Miss Singapore World resigns after lingerie fraud
Beauty queen Miss Singapore World has given up her crown after it emerged that she had stolen credit cards to go on a shopping spree for lingerie.
Ris Low had come under public pressure to be stripped of her 2009 title, after local media reported she stole seven credit cards last year while working at a medical clinic, buying goods worth about S$8,000 ($5,662) including gold anklets and phones.
Organizers of the pageant ERM World Marketing said she had resigned Tuesday of her own accord. She will no longer represent Singapore at the Miss World finals to be held in South Africa in December, but her replacement has not yet been decided.
Ris Low had come under public pressure to be stripped of her 2009 title, after local media reported she stole seven credit cards last year while working at a medical clinic, buying goods worth about S$8,000 ($5,662) including gold anklets and phones.
Organizers of the pageant ERM World Marketing said she had resigned Tuesday of her own accord. She will no longer represent Singapore at the Miss World finals to be held in South Africa in December, but her replacement has not yet been decided.
Japan's new first lady says she rode in a spaceship
Japan's next prime minister might be nicknamed "the alien," but it's his wife who claims to have had a close encounter with another world.
"While my body was asleep, I think my soul rode on a triangular-shaped UFO and went to Venus," Miyuki Hatoyama, the wife of premier-in-waiting Yukio Hatoyama, wrote in a book published last year.
"While my body was asleep, I think my soul rode on a triangular-shaped UFO and went to Venus," Miyuki Hatoyama, the wife of premier-in-waiting Yukio Hatoyama, wrote in a book published last year.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Lottery jackpot lands Canadian in jail
A Canadian man who won $44.4 million in a lottery in Toronto last Monday, landed in jail rather than enjoy wild parties after winning the jackpot.
Barry Shell, 45, who lives in the Indian-dominant city of Brampton on the outskirts of Toronto, was handcuffed immediately after he pocketed the cheque for the windfall.
The reason: he had an arrest warrant pending against him since 2003 for failing to appear in court to face charges of theft and illegal property.
Police swung into action as the man was posing for photographs after accepting the cheque for $4,377,298 (more than Rs.13 crore) at the provincial Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) headquarters here.
Police told him of the pending arrest warrant. A shell-shocked Shell was handcuffed and put behind bars.
He was produced in court to face charges of contempt for failing to appear before it, theft of $5,000 and possessing illegal property.
Under the strict lottery laws in Toronto, a jackpot winner is thoroughly investigated before he or she is handed over the cheque to prevent misuse of the newly acquired wealth.
The lottery body has posted a warning on its web site urging people to 'play responsibly'.
Among other things, it warns them against spending more money than they can afford, borrowing money to buy tickets, neglecting family and owning money to family, friends and credit cards.
Rui Brum from the lottery body told the local media that "any flags that are raised are immediately forwarded to the Ontario Provincial Police Bureau attached to the AGCO (the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) for further investigation".
A press release by the lottery body quoted Shell as saying, "I went to the store and checked my ticket on the self-serve ticket checker.
"As soon as I saw how much I had won, I grabbed a pen and signed my ticket."
The next moment he was in handcuffs.
Barry Shell, 45, who lives in the Indian-dominant city of Brampton on the outskirts of Toronto, was handcuffed immediately after he pocketed the cheque for the windfall.
The reason: he had an arrest warrant pending against him since 2003 for failing to appear in court to face charges of theft and illegal property.
Police swung into action as the man was posing for photographs after accepting the cheque for $4,377,298 (more than Rs.13 crore) at the provincial Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) headquarters here.
Police told him of the pending arrest warrant. A shell-shocked Shell was handcuffed and put behind bars.
He was produced in court to face charges of contempt for failing to appear before it, theft of $5,000 and possessing illegal property.
Under the strict lottery laws in Toronto, a jackpot winner is thoroughly investigated before he or she is handed over the cheque to prevent misuse of the newly acquired wealth.
The lottery body has posted a warning on its web site urging people to 'play responsibly'.
Among other things, it warns them against spending more money than they can afford, borrowing money to buy tickets, neglecting family and owning money to family, friends and credit cards.
Rui Brum from the lottery body told the local media that "any flags that are raised are immediately forwarded to the Ontario Provincial Police Bureau attached to the AGCO (the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) for further investigation".
A press release by the lottery body quoted Shell as saying, "I went to the store and checked my ticket on the self-serve ticket checker.
"As soon as I saw how much I had won, I grabbed a pen and signed my ticket."
The next moment he was in handcuffs.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Mouse builds nest in Oregon ATM with USD 20 bills
A mouse in USA found inside an automatic teller machine -- along with a nest it had built with chewed-up USD 20 bills -- gave an Oregon gas station employee the surprise of her life.
The mouse, discovered on August 6th, had thoroughly torn up two bills and damaged another 14 to line his nest. Employee Millie Taylor says she screamed and slammed the machine's door shut.
The bank replaced all the money that wasn't extensively damaged, and the ATM has continued to work just fine. The mouse also got a reprieve: He was evicted from his nest but set free outside the station.
Other workers at the Gem Stop Chevron in La Grande in eastern Oregon say they're mystified about how the mouse got inside the machine.
The mouse, discovered on August 6th, had thoroughly torn up two bills and damaged another 14 to line his nest. Employee Millie Taylor says she screamed and slammed the machine's door shut.
The bank replaced all the money that wasn't extensively damaged, and the ATM has continued to work just fine. The mouse also got a reprieve: He was evicted from his nest but set free outside the station.
Other workers at the Gem Stop Chevron in La Grande in eastern Oregon say they're mystified about how the mouse got inside the machine.
Woman marries 7 times in 45 days
A 25-year-old Egyptian waitress, supposedly ‘addicted to men’ and who had allegedly married seven times in 45 days has been arrested by the police in Hurghada on charges of polygamy.
Working in a tourist resort the waitress allegedly developed sexual relationships with young men. Sexual relationships out of wedlock are prohibited by law in Egypt. However, she used to write an unofficial marriage agreement before any new relationship.
The waitress met a young contractor in the cafe who soon fell for her and proposed.
A few days into the marriage, her new husband, Ramadan discovered one of the unofficial marriage agreements dating a few days before they got married. When confronted, she reportedly confessed she was ‘addicted to men’ and had married seven times in 45 days. Two of the marriages were only ten hours apart. She also confessed she was pregnant.
The husband filed an official complaint against his wife and the police detained her on charges of forgery, fornication and polygamy.
Working in a tourist resort the waitress allegedly developed sexual relationships with young men. Sexual relationships out of wedlock are prohibited by law in Egypt. However, she used to write an unofficial marriage agreement before any new relationship.
The waitress met a young contractor in the cafe who soon fell for her and proposed.
A few days into the marriage, her new husband, Ramadan discovered one of the unofficial marriage agreements dating a few days before they got married. When confronted, she reportedly confessed she was ‘addicted to men’ and had married seven times in 45 days. Two of the marriages were only ten hours apart. She also confessed she was pregnant.
The husband filed an official complaint against his wife and the police detained her on charges of forgery, fornication and polygamy.
Spelling gaffe turns city into 'unwiped bottom'
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper faced embarrassing moments when his office issued a press release mis-spelling the name of a provincial capital he was visiting. But it was no ordinary mistake. It was a gaffe which turned the name of the city into 'unwiped bottom'.
This happened during Harper's visit to the country's Arctic territory of Nunavat.
He was in the provincial capital of Iqaluit to announce development projects when the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) issued the press release with Iqaluit spelt as Iqualuit.
The error left the residents flabbergasted.
Because the extra 'u' changed the meaning of the city to unwiped bottom.
"It means people with unwiped bums," Sandra Inutiq of the office of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut was quoted as saying.
"It's not exactly a nice term," she said.
The Prime Minister's office apologised for the gaffe, calling it a human error that might teach Canadians an important lesson about spelling mistakes, agency reports said.
"Hopefully this unfortunate typo, which we have corrected, will inform the greater public that there is no (extra) 'u' in Iqaluit," PMO spokesman Dimitri Soudas was quoted as saying.
Major Canadian media outlets also misspelt Iqaluit as Iqualuit.
This happened during Harper's visit to the country's Arctic territory of Nunavat.
He was in the provincial capital of Iqaluit to announce development projects when the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) issued the press release with Iqaluit spelt as Iqualuit.
The error left the residents flabbergasted.
Because the extra 'u' changed the meaning of the city to unwiped bottom.
"It means people with unwiped bums," Sandra Inutiq of the office of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut was quoted as saying.
"It's not exactly a nice term," she said.
The Prime Minister's office apologised for the gaffe, calling it a human error that might teach Canadians an important lesson about spelling mistakes, agency reports said.
"Hopefully this unfortunate typo, which we have corrected, will inform the greater public that there is no (extra) 'u' in Iqaluit," PMO spokesman Dimitri Soudas was quoted as saying.
Major Canadian media outlets also misspelt Iqaluit as Iqualuit.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Evolution 'driving women to become more beautiful'
Here's some good news for the ladies: a group of scientists has claimed that evolution is driving women to become ever more beautiful.
While men remain as aesthetically unappealing as their caveman ancestors, the boffins added.
According to a series of studies of physical attractiveness and its links to reproductive success in humans, researchers found that pretty women have more children than their plainer counterparts and that a higher proportion of those children are female. Those daughters, once adult, also tend to be attractive and so repeat the pattern.
In the research, Markus Jokela, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, found beautiful women had up to 16 percent more children than their plainer counterparts.
To reach the conclusion, Jokela used data gathered in America, in which 1,244 women and 997 men were followed through four decades of life, reports "The Times" of London.
Attractiveness was rated on the basis of photographs taken during the study, which also collected data on the number of children they had.
While men remain as aesthetically unappealing as their caveman ancestors, the boffins added.
According to a series of studies of physical attractiveness and its links to reproductive success in humans, researchers found that pretty women have more children than their plainer counterparts and that a higher proportion of those children are female. Those daughters, once adult, also tend to be attractive and so repeat the pattern.
In the research, Markus Jokela, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, found beautiful women had up to 16 percent more children than their plainer counterparts.
To reach the conclusion, Jokela used data gathered in America, in which 1,244 women and 997 men were followed through four decades of life, reports "The Times" of London.
Attractiveness was rated on the basis of photographs taken during the study, which also collected data on the number of children they had.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Scottish man sets new world record by running 259 ft with body set on fire
LONDON: A Scottish man slammed the previous world record of running 227ft with body set on fire by sprinting 259 ft.
Keith Malcolm, from Aberdeen, succeeded in his second attempt to break the record after he fell 40ft short of the record in his previous attempt in May.
The amateur stuntman, who now lives in Widley near Portsmouth, Hants, wore eight layers of protective clothing, including four layers of fireproof undergarments, a Formula One fireproof jacket and three overalls to avoid any harm.
He protected his head with three fire hoods and a helmet apart from coating himself in special protective "stunt gel" to save himself from flames that approximately reached 1000 degree Celsius.
"It was absolutely awesome. I managed it in 17 seconds and was running flat-out. I really did not want to hang around," the Telegraph quoted Malcolm as saying.
"There wasn't much left of the jacket at the end. To be honest, the heat I felt was what you would expect if you were wearing all those clothes and a helmet in hot weather and trying to run.
However, team of experts from Hampshire Fire and Rescue were at hand in case any accident had occurred.
The new world record was set at the Alton and North East Hampshire Agricultural Show, which aimed at raising money for Cancer Research.
Keith Malcolm, from Aberdeen, succeeded in his second attempt to break the record after he fell 40ft short of the record in his previous attempt in May.
The amateur stuntman, who now lives in Widley near Portsmouth, Hants, wore eight layers of protective clothing, including four layers of fireproof undergarments, a Formula One fireproof jacket and three overalls to avoid any harm.
He protected his head with three fire hoods and a helmet apart from coating himself in special protective "stunt gel" to save himself from flames that approximately reached 1000 degree Celsius.
"It was absolutely awesome. I managed it in 17 seconds and was running flat-out. I really did not want to hang around," the Telegraph quoted Malcolm as saying.
"There wasn't much left of the jacket at the end. To be honest, the heat I felt was what you would expect if you were wearing all those clothes and a helmet in hot weather and trying to run.
However, team of experts from Hampshire Fire and Rescue were at hand in case any accident had occurred.
The new world record was set at the Alton and North East Hampshire Agricultural Show, which aimed at raising money for Cancer Research.
A temple, where devotees offer liquor to deity
This temple in India's province of Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur district doesn't have an idol or a priest and devotees don't make floral offering. They offer liquor to the deity -- a saint who lived in the area around 150 years ago and was said to enjoy his drink in the evening and had a knack of clairvoyance and curing people.
Welcome to the Khabees Baba temple situated in a forest area near Sardana town in Sitapur district, some 80 km from the provincial capital of Lucknow, where devotees offer liquor to the deity.
According to locals, the temple was built around 150 years ago in memory of a saint named Khabees Baba, who devoted his life worshipping Lord Shiva in Sitapur.
"It is believed that Khabees Baba died in the Sandana forest while worshipping Lord Shiva. So, in order to pay homage to their guru, Baba's disciples constructed the temple at the place where he died," Shyam Babu Saini, a teacher and resident of Sardana, said.
The temple is popular not only amongst the locals in Sitapur; devotees from different parts of Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere too visit the temple.
"Though devotees visit the temple round-the-year, they throng here in large numbers during the month of Ashadh of the Hindu calendar, especially on the occasion of Guru Poornima," said Saini.
Locals say Khabees Baba was fond of liquor and whatever he used to say under its influence proved to be true.
"We have been told by our ancestors that a large number of people used to meet Khabees Baba Monday evenings, when he used to get drunk," said Praveen Kumar, 65, a resident of the Roti Godam area of Sitapur. He visits the temple often.
"People, especially those with chronic health problems, used to come to Khabees Baba. An inebriated Baba used to bless them and their health problems used to be cured," he added.
The small temple has no idol inside, instead there is a raised platform on which rests two slipper-shaped structures that are taken to symbolise the feet of the saint, locals say.
Devotees coming to the temple offer liquor on these clay structures, while a small portion of liquor around the symbolic feet is collected and distributed as prasad (offering) among the devotees.
There is no priest in the temple and the locals themselves take care of its maintenance, taking turns to do so.
Welcome to the Khabees Baba temple situated in a forest area near Sardana town in Sitapur district, some 80 km from the provincial capital of Lucknow, where devotees offer liquor to the deity.
According to locals, the temple was built around 150 years ago in memory of a saint named Khabees Baba, who devoted his life worshipping Lord Shiva in Sitapur.
"It is believed that Khabees Baba died in the Sandana forest while worshipping Lord Shiva. So, in order to pay homage to their guru, Baba's disciples constructed the temple at the place where he died," Shyam Babu Saini, a teacher and resident of Sardana, said.
The temple is popular not only amongst the locals in Sitapur; devotees from different parts of Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere too visit the temple.
"Though devotees visit the temple round-the-year, they throng here in large numbers during the month of Ashadh of the Hindu calendar, especially on the occasion of Guru Poornima," said Saini.
Locals say Khabees Baba was fond of liquor and whatever he used to say under its influence proved to be true.
"We have been told by our ancestors that a large number of people used to meet Khabees Baba Monday evenings, when he used to get drunk," said Praveen Kumar, 65, a resident of the Roti Godam area of Sitapur. He visits the temple often.
"People, especially those with chronic health problems, used to come to Khabees Baba. An inebriated Baba used to bless them and their health problems used to be cured," he added.
The small temple has no idol inside, instead there is a raised platform on which rests two slipper-shaped structures that are taken to symbolise the feet of the saint, locals say.
Devotees coming to the temple offer liquor on these clay structures, while a small portion of liquor around the symbolic feet is collected and distributed as prasad (offering) among the devotees.
There is no priest in the temple and the locals themselves take care of its maintenance, taking turns to do so.
Man seeks ride from detective after heist
Authorities in Michigan, US say a parolee who robbed a bank in Saginaw was caught when he tried to hitch a ride from an undercover police detective.
Mark E. White was arraigned on July 10th on charges that include bank robbery and making a false bomb threat. He is being held at the Saginaw County Jail on $755,000 bond. It was not clear whether White had an attorney. Police did not immediately return a message seeking comment July 11th.
Authorities tell The Saginaw News that White flagged down Saginaw Township Detective Scott Jackson on July 8th after the bank robbery a few blocks away.
White was paroled on June 16 after serving time for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and violating an earlier parole.
Mark E. White was arraigned on July 10th on charges that include bank robbery and making a false bomb threat. He is being held at the Saginaw County Jail on $755,000 bond. It was not clear whether White had an attorney. Police did not immediately return a message seeking comment July 11th.
Authorities tell The Saginaw News that White flagged down Saginaw Township Detective Scott Jackson on July 8th after the bank robbery a few blocks away.
White was paroled on June 16 after serving time for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and violating an earlier parole.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Woman survives being shot in head, makes tea
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, USA: A woman who was shot in the head last month not only survived but made herself tea and offered an astonished deputy something to drink.
Tammy Sexton, 47, remained hospitalized three days after being wounded by her husband, who killed himself after he shot his wife. She has now fully recovered.
"There's no way she should be alive other than a miracle from God," said Sheriff Mike Byrd of Jackson County, Mississippi.
Byrd said deputies were looking for Sexton's husband, Donald Ray Sexton, earlier in that last week of April to give him a document ordering him to stay away from his wife. Court records show he was put on probation for six months on April 9 for domestic violence.
He showed up at their home in rural Jackson County in Southeast Mississippi about 12:10am on Tuesday and confronted his wife as a relative ran next door to call police, the sheriff said.
"She was at her bed, and he shot her right in the head," Byrd said. "Then he went out on the back porch and shot himself."
The slug from a .380-caliber handgun struck Tammy Sexton squarely in the forehead, passed through her skull and exited through the back of her head, Byrd said. A deputy arrived within minutes and was greeted by the woman.
"When the officer got there she said, 'What's going on?' She was holding a rag on her head and talking. She was conscious, but she was confused about what had happened," he said. "She had made herself some tea and offered the officer something to drink."
Byrd said the bullet apparently passed through the lobes of the woman's brain without causing major damage. She was rushed to a Mobile hospital by a helicopter.
While such cases may be rare, medical journals confirm people have been shot in the head with little or no lasting injury.
"It's bizarre. You just don't hear of something like this. Somebody gets shot in the head and they're dead," Byrd said.
Tammy Sexton, 47, remained hospitalized three days after being wounded by her husband, who killed himself after he shot his wife. She has now fully recovered.
"There's no way she should be alive other than a miracle from God," said Sheriff Mike Byrd of Jackson County, Mississippi.
Byrd said deputies were looking for Sexton's husband, Donald Ray Sexton, earlier in that last week of April to give him a document ordering him to stay away from his wife. Court records show he was put on probation for six months on April 9 for domestic violence.
He showed up at their home in rural Jackson County in Southeast Mississippi about 12:10am on Tuesday and confronted his wife as a relative ran next door to call police, the sheriff said.
"She was at her bed, and he shot her right in the head," Byrd said. "Then he went out on the back porch and shot himself."
The slug from a .380-caliber handgun struck Tammy Sexton squarely in the forehead, passed through her skull and exited through the back of her head, Byrd said. A deputy arrived within minutes and was greeted by the woman.
"When the officer got there she said, 'What's going on?' She was holding a rag on her head and talking. She was conscious, but she was confused about what had happened," he said. "She had made herself some tea and offered the officer something to drink."
Byrd said the bullet apparently passed through the lobes of the woman's brain without causing major damage. She was rushed to a Mobile hospital by a helicopter.
While such cases may be rare, medical journals confirm people have been shot in the head with little or no lasting injury.
"It's bizarre. You just don't hear of something like this. Somebody gets shot in the head and they're dead," Byrd said.
Two-timing US woman has twins from 2 men
An American mother was left dumbstruck after she found out that she had incredibly conceived her twin sons from two different fathers.
Mia of Dallas, Texas, gave birth to babies Justin and Jordan, now 11-months-old, just seven minutes apart and undertook a paternity test after finding the two looking very unalike. The 20-year-old faced a jaw dropping moment after tests showed that there was a 99.999% chance that the boys did not have the same father.
Mia confessed to having cheated on partner James Harrison with another lover at the time she conceived. Stunned medics told her different eggs were fertilised by each man within a very short time of each other — a million-to-one condition, which made the twins, in reality, half-brothers.
Mia further revealed that her partner James had decided to raise both the kids as his own despite her affair.
Mia is about to become a mum again, but this time she has assured that there was “no question” that James was the father.
Mia of Dallas, Texas, gave birth to babies Justin and Jordan, now 11-months-old, just seven minutes apart and undertook a paternity test after finding the two looking very unalike. The 20-year-old faced a jaw dropping moment after tests showed that there was a 99.999% chance that the boys did not have the same father.
Mia confessed to having cheated on partner James Harrison with another lover at the time she conceived. Stunned medics told her different eggs were fertilised by each man within a very short time of each other — a million-to-one condition, which made the twins, in reality, half-brothers.
Mia further revealed that her partner James had decided to raise both the kids as his own despite her affair.
Mia is about to become a mum again, but this time she has assured that there was “no question” that James was the father.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Dead man gets re-elected as mayor
ST. LOUIS, USA: Voters in the small northeastern Missouri town of Winfield re-elected their mayor for a fourth term on last month, about a month after his death.
Ballots had already been printed and absentee voting had already begun when Harry Stonebraker died of a heart attack at age 69 on March 11. He won easily in the April 13 general election with 206 votes, or 90 percent. Alderman Bernie Panther got the other 23 votes.
The election recalled Missouri's 2000 US Senate race, when Democrat Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash just weeks before the November election, but still defeated incumbent Republican John Ashcroft.
Carnahan's wife, Jean, was eventually appointed to the Senate seat until a special election in 2002, when she was defeated by Republican Jim Talent.
Lincoln County Clerk Elaine Luck said she wasn't surprised by Stonebraker's win, noting he was a popular mayor who helped lead the community of 1,500 through the devastating 2008 flood, when a levee breach caused by a burrowing muskrat damaged about 100 homes.
``I figured he'd win because he seemed to get even more popular after he died, just like Carnahan,'' Luck said.
Luck said Aldermen would appoint a mayor to serve until a special election in April 2010 to pick a mayor for the remainder of the two-year term.
Stonebraker was a lifelong resident of the Winfield area and a retired construction superintendent. He had nearly completed his third two-year term as mayor.
Winfield is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of St. Louis.
Ballots had already been printed and absentee voting had already begun when Harry Stonebraker died of a heart attack at age 69 on March 11. He won easily in the April 13 general election with 206 votes, or 90 percent. Alderman Bernie Panther got the other 23 votes.
The election recalled Missouri's 2000 US Senate race, when Democrat Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash just weeks before the November election, but still defeated incumbent Republican John Ashcroft.
Carnahan's wife, Jean, was eventually appointed to the Senate seat until a special election in 2002, when she was defeated by Republican Jim Talent.
Lincoln County Clerk Elaine Luck said she wasn't surprised by Stonebraker's win, noting he was a popular mayor who helped lead the community of 1,500 through the devastating 2008 flood, when a levee breach caused by a burrowing muskrat damaged about 100 homes.
``I figured he'd win because he seemed to get even more popular after he died, just like Carnahan,'' Luck said.
Luck said Aldermen would appoint a mayor to serve until a special election in April 2010 to pick a mayor for the remainder of the two-year term.
Stonebraker was a lifelong resident of the Winfield area and a retired construction superintendent. He had nearly completed his third two-year term as mayor.
Winfield is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of St. Louis.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The curious case of a missing cow
CHENNAI, India: Two persons claiming ownership of a cow, a broken horn as the common identification mark and a confused police force. This case had all the makings of a mystery, till science stepped in. An inspection by a veterinarian confirmed the approximate time when the horn broke and the cow was handed over to the claimant who got the time right.
It all started with Savari Ammal (55), who sells milk for a living at Kumaran Nagar, complaining to the Avadi police that one of her cows had gone missing in July 2008. After a gap of about eight months, she found the cow on March 16, 2009. But soon a person called Adi Kesavan came to her, claiming that the cow belonged to him.
Savari Ammal had, in her complaint to the police, said that the cow was pregnant when it went missing and that one of its horns was broken. When Kesavan insisted that she return “his” cow, he was asked for any identification mark on his cow. “A broken horn,” came the reply, putting the police in a spot. The only difference in his version was that the horn had broken two months ago, while Ammal said her cow’s horn had broken nearly a year ago.
Doctors of the Government Veterinary College in Vepery were surprised when some policemen — with a cow sporting only one horn, in tow — came to them in the last week of March. The doctors were asked to determine when the horn had broken off.
“Looking at the growth of the outer layer (corium) of the horn (which continues to grow), they found that it had broken about a couple of months ago,” said Avadi inspector Kannan. The cow was handed over to Kesavan, but Savari Ammal, not willing to give up her claim on the animal, has approached the suburban police commissioner.
It all started with Savari Ammal (55), who sells milk for a living at Kumaran Nagar, complaining to the Avadi police that one of her cows had gone missing in July 2008. After a gap of about eight months, she found the cow on March 16, 2009. But soon a person called Adi Kesavan came to her, claiming that the cow belonged to him.
Savari Ammal had, in her complaint to the police, said that the cow was pregnant when it went missing and that one of its horns was broken. When Kesavan insisted that she return “his” cow, he was asked for any identification mark on his cow. “A broken horn,” came the reply, putting the police in a spot. The only difference in his version was that the horn had broken two months ago, while Ammal said her cow’s horn had broken nearly a year ago.
Doctors of the Government Veterinary College in Vepery were surprised when some policemen — with a cow sporting only one horn, in tow — came to them in the last week of March. The doctors were asked to determine when the horn had broken off.
“Looking at the growth of the outer layer (corium) of the horn (which continues to grow), they found that it had broken about a couple of months ago,” said Avadi inspector Kannan. The cow was handed over to Kesavan, but Savari Ammal, not willing to give up her claim on the animal, has approached the suburban police commissioner.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Inmate arrested trying to get back in jail
WOODBINE, US: Authorities say they arrested an escaped jail inmate trying to sneak back into the lockup with cigarettes allegedly stolen from a nearby store.
Sheriff Tommy Gregory said on Saturday that 25-year-old Harry Jackson had opened a door to the exercise yard and climbed the outer fence.
Deputies found a jail door unlocked early on Saturday and were looking for the inmate. They spotted Jackson trying to come back in and found 14 packs of cigarettes they believe were stolen from a convenience store about a block away.
Jackson faces new charges of breaking out of jail and burglary. He was already in jail in Camden County in far southeast Georgia for charges including possession of a controlled substance and violating probation.
Sheriff Tommy Gregory said on Saturday that 25-year-old Harry Jackson had opened a door to the exercise yard and climbed the outer fence.
Deputies found a jail door unlocked early on Saturday and were looking for the inmate. They spotted Jackson trying to come back in and found 14 packs of cigarettes they believe were stolen from a convenience store about a block away.
Jackson faces new charges of breaking out of jail and burglary. He was already in jail in Camden County in far southeast Georgia for charges including possession of a controlled substance and violating probation.
100-year-old eats 30 bars of chocolate a week!
It is often said that eating too much of chocolate is bad, but for Peggy Griffiths, it certainly seems to have worked out well.
Griffiths has turned 100 and is still scoffing thirty bars of chocolate a week.
Peggy, of Abbotsham, Devon, England, has munched her way through an estimated 70,000 Cadbury's Dairy Milk bars that would weigh four tons.
She owned her own sweet shop in the 1930s - until it closed down after she ate all of the profits.
"When I was young I could buy a bar of chocolate with my pocket money. It only cost tuppence and tasted exactly like it does now," the Sun quoted Peggy, as saying.
Her daughter Eileen Osborne said: "When mum was a little girl, her mother told her that sweets were bad for you but chocolate was good. She absolutely loves it. She's a chocoholic and her diet agrees with her."
Griffiths has turned 100 and is still scoffing thirty bars of chocolate a week.
Peggy, of Abbotsham, Devon, England, has munched her way through an estimated 70,000 Cadbury's Dairy Milk bars that would weigh four tons.
She owned her own sweet shop in the 1930s - until it closed down after she ate all of the profits.
"When I was young I could buy a bar of chocolate with my pocket money. It only cost tuppence and tasted exactly like it does now," the Sun quoted Peggy, as saying.
Her daughter Eileen Osborne said: "When mum was a little girl, her mother told her that sweets were bad for you but chocolate was good. She absolutely loves it. She's a chocoholic and her diet agrees with her."
'Frog marriage' to please rain gods in Nepal
Some Nepalese farmers have found a novel way to please their rain gods who have been shying for long by arranging 'frog marriage' to seek their blessings, as the 'croak' of the amphibians mark the arrival of the monsoon.
Suffering from lack of rain for more than eight months farmers of central Nepal have arranged frogs' marriage.
The residents of Gairi village in Dolakha district, 140 km east of Kathmandu, conducted marriage ceremony of frogs as per Hindu rituals amidst hundreds of onlookers.
The locals brought a groom frog from Siple stream while the bride was brought to the ceremony from Chukepani stream, according to a Kathmandu Post news report published on March 18th.
The two amphibians couple were later married in the ceremony held on a plate at local Nageshwori Kalikasthan temple as prayers shouted to congratulate them.
To perform the wedding rituals, the locals had invited seven priests on the occasion. Each family of the village contributed Rs 20 in order to organise the wedding feast.
One of the locals recalled that they witnessed rainfall after performing similar rituals five years back. After the hours of ceremony the newly wed couple were let go in a nearby stream, with the hope that they might communicate to the rain god about the locals' plight due to the drought.
Shortly after the rituals ended there was a strong gale followed by a brief drizzle, according to a local woman. However, there was not sufficient rain so that the worry of the local farmers is overcome.
Suffering from lack of rain for more than eight months farmers of central Nepal have arranged frogs' marriage.
The residents of Gairi village in Dolakha district, 140 km east of Kathmandu, conducted marriage ceremony of frogs as per Hindu rituals amidst hundreds of onlookers.
The locals brought a groom frog from Siple stream while the bride was brought to the ceremony from Chukepani stream, according to a Kathmandu Post news report published on March 18th.
The two amphibians couple were later married in the ceremony held on a plate at local Nageshwori Kalikasthan temple as prayers shouted to congratulate them.
To perform the wedding rituals, the locals had invited seven priests on the occasion. Each family of the village contributed Rs 20 in order to organise the wedding feast.
One of the locals recalled that they witnessed rainfall after performing similar rituals five years back. After the hours of ceremony the newly wed couple were let go in a nearby stream, with the hope that they might communicate to the rain god about the locals' plight due to the drought.
Shortly after the rituals ended there was a strong gale followed by a brief drizzle, according to a local woman. However, there was not sufficient rain so that the worry of the local farmers is overcome.
Man claims he was canned for too much 'waist'
PONTIAC, Mich: A 61-year-old man has sued his former employer, claiming he was fired from a $75,000-a-year salesman's job because of his waistline. But the employer says Patrick J. Ronayne was let go because of his performance, not his weight. The Detroit News reported on March 19th that Ronayne's lawsuit seeks more than $25,000 from Winston Golf and Winston Manufacturing. It claims weight and age discrimination.
The lawsuit claims he was let go with a statement "he was not a `flat belly'" and was replaced by a thinner person. Ronayne is listed in state records as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 225 pounds.
The businesses are part of Auburn Hills-based 3Sixty Group LLC. Spokesman Garrett Morelock calls the claim "absurd." He says Ronayne wasn't a good salesman.
The lawsuit claims he was let go with a statement "he was not a `flat belly'" and was replaced by a thinner person. Ronayne is listed in state records as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 225 pounds.
The businesses are part of Auburn Hills-based 3Sixty Group LLC. Spokesman Garrett Morelock calls the claim "absurd." He says Ronayne wasn't a good salesman.
Girl on bottle goes topless as you guzzle
A former rock band drummer and two mates have taken on the Australian beer market with a unique world first marketing concept for their new beer.
The label is Skinny Blonde, a low-carb beer that is thriving on the current popularity of Australia’s new crop of ‘healthy’ beers. But there is another reason it is popular: the Skinny Blonde bottle features a 1950s-style pin-up called Daisy whose red bikini disappears as the beer level drops and the bottle warms up, thanks to the modern ink technology used on the labels.
The savvy marketing ploy was born three years ago when 34-year-old Hamish Rosser and his mates — actor Richie Harkham, 29, and artist Jarrod Taylor, 33 — decided to act on a “drunken idea that actually worked”. “We had the idea of a pin-up girl, we thought everyone uses women in their advertising campaigns so why not put it on a bottle?” Rosser, the drummer in the Australian band The Vines, told the Times, London.
“So we had this idea of the disappearing bikini and researched into disappearing ink. Then we did a few trial runs and when we realised it worked we were stoked, we were over the moon.”
The trio, who lived within streets of each other in Bondi, formed the company Brother’s Ink and began experimental home brewing in Taylor’s laundry with the aim of producing a Japanese-style dry “session beer” three years ago. “We wanted to make a beer that you can have several of rather than ales which you have one or two then you move on,” Rosser, who has a degree in chemical engineering, said.
After some years with The Vines, an Australian garage rock band who burst on to the international scene before singer Craig Nicholls’ health issues put them on hiatus last year, Rosser said expanding Skinny Blonde was now his top priority.
The label is Skinny Blonde, a low-carb beer that is thriving on the current popularity of Australia’s new crop of ‘healthy’ beers. But there is another reason it is popular: the Skinny Blonde bottle features a 1950s-style pin-up called Daisy whose red bikini disappears as the beer level drops and the bottle warms up, thanks to the modern ink technology used on the labels.
The savvy marketing ploy was born three years ago when 34-year-old Hamish Rosser and his mates — actor Richie Harkham, 29, and artist Jarrod Taylor, 33 — decided to act on a “drunken idea that actually worked”. “We had the idea of a pin-up girl, we thought everyone uses women in their advertising campaigns so why not put it on a bottle?” Rosser, the drummer in the Australian band The Vines, told the Times, London.
“So we had this idea of the disappearing bikini and researched into disappearing ink. Then we did a few trial runs and when we realised it worked we were stoked, we were over the moon.”
The trio, who lived within streets of each other in Bondi, formed the company Brother’s Ink and began experimental home brewing in Taylor’s laundry with the aim of producing a Japanese-style dry “session beer” three years ago. “We wanted to make a beer that you can have several of rather than ales which you have one or two then you move on,” Rosser, who has a degree in chemical engineering, said.
After some years with The Vines, an Australian garage rock band who burst on to the international scene before singer Craig Nicholls’ health issues put them on hiatus last year, Rosser said expanding Skinny Blonde was now his top priority.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Got a wish? Offer a clock to Ghari Baba...
Courtesy IANS:
Nandshri Chawkri (Gujarat, India) - At the shrine of Hazratwala Pir here, one can find hundreds of clocks hanging at any given time - all offerings made by pilgrims after their wishes came true.
People from all communities have been coming to pray at the shrine of the Pir, widely known as Ghari Baba (the "Clock Holy Man"), for more than a century.
'This mazaar (mausoleum) is more than 100 years old. Individuals offer clocks to the Baba once their wishes are fulfilled on time. This has been the tradition here. These clocks indicate the right time of wish fulfilment,' Haribhai Patel, one of the trustees, told IANS.
Situated on National Highway 8 between Ahmedabad and Vadodara, the shrine attracts attention because clocks of all shapes and sizes adorn its walls.
'Around four to five clocks are offered to the baba every day,' Patel said.
Patel and other workers of the mazaar, about 100 km from Ahmedabad, are happy that the shrine is frequented by Hindus and Muslims alike.
'There is no distinction of caste and creed here. Anyone can come and offer flowers and clocks to the Baba,' said Patel, a Hindu himself.
The trust gets funds for maintaining the shrine from donations made by devotees and from the annual festival held in December. Abdul Fahim, 48, has been visiting the shrine for the last eight years. A truck driver by profession, he has come all the way from West Bengal to offer a clock to the Baba.
'My wish was fulfilled by Baba and that's why I'm here to offer him a clock,' Fahim said.
Khalid, a Vadodara resident, had also come to pray at Ghari Baba's mazaar.
The 30-year-old said he has been coming to the shrine since childhood.
But a worker at the shrine said: 'Majority of the people visiting this place are Hindus.'
Asked what they did with the hundreds of clocks given by devotees, Patel said: 'We give away these clocks to schools. But they have to come with a letter from the school authority.'
Nandshri Chawkri (Gujarat, India) - At the shrine of Hazratwala Pir here, one can find hundreds of clocks hanging at any given time - all offerings made by pilgrims after their wishes came true.
People from all communities have been coming to pray at the shrine of the Pir, widely known as Ghari Baba (the "Clock Holy Man"), for more than a century.
'This mazaar (mausoleum) is more than 100 years old. Individuals offer clocks to the Baba once their wishes are fulfilled on time. This has been the tradition here. These clocks indicate the right time of wish fulfilment,' Haribhai Patel, one of the trustees, told IANS.
Situated on National Highway 8 between Ahmedabad and Vadodara, the shrine attracts attention because clocks of all shapes and sizes adorn its walls.
'Around four to five clocks are offered to the baba every day,' Patel said.
Patel and other workers of the mazaar, about 100 km from Ahmedabad, are happy that the shrine is frequented by Hindus and Muslims alike.
'There is no distinction of caste and creed here. Anyone can come and offer flowers and clocks to the Baba,' said Patel, a Hindu himself.
The trust gets funds for maintaining the shrine from donations made by devotees and from the annual festival held in December. Abdul Fahim, 48, has been visiting the shrine for the last eight years. A truck driver by profession, he has come all the way from West Bengal to offer a clock to the Baba.
'My wish was fulfilled by Baba and that's why I'm here to offer him a clock,' Fahim said.
Khalid, a Vadodara resident, had also come to pray at Ghari Baba's mazaar.
The 30-year-old said he has been coming to the shrine since childhood.
But a worker at the shrine said: 'Majority of the people visiting this place are Hindus.'
Asked what they did with the hundreds of clocks given by devotees, Patel said: 'We give away these clocks to schools. But they have to come with a letter from the school authority.'
Wishing you a very happy Holi...
Best wishes on the occasion of the Festival of Colours. Have a great day!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Celebrity Second Acts
Courtesy: Forbes.com
Working 65-hour weeks at a shoe factory in Maine, Ray LaMontagne never envisioned a second life as a famed musician. The assembly line worker never particularly liked music; never played a musical instrument. Until one morning when his radio alarm clock woke him at 4 a.m. to the tune of Stephen Stills' "Tree Top Flyer."
LaMontagne took the day off to hunt the song down at his local record store--where he spent the entire day engrossed in Stills' album. Soon, he was trading in his VW bus for an acoustic guitar and teaching himself to play the whole album. He took a crack at Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Otis Redding and eventually his own songs. At 30, he quit his day job to plunge into music full time. The result? The shy, former factory worker from Maine now has a deal with RCA Records, three studio albums, over a million records sold and a reputation as one of the most talented singer-songwriters of a generation.
When the author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote "There are no second acts in American lives," he was wrong. Second acts are not only possible, but some of America's biggest celebrities owe their fame to them.
Take character actor Dennis Farina. There's a reason he played such a convincing detective on Law & Order: He studied the role for 18 years on the Chicago police force--first as cop, then as detective.
Farina never even considered an acting career until he started working overtime as police-consultant to director Michael Mann. In 1981, Mann asked Farina, then 37, to play a small part in his film Thief. Soon, Farina was moonlighting in local theater productions. Five years later, he was taking small roles in Mann's Crime Story series and a role as mobster on Mann's other show Miami Vice. That led to countless similar roles in action films, including Midnight Run, Get Shorty and Snatch.
The luckiest role Harrison Ford ever landed was a job as a cabinet maker. For 15 years, Ford toiled as a carpenter--working as a stagehand for The Doors, building sound studios for Sergio Mendes and making cabinets for George Lucas, then a lesser-known producer. Then, like something out of a movie, Lucas offered his carpenter a tiny role in the film American Graffiti. Later, as Lucas gained notoriety--and needed a larger office--he hired Ford to do the construction work. One day in the office, Lucas asked Ford to read lines for absent actors on his new film, Star Wars. The impromptu performance won over Stephen Spielberg, who offered Ford the lead role. Star Wars became the highest-grossing film in history, and Ford began a long second act in Hollywood.
Sometimes stars can earn themselves not just a second, but also a third act. Long before California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger became the "Governator," he was a well-established bodybuilder. On switching to acting, he has said, "I was told by agents and casting people that my body was 'too weird,' that I had a funny accent and that my name was too long. You name it, and they told me I had to change it." His third act in politics seemed even more improbable, but Schwarzenegger managed to win California's 2006 recall election and re-election in 2008. With his term limit up in 2010, the Arnold "will be back"--doing what exactly, though, is hard to predict.
The most recent Hollywood second act probably belongs to actor Mickey Rourke, whose Oscar-nominated performance in The Wrestler-- after some 15 years off-screen--is widely regarded as the year's greatest comeback. But acting has always been a second act for Rourke, whose first love was boxing. As a kid in Miami, Rourke boxed at the same gym that Muhammad Ali trained. At 17, he fought Luis Rodriguez, then the top-ranked middleweight in the world. By the time a concussion forced Rourke from the ring in 1971, he'd won 20 boxing matches--17 by knockout. Only later, on hiatus from boxing, did Rourke catch the acting bug, after stepping in for an actor in a friend's play.
In The Wrestler, Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, an older wrestler groping for his comeback. The comparisons to his own life are clear and show audiences that sometimes the best comebacks aren't comebacks at all. They're second acts.
Working 65-hour weeks at a shoe factory in Maine, Ray LaMontagne never envisioned a second life as a famed musician. The assembly line worker never particularly liked music; never played a musical instrument. Until one morning when his radio alarm clock woke him at 4 a.m. to the tune of Stephen Stills' "Tree Top Flyer."
LaMontagne took the day off to hunt the song down at his local record store--where he spent the entire day engrossed in Stills' album. Soon, he was trading in his VW bus for an acoustic guitar and teaching himself to play the whole album. He took a crack at Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Otis Redding and eventually his own songs. At 30, he quit his day job to plunge into music full time. The result? The shy, former factory worker from Maine now has a deal with RCA Records, three studio albums, over a million records sold and a reputation as one of the most talented singer-songwriters of a generation.
When the author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote "There are no second acts in American lives," he was wrong. Second acts are not only possible, but some of America's biggest celebrities owe their fame to them.
Take character actor Dennis Farina. There's a reason he played such a convincing detective on Law & Order: He studied the role for 18 years on the Chicago police force--first as cop, then as detective.
Farina never even considered an acting career until he started working overtime as police-consultant to director Michael Mann. In 1981, Mann asked Farina, then 37, to play a small part in his film Thief. Soon, Farina was moonlighting in local theater productions. Five years later, he was taking small roles in Mann's Crime Story series and a role as mobster on Mann's other show Miami Vice. That led to countless similar roles in action films, including Midnight Run, Get Shorty and Snatch.
The luckiest role Harrison Ford ever landed was a job as a cabinet maker. For 15 years, Ford toiled as a carpenter--working as a stagehand for The Doors, building sound studios for Sergio Mendes and making cabinets for George Lucas, then a lesser-known producer. Then, like something out of a movie, Lucas offered his carpenter a tiny role in the film American Graffiti. Later, as Lucas gained notoriety--and needed a larger office--he hired Ford to do the construction work. One day in the office, Lucas asked Ford to read lines for absent actors on his new film, Star Wars. The impromptu performance won over Stephen Spielberg, who offered Ford the lead role. Star Wars became the highest-grossing film in history, and Ford began a long second act in Hollywood.
Sometimes stars can earn themselves not just a second, but also a third act. Long before California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger became the "Governator," he was a well-established bodybuilder. On switching to acting, he has said, "I was told by agents and casting people that my body was 'too weird,' that I had a funny accent and that my name was too long. You name it, and they told me I had to change it." His third act in politics seemed even more improbable, but Schwarzenegger managed to win California's 2006 recall election and re-election in 2008. With his term limit up in 2010, the Arnold "will be back"--doing what exactly, though, is hard to predict.
The most recent Hollywood second act probably belongs to actor Mickey Rourke, whose Oscar-nominated performance in The Wrestler-- after some 15 years off-screen--is widely regarded as the year's greatest comeback. But acting has always been a second act for Rourke, whose first love was boxing. As a kid in Miami, Rourke boxed at the same gym that Muhammad Ali trained. At 17, he fought Luis Rodriguez, then the top-ranked middleweight in the world. By the time a concussion forced Rourke from the ring in 1971, he'd won 20 boxing matches--17 by knockout. Only later, on hiatus from boxing, did Rourke catch the acting bug, after stepping in for an actor in a friend's play.
In The Wrestler, Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, an older wrestler groping for his comeback. The comparisons to his own life are clear and show audiences that sometimes the best comebacks aren't comebacks at all. They're second acts.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Woman's record-length fingernails broken in crash
A woman residing in USA's Salt Lake City who was in the Guinness Book of World Records for her long fingernails has had them broken off in a car accident. Lee Redmond sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries in the February 10 accident.
Redmond was the current Guinness record holder, with nails that hadn't been cut since 1979. Her nails measured a total of more than 28 feet long in 2008, with the longest nail on her right thumb at 2 feet, 11 inches, according to the Guinness Web site.
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson said she was ejected from an SUV in the crash and taken to the hospital in serious condition.
Redmond has been featured on TV in episodes of "Guinness Book of World Records" and "Ripley's Believe It or Not."
Redmond was the current Guinness record holder, with nails that hadn't been cut since 1979. Her nails measured a total of more than 28 feet long in 2008, with the longest nail on her right thumb at 2 feet, 11 inches, according to the Guinness Web site.
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson said she was ejected from an SUV in the crash and taken to the hospital in serious condition.
Redmond has been featured on TV in episodes of "Guinness Book of World Records" and "Ripley's Believe It or Not."
Each day's V-Day for Malaysia's 'odd couple'
KUALA LUMPUR: Each day of the last three years has been Valentine's Day for a Malaysian couple — she is aged 106 years while her husband is just 37.
When Muhammad Noor Che Musa and Wok Kundor tied the knot over three years ago, nobody gave their marriage much of a chance.
Now, the couple, who reside in Kampung Tok Bak near Kuala Terrenganu, have surprised many by staying happily married and proving that love conquers all, the New Straits Times said today.
The couple admitted they were not too familiar with Valentine's Day but said if it meant a day for professing love for one another, then every day of the past three years has been Valentine's for them.
Asked how it had all begun, Noor said it was certainly not love at first sight. What started as friendship developed into "something stronger" and eventually led to marriage.
When Muhammad Noor Che Musa and Wok Kundor tied the knot over three years ago, nobody gave their marriage much of a chance.
Now, the couple, who reside in Kampung Tok Bak near Kuala Terrenganu, have surprised many by staying happily married and proving that love conquers all, the New Straits Times said today.
The couple admitted they were not too familiar with Valentine's Day but said if it meant a day for professing love for one another, then every day of the past three years has been Valentine's for them.
Asked how it had all begun, Noor said it was certainly not love at first sight. What started as friendship developed into "something stronger" and eventually led to marriage.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
54-year-old Japanese caught impersonating his 20-year-old son to take an exam
TOKYO: A 54-year-old Japanese was caught impersonating his 20-year-old son to take an exam, even getting a perm to make himself look younger, an official said on Wednesday (January 14th).
The father, who runs a medication distribution company, sat a test for a licence to handle over-the-counter drugs so that his son could work with him, said an official in Nara prefecture in western Japan.
An examiner noticed that the man looked unusually old, said local government official Masaaki Nakamori.
"A 20-year-old and a 54-year-old are aged differently. But he looked like the photo on the exam admission card," Nakamori said.
The father, whose name was not released, earned his own license last year, taking the exam with a photo showing him with straight hair and glasses.
"This time, he curled his hair and did not wear his glasses," Nakamori said.
The man put his face down intently near the desk as he took the exam, he said.
"When the test monitor approached him, he admitted it and apologised. He said, from the application process to actual testing, he did it all himself without telling his son," Nakamori said.
The father, who runs a medication distribution company, sat a test for a licence to handle over-the-counter drugs so that his son could work with him, said an official in Nara prefecture in western Japan.
An examiner noticed that the man looked unusually old, said local government official Masaaki Nakamori.
"A 20-year-old and a 54-year-old are aged differently. But he looked like the photo on the exam admission card," Nakamori said.
The father, whose name was not released, earned his own license last year, taking the exam with a photo showing him with straight hair and glasses.
"This time, he curled his hair and did not wear his glasses," Nakamori said.
The man put his face down intently near the desk as he took the exam, he said.
"When the test monitor approached him, he admitted it and apologised. He said, from the application process to actual testing, he did it all himself without telling his son," Nakamori said.
Shoplifter gets run over twice by her getaway car
CAPE CORAL, FLORIDA: Authorities are looking for a shoplifter who was run over twice by her getaway car after stealing $1,200 worth of designer purses from a Cape Coral store.
A T.J. Maxx security guard told police she saw a woman stuff six designer Dooney & Bourke purses into her pants Tuesday (January 13th) morning and walk out of the store. The guard said she was confronting the woman when a car pulled up.
A report said the shoplifter tried to get into the vehicle but fell out and was run over by the car. She then got up and jumped onto the hood of the car. As the car was driving away, the report said the woman fell off and was run over again. On her third attempt, she finally made it into the vehicle.
Police are using the car's license plate and a check the woman dropped to track her down.
A T.J. Maxx security guard told police she saw a woman stuff six designer Dooney & Bourke purses into her pants Tuesday (January 13th) morning and walk out of the store. The guard said she was confronting the woman when a car pulled up.
A report said the shoplifter tried to get into the vehicle but fell out and was run over by the car. She then got up and jumped onto the hood of the car. As the car was driving away, the report said the woman fell off and was run over again. On her third attempt, she finally made it into the vehicle.
Police are using the car's license plate and a check the woman dropped to track her down.
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