Saturday, March 28, 2009

Man robs police chief at police convention


A man in Pennsylvania wasn't being very smart when he pulled a gun on a retired police chief who was attending a police convention.

John Comparetto says as he came out of a stall in the men's bathroom, a man pointed a gun in his face and demanded money.

Comparetto, a retired police chief from New York, gave up his money and cell phone. But when the man fled, Comparetto and some colleagues chased him. They arrested 19-year-old Jerome Marquis Blanchett of Harrisburg as he was trying to leave in a taxi.

Blanchett, who was awaiting trial of four previous robbery charges, was arraigned Friday before a District Court judge who set bail at $1 million.

When a reporter asked Blanchett for comment as he was led out of court, he said, "I'm smooth."

Doesn't seem that smooth to me. Seems very stupid to me. Perhaps he learn to be a smarter criminal when he spends time in jail for his crimes.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Principal issues statement: No vampires on campus


The principal at a fancy prep school in Boston has released a statement denying the existence of vampires at his school after a group of students were convinced that a vampire attack had happened on campus.

Students at the school, which was founded in 1635, began e-mailing news organizations Wednesday night with the strange story of vampires roaming the halls.

"Supposedly 3 students believe that they are vampires and today when a student was bitten the police were informed," wrote one student in a message to TheBostonChannel.com. "I heard that one girl was arrested another suspended."

Police, however, denied reports that anyone at the school was bitten.

The rumors were strong enough to cause anxiety among the student body and disrupt classes on Thursday.

"I seek your cooperation in redirecting your energy toward the learning objectives of the day. Please do not sensationalize or discuss these rumors,"

Teta wrote in a notice obtained by the Boston Globe and sent to faculty, students and parents.Teta said she was concerned that some students' safety might be jeopardized because of the rumors."At no time was anyone's safety in jeopardy," she wrote.

In its long, rich history the school's students have included revolutionary firebrands Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, John Hancock, but likely never vampires.

Boston police acknowledged visiting the school Wednesday after learning about the rumors."We did go over there and speak to some of the students and quelled the rumors that were going and kind of told them the effect those rumors could have on the rest of the student population," spokesman Eddy Chrispin said.

At least that's what they want them to think. . . . Perhaps it's really like the school in the book Evernight that's been a haven for vampires for years and this is just a big coverup.

Boy obsessed with twilight bites his classmates


A thirteen year old in Iowa was disciplined for biting eleven of his classmates.

According to the report, the boy bit a 13-year-old female student on the right hand at a track meet on March 13. McCombs Vice Principal Connie Sloan investigated the incident and found that the boy had bitten 10 other students.

When police contacted the boy's father, he said that his son didn't mean to hurt anyone and that he was biting other students because of the movie "Twilight."

The film "Twilight" is based on a series of novels by Stephenie Meyer about a teenage girl's love affair with a vampire. The film, popular with tweens and teens, has grossed more than $191 million in box office receipts in the United States since its November release.

I think what the boy missed about the book is that the vampires don't actually bite people.

Toddler wandering on the highway babysat by prisoners


A work crew from a minimum security prison entertained a toddler that they found wandering on the side of the highway.

The six minimum-security inmates shared their lunches with the toddler, who apparently wandered away from home, and played with him while authorities located the parents and investigated, said Correctional Officer Gary Kershner, who was overseeing the prisoners.

"Me and my inmate crew, we just kind of baby-sat for the next three hours," Kershner said. "They were as much entertained by the child as he was by them."

The boy was on Route 550 about two miles south of Woodsboro, not far from the Pennsylvania line, when a dump truck driver stopped to pluck him off the road shortly after 9 a.m., said Trooper First Class David Greenwood, who was at the scene.

Kershner, who had stopped his van to help, said the truck driver handed the boy to him for safekeeping until police arrived. A State Highway Administration truck driver accompanying the litter-picking crew also stayed on the scene, agency spokesman Charles Gischlar said.

Troopers eventually found the boy's home nearby, Greenwood said. He said the child was reunited with his family after Child Protective Services investigated and found no immediate cause to suspect abuse or neglect.

The boy's father, who works at home, told police he had left the child in the care of an 18-year-old daughter, who then left without notice, Greenwood said. State police were conducting their own investigation and would report their findings to Frederick County prosecutors for possible charges, Lt. Michael J. Brady said.

Thank goodness for the work crew. The teenage babysitter should be charged leaving a kid alone like that.

A Bobcat Walked into a Bar


A bobcat walked into a bar in Arizona and started attacking the customers!

Officers called to the Chapparal Bar in Cottonwood arrived to find the bobcat in the parking lot, where they shot and killed it, KVRD-FM radio reported.

Tests were ordered to determine if the animal was rabid. It wasn't clear how seriously the victims had been injured.

Cottonwood police say the animal attacked Monday when it scratched a woman who thought she had hit it with her car. Then police got a report of a bobcat acting aggressively toward a woman outside a Pizza Hut.

Later came the call from the bar that a bobcat was inside as patrons climbed atop bar stools to get away.

That's an entertaining visual. Drunk bar coustomers climbing on their chairs to get away from the crazy bobcat. He was probably just looking for a drink and some snacks.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Skateboarding parrot kidnapped!

Gordo the skateboarding parrot has been kidnapped! Oh no!

The 30-year-old green Guatemalan parrot, a popular attraction for a decade in the San Gabriel Valley community of Baldwin Park, was taken from his front porch cage Wednesday morning.

Owner Fred Mireles said his mother heard some commotion and spotted a man running away with Gordo. The 47-year-old childless man says he's devastated, adding Gordo is like a kid to him.

Baldwin Park police Sgt. Darryl Kosaka said it could be difficult to recover the parrot, noting that animals are often stolen to become pets in other households or to be sold.

Poor Gordo. I hope he's ok and that he gets to skateboard again.

Third grader brings grenade to school for show and tell


A third grade student caused quite a scare in his elementary classroom when he brought a grenade to school.

The grenade brought in by a third grader turned out to be a simple paperweight, although Columbus police had to be called to make certain.

"It wasn't anything secretive; the student didn't try to sneak it in," said district spokesman Lee Cole. "It's a teachable moment to make sure parents know what their kids are bringing to school."

The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch said Thursday the student brought the paperweight in because his class was studying World War II, and won't be punished for the uproar.

I guess it's too much for us to say that parents should know what their kids are doing.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Colorado homes have flammable water!


Several homeowners in Colorado are concerned after finding that their drinking water is flammable because of gas in their well.

Hudson resident Renee McClure said she is in fear of her home's water supply since her son showed her he could ignite their kitchen tap water using only a cigarette lighter, KMGH-TV, Denver, reported Tuesday.

"We were shocked," McClure said of the recent occurrence. "My horses and animals drink it. My kids drink it. I want to know if it's safe."

Noble Energy (NYSE:NBL) official Stephen Flaherty said the flammable water appears to be the result of methane gas found in an area well. He added the methane gas level in the water at one of the three afflicted homes, according to tests, was not naturally occurring.

The three reported cases of flammable water in Hudson have at least one environmental group crying foul.

"This isn't an isolated incident, by any means," Environment Colorado member Gavin Clark told KMGH. "Our reports tell us there are about two dozen, if not more, similar incidents of oil and gas drilling not only affecting people's drinking water but health in general."

Now that's terrifying. The kid was lighting the water with a lighter? I can't imagine it's healthy.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Woman uses fake ID to get plastic surgery


A woman in California used a fake ID to purchase breast implants and liposuction and then left town.

Huntington Beach police said Monday that a 30-year-old woman opened a line of credit in someone else's name in September and had the procedures worth more than $12,000 performed at the Pacific Center For Plastic Surgery.

Employees said she never returned for follow-up visits.

I bet she'll get a lot of use out of those fake breasts in jail.

Bosses in Italy can not scold employees loudly


An Italian court ruled that it is unlawful for employers to scold employees loud enough that other employees can hear.

ANSA reported that Italy's highest court of appeal ordered a Milan company to pay damages to a 12-year employee subjected to "continuous" and ''excessive'' reprimands for months before being fired.

The Italian news service said mobbing generally refers to the collective bullying of workers by co-workers.

ANSA noted that last week the Cassation Court said it was OK for workers to ask bosses ''Who the (expletive) do you think you are?'' as long as it was an ''instinctive'' reaction to being reprimanded by superiors.

Now that's a nanny state.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Man pregnant with twins


A man in Spain is pregnant with twins!

"I am six-and-a-half weeks pregnant," Ruben Noe Coronado Jimenez, initially named Estefania, told the popular magazine Pronto, saying he took treatment to restart his menstrual cycle.

In photos posted on his blog, where he also wrote about the pregnancy, Coronado has a shaved head and a beard.

He said he had retained his female status to be able to undergo fertility treatment, but would start the administrative process this month to officially change his gender to male in accordance with newly passed legislation.

As a result, Coronado said, he would give birth as a man.

A law that went into effect last year allows Spaniards suffering from "a sexual identity problem" and undergoing hormonal or endocrinal treatment to change their sexual status without undergoing surgery or a sex change.

The insemination took place at a private clinic, Coronado told the magazine, adding that if all went well he would give birth by Caesarean section in September.

Well, different strokes for different folks I guess. I wonder if he's going to breastfeed?

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Germans celebrate the fall of the Berlin wall with dominoes


Germans will be celebrating the fall of the Berlin wall by knocking over a wall of huge dominoes.

"We want to knock over the wall once again," said Klaus Wowereit, mayor of Berlin. Assembly of more than 1,000 styrofoam slabs, each 2.5 meters (eight feet) high and one meter (three feet) wide, is beginning this week.

At a ceremony on November 9, the day in 1989 on which crowds of east Germans swept through the wall and began tearing it down, the slabs will be pushed over.

The "dominoes" will be decorated by young people from Berlin and abroad in a myriad different styles.

"I was given the opportunity to paint a map on this domino, which is great fun," said Mathieu Chergait, an exchange student from France as he worked on the slab with two Korean students.

Another is decorated with a design portraying a multicolored brick wall being opened with a giant zipper to represent the ripping down of the barrier that divided the city for three decades.

How neat is that. I hope we get pictures.

Kings jarred head to be returned to Ghana


The 170 year old preserved head of the former King of Ghana will be returned to its home country after it was discovered in a medical center in the Netherlands.

Bonsu's head was discovered last year in a jar of formaldehyde at the Leiden University Medical Center's anatomical collection by a Dutch author.

Ghana immediately asked for it to be returned and the Dutch government asked the hospital to cooperate.

"It will go back to Ghana, where we assume it will be buried," Dutch Education, Culture and Science Minister Ronald Plasterk told The Associated Press.

The hospital said in a statement Friday it is in talks with the Ghanaian Embassy "to carefully prepare for the return of King Badu Bonsu II's head."

The hospital declined to give more details of the case, citing a "well-considered policy about our anatomic-historical collection."

The decision to return it to Ghana is in line with similar moves by museums in recent years. Several British museums have returned the skulls and other bones of Australian Aborigines following lobbying by indigenous leaders.

The Ghanaian Embassy in The Hague had no immediate comment.

'He's incomplete'
Last year, the embassy urged the return for the king and his clan in the country's Ashanti region.

"Without burial of the head, the deceased will be hunted in the afterlife. He's incomplete," Eric Odoi-Anim, a minister at the embassy, said at the time. "It's also a stigma on his clan, on his kinsmen, and him being a (high-ranking) chief — this is even more serious."

Prominent Dutch writer Arthur Japin told Dutch television he found the head while researching a historical novel.

"He's got a little ring-beard, his eyes are closed as if he's sleeping," said Japin. "And my first thought was, this is not fitting."

I'm glad that he will no longer be haunted in the afterlife and will now be complete.