(Reuters) - A Michigan man credited his dog with saving his life by chewing off his diseased big toe as he lay passed out in a drunken stupor.
Jerry Douthett, 48, woke up on a Saturday night in late July in his Rockford, Michigan home to find his Jack Russell Terrier, Kiko, had gnawed off his right big toe.
"The dog always lays with me on the bed," said Douthett. "That night, I woke up and looked down at my foot, and it was wet. When I looked it was blood, and there was the dog looking at me with a blood moustache."
Douthett's wife, Rosee, rushed him to a hospital where doctors found he was suffering from Type 2 diabetes. His toe was badly infected and surgeons amputated the remainder of the digit.
Douthett's wife, a registered nurse, had been urging him for weeks to have his infected toe examined by a doctor.
On the night Kiko ate his toe, Douthett said he had been out with his wife and drank about "six or seven beers" and a pair of giant margaritas "big enough to put goldfish in."
"I was self-medicating at this point," he said. "The moral of the story is that the dog saved my life, because otherwise I never would have gone in to see a doctor."
The couple said they were amazed that Kiko appeared to know Douthett had an infection that needed treatment.
"He kind of chewed off the infected part and stopped at the good bone," said Rosee. "We joked that we shouldn't have had to pay the co-pay because he did half the job by chewing off half of the toe."
News of the Weird - this just in!
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
Cursing, beer-grabbing flight attendant grabs spotlight
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/08/1 ... &wom=false
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/08/1 ... &wom=false
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
Swede faces world-record $1m speeding penalty
The Swede was driving a Mercedes SLS AMG - which has a top speed of 317km/h A Swedish driver who was caught driving at 290km/h (180mph) in Switzerland could be given a world-record speeding fine of SFr1,080m ($1m; £656,000), prosecutors say.
The 37-year-old, who has not been named, was clocked driving his Mercedes sports car at 170km/h over the limit.
Under Swiss law, the level of fine is determined by the wealth of the driver and the speed recorded.
In January, a Swiss driver was fined $290,000 - the current world record.
Local police spokesman Benoit Dumas said of the latest case that "nothing can justify a speed of 290km/h".
"It is not controllable. It must have taken 500m to stop," he said.
The Swede's car - a Mercedes SLS AMG - has been impounded and in principle he could be forced to pay a daily fine of SFr3,600 for 300 days.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10960230
The Swede was driving a Mercedes SLS AMG - which has a top speed of 317km/h A Swedish driver who was caught driving at 290km/h (180mph) in Switzerland could be given a world-record speeding fine of SFr1,080m ($1m; £656,000), prosecutors say.
The 37-year-old, who has not been named, was clocked driving his Mercedes sports car at 170km/h over the limit.
Under Swiss law, the level of fine is determined by the wealth of the driver and the speed recorded.
In January, a Swiss driver was fined $290,000 - the current world record.
Local police spokesman Benoit Dumas said of the latest case that "nothing can justify a speed of 290km/h".
"It is not controllable. It must have taken 500m to stop," he said.
The Swede's car - a Mercedes SLS AMG - has been impounded and in principle he could be forced to pay a daily fine of SFr3,600 for 300 days.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10960230
-
pharvey
- Moderator
- Posts: 15864
- Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 10:21 am
- Location: Sir Fynwy - God's Country
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
Kent (Reuters) - Anglers were mourning on Tuesday the death of a carp believed to be Britain's largest freshwater fish, who tipped the scales at almost five stone (32 kgs) and was nicknamed "the marriage wrecker."
Two Tone, a mirror carp who weighed 67lb 14oz, was found floating on the surface of Conningbrook Lake in Kent where it lived. It was believed to be about 45 years old and to have died from old age.
The fish, named from its skin colour, was only caught once or twice a year and no more than 50 times in its lifetime which made him a prize catch amongst anglers across the country.
"It's a unique creature. It's genetically unusual. There's no other fish ever grown to that size in this country," Conningbrook fisheries manager Chris Logsdon told Reuters Television.
"Obviously it was the pinnacle of carp angling. It was the fish that everybody wanted to catch."
It was the hours that some anglers spent trying to catch Two Tone that won the fish the nickname "the marriage wrecker."
Angler Lee Jackson wrote a book called "Just For The Record: My Quest For Two Tone" about his battle trying to snare Two Tone which he won in the end.
"It really became an obsession to catch that fish. It took me fishing it in the spring, summer and autumn most weeks, fishing it for about 50 hours per week, and it took me six years. It was a pretty difficult one to track down," said Lee Jackson.
Two Tone will be buried next to the lake next Sunday with anglers sending online tributes to the fish that got away.
Two Tone, a mirror carp who weighed 67lb 14oz, was found floating on the surface of Conningbrook Lake in Kent where it lived. It was believed to be about 45 years old and to have died from old age.
The fish, named from its skin colour, was only caught once or twice a year and no more than 50 times in its lifetime which made him a prize catch amongst anglers across the country.
"It's a unique creature. It's genetically unusual. There's no other fish ever grown to that size in this country," Conningbrook fisheries manager Chris Logsdon told Reuters Television.
"Obviously it was the pinnacle of carp angling. It was the fish that everybody wanted to catch."
It was the hours that some anglers spent trying to catch Two Tone that won the fish the nickname "the marriage wrecker."
Angler Lee Jackson wrote a book called "Just For The Record: My Quest For Two Tone" about his battle trying to snare Two Tone which he won in the end.
"It really became an obsession to catch that fish. It took me fishing it in the spring, summer and autumn most weeks, fishing it for about 50 hours per week, and it took me six years. It was a pretty difficult one to track down," said Lee Jackson.
Two Tone will be buried next to the lake next Sunday with anglers sending online tributes to the fish that got away.
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
Chinese Traffic Jam Stretches 60 Miles, Ten Days
Did you have a bad commute today? How long did you sit in traffic — an hour, maybe two? Thousands of motorists in China have been stuck for ten days in a jam that goes on for more than 60 miles.
Road construction started the jam August 14 in China’s Heibei Province on a major highway headed toward Beijing. The snarl got worse as some vehicles collided and others broke down. Officials say the backup could continue for a month because the road project is expected to last about that long.
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2010/ ... -ten-days/
Did you have a bad commute today? How long did you sit in traffic — an hour, maybe two? Thousands of motorists in China have been stuck for ten days in a jam that goes on for more than 60 miles.
Road construction started the jam August 14 in China’s Heibei Province on a major highway headed toward Beijing. The snarl got worse as some vehicles collided and others broke down. Officials say the backup could continue for a month because the road project is expected to last about that long.
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2010/ ... -ten-days/
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
Actually I've just noticed that Migrant has already posted that story elsewhere!
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
Man, shot in head, notices five years later:
BERLIN (Reuters) - A Polish man living in Germany went about his business for about five years without noticing he had been shot in the head because he was drunk when it happened. Police in the western city of Bochum said on Tuesday doctors found a .22 caliber bullet in the back of his head after the 35-year-old went to have what he thought was a cyst removed.
Presented with the 5.6mm projectile, the man recalled he had received a blow to the head around midnight at a New Year's party "in 2004 or 2005," but had forgotten about it because he had been "very drunk," a police spokesman said.
"He told us he remembered having a sore head, but that he wasn't really one for going to the doctor," the spokesman said.
The wound later healed around the bullet and it was not until the man decided to have the lump examined due to recurring pains that the discovery was made.
Police said they were not treating the incident as suspicious as the bullet might have got lodged in the man's head when a reveler fired a gun in celebration.
"It may have been a shot fired up in the air which entered his head on the way down," the spokesman said.
The resident of Herne, who has lived in Germany for several years, was expected to be released from hospital later this week after the bullet was removed on Friday, police said.
BERLIN (Reuters) - A Polish man living in Germany went about his business for about five years without noticing he had been shot in the head because he was drunk when it happened. Police in the western city of Bochum said on Tuesday doctors found a .22 caliber bullet in the back of his head after the 35-year-old went to have what he thought was a cyst removed.
Presented with the 5.6mm projectile, the man recalled he had received a blow to the head around midnight at a New Year's party "in 2004 or 2005," but had forgotten about it because he had been "very drunk," a police spokesman said.
"He told us he remembered having a sore head, but that he wasn't really one for going to the doctor," the spokesman said.
The wound later healed around the bullet and it was not until the man decided to have the lump examined due to recurring pains that the discovery was made.
Police said they were not treating the incident as suspicious as the bullet might have got lodged in the man's head when a reveler fired a gun in celebration.
"It may have been a shot fired up in the air which entered his head on the way down," the spokesman said.
The resident of Herne, who has lived in Germany for several years, was expected to be released from hospital later this week after the bullet was removed on Friday, police said.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
Weird, but dangerous. 
Pete 
San Jose airport has fifth most laser strikes on planes
By Sean Webby
swebby@mercurynews.com
Posted: 08/26/2010 12:41:52 AM PDT
Updated: 08/26/2010 12:41:53 AM PDT
On Aug. 12, a Boeing 767 commercial night flight from Hawaii was six miles out from Mineta San Jose International Airport when it was struck with a laser beam. The brilliant green light flooded the cockpit like a rock concert spotlight, blinding the pilot and forcing the co-pilot to land the plane alone.
The culprit was never found.
Tuesday night, while on a routine helicopter patrol 1,000 feet above the San Jose-Milpitas border, a San Jose police pilot and his Santa Clara County sheriff's aerial spotter were blasted with a green laser light. They tracked the source to a home, called in ground units and two 22-year-old men were arrested. The men may face felony federal charges and, if convicted, prison time. In the back seat of one of the suspect's cars officers found the pen-sized laser pointer that had been purchased from Amazon.com.
These incidents are close-call examples of a quickly growing, dangerous problem that has local law enforcement and aviation officials scrambling. Hundreds of times a year, pranksters using powerful laser pointers that can be purchased for as little as $8.99 are shining their lights at aircraft, posing a danger to the flight crews and passengers.
San Jose Airport had the fifth-most reported laser strikes on planes in the country, according to the latest information from the FAA. Oakland International Airport ranked fourth, but officials did not release the numbers of strikes per airport.
Two weeks ago, about 80 officials from Santa Clara County-based and federal law enforcement agencies, along with San Jose airport operations officials, gathered for an emergency meeting at Applied Materials in Santa Clara to discuss how to combat the problem. Their strategy revolves around communicating more efficiently with each other, educating the public about the danger and asking for help in reporting the incidents.
"This needs to be stopped," said San Jose police Officer Michael Lutticken, who handles counter-terrorism projects and infrastructure protection. "The majority of people who do this are not terrorists. They think of it as entertainment. They are not thinking of the repercussions. My grandma, their grandmothers, our families are flying in these planes."
Laser strikes have been reported by pilots all over the world with increasing frequency since the mid-2000s. During a single night at Seattle-Tacoma Airport last year, 12 planes were struck with laser beams as they were landing. All reportedly had to pull out of their landings and try again. Federal officials say they are not aware of any crashes caused by a laser strike.
But officials say that the problem is growing "exponentially" with the increased power, affordability and availability of laser pointers.
The FAA reported 947 strikes on commercial aircraft in 2008; 1,489 in 2009. And so far in this year, there have been 1,251 reported strikes on commercial aircraft in the U.S. About a third of the incidents nationwide have been reported in California, officials said.
Chicago's O'Hare Airport has the most strikes and Los Angeles International the second. But why in San Jose?
The U.S. Marshals Service Office theorizes it may be due to the number of people involved or interested in high tech. While some portion of the laser shooters are thought to be middle-aged methamphetamine users looking for thrills, other shooters are young, well-educated and interested in science, science fiction and are tech-savvy , officials believe.
Lasers were first marketed to the public as conference pointers and pet toys, usually exuding a thin, relatively weak red beam. But in recent years there has been an emergence of green lasers, popular with astronomy professors aiming their powerful beams to point out stars and planets.
"As anybody who has subjected themselves to relatives taking photos would know, it blanks out your vision," said Seth Shostak, a nationally known astronomer based in Mountain View.
Today's laser pointers, which are also used as weapons sights, can blind people at a distance, like the military pilot who federal officials reported had to be grounded for six months while his eyes healed. Many cases of laser strikes are not reported, officials said.
Pointing a laser at an aircraft is against both state and federal law and carries up to a three-year prison stint with fines.
Tuesday night, sheriff's deputy Leo Gonzalez, using his night vision goggles for protection, traced the green beam to a gated community off Ambra Way in San Jose as San Jose police Officer Michael Sullivan guided the SJPD's Eurocopter EC 120 toward the laser.
At the secured entrance gate, police stopped a car driven by Ervin Ancheta, who soon admitted to officers that he had aimed the laser at the flight, police said. Later investigators also arrested his friend Quan Nguyen.
Both men apologized, police said, and said they did not mean any harm.
Top five
The following are the top five airports in the United States for reported air strikes:
1. Chicago O'Hare
2. Los Angeles
3. Phoenix Sky Harbor
4. Oakland
5. Mineta San Jose
Source: FAA
Pete San Jose airport has fifth most laser strikes on planes
By Sean Webby
swebby@mercurynews.com
Posted: 08/26/2010 12:41:52 AM PDT
Updated: 08/26/2010 12:41:53 AM PDT
On Aug. 12, a Boeing 767 commercial night flight from Hawaii was six miles out from Mineta San Jose International Airport when it was struck with a laser beam. The brilliant green light flooded the cockpit like a rock concert spotlight, blinding the pilot and forcing the co-pilot to land the plane alone.
The culprit was never found.
Tuesday night, while on a routine helicopter patrol 1,000 feet above the San Jose-Milpitas border, a San Jose police pilot and his Santa Clara County sheriff's aerial spotter were blasted with a green laser light. They tracked the source to a home, called in ground units and two 22-year-old men were arrested. The men may face felony federal charges and, if convicted, prison time. In the back seat of one of the suspect's cars officers found the pen-sized laser pointer that had been purchased from Amazon.com.
These incidents are close-call examples of a quickly growing, dangerous problem that has local law enforcement and aviation officials scrambling. Hundreds of times a year, pranksters using powerful laser pointers that can be purchased for as little as $8.99 are shining their lights at aircraft, posing a danger to the flight crews and passengers.
San Jose Airport had the fifth-most reported laser strikes on planes in the country, according to the latest information from the FAA. Oakland International Airport ranked fourth, but officials did not release the numbers of strikes per airport.
Two weeks ago, about 80 officials from Santa Clara County-based and federal law enforcement agencies, along with San Jose airport operations officials, gathered for an emergency meeting at Applied Materials in Santa Clara to discuss how to combat the problem. Their strategy revolves around communicating more efficiently with each other, educating the public about the danger and asking for help in reporting the incidents.
"This needs to be stopped," said San Jose police Officer Michael Lutticken, who handles counter-terrorism projects and infrastructure protection. "The majority of people who do this are not terrorists. They think of it as entertainment. They are not thinking of the repercussions. My grandma, their grandmothers, our families are flying in these planes."
Laser strikes have been reported by pilots all over the world with increasing frequency since the mid-2000s. During a single night at Seattle-Tacoma Airport last year, 12 planes were struck with laser beams as they were landing. All reportedly had to pull out of their landings and try again. Federal officials say they are not aware of any crashes caused by a laser strike.
But officials say that the problem is growing "exponentially" with the increased power, affordability and availability of laser pointers.
The FAA reported 947 strikes on commercial aircraft in 2008; 1,489 in 2009. And so far in this year, there have been 1,251 reported strikes on commercial aircraft in the U.S. About a third of the incidents nationwide have been reported in California, officials said.
Chicago's O'Hare Airport has the most strikes and Los Angeles International the second. But why in San Jose?
The U.S. Marshals Service Office theorizes it may be due to the number of people involved or interested in high tech. While some portion of the laser shooters are thought to be middle-aged methamphetamine users looking for thrills, other shooters are young, well-educated and interested in science, science fiction and are tech-savvy , officials believe.
Lasers were first marketed to the public as conference pointers and pet toys, usually exuding a thin, relatively weak red beam. But in recent years there has been an emergence of green lasers, popular with astronomy professors aiming their powerful beams to point out stars and planets.
"As anybody who has subjected themselves to relatives taking photos would know, it blanks out your vision," said Seth Shostak, a nationally known astronomer based in Mountain View.
Today's laser pointers, which are also used as weapons sights, can blind people at a distance, like the military pilot who federal officials reported had to be grounded for six months while his eyes healed. Many cases of laser strikes are not reported, officials said.
Pointing a laser at an aircraft is against both state and federal law and carries up to a three-year prison stint with fines.
Tuesday night, sheriff's deputy Leo Gonzalez, using his night vision goggles for protection, traced the green beam to a gated community off Ambra Way in San Jose as San Jose police Officer Michael Sullivan guided the SJPD's Eurocopter EC 120 toward the laser.
At the secured entrance gate, police stopped a car driven by Ervin Ancheta, who soon admitted to officers that he had aimed the laser at the flight, police said. Later investigators also arrested his friend Quan Nguyen.
Both men apologized, police said, and said they did not mean any harm.
Top five
The following are the top five airports in the United States for reported air strikes:
1. Chicago O'Hare
2. Los Angeles
3. Phoenix Sky Harbor
4. Oakland
5. Mineta San Jose
Source: FAA
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
That's been happening in the UK as well Pete:
Fine for Liverpool Airport laser teen
http://www.uk-airport-news.info/liverpo ... 30210.html
Fine for Liverpool Airport laser teen
http://www.uk-airport-news.info/liverpo ... 30210.html
-
Khundon1975
- Rock Star
- Posts: 3490
- Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:05 am
- Location: Boo, I'm behind you.
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
He was fined £250 plus a £15 victim surcharge.
If the plane had crashed, how many victims would that £15 cover?
He should have been jailed, 5 years would just about do it.
If the plane had crashed, how many victims would that £15 cover?
He should have been jailed, 5 years would just about do it.
I've lost my mind and I am making no effort to find it.
-
Khundon1975
- Rock Star
- Posts: 3490
- Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:05 am
- Location: Boo, I'm behind you.
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
I've lost my mind and I am making no effort to find it.
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
(Reuters) - Protesters in the eastern city of Lahore slapped donkeys with shoes and pelted them with rotten tomatoes Monday to vent their anger at the latest Pakistani cricket fixing scandal.
Protesters led a procession of donkeys with the names of players accused of taking bribes to fix incidents during the fourth test against England stuck on the foreheads of the animals.
"These players have let us and the country down. We are already facing so many problems because of the floods and terrorism and they took away our one source of happiness," a protester screamed at a television channel.
Television pictures also showed Pakistanis pelting their team bus with rotten vegetables when it arrived at Lord's in London Sunday.
The Chairman of the National Assembly standing committee on sports, Iqbal Muhammad Ali, warned that the committee would resign if the government did not change the Pakistan Cricket Board management and recall the accused players.
"They have brought shame to the country and they deserve the worst. We immediately demand the sacking of this board and if this is not done we will resign in protest," Ali told reporters.
Protesters led a procession of donkeys with the names of players accused of taking bribes to fix incidents during the fourth test against England stuck on the foreheads of the animals.
"These players have let us and the country down. We are already facing so many problems because of the floods and terrorism and they took away our one source of happiness," a protester screamed at a television channel.
Television pictures also showed Pakistanis pelting their team bus with rotten vegetables when it arrived at Lord's in London Sunday.
The Chairman of the National Assembly standing committee on sports, Iqbal Muhammad Ali, warned that the committee would resign if the government did not change the Pakistan Cricket Board management and recall the accused players.
"They have brought shame to the country and they deserve the worst. We immediately demand the sacking of this board and if this is not done we will resign in protest," Ali told reporters.
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
John Lennon's toilet sells for $14,740 at auction
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/of ... t-auction/
LONDON (Reuters) - A toilet that belonged to late Beatle John Lennon fetched 9,500 pounds ($14,740) at auction on Saturday, around 10 times its estimate, the sale organizers said.
Lennon, who was murdered in New York in 1980, had the porcelain lavatory removed from Tittenhurst Park in Berkshire, southern England, where he lived from 1969 to 1971, and replaced with a new one.
The builders who took away the white and blue lavatory were told to "put some flowers in it or something," according to the auction catalog.
Builder John Hancock stored it in his shed for 40 years until he died recently and the lavatory was sent for sale, British media reports said.
The toilet was among Beatles memorabilia sold at auction as part of the Beatle week festival in Liverpool, the group's native city in northwest England. The pre-auction estimate was 750 to 1,000 pounds.
Anne-Marie Trace, who works at the Beatles Shop in Liverpool which organized the sale, said the high price paid had taken the organizers by surprise.
"I think it's the most unusual item we've ever had in our auction," she told Reuters.
The buyer was not identified but Trace said it was likely it was "going overseas."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/of ... t-auction/
LONDON (Reuters) - A toilet that belonged to late Beatle John Lennon fetched 9,500 pounds ($14,740) at auction on Saturday, around 10 times its estimate, the sale organizers said.
Lennon, who was murdered in New York in 1980, had the porcelain lavatory removed from Tittenhurst Park in Berkshire, southern England, where he lived from 1969 to 1971, and replaced with a new one.
The builders who took away the white and blue lavatory were told to "put some flowers in it or something," according to the auction catalog.
Builder John Hancock stored it in his shed for 40 years until he died recently and the lavatory was sent for sale, British media reports said.
The toilet was among Beatles memorabilia sold at auction as part of the Beatle week festival in Liverpool, the group's native city in northwest England. The pre-auction estimate was 750 to 1,000 pounds.
Anne-Marie Trace, who works at the Beatles Shop in Liverpool which organized the sale, said the high price paid had taken the organizers by surprise.
"I think it's the most unusual item we've ever had in our auction," she told Reuters.
The buyer was not identified but Trace said it was likely it was "going overseas."
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: News of the Weird - this just in!
Politician raffles breast implants
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/ne ... -implants/
CARACAS (Reuters) - A Venezuelan politician is offering breast implants as a prize in a raffle to raise funds for his election campaign, a newspaper said on Friday.
"There are critics but also some people think it's a nice idea," Gustavo Rojas, an opposition candidate for a National Assembly position, told El Universal newspaper.
Cosmetic surgery, especially breast enlargement, is widespread in image-conscious Venezuela, whose beauty queens have won numerous international pageant titles.
Even a recession has not diminished Venezuelans' appetite for cosmetic surgery with many people taking out loans for the surgery.
Rojas, of the opposition First Justice party, said he was not too worried about the medical details of his offer.
"The raffle is a financing mechanism, nothing else," he told El Universal. "It's the doctor who will do the operation, not me."
Venezuelans vote on September 26 for a new parliament.
...................................................................................................
Surprised Tacky never thought of this!
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/ne ... -implants/
CARACAS (Reuters) - A Venezuelan politician is offering breast implants as a prize in a raffle to raise funds for his election campaign, a newspaper said on Friday.
"There are critics but also some people think it's a nice idea," Gustavo Rojas, an opposition candidate for a National Assembly position, told El Universal newspaper.
Cosmetic surgery, especially breast enlargement, is widespread in image-conscious Venezuela, whose beauty queens have won numerous international pageant titles.
Even a recession has not diminished Venezuelans' appetite for cosmetic surgery with many people taking out loans for the surgery.
Rojas, of the opposition First Justice party, said he was not too worried about the medical details of his offer.
"The raffle is a financing mechanism, nothing else," he told El Universal. "It's the doctor who will do the operation, not me."
Venezuelans vote on September 26 for a new parliament.
...................................................................................................
Surprised Tacky never thought of this!
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!