Weird News

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Fri May 27, 2005 12:43 am

Taping students' mouths is a bad thing?  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> May 26, 6:05 PM EDT Substitute Teacher Fired for Taping Mouths TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) -- A substitute teacher who was fired after putting small pieces of tape across the mouths of first-graders because they would not stop talking said she did not mean any harm. Vigo County schools officials fired Sheryl Smith this week after parents told them that she had taped six children's mouths at Fuqua Elementary School. "A substitute teacher used extremely poor judgment," said John Orr, director of human resources. Smith had put the tape on vertically, and it did not cover the children's mouths, although they could not talk. She did it because some of the children would not be quiet, Orr said. "That's something we don't tolerate in the Vigo County School Corporation," Orr said. "She is terminated ... she will not work for the corporation anymore." But Smith, who often substituted for the class, said she taped the students' mouths in a playful way. "It was a little piece of Scotch tape," she said. "I was just joking with them. I think it's blown clear out of proportion." Orr contacted Vigo County Child Protective Services about what happened but believes the agency would not pursue it because no children were injured. None of the kids appeared upset in class, and the tape wasn't on very long, Smith said. --- Information from: Tribune-Star, <a href='http://www.tribstar.com' target='_blank'>http://www.tribstar.com</a> 2005 The Associated Press. </td></tr></table>

Zaaphod · Postby **Zaaphod** » Fri May 27, 2005 1:17 am

Sith happens.  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Wed May 25, 9:41 AM ET 'Star Wars' Fans Hurt Replicating Sabers LONDON - Two "Star Wars" fans were critically injured when they tried to replicate the light sabers used in the movie by filling glass fluorescent light tubes with fuel, police and a news report said Tuesday. The pair, Mark Webb, 20, and an unidentified 17-year-old girl, were planning to make a video recording of a duel like those in the just-released blockbuster film "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," Britain's Press Association news agency said. They were injured when one of the makeshift sabers exploded Sunday evening in the woods in Hemel Hempstead, north of London. Hertfordshire Police said a third person present when the explosion happened had been questioned. The department said the two who were injured were in critical condition at a burns unit in Chelmsford, Essex. "At this stage we are unable to confirm the exact circumstances, but glass tubes and traces of accelerant (flammable substance) were found at the scene," police said.</td></tr></table>

Bocaj Claw · Postby **Bocaj Claw** » Fri May 27, 2005 1:26 am

Its people like this that give other more rational fans a bad name.

Softpaw · Postby **Softpaw** » Sat May 28, 2005 7:41 am

Now, I get using flourescent tubes as lightsabres, but why on earth would they fill them with "fuel"? And what kind of fuel are we talking here? Gasoline? Butane? Kerosene? Perhaps Sterno?

Richard K Niner · Postby **Richard K Niner** » Sat May 28, 2005 8:50 pm

Y'know, I always thought his first instinct would be to send his chauffeur... (<a href='http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... ss/General' target='_blank'>Source</a>)  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Smile, Lord Black, you're on candid camera By SIMON BECK Saturday, May 28, 2005 Page B2 Anyone caught on security cameras doing anything always looks suspicious. (Have you ever stood in line at the bank, looked up and seen yourself on the monitor? You feel like you're one false move away from leading the local supper-time newscast.) So if Conrad Black had known a big kerfuffle would arise from being caught on tape removing boxes from his old Hollinger lair at 10 Toronto St., he probably would have sent his trusty chauffeur in to do all the heavy lifting. As it is, he was ordered to return the 12 boxes the next day, and may even face a contempt of court ruling. Far be it for this column to feel sympathy for his Lordship, but perhaps that would be a trifle harsh. After all, it's not hard to guess what was in the boxes: one "I'm the boss" paperweight; 176 framed front pages with all the stories he has ever sued over; a diamond-encrusted cigarette holder of FDR's that Barbara Amiel bought for him on eBay; and a poster saying "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps."</td></tr></table>

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Sun May 29, 2005 6:16 pm

Well, I guess we'll never know . . .  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> May 29, 10:15 AM EDT Ticket Against Jaywalking Chicken Tossed RIDGECREST, Calif. (AP) -- A chicken that got a ticket for crossing the road has clawed his way out of it. The $54 citation for impeding traffic was dismissed Friday after Linc and Helena Moore's attorney argued that the fowl was domesticated and could not be charged as livestock. State law restricts livestock on highways, but not domestic animals. The chicken was ticketed March 26 for impeding traffic after it wandered onto a road in Johannesburg, a rural mining community southeast of Ridgecrest. The Moores said they got the ticket because they were among several people who complained that deputies have done little to curb noisy off-road vehicle riders. "For the last two and a half years, no one has been able to stop the kids riding their bikes in the middle of the road or the neighbors' dogs running around our neighborhood," Linc Moore said. "But when our chicken escaped and crossed the road once it became a huge issue." Sheriff's officials said the ticket had nothing to do with the Moores' complaints. 2005 The Associated Press</td></tr></table>

Zaaphod · Postby **Zaaphod** » Mon May 30, 2005 1:04 am

Well, good. I'm glad Chickengate has been resolved satisfactorily.

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Mon May 30, 2005 12:51 pm

So, how do you give a 600-pound tiger a root canal?  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> May 30, 8:29 AM EDT 600-Pound Tiger Gets Root Canal LODI, Calif. (AP) -- Many dentists have a difficult time performing root canals on scared humans. So it's no surprise that a root canal on a 600-pound Bengal tiger required three dentists, an oral surgeon, a veterinarian - and plenty of courage. The 15-year-old tiger known as Kubie traveled from an Oregon preservation center to Lodi for the procedure at the Arbor Pet Clinic, which has handled similar operations on other big animals. Kubie has teeth as long as human fingers and generates about 10,000 pounds of jaw pressure with each bite. That power is especially daunting considering Kubie had a toothache. So the experts relied on anesthesia and hard-earned skills Saturday to make sure the big cat got the proper care. "They got everything out. It's better than his normal tooth would have been," said Kubie's handler, Abijah Bauer. "They feel so much better after they get their teeth fixed." Kubie is one of 19 tigers that Bauer and her father, Robert Ringo, house at the Tiger Preservation Center at Cave Junction, Ore. The hours of induced sleep made Kubie almost as gentle as a kitten, and he was easily moved from the operating room to the center's van for the return trip. 2005 The Associated Press</td></tr></table>  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You know, that'll probably work . . .  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Man accused of setting fire to get guests out of house By Amy Fischer Roth Special to the Tribune May 30, 2005 Anyone who has entertained during the holidays knows it's sometimes hard to get guests to leave, but police said an Aurora man allegedly took extreme measures to do so this weekend. After warning two guests that he would light his house on fire if they didn't leave, Dean F. Craig, 46, of Aurora did just that early Sunday morning, according to the Kane County sheriff's office. "Craig poured a large amount of rubbing alcohol on the floor and struck a lighter near it," Kane County Sheriff Kenneth Ramsey said in a statement. Deputies arrived around 1 a.m. at the home in the 1600 block of Liberty Street and found it "fully engulfed in flame," the sheriff said. No one was injured in the fire, according to Fire Department officials. Craig was being held Sunday in the Kane County Jail on a felony charge of arson, according to the sheriff's office. He has a June 9 court date, jail officials said. Empty bottles of vodka littered the yard Sunday. There were so many beer cans outside that an aluminum collector who stopped by the home Sunday said he would return Monday to haul it away. A dog that lived in the home was taken to an Aurora animal shelter. Copyright 2005, Chicago Tribune </td></tr></table>

GhostWay · Postby **GhostWay** » Mon May 30, 2005 10:44 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> NEW PORT RICHEY - The Best Buy repairman had come several times to fix the woman's television. But still on Friday he could not get it to work. So, officials say, the woman pulled out a .38-caliber handgun loaded with hollow-point rounds and told him: "You're not leaving until the TV is fixed." Marlene Anne Bagnall, 44, of 1523 Davenport Drive was later arrested on charges of aggravated assault and false imprisonment. Bagnall's husband told a sheriff's deputy she was diagnosed with a mental disorder for which she takes medication. She left the county jail early Saturday on $10,000 bail. Bagnall told a deputy that she became enraged when the repairman, 58-year-old John Meyer, could not fix the television. She said she retrieved the gun from the glove box of her car in the garage, walked back into the living room and pulled the gun out of its case, a sheriff's report said. She denied pointing it at the man. The repairman escaped unhurt after he got a Best Buy clerk on the phone to promise Bagnall a new television. She seemed pleased and allowed him to leave, he told a deputy. Afterward, he called the Sheriff's Office. "John advised in his 30 years in retail he has never experienced such a thing and is glad to be okay," the deputy reported.</td></tr></table>  Some people take television too seriously.

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:46 pm

Well, mail has been stopped for less.  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Wait a minute Mr Postman, watch your step Tue May 31,11:48 AM ET OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's post office is threatening to stop mail deliveries to a woman in Ottawa because her doorstep is 10 centimetres (three inches) too high, the Ottawa Citizen newspaper reported on Tuesday. Christine Charbonneau said that when she went to check her mail last Friday she found a Canada Post employee measuring her front doorstep. He told her it was 30 cm high, 10 cm more than the maximum limit specified by building regulations. "I said it was ridiculous to say that the step is too high ... Nobody else has complained," the Citizen quoted Charbonneau as saying, adding that her elderly mother-in-law and people delivering newspapers had no trouble making it to the front door. A Canada Post spokeswoman told the newspaper that Charbonneau had to reduce the size of the step to 20 cm or move her mailbox. Charbonneau dismissed the demands as outrageous. </td></tr></table>  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Buddhist Monk turf battles?  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Here's something you don't expect to see... Tue May 31, 9:30 AM ET BANGKOK (Reuters) - Five Thai Buddhist monks have been defrocked and fined after a brawl with monks from a nearby temple, police and newspapers said Tuesday. The street fight was the culmination of years of antagonism between monks from the two temples who had often exchanged curses, insults and rude gestures as they collected alms on different sides of a road, the Manager newspaper said. "When an ordinary person is given a middle-finger sign, he will be mad. So am I," it quoted one of the defrocked monks, Boonlert Boonpan, as saying after the brawl in the northeastern state of Nong Khai Monday. Boonlert said he usually carried a knuckle-duster in his shoulder bag during the morning collection of alms on which Bhuddist monks depend, it said. Boonlert and the four other monks, all aged between 15 and 28, were each fined 1,000 baht ($25) by police for public brawling and were defrocked by senior monks, Wut Pomraksa, head of Nong Khai police station, told Reuters. But Boonlert was unrepentant. "If senators can fight in parliament, why can't monks?" he said. </td></tr></table>

Tom Flapwell · Postby **Tom Flapwell** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 1:05 pm

That Boonlert guy is absurd, thinking that monks should get to behave as badly as politicians. Let's face it: even devout Buddhists suck eggs sometimes.

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:29 pm

They get you when you least expect it.  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Jun 2, 4:09 PM EDT Man Injured in Toilet Blast Files Suit MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- A Pennsylvania man injured when a portable toilet exploded is suing a general contractor and a coal company for negligence. John Jenkins, 53, and his wife Ramona Jenkins, 35, of Brave, Pa., filed the lawsuit in Monongalia County Circuit Court on Tuesday. They are suing Chisler Inc., a general contractor from Fairview, and Eastern Associated Coal Corp. for $10 million in damages. The explosion occurred July 13, 2004, at Parrish Shaft in Blacksville. Jenkins, a North West Fuels Development Inc. methane power plant operator, entered a portable toilet, sat down and tried to light a cigarette. "When I struck the lighter, the whole thing just detonated - the whole top blew off," John Jenkins said. "I can't tell you if it blew me out the door or if I jumped out." The lawsuit says the cigarette ignited methane gas leaking from a pipe underneath the unit. Eastern Associated Coal Corp. owns the property where the explosion occurred. Chisler Inc. ran over the pipelines with heavy equipment before the incident, causing the methane gas leak, Jenkins alleges. The lawsuit also says there was no sign on the portable toilet warning that smoking, matches and open flames were forbidden. Jenkins had severe burns on his face, neck, arms, torso and legs. He is permanently disfigured, the lawsuit says. Eastern Associated Coal is a subsidiary of Peabody Energy. A call to that company's Charleston office was not immediately returned Thursday. A man who answered the phone at Chisler's office in Fairview said he was familiar with the lawsuit and the company would have no comment. He would not give his name. --- Information from: The Dominion Post, <a href='http://www.dominionpost.com' target='_blank'>http://www.dominionpost.com</a> 2005 The Associated Press.</td></tr></table>

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 4:28 am

This is just a really bad idea . . .  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Jun 3, 6:28 PM EDT Mo. Officer's Hamburger Laced With Meth DESLOGE, Mo. (AP) -- The police officer's Quarter Pounder with Cheese tasted a little funny, and for good reason: It was laced with methamphetamine. The incident happened in December in Desloge, Mo., about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis, but was not made public until Friday. Police Chief James Bullock told KMOV-TV in St. Louis that the officer went to McDonald's the day after Christmas and bought the sandwich, then took it back to the police station. "He thought it tasted kind of funny so he looked at the burger," Bullock said. "It looked like it had a foreign substance on it." The burger was sent to the Missouri Highway Patrol crime lab for testing and tested positive for meth. In a statement from McDonald's, John McCook, who owns and operates the Desloge restaurant, said safety and well-being of customers and employees "is always is our top priority." He said the chain is fully cooperating with the investigation. No charges have been filed, though Bullock said a young man who used to work at the restaurant is being scrutinized. That man's friends had trouble with the same officer years ago. Missouri is among the nation's hardest-hit states in terms of meth production and arrests. Police in Desloge and the surrounding counties make hundreds of meth arrests every year. 2005 The Associated Press</td></tr></table>

Zaaphod · Postby **Zaaphod** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 12:24 am

Yum! McMeth! <img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' />

VisibilityMissing · Postby **VisibilityMissing** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 12:18 am

Boy, that's a loaded headline for an article about cabs . . . What happens if you take an "unlucky" cab?  <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'>Quote: </td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Cab company calls in all losers Mon Jun 6, 9:15 AM ET BEIJING (Reuters) - Shanghai's biggest taxi company is calling in all cabs with an unlucky four in their license plate numbers to boost students' chances in this week's college entrance exams, the China Daily reported Monday. ADVERTISEMENT The word for "four" in Mandarin and Cantonese sounds like the word for "die" and in Shanghainese has the added connotation of being a loser. "Lots of parents refuse to take cabs with number plates which they consider unlucky, and we've seen many of them get angry at us because we have used them to carry their children in past years," a Shanghai Dazhong Taxi Co. official was quoted as saying. Parents and children across China do everything they can to maximize their chances of success in the rigorous annual test, which is the ticket to higher education and a fighting chance in the country's increasingly competitive job market. The high pressure that surrounds the exam has turned cheating into an underground industry. Police around China had recently cracked 28 cases in which suspects advertised text message exam answers for sale, Xinhua news agency said. "Last year, several people, including college teachers, were convicted of selling test papers of national college English proficiency exams for illegal profits and sentenced to jail terms," it said. More than 8.6 million students around China would sit for the four-day test this year, the agency said. </td></tr></table>

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