World War I Grenade Discovered Among Potatoes At Hong Kong Potato Chip Factory

Hong Kong police destroyed a German-made grenade from World War I on Saturday morning after the decades-old device made a surprise appearance in a shipment of imported potatoes at a local potato chip factory. 

The grenade, described by authorities as having been caked with mud and dirt, was discovered by workers at a factory run by Japanese snack maker Calbee, South China Morning Post reported. 

Police said they used a “high-pressure water firing technique” to safely detonate the weapon.

Superintendent Wilfred Wong Ho Hon said the “the grenade was imported from France together with the other potatoes,” CNN reported. 

Dave Macri, a military historian, told the Morning Post that the grenade had likely been dug up by accident by potato harvesters in France.

“If it was covered in mud, the grenade was likely to have been left behind, dropped by soldiers there during the war, or left there after it was thrown” by enemies, Macri said.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/grenade-hong-kong-potato_us_5c56ddf6e4b087104754477c ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Groundhog Doesn't See His Shadow, Predicting Spring Will Come Early

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — It may be hard to believe as a large swath of the U.S. thaws out from a bitter polar vortex, but spring is coming early, according to handlers for some of the country’s most famous prognosticating groundhogs.

Just before 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Punxsutawney (puhnk-suh-TAW’-nee) Phil emerged from his burrow in Pennsylvania at sunrise and didn’t see his shadow. Nearly the same series of events unfolded about 300 miles (483 kilometers) to the east, where Staten Island Chuck’s handlers also revealed the same prediction.

The festivities have their origin in a German legend that says if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter continues. If not, spring comes early.

In reality, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill just outside Punxsutawney. That’s about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio stopped attending Staten Island’s Groundhog Day ceremony in 2015, a year after he accidentally dropped the furry critter that died a week later.

And he wasn’t the only New York City mayor who struggled with the holiday. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg was bitten at a Groundhog Day ceremony in 2009.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/groundhog-doesn-t-see-his-shadow-predicting-early-spring_us_5c5 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

German Sausage Museum Reconsiders Move To Nazi Camp Site

BERLIN (AP) — A German sausage museum apparently won’t move to the site of a former Nazi camp for slave laborers after news of the plan triggered strong criticism.

The German Bratwurst Museum was slated to move to an area on the outskirts of the eastern town of Muehlhausen that was once a satellite site for the larger Buchenwald concentration camp. That drew criticism from Jewish leaders and others.

Uwe Keith, the head of the association that operates the museum, was quoted late Friday as telling Bild newspaper that “we definitely won’t build there.” He told news agency dpa the group had discovered the site’s history only Wednesday and will launch a “complete re-evaluation.” It had been offered the site by a private investor who bought it from the German government in 2008.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/germany-sausage-museum-reconsiders-move-to-nazi-camp-site_us_5c ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Florida Girl Stole Papa John's Delivery Car To Visit Boyfriend: Police

A 14-year-old Florida girl is facing grand theft charges after she allegedly stole a pizza delivery driver’s car early Wednesday morning.

Police in Lee County said Josie Bigelow ordered two pizzas and had them sent to a neighbor’s house in Lehigh Heights.

When the driver went to the door to deliver the pizzas, Bigelow allegedly popped out of some nearby bushes and stole his unlocked 2006 Ford Taurus, according to The Smoking Gun.

The driver, 49-year-old Christopher Cook, told deputies he was walking to the front door when he saw a person come out from the woods, get into his car and drive away along a canal, according to Fort Myers station WBBH.

Police said Bigelow first drove to Lehigh Acres Middle School, but when a policeman approached the car, she drove off quickly. Her wild ride was tracked by a police helicopter, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

She was eventually apprehended about six miles away from her house.

Bigelow was charged with grand theft of an automobile and taken to a Juvenile Assessment center. She was later released.

Bigelow’s father, Joseph Bigelow, told WBBH that his daughter’s plan was to meet her boyfriend.

“I sent the cop text messages of her and her boyfriend talking about robbing people and all that,” he said, adding this daughter “needs a (rear end) whipping ... That, and jail.” 

Meanwhile, Cook gave the pizzas that were ordered under false pretenses to the responding officers.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/josie-bigelow-florida-teen-grand-theft_us_5c546fdee4b043e25b1c3 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

This Kid's About To Get An Explosive Lesson In Using Fireworks Over A Manhole

A boy in China was lucky to escape with his life after playing with fireworks and triggering an explosion that ripped the sidewalk apart. 

Footage from the scene in Chifeng City in Inner Mongolia showed the boy either dropping one of the fireworks into a manhole or allowing the sparks to fall in. That ignited the methane gas trapped inside, causing the sidewalk to erupt.

No one was injured in the blast ― not even the boy, who could be heard afterward telling his mother that he was scared ― but three cars were damaged.   

Methane trapped in sewers may be more common than many people realize. A 2014 study in Washington, D.C. found thousands of leaks causing methane to build up in the system, including a dozen manholes where just a small spark could trigger an explosion, according to Gizmodo. 

 

(h/t Digg) 



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/china-manhole-fireworks-explosion_us_5c53d468e4b043e25b1ae4e2 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Bats Invade Spurs-Nets NBA Game, So They Called In A Bat Catcher

Here’s something that you will rarely hear at an NBA game: “There’s guano on the court.”

Those were the words of a broadcaster while a handful of bats swarmed the San Antonio Spurs-Brooklyn Nets game at AT&T Center in San Antonio Thursday.

Bat catchers were summoned. Actually they were security guards with nets, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

Many players fled. One Spurs player, Pau Gasol, playfully readied his towel in the video below.

But contact with the creatures is not a good idea. Ten years ago, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili actually swatted a bat in the same arena with his hand. He was later subjected to 16 rounds of rabies shots just in case. Ginobili, who said the bat flew away when it was released outside the arena, also expressed regret for his actions because bats are a “great part of the ecosystem.”

Former Spurs great David Robinson mentioned Ginobili’s name in a tweet. 

Thursday’s game resumed after a few minutes, Sports Illustrated reported. The Spurs won, 117-114.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bats-spurs-nets-nba_us_5c543ef0e4b0bdf0e7da6b69 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Horse Stuck In Tree Rescued By Chain Saw-Wielding Town Marshal

WINFIELD, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana town marshal wielding a chain saw rescued a horse that became wedged between two branches of a tree trunk amid subzero cold .

Winfield Town Marshal Dan Ball says the horse somehow became stuck in the multi-trunked tree Wednesday morning in the town about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of Gary.

He told The (Northwest Indiana) Times that he feared the horse might die because it collapsed at one point and was growing weak with the temperature hovering near minus 20 degrees (minus 28 Celsius).

But when a neighbor brought a chain saw to the scene, Ball braved the frigid conditions for 45 minutes to cut away branches until the horse was able to pull free.

The horse then managed to walk back to its barn and eat breakfast.

___

Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/horse-stuck-in-tree_us_5c533c09e4b043e25b1a5300 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Baby Orangutan's Paternity Test Has Surprise Worthy Of Maury Povich

BERLIN (AP) — A paternity test on a baby orangutan has come back with a surprising result.

Basel Zoo in northwestern Switzerland said Thursday the test showed 5-month-old Padma wasn’t fathered by the male in her enclosure.

Keepers routinely take DNA samples from newborn orangutans because the endangered great apes are part of a breeding program.

Researchers at Basel University’s forensic laboratory compared Padma’s DNA to that of Budi, a 14-year-old male living in the same enclosure as the baby’s mother, Maja.

They found it didn’t match Budi’s DNA. Instead, it matched 18-year-old orangutan Vendel, who lives in the next enclosure.

It appears that for Maja and Vendel, the dominant male at Basel Zoo, the dividing fence was no obstacle to some monkey business.

___

Basel Zoo: https://www.zoobasel.ch/en/aktuell/index.php



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/who-s-the-daddy-surprise-in-swiss-orangutan-paternity-test_us_5 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Pungent 'J-Queen' Durian Fruits Sell For $1,000 In Indonesia

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An Indonesian variety of the durian - a pungent, spiky fruit considered a delicacy across many parts of Asia — has been sold in a store on the island of Java for a hefty $1,000 per fruit.

The “J-Queen” durian was selected by a panel of farmers in a region of central Java because it was deemed to have a special taste and texture, said Sudarno, a farmer who grew the fruit.

Two of the rare durians, which were displayed in a perspex case in a store in Tasikmalaya in the neighboring province, were sold for 14 million rupiah ($1,002) each, said Sudarno, who uses one name like many Indonesians.

Asked why anyone would pay such a high price, he said the harvest from this particular tree had failed in past seasons, but a new fertilizer helped to produce fruit this year.

“It’s sweet..fluffy and delicious,” Sudarno said by phone, describing the texture as creamy like butter.

Durian are often grown in family orchards or small-scale farms and are hugely popular in many parts of Asia.

Sometimes described as smelling like an open sewer or turpentine when ripe, durian are banned in some airports, public transport and hotels in Southeast Asia.

Sudarno said most of the 20 durians produced by his tree were premature, but four were offered for sale. Two were sold and the others pulled from display after their quality faded.

He did not know who bought the fruit.

($1 = 13,970.0000 rupiah)



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/durians-sell-1000-indonesia_us_5c5393bee4b01d3c1f11ec01 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Would-Be Bank Robber Rips Up Note After Getting Cold Feet

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — Police in Massachusetts are looking for a woman they say intended to rob a bank but got cold feet and left without a penny.

Fall River police tell the Herald News that the woman walked into the Fall River Municipal Credit Union on Monday afternoon and approached a teller.

Police say the woman hesitated, told the teller “give me a minute,” and went to a counter and wrote on a piece of paper.

But she ripped up the note, dropped the pieces in the trash and walked out.

Bank employees pieced the note together and it said: “Give me the money.”

Anyone who recognizes the woman in surveillance images is asked to contact Fall River police.

___

Information from: The (Fall River, Mass.) Herald News, http://www.heraldnews.com



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/police-would-be-bank-robber-gets-cold-feet-rips-up-note_us_5c51 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

United Airlines Ejects Fat-Shaming Passenger From Flight

A woman sitting in the center seat on a United Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Newark, New Jersey was reportedly removed from the plane after she fat-shamed the passengers who were seated next to her.

The incident happened before takeoff on New Year’s Day. A video of what occurred was recorded by Norma Rodgers, an oncology nurse who was seated next to the fat-shamer, and went viral in recent days.

The unidentified passenger in the center seat was talking on her cellphone, and complaining that she was “stuck” between Rodgers and her traveling companion. Rodgers then asked the flight attendant to find the woman another seat, adding that she would “not be verbally abused by this bitch or anybody else.”

The woman said: “I can’t sit here because they’re both so big. Left and right. I can’t even sit here.”

The flight attendant offered the woman another seat. As the woman stood to change seats, she announced: “I eat salad.”

Other passengers, including Jonathan Fernandez of the VH1 reality show “Love & Hip Hop New York,” told the woman she was disgusting.

“Why don’t you sit in between those two big pigs?” the woman replied. 

United then removed the woman from the flight before it took off and said in a statement that it provided her with “alternate travel arrangements first thing the next morning.”

Check out the video to see how the whole thing went down.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/united-airlines-fat-shaming-passenger_us_5c5128dee4b0d9f9be6a57 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Never, Ever Forget Your Helmet: Cyclist's Horrific Deer Crash Caught On Camera

A bicyclist had a close encounter with a deer in Arizona at 40 miles an hour ― and based on the footage of the run-in, they were both lucky to walk away in one piece.

Reed (yes, “deer” spelled backward) Soehnel was cycling down Mt. Lemmon outside of Tucson last week when the deer ran across the road.

As the video shows, Soehnel went over the handlebars, flipping completely over, with his head and shoulders absorbing much of the impact. 

Fortunately, he was wearing a helmet.

“I was fully alert and (had) no concussion symptoms the entire time, so that’s why the decision was made to not involve an ambulance, although I was in a decent amount of pain,” Soehnel told the Arizona Daily Star.

Somehow, both the cyclist and the deer managed to escape without serious injury.

“The end result is a shattered bicycle, some road rash, and a broken foot,” Soehnel wrote in his YouTube description. “You can see my back wheel in the video, we were both very lucky it wasn’t worse.”

The deer could be seen in the background running back into the forest. 



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/deer-vs-cyclist-video_us_5c4fe27ce4b0d9f9be687b52 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Woman Reunited With Message In A Bottle She Tossed Into The Sea Years Ago

A British woman experienced a real blast from the past when a message in a bottle that she threw into the sea more than 17 years ago was returned to her.

Emily Edwards, 25, said she was a 7-year-old vacationing in Wales when she wrote a note to her future self and tossed it into the ocean.

Edwards forgot about the bottle until a runner named Sam Hammond found it last week, almost 60 miles away from where she dropped it into the briny blue, according to the BBC.

The ink had faded over the years, and all Hammond could recognize was Emily’s name and a postal code for Telford, where she lived at the time she wrote the note.

Hammond’s mum, Sue Cookson, told the BBC that her son found the bottle on the beach, and the family thought it would be fun to try and reunite it with the sender.

That happened after a photo of the faded note was posted on social media. 

Edwards was stunned when she realized her past was coming back to haunt her.

“I phoned my dad looking for confirmation that I wasn’t going mad, but he confirmed that I did send the message as a 7-year-old,” she said, according to Inside Edition.

“Can’t get my head around how it hasn’t been picked up as litter or anything like that” before now, she added.

Edwards now hopes to repeat the message-in-a-bottle routine with her own infant daughter.

“It’s a brilliant story to tell my little girl when she’s older and we can try doing the same when she understands a bit more and hopefully maybe hers will come back one day,” she added.

You can see Edwards open up the bottle in the video below:



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/emily-edwards-message-in-a-bottle_us_5c4f3d28e4b0f43e41099c06 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Cops Rescue Toddler Who Got Stuck In His Own Toy

A 20-month-old boy in New Jersey couldn’t wait to play with his new toy. 

Unfortunately, he’s the one that ended up getting played, after he got stuck inside the toy ― which was a box designed to teach shapes.

The boy’s mom, Soona Choe, told CBS New York that her son, Luca, somehow climbed into the box.

“It’s kind of comical if you think about the situation,” she told the station. “He got in, got wedged in, and he couldn’t get out.”

Somehow, the child climbed inside and wedged his legs and knees inside. 

Choe said when she realized just how stuck her son was, she had to call 911 ― which was a bit embarrassing.

“I’m like, ‘My kid’s stuck in a toy,’ and they’re like, ‘What kind of toy, what do you mean?’” Choe said, according to Inside Edition.

Sergeant Rick Hernandez, the Fort Lee police officer who responded to the call, admitted the incident was kind of amusing.

“It was a priceless expression on his face. He looked a little bit embarrassed about the situation,” Hernandez told MyHighPlains.com.

Although Hernandez says a truck carrying the jaws-of-life was on its way to the scene, he managed to free Luca just from his own sheer strength.

“I asked Mom if I could break it, [and] she said ‘I tried, you can give it a shot,’” he told the website. “I was able to get off the front panel, it cracked.”

Luca is back to playing with the toy, but his mother said she plans to keep the toy and remind him of the incident, presumably for the rest of his life.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/luca-choe-stuck-in-toy_us_5c4f8011e4b0f43e410a0176 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Man Clings To Hood Of SUV In High-Speed Road-Rage Incident

A 65-year-old man clung to the hood of an SUV as it traveled at speeds of up to 70 miles an hour following a road rage incident on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

The man, Richard Kamrowski, and the driver of the SUV, 37-year-old Mark Fitzgerald, were involved in a minor sideswipe on Saturday and had pulled over to exchange information, Fox News reported. When the men got into an argument, Fitzgerald began to drive away. That’s when Kamrowski jumped on the hood of Fitzgerald’s SUV.

“I thought he was going to run over me and I don’t know I don’t think he stopped he just kept going fast then slow, fast then slow trying to get me to slide off and I wasn’t getting off the car,” Kamrowski told WFXT.

Ultimately, other drivers ― including one with a gun ― persuaded Fitzgerald to stop his vehicle.

Massachusetts State Police arrested both Fitzgerald and Kamrowski, WFXT reported. Fitzgerald faces charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, negligent driving and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage. Kamrowski was charged with disorderly conduct.

The man with the gun was not charged.

Check out the harrowing video above.  

 



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/road-rage-incident-massachusetts-turnpike_us_5c4e9207e4b0e1872d ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

These Weird But Wonderful Gifts Will Definitely Spice Up Valentine's Day

Of all the gift-giving holidays, perhaps Valentine’s Day is the most fraught with danger.

Some Valentines have such high expectations that they end up being disappointed when they get the same cliche candy, flowers or sex apparel.

Booooooooring!

Luckily, with our guide you don’t have to worry about disappointing your Valentine (because you probably will ― see? No more stress!).

But if you’re dating someone who would be disappointed to receive a 6-foot gummy cobra, a marijuana bouquet or a purse shaped like a bloody butcher knife, trust us: You don’t want them in your life.

Meanwhile, anyone who loves the gifts below (or is at least willing to fake enthusiasm) is a real keeper.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/weird-valentines-day-gifts-2019_us_5c3e6ea7e4b0e0baf54228b3 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Trump Wanted His Disney Animatronic To Brag About His Skyscrapers, New Book Says

President Donald Trump reportedly wanted to tweak the script of his animatronic likeness at Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents attraction to make a quick boast.

The iconic attraction has for decades added new animatronics for each president as they’re elected, complete with audio. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all recorded dialogue for the attraction. In Trump’s case, however, he wanted to personalize the speech with a boast about his pre-presidential business activities.

According to the book “Team of Vipers” by Cliff Sims, who served as director of White House message strategy, the president wanted to add a line about how Americans invented the skyscraper, The Daily Beast reported.

“Then I could add a little, ‘Which, of course, I know a thing or two about,’ right?” Trump reportedly said.

Disney objected, noting that a skyscraper wasn’t really an “invention” but “just a taller building,” and Sims removed the line from Trump’s script, The Daily Beast reported, citing an advance copy of the book. 



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-hall-of-presidents-skyscrapers_us_5c4a97f9e4b0287e5b89596 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Man Says Emotional Support Alligator Helps His Depression

YORK HAVEN, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man says his emotional support alligator helps him deal with his depression.

Sixty-five-year-old Joie Henney, of York Haven, says his registered emotional support animal named Wally likes to snuggle and give hugs, despite being a 5-foot-long alligator. Philly.com reports Henney says he received approval from his doctor to use Wally as his emotional support animal after not wanting to go on medication for depression.

Wally was rescued from outside Orlando at 14 months old. Henney says Wally eats chicken wings and shares an indoor plastic pond with a smaller rescue alligator named Scrappy.

Henney acknowledges that Wally is still a dangerous wild animal and could probably tear his arm off, but says he’s never been afraid of him.

___

Information from: Philly.com, http://www.philly.com/



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/emotional-support-alligator-joie-henney_us_5c49f656e4b06ba6d3bb ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Student Allegedly Calls In Hoax Bomb Threat To Avoid Seeing Parents

An EasyJet flight taking off in France had to be diverted last week because of a fake bomb threat.

On Jan. 18, flight EZY4319 from Lyon to Rennes was in the air when authorities received an anonymous call that suggested a bomb could be on the plane.

The pilots returned to Lyon, but no bomb was found.

Authorities investigating the call said the person behind the threat was a 23-year-old college student in Rennes. He allegedly didn’t want his parents, who were on the flight, to visit him, according to the Mirror.

Police took the unidentified suspect into custody and have charged him with “false news compromising the safety of an aircraft in flight,” according to the Independent.

His next court date is May 21.

If convicted, the alleged hoaxer could face up to five years in prison and a fine of nearly $85,000, the Independent reported.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/easyjet-bomb-threat-guy-see-parents_us_5c4a2c42e4b06ba6d3bb82b7 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Runaway Emus Finally Captured After Day On The Lam

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Police in coastal Texas have captured a pair of runaway emus that had been on the lam for a day after escaping from their owner's backyard.

Emus aren't permitted in Galveston, but police say a man recently brought the large, flightless birds to the island after the death of his mother. She'd owned them at her home near Houston.

The Galveston County Daily News reports the emus escaped their new owner's backyard sometime Monday. Police recaptured the birds near an elementary school Tuesday morning.

Officials say the birds' owner didn't realize Galveston had a ban on emus and that he's working with authorities to find an off-island home for them.

___

Information from: The Galveston County Daily News, http://www.galvnews.com



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/police-capture-pair-of-runaway-emus-in-coastal-texas_us_5c48a4c ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Arizona Lawmaker Wants Porn To Fund Trump's Border Wall

A GOP lawmaker wants to fund President Donald Trump’s border wall by squeezing money out of every Arizonan who patronizes pornographic websites.

Republican state Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, recently introduced House Bill 2444, which would require electronics manufacturers to preinstall porn-blocking software on all electronic devices bought or sold in the state, the Arizona Mirror reported.

To deactivate the blocking software, a person would have to prove they are at least 18 years old and pay a one-time fee of $20 to the Arizona Commerce Authority. Manufacturers or retailers could also charge a fee for disabling it, according to the bill. Anyone who deactivates the blocker themselves would face a misdemeanor charge. 

The money collected by the state, according to the proposal, would form a number of grants, which would, among other things, help sex abuse victims and fund the president’s proposed border wall.

The bill defines pornographic content as “patently offensive” material that lacks “literary, artistic, political or scientific value.” It references the banning of “revenge porn” websites and addresses specific anatomical areas that cannot be visible in images:

Less than completely and opaquely covered human genitals, pubic region, buttock or female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola [and] human male genitals in a discernibly turgid state, whether covered or uncovered.

Mike Stabile, a spokesman for the Free Speech Coalition, told the Arizona Mirror the proposal amounts to a tax on media content and would violate the First Amendment.

“It’s pretty clearly unconstitutional,” said Stabile, whose organization advocates for the adult entertainment industry.

Similar bills have been proposed, including one last year by GOP Virginia state Rep. Dave LaRock, who wanted Virginians to pay a $20 fee to unblock content on adult websites. The bill stalled on the Senate floor.

According to the Arizona Mirror, the bill appears to be linked to a man named Chris Sevier. Last year, Sevier was reportedly issued a cease and desist by child safety activist Elizabeth Smart, who apparently did not approve of him using her name on a similar bill introduced in Rhode Island.

Sevier first made headlines in 2013, when he accused Apple of being responsible for his porn addiction. He was in the news again in 2017, when he sued Utah for refusing to recognize his marriage to his laptop. The lawsuit was thrown out last year.

“He’s been doing this all across the country,” Stabile told the Arizona Mirror, adding “he’s a bit of a jokester.”

Send David Lohr an email or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/arizona-lawmaker-wants-porn-tax-to-fund-trumps-border-wall_us_5 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

84-year-old Boston Man Hailed As 'Octopus Whisperer'

BOSTON (AP) — Wilson Menashi palmed a squid in his left hand and extended his arm into an aquarium tank, watching as a giant Pacific octopus stretched out arms to greet him like a friend.

Freya latched some of her 2,240 suction cups onto Menashi’s arm, using their powers of taste and smell to gather information around the 84-year-old man known as the octopus whisperer — and the seafood treats he was bearing.

“She’s just contacting me and she’s saying, ‘You come to me,’” Menashi said of Freya, a 3-year-old predator weighing 35 to 40 pounds (18 kilograms). Her arms span 14 feet (4 meters) and pack enough strength to kill sharks and other enemies.

But this afternoon’s gentle interaction left no doubt that Menashi has a special way with the cephalopod, whose body includes a large, sac-like head and eight powerful arms.

More than 25 years ago, Menashi retired after a career as a chemical engineer and began volunteering at the New England Aquarium in Boston. He’s spent 7,800 hours — the equivalent of about four years working full time — hanging out with octopuses, the aquarium said.

“I’ve been able to interact with them from the beginning. I do not know why. I cannot explain it, but I can connect with them,” Menashi said, standing in front of the Olympic Coast Sanctuary exhibit that is home to Freya and Professor Ludwig Von Drake, a younger male giant Pacific octopus living in a separate tank.

Menashi’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he acknowledged that encounters with octopus have left a mark on him.

“I will come back home sometimes with hickeys all over my arm and my neck,” he said.

So how did he explain them to his wife?

“Not too difficult when you have about 10 or 15 marks next to each other,” he said. “It did not take too much. She also knew where I was, anyway.”

Menashi’s volunteer work has included designing puzzle boxes for octopus as well as rubbing their backs and wrestling their arms, all intended to ensure that the highly intelligent animals receive the mental stimulation to thrive and stay healthy.

Two decades of working with the largest members of the octopus species has not dulled his sense of wonder at the animal’s adaptability and mysteries.

Experiments have shown these animals to be color blind, but they are supreme masters of camouflage. A complex system of pigment cells, nerves and muscles allows them to change skin color in the blink of an eye to match their surroundings.

“What I find totally surprising is how they could tell different people and react differently,” Menashi said. “I’ve also made them a few toys, made up some boxes and ... I put different latches so they could get in and figure out how to get the food that I put in the boxes. However, I’ve had some that said, ‘It’s too much time to figure out how you do the latch.’ So they just crushed the box.”

That eye for detail, patience and willingness to experiment makes Menashi a perfect octopus whisperer, said Bill Murphy, a senior aquarist.

“Every octopus is different. So then you can’t use the same rules for every octopus,” Murphy said. “You need to change it up. And Wilson does that.”

Menashi said spending time with octopuses and other animals gives his life a whole new purpose in retirement.

“Just being here has been, to me, a lifesaver,” he said. “Gave me something to do. Gave me different interests and showed me the world is a wonderful place to be.”



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/wilson-menashi-octopus-whisperer_us_5c475a71e4b0a8dbe175b517 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

David Schwimmer Look-Alike Suspect Doesn't Look THAT Much Like Ross From 'Friends'

British authorities have arrested a suspected thief whose “Wanted” image went viral last year due to his purported likeness to Ross Geller, the character played by David Schwimmer in the hit sitcom “Friends.”

But many people now think the man, who police identified this week as 36-year-old Abdulah Husseini, doesn’t really look like his alleged television doppelganger at all:

Police in Blackpool first released the grainy CCTV image of the suspect in October. It showed him appearing to take a crate of beer from a restaurant:

The picture quickly went viral after people online noted the man’s likeness to Schwimmer’s character. It also caught the attention of Schwimmer himself, who posted a spoof video declaring his innocence:

Lancashire police said Monday that officers arrested Husseini in London last Thursday after he allegedly failed to appear at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court in December on theft and fraud charges.

He had also been wanted by London’s Metropolitan Police service on further charges of theft and handling stolen goods. He is slated to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ross-friends-lookalike-david-schwimmer-arrested_us_5c46fcfee4b0 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Moose Chases Skiers At Colorado Resort

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (AP) — A woman, in an effort to warn others of the dangers of moose, posted a video on social media of a moose charging skiers and snowboarders at a ski resort.

The Summit Daily News reports Lauren Drogsvold captured the video Saturday at Breckenridge Ski Resort.

The video shows a large bull moose approach and then charge a crowd of people. There were no reports of injuries.

Resort CEO John Buhler recently said staff tries to prevent guests from approaching the highly territorial herbivores, which are generally peaceful but can turn aggressive when they feel threatened.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Mike Porras says the agency has jurisdiction over moose. He says wildlife officers are the only law enforcement personnel that can decide when to tranquilize and move a moose.

___

Information from: Summit Daily News, http://www.summitdaily.com/



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/video-captures-moose-chasing-skiers-at-colorado-resort_us_5c461 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Man Hospitalized After Injecting Own Semen To Treat Back Pain

A new study published in the Irish Medical Journal recounts the case of a 33-year-old man who was hospitalized after repeatedly injecting himself with semen to relieve chronic back pain.

“This is the first reported case of semen injection for use as a medical treatment,” doctors in Dublin wrote in the case study, titled “‘Semenly’ Harmless Back Pain: An Unusual Presentation of a Subcutaneous Abscess.”

The man’s handmade remedy was reportedly discovered when he showed up at a doctor’s office complaining of severe back pain. While examining the patient, a physician noticed the man’s right arm appeared swollen and inflamed.

The explanation the man gave was one the doctor likely never expected.

“The patient disclosed that he had intravenously injected his own semen as an innovative method to treat back pain,” doctors wrote in the study. “He had devised this ‘cure’ independent of any medical advice.”

The man reportedly said he had purchased a hypodermic needle online and had been injecting himself once a month for the past 18 months. Before visiting the doctor, he said he hurt his lower back while lifting a heavy object and gave himself three doses, according to the study.

The semen reportedly entered the man’s blood vessels and muscles. An X-ray revealed air trapped beneath the man’s skin, and he was immediately hospitalized, according to the study.

Doctors treated the man with intravenous antimicrobial therapy. His back pain reportedly subsided, and he discharged himself without having the infected area drained.

The report’s doctors conducted a “comprehensive review” of medical literature and were unable to find any other cases of intravenous semen injection.

The study concludes with a warning that medical experimentation is dangerous and it’s risky for untrained individuals to inject themselves with substances not intended for intravenous use.

Translation: Don’t inject yourself with anything without a doctor’s approval, including semen.

(H/T Gizmodo)

Send David Lohr an email or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/man-hospitalized-after-semen-injections_us_5c42034ae4b0bfa693c3 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com