Security Camera Catches Prowling Suspect Licking Doorbell For 3 Hours

A family in Salinas, California, might be ready to deliver a tongue-lashing to the prowler their security camera caught licking their doorbell ― for three hours.

Sylvia Dungan told local station KION-TV over the weekend the security system alerted the family to strange movement in the early morning.

“I thought, boy there’s a lot of traffic. I go, 5 in the morning? My son doesn’t get home till 6 a.m. Well then who the heck is that?” Dungan said.

She was even more shocked when she watched the video: Hours of a male trespasser licking the doorbell.

“I thought, ‘Oh boy, that is just weird,’” Dungan told CBS Sacramento.

The tongue-wagging trespasser didn’t stop there. Police said he also was caught on video appearing to urinate on the front lawn, according to KION.

Police said the suspect, Roberto Daniel Arroyo, 33, could face misdemeanor charges for petty theft and prowling, according to CBS Sacramento. As of  Tuesday afternoon, he remained at large. 

Dungan said there was no physical damage to her home, but her family spent the rest of the weekend sanitizing their doorbells, according to the station.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/doorbell-licker-caught-on-camera-salinas_us_5c34ea73e4b0116c11f ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Oklahoma Woman Brags About Poaching On Bumble Dating App

A woman who swiped right on Bumble wound up getting stung when the match she bragged to about poaching a “bigo buck” turned out to be a game warden.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, McIntosh County game warden Cannon Harrison was using the dating app in December when was notified he matched a woman in his area.

After exchanging greetings, the woman, whom authorities declined to identify, revealed she had just shot a “bigo buck” and was “pretty happy about it,” according to copies of the messages.

“Hell yeah,” Harrison replied. “Get em with a bow?”

“We don’t need to talk about that,” the woman replied.

When Harrison jokingly asked if she bagged the deer with a spotlight, she replied, “yeahhhh.”

The woman admitted to illegally harvesting a deer — at night and outside rifle season — and revealed where she shot it and shared a photo of herself posing with the dead animal.

“It definitely was a shock,” Harrison told Tulsa World. “First you think, ‘This isn’t real.’ You think, ‘Maybe she knows who I am and is teasing me,’ but we did some digging on who she was and where she lived.”

Turns out, the woman ended up meeting her match, albeit not in the manner in which she likely intended.

Harrison and his colleagues discovered she not only illegally shot the deer but also harvested only the head and backstrap meat, which is also illegal in Oklahoma.

The woman and an unidentified accomplice were ultimately fined $2,400 for improper possession of an illegally taken animal and taking game out of season, authorities said. The game commission did not pursue charges related to the spotlighting of the deer or the waste of the meat.

“You can’t just ignore a broken law that falls right in your lap, but [it] was kind of a bummer,” Harrison told Tulsa World. “She said it was her first deer ever, too.”

The game commission on Sunday shared photos and screenshots from the case on Facebook. The post has amassed more than 500 comments and 1,500 shares. 

The majority of commenters found humor in how the case developed, with one person joking, “I’m pretty sure a court date wasn’t the type of date she was looking for,” and another saying, “Bet he finds his future wife after all of this attention!”

If anything, the story should serve as a reminder that you truly never know who you are talking to online.

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



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oklahoma-woman-bragged-about-poaching-on-bumble-dating-app_us_5 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Giant 'Fatberg' Measuring 210 Feet Is Clogging Up British Sewer

LONDON (AP) — A British official says a giant “fatberg” has been found blocking a sewer in southwestern England: a mass of hardened fat, oil and baby wipes measuring 64 meters (210 feet) long.

Andrew Roantree of South West Water says it will “take our sewer team around eight weeks to dissect this monster in exceptionally challenging work conditions.”

He urged the public not to pour grease down the drain or flush baby wipes down the toilet, adding: “Don’t feed the fatberg.”

The revolting fat mass was discovered in drains in the coastal town of Sidmouth.

In 2017, a 250-meter (820-foot) fatberg was found in sewers beneath Whitechapel in east London. A chunk of that later went on display at the Museum of London, nestled inside transparent boxes.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/don-t-feed-the-fatberg-huge-mass-blocks-english-sewer_us_5c351e ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Adorable Dog Responding To Harry Potter Spells Is Pure Magic

This little dog is enchanting people around the world.

Remus, a 1-year-old miniature dachshund from Los Angeles, has an adorable talent for responding to Harry Potter spells.

Such as the levitation charm, Wingardium Leviosa:

The Avada Kedavra killing curse:

And the wand-lighting charm, Lumos:

LA-based actor and YouTuber Anna Brisbin began teaching her pup to respond to Harry Potter commands when he was just 2 months old, she said online. 

Check out the full clip on her Brizzy Voices channel here:

And follow more of Remus’ adventures via Instagram here:



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/harry-potter-dog-spells-trained_us_5c349c5ee4b0116c11f03e3d ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Watch A Guy Try To Steal A Bicycle From A Police Station

This would-be bicycle thief appears to be a few spokes short of a wheel.

Adam Valle is accused of trying to steal a locked two-wheeler right in front of a sign for the police department in Gladstone, Oregon, while cops inside watched on a surveillance camera.

The Associated Press’s edited video, below, shows the hoodie-wearing suspect approach the bike with bolt cutters, which he uses to clip off the lock before he’s caught in the act by an officer with a stun gun, according to the Gladstone PD’s Facebook page.

“Suspect arrested for attempting to steal a bike…From the PD!!!!” the police Facebook caption says.

Cops removed Valle’s hood and facemask and took him to jail within minutes of the Dec. 27 incident, KOIN of Portland reported.

Valle, 26, was charged with theft, criminal mischief and felon in possession of weapons, ABC News reported. He was released the next day after a court date was scheduled.

“It’s dumb, you know,” Sgt. Carl Bell of the Gladstone Police Department told ABC. “I have not actually seen something that blatant because the officers were inside watching on video camera.”



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bicycle-thief-police-station_us_5c2f9eb2e4b0bdd0de589009 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Someone Bought This Dead Fish For $3 Million

TOKYO (AP) — A 612-pound (278-kilogram) bluefin tuna sold for a record 333.6 million yen ($3 million) in the first auction of 2019, after Tokyo's famed Tsukiji market was moved to a new site on the city's waterfront.

The winning bid for the prized but threatened species at the predawn auction Saturday was more than double the 2013 annual New Year auction.

It was paid by Kiyomura Corp., whose owner Kiyoshi Kimura runs the Sushi Zanmai chain. Kimura has often won the annual auction in the past.

Japanese broadcaster NHK showed a beaming Kimura saying that he was surprised by the high price of tuna this year. But he added: "The quality of the tuna I bought is the best."

The auction prices are way above usual for bluefin tuna. The fish normally sells for up to $40 a pound ($88 a kilogram) but the price rises to over $200 a pound near the year's end, especially for prized catches from Oma in northern Japan.

Last year's auction was the last at Tsukiji before the market shifted to a new facility on a former gas plant site on Tokyo Bay. The move was delayed repeatedly due to concerns over soil contamination.

Japanese are the biggest consumers of the torpedo-shaped bluefin tuna, and surging consumption here and overseas has led to overfishing of the species. Experts warn it faces possible extinction, with stocks of Pacific bluefin depleted by 96 percent from their pre-industrial levels.

"The celebration surrounding the annual Pacific bluefin auction hides how deeply in trouble this species really is," said Jamie Gibbon, associate manager for global tuna conservation at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

There are signs of progress toward protecting the bluefin, and Japan and other governments have backed plans to rebuild Pacific bluefin stocks, with a target of 20 percent of historic levels by 2034.

Decades-old Tsukiji was one of Japan's most popular tourist destinations as well as the world's biggest fish market. The new market opened in October. A few businesses stayed in Tsukiji but nearly all of the 500-plus wholesalers and other businesses shifted to Toyosu.

Tsukiji is due to be redeveloped, though for now it's being turned into a parking lot for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bluefin-sold-for-3-million-in-1st-2019-sale-at-tokyo-market_us_ ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Wanton Squirrel Scarfs Egg Roll As Twitter Drools

Only in New York would a squirrel be so used to take-out that he clearly knows his way around an egg roll. 

Twitter user WhatIsNY captured the self-possessed rodent daintily snacking on his treat in a tree and posted the video online. The squirrel instantly became a viral hit, complete with his own hashtag: #EggRollSquirrel.

Fans with growling stomachs thought he definitely was on to something:



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/squirrel-chomps-on-egg-roll-twitter-drools_us_5c2ef8d5e4b0407e9 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

The Most Profound ‘Shower Thoughts’ On Reddit This Week

The shower isn’t just a place to sing. Separated from our cellphones, standing under running water often allows people’s minds to run free.

Reddit has an entire “Shower Thoughts” subreddit dedicated to “the miniature epiphanies you have that highlight the oddities within the familiar.” In honor of those weird, wonderful and sometimes profound musings, here are some of the best posts from the last week:



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/reddit-shower-thoughts-january-4-2019_us_5c2f5955e4b0407e908ab8 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Woman Catches A 'River Monster' And Has The Footage To Prove It

Paula Cathey Smith caught a whopper ― and she earned it.

The angler posted a nearly 12-minute video last weekend of her reeling in a huge catfish dubbed a “River Monster” by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Smith hooked the 88-pound blue catfish in Kentucky Lake, which borders Kentucky and Tennessee. The experience was “awesome,” she told HuffPost on Thursday.

Smith told the Tennessean that as soon as she dipped a fresh gizzard into the water, it bit.

“I never in my life seen a fish this big,” said Smith, who later released the fish.

The fish is Smith’s personal best in terms of weight, the Tennessee agency wrote, but she has her eye on a bigger catch.

“My goal is to beat the state record of 112 (pounds),” she told HuffPost.

H/T For The Win

 



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/blue-catfish-river-monster-tennessee_us_5c2e10c0e4b05c88b7066e1 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Woman Discovers Drunk Guy Sleeping With Her 150-Pound Mastiff

A 150-pound mastiff in Wisconsin woke up on New Year’s Day with an unexpected bed partner.

Waukesha nurse Lynn Sarver said she found a strange man sleeping with her massive mastiff, Benton, on a doggie bed on New Year’s morning.

“I woke up and saw someone over here on this dog bed,” Sarver told Milwaukee station WITI. She said she and her roommate “ran into the kitchen ― grabbed a knife. Then we were scared.”

The women called 911 and reported the intrusion. 

“He was out. Even when I went to pull off Benton, the guy didn’t move,” Sarver told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Arriving police officers woke the sleeping man and asked him if he knew where he was. The man said he needed his glasses.

“Once he put them on and looked around, he said, ‘Oh yeah, this is not my house,’” Sarver said.

Benton’s unexpected sleeping partner turned out to be a 21-year-old neighbor who somehow confused his home with Sarver’s and entered it through an unlocked side door, according to WISN-TV.

Police said the man was heavily intoxicated and helped get him to the right place. No charges were filed.

Meanwhile, Sarver, who got Benton for protection, is in the awkward position of defending her dog’s honor.

“My dog is pretty smart. He could probably tell this kid wasn’t a threat,” she told the Journal-Sentinel.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lynn-sarver-drunk-guy-sleeping-dog-bed_us_5c2e3301e4b0407e90892 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Krispy Kreme Delivers Pastries To Officers Mourning Loss Of Doughnut Truck

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Krispy Kreme has stepped in to comfort Kentucky police officers mourning the loss of a doughnut truck that caught fire.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the company and a police escort delivered dozens of doughnuts to the city police department Wednesday afternoon.

Officer Kyle Mounce says no one was injured when a Krispy Kreme truck caught fire in the city on Monday, but the truck’s doughnuts were ruined. The fire’s cause was unclear as of Monday.

Lexington police shared posts on social media of the burned truck and officers jokingly mourning the loss.

The posts were widely shared online and police departments across the country offered their condolences. The chief marketing officer for Krispy Kreme, Dave Skena, says the company wanted to comfort the department in their time of sorrow.

___

Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/krispy-kreme-delivers-doughnuts-to-officers-over-pastry-loss_us ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Astronaut Reveals How Surprisingly Easy It Is To Call 911 From Space

A Dutch astronaut has revealed he accidentally dialled 911 while orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

André Kuipers told Netherlands’ public broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting that he accidentally missed an important number when trying to make a long-distance call from outer space.

“If you’re in space, it’s like you’re making a call via Houston, first you dial the 9 for an outside line, and then 011 for an international line,” he said according to science and technology website Futurism.

Forgetting to dial 0, Kuipers accidentally set off an alarm at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“I made a mistake. The next day I received an email message: Did you call 911?” Kuipers said, before joking that he was “a little disappointed that they had not come up.”

It’s not the first time an astronaut has dialed the wrong number from the ISS. 

In 2015, Britain’s first astronaut, Tim Peake, insisted he hadn’t prank-called an unsuspecting woman from space but had instead dialed the wrong number.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/astronaut-911-emergency-space_us_5c2d956ce4b05c88b705b114 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Man Assaulted Convenience Store Employee With Banana, Police Say

This arrest was a little fruity.

A man in Des Moines, Iowa, was jailed on Monday after police said he assaulted a convenience store clerk with a banana.

Rogelio Tapia, 26, got into a dispute with an unnamed person at a QuikTrip Monday morning, according to local station KCCI-TV.

When a store clerk tried to intervene, witnesses said Tapia chased the clerk around the store, throwing a banana and other items at her, Patch Des Moines reported. The disturbance caused about $1,000 in damage to the store, police said.

Tapia was charged with assault on persons in certain occupations, simple assault, interference with official acts and third-degree criminal mischief. Jail records show he was later released.

The Des Moines Police Department posted a photo of the grim-faced arresting officer, and said on Facebook the incident was one of more than 270 New Year’s calls for police service.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rogelio-tapia-banana-assault_us_5c2cfd66e4b0407e908766b3 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Vancouver Restaurant Denies Serving Up Dead Rat In Chowder

A Vancouver restaurant has unequivocally denied claims it served a diner clam chowder with a dead rat in it. 

Last Thursday, Instagram user pisun_ne_ne shared a video of the alleged incident, showing what appears to be a rodent being pulled from a dish served by Crab Park Chowdery. 

The post is the first to be shared by the account in more than a year and while its caption includes a link to the user’s “active page”, many have cast doubt on its authenticity. 

HuffPost reached out to both accounts for comment however neither responded by the time of publication.

“Today my friend ordered Manhattan clam chowder and had a little surprise in it ― A RAT,” the caption reads. “It’s an awful feeling, it’s not a fly or a bug it’s a fucking big rat boiling in the soup pot, which means my friend was not the only [sic] who had a chance to try it ... My active page is @adelaiiine if you think this one is fake.”

In the video, an unidentified individual can be heard asking if the rat “is supposed to be in here.”

In a statement released Tuesday, the restaurant said an investigation had “unequivocally concluded there is no way this incident could have happened in our kitchen or as a result of any actions by our staff prior to being prepared and served.”

The restaurant has also encouraged any concerned diners to tour its facilities. 

“If any questions remain we implore you to come down and see our operation first hand, the safety measures in place and to meet our staff,” the statement read. “You will see for yourself just how much we all love what we do, our commitment to excellence and why we are so loved by the community.”

Crab Park Chowdery did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. However owner Ashton Phillips told the Vancouver Sun last week that it was “impossible” for the rat to have made its way into the meal. 

“We are deeply apologetic. We will continue to do everything we can to get to the bottom of this,” he said. “This business has been my dream. And we are a highly rated restaurant. It has been a really tough day ... we are tying to do the right thing.”

Citing the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, multiple local news outlets reported that the soup had been prepared offsite in a building belonging to another restaurant, Mamie Taylor’s. 

While that restaurant was closed for one day to allow officials to inspect it, it has since reopened. Owner Ron Oliver told Canada’s CTV News that he planned to sever ties with the Crab Park Chowdery following the incident.

“It’s nice to feel like I’ve been vindicated, it wasn’t us that was the problem. But at the same time, [Friday] was a very difficult day,” he said, according to the network. 



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/vancouver-dead-rat-chowder-restaurant_us_5c2c203be4b0407e9085d5 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Terrifying Wave Of 'Firenadoes' Is Like Something From An Apocalypse Movie

An out-of-control bonfire led to a frightening scene in the Netherlands as a wave of “firenadoes” swirled across a beach early Tuesday. 

The bonfire at Scheveningen, a district in The Hague, is part of an annual New Year’s Eve competition with the neighboring community of Duindorp, the BBC said.

This year, the bonfire made of old wooden pallets reached nearly 160 feet before it raged out of control and led to the firenadoes, also known as fire whirls. 

No one was injured but several buildings were damaged as sparks and ash rained down.   

Riot police were brought in to deal with all the bystanders crowding the scene and making it difficult for firefighters to work, NLTimes reported.

The fire was brought under control by about 5 a.m. 

Mayor Pauline Krikke of The Hague told Euronews there would be an investigation, and said the event may not continue in the future. 

Despite the nickname, and the ominous whirling appearance, a firenado isn’t actually a tornado.

“They’re created by hot, dry air rising rapidly from the ground,” Live Science notes. “In that sense, firenadoes have more in common with whirlwinds or ‘dust devils,’ which typically form on hot, sunny days when the ground heats up the air nearby.”



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/netherlands-firenadoes_us_5c2c2c45e4b0407e9085dbdd ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Airline Worker 'Ecstatic' After Video Of Him Dancing On Tarmac Went Viral

A ramp agent for American Airlines danced his way into the hearts of thousands after a video of his moves on the Toronto Pearson International Airport tarmac went viral.

Jahmaul Allen, the man with the moves, told Global News that he loves what he does and dances at times to make “passengers happy.”

Allen was captured on video just before Christmas by a passenger who posted the footage on Instagram. Since then, the video has racked up thousands of likes and retweets on Twitter.

“I would say I do it every now and then, whenever I feel like the mood to dance and whenever I want to make someone happy on the plane,” Allen told Global News’ Kamil Karamali.

On the day he was caught on tape, Allen was dancing to cheer up a crying child on board, he told ABC News.

“I felt like I needed to brighten that child’s life. I just made her smile ... so then I continued to dance,” he said.

He told Global News that dancing didn’t interfere with his job tasks. The flight had a “perfect path” and was not being “interrupted at all by [his] dance moves,” he said.

The 28-year-old went on to say that he’s “ecstatic” by the reaction to the video.

“It’s actually a blessing, to be honest with you,” Allen said.

Never stop dancing, Jahmaul.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/airline-worker-dancing-tarmac_us_5c2cc8cae4b0407e9086cdfc ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Kentucky Police Cry Over Burnt Krispy Kreme Truck; Doughnut Humor Ensues

Officers from the Lexington Police Department in Kentucky were full of emotion and sans doughnuts after a box truck fire.

In a humorous post on Twitter and Facebook, Lexington Police shared images Monday of a trio of crying officers adjacent to the burnt truck emblazoned with the words “Krispy Kreme.”

The department captioned the photographs with, “No words.” 

It’s not clear what caused the accident, but the police department indicated there were no injuries in the accident. Well, except for some doughnuts.

Naturally, many on social media ― particularly fellow law enforcement officers ― loved the self-deprecating post poking fun at the trope that police officers love doughnuts:



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kentucky-police-officers-krispy-kreme-doughnut-humor_us_5c2bb13 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

World's Oldest Person, Jeanne Calment, May Have Faked Her Age: Report

The woman who is believed the oldest person who ever lived may have padded her real age by 23 years.

When Jeanne Calment died in August 1997, in Arles, France, her age was reported as 122 years and 164 days ― an all-time record, according to Guinness World Records.

However, Russian researchers now say that the woman claiming to be Calment was actually her 99-year-old daughter, Yvonne Calment.

A new paper published by ResearchGate suggests that Jeanne Calment died in 1934 and Yvonne Calment assumed her identity so the family would not have to pay inheritance taxes, according to Inside Edition.

Some of the evidence collected by mathematician Nicolai Zak and gerontologist Valeri Novoselov include an identity card issued to Jeanne Calment in the 1930s that does not list the same hair color or height that she had later in life, according to the San Jose Mercury News.  

In an interview with LeafScience.org, Novoselov said Yvonne Calment’s husband, Joseph Charles Frédéric Billot, never remarried, despite the fact that he was only 42 at the moment of her supposed death.

“There were many mentions that he was getting along very well with Jeanne and they were raising Yvonne’s son Frédéric Jean Paul together,” Novoselov said.

He added that he checked out a birth certificate of a maid that Jeanne Calment said took her to school as a child.

“It turns out that she was 10 years younger than Jeanne, which means that she could only be taking her daughter Yvonne to school,” he said.

The researchers noted that Jeanne Calment had most of her personal papers destroyed rather than turn them over to the local archive in Arles, suggesting the family may have something to hide.

Meanwhile, Jean-Marie Robine, the French gerontologist who helped validate Jeanne Calment’s extreme age in the 1990s, is dismissing the age-faking theory as nonsense.

“All of this is incredibly shaky and rests on nothing,” he said, according to the National Post. 

While researching Jeanne Calment’s claim she was born in 1875, Robine said, he and a colleague made sure to ask her questions that only she would know the answer to, such as the name of her mathematics teacher.

“Her daughter couldn’t have known that,” he said.

Robine is also skeptical that a lie of that magnitude could be kept secret for more than 80 years.

“Do you have any idea how many people would have needed to lie?” Robine said. “One day Fernand Calment starts passing off his daughter as his wife and everyone keeps quiet about it? It’s preposterous.” 

The only way to determine the truth is to exhume both bodies for testing.

Should the researchers’ theory be proved correct, the new record for the world’s oldest person ever would go to Sarah Knauss, an American who died in 1999 at the age of 119, according to Inside Edition.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jeanne-calment-worlds-oldest-person-faked-age_us_5c2bb81fe4b05c ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Louisiana Police Sucker Media With Offer To 'Test' Meth For Zika

Reporters, not drug users, apparently were the only ones gullible enough to fall for an unoriginal hoax by police in Louisiana.

The Harahan Police Department on Saturday made a pretty obvious tongue-in-cheek post to its Facebook page offering to test methamphetamine for signs of the Zika virus.

The post, which went viral over the weekend, reads:

***WARNING: *** If you have recently purchased meth in any area of Louisiana it may be contaminated with the Zika Virus. Please bring all of it to your local Police Department and they will test it for free. If you’re not comfortable coming to us, an officer will be glad to come to you and test your Meth in the privacy of your home. Please spread the word! We’re available 24/7/365. Be Safe! ~Ofc Moody

The post has amassed more than 800 comments and 5,000 shares. The majority of commenters got the intended humor, with one person jokingly commenting, “I’ll bring my pound right over,” and another saying, “Even meth heads aren’t that stupid.”

Zika, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is spread primarily by mosquito bites, but can also be transmitted through sex and from a pregnant woman to her fetus.

Still, at least three Louisiana media outlets ― Lafayette’s KLFY-TV, New Orleans’s WVUE-TV, and The Advocate, which is based in Baton Rouge ― apparently took the post seriously.

“Louisiana police are asking people who might have crystal meth in their possession to ... have it ‘tested’ for the Zika Virus,” KLFY-TV reported, with no mention of a possible hoax.

WVUE-TV provided readers with a list of possible symptoms of Zika infection and said, “Police have not said how much meth is contaminated.”

The Advocate reported on the possibility of contaminated meth and provided readers with information on “where it will be tested for free.”

To its credit, The Advocate later updated its story:

Police Chief Tim Walker acknowledged Sunday that the post was just a stunt to raise awareness of drug abuse, though, and that — no, it’s not actually possible to have Zika in meth.

As of Monday morning, the stories by KLFY-TV and WVUE-TV remained unchanged.

According to Harahan police officer Keith Moody, who operates the department’s Facebook page, no one has taken the police station up on its phony offer to test meth for Zika contamination.

Moody told ABC News the post was an “attempt at humor” and an effort to raise awareness about dangerous drugs.

The methamphetamine and opioid epidemic are alarming and show “no sign of slowing soon,” he said.

Moody was apparently inspired by police in Gratis, Ohio, who posted nearly the exact same warning in May. However, there was one very noticeable difference:

“Disclaimer: methamphetamine can’t be a host for the Zika virus,” the Gratis Police Department wrote.

Apparently, cops in Louisiana thought that went without saying. They were wrong.

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



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/louisiana-police-sucker-media-with-offer-to-test-meth-for-zika_ ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

3 Newly Discovered Beetles Named After 'Game Of Thrones' Dragons

Winter is coming ... even to the insect world.

The final season of “Game Of Thrones” won’t premiere until April, but an entomologist in Nebraska is already helping to hype the show.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln entomologist Brett Ratcliffe has named three beetles he discovered after dragons from the HBO series: Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Each of the beetles is from the genus Gymnetis, and their homage to the GoT dragon names have been Latinized to drogoni, rhaegali and viserioni.

All of the beetles have orange features that reminded Ratcliffe of fire. Both drogoni and viserioni are native to Colombia and Ecuador, while rhaegali is found only in French Guiana. 

Although Ratcliffe is a “Game Of Thrones” fan, the names were chosen to draw attention to biodiversity.

“When you create names like these, you do it to gain a little bit of notoriety and bring public attention to it,” Ratcliffe said, according to The Associated Press. “We’re still discovering life on Earth. One of every four living things on Earth is a beetle. We haven’t discovered them all. We’re not even close.”

Ratcliffe has named more than 200 species of scarab beetles in his career and has often given them very creative names.

In 1976, he gave a beetle with long pincers the name Strategus longichomperus, or the “long-chomper,” according to Nebraska’s Lincoln Journal-Star newspaper.

In 1992, he called a new species of June bug Cyclocephala nodanotherwon: not another one.

“The rules of nomenclature recommend staying away from insulting or humorous names,” Ratcliffe told the paper. “I don’t see the purpose in staying away from a humorous name.”



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/brett-ratcliffe-game-of-thrones-beetles_us_5c2a7256e4b08aaf7a92 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Bald Eagle Causes Flap After Landing On Petrified Fan At Cotton Bowl

An American bald eagle flying around a Texas stadium as part of a national anthem stunt must have needed a breather because he suddenly landed on the shoulder of a stunned fan who said he was “scared crapless.”

The semifinal game in Arlington between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Clemson Tigers on Saturday was about to begin when Clark the eagle flew around the stadium during the singing of the anthem. The bird was supposed to land near his handler but instead found another human perch. That football fan cowered as others in the audience snapped photos:

Notre Dame fan Tuyen Nguyen, who lives in South Bend, Indiana, then extended his arm for a second perch option and Clark tried it out.

“I thought the bird had to be very tired. So I put my hand out to see what happens. And it landed on me. It was very interesting. I was very excited. It was amazing, I couldn’t even believe it,” he told Sports Illustrated.

Although no one was hurt by the eagle, Nguyen later said he still had “goosebumps.” 

Clemson beat Notre Dame 30-3.

Twitter users couldn’t help but post a couple of other intriguing eagle scenes, like the time Challenger the eagle landed on the back of Canadian lefty pitcher James Paxton of the Seattle Mariners just before a spring game against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. Paxton was not injured in the encounter.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/eagle-lands-on-stunned-fan-at-cotton-bowl-game_us_5c299872e4b04 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Twitter Users Share The Most Ridiculous Gifts They Received For Christmas

Judge Judy prayer candles, a shower curtain featuring Jeff Goldblum and toilet paper bearing Donald Trump’s face ― these are just some of the weird and wonderful gifts people received for Christmas this year. 

For Bri Pritchett, it was a red sequinned cushion plastered with pictures of actor Nicolas Cage’s face.

After the 22-year-old posted a video of her ridiculous gift on Twitter, others came out in droves to share images of the presents they received during the festive season. Here’s a roundup of some of the best (or worst, depending on your personal taste):



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/christmas-gift-ridiculous-nicolas-cage_us_5c29a368e4b05c88b701b ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Boy Calls 911 To Gripe About Getting Snow Pants For Christmas

A Christmas gift meant to keep a 7-year-old Ontario boy in warm apparently left him cold.

But the way he responded was very naughty: He called 911 to report his cruel, cruel parents.

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told CTV News the unidentified boy made the call on Christmas Day because he was upset with his gift and wanted police to help.

Schmidt said officers determined the call was not an emergency and no one was dispatched to the child’s house.

However, he definitely thinks the child should definitely be put on the naughty list, based on a tweet he sent shortly after the call.

Schmidt told the Canadian Broadcasting Co. that even a seemingly innocent call like that can affect efforts of first responders, since nonurgent incidents and fake emergency calls take up time and resources that should be used for real emergencies.

“If the person hangs up, we have to follow up on the person and go and track them down,” he told the network. “We have to treat every call as an emergency.”

Schmidt said that he doesn’t believe any charges will be filed against the child and that he hopes to turn the incident into a teachable moment for other kids unhappy with their Christmas gifts.

“Kids need to realize that calling 911 is critical and serious,” he said, according to Inside Edition. “We don’t want to waste resources going after calls that aren’t an emergency.”

Seems obvious, but the gallery below features other people who didn’t get the memo. 



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ontario-boy-911-snow-pants_us_5c2519b1e4b05c88b6fe6db0 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Accused Thief Made His Get-away On Stolen Front-End Loader

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Police have arrested a 42-year-old Anchorage man suspected of stealing a front-end loader and using it as his get-away vehicle after a burglary.

Police say Brian Petross was held Wednesday on suspicion of vehicle theft, burglary, theft, reckless driving and criminal mischief. Online court documents do not list his attorney.

A person walking a dog Wednesday morning reported a broken door at a west-side hair salon.

Officers determined someone drove a front-end loader to the salon, picked up a frozen planter, smashed the front door window, entered the business and stole numerous items.

While responding to another burglary, officers spotted the front-end loader and conducted a traffic stop. They arrested Petross and determined he had stolen the heavy equipment Saturday from a secured lot on the city’s east side.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/brian-petross-front-end-loader_us_5c252e3ce4b08aaf7a8ea910 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com

Boy, 12, Survives Avalanche That Buried Him For 40 Minutes

PARIS (AP) — A 12-year-old boy in the French Alps was found alive and uninjured after being buried under an avalanche for 40 minutes, an event his rescuers are calling a true “miracle.”

French police in the town of Bourg Saint-Maurice said the boy was skiing off piste at the La Plagne ski resort in a group of seven skiers Wednesday when he was swept away.

The boy started going down ahead of the others and was the only one caught when a large section of snow detached and roared down the mountain, police said. He was dragged at least 100 meters (110 yards) by the force of the avalanche.

Rescue workers flew in a helicopter to the avalanche scene, which was at 2,400 meters (7,875 feet) altitude. A sniffer dog found the boy, whose winter jacket was not equipped with an avalanche detector.

Rescue workers described the operation as “miraculous” because they said chances of survival are minuscule after 15 minutes under the snow. Police said among the reasons the boy survived is that his airways were not blocked by snow.

“We can call it a miracle. A day after Christmas, there was another gift in store,” Captain Patrice Ribes said.

The boy was still sent to a local hospital for a checkup.



Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/boy-12-survives-avalanche-that-buried-him-for-40-minutes_us_5c2 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com