Wednesday, June 30, 2010

A Different Take......

Pretty In Pink...

A southwestern Oklahoma sheriff is dressing county inmates in hot pink jumpsuits as a deterrent to crime and to make them easier to spot.

Greer County Sheriff Devin Huckabay says the new suits replace the faded and tattered orange jumpsuits worn until now.

Huckabay says male inmates "don't like wearing them" and that the snazzy jumpsuits therefore are an incentive to not break the law and wind up in jail.

He says the prisoners wearing pink are also "hard to miss" and so can be easily managed when working on community projects or being transferred.

Another Way In

A 9-year-old Connecticut girl who climbed to the roof of her house and attempted to crawl back inside through the chimney has been rescued after getting stuck.

Assistant Fire Chief Jack Hennessey says the girl climbed up a house painter's ladder Wednesday morning, walked across the roof and tried to climb down the chimney.

She almost made it to the fireplace before getting stuck in the flue at about 6:30 a.m. Family members heard her cries for help and called rescue workers, who tried to take apart the flue.

Hennessey said after about 20 minutes, the girl was able to wiggle herself down through the hole and out the fireplace.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Bearly

Tim Scott, 56, of Springfield, was hiking in the Red River Gorge Geological Area ahead of his wife and son on Sunday when he spotted the bear about 25 feet away. He said it appeared to be about 150 pounds and he took a few photos with his cell phone until the bear disappeared under a ledge. Scott said he was about to call his wife to tell her to take another trail when the bear reappeared.

Scott said he yelled and dropped his belt bag hoping to distract the animal. But the bear sniffed it and continued approaching Scott, who grabbed a rotted branch.

Alone, Scott hit the bear with the flimsy branch, but the animal kept coming. Eventually, the bear "lunged forward and grabbed me a bit but let go."

Scott tried to move behind a tree for protection a couple of times, but he said the bear grabbed him by the leg and threw him into the woods. Then, it sank its teeth into his thigh and shook him.

Scott said he tried to think of ways to fight the bear off, reaching into his pocket and finding his 3-inch pocket knife.

He was preparing to stab the bear in the eye, not sure what the animal's reaction might be, when a group of hikers who heard the commotion arrived.

One of them took his day pack and threw it at the bear, knocking the animal sideways, and prompting it to release Scott.

Scott said he crawled over to the other hikers and the group backed down the path for a quarter mile, with the bear following them. An ambulance met the group at the trail head and took Scott to a nearby hospital, where he was treated and transferred to University of Kentucky Hospital.

"The bear had a really good chunk of my leg in his mouth and was shaking me," Tim Scott told The Associated Press on Monday, after receiving 50-60 stitches.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources says the incident Sunday was the first recorded bear attack on a person in the state.

Wildlife Division Director Karen Waldrop said the agency's policy is to kill any bear that behaves aggressively toward humans, and officials have closed the popular scenic area inside the Daniel Boone National Forest and set traps to try to capture the animal.

Clifford Smith

Rapper Method Man of the Wu-Tang Clan has pleaded guilty to a tax evasion charge after failing to pay income and personal taxes to New York State for 2004-2007, myFOXny.com reported Monday.

The Richmond County District Attorney said Method Man, whose real name is Clifford Smith, was arrested in October on felony charges after surrendering to the New York Police Department.

He's accused of failing to pay $32,799 in personal income tax in addition to state income tax.

Method Man was sentenced to a conditional discharge, which means the arrest will be purged from his record if he stays out of trouble. He could have faced four years in prison for the charge.

His attorney, Peter Frankel, said when the rapper learned of the tax issue he immediately corrected it.

Camera Phone - Shown!

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Nice View!
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Nude Jersey?

Once among the top seaside resorts on the East Coast, Asbury Park is considering letting women go topless on a city beach.

But unlike other secluded nude beaches in the Garden State, this one could be right in your face, with the boardwalk offering a prime view that some parents might not want junior to see.

The city council is considering a request from Reggie Flimlin, an Asbury Park woman who owns a yoga studio, to allow women to decide for themselves whether they want to wear bikini tops on the beach. She says it's already happening on less populated beaches in the city's north end.

"A lot of women are just organically deciding they want to sunbathe without their top," she said. "That's great, that's fine, and I have no problem with it."

The 48-year-old city resident has lived and sunbathed topless in Europe and Miami, where such conduct is paid little mind.

She said Asbury Park, with its thriving gay and lesbian community and its wildly diverse ethnic and racial population, has long been progressive.

"Asbury has always prided itself as having an open mind and being accepting and welcoming to a lot of different cultures and lifestyle choices," she said. "If not in Asbury Park, where else in New Jersey would a woman have the right to choose whether or not she has to wear a bathing suit top?"

Right now, that would be Gunnison Beach on Sandy Hook, part of the federal Gateway National Recreational Area, where total nude bathing is permitted. Higbee Beach, a Cape May County beach that once permitted nude bathing now no longer does due to problems with sexual activity in the dunes and parking lot.

There is no state law banning topless bathing. The state Attorney General's Office says it is up to local communities to decide through their own ordinances what level or dress — or lack thereof — is acceptable on the sand.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Camera Phone - Shown!

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Dare To Drink
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Forced To Do Terrible Things...

“Mallrats” star Jeremy London was the victim of a violent abduction and robbery where he was held and gunpoint and forced to smoke drugs in a brutal five hour ordeal, according to a report from RadarOnline.com.

London, 37, best known for his work on “Party of Five,” and “7th Heaven,” was in the process of changing a flat tire on June 10 when two men approached him and offered to help, Sergeant Steve Douglas of the Palm Springs Police Department told Radar.

According to Douglas, the men then forcibly took London and drove him around in his own vehicle, all while holding him at gunpoint.

He told officers (during the kidnapping) that he was forced to smoke dope and then purchase booze and hand it out in a gang area of Palm Springs, Sergeant Douglas told RadarOnline.com.

London managed to escape at 3 in the morning and his car was later found near where one of the alleged kidnappers lives in Palm Springs.

Two unidentified men were charged Wednesday in the incident, identified by a police officer who saw them when they stopped London under the guise of changing his tire and later recognized them.

Last year London completed rehabilitation treatment for a battle with prescription pills. He was arrested in 2004 for carrying controlled substances and driving without a license.

Heads Up

An Arkansas coroner was investigating after a cargo shipment of 40 to 60 human heads was discovered by a Southwest Airlines employee.

The container of heads was found in Little Rock, Ark., last Wednesday and was set for transportation to a Medtronic research lab in Fort Worth, Texas.

"It wasn't labeled or packaged properly," Ashley Rogers, a Southwest spokeswoman, told NBC DFW. "They called the local authorities."

Police were called by the airline, who investigated before turning them over to the county coroner.

A spokesman for Medtronic told NBC DFW it was common practice to ship body parts for medical education and research, adding his firm expected suppliers to follow proper procedures.

Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper, charged with the investigation, said he was waiting for the correct documentation to prove the heads were for medical research before releasing them.

"In our discussion with the health department, we've come to the conclusion that there is a black market for body parts out there," he was quoted as saying by NBC. "We just want to make sure these specimens aren't part of that underground trade."

Today (16 Years Ago)

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Did He Wait Long Enough....? 12 Hours?!?

Jonathan Metz had his left arm stuck in his furnace boiler for about 12 hours when he asked himself "what would MacGyver do?" and concluded that amputating the limb was his only chance for survival.

The 31-year-old West Hartford man, who was released from the hospital Monday, met with reporters Tuesday for the first time since getting his arm stuck in his furnace for two days and nearly cutting it off.

Metz, who is right-handed, said when the thought of amputation first crossed his mind he pushed it away. He considered every other option and thought of the resourceful 1980s television character who always found a way to use mundane objects in his surroundings to get himself out of tough situations.

"I definitely dithered for a few hours after coming up with the initial idea," he said. "I thought there must be some other way, so I kind of started looking around my surroundings again. Maybe there was something I missed. You know, what would MacGyver do if he were here?"

Metz said he spent six hours psyching himself up for the self-amputation. He tried to yank the arm out, he used dirty oil from a catch basin to try to grease it and finally he looked to his tool box, which he had within reach.

His fantasy, he said, was that he could cut off the arm, run upstairs and put it in his freezer, call 911, then go to the hospital and get it reattached.

Metz said he first used a hacksaw blade, then used a larger blade, which he hoped would make the operation go smoother. He nearly succeeded but couldn't make it through a bundle of nerves.

"I don't know how many strokes it took," he said. "But it was quite a few. So yes, every one, I was re-evaluating in some way, was it too late to stop? Or what was the point where there was no going back?"

Metz, who lives alone, revealed Tuesday that the ordeal began after work on Monday night, June 7, not the day before, as doctors previously had said.

He had been trying to clean off the heating vents on his furnace boiler when he dropped either a brush or a Shop-Vac attachment. He was reaching in to retrieve it when his arm became stuck between the funnel-like fins of the boiler.

When he tried to pull it out, the fins tightened on his arm, cutting into it. The more he would struggle, the more it would cut, and the more his arm would swell.

"It very quickly became apparent to me that I had a major problem," he said. "I basically spent the next 12 hours screaming for help."

Eventually, he began noticing signs of infection and the smell of rotting flesh, and he starting thinking he had to cut the arm off. Doctors said the partial self-amputation prevented the spread of the infection to the rest of his body and saved his life.

Metz started and stopped a couple times, once when the blood flow became too much. He said he had to use a telephone cord to fashion a second tourniquet, replacing the one he had made with his shirt. He said he used his mouth and neck to pull the cord tight around the arm as he cut.

When he realized he couldn't get the arm off, he leaned against a wood pile, tightened the tourniquet again and resumed calling for help.

Every five minutes, he said, his microwave would beep, reminding him that the leftovers he had been reheating for a late-night snack were ready. He said the chirps tortured him at first, but they later became a source of strength, telling him he had made it through another five minutes.

He made one final thrust at the boiler and was able to open its release valve, sending a brackish, rust-colored water onto the floor. He scooped it into his mouth with a flip-flop he had been wearing.

"It was just enough to at least mentally make me feel like, here's a way out of this," he said.

He said thoughts of his fiancee, family, friends and his little beagle, Portia, also kept him going.

Friends and coworkers at The Travelers, where Metz works in financial services, grew worried when he did not show up for work Tuesday and missed a softball game.

When Metz did not answer the doorbell at his home Wednesday, June 9, a friend called police, who found Metz in the basement.

Firefighters ripped apart the furnace with heavy tools, including a spreader normally used to take the door off a car. Once they did, the arm just gave way.

Excess Baggage

Authorities have arrested a California woman they say flew to Ohio on a private jet with 506 pounds of marijuana in 13 suitcases.

Drug Enforcement Administration agent Anthony Marotta says 28-year-old Lisette Lee and three others were arrested at the airport in Columbus on Monday night. They had arrived on a plane chartered from Van Nuys, Calif.

Lee told authorities that her companions were her secretary and two bodyguards. Marotta says those three have been released pending possible indictments.

Lee has been charged with conspiracy and possession of drugs with the intent to distribute. She's being held without bail. Her attorneys did not immediately return a message left Wednesday.

Authorities say they got a tip that Lee had a suspicious amount of luggage.

Do You Believe In Magic?

TMZ has learned Chris Klein -- who played Oz in "American Pie" -- was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI.

Law enforcement sources tell us a CHP officer stopped Klein on the 101 freeway in Los Angeles at 3:13AM.

31-year-old Klein was arrested after failing a field sobriety test. According to law enforcement sources his blood alcohol level was almost three times the legal limit.

We're told Klein blew well over a .20 when he was arrested on the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles this morning -- his second DUI bust in the last 6 years. The legal limit in California is .08.

As we previously reported, Klein wasn't the only passenger in his car -- cops found a dog inside the vehicle. The dog was later retrieved by a friend of Klein's.

Hurricane Season

The Power Of The Sun

The Rossi's are keeping up with the times....
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Solar Power......The Rossi's......The Future Looks Bright.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Drum Off

Chiquita Cocaina

While inspecting a container of bananas at the Port of Wilmington, customs agents discovered two brick-like objects hidden in the ventilation system...then they found two dozen more.

Inside those bundles were about 63 pounds of cocaine with a street value estimated at about $2 million, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The seizure was made June 6 by tactical operations officers from Wilmington and Philadelphia.

The refrigerated container was aboard the M/V Dole Chile, part of the Western Hemisphere fleet of produce giant Dole.

The cocaine-carrying container was picked up at one of the ship's regular stops - Colombia, Costa Rica or Honduras, said CBP spokesman Steve Sapp, who declined to specify which one.

The ship also routinely stops in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before arriving at the Port of Wilmington, the "world's largest banana hub," as well as "the nation's leading gateway for imports of fresh fruit, and juice concentrate," according to the port's website.

The contraband was turned over to agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which will continue the investigation with the Drug Enforcement Administration and other law-enforcement groups.

CBP inspectors look for everything from agricultural pests and merchandise knock-offs to threats to national security.

Wedding Day!

The bride wore white. The guests wore orange smocks.

A southern California couple were married Saturday in front of more than 100 guests at a Home Depot store where they work.

The wedding party for 56-year-old Carolyn Weatherly and Audwin Mosby, who's 55, marched down an aisle of light bulbs, grills and paint to the outdoor garden section, where a wedding arbor and stage had been built from the store's lumber and supplies.

The bride says the store in Lake Forest is like a second home and her colleagues are like family.

A regional manager says it's only the second wedding in a Home Depot.

Condiment Crimes

Police in Idaho think they might have solved a yearlong condiment crime spree.

Authorities said a 74-year-old Boise woman arrested after pouring mayonnaise in the Ada County library's book drop box is a person of interest in at least 10 other condiment-related crimes.

Joy L. Cassidy was picked up Sunday at the library, moments after police say she pulled through the outside drive-through and dumped a jar of mayo in the box designated for reading materials.

Cassidy was released from jail and faces a misdemeanor charge of malicious injury to property.

Boise police say Cassidy is under investigation for other cases of vandalism that started in May 2009. Library employees have reported finding books in the drop box covered in corn syrup and ketchup.

Camera Phone - Shown!

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Pro Tour - Sideout!
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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Uncle Phil Dead?

It's bad enough that James "Uncle Phil" Avery had to bear the brunt of Will's fat jokes for six seasons on Fresh Prince, people: Do we really need to propagate death hoaxes in the fallow period of his career?

Avery certainly doesn't think so, telling CNN after the "Uncle Phil is dead" rumor made its way around Twitter this weekend: "I mean, really, they're going to take away what little career I have left ... My mother was scared."

Uncle Phil: not dead!

Powerful Earthquake

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

NOLA

The Royal Sonesta

A Bottle Is A Bottle...

A young child was caught on camera drinking from a beer bottle at a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game Sunday, MyFoxPhilly.com reported.

Video of the unidentified child surfaced on Monday after the Phillies lost to the Padres on Sunday.

In two video shots taken from an official game broadcast, the blonde child is seen with a plastic beer bottle in his right hand, drinking from the bottle.

The child appears to be between three and four years old, and is also wearing a white Phillies home jersey.

Once the clips leaked out on the Internet, it set off another round of Phillies – and Philadelphia – bashing.

“Phillies fans are an illustrious bunch. In the past year, they have vomited, prostituted and been Tasered. Now it appears that childhood drinking can be added to the list,” said the Huffington Post blog.

“Drinking beers at 4-years-old, forced vomiting on people by age 21. Who would allow a toddler to drink a beer, at $9 a bottle, I’m keeping that beer to myself,” said another blogger on Ted Williams Head.com.

The latest incident at the Phillies home ball park comes after two nationally publicized confrontations, where one fan vomited on six people, while another fan had to be Tasered by Philadelphia police on camera.

Cup Check

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A Quicker Way...

A 69-year-old man who was credited with running the London Marathon in a record time for his age group has been disqualified for taking a 10-mile shortcut.

Questions were raised after Anthony Gaskell finished the April 25 race in 3 hours, 5 minutes, the fastest ever for the over-65 age group.

Gaskell said he dropped out in the middle of the race because of injury and walked to the finish, cutting out part of the course. He said he never claimed to have won the age-group race and didn't check the results on the website.

London Marathon organizers confirmed Tuesday that Gaskell had been disqualified and 66-year-old Colin Rathbone declared the over-65 winner. Rathbone finished the race 38 seconds behind Gaskell.

Student Flush

The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for 250 students to help with an important task and there's only one major requirement: You must know how to flush a toilet.

Construction is near completion on the Penguins' new arena, the Consol Energy Center. But like with any new arena or stadium, officials need to simultaneously flush all the toilets and urinals to make sure everything is working. The Penguins are calling the June 10 event the "Student Flush," a spinoff of their popular ticketing program known as "Student Rush."

Students already involved in the ticketing program can enter for a chance to win. Students must be 18 or older to participate in the flush-apalooza.

In all, there will be 400 flushers, including some construction officials, on hand that day.