Thursday, January 22, 2009

Bubble O'Bill ice cream caused drunk-driving charge

Chief traffic cop has warned drivers to be aware after a man's blood alcohol reading rose after eating an ice cream.
After a few bites the man recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.018.
The experiment took place after the driver applied to Frankston Magistrates' Court to have the interlock device removed from his car.
The prosecutor had queried why the machine had recorded a "fail", which stops the user starting their car.
But the man was adamant he had not been drinking and that the reading was caused by the Bubble O' Bill he had eaten when he stopped at a service station.
Magistrate Rod Crisp told the driver to put his claim to the test by heading across the road to buy one so police could check his story. A police officer conducted a preliminary test that confirmed he was 0.00.
The man consumed part of the icy treat, then police tested him again.
The reading of 0.018 was duly reported back to Mr Crisp, who granted the driver's application to have the device removed.
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Plumber Makes Mammoth Find

PERRIS, Calif. -- A part-time plumber who regularly prowls a Riverside County riverbed found what is believed to be the 4-foot-long tusk of an Ice Age mammoth or mastodon.
Experts say the tusk could date back 16,000 to 2 million years.
Greg Riecke discovered the tusk in the flood channel behind his Perris home about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles. He regularly explores the riverbed with a metal detector in a hunt for gold.
The fate of the fossil is now in the hands of the county Flood Control and Water Conservation District, which owns the drainage channel. The tusk has been covered up again with dirt.
Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology experts say their museum or another organization will likely be interested in surveying the site.
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US Airways sends each passenger $5,000

The Airbus A320 crash-landed in the Hudson last week after hitting birds and losing thrust in both engines. All 155 people on board survived. The rest of the plane was taken to a New Jersey marina over the weekend.
The airline has sent $5,000 checks to each of the 150 passengers to compensate them for lost luggage and other belongings.
In a letter sent to passengers, an airline executive said she was "truly sorry." The letter also explained that passengers' belongings left in the plane could be stuck with investigators for months.
The airline also said it would reimburse passengers for their ticket costs.
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