Monday, February 4, 2008

Bits of News

Woman With Vomiting Daughter Gets Ticket
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Gina Boyd's day already had soured when her 3-year-old daughter began vomiting in her Dodge Caravan. Then she got a traffic ticket.
Boyd, 27, got a $123 citation from a Hillsborough County deputy on Monday after she made an improper U-turn to attend to her vomiting daughter.
Boyd is a stay-at-home mother of three whose husband is in the Army. He is currently serving in Iraq.
Boyd realizes she violated the law but wished the deputy had exercised discretion upon seeing why she had made the improper turn.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said Boyd committed an illegal U-turn and got a citation for it.

Ore. Goodwill Store Sells Parked Bike
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Cody Young parked his bike in the wrong place at the Goodwill store, where the rule is that anything on the floor goes. He didn't have a lock, but friends said they had parked inside the store before. On Sunday, though, the black BMX bike was sold.
But the 13-year-old is going to get his bike back, Goodwill officials said, after the buyer saw a newspaper story about the mix-up and called to make things right.
The buyer got the bike for just $6.99 but will get a $100 gift certificate from Goodwill for coming forth.
It's not the first such mix-up in Goodwill's busy stores, Goodwill spokesman Dale Emanuel said. A janitor once left a bucket and mop on a store's sales floor, and they were sold the next day.

"The plane! The plane!"

Plane misses motorists by inches at tiny tropical air strip

Clearing the vehicles below by the narrowest of margins, a plane swoops in to land at one of the world's most dramatic airstrips.
Although the clearance is supposed to be 20ft, the scooter riders and car driver take no chances and duck for their own safety.
Pilots need a special license to land at the strip on the island of Saint-Barthélemy, or St Barts, in the French West Indies.
Despite the apparent dangers, there have been only two fatal accidents at the airport over the years.
At 2,133ft, its runway is one of the shortest in the world and equivalent in length to five football pitches.
Tourist websites are upbeat about arriving by plane, with one saying: 'The landing, especially on a windy day, is an adventure in itself.'
The island, with a population of just 8,400, has become a hideaway for the rich and famous and visitors include the actor Harrison Ford and singer P Diddy.

Irish setter has record breaking 16 pups


An Irish setter has had a record-breaking 16 pups - after wolfing down battered cod from the local chippy. Kelly's bumper litter of puppies is proof that fish is just the job for a dog's dinner. Her owner Dee Farndell last night revealed battered cod was the secret behind the stunning baby boom - the biggest in her 35 years of breeding.
Puppy love: Irish setter Kelly with her bumper brood of 16 pups’ Two-year-old female Kelly endured an amazing 10-hour labor to bring the staggering brood into the world on January 15. Over the last couple of days, the new arrivals have opened their eyes and started to explore their new surroundings at Zilveren Kennels, Terrington St Clement, near King's Lynn, Norfolk. Mrs. Farndell, 56, said: "I always say when the dogs are pregnant that what you put into the mother is what you get out in terms of quality.
Dog's dinner? Kelly's owner believes the secret to her breeding success lies in omega three oils in the battered cod she feeds her animals
At three weeks we feed them fresh chicken with complete food, gravy and vegetables. At six weeks we give them battered fish for the omega three oils. The top dog breeder added: "We just give them the really good quality stuff which is high in protein." We have 14 adult Irish setters here and I've got tins of tuna and pilchards which they get two or three times a week. It keeps their coats nice and shiny and oils their joints."
The record-breaking litter, which entered the world on January 15, have begun opening their eyes and exploring their surroundings over the last couple of days
Dave Audley, who runs the Three Cottages Fish and Chip Restaurant in North Walsham, is president of the Fish Fryers' Association. He said: "Everybody thinks fried food is bad for you but fish cooked in batter is very healthy because the batter prevents the fat getting into the fish - it is actually steamed. "I didn't know it had this effect on dogs, but it obviously proves the health benefits." After the birth, Mrs Farndell and her husband Malcolm, 58, put their puppy love to the test with a 24-hour bedside vigil to ensure the family survived its first few days. "It was Kelly's first litter and will probably be her last - it was terrifically hard work," she said. "The mother and puppies are all fine. I think it is me that is beginning to struggle." I was fine up until number 13 but then we felt her tummy and could feel other puppies moving about. We didn't panic but when we got to 15, I said: 'Please, Kelly, no more.' There was one more and that was it. "They have an acre field and they get at least an hour a day of solid running. They are extremely fit and this is why Kelly was able to have this many puppies without a Caesarean." Mrs Farndell said Irish setters usually deliver a litter of between nine and 11 puppies after a pregnancy term of nine weeks. Four of the dogs will be kept back to follow in their grandfather's paw-steps as show animals, while the others will be sold off as pedigree pets at a price of £700 each. The puppies have a daunting family reputation to follow as their grandfather Thendara Don Corleone was a double champion at Crufts, winning best of breed in 2006 and 2007. He was named after the Mafia boss from the Godfather movies who chillingly asked if his rivals wanted to "sleep with the fishes". Now his canine descendants have decided to eat with the fishes instead.

Galloping Gertie

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge was a suspension bridge between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State. It was opened to traffic on July 1, 1940, and became famous four months later for a dramatic wind-induced structural collapse that was caught on film.
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Elderly woman was injured by hit-and-run driver

A mobility scooter driver left an elderly woman with a broken leg and wrist after a hit-and-run accident. Audrey Lane, 84, from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, was hit by the electric vehicle which drove off at less than 8mph. Mrs Lane is being treated in hospital while CCTV footage is being used to try to trace the driver. He could face assault charges, or even be charged with dangerous driving under the Road Traffic Act. Mrs Lane's son, Daniel, said: My mother was standing with her shopping in the High Street, waiting to cross the road. The next thing she knew, she had been hit from behind by this man on a mobility scooter. She was in the middle of the road lying on the floor and her shopping bag was thrown half-way across the street. "She remembers the incident clearly. He told her: 'I can't stop. I'm busy', then went off."

Bridesmaids may be forced to sign pre-nuptial contracts

Bridesmaids may soon be forced to sign contracts agreeing not to put on weight or get pregnant before a friend's wedding.
One in five brides-to-be is so concerned that her bridesmaids might let her down that she would ask her maid-of-honour to sign a written "pre-nuptial agreement", according to a new poll.
Despite the fact that 61 per cent of brides picked a best friend as their choice of bridesmaid and 49 per cent chose their sister, 48 per cent would sack a bridesmaid who failed to stick to the rules.
The survey of 1,000 women, commissioned by You & Your Wedding magazine, asked women which clauses they would put in their contract.
It found that respondents' biggest gripes were with bridesmaids who put on weight, became pregnant or changed their hairstyles before the big day.

Animals are Great

Monkey and dog are best friends
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Billy the dog disappeared during the big floods of 2002 in Caia, Mozambique.But when he finally emerged from the jungle in 2005, he came carrying a little monkey on his back, Kiko. They were skinny but, they had made it through all these years. They are now inseparable. Kiko sleeps hugged to Billy. They eat together, do everything together, and they still are unconfident about humans...Only the two of them, forever.
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Knut the baby polar bear.
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All I want is to lie down in "MY" basket