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Saturday, January 23, 2010
Doctor's Office Hit By Meteorite
When Lawrence Reese was cleaning up his sub shop in Lorton, Virginia, late Monday afternoon, he heard a tremendous impact outside."Loud. Loud enough you could hear it, maybe, a block or two away," recalls Reese. "I'm surprised it didn't break our glass. That's how loud it was."
Something had come hurtling out of the sky, and crashed through the roof of a nearby doctor's office, landing in an empty examination room.
"I thought something fell in Dr. Gallini's office," explained his partner, Dr. Frank Ciampi. "I thought a bookshelf fell on him, so I ran out and saw that he was okay. And then I looked to the left and saw the debris in the hallway."
The debris was smoldering and metallic. The two physicians puzzled over the items. Whatever had come through the roof had broken into several pieces. The two doctors speculated that part of an airliner had come off and fallen through their roof. A nearly circular hole was punched through the building's roof.
An acquaintance suggested the possibility of a meteorite, so the debris was sent to the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum in nearby Washington, D.C.
"It's definitely a meteorite," concluded Linda Welzenbach, who oversees the museum's collection of natural space objects. "It has a black fusion crust which tells us that it's passed through the atmosphere."
Most meteorites are small -- about the size of a pea. The one that landed in Lorton was bigger than a human fist, before it broke into pieces inside the doctors' office.
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Man opens bag of Cheese Rings, finds one
An Australian man has opened a bag of chips and found only one inside. Phil Jackson, 54, of Wanguri, Darwin, took the Cheese Rings to work with him on Monday.
When he opened the bag he was stunned to find it contained only one solitary ring - barely a mouthful.
Man opens bag of Cheese Rings, finds one A DARWIN man has opened a bag of chips and found only one inside.
The Northern Territory News reports Phil Jackson, 54, of Wanguri, brought the Cheese Rings to work with him on Monday.
When he opened the bag he was stunned to find it contained only one solitary ring - barely a mouthful.
"I was devastated," he said. "I put it down to the GFC - money's tight, times are hard."
The innocent snack attack victim had bought them in a large variety pack from a Coles supermarket.
Coles spokesman Jim Cooper said he would get a replacement pack.
"We certainly aren't in the business of giving people a single cheese ring in the packet," Mr Cooper said.Mr Jackson was philosophical, saying the day before he had gone to KFC to get a five-piece wing pack, only to find six pieces inside.
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In the News
Brits think bacon comes from sheep
A survey of British youngsters suggests 26 percent of the country's under-16 population erroneously believe bacon comes from sheep.
The survey of 800 children and adults, conducted for the Home Grown Cereals Authority and the National Farmers' Union, also suggests 29 percent of youngsters believe oats grow on trees and 17 percent of both children and adults are under the false impression that eggs are a necessary ingredient in bread, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.
"Everyone should know where primary foods like cereals are grown and the role they play as part of a healthy, balanced diet," said Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union. "More than half the food consumed in the U.K. is produced on British farms, yet the public, and especially young people, are unable to make this connection."
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12-year-old girl drives grandpa to help
A North Carolina man says he will reward his 12-year-old granddaughter with her own car for driving him more than a dozen miles for help when he fell ill.
George Scheuering of Ramseur, N.C. who has diabetes, said his granddaughter Anna, who he had given driving lessons, insisted on taking the driver's seat when he began feeling dizzy and faint during a drive through the mountains of West Virginia with the girl and her brother Zak.
"So we got halfway up the mountain and I told him to pull over and I was going to drive, and he let me drive," Anna said Tuesday.
Anna said she and Zak were eventually able to raise their father on their phone and he helped them find a gas station about a dozen miles away from where she began driving. The station clerk called an ambulance for Scheuering.
The grandfather, who spent six days in a hospital, said doctors told him he might have slipped into a diabetic coma if he hadn't gotten help so quickly.
Scheuering said Anna will receive her reward when she is old enough to legally drive.
"Well, when she starts high school, I told her she would have a car," he said.
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It was no joke at security gate
In the tense new world of air travel, we're stripped of shoes, told not to take too much shampoo on board, frowned on if we crack a smile.
The last thing we expect is a joke from a Transportation Security Administration screener - particularly one this stupid.
Rebecca Solomon is 22 and a student at the University of Michigan, and on Jan. 5 she was flying back to school after holiday break. She made sure she arrived at Philadelphia International Airport 90 minutes before takeoff, given the new regulations.
She would be flying into Detroit on Northwest Airlines, the same city and carrier involved in the attempted bombing on Christmas, just 10 days before. She was tense.
What happened to her lasted only 20 seconds, but she says they were the longest 20 seconds of her life.
TSA worker pulls a baggie of white powder from a passenger's laptop bag and asks where she got it. She's in a panic. Then he tells her it was just a joke.
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A survey of British youngsters suggests 26 percent of the country's under-16 population erroneously believe bacon comes from sheep.
The survey of 800 children and adults, conducted for the Home Grown Cereals Authority and the National Farmers' Union, also suggests 29 percent of youngsters believe oats grow on trees and 17 percent of both children and adults are under the false impression that eggs are a necessary ingredient in bread, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.
"Everyone should know where primary foods like cereals are grown and the role they play as part of a healthy, balanced diet," said Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union. "More than half the food consumed in the U.K. is produced on British farms, yet the public, and especially young people, are unable to make this connection."
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12-year-old girl drives grandpa to help
A North Carolina man says he will reward his 12-year-old granddaughter with her own car for driving him more than a dozen miles for help when he fell ill.
George Scheuering of Ramseur, N.C. who has diabetes, said his granddaughter Anna, who he had given driving lessons, insisted on taking the driver's seat when he began feeling dizzy and faint during a drive through the mountains of West Virginia with the girl and her brother Zak.
"So we got halfway up the mountain and I told him to pull over and I was going to drive, and he let me drive," Anna said Tuesday.
Anna said she and Zak were eventually able to raise their father on their phone and he helped them find a gas station about a dozen miles away from where she began driving. The station clerk called an ambulance for Scheuering.
The grandfather, who spent six days in a hospital, said doctors told him he might have slipped into a diabetic coma if he hadn't gotten help so quickly.
Scheuering said Anna will receive her reward when she is old enough to legally drive.
"Well, when she starts high school, I told her she would have a car," he said.
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It was no joke at security gate
In the tense new world of air travel, we're stripped of shoes, told not to take too much shampoo on board, frowned on if we crack a smile.
The last thing we expect is a joke from a Transportation Security Administration screener - particularly one this stupid.
Rebecca Solomon is 22 and a student at the University of Michigan, and on Jan. 5 she was flying back to school after holiday break. She made sure she arrived at Philadelphia International Airport 90 minutes before takeoff, given the new regulations.
She would be flying into Detroit on Northwest Airlines, the same city and carrier involved in the attempted bombing on Christmas, just 10 days before. She was tense.
What happened to her lasted only 20 seconds, but she says they were the longest 20 seconds of her life.
TSA worker pulls a baggie of white powder from a passenger's laptop bag and asks where she got it. She's in a panic. Then he tells her it was just a joke.
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Friday, January 22, 2010
Driver of a parked car in front of speed camera gets tickets
A driver was twice sent speeding tickets after parking in front of a camera because police officers failed to notice his vehicle was stationary, it has emerged.
Jeff Buck parks in front of the camera outside his home on Watnall Road, Nottingham, because he does not have a drive or a garage.
But he has been sent two speeding fines by Nottinghamshire Police.
The mix-ups happened because officers failed to spot his car was parked as another vehicle triggered the camera by breaking the 30mph speed limit.
Police have apologized to 55-year-old Mr. Buck after he successfully contested the fines.
He told the Nottingham Evening Post: ''I assumed the first time it happened that the police would put something in place to prevent it from happening again.
''I'm concerned now that every time someone triggers the camera I'll get these notices. I am amused by it, but also angry that I have to go to the trouble of contacting the police.''
Mr. Buck received his most recent apology on Monday after he asked to see photographic evidence that his Vauxhall Zafira was doing 37mph along Watnall Road.
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Jeff Buck parks in front of the camera outside his home on Watnall Road, Nottingham, because he does not have a drive or a garage.
But he has been sent two speeding fines by Nottinghamshire Police.
The mix-ups happened because officers failed to spot his car was parked as another vehicle triggered the camera by breaking the 30mph speed limit.
Police have apologized to 55-year-old Mr. Buck after he successfully contested the fines.
He told the Nottingham Evening Post: ''I assumed the first time it happened that the police would put something in place to prevent it from happening again.
''I'm concerned now that every time someone triggers the camera I'll get these notices. I am amused by it, but also angry that I have to go to the trouble of contacting the police.''
Mr. Buck received his most recent apology on Monday after he asked to see photographic evidence that his Vauxhall Zafira was doing 37mph along Watnall Road.
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Thursday, January 21, 2010
In the News
City code fines a woman $27,000
The used car was a blessing for Diane Pearson of North Port, a single mother with three children and a long commute to work. And after receiving the 1998 Mercury Sable from Lighthouse Baptist Church, she found her drive to Sarasota a bit less stressful.
But now she has a problem. North Port took Pearson to court over fines of more than $27,000 for keeping her old car in the driveway without a license plate. If the city wins its case, Pearson will be left in financial ruin.
Seems North Port is a city that likes to regulate and enforce many things -- from how often you mow your grass to the cars in your driveway. And one of their rules is cars in driveways must have a current plate.
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French braid keeps Texas boy in school
A 4-year-old Texas boy disciplined for having long hair has returned to his class with a brand new hair do.
Pre-kindergartner Taylor Pugh rejoined his classmates at his suburban Dallas elementary school on Tuesday.
Elizabeth Taylor says her son's hair is still long, but now she's styled it in a double French braid pinned up at the base of his neck. The school principal approved the style.
The boy typically wears his hair long and had been sequestered from classmates at Floyd Elementary School in Balch Springs since late November.
The long hair violates the school district's dress code. It says boys' hair must be kept out of the eyes and cannot extend below the bottom of earlobes or over the collar of a dress shirt.
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The used car was a blessing for Diane Pearson of North Port, a single mother with three children and a long commute to work. And after receiving the 1998 Mercury Sable from Lighthouse Baptist Church, she found her drive to Sarasota a bit less stressful.
But now she has a problem. North Port took Pearson to court over fines of more than $27,000 for keeping her old car in the driveway without a license plate. If the city wins its case, Pearson will be left in financial ruin.
Seems North Port is a city that likes to regulate and enforce many things -- from how often you mow your grass to the cars in your driveway. And one of their rules is cars in driveways must have a current plate.
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French braid keeps Texas boy in school
A 4-year-old Texas boy disciplined for having long hair has returned to his class with a brand new hair do.
Pre-kindergartner Taylor Pugh rejoined his classmates at his suburban Dallas elementary school on Tuesday.
Elizabeth Taylor says her son's hair is still long, but now she's styled it in a double French braid pinned up at the base of his neck. The school principal approved the style.
The boy typically wears his hair long and had been sequestered from classmates at Floyd Elementary School in Balch Springs since late November.
The long hair violates the school district's dress code. It says boys' hair must be kept out of the eyes and cannot extend below the bottom of earlobes or over the collar of a dress shirt.
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