Saturday, March 6, 2010

6-Year-Old Suspended for Making Gun with Hand

A Michigan boy reportedly has been suspended from school for curling his hand into the shape of a gun and pointing it at another student.
Erin Jammer, said her son, Mason, was just playing around when he made the gesture.
"I do think it's harsh for a six-year-old. He's six and he just likes to play. Maybe what you could do is take his recess away. He's only six and he doesn't understand any of this," Erin Jammer said.
But officials at Jefferson Elementary School said the behavior made other students uncomfortable, and they suspended Mason for the remainder of the week.
School officials said Mason had been warned repeatedly against pretending to aim his hand at students but continued the behavior over several months.
Jammer told the paper her son isn't violent and doesn’t have toy guns at home. She suggested a less harsh punishment, like taking Mason’s recess away, might be more effective in teaching him not to make a gun with his hand.
"He's only six and he doesn't understand any of this," she said.
.

Navy Captain Demoted After Warship Drag Race Surfaced

A Navy captain was demoted because she berated and assaulted her crew, not because she led her guided missile cruiser on a drag-race with another U.S. warship in the Pacific, an investigation shows.
Capt. Holly Graf was relieved of her command of the cruiser USS Cowpens after an investigation substantiated crew allegations that she was abusive and used her position for personal gain, naval officials said.
.

Frosty the cat survives

A lucky cat has survived after being trapped for four weeks in a chilled food warehouse - by eating frozen peas.
The feline managed to survive temperatures of -2C (-28F) for a month in the warehouse before it was finally rescued by the RSPCA.
The 12-month-old black and white tabby cat, who has been nicknamed 'Frosty' by RSPCA staff, is believed to have survived by eating frozen peas and licking moisture off icy food packets.
.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Child 'directed NY airport jets'

US officials are investigating how a child was apparently allowed to direct planes at New York's JFK airport - one of the country's busiest.
The probe comes after an audiotape caught the boy directing several pilots preparing for take-off last month.
In one exchange, the boy is heard saying: "JetBlue 171 contact departure." The pilot responds: "Over to departure JetBlue 171, awesome job."
The boy was apparently with his father - a certified air traffic controller.
The adult is later heard saying with a laugh: "That's what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school."
In another exchange, the child says: "MS 4-0-3, contact departure," and then adds: "Adios, amigo."
The pilot responds: "Adios, amigo."
The pilots on the tape appear to be not concerned that a child is giving them instructions.
The incident happened on 17 February, when many New York pupils were on a week-long break.
The age and name of the child and the adult on the audiotape were not immediately known.
'Not indicative' incident
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement: "Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employees involved in this incident are not controlling air traffic.
"This behavior is not acceptable and does not demonstrate the kind of professionalism expected from all FAA employees."
The agency did not give any further details.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said the incident was "not indicative of the highest professional standards that controllers set for themselves and exceed each and every day in the advancement of aviation safely".
.
.

'Smoking Killed Me' displayed on hearse

Funeral directors in Dover, England said they carried out the last wish of a British man who died from emphysema by placing signs on his hearse reading: "Smoking Killed Me."
Paul Sullivan of Sullivan and Sons Funeral Directors said Albert "Dick" Whittamore, who died at age 85, was buried Tuesday in Dover, England, after a procession through town with signs on the hearse bearing the longtime smoker's final message.
"Although he had reached the age of 85, he had been suffering for a while and wanted to do his bit to warn others about smoking," Sullivan said. "He specified that that's what he wanted in his will. We gave it some thought but after a while we decided that that's what he had requested."
"Dick had emphysema, which is a lung condition caused by smoking which results in people struggling for breath," a Quit spokesman said. "Dick is sending out a strong message to smokers as he doesn't want others to suffer."
.

Workers lost their jobs for jaywalking

Some of the more than 40 workers in Detroit were given termination papers from a Detroit construction site said they were fired as a consequence of jaywalking.
The workers, who asked not to be identified, said they were contractors at the Marathon Oil Refinery site until bosses handed down termination notices for crossing a public street in front of the site without using the crosswalk,
"I was floored. I was in awe. I couldn't believe I got terminated over it," one worker said.
Marathon officials said the workers had recently been specifically instructed to use the crosswalk during a recent safety meeting.
"The workers were well aware of the need to follow the rules and procedures. Some, of reasons unknown, decided to take their lives in their own hands," spokeswoman Chris Fox said.
The company said the workers were suspended for 90 days, but the contractors said they were terminated and their papers specify they are "not eligible for rehire."
"It could possibly be a way to cut down the workforce and not want to pay unemployment. That would be the best way," one of the workers theorized.
.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Dog's birthday

.

Pizza delivery


.

The Odd Couple

Wildlife Safari in Winston, Ore has rare animals from across the globe - like rhinos, lions and even an Anatolian Shepherd.
And the rare thing about the Anatolian Shepherd female at Wildlife Safari is not her breed, but her roommate - who just happens to be the fastest predator on earth.
"It's a very popular question of why we have a dog and a cheetah out there and it's a common practice that a lot of institutions across the United States are doing right now in an effort to tell this very conservation story," said Dan Brands, Curator at Wildlife Safari.
As a single birth cheetah cub, Sanurra was abandoned by her mother, which opened the door for these two to be brought together.
"Rather than let Sanurra grow up alone we were able to bring in a dog as a sibling, basically like her sister, and they have been together ever since," said Sarah Roy, cheetah supervisor at Wildlife Safari.
This odd pairing was no accident, as an Anatolian Shepherd is very protective and that natural instinct could be the key to saving the wild cheetah population.
"Anatolians will be like that no matter how they are raised, whether it's with goats or whether it's cattle. So the farmers get these dogs as puppies and a big barking dog is plenty to keep a cheetah away from their livestock. And in turn, farmers are shooting less cheetahs because right now they are a shoot-on-sight animal," said Roy.
While these roommates may be considered the odd couple at Wildlife Safari, caretakers says it's like nothing they've ever seen.
"When we take the dog for her daily walk, the cheetah sits on her house and waits for the dog to come back and if we take Sanurra down to the village for the day, Ellie cries and whines for her cheetah to come back, so they do miss each other," said Roy.
That type of bond could change the road ahead for cheetahs in Africa.
.

Plane enthusiast's dream date

A 71-year-old woman who visits Manchester airport every week, but has never been on a plane, has finally boarded her favorite jet.
Rosemary Bate, 71, goes to the Aviation Viewing Park every weekend and marvels at the pilots who land the Cathay Pacific 747 cargo plane.
Ms Bate wrote to airport bosses asking them to "fix it" for her to meet the aircraft's pilots.
She was invited on board and said it was "a dream come true".
“I have been interested in the Cathay Pacific cargo plane as it is so large I can't comprehend the skill and talent it must take in landing it here”
Rosemary Bate
Captain John Rands welcomed Ms Bate on board the plane before it headed to Hong Kong.
Ms Bate said she never even expected a reply from the airport.
"I have actually never been on a plane in my whole life so I really enjoy coming to the airport at the weekend for the excitement of seeing the aircraft take off and land," she said.
"I have been interested in the Cathay Pacific cargo plane as it is so large I can't comprehend the skill and talent it must take in landing it here.
"I have felt like an excitable child at the thought of having a look around the aircraft today, it really has made my dreams come true."
Andrew Cornish, Manchester Airport's Managing Director, said Ms Bate's was a "particularly unusual request".
"I am very pleased we were able to fix it so Mrs. Bate got to live out her dream and I'm glad that she enjoyed it," he said.
.
Rosemary Bate was on cloud nine when she got to go on board her favorite aircraft.
.
.