Weird News Thread ....

[julie_angel]

Originally posted by Jolie Rouge
[Curfew for Men on 'Ladies' Night'


MADRID (Reuters) - The mayor of a southern Spanish town has declared Thursdays "ladies' night" and says he will fine any man found strolling about town in the evening, in an attempt to encourage them to stay at home and do the chores.

07/23/03 10:22

Ok, ladies, time to write to our congressmen!

[Widgetsx3]

Hiya Jolie!!!!

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's working elephants are to be fitted with reflective patches on their rears to prevent fender-bending road accidents that sometimes result in more than a damaged trunk.
The Wildlife Trust of India introduced the reflectors this week to help drivers spot the working jumbos at night in the Indian capital.

"The butt-reflector, roped to the howdah (seat), costs just 100 rupees ($2) and is the simplest way to protect them," said trust program director Aniruddha Mookerjee.

Working elephants are often used at weddings, festivals and by the tourist industry and often have to walk long distances along the city's chaotic, congested roads.

The trust took the safety initiative after a jumbo was badly hurt by a speeding truck last December. The elephant was put to sleep after veterinarians said it could not recover.

"You could see tears streaming from its eyes as it lay in pain. You can't have elephants being hit by cars and trucks," Mookerjee told Reuters, adding the trust planned to introduce the reflectors for elephants in other cities as well.

[Widgetsx3]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Something stunk on Capitol Hill on Wednesday -- and it had nothing to do with politics.
Dozens of people lined the Botanic Garden Conservatory, just behind the U.S. Capitol where Congress meets, for a rare glimpse -- and whiff -- of the titan arum flower, or amorphophallus titanum, infamous for an odor resembling rotting flesh that it gives off when blooming.

The bud will only remain open for about 48 hours, Botanic Garden officials said. "It looks like the air was shimmering above the plant, (and it) smelled like a very large, very dead possum," said Elliott Norman, the gardener that has raised the 4 1/2-foot plant from a seedling for 11 years.

The world's largest flower, first discovered by botanists in Indonesia in 1878, opens only once every few years.

[Widgetsx3]

Town Passes Hat to Bring Back Fugitives


Jul 24, 8:25 am ET

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) - When a lack of money shortened the long arm of the law, some residents of a small Arkansas community pitched in to lengthen it by bankrolling the extradition of two people charged in a child custody battle.
The people of Shannon Hills, a small community of about 2,000 people just outside Little Rock passed the hat around to collect the $1,100 needed to bring two fugitives caught in Idaho back to Arkansas. The fugitives would have likely been released in Idaho if money was not raised for the extradition.

Shannon Hills couple Richard and Maggie Howe, fled Arkansas on May 9 with the woman's 8-year-old daughter before a custody hearing.

Shannon Hills, with a small municipal budget, will only allocate money for extradition in cases involving violent crimes.

The Howes were arrested and held by police on July 17 in Boise, Idaho and the girl returned to her biological father.

"The citizens really stepped up, and I'm so very proud of them," said Robert Herzfeld, the prosecuting attorney for Saline County, said on Tuesday.

[Widgetsx3]

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - A 93-year-old time capsule from a high school in Aberdeen was opened with great expectations, an audience of state dignitaries and no small difficulty.

But instead of the "window to Aberdeen's past" they expected, Secretary of State Sam Reed, Archivist Jerry Handfield and others got a moldy wad of wet crud.

"Old papers," Reed said. "It looks like it's disintegrated, unfortunately."

The capsule was removed last week from the cornerstone laid in 1909 at the Weatherwax High School, about 45 miles west of the state Capitol.


Several blades of a rotary cutting tool broke as the outer container was opened Monday and tinsnips were used to cut into the inner copper box.

A hole about an inch wide at the top, first thought to be from drilling when the capsule was removed from the cornerstone, turned out to be much older.

About 20 people assembled for the opening were crestfallen by the sight of the glommed-up newspapers, photographs, booklets and other material.

Aberdeen School Superintendent Martin W. Kay tried to put the best face on the situation.

"The material inside was not in as good as shape as I had hoped," he said, "but it's not in as bad condition as it could have been."

In an attempt to salvage at least some material, the contents were placed in a freeze drier.

"I've seen cornerstones completely sealed in tar and disintegrated. We should be able to recover a significant amount from this," Handfield said.

[Widgetsx3]

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - About 120 Santa Clauses from around the world, clad in different shades of red, gathered Wednesday for their 40th annual convention - mainly to have a good time and bellow cheerful ho-hos.

Santa Claus, St. Nick, Sinter Klaas, Papa Noel, Babbo Natale, Julenissen and others from Europe, the Americas and Asia met in an amusement park north of Copenhagen for the World Santa Claus Congress.

The agenda for the three-day facetious convention included a parade of firetrucks through the Danish capital Tuesday and a vote on when Christmas should be held this year.

Unanimously, the jolly old elves - including Paradise Yamamoto and Yutaka Iwabuchi, dressed as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, both from Tokyo; and Jose Antonio Garcia Quintero from Caracas, Venezuela - voted in favor of holding Christmas Eve on Dec. 24.


"We also call for international rules to create flight corridors so we can deliver the presents without being hassled by witches on broom sticks and boys like Harry Potter," Ole Lundsgaard, a Danish Santa, or Julemand, told the cheering and laughing crowd.

Created 40 years ago by the Bakken amusement park, 13 miles north of Copenhagen, the convention has grown over the years from being a local summer activity to an event attracting Santas from abroad.

On Wednesday, the Italian Babbo Natale, Armando Narciso, became an "official Santa" after the assembly approved his outfit and he promised in return not to drink wine, beer or alcohol before addressing children and not to smoke while wearing the costume.

"You cannot be a good Santa if you smell alcohol," said Garcia Quintero, who hasn't yet obtained the authorization but is in his two-year test period before he can get a badge on his red robe. "You must not set a bad example for the children."

Canadian Santa, Carman Lamb of Sarnia, Ontario, agreed.

"Kids love us and we must be nice to them," Lamb told The Associated Press. "I get a real rush from seeing all those small smiling faces," said the 73-year-old retired lawyer, who visits children in hospitals and schools in December.

After Wednesday's meeting that included a traditional Danish Christmas dinner, the Santas paraded through the amusement park, sweating profusely as their heavy costumes clashed with the warm temperatures.

"That's a lot of Santas," said 7-year-old Emil Jeppesen as he looked with some amazement. Then turning to his mother, he asked with a smile, "Does this mean I'll get a really good present this year?"

[Widgetsx3]

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A bank robber made the ultimate bad career move when he wrote a holdup note - on the back of his resume.

Police used the job-search information to identify the man, who was arrested and charged with robbing a Wells Fargo bank branch on Fort Worth's east side.

The man had tried to hide the personal information by taping black construction paper over it. But then he forgot to retrieve the note and take it with him after giving it to the teller.

Police then just peeled the tape from the note.

A tip led police to a Fort Worth motel, where the man was arrested Saturday. He remained in federal custody on a bank robbery charge in the July 15 holdup.

[Widgetsx3]

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) - A cat burglar's booty is being hoarded in a Ventura County home.

A marauding feline named Midnight - now dubbed Klepto Cat - has been sneaking off in the dark to raid neighbors' homes, garages, sheds and patios, bringing home shoes, hats, shirts, socks and even a wrapped Christmas present.

It's stressful for pet owners Richard and Sue Boyd.

"We get so embarrassed by this," Sue Boyd said. "We wake up in the morning and go out and there's stuff under the truck. The cat leaves things all over. We don't want these things."


"He's a klepto cat," her husband said.

Each day, Midnight's owners leave a bag with the purloined goods hanging from their mailbox so neighbors can reclaim missing items.

It is unclear why Midnight prefers wearables.

Gary Sampson, an Indianapolis-based veterinarian who specializes in cat behavior, said the 13-year-old cat is probably drawn to body odors.

"He's obviously a hunter," Sampson said. "He's doing this at night. This is when they can get prey. It's just an extension of that."

Police Sgt. Paul Fitzpatrick said there isn't anything the police could do about Midnight's crimes, except refer the complaint to animal control.

[Widgetsx3]

DUVALL, Wash. (AP) - Firefighters may have smelled something funky as they battled a 10-acre brush fire along a state highway east of Seattle.

While using heavy equipment to clear vegetation in the path of the 20-foot flames Monday afternoon, firefighters encountered about 90 six-foot marijuana plants that had been hidden in a blackberry bramble, Eastside Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Lee Soptich said.

The pot survived the flames, which were ignited by sparks from grinding equipment used by a state contractor's road crew, but about 60 of the plants were destroyed by a bulldozer as firefighters rooted out hot spots and the rest were seized as evidence, Soptich said.

"We're getting a big chuckle out of it," he said Tuesday. "Never have we had a brush fire end up identifying a pot grow."

Investigators were checking records to determine who owns the property, but most likely the marijuana was planted without the owner's knowledge, King County sheriff's Sgt. Kevin Fagerstrom said.

"It was a discreet little spot where somebody started their own forest," Fagerstrom said. "Somebody obviously put a lot of time and effort into their care."

[Jolie Rouge]

Who Knew Garlic Had This Effect?

Eat garlic as a regular part of your diet, and it may help prevent prostate and other cancers.

Not only does it give food a special zing, but also garlic seems to have broad anti-cancer effects throughout our bodies, according to new research from the National Cancer Institute. Numerous studies in the laboratory involving cells and animals, as well as studies examining large human populations, have confirmed garlic's cancer-fighting powers, reports MSNBC. And it doesn't take much to do the trick. Less than a clove of garlic every day is enough to cut a man's risk of prostate cancer in half, when compared to men who eat no garlic. And that's not all. Garlic has also been shown to prevent cancers of the colon, stomach, and possibly breast.


Which just leaves this question:
Is it better to consume garlic with food or as a pill supplement?

That is currently being studied and the early results point to food. It seems whole garlic offers the best protection. Since very little garlic is needed for maximum benefit--as little as four to five cloves a week will suffice--researchers think adding a bit of garlic to your vegetable stir-fry or tucked in the roasted chicken may be better than popping a pill.

Cool Trick: When garlic is cooked, it can lose many of it's cancer-fighting enzymes. But you don't have to eat it raw to reap all the health benefits. Instead, do this: Peel and crush the garlic in a garlic press. Let the garlic rest for 15 minutes. Then cook it.


Can't stand garlic?

There's good news! Onions also fight cancer in much the same way as garlic. MSNBC reports: "Studies have shown that while garlic, onions, scallions, and leeks contain slightly different compounds, the substances that block cancer-promoting enzymes, promote DNA repair and regulate the cell life cycle are found in all these foods."

[Jolie Rouge]

Do This When You're Young, Live to 90

The secret to a long life may be maintaining a healthy weight in your young adult years and staying physically active in later years--and this holds true even if you suffer from diabetes, heart disease, or cancer as a senior citizen. Reuters reports that researchers from the University of California, Irvine have determined that elderly people who reported weighing the least at age 21 and who participated regularly in physical exercise as senior citizens were the most likely to eventually celebrate their 90th birthday.

The study: The 20-year research project included more than 10,000 adults who were on average 75 years old when the study began. They answered questions about their height, weight, weight at age 21, body mass index, and their level of outdoor exercise. At the end of the study, more than 6,700 of the participants had died before reaching age 90, but 3,636 lived to 90 or older, reports Reuters.

The results: Those who reported weighing the most at age 21 were also the most likely to die before 90. The risk of dying before 90 increased with every five-pound increase in weight at 21 years of age. "Being overweight in young adulthood is detrimental to survival to very old age," Corrada told Reuters. In addition, the elderly participants who had the highest body mass indices in their golden years were also more likely to die before 90, compared with those who had a lower BMI. Those seniors who exercised at least 30 minutes a day were 24 percent to 31 percent less likely to die before age 90, compared with those who exercised less than 30 minutes daily or not at all. "Although exercise is known to help maintain ideal weight, exercise increased the chance of survival beyond its effect on weight and body mass," Corrada told Reuters.

And here's the amazing part: These findings about healthy weight and exercise contributing to longevity held true even when the elderly participants suffered from life-threatening health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, diabetes, and cancer. The findings were presented during the 55th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Honolulu, Hawaii.