Saturday, September 30, 2006

Man Seeks Revenge Over Glasses

A man in Indiana upset that his neighbour's children helped break his wife's eyeglasses is accused of trying to bomb the neighbour's house in retaliation. David Michielsen, 27, of Hammond is charged with detonating a destructive device with intent to intimidate or destroy and manufacturing a destructive device. The neighbour told police she was visiting Michielsen's wife when her children and Michielsen's broke the glasses. Michielsen ordered her and her children to leave, a probable cause affidavit said. Later that night, he called the neighbour and asked for a pair of glasses he could use to fix his wife's broken ones. The neighbour told police she complied, but Michielsen threw the glasses into her house about 10 minutes later, saying they wouldn't work. About an hour later, the woman heard a noise and looked outside. She saw Michielsen running away and spotted an item on her air conditioner that turned out to be a canister with a lighted green wick. She extinguished the wick and called police. Police said the canister was an explosive device made from a carbon dioxide container filled with a shiny black powder. A search of Michielsen's home turned up a wick matching the one in the device, a pack of model rocket engines and other items believed used to make the device, police said.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Alleged Burglar In Thong Leaves Video

A northern Kentucky man wearing only a thong and carrying a knife allegedly videotaped himself attempting a burglary , then left the tape behind, police said. That evidence ultimately led to his arrest, Fort Mitchell Police Chief Steve Hensley said. Rodney McMillen, 36, of Covington was charged over the weekend with first-degree burglary. "This is a very, very bizarre case, to say the least," Hensley said. McMillen allegedly broke into a woman's apartment clad in only thong underwear and carrying a knife, Hensley said. The woman fended off the attacker, who left the apartment and fled into a stand of trees near the apartment complex, Hensley said.
Investigating officers found a video camera the burglar left in the apartment, and found video of McMillen's family on the end of the tape, Hensley said.
Investigators were able to identify some of them and tracked down McMillen at his mother's house in Norwood, Ohio. McMillen was lodged in the Hamilton County Justice Centre in Cincinnati on $50,000 bond, awaiting extradition to Kentucky.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Friendliest coup ever!

Military coup leaders in Thailand - often called the 'Land of Smiles' - apparently don't want to ruin that image. They've ordered soldiers to smile. Army radio broadcasts are reminding soldiers to be friendly and courteous, especially to children and anyone who wants to take pictures with them. Since Tuesday's overthrow of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, tanks and soldiers have been stationed at strategic points around Bangkok, becoming a must-have photograph for many Thais and tourists.
"People have shown overwhelming support for the soldiers," the army radio station said Saturday. "The soldiers should promote a positive image and continue smiling and be polite."
It was unclear if soldiers were also ordered to let civilians hold their M-16s, which some foreigners and Thais did as they posed for photographs that were published in local newspapers on Saturday. Many Thais have described this as the friendliest coup the country has ever seen.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Man Overcharged To Fondle Woman!

A fee of 25,500 euros is way too much for a woman to charge a man for fondling her bosom, a Finnish district court ruled. The court jailed a couple in their 20's for more than a year for charging a 74 year old, who suffers from dementia, a total of 25,500 euros to enjoy the woman's breasts on 10 occasions. " Based on general life experience alone, it is indisputably clear that a 25,500 euro charge is disproportionate to the compensation in question," Judge Hasse Hakki, who heard the case said. But he said the court in Kokkola, about 300 miles north of Helsinki, would not decide "the proper financial value of the compensation." The retiree filed charges against the couple,who were convicted of extortionate overcharging, even though he told the court he paid the price willingly at the time.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

'Formula 1' buffalo race!

Residents of a village near Cambodia's capital staged a "Formula 1" race Friday to mark the end of the annual honouring of deceased relatives. The contest wasn't between cars, but water buffaloes. Each year, millions of Cambodians visit Buddhist temples across the country to honour deceased loved ones during a 15-day period commonly known as the Festival of the Dead. But in Vihear Suor village, abotu 22 miles northeast of the capital, Phnom Penh, citizens each year wrap up the festival with a water buffalo race to entertain visitors and honour a pledge made hundreds of years ago. Pok Thiva, an organiser, said there was a time when many village cattle - which provide rural Cambodians with muscle to plow their fields and transport agricultural products - died from an unknown disease. He said the villagers prayed to a spirit to help save their animals from the disease and promised to show their gratitude by holding a buffalo race each year on the last day of P'chum Ben - the festival's name in Cambodian. "I've seen the real Formula 1, but this buffalo race is the Formula 1 we have in our village every year," Pok Thiva said. " Car or motorcycle racing was never written into the village's history," he added jokingly. The race drew some 1000 spectators who saw 28 riders and their animals charge down the racing field.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Amusement Park Dares People To Eat Cockroach!

An amusement park in America is daring customers to eat a live Madagascar hissing cockroach in exchange for unlimited line-jumping privileges. Anyone who chows down the entire 2 to 3 inch horned roach gets a pass for four people to cut to the front of ride lines throughout the festival. Park officials insist it's safe to eat the crunchy critters, but health officials are cautioning participants. Consuming live roaches might increase risks of gastrointestinal illness and allergies, according to Bill Mays, Lake County Health Department's community health director.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Beer Drinker Gets Mauled By Bear!

A drunken Chinese migrant worker who jumped into a panda enclosure at the Beijing zoo, was bitten by the bear and retaliated by chomping down on the animal's back. Zhang Xinyan, drank four jugs of beer before visiting Gu Gu the panda. He felt a sudden urge to touch the panda with his hand, and jumped into the enclosure, it was said. The panda was startled and bit Zhang on the right leg. Zhang got angry and kicked the panda, who then bit his other leg. " I bit the fellow in the back," Zhang said. "It's skin was quite thick. No one ever said they would bite people. I just wanted to touch it. I was so dizzy from the beer. I don't remember much."

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Car Traps Elderly Women

Two elderly women are recovering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion after locking themselves in a hot car in Daytona Beach. Police say their battery apparently died, the automatic locks failed, and they didn't know they could unlock the doors manually. The women were trapped for nearly two hours before a passerby spotted their plea for help, which they wrote on the back of a tissue box. Rescue workers smashed a window to get the ladies out.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Man In A Dog?!!

A stray dog which refused to budge from the home of a recently deceased rabbi has finally moved on after a 'redemption ceremony' at an Israeli cemetery. The dog, pictured in the local Israeli newspaper, showed up at the house of the late Rabbi Nahman Dubinky. Rabbis expert in Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, concluded the animal could be possessed by a tortured soul seeking redemption. Ultra-orthodox Jews traditionally do not keep dogs as pets. "Sometimes the souls of sinners, such as adulterers or people who slept with non-Jews, enter the body of a dog," Rabbi Yitzhak Basri, a Kabbalah scholar, told Israel radio . "It is known that when a righteous man dies, the souls of people in need of redemption come to him so they can be healed as a result of his death." Sounds like more than enough reason for the rest of us to stay on the right path!

Monday, September 18, 2006

Goat Turned Into Corpse

A Nigerian murder suspect accused of killing his brother with an axe told police investigators he actually attacked a goat, which was only later magically transformed into his sibling's corpse. The man, whose name wasn't released, offered police his explanation after his arrest recently in the death of his brother the previous day at Isseluku village in southern Nigeria. " He said that the goats were on his farm and he tried to chase them away. When one woudn't move, he attacked it with an axe. He said it then turned into his bro," Police Commissioner Udom Ekpoudom reportedly said. Murder suspects in Nigeria, where many people believe in black magic, sometimes claim spirits tricked them into killing. In 2001, eight people were burned to death after one person in their group was accused of making a bystander's penis magically disappear.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Chicken dies, Wife shoots Hubby

A woman shot her husband in the back after he killed her pet chicken, the Lane County sheriff's deputies said. Deputies said they were sure that Mary Gray, 58, intended to shoot her husband, Stephan Gray, 43. They were not certain if the husband meant to fire at the chicken. "We don't know if it was an accident or if it was on purpose," Sgt. Clint Riley said. "It depends on who you ask."

Riley said the couple had been drinking for much of Monday while they did yard work at their rented home in the town northwest of Eugene, and they began arguing after Stephen Gray shot the chicken with a .44-caliber handgun. Deputies said he was then hit with a shot from a .22-caliber and is recovering. Mary Gray was arraigned on an assault charge.