10 cm slug just slip-sliding along in Ontario
After Lisa Bendall and her daughter spotted some unusually coloured slugs while walking to school one day, they launched an investigation that has the world of amateur and professional malacologists (that’s slug- and snail-watchers to you and me) scratching their heads.
“We were in awe,” says Bendall, a freelance writer, of the pumpkin-coloured things, which are 10 centimetres [about 4 inches] long when extended.
More at 10 cm Etobicoke slug a big, slimy mystery – thestar.com.
Crime tip: Don’t put your pot farm 25 feet from a police station
Police in Los Angeles recently busted a pot farm located in a building 25 feet behind a police station. How’d they know it was there? They smelled it.
Were you married in Texas? Are you sure?
Texans: Are you really married?
Maybe not.
Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state.
The amendment, approved by the Texas Legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by Texas voters, declares that “marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.” But the trouble-making phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is Subsection B, which declares:
“This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.”
More via Top Stories | Star-Telegram.com.
Normandy Nessie
Russ Sittloh says a mysterious serpent-like creature that’s at least 20 feet long has been swimming in the canal behind his Madeira Beach [Florida] home and he wants to find out what it is.
“The head will come up and then it will disappear and then the next thing you know, you’ll see a couple rolls behind it,” Sittloh said.
Sittloh has named the creature “Normandy Nessie” after the road he lives on. The 78-year-old retired engineer has also set up a camera to capture video of the creature and so far he’s recorded “Normandy Nessie” six times.
video at 10connects.com | Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater.
Wait. The hole was made so the dog could steal chickens?
QUOTE:
A Chinese burglar got stuck after he tried to crawl through a tiny opening built for a farmer’s pet dog to steal some chickens.
via Ananova – Hole in wall traps burglar.
That’s an accommodating man…making a hole in the barn wall so the dog could get in to steal chickens.
Dig out those skirts, girls. The Paris cops said so.
A decree banning women from wearing trousers in Paris is still technically in force, it emerged on Monday, making the laissez-faire French capital theoretically stricter than hardline Sudan in the fashion stakes.
The rule banning women from dressing like men – namely by wearing trousers – was first introduced in 1800 by [the] Paris’ police chief and has survived repeated attempts to repeal it.
The 1800 rule stipulated than any Parisienne wishing to dress like a man “must present herself to Paris' main police station to obtain authorisation”.
In 1892 it was slightly relaxed thanks to an amendment which said trousers were permitted “as long as the woman is holding the reins of a horse”.
Then in 1909, the decree was further watered down when an extra clause was added to allow women in trousers on condition they were “on a bicycle or holding it by the handlebars”.
More via Women banned from wearing trousers in Paris – Telegraph.
Hamster for a day in a French hotel
It’s a unique concept according to its creators. A hotel in the French city of Nantes is offering the chance for people to become a hamster.
For 99 euros (£88) a night, visitors to the hotel in Nantes can feast on hamster grain, get a workout by running in a giant wheel and sleep in hay stacks in the suite called the “Hamster Villa”.
More via Telegraph.
Crime tip: When carrying 30 pounds of pot it’s a good idea to obey traffic laws
A Maywood, Ill., man was taken to Jasper County Jail on Friday after a State Police canine officer discovered 30 pounds of suspected marijuana in his car.
Indiana State Police Master Trooper Rick Hudson stopped Brian K. Fortner, 37, at the DeMotte/Roselawn exit on northbound Interstate 65 Friday afternoon for driving 94 mph in a 55 mph zone.
via Local News :: Post-Tribune
A police officer acquaintance of mine once told me that they catch a large percentage of criminals because of traffic stops.
50 years. Now that’s an overdue book, Parkland People.
A high school librarian in Phoenix says a former student at the school returned two overdue books checked out 51 years ago along with a $1,000 money order to cover the fines.Camelback High School librarian Georgette Bordine says the two Audubon Society books checked out in 1959 and the money order were sent by someone who wanted to remain anonymous.
via MiamiHerald.com.
How do you tell if an elephant is fat?
The Edmonton Zoo has put Lucy the elephant on a diet and exercise program to reduce her weight by 1000 pounds in the coming year to help with her breathing and arthritis problems.
Hey, Otto. Is this van making a funny rumbling sound?
According to the BBC thieves in Germany stole a circus van unaware that there was a lion sleeping in the back. They abandoned the van after hitting a road sign and escaped, probably still not knowing about the lion. Police didn’t know about it either until they opened it after having the van towed to an impound lot.
The lion? He’s fine after having a refreshing nap.
Has your cigarette been tasting different lately? Maybe it’s the rabbit poo.
More than £1 million worth of counterfeit cigarettes filled with rabbit droppings instead of tobacco have been confiscated by customs officials in Spain.
The fake cigarettes – due to be sold on the black market as famous brands – were discovered after British holidaymakers in the Canary Islands smelled a rat whenever they lit up.
Along came a Spider ’smuggler’?
A British man has been arrested at Rio de Janeiro airport for attempting to smuggle at least 1,000 live spiders out of Brazil in his luggage.
The pet shop owner was arrested on Wednesday after security X-rays detected the spiders in two suitcases.
via BBC NEWS | UK | Spider ’smuggler’ arrested in Rio.
Crime tip: A moped isn’t a good place to have a meth lab. Oh. And get that headlight fixed.
An Auburn [Indiana] man was arrested Monday after police found a mobile meth lab on his moped, police said.
Hmmm. Food for thought. (Thanks, Alan)
Having Inner Strength
If you can start the day without caffeine
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment
If you can conquer tension without medical help
If you can relax without adult beverages
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs
Then you are probably the family dog
Caterpillar 797 Pics
I’ve had some doubting comment about the size of the broken truck pictured at this post. The size is correct. I’ve watched this truck in action at the copper mines just west of Salt Lake City, Utah, and they are unbelievable even when you see them. Here’s a description of the truck and there is more information at the link in the bottom left of this post.
The Caterpillar 797 was the largest truck of its kind in the world from 2000 till 2001. Its powered by a 24 cylinder V24 quad-turbo diesel engine that produces an amazing 3,400 horsepower. The truck stands at 23 feet tall and 47.5 feet long. The 797 is a whopping 30 feet wide. With the box raised the truck stands almost 50 feet tall.
Eight onboard computers monitor oil pressure, transmission torque, engine performance and tire temperature. The tires on the Cat 797 were especially designed for this machine made by Micheline. They stand 13 feet tall & each tire costs roughly 30,000 dollars. The 797 has an 850 gallon fuel tank or an optional 1800 gallon fuel tank. The truck itself sells for 3.4 million dollars.
via Caterpillar 797 Pics.
Safety tip: Alligators really don’t look much like a dog.
A Florida man searching for his dog thought he saw it under his car. Nope. It was an alligator which bit both his hands when he reached for it. No word on whether the dog was in the alligator.
via Man reaches for dog, gets bitten by alligator | abcactionnews.com.
Not exactly Moriarity, but then most crooks aren’t.
A Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, man was arrested for bank robbery Monday at the address he conveniently supplied the cops when he left his wallet on a teller’s counter when he made his getaway.
Did I mention that the “gun” in his pocket was actually a “blackened banana?” I’m not quite sure what “blackened” means. If it was that ripe I hope he didn’t squeeze it too hard.
Small Fry Baboon
Kira, a 5-day-old baboon, is fed by an employee of the Royev Ruchey Zoo in Russia’s Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk November 5, 2009. Kira’s mother refused to feed her cub and now it will be bottle fed
viaEnglish_Xinhua.
About
Oldster’s View is intended to be a news and oddity aggregation site which presents the more unusual or just timely
items. No blood or gore or fatal car accidents or fires or cameras stuck in the face of grieving parents or any of the other “news” that your TV proudly presents. There will be some occasional tech stuff but mostly just general interest items. Links back to my source can be found at the bottom left of each post. Go to those links. It will make the bloggers happy and encourage them to do more. Enjoy.
NOTE: I derive absolutely no profit from this blog and I make no representation as to the accuracy or truthfulness of anything on this site. I am simply passing along things I have found. Follow the link and use your own judgment.
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