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Weird and Wacky News Stories

Cop chases himself after being mistaken for burglar by CCTV operator
NewsCore | February 09, 2012 12:21AM

AN undercover cop "chased himself round the streets" for 20 minutes in a town in southern England after a surveillance camera operator wrongly identified him as a suspect.

The junior officer was patrolling the area by foot, after a rash of burglaries, when a CCTV operator radioed him, warning of a man "acting suspiciously" in the vicinity, according to the latest issue of the Police Federation's Police magazine.

Monitoring the "suspect," the operator then directed the cop to the man's location. The officer - not realising that he was the "suspicious" character - began searching for his shadowy suspect.

The fruitless pursuit ended 20 minutes later when a sergeant entered the CCTV control room and pointed out that the cop and the suspect were the same person.

"Every time the man darted in to another side alleyway, the PC [police constable] was turning immediately into the same alleyway, but every time the CCTV operator asked what he could see there was no trace," an officer, who was not named, told Police magazine.

"With the sergeant's sides aching from laughter he pointed out to the PC that the operator had been watching him unaware that he was a plainclothes officer - thus the PC had been chasing himself round the streets."

None of the parties involved in the incident were identified. A Sussex Police spokesman told the (London) Daily Telegraph "without the date or location, confirming the details and locating the officer is harder for us than it was for the CCTV operator."

Read more at The Daily Telegraph.
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From here.
 
Expelled For Borrowing Asthma Inhaler

MONUMENT, Colo. (CBS4) – A girl who borrowed a friend’s asthma inhaler at school has now been expelled.

The incident happened in January at Lewis-Palmer Middle School in Monument. Both the girls and their families are unhappy with the punishment.

The school’s punishment strikes one of the families as uneven justice. The school said the girls broke the district’s drug policy. Their families call the incident an accident and the school’s discipline heavy-handed.

For 10 days Breana Crites and Alyssa McKinney sat at home while suspended from school. The two were in gym class. Crites complained of trouble breathing, so McKinney lent out her asthma inhaler.

“I know what it feels like not to being able to breathe and I know how hard it is and I just took that into consideration,” McKinney said.


The two were sent home. Two weeks later McKinney was allowed to return. Crites however, was expelled.


“She should be back in school,” McKinney said.

“I think absolutely the suspension was appropriate,” Superintendent John Borman told CBS4 in January.

School policy forbids the sharing of any prescription drug. A letter to the students said expulsion was always a possibility. The school district did not return calls about why McKinney was allowed to return but Crites was not.

“The lesson that I learned from this is not to help people, because helping people is just going to get yourself in trouble,” McKinney said.

McKinney father, Tim McKinney, says he doesn’t understand why his daughter’s friend was dismissed in the last semester before high school.

“You work so hard your whole life to instill good morals into your children only for the school to break them,” Tim McKinney said.

Tim McKinney says his daughter was allowed back because he pressed school officials to do so. He says he’s proud and expects his daughter would do the same thing again.

“What they both did was human nature. May daughter was being a good Samaritan. Her friend was having an asthma attack,” he said.

Crites family never returned CBS4′s calls for comment. McKinney was placed on deferred expulsion, meaning one mistake could throw her out of school as well.
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You can understand why they have that rule in place but still..just wow.
 
I hadn't been in to read these earlier, but they ^ are hilarious.

The school one is just a sad indictment of systems that have no idea about the real life. Expelling should only go hand in hand with intent.
 
Texting error leads to lockdowns at West Hall middle, high schools
Message should have said "gunna" as in "going to" but changed to "gunman"

By Lee Johnson
POSTED: March 1, 2012 12:21 a.m.

An auto corrected text message, accidentally sent to the wrong number, was the catalyst to lockdowns Wednesday at West Hall middle and high schools.

Just before noon, law enforcement and school officials issued the lockdowns after a West Hall community member reported a threatening text message.

The text, saying "gunman be at west hall today," was received and reported to police around 11:30 a.m. But after police tracked the number, they learned the auto correct feature on the new cellphone changed "gunna" to "gunman."
The message being sent to the wrong number added to the confusion.

As law enforcement learned of the text message, the schools were notified to go into lockdown as authorities investigated the origins of the message.

"The school system always relies on law enforcement for school safety and anytime they request a lockdown we go with that request," said Gordon Higgins, Hall County Schools spokesman. "We always take every precaution concerning a potential threat or danger."

Authorities say the person who received the message "did the right thing."

"It was a combination of odd circumstances," said Sgt. Stephen Wilbanks of the Hall County Sheriff's Office. "We want to emphasize that the recipient did the right thing in reporting the message."

Hall Superintendent Will Schofield said in a statement that locking down the campuses was "standard procedure" and he was pleased with the handling of the situation.

"I am extremely proud of our school team members as they handled a challenging situation well," he said. "While this event caused a great deal of anxiety among students, staff and parents, be assured that we will always err on the side of caution when it comes to the safety of our boys and girls."

School officials say safety is their top priority and that giving information to parents as it becomes available is essential.

"What we try to do is give parents the best information when we have it," Higgins said.

The lockdown was eventually lifted around 1:45 p.m.

This event comes just days after three students were killed at Chardon High School in Ohio, adding to an already stressful situation.

Higgins said the time frame between the two events could have had an impact on today's events and the way they were handled.

He also said threats happen at schools, but generally come from students. This, he said, was the first time in recent memory that a community member reported a threat.
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http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/63990/
 
Town for sale, population, 1.

For sale: Town of Buford, Wyoming; snow plow not included
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 5:50 AM EDT, Thu April 5, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: The sole resident's wife died and son moved away
  • A town dubbed the nation's smallest is being auctioned Thursday
  • The lot includes 10 acres, five buildings and a cell phone tower
  • Bidding starts at $100,000

Buford, Wyoming (CNN) -- If you've always dreamed of owning your own town, you may be in luck. Buford, Wyoming is for sale.

The town, with its gas station and convenience store, cell phone tower, post office boxes and five buildings, is up for auction Thursday, with bids starting at $100,000.

With a population of one, Buford has been dubbed "The Nation's Smallest Town," said the auctioneer, Williams, Williams & McKissick Companies.

The town has about 10 acres of land, much of it fenced, according to the auction house.

It's located about halfway between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming, and is the second oldest town in the state.

Don Sammons moved there from California in 1980 with his wife and son. His wife died in 1995, and his son moved away in 2007.

"The first question they (visitors) come in is, 'Am I the one?'" Sammons told CNN affiliate KUSA two years ago. "People are amazed they can meet the entire town in just a flash."

The auction lot includes five buildings, including a three-bedroom house, the gas station and a cabin now being used as a tool shed.

A snow plow is being sold separately.

Source.
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New French PM's name causes Arab giggles
From Kindah Shair, CNN
updated 10:45 AM EDT, Thu May 17, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Jean-Marc Ayrault's last name sounds like a rude word in Arabic slang
  • Arab broadcasters are trying to figure out how to handle the name on air
  • We "have to deal with it" and be professional, an Al-Arabiya editor says

Abu Dhabi, UAE (CNN) -- France's new Socialist government is already causing ripples throughout a Europe struggling to balance government budgets without making ordinary people's lives miserable, but it has created a completely different problem in the Middle East.

The prime minister's last name, it turns out, sounds like an Arabic slang word for penis.

His name is Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Pronounced properly in French, the last name is very much like a moderately rude Lebanese and Palestinian term that is widely understood in the Arabic world.

The name has left broadcasters trying to determine if they should pronounce it as the prime minister does -- "ai-roh" -- or if they should resort to voicing the "L" and "T" in the written word.

An editor at the pan-Arabic network Al-Arabiya said it would pronounce the name in the French way.

"We cannot change names, so we have to deal with it and live with it. We have to be professional," said the editor, who asked not to be named because of the subject matter.

Al-Arabiya is writing the name in Arabic in a way that makes clear it is not the offensive word.

The French Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the issue but had no comment. The office of the French president, sounding amused, referred CNN questions to the prime minister's office, which had no comment.

The story echoes reports that two years ago, Pakistan wanted to appoint an ambassador to Saudi Arabia whose name sounds like an even more offensive word for penis in Arabic.

But Pakistani diplomat Akbar Zeb denied the story, telling the Globe and Mail in Canada, where he is posted, that there had never been a plan to send him to Riyadh.

CNN's Rachel Ramsay contributed to this report.
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From here.
 
A Zimbabwean senator's take on reducing HIV transmission:

How to reduce HIV? Make women uglier
07:13 AEDT Sat May 19 2012

What's the best way to reduce Zimbabwe's HIV infection rate?

Make women less attractive by forcing them to shave their heads and stop taking baths. Those are suggestions by Morgan Femai, a senator for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change representing Chikomo.

"The government should come up with a law that compels women to have their heads clean-shaven like what the Apostolic sects do," said Femai, speaking to a parliamentary HIV awareness workshop in Kadoma on Friday, according to Nehanda Radio.

"They should also not bathe because that is what has caused all these problems," said Femai. If women dressed in shabby clothes and were uglier, men would not be drawn to have sex with them, she said.

Femai also proposed Zimbabwean women be circumsized.

Zimbabwe's HIV prevalence is about 14 per cent of adults, down from more than 30 per cent over 10 years ago.

The parliamentary workshop was sponsored by the Zimbabwe Parliamentarians Against HIV (Zipah) with assistance from the National Aids Council, the UN, and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

"The workshop is aimed at sensitizing ourselves in the implementation of our objectives on curbing the spread of HIV and Aids and to ensure that members appreciate the response (to the pandemic) by Zimbabwe," said Blessing Chebundo, the chairman of Zipah and an MDC MP from Kwekwe.

Femai is the third MDC-T legislator to offer unusual suggestions on reducing HIV infections.

Sithembile Mlotshwa recently said people should have sex once a month and men should be injected with drugs that reduce libido. She also called for prisoners to be given sex toys to satisfy their sexual needs.

Thabitha Khumalo suggested prostitution be legalised to control HIV spread. She vowed to assist commercial sex workers form a trade union to fight for their rights.

Source.
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Man arrested with zebra in back seat of car:

Police: Drinking man brought zebra, parrot along for ride
By Jack Maddox, CNN
updated 12:13 AM EDT, Wed May 23, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Police in Dubuque, Iowa, say they found a zebra and a parrot in vehicle
  • John Reiter is charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated
  • His girlfriend, Vicky Teters, says of the animals: "We treat them like our kids

(CNN) -- The charge is rather routine -- an Iowa man was arrested over the weekend, accused of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to a police report. What makes this case unusual are the passengers that police in Dubuque say were with him: a parrot on his shoulder and a zebra in the back seat.

"They love going for rides," John Reiter's girlfriend, Vicky Teters, said to CNN affiliate KCRG.

"We treat them like our kids. They come in the house, we take them outside and take them for walks. We take them for car rides," Teters told KCRG. "They go and get the mail with me."

Dubuque Police Lt. Samuel Baxter told CNN that quite a few people called in to alert the police about a "zebra and parrot trapped in a vehicle parked at a bar."

Officer Chad Leitzen described in his report what he saw as he arrived: "I did observe two white male subjects in the front of the vehicle. I also observed a zebra in the back seat of the vehicle and a parrot on the driver's shoulder."

Leitzen then conducted a breathalyzer test that he said Reiter subsequently failed with a blood alcohol content of .148. The legal limit in Iowa is .08, according to Iowa's Department of Transportation website.

Reiter was arrested Sunday and held overnight, while the zebra and parrot were taken safely to a friend's house.

Source.
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Remember that guy who was sitting on a bus and then beheaded the sleeping man next to him, took out his intestines, ate them and then took the mans head out of the bus and taunted police with it? Well apparently he's not guilty of murder cause he thought the sleeping man was an alien. Of course! oh we are so stupid. go free Asian man you are perfectly safe to return to normal life.

http://www.news.com.au/world/canada-bus-killer-makes-alien-claim/story-e6frfkyi-1226364530104
 
Poor sheep, but it made me think of this thread:

Hundreds of sheep 'rain' on Melbourne motorists
1 June 2012 Last updated at 09:07 GMT

Paramedic Allan Eade: "We have a large number of deceased and injured livestock, only a small number of injured occupants of the vehicles"

Falling sheep hit vehicles in the Australian city of Melbourne after a lorry carrying livestock overturned on a flyover.

As the truck carrying 400 sheep hung precariously, its cargo plunged onto the road below.

Several cars were smashed as they were hit by the falling animals or swerved to avoid them.

Many sheep were killed or injured, but Melbourne police said there were no human casualties.

Police say that the lorry was travelling to the town of Geelong when the accident occurred on the flyover above the Princess Freeway.

The cause of the incident is still being determined.

"This is quite an unusual event," Allan Eade, a paramedic, told the Associated Press news agency.

"First of all we looked up and we could see the truck flip on its side and the next minute we were underneath and well yeah it rained sheep," passenger Christey Davis also told AP.

Source.
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Cases of 'Truman Show' delusions on the rise as more people believe they're the stars of their own reality TV programs



Reality TV shows are making increasing numbers of people convinced that they're the stars of their own, unwanted television programs.

Psychiatrists are treating more people for so-called 'Truman Show' delusions -- named after the 1998 movie starring Jim Carrey as a man who spends his entire life unwittingly at the center of a fictional world that's being broadcast to millions of homes.

The startling cases often afflict successful people who develop paranoid fantasies that they're being filmed at all times and that the world that's in front of them isn't real.

Their friends and loves ones are actors. The news they see on TV is made up to control the way they think. The things that happen to them are merely events staged for the amusement of others.

The result can turn disturbing and even violent.

In 2009, Anthony Waterlow killed his father and his sister in Australia because he believed they were broadcasting his life to the world as part of a game show to either murder him or convince him to kill himself.

During a psychological exam, he specially mentioned 'The Truman Show,' according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

In 2007, psychiatrist William Johns III allegedly assaulted a 2-year-old and his mother in New York City after he left his home in Florida because he 'had to get out of the Truman Show' that he believed was filming him in his home town, according to ABC News.

Drs Joel and Ian Gold, researchers at New York University and McGill University in Montreal, respectively, recently published a series of case studies about suffers of 'Truman Show' delusions.

Their article in the journal Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, followed five patients who believed their lives were the center of a secret TV show.

One patient traveled to New York City and walked in a federal building and demanded to see 'the director.' He said he had to come to Manhattan because he believed the World Trade Center attacks had been faked for the TV show being filmed around him, according to BuzzFeed.

He said he had to see for himself whether the twin towers were still standing. If they weren't, he said, it would be final proof that he was the unwilling star of a reality TV program.
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Forget about the zombie apocalypse, now it's spiders.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-new...vade-indian-town/story-e6frfkui-1226381887062

A TOWN in India is living in fear of a swarm of venomous spiders, which last month left two people dead after being bitten.
It may sound like a B-grade horror movie, but residents of the town of Sadiya, in Assam state, say that on the evening of May 8 as they were celebrating a Hindu festival swarms of spiders suddenly appeared and attacked them, The Times of India reported.
Over the next few days two people -- a man, Purnakanta Buragohain, and an unnamed school boy -- died after being bitten by the spiders. Scores more turned up at the town's hospital with spider bites.
District authorities are panicking and are considering spraying the town with the insecticide DDT.
Locals say the most terrifying aspect is that spiders appear in swarms and their behavior is highly aggressive.
"It leaps at anything that comes close. Some of the victims claimed the spider latched on to them after biting. If that is so, it needs to be dealt with carefully. The chelicerae and fangs of this critter are quite powerful," head of the department of life sciences at Dibrugarh University Dr L.R. Saikia said.
Teams of Indian arachnid experts have flocked to the town, hoping to identify the species, but so far they have drawn a blank.
They say it could be a tarantula, a black wishbone or even a funnel-web spider -- or it could be a whole new species.
One thing they agree on is that it is not native to the area as there is no record of venomous spiders in Assam. The black wishbone and funnel-web are native to Australia.
Researchers are also still running tests to find out the toxicity of the spiders' venom.
Dr Anil Phatowali, superintendent of the town's hospital, said they had not administered antivenin as they could not be certain the spider was venomous at all.
He also pointed out other factors may have contributed to the two reported fatalities.
"All the bite patients first went to witch doctors, who cut open their wounds with razors, drained out blood and burnt it. That could have also made them sick," Dr Phatowali said.
 
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