Strange: Man hides seven snakes, three tortoises in his pants

Miami, Florida - Miami International Airport has led the way in the latest technology for airport security. One airport passenger learned this the hard way when he was trying to sneak seven exotic snakes onto a plane in his pants. The incident happened when security were screening passengers with a millimeter wave advanced imaging technology machine. It was there when the TSA officials noticed a little big extra in the passenger’s pants. When taken for further screening, TSA officials discovered seven exotic snakes and three tortoises held in nylon bags that were concealed inside the man’s pants. The man was arrested and charged with violating the Lacey Act, which deals with imports of exotic animals. He faces a maximum of five years in jail.  More  

Shocking: Man impaled through eye with pruning shears

Arizona - Leroy Luetscher was working in his back garden when he dropped a pair of pruning shears, which landed point-side down in the ground. When Luetscher went to pick them up, he lost his balance and fell face-down on the handle. The handle penetrated his eye socket and went down into his neck, resting on the external carotid artery. Half the shears were left in his head, while the other half was sticking out. Mr Luetscher was rushed to the hospital, where surgeons removed the shears and rebuilt his orbital floor with metal mesh, saving his eye. Doctors say Mr Luetscher still has slight swelling in his eyelids and minor double vision but has otherwise recovered.  More

Earthquake Cures Man’s Deafness

Washington DC - A Washington, D.C., man regained his hearing after the East Coast earthquake — several months after losing it during a fall on Father’s Day. It was God’s blessing,” Robert Valderzak told ABCNews.com, his voice shaking with emotion. “It was a miracle for me.”  Valderzak was visiting with his daughter and three sons when the quake rattled D.C.’s Veterans Affairs Hospital, where he is battling cancer.  “It shook me terrible — right out of the bed,” he told ABC News. “But after that it stopped. And my son talked to me, and I could hear his voice.” Tests confirmed Valderzak’s significant hearing improvement. But his doctors think they have a medical explanation for the “miracle.” He had conductive hearing loss, caused by fluid in his middle ear.  More  

Golfer mistaken for clown arrested

 Batavia, New York - A Massachusetts man whose colorful golf attire was briefly mistaken for a clown outfit has been charged in New York with driving a golf cart while drunk. The Genesee County sheriff says they got a report that someone dressed as a clown was operating a stolen golf cart in the western New York town of Batavia. Deputies found 37-year-old James Straub, of Stoneham, Mass., driving along a road. He wasn’t dressed as a clown — just wearing some colorful clothing after an outing at Terry Hills Golf Course. But deputies say he was intoxicated.  More  

Man charged with shaving sleeping girlfriend’s head

Florida - An Immokalee man is facing a domestic battery charge after authorities say he gave his girlfriend a hair cut while she slept. David Bustos, 26, was arrested by Collier County sheriff’s deputies at home. Bustos and his girlfriend got into an argument causing Bustos to leave his girlfriend’s home. She told deputies that around 7 a.m. she awoke in her bed to Bustos shaving her head with an electric hair clipper. He used such force with the clippers that it caused a small cut on her scalp, according to reports. The victim told deputies that she immediately kicked him off of her and he fled the home.  More  

Adult children’s bad mothering lawsuit dismissed

Chicago - Raised in a $1.5 million Barrington Hills, Ill., home by their attorney father, two grown children have spent the last two years pursuing a unique lawsuit against their mom for bad mothering that alleges damages caused when she failed to buy toys for one and sent another a birthday card he didn’t like. The alleged offenses include failing to take her daughter to a car show, telling her then 7-year-old son to buckle his seat belt or she would contact police, haggling over the amount to spend on party dresses and calling her daughter at midnight to ask that she return home from celebrating homecoming. An Illinois appeals court dismissed the case, finding that none of the mother’s conduct was extreme or outrageous. More 

Government: Woman will not have to show her vagina

Montreal, Canada - After numerous frustrating phone calls with bureaucrats, Sunshine Rose will exist in the eyes of the Quebec government and her mother will not have to show her vagina to anyone to prove the 5-month-old infant is hers. Heather Mattingsly, who gave birth in March, has spent her time since trying to convince the Directeur de l’état civil that even though she engaged the help of an unlicensed midwife to give birth at home, the baby is indeed hers. Days after the birth and as required, she provided the government agency in charge of issuing birth certificates with an ultrasound, a doctor’s letter and an attestation of birth, but none of that was good enough. This week, the agency said she’d have to get a vaginal examination – a procedure that doctors and midwives alike agreed would prove absolutely nothing. After many calls from the media, the agency’s director called Mattingsly and said after reviewing her file personally, he decided she didn’t need to go for the examination.  More  

Therapy horse killed, metal thieves tore down fence

Oakdale, California - A therapy horse was killed after metal thieves tore down a pasture fence, allowing some of the animals to wander near a busy highway. An unknown number of suspects cut down a gate at the Daley Training and Learning Center, an organization that helps special needs children, allowing six horses to wander free. The horses traveled about a half mile from the pasture before reaching Highway 108, and all but one of the animals were able to cross the road safely. Calvin, a quarterhorse, was struck by a casino tour bus and died from his injuries. No passengers on the bus were harmed. Daley said it would cost thousands of dollars to get another horse, but impossible to replace the good Calvin did for children. The stolen scrap metal likely only netted a couple hundred dollars for the suspects.  More

Jogger struck by hawk

Kansas City, Missouri - A Missouri man who felt something hit the back of his head while he was jogging in the early morning said he believes he was attacked by a hawk. Brian Foster, 29, an employee of KMBC-TV in Kansas City, said he was jogging at the corner of 147th Street and Metcalf Avenue about 5 a.m. when he felt something strike the back of his head. Foster, who was not seriously injured, said he quickly turned around and spotted a bird he believes to be a hawk flying away. There have been several hawk sightings in the area and officials have warned residents of aggressive hawks attacking small pets.  More 

Police search for gumball machine thieves

 Charlotte, North Carolina - Police are looking for a couple that was caught on surveillance video breaking into a northeast Charlotte tire business and stealing four gumball machines. Around 4:20 a.m., a black Jeep Liberty driven by a woman pulled into the parking lot of the Used Tire Express on North Tryon Street. A man got out of the vehicle, police said, and then used a sledge hammer to smash the business’ glass front door. Then the man went inside, took four gumball machines and put them in the vehicle before the pair drove away. The stolen property was worth $600, according to a police report.  More 

Big jewelry heist is a bust for clown robbers

Denver, Colorado - The two robbers, who were both dressed in bizarre costumes and wearing white face paint, pointed guns at employees and customers while they cleared the cases of jewelry. “They came in with their guns drawn,” says store owner Mark Allen. The pair then put a gun Allen’s head and forced him to unlock the jewelry cases. “They did a lot of threatening,” he says, telling him that if he didn’t open the display cases within seconds they would shoot him in the head. Allen says he told them they could have whatever they wanted. Sonny’s Rocks Jewelry Store, like most jewelry stores, no longer displays real jewelry, a change the store made when the price of precious metals and gems started going up a few years ago.  They didn’t get any real diamonds. Instead, they made off with garbage bags of fake gold, platinum and cubic zirconium. “It’s not real,” Allen says. “It’s totally worthless.”  More 

Woman’s breast implant popped during paintball game

England - The woman’s bizarre injury caused UK Paintball - which operates more than 50 facilities throughout the UK - to insist that women with breast enhancements now wear extra chest protection. And the company’s standard indemnity form now points out to customers that paintballs - capsules of dye fired from gas-powered guns in the game - can damage breast implants. The 26-year-old was playing paintball at Whyteleafe, south London, when the incident took place. A UK Paintball spokesman told the newspaper, “Part of the fun of paintball is that it hurts a bit when you get shot but in all the years we’ve been going we’ve never seen an incident like this.” More

Dog eats $10K worth of diamonds

 Albany, Georgia - The pooch dined on a meal of $10,000 worth of diamonds. Honey Bun often walks the counters at John Ross Jewelers. He’s not much of a guard dog, but he is great with customer relations. “He’s been loved,” said co-owner Chuck Roberts. Customers sometimes hide treats in their purse for Honey Bun. It happened two weeks ago when a customer came in. “A customer came in and I jumped up out of my chair and came out here to wait on him. And I left the chair where you could jump up on my chair and jump up on my desk,” said Roberts. On the desk: four packs of loose diamonds, about a carat each to set in diamond earrings, pens, and dog treats. When he returned, only three packs remained, and an empty pouch was lying on the floor. “The next afternoon, sure enough, the earring back and two diamonds were recovered.”  More 

Violent robber is targeting elderly men

New York - The NYPD is looking for a violent robber who is targeting elderly men as they enter the subway system or elevators in Manhattan. In the first incident, the sicko came up on an elderly man from behind as he entered the N train subway entrance at Broadway and W. 28th St.  It happened at about 7:30 a.m. He choked the victim from behind and grabbed the man’s wallet out of his pants before running away. The victim suffered a stroke in the attack. Next, the thug followed an elderly male into an elevator and choked him from behind. He stole the man’s money and phone before running away. The victim was not hurt in that attack. The suspect struck again two days later. The man, described as a stocky, bald black man in his mid-20s, between 5′5″ and 6′.  More 

Man Stole Swimming Pool For Scrap Metal

Greenfield, Massachusetts - When a Greenfield family reported that their 24-foot diameter, above ground swimming pool had been stolen, police knew exactly where to look for it. Officers went to a scrap metal company where workers said some men had come in to sell a metal frame pool that matched the description of the one reported stolen. Police arrested 49-year-old Henry Stefanowich of Chicopee and charged him with larceny and trespassing. The 52-inch deep pool, with only a few inches of water in it, was stolen in a 3 1/2 -hour window when everyone in the family was at work. More  

Man fatally stabs scoutmaster, 76

Bunker Hill, Indiana - A 76-year-old man has been stabbed to death while leading Boy Scouts on a hiking trip in northern Indiana, and a suspect who battered his mother and killed a dog at their home nearby is under arrest. The assistant scout leader, Arthur L. Anderson, had stopped to identify a tree on the Nickel Plate Trail in Bunker Hill when an attacker approached him from behind and stabbed him in the neck. Witnesses told police the attack was unprovoked. Officers later arrested Shane C. Golitko, 22, of Bunker Hill, after he ignored a state trooper’s attempted traffic stop and led police on an eight-mile chase.  More  

Bad Joke Leads To Arrests

Manchester, Connecticut - One of two young women wearing blue body suits and rubber masks told police that she and her friend were only joking when they ordered a package store clerk to open the cash drawer. The pair - Arlena Clark (Pictured), 23, and Megan Callahan, 21 - entered M and J Wines and Liquors. A man who had seen them go in thought their all-blue clothing and character masks from the movie “Saw” were very suspicious and called police. The liquor store clerk told police that one of the women said, “This is a stick-up,” and ordered him to open the cash drawer. The clerk yelled at the two and told them to remove their masks or leave, police said. They took off the masks and the clerk identified Clark, a customer he knew, “who told him it was just a joke,” the police report said.  More 

Man loses legs in backyard home-made bomb blast

 Australia - Two men are fighting for their lives following an explosion in a backyard in Melbourne’s south-east. A police spokeswoman said the men, both aged in their 20s, were burying a cylinder or metal container of mixed chemicals when the explosion occurred. An Ambulance Victoria spokesman described the scene as horrific. Both men had to be placed into an induced coma at the scene because of critical injuries before being flown to Melbourne. Both remained in a critical condition. Police say the men were mixing the chemicals in their backyard in front of family and friends at the time of the explosion. The chemicals were brake fluid and chlorine. Neighbour Judy Gibbs said the explosion shook her house. I’d gone to bed and next minute there was this great, big, loud explosion - the windows in my house shook, the whole house shook.  More 

Reindeer herder finds baby mammoth in Russia Arctic (Reuters)

Reuters - A reindeer herder in Russia's Arctic has stumbled on the pre-historic remains of a baby woolly mammoth poking out of the permafrost, local officials said on Friday.Reindeer herder finds baby mammoth in Russia Arctic (Reuters)

Wingwalker dies after fall at air show

Harrison Township, Michigan - Todd Green was flying atop an aircraft at the Selfridge Air Show, less than 30 miles from Detroit when he fell while trying to perform a transfer to a helicopter, organizers said on a website for the event. He was taken by ambulance to Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center. Green was pronounced dead at Mount Clemens, hospital spokeswoman Diane Kish said. She could not provide any information on the cause of death. The Selfridge Air Show was held at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township, Michigan.  More 

Woman Arrested, Attemped to Sell 5-Year-Old Son

Florida - A Florida woman was arrested for allegedly attempting to sell her 5-year-old son for $2,000. Jessica Marie Beers, 29, allegedly told a couple she met at church that she would sell them the boy’s parental rights. The couple, fearing for the child’s welfare, reported the woman to authorities. The couple told authorities they noticed Beers struggled with a prescription drug addiction and believed the money would be spent on more drugs. Detectives met Beers at a prearranged location in Seminole, where she was set to exchange the child for money. She allegedly admitted to authorities that she was attempting to sell the boy, but did not give a reason. More  

Stripper sues former boss in prison over wages

 Chicago - A dancer who worked for a suburban strip club operator, who’s now in prison for tax fraud, is suing her former boss, claiming that he didn’t pay overtime and unfairly took money out of her wages. Argyro Roula Manis filed the federal lawsuit late last month against Michael Welleck, of Libertyville, who partially owned and operated three strip clubs - Heavenly Bodies in Elk Grove Village, Skybox in Harvey and Cowboys in Markham. Welleck, 63, this year was sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to obstructing the IRS in collection of taxes and filing a false federal income tax return for 2000.  More 

Woman left child in stroller outside bar

 Florida - A Daytona Beach mother was arrested and charged with child neglect after police say she left her 5-year-old child in a stroller outside a bar while she was inside the bar drinking. It happened around 9:45 p.m. at a bar on E. Orange Avenue in Daytona Beach. According to the arrest report, Sarah Lynn Cheek, 34, went to the bar with her 5-year-old child and told the child to, “Stay here. I’m going to get you a candy bar.” The report says bar patrons saw the child outside the bar alone and called police who arrested Cheek and charged her with child neglect. Police transported the child back home and made contact with the child’s father who told officers that his 14-year-old daughter was watching the 5-year-old while he was sleeping and that Cheek asked the teen if it was alright to take the child for a walk. The teen agreed and Cheek left with the child.  More  

Woman Arrested After Stabbing Lizard

California - Deputies arrested a San Carlos woman who allegedly stabbed a  bearded dragon lizard during an argument with the pet’s owner. After receiving a report of a domestic dispute, deputies responded  to the 1000 block of Crestview Drive. They found a man, who  told deputies that 37-year-old Shawna Kim Apour stabbed his pet lizard during  a fight, Lt. Ray Lunny said. The two had a prior relationship, but they were not married, he  said. The victim, who was not injured, told deputies Apour had left the home  on foot. Deputies were able to find Apour a short distance from the house,  but when they approached her, she brandished a knife. She refused  to put down the weapon and threatened deputies, who used a stun gun to disarm  her. The 14-year-old bearded dragon was taken to a veterinarian, where  it received stitches and is expected to survive, Lunny said.  More  

Woman Drove With Infant In Truck Bed

Florida - A Florida babysitter was arrested for felony child neglect after she loaded a stroller containing an eight-month-old boy into the back of a Dodge Ram pickup truck which then drove around on two of the area’s busiest roadways, police charge. After receiving several 911 calls from alarmed motorists, the vehicle was approached by Daytona Beach police, who found Keyona Davis, 23, seated in the back of the truck bed next to the stroller. Davis was arrested since she should have reasonably concluded that a 8 mth old child in a stroller in the bed of a pick-up truck is a highly dangerous situation and incredibly unsafe. Her rap sheet includes busts for car theft, cocaine possession, shoplifting, resisting arrest, criminal mischief/property damage, and fleeing law enforcement.  More

Teen Could Die From Brushing Hair

Scotland - A teenage girl in Scotland with an extremely rare medical condition was told by doctors that brushing her hair could kill her. Megan Stewart, 13, suffers from hair brushing syndrome, which means that contact with static electricity could cause her brain to shut down. Her condition came to light as she got ready for school in Wishaw, central Scotland. Her mother, Sharon, said, “I was brushing her hair in the living room when she flopped over and her lips turned blue. I thought she was having a fit, which she’d never had before, so we called the paramedics. It was really scary.” Doctors at Glasgow’s Yorkhill Hospital for Sick Children told her parents that they had only ever heard of one other case of the syndrome, which causes vital organs to shut down if there is a buildup of static.  More

Bond denied for man arrested 99 times

 Chicago, Illinois - Bond was denied for a Chicago man arrested for the 99th time and charged with drug possession after he allegedly used his 3-year-old child as a ruse to beg for money in west suburban Riverside. Riverside police received a call of a suspicious man stopping people on the street to ask for money and begging door-to-door in the 7200 block of West Ogden, a release from police said. Officers located 37-year-old Albert Luis Alvarez pushing a stroller with a small child inside, and when they questioned him, he refused to take his hands from his pockets, the release said. He then threw several clear plastic bags on the ground and tried to run away. Police quickly caught him an arrested him after a brief struggle, and found heroin i

Marriage proposal gone wrong

 Israel - After three and a half years of dating, a 30-year-old Tel Aviv man, has decided that the time has come to tie the knot. He picked out the perfect place to propose to his girlfriend: The cliff of Arsuf, which overlooks the Mediterranean. “I brought friends there earlier, I set up a stereo system with speakers that would play our song, and got a photographer to document the moment without her knowing. A rose and an expensive ring were also ready ahead of time.” At sunset he brought her to the romantic spot. When the time was right he got on one knee, and popped the question. As he handed her the ring, she said “I can’t believe it” and jumped in excitement, hitting him with her elbow - knocking the ring out of his hand and right over the edge of the cliff.  More

Family dog comes home with human hand

Brownsville, Texas - A family dog in Mission brought home a severed human hand, launching a search that turned up the body of a suspected illegal immigrant, police said. Police were called to a residence around 8:25 a.m. on reports that the family’s black Labrador retriever had the hand in its mouth. Police searched with the assistance of Border Patrol search dogs for about 2 1/2 hours before coming upon the body of a man near a canal. Tittle said the body appeared to have been there two to three weeks, and that the man’s clothing had paperwork leading officials to believe he was an illegal immigrant.  More

Disabled woman attacked while loading groceries in car

Columbia, South Carolina - Lexington County deputies have made an arrest after a woman was attacked by someone who helped her load groceries into her car. Whitney Deandra Wilson, 21, (Pictured) is charged with robbery and assault in connection with the attack, which Sheriff James Metts said happened around 3:30pm at the Food Lion. Metts said Linda Sarvis Canady, 64, of Columbia, was bagging her groceries to take them to her car when Wilson offered to help load the groceries into Canady’s car. Canady said she was grateful when Wilson came over to help, because she’s disabled and has difficulty reaching some items. Wilson then hit Canady in the forehead with a can she had taken from the grocery bags. “It was so fast, I’m telling you,” said Canady. “Right in the middle of my head. My body was saturated with blood.”  More

Repairman swallows homeowner’s diamond ring

Cicero, Illinois - A home repairman faces felony theft charges and up to three years in prison for swallowing a homeowner’s diamond ring while on the job. Wilfredo Gonzalez-Cruz, 30, of Chicago allegedly downed the ring to try and hide it from the owners of the house he was working on. Prosecutors say Gonzalez was remodeling a home in Cicero when he asked to use the bathroom. After, a homeowner noticed her diamond ring was missing. She told her husband, who confronted Gonzalez, who denied taking the ring. The two began to struggle, according to Alvarez, and Gonzalez took the ring that he had hidden on himself and swallowed it. Police showed up and took Gonzalez to a local hospital. X-rays of Gonzalez’s stomach showed he swallowed the ring.  More

Naked Girls Were Filmed By Youth Pastor

Texas - Using a hidden video camera, a Texas man filmed four naked, honey-drenched teenage girls while they showered at a church where he worked as a youth pastor. The 30-year-old Fortenberry, investigators alleged, organized a Fear Factor game that included honey being poured over four girls he had picked to participate. After the contest, Fortenberry instructed the minors that they could take a shower and wash the honey off their bodies. It was at this point that he allegedly videotaped the four teenagers with a camera he had hidden in the church bathroom. Texas prosecutors announced that they could not pursue charges against Fortenberry since the incident occurred more than three years ago, beyond the statute of limitations for the improper photography/visual recording count.  More

Bus Driver Fired For Rescuing Police Detectives

West Babylon, New York - A Long Island school bus driver was called into his boss’ office expecting commendation. Instead, he said he was fired for helping three police officers stranded in a violent storm - and transporting them in his school bus. Daw snapped pictures as a near-monsoon moved through New Hyde Park. Traffic was stopped, cars were submerged and drivers panicked. George Daw finally freed his yellow SUV school bus - with his one single child passenger aboard - amid sudden cries for help from three Nassau County police detectives. “Do I leave these three police officers, due to company policy?” Daw said. “I didn’t even second guess it. I told the child to jump in the back, these people are coming on board. I had to get them.” Daw rescued and transported the police officers - their unmarked patrol car was a total loss.  More

Usher seen “The Phantom of the Opera” 9,000 times

New York - An usher at New York City’s Majestic Theatre says she has seen “The Phantom of the Opera” 9,000 times since it opened on Jan. 26, 1988. Usher Sylvia Bailey, 86, began working at the theater two years before the play premiered. She will turn 87 the week before “Phantom” plays its 10,000th performance. Bailey watches the show five nights a week from an empty seat in the back or a folding chair she keeps by the orchestra if there is an empty house. Occasionally she is asked by theatergoers if the production ever changes. “It’s been the same since Day 1,” she tells them. “No changes. Just different people.” More

Man murders girlfriend, digs up her tombstone

Kent, Washington - A Kent man charged with killing his teenage girlfriend is now accused of digging up her tombstone. A judge has issued a restraining order against 25-year-old James Radtke after police say he replaced his girlfriend’s tombstone with one that had his name on it. He also spelled out her name, using Taco Bell wrappers. On the night of the shooting, Carte’s mother called 911 to report that her daughter was at Radtke’s house. When police arrived at the residence, three men living there, one of them Radtke, said that she wasn’t there and didn’t permit the officers to enter. Later that night the men drove Carte, suffering from a gunshot wound, to Enumclaw Community Hospital. She was dead on arrival.  More

Man accidently shoots his penis with a pink pistol

Chandler, Arizona - Chandler police say a 27-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the groin outside a grocery store. It happened in the parking lot of the Fry’s Food Store at Elliot and Alma School roads. According to the police report, the man had his fiancee’s pink pistol tucked in the front waistband of his pants when the gun accidentally fired. The bullet hit the man’s penis and then went through one of his legs. He was then taken to the hospital and underwent surgery.   More

Maintenance men play dress-up from woman’s closet

Houston, Texas - A tenant accuses maintenance staff of playing dress-up in her west Houston apartment, then posting pictures on Facebook.  It was at the Crest Apartments on Wilcrest where former tenant Stacy Knight says a couple of maintenance men violated her privacy. In a lawsuit, the woman claims those workers went into her home unannounced, allegedly looking for a water leak, but ended snooping through her closets. A woman who identified herself as the assistant property manager told me she’s familiar with the allegations. “Yeah, but we’re not allowed to talk about it,” she said. In her lawsuit, Knight claims those maintenance workers took snapshots wearing a Halloween wig they found in her closet and her boyfriend’s work uniform. She claims the men sent those photos to an office worker who posted them on Facebook.  More

Bra chain record comes apart at the seams (Reuters)

Reuters - A British attempt to set a new world record for the longest chain of brassieres was called off after volunteers got the lingerie in a twist.Bra chain record comes apart at the seams (Reuters)

Thief returns stolen items with apology

Paistow, Massachusetts - Police in Massachusetts said a man who stole a 61-year-old woman’s wallet and GPS returned the device and money to the woman with a letter of apology. Plaistow Deputy Police Chief Kathleen Jones said the woman, whose wallet and GPS were taken by a man while she was shopping at the Plaistow Market Basket, received a knock on her door and found the man standing outside. “When she opened the door, he said he was sorry, put the stuff down and ran away. He knew where she lived from the items he stole from the wallet.”  More

Woman Uses Gun To Steal Teen’s Bike

Manchester, New Hampshire - A 40-year-old New Hampshire woman has been charged with robbing a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint in a dispute over a bicycle. Officers say the teenager was riding a friend’s bike on Ash Street in Manchester, NH. At one point, the friend’s neighbor, 40-year-old Kelley Feeley came out of her apartment and accused the girl of stealing the bike from her daughter. Feeley demanded she be allowed to inspect bicycle. When the girl denied that she stole the bike and refused to hand it over, police say Feeley pulled a gun, pointed it at the girl’s neck, and took the bike.  More

To start life afresh, Thais "practice" death (Reuters)

Reuters - For those facing a run of bad luck and wanting to start things over, one Thai temple has an unusual solution: "rehearse" death with a mock funeral, including lying down in a coffin.To start life afresh, Thais "practice" death (Reuters)

Remorseful thief returns NH woman's items

PLAISTOW, N.H. -- Police say an apparently remorseful thief who stole a woman's wallet in a New Hampshire supermarket showed up at her door days later to return $90 and a GPS, and brought ...Remorseful thief returns NH woman's items

Mom punches toddler in the mouth on a city bus

Boston, Massachusetts - A mother accused of punching her toddler son in the mouth on a city bus and shouting expletives at him was surrounded by a hostile crowd of passengers until police arrived. Transit police say the 25-year-old Erica Ryan punched her 1-year-old son and called him names for refusing to eat. A hostile crowd of passengers surrounded her and wouldn’t let her off the bus until authorities arrived. Dried blood was around the baby’s mouth, police said. “I was just trying to feed my baby on the crowded bus, then my hand slipped and I hit him in the mouth,” Ryan said.  More

Woman Looks Pregnant After Eating

UK - A young woman from the U.K. has a rare and mysterious condition that causes her stomach to bloat to the size of a pregnant woman every time she eats. Kerri Dowdswell, 23, of Cannock, Staffordshire, usually wears a size 10 jeans - except for when she eats a meal. That’s when her stomach becomes so bloated, people assume she is several months pregnant. A few hours later, Dowdswell’s stomach shrinks back to its normal size - until she eats again. Dowdswell said she must wear maternity pants while eating. Doctors don’t have a name or cause for her condition. More

Dad Threw Naked 9-Year-Old Son in Oven as Punishment

New York - Prosecutors say they will ask for the maximum sentence allowed by law for a New York City man who admitted throwing his son naked in the oven as punishment. James Moss of Staten Island is scheduled to be sentenced. The Staten Island district attorney’s office says Moss punished his 9-year-old son Christopher last year because he thought he stole $20 from his wallet. Prosecutors say he beat him with a spatula, put his hands over two hot oven burners and then shoved him into an oven for several minutes. “I’m going to burn you alive,” Moss reportedly yelled.  More

Odd News-I can hear my eyeballs moving

News of the World: UK - Doctors diagnosed a rare ear condition in which sounds inside the body are heard very loudly. Stephen Mabbutt, 57, could also hear his heart beating - and when he chewed food the noise was deafening to him. The dad of two was experiencing autophony - one of the symptoms of superior canal dehiscence syndrome. The bizarre illness was unknown until ten years ago. At first he noticed the internal sound of his own voice was beginning to drown out everything else around him. Stephen said: “I was sitting quietly alone in the house one evening and I suddenly heard this quite loud scratchy noise, like sandpaper being rubbed on wood. “I was quite alarmed and looked around, wondering what it was. Then I noticed the noise came every time I moved my eyes.”  More

Man has hysterectomy after doctors find uterus

 India - The Indian man, identified as Ryalu, was admitted to a hospital near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, after complaining of severe stomach pains. Doctors suspected a normal hernia, but when they carried out an exploratory operation they were shocked to discover it had been caused by a female uterus, ovaries, Fallopian tubes, a cervix and underdeveloped vaginal tissue. Dr Pramod Kumar Shrivastava, a surgeon at the Chhindwara district hospital said the patient had external male organs, was fit from working in the fields, and lived a normal life. We have removed the organs through a hysterectomy and repaired the hernia.  More

Bus Idles for 5 Hours - Driver Dead

New York - Officials are trying to determine why an NJ Transit bus with a dead driver inside idled for nearly five hours at the Port Authority terminal in New York. Thomas Truex was found slumped in a passenger seat around 3 p.m., hours after he dropped off his last commuters. When Truex didn’t return the bus to the Meadowlands garage as planned, NJ Transit officials called his wife, but she hadn’t seen him. At about the same time, the bus was spotted at the Port Authority, parked near a curb where drivers routinely stop for a bathroom or coffee break.  More