The Lighter Side of the News

[Buster's Uncle]

  gwilly, you just keep bringin' the goods.

[gwillybj]

Okay - this one isn't funny, but it shows just how careless some people can be, endangering their children in the process:
.
Wisconsin baby survives after drinking vodka in formula
Reuters By Brendan O'Brien
September 9, 2015

By Brendan O'Brien

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A 6-week-old girl in Wisconsin who was mistakenly given baby formula mixed with two shots of vodka was expected to be released from a hospital on Wednesday, police said.

The baby had a blood alcohol level of 0.294, more than three times the legal limit for an adult driver, after receiving the vodka-tainted formula on Monday night, Kenosha police spokesman Bradley Hetlet said.

Hetlet said investigators believe it was a mistake and the girl's parents will not be charged for the alcohol incident. Her father was charged separately for altercations that ensued after the girl began to suffer from the alcohol, he said.

Hetlet said the girl's mother told police she filled a container with water to be used for the baby's bottle, set it on a kitchen counter and left the room. The girl's father entered the kitchen, emptied the container and filled it with vodka, intending to take the water bottle to a friend's home.

When the mother returned to the kitchen, she mixed about two ounces of the liquid with baby formula and fed her baby, Hetlet said. The parents realized the error when the child began acting abnormally, he said.

"Then the blame game started," he said.

Several fights ensued between the girl's 22-year-old father and her mother, family members and police as rescue workers arrived and then rushed the baby to a hospital, Hetlet said.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

http://news.yahoo.com/wisconsin-baby-survives-drinking-vodka-formula-202024231.html

[gwillybj]

Kansas State Fair offers hairy competition
Associated Press
September 11, 2015 5:56 PM

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Mustaches and beards will be judged along with livestock for the first time this year at the Kansas State Fair.

The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/1ijD7W1 ) reports that the hairy competition is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the Nex-Tech Wireless Stage at Lake Talbott on the fairgrounds.

Among the categories in the competition are best in show, natural mustache with no styling, freestyle mustache, and female's fake facial hair, in which contestants will be allowed to use whatever materials they want.

The competition has room for 10 contestants in each category.

The Wichita Beard and Mustache Club says it has wanted more people to get involved in in facial-hair contests in the area and that the fair is helping make that happen.

___

Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com

http://news.yahoo.com/kansas-state-fair-offers-hairy-competition-215607372.html
Oh, well; too late for this year, but something to think about for next 

[gwillybj]

Oklahoma man reunited with wedding ring he lost 39 years ago
Associated Press
Sept 14, 2015

BOLTON, N.Y. (AP) — An Oklahoma man has been reunited with the wedding ring he dropped in a New York lake nearly 40 years ago.

The Post-Star of Glens Falls reports (http://bit.ly/1QzZ6TN ) that Jane and Jim Flynn honeymooned on Lake George in the Adirondacks after getting married in 1960. They returned to the upstate lake for summer vacations every year until 1976, when they bought property in Bolton, on the lake's western shore.

Soon afterward, Jim Flynn lost his wedding ring in the lake.

A woman from Seattle who vacations every August on property next door to the Flynns' spotted the gold ring underwater along the shore. It had the date "2-6-60" engraved inside.

She gave it to a year-round resident who learned it belonged to Jim Flynn, who now lives in Tulsa.
___

Information from: The Post-Star, http://www.poststar.com

http://news.yahoo.com/oklahoma-man-reunited-wedding-ring-lost-39-years-143036186.html

[gwillybj]

Police: Exotic Australian bird loose in New Hampshire
Associated Press
Sept 14, 2015
 
BOW, N.H. (AP) — Police are warning a New Hampshire town to watch out for an emu on the loose.

Bow police say several people have reported seeing an emu wandering around Saturday morning. They say they don't know where the bird belongs.

Emus are among the largest birds in the world and are native to Australia.

Sgt. Art Merrigan says the department has checked with emu owners and haven't found any of the animals to be missing. He says his department is not equipped to catch the emu and that a wildlife rehabilitator has been called to assist.

Merrigan says the emu is not dangerous.

Bow Police Department dispatch supervisor Tricia Currier says police think the bird may have escaped from a farm. She says they are hoping to track down its owner.

http://news.yahoo.com/police-exotic-australian-bird-loose-hampshire-124641955.html

[Rusty Edge]

I'm glad it wasn't a Cassowary

The Most Terrifying Bird on Earth

Queensland, Australia. Philip Mclean, a 16 year-old boy, and his brother, three years his junior, encounter a cassowary. Despite the size of the brightly coloured flightless bird before them, the Mclean brothers attempt to bludgeon it to death with clubs. It is a fatal mistake. Armed with its long- and sharp-clawed foot, the bird kicks the younger boy, who flees. His elder brother lands a blow on the beast but is knocked to the ground. Lying prone, Philip is kicked in the neck by the cassowary, opening a deadly wound. The boy manages to get up and run but dies shortly afterward as a result of a haemorrhaging blood vessel in his neck.

Philip Mclean’s death took place in 1926, but attacks on humans by the cassowary – viewed by many as the most dangerous bird alive – are not uncommon. Such incidents happen every year in northern Queensland, most often involving a bird that has been fed by people, and usually with it chasing or charging the victim. Humans aren’t the only targets either. In 1995, a cassowary struck a dog in the belly, and while it did not pierce the skin, there was severe bruising and the dog later died from internal injuries. If disturbed or made to feel threatened, this otherwise shy bird can be extremely aggressive.

Reports of the cassowary having the ability to eviscerate or dismember humans and dogs with a single kick may sound like myth, but you certainly wouldn’t want to find out by being on the receiving end of a lunge when it lashes out. Another point to bear in mind: while this brawler of a bird is unable to fly, it is a good swimmer and on land it sure can shift, attaining speeds of up to 50 km/h and jumping to heights 5 feet. Quickly climbing a tree could be your only option if confronted by a cassowary – just make sure the tree isn’t dropping fruit, as this fiercely territorial bird will defend such food stores for days.
http://scribol.com/environment/the-most-terrifying-bird-on-earth

It's actually very pretty.

[gwillybj]

http://www.cnet.com/news/medieval-skeleton-tangled-in-tree-roots-unearthed-in-storm/

Medieval skeleton tangled in tree roots unearthed in storm
An ancient tree in Ireland topples over to reveal an even more ancient skeleton caught up in the roots.

Sci-Tech
September 14, 2015
4:11 PM PDT
by Amanda Kooser

It would have been a bit of a shock to the person who first found it. A massive old tree on private property in the town of Collooney in County Sligo, Ireland, fell over in a winter storm. It wasn't just roots that were upturned. The tangled wreckage held a mysterious skeleton.



Ireland's National Monuments Service called in Sligo-Leitrim Archaeological Services, an archaeological consultancy, to investigate with an aim of preserving the remains. Sligo-Leitrim shared the story of the find, its first project, last week.

The beech tree that blew over was 215 years old, but the skeleton turned out to be much older. The researchers used radiocarbon dating to estimate that the body came from between 1030 and 1200 AD, making it an early medieval burial.

When the tree uprooted, it took the upper half of the body with it, leaving the lower legs still in the ground.

Despite being trapped in the tree's root system, the skeleton told a fascinating story. It belonged to a young man, probably no more than 20 years old at the time of his death. His passing was a violent one, with apparent knife injuries to his ribs and hand. The archaeologists describe the grave site as a "formal Christian burial."


"No other burials are known from the area but historical records do indicate a possible graveyard and church in the vicinity," archaeologist Marion Dowd told the Irish Archaeology blog.

The skeleton has attracted attention due to its interesting place in history as well as the dramatic way in which it was revealed. It provides an unexpected peek into a past where hard labor was a way of life and young death a much more common possibility.

(Via Irish Times http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/archaeologists-find-bones-of-man-killed-about-1-000-years-ago-1.2350323)

[Unorthodox]

OOOoooOOOO! 

I hadn't even mentioned I'm thinking of doing a whole series of props based on skeletons tangled in roots/vines.  Definitely need to go looking for a better pic.   

My inspiration sprung from this:

! No longer available

[gwillybj]

The story at Irish Times has a photo of what was left in the ground after the tree toppled.

[Dio]

Storm Unleashes Record Rainfall Across Southern California

A September storm brought rain to Southern California ahead of the Tuesday morning drive

By Jonathan Lloyd and Crystal Egger

A storm system unleashed its biggest volume of rainfall Tuesday morning, threatening to disrupt the morning commute and cause flooding. Tony Shin, Kim Baldonado and Anthony Yanez report for the NBC4 News at Noon on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015. (Published Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015)

A low-pressure system that began approaching the Southland Monday unleashed its biggest volume of rainfall Tuesday morning, threatening to disrupt the morning commute and cause some flooding, National Weather Service forecasters said.

Morning downpours caused havoc on freeways and streets. The 710 Freeway was closed in both direction in the Bell area due to flooding and an overturned big rig blocked traffic on the 210 Freeway in Pasadena.

As dawn neared, moderate to heavy rain was falling on L.A. County and parts of Ventura County, the NWS reported. Rainfall rates were generally between a fourth and a third of an inch per hour, a statement said, enough for the largest single-day rainfall total so far this year in downtown Los Angeles.

"We'll see widespread, modrate to heavy rain," said NBC4 forecaster Crystal Egger. "It's a good soaking."

Record rainfall was reported for several locations in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Downtown LA reported 1.75 inches and 1.28 inches were reported at LAX, setting records for the date.

Tuesday marked the third-wettest calendar day in any September since records began in 1877, according to the National Weather Service.

The heavy overnight rain caused ponding of water on streets and freeways ahead of the morning commute, with local flooding of low-lying areas and intersections. Heavy downpours may cause minor mud and debris flows in and around the recent burn areas.

The system's main band of rain will hover over the region until around noon. Some showers are expected Wednesday morning, followed by a sunny afternoon.

Rain arrived early in Southern California. Crystal Egger has forecast details for Tuesday Sept. 15, 2015. (Published Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015)

"By 11, 12 o'clock, everything presses east and we'll start to see higher accumulations in the mountains and foothills," Egger said.

Los Angeles County is generally expected to see between two-tenths and a half-inch of rain from this weather system, which is attributed to a low- pressure system combined with moisture from former tropical cyclone Linda, an NWS statement said, slightly reducing Monday's volume projections.

The system is also expected to produce high winds, including gusts of 50 miles per hour in the Antelope Valley.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Weather-Rain-Los-Angeles-Storm-Southern-California-Forecast-327663391.html
I guess this means my rain dances and my sacrifices to Zeus, along with the Hyades, have finally brought about results  . I am jesting in the previous sentence, and I am glad to see rain again.

[Dio]

What is happening around the country, and world, with regards to the weather? What weather events or preparations are occuring in your area? How does it feel to see Fall arriving in the Northern Hemisphere on September 23?

[Buster's Uncle]

We're rather abruptly having nippy mornings in western North Carolina.  I'm actually wearing pants as I type this.

[Dio]

We're rather abruptly having nippy mornings in western North Carolina.  I'm actually wearing pants as I type this.

I certainly hope BUncle normally wears clothing while at home . . . I hope by "pants" you mean full length dress or casual pants. I imagine the standard clothing involves shorts of some variety.

[Buster's Uncle]

I dress like Bobby Hill when I can.

[gwillybj]

All normal up here. 50's in the morning, 80's in the afternoon. Rainfall a bit off from optimal, though. I haven't had to mow the lawn since early August. It looks more like fine cut hay than a proper lawn.