A 200-year-old cannon wheeled out by Indian villagers to greet a visiting minister exploded after being overstuffed with gunpowder, killing two men, a newspaper reported Thursday.
Residents of Badoli village in western India's Rajasthan state had planned the gun salute Tuesday evening to welcome Kirodi Lal Meena, a state minister, the Times of India reported.
The minister left immediately after the accident, which also injured six other people.
Showing posts with label odd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label odd. Show all posts
Monday, December 3, 2007
Get High on Hersheys, Almost
New mint packets being sold by The Hershey Co. look nearly identical to the tiny heat-sealed bags used to sell illegal powdered drugs like crack, heroin and cocaine and glorify the drug trade, a Philadelphia police official said.
Ice Breakers Pacs, nickel-sized dissolvable pouches with a powdered sweetener inside, hit store shelves in November. The packets, which come in blue and orange plastic slide-up cases, are similar enough to drug packets that a child familiar with the candy could mistakenly swallow a heat-sealed bag of drugs, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector William Blackburn told the Philadelphia Daily News for an article published Friday.
"It glorifies the drug trade," he said. "There's really no reason that a product like this should be on the shelf."
A spokesman for the company, based in Hershey, Pa., pointed out that each pouch — made by two dissolvable mint strips — bears the Ice Breakers logo.
"It is not intended to simulate anything," said spokesman Kirk Saville.
Saville would not directly respond to questions about whether Hershey has plans to change the product's appearance or whether anyone in law enforcement or inside the company has previously raised a concern about it.
Ice Breakers Pacs, nickel-sized dissolvable pouches with a powdered sweetener inside, hit store shelves in November. The packets, which come in blue and orange plastic slide-up cases, are similar enough to drug packets that a child familiar with the candy could mistakenly swallow a heat-sealed bag of drugs, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector William Blackburn told the Philadelphia Daily News for an article published Friday.
"It glorifies the drug trade," he said. "There's really no reason that a product like this should be on the shelf."
A spokesman for the company, based in Hershey, Pa., pointed out that each pouch — made by two dissolvable mint strips — bears the Ice Breakers logo.
"It is not intended to simulate anything," said spokesman Kirk Saville.
Saville would not directly respond to questions about whether Hershey has plans to change the product's appearance or whether anyone in law enforcement or inside the company has previously raised a concern about it.
A Toilet is Just a Text Away
First came SatNav for lost drivers. Now there's "SatLav," a toilet-finding service to help people caught short in central London.
Westminster City Council launched a new mobile phone text message service that will guide Londoners and tourists to their nearest public lavatory.
Anyone who sends the word "Toilet" to 80097 will receive a reply giving details of their nearest public convenience.
Student Gail Knight, 26, came up with the idea for an innovation competition run by the council.
"When I'm out with friends we're always ducking into McDonalds or department stores to use their loos but we feel a bit bad about it," she said. "I thought a text service would be really useful for people on the move."
The service is available across the Westminster, an area that includes many of the capital's most popular sights, such as Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.
Unlike in-car devices that rely on satellites to pinpoint someone's location, the SatLav uses mobile phone technology.
All that comes at a price, however. Rather than spending a penny, people will be charged 25 pence ($0.52) per text.
Westminster City Council launched a new mobile phone text message service that will guide Londoners and tourists to their nearest public lavatory.
Anyone who sends the word "Toilet" to 80097 will receive a reply giving details of their nearest public convenience.
Student Gail Knight, 26, came up with the idea for an innovation competition run by the council.
"When I'm out with friends we're always ducking into McDonalds or department stores to use their loos but we feel a bit bad about it," she said. "I thought a text service would be really useful for people on the move."
The service is available across the Westminster, an area that includes many of the capital's most popular sights, such as Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.
Unlike in-car devices that rely on satellites to pinpoint someone's location, the SatLav uses mobile phone technology.
All that comes at a price, however. Rather than spending a penny, people will be charged 25 pence ($0.52) per text.
Girl Scout Awarded, After 69 Years
A Girl Scout who failed to receive a Golden Eaglet Award because she woke up with the mumps finally got the accolade — 69 years later.
Faith Iames Schremp, 86, joined Girl Scouts in 1938 and earned all the proficiency badges needed to win the award.
But the morning Schremp, of Wausau, was to leave for Girl Scout Camp, she woke up with the mumps. Attending camp was the final rite of passage in earning the award.
Schremp said she was heartbroken.
That is until Fran Raley, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Fox River Area, presented Schremp with her long-deserved award Saturday during the Girl Scouts' 2007 Holiday Folk Fair.
Receiving the Golden Eaglet Award, the predecessor to the Gold Award, is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.
Daughter-in-law Dee Schremp, of Appleton, a former Girl Scout leader, knew of the pins importance to Schremp. She worked with Raley to track down an Eaglet pin at Girl Scouts of the USA without success. They also were outbid on eBay for a discontinued pin, which fetched $800.
However, Raley remembered there was a pin embedded on an art project near the entryway to the scouting office.
An artist extracted the pin and had it repaired at a jewelry shop.
Faith Iames Schremp, 86, joined Girl Scouts in 1938 and earned all the proficiency badges needed to win the award.
But the morning Schremp, of Wausau, was to leave for Girl Scout Camp, she woke up with the mumps. Attending camp was the final rite of passage in earning the award.
Schremp said she was heartbroken.
That is until Fran Raley, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Fox River Area, presented Schremp with her long-deserved award Saturday during the Girl Scouts' 2007 Holiday Folk Fair.
Receiving the Golden Eaglet Award, the predecessor to the Gold Award, is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.
Daughter-in-law Dee Schremp, of Appleton, a former Girl Scout leader, knew of the pins importance to Schremp. She worked with Raley to track down an Eaglet pin at Girl Scouts of the USA without success. They also were outbid on eBay for a discontinued pin, which fetched $800.
However, Raley remembered there was a pin embedded on an art project near the entryway to the scouting office.
An artist extracted the pin and had it repaired at a jewelry shop.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Santa Gets Pie on the Face
A college student accused of shoving a pumpkin pie into the face of a shopping-mall Santa Claus has been charged with misdemeanor assault.
Clint Westwood, 22, said he "lightly smooshed" the pie into the man's face Wednesday and shouted, "What do you think of that, Santa?"
Westwood, a drama student at the University of Montana, was charged Friday. He said he videotaped the encounter and plans to include the clip in an upcoming film.
He said that after the pie ruckus, he expected to approach Santa for a signature on a film-release form, but police arrived first.
"It's a good thing he didn't wait around, because I think Santa would have laid him out," said Sgt. Travis Welsh of the Missoula Police Department.
Westwood said he and companions had waited for a girl about 15 years old to finish sitting on Santa's lap before the pie hit his face, "but then we just decided it would be funnier if she was still sitting there."
Clint Westwood, 22, said he "lightly smooshed" the pie into the man's face Wednesday and shouted, "What do you think of that, Santa?"
Westwood, a drama student at the University of Montana, was charged Friday. He said he videotaped the encounter and plans to include the clip in an upcoming film.
He said that after the pie ruckus, he expected to approach Santa for a signature on a film-release form, but police arrived first.
"It's a good thing he didn't wait around, because I think Santa would have laid him out," said Sgt. Travis Welsh of the Missoula Police Department.
Westwood said he and companions had waited for a girl about 15 years old to finish sitting on Santa's lap before the pie hit his face, "but then we just decided it would be funnier if she was still sitting there."
Giant Truffle Auction Goes for $330,000
A Macau casino mogul bid a record $330,00 at auction Saturday to win a giant white truffle dug up in Tuscany, organizers said.
Billionaire Stanley Ho made the winning bid for the 3.3 pound truffle during an auction staged simultaneously in Florence, London and at Ho's Grand Lisboa hotel in Macau, said auction organizer Giselle Oberti.
The price bested the previous record for a truffle of $212,000, she said.
The unusually heavy truffle was dug up last week by truffle hunter Cristiano Savini, his father Luciano and dog Rocco in Palaia, a town about 25 miles from Pisa. The Savinis said Rocco started sniffing "like crazy" when he zeroed in on the fungus.
Guinness World Records lists a 2.86 pound white truffle found in Croatia in 1999 as the biggest.
Truffles usually weigh from 1 to 2.8 ounces apiece. Slivers of white truffles, with their strong aroma, are prized in Italy to flavor pasta sauces and rice dishes.
Proceeds from the auction were to go to an Italian organization that helps sufferers of genetic diseases, a group that helps street children in London and Catholic charities in Macau.
Calls to Ho weren't immediately returned late Saturday.
Billionaire Stanley Ho made the winning bid for the 3.3 pound truffle during an auction staged simultaneously in Florence, London and at Ho's Grand Lisboa hotel in Macau, said auction organizer Giselle Oberti.
The price bested the previous record for a truffle of $212,000, she said.
The unusually heavy truffle was dug up last week by truffle hunter Cristiano Savini, his father Luciano and dog Rocco in Palaia, a town about 25 miles from Pisa. The Savinis said Rocco started sniffing "like crazy" when he zeroed in on the fungus.
Guinness World Records lists a 2.86 pound white truffle found in Croatia in 1999 as the biggest.
Truffles usually weigh from 1 to 2.8 ounces apiece. Slivers of white truffles, with their strong aroma, are prized in Italy to flavor pasta sauces and rice dishes.
Proceeds from the auction were to go to an Italian organization that helps sufferers of genetic diseases, a group that helps street children in London and Catholic charities in Macau.
Calls to Ho weren't immediately returned late Saturday.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Crocodile Tears
Ukrainian officials summoned a vet Friday to determine whether a crocodile, captured after six months on the run, was comatose or dead.
"The crocodile is showing no signs of life. We are not specialists and, to be honest, we don't know whether it's dead or alive," Nikolai Ranga of Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry said in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
"The vet is coming to see the crocodile tomorrow."
The crocodile, nicknamed Godzilla or Godzi, was captured alive this week after escaping from a traveling circus in May.
The reptile had been spotted several times lurking around industrial sites near the city of Mariupol, on the coast of the Sea of Azov. But it repeatedly eluded search teams.
It was finally found basking in a pool at a thermal power station, where the water was warmer than the nearby sea.
Ranga said the crocodile was then taken 100 km (60 miles) by car to Donetsk where it was freed into a fire service tank.
"We did what the specialists told us and poured in water at about 25 degrees (77 Fahrenheit)," he said. "We really do not know what to do next."
The crocodile's owner, quoted by the daily Segodnya, said he could only collect it Monday because of circus commitments.
"The crocodile is showing no signs of life. We are not specialists and, to be honest, we don't know whether it's dead or alive," Nikolai Ranga of Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry said in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
"The vet is coming to see the crocodile tomorrow."
The crocodile, nicknamed Godzilla or Godzi, was captured alive this week after escaping from a traveling circus in May.
The reptile had been spotted several times lurking around industrial sites near the city of Mariupol, on the coast of the Sea of Azov. But it repeatedly eluded search teams.
It was finally found basking in a pool at a thermal power station, where the water was warmer than the nearby sea.
Ranga said the crocodile was then taken 100 km (60 miles) by car to Donetsk where it was freed into a fire service tank.
"We did what the specialists told us and poured in water at about 25 degrees (77 Fahrenheit)," he said. "We really do not know what to do next."
The crocodile's owner, quoted by the daily Segodnya, said he could only collect it Monday because of circus commitments.
Mafia Boss Arrested
Italian police burst into the room of a suspected Mafia mobster in Sicily and arrested him as he watched a television show about the arrest of a Mafia boss, investigators said Friday.
Police said Michele Catalano was watching the concluding chapter late Thursday of the TV mini-series "The Boss of Bosses," recounting the arrest in 1993 of real-life Cosa Nostra leader Salvatore "Toto" Riina, when he was detained.
They Catalano, 48, was suspected of being a senior commander serving under the latest "boss of bosses" Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who was arrested this month after nearly 25 years on the run.
Catalano faces charges of drug trafficking and extortion.
Lo Piccolo had taken over the reins of the Sicilian crime syndicate from Riina's successor Bernardo Provenzano, who was arrested last year after 40 years on the run. The arrests have seriously weakened the Mafia, police say.
Politicians and cultural figures criticized Channel 5's mini-series for portraying Riina as a hero and lobbied its owner Mediaset, belonging to former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, to take the final episode off the air. Mediaset declined.
Nicknamed "the Beast" for his brutality, Riina has been convicted on more than 100 counts of murder.
Police said Michele Catalano was watching the concluding chapter late Thursday of the TV mini-series "The Boss of Bosses," recounting the arrest in 1993 of real-life Cosa Nostra leader Salvatore "Toto" Riina, when he was detained.
They Catalano, 48, was suspected of being a senior commander serving under the latest "boss of bosses" Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who was arrested this month after nearly 25 years on the run.
Catalano faces charges of drug trafficking and extortion.
Lo Piccolo had taken over the reins of the Sicilian crime syndicate from Riina's successor Bernardo Provenzano, who was arrested last year after 40 years on the run. The arrests have seriously weakened the Mafia, police say.
Politicians and cultural figures criticized Channel 5's mini-series for portraying Riina as a hero and lobbied its owner Mediaset, belonging to former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, to take the final episode off the air. Mediaset declined.
Nicknamed "the Beast" for his brutality, Riina has been convicted on more than 100 counts of murder.
All Work and No Play Kills
A Toyota Motor Corp employee died of overwork after logging more than 106 hours of overtime in a month, a judge ruled Friday, reversing a ministry's earlier decision not to pay compensation to his widow.
The Toyota Labor Standards Inspection office, a local branch of Japan's labor ministry, refused to pay the widow the usual compensation for a spouse's work-related death, saying the man had only logged 45 hours of overtime in the month before he died, Japanese media reported.
But the court ruled that the employee had worked far more than that, said Yomiuri Online, a Japanese news website. The Nagoya District Court in central Japan said the ruling overturned the labor ministry's decision.
"We want to think of how to respond to this ruling by discussing it with relevant agencies," an official at the Toyota Labor Standards Inspection Office told Reuters.
The employee, who was working at a Toyota factory in central Japan, died of irregular heartbeat in February 2002 after passing out in the factory around 4 a.m.
"(The employee) worked for extremely long hours and the relationship between his work and death is strong," Yomiuri Online quoted Judge Toshiro Tamiya as saying.
Overworking is a serious issue in Japan, where an average worker uses less than 50 percent of paid holidays, according to government data.
In fiscal year 2005-2006, the labor ministry received 315 requests for compensation from the bereaved families of workers who died of strokes and other illnesses seen as work-related.
Toyota said in a statement it would further improve the management of its employees' health.
The Toyota Labor Standards Inspection office, a local branch of Japan's labor ministry, refused to pay the widow the usual compensation for a spouse's work-related death, saying the man had only logged 45 hours of overtime in the month before he died, Japanese media reported.
But the court ruled that the employee had worked far more than that, said Yomiuri Online, a Japanese news website. The Nagoya District Court in central Japan said the ruling overturned the labor ministry's decision.
"We want to think of how to respond to this ruling by discussing it with relevant agencies," an official at the Toyota Labor Standards Inspection Office told Reuters.
The employee, who was working at a Toyota factory in central Japan, died of irregular heartbeat in February 2002 after passing out in the factory around 4 a.m.
"(The employee) worked for extremely long hours and the relationship between his work and death is strong," Yomiuri Online quoted Judge Toshiro Tamiya as saying.
Overworking is a serious issue in Japan, where an average worker uses less than 50 percent of paid holidays, according to government data.
In fiscal year 2005-2006, the labor ministry received 315 requests for compensation from the bereaved families of workers who died of strokes and other illnesses seen as work-related.
Toyota said in a statement it would further improve the management of its employees' health.
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