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Egg in an egg

12. 08. 10. - 13:00

Crackpot

Farmer's wife Maria Baldescu thought she was cracking up when she peeled the shell off this egg fresh from her barn - and found another one inside.

Maria has put the bizarre egg on show on her home in Iasi, Romania, after a local vet warned her it could have been caused by nuclear fall out from the nearby Chernobyl reactor disaster.

"When I first saw it I thought good, two eggs for me. Then I thought about it and asked my vet who warned me off," said Maria, 68.

"I don't want to eat a mutant egg and that radioactive material is still causing many strange births and freaks of nature here," she added.

 Austrian Times

http://www.itworld.com/offbeat/116844/8-more-geek-videos-arent-viralyet

Alleged 'Granddad Bandit' caught

In this Dec. 2008 surveillance image, a man dubbed the "Granddad Bandit" holds up a SunTrust in Richmond.

Frank Green

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
August 12, 2010

Richmond, Va.

A prolific bank robber dubbed the "Granddad Bandit" may have been retired by the FBI yesterday with the arrest of 52-year-old Michael Francis Mara in Baton Rouge, La.

In less than two years, the bandit allegedly held up at least 25 banks in 14 states -- three in Virginia and two in the Richmond area -- starting Dec. 19, 2008, with the robbery of $1,850 from the SunTrust branch at 919 E. Main St.

The most recent robbery attributed to the bandit occurred Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C., according to The Charlotte Observer.

The robber, caught on a number of surveillance videos, typically entered banks without a disguise, waited in line and then presented a note to a teller demanding money, authorities allege. He then would leave the bank with the money and the note.

According to an FBI affidavit, in a June 22 robbery of the Union First Market Bank at 11263 W. Broad St., the robber handed over a note that the teller recalls as saying: "This is a holdup, give me $5,000.00 no bait money, no alarms, don't say anything to anybody."

The teller turned over $1,980 to the robber, and he left.

In addition to Virginia and North Carolina, Mara is alleged to have robbed banks in Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, Kansas, New York, Florida, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri.

After the June 22 robbery in Richmond, the FBI coordinated an extensive fugitive publicity campaign through the use of digital billboards to solicit help from the public in identifying and locating the robber.

The FBI said its Norfolk Field Office received a tip Aug. 2 that the Granddad Bandit was Mara. The tipster gave agents photographs of Mara and a previous cellphone and work telephone number for him.

"In the photographs provided by the caller, Mara is wearing a hat, eyeglasses, and wristwatch that appear to be identical to those worn by the 'Granddad Bandit' in bank robberies throughout the nation," FBI Special Agent Michael K. Termyn said in his affidavit.

Further investigation showed he previously worked or still worked for "a vehicle transportation company" for which he traveled from state to state.

He rented a car in Baton Rouge on March 8 and returned it April 29. During the 52 days he had the car, the FBI said, 9,669 miles were logged. During the same time frame, three banks were robbed in three states "in the same geographical area."

It is not clear when he will be brought back to Richmond for a court appearance.

"A tip to the FBI made today's arrest possible," said U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "This is a great example of how the public and law enforcement must work together to keep our communities safe."

LINK TO VIDEO

http://video.ap.org/?f=VARIT&pid=TPZKXgmSeID1bKbA5oafBPxkqpWORJsF

http://www.wlbz2.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=123746&catid=109

Girl leads police on 100-mile chase

14-year-old facing charges in Colorado

Updated: Wednesday, 11 Aug 2010, 7:48 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 11 Aug 2010, 7:48 AM EDT

WLFI-TV 

AURORA, Colo. (AP) - Authorities say a 14-year-old girl faces several charges after a nearly 100-mile chase at speeds reaching more than 100 mph at times. 

The Colorado State Patrol says the girl, whose name wasn't released, led officers on a chase Tuesday from Arriba in eastern Colorado to Aurora. State Patrol spokeswoman Health Cobbler says the chase started at about 7 a.m. when the teen allegedly failed to pay for $35 in gas. 

Cobbler says the girl's car was stopped when "stop sticks" put down by the State Patrol punctured the tires. 

Authorities say the girl was reported missing the previous night and the car she was driving was reported stolen out of Westminster. 

She faces charges of eluding, speeding and theft. Her hometown wasn't available.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Post Gazette

Smashed windshields, staged accidents, and suspicious fender-benders and vehicle fires might remain relatively common tactics for deceiving insurance companies—and might be more rampant in a down economy—but insurers are definitely catching on.

Last week, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released a questionable claims analysis for the first half of 2010 and found that overall, referrals of claims to law enforcement were up 18 percent from 2009 to 2010; and from 2008 to 2009 they'd already risen by 31 percent.

The only types of law enforcement referrals that were down in 2010 so far have been agent and adjuster fraud, as well as informant tips.

Criminals are clearly seeking creative ways to pad their coffers, at the expense of those who pay their premiums and use insurance only for honest accidents. Some crime rings involve deliberately damaging vehicle windshields and file a damage claim, then don't fully fix the windshield. Inflating towing or storage bills is another tactic.

Faked damage, questionable vehicle theft, and suspicious vehicle fires remained among the most frequently referred to law enforcement officials, while other reasons included agent or adjuster fraud, unperformed repairs, and inflated repairs.

Instances of inflated towing or storage bills went up a remarkable 92 percent. Questionable auto repair or auto-body claims were up 29 percent, and VIN manipulation was found up 22 percent.

So if faking a receipt for towing, or setting that vehicle you regret buying ablaze sounds like a good idea…um…it's not.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10224/1079569-185.stm#ixzz0wOm6TLAn

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Timothy McNulty

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Preparing for his day in court, Gary Guy Mathews took off his red dog collar and left his squeaky toy at home. It is now up to a judge whether he will wake up one day as Boomer the Dog and find his furry dreams come true.

The sight of "furries" dressed in animal costumes has become commonplace in Pittsburgh, which for five summers has hosted Anthrocon, the largest annual convention of the anthropomorphic enthusiasts. But it is exceedingly rare -- even among a group committed to attributing human characteristics to animals -- to legally change one's name to that of a made-up dog.

Meet Mr. Mathews, a barking trailblazer.

When he was a teen, the now 44-year-old Green Tree man became obsessed with a short-lived NBC show called "Here's Boomer," about a stray mutt that saved people in trouble. In high school other kids began to call him Boomer and he broadcast a radio show about the dog from his basement. By adulthood he was dressing as the shaggy-haired dog at conventions and parties, for the last few years in a full-sized Boomer suit made of shredded paper.

Early this year he began the process of legally changing his name to Boomer The Dog, noting many of his friends already called him that: one of his exhibits in a hearing Tuesday before Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge Ronald W. Folino was a letter addressed to his adopted name from a friend named Hobnose Bordercollie.

His own father, Guy Mathews, had legally changed his name from Orlando Matteucci, he told the judge. (He eventually got his late parents to call him Boomer, too, but it wasn't easy. Life as a furry "is good and it's bad. It's hard to get people in your life to adjust," he said in an interview.)

After years of thinking about the name change, Mr. Mathews, who is single, began the legal process early this year, which included getting his fingerprints checked through a state police criminal records database. "It took some time to work up the nerve. I treated it like a science project," he said. He filed for the name change in June.

Judge Folino questioned Mr. Mathews on if he might just change his first name to Boomer and if he has been paid to perform as the dog. (The unemployed computer technician said he had not been paid, "but it would be nice if I would be.")

The judge said he would issue a ruling in a couple days, saying he might rule against the name if it "causes confusion in the community" or raises the "likelihood of unintended consequences," such as being "seen as bizarre."

Dr. Samuel Conway, the CEO of Anthrocon, said he knew of only two others in furry fandom who had legally changed their names out of the several thousand involved in the movement.

"I do not believe it is any more common among our number than one would find in the rest of society, where people are often driven to change their names out of religious fervor, a sense of cultural identity, or other reason of personal interest," he said in an e-mail.

"I wish Mr. the Dog luck in his pursuit, with the earnest hope that he has chosen a career path for which such a monicker would be of benefit."

LINK TO PHOTO OF BOOMER THE DOG

Read more: http://www.postgazette.com/pg/10223/1079103-53.stm#ixzz0wM7BOEV8

Chastain/APFormer Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin waves to supporters in May,.

A New Hampshire Democrat is under fire after reportedly posting a public death wish for Sarah Palin. 

Keith Halloran, a Democratic candidate for state representative in New Hampshire, took a swipe at Palin on Facebook after former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens died in a plane crash on Monday. 

"Just wish Sarah and Levy were on board," Halloran wrote, apparently taking aim at the former Alaska Gov. and her daughter's ex-fiancée, Levi Johnston. 

The New Hampshire Republican party quickly fired back with a statement "denouncing" the posting. 

"Mr. Halloran's outrageous comments are a new low, even by the standards of the New Hampshire Democrat Party," a spokesman for the party said in the statement. 

"His publicly stated death wish for Governor Palin and her family is abhorrent, and has no place in our public discourse." 

The New Hampshire GOP is rallying supporters to call New Hampshire Governor John Lynch and Congressional Candidate Ann McLane McLuter and ask them to "immediately denounce Mr. Halloran's hateful remarks and demand that he personally apologize to the Palin family."

Halloran, meanwhile, has refused to confirm he wrote the message.

"It's just a tempest in their Tea Pot," he told The Associated Press.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/08/11/2010-08-11_nh_democrat_under_fire_for_reportedly_saying_sarah_palin_should_have_crashed_wit.html#ixzz0wLZjiILZ

updated 8/11/2010 9:17:59 AM ET

Obama is no FDR

Circumstances and GOP gainsaying have throttled the president's ambitions

Jules Witcover

6:01 PM EDT, August 10, 2010

Even before taking office nearly 17 months ago, President Barack Obama was being touted by hopeful Democrats as the next Franklin D. Roosevelt — he of the fabled "first hundred days" and the New Deal that was credited, with some dispute, with pulling the country out of the Great Depression. 

Mr. Obama's own spurt of action and remedial legislation upon taking office was not quite so swift. But in his second year, by pushing and shoving, by coaxing members of his own party in Congress, he did achieve historic health insurance reform.

He has continued with a list of other notable accomplishments to make the case, also amid dispute, that he is slowly but surely pulling the country out of what's now widely being called the Great Recession. 

But because of the grinding pace of recovery, accompanied by nagging joblessness that has inhibited public optimism about progress on Main Street, the early comparisons with FDR have waned — with the lively assistance of the Republican leadership in Congress, which has been all too ready to answer no to Mr. Obama's every overture. 

The Democratic president has made various attempts to deal with the unemployment rate, currently stalled at 9.5 percent (or much higher if workers who have stopped looking are included). Legislation to help localities and states to keep teachers and first responders on their payrolls is an example, as is the push for extended jobless benefits. 

But with the Republicans intensifying warnings of federal deficit catastrophe — something they seemed not to worry about while running through the Bill Clinton surplus and beyond during their late administration — Mr. Obama's inclinations to emulate FDR are being throttled. 

If ever there was a time for a massive federal job-creation program akin to those of the early New Deal, this is it. Indeed, projects such as road building, parks improvement and a range of other public works are going forward under the Obama stimulus package, but somehow they're escaping wide public awareness. 

Mr. Obama regularly mentions them now that he is aggressively on the campaign trail, looking to the November congressional and gubernatorial elections. And Vice President Joe Biden, the man in charge of overseeing the implementation of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, has been trumpeting them in his sometimes overboard fashion. 

But for all of Mr. Obama's references to how the nation was driven "into the ditch" by the Republicans in the Bush years, and how they have stood aside while the Democrats have struggled to push it out, the idea that everything possible is being done to put America back to work has not begun to come through. 

It's hard for unemployed workers, who on average have been jobless for a year or more despite their skills, to understand the sudden concern over the mounting federal deficit. They wonder why it should be taking precedence over Uncle Sam putting the jobless to work on a grander scale, especially with so much decaying infrastructure at home needing attention. 

Particularly grating is how billions of taxpayer dollars continue to pour into propping up governments in Iraq and Afghanistan amid endless political bickering there and tales of widespread corruption to boot. For all the Obama administration's denials that it is trapped into nation building in both places, that's what it looks like to many on Main Street America. 

If there weren't midterm elections on the calendar less than three months from now, Mr. Obama could afford politically to wait for the results of his economic recovery to bear fruit in terms of the rising employment he insists will materialize if only voters can be patient. 

But in an environment where many corporations that were given a government hand are accumulating major profits but not hiring, choosing to squeeze more productivity out of fewer workers, not only impatience but public anger is inevitable. 

Inevitably, too, these sentiments are being focused not on tight-fisted corporate management but on the man who sits behind the Oval Office desk where, as Harry Truman so accurately said, the buck always stops.

August 11, 2010

Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Crime Beat 

http://www.examiner.com/x-27745-SF-Headlines-Examiner~y2010m8d8-Hummer-mom-Christine-Shreeve-Hubbs-in-court-Monday-rape-charges-for-alleged-sex-with-boys

Lombard for NewsAngel Alvarez's sister, Tisch Claff, outside Harlem Hospital. Alvarez was shot at least 21 times during a gunfight with police in Harlem. 

HOShooting victim Angel Alvarez.

The scene of the chaotic gunfight in Harlem this weekend.

The gunman who survived at least 21 bullet wounds in a Harlem shootout with cops probably broke a record, a forensic expert said Sunday.

"I would say more than 20 gunshot wounds is a record," said Dr. Vincent DiMaio, 69, a forensic pathologist and author of "Gunshot Wounds: Practical Aspects of Firearms, Ballistics, and Forensic Techniques."

"Of course, the real issue is where you get shot," he added. "One bullet can kill you, but believe it or not, a body can survive a lot of bullet wounds."

Angel Alvarez,  23, shot Luis Soto of the Bronx before falling in a hail of gunfire in a wild shootout with NYPD officers early Sunday, police said.

Alvarez's sister, Kimberley Creer, 29, said doctors confirmed they had removed at least 21 slugs from his body.

"That's ridiculous," she said. "In the arms, legs, abdomen, jaw. ... He's doing all right. He's talking."

Alvarez's lawyer, John Carney, put the number of shots at 23, but said his client was "awake and responding."

"He had chest and abdomen shots," Carney said. "It's a miracle. They missed the heart and major arteries."

DiMaio predicted that Alvarez would survive since the bullets missed vital organs and didn't cause excessive bleeding. The risk of infection remained the gunman's biggest hurdle.

"Listen, if you make it to thehospital and you can talk, 99% of the time, you'll make it," DiMaio said. "He'll survive."

DiMaio said the most gunshot wounds he'd ever examined in one person was 17, in aTexas man a decade ago. "Theguy was complaining about thepain," he said. "I told him, 'You're lucky to be alive.'"

In New York City, Joseph Guzman was struck at least 11 times in the 2006 police shooting that killed Sean Bell. Guzman received $3 million in a settlement with the city.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/08/09/2010-08-09_how_did_he_live_after_21_shots.html#ixzz0wILnBJCI

Is it 'school' zone, or 'shcool' zone?

 

Is it 'school' zone, or 'shcool' zone?

Road crew flips the 'c' and the 'h' in N.C.

Updated: Tuesday, 10 Aug 2010, 10:34 AM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 10 Aug 2010, 10:34 AM EDT

GREENSBORO, N.C. (CNN/WGHP) - A road painting crew in North Carolina might want to take a little trip back to elementary school. 

Crews misspelled the word "school," flipping the "c" and the "h," while marking a school zone outside Southern Guilford High School in Greensboro. 

A spokesperson says this is just a temporary paint used on the freshly paved road. 

Hopefully, the crews spell check before putting the permanent coat of paint down.

LINK TO VIDEO

http://www.wthitv.com/dpps/news/strange/is-it-school-zone-or-shcool-zone-ob10-jgr_3539397