Friday Around the Water Cooler 8/5/2011

I think it is official now that I am going to boycott watching the REAL news.  Truly, within the first five minutes, I am ready to scream or cry depending on what they are talking about. 

The oppressive heat in the south is causing major problems for people, animals and plants.  When will there be a break in this record breaking heat??? Hopefully soon.

AND as far as the constant bickering out of Washington DC.  I want everyone be sent to "time-out".  They have to stay there until they can come out and play nicely with each other. 

SO...for now, I am going to get my news from the little boxes in the KC Star that say Weird News.


One Way to Make a Point




A mayor in Vilnius, Lithuania decided to send a strong message to people that park illegally in bike lanes.
Arturas Zuokas who is a cycle enthusiast, decided to make a video as a warning to the possible consequences resulting for parking in the bike lanes. 

Posted on the mayor's YouTube page, Art (is it all right if I call you Art?) is reportedly explaining that in the future the city will use tanks to take care of the offending autos left in the bike lane by their rude owners.

While the actual video is a staged hoax, the mayor said he is hopeful that residents hear him, loud and clear.  He is prepared to repeat the performance. 

Well, Art...that was a creative PSA. 

What's Up [you really need a] Doc?

A man in Idaho Falls, Idaho has been told not to wear his bunny suit in public anymore.  Complaints by area residents say he has been frightening small children. 

The Idaho Falls police department got calls on Monday that a man in a black bunny suit was being a menace.
 One report said, Falkingham was peeking from behind a tree and pointing his finger in a manner of a pretend gun at a small child. 




Even without the bunny suit, he is a
 little strange, don't you think?

 

 While police acknowledged that a number of  other residents expressed concern, a  neighbor of Williams, defended him by saying that he was eccentric but harmless. He has other outfits as well.  He sometimes wears a tutu, a cowboy outfit, and a ballerina outfit. 

For what it is worth, Falkingham told the police that he "enjoys wearing his suit".

 Really a ballerina?? When did a 34 year old in a bunny suit be the "good" choice.






Proven beyond any doubt...People will buy anything

An artist, Justin Gignac made a bet with a friend at an ad agency that he could sell anything if it was packaged right.   Seems as though Justin proved his theory. 

Justin has sold more than 1300 lucite boxes containing New York garbage.  According to his web site it is only the finest authentic garbage and is detailed with it's previous location.  For around $50.00 you could buy garbage from the area around Yankee Stadium that might contain a straw wrapper and a crumpled Metro card. For around $100.00 you can buy the trash from around the Obama's Inauguration. 
If you are now craving some authentic New York trash to call your very own go to NYC Garbage to order some. 

There are entrepreneurs and there are ENTREPRENEURS. 


Why is she being called a Mermaid???


Oliver Voss, an artist in Hamburg, Germany has set put an interesting display of his work in the Alster River and it is getting plenty of attention.

Not everyone in Hamburg is loving the addition to their river as they believe it to be linked to advertising for a particular brand of soap that uses a Mermaid for it's logo.  The sculpture in the river, however, does not have any type of company name on it.

Why, oh why, do they refer to this as a mermaid?  

When is the term "backfired" taken literally?

That is when you are Jordan Cardella and you want to win your girlfriend back.  It is also when you are among the planet's biggest idiots. 

Jordan had the idea that in order to win his girlfriend back he would illicit a friend to shoot him in the back.   His theory being that she would feel sympathy for him.

His plan back fired. (heh heh)

In what Wisconsin prosecutors are calling the most phenomenally stupid case they have ever seen, three Wisconsin men are pleading guilty to felony weapons charges.

According to the complaint Jordan asked his friend Anthony Woodall to shoot him in the back three times.
Anthony refused  to actually pull the trigger but enlisted the help of another friend Michael Wezykl, who agreed to carry out the plan for cash and pills. 

After retrieving the gun from Wezykl's home the trio went to a nearby park.  After the first shot missed his back and hit his arm, Cardella asked for Wezykl to try again.  Seemingly, Wezykl was out of the mood at this point and said "I'm done."

Wezyk and Woodall both were sentenced to two years probation and 100 hours of community service. Cardella had the charges dropped against him and was punished by the fact he didn't get his girlfriend back even after taking a bullet for her.

How does one begin to fathom the depths of idiocy? 

Is it Kate's dress or not?

Thelma Levett,  a balloon artist in Leicestershire, England has her career taking off very much like the house in the movie "UP".  

Earlier this year, she fashioned a wedding dress out of 5000 balloons.  She says she was inspired by Kate Middleton's dress.  Levett is quoted as saying "It's not a replication." 

Really?? I can hardly tell them apart!

Levett has spent the last 16 years perfecting her balloon art. For the dress that her daughter is modeling she spent several months using both inflated and uninflated balloons to create.  She designed the dress not to squeak when the bride walks as that would put a pall on the wedding day. 

I love the fact, Levett thought that squeaks could put a pall (who uses that word?) on the wedding day but the fact you are wearing balloons isn't.


Finally, a good Facebook comment..

Facebook is not your friend

Victor Burgos 29  of Brooklyn, NY was hiding out in his Brooklyn apartment while alluding the police for domestic abuse and harassment of his ex-girlfriend.   Thinking that the cops were getting complacent in searching for him he posted to his Facebook wall "Catch me if you can, I'm in Brooklyn."

US Marshalls along with a task force of the NYPD raided Burgos' apartment and found him sitting at his computer.

I wonder if he had time to post to his Facebook page..."I guess they can."



The Good for the Day...In the article involving the shooting....Woodall refused the request to shoot his friend because he is a felon and didn't want to break his probation by handling a gun.

The Bad for the Day...People will buy anything.


The Weird for the Day  The other day, I came out of the Target to find another stupid parker.  This is an actual photo...no Photoshop...really.

Friday Around the Water Cooler 7/22/2011

Another Friday.....here so soon.  This week's big news stories include  the talks regarding  raising the debt ceiling, the extremely hot weather that is covering a lot of the country and the investigation concerning  Rupert Murdock's involvement with the phone hacking done by the now defunct  News of the World tabloid.

These are some of the lesser reported stories that you might have missed.

Quitting Your Job in a Creative Way


After working for 22 days straight without a day off, a Taco Bell manager at the Depew Taco Bell near Niagara Falls, made a decidedly creative change to the neon sign.

Adam, whose last name was not identified, had a beef (no not the taco beef) with his boss who refused to give him a break. That whole "take a break today" doesn't fly at Taco Bell.

Last Thursday, Adam decided to put his resignation in writing. 

Is it safe to say, that maybe Adam shouldn't expect a  favorable reference from his now ex-boss?



Doctor...Who Needs a Doctor?

A Florida man is being charged with  felony aggravated child abuse after a feeble attempt to remove his son's cast with a 10 inch circular saw.  Unfortunately for the father and the son this proved not to be a very well executed plan.

Lawrence Roberts did manage to remove part of the cast but in the process he managed to remove part of his son's thumb and index finger. Roberts went to the home where his 15 year old son lives with his mother and brought the saw that he uses in his job working construction.

The boy was taken to Coral Springs Medical Center then transferred to a Fort Lauderdale medical facility for emergency surgery for severe injuries to his hand.

His father was released on  a $7500.00 bond.


Is it safe to say that Lawrence Roberts isn't being considered for Coral Spring's "Father of the Year" award?



Running Bear

For the last four years, John Hearn has been riding his bike three times a week to work at Tyndall Air Force Base. Last Thursday he started at 6:10 AM to ride the 12 miles along US 98.  His weekly routine, however, took a decidedly unroutine turn at 6:40 when he saw something big and black out of the corner of his eye.



look both ways before
crossing the
street

 Hearn was broadsided by a black bear that was estimated to be about 250 pounds. Both the biker and the bear were knocked to the ground.

Witnesses said both "crash victims" seemed shaken. The bear scurried off into the woods.  Hearn was left with a great deal of road rash and a damaged bike.  One of the witnesses drove him to the base.

Hearn said he has had a couple of previous accidents involving cars and keeps a very close eye out for turning vehicles.  This is a first...colliding with a bear.

John is not planning on seeking damages.  As the bear didn't carry insurance there is nothing to done.


Am I Dead or Disabled?

Fox News reported that 60,000 of California's more than 2 million disabled parking placards issued by the Dept. of Motor Vehicles might have been sent to dead people.

Every two years the DMV does an audit and the Los Angeles Times reports that this year the cross check showed about 56,000 placard holders are deceased.

The DMV acknowledges that there is a great deal of abuse within the system and more than a third of the placards displayed are done so illegally.  The agency is studying ways to make the process more efficient.

Maybe a Breathalyzer... just to make sure there is a breath.


Tit for Tat for TSA

A Colorado woman is accused of putting her hands on a TSA agent at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.



Does she look remorseful?

 According to court records, 61 year old, Ukari Miyamae grabbed the left breast of a TSA agent and twisted it.    Prior to the groping incident, Miyamae was refusing to go through a security scanner.


Officers said that Miyamae admitted to the crime.   She is being charged with felony sexual abuse.

There is an old adage about "don't get your tit in a wringer".  Someone, one evidently doesn't pay attention to old adages.



The Good for the Day....  No one died in any of our odd stories this week. (that's an improvement over some of the other weeks)


The Bad for the Day... The newspaper article about the father that removed the cast, actually had the street address of the boy and his mother's home.  I am sure she is thrilled with her idiot ex.


The Weird for the Day...Authorities say that Michigan bride, Tammy Lee Hinton was arrested after exchanging vows at a Jackson area church.  Ms Hinton was arrested for a 3 year outstanding warrant on a felony charge. She was release after 30 minutes and scheduled to return to court on Monday, July 18th.  She failed to show for the court date.


There is a wedding photo that is sure to be memorable.



A little song to go with the RUNNING BEAR