It’s A Stick-Up?

Adult store clerk foils women 'armed' with toy gun

Police said two women who tried to rob a central Pennsylvania adult book store with a toy gun didn't fool a clerk, who told them to "get a real gun." Authorities said 28-year-old Shannon Cheripka, of Glasgow, and 26-year-old Angela Crook, of Coalport, attempted to rob the Adult World store in Duncansville around 1 a.m. Thursday.

Cheripka told police the clerk said, "First, if you're going to rob someone, get a real gun. Second off, you're not getting any money."

Authorities said the clerk chased away the women before police in nearby Logan Township arrested them in a van the clerk had described.

The women remained in the Blair County Jail on Friday on robbery and other charges. It was unclear if they had lawyers.

Banker’s get “Finger”

t's a feeling that many of us can no doubt sympathise with - giving the finger to bankers. But one Italian artist has taken it to extreme lengths.

The extreme length he's taken it to, in fact, is 30 feet - because that's the height of the statue that he's created of an extended middle finger, pointed towards his country's financial gurus.

Artist Maurizio Cattelan will officially unveil this graphic message to Italy's money men in front of Milan's stock exchange'.

Cattelan insists that it's not the outright insult it may appear, saying: 'Officially it's name is L.O.V.E. So it stands for love - but everyone can read between the lines and take away the message they see for themselves.'

Cattelan is not exactly a stranger to controversial art - he has previously shocked the public with exhibits of Adolf Hitler praying and a famous statue of Pope John Paul II being struck by a meteor.

Danger….Cyclist About!!

Bicyclist ignores siren, hits squad car

The Webster Parish Sheriff's Office said a bicyclist inching down the center of the road ignored lights and siren and ran into a police car. The Minden Press-Herald reported that 47-year-old Robert Earl Batton of Minden was booked with second-offense DWI and possessing marijuana. Calls to Batton's home were not answered Friday.

A sheriff's office press release said a deputy tried to pull Batton over late Saturday after a vehicle almost hit him. The deputy turned on lights and siren, then pulled ahead and got out.

Batton passed the officer and broadsided the police car.

The news release said a breath test registered blood alcohol of .270 percent - more than triple the legal limit.

Bin It!!

OAP Sea Rescue After Trying To Retrieve Bin

A pensioner has been rescued in a dinghy off the Welsh coast after trying to bring back a washed away wheelie bin.

The 81-year-old adventurer, who lives in Red Wharf Bay in North Wales, saw his neighbour's wheelie bin get swept out to sea in unusually high tides on Friday.

The man set off in pursuit of the floating bin in a rubber dinghy and lashed it to the side of his flimsy vessel.

But strong winds overpowered the plucky rower and his boat was blown out to sea.

The coastguard was alerted and a lifeboat was launched from The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Moelfre, further up the coast.

When the lifeboat reached the man his boat was filling with sea water and the crew discovered he was not wearing a life vest or any waterproofs.

He was treated on shore for mild hypothermia and taken to hospital at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor for further treatment.

Dave Massey from the Moelfre lifeboat station said: "Everyone at the Moelfre lifeboat station wishes the gentleman a speedy recovery.

"The volunteer lifeboat crews at Moelfre have dealt with a wide variety of emergency calls over the years but I am sure that this is the first time we have been involved in towing in a wheelie bin."

When the wheelie bin was towed ashore it was found to be still half full of rubbish.

Hey You…Get Out Of My Town!!

Naked war between rival nudist groups over swinger invasion

Traditional nudists are protesting over an invasion of swingers who they claim have turned the southern Cap d’Agde ‘Naked City’ resort into a sleazy sex hotspot.

About 30 naturists told a council meeting their once quiet clothes-free haven had been over-run by ‘sex-mad exhibitionists’.

One traditional nudist has told Cap d'Agde councillors at this week's town hall meeting: 'We bought a flat here 34 years ago because we wanted to live naked in the sun.But now we are surrounded by wild animals.'

And Cllr Florence Denestebe, who is supporting the disgruntled nudists, said: ‘When the sun shines, there is an area of Cap d’Agde which turns into the European capital of free sex.’

But the nudists were told that nothing could be done until they made formal complaints to the police.

Friction between nudists first flared two years ago when so-called 'nude terrorists' launched arson attacks on several new sex clubs at the site.

Stressed Out!!

German man's stress-calming naked walk backfires

A German man's habit of taking naked walks to reduce his stress levels backfired when his latest escapade triggered a police search and closed down a rail line. Police in the western city of Solingen said Friday that a woman out walking her dog saw the man, who jumped onto the train tracks and fled. She found his clothes nearby and reported the sighting to police.

Police closed the rail line for 1 1/2 hours Thursday night and sent up a helicopter to try and locate the man. He eventually turned himself in, saying he panicked after being seen and fled home.

The 42-year-old told officers he often took naked walks because it helped him combat stress.

The man could now face a fine for trespassing on railway property.

Bummer!!

Hiker's bum shot

 

A US hiker accidently shot himself in the butt.
Darrel Elam from Washington, kept the gun in his back pocket because he thought it would be more comfortable there than in its holster while he was trekking.

However a shot from the .40 caliber weapon fired down his left buttock and left leg before it came to rest just above his knee.

The lucky hiker was treated for minor injuries at Central Washington Hospital before being released.

He said he now intends to keep the gun in its holster at all times.

Housenapped??

House stolen by Internet scammers

Internet scammers conned an Australian real estate agent into selling a Perth house for $485,000 without the owner's knowledge.

Police have told Roger Mildenhall, 64, the money is gone and he may not see a cent of it, Australia's Sunday Times reported in its Sept. 12 edition. In a bitter twist, the building contractor may still have to pay thousands of dollars in capital gains tax, the newspaper said.

The investment property was sold in June but Mildenhall, who now lives in South Africa, was not aware of the fraud until a former neighbour contacted him last week.

Mildenhall told the Sunday Times it appears his house was put on the market after a series of emails were sent to a real estate agent asking for the home to be sold due to financial hardship.

Mildenhall said fraud squad police officers told him their initial investigations indicated the scammers were originally from Nigeria.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said the scammers even faxed duplicates of the deeds to the house to the real estate agent who sold the property. Such documents are readily accessible to the general public, the ABC said.

"It wasn't even my signature on the letter of acceptance, it was just like a five-year-old had written out my name in block letters. And yet the (real estate) agency didn't even turn a hair, they just accepted it," Mildenhall said.

The sale and the actions of companies involved are now under investigation by the national board governing Australia's real estate industry as well as by police.

A second Perth investment property owned by Mildenhall was also in the process of being sold by scammers when Mildenhall returned to Australia last week.

He managed to stop the sale but said the locks had already been changed on the home and cleaners had been contracted to prepare the home for its new owners.

"I've got lots of questions because due diligence (by the real estate agents) wasn't shown. There were several things that should not have happened without me - the real me - activating the sale," he said.

Mildenhall said he will now try to recoup the losses from the companies involved with the sale.

Petrol Crises??

Car thief fills diesel Audi full of petrol

A car thief was forced to abandon a stolen Audi just a few miles from scene of crime after filling it with petrol instead of diesel.

Daniel Boxall had stolen the £13,000 Audi A4 after pickpocketing owner Caroline Lyons at a leisure centre in Ramsgate, Kent, on June 12 this year.

After taking her car keys he jumped into the vehicle and drove off with his friend Richard Lloyd.

After a few miles he realised the car was running low on fuel and pulled into a petrol station.

But the thief didn't realise the car was a diesel – despite it being written on the fuel cap – and filled it up with unleaded petrol.

As he drove off the car sputtered to a halt just a few hundreds yards from the petrol station and the 27-year-old Ramsgate man got out and flagged down a passing motorist.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how Boxall, of Ramsgate, then offered to sell the Audi to the driver for £100 before walking off saying that he would get a Porsche the next day.

The suspicious motorist then called police and Boxall and Lloyd were arrested as they walked along the road.

Ian Foinette, prosecuting, said: "CCTV shows a white man going to the female victim's Audi and driving away.

"At 11pm the same night two males were spotted broken down at the side of the road by a passer-by who offered to help.

"They offered to sell him the car for £100.

"When he declined they said, 'not to worry, tomorrow we'll have a Porsche'."

Boxall claimed he had "been forced" to drive the car by a "black drug dealer" who had stolen the car, but CCTV proved that it was a white male – Boxall – who stole the keys.

The pair were found guilty of aggravated vehicle taking and Boxall was given a 12-month suspended sentence and disqualified from driving for a year.

Lloyd was sentenced to 180 days in prison, suspended for 18 months and a 12-month driving ban.

Recorder David Hall told Boxall that the car was a write-off after his bungle, telling him: "You have a shocking record.

"This was a mean offence and the car was destroyed by stupidity which caused loss and distress to that lady."

Horsing Around!!

Horses ridden into South London pub

A local council has closed a pub in South London after horses were ridden into it on several occasions.

The Cross Keys was also overwhelmed by a group of 100 people two weeks ago, which resulted in the establishment losing its license.

Video footage shows the riders entering the pub on horseback. Horses were ridden into the pub by travellers in separate incidents in April, June and July, police told Bexley council.

"It was like being in the Wild West," a drinker was quoted as saying. "One moment you're sitting down having a pint and a bag of nuts and then horses come in through the door.

"I had to check someone hadn't spiked my drink."
Landlord Derek McKenzie, 68, had his licence revoked because it was judged that he "could not control the situation".

McKenzie had told the council hearing that the horses were only in the pub "for a matter of seconds" before he escorted them out and told the riders not to come in "like cowboys".

He claimed that the riders had also caused problems in the town and that the council and police had chosen not to take action against them.

Snakes Alive!

Snakes get off a plane

It was a shock for everyone, but when Keng Liang Wong's bag ripped open on a luggage conveyor belt at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, 95 live boa constrictors spilled out into the airport.

Wong, who was arrested on Aug. 26, will meet his lawyer on Monday to decide on a plea, the U.K. Daily Mail is reporting.

Smuggling in endangered animals is punishable by up to seven years in prison in Malaysia.

According to the British newspaper, though, this is not the first time Wong has tangled with the law over animal smuggling. He spent six years in a U.S. prison after he was arrested in 1998 for smuggling protected reptiles into North America.

House Guests??

Most haunted house in England up for sale

The whispers of children, strange apparitions, furniture moving on its own — for people who are thrilled by the paranormal, a property in England could become your personal haunted house.

Portsmouth City Council has put Wymering Manor on the auction block. Wymering Manor is touted as Britain's most haunted property. The council is hoping to sell the property for $600,000.

'This is a property of some renown for being haunted, so there is a fair chance a future owner may use it as a guest house because of the novelty factor attached to it," surveyor Jeremy Lamb told the U.K.'s Daily Mail newspaper.

The building belonged to King Edward the Confessor in 1042, and to King William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 until 1084. It is listed in the Domesday Book — a survey of properties and information from 1086.

The website spookylocations.com says Wymering Manor is "not for the faint hearted" as there have been a number of reports of paranormal experiences in the old building.

The website says there have been sightings of a man hanging from a tree in the yard, a woman dressed in violet dress standing at the end of a bed, a man known as Reckless Roddy who was killed in the laneway, and the ghost of a nun with her hands dripping blood.

The house has also been featured on the British paranormal documentary reality television show, Most Haunted.

There's A Good Boy

That'll Teach The Buggers!!

You’re Fired!

Firm can't fire man for 1.8 cent theft

A German company that fired a man for the theft of 1.8 euro cents (two U.S. cents) worth of electricity had no grounds for sacking him, a court ruled, dismissing the firm's appeal against his reinstatement.

Network administrator Oliver Beel lost his job after charging his Segway, a two-wheeled electric vehicle, at work in May 2009. After he connected the vehicle to the firm's power source for 1-1/2 hours, his boss asked him to remove it.

Twelve days later Beel found himself without a job.

The court ruled that dismissal was disproportionate to the offence, especially given the "minimal electricity cost involved, the plaintiff's 19-year employment by the company and the fact other employees charged mobile phones and digital photo frames at the firm's expense without punishment."

Eat Your Greens!

Baby carrots packaged as junk food for children

Farmers in the US have hit upon a cunning way of trying to encourage kids to eat more healthily… by packaging their produce them a junk food.

A current marketing campaign has seen baby carrots put in the sort of packets normally associated with bags of crisps and a funky website launched promoting them.

The 'Eat 'Em Like Junk Food' has been organised by a group of 50 farmers who say they hope to make people see their produce as a cool brand.

A carrot-based iPhone game has also been made along with TV adverts which overtly mimic junk food advertising tactics... unfortunately the product still tastes like carrots and not smokey bacon crisps.

"We feel that with the cultural climate around healthy snacking right now, there's a unique and timely opportunity to do the first ever consumer-based advertising for carrots," said Jeff Dunn of Bolthouse Farms.

"For baby carrots to join the conversation with other snacks, they need a bit of attitude," added advertising man Andrew Keller from Crispin Porter + Bogusky who worked on the campaign.

"Mocking modern snack marketing is a strategic way of creating that attitude."

Watch Out….Stuffed Toy On The Loose!!

Suspicious stuffed pony blown up outside school

Authorities blew up a stuffed pony - determined to be a "suspicious device" - after it was found outside a central Florida school. The Orange County Sheriff's Office reported that the toy was found near the Waterbridge Elementary School Tuesday morning.

No one was allowed in or out of the building while bomb disposal experts destroyed the stuffed animal. It was ultimately deemed "non-threatening."

No injuries were reported.

Can It!!

Dead rat found inside can of baked beans

The body of a dead rat, believed to have been trapped during tinning, has been found inside a tin of baked beans by a catering chef.

A cook discovered the body on opening the tin of beans, though authorities have so far refused to name the manufacturer.

A post mortem revealed that the creature had managed to crawl inside the tin during the tinning process.

Heinz, Britain's most famous baked bean manufacturer has already moved to distance itself from the discovery, stating that it was not 'in any way connected to this incident.'

The food scientist heading the inquiry said that the case highlighted 'severe failings somewhere in the food production process.'

'This one of the ultimate horror stories,' he added.
'The rat had come to an untimely end, but was not possible to say if it had died before or after it got into the beans. But enzymatic tests established that it had been through the canning process. A post mortem examination showed that it hadn't eaten recently - it had not enjoyed a last meal of baked beans'

Stuffed Toys Are Fun

Porn Shock

German kids given porn pens by mistake

To sweeten their first day at primary school German children are normally given a cardboard cone filled with sweets, but schoolchildren in Essen this year opened their cones to find pens which project erotic images.

Children attending the Adolf Reichwein School in the northwestern German city were handed cones containing the pens by members of the German Communist Party, according to the school's headmaster.

Angry parents who discovered that the pens given to their six-year-old children could project erotic images of women informed the headmaster.

In a press release the German Communist Party stated that it had purchased the pens from a discount store, which had said the pens lit up at the push of a button.

"The German Communist Party deeply regrets what has happened and is outraged that this kind of thing, which borders on pornography, can be purchased in normal shops," it said, adding that its lawyers were now investigating whether the vendors could be prosecuted.

The party has offered to exchange the pens for something more suitable for children.

Cheap Flights??

Duck..He’s Got A Banana

Court bans sandwiches due to 'missile' fears

Lawyers, reporters and visitors have been banned from taking sandwiches into a court building to prevent them being used as missiles.

Bottles of water and crisps are also prohibited at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court because they pose a "health and safety hazard."

Vistors to all courts around the country are searched by security staff for knives and weapons as they enter.

But staff at the court in High Wycombe have also been told to seize packed lunches.

Grieving families attending inquests into the deaths of loved ones were even told they could not bring in bottled water.

An official at the court said: "The concern is that people are going to use their food as a missile and fling it down the stairs at people.

"Apparently there have been incidents of lunches being thrown around in the past - so we have had to introduce these rules for everyone regardless of who they are or why they are here."

One lawyer, who did not want to be named, said: "The new rules are ridiculous - soon they will be seizing our casework in case we want to throw that around as well.

"Not allowing visitors to bring in water is crazy because people are going to be boiling in this stuffy court on a hot day.

"Even primary school pupils are allowed to carry around their own lunches.A blanket ban on food and drink for everyone is political correctness so they cannot be seen to be targeting a minority who are going to abuse the building."

Lynne Richardson, the court manager, said there had "always been" a no food policy upstairs.

"The policy is no food on the landing that has always been the case. The concern is water could be used as a missile," she said. We have to take it off everyone - otherwise where do you draw the line?"

Changing Times??

Busker rejects cash - only accepts card payments

A busker in London has started to refuse cash payments and is now only accepting money for his performances via credit cards.

Peter Buffery plays on a guitar which has been adapted to feature 'contactless technology' allowing passers-by in Soho Square to 'swipe' a card and give him money.

As the student from Kingston University played listeners only needed to wave their card over the head of his instrument to make a £5 donation.

While we're not sure exactly what songs Buffery performed, we can't help but hope he played Cash Machine by Hard-Fi and then maybe Gimme Gimme Gimme by Abba.

A spokesperson for Barclays, which has provided the tech, said: “Today saw the UK’s first contactless busker play in London’s Soho Square and it’s been a great success.

"Not only in terms of how good the music’s been but it’s really demonstrated that there is an easier and quicker way for people to make everyday purchases."

Money raised during the event is being donated to the 'Help a London Child' charity

Never Too Old??

74-year-old defies topless ban

A pensioner has been banned from going topless in his own home after claims he is embarrassing his neighbours.

 

But Jim Burgess says he will defy the order to cover up in the corridors and laundry room of his 65-flat building.

‘I am warm-blooded and do not feel the cold,’ the 74-year-old said.

‘There is nothing obscene or immoral about what I am doing and if the housing people think they can steam-roll me into covering up, they are dead wrong.’

Guinness Hermitage Housing, owner of the block in Hayling Island, Hampshire, said residents should be ‘adequately dressed’ in communal areas.

Just Out For A Drive!!

Woman drives with sex toy

An American woman was arrested after she was discovered to be using a sex toy while driving.

Colondra Hamilton, 37, was pulled over by officers for a vehicle equipment violation at around 7.30pm on August 17 in Elmwood Place, Cincinnati.

However, when the officers approached her car they discovered she had her pants unbuttoned and was pleasuring herself with a female sex aid while watching a video on a computer her passenger was holding.

Police also found a broken crack pipe on her person and decided to take her into custody and charge her with misdemeanour impaired alertness and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

No charges were filed against the passenger.

UFO Alert!

5 worst UFO sightings

UFO Clouds

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a cloud. It's definitely a cloud.

UFO theorists went into overdrive when this video was released. It shows mystery sightings of figures in the sky, which look like imposing figures over Moscow, Romania, Florida and Ireland.

Unfortunately for sci-fi fans, Meteorologist Karsten Brandt explained the images in the footage weren't 'fakes, but explainable natural phenomenon'.

Mobile phone camera UFO

Andrew Baskeyfield from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire claims he saw this bright white dot in the sky above his home one Monday evening.

He said that it was a 'round ball that seemed to be on fire' and 'I have never seen anything like it before.'

Mr Baskeyfield's admission that it was 'like something out a sci-fi movie' was appropriate, as we think he's been watching too many.

MORE: Top five UFOs that haven't been identified

UFO at family BBQ

An opportune sighting of an unidentified flying object, caught in the background of a photo of a pleasant family gathering.

A shame for Sue Sill of Huddersfield that it appears to be a plastic bag and 'no one else saw it either'.

Mystery orbs

15 orange lights were spotted by many over parts of the UK last year.

Some (with more vivid imaginations) claimed they were definitely UFOs, whereas others were more inclined to suggest they were just Chinese lanterns.

UFO captured on film

Online excitement hit a frenzy a couple of years ago with the posting of this YouTube video.

It showed a pair of UFOs flying over Haiti, though believers were argued with by cynics who claimed it was an advertising campaign or a hoax.

It turned out to be a computer-generated clip, which was admittedly quite cool.

It’s Worldwide!!

Feds fine Oregon company $30K over 3-letter word

A three-letter word may cost one of the nation's oldest air ambulance operators a $30,000 fine.

The word is "our" - a possessive personal pronoun meaning it belongs to us.

But the U.S. Department of Transportation says that was the wrong word for Mercy Flights of Oregon to use to describe a helicopter technically owned by another company.

The Mail Tribune reports that the helicopter was purchased for Mercy Flights' exclusive use, but a separate company was formed for the deal, and it has ownership on paper.

The DOT says Mercy Flights broke laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive practices in the sales of air transportation by saying it is "our helicopter."

The nonprofit was fined $30,000 but it will only have to pay half if it avoids other pronoun violations for a year.

It’s A Change From Socks!!

Grannies knit Smart car tea cosy

Twenty grannies have spent two months knitting nearly 70lbs of wool into a trendy tea cosy for a Smart car.

The project was the brainwave of Zurich-based company the Swiss Senior Design Factory and had the aim of bringing young designers in touch with older crafts people.

The giant car cover depicts a lace-up trainer and exposes the car's wheels, making it into a giant roller skate.

The designers have contacted the Guinness Book of Records to claim the world record for the biggest hand-knitted car cover.

Bearing Up??

Bear poses for pictures with tourists

A bear has become a minor celebrity in a Chinese zoo by happily posing for pictures with tourists.

Tian Tian was forced to retire from his job in a circus - where he performed on the parallel bars and a bike - because he was too obese.

He is now paraded around Shendiao Mountain Zoo in Shandong, northern China, but because of his time interacting with humans at the circus, he relates to people better than other bears.

"I have to take her and wander around during the day time outside the bear pen," said Tian Tian's feeder Wang Qunfa.

When she first arrived at the zoo and tourists began to request pictures, officials decided to turn her into a full-time 'picture bear'.

She soon began to adopt special poses for photographs by putting on a casual look and leaning on a fence. In return, she stares at tourists' food until they give it to her. She has become particularly fond of beer.

Finders….Keepers

Neighbour demands $150 to return missing dog

Flint police said a city resident has taken "finders, keepers" to a whole new level, by taking in a missing dog that belonged to a neighbor couple and demanding $150 for its return. When the wife learned Thursday the neighbor might have her tan Pomeranian named "Cookie," she confronted the person and was told how much it would cost to get the pooch back.

The Flint Journal said the wife was told the neighbor paid $150 for the dog and needed to get that money back before allowing Cookie to return home.

Police said Friday the case remains under investigation.