Famous Photo on Fake I.D.

Police in Recife, Brazil, arrested Ricardo Sergio Freire de Barros on charges of fraud after he tried to open a bank account using a fake identity. The name on the fraudulent identification card was Joao Pedro dos Santos, but the picture clearly showed an image of American movie star Jack Nicholson. The 41-year-old Barros apparently does not look that much like the infinitely-recognizable 71-year-old Nicholson. Barros was charged with falsification of a public document.

Tazer Ball

Leif Kellenberger, Erik Wunsch, and Eric Prumm invented a new sport. It resembles a normal ball game, in which two teams try to run a ball past the opposing team into a goal, but there is on difference: each player is armed with an electric stun gun. The stun guns are used against whoever is carrying the ball. In Tazer ball, a player can get stunned dozens of times in a game.

The first official Ultimate Tazer Ball tournament was in January and there are currently four official professional UTB teams: the Philadelphia Killawatts, the San Diego Spartans, the Toronto Terror and the Los Angeles Nightlight.

Kellenberger said the teams play at tournaments for prizes, but he and his co-founders are in talks with various networks for a TV deal that could pay the players.

Of course, the sport has its critics. Some people think using stun guns in a game is unsafe.

Watermelon-sized Pine Cones

The Baw Baw Council has issued a warning to residents about the danger of falling pine cones. A 120-year-old bunya pine in Warragul, Victoria, Australia, had begun releasing cones, which can weigh up to ten kilograms! The tree is 20 meters tall, so the falling cones present a real danger. Council workers have been removing the cones from the tree as fast as they can before they fall.

Google Street View Sued Over Urination Image

The Google Street View team caught a resident of a French village in the Maine-et-Loire region peeing in his own garden. Attorney Jean-Noel Bouillaud filed the suit on behalf of his unnamed client. The man wants his picture removed, and says he has become an object of ridicule in his small village. A lawyer for Google says the suit is “implausible.”

Leap Day Families

What are the odds? Michelle Birnbaum of New Jersey was born on Leap Day 32 years ago, and then gave birth to a daughter four years ago, also on Leap Day. So her daughter was born on her seventh birthday. Those who crunch the numbers say the odds are about two million to one. Considering how many people there are in the U.S., it should happen again.

And it did. Shaneka Hinton of Orlando, Florida, was born on Leap Day in 1988. Wednesday, she turned 24, although it was only her sixth birthday. Hinton spent the day in the maternity ward as she gave birth to Christina Raynette Clemente, yet another Leap Day baby! And what’s more -Hinton’s son was born on the Fourth of July. Now Hinton and her daughter will be able to celebrate their birthdays together -once every four years.

Father Arrested Over Daughter’s Artwork

Jessie Sansone of Kitchener, Ontario, was arrested at his daughter’s school on Wednesday, but found out why only hours later. His 4-year-old daughter had drawn a picture of a man holding a gun, and school officials suspected she had seen a gun in the home. The girl had told them, “That’s my daddy’s. He uses it to shoot bad guys and monsters.” Sansone was told he was arrested for firearm possession. His wife was brought in for an interview with child welfare workers. The school principal explained that they were obligated by law to report any suspicion of child endangerment. The child welfare agency chose to call the police, who arrested and searched the father, but found no evidence of firearm possession. After he was released, Sansone gave permission for a search of his house, and no firearm was found.

Man Calls 911 to Report Being Invisible

An unnamed 28-year-old man in Barrow County, Georgia called emergency services to report that he was invisible. Both sheriff’s deputies and paramedics responded to the call, and found that the man was not invisible, but wanted a ride to the hospital because he was out of medicine. Records show the man had an arrest record for criminal trespass and failure to appear. Police told him to “dry up” on the medicine and warned that if he called again for a non-emergency, he would be arrested.

Chuck Norris May Connect Austria and Slovakia

It looks like people wanting to pass between Slovakia and Austria in the future may have to cross Chuck Norris to do it. A new bike and pedestrian bridge spanning the Morava river international border will be named by an internet poll, and so far, American TV and movie star Chuck Norris has 74% of the vote. Trailing far behind are Maria Theresa Bridge (after a former empress) and Devinska cycling bridge (after a nearby town). The regional governing assembly said they will abide by the results of the poll, which is open until April.

Have You Ever Seen a Purple Cow?

A cow in a small village in Serbia has given birth to a purple calf. The calf is actually lavender-gray and white, and is said to resemble the purple cow used in advertisements for Milka brand chocolate. Veterinarians say the calf is healthy and shows no other unusual features. Local children have been swarming the farm to see the purple calf. Video of the calf can be seen with the news story.

Police Look Up Woman’s License 425 Times

Anne Marie Rasmusson is preparing to file a federal lawsuit against Minnesota police officers who harassed her. An audit found that they were looking her up in the law enforcement driver’s license database -a lot.

The numbers were astounding: One hundred and four officers in 18 different agencies from around the state had accessed her driver’s license record 425 times in what could be one of the largest private data breaches by law enforcement in history.

The Department of Public Safety sent letters to all 18 agencies demanding an Internal Affairs investigation of the 104 officers. If the cops are found to be in violation of federal privacy law, they could be fired.

The case raises questions about police powers and privacy issues. Evidence suggests that officers have used the license database for years “like a Facebook for cops.”

“Voice of God” Roof Alarms

The Church of England has seen a dramatic increase in thefts as scrap metal prices have risen. Churches at high risk will be fitted with alarms paid for with a donation from an insurance company, and other churches are urged to raise funds for their own alarms. The alarms are to be installed on church roofs and spires. They are outfitted with motion detectors that trigger a booming voice warning trespassers that they have been detected, and that security guards are coming. Mounted atop a church, that may be a warning a thief would heed.

Hope’s Midnight Shopping Trip

Three-year-old Hope Trott of Baileyville, Maine woke up in the middle of the night Wednesday morning thinking her mother had gone to the store. The toddler put on shoes and a jacket and walked out the front door and down the street in the snow, to the store about a mile away. The grocer arrived about 4 AM and was surprised to find the little girl crying because she couldn’t find her mother. He summoned police, who traced Hope’s footprints in the snow back to her home. Her parents and siblings were still asleep. Hope was checked out at the hospital, but was found to be fine despite the 29-degree temperature that night.

The Getaway Vehicle Got Stuck

John Christopher Champion pulled out a pocket knife and threatened a clerk at a convenience store in Chiefland, Florida. The clerk fought back, and in the struggle stabbed Champion in the leg three times with his own knife. Champion overpowered the clerk and fled with some beer and a roll of electrical tape. He might have gotten away, if his motorized wheelchair hadn’t mired up in the sand outside the store. Champion was drinking beer when the police found him. He was under the impression that they would not arrest a handicapped person. That notion was wrong, as he was taken to jail after his stab wounds were treated.

Swedish Man Stranded in Snowbound Car for Two Months

Sometime before Christmas, 44-year-old Peter Skyllberg’s car became stuck in deep snow near Umea, Sweden, just south of the Arctic Circle. A passer-by found him last Friday -meaning he spent about two months in his car! While temperatures plunged to as low as -22F (-30C) outside, Skyllberg stayed in the car, where he had a sleeping bag and the protection of both the car and a layer of snow over it. The man was taken to Norrland’s University Hospital to recover. Dr. Ulf Segerberg spoke about Skyllberg’s survival.

“Starvation for one month, anyone can tolerate that if they have water to drink,” said Dr Segerberg. “If you have body fat, you will survive even longer, although you end up looking like someone coming from a concentration camp.”

He estimated that Mr Skyllberg could have lost more than three stone of his body weight over the period. Earlier police reports suggested Mr Skyllberg was in “really bad shape” when he was found.

He conceded that it was incredibly rare for someone to survive for so long outside in the cold Swedish winter.

Skyllberg is expected to recover, and may be released in a few days.

Man Arrested For Making Own Cheeseburger At Denny’s

James Summers of Madison, Wisconsin was arrested at a Denny’s after he led the restaurant staff to believe he was a corporate bigwig sent to check on them. He was wearing a coat and tie and carrying a briefcase. While the restaurant manager was on the phone trying to check the situation with her superiors, Summers made himself a hamburger and fries in the restaurant’s kitchen. Someone called police, who arrived and found an unregistered stun gun and some crack pipes in Summers’ possession. He was arrested for a weapons charge, fraud, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His motive for the escapade was apparently to get the free food.

Man Suffers Heart Attack at Heart Attack Grill

The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas is a themed restaurant that serves large-serving high-calorie cuisine. It even offers free food for those who weigh over 350 pounds. The staff dress up as nurses and emergency workers, but they had to call the real paramedics last Saturday night. A customer was eating a “Triple Bypass Burger” when he suffered an apparent heart attack. The unnamed man was taken to a hospital, and was later heard to be alive and recuperating.

Calcutta is Going Blue

Calcutta, India, will join the list of cities that are painted predominantly blue. The rulers of the city government have adopted the motto “the sky is the limit,” and want buildings to match. Any government buildings, flyovers, roadside railings, and taxis to be repainted will be given a new sky blue color. Ministers are also asking private property owners to go along with the scheme and paint their buildings blue, but will not provide funds for the paint. Calcutta is home to 14 million people.

Fugitive Calls Cops for Assistance

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Police and Zookeepers Chase Papier Mâché Rhino

The Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, holds annual escaped animal drills for zookeepers and emergency responders. However, there is no way to hold these drills using rare and possibly dangerous zoo animals. This week, the drill was held to train workers in how to deal with a rhinoceros on the loose, using a rhino made of papier mâché with two men underneath to provide the action. The rhino even attacked a zookeeper and had to be pushed away with sticks. Zoo visitors enjoyed the spectacle, which was recorded on video.

Man Adopts Girlfriend, Other Children Sue

John Goodman of Palm Beach, Florida, is facing a wrongful death lawsuit that could ruin him financially. As his assets are facing possible seizure, he legally adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend, Heather Ann Hutchins. She therefore is entitled to a share of a $300 million trust fund set aside for Goodman’s children. The trust would be untouchable if Goodman loses the lawsuit. The millionaire did not tell the judge in the adoption case about the lawsuit, nor did he tell his ex-wife or two biological children about the adoption. The two teenagers were surprised to hear the news, and are now suing their father to have the adoption of Hutchins set aside.

Police Officer Chased Himself

In a story that was shared with a monthly police magazine, a police officer in Sussex, England, ended up chasing himself around for twenty minutes. A CCTV (closed circuit TV) operator saw a suspicious man on the streets, and called a plainclothes officer for help. The operator gave directions to the areas where the suspicious man was caught on camera, and the officer always seemed to be close, but could not see any evidence of the man. That is, until they realized that the “suspicious character” was actually the plainclothes officer! The date of the misadventure has been lost in the retelling, as all police officers involved were too busy laughing.

Bomb Squad Finds Schrodinger’s Cat Alive

A mysterious box appeared in a parking lot at Erie Community College campus in Amherst, New York, last Friday afternoon. The state police bomb squad responded and took an x-ray of the sealed box, which showed a cat inside! Police turned the cat over to the local SPCA. Gina Browning of the Tonawanda SPCA says the cat is okay.

“The cat was not malnourished, not dehydrated, didn’t need any kind of veterinary care. So, it had a happy ending. What concerns me is the people capable of doing this might be capable of doing something worse,” Browning said.

Just who would put a cat in a taped up box and leave it in a parking lot remains a mystery at this point.

Capt. Camilleri said, “Right now it doesn’t appear there’s really much to follow up on. It didn’t have any identification on the box or anything like that.”

The upside to this is that the cat, named “Truffle,” is fine, healthy and back with her owner. Tracking down the person responsible is unlikely, if not impossible.

If found, the persons responsible could be charged with animal cruelty. Even Schrodinger never wanted to try his famous thought experiment on a real cat.

Toddler in Vending Machine Hands Out Toys

Three-year-old Noah Jeffrey wanted a toy so badly that he climbed into a claw machine at a restaurant in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. You’ve read stories of children in vending machines before, but Noah took the adventure to a new level when he started handing toys out to other children who gathered around the machine! Then his mother saw him. She tried to get Noah to climb back out, but he didn’t want to. She finally told him he would have to come down the chute to get a toy, and she helped him get past a barrier on the way. Noah managed to get out of the machine before the fire brigade arrived to rescue him.

Pennsylvania’s Purple Squirrel

Percy and Connie Emert of Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, trap squirrels in their yard to protect their bird feeders from raids. They normally release the squirrels elsewhere, but one squirrel stood out from the rest. Connie Emert saw a purple squirrel several times, but her husband did not believe her. Then it was caught in their squirrel trap Sunday and photographed. They relocated the purple squirrel on Tuesday, but those who saw the pictures are trying to figure out where the color came from. One theory is that it fell into a portable toilet and was covered in chemicals. Another is that it ingested too much bromide from molluscs or some other source. Or it could have been dyed. (Thanks, Brendan!)

Don’t Bring a Crack Pipe to Drug Court

Stanley Ramos was arrested in Manatee County, Florida, on New Year’s Eve for possession of a crack pipe, which a sheriff’s deputy said was in plain view in Ramos’ backpack. Ramos had a hearing Tuesday in connection with the case at the Manatee County Courthouse. As he was passing through the building’s security checkpoint, he was found to be in possession of another crack pipe. Ramos completed his court appearance and was then arrested on a second charge of possessing drug paraphernalia.

Police Chase Ends as Car Lands on Sleeping Man

Police in Hamden, Connecticut, tried to pull over an SUV for outstanding violations after midnight Tuesday, but were instead led on a five-mile chase. The driver sped through a college campus and into the town of New Haven. Police laid “stop sticks,” but the driver avoided them. The car finally stopped when it slammed into a house, landing on top of 34-year-old Michael Sweat, who was asleep in his bed. The suspect fled the scene. Paramedics responded and an engineering team arrived to prop up the house while Sweat was extracted from under the car, which took about an hour. Sweat was taken to the hospital suffering from burns, but his injuries are not life-threatening.

64-year-old Lard Deemed Fit to Eat

Hans Feldmeier received a can of lard from supplies distributed to Germans by the United States after World War II. He stashed it away and never opened the can. Feldmeier, who lives in Warnemünde, Germany, near the Baltic Sea, recently found the can and took it to authorities to see if it was still edible. The State Office for Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Security declared it fit for human consumption, although it had lost some consistency and taste. Feldmeier was delighted to hear of the unusually successful preservation, but when he requested his can back from the agency, they gave it back to him empty.

Holy Mackerel!

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Bank Robber Shoots Himself in the Foot

Three armed men entered a bank in Parana, Brazil, and took 30,000 Brazilian reals ($16,000). Security cameras recorded three of the robbers, but police believe six were involved. The surveillance video clearly shows one of the men accidentally shooting himself in the foot. He limped away with the others, but was arrested at a hospital the next day.

Cat in Cockpit Delays Flight

Air Canada Flight 603 to Toronto was scheduled to leave Halifax International Airport on Wednesday morning, but a cockpit intruder caused a delay. A cat traveling with a passenger escaped from its cage while the plane was loading. The cat, named Ripples, hid in the cockpit and became stuck in the avionics systems. A maintenance crew was called out to disassemble part of the flight deck to extract the cat. Ripples was returned to the cage, and the flight took off four hours and twenty minutes late.

Nail Removed from Man’s Head

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New Species is Really Faux Hawk

A farmer in New Zealand is in trouble for painting hawks. Grant Michael Teahan was found guilty of animal cruelty after a YouTube video showed him capturing a bird in a paint-laden trap. Teahan had apparently been coloring hawks pinkish-red since at least 2009 as a prank. The prank worked, as bird watchers thought they had discovered a new species. Their excitement was crushed when one of the birds was later found dead, hit by a car, and an examination found that it was a common hawk that had been painted. Teahan faces a stiff fine and possible incarceration.

Attachment About Attachments

The Islington Council made a sign warning people not to attach anything to park furniture or trees -and then attached it to a tree at Highbury Fields in north London, England. A neighboring architect, who was annoyed at the many signs posted recently, went to remove the sign and was surprised to see who had posted it on the tree. Soon, others gathered around to laugh at the nonsensical notice. The council soon relocated the notice to a nearby message board. They blamed the mistake on a junior member with good intentions.

Burglars Leave Photographic Evidence

A Frenchman and an Irishman went into a bar in New Zealand, but they weren’t supposed to. And they might have gotten away with the crime if they hadn’t left their camera with shots of their escapade in it. David Farrell and Nicholas Moinet, traveling vineyard workers, broke into a boat docked on the Opawa River in Blenheim along with some other men and helped themselves to alcohol on December 9th. They took photographs of each other on the boat before they left. However, they neglected to take the camera with them, and investigators found it simple to locate the perpetrators from the images. The two men were ordered to pay a $300 fine to the court and to pay $240 in reparations to the boat’s owner.

Drunk Driver Now Suing Victim’s Family

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Drunk Driver Speeds in Wrong Direction

Victims of near-misses say it was a miracle that no one was hurt when a woman drove 18 miles north in the southbound lane of Washington State’s I-5 expressway. Pamela Drawsby of Olympia, Washington, was arrested after police set a spike strip to stop her vehicle. She was observed driving up to 100 miles per hour at 2AM -against all oncoming traffic. Amazingly, there were no collisions as other drivers swerved to avoid the northbound vehicle. The 60-year-old Drawsby was found to be intoxicated on a combination of alcohol and prescription medication.

Sweden’s Silliest Place Names

We’ve read about strange and sometimes embarrassing place names in Britain and the U.S., but English-speaking tourists often don’t know when a place name in another language is, shall we say, unusual. Thanks to the English-language site The Local, we have translations for the strangest-named places in Sweden.

People outside Uppsala, for example, can take a stroll in the terrain of Djupröven (Deep Arse), and outside Gothenburg one can enjoy a swim in any of the Yellow, Small or Big Arse lakes (Gula Röven, Lilla Röven, Stora Röven).

A somewhat cuter name but still perhaps not the first pick to put on your resumé, is Kattsjärten in Värmland. The Local’s translation for this (hopefully) unusual name is Cat’s Bottom.

But that’s just the beginning. Check out Sex Swamp, Snot Bog, and more.

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop Arrested

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Pepsi’s Scary Defense

Ronald Ball of Illinois filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo in 2009, claiming he found a mouse in a can of Mountain Dew after taking a drink. Ball claims that he sent the mouse to the soft drink company and that they destroyed it. In their defense, Pepsi says that a mouse carcass would not exist in that form after being sealed in a can of Mountain Dew. An expert claims that the acid in the drink would cause a mouse to transform into a ‘jelly-like’ substance. One has to wonder if a defense against the lawsuit is worth planting that picture in customers’ minds.

…But the Cat Came Back

Plucky Andrea the stray cat used up a couple of her nine lives, but would not succumb to the animal shelter’s two attempts to euthanize her. The cat was picked up and taken to West Valley City’s animal shelter in Utah. When she was not adopted within a month, the shelter sent her to a gas chamber, but she survived. A second gassing left her appearing to be dead, so the staff put her body in a plastic bag in a cooler. Later, she was discovered to have vomited and was checked for signs of life. When Andrea woke up, they decided not to try again. The cat was transferred to the Community Animal Welfare Society. Andrea has since been adopted, and is settling well into her new home.

Car Lands on Roof

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Girl Lost in Tsunami Found 7 Years Later

When a tsunami swept over Indonesia on December 26, 2004, one of the victims was an 8-year-old girl named Wati. She was swept away in the waters and although her body was never found, her family eventually faced the fact that she had died. However, the now-15-year-old turned up in her hometown of Ujong Baroh in West Aceh! She told workers in a cafe that she was looking for her family, but couldn’t remember their names, except that her grandfather was named Ibrahim. Wati was reunited with her grandfather and her overjoyed parents, who confirmed the girl’s identity by a scar she received when she was six. It is believed that Wati spent the past seven years wandering Indonesia trying to find her way home.

Man Wins, Crashes Lamborghini

David Dopp of Santaquin, Utah entered a contest and won a 640-horsepower Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster valued at $380,000 last month. He picked the car up on Saturday, and took a few spins to show it off to family and friends. Dopp said he was only going 40 or 50 miles an hour when he hit ice or gravel on a curve and lost control of the car. It crashed through fence posts and into a field. The car sustained front-end damage, scratches, and a punctured wheel. No one was injured. The good news? The Lamborghini is insured.

Corn Stolen from Moving Train

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