Weird - Wacky - Funny News

WaPo Reporter’s Darwin Award Bid Falls Short

We have another also-ran in the Darwin Award competition. Washington Compost propagandist David A. Farenthold didn’t come as close to permanently removing himself from the gene pool as Jose Vaca did, but the staggering level of stupidity is comparable:

Among the clutter on the coffee table, I found my 4-year-old’s Party Popper, a bright yellow gun that fired confetti. For some reason, I held the gun up to my eye and looked down the barrel, the way Yosemite Sam always does.

It looked unloaded.

Then, for some reason, I pulled the trigger.

When I got to the ER, I had a swollen face, metal-foil confetti in my hair and a faint odor of gun smoke.

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Toy manufacturers need to be aware that toys meant for little kids could fall into the hands of WaPo reporters, with dangerous results. Farenthold’s misadventure ended in a scratched cornea.

Unsurprisingly, Farenthold feels qualified to hold forth on the topic of gun ownership. Even less surprisingly, he cluelessly refers to the AR-15 as an “assault weapon.”

If Farenthold’s reporting ever brings him to your favorite gun range, be prepared to evacuate the premises quickly in the event that he actually attempts to handle a firearm.

Man advertises $325 'empty' plastic baggies on Craigslist with 'free' marijuana insid

Man advertises $325 'empty' plastic baggies on Craigslist with 'free' marijuana insid

Man advertises $325 'empty' plastic baggies on Craigslist with 'free' marijuana inside

A Western Mass. marijuana entrepreneur may have put himself in a sticky legal situation by advertising his wares on Craigslist.

As spotted by NEPR, several listings have popped up on the Western Mass. Craigslist page, offering "dispensary grade marijuana," competitive prices and quick delivery.

Though personal possession of marijuana is now legal in Massachusetts, selling it is not. Gifts of less than an ounce are allowed, however -- and it is in that provision that the seller, who identifies himself as Corey, believes he has found a loophole.

"Disclaimer: I am selling you an empty bag. Marijuana placed in that empty sandwich bag is simply a legal gift, not connected in anyway, to any sale," one ad reads.

The empty bags retail from $20, with one gram of marijuana included, to $325 for nearly an ounce -- right below the state's legal transfer limit.

NEPR spoke with Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, who threw cold water on the seller's legal workaround.

"To say an empty baggie costs $350 is ridiculous," Sullivan told NEPR. "I think it's a clear fraud on its face."

Gifts of marijuana, while legal, are also not allowed to be advertised to the public, according to the law.

The seller told NEPR via text that his customers are carded to ensure they are 21.

Asked by MassLive whether he feared prosecution, he said no, expressing faith that police had higher priority targets to investigate. He has encountered police while carrying before and was let off with a warning after coming clean, he said.

"I've been pulled over before, I told the police officers exactly what I was doing, they searched my vehicle, look at the pot and even used my scale and calibration weight to check it," he wrote in a text. "I never travel with more than an ounce though so all was good, and honestly I don't think they would've cared if it was."

There is worse business happening on Craigslist, the seller argued.

"The illegal sex trafficking, the prostitution, there's people on there selling cocaine and prescription painkillers and all types of things," he wrote. "Why would the police want to focus their resources on someone who's legally growing six plants and gifting that medicine to people who so direly need it?"

His Craigslist postings also suggest that he is not worried about the publicity.

"ALSO WE JUST DID AN INTERVIEW WITH WFCR. Its 88.5 WFCR and not sure exactly when on there. It will also be on NEPR.net this evening. Check it out and hear your boy Corey from masscannabis kick some knowledge!" a Jan. 1 marijuana ad said.

Corey does not appear to be the only person offering marijuana on the local Craigslist page. One ad from December says that the seller is "accepting donations" in exchange for marijuana to raise money for opening a retail marijuana store in 2018. Another offers "clones" -- cuttings from a marijuana plant -- for $20.

The opening of retail marijuana shops has been delayed until at least mid-2018, following a rushed vote by lawmakers in December that sparked protest by marijuana advocates.

Personal sales, however, will remain banned under the new law.

Chickens exhibit Machiavellian tendencies, scientists discover

Chickens exhibit Machiavellian tendencies, scientists discover

Chickens are not as ‘bird brained’ as previously thought.

Scientists have found they are capable of greater logical reasoning than children, have distinct personalities, and even exhibit Machiavellian tendencies.

A review of previous research by scientists in the US, published in the journal Animal Cognition, has concluded that chicken intelligence has been greatly underestimated with the farmyard bird demonstrating thinking skills that are similar to mammals and primates.

They were found to be masters of deceit with males making food calls when no food was present to attract females to the area, and clucking more quietly during courtship behaviour if rivals were present, so as not to alert them to a potential mate.



They also have a sense of numbers, with even newly hatched chicks able to discriminate between quantities, and do simple arithmetic.

“Unlike many other birds, chickens are categorised as a commodity, devoid of authenticity as a real animal,” said Dr Loro Marino, a senior scientist for The Someone Project, a joint venture of Farm Sanctuary and the Kimmela Center in the USA.

“But chickens have the capacity to reason and make logical inferences, a capability that humans develop at approximately the age of seven. They perceive time intervals and may be able to anticipate future events.

“Chickens are behaviourally sophisticated, discriminating among individuals, exhibiting Machiavellian-like social interactions, and learning socially in complex ways that are similar to humans.”

“The very idea of chicken psychology is strange to most people.”



The birds were also found to exhibit self-control when it comes to holding out for a better food reward, and are able self-assess their position in the pecking order, two characteristics which are indicative of self-awareness.

Chicken communication is also quite complex, and consists of a large repertoire of different visual displays and at least 24 distinct vocalisations which they use to attract a mate, or sound the alarm for danger.

They also experience a range of complex negative and positive emotions, including fear, anticipation and anxiety.

Not only do individual chickens have distinct personalities, but mother hens also show a range of individual maternal personality traits which appear to affect the behaviour of their chicks.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/03/chickens-exhibit-machiavellian-tendencies-scientists-discover/

Man's front door bricked up as he sleeps

Man's front door bricked up as he sleeps

A man in central Germany tried to leave his house by the front door only to find a brick wall there.

Unidentified perpetrators in Mainhausen near Offenbach had bricked it up during the night, police told local media.

It could have been built within minutes, they said, and the motive is unclear - possibly a joke, an act of revenge, or a bet.

Police are searching for several people. The damage to the property is estimated at €500 (£425).

"It reminded me of the building of the Berlin Wall," a police spokesman told the local Hessenshau news portal (in German).

"That went up pretty quickly, too."

But he added: "It's a crime and no joke."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38502720?ocid=socialflow_twitter

Robrites said:

Chickens are not as ‘bird brained’ as previously thought.

Scientists have found they are capable of greater logical reasoning than children, have distinct personalities, and even exhibit Machiavellian tendencies.
...
They also experience a range of complex negative and positive emotions, including fear, anticipation and anxiety.

Not only do individual chickens have distinct personalities, but mother hens also show a range of individual maternal personality traits which appear to affect the behaviour of their chicks.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/03/chickens-exhibit-machiavellian-tendencies-scientists-discover/

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I find that animals that are in good health,
with good nutrition,
that have been treated well -

well their brains might be smaller than human brains

but they use a lot more of their brains.


I would have to say that my chickens and 1 feral cat

are smarter than a lot of my human neighbors,

and possibly smarter than a lot of ... better stop there before it gets political.

Interesting ..
Jj

Betterhaff said:

If this is true I wonder what they have to say about crows?

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"Fucking black people."

And the crows think, "Fucking white people."

Betterhaff said:

If this is true I wonder what they have to say about crows?

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crows/ravens are way smarter than folks have given them credit for. among other abilities, they have been shown to have the ability to communicate between generations a description of a danger, so that younger birds will take alarm at spotting something threatening they have never witnessed before.

armedoldhippy said:

crows/ravens are way smarter than folks have given them credit for. among other abilities, they have been shown to have the ability to communicate between generations a description of a danger, so that younger birds will take alarm at spotting something threatening they have never witnessed before.

Click to expand...

You couldn't be more right. I recently witnessed a group or 4 crows chasing down a red tailed hawk in my yard. I watched the crows work as a group to try and corner the hawk in the trees. Despite their effort I think the hawk won lol.

San Diego bank robber reveals his identity by using ATM card during heist

San Diego bank robber reveals his identity by using ATM card during heist

If only all crimes were so easy to solve: Alvin Lee Neal robbed a downtown San Diego bank, but before he did he inserted his ATM debit card at the teller window — revealing his name and other personal information.

Neal, 56, was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to three years and 10 months in prison for the robbery, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Neal entered the Wells Fargo branch on First Avenue on May 13 and approached a teller window, according to his plea agreement. He swiped his card through the card reader, and when the teller asked how he could be helped, Neal replied: “You’re being robbed. Don’t make a mistake.” He then handed the teller a note that had a similar statement.

When the teller hesitated, Neal said: “You don’t want anyone to get hurt, don’t make a mistake.”

The teller handed him $565 and Neal ran out of the bank, according to the complaint.

With his debit card information on hand, investigators looked up his driver’s license and address. A registered sex offender, Neal previously had been convicted of attempted rape and sexual battery, according to the California Megan’s Law website.

FBI agents and San Diego police set up surveillance at a downtown hostel and stopped Neal as he left the building. He agreed to a search of the room he was staying in, which turned up a checkered, double-breasted jacket that appeared to match one the robber had worn, as well as Neal’s debit card, the complaint said.

He admitted to robbing the bank when questioned by investigators, according to the complaint. As part of his sentence, Neal was ordered to pay $565 in restitution to the bank.

Beer-drinking woman launches SUV into river, keeps drinking, cops say.

"She stayed in the car and continued to drink her beer," he said."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-into-river-keeps-drinking-cops-say/96142166/

POLICE "NATURAL CAUSES DEATH" ACTUALLY SHOT 6 TIMES

POLICE "NATURAL CAUSES DEATH" ACTUALLY SHOT 6 TIMES

Blundering police who believed a notorious criminal died of natural causes later discovered he was shot SIX times in the chest.

John ‘Goldfinger’ Palmer was executed in the garden of his £800,000 countryside mansion in Brentwood, Essex, on June 24.

Police originally thought he had died of complications related to gall bladder surgery .

But it was later revealed he had been shot at close range with an 8mm silenced hand gun.

Essex Police also admitted that there are '16,000 suspects' in a “contract killing” that took months to plan, an inquest heard today.


One reason we're not keen on armed cops

Man buys 1,000 newspapers to hide DUI arrest; the story also ran online

Man buys 1,000 newspapers to hide DUI arrest; the story also ran online

The owner of a weekly upstate New York newspaper says a man bought hundreds of copies in an unsuccessful effort to keep people from reading about his drunken-driving arrest.

State police arrested Joseph Talbot on Dec. 29 in Wayne County and charged him with driving while intoxicated.

Police also charged him with refusing to be fingerprinted or photographed. They say he told troopers he didn't want his mugshot in the newspaper.

The 12,000-circulation Times of Wayne County says it obtained a mugshot from the county jail. It says it printed the mugshot and a story on New Year's Eve and published them online.

Newspaper owner and editor Ron Holdraker says Talbot bought nearly 1,000 newsstand copies at $1.25 each.

A telephone message left at a number listed for Talbot hasn't been returned.

Associated Press

MAGICIAN David Blaine is known for his crazy stunts, but he has risked death in his latest trick — which saw him shoot himself in the mouth.
The 43-year-old’s show Beyond Magic, which aired this week, showed a clip of him spitting out frogs to a live audience which included footballer David Beckham, The Sun reports.
The show’s main event was Blaine’s famous bullet catch, which he first attempted in 2010.
Blaine has revamped the trick by pulling the trigger on himself, in front of 20,000 people at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The performer prepared for the dangerous trick by allowing friends to shoot him in the chest, while wearing a bulletproof vest.
He was then fitted with a special gum shield to hold a metal cup, in which Blaine would catch the bullet.
But the cup was slipping in and out of the grooves of the mouth guard, showing the first sign of later problems.
Blaine held a rope attached to the rifle, while the laser pointed to the spot where the bullet would hit.
As Blaine tugged on the rope, the bullet was fired into the cup — but the gum shield shattered in the process.

Speaking over the action, Blaine’s narration explained: “Time just started to move really slow.
“When the bullet struck the cup, there was a high-pitched ringing in my ears and I felt an impact on the back of my throat.
“I was sure the bullet went right through my head and that I was dead.
“Suddenly I became aware of the pain and it brought me back. At that moment I realised that the mouth guard had shattered again, and I was alive.”
After being checked over by doctors, Blaine discovered that he had a lacerated throat — and his friends have refused to assist with the death-defying stunt ever again.
But, shockingly, Blaine still plans to do the trick in his upcoming world tour.

on a roll tonight...

A BRISBANE fisherman has reeled in a large hammerhead shark right at the mouth of the Brisbane River.
The approximately 3.2m hammerhead was pulled in by Kurt Ockenfels and his mates on Thursday.
Mr Ockenfels said it had been a surprise to find such a large shark so close to Brisbane.
“I have caught sharks like this before but this hammerhead of this size is a real surprise,” he wrote on Facebook.
“I know you can catch big bulls like the beastly one Terry Hessey caught years back but i think this is out of this world. It shows you dont need to travel hundreds of kms to catch 10ft+ sharks, they are in fact right on our door step.”
The shark was caught, tagged and released safely back into the wild.
Mr Ockenfels said he had been using 80 pound braided line with a small stingray for bait.

Investigation of police selling 50 kg hashish


http://norwaytoday.info/news/investigation-police-selling-50-g-hashish/