News story of the day

[krisagg75]

82 people were shot over the weekend in Chicago, 14 of them dead. 

 

They're calling it "Chiraq" now...

christ.what is it with some people.

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

If only those who were shot had guns so they could shoot the bad guys first.

Edited July 7, 2014 by CarewsEyebrowDesigner

[maqroll]

The Chicago situation has turned absolutely psychotic because it's moved beyond shooting over drug turf, and reprisal shootings. People are just driving up to corners and unloading their guns just for the fun of it. It's totally out of control.

[mjmooney]

82 people were shot over the weekend in Chicago, 14 of them dead. 

 

They're calling it "Chiraq" now...

 

[maqroll]

haha, I'd thought of him too

[leviramsey]

Strange that with Chicago having either the toughest or just about the toughest gun laws that so many get shot...

[Voinjama]

So Mr Ecclestone will be getting out of the bribery trial by bribing the judges to the tune of £60m. Anyone see the irony there. Money talks. 

[MakemineVanilla]

So Mr Ecclestone will be getting out of the bribery trial by bribing the judges to the tune of £60m. Anyone see the irony there. Money talks. 

 

The Germans have a very controversial way of dealing with rich tax-dodgers, they can pay a big fine and avoid prosecution, so maybe they will extend the facility to Mr E?

[Voinjama]

They already have. 

[OutByEaster?]

Strange that with Chicago having either the toughest or just about the toughest gun laws that so many get shot...

Having the strongest gun laws in the US is like having the F1 car that's easiest to park. Not really the best thing to judge on.

[maqroll]

John Kerry hard at work yesterday

[Rodders]

Man calls Solihull police to complain about prostitute's looks

A man has been warned after he dialled 999 to complain about a prostitute's looks after meeting her.

West Midlands Police said they were contacted by the caller who said he "wished to report her for breaching the Sale of Goods Act".

The force said the call was received at about 19:30 BST on Tuesday complaining that the woman was not as attractive as she had claimed.

Officers have now sent the man a letter warning him about wasting police time.

West Midlands Police said the man had claimed he met the woman in a hotel car park.

"The caller claimed that the woman had made out she was better looking than she actually was and he wished to report her for breaching the Sale of Goods Act," a spokesperson for the force said.

"When he raised this issue with the woman concerned, she allegedly took his car keys, ran away from the car and threw them back at him, prompting him to call police."

'It was unbelievable'

During the call, the man can be heard to say: "I've arranged a meeting with her, but beforehand I've asked her for an honest description, otherwise when I get there I'm not going to use her services.

"Basically she has misdescribed herself, misrepresented herself totally.

"She was angry because she obviously thinks I owe her a living or something."

Sgt Jerome Moran, based at Solihull police station, called the man back to offer some advice.

He said: "It was unbelievable - he genuinely believed he had done nothing wrong and that the woman should have been investigated by police for misrepresentation.

"I told him that she'd not committed any offences and that it was his actions, in soliciting for sex, that were in fact illegal."

Despite the man refusing to give his details, police were able to identify him and have sent him a letter warning him about his actions.

The Sale of Goods Act 1979 gives consumers legal rights, stipulating goods which are sold must be of satisfactory quality, be fit for purpose and must match the seller's description.

[leviramsey]

Coming back from the dead is hard

A Hancock County judge ruled last year that Donald Miller Jr. was legally dead, even as Miller stood in front of the judge.

But the Social Security Administration believes Miller is alive, and is demanding his two daughters return more than $47,000 in death benefits they received as teenagers, his former wife said.

“If anybody has to pay this back, it should be him, because we didn’t do anything wrong,” said ex-wife Robin Miller.

The legal saga that drew international disbelief began in 1994. That’s when Hancock County Probate Judge Allan Davis declared Donald Miller legally dead, years after his disappearance from Arcadia.

Robin Miller sought the death ruling in hopes of collecting Social Security survivor’s compensation. The funds would offset Donald Miller’s outstanding child support bill of about $26,000, she said.

Donald Miller, 62, of Fostoria, resurfaced last August and asked Judge Davis to reverse the “legally dead” ruling.

Miller claimed he had resided in Florida and Georgia during his absence. Upon returning to Ohio around 2005, Miller learned of his “death” and Social Security cancellation, he said.

Judge Davis in October rejected Miller’s request. Ohio estate law only permits the undoing of a legal death “at any time within a three-year period.”

Donald Miller missed that deadline by 16 years. The case appeared closed when he did not pursue an appeal.

But the Social Security Administration contends that Miller is alive, and in April, the agency sent out letters seeking repayment of the death benefits paid to Miller’s children.

Robin Miller, 54, of Fostoria, shared the letters with The Courier.

To remedy “overpayment” of benefits, the agency billed $28,711 to one child and $18,545 to the other.

First payments on the total $47,256 debt were due within three weeks, according to the billing statements.

Robin Miller said the agency’s claim for restitution of all benefits, plus apparent fees and interest, was stunning.

This debt would “wipe everything out,” Robin Miller said.

The Millers’ two daughters each received about $100 per week from Social Security until their 18th birthdays, Robin Miller said.

Federal benefits were paid for a year and a half to the older daughter and three and a half years to the younger one, she said.

The payments totaled less than $30,000.

Robin Miller has not held regular employment since 2001 due to a disability, and her 67-year-old husband works in construction, she said. The man she married after Donald Miller, who also has the last name Miller, does not deserve this burden, she said.

When asked by The Courier why the Social Security Administration is seeking this money, a spokesman said the agency is reviewing Robin Miller’s application for a waiver.

“We are in the process of making a determination on her request,” said Doug Nguyen of the agency’s Chicago office.

Robin Miller said a Social Security Administration employee told her the agency will seek repayment from the daughters first, then from Robin Miller, then Donald Miller.

Officials are asking what the Millers purchased with the funds, she said.

“I mean, it was 20 years ago. I was raising kids. What did he (Donald Miller) do? He left them,” she said.

The two were married from 1977 to 1980.

“He doesn’t think he did anything wrong. That’s what he keeps telling the girls,” she said.

Donald Miller’s attorney, Francis Marley, has refused to return calls from The Courier. Neither he nor his client could be reached for comment.

The case has sparked global fascination as to how a living man could be ruled dead. Judge Davis called the legal time limit a “glaring defect” in Ohio law.

The New York Times, Fox News Channel, and British Broadcasting Corp. were among national and international outlets that followed the original story.

Before Miller was declared dead, Robin Miller said her family conducted an exhaustive search to find him. They did not defraud the government, she said.

She hired a private investigator, contacted the FBI, and even had relatives drive to Florida to search for Miller, she said.

“We honestly thought he was done, dead, gone and out of our lives,” said Robin Miller.

[villaajax]

One for RV

 

 

Ten days left to vacuum up a powerful cleaner

 

The EU says most vacuum cleaners waste too much energy

 

Anyone wanting to buy a powerful vacuum cleaner has only 10 days left to be certain of getting one - following new EU rules that come in next month.

 

From 1 September, companies in the EU will be banned from making or importing vacuum cleaners above 1600 watts.

 

Hoover - based in South Wales - said that most of its cleaners were in that category.

 

It has been replacing its models since July with less powerful versions, but a few are still left on the shelves.

 

Elements of the directive - known as 2009/125/EC - are being challenged by the Dyson group.

 

The consumer organisation Which? says many of the models involved were rated as "best buys" by its researchers.

 

In one recent study, five of the top seven cleaners had motors of more than 1600 watts.

 

 

Models like this Hoover will no longer be available

 

The new European rules are part of the EU's energy efficiency directive, designed to help tackle climate change.

 

Among the models which will soon no longer be available are:

• Hoover Spirit TSP2101 (2100w)
• Miele S5281 (2200w)
• Samsung CycloneForce Sensor (2100w)
• Bosch BSG8PRO1 ( 1800w)

No models made by Dyson are affected, as all the motors on their machines are below 1600w.

The new EU directive on energy efficiency will also require manufacturers to put an energy rating on the box.

 

From 1 September, vacuum cleaners will be given seven different ratings, from A to G.

 

This includes measuring the performance on hard floors, carpets, and how much dust is emitted.

 

But the Dyson group is challenging this aspect of the new rules, and has applied for a judicial review of the EU directive.

 

It argues that the performance criteria do not include testing a vacuum cleaner when there is already dirt inside it - what it calls "dust-loaded".

 

Dyson also says that 126 million cleaner bags and filters from new vacuum cleaners end up in landfill across the EU every year.

 

Yet the new labelling system does not reflect the impact of used bags and filters on the environment.

 

The rules will get even tougher in three years' time.

 

From 1 September 2017, all vacuum cleaners will have to be less than 900w.

 

BBC

[Dodgyknees]

Insane-

https://storify.com/gabundy/met-police-being-met-police?awesm=sfy.co_sf47&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_campaign=&utm_content=storify-pingback

[Seat68]

Insane-

https://storify.com/gabundy/met-police-being-met-police?awesm=sfy.co_sf47&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_campaign=&utm_content=storify-pingback

 

This is an absolutely shocking tale of TFL and police harassment of a guy that stood up for some young kids. This is only one side of the story but if true, its rubbish.

[mjmooney]

 

 

Dutch boy turns his dead rat into flying rodent

 

When grieving the death of a family pet, people have been known to hold a ceremony in the back garden, perhaps putting an 'RIP Fluffy' plaque in the shrubs.

 

Some take it a step further, and have their beloved animal stuffed when they pass on.

 

But one Dutch schoolboy has really raised the bar. Following the death of his pet rat, Pepeijn Bruins had the animal turned into a flying rodent.

 

Yes that's right, he made a rat-copter.

 

The 13-year-old was heartbroken when his pet Ratjetoe, which is Dutch for ratatouille, was stricken with cancer and he had to have him put down.

Pepeijn said: "I loved him very much. He always liked to be cuddled and he would run up my clothes and hide."

 

Arjen Beltman, left, said he and his friend Bart Jansen, right, had to help Pepeijn, centre, fulfil his dream

Keen to keep his pet's memory alive Pepeijn looked at ways of holding onto Ratjetoe.

 

Luckily, if that's how you want to put it, Dutch inventors Arjen Beltman and Bart Jansen were on hand to help him achieve his goal.

 

The duo were naturally Pepeijn's first port of call after seeing their previous work, which includes producing the world's first stuffed, radio-controlled flying cat.

 

They've also made a dead ostrich take flight and their next project has the working title of turbo shark - you can guess the rest of that one.

 

Their work is being showcased in a Channel 4 documentary called All Creatures Great and Stuffed at 10pm on 10 September.

 

BBC

Edited September 10, 2014 by mjmooney

[Eames]

OMG its CRABZILLA

 

50ft crustacean, dubbed Crabzilla, photographed lurking beneath the waters in Whitstable

 

Aerial images of what is said to be a giant sea creature have appeared on supernatural website Weird Whitstable set up by Station Road artist Quinton Winter.

But it has left doubters racking their brains as to how the image might have been created - and how likely such a huge shellfish is in our waters.

 

The shadowy figure has been estimated to be 50ft long as it dwarfs fishing boats resting on the pier.

According to the website, the discovery was made in July last year in a popular crabbing spot by two young boys.

 

The website reads: "This shocking image of a giant crab under a popular crabbing spot in Whitstable was taken last weekend.

"The boys were unaware of the danger, but as several passersby shouted to them, the crab slipped silently away under the water, into the dark, sideways."

The website is described as an exhibition of phantoms, mysteries, tall tales and artefacts.

Edited October 13, 2014 by Eames

[dont_do_it_doug.]

Yeah... Ummm no.

[Stevo985]

But it has left doubters racking their brains as to how the image might have been created

 

I really don't think it has.