News story of the day

[chrissmith921]

Police Arrest Parrot

Police in the Colombian city of Barranquilla "arrested" a parrot after it helped several alleged drug dealers and thieves get away during a raid, the daily El Heraldo reported.

The incident happened Wednesday, when close to 300 police officers arrived to raid a house following numerous complaints that it was used as a hideout by thieves and drug dealers.

When officers arrived at the house they heard a voice that said insistently, "Run, run or the cat will get you!" They found Lorenzo, a parrot who had been trained to alert residents upon the arrival of the authorities. Everyone who had been in the house managed to get away.

Police then seized the bird and handed it over to an organisation for the protection of animals. Officers also arrested four people and seized 250 knives and 1,000 doses of marijuana.

Police officer Edues Munoz, who took part in the raid, told El Heraldo that while the bird was being taken away in a police car, it kept saying, "Run, run!"

Television reporters went to visit the parrot at environmental department facilities in Barranquilla, where it is set to be looked after by vets. When asked by reporters what it had told his previous owners, Lorenzo replied: "Run, run or the cat will get you!"

One of the best news stories ever.

[BOF]

I agree. Saw it when it came out.

[chrissmith921]

and me, it just came up in a conversation in work, so I felt the need to share it

[BOF]

I just love how the police force think they're there to imprison animals too; and that the animal in some way 'gets' what has happened and will perhaps change his ways in the future

[chrissmith921]

well, i'm sure there will be a lot of attention to when he comes out, see if he returns to his life of crime - or perhaps prison for an animal normally housed in a cage, isnt much of a deterrent

[BOF]

Has to be this one I think

Council's £24,000 payout over Jim Rodgers 'tomato jump'

Council's £24,000 payout over Jim Rodgers 'tomato jump'

Jim Rodgers attempting to jump over Lorraine Mallon Jim Rodgers' attempt to jump over Lorraine Mallon went spectacularly wrong

A Belfast City Council worker who was dressed as a tomato when she was injured by the then lord mayor has agreed a settlement of £24,021.75.

Lorraine Mallon suffered a slipped disc when Jim Rodgers' knee accidentally hit her head as he tried to vault over her.

Ms Mallon had been dressed as a tomato to launch a gourmet garden event in Botanic Gardens in September 2007.

A spokesperson for the council said: "We can confirm that a settlement has been made in that case."

The case was heard by Mr Justice Stephens at the High Court in Belfast, with the settlement agreed on Tuesday.

The council must also pay the costs of the action, which was brought against it on the grounds of negligence and breach of statutory duty.

After the incident, Mr Rodgers, an Ulster Unionist councillor, said he attempted the act of athleticism at the request of photographers.

"I have been absolutely devastated over what has happened," he said.

"There had been three false runs and I think Lorraine thought this was just another one.

"I just caught the top of her head and unfortunately I injured her."

Mr Rodgers said he was confident he could have made the vault.

He said: "I'm very fit and look after myself, but it was just one of those unfortunate things."

[wiggyrichard]

What a tit!

[legov]

A tit?! Brits :winkold:

It was just an accident, people don't generally die or freeze into paralysis from slipped discs.

[rjw63]

Money for nothing (as Dire Straits sang) :-)

[b6bloke]

Well in light of what we were discussing with the OTT of some Health and Safety, some of you may find this report a breath of fresh air!! Some interesting recommendations on small businesses, the compensation culture and for those who work with kids, schools and voluntary groups. Great to see my argument about exposing kids to controlled risk in there!

common sense, Common Safety

[leviramsey]

Canadian police not investigating brawl at gridiron game

Hamilton police have dropped their investigation into a violent brawl between local fans and football players from Quebec at the end of a junior league playoff game between the Hamilton Hurricanes and the St. Leonard Cougars at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Raw, unaired footage of the violence caught on camera by a local cable TV station shows St. Leonard players climb into the stands behind their bench and battle with Hurricane fans in a vicious and protracted melee in the dying seconds of Saturday night’s Ontario Football Conference semifinal playoff game.

At one point, a player in a Cougars jersey smashes a black plastic milk crate down onto the head of a fan. Moments later, groups of players swarm other spectators. Fans fight back and gang up on one player, who gets away by pulling out of his football jersey.

In one struggling, swinging knot, a Cougars player delivers a devastating blow that knocks a fan out cold. Seconds later, the cameras catch a Cougar raise his cleated foot and stomp down full force on a downed fan.

“We are currently not actively investigating any offences,” Detective Sergeant Glenn Bullock, head of the east-end Criminal Investigations Division, said Monday.

Two senior off-duty Hamilton police commanders were at the game and rushed in to try to break up the brouhaha.

“We did make contact with one particular person who was identified as being injured as a result of the fight after the game in the stands,” Bullock said. “That person has not registered a formal complaint with police.”

Because no one wants to pursue charges, police are left with what, by default, they consider a consensual fight, said police media officer Sergeant Terri-Lynn Collings. Police rushed to Ivor Wynne Stadium around 7 p.m. Saturday after reports of a large fracas between St. Leonard players and fans in the stands behind the Cougars’ bench.

Up to 20 St. Leonard players jumped into the stands after being heckled by Hurricanes fans. Fists, crates and helmets began flying.

“Yes, there was a disturbance in the stands, and, yes, the two teams playing on the field did become involved somehow, but in terms of the depth of criminality, it’s not to any great degree … that we are aware of,” Bullock said

“There were no serious injuries that we are aware of.”

Police could end up reopening their investigation because some fans are still thinking about filing a formal complaint, Bullock said.

The Hurricanes held urgent executive meetings Monday night to decide what to do next, Samuel said, including the possibility of asking police to launch a full investigation on behalf of the team.

As well, Hamilton police Chief Glenn De Caire has the power to order the brawl probe reactivated.

Police say the fighting was over by the time uniformed officers arrived and no one sought medical assistance from paramedics.

Hamilton head coach Jason Hayes and his staff “should be commended for the way they handled their players,” said Hurricanes president Mike Samuel yesterday.

He said the coaches managed to keep their Hamilton players from charging into the stands. “They got them into the dressing room right away. We all think it’s horrible and deplorable what (St. Leonard) did.”

Samuel has forwarded a tape of the game to OFC president Doug Dittmer.

“No Hamilton players went into the stands. We’re not building thug football players. Not one of our players was spoken to by police after the game. Solely St. Leonard players,” Samuel said.

For the championship game on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Ivor Wynne, Hurricanes officials have decided that fans will all sit in the south side stands on the opposite side from the players’ benches.

Mike Fabiani, a former Hamilton Hurricanes quarterback and current board member, says there’s never been a violent incident before in the seats at a Hamilton junior game.

“Players should never ever go into the stands, there’s no excuse for that,” Fabiani said. “None of our players or coaches was involved in any way.”

Fabiani said he was 20 to 30 yards away from where the brawl broke out.

“There was heckling, but there was no abusive language … The St. Leonard players would listen to the heckling, turn around and come back to them with some gestures with their hands.

“Fans were trying to get under their skin, that’s what fans do,” he said. “The Montreal coaches should never have let their players acknowledge it.”

Cougars head coach Jeff Rached said he requested added security in the second quarter. Hurricane officials went into the crowd and tried to calm some of the hecklers.

During the game, a St. Leonard player was ejected for objectionable conduct and two Cougars were fighting each other on the sideline. Last week, Hamilton players predicted the game would be very physical with a lot of yapping back and forth. Cougars had eliminated the Hurricanes in the last two league semifinals.

Chris Herstek, the city’s director of facilities and capital programs recreation division, said the game was considered a youth rental of the field. “Just like any minor sports organization renting the facility,” he said. “Security would be provided by the rental group. There was no reason to believe that this type of incident would occur.

“Now we will be reviewing requirements for future games.”

Dittmer says a disciplinary committee will review the confrontation and make recommendations.

Samuel says junior football is a quality product that deserves more media coverage that doesn’t relate to brawls in the stands.

OFC players range in age from 18 to 22 and are sometimes recruited by the CFL.

[BOF]

Weird. Even a 'consensual' fight is civil unrest and public disorder. Otherwise organised football riots would simply be 'consensual' fights that the participants wouldn't file a complaint over. How odd

[Gingerlad]

**** players in full protective gear fighting fans. Nice one.

Brain dead Canadians.

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

**** players in full protective gear fighting fans. Nice one.

Brain dead Canadians.

The funny thing is they fight about a game like that anyway, it's like declaring war because someone got the hop scotch rules a little wrong.

I did not know they played it in Canada, shame on Canada.

(It's a great game (American Football) designed for American's specifically really I suppose, clip on Nothing Toxic I think yesterday, A guy playing used all his skill he has learned and practised from been small, through college and then the big time NFL - he steps one way, then the other, a nifty 2 metre sprint forward to dive head first into the receiver. Brilliant tackle, those skills would make Messi weep if he ever had the pleasure. All good apart from......

He's paralysed from the neck down now, his family thanked everyone for their support. I think they will need more than support wiping the arse of a 23 st man)

clearings in the woods / rubbish game for the skill-less IMO

[leviramsey]

I did not know they played it in Canada, shame on Canada.

They don't generally play American football in Canada... they play Canadian football... (though the distinction between the two codes is so minimal that the NFL Network shows CFL games)... of course the provenance of American football is football (prior to the RFU/FA schism... the NFL and depending on the state some high school leagues are the only descendants of the FA that still have one of the original rules of football) to [Canadian] rugby union to American football.

And it's played in the Netherlands, as well

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

I did not know they played it in Canada, shame on Canada.

They don't generally play American football in Canada... they play Canadian football... (though the distinction between the two codes is so minimal that the NFL Network shows CFL games)... of course the provenance of American football is football (prior to the RFU/FA schism... the NFL and depending on the state some high school leagues are the only descendants of the FA that still have one of the original rules of football) to [Canadian] rugby union to American football.

And it's played in the Netherlands, as well

Holland ! I did not know that ! In theory Holland should be good at the low skill sports like this as it's one of the tallest countries in the world, I don't think they are though. You would think that basketball/boxing would be their thing also because of height / size. Dunno, I think it's an overall lack of aggression within the population or something.

If us English were the same size as the Dutch it would be a knightmare, 6 foot 7 inch groups of Chavs is a different kettle of fish.

[BOF]

Are you suggesting the Dutch are rather more chilled out than your average nationality

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

Are you suggesting the Dutch are rather more chilled out than your average nationality

They are indeed, some of the things I have seen on the roads would get you seriously injured in Birmingham (as in road rage) for example but it never gets to that.

It has even rubbed off on me after 10 years as I am a lot more chilled.

[BOF]

I vozh referring to zhe ganja yah

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

I vozh referring to zhe ganja yah

Yeah I know, but the whole population is more chilled and even though it's legal not everyone is a smoker.

They are, as a nation tighter than a duck's what's it which is something i never thought before coming here. the copper wire joke and the scottish must have been with the dutch.