Odd News: March 2011

[Bungleau]

Man speeds with wife on hood of minivan? LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A U.S. man high on methamphetamine drove with his wife on the hood of their minivan for more than 40 miles, hitting speeds of 100 mph, according to police. The woman climbed onto the hood early on Saturday morning, outside the couple's home in Manteca, California, because she wanted to keep her husband from driving off, said the city's police spokesman, Rex Osborn. But instead of stopping, Christopher Carroll, 36, sped away with his wife clinging to the hood, Osborn said. Police said they would not identify the woman because she is the victim of domestic violence, but Osborn said she is in her 30s and a mother. In Pleasanton, the woman rolled off the hood when Carroll slowed down, police said. Carroll was arrested back at his Manteca home, and charged with attempted murder and domestic violence, Osborn said. No charges were filed tied to Carroll's methamphetamine use, which the woman described, he said. "Her big message is this meth has ruined her life, affected her husband's family, his children, just because of poor choices," Osborn said. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Peter Bohan)

Aside from the tragic sad part of this, she may want to consider a career as a stuntwoman. I don't think I could hang on to car at speeds of 100 MPH....

[VulcanRider]

I don't think I could let go -- even after the car stopped.

[Bungleau]

China blogger angered over losing Facebook account By TINI TRAN, Associated Press Tini Tran, Associated Press BEIJING – Chinese blogger and activist Michael Anti wants to know why he is less worthy of a Facebook account than company founder Mark Zuckerberg's dog. Anti, a popular online commentator whose legal name is Zhao Jing, said in an interview Tuesday that his Facebook account was suddenly canceled in January. Company officials told him by e-mail that Facebook has a strict policy against pseudonyms and that he must use the name issued on his government ID. Anti argues that his professional identity as Michael Anti has been established for more than a decade, with published articles and essays. Anti, a former journalist who has won fellowships at both Cambridge University and Harvard University, said he set up his Facebook account in 2007. By locking him out of his account, Facebook has cut him off from a network of more than 1,000 academic and professional contacts who know him as Anti, he said. "I'm really, really angry. I can't function using my Chinese name. Today, I found out that Zuckerberg's dog has a Facebook account. My journalistic work and academic work is more real than a dog," he said. Facebook officials weren't available to comment on his case. The company says its policy leads to greater trust and accountability for its users. "We have tried to keep the rule simple and fair by saying personal profiles must always be set up in the real legal name of the individual concerned," it said by e-mail to Anti. Dissidents in a variety of countries have argued that Facebook's policy can endanger human rights activists and others if their identities become known. Anti said there is a long tradition in China for writers and journalists to take pen names, partly as protection from retaliation from authorities. If Facebook requires the use of real names, that could potentially put Chinese citizens in danger, he said. "For my fellow Chinese, this policy could easily help Chinese police identify them," he said. It's not the first time Anti has had problems with an Internet site. In 2005, his blog on a Microsoft site was shut down by the company following pressure from Chinese officials. Microsoft's action led to a public outcry. Zuckerberg recently set up a Facebook page for his newly acquired puppy, "Beast," complete with photos and a profile.

Hmmm... Clearly Zuckerber is ignoring the fact that his dog's page violates FB's own terms of service. And I wonder if they're going to pull the pages of every professional entertainer with a stage name... can't be more than a million or two of those.

[VulcanRider]

Who would imagine that a poisonous, eight-legged creature from Brazil could boost your sex life? Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia say venom from a spider native to Central and South America give people four-hour erections, and could possibly cure some of the worst cases of impotence – cases not even Viagra could adequately treat. Phoneutria nigriventer, sometimes called Brazilian wandering spiders or banana spiders, are hairy and unsightly little creatures said to have some of the world’s most toxic venoms. Aside from four hours of supposed pleasure, the venom will also incapacitate a person’s muscle control, cause severe pain and trigger breathing problems. In some cases – if left untreated – it could lead to death, according to a story in the Daily Mail of London. The spider is so toxic, in fact, it was named the world’s most venomous spider by the Guinness World Records last year. But this same spider has the potential of becoming the next Viagra. Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/hea...#ixzz1G3aaygDT

Men with spider-stiffies chasing women with faces full of botulism? I've never seen a porno with a laugh track...

[Bungleau]

Bank robbery attempt thwarted when teller just says no NEW YORK (Reuters) – A would-be thief's attempt to rob a suburban New York bank on Wednesday was abruptly thwarted when the teller simply said no to the robber's demand for money, police said. The unsuccessful thief remained at large, said police in New Rochelle, New York, about 25 miles north of New York City. He tried to rob a Citibank branch shortly before 10 a.m. by asking a teller for money, said police captain Joseph Schaller. "He slipped a note through the teller's slot that said 'money in bag,'" Schaller said. "She refused and with that, she activated the alarm, turned away from the window and he ran out the door." The unidentified suspect was wearing a black puffy winter jacket and brown work boots. The bank closed briefly but soon reopened for business, police said. (Reporting by Aman Ali; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jerry Norton)

Now, who would have thought all that "Just Say No" stuff from the 80s would have a second use?

[SpiritWarrior]

It's quite a stupid thing to do really, she got lucky. She risked the ire of a possible maniac, who knows if he had a weapon, and could have panicked and flipped when she said no, and shot her just because he didn't know what else to do (has happend many times). Just hand the cash over IMO, - It's not yours anyway -and you increase your chances of getting through this unscathed. Another banks money is not worth your life.

[Bungleau]

Fair points, but note that the message was passed through the teller's slot. Given that this is near NYC, I suspect that they might have a more... reinforced teller area, and the teller would be behind bulletproof glass.

Would suck to be one of the other people in the lobby, but...

And yeah. Not worth losing your life over. Perhaps that's why it's odd...

[Firestormalpha]

We're not particularly known for a high crime rate where I am and we still have 2 inch thick bulletproof polymer barriers at the tellers. Only real threat there is a high powered rifle, and I don't think you can hide one of those in your coat pocket.

[Bungleau]

Armed Beauty Queen Fatally Shoots Intruder in Florida Home Invasion By Cristina Corbin Florida beauty queen Meghan Brown, right, shot and killed an intruder with her pink .38-caliber handgun during a home invasion March 12. When a burly ex-convict forced his way into a posh Florida home last week, he had no idea what awaited him -- a 25-year-old beauty queen with a pink .38-caliber handgun. Meghan Brown, a former Florida pageant queen, shot and killed 42-year-old Albert Franklin Hill during a home invasion March 12 at the 2,732-square-foot house she shares with her fiance in Tierra Verde, Fla. Hill barged into the home at around 3 a.m. after Brown responded to a knock at the front door, according to a police report. He allegedly grabbed the 110-pound Brown around her nose and mouth and dragged her to an upstairs bedroom. The woman’s fiance, Robert Planthaber, said in an interview that he was quickly awakened by the altercation and ran to Brown’s side. "I attacked him and took a severe beating to the head," Planthaber told FoxNews.com. "But I got him off of her long enough for her to scramble to the room where she keeps her pink .38 special.” Brown, who reigned as the 2009 Miss Tierra Verde, snatched her gun from a nearby bedroom and shot the suspect several times – hitting him in the chest, groin, thigh and back, her fiance said. Hill was pronounced dead at the scene. Panthaber, a 42-year-old arborist, said he believes he and his fiancee were targeted because of their wealth. He claimed a pizza delivery man and possible accomplice staked out the home for three months before Hill attempted to burglarize it. “We live in a very prominent area and my fiancee wears a $60,000 engagement ring,” he said. “The pizza man knew we had money because sometimes we needed change for a $100 bill when he came to deliver pizza.” Hill had a criminal record stretching back nearly three decades -- including arrests for burglary, battery, drug possession and grand theft. He reportedly served a 13-year prison term in 1987 and was released in September after serving a fourth term behind bars. Detectives with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Robbery/Homicide Unit are still investigating the crime but believe the motive was robbery, according to local press reports. They say they haven’t yet determined the relationship, if any, Hill had with the couple. A police report said the ex-convict demanded money before the altercation between Hill and Panthaber ensued. Panthaber, meanwhile, said he and his fiancee are lucky to be alive. He said he purchased the pink handgun for Brown last Christmas and that the two had gone to target practice together. “She was not a good shot at the range,” he quipped.

Wow... don't know how many shots, but four hits... I wouldn't care to be shot in any of those locations. Especially that one...

And the cuteness of "pink handgun" is, in my mind, offset by ".38 caliber"

[Firestormalpha]

I don't care how wealthy you are, please have something smaller than a c-note when ordering pizza for 2. Still, I doubt it was the $100 bills that tipped off the pizza guy to how wealthy his customers were. Maybe they should have tipped better?