June 15, 2013

Man stabs brother over mac and cheese

Authorities say two Florida brothers got into a tussle over missing macaroni and cheese that ended with one stabbing the other in the stomach.

Volusia County Sheriff's deputies say 47-year-old Edward Zipperer spilled a beer belonging to his 49-year-old brother Randy Zipperer while looking for the missing mac and cheese. That set off an argument inside the Deltona home that led to the older brother stabbing the younger one.

According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal , Randy Zipperer told deputies he didn't mean to hurt his brother, adding he just "poked him a little with the knife."

Edward Zipperer had a small puncture wound. Deputies recovered a 6-inch knife with blood on the tip.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306140104

June 13, 2013

DVRs set to record 2 extra hours of Stanley Cup Final cut off 6 seconds before game-winning goal

Worst timing ever?

This poor hockey fan set his DVR to record two extra hours of the Chicago Blackhawks vs. the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

...

Last night’s marathon game, which featured two and a half 20-minute overtime periods, ended after midnight, causing this poor fan’s recording to cut off just six seconds before Andrew Shaw’s hit a game-winning goal.

Other fans also said they did the same thing, presumably setting their DVRs to stop recording at the stroke of midnight, Chicago time. The goal was scored just after 12 a.m.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/06/13/dvr-set-to-record-2-extra-hours-of-stanley-cup-final-cuts-off-6-seconds-too-soon/

June 13, 2013

Woman finds an extra topping on her burger: A razorblade

Last week a California woman discovered a deadly extra topping had been added to her Burger King cheeseburger, free of charge.

Yolanda Orozco, 46, claims that when checking her burger for onions, which she had requested be taken off, she noticed a single-edge razor blade sandwiched between the beef patty and the cheese slice.

Employees at the Willits, CA franchise told police the razor blades, which are used for cleaning, were not placed on the burger maliciously, and could have easily fallen into it when they weren't paying attention.

Satisfied with the employees' explantion, police say they have since closed the investigation, however California's Department of Environmental Health will soon be launching an investigation of their own — thank God.

http://thegist.com/news/870/california-burger-king-forgets-to-hold-the-razor-blade

June 13, 2013

Cloistered nun, 105, dies after 86 years in monastery

A nun believed to hold the world record of 86 years cloistered in a monastery has died in Spain.

Sister Maria Romero, abbess of the Buenafuente del Sistal monastery northeast of Madrid said Wednesday that Sister Teresita Barajuen had died overnight. She was 105.

She entered the Cistercian monastery when she was 19, the abbess said.

...

In 2011, Barajuen left the monastery for the first time in 40 years to meet retired Benedict XVI during a papal visit to Madrid. She had entered the monastery on the same day he was born.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/cloistered-nun-said-to-hold-record-of-86-years-in-monastery-dies-in-spain/2013/06/12/e741ddfa-d391-11e2-8cbe-1bcbee06f8f8_story.html

June 13, 2013

Winnipeg: Spot an illegally parked car, earn cash

Some entrepreneurial Winnipeggers are set to unleash an army of bounty hunters keen on nabbing people who park in disabled parking spots without a permit or in front of a fire hydrant.

All that would be needed is a smartphone and the "spotsquad" app.

Co-founder Chris Johnson says he and his partners haven't yet signed any agreements to give informants a percentage of any ticket fines, but he adds that some private parking lot operators are interested.

He says while many people say they would never snitch on a fellow driver, he expects they would privately jump at the chance to make a couple of bucks while cracking down on inconsiderate parkers.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/spotsquad+would+allow+people+illegal+parkers+fine/8514800/story.html

June 12, 2013

Connecticut Passes Landmark ‘Homeless Person’s Bill Of Rights’ Law

Connecticut is on the cusp of enacting a major new law to protect people who are homeless from discrimination.

Last week, Connecticut lawmakers passed the “Homeless Person’s Bill Of Rights” at the literal 11th hour — 11:30pm on June 5th, one half hour before the legislative session ended. The bill, SB 896, a landmark piece of legislation to protect homeless individuals’ rights, adds homeless people as a protected class who can’t be discriminated against in employment, housing, or public accommodations. It also includes protections for homeless people to move freely in public spaces, such as parks and sidewalks, without being singled out for harassment by law enforcement officers.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/06/12/2139181/connecticut-homeless/

June 12, 2013

Woman, 70, earns law degree

Sandra Wilson graduated from law school in May at age 70. Now she’s studying for the bar exam and preparing to look for a job.

Wilson raised three children before she went back to Florida State University, where she graduated in 2009. The next year, she made the bold decision to move to Montgomery, Ala., to attend Faulkner University.

“I lived there for three years,” Wilson told the News Herald of Panama City. “I never lived by myself. I left my parents’ home when I married my husband (Steve).”

Her husband was fully on board with the decision to go to law school.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20130611/NEWS/130619939/1002/sports?Title=70-Year-Old-Graduates-Law-School-Preparing-for-Bar-Exam

June 11, 2013

Russian Duma passes law banning 'gay propaganda'

Source: BBC

Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, has passed a law imposing heavy fines for providing information about homosexuality to people under 18.

The measure was passed unanimously and will become law when approved by the upper house and President Vladimir Putin, a virtual formality.

Gay rights campaigners clashed with anti-gay activists outside the Duma.

...

The law comes in the wake of the imprisoning of members of the punk band Pussy Riot for performing an anti-Putin protest in an Orthodox cathedral in February 2012.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22862210

June 11, 2013

Musician Loses 250 Pounds On So-Called ‘99 Cents Only Store Diet’

A Los Angeles-based musician said he lost 250 pounds on a so-called “99 Cents Only Store Diet.”

Papa Joe Aviance, known for the song “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life”, moved to Hollywood in 2002 and was dubbed the next Biggie Smalls by a record company due to his 450-pound frame.

“I didn’t want to be pigeonholed into that anymore,” he said. “I saw how big I was and I couldn’t believe it.”

Aviance, who was unemployed, said he couldn’t afford a fancy diet.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/06/10/la-based-musician-loses-250-pounds-on-so-called-99-cents-only-store-diet/

June 11, 2013

German bishops move to deny sacraments to church tax scofflaws

Germany has long required people who are members of a church or a synagogue to pay a tax that supports the church and its operations. But as more Catholics decline to pay, the church is telling them if they don't pay, they won't be allowed to receive church sacraments.

Germany levies a tax on anyone officially affiliated with a Christian church or a Jewish synagogue — an extra eight percent of what you pay in yearly income tax.

In recent years, more and more Catholics have been refusing to pay it. But last week, Germany’s Catholic Bishops said no more. If you don’t pay the tax, you don’t receive communion and other religious services.

A German court just ruled the church was within its rights to say no.

http://www.pri.org/stories/politics-society/religion/germans-angered-catholic-church-decision-deny-sacraments-taxes-11680.html

At first glance, this seems like the effort to deny the Eucharist to people who don't 'toe the line' on things like abortion or marriage.

I mean, as long as they are still in a "state of grace," I don't see a reason to deprive them of the spiritual food of the Eucharist.