News of the Weird - this just in!

[Nereus]

Legless! Red-bellied black snake snuggles into surprising spot

https://au.news.yahoo.com/legless-red-b ... 51791.html

A wayward red-bellied black snake brought a new meaning to the word “legless” after the metre-long serpent managed to curl its way inside a wine glass.

The venomous reptile was photographed snug inside the glass in Adelaide, sending many wine aficionados into a frenzy.
“Glass of red…. belly,” Snake Catchers Adelaide joked, sharing the picture to Facebook yesterday after it was called out to remove the snake.

The reptile was seen coiled up tightly inside the glass on a table, beside a bottle of Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz.

“This red belly is almost a metre long, it’s just to show you how small of a space snakes can inhabit,” the reptile expert wrote.

“They love tight confined spaces. It makes them feel safe and secure. And he didn’t want to get out!”
One woman who saw the picture joked it was “not quite the full-bodied red” she liked to see on a Sunday afternoon.
Many others commended the snake for its fine choice of drop.

“We have the snake catchers come to Mollydooker every year for snake awareness training, first time I have seen one in a glass!” one man commented.

One woman asked if the serpent was drunk, to which the snake catcher joked: “Think so he couldn’t walk properly.”

Red-bellied black snakes are one of the most frequently encountered snakes on the east coast of Australia, and are responsible for a number of bites every year, according to the Australian Museum.

They are a shy species and generally do not deliver a serious bite unless severely provoked.

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[Nereus]

Farmer killed by forklift after 'dog knocks lever' inside vehicle

https://au.news.yahoo.com/farmer-killed ... 35305.html

An experienced farmer was crushed by his forklift truck and died after his Jack Russell dog moved a lever inside the vehicle, an inquest has heard.

It is believed Derek Mead, 70, had stopped the vehicle at his property in Hewish, in the UK, on June 4 last year, before getting out to open a gate when the accident occurred, the Press Association reports.

The 70-year-old did not apply the handbrake on the flat land, after he put the forklift into neutral and left the engine running, Avon Coroner’s Court heard.

It is thought Mr Mead’s pet dog, which was inside the cab at the time, might have knocked the shuttle lever when it “jumped up or put his paws up”.

Simon Chilcott, a Health and Safety Executive investigator, told the hearing that the lever can be moved inadvertently and the “machine will then move forward without the need to press the accelerator.”

“It is fairly clear in my mind that the lever must have been in neutral when Derek left the cab, otherwise he would have realised the machine was moving and done something to rectify it,” he added.

Mr Chilcott also said that “the most reasonable explanation” was that there was a small dog inside the cabin.

“Whether the dog has been jumping up to see where his master has gone, or put his paws up on the door to await the return of Derek – it seems most likely that he has collided with the lever.”

Mr Mead was pronounced dead at the scene, and a post-mortem revealed that his death was the result of traumatic asphyxia and spinal fractures, Press Association reports.

On Friday assistant coroner for Avon, Dr Peter Harrowing, reached a conclusion of accidental death, telling the hearing he was satisfied it was “a very tragic accident.”

“The most likely explanation, which I accept, is that the dog that he had in the cab with him on that day inadvertently moved the shuttle lever, causing the forward motion on the Manitou which sadly trapped Mr Mead against the solid gate, causing injuries which he did not survive,” Dr Harrowing said.

[Nereus]

Big Daddy:
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Holy cow! Giant steer standing at almost two metres towers over herd

https://au.news.yahoo.com/holy-cow-gian ... 00903.html

A giant steer is turning heads and standing out from the herd at almost two metres tall and weighing in at 1.4 tonnes.

The seven-year-old Holstein Friesian, named Knickers, towers over his companions at 194 centimetres tall – the largest in his category in Australia.

Owner Geoff Pearson, from Lake Preston in Western Australia’s south-west, said Knickers’ size is what saved him from the abattoir.

“It was too heavy. I wouldn’t be able to put it through a processing facility,” Mr Pearson told Perth Now.
“So I think it will just live happily ever after.”

Mr Pearson purchased the steer for $400, according to Perth Now.
However, he faces competition for the title of biggest steer in the yard.

The world’s tallest living steer is an Italian ox called Bellino, who stands at 2.03 metres, according to the Guinness World Records.
The Chianina ox was last measured on the set of an Italian television show on March 27, 2010.

[dtaai-maai]

Southwest Airlines apologises for mocking girl's name - the name is abcde...
What the chuffin heck did the parents expect when they called her that??

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46393501

Southwest Airlines has apologised after a member of its staff mocked a five-year-old girl's name.

Traci Redford and her daughter, Abcde (pronounced ab-si-dee), were en route home to El Paso, Texas, from California's John Wayne Airport when the incident occurred.

A gate agent allegedly began laughing and took a photo of the child's boarding pass and posted it online.

To be fair, the 'gate agent' was well out of order, but honestly... abcde?

[Nereus]

Hot pants:
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Man's e-cigarette bursts into flames in his pants

https://au.news.yahoo.com/mans-e-cigare ... 27581.html

WARNING – DISTRESSING IMAGES: An e-cigarette has exploded in a man’s pocket and badly burned his genitals while he was out enjoying a stroll with his family.

Damian Gola, who lives in the Polish city of Katowice, told local media he has been using this e-cigarette for about a year and a half.

“I bought it as a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco, but I am cursing the decision today!” he said.
The 41-year-old said that he went for a walk with his wife Sylwia, 40, and their 10-year-old daughter Julka.
“We were coming back after our stroll and while the girls got into the car, I went to check the washer fluid. In that moment there was an explosion in my pocket,” he recalled.

“If it happened while we were driving there could have been a tragedy,” his wife Sylwia told local media.
“We were shocked, my husband was in flames!”

An ambulance rushed Damian to hospital with third degree burns to his genitals and thigh.
The wound was so deep that necrosis had started and a right leg skin graft was needed.

Damian is now warning other vapers,

“I want to tell people about e-cigarettes. Various manufacturers are selling them with either built-in batteries or with a battery pack like I had!” he said.
“Some even have up to three batteries. What would happen if it exploded while filling up the car with petrol?”

He said that when he is better he will demand compensation from the manufacturer and vowed to not use the electric gadget anymore.

In southwest Belgium a 28-year-old man experienced a similar incident and was hospitalised after his electronic cigarette exploded in his pocket and released a 25cm high flame up his right side.

[Nereus]

PC out of hand, or some "researcher" has too much time on her hands:
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Phrases like 'bring home the bacon' will die out to avoid offending vegans, expert says

https://au.news.yahoo.com/phrases-like- ... 57514.html

Phrases featuring meat such as “bring home the bacon” and “grab the bull by the horns” will die out as people try to avoid offending vegans, a university researcher has said.

Dr Shareena Hamzah, a researcher at Swansea University in the UK, said idioms such as “let the cat out of the bag” and “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” will eventually fade away as awareness of veganism grows.

She predicts they will fall out of usage as healthy eating and awareness of animal cruelty becomes more widespread.
It could mean that animal-free alternatives are used to complete the phrases in the future, such as “feeding a fed horse” instead of “flogging a dead horse”.

Writing on The Conversation academic website, Dr Hamzah said: “If veganism forces us to confront the realities of food’s origins, then this increased awareness will undoubtedly be reflected in our language and literature.

“The increased awareness of vegan issues will filter through consciousness to produce new modes of expression.”
She added: “The image of ‘killing two birds with one stone’ is, if anything, made more powerful by the animal-friendly alternative of ‘feeding two birds with one scone’.”

Following guidance from PETA, Dr Hamzah suggested dumping “taking the bull by the horns” and replacing it with “taking the flower by the thorns”.

In a similar vein, “more than one way to skin a cat” could become “more than one way to peel a potato”.

On its website, PETA said: “While these phrases may seem harmless, they carry meaning and can send mixed signals to students about the relationship between humans and animals and can normalise abuse.

“Teaching students to use animal-friendly language can cultivate positive relationships between all beings.”

[MDMK]

PC out of hand, or some "researcher" has too much time on her hands:
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Phrases like 'bring home the bacon' will die out to avoid offending vegans, expert says

Sadly I don't think it's just a reporter with too much time on their hands. Vegans are getting more vocal and more militant and more snowflakey.

[Nereus]

'Many tears will be shed': Australia's beloved Roger the kangaroo dies

https://au.news.yahoo.com/many-tears-wi ... 06828.html

A Northern Territory kangaroo who made international headlines for his buff biceps has died.

Roger, a 200-centimetre-tall male red kangaroo, went viral after images surfaced of his muscular physique in 2015. He was a resident of The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs.
Chris “Brolga” Barnes, who runs the sanctuary, uploaded a video on Facebook on Saturday to break the news of the beloved kangaroo’s death.

Roger died of old age. He was 12 years old.

“It’s a very sad day here today for we have lost our beautiful boy, Roger,” Mr Barnes said in the video.
“Ten years ago, I built this sanctuary to house Roger and a couple of his wives, Ella [and] Abigail. We built it so they’d have a place to live.

“Roger was our alpha male for many years and he grew up to be a kangaroo that people from all over the world have grown to love as much as we love him too.”
Mr Barnes adds the sanctuary and its members will “reflect on Roger’s life today and for many years to come”.

“He will always be here,” he said.
“We’ve laid him to rest out here so he can be with his family.”

In September 2016, it emerged the ageing roo was suffering arthritis and beginning to lose his sight, with Mr Barnes uploading a video of Roger, saying: “I would never have been able to pat Roger like I am now, but he is getting old.”
Brolga hand-raised Roger after finding him in the pouch of his dead mother and called the kangaroo his “best mate” and “son”.

[Nereus]

Man builds rude statue to send angry message to town officials

https://au.news.yahoo.com/man-builds-ru ... 37251.html

A disgruntled small business owner has erected a five-metre statue of a hand flipping the bird as a message to town officials who rejected his application to build a garage on his property.

A decade ago Ted Pelkey applied to build a 743 square metre garage next to his home in Westford, Vermont, in the US, so he could move his truck repair and recycling business over from the nearby town of Swanton.

The Westford Selectboard and Development Review Board rejected the permit, as well as Mr Pelkey’s subsequent applications.

The Westford Selectboard and Development Review Board rejected the permit, as well as Mr Pelkey’s subsequent applications.
After fighting for 10 years he was fed up, but didn’t concede without making a bold statement, according to Boston.com.

While he was prohibited from building a garage on his property, Mr Pelkey erected something else – a $5500 commissioned sculpture of a hand raising its middle finger atop a five-metre pole.

The 54-year-old said the 317kg block pine structure was built to send a message to town officials about what he thought of their decision to reject his garage permit.

Mr Pelkey also attached two floodlights to the sculpture so it would be visible to passers-by at night.
“I’ve been put through the wringer by these people, and it’s just not right,” Mr Pelkey said.
“I haven’t been treated fairly at all.”

As the structure is considered “public art” it is protected by America’s free speech laws, and officials are powerless to order it to be removed, much to Mr Pelkey’s delight.

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[Nereus]

Woman's unbelievable reaction after waking to find four-metre snake in her bed

https://au.news.yahoo.com/womans-unbeli ... 44915.html

Waking up to find a giant snake in your bed would be enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. But one Queensland woman was brave enough to catch the snake herself – before going straight back to sleep.

Katjana Shoyer, a 25-year-old chef from Port Douglas in far north Queensland, was asleep when she felt something ‘super cold’ press against her back.
“I was sleeping on my side, and had rolled over onto my back, when I felt something cold underneath me,” Ms Shoyer said.
“I went to see what it was and saw this snake stretched out next to me.”
She awoke to discover the four-metre-long carpet python slithering next to her in the sheets, just inches from where she slept.
“I couldn’t believe it. I jumped to the other side of the room in complete shock,” Ms Shoyer said.

“The way it was stretched out I think it could have been sizing me up for a meal. But I’m nearly 6ft tall so it wouldn’t have been a light snack.”

While non-venomous, pythons kill their prey by wrapping themselves around it and crushing it to death.
Ms Shoyer asked her mum for help capturing the serpent.

“I just grabbed an empty bin and got a fishing spear, and it just started twirling around it,” she said.
“I managed to get it into the bin and put it outside with the lid on. It was so heavy, probably more than 20 kilograms.
“After that I just went back to bed. It didn’t worry me too much.”

The next morning, Ms Shoyer release the snake in nearby bush land.
She said her footage of the terrifying ordeal, which occurred in October, has ‘freaked out’ her friends and family online.

“We get a lot of different snakes up here, and they can get really big,” she said.
“I think it may have got in by the back door or maybe the window. But I’m not really sure how long it had been in my room before I discovered it.
“But so far it hasn’t returned, so hopefully I won’t be seeing it in my bed again.”

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[PeteC]

Christmas surprise for that friend who owns a sports bar. Only £187,500 approximately.

http_%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F181217140904-super-veloce-espresso-machine.jpg (50.82 KiB) Viewed 431 times

Super Veloce has been making F1-inspired espresso machines for a few years, but their latest model, the Royale 01, might be their most opulent yet. Like other espresso makers from the South-African company, it is designed to resemble a car engine -- a V12, to be exact, which is used to power up Aston Martins, Ferraris and Lamborghinis -- and made with the same materials: aerospace-grade aluminum, stainless steel and titanium.
What further sets it apart is its finishing: 18 carat white gold, diamonds, a thermostat in gold-lead carbon fiber and even a tank cap topped with an amethyst gemstone.

[PeteC]

WW2 mince pies found under Isle of Man hotel floorboards

Story and photos at link..........


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-i ... n-46638212

[dtaai-maai]

Yes, I saw this, but it's a slightly bizarre non-story as the pies were actually discovered 20 years ago!

[Lost]

Yes, I saw this, but it's a slightly bizarre non-story as the pies were actually discovered 20 years ago!

Bloody Scrooge! Its a story about mince pies. At Christmas. A Christmas story about mince pies...

Just let it be!

[dtaai-maai]

^^No, as stories go it's a complete turkey...