Clipmarks | Skipper61's clips

80 year old man arrested because of Tshirt

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:10:30 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks:

Police said that Don Zirkel, of Bethpage, was disturbing shoppers at the Lake Grove mall with his T-shirt

upsetting? a Tshirt? are we supposed to pretend this isn't happening?

An 80-year-old church deacon was removed from the Smith Haven Mall yesterday in a wheelchair and arrested by police for refusing to remove a T-shirt protesting the Iraq War.

Zirkel, a deacon at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch, said his shirt had the death tolls of American military personnel and Iraqis - 4,000 and 1 million - and the words "Dead" and "Enough." The shirt also has three blotches resembling blood splatters.

Zirkel said he was sitting in the food court drinking coffee with his wife Marie, 77, and several others when police and mall security officers approached and demanded they remove their anti-war T-shirts

"They forcibly picked me up and put me in the wheelchair," said Zirkel

charged with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest

Activists with dueling opinions had gathered to support and oppose America's five-year campaign.

Tags: 80 yr. old, arrest, tshirt, anti-war

Judge Terminates Eight-Year-Old Girl's Marriage

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:50:29 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

SANAA (Reuters) - A Yemeni court ordered the marriage of an eight-year-old girl terminated on Tuesday because she had not reached puberty.

The court also ordered the child's family to pay about $250 in compensation to the 30-year-old ex-husband.

The girl's lawyer and human rights activist Shatha Nasser said the minor had filed a suit in April asking for divorce and told the court that her husband had been physically abusing her and forcing her to have "sex with him after hitting her."

One of the people attending the trial volunteered to pay the compensation, the lawyer said, but did not explain the reason why the court ordered the compensation.

The ruling terminated the marriage instead of granting a divorce to prevent the husband from seeking to reinstate the marriage, according to the lawyer.

Many minor girls in Arab countries that observe tribal traditions are married to older husbands but not before puberty.

Lady Turns 115 On Sunday

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:18:10 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

April 18, 2008: Edna Parker of Indiana, the oldest known human, will turn 115 on Sunday, April 20, 2008.

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. — Maybe it was a lifetime of chores on the family farm that accounts for Edna Parker's long life. Or maybe just good genes explain why the world's oldest known person will turn 115 on Sunday, defying staggering odds.

Scientists who study longevity hope Parker and others who live to 110 or beyond — they're called supercentenarians — can help solve the mystery of extreme longevity.

"We don't know why she's lived so long," said Don Parker, her 59-year-old grandson. "But she's never been a worrier and she's always been a thin person, so maybe that has something to do with it."

On Friday, Edna Parker laughed and smiled as relatives and guests released 115 balloons into sunny skies outside her nursing home. Dressed in pearls, a blue and white polka dot dress and new white shoes, she clutched a red rose during the festivities.

Young Man's Heart Made Me Crave KFC And Beer

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:35:16 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Yesterday, the Mail told the extraordinary story of how a heart transplant recipient in America committed suicide - just like the man whose heart he had received 12 years previously. In another extraordinary twist, it emerged that the recipient had also married the donor's former wife.

So can elements of a person's character - or even their soul - be transplanted along with a heart?

One woman who believes this to be the case is CLAIRE SYLVIA, a divorced mother of one.

She was 47 and dying from a disease called primary pulmonary hypertension when, in 1988, she had a pioneering heartlung transplant in America.

She was given the organs of an 18-year-old boy who had been killed in a motorcycle accident near his home in Maine.

Claire, a former professional dancer, then made an astonishing discovery: she seemed to be acquiring the characteristics, and cravings, of the donor.

Now THIS Guy has BALLS! Priceless!

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:37:06 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: Priceless!

Clip Source: sizzup.com

PRICELESS - SizzUp’s Man Of The Month

You got to love this guy… This is a true story about a recent Wedding that took place at Clemson University. It was in the local newspaper and even Jay Leno mentioned it. It was a huge wedding with about 300 guests. After the wedding, at the reception, the groom got up on stage with a microphone to talk to the crowd. He said he wanted to thank everyone for coming, many from long distances, to support them at their
wedding.

He especially wanted to thank the bride’s and his family and to thank his new father-in-law for providing such a lavish reception. As a token of his deep appreciation he said he wanted to give everyone a special gift just from him. So taped to the bottom of everyone’s chair, including the wedding party was an envelope. He said this was his gift to everyone, and asked them to open their envelope.

Tags: this, guy, has, balls

Cop Spanks Female Officer

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:25:41 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Police Sergeant Mark Downing: 'I was mortified'

A police sergeant put a female officer over his knee, spanked her and told her she was a "naughty girl" on a night out, a court heard yesterday.

Mark Downing, 39, also slapped her on the bottom at a barbecue and joked: "If it's there - it's only fair that I hit it," it was claimed.

Downing, who works for Thames Valley Police, denies three counts of sexual assault on two women officers.

Christopher Smyth, prosecuting, said colleagues had stopped inviting him to social events because of his inappropriate sexual behaviour.

The first two incidents happened during a drunken barbecue at one of the women's houses in Slough on July 6 last year, Swindon Crown Court heard.

Downing is said to have stood behind the woman - whose bottom he had allegedly spanked on another night - and commented it was "still perky".

Mr Smyth said: "She was shocked and he said that "If it's there - it's only fair that I hit it"."

Cabbie Returns $4M Violin

Tue, 06 May 2008 15:23:56 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

NEWARK, N.J. — A violin virtuoso plans to replace the airport cacophony of taxis and airplanes with the exquisite tones of a 285-year-old violin to give thanks to the cab driver who reunited him with the lost instrument.

Grammy-nominated violinist Philippe Quint said Monday he will play a private 30-minute performance on Tuesday at Newark Liberty International Airport's cab waiting area.

Mohamed Khalil and his family will also have tickets to Quint's next New York performance, Sept. 23 at Carnegie Hall.

The irreplaceable 1723 Antonio Stradivari "Ex-Keisewetter" was left in Khalil's cab the morning of April 21, when Quint was returning from a performance in Dallas. Quint found himself in the same predicament as other musicians, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who had left their instruments in cabs.

Adding to his distress: The violin valued at $4 million was on loan from philanthropists Clement and Karen Arrison, of Buffalo, N.Y.

Wal-Mart Gives In To Pressure

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:26:56 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

(CNN) -- A former Wal-Mart employee who suffered severe brain damage in a traffic accident won't have to pay back the company for the cost of her medical care, Wal-Mart told the family Tuesday.

"Occasionally, others help us step back and look at a situation in a different way. This is one of those times," Wal-Mart Executive Vice President Pat Curran said in a letter. "We have all been moved by Ms. Shank's extraordinary situation."

Eight years ago, Debbie Shank was stocking shelves for the retail giant and signed up for Wal-Mart's health and benefits plan.

After a tractor-trailer slammed into her minivan, the 52-year-old mother of three lost much of her short-term memory and was confined to a wheelchair. She now lives in a nursing home.

She also lost her 18-year-old son, Jeremy, who was killed shortly after arriving in Iraq. When Debbie Shank asks family members how her son is doing and they remind her that he's dead, she weeps as if hearing the news for the first time.

Man Falls In Elevator Shaft, Lands On Woman

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:56:56 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.dailyrecord.co.uk

A MAN who plunged 25ft down a lift shaft had his fall broken by a woman who had fallen down the day before.

Jens Wilhelms, 27, managed to free himself from the shaft at the apartment block in Frankfurt, Germany, where he lived.

But the 57-year-old woman he landed on was badly injured and is critical in hospital.

Pen-pal Advice From Killers

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:22:37 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: radaronline.com

In the late '90s, pop-culture historian Bill Geerhart had a little too much time on his hands and a surfeit of stamps. So, for his own entertainment, the then-unemployed thirtysomething launched a letter-writing campaign to some of the most powerful and infamous figures in the country, posing as a curious 10-year-old named Billy.

As it turns out, no group hates to disappoint a child more than convicted killers, all of whom responded promptly to Billy's questions about dropping out of school. Their letters, published here for the first time, range from criminally insane to downright sensible, offering snapshots of the personalities behind some of America's most hideous crimes. Recently, Radar asked Billy to follow up with his mentors as a college student. (Click here to skip ahead and read Billy's correspondence with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Larry Flynt, and other non-murderous celebrities)

Read Little Billy’s letters to Richard Ramirez, Charles Manson, and other killer pals >>

'Paper Boy' Saves Women Trapped Under Dead Hubby

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:17:06 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

MARION, Ill. — Bruce Pitts had a feeling something was wrong when the newspapers began piling up in the roadside tube outside the southern Illinois home of Fred and Blanche Roberts.

So on Sunday, the worried newspaper carrier cracked open an unlocked side door and saw 84-year-old Blanche Roberts helplessly looking back at him, her right leg pinned beneath the body of her 77-year-old husband — who apparently had been dead for days in the home just outside Marion, Ill.

"The good Lord was with her. She was not scared, wasn't panicking. Nothing," Pitts said Tuesday during a telephone interview. "She was conscious, talking. Just peaceful. It was remarkable."

Williamson County, Ill., coroner Mike Burke said Fred Roberts likely collapsed and died of a heart attack Wednesday evening after mowing the lawn, based on accounts from people who were visiting the home that day.

"They said he was really beat-red in the face, that he didn't look good," Burke said.

Cops Raid Polygamist Ranch

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:24:21 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

(CNN) -- Police and state child protective officers converged on the Texas ranch where about 400 followers of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs live, according to local media reports.

State child welfare investigators were interviewing children at the ranch Friday morning, officials told The Associated Press.

Child Protective Services is "investigating whether any children are in danger," spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner told the AP. She said no decisions had been made on whether to remove any children from the south-central Texas ranch, the wire service reported.

Local affiliates reported the officers and state agents entered the ranch Thursday night, and a Schleicher County sheriff's dispatcher said they were still there at sunrise Friday.

Efforts to reach Sheriff David Doran and a spokesman with the Texas Department of Public Safety were unsuccessful.

Man Admits Having Sex With 1,000 Cars

Fri, 23 May 2008 13:20:45 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Edward Smith with one of his former partners

A man who claims to have had sex with 1,000 cars has defended his "romantic" feelings towards vehicles.

Edward Smith, who lives with his current "girlfriend" – a white Volkswagen Beetle named Vanilla, insisted that he was not "sick" and had no desire to change his ways.

"I appreciate beauty and I go a little bit beyond appreciating the beauty of a car only to the point of what I feel is an expression of love," he said.

"Maybe I'm a little bit off the wall but when I see movies like Herbie and Knight Rider, where cars become loveable, huggable characters it's just wonderful.

"I'm a romantic. I write poetry about cars, I sing to them and talk to them just like a girlfriend. I know what's in my heart and I have no desire to change."

He added: "I'm not sick and I don't want to hurt anyone, cars are just my preference."

Mr Smith, 57, first had sex with a car at the age of 15, and claims he has never been attracted to women or men.

Homeless Man Finds WTC Plans In Trash

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:15:43 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.nypost.com

PRINTS & THE PAUPER: Mike Fleming, who lives on the streets, yesterday holds up the confidential, floor-by-floor schematics of the Freedom Tower that he stumbled upon in this trash basket.

It's a good thing Osama wasn't walking through SoHo yesterday morning.

Two sets of confidential blueprints for the planned Freedom Tower, which is set to rise at Ground Zero, were carelessly dumped in a city garbage can on the corner of West Houston and Sullivan streets, The Post has learned.

Experts said the detailed, floor-by-floor schematics contain enough detail for terrorists to plot a devastating attack.

"Secure Document - Confidential," warns the title page on each of the two copies of the 150-page schematic that a homeless, recovering drug addict discovered in the public trash can.

"Any time a sensitive document is unintentionally left behind, it's a treasure trove for a potential adversary," aid Robert Strang,

Mom Recognizes Daughter On ABC Prostitution Special

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:25:45 GMT

clipped by: Skipper61

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

So much for the safety of shadows.

A Manhattan hooker interviewed by Diane Sawyer for an ABC special on prostitution was busted by her mom — who recognized her daughter, despite the network's efforts to disguise her.

"I'm mentioning the interview now because last night, I learned that my parents tuned in to ABC that fateful day and promptly recognized me, in spite of the silhouette, the altered voice, the distorted profile, the vague and thoroughly dated details," wrote the hooker, who blogs on wordpress.com under the name "debauchette."

"I received an e-mail from my mother saying that she knows. She saw the interview and decided to sit on this knowledge until she could see it again, and then she decided to contact me."

The blogger refused an interview with The Post.

"Unfortunately, while my mother knows about my other life, I still worry about being outed altogether and I don't think I have the strength for that risk right now," she wrote. "It's been a rough few days."