California bill to force colleges to honor online credits?

Senator Darrell Steinberg will be introducing a bill that, if passed, would require California state universities to honor credits received from approved online courses of study. This would address the current backlog in students graduating. With budget cuts and the resultant shortage of courses being taught at public schools, less and less students -- as little as 16 percent -- have been able to graduate within a four year time frame. Source: The New York Times.

Man accidentally put through car wash

An eighty two year old man gets wash of a lifetime when he is accidentally put through car wash while tidying up at his son's gas station. One minute Tage Schill was cleaning up, the next he was being cleaned...and it wasn't exactly a delicate cycle. According to the elderly gentleman, "water splashed from all directions  – and there" he "was in the middle of it all. It was frightening and terribly noisy." I think we can all give a collective shudder imagining that experience. But, as Schill was able to avoid getting a wax with his wash, he is thankfully doing okay. Source.

A dolphin by any other name...is another dolphin

Apparently dolphins are just as smart as we think they are. Researchers say that dolphins, like humans, call each other by name or, more accurately, with a distinct whistle for each of their friends. They're the only animal besides humans currently known to do this. Carry on dolphins. Well done.

Alleged phone snatch suspect accidentally uploads his pic to victim's Facebook page

Another genius has allegedly stolen a New York City woman's iPhone then taken pictures of himself:

Courtesy of NYPD
 

This photo and others uploaded automatically to the woman's Facebook page. Cops are currently searching for the suspect with the aid of these images.  Source article.


That reminds me, I should go set my phone to automatically send pictures to my PC. The other thing I do is simply be vigilant when I have my phone out. I'm always alert to anyone moving towards me. I also glance around occasionally to see if anyone has taken an unusual interest. That's when the phone goes securely into my pocket and I reach for something to defend myself with if need be. Sh*t can happen...and frequently does. Just saying.

Cause of death: Swallowed Greenhouse

A beached four and a half ton sperm whale in southern Spain has been found to have died from ingesting a greenhouse. 36 square yards of plastic sheeting, several feet of plastic rope and a couple of flower pots were discovered in the whale's ruptured stomach. When any animal has fatal interaction with garbage, it's a sad end; but when such a large, majestic creature meets this kind of end, it's seems especially tragic. Source article.

Face appears on mom-to-be's stomach

British mom-to-be, Karen McMartin, was shocked recently when this outline of a human face appeared on her belly. See image here.

I want to say, "Oh, that's just the baby's face." I really want to say that...but the face is kind of adult sized. What do you guys think?

Woman arrested for trying to sell porn to neighbors

Jeanette Ellis 52 of South Carolina was arrested after a neighbor complained that she had tried to sell them porn...on VHS. Scratching your head yet? Apparently Ellis discovered a box of discarded porn near her home and decided to try to make some quick cash to the tune of $5 a piece. I'm doing my best not to imagine her going door to door with those videos...which is exactly what she did. After receiving a call from one of the neighbors she'd approached, the police confiscated the 12 videos she had in her possession. Ellis was then arrested for non-licensed solicitation. Source.

Mother asks kids to kill their grandparents

Leticia Silva of Florida is in jail on a 5 million dollar bond after allegedly plotting to have her in-laws killed...by her two young children. She is accused of mailing a knife to her daughters, ages 7 and 9, and urging them to kill their paternal grandparents who have raised them for the last seven years. The plot came to light when the knife was discovered beneath one of the girl's pillows. The grandmother took the two girls to the sheriff's office where they later confessed what they had been told to do. Source.

I understand a mother wanting her children back, but the trauma this would have inflicted upon those two girls... I'll be shaking my head over this one for some time.

Twice displaced, Biscuit the cat finds new home

St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that Biscuit, the 37 pound cat who twice found himself left at a local animal shelter, has found a new home with Ed and Lisa Pyatt of Eureka, Mo. Weighing in initially at a whopping 40 pounds, Biscuit was first surrendered to the shelter by his original owner, a disabled woman living with her mother. After being adopted he was again left at the shelter when his new owner moved into a building where pets weren't allowed. His new family are fat cat veterans, already owning a 20 pound cat named Max. Like they're doing with Max, they hope to help Biscuit slim down and are committed to holding on to the twice displaced feline.

Bored Judge IMs Wife While Court's in Session

Evidently a judge can find court proceedings as dry and boring as the rest of us do. The ABA Journal reports that New Mexico Judge Eugenio Mathis has resigned from his post after admitting to using the court's Internet connection to send IMs to his wife during work hours. The IMs sent to his wife, a fellow court employee, apparently communicated insults against other employees, made reference to ongoing cases and sometimes contained sexually explicit content.

Carrying condoms while dressed sexy can get you arrested in NYC

Minority and transgender women in New York City have been stopped, searched and, if found to be carrying condoms while provocatively dressed, sometimes even arrested as being a probable prostitute. In many cases, even if the woman is not arrested, her condoms are confiscated with the intent of discouraging prostitution. The fact is however, according to a study conducted by the Sex Workers Project, that many of these women still had to engage in paid sex that night...but without the condoms that would have protected both them and their clients. Increasingly these women have chosen to stop carrying condoms for fear of continued harassment.

Story from Business Insider.

Long Island man issued summons over laughter

We'll soon find out if laughing too loudly in your own home is a crime. According to the New York Post, Robert Schiavelli of Long Island was issued two tickets for disturbing the peace on Feb. 12 and 13. The combined tickets carry a fine of $500 or 30 days in jail. The summons stem from Schiavelli, who suffers from seizures and neurological impairments, laughing from his window at his next door neighbor Daniel O’Hanian who he claims taunts him because of his disability. The laughter, according to Schiavelli and his mother, was in response to O'Hanian allegedly glaring at him from his driveway where he was wiping off his car.

Woman and her dog saved by dolphins

According to Karyn Gitsham, dolphins can be heroes too. She tells 7 News that she was walking along Carrickalinga Beach in South Australia with her dogs Buddy and Ramsay at her side when one of the dogs ventured into the water, paddled out a distance after a seagull, and was unable to return. Gitsham stuck to the shoreline, following along the beach as the dog was pulled by the current, and ended up slipping off a shoreline cliff into the water herself. One moment she was going under the water and the next she was surfacing to the unnerving sight of a dorsal fin. Given the circumstances, she feared the worst thinking a shark was in her midst; but, amazingly, it turned out to be not one but a pod of dolphins that corralled her and her dog Ramsay, pushing them back to safety.

What do you guys think of this story? It seems once again dolphins have shown not only their intelligence but their gentle nature as well. Feel free to leave any comments you may have below.

New York Millionaire on trial for modern day slavery

40 year old New York Millionaire Annie George is currently on trial for allegedly keeping an undocumented illegal immigrant in her mansion for six and a half years. Valsama Mathai (49) was rescued after the National Human Trafficking Resource Center was tiped off about her situation and has since testified, according to CBS 6 Albany, that she was initially approached by a man who spoke her native language and promised her a better job and marriage. That man took her to meet with Annie George and her late husband who offered her a position working in their home for $1000 a month. Once there, Mathai was paid a pittance and not allowed to leave. Mathai testified that she was forced to work 12 hours each day and had to sleep in a walk-in closet of the 26 bedroom Redford mansion.