Monday, December 5, 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Frosty the snowman arrested in Maryland


CHESTERTOWN, Md. (AP) — Who says "Frosty the Snowman" has to be jolly?

A man in a "Frosty the Snowman" costume was arrested Saturday during the annual Christmas parade in Chestertown, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. He's accused of scuffling with police and kicking at a police dog.

Sgt. John A. Dolgos tells The Star Democrat of Easton that 52-year-old Kevin Michael Walsh became agitated when a dog-handling officer tried to escort him away from the crowd.

Walsh told The Associated Press that he has dressed as Frosty in the parade for at least 10 years. He says he was wrongfully arrested. He says an officer hassled him after he remarked about the police dog's presence. He says he became agitated only after getting arrested.

Walsh was released on his own recognizance.

Photo and story by the Associated Press

Monday, November 14, 2011

Ore. man delays Iraq lawn-chair balloon flight


-Associated Press

Oregon's "lawn-chair balloonist" has put off his flight in Iraq until next year.

Kent Couch made headlines worldwide in 2008 when he flew a lawn chair supported by more than 150 helium-filled party balloons from the parking lot of the gas station he owns in Bend, Ore., to an Idaho field 235 miles east.

He had planned another balloon flight Tuesday in Baghdad along with Iraqi daredevil Fareed Lafta.

But a statement Monday from spokesman Mark Knowles says the two have delayed the flight until March to accommodate a number of groups that want to use it to raise awareness of the plight of Iraqi orphans.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Endangered Rhino takes a Hellicopter ride



The black rhino is shown being transported in a helicopter ride which allows the rhino to easily travel across difficult terrain. The rhino was given an anecdote before traveling.


To see more photos of the Rhino click HERE.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Pumpkin found growing in a pear tree




An Iowa couple have discovered an eerie presence in their pear tree, just in time for the approaching Halloween season.

Des Moines television station KCCI (http://bit.ly/p3VYpL ) reports that Phil and JaNelle Lovely recently discovered a pumpkin that appears to be growing in the tree at their Greenfield home, 50 miles southwest of Des Moines.

They say they have no idea how the pumpkin ended up in their tree, but it appears to be the work of Mother Nature. A nearby garden vine climbed the tree, giving the now-green pumpkin the appearance of having sprouted from one the tree's branches.

JaNelle Lovely says people have been stopping by to see the suspended pumpkin since it was discovered on Labor Day. She's hoping it remains in the tree until it turns orange.


















Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines


MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Villagers and veteran hunters have captured a one-ton saltwater crocodile which they plan to make the star of a planned ecotourism park in a southern Philippine town, an official said Monday.

Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said dozens of villagers and experts ensnared the 21-foot (6.4-meter) male crocodile along a creek in Bunawan township in Agusan del Sur province after a three-week hunt. It could be one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in recent years, he said, quoting local crocodile experts.

Elorde said the crocodile killed a water buffalo in an attack witnessed by villagers last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July.

He said he sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province.

"We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers," Elorde told The Associated Press by telephone. "When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes."

After initial sightings at a creek, the hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday, he said.

About 100 people had to pull the crocodile, which weighs about 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms), from the creek to a clearing where a crane lifted it into a truck, he said.

The crocodile was placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town plans to build an ecotourism park for species found in a vast marshland in Agusan, an impoverished region about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila, Elorde said.

"It will be the biggest star of the park," Elorde said, adding that villagers were happy that they would be able to turn the dangerous crocodile "from a threat into an asset."

Despite the catch, villagers remain wary because several crocodiles still roam the outskirts of the farming town of about 37,000 people.

They have been told to avoid venturing into marshy areas alone at night, Elorde said.

To read the full story and see a video click HERE.

Friday, September 2, 2011