We may never know what motivated this man to bring harm to this baby. But, the gun nuts may be right about this one. Had those passer-byers had a gun, that little boy might have been alive today. Well, that may have been true also, had a ball bat been handy.

Police: Officer kills man who beat child to death

TURLOCK, Calif. (AP) — Police killed a 27-year-old man as he kicked, punched and stomped a toddler to death despite other people’s attempts to stop him on a dark, country road, authorities said.

Investigators on Sunday were trying to establish the relationship between the suspect and the child they say he killed Saturday night. The Stanislaus County coroner said the boy appeared to be between 1 and 2 years old based on his size, according to county sheriff’s deputy Royjindar Singh.

“It’s been a long night of wondering, ‘Why?’ - not only for the officers and the passers-by who stopped and tried to help out, but for anyone. Why would somebody do this?” Singh said.

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The Associated Press
and The Chicago Sun Times

CHICAGO (AP) - His parents say he can go by his middle name when he’s old enough to decide.

Cubs spokeswoman Katelyn Thrall said the name may be a first. The team has no record of other children named Wrigley, although there have been some children names Zambrano and Ryne after Cubs stars Carlos Zambrano and Ryne Sandberg.

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By Saul Hudson
Reuters

CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez wants Venezuelan clocks turned back half an hour and he wants it done in record time — next Monday.

“I don’t care if they call me crazy, the new time will go ahead, let them call me whatever they want,” Chavez said on his weekly TV show. “I’m not to blame. I received a recommendation and said I liked the idea.”

The shift will allow children to wake up for school in daylight instead of before sunrise, Chavez said.

That may seem reasonable to many Venezuelans but ordering the change with little notice and scant public education has raised questions over how much thought was given to the plan.

It also highlights how the anti-U.S. president’s governing style can sometimes be eccentric, improvised and rushed in his self’styled revolution to turn one of the world’s biggest oil exporters into a socialist state.

Chavez himself has not had time to get to grips with the practicalities of the clock shift.

read more HERE

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By PAUL AMES
The Associated Press

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Hidden among the porcelain fox hounds and Burberry tablecloths on sale at eBay.be this week was an unusual item: “For Sale: Belgium, a Kingdom in three parts … free premium: the king and his court (costs not included).”

The odd ad was posted by one disgruntled Belgian in protest at his country’s political crisis which reached a 100-day landmark Tuesday with no end in sight to the squabbling between Flemish and Walloon politicians.

“I wanted to attract attention,” said Gerrit Six, the teacher and former journalist who posted the ad. “You almost have to throw rock through a window to get attention for Belgium.”

Six placed the advertisement on Saturday, offering free delivery, but pointing out that the country was coming secondhand and that potential buyers would have to take on over $300 billion (euro220 billion) in national debt.

Like many of Belgium’s 10 million citizens, Six is exasperated that the power struggle between the county’s French- or Dutch’speaking political parties has left Belgium in political limbo since June 10 elections.

read more HERE

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culled from various sources

Farmer digs himself out from under tractor

MADISON, Ohio, Sept. 13 An 83-year-old Ohio farmer used his pocketknife to dig himself out when his tractor turned over, trapping him.

James Cockerham told WLWT-TV in Cincinnati when no one responded to his calls for help, he was inspired by the memory of raccoons he had trapped on his land.

“I happed to think, ‘You know, I caught ‘coons out here and I set a lot of traps to catch them, and they would dig all the dirt trying to get out,” Cockerham said. “That come to my mind. Well, they dig it like that, why can’t I dig like that?”

Bus driver keeps going after taking bullet

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 13 A Philadelphia bus driver hit by a bullet as he pulled up to a stop early Thursday hit the accelerator and drove his passengers out of danger.

Malcolm McLaughlin hit an emergency signal and kept the bus moving toward the nearest hospital, officials said. Police found him about five blocks away.

Shakira rests hips to study at UCLA

LOS ANGELES - Shakira may get high grades in singing and swiveling her hips, but what about ancient Western history?

For the past month, the Colombian pop star has been taking a class at the University of California, Los Angeles, called “Introduction to Western Civilization: Ancient Civilizations from Prehistory to Circa A.D. 843.”

“She went when she finished her tour, for the summer,” Shakira’s manager Fifi Kurzman told The Associated Press.

For years the 30-year-old has studied on her own, also taking tutorials on the history and languages of the countries she visits, Kurzman said.

The singer, known for last year’s “Hips Don’t Lie” and other hits, released her first album at age 14 and later took time off to finish high school.

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Shark dies after scaring NYC beachgoers

NEW YORK - A 5-foot-long shark scared hundreds of swimmers out of the water, but on Sunday its lifeless body washed ashore.

The thresher shark frightened crowds at Rockaway Beach on Saturday as it splashed along the Long Island shore.

Although it wasn’t believed to be a threat, hundreds of swimmers left the water and authorities closed a 10-block stretch of beach for hours.

The fish even came ashore at one point and several beachgoers pushed it back into the water.

“It was like freaking out. Its tail was flopping everywhere,” 10-year-old McKenzie Pontieri told the Daily News. “It looked sick.”

On Sunday morning, the dead shark washed ashore, and beaches in the area were reopened.

Damien Hirst skull sells for 100 million dollars

LONDON (AFP) - A diamond-encrusted skull by British artist Damien Hirst sold on Thursday for 100 million dollars, a record price for work sold by a living artist, a London gallery announced.

The work, entitled “For the Love of God,” is a skull cast in platinum and encrusted with 8,601 diamonds. Carbon dating has shown that the original skull on which Hirst’s work is modelled dates to the 18th century.

Hirst remains best known for earlier conceptual works in which creatures including a shark and a cow were pickled in formaldehyde inside glass tanks.

The diamond-encrusted skull was sold to an group of anonymous investors, a spokeswoman for the White Cube gallery in London, where it has been on display from the beginning of the summer, told AFP.

Death is one of the central themes in works completed by Hirst, 41, who once said that the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States were like a work of art, but later apologized.

Pitt and Jolie ready for fifth child

VENICE, Italy - Brad Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie are ready for another child, the actor said Sunday as he was promoting his new film.

Pitt and Jolie, with children in tow, were in Venice to talk about his film on Western outlaw Jesse James. The movie is competing for the top Golden Lion award at the city’s film festival.

Pitt and Jolie already have four children including a 15-month-old girl, Shiloh, born to the couple. Jolie has also adopted three children close in age from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam.

Asked by Italian state TV whether they were ready for a fifth, Pitt replied: “Yeah we’re ready.”

He did not indicate whether they planned another biological child or if they would adopt.

Earlier on Sunday, Pitt told a news conference fatherhood was fun and good for his work, though he’s not getting much sleep.

World’s best whiskers vie for honors

LONDON - One contestant had a mustache twisted into the shape of London’s Tower Bridge; others sported bushy beards that would make Grizzly Adams envious. In the end, Beard Team USA nabbed four of the top honors - by a whisker - at the World Beard and Mustache Championships.

About 250 shaggy men from around the world competed Saturday in 17 different classes of facial hair at the competition in Brighton, England.

The event had long been dominated by German beard clubs, but the Americans made a strong showing at this year’s competition, taking victories in four categories.

Jack Passion, a 23-year-old from San Francisco, won the highly competitive “Full Natural Beard” competition with his flowing orange fuzz.

“I feel fantastic,” he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I’m 23 and I have the best beard in the world.”

Have a great week and HAPPY LABOR DAY! - JS

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from CNN.com

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) — The woman who paid $7,400 on eBay for 22 Michael Vick football cards, chewed up and slobbered on by two Missouri dogs, acknowledges she hadn’t heard of the star football player before he was indicted for dogfighting.

But Laura Norton-Dye, 40, of Cape Girardeau, wanted to send the message that local animal shelters need help — and she challenged Vick to donate money himself.

Norton-Dye, who outbid 30 others, lives in the town where the auction originated and has requested the money be donated to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri and to Safe Harbor, a local animal sanctuary.

Norton-Dye, who has incurable gastrointestinal carcinoid cancer, said she has a big heart for animals.

“I really think this was the right thing to do,” said Norton, a former teacher. “This is one way I thought I could make a difference.”

The success of the auction created a craze of more than 25 other postings this week offering torn-up cards featuring the disgraced NFL superstar, most also promising to donate the money to local animal shelters.

But so far, the original post from Rochelle Steffen, of Cape Girardeau, has been the only auction to attract droves of bidders.

Steffen gave Monte, her 6-year-old Weimaraner, and Roxie, her Great Dane puppy, every Vick card she owned to destroy. The cards, worth $1 to $10 each, were crumpled, crimped, chewed, torn and generally in a sorry state. Some even had corners missing.

read more HERE

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from THE LONGEST LIST OF THE LONGEST STUFF AT THE LONGEST DOMAIN NAME AT LONG LAST.com

The world’s largest baseball bat is located at 800 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky at the Louisville Slugger Museum.

The bat was built in 1995, resembling the 34 inch bat used by Babe Ruth, only this one is 120 feet long.

Even the Bambino would have a hard time swinging the world’s longest bat, it weighs a batty 68,000 pounds.

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United Press International

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 27 (UPI) — Almost 2,000 camels have died in Saudi Arabia in the past month due to animal feed that is suspected to have been poisoned.

The country’s Agriculture Ministry said tests revealed the feed was contaminated by insecticide, the BBC reported.

Camel owners have been promised compensation from King Abdullah. Camels are often traded for thousands of dollars each and are used for racing and as a source of meat.

The deaths, which have occurred throughout the country, involve symptoms such as vomiting, sweating and excitability, the BBC said.

“Veterinary experts say the symptoms indicate cases of poisoning and not an infectious disease,” Agriculture Minister Fahd Bilghoneim told a news conference. “And this accords with what camel owners have said about animal feed they bought.”

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REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A wealthy Russian tried to buy a U.S. B-52 bomber from a group of shocked American pilots at an air show near Moscow, a Russian newspaper reported on Friday.

The unidentified Russian, wearing sunglasses and surrounded by bodyguards, approached the U.S. delegation and asked to buy the bomber, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper said.

An astounded member of the U.S. delegation said the bomber was not for sale but that it would cost at least $500 million (249.5 million pounds) if it were to be sold on the spot.

“That is no problem. It is such a cool machine,” the Russian was quoted as saying by the newspaper, which said its reporter overheard the conversation. The bomber was not sold.

Russia’s new rich, who built fantastic fortunes trading commodities and contacts after the fall of the Soviet Union, have made a name for themselves as ostentatious purchasers of everything from British football clubs to Faberge eggs.

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United Press International

MADISON, Wis., Aug. 23 (UPI) — Three people at a Madison, Wis., bus stop were killed and two others injured by a live power line brought down near them by a lightning strike.

The accident happened during a heavy rain storm around 4:15 p.m., when lightning struck a power pole, which released the line into several inches of water along the curb, police and power officials said.

The names of the dead weren’t immediately released, but the Wisconsin State Journal said they included a woman, her young child and a man who tried to save them.

A witness told police she saw “a heap of bodies” and a fire as their clothes burned, the newspaper said.

Police spokesman Mike Hanson said firefighters on their way to another call saw the victims and stopped,but were unable to get close until utility crews shut off power to the live wire.

More than 2 inches of rain fell on the city within an hour, the report said.

The power cut affected about 1,800 homes and lasted about an hour, officials said.

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from Earth Times.Org

ELMWOOD PLACE, Ohio, Aug. 21 A young Ohio man was so caught up in text messaging as he walked across a railroad track he failed to notice a train bearing down on him.

Zachariah Smith, 18, waited until a southbound CSX train passed, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. He did not notice the northbound Norfolk Southern train passing by immediately afterward.

Smith was struck by the second train and was seriously injured.

Elmwood Place Mayor Richard Ellison said he arrived at the scene immediately after the accident and talked to three of the five people who saw it. They said the engineer was “blowing his horn like mad” when he saw the young man.

“The only way the train could have missed him was if it could make a turn,” Ellison said.

The lights and gates at the crossing were in working order, witnesses said.

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By ANDREW DeMILLO
The Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A law passed this year allows Arkansans of any age - even infants - to marry if their parents agree, and the governor may have to call a special session to fix the mistake, lawmakers said Friday.

The legislation was intended to establish 18 as the minimum age to marry but also allow pregnant teenagers to marry with parental consent, bill sponsor Rep. Will Bond said. An extraneous “not” in the bill, however, allows anyone who is not pregnant to marry at any age if the parents allow it.

“It’s clearly not the intent to allow 10-year-olds or 11-year-olds to get married,” Bond said. “The legislation was screwed up.”

The bill reads: “In order for a person who is younger than eighteen (18) years of age and who is not pregnant to obtain a marriage license, the person must provide the county clerk with evidence of parental consent to the marriage.”

A code revision commission - which fixes typographical and technical errors in laws - had tried to correct the mistake, but a group of legislators said Friday the commission went beyond its powers.

“You’re either pregnant or you’re not pregnant,” Sen. Dave Bisbee said. “Rarely will that be a typographical error.”

The Arkansas Legislative Council asked the independent commission to reverse its correction. Several lawmakers said a special session may be necessary.

read more HERE

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Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. - When conventional medical professionals refused to remove a 62-year-old local man’s testicles, police said he turned to mysterious “professionals” to relieve what he called chronic pain.

Now police want to find the fly-by-night surgeons.

“I have never in my life seen anything quite like that,” said St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh.

According to a search warrant affidavit filed Monday, the man complained of chronic pain and turned to conventional medical personnel to remove his testicles.

When they refused, the 62-year-old man said he hired other “professionals” to do the surgery. He would not tell officers who they were, saying he didn’t want to get them into trouble.

Police said a couple of weeks ago, two or three people operated on the man in his home. He was unconscious. When he woke up, his testicles were gone. So were his “professionals.”

His groin area was bleeding heavily, so he called his daughter. She called for help.

Police found an improvised operating room in the man’s house, with bright lights, an apparent operating table, a camera and various medical supplies and equipment. There was also blood in several rooms of the house.

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from Earth Times . Org

Sydney - Australian police chased an army armored vehicle rampaging early Saturday through Sydney suburbs and have charged the 45-year-old driver with a range of offenses including destruction of mobile phone towers and an electricity substation. Police spotted the armored personnel carrier (APC) demolishing an electricity substation and then followed it for 90 minutes as it wrecked mobile telephone towers and telecommunications infrastructure.

The mayhem was not halted until the APC stalled and the driver was taken into custody.

It’s not known whether the man was a soldier and had commandeered the tank or whether it was stolen for a joy ride.

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