WEIRD NEWS
Fine Dining in Oregon
Good news Oregon - your fresh meat supply just became more plentiful! Thanks to a new bill passed overwhelmingly by the Legislature and signed by the governor, motorists who crash into animals can now harvest the meat to eat. Yep, it's now legal to eat roadkill in Oregon! Hey - it's not as unusual as people might think. Washington state began allowing the salvaging of deer and elk carcasses a year ago, and about 20 other states also allow people to take meat from animals killed by vehicles. Aficionados say roadkill can be high-quality, grass-fed grub. "A lot of people who don't hunt hear the word "roadkill" and immediately get turned off," says one man who's harvested roadkill. "But we're talking perfectly clean, cold meat." For the record, Oregon wildlife officials say their state had over 126,000 vehicle-wildlife accidents in 2015. (Newser)
Choose Your Battles a Little More Wisely Buddy
In Shelton, Connecticut, 33-year-old Lance Churchill would do well to choose his battles a little more wisely. He's facing charges after police said he got into an altercation with a 5-year-old - yes, a 5-year-old. This went down last Friday at the Apple Tree daycare. Churchill was visiting for a Father's Day party where all of the children's fathers were invited. Police say a child "playfully took the Father's Day card that Churchill received from his son and ran around the room with it." That's when Churchill, who is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds, chased after the child, picked him up over his head, and then pinned him to the ground and screamed at him. Daycare staff took the child away from Churchill and called the police. When officers arrived Churchill allegedly "wanted the 5-year-old boy arrested." Instead, they arrested Mr. Churchill and charged him with risk of injury to a minor and disorderly conduct. (WFSB News)
Talk About a Long Shot
A Canadian sniper in Iraq may have just set an amazing new world record. Reportedly, a still-unidentified member of the nation's elite forces killed an Islamic State militant from a distance of 3,450 meters, which translates to more than 37 football fields or 2.14 miles! If the account is verified - and it was apparently documented on video - it would best the previous longest kill made by a British sniper in 2009 of 2,475 meters. The gunman used a McMillan TAC-50, which Newsweek notes is the standard rifle among Canada's well-regarded snipers, and took the shot from a high-rise building in an unspecified locale in Iraq. At that distance, the sniper would have to account for the ballistics of the round, which change over time and distance, for wind (which would be swirling), as well as the curvature of the earth! One military source says the sniper "disrupted a Daesh (ISIS) attack on Iraqi security forces." Canadian forces in Iraq have been assisting Kurdish fighters battling ISIS, enough so that ISIS has called for retaliatory attacks in Canada. (Globe and Mail)
Guess Who Can't Get Along?
Bad news for the Ku Klux Klan. It seems the infamous hate group is suffering from declining influence and plagued by infighting, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League. The 152-year-old organization's "most consistent activity" is handing out hate literature, and their chief targets are Black Lives Matter, LBGT issues such as transgender bathrooms, Muslims, immigrants, and keeping the Confederate flag flying. But as far as fliering goes, it's been way down this year. And while the KKK has held activities in 33 states in the last 18 months, attendance has been light, with USA Today citing two June events that drew just 10 and 12 people, respectively. Distrust has wracked the ranks, with members dissing each other on social media. The ADL notes one post from a Klan member griped there are "more Imperial Wizards on Facebook then there is at Hogwart's Academy." However, this could mean bad things looming as ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt warns, "These hardened racists and bigots are looking to spread fear," and unhappy members may move on from the "small and fractured" KKK to other extreme far right groups. (USA Today)
So Much For Freedom of Valedictorian Speech
When Peter Butera got up to begin his valedictorian speech at his high school graduation ceremony in Exeter, Pa., on Friday, he probably never dreamed he'd be finishing it on Jimmy Kimmel four days later. But on Tuesday night the 18-year-old class president appeared via Skype on the late-night talk show to recite the tail end of a speech that had been cut off by Wyoming Area Secondary Center administrators the week before. It seems administrators shut off Butera's microphone after he veered off his pre-approved script to condemn what he called the "authoritative attitude" of some of the school's faculty and staff, an attitude, he said, that "prevents students from developing as true leaders. Hopefully, this will change." At that point, his mic went silent. Principal Jon Pollard said he felt obligated to stop Butera's speech in order to "ensure the remainder of [it] was not demeaning or derogatory to his classmates, the underclassmen, faculty, staff or administration." But reportedly Butera was frustrated by having numerous ideas turned down by Pollard during his four years as class president. Other off-script lines from Butera: "At our school, the title of class president can more accurately be class party planner. Student council's main obligation is to paint signs every week." But the Villanova-bound Butera doesn't think his speech could have gone any better: He says, "I got my point across and them cutting the microphone proved my point to be true." (CBS Philly)
Well That's Eerie
Well it appears Mr. Kim Jong Un is just as insecure as the rest of us - and is self-conscious about his body - specifically, his ears. North Korea has strangely taken to photoshopping its leader's ears, which a pair of non-proliferation experts picked up on. Dave Schmerler of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey say they've noticed several photos in which editing specifically targets Kim's ears. As Lewis puts it, "He doesn't like his ears, or so it seems." This cosmetic alteration and others like it are likely designed "to help Kim look a bit more handsome than he is in real life," Lewis says. His ears aren't Kim's greatest cause for distress, apparently. The chairman of South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee says Kim is limiting public appearances and travel over fears that there's a plot to cut his head off, per the Korea Herald. (Korea Herald)
What the What?
The CIA may be famous for daring acts of espionage, but in 2013 several agency contractors learned the hard way not to use their shadowy skills to steal for evil. A declassified report from the Office of Inspector General says several agency contractors conspired to steal more than $3,300 worth of products from CIA vending machines between the fall of 2012 and March 2013. An unidentified contractor disconnected the network cables that enable communication between the vending machines and the agency's "FreedomPay" system, thereby allowing "purchases to be made by nonpaying individuals." The hacker then shared the technique with an unidentified number of other contractors, all of whom later admitted to taking part in the scheme. All of the contractors involved were escorted from the building and fired by their respective contractor employers, though the Department of Justice declined to press charges. (Buzz Feed)
Good news Oregon - your fresh meat supply just became more plentiful! Thanks to a new bill passed overwhelmingly by the Legislature and signed by the governor, motorists who crash into animals can now harvest the meat to eat. Yep, it's now legal to eat roadkill in Oregon! Hey - it's not as unusual as people might think. Washington state began allowing the salvaging of deer and elk carcasses a year ago, and about 20 other states also allow people to take meat from animals killed by vehicles. Aficionados say roadkill can be high-quality, grass-fed grub. "A lot of people who don't hunt hear the word "roadkill" and immediately get turned off," says one man who's harvested roadkill. "But we're talking perfectly clean, cold meat." For the record, Oregon wildlife officials say their state had over 126,000 vehicle-wildlife accidents in 2015. (Newser)
Choose Your Battles a Little More Wisely Buddy
In Shelton, Connecticut, 33-year-old Lance Churchill would do well to choose his battles a little more wisely. He's facing charges after police said he got into an altercation with a 5-year-old - yes, a 5-year-old. This went down last Friday at the Apple Tree daycare. Churchill was visiting for a Father's Day party where all of the children's fathers were invited. Police say a child "playfully took the Father's Day card that Churchill received from his son and ran around the room with it." That's when Churchill, who is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds, chased after the child, picked him up over his head, and then pinned him to the ground and screamed at him. Daycare staff took the child away from Churchill and called the police. When officers arrived Churchill allegedly "wanted the 5-year-old boy arrested." Instead, they arrested Mr. Churchill and charged him with risk of injury to a minor and disorderly conduct. (WFSB News)
Talk About a Long Shot
A Canadian sniper in Iraq may have just set an amazing new world record. Reportedly, a still-unidentified member of the nation's elite forces killed an Islamic State militant from a distance of 3,450 meters, which translates to more than 37 football fields or 2.14 miles! If the account is verified - and it was apparently documented on video - it would best the previous longest kill made by a British sniper in 2009 of 2,475 meters. The gunman used a McMillan TAC-50, which Newsweek notes is the standard rifle among Canada's well-regarded snipers, and took the shot from a high-rise building in an unspecified locale in Iraq. At that distance, the sniper would have to account for the ballistics of the round, which change over time and distance, for wind (which would be swirling), as well as the curvature of the earth! One military source says the sniper "disrupted a Daesh (ISIS) attack on Iraqi security forces." Canadian forces in Iraq have been assisting Kurdish fighters battling ISIS, enough so that ISIS has called for retaliatory attacks in Canada. (Globe and Mail)
Guess Who Can't Get Along?
Bad news for the Ku Klux Klan. It seems the infamous hate group is suffering from declining influence and plagued by infighting, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League. The 152-year-old organization's "most consistent activity" is handing out hate literature, and their chief targets are Black Lives Matter, LBGT issues such as transgender bathrooms, Muslims, immigrants, and keeping the Confederate flag flying. But as far as fliering goes, it's been way down this year. And while the KKK has held activities in 33 states in the last 18 months, attendance has been light, with USA Today citing two June events that drew just 10 and 12 people, respectively. Distrust has wracked the ranks, with members dissing each other on social media. The ADL notes one post from a Klan member griped there are "more Imperial Wizards on Facebook then there is at Hogwart's Academy." However, this could mean bad things looming as ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt warns, "These hardened racists and bigots are looking to spread fear," and unhappy members may move on from the "small and fractured" KKK to other extreme far right groups. (USA Today)
So Much For Freedom of Valedictorian Speech
When Peter Butera got up to begin his valedictorian speech at his high school graduation ceremony in Exeter, Pa., on Friday, he probably never dreamed he'd be finishing it on Jimmy Kimmel four days later. But on Tuesday night the 18-year-old class president appeared via Skype on the late-night talk show to recite the tail end of a speech that had been cut off by Wyoming Area Secondary Center administrators the week before. It seems administrators shut off Butera's microphone after he veered off his pre-approved script to condemn what he called the "authoritative attitude" of some of the school's faculty and staff, an attitude, he said, that "prevents students from developing as true leaders. Hopefully, this will change." At that point, his mic went silent. Principal Jon Pollard said he felt obligated to stop Butera's speech in order to "ensure the remainder of [it] was not demeaning or derogatory to his classmates, the underclassmen, faculty, staff or administration." But reportedly Butera was frustrated by having numerous ideas turned down by Pollard during his four years as class president. Other off-script lines from Butera: "At our school, the title of class president can more accurately be class party planner. Student council's main obligation is to paint signs every week." But the Villanova-bound Butera doesn't think his speech could have gone any better: He says, "I got my point across and them cutting the microphone proved my point to be true." (CBS Philly)
Well That's Eerie
Well it appears Mr. Kim Jong Un is just as insecure as the rest of us - and is self-conscious about his body - specifically, his ears. North Korea has strangely taken to photoshopping its leader's ears, which a pair of non-proliferation experts picked up on. Dave Schmerler of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey say they've noticed several photos in which editing specifically targets Kim's ears. As Lewis puts it, "He doesn't like his ears, or so it seems." This cosmetic alteration and others like it are likely designed "to help Kim look a bit more handsome than he is in real life," Lewis says. His ears aren't Kim's greatest cause for distress, apparently. The chairman of South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee says Kim is limiting public appearances and travel over fears that there's a plot to cut his head off, per the Korea Herald. (Korea Herald)
What the What?
The CIA may be famous for daring acts of espionage, but in 2013 several agency contractors learned the hard way not to use their shadowy skills to steal for evil. A declassified report from the Office of Inspector General says several agency contractors conspired to steal more than $3,300 worth of products from CIA vending machines between the fall of 2012 and March 2013. An unidentified contractor disconnected the network cables that enable communication between the vending machines and the agency's "FreedomPay" system, thereby allowing "purchases to be made by nonpaying individuals." The hacker then shared the technique with an unidentified number of other contractors, all of whom later admitted to taking part in the scheme. All of the contractors involved were escorted from the building and fired by their respective contractor employers, though the Department of Justice declined to press charges. (Buzz Feed)
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