WEIRD NEWS
So What Do You Name a Halloween Baby?
So if your last name is Frankenstein - and yes there are people who get to enjoy that - of course you've got to have your baby on Halloween, right? It happened for one couple from Altamonte Springs, Florida. Oskar Gray Frankenstein was born at Winter Park Memorial Hospital at 2:57 Tuesday afternoon. Kyle and Jessica Frankenstein thought their due date was Saturday but but grandmother Jennifer Frankenstein said her family had a suspicion that little Oskar's birth would coincide with the holiday. She said, "He was due four days ago and he decided to wait until Halloween." Jennifer Frankenstein said Oskar is her first grandchild and the first with her namesake born on Halloween, although she does have a 13-year-old daughter who shares the same birthday as "Frankenstein" author Mary Shelley. The best news - everybody is safe, healthy and happy . (ClickOrlando.com) Phoner: Who's got the weirdest last name (or first name)? One that was really tough growing up with.
Livin' the Biblical Life
In Dublin, Georgia, 21-year-old Raekwon Pauldo is facing murder charges after he allegedly shot and killed a close friend during an argument. They were - wait for it - arguing over the meaning of forgiveness in the Bible. Pauldo allegedly shot 20-year-old Jacquell Smith twice in the head. Dublin police Chief Tim Chatman said, "Apparently two friends got into an argument. These are friends. They've been knowing each other for a long time. They were arguing over stuff that didn't make any sense. As a result of that argument, one of the gentlemen just shot him-shot him in the head twice." Police state that Smith was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. (Raw Story)
Beyond Insane
In Fredonia, Wisconsin, police arrested 28-year-old Amber Schmunk and charged her with second degree recklessly endangering safety - a felony, after she had her 9-year-old child ride on top of her minivan to hold down a plastic pool she was transporting! She eventually pulled over and took the kid off the roof, folded the pool and put it inside the van. She then pulled into her sister's driveway. When police arrived Schmunk said "she believed it was OK as her father let her do things like that when she was that age." She also said she "had no way to strap it down so she had her (son) climb on the roof to hold it down while she drove." Schmunk later told police she did strap the boy down inside the pool. She now faces 10 years in prison for that decision. She's due in court for her initial appearance on November 14th.
Can We Trust Trip Advisor?
More than a dozen travelers who sought to warn others about injuries, assaults, and tainted alcohol at Mexican resorts accuse TripAdvisor of "censoring" them. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel decided to investigate and found travelers across the US who all say TripAdvisor silenced them when they used the website to share unfavorable accounts, including tales of rape. Three separate women who say they were raped at the same Iberostar resort allege TripAdvisor doctoring their posts and deleted her review describing how she blacked out after drinking a small amount of alcohol, claiming the account was hearsay. But "it actually happened to me," the 52-year-old says. TripAdvisor reportedly cited the same policy after it deleted reviews of Turkey's Pegasos Royal Hotel, where a lawsuit alleges 40 people contracted salmonella. But that same hotel received two TripAdvisor awards this year. According to the Journal Sentinel, bad reviews aren't in TripAdvisor's best interest since the site - with an average hotel rating of 4 out of 5 - receives commissions when users visit a resort website or book a vacation. Indeed, an August filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission stresses how important "bookers" are since "advertisers will not continue to do business with us if their investment ... does not generate sales leads, customers, bookings, or revenue and profit." Nonetheless, a TripAdvisor rep says the company welcomes unfavorable reviews. (Newser)
The Downside of Forced Marriage
A 21-year-old woman in Pakistan has been charged with murder after police say she poisoned her husband's milk and ended up inadvertently killing 17 people! Reportedly, Asiya Bibi was forced to marry a 25-year-old man against her will in September. She recently tried to flee the marriage and return to her family but was sent back to her husband. Police say Bibi got poison from an alleged lover and mixed it with her husband's milk last week. The alleged lover is a cousin whom Bibi had hoped to marry. The plan backfired when Bibi's husband refused to drink the poisoned milk. Instead, police say Bibi's mother-in-law used the milk to make a yogurt drink which was served to 27 people, including children. As a result, 17 people, including Bibi's husband, are dead. There are reportedly up to 10 more victims in critical condition. Police say Bibi initially claimed the milk was poisoned when a lizard fell into it. Bibi's alleged lover and an aunt were also arrested. The Telegraph notes there is little legal recourse in Pakistan for women forced into a marriage by their family against their will. (Independent)
Ivy League Sexual Harassment
It looks like the sexual harassment well runs very deep and is going to be flowing for a very long time. Now three Ivy League professors have been put on paid leave while multiple New Hampshire law-enforcement agencies investigate "serious" allegations of sexual misconduct against them. The professors are Bill Kelley, Todd Heatherton, and Paul Whalen of Dartmouth College's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Dartmouth admitted last week it was investigating the three professors. No details of the actual allegations have been released, but they are being investigated by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, the Grafton County Attorney, the New Hampshire State Police, and the sheriff's departments of Grafton County and the town of Hanover. Dartmouth is also continuing its own investigation into the allegations. The University president said, "I want to say in the most emphatic way possible that sexual misconduct and harassment are unacceptable and have no place at Dartmouth." (Boston Globe)
At Last - Smoke Breaks for Non-Smokers
Ever secretly feel angry every time you see that co-worker help themselves to a smoke break while you sit tolling away in your cube with your healthy lungs? Sure you have. Well you love Piala Inc., a Tokyo-based marketing firm, which has introduced a policy last month granting six extra paid holidays per year to non-smoking employees to make up for the cigarette breaks of employees who do smoke. It all started when a non-smoker used the company suggestion box to complain about smoking breaks. A company spokesperson said, "Our CEO saw the comment and agreed, so we are giving non-smokers some extra time off to compensate." Smoke breaks are particularly time-consuming at the company - about 15 minutes each - because smokers must travel from the office on the 29th floor to the basement. So far, 25% of the employees have taken days off under the new policy - and, at least four people have quit smoking as a result of the policy. Meanwhile, more and more Japanese companies are starting to attempt to rein in the bad habit of smoking, with one company going so far as to ban smoking during work hours. (Telegraph)
What the What?
Police at the Detroit Airport arrested a 48-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man for getting way to friendly on a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Detroit on Sunday. Allegedly they met for the first time as seatmates on the plane and hit it off so well she allegedly decided to perform oral sex on him - right there in the seats! Both due to get connecting flights at Detroit to separate destinations, but were instead taken into custody. She was heading to Nashville while he was heading towards Miami. The unnamed pair were initially dealt with by police at Detroit Airport but now face charges from the FBI because the alleged crime happened in the air so is a federal rather than a state matter. (Newser)
So if your last name is Frankenstein - and yes there are people who get to enjoy that - of course you've got to have your baby on Halloween, right? It happened for one couple from Altamonte Springs, Florida. Oskar Gray Frankenstein was born at Winter Park Memorial Hospital at 2:57 Tuesday afternoon. Kyle and Jessica Frankenstein thought their due date was Saturday but but grandmother Jennifer Frankenstein said her family had a suspicion that little Oskar's birth would coincide with the holiday. She said, "He was due four days ago and he decided to wait until Halloween." Jennifer Frankenstein said Oskar is her first grandchild and the first with her namesake born on Halloween, although she does have a 13-year-old daughter who shares the same birthday as "Frankenstein" author Mary Shelley. The best news - everybody is safe, healthy and happy . (ClickOrlando.com) Phoner: Who's got the weirdest last name (or first name)? One that was really tough growing up with.
Livin' the Biblical Life
In Dublin, Georgia, 21-year-old Raekwon Pauldo is facing murder charges after he allegedly shot and killed a close friend during an argument. They were - wait for it - arguing over the meaning of forgiveness in the Bible. Pauldo allegedly shot 20-year-old Jacquell Smith twice in the head. Dublin police Chief Tim Chatman said, "Apparently two friends got into an argument. These are friends. They've been knowing each other for a long time. They were arguing over stuff that didn't make any sense. As a result of that argument, one of the gentlemen just shot him-shot him in the head twice." Police state that Smith was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. (Raw Story)
Beyond Insane
In Fredonia, Wisconsin, police arrested 28-year-old Amber Schmunk and charged her with second degree recklessly endangering safety - a felony, after she had her 9-year-old child ride on top of her minivan to hold down a plastic pool she was transporting! She eventually pulled over and took the kid off the roof, folded the pool and put it inside the van. She then pulled into her sister's driveway. When police arrived Schmunk said "she believed it was OK as her father let her do things like that when she was that age." She also said she "had no way to strap it down so she had her (son) climb on the roof to hold it down while she drove." Schmunk later told police she did strap the boy down inside the pool. She now faces 10 years in prison for that decision. She's due in court for her initial appearance on November 14th.
Can We Trust Trip Advisor?
More than a dozen travelers who sought to warn others about injuries, assaults, and tainted alcohol at Mexican resorts accuse TripAdvisor of "censoring" them. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel decided to investigate and found travelers across the US who all say TripAdvisor silenced them when they used the website to share unfavorable accounts, including tales of rape. Three separate women who say they were raped at the same Iberostar resort allege TripAdvisor doctoring their posts and deleted her review describing how she blacked out after drinking a small amount of alcohol, claiming the account was hearsay. But "it actually happened to me," the 52-year-old says. TripAdvisor reportedly cited the same policy after it deleted reviews of Turkey's Pegasos Royal Hotel, where a lawsuit alleges 40 people contracted salmonella. But that same hotel received two TripAdvisor awards this year. According to the Journal Sentinel, bad reviews aren't in TripAdvisor's best interest since the site - with an average hotel rating of 4 out of 5 - receives commissions when users visit a resort website or book a vacation. Indeed, an August filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission stresses how important "bookers" are since "advertisers will not continue to do business with us if their investment ... does not generate sales leads, customers, bookings, or revenue and profit." Nonetheless, a TripAdvisor rep says the company welcomes unfavorable reviews. (Newser)
The Downside of Forced Marriage
A 21-year-old woman in Pakistan has been charged with murder after police say she poisoned her husband's milk and ended up inadvertently killing 17 people! Reportedly, Asiya Bibi was forced to marry a 25-year-old man against her will in September. She recently tried to flee the marriage and return to her family but was sent back to her husband. Police say Bibi got poison from an alleged lover and mixed it with her husband's milk last week. The alleged lover is a cousin whom Bibi had hoped to marry. The plan backfired when Bibi's husband refused to drink the poisoned milk. Instead, police say Bibi's mother-in-law used the milk to make a yogurt drink which was served to 27 people, including children. As a result, 17 people, including Bibi's husband, are dead. There are reportedly up to 10 more victims in critical condition. Police say Bibi initially claimed the milk was poisoned when a lizard fell into it. Bibi's alleged lover and an aunt were also arrested. The Telegraph notes there is little legal recourse in Pakistan for women forced into a marriage by their family against their will. (Independent)
Ivy League Sexual Harassment
It looks like the sexual harassment well runs very deep and is going to be flowing for a very long time. Now three Ivy League professors have been put on paid leave while multiple New Hampshire law-enforcement agencies investigate "serious" allegations of sexual misconduct against them. The professors are Bill Kelley, Todd Heatherton, and Paul Whalen of Dartmouth College's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Dartmouth admitted last week it was investigating the three professors. No details of the actual allegations have been released, but they are being investigated by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, the Grafton County Attorney, the New Hampshire State Police, and the sheriff's departments of Grafton County and the town of Hanover. Dartmouth is also continuing its own investigation into the allegations. The University president said, "I want to say in the most emphatic way possible that sexual misconduct and harassment are unacceptable and have no place at Dartmouth." (Boston Globe)
At Last - Smoke Breaks for Non-Smokers
Ever secretly feel angry every time you see that co-worker help themselves to a smoke break while you sit tolling away in your cube with your healthy lungs? Sure you have. Well you love Piala Inc., a Tokyo-based marketing firm, which has introduced a policy last month granting six extra paid holidays per year to non-smoking employees to make up for the cigarette breaks of employees who do smoke. It all started when a non-smoker used the company suggestion box to complain about smoking breaks. A company spokesperson said, "Our CEO saw the comment and agreed, so we are giving non-smokers some extra time off to compensate." Smoke breaks are particularly time-consuming at the company - about 15 minutes each - because smokers must travel from the office on the 29th floor to the basement. So far, 25% of the employees have taken days off under the new policy - and, at least four people have quit smoking as a result of the policy. Meanwhile, more and more Japanese companies are starting to attempt to rein in the bad habit of smoking, with one company going so far as to ban smoking during work hours. (Telegraph)
What the What?
Police at the Detroit Airport arrested a 48-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man for getting way to friendly on a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Detroit on Sunday. Allegedly they met for the first time as seatmates on the plane and hit it off so well she allegedly decided to perform oral sex on him - right there in the seats! Both due to get connecting flights at Detroit to separate destinations, but were instead taken into custody. She was heading to Nashville while he was heading towards Miami. The unnamed pair were initially dealt with by police at Detroit Airport but now face charges from the FBI because the alleged crime happened in the air so is a federal rather than a state matter. (Newser)
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