WEIRD NEWS
AR-15 Saves the Day
An AR-15 is back in the news, but this time for a different reason. Police near Chicago say a man used his AR-15 to stop a knife attack. Dave Thomas, of Oswego Township, witnessed a confrontation among neighbors turn violent and decided to act. He ran back to his house and "grabbed the AR-15 over my handgun - bigger gun, I think a little more of an intimidation factor. Definitely played a part in him actually stopping." The Kendall County Sheriff's Office confirms that Thomas stopped the stabbing attack with "only the threat of force." The suspect fled but was quickly apprehended by deputies, while the stabbing victim was hospitalized with multiple injuries. Thomas says the incident shows that the AR-15 is a good weapon for home protection in the hands of someone properly trained. Breitbart News is already all over it running the headline: "Bad Guy with Knife Stopped by Good Guy with AR-15." (Chicago Tribune)
No More Assault Weapons at Dicks... Again!
Shortly after the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook in 2012, Dick's Sporting Goods announced they would no longer sell assault-style rifles. But then a while later they started selling them again in their Field & Stream stores. Now they're stopping again, and they say this time it's for good. Along with blocking sales of assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines in its stores or online, Dick's will also bar anyone under age 21 from buying any gun. CEO Edward Stack, whose father created the company seven decades ago told reporters that the Parkland, Fla., survivors' "rallying cry, 'enough is enough' ... got to us." The company also learned that it had legally sold a gun to the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, and though it wasn't used in the shooting, knowing that the store could have been "a part of this story ... we don't want to be a part of this any longer." Stack says the company decided to be brave like the Parkland kids and "take a stand" and voice its opinion - which is that politicians should make the restrictions Dick's is adopting law - in hopes that it'll amplify the conversation on guns. Stack appeared on Good Morning America and was asked whether the company might at some point reverse the ban like it did after Sandy Hook. Stack's reply: "Never." (New York Times)
There Are No Lion Whisperers
A lion that mauled a young woman to death in South Africa was under the care of a man known as the "lion whisperer" for his close interactions with the predators in his animal sanctuary. Kevin Richardson, who keeps lions at his "intimate glam camp" in the Dinokeng Game Reserve north of Johannesburg, said on Facebook that he and an "experienced" colleague took three lions for a walk in the reserve on Tuesday and that one chased an impala, eventually encountering the 22-year-old woman at least 1.2 miles away. Richardson said he followed procedure before the weekly excursion by assessing the area for other "big five" animals (rhino, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and lion), and sending out a "notification" that he was walking with lions. The woman died at the camp run by Richardson, who said he was "devastated." The young woman was not a guest at the camp, but had accompanied her friend to conduct an interview for an assignment with the camp's manager. Before leaving the reserve, the two visitors were taking photographs outside the camp where the attack occurred. (Newser)
Papa Johns Dumps NFL
The NFL is minus one "official pizza." Papa John's is cutting ties with the league, ending a sponsorship deal that began in 2010. Steve Ritchie, the pizza chain's new CEO, says the company will now focus on deals with star players and 22 individual teams instead of a broader sponsorship deal and that the NFL and Papa John's are parting ways by mutual agreement. Amid slumping sales, stock in Papa John's is down by more than a third since last summer. It sank another 3.9% after Ritchie's announcement. In November, founder "Papa" John Schnatter claimed that NFL anthem protests were the reason for falling pizza sales and urged NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to force all players to stand for the anthem. "Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership," he said. The company later apologized for his remarks and Schnatter resigned as CEO the following month. (CNN)
Streisand Apparently Clones Dogs
In a new interview with Variety, legendary singer Barbra Streisand reveals that two of her three dogs are clones! Before her Coton du Tulear, Samantha, died at age 14 in 2017, Streisand had cells taken from the dog's mouth and stomach that were then used to clone her. When the clones arrived, she told them apart by dressing one in red and one in purple; thus they ended up named Miss Scarlet and Miss Violet. Streisand says, "They have different personalities. I'm waiting for them to get older so I can see if they have her [Samantha's] brown eyes and seriousness." She also owns a third dog, Miss Fanny, that is Samantha's distant cousin. Just FYI, cloning an animal can cost up to $100,000. (Variety)
Satanic Temple Sues to Lead Prayers
A Satanic Temple is suing the well-off Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, Ariz., accusing officials of discrimination after being denied an opportunity to give the opening prayer at a City Council meeting. Michelle Shortt of the Satanic Temple of Tucson was scheduled to preside over the council's invocation in July 2016. But the city canceled it, saying it would keep with tradition in allowing prayer only from groups with substantial ties to Scottsdale. According to the lawsuit filed this week in federal district court in Arizona, the Satanic Temple wasn't asked about community ties when it applied by phone to give the prayer. So now the group is asking a judge to find the city in violation of the First Amendment right to free speech and to prevent the city from denying prayer opportunities to non-Christian religious groups. The temple's attorney said, "Once you open a public forum to religion, you can't then decide which ones you like best to represent in that public forum." (Newser)
What the What?
In Tarpon Springs, Florida, 27-year-old Giselle Taylor was arrested after fatally shooting her and her fiancé's dog during an argument - over crack. No, not that crack. Police said Taylor got angry at her fiancé because he wouldn't crack her back as she wanted him to so she grabbed a 9mm handgun from the garage and loaded it. According to the police report, Taylor told officers she intended to scare her fiancé, but when she didn't get the response she wanted, she pointed the gun at their 2-year-old boxer and pulled the trigger. Taylor drove away from the house but was arrested a short time later. She's now free on $5,000 bail. (WFTV)
An AR-15 is back in the news, but this time for a different reason. Police near Chicago say a man used his AR-15 to stop a knife attack. Dave Thomas, of Oswego Township, witnessed a confrontation among neighbors turn violent and decided to act. He ran back to his house and "grabbed the AR-15 over my handgun - bigger gun, I think a little more of an intimidation factor. Definitely played a part in him actually stopping." The Kendall County Sheriff's Office confirms that Thomas stopped the stabbing attack with "only the threat of force." The suspect fled but was quickly apprehended by deputies, while the stabbing victim was hospitalized with multiple injuries. Thomas says the incident shows that the AR-15 is a good weapon for home protection in the hands of someone properly trained. Breitbart News is already all over it running the headline: "Bad Guy with Knife Stopped by Good Guy with AR-15." (Chicago Tribune)
No More Assault Weapons at Dicks... Again!
Shortly after the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook in 2012, Dick's Sporting Goods announced they would no longer sell assault-style rifles. But then a while later they started selling them again in their Field & Stream stores. Now they're stopping again, and they say this time it's for good. Along with blocking sales of assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines in its stores or online, Dick's will also bar anyone under age 21 from buying any gun. CEO Edward Stack, whose father created the company seven decades ago told reporters that the Parkland, Fla., survivors' "rallying cry, 'enough is enough' ... got to us." The company also learned that it had legally sold a gun to the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, and though it wasn't used in the shooting, knowing that the store could have been "a part of this story ... we don't want to be a part of this any longer." Stack says the company decided to be brave like the Parkland kids and "take a stand" and voice its opinion - which is that politicians should make the restrictions Dick's is adopting law - in hopes that it'll amplify the conversation on guns. Stack appeared on Good Morning America and was asked whether the company might at some point reverse the ban like it did after Sandy Hook. Stack's reply: "Never." (New York Times)
There Are No Lion Whisperers
A lion that mauled a young woman to death in South Africa was under the care of a man known as the "lion whisperer" for his close interactions with the predators in his animal sanctuary. Kevin Richardson, who keeps lions at his "intimate glam camp" in the Dinokeng Game Reserve north of Johannesburg, said on Facebook that he and an "experienced" colleague took three lions for a walk in the reserve on Tuesday and that one chased an impala, eventually encountering the 22-year-old woman at least 1.2 miles away. Richardson said he followed procedure before the weekly excursion by assessing the area for other "big five" animals (rhino, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and lion), and sending out a "notification" that he was walking with lions. The woman died at the camp run by Richardson, who said he was "devastated." The young woman was not a guest at the camp, but had accompanied her friend to conduct an interview for an assignment with the camp's manager. Before leaving the reserve, the two visitors were taking photographs outside the camp where the attack occurred. (Newser)
Papa Johns Dumps NFL
The NFL is minus one "official pizza." Papa John's is cutting ties with the league, ending a sponsorship deal that began in 2010. Steve Ritchie, the pizza chain's new CEO, says the company will now focus on deals with star players and 22 individual teams instead of a broader sponsorship deal and that the NFL and Papa John's are parting ways by mutual agreement. Amid slumping sales, stock in Papa John's is down by more than a third since last summer. It sank another 3.9% after Ritchie's announcement. In November, founder "Papa" John Schnatter claimed that NFL anthem protests were the reason for falling pizza sales and urged NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to force all players to stand for the anthem. "Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership," he said. The company later apologized for his remarks and Schnatter resigned as CEO the following month. (CNN)
Streisand Apparently Clones Dogs
In a new interview with Variety, legendary singer Barbra Streisand reveals that two of her three dogs are clones! Before her Coton du Tulear, Samantha, died at age 14 in 2017, Streisand had cells taken from the dog's mouth and stomach that were then used to clone her. When the clones arrived, she told them apart by dressing one in red and one in purple; thus they ended up named Miss Scarlet and Miss Violet. Streisand says, "They have different personalities. I'm waiting for them to get older so I can see if they have her [Samantha's] brown eyes and seriousness." She also owns a third dog, Miss Fanny, that is Samantha's distant cousin. Just FYI, cloning an animal can cost up to $100,000. (Variety)
Satanic Temple Sues to Lead Prayers
A Satanic Temple is suing the well-off Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, Ariz., accusing officials of discrimination after being denied an opportunity to give the opening prayer at a City Council meeting. Michelle Shortt of the Satanic Temple of Tucson was scheduled to preside over the council's invocation in July 2016. But the city canceled it, saying it would keep with tradition in allowing prayer only from groups with substantial ties to Scottsdale. According to the lawsuit filed this week in federal district court in Arizona, the Satanic Temple wasn't asked about community ties when it applied by phone to give the prayer. So now the group is asking a judge to find the city in violation of the First Amendment right to free speech and to prevent the city from denying prayer opportunities to non-Christian religious groups. The temple's attorney said, "Once you open a public forum to religion, you can't then decide which ones you like best to represent in that public forum." (Newser)
What the What?
In Tarpon Springs, Florida, 27-year-old Giselle Taylor was arrested after fatally shooting her and her fiancé's dog during an argument - over crack. No, not that crack. Police said Taylor got angry at her fiancé because he wouldn't crack her back as she wanted him to so she grabbed a 9mm handgun from the garage and loaded it. According to the police report, Taylor told officers she intended to scare her fiancé, but when she didn't get the response she wanted, she pointed the gun at their 2-year-old boxer and pulled the trigger. Taylor drove away from the house but was arrested a short time later. She's now free on $5,000 bail. (WFTV)
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