Ohio Man Finds African Wild Cat Inside Barn
wlwt - An area man was shocked Tuesday morning when he saw an African wild cat outside his home.
Anthony Topmiller said he heard a growling sound when he opened his barn door to feed his cattle, and when he looked to see what it was, he saw what looked like a small cheetah about five feet away.
"I've never been afraid of an animal, but I will definitely say I was taken aback from this one," Topmiller said. "It sounds silly, but a 30-pound cat had my barn held hostage."
The animal was actually a serval, a medium-sized cat related to lions, hovering over a domestic cat it had just killed.
"It was not wanting to leave its prey, so we considered him fairly dangerous and called the proper authorities to come in and help us with this animal," Topmiller said.
Animal control officers picked up the serval, which a neighbor claims belongs to her.
The woman said she has been looking for the female serval, which she has raised from a baby and named Eris, since it escaped nine days ago.
She said the animal is valued at about $3,000.
The dog warden said Ohio has almost no regulations on wild animals such as this one.
"People need to be trained on what they're doing," Topmiller said. "We can't have these things wild like this. It's become a public safety (issue), and that's exactly what happened yesterday."
The serval remains with animal control officers while the neighbor attempts to regain custody.
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Lee Harvey Oswald's Coffin for Sale
aolnews - A California auction house is offering bidders the chance to buy the coffin of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man believed to have killed President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Bidding for the discolored, water-damaged pine box will start at $1,000, according to the website of the Nate D. Sanders auction house in Los Angeles.
"There's just a lot of interest in Kennedy and anything to do with his assassination," auction manager Laura Yntema told Reuters.
Oswald spent almost 18 years in the coffin before a bizarre set of circumstances led to his exhumation.
Oswald's widow, Marina, got into a bitter argument with his brother Robert. Marina heard rumors that the man buried in the coffin was in fact a Russian Oswald look-alike. She wanted to put it to the test.
Marina managed to get the body exhumed. Dental records proved that the corpse inside was indeed that of Oswald. The suspected assassin was then reburied in a new casket.
Oswald was arrested on Nov. 22, 1963, and was widely believed to have shot Kennedy from the roof of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas. He had previously served in the U.S. Marines and lived and worked in the Soviet Union, according to the Biography Channel.
Oswald was killed two days after the assassination by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.
Allen Baumgardner, a funeral director who assisted at Oswald's original embalming, is selling the coffin.
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Missing Brit Backpacker Believed to be Eaten By Shark Off Aussie Coast
metro - Michael Utley, 30, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, went swimming with four friends on Saturday afternoon.
He was caught up in a riptide and has not been since.
A coastal search at Bremer Bay in Western Australia, had to be scaled back on Monday after a large shark was seen nearby.
Police have yet to formally identify the body but believe it is that of the missing man.
‘The body of a male person was located on Dillon Beach Bremer Bay yesterday morning at about 6.05am,’ a police spokesman said.
The search team of 50 with helicopters said a shark attack had not been ruled out. Michael, a plasterer, went travelling last December and met a group of friends.
He was swimming at Native Dog Beach when they became caught in a riptide.
All but Michael were washed ashore.
Michael’s mother, Susan, who lives in California, is flying from Germany with her husband, Graham Liles, who works there.
His father, Max, and his wife, Susan, live in Westhoughton.
Michael’s twin brother Mark from Westhoughton, said: ‘I spoke to Michael on Friday and he said he was going to stay out there because he was making good money, and when he got back we should go into the property business.’
Mark and his mother are to fly to Australia to identify the body.
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Gov't evaluating cell phone blocking tech in cars
MSNBC - In addition to its efforts to educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, the U.S. Department of Transportation is evaluating technology in automobiles that would disable cell phones. The move is a response to the growing number of deaths and injuries related to distracted driving.
"There's a lot of technology out there now that can disable phones and we're looking at that," Raymond LaHood, the Secretary of Transportation said during a discussion during MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "That's one way. But you have to have good laws, you have to have good enforcement, and you have to have people take personal responsibility. That's the bottom line."
In addition to his comments on disabled cell phones, LaHood also announced a new video campaign, "Faces of Distracted Driving." The series of online videos tells the stories of several victims of distracted driving. The DoT plans to add a new video every few weeks.
LaHood said that nearly 5,500 people died from distracted driving last year, and that about half a million were injured. That's a low estimate, according to Paul Atchley, a scientist at the University of Kansas who studies distracted driving.
LaHood's figures only account for known deaths or injuries -- suspected deaths or injuries aren't included. The real numbers, said Atchley, are likely far higher, and will only get higher.
While there is no federal law against using a cell phone while driving a vehicle, dozens of states prohibit texting while driving in an effort to reduce the number of deaths or injuries. Several other states forbid drivers from using hand-held cell phones.
Hardware, such as cell phone jammers, are illegal, and the FCC isn't likely to approve any kind of jamming equipment. That would leave software from companies like Zoomsafter, tXtBlocker and iZup.
While the specifics differ, the general idea is the same. When a cell phone or a vehicle exceeds a certain speed, determined by the car and transmitted via Bluetooth or by the speed of the cell phone itself as measured by cell phone towers, the phone is automatically disabled.
That won't work, said Atchley. Most of these services are voluntary. It is not difficult for users to either not activate them, or to work around them.
The real answer to the problem is a change in people's attitudes. The research on drunk driving and distracted driving is quite similar, but the reactions of people to both are far different.
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"When we ask young drivers about drunk driving, they say that judges should throw the book at drunk drivers, but not the person texting while driving," said Atchley.
"The bottom line is that people want to use these devices," said Atchley. "And things are going to get worse before they get better."
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Man Marries Dog
thechronicle - A young Toowoomba man yesterday tied the knot with his best friend – a five-year-old labrador.
In perhaps a first for the Garden City, Laurel Bank Park hosted the wedding of Joseph Guiso and Honey, a labrador he adopted five years ago.
Thirty of the couple’s closest friends and family were in attendance for the emotional ceremony, held at dusk.
"You’re my best friend and you make every part of my day better," Mr Guiso’s vows read.
The couple decided on the location – and to tie the knot - after stumbling upon a wedding in Laurel Bank Park during an afternoon walk.
"I said that could be us," Mr Guiso said.
"She didn’t say anything so I took that as a yes."
Mr Guiso said as a "religious guy", he could no longer take the guilt of living with Honey out of wedlock.
"It’s not sexual," he assured the onlookers.
"It’s just pure love."
The couple is planning a short honeymoon to one of Toowoomba’s parks.
