Weird News

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Originally Posted by DanaC

God's own country.

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Peyton Manning Arrested On Drug Charges In Tennessee

- no, not that one...

from YahooSports

Since Peyton Manning burst onto the scene as a star athlete, there are many people who named their children after the Broncos quarterback. Sports Illustrated pointed that out in its Sportsman of the Year piece on Manning last year.

It doesn't always turn out that well.

In Nashville, an 18-year-old woman named Peyton Manning was arrested in a drug bust on Sunday, according to WKRN-TV. So was Kenneth Sowards, the station said, but that didn't draw any headlines because there are no "Kenneth Sowards" among the top 5 most famous athletes in North America. This Peyton Manning, the 18-year old who was arrested in the drug bust, happened to share the name with the NFL's only five-time MVP.

The woman's name probably isn't coincidental, considering she was in Nashville and about 18 years ago Manning was entering his junior season with the Tennessee Volunteers.

According to WRKN-TV (with a h/t to Yardbarker for the story), Manning and Sowards were pulled over and police noticed the smell of marijuana from the car. WKRN said according to an affidavit, two plastic baggies were found with a white powdery substance inside, and that substance field tested positive as cocaine. Police then found 44 grams of marijuana, a digital scale and a pill crusher, the story said. Since the incident happened with 1,000 feet of a church, both Manning and Sowards have felony charges for possessing drugs in a drug-free zone, too.

It also came with a lot more attention than usual because of her recognizable name.

Shame, cute girl, too.

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♪ ♫Well, it came out of the sky,♪ ♫
♪ ♫Landed just a little south of Heilongjiang♪ ♫

UFOs Crash In China; Villagers Shocked By 'Huge Ball Of Fire'

from HuffPo

Residents of villages in the Heilongjiang province of China reported three UFOs fell from the sky on Friday morning, according to the China News Service.

The circular, metallic objects crashed to the ground of two counties after "villagers heard...a huge piercing sound, and then some villagers saw a big fireball" that eventually fell in a vegetable garden owned by one of the residents.

"I saw a huge ball of fire, I thought it was a meteorite," one villager said, Chinatopix.com reported. "I hid inside my house and waited until the object...landed."

China News further described the ball-shaped objects as silver-gray, "surrounded by jagged edges and burn marks."

The object pictured in this story is reported to be "about 2-and-a-half-feet wide and weighing nearly 90 pounds," according to OpenMinds.TV.

While investigators arrived on the scene of the vegetable garden to examine the object, stories began to emerge, offering a possible explanation for all the excitement.

According to Ecns.cn, the official English-language website of China News Service, just before the Chinese village residents witnessed unidentified flying objects in the sky above them, a Russian Proton-M rocket -- carrying a communications satellite -- experienced engine failure shortly after its launch Friday morning, burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

While Russia maintains their rocket mostly disintegrated above Earth, China media suggests some unburned portions of the rocket accounts for those objects that crashed in the ground.

The investigation in China is ongoing.

[Carruthers]

Just when you thought pampered pets could not get any more pampered: a British company has started making a range of herbal teas - for dogs.

The tea costs as much as £11.99 for just 28 pyramid-shaped bags and claims such health benefits as improved digestion, a healthier coat and fresher breath.

It comes in a variety of blends including 'Adult’, which contains dandelion and ginseng; 'Performance’ with fenugreek and lime flower; and 'Posh Pooch’, described as the “Champagne of teas for dogs”.

The tea is the latest product in a growing range of goods and services traditionally reserved for humans but which are now being marketed at pets.

Owners are spending more and more on their pets each year, with £569 million spent on pet accessories in 2012, the most recent data available, according to market research firm Mintel.

Dog lovers can already buy ice cream, cake and gravy for their canines – symptoms of the growing trend to “humanise” pets.

Woof & Brew launched its herbal tea for dogs at Crufts last year. It is now sold in more than 300 outlets across the country, including in several cafes, where dogs can enjoy a brew alongside their owners.

And in a demonstration of just how popular “human” products for pets have become, Woof & Brew is now preparing to sell its tea to, of all places, China.

Steve Bennett, who started the firm with business partner Lisa Morton, said the company had recently received a number of inquiries from China, America and Australia.

This week he will take Woof & Brew to Interzoo – the biggest pet trade fair in the world - where he has a number of meetings with prospective Chinese stockists lined up.

Mr Bennett, 48, said: “The business has grown dramatically.

“We have retailers in Guernsey and Singapore and we are off to Germany next week. We have had a number of inquiries from China, so we might be able to send tea to China, albeit dog tea.”

Herbal teas for humans have become increasingly popular in recent years, amid claims they have wide-ranging health benefits.

All the major supermarkets now stock a variety of herbal and infusion teas. Blends include peppermint, lemon and ginger and camomile and honey. Manufacturers claim they can aid sleep, digestion and health.

Mr Bennett came up with the idea of herbal teas for dogs while running a tea shop in Stratford-upon-Avon.

“We were sat in the tea shop one day with loads of dogs around us and wondered if herbal infusions would be helpful dogs as well,” he said.

“We bought in a vet who wrote a report for us who came back with the conclusion that certain herbs were extremely beneficial for dogs.”

He added: “I don’t know if dogs enjoy it as they can’t say – but one of my dogs has dreadful bad breath and we give him the fresh breath blend and that freshens his breath.”

Woof & Brew has recently added two new blends: 'Ha-pee Lawns’, which the company says has been specially formulated to reduce burn patches on lawns caused by dogs’ urine, and “Posh Pooch”.

It contains the “finest loose-leaf herbs”, including lavender and rose petals, and is designed to aid digestion for dogs which have a rich diet.

A pack of Posh Pooch herbal tea costs £11.99 however other blends are cheaper, at £3.99 for 28 bags.

Cat Henstridge, a vet who writes for the PetStreet website, said: “Drinking tea is a very British thing and lots and lots of people give their pets cups of tea – so I think a cup of specifically-canine herbal tea is definitely going to be better for them than a normal brew full of caffeine, full fat milk and a spoonful of sugar.

“As long as it doesn’t do them any harm, then why not?”

Louise Glazebrook, a dog trainer and behaviourist who runs the Darling Dog Company, said: “I suppose it is just another way of humanising the dog product market.

"I suppose they would appeal to people who are happy to spend money on their dog but none of these supplements can take the place of a decent, natural diet.”

Daily Telegraph

Now, I yield to no-one when it comes to defending man's best friend, but this is really going too far.

Still, if people are happy to part with their money, I shall not stand in their way.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Still, if people are happy to part with their money, I shall not stand in their way.

Kudos, you distilled the whole issue down quite nicely. The product is not for dogs, it's to give owners something to do while the dog's drinking from the toilet or mud puddle.

[DanaC]

'Ha-pee Lawns’, which the company says has been specially formulated to reduce burn patches on lawns caused by dogs’ urine

If that actually works, then it's pretty clever. Dogs are a bugger for killing patches of lawn or sides of plants, particularly the boys with their scent marking instincts. If you have a nice big lawn and a couple of male dogs, I could see that tea being quite a handy thing.

Have serious doubts about its efficacy though.

I must admit, i have bought Carrot a dog cake before now. It was at The Lamppost in Hebden Bridge - a lovely little cafe where people can sit with their dogs - buy a nice slice of cake for themselves and a doggy cake for their dog. Both arrive on side plates.

[DanaC]

Here's the Lamppost Cafe and Boutique (they also sell leads and collars and dog bowls - all very nicely and very locally made).

http://www.thelamppostcafe.co.uk/

It's an awesome place. Rights in the centre of Hebden bridge - perfect for a drop in after a long walk in the countryside. Mum and I went there with Carrot and Nelle shortly after it opened. I had some coffeecake, mum had a lemon drizzle cake and the dogs had a little veggie and fruitbread loaf each. They use Facebook very well too - posting pics each day of dogs that have been into the cafe - so lots of incentive to go visit the page if your dog's pic was taken :p

Oh and it isn't drastically expensive either. The collars and leads are quite pricey, compared to mass produced ones, but then they're made by one person in their garden shed, so that's fair enough.

Here's the doggy part of the menu:

[DanaC]

£11.99 for just 28 pyramid-shaped bags]

That's taking the piss though.

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Golfer Big John Daly estimates his gambling losses from 1991 - 2007 amount to ~$55 - $57 million.

Not hard to do when you play 7 hands of blackjack at the same time, at ~$15k per hand. Staying at the table for two days sometimes. Playing the slots at $5k per pull.

Story at GolfChannel.

[sexobon]

Bowe Bergdahl, Army Sergeant Held by Taliban Since 2009, Is Released

It seams that we've released five terrorists in exchange for recovering a wayward grunt from the Taliban. At least we had a good reason: he's his parent's only son.

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Where are those drones when you need one?

[sexobon]

We probably exchanged them for some captured American laptops so the Taliban wouldn't get our porn.

[xoxoxoBruce]

You know there would be a raft of bitching if they didn't do everything possible to recover everyone.
Now they could infect the 5 with a highly contagious lethal disease, or implant homing devices, to reduce the probability of further shit from them.

[sexobon]

Maybe they swore to be good on the Bible, Scouts honor, may they get only 71 virgins in the afterlife if they lied.

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Originally Posted by sexobon

...may they get only 71 virgins in the afterlife

If you meant "...may they burn in hell", then I agree completely.