Headlines That Left You Speechless 2

[Bouncy Castle]

"His family are ecstatic that he's alive and that he's well," he said.

I would hardly say he was "well", but still. An amazing survival story.

[Bouncy Castle]

After 58 years of marriage, a mortician came to take Ben D. Mahaffey's wife's body from their home, where she had died just 10 minutes earlier.

The 80-year-old man was holding Barbara Alice's hand and saying goodbye. He wanted to make sure she was taken away with dignity, but Vernal, Utah, police arrived with the mortician, and they had other plans: they wanted Mahaffey to help them search for his wife's painkillers -- with her body right there -- so they could seize them without delay.

Mahaffey said the cops treated him like a prospective drug dealer. "All these people were there and they're not concerned about her or me," he said.

He tried to discuss the matter with officers "man-to-man," but they were so "rude and condescending," he said, that he filed a lawsuit.

"I don't believe the public would intend for the government to be rummaging through your cupboards while your wife is lying in the next room being prepared to be taken to her final resting place," said his attorney.






The Montpelier (Ohio) Exempted Village Schools Board of Education has approved a proposal that allows school janitors to carry handguns to protect students from school shooters.

On a 5-0 vote in response to the school massacre in Connecticut, four custodians have been authorized to receive defensive firearms training and carry guns at the Montpelier K-12 school in Williams County.

But, school officials say, the proposal was made even before the Sandy Hook shootings. "Sitting back and doing nothing and hoping it doesn't happen to you is just not good policy anymore," says Superintendent Jamie Grime. "Having guns in the hands of the right people are not a hindrance. They are a means to protect."

School Board President Larry Martin agrees. "We have to do something," Martin says, "and this seems like the most logical, reasonable course to go with."



...And it's practical, too: once the shooting is over, the janitors are in position to mop up.

[Tonyblack]

The Montpelier (Ohio) Exempted Village Schools Board of Education has approved a proposal that allows school janitors to carry handguns to protect students from school shooters.

On a 5-0 vote in response to the school massacre in Connecticut, four custodians have been authorized to receive defensive firearms training and carry guns at the Montpelier K-12 school in Williams County.

But, school officials say, the proposal was made even before the Sandy Hook shootings. "Sitting back and doing nothing and hoping it doesn't happen to you is just not good policy anymore," says Superintendent Jamie Grime. "Having guns in the hands of the right people are not a hindrance. They are a means to protect."

School Board President Larry Martin agrees. "We have to do something," Martin says, "and this seems like the most logical, reasonable course to go with."



...And it's practical, too: once the shooting is over, the janitors are in position to mop up.

This sort of thing worries me. There is something in America (and probably other countries) called suicide by cop. It works basically, that someone wanting to kill themself will act in a threatening manner and get shot to death by the police. My worry is that this sort of thing will switch to schools known to have armed staff. Therefore making school shooting more common rather than less.

[Bouncy Castle]

Suicide by Janitor.

The mind boggles. These are the people who are supposed to be intelligent enough to TEACH our children.

[Tonyblack]

I think a lot of it is a knee jerk reaction to such horrific killings. People feel they have to do something and it seems logical (at first) to fight fire with fire (so to speak).

I believe there were armed officers at Columbine who happened to be in the wrong place or didn't get to the scene quickly enough. Having armed officers didn't act as a deterrent there. Indeed, it seems that the shooters were expecting to be killed.

[Del]

No offence to our American board members.... but I am so glad my children go to school here. I would be horrified knowing there were guns in schools. I feel sick for the kids and the parents who have to go along with this.

We have had suicide by cop here too... and its mostly teens. Dear God. These janitors... which is usually a low paid job by people not trained in other areas.... are they going to get the wages of a security person???

I tell you what though..... let see some kid drop his lunch wrappers in the hall NOW!

[Alanz]

No offence to our American board members.... but I am so glad my children go to school here. I would be horrified knowing there were guns in schools. I feel sick for the kids and the parents who have to go along with this.

We have had suicide by cop here too... and its mostly teens. Dear God. These janitors... which is usually a low paid job by people not trained in other areas.... are they going to get the wages of a security person???

I tell you what though..... let see some kid drop his lunch wrappers in the hall NOW!

[Bouncy Castle]

........... are they going to get the wages of a security person???

Good point.

Summat else I've just thought of.......... isn't it the Janitor in the Fright Movies who is usually the serial killer, etc?

Ick.

[Conforumist]

Not speechless, but sad news,

The Desperate Fight to Save the Tasmanian Devil from Extinction

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2 ... ion/61252/

[Quatermass]

It's horrifying about the Tassie Devil, as they are the victims of one of the few known transmissible cancer cells. Yes, you heard me right. In extremely rare circumstances, cancer cells can be infectious. Think on that for a mo. You may now start screaming.

Anyway, here's another headline. Iran seem to consider a space program monkey business...

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/OddSpot/2013/01/29/Iran_sends_monkey_into_space_840241.html?cid=ZBP_NEWS_L_L1_Iran_sends_monkey_into_space_290113

[Bouncy Castle]

What exactly does the monkey do? Is it trained to press the correct buttons, or somesuch?

Seems a waste of a monkey if you just send it up there to die.

[Ghost]

I agree I thought people were done with sending monkeys into space in the 1950's

[MrK]

Canada cheese smuggling ring busted.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19751695

I thought at first I must have misread one of the words, or accidentally joined two sentances in my head.
Obviously a serious buisness.

[Tonyblack]

Canada cheese smuggling ring busted.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19751695

I thought at first I must have misread one of the words, or accidentally joined two sentances in my head.
Obviously a serious buisness.

Sounds like a Jasper Fforde story.

[MrK]

It is a Jasper Fforde story! I found the linc to the story on his website. Must have been leaked by SpecOps.