PA Girl. back to class after the suspension of bubble gun

MOUNT CARMEL, PA. (AP) — A kindergartner 5-year-old is headed to class in Central Pennsylvania after being suspended for comments he made to another girl on a pink toy gun blowing soap bubbles

Officials say the girl, whose name was not released, said one of his classmates in the Mount Carmel area school district who was going to shoot her with a pink Hello Kitty bubble gun earlier this month. She was later suspended 10 days, but the discipline was reduced to two.

The Patriot-News (http://bit.ly/XUtwTK) Robin Ficker, a lawyer representing the family, said the girl will return to class at Mount Carmel elementary school on Thursday.

Ficker said she didn't even have the bubble gun with her and she never fired a real gun.

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Information from: The Patriot-News, http://www.pennlive.com/patriotnews

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Police: Pa. Man stopped for beer after breakout

Pittsburgh, PA. (AP) — police say a Western Pennsylvania man stopped at a bar and had a beer minutes later broke out holding cell after his arrest on a charge of assault on a police station.

Public Defender's Office, Washington County on Wednesday refused to comment on the charges filed against 40-year-old Smith Township resident Timothy Bonner.
Police say they were processing Bonner, removed his handcuffs and put him in the cell. That's when Bonner allegedly knocked on the door of the cell off its hinges and ran away.
After stopping at home to borrow his shoes, police said Bonner went to the Bar, where a customer Richy tells WPXI-TV (http://bit.ly/T6R6zl) the suspect has acknowledged breaking out of prison and then asked for a beer.
The client says that he bought a beer for Bonner, who did not get to enjoy it before Police arrested him.
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Information from: WPXI-TV, http://www.wpxi.com

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France to turn off Office lights and night store

Paris (Reuters)-French shops and office buildings will have to turn off the lights at night to save energy and reduce light pollution, the French Environment Ministry said Wednesday.

From 1 July, all non-residential buildings must turn off Interior lights an hour after the last workman leaving the premises. All exterior lighting shop window and will be off by 1.

Local authorities will be able to allow exceptions for Christmas lighting and other local events.

The new law will save about two terawatt hours of electricity per year-the equivalent of 750,000 households consumption, the Ministry said.

The Delphine Batho's Environment Minister said that France also would be a pioneer in Europe in preventing light pollution, that disrupts ecosystems and people's sleep.

(Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Edited by Pravin Char)

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Green thumb? Washington seeks consultant pot

SEATTLE (AP)--wanted: a green thumb with extensive knowledge of the black market, or at least grey.

As Washington tries to figure out how to regulate the new marijuana law, officials are hiring an Advisor on all things weeds: how is better cultivated, dried, tested, labeled, packaged and baked into brownies.
Who should work for fishing to learn more Wednesday in Tacoma. The State Liquor Control Board, the Agency in charge of developing rules for the marijuana industry, reserved a conference room with a capacity of 275 people — as well as an overflow room — for its bid to take the experts questions about the position and the hiring process.
"The Liquor Control Board has a long and good relationship with license and regulation. We know this and they know how to do it well, "said spokesman Mikhail Carpenter. "But there are some technical issues with marijuana we could use a consultant to help us with."
Last fall, Washington and Colorado became the first States to pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and establish systems of State-licensed growers, processors and retail shops where adults over 21 can walk and buy up to an ounce of cannabis heavily taxed. Sales are due to start in Washington State in December.
Both States are working to develop rules for the nascent pot industry. In the air is all about how many farmers and shops there should be, how marijuana should be tested to ensure people do not get sick.
Liquor Control Board of Washington has advertised for consultancy work in four categories. The first is "product knowledge and industry" and requires "at least three years of experience on the hemp industry knowledge, including but not limited to product growth, harvesting, packaging, product infusion and product safety consulting firm."
Other categories cover quality tests, including checking the levels of THC, the compound that gives marijuana high; statistical analysis of how much marijuana should produce state-licensed growers; and the development of standards, a category that requires "a strong understanding of the processes of Government, State, local or federal," with a law degree preferred.
If you do not apply any regulation lawyers growing pot in their spare time, could be awarded multiple contracts. Or tenderers which are strong in one category might cooperate with those who are strong in another. Bids are due on February 15, with the contract awarded in March.
Many of the bidders are expected to come from the medical marijuana world.
Christy Stanley, a Kitsap County resident who has researched marijuana and considered opening a dispensary in the past, said that she is attending the Conference because she wants to work but wants to know if you want to disqualify her from becoming an authorized grower or retailer. She knows the farmers, but has never grown marijuana itself, he said.
"This is great: the nation and the world are looking to us to set a good model," he said. "If it works here, it's just going to this cookie cutter for other States. "
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Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle

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Chinese millionaire fights with thin air pollution

BEIJING (Reuters)-two weeks China's foulest air pollution in memory has rekindled a tongue-in-cheek campaign by a billionaire with a streak of showmanship that is selling canned fresh air.

Chen Guangbiao, who made his fortune in the recycling sector and is a high-profile philanthropist, on Wednesday handed out cans of soda pop-air size, presumably from distant regions of pristine China like Xinjiang Northwest of Taiwan, southeast coast.

"I mean mayors, county chiefs and heads of major corporations: not only pursue GDP growth, not chase higher profits at the expense of our children and grandchildren and at the cost of sacrificing our ecological environment," said Chen.

China's air quality is watched closely because it fluctuates dramatically from day to day, but in recent weeks has recorded so far in unhealthy area.

Air pollution is measured in terms of PM2, .5 or particulate matter 2.5 microns in diameter, which are absorbed by the lungs and can cause lung diseases and heart. The World Health Organization recommends .5 levels of PM2 20 daily and says that levels above 300 are serious health hazards.

Beijing's air quality often surges over a 500 level and 12 January rose to 755, the highest in memory.

Go out, walk for about 20 minutes, and my throat hurts and I feel dizzy, Chen told Reuters in an interview on a busy Beijing sidewalk.

He handed out green and orange cans of "fresh air" with a caricature of himself on them saying, "Chen Guangbiao is a good man."

"Being a good person, have a good heart, doing good things," reads a message along the bottom of each can.

The 44 year old entrepreneur, whose wealth is estimated at $ 740 million according to Hurun rich list last year China's humanists, is an exuberant and relentless self promoter.

He is something of a celebrity in China, with more than 4 million followers on Sina Weibo, microblogging platform like Twitter more popular in China.

He admits that his effort to canned air is the tongue in cheek, but says it is a way to awaken people about the importance of environmental protection. The campaign is enticing bewilderment but also acclaim by the media and by people desperate to escape from the smog.

"Air in Beijing really needs to improve, then we need a good man like him to appear," said a resident surnamed Hu 21-year-old. "It reminds people to use less fuel and do what they can for the air of Beijing".

Air cans were free on Wednesdays, but usually sell for 5 yuan (80 cents) with proceeds going to poor regions of China and places of historical importance and revolutionary.

Sales, which had been moderate, are taken off after the recent streak of bad air days, with 8 million cans sold in the last 10 days, Chen said.

(Written by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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Wayward Dolphin dies in polluted Canal of NYC

NEW YORK (AP)--Rebels of the dolphins that swam in a polluted Canal on Friday died before high tide, marine experts said.

Freezing time hadn't seemed to faze the dolphin as it splashed around in the Gowanus Canal, which crosses a narrow industrial area close to some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Brooklyn 1.5 km.

Marine experts had hoped to high tide, starting around 19:10, would help the Dolphin leaves the channel safely. But the dolphin was confirmed dead shortly before then, said Riverhead Foundation for marine research and preservation, which I did not know how he died.

First, with the Dolphin wallow in dirty water, bystanders bundled-up took photos of the phone, and a news helicopter hovered overhead.

The dolphin, which appeared to be about 7 feet long, periodically emerged and shook black gunk from his snout in the polluted water.

The Police Department of New York said marine experts with the Riverhead Foundation had planned to help the Dolphin Saturday morning if you don't get out of the channel at high tide. The Foundation, based in Riverhead, on Eastern Long Island, who specializes in cases involving whales, dolphins, seals and sea turtles.

The dirty Canal was named a Superfund site in 2010, means that the Government can force the polluter to pay for its restoration. For more than a century earlier, coal yards, chemical factories and fuel refineries along the banks of the canal all over violet ink tar discharged into the water, earning the nickname Lake local Lavender for its unnatural hue.

The Dolphin probably entered the Canal from the Atlantic Ocean through the Lower and Upper New York Bay and Gowanus Bay, leading to the channel. It is about 20 km from the open ocean.

It may seem strange, but it is not unusual for stray sea creatures in the waters of the city, although often not swim away alive.

A dolphin was found dead last August near Long Island, South of the Canal. Another beached in June in the Hudson River near Manhattan's Chelsea Piers sports complex.

In 2007, a minke whale child who briefly dazzled city wandered in Gowanus Bay and swam aimlessly before dying.

Two years later, a humpback whale took a tour of the city's waters before leaving New York Harbor safely. The 20-foot whale was first seen in Queens first headed for Brooklyn, took a swing through the port and headed toward open waters near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

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Japanese company builds the ultimate cathouse

After receiving feedback from thousands of pet owners, a Japanese company has designed a House centered around the needs and desires of the average house cat.

Japanese construction firm Asahi Kasei created a House that includes platforms, hidden passages and even a litter next to the toilet.

The Daily Press Japan has several photos from inside the new kitty Castle. You can also watch this video (which has the unusually emotional piano music):

And as the article notes of the time, the House itself is built with anti-scratch material that reportedly are easy to clean.

Cat culture is growing worldwide. But does a cathouse go too far? Want to buy or rent a House that is designed to meet the needs of your pet than yours?

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PA. man gets farewell drive-thru after the funeral

YORK, PA. (AP) — Mourners at the funeral of a fast-food fans in Pennsylvania wanted him to have his way, so they arranged for her hearse — and the rest of the procession — do a drive-thru last visit before reaching the cemetery.

David Kime Jr. «lived by his own rules, "said his daughter Linda Phiel. He regarded the lettuce on a hamburger his version of healthy eating, he said.

To give it a whopper of a farewell Saturday, the funeral procession stopped at a Burger King where bereavement has gotten a sandwich in the street.

Kime got one last patties too, reported the York Daily Record. It was placed atop his casket flag to the cemetery.

Phiel said that the display was not a joke, but rather a happy way to honor her father and the things that brought him joy.

"She lived a wonderful life and on his own terms," he said.

Kime, 88, a veteran of World War II, died on Jan. 20.

Restaurant Manager Margaret Hess said he knew his face and his order. She and her crew made 40 hamburgers for the funeral procession.

"It's nice to know that he was a loyal customer to the end, at the end," he said.

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Information from: York Daily Record, http://www.ydr.com

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Beetles of watching the stars

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters)-a species of South African dung beetle has proven to use the milky way to navigate, making it the only known animal that becomes Galactic spray of stars in the night sky for direction.

Researchers have known for several years that the inch-long insects use the Sun or the moon as fixed points so that they keep rolling balls of dung in a straight line-the quickest way to turn away other beetles at the pile of manure.

But scientists are puzzled about how the beetles, which perform a dance of orientation on top of their balls of dung before you leave, get a straight line on moonless nights.

To prove the theory of the milky way, scientists at wits University in Johannesburg took beetles in University Planetarium to see how they fared with a normal night sky and then one devoid of the milky way.

"The beetles no matter what direction they are going in. They just need to get away from the fight bun at the pile of poop, "said wits professor Marcus Byrne. "But when we turned off the milky way, the beetles are lost."

And on cloudy nights without Moon or stars?

"They probably just stay at home," said Byrne.

(Reporting by Ed Cropley, editing by Paul Casciato)

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NY dad forget the child in car for 8 hours a day cold

COLONIE, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a New York man who left his son, 1-year-old in his car for eight hours in frigid weather only realized his mistake after a call from his wife.

Police in the suburb of Colonie Albany say he forgot to take his son to day care and left the baby strapped in the back seat of the car when he parked outside his Office Thursday morning.

The officials say the man received a call from his wife at about 16, inquiring about their son. He called an ambulance and he was checked out at a hospital and released. Police say that the child will not suffer damage despite temperatures that do not exceed 15 degrees.

Police said Friday they haven't determined whether the father would have charged.

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Great white shark hanging out near the NC coast again

HATTERAS, N.C. (AP) — A 16-foot great white shark named Mary Lee is among those who like calling North Carolina home.

Ocearch shark's Tracker has kept track of 3,500 pounds Mary Lee because she was put in September off Cape Cod, Massachusetts on Wednesday, she was off the Outer Banks.

So far, she has traveled up and down the East Coast, including Florida, where they arrived at 200 metres of Jacksonville Beach a few weeks ago. In December, he entered the mouth of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina Southeast before travelling south.

Businessman and Adventure Show producer Chris Fisher says tens of thousands of people are following trips by Mary Lee on-line.

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Thousands of crocodiles on the loose after floods in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters)-some 15,000 crocodiles escaped from a reptile farm in South African waters this week and were disbanded in and around one of the largest rivers in southern Africa, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

"There was just a few crocodiles in the River Limpopo. There are now a lot, "Zane Lago, whose in-laws own the farm in the North of the country told Beeld newspaper.

Lago said that only half the crocodiles escaped from the Rakwena Crocodile Farm near the border with Botswana had recaptured, the report said.

Lago added that the farm gates were opened for fear that rushing flood water would crush the crocodiles.

Farm officials weren't immediately available for comment.

A crocodile farm was apparently captured about 120 kilometers (75 miles) away at a field of rugby school, he said.

Heavy rains and floods have at least 20 casualties in Mozambique and South Africa and led to the evacuation of thousands.

(Reported by Peroshni Govender. Editing by Jon Herskovitz and Paul Casciato)

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Worms: A Zimbabwe snacks, from tree to table

MULUZI, Zimbabwe (AP) — In Zimbabwe, as well as most of southern Africa, mopane worms are a staple part of the diet in rural areas and are considered a delicacy in the town. Can be eaten dried, as crisp as French fries, or baked and drenched in sauce. I decided to document the collection, preparation, sale and consumption of worms and found the preparation a little stomach-turning. But the worms can be mighty tasty and are very nutritious. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about mopane worms but were afraid to ask.

THE MOPANE WORM

The worm is the large Caterpillar of Gonimbrasia Belina, belina species commonly called the Emperor moth. It is known as a mopane worm because it found chomping the leaves of mopane trees after it opens in the summer. It also has cut the way literature, finding its way, for example, in the pages of Alexander McCall Smith's series about the No. 1 Ladies ' Detective Agency, set in Botswana. At least one of the characters chew dried mopane worms up.

THE HARVEST

After six weeks of rain, the mopane worms can be seen clinging to and nourishes, mopane trees leaves in rural Muluzi, an arid area cattle ranching in southern Zimbabwe. Amanda Ncube normally retrieves the firewood to sell and look after the family's livestock, but when is harvest season worm joins other women and few men collecting the worms, which are often as a cigar and as long as the width of the two hands. She slowly plucks them from the lower branches before boarding while the tree to shake off those superiors. The most stubborn ones who cling to leaves and branches are loose curiosati with a long stick. The worms excrete a brown liquid once they make contact with a human hand, leaving your hands wet and slippery collectors. As they collected the maggots, women and men move from one tree to another until they are dry. A thick green slimy fluid comes out as Ncube carefully squeezes out the entrails from a mopane worm that she has just plucked from a tree. While some worms are prepared on site, other forage harvesters wait until they are back at home where they squeeze the innards of worms before you let them dry for a few days in the warm African sun. During the harvest season, the arcades of the houses with mud walls are covered with thousands of maggots, laid out to dry.

THE MARKET

At the local market, mopane worms are very popular with the residents who buy a cup or two of them and eat them immediately. The market is abuzz with activity, with most strategically stalls showing the delicacy so people can't miss. Vendors offer free samples. Mopani worms are classified according to the size and the area where they were gathered. Picky buyers ask their provenance before purchase, favoring worms from the District of one over the other because, for connoisseurs, maggots from a flavour area other than those from another.

HIGH PROTEIN

The mopane worm is a source of healthy nutrition and cheap.

A nutritionist of Zimbabwe, Marlon Chidemo, says that the worms are at high contents of healthy nutrients and contain three times the amount of protein as beef. He says eating maggots is less taxing on the environment compared to eat beef because it takes less leaves to produce maggots that feed on to produce the same amount of beef.

ROTTEN BUSINESS

Dried mopane worms have become a multimillion dollar industry, also exported to countries like South Africa and Botswana. Can be found in African restaurants in Paris.

PREPARATION

Once you have been dried, can be consumed immediately. Can also be cooked in a spicy sauce or peanut butter and served with pap, a polenta.

Having not grown up eating the mopane worms, I never had the opportunity to see how they collected and prepare them until now. While the process is pretty disgusting, the worm can be a pleasure to eat as an appetizer or side dish. Remember the taste salty fries. Former President Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi's own favorite like that, simply dried and then eaten as snacks like potato chips. The gang has been known to carry around pocketsful of worms that he also offered to children.

A RECIPE

Here's a recipe corresponding special Africa Congolese who AP Michelle Faul describes as "one of the most tasty" to mopane worms.

Mopani worms for four people.

Ingredients: dried mopane worms 500 grams; three tomatoes, diced or 1 can of tomatoes; 2 onions, cut into cubes; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric. 3 fresh green chillies, finely chopped; three cloves of garlic, finely chopped; tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped. Soak dried worms in the water for 3-4 hours to replenish. Saute the onions in peanut oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the turmeric, chilli, garlic and ginger. FRY for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook on low for about 20 minutes until the spices are well mixed. Add drained worms and cook until they have softened a bit, but I'm still a bit crunchy. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pap, called ugali in Zimbabwe. Enjoy.

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Mikel Ruffinelli, the woman with the widest hips in the world

MIKEL HAS THE MOST WIDE SIDES IN THE WORLD:
2 METERS AND 43 CM CIRCUMFERENCE
 

A record of which to be fair, but it does also come some doubts about the health of Mikel Ruffinelli. The woman, 40-year old and a mother of four, is the record holder for the wider hips of the world: less than 2 meters and 43 centimeters in circumference. Mikel is 1.52 meters high and weighs 190 kg, but his physical appearance does not bother at all, and in fact it is fair. "They are so fantastic. I hope to inspire other women to think, 'she is happy with her body, and I can be!' "Says the woman who has started to put on weight at age 22, after the birth of their first child .
After trying all kinds of diets, Mikel has surrendered to his size and now confesses to carry power from 3000 calories per day. "Some people even think that I may be made to become so, but it is all natural baby. When I travel by train or plane I have to book a minimum, two places. And 'quite expensive. I have a truck - continues Mikel - It's better than taking public transport. Just a few days ago I was stuck in the bathroom. "

8 pixel camera and large screen, comes from Apple iPhone Plus

 Not only iPhone 5: Apple returns to the attack with two new 'gems' that should be presented in June. Was reported and 'the China Times that the House of Cupertino is working on two melafonini. The first, the iPhone 5S, should be an updated and more 'sophisticated iPhone 5. But it 's especially the second to have sparked the enthusiasm of the web, where rumors have multiplied. To compete with rival Samsung - and its Galaxy S3 - Apple would be working on a new smartphone with the screen more 'big, a real' phablet '. The 'creature' should be called iPhone +, but not 'clear yet whether will have' a Retina Display. 
  According to the China Times, the iPhone will begin production of the two new 'already' in April, and both will have an 8 megapixel camera.

2 year old with the IQ of Einstein

All parents may happen sooner or later can not answer children's questions, but in the case of Oscar Wrigley, an English child of Berkshire, Mom and Dad are often embarrassed.  
The fact is that Oscar has only two years and five months, but an IQ comparable to that of Albert Einstein, the genius of physics par excellence, the author of the theory of relativity: that 160.Il small building complex sentences - "Recently Oscar explained to my wife the reproductive cycle of penguins, "says the Daily Telegraph's father Joe, a specialist in Information Technology. "It's always questions all parents like to think that their child is special, but we knew that Oscar was something very special." The mother Hannah, 26, says the Daily Mail: "It is surprising everyone knew when he was 12 weeks which was extremely bright. Was unusually attentive." Hannah, who is a housewife, says that the vocabulary of Oscar is "amazing." The small building in fact complex sentences. "The other day I said, 'Mamy, sausages are like a party in my mouth,'" explains the madre.Il Mensa: "Oscar shows great potential" - According to John Stevenage, Mensa general manager of the association British people with an IQ exceptional, "Oscar shows great potential: convert this potential into results is the challenge for his parents, and we are delighted that they have chosen our network to receive support." Parents, however, now seem to take the challenge with the right spirit: "I'm just waiting for the day when I tell you that I'm an idiot," he joked to his father Joe Telegraph.