National Escargot Day, Balls of Steel, and Amazing Young Female Guitarist

National Escargot Day - Today is National Escargot Day. By all means, eat some snails today!

World Turtle Day, Man Controlled By Satellites, and Other Bizarre News

World Turtle Day - The purpose of World Turtle Day, sponsored yearly since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue, is to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive.

World Turtle Day is celebrated in a variety of ways—from dressing up as turtles or wearing green summer dresses, to saving turtles caught on highways, to research activities. World Turtle Day lesson plans and craft projects encourage teaching about turtles in classrooms.

Man "Controlled by Satellites" Makes 100 Calls To 911 In A Month, Vows To Continue - Sacramento — A man who called 911 more than 100 times in one month says will not stop until his concerns are heard by the federal government.

He does not believe he’s wasting the time of emergency responders because he has an emergency of his own: He believes he is being watched by shadowy government authorities. He claims to believe his body is controlled by satellites. "My brain, I can feel it starting. I’m blasted by the signals, every couple of minutes," he said. "I yell and I scream, 'Stop it, I don’t need this,' but they never listen." Sacramento Police say he’s ignored warnings to stop calling over and over, so they arrested him for 911 abuse.

Bird-Flavored Ice Cream Available In Parakeet, Cockatiel, Sparrow Flavors - Torimi Cafe in Japan, known for serving up tea and homemade ice cream while allowing customers to sit among birds, hatched up a new gimmick: pet bird-flavored ice cream.

The cafe debuted its Java Sparrow, Parakeet, and Cockatiel flavors at a department store's small bird expo last week, according to Rocket News 24.

Basketball-sized Hairball Removed from Tiger - Clearwater, Florida — It is not unusual for a cat to get a hairball, but a 400-pound tiger needed help from veterinary surgeons in Florida when he could not hack up a basketball-size hairball by himself.

The 17-year-old tiger named Ty underwent the procedure Wednesday at a veterinary center in the Tampa Bay area community of Clearwater. Doctors said in a statement that they safely removed the 4-pound obstruction from Ty's stomach.

Former Driving Teacher, Crashes Car into Grocery Store - Former driving instructor Terry Buckle has been mayor of the British town of St Edmundsbury for less than a week, but he has begun his term with a big bang—right into his local grocery store.
Buckle, 73, crashed his car through the doors of a Tesco Express store yesterday after the auto lurched forward from a disabled parking spot directly in front of the shop while he was still behind the wheel, the East Anglian Daily Times reported. Buckle suffered whiplash and shoulder injuries in the bizarre accident and was taken to a local hospital, but his pride was what was damaged most. He was a bus driving instructor before being elected mayor and the crash marked his first accident in 56 years.

National Day of Wind and the Oklahoma Tornado

National Day of Wind - Today is the National Day of Wind. No. It is not, but it should be!

I enjoy a gentle breeze on a warm summer evening, but this WIND is NOT WELCOME! The weatherpeople predict gusts of 40+ MPH today for this area! As I walked from our house to Mr. Nitro R/T this morning, such a gust nearly felled me! I found it necessary to quickly button mine outer shirt—since the fierce wind was creating the similitude of a kite from it, and I felt myself being lifted skyward! Once buttoned, my shirt became safe—no longer an object to be feared—and I scurried to the (relative) safety of Mr. Nitro R/T.

My preference for a day is clear skies, sunshine, warmth, and dryness. When it rains, I hear people say, "Well, we sure need the water. Have you seen the river lately? It is low!" No one ever offers a credible reason to herald the wind, however. There is none! The wind exists for no other purpose than to spread pollen and dust and to annoy people and vex their sinuses!


I was bemoaning the wind—imagining what a nice day it would be were it not for the wind—and I moved my focus from the live Web cam feed on my Desktop monitor to the 39" Vizio LCD HDTV. Fox News was showing video of the recent tornado in Oklahoma.

I immediately dropped to my knees and prayed to God for the victims of this horrid tragedy. As I prayed, I felt considerable shame for my selfishness! What, after all, is a bit of wind compared with the suffering many endure daily throughout the world?

National Memo Day and Weirdness in Today's News

National Memo Day
Today is National Memo Day. Have a pen and paper handy. Go grab a Post-it note. Stand ready at your PC. Enjoy National Memo Day by taking memos wherever and whenever possible.

I have several Windows 7 computers (three HP desktops and three HP laptops), three Android tablets (two ASUS Transformer Prime tablets and one ASUS Google Nexus 7 tablet), and four Android smartphones (two Motorola Droid X smartphones, one Motorola Droid RAZR M smartphone, and one LG Lucid 2 smartphone). Nonetheless, when taking a quick note to remind me of something to do or someone to call, etc., I sometimes revert to "old-school methodology"—scribbling on a Post-it note(r), ripping it from the pad, and affixing it to my computer monitor!

Weirdness in Today's News - Here are examples from today's news fully supportive of the postulation that the world is sliding into weirdness:

Mid-Burglary Butt Dial to 911 Lands Stoner Suspects in Jail

There are many embarrassing ways to get busted for a crime. You could flee police only to get attacked by an alligator, or you could accidentally lock your victim in their own gun closet to predictable results. Dumber still? Butt-dialing 911 as you're in the midst of a robbery. Last week, either Nathan Teklemariam and Carson Rinehart, both 20, pocked-dialed 911 as they were about to go on a minor crime spree. "I just want to smoke weed so bad right now," one of them said as the emergency dispatcher in Fresno, California. listened in.

As the two suspects left the scene, the dispatcher passed along clues about their location to police, who eventually located the duo and pulled them over. Police officers searched the car, eventually finding the prescription drugs and other stolen items. Both Teklemariam and Rinehard were arrested and charged with burglary, conspiracy and possession of stolen property. A spokesperson from the Fresno Police Department said that the case was a first. "There have been times where the dispatcher hears something like this, but never has a call come in before a crime being committed and staying on all the way to the end," Sgt. Jaime Rios said.

Justin Bieber booed at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards

The man-boy was bombarded by boos from audience members during his acceptance of the Milestone Award for making it through four whole years in the music biz. The strongly negative reaction forced the Biebz to stop and beg to be "taken seriously" because he is "not a gimmick" but "an artist."

Watch a Man Beg Others to Call Police As He Clings to a Speeding Truck

A man claims he was hit by a truck in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. But instead of getting run over, he jumped, landed on the hood, and yelled for other drivers to call the police as they sped down the highway. A woman driving a few lanes over captured this video of the man on the hood of the car. For being on the hood of a speeding car, he sounds a little anxious, but is surprisingly calm. And for seeing someone on the hood of a speeding car, the woman taking the video also seems very calm.

According to police, what actually happened was the man on the hood was selling shrimp by the side of the road, when the pickup truck driver pulled over and took his sign. The shrimp salesman jumped on the hood of the car as the pickup truck driver drove away.

- Thief Snatches Woman's Phone, Gets Run Over by the Bus to Karma City

A Colombian mugger's cunning plan to steal a defenseless woman's cellphone was nearly foolproof—except for the part where he was run over by a bus while fleeing, and ended up looking like a fool. The perp had anticipated making a quick getaway from the Bogotá bus station after snatching the victim's phone, but forgot to look both ways before leaving the scene of a crime, and was promptly struck by a bus. Despite the dramatic footage captured on the stations' CCTV camera, the thief sustained only minor injuries. Amusingly, it was the victim who helped save her attacker from further damage by pulling him out from underneath the bus.

Foreign "Crazy Ants" Attacking Southern U.S.

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Monstrous "crazy ants" from Argentina and Brazil have invaded Texas and the American Southeast, driving out the already awful fire ant and making life even more miserable for those living in the South. Supersized mosquitos and the "Giant African Land Snail" are among the recent southern invaders, but the dreaded crazy ant is so awful that the infamous fire ant goes running when the crazies come to town.

Worse for southern humans, the crazy ant particularly enjoys getting inside electronics. The air conditioners, televisions and remote controls are particular targets of these South American menaces. When the insane ants are electrocuted inside these devices, an "alarm pheromone" is released—and that brings even more crazy ants into the electronics, to make even bigger nests. Named for their erratic and terrifying behavior, the tawny crazy ant was first discovered in Houston just a decade ago, probably after arriving at the Port of New Orleans. Now they are all over the South.

19-Foot Python Captured and Killed Near Miami Sets Florida State Record

- Jason Leon spotted roughly three feet of python protruding from some bushes in a rural area of Miami-Dade County. He pulled the 18-foot, 8-inch python to the road, only to lose control of the giant female snake, which quickly wrapped itself around his arms and legs. After calling for help, Leon killed the python with a knife.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released a statement thanking Leon. "Jason Leon’s nighttime sighting and capture of a Burmese python of more than 18 feet in length is a notable accomplishment that set a Florida record."

Florida's previous record for largest Burmese python was set last August when a 17-foot, 7-inch female was caught and killed in the Everglades. That snake, however, had the edge in weight – 164 pounds versus 128 – perhaps because it was pregnant with over 80 eggs.

Pick Strawberries Day, Home Sweet Home, and Father Arrested for Letting Nine-Year-Old Daughter Drive Car

Pick Strawberries Day - Strawberries are the first fruit of spring. Everyone looks forward to growing and eating sweet and delicious berries and the wide variety of uses. Strawberry plants are easy-to-grow perennials.

Strawberries are one of the most common fruits in the home garden—for both their ease of growth and popularity at the table. There are recipes and uses galore from fruits to jams and jellies, drinks, baking recipes, and more. Not only do they taste good, they are good for you—packed with lots of vitamins and minerals.

In addition, they have had medicinal uses over the years.

Home Sweet Home - Listed at $190 million, this Greenwich estate is priciest home in the US.

Single-family home is rather a misnomer for this estate, as it consists of so much more than just the home itself—a 13,519-square-foot French-renaissance mansion with 12 bedrooms, seven full baths, two half baths, library, solarium, wine cellar, and entire floor for staff. Special features include 12-foot ceilings, multiple carved fireplaces and balconies, plus huge windows and glassed-in porches for taking in the panoramic Long Island Sound view. The property straddles 50 acres spread over two islands, and outdoor features include a 75-foot swimming pool with spa and pool house, grass tennis court, stone carriage house and guest cottage, plus abundant rolling lawns and gardens.


Since being built in 1896, Copper Beech Farm has only known two owners. Harriet Lauder Greenway (whose father, George Lauder, joined Andrew Carnegie to create U.S. Steel) purchased the property in 1904 and lived there for 75 years. Current owner John Rudey—who made his money in timber—acquired the home in an off-market deal. According to Forbes, "The estate hasn't been publicly listed for sale in more than a century."

Father Arrested for Letting Nine-Year-Old Daughter Drive Car - A 23-year-old Ohio man is facing a child endangerment charge after allegedly allowing his nine-year-old daughter to drive the family car—a 1998 Honda. The child lost control after "achieving excessive speed" and drove into a tree.

Jaron McGee was riding shotgun while his child was tooling around last night in the parking lot of Headlands State Park, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Before deputies arrived, the girl was driven from the scene of the accident by family members, who said she was not injured in the crash. Despite that assurance, investigators were checking on the girl's welfare.

McGee was booked into the county jail on a pair of misdemeanor counts. A check also revealed that McGee, who was also not injured in the accident, has outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants in other jurisdictions.