A horse in Geelong, Australia, has survived with minor injuries after getting stuck in quicksand-like mud, the Telegraph is reporting:
The horse’s owner Nicole Graham remained by 18-year-old Astro’s side, holding its head above the mud as rescuers arrived at the scene.
In an interview with local media on Tuesday Graham said she knew she needed to stay with her horse.
“As we sank deeper and deeper into the mud and time went on I was really starting to get scared. I knew if I stayed with him he wouldn’t panic either and him not panicking meant that we would both get out OK,” she said.
You’re not truly a female celebrity until the Internets start conjecturing on the state of your uterus. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, star of MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” is officially the real deal this month after rumors about her pregnancy have spread.
The New York Post reported Feb. 1 that the hard-partying, hard-drinking Polizzi is pregnant. The information came from an “insider.”
Snooki responded by denying the claims and wondering what the rumors mean about her appearance, asking TMZ: “Does that mean I’m fat?”
The New York Post is again reporting Snooki is pregnant, despite her claims she is not. From the story:
Polizzi is indeed pregnant and has plans to bankroll her mommy-to-be status into becoming “the next Kourtney Kardashian.”
We’re told Polizzi, 24, is carrying her first child by boyfriend Jionni LaValle, and is roughly three months along.
Sources said the reality star, who denied being preggers earlier this month, has already brokered a deal to announce the news on the cover of Us Weekly after she shopped the story to several celebrity magazines.
Only time, roughly another six months, will tell who knows the most about the occupancy rate of Polizzi’s uterus.
It only comes along once every four years, so on Feb. 29 what will you do to celebrate? You might also ask what you can get for free.
For the first time ever, Disney is opening their Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park for a full 24 hours on Feb. 29. But if you can’t make it to the Magic Kingdom, other vendors have also gotten into the spirit of Leap Day by offering perks and freebies, according to Passion for Savings blog and various other media reports.
Here are a few national chains getting into the spirit:
Chick-fil-a: free Chick-n minis boxes from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at participating stores
Caribou Coffee: Buy one, get one free coffee with coupon
Denny’s: Get 29 percent off your check on Wednesday through Sunday with a coupon. Expires March 3.
Outback Steakhouse: Wish an Outback fan born on Leap Year Day happy birthday on Facebook and be entered to win free Outback for four years.
Yahoo News has a brief rundown on why we get this extra day once every four years:
Why we need Leap Day: Usually, our year is 365 days long. Except that it’s not: A full cycle of seasons is actually 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 16 seconds long, or about 365.25 days. Over time, the extra quarter of a day adds up, and without Leap Day, the calendar would be one day out of sync with the seasons. After 30 years, it would be about a week off, and after 100 years, it would be nearly a month off.
Bing Quock, the assistant director of Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences, explains, “Leap Day is added as a correction to the calendar so that it stays in sync with the seasons … that way, the seasons start on the same day from year to year to year.”
The history of Leap Year: Leap Year has been around for 2,000 years, since Julius Caesar created the 365-day calendar, although Caesar’s astronomer, Sosigenes, gets credit for adding an extra day in February every four years.
A 40-year-old Fort Myers, Fla., man drove his monster truck over the Toyota Corolla of a 16-year-old girl last weekend, egged on by a crowd at the aptly named Redneck Yacht Club, according to news reports.
The Sarasota Herald Tribune reported that Norman Lee Nowling, owner of the truck with 5-foot tires, gave the girl a check for $6,500 to buy a new ride. He had been arrested earlier and posted bail.
The incident occurred at the annual “Swamp Cabbage Weekend,” which draws thousands of people to eastern Charlotte County.
During the event, trucks, vans, ATVs and other vehicles negotiate water and mud pits at the 800-acre park.
(CCSO)
(CCSO)
Here’s the raw footage a festival-goer shot at the site and posted to YouTube.com:
A story that went viral Monday about a banker leaving a $1.33 tip and an insulting remark on a $133 lunch bill has been deemed a hoax.
Supposedly, a wealthy banker who dined at the True Food Kitchen in Newport Beach, Calif., was trying to provoke a waitress – and member of the 99 percent – who didn’t kowtow sufficiently to his desire. So he stuck the server with a paltry 1 percent tip, with “tip” circled.
In addition, he purportedly included the words “GET A REAL JOB.”
The story received wide play on the Internet, including pieces on CNN and Yahoo.
But The Smoking Gun reported that a restaurant spokesperson said that the bill had been digitally altered and offered an actual copy of the Feb. 16 credit card receipt as proof.
The real receipt, according to restaurant.
That receipt shows an amount of $33.54, not $133.54, with a $7 tip, for a total of $40.54.
The blog that originally reported the insulting gratuity “Future Ex Banker” has apparently shut down.
The Smoking Gun said blog “claimed to be authored by someone who worked in ‘the corporate office of a major bank for a boss who represents everything wrong with the financial industry: blatant disregard and outright contempt for everyone and everything he deems beneath him. On top of that, he’’s a complete and utter tool.’”
A small Houston high school basketball team is in the national spotlight after picking faith over possible glory.
Beren Academy, an Orthodox Jewish day school, was slated to play in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools 2A state tournament this weekend, but because the game times conflict with the observation of the Jewish Sabbath, the team will have to forfeit.
Beren, a school with 67 students, appealed to TAPPS to reschedule the state semifinal against Dallas Covenant from 9 p.m. Friday to an earlier time, but the appeal was denied Monday morning.
“It’s disappointing. I’ve been here 10 years and I’ve always known where our priorities lie,” said Chris Cole, Beren’s basketball coach and athletic director. “We were hopeful and optimistic going in that we could be able to do both – adhere to the religious beliefs here and play basketball.”
Beren’s story was picked up by the New York Times, and the school is slated to make an appearance on ESPN’s Outside the Lines later Tuesday.
Beren was able to reschedule two of its earlier playoff games. The Stars played Austin Hill Country on Feb. 18, a Saturday, moving the start time to 8 p.m. In the third round, Beren moved its game Friday from 7:30 p.m. to noon.
Times for semifinals are approved in advance by the host (Mansfield Independent School District), Burleson said in the email. The 2A championship game is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.
High school teams are allowed to play any sports on Sundays, when Christians traditionally worship.
“We were hopeful that they would be able to work with us, but we respect their decision,” Cole said. “It’s never happened where we’ve played during Shabbat, and it will never happen. The kids know that, and the kids are fantastic at understanding.”
A 9-year-old cat who is “tired of politicians that have their claws out” has launched an unusual campaign for an open Senate seat in Virginia, according to a report from WTTG Fox 5 DC.
Hank the Cat, an Independent from Springfield, has a campaign in full swing for U.S. Senate in Virginia, at a time when some voters might be looking for an outside-the-box candidate.
He is based out of his family’s house in Springfield, Virigina, the report said.
“If any sort of lobbyist needs to get to him, they would have to do that with cheese,” says Campaign Manager Matthew O’Leary.
Hank, hoping to be a write-in candidate, faces politicians in George Allen and Tim Kaine for the open seat.
Here’s a description of Hank on his campaign’s Facebook page:
From the very first day, Hank has been a fighter. Born to a single mother living on the streets, Hank, his mother, and his siblings were taken to an animal shelter and sat on death row.
Shortly before their execution, Hank and the rest of his family were saved by an animal rescue group called Animal Allies. Hank was adopted to a loving family, and he was raised by his adopted brother Sammy
Hank’s campaign is in full swing with signs and stickers and advertisements. He also has a Twitter, Facebook, website and a campaign commercial.
To celebrate National Pancake Day, IHOP will be giving away free pancakes today, but the breakfast restaurant chain is asking customers to donate money to local charities.
Customers can get one free short stack of pancakes today at any IHOP location. Instead of paying for the pancakes, IHOP is asking customers to donate to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital or other designated local charities.
Since 2006, IHOP has raised nearly $8 million. The restaurant chain hopes to raise $2.7 million this year.
