Newsworthy but not it's own thread worthy

[JustKelli]

On any other site this would be threadworthy but to avoid another warning lol, I will put it here and voice my disgust for this person whose son is far wiser than dad in begging him not to phone police. This is nearing epidemic levels in the good ole US of A ... this douche told police that the colored man threatened his life but the video shows that that never occurred.

I sympathize with the guy that he was a victim in the past but the circumstances were nothing like this broad daylight encounter. The true victim is an educated software engineer ... he appeared on MSNBC last night and was calm cool and collected as well as articulate and understanding but did say that nothing g would be solved here if the 2 were to meet and hash it out!

Viral video shows white man calling police on African American man waiting for friend

The man's son is seen in the video pleading with his dad not to call San Francisco police.

July 9, 2019, 8:19 PM MDT

A white man was captured on a viral video calling San Francisco police to report an African American man who had been waiting for a friend.

The incident happened Thursday in the city's Nob Hill neighborhood when the white man, identified by NBC News as Christopher Cukor, began questioning the black man about why he was waiting in the lobby of an apartment building.

Christopher Cukor is shown calling the police.Wesly Michel

“Can you please call your friend on the call box and have them come downstairs?” the man asked Wesley Michel, who got the confrontation on video and*posted it on his Facebook.

“They don’t need to do that, you can just walk away,” said Michel.

After Cukor pulled out his phone and said "I'm going to call the police right now," a young boy with him pleaded, "Daddy don't, don't, don't."

"You're going to be the next person on TV" known for calling police to report a black person not committing any crime, Michel said. "And you have your son with you."

“Daddy, go. It’s the better, I agree with him, daddy. It’s the better. I don’t like this. Let’s go,” the son can be heard before he began to cry.

As Cukor described to police what Michel looked like, Michel helped out with his own description, chiming in: "35, software engineer, pink polo shirt, tennis shoes, jeans."

The San Francisco Police Department on Tuesday confirmed to NBC News a call for service came from the 1800 block of Van Ness Avenue "regarding a verbal altercation."

"Upon arrival, officers met with both parties. The reporting party stated an unknown male followed closely behind someone entering the building to gain access," according to the police statement.

"The officer made contact with the adult male who was trying to enter the building, that male stated that he was waiting for a friend. During the investigation it was determined by the officers that no crime had been committed. Both parties went their separate ways."

Cukor on Tuesday wrote a Medium post in which he defended himself and apologized to Michel. Cukor confirmed to NBC News he is the author of the post.

"I noticed Wesly Michel caught the door and entered the building without using the callbox," Cukor wrote. "I did what came naturally and asked where he was going. I want to be clear on this point, this is something I do regularly, regardless of who the other person is."

"When the encounter turned confrontational and I couldn’t resolve it myself, I called the police," he wrote.

Cukor then says his father was killed by a trespasser, an incident that he has publicly spoken about, as*reported by SF Gate. The murder of his father, coupled with a string of neighborhood robberies, influenced his decision to intervene, Cukor wrote.

But he acknowledged "there is a terrible pattern of people calling the authorities regarding people of color for no other reason than their race."

"The last thing I ever intended was to echo that history," Cukor wrote. "I’m sorry my actions caused Welsy to feel unfairly targeted due to his race."

Wesly Michel did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.

This is the latest in a string of viral incidents where African Americans were reported to police for non-criminal acts.

In April of last year, two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks, where they*had been waiting for a friend.

Last summer in Oakland,*a white woman dubbed "BBQ Becky" in a viral video*called authorities on a black family setting up a grill on the shores of Lake Merritt.

[JustKelli]

It's incredible one guy can create such a shit storm...

Ex-deputy accused of planting drugs on Florida drivers is arrested

By*Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN

Updated at*4:50 PM ET, Thu July 11, 2019

Zachary Wester faces racketeering, fabricating evidence, false imprisonment and other charges.

(CNN)*—*Florida authorities have arrested a former Jackson County deputy accused of making false arrests after planting drugs on drivers, police said in a statement.

The allegations have prompted prosecutors to drop charges in scores of cases.

Zachary Wester, 26, was taken into custody at his Crawfordville home, about 20 miles south of Tallahassee, on Wednesday, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He is being held in Wakulla County Jail without bail, the FDLE said.

He stands charged with felony counts of racketeering, official misconduct, fabricating evidence, possession of a controlled substance and false imprisonment. He also faces misdemeanor charges of perjury, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, the FDLE said.

At least 11 people are suing Wester in federal court for alleged civil rights violations as well.

100+ cases tossed out

At the request of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Wester's former employer, the FDLE began investigating the deputy in August after bodycam video from a February 2018 arrest appeared to show Wester planting methamphetamine in Teresa Odom's pickup truck during a traffic stop, FDLE spokesman Jeremy Burns told CNN in September.

At the time, the FDLE was reviewing 254 of Wester's cases, prosecutors said.

"The investigation shows Wester routinely pulled over citizens for alleged minor traffic infractions, planted drugs inside their vehicles and arrested them on fabricated drug charges," the FDLE said in its Wednesday news release, adding that it had reviewed more than 21 hours of footage in its investigation.

It added, "Wester circumvented JCSO's body camera policy and tailored his recordings to conceal his criminal activity."

Wester's attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

State Attorney Glenn Hess' office said in September 2018 that 119 cases had been dropped and about 10 people had been released from prison. CNN could not immediately reach Hess on Wednesday, but local media reports indicate the probe has widened since then.

Wester was fired September 10. It was not immediately clear how long Wester had been with the department, but*the Tallahassee Democrat reported*he resigned from the Liberty County Sheriff's Office in May 2016 and later took the job in Jackson County.

'It damned sure ain't mine'

Bodycam video from Odom's February 2018 arrest in Cottondale shows Wester approach the car in a friendly manner and explain to the woman that her brake lights are malfunctioning.

He leaves with her license, and as he returns to her vehicle he jokes that his hip almost gave out. Odom tells him her mother is in the hospital and she's expecting a call from a doctor. Wester tells her that a drug dog is on its way, but Odom says she has nothing in the car and gives him consent to search it.

Wester appears to hold something in his left hand as he dons black gloves before the search. His hand moves out of the frame for a few seconds and returns empty. He finishes putting on the gloves and commences with the search.

Bodycam video appears to show Wester planting drugs in Odom's car last year.

After "finding" a bag of white powder in her truck, he places it on the driver seat but doesn't alert two other deputies on the scene. Instead, he moves it around, first placing it on a spoon and then moving it to the passenger seat. All the while, he continues the chummy banter with Odom.

After searching the passenger side of her vehicle, where he had just placed the baggie, he returns to Odom and another deputy with the spoon and powder. Odom says the spoon is for her yogurt but seems surprised by the bag of powder.

"That is not mine. No, sir. No, sir," she says.

After the powder tests positive for methamphetamine, Wester tells Odom she's under arrest as she speaks on the phone with a relative.

"He says it tests positive for amphetamine, so I guess I'm going to go to jail," Odom tells the person on the phone. "It damned sure ain't mine."

Case remains open

Three federal lawsuits have been filed against Wester. Eleven people arrested by him claim the ex-deputy framed them, planting some combination of marijuana, methamphetamine, prescription pills or drug paraphernalia, including syringes and scales, in their vehicles after pulling them over for minor infractions. Two lawsuits were filed in December, and another was filed in May.

In the most recently filed case, Lora Penn, one of nine plaintiffs, says she was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over June 7, 2018. During the stop, she alleged, Wester placed methamphetamine and a hypodermic needle in her purse.

Penn was charged with drug and paraphernalia possession and spent 12 days in jail before "her mother posted bond exhausting her meager financial resources. Penn's mother was thereafter unable to afford medical care and died due to lack of such care," the federal lawsuit says.

The FDLE, whose investigators have already logged 1,400 hours on the criminal case against Wester, says the probe remains open and encourages anyone with information to come forward.

"There is no question that Wester's crimes were deliberate and that his actions put innocent people in jail," said Chris Williams, the FDLE's assistant special agent in charge of the Pensacola office.

Prior to his time with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Wester worked in Liberty County. Jack Campbell, the state attorney there,*told CNN affiliate WCTV in May*that investigators were in the process of "resolving" some cases involving the former lawman. He would not elaborate on how many cases, the station reported.

The station has previously reported Campbell was reviewing 26 cases.

[alexora]

Originally Posted by Smokin'34

It's incredible one guy can create such a shit storm...

Ex-deputy accused of planting drugs on Florida drivers is arrested

By*Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN

Updated at*4:50 PM ET, Thu July 11, 2019

Zachary Wester faces racketeering, fabricating evidence, false imprisonment and other charges.

(CNN)*—*Florida authorities have arrested a former Jackson County deputy accused of making false arrests after planting drugs on drivers, police said in a statement.

The allegations have prompted prosecutors to drop charges in scores of cases.

Zachary Wester, 26, was taken into custody at his Crawfordville home, about 20 miles south of Tallahassee, on Wednesday, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He is being held in Wakulla County Jail without bail, the FDLE said.

He stands charged with felony counts of racketeering, official misconduct, fabricating evidence, possession of a controlled substance and false imprisonment. He also faces misdemeanor charges of perjury, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, the FDLE said.

At least 11 people are suing Wester in federal court for alleged civil rights violations as well.

100+ cases tossed out

At the request of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Wester's former employer, the FDLE began investigating the deputy in August after bodycam video from a February 2018 arrest appeared to show Wester planting methamphetamine in Teresa Odom's pickup truck during a traffic stop, FDLE spokesman Jeremy Burns told CNN in September.

At the time, the FDLE was reviewing 254 of Wester's cases, prosecutors said.

"The investigation shows Wester routinely pulled over citizens for alleged minor traffic infractions, planted drugs inside their vehicles and arrested them on fabricated drug charges," the FDLE said in its Wednesday news release, adding that it had reviewed more than 21 hours of footage in its investigation.

It added, "Wester circumvented JCSO's body camera policy and tailored his recordings to conceal his criminal activity."

Wester's attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

State Attorney Glenn Hess' office said in September 2018 that 119 cases had been dropped and about 10 people had been released from prison. CNN could not immediately reach Hess on Wednesday, but local media reports indicate the probe has widened since then.

Wester was fired September 10. It was not immediately clear how long Wester had been with the department, but*the Tallahassee Democrat reported*he resigned from the Liberty County Sheriff's Office in May 2016 and later took the job in Jackson County.

'It damned sure ain't mine'

Bodycam video from Odom's February 2018 arrest in Cottondale shows Wester approach the car in a friendly manner and explain to the woman that her brake lights are malfunctioning.

He leaves with her license, and as he returns to her vehicle he jokes that his hip almost gave out. Odom tells him her mother is in the hospital and she's expecting a call from a doctor. Wester tells her that a drug dog is on its way, but Odom says she has nothing in the car and gives him consent to search it.

Wester appears to hold something in his left hand as he dons black gloves before the search. His hand moves out of the frame for a few seconds and returns empty. He finishes putting on the gloves and commences with the search.

Bodycam video appears to show Wester planting drugs in Odom's car last year.

After "finding" a bag of white powder in her truck, he places it on the driver seat but doesn't alert two other deputies on the scene. Instead, he moves it around, first placing it on a spoon and then moving it to the passenger seat. All the while, he continues the chummy banter with Odom.

After searching the passenger side of her vehicle, where he had just placed the baggie, he returns to Odom and another deputy with the spoon and powder. Odom says the spoon is for her yogurt but seems surprised by the bag of powder.

"That is not mine. No, sir. No, sir," she says.

After the powder tests positive for methamphetamine, Wester tells Odom she's under arrest as she speaks on the phone with a relative.

"He says it tests positive for amphetamine, so I guess I'm going to go to jail," Odom tells the person on the phone. "It damned sure ain't mine."

Case remains open

Three federal lawsuits have been filed against Wester. Eleven people arrested by him claim the ex-deputy framed them, planting some combination of marijuana, methamphetamine, prescription pills or drug paraphernalia, including syringes and scales, in their vehicles after pulling them over for minor infractions. Two lawsuits were filed in December, and another was filed in May.

In the most recently filed case, Lora Penn, one of nine plaintiffs, says she was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over June 7, 2018. During the stop, she alleged, Wester placed methamphetamine and a hypodermic needle in her purse.

Penn was charged with drug and paraphernalia possession and spent 12 days in jail before "her mother posted bond exhausting her meager financial resources. Penn's mother was thereafter unable to afford medical care and died due to lack of such care," the federal lawsuit says.

The FDLE, whose investigators have already logged 1,400 hours on the criminal case against Wester, says the probe remains open and encourages anyone with information to come forward.

"There is no question that Wester's crimes were deliberate and that his actions put innocent people in jail," said Chris Williams, the FDLE's assistant special agent in charge of the Pensacola office.

Prior to his time with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Wester worked in Liberty County. Jack Campbell, the state attorney there,*told CNN affiliate WCTV in May*that investigators were in the process of "resolving" some cases involving the former lawman. He would not elaborate on how many cases, the station reported.

The station has previously reported Campbell was reviewing 26 cases.

Actually, we have a thread for this: http://veterperementour.ru/t129896-police-brutality.html

[JustKelli]

I was looking for that thread and must have missed it considering I quit looking on page 7 but know I saw it a while back on page 1. Thanks for the link

LOL I just saw it at the bottom of page 1, it was hidden by my scrolling border.

[JustKelli]

Here is a nice feel good story ... I can't find a video that will play here but here is the story and what he originally saw was like looking at a big American dollar bill colorwise


Colorblind firefighter overcome with emotion from seeing the American flag's colors for the first time

It's the most treasured symbol of our country. So imagine if you couldn't see the red, white and blue of the American flag. That's exactly what happened to Douglas County, Georgia firefighter Spencer Caradine.

"I never knew that there was a different red in my eyes," he said.

Caradine is colorblind and he only recently found out because of his fellow firefighter, Jordan Gardner.*

"When I realized he couldn't see what I saw, I wanted to be able to fix it," Gardner said.

Gardner ordered him a pair of special glasses and planned a big surprise at the firehouse on the Fourth of July. Gardner presented Caradine with the glasses before leading him outside to see what the American flag looks like, in beautiful, vibrant color.*
*
Overcome with emotion, Caradine looked at the flag first, then looked at everything else. As for Gardner, he said seeing that look on his friend's face was "the best feeling in the world."

Caradine said, while he can now see Old Glory in a new way, that doesn't change what those stars and stripes stand for.

[JustKelli]

This story is tragic and a black eye for Canada on the world stage and my condolences to the victims and families.

Teens considered missing now suspects in 3 B.C. deaths

CTV News: Canadians urged to 'be vigilant'

Murder suspects 19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky are considered to be armed and dangerous.

Where are Kam and Bryer? Manhunt continues

The manhunt for two suspects accused in three deaths has now moved to Manitoba, the RCMP believes.

Father of murder suspect speaks out

Alan Schmegelsky, father of suspect Bryer Schmegelsky, says Mounties are 'going to shoot first and ask questions later'.

Two teenagers previously considered to be missing are now suspects in the murder of a young couple and the death of an unidentified man in northern B.C., the RCMP said Tuesday.

Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, were last spotted in northern Saskatchewan and police believe they continue to travel. The RCMP has issued a warning to the public not to approach McLeod and Schmegelsky, saying they are considered dangerous.

“Investigators have been able to confirm that Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky have left British Columbia and have been spotted in northern Saskatchewan. We believe that they’re likely continuing to travel,” said RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet during Tuesday’s press conference.

“If you spot Bryer or Kam, consider them dangerous. Do not approach. Take no action and call immediately 911.”

Hours after the press conference,*RCMP in Manitoba sent out a tweet*saying McLeod and Schmegelsky may have been spotted near Gillam, Man.

The suspects were last seen driving a grey 2011 Toyota Rav 4. However, Shoihet was quick to note that the suspects may have switched vehicles, or even altered their appearances.

Last week, a burned-out truck belonging to the two young men was found on Highway 37 near Dease Lake in northern B.C. Two kilometres away, RCMP discovered the body of an unknown man.

Another burned-out vehicle was found abandoned near Bird, Man., not far from Gillam, Fox Lake Cree Nation Chief Walter Spence said Tuesday night in a statement. It was not clear if this vehicle was linked to McLeod and Schmegelsky in any way.

Those discoveries were made just days after a young couple was found shot dead on the side of a road in a remote section of the Alaska Highway, some 20 kilometres south of Liard Hot Springs.

Australian Lucas Fowler, 23, and his American girlfriend Chynna Deese, 24, were travelling in a blue 1986 Chevy van on a three-week road trip through Canada to Alaska. Fowler had been working on a ranch near Hudson’s Hope in B.C. and Deese travelled from her home in North Carolina to join him for the journey.

RCMP said the couple had been shot to death sometime between July 14 and July 15, when their bodies were found.

Police initially investigated the disappearance of McLeod and Schmegelsky as missing cases. But they say there’s now evidence to consider them suspects in the three murders.

The teenagers are from Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. Last week, police said they were travelling in a truck with a sleeping camper through B.C. on their way to Whitehorse to look for work.

CTV News has confirmed that the lifelong friends were former employees at a local Walmart.

Port Alberni’s Mayor says the small town has been greatly impacted by the developing situation.

“We are a small community, and whether you know the boys or the community, everyone is connected in one way or another,” Mayor Sharie Minions told CTV News. “It’s definitely challenging, it has far reaching impacts for sure.”

McLeod is described as 6’4”, approximately 169 pounds, with dark brown hair and facial hair and brown eyes.

Schmegelsky is described as 6’4”, approximately 169 pounds, with sandy brown hair.

Police were able to confirm the suspects’ whereabouts and label them as suspects in both cases after tips from the public following a press conference on Monday. They did not release any additional information about McLeod or Schmegelsky, citing the ongoing nature of the investigations.

“I think it speak to itself the fact that we’ve asked the public to please not approach them,” investigators said, adding they don’t know what type of weapons they might be armed with.

“We don’t know what they may be carrying or even what their thoughts are.”

Shoihet said the RCMP has been in contact with both teens' families for assistance in finding them.

"I'm certain they're being impacted by this news," she said.

Meanwhile, RCMP in Surrey, B.C. say the disappearances of two other men, Ryan Provencher, 38, and Richard Scurr, 37, are not related to the investigation.

Reasonable suspicion

In an interview with CTV News Channel, former RCMP deputy commissioner Peter German said McLeod and Schmegelsky’s fast progression from missing persons to suspects shows the impressive speed of the ongoing investigation.

“I don’t think anyone would have expected this turn of events,” German said. “I think that says something that the police are ahead of the game on this one.”

The former commissioner said investigators would have reasonable suspicion and enough evidence to publically name the teens as suspects.

“They’ve obviously got forensics or witness identification of some sort that point to these two individuals. That’s not to assume guilt at all,” he said.

German added that the manhunt for the two suspects will be complicated by the distance in which they have travelled and how they might be getting around.

“It’s quite possible that they’ve been hijacking vehicles along the way and that might account for the murder of the individual that has yet to be identified—we don’t know, that’s pure speculation, but obviously they’re making a lot of territory, they’re moving fast,” he explained.

Unidentified body

On Monday, RCMP released a sketch of the unidentified deceased man in the hopes the public would be able to help identify him.

He’s been described as between the age of 50 and 60 with a heavy build, grey hair, and a beard. The man would have been between 5’8” and 5’10” tall.

Police remained tight lipped about the man’s identity during Tuesday’s press conference, refusing to call the man’s death a homicide. They said they have concerns that there remain “a number of people” that investigators have yet to speak with who may have “key evidence.”

“A love story that ended tragically”

On Monday, Fowler’s father echoed the RCMP’s public appeal for assistance in the investigation into his son’s murder.

“However little, please contact police,” Chief Insp. Stephen Fowler of the New South Wales Police Force in Australia pleaded.

Stephen Fowler said his long career in policing could not have prepared him for the news of his son’s death. He said his son was “having the time of his life” travelling the world with his girlfriend before his death.

“It’s a love story that's ended tragically,” he said. “It’s the worst-ever love story. We have two young people who had everything ahead of them who have been murdered.”

RCMP also released security footage showing Fowler and Deese at a Fort Nelson gas station on July 13, two days before their bodies were found. In the video, the couple can be seen filling up the tank and washing their van before driving away sometime before 8 p.m. that evening.

I despise posting their images but in case someone reads this and sees them ...

[JustKelli]

Just when you think things can't get any stranger ...

Family reunited with python pulled from Toronto sewer discovers it's an 'impostor'

'How many pythons are loose in the sewers of Toronto?' owner wonders

CBC News*·*Posted: Jul 31, 2019 10:37 AM ET | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

There has been another twist in a rather serpentine story in Toronto.*

Members of the Sannella family thought they were finally reunited with Monty,*an*11-month-old*ball python*supposedly found in a*sewer grate in the city's east end on Tuesday*after it*went missing in June.

But once they returned home from picking the snake up at animal services, they discovered a slippery truth.

It wasn't Monty, but a different ball python.

"So now we have the impostor snake at the house*—*that we've nicknamed Sneaky Pete*—*and I'm not sure what to do with him," said*Samantha Sannella, whose 18-year-old*son purchased*Monty last November.

Owners reunited with Python found in east end Toronto sewer overnight

"And*we're so sad that Monty's missing in action."

Monty has been missing since the night the*Toronto Raptors won their first*NBA championship on June 13,*Sannella said.

The family celebrated on Tuesday, when a snake was spotted near*a*gas station*about three kilometres from their home.

The Sannella family realized they had the wrong snake after comparing the distinctive spots on Monty in an old photograph and the pattern on Sneaky Pete.*(Submitted by Samantha Sannella)

The*snake seemed happy to be home, but*Sannella's son noticed some unusual behaviour.

It lifted up a hollow log in the aquarium — something he had never seen Monty do before.*

So he examined some old photos of Monty*and quickly realized*the unique patterns on the head of the snake in its*terrarium didn't match those on Monty.*

The jig was up for Sneaky Pete.

'A little' scared last night

Sannella*said she was*"a little bit scared last night" because Sneaky Pete*seems "quite a bit stronger" than Monty.

She put books on top of his terrarium*overnight to keep the snake*from slithering out in the night.*

"The last thing I want is two missing snakes in my house," she said.

"The*other thought was, 'What if this is a female snake*and Monty comes back, and all of the sudden I'm a snake breeder?'"*

Owner Samantha Sannella holds Sneaky Pete on Tuesday before her son realized the slippery truth.*(Sue Reid/CBC)

'How many pythons are loose?'

This means someone else must be*missing their pet python too,*Sannella*said.

She was hopeful*after seeing a man post about his missing python on Facebook. But they emailed and*realized his snake's skin patterns didn't match either.

"How many pythons are loose in the sewers of Toronto?" Sannella*mused. "There's a lot, obviously."

Looking for Sneaky Pete's real owner

In the meantime, the family gave Sneaky Pete a bath and the snake seems "extremely happy" in its*new, nicely heated new home.

But Sannella isn't*quite sure what to do.

She created a Facebook page called*Missing Pythons of Toronto*in hopes of finding the imposter's true owner.

Toronto firefighters pulled this ball python from a sewer in the city's east end early Tuesday.*(Jeremy Cohn/CBC)

Sannella still hopes they'll get Monty back.*

"Maybe he's in the basement laughing at us," she said.

Snake escaped during party

Monty escaped when Sannella's son*had friends over to watch the NBA Finals.

During*the party, Sannella*suspects,*the lid of Monty's container was accidentally left open*and the snake*slipped into a nearby sewer grate, but she said "there's no way of knowing" exactly what happened.

Sannella said the ordeal has made*her reconsider keeping a snake in the house.

"I didn't actually ever want a snake, but my son really wanted a spider and I said no," she said. He suggested a snake —*and Sannella*said sure,*"but if it ever escapes, you'll be in big trouble."

Ball pythons typically grow to be about 1.2 metres in length*and are non-venomous constrictors.*

They can go without food for several months, according to ball python enthusiast*websites.

28 stray snakes picked up in Toronto since 2017

According to the city, Toronto Animal Services has picked up 28 stray snakes since Jan. 1, 2017. Another five have been surrendered by their owners.

Fiona Venedam, manager of enforcement and mobile response for Toronto Animal Services, says snakes are excellent escape artists.

Any terrarium should have a secure lid with a latch. Proper lighting, heating, bedding and hiding places are needed to make*pet snakes feel at home, she added.

[JustKelli]

World's oldest electric suspension train reopens in Germany

Wuppertal’s Schwebebahn was closed for almost nine months for repairs

*The Wuppertal suspension railway is back in service. Photograph: Friedemann Vogel/EPA

The world’s oldest electric suspension railway has reopened in the western German city of Wuppertal after the longest closure in its history for extensive repairs.

Commuters and train buffs greeted the hanging train, or the Schwebebahn, which had been shut down for almost nine months, with cheers and applause as it left its depot in Oberbarmen just after dawn.

“Wuppertal is rather attached to its suspension train,” the city’s mayor, Andreas Mucke, told the assembled crowd. “She is not only the most important means of transport … but amounts to the city’s trademark, known across the world.”

The 120-year-old railway, which carries 85,000 passengers a day on its eight-mile route, was closed after the collapse of a part of the power distribution system in November.

A Wuppertal-born poet, Else Lasker-Schüler, has compared travelling on the monorail to an airy flight on the back of a “steely dragon”. The majority of the journey follows the path of the rapidly running Wupper River, 12 metres (39 ft) below the carriages. At the end of the line the track loops elegantly to allow for the trains to be turned around.

The railway’s operators say its advantages include not having to contend with traffic jams or junctions or indeed with snow or leaves on the track.

It attracts transport enthusiasts from around the world who can ride on its circuit on a 24-hour ticket for €7.10 (£6.50), and architecture fans are often drawn to its 20 striking stations ranging from the modern, glassy Kluse to the art nouveau-style Werther Bridge.

The recent closure was the railway’s longest since the second world war, during which it was bombed extensively. Officials then saw it as a point of pride to put all the necessary resources into restoring the city’s most important hallmark swiftly, and it was reopened in 1946.

The Schwebebahn has inspired poets and songmakers. It is referred to in Theodor Herzl’s 1902 utopian novel Altneuland (The Old New Land), in which it is cited as the ideal form of city transport. It features in the filmmaker Wim Wenders’ Alice in den Städten (Alice in the Cities) and in the Turner prize nominee Darren Almond’s 1995 Train Trilogy.

The most famous incident in its history concerns an Indian elephant. In July 1950 a three-year-old animal called Tuffi, who was in Wuppertal with Frank Althoff’s touring circus, was loaded into carriage number 13 along with a pack of journalists and fans as part of a publicity stunt.

According to witnesses, the elephant, panicked by the crush in the overcrowded car, sat on a wooden seat, causing it to break, before charging with all her might through the left side of the train.

She landed in the river 12 metres below. Her fall was broken by a muddy bank and left her with just a bruised behind, but the train carriage was demolished and several journalists were injured.

It happened so quickly that no photographs exist of the plunge, only of the elephant standing in the muddy water. But this has not stopped the city selling photo montages of the incident, alongside plenty of other Schwebebahn paraphernalia, from gummy bear trains and cookie cutters to T-shirts and chocolates.

Althof and the city’s head of the transport were eventually fined 450 marks and told by a judge that the only animals allowed on the suspension railway were guide and police dogs.

[JustKelli]

Passengers literally went batshit crazy aboard a commercial flight Wednesday ...



BAT CAUSES CHAOS ON SPIRIT AIRLINES FLIGHT: 'IT'S THE BATPLANE!'

Passengers aboard a Newark-bound Spirit Airlines flight were in for a surprise during their journey on Wednesday when a bat appeared and flew back and forth through the cabin, causing chaos, confusion, and delight.

Peter Scattini who was onboard the flight tweeted a video of the bat, writing: "Me, twice a year: 'I'll never fly spirit again.' Me, this morning, after deciding I'd rather save 12 dollars."

Scattini, who said his Spirit flight cost just $57, followed up: "I also want to make clear that this bat appeared WHILE WE WERE 30 MINUTES INTO OUR FLIGHT.

"Where it came from? No idea. Eventually someone trapped it between a book & a cup and then locked it in one of the restrooms for the remainder of the trip."

In another video of the incident posted to Twitter, a man says: "It's the Batplane!"

"Hey Batman," says a woman as the panicked creature flaps its wings and flies over the heads of passengers.

Spirit Airlines did not respond immediately to*Newsweek's request for comment.

My friends call me Lisa@adrilisasmiddle

Here’s a crazy flight experience. A bat was on the plane headed to Newark. It came out while the plane was in the air. Luckily no one was hurt. One of the passengers caught it and put it in the bathroom. @karenhunter

[JustKelli]

I can't post the article due to political content but will say it was a busy long weekend in Toronto (the pimple on Canada's ass) as there were 17 shootings in 14 separate events but most were gang or drug related and targeted. More power to thugs killing each other just leave innocent bystanders out of it.

Still a drop in the bucket compared to the US.

There were approximately 7,100 victims of crimes involving guns in Canada in 2016,*including 223 gun homicides.*That same year, there were 2,026,011 firearms licenses in Canada.

By comparison 39,773 people were killed by guns in the US in 2017

Six countries in the world are responsible for more than half of all 250,000 gun deaths a year around the globe. The US is among those six, together with Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Guatemala.