City spending $11,000 on goats to kill weeds

City spending $11,000 on goats to kill weeds

HELENA, Mont. -- This city is going decidedly low-tech get rid of its weed problem.

Officials plan to spend $11,000 to lease 850 goats so they can eat the Dalmatian toadflax, leafy spurge and spotted knapweed that choke Mount Helena.

"If you level the playing field the grass will win. The weeds didn't come in overnight, and we're not going to take care of it overnight," said Joe Dooling of Helena, who owns the goats and leases them to ranchers for weed control.

Helena's weed-control plan includes use of chemicals after the goats leave.

Four years ago, 50 goats were put on Mount Helena in pens covering one and two acres. Those animals escaped a number of times, but the new plan includes having two herders and three dogs keep an eye on the goats.

The city plans a more intensive fight against weeds this time around, keeping the goats on the job for a week or so instead of months. They will be penned at night and will receive water trucked to points nearby.

Dooling said his goats are from Texas, but are quite willing to eat Montana weeds.

"They're more inclined to try things out," he said. "A goat eats 4 percent of his body weight a day."

Guiness verifying if man's 72-hour poker game brakes record

HARTFORD, Conn. -- You can reasonably bet that Larry Olmsted is pretty sick of seven-card stud.

The Vermont native sat at a poker table at Foxwoods Resort Casino at Mashantucket at 1:22 p.m. Thursday and remained there for the next 72 hours, taking occasional bathroom breaks but never leaving the poker area.

Olmsted's feat was intended to set the record for the longest casino poker session, one that has yet to be certified by Guinness World Records to become official.

"It's not for the girls, and not the money. It's for the glory," Olmsted said.

Under Guinness rules, Olmsted, 38, was required to play almost every hand, except for one 15 minute break every eight hours.

He sat down with $100 in poker chips and ended with around $1,000 in winnings, although he gave most of it away in tips to the Foxwoods staff. He played seven-card stud, with a 50 cent ante and a $1 forced bet with a $5 max.

He ate cheeseburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches at the poker table and drank more than 30 cups of coffee, six ice teas, four strawberry shakes and a couple of spicy Virgin Marys.

Olmsted's concentration waned in the last 12 hours, as did his ability to stay awake.

"I got to a point where I couldn't read the numbers on the cards," he said.

The mind of a 6-year old is wonderful. First grade-true story:

One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class. She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying to accumulate the building materials for his home. She read,

"...And so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and said, 'Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?' The teacher paused, then asked the class, "...And what do you think that man said?"

One little boy raised his hand and said, "I think he said 'Holy crap! A talking pig!"

The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.

lake disappears within days

Suburban St. Louis lake vanishes over the course of mere days





WILDWOOD, Mo. (AP) - To folks around Wildwood, it's downright freaky: an entire 9.3-hectare lake vanished in a matter of days, as if someone had pulled the plug on a bathtub.

Lake Chesterfield went down a sinkhole this week, leaving homeowners in this affluent St. Louis suburb wondering if their property values disappeared along with their lakeside views.

"It's real creepy," said Donna Ripp, who lives near what had been Lake Chesterfield. "That lake was 23 acres - no small lake. And to wake up one morning, drive by and it's gone?"

What once was an oasis for waterfowl and sailboats was nothing but a muddy, crackled pit outlined by rotting fish.

The sight had 74-year-old George English scratching his head.

"It's disheartening, getting out on your deck and seeing this," he said as he stood next to wife, Betty, and the lakeside condominium they bought in 1996 for its view. "One day it's a beautiful lake and now, bingo, it's gone."

Some residents said they noticed that the lake, after being swelled by torrential rains weeks earlier, began falling last weekend. The Englishes said they noticed the drop-off Monday.

By Wednesday, the manmade lake - which was up to three metres deep in spots - had been reduced to a mucky, stinking mess.

David Taylor, a geologist who inspected the lakebed Wednesday, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that a sinkhole was formed when water eroded the limestone deep underground and created pockets in the rock. The sinkhole was "like a ticking time bomb."

The lake and surrounding housing development date to the late 1980s.

bizzarre accidents

The Bricklayer
1998 Urban Legend
Accident Report
This one needs an introduction, so you won't be lost at the beginning. This man was in an accident at work, so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response:

"I am writing in response to your request for additional information, for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80-foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using the pulley attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300 pounds of tools."

"You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the
ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel."
"Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope..."

England fans riot in England -alls well in Portugal

Trouble erupts after England game


The muted atmosphere in Lisbon contrasted with England
Police across England made 83 arrests after fans rioted following England's Euro 2004 loss to France.
Some 400 people were involved in disturbances in Croydon, south London, where police were pelted with missiles and 12 people were arrested.

Another 12 people were arrested in Birmingham after a crowd of 200 caused trouble around the city centre.

This was in sharp contrast to the scene in Lisbon, where England supporters remained peaceful.

One supporter was reportedly arrested for allegedly punching an employee at the Lisbon stadium.

And one was handed a suspended jail term and deported following an earlier attack on a French supporter in Lisbon city centre.

Police in Croydon said disturbances there erupted at about 2215 BST on Sunday and continued for about an hour.

Missiles

Two police officers suffered minor injuries and several police vehicles were damaged.

Supt Nick Jupp, of Croydon Police, condemned the violence, saying: "It is totally unacceptable for police officers to be injured as a result of a small minority of people reacting to a football result in this manner."


Fans were stunned by the team's reversal of fortunes
In Birmingham, police had to close off parts of Broad Street for 45 minutes after disturbances broke out at about 2150 BST.

One man was taken to hospital with minor injuries.


The violence involved fans who had been watching the match on a big screen in the city's Centenary Square.

Damage was caused to several pubs, a bus and various hoardings, while several people played football in the main carriageway of Broad Street which led to the road closure.


There were 17 arrests in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and 31 across Hertfordshire.


And a further 11 were held after two police cars were set alight in Boston, Lincs, and a group of up to 60 people threw bricks and bottles at police.


By contrast, the atmosphere in Lisbon was relatively muted, with many fans still in shock after losing the match in the final minute.

Of the 30,000 England fans thought to have descended on the city, most either gathered in bars to commiserate peacefully or else returned to their lodgings for an early night.

The mood contrasted with the scenes on Sunday afternoon before then game, when hordes of expectant red and white-clad fans brought a festival atmosphere as they gathered for the match in venues around Portugal's capital.

Branson crosses channel in a CAR

Branson sets cross-Channel record


The Aquada can reach speeds of 30mph in the water
Sir Richard Branson has set the record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel by an amphibious vehicle.
He drove into the Guinness Book of Records on Monday in the Warwickshire-built Gibbs Aquada, crossing in one hour, 40 minutes and six seconds.

The current record of six hours was set by two Frenchmen.

The Virgin Group chief made the Dover to Calais journey as part of celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of Virgin Atlantic.

It is a great beast - it drives fantastically well on land and then it turns into the most remarkable boat on water

Sir Richard Branson


As he set off from Dover, a fly-past was made by one of the company's Airbus jets.

When he rolled onto ramps placed on the beach at Calais, he was greeted by the town's mayor, reporters and locals.

The Gibbs Aquada, which is manufactured in Nuneaton, looks like a sports car and can reach speeds of more than 100mph on land and 30mph on water.

It takes about 10 seconds for the car's wheels to retract, the power to switch and the boat to take off, according to Gibbs Technologies, the company behind the car.

Ferry waves

The accelerator can then be used as a throttle in the water.

Sir Richard said: "A couple of waves caused by some ferries went straight over the top of us, but otherwise it went really well.

"It is a great beast. It drives fantastically well on land and then it turns into the most remarkable boat on water."

It took seven years of work by 70 engineers and designers at the Gibbs Aquada headquarters to launch the car.

Those who want to buy their own vehicle can expect to pay about Ā£150,000.

things aren't what they seem

After a 10-year study with a global positioning satellite system (reported in February), researchers at England's Oxford University concluded that homing pigeons do not get their bearings from the sun, as previously thought, but rather just follow roads and highways home. (2) Mr. Jian Feng, of Hegang in northern China, suspicious when his wife gave birth to a baby he regarded as seriously ugly, got her to admit that, though she was not adulterous, she had herself been seriously ugly before she met Jian, but had had major plastic surgery in South Korea and now did not much resemble her genetic look. (Even so, Jian divorced her and in May sued her for fraud.) [BBC News-Reuters, 2-5-04] [South African Press Association-Deutsch Presse-Agentur, 5-19-04]

Put down the sloppy joe or I'll shoot!

WATERBURY, Conn. -- A food fight that started with fruit cup turned into a mealtime melee, serving up a full plate of arrests and injuries.

Seven seventh-graders were arrested after a spat in a middle school cafeteria left two teachers and a detective with injuries Wednesday.

The incident began at West Side Middle School after a girl dumped a fruit cup over a boy's head, police said. The two started fighting, then other students joined in, some jumping on tables and throwing food, police said.

"What was described as a riot situation developed in the cafeteria," Sgt. Christopher Corbett said.

A detective and two teachers suffered minor injuries breaking up the melee.

Three girls and fours boys ranging in age from 12 to 14 were arrested on charges including breach of peace, assault and inciting a riot. All seven were released to their parents after promising to appear in juvenile court.

stephen lautens -funny

By STEPHEN LAUTENS -- Calgary Sun


I just realized that my 14th wedding anniversary is at the end of the month.

These days, I guess that makes us a statistical oddity.

I also looked it up. The traditional present for a 14th wedding anniversary is supposed to be ivory.



Have you ever tried to buy enough paper to wrap an elephant?

There are things you learn being in what is now considered a long-term relationship.

I don't care what the Charter of Rights, the UN or Sheila Copps say, but after 14 years of marriage, I've come to the conclusion that men and women are different.

Let me be careful and emphasize that I'm not saying one is better than the other, but we are different.

For example, men don't understand why women do up the button and zipper of men's pants when they come out of the dryer.

My wife explained that she thought that was how men hung up their pants.

First of all, men don't hang up their pants -- that's what the chair at the end of the bed is for.

And second, it just means you have to unbutton and unzip them to put them on.

Women don't understand how men can keep straight all the remote-controls for the TV, VCR and DVD player.

I keep explaining to my wife it's perfectly simple -- the TV has to be on channel 3, the VCR has to be turned on, then you push the input button on the VCR remote, and then the DVD player has to be ... Forget it.

Men don't understand why women don't want to be fooling around all the time. Men judge all activities by the single standard of "how does this compare to fooling around?"

Scrapbooking? This is valuable time we could be spending fooling around.

Reading the paper? This is valuable time we could be spending fooling around.

Sleeping? This is valuable time we could be spending fooling around.

You get the idea. So when you're busy doing something and we look at you that way, this is what we're thinking. Consider yourselves warned.

Women remember family birthdays, anniversaries and the name of your third cousin's second wife.

They also find and wrap thoughtful presents and frequently forge your name on the card. Your job as a man is to not look too surprised when the relative opens it and thanks you.

Men don't understand why women fold underwear. It's not like anyone is going to see it.

And we just stuff it in the drawer anyway next to the baseball that we hit a home run with in high school and 10 pairs of mismatched socks.

Women buy self-help books, which is odd because usually it is us men who need the help.

Our idea of a self-help book is Everything I Needed to Know I Learned From Captain Kirk with the picture of the bikini-wearing warrior alien gal on the cover.

I think as a man, you can judge how screwed up you are by how tall the stack of self-help and relationship books is on your wife's side of the bed.

A man's idea of a diet is to just stop eating for a while.

It has nothing to do with counting calories, food groups, carbs, proteins or anything else.

It doesn't mean we'll buy low-fat anything or take carrot sticks to work for lunch.

Frankly, we'd rather starve than eat something tasteless, rubbery or has the word "lite" in the name.

And if the man-diet doesn't work, we can always just undo the top button of our pants -- which we have to do anyway because that's the way they come out of the wash.

just a joke :)

The mind of a 6-year old is wonderful. First grade-true story:

One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class. She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying to accumulate the building materials for his home. She read,

"...And so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and said, 'Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?' The teacher paused, then asked the class, "...And what do you think that man said?"

One little boy raised his hand and said, "I think he said 'Holy crap! A talking pig!"

The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.