A penny saved is a penny earned -- no matter how old. Image:scmikeburton/Flickr/CC BY-ND

June Gregg was given a 100th birthday party Thursday — not by family or friends, but by her bank. The Huntington Bank branch in Chillicothe, Ohio, was grateful for Gregg’s loyalty. She has kept the same savings account since 1913.

Before World War I

June Gregg’s nearly century old bank account came to the bank’s attention when Gregg mentioned to a friend that she has the same account that her father opened for her before World War I. That friend informed the bank manager, Doug Shoemaker, who checked into records and learned that it was true. In all that time, the account number had only changed once, when the Huntington Bank acquired what had previously been called the Chillcothe Savings Bank in the early 1980s.

Gregg said her father, Gilbert, a wheat farmer,  began the account in 1913, when she was a year and a half old. The original deposit was $6.11. He had wanted his daughter to learn the value of thrift and saving, and it seems the lesson took.

Stay out of debt!

“That’s what he always taught us: to stay out of debt and save our money and not buy anything until we had the money to pay for it,” said Gregg to the press. “I don’t have many wants.”

Gregg never married and has no children. In 1932 she opened a store and later worked for the post office. She worked there for more than 25 years and retired in 1976.

Loyalty ‘takes the cake’

Although some customers have kept their accounts for 30 0r 40 years, according to Shoemaker, when it comes to loyalty, “June takes the cake.” Gregg claims she never even thought about changing banks; she likes the institution.

A gift of interest

As a gift, the bank raised her interest rate to about 5 percent for the next 100 days. That is about 5 times the normal rate.

Sources

MSNBC

Huffington Post

WTHR

Children are legitimate tax deductions. Adult magazines are not. (Photo Credit: CC BY-SA/J.K. Califf/Flickr)

Monday, April 18 is tax day 2011, and some Americans will attempt to slip some very creative tax deductions by the IRS. From flattop haircuts to human sperm donations, auditors have seen it all. In the spirit of the occasion and prefaced with the warning not to try this at home, here are some of the craziest tax deductions enterprising U.S. taxpayers have attempted.

Holy travel and entertainment deductions, Batman!

Dallas CPA Ken Sibley told Bankrate of one client – a minister – who attempted to claim travel and entertainment expenses as tax deductions. Apparently, the minister was looking for real estate investment properties but never found his promised land after years of trying. Hence, it could not qualify as a business expense.

He was charitable enough to marry her

Deducting wedding expenses is a no-no, even under the category of business travel and entertainment expenses. Just because you invite business clients doesn’t make the wedding a business expense, a Massachusetts CPA said. And remember: your betrothed is not a charity, so you can’t count wedding expenses as charitable donations, either.

That’s a 30-year plan

New Jersey CPA Don Meyer spoke of the business manager of a famous entertainer who arranged for the purchase of a $2 million office building. The idea was that it would be deductible as a business expense, and the business manager was expecting to deduct the entire expense in the same tax year. Unfortunately, Meyer had to tell the business manager that it would take more than 30 years to recover the complete expense. Even a suitcase full of money and an ominous admonition to “make it work” couldn’t change the tax law.

Securing a lifetime of tax money

A home-based business can produce legitimate tax deductions, but claiming pets as security expenses won’t fly. Home security systems in general don’t fly with the IRS, either, says the Hunter Group of Fair Lawn, N.J. One client tried to declare a security system under the rationale that if her home was invaded and she was slain, she’d no longer be able to pay taxes.

Risky business

Dues and subscriptions for professional and trade publications may be listed as tax deductions, so long as you are a professional in an approved field. The deduction would fall under miscellaneous deductions if it meets the 2 percent floor rule (2 percent or more of total adjusted gross income), writes Quizlaw.

However, if you’re a self-employed real estate professional who is attempting to write off adult magazines under the dues and subscriptions deduction rule, take a long, hard look in the mirror and reconsider, says another Massachusetts CPA.

On a related note, Don Meyer once had a client who happened to be a prostitute. She wanted to declare her income, and listed “public relations” as her job.

Sources

Bankrate

IRS

Quizlaw

On deducting haircuts and sperm donations

An example of Parry-Romberg syndrome in advanced stage (left). (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Plastic Surgery 2009)

Without surgery , 11-year-old Christine Honeycutt would have been resigned to a life of dramatic deformation and serious neurological trouble. Diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder called Parry-Romberg syndrome, the left side of Honeycutt’s face stopped growing when she was 5 years old. Yet reconstructive microvascular surgery has greatly helped, reports CNN.

The thin gray line of Parry-Romberg syndrome

When Christine Honeycutt was five, a line appeared down the middle of her forehead. Her parents thought it was a bruise; her friends thought she had ink on her face. When the mark was still there after a few weeks, Christine’s mother took her to see a doctor, who prescribed a cream to treat the “discoloration.”

After five months, the line became more pronounced. The Honeycutts moved from Charlotte, N.C., to southern California so Christine could see a specialist. Unfortunately, the specialist gave the Honeycutts the same advice — keep Christine out of the sun — that they’d heard before. By the time young Christine Honeycutt was in first grade, abnormal weight gain, fevers and violent seizures began. The right side of her face appeared normal, but the left side was swollen. A clear asymmetry had developed that a geneticist would diagnose a few years later (in 2008) as Parry-Romberg syndrome.

One in a million suffer from Parry-Romberg syndrome

The extremely rare autoimmune disorder Parry-Romberg syndrome (aka progressive facial hemiatrophy) is found in only one in 1 million people, most commonly in females. Some believe Abraham Lincoln may have had the disorder. Christine Honeycutt’s immune system was wreaking havoc on her left side, most notably in the face. The line running down Christine’s forehead – the “coup de sabre,” or “cut of a saber” – looked like a scar from a sword fight. It was similar to Parry-Romberg syndrome pictures found online.

“There were horrifying pictures,” said Vicki Honeycutt, Christine’s mother. “One side [of a patient's face] was a skeleton and the other side wasn’t.”

No cure, save reconstructive surgery and ongoing treatments

There is no cure for Parry-Romberg syndrome. Facial reconstructive surgery and immuno-supressant drugs can be beneficial, as has been the case so far for Christine Honeycutt. Extensive plastic surgery – which took about seven hours to complete – has placed her back on the path to normalcy. There is still some swelling, but not enough to keep Christine away from school.

“I like my nose better now,” she said.

Sources

CNN

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Parry-Romberg syndrome Resource

Death comes to Cairo, according to FoxNation.com. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Ciaran Woodrow/Elfwood)

Rioting in Egypt and subsequent insurrections in surrounding countries have led many to question whether the power structures of the Middle East are crumbling. Some are eager to pronounce it a sign of the end of days, reports FoxNation.com. Believers point to allegedly unaltered Feb. 3 video footage of protests on the streets of Cairo in which a spectral green shape can be observed. FoxNation.com and other media outlets are calling the unexplained phantasm the “Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse,” Death.

From whence the Horseman hails

According to the New Testament book of Revelation 6:1-8, the Four Horsemen represent the final tribulations during the war of the end times. Identified as Conquest, War, Famine and Death, respectively, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse are commissioned by God to deliver last judgment upon the world. In the case of Egypt, hundreds of deaths have occurred as a result of anti-Hosni Mubarak riots. The dictator eventually ceded power to the military. But in the minds of doomsday cultists worldwide, the death and destruction that has occurred in Egypt and the rest of the Middle East are fertile ground for the pale rider Death.

The viral Horseman of the Apocalypse

FoxNation.com first posted the footage of the ghostly image, and Fox and Friends soon mentioned it during round table discussion. Depending on the version of the footage, a green apparition is visible between 1:17 and 1:30 into the video. According to Euronews, the setting is a crowd of Cairo protesters behind barricades. The flowing, pale green image – which some sources claim looks like an “erect rider atop a horse in Medieval-like barding” – floats over the protesters’ heads.

Footage from various sources bears the Horseman image

Euronews writes that the ghostly image looks quite similar from one outlet’s footage to the next, and the clip apparently isn’t borrowed from a single source. This is part of the reason some who believe in the Christian gospels are convinced the footage shows the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse. Clearly there are people who subscribe to Fox Mulder’s poster slogan: “I want to believe.” Photographic experts,  however, say the image could be due to lens flare.

Sources

Euronews

Fox Nation

Mediaite

Wikipedia

Is the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse at 1:20?

Without a medical education, it's difficult to tell that these aren't antibiotics. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/NAME/Methotrexate Blog)

ABC News reports that expectant 19-year-old mother Mareena Silva of Ft. Lupon, Colo., was six weeks pregnant when she obtained a prescription for antibiotics to fight off an infection. In a harrowing turn of events, the pharmacist accidentally gave Silva methotrexate, a chemotherapy and rheumatoid arthritis drug that can act as an abortion pill. Now Silva may lose her baby.

Methotrexate and mistaken identity

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, methotrexate can harm a developing fetus. As an abortion pill, it can cause miscarriages and birth defects, frightening truths Silva had never contemplated.

“I am so worried about myself and the baby,” Silva cried during an ABC News interview. “I just took one, but it was so much more of a big deal because I’m only six weeks along.”

Dr. Paul Doering of the University of Florida’s College of Pharmacy told ABC News that few pharmacy mistakes could have been as dangerous. All it took was a careless mistake from a pharmacy technologist, who matched the methotrexate prescription with Mareena Silva’s last name. Unfortunately, the tech didn’t pay close enough attention to the similar but different first name on the bottle. The methotrexate was for another woman.

’50-50 chance’ of avoiding danger

Mareena Silva reportedly experienced nausea after a single pill. Her doctor advised her to induce vomiting immediately. Silva was then rushed to the hospital and administered charcoal to absorb the methotrexate. Dr. Marcel Casavant of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, told ABC News that there remains a “50-50 chance” Silva will experience problems with her child.

Doering told ABC News that if his wife or daughter accidentally took methotrexate during pregnancy, the risk to the fetus would be so great that he would recommend abortion.

Medication during pregnancy: A sensitive affair

A recent U.S. study showed that there have been more than 30 deaths related to methotrexate dosing errors in recent years. Mike Cohen, president of the Institute for Safe Medicine Practice, points out that methotrexate can cause severe reactions in some, making close screening essential. Harmful pharmacy mistakes occur up to 3 percent of the time, says an Atlanta Journal-Constitution study. Mistakes involving drugs like methadone, Trazadone and warfarin have led to death and life-threatening consequences.

Anyone who believes they’ve taken the wrong medicine should contact a poison control center immediately at 800-222-1222.

Sources

ABC News

Huffington Post

National Center for Biotechnology Information

One doctor’s view on using medication during pregnancy

Sgt. Schultz need not apply: .nazi domains will reportedly be reserved for educational purposes. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Cannis Group)

The masses have pushed the .com domain name to the limit. Now the Internet domain name system devised by the the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is preparing for some competition from a battery of subject-specific domains like .love, .god, .gay and .nazi. These and other colorful domain names may be headed to your Web browser soon, reports the Washington Post.

Internet land rush fever in full effect

Simple domains like .com, .net and .org have managed to get the job done for individuals and private enterprise for a while. Domains like .edu, .mil and .gov are popular in the public sector. Yet domains like .nazi, .god, .gay, .muhammad and others seem destined to stir controversy, suggest critics. Or in the case of such things as .amazon, conflicts of ownership could arise. Who would own .amazon: the online retailer or Brazil? These are the types of issues ICANN expects to resolve by March or April. Soon, ICANN will open the floor for companies and governments to solicit their claims in what is being called the Internet land rush.

What it costs to stake a claim

The good news for corporations and celebrities is that the price for one of the potential new domains is far beyond what a basement armchair Internet prospector can afford. According to the Washington Post, it costs a whopping $185,000 to apply and $25,000 annually to maintain the domain. And if a party applies for a brave new domain with ICANN and is rejected, they only get back some of the application fee.

This has online activists like Lauren Weinstein of the Los Angeles-based People for Internet Responsibility up in arms. Weinstein alleged that the outrageous fees are merely a moneymaking venture for ICANN, and that the rainbow of highly specific domains will cause aggravation for trademark holders – not to mention users. ICANN chairman Peter Thrush’s defense for the high fees for .gay, .nazi or any of the proposed new domains is two-fold. First, the non-profit ICANN is expecting there to be lawsuits, and second, the organization believes it needs that much money to help defend against cybersquatting.

“Our job is to protect competition and give extra choices for consumers and entrepreneurs,” said Thrush.

Sources:

Washington Post

Rocketboom on the horror of the domain name shortage

Border Patrol authorities have seized a marijuana catapult that was used by smugglers to fling drugs into the U.S. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Border patrol has discovered a marijuana flinging catapult near the American border. Smugglers used the catapult to fling marijuana into the United States, and it was filmed by the National Guard. Mexican law enforcement has since seized the catapult.

Marijuana catapult discovered near Mexican border

Apparently the war on drugs has gone medieval; border patrol found a marijuana-throwing catapult being used at the U.S. and Mexico border, according to ABC. Smugglers had used the catapult to throw drugs over the border, and it was captured on a night vision surveillance camera by the National Guard units that were patrolling the area. The National Guard has regular patrols near Naco, Arizona, which is situated near the Mexican border. During the patrol, film was taken of a group of smugglers, who would tow the catapult on a flatbed trailer behind an SUV. Once they set up the siege engine, they would hurl bags of marijuana that weighed more than four pounds into the desert on the American side.

Latest discovery in drug crusade

Once the National Guard had documented the discovery, the Guard contacted Mexican authorities. Mexican law enforcement officials showed up to apprehend the smugglers, who fled the scene and avoided being captured. The SUV, the catapult, the trailer and about 45 pounds of marijuana in four-and-a half-pound bags were seized. The catapult was constructed on a flatbed trailer about seven feet in length, which folded for transport. Once the throwing arm was put in place, it stood just more than 10 feet tall.

Another drug operation goes up in smoke

Though record drug busts — such as the 20-ton pot seizure several months ago — continue to happen, drug smugglers have shown repeatedly that they can be extremely creative in getting around the authorities. However, the diligence of the National Guard in patrolling the border ensured that this operation went to pot.

Video of the pot catapult

Source

ABC

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich is taking a legal stand against olive pits. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/VictoryNH/Flickr)

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich on April 17, 2008, while dining in a U.S. House of Representatives cafeteria, bit into a sandwich that contained an olive pit. This olive pit caused Kucinich dental damage. The damage was so immediate and intense that it prompted Dennis Kucinich to file a lawsuit in District of Columbia Superior Court on Jan. 3, 2011. Kucinich seeks $150,000 in damages.

Kucinich bills himself ‘America’s most courageous congressman’

According to court documents filed by Dennis Kucinich, it was a sandwich wrap “unwholesome and unfit for human consumption” that caused $150,000 worth of injuries, pain and suffering. Rep. Kucinich’s congressional office filed the lawsuit, which seeks compensatory damages for “future dental and medical expenses” as well as “pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment,” reports The Cleveland Plain Dealer.  All producers and suppliers of the wrapped vegan sandwiches in question are accused of multiple counts of negligence and breach of implied warranty.

Dennis Kucinich raises sandwich negligence counts

Two counts of negligence and two counts of breach of implied warranty are named in the Dennis Kucinich sandwich lawsuit. Rep. Kucinich’s legal team seeks to prove before a jury that these companies were negligent in “serving unwholesome food unfit for human consumption,” particularly because the sandwich in question contained a “dangerous substance that a consumer would not reasonably expect to find in the final product served.”

This alleged negligence, which will necessitate a Kucinich olive pit defense, is supposedly responsible for the congressman’s “serious and permanent” injuries. Dennis Kucinich, according to his lawyers, is entitled to but shall not be limited to past and future dental and medical expenses, plus pain and suffering.

Breach of warranty also filed

The food production and distribution companies named above are also being slapped with allegations of breach of warranty. This is because once such food is served, Dennis Kucinich’s legal team asserts that it is implied that the food is fit for human consumption.

Sources

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Dennis Kucinich: America’s Most Courageous Congressman

Kucinich v. Restaurant Associates, Inc., et al

Sports Comet

Dennis Kucinich is a vegan

A car salesman in Chicago was fired for wearing a Green Bay Packers tie, though he had dressed to impress. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

The legendary rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers cost a Chicago area car salesman his job. John Stone wore a Green Bay Packers tie to work to honor his grandmother, a lifelong Packers fan, and his boss fired him for it. He was offered a new job a day later.

Green Bay Packers tie gets car salesman driven out of work

On Monday, Jan. 24, John Stone went to work at Webb Chevrolet, a car dealership in the Oak Lawn area of Chicago where he was employed as a car salesman. He wore a Green Bay Packers tie, as a tribute to his grandmother, who had been a lifelong fan of Green Bay, according to The News Tribune. Her funeral had been held that Friday and Stone wore the tie to commemorate her. The general manager of Webb Chevrolet, Jerry Roberts, called Stone into his office and told him to remove the tie. Stone laughed it off and went back to work. Roberts went to the floor of the dealership to demand he remove the tie. When Stone refused, believing that Roberts wasn’t serious, Roberts fired him on the spot.

Offered new job

News traveled fast of the car salesman, who was a father of two, getting fired for wearing a Green Bay Packers tie, according to the Chicago Tribune. Stone was interviewed on “The Dan Patrick Show,” a nationally syndicated radio show on Jan. 25 about the incident. During the interview, Guy Cesario, the general manager of another Chicago area Chevrolet dealership, called in and offered him a job at Chevrolet at Homewood. Cesario said that firing someone “because of a tie is just idiotic.” Stone said that the national attention he received and the job offer showed who “has my back.”

Smarted sponsor

Roberts said he didn’t know that Stone was wearing the tie out of tribute to the grandmother who had recently died. Roberts defended his actions, saying Webb Chevrolet had taken on considerable expense to sponsor the Bears, whom the Packers beat in the NFC Championship game the day before he fired Stone.

Sources

The News Tribune

Chicago Tribune

National Hug Day and the Free Hugs Campaign celebrate the power of hugs. Image: Flickr / TinyTall / CC-BY

There are some days when all you need is a hug. National Hug Day, Jan. 21, is a day to celebrate the kindness of those who fill that need. Though National Hug Day has been around since 1986, the legal system has gotten involved more than once.

The origins of National Hug Day

In 1986 in the northern United States, National Hug Day was started as a day to celebrate hugs. The Jan. 21 date of National Hug Day and the name “National Hug Day” was registered with the U.S. Trademark office. Rev. Kevin Zaborney registered National Hug Day, Jan. 21, and also registered Dec. 26 as National Whiner’s Day. National Hug Day is now celebrated in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Germany and Poland.

The details of National Hug Day

National Hug Day is much like National Whipped Cream Day and International Beer Day — a day to celebrate simply by doing. Each year, the National Hug Day group also names the “most huggable people.” For 2011, the group named the Chilean miners. Though not officially associated, National Hug Day is also a great day to check out the Free Hugs Campaign. The Free Hugs Campaign simply suggests offering free hugs to strangers in public places, as a way to spread happiness and random acts of kindness.

Legal problems with National Hug Day

National Hug Day and the Free Hugs Campaign are, unfortunately, not without controversy. Juan Mann, a resident of Australia, started offering free hugs in June 2004. He became famous first for his Free Hugs Campaign, and then again when the where city he was offering free hugs banned him for not carrying public liability insurance. The issue was eventually resolved, but it means that simply offering free hugs on National Hug Day, Jan. 21, could get you in trouble, unless you remember that not everyone wants a hug, and you should always offer, never force. Be sure to double-check any city regulations on what you are doing as well, to make sure that your celebration doesn’t run afoul of the law.

Sources

Free Hugs Campaign
National Hugging Day

Carlina White's story has inspired other families with missing children. (Photo Credit: CC BY-SA/Nikolai/The Siberian city Omsk)

When Carlina White was an infant, a woman posing as a nurse snatched her from Harlem Hospital in New York City. That was Aug. 4, 1987. On Jan. 4, 2011, White, who believed her name was Nejdra Nance, reunited with her birth family, reports the Associated Press. White’s kidnapping investigation had gone cold years ago because authorities weren’t able to collect enough evidence to charge any suspects.

Carlina White saw her photos on a missing children website

Carlina White, 23, who had been raised in Bridgeport, Conn., and was living in Atlanta, contacted biological mother Joy White after noticing that her baby pictures looked almost identical to the photos Joy White had posted on a national missing children website. Carlina had felt that something wasn’t right, and seeing the photos prompted her to act.

“She said she just had a feeling; she felt different from the people raising her,” said said Carlina White’s maternal grandmother, Elizabeth White, 71.

Joy White immediately contacted the New York Police Department, and the investigation resumed after years of inactivity. DNA tests performed on Carlina White, Joy White and ex-husband Carl Tyson proved the match. Retired detectives who had worked the Carlina White case from the beginning were also interviewed.

As Carlina White was so young at the time of her kidnapping, she is uncertain whether she lived with the same family the entire time she was gone. White’s biological family haven’t pushed her to remember, as she is still in process of dealing with the shock of discovery.

The long road to recovery

Carlina White and family will face a long, hard road to recovery, said a father named Anthony Russini whose biological son, Matthew Propp, was abducted as a toddler and was missing for decades before resurfacing. Propp, now a 30-year-old firefighter in Albuquerque, N.M., was born in 1979 to Russini and his teen girlfriend. The young couple put Propp up for adoption. Barry and Judith Smiley were interested in adopting the boy, but Russini objected to the couple. This led to the Smileys abducting Matthew Propp from Long Island, N.Y.

Despite what happened, Matthew Propp has remained supportive of the Smileys. Judith died in 2009, and Barry currently lives with Propp and his family. Barry Smiley still holds out hope that Propp will bond with his biological parents, as Carolina White is trying to do now.

Sources

Newser

New York Daily News

Today Show coverage of Carlina White’s recovery

The orange alligator has likely been dyed by some toxin. Image: Flickr / susanad813 / CC-BY-SA

In one Florida neighborhood, an orange alligator is making headlines. Wildlife biologists have been consulted about this new orange alligator. Some are wondering whether the orange color is from a toxin related to recent fish die-offs.

Orange alligator spotted in Florida

In Venice, Fla., the newest resident of a subdivision is turning a lot of heads. An orange alligator is wandering around the subdivision. Many residents have snapped photos of this orange alligator, sharing it on social networking sites. The Florida department of wildlife has also seen pictures of the orange alligator, pictures sent to them by multiple concerned citizens.

Theories about the orange alligator

The orange alligator has raised as many questions as almost any other cryptozoological creature. Unlike the chupacabra, however, the orange alligator is proven to exist. Some biologists believe that it is a semi-albino creature that has a genetic abnormality. The general consensus of the Florida Fish and Wildlife department, however, is that the orange color is not natural. The orange color, they believe, is due to paint, stain, iron oxide or a toxin in the water or natural habitat of the alligator. By swimming through or rolling in the stain or toxin, the alligator could have stained itself orange.

Is the orange alligator related to bird dieoff?

In the last few weeks, birds and fish around the world have been reported as dying off in massive numbers. Toxicology and autopsy reports of these dieoffs are just starting to come in. Theories for the cause include everything from toxins in the environment to fireworks and radio waves. In all likelihood, the orange alligator is not directly linked to these dieoffs. Toxins and poisons, if they are found to be at fault, are likely not the same ones dying the alligator orange. This is a safe conclusion because the fish that have died off are not themselves dyed orange.

Source

My Suncoast

The Kentucky Chupacabra identity has been discovered, and it was a hairless racoon. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Once again, a rumored Chupacabra has its identity revealed as just another ordinary creature. A strange hairless creature was shot in Kentucky, and it was taken for analysis; meanwhile people started calling it a Chupacabra. It turned out to be hairless raccoon.

Hairless raccoon found to be Kentucky Chupacabra’s identity

In mid-December, reports started pouring out of a Chupacabra in Kentucky , but its true identity was not yet known. Mark Cothern saw a strange, hairless critter in front of his home near Lebanon Junction, Ken., and immediately was struck by the lack of any fur whatsoever. He shot the creature near the garden outside his home. People immediately assumed it was the Chupacabra, or “goat sucker,” a mythical creature from Latin American cultures. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, however, has found out what the critter really was, according to MSNBC. It was a hairless raccoon — certainly an interesting sight, to say the least. The raccoon Chupacabra is undergoing further testing to see why the poor creature was devoid of fur.

Skin diseases behind Chupacabra sightings

Numerous sighting of Chupacabras have been reported over the years, but the specimens found usually end up being far more innocuous. For instance, coyotes infected with mange have lost almost all of their fur and been credited as being the mythical creature. However, that phenomenon is largely confined to western states, such as the Texas Chupacabra found in 2010. The creature called the Montauk Monster was also alleged to be a Chupacabra and was also thought to possibly be a raccoon.

Don’t hold out too long

There will likely be more creatures believed to be Chupacabras in the future. The legend of Chupacabras has gone one long enough now that it’s safe to assume the creature does not exist. Much like the Loch Ness Monster, outlandish explanations and legends often give way to far more mundane explanations.

Sources

MSNBC

A change in labor and tax codes in Romania has led to income taxes being assessed on witches. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Recently, the Romanian government passed what people are calling a “witch tax.” The tax applies to  people who are employed as witches and fortune tellers, who must now pay income taxes and into government pension funds. There seems to have been a lot of witch related media over the past year.

Curses and praises alike on Romanian witch tax

The Romanian government will start collecting income tax from witches and fortune tellers, which is being referred to as the “witch tax,” according to the Christian Science Monitor. The Romanian government re-classified certain professions to full professional status, which subjects income to taxes. Parking valets, embalmers and driving instructors are also included. The reaction has been mixed, as some in the witch trade are cursing the government, figuratively and literally. Others believe it legitimizes the trade and are for it. Witches must now pay 16 percent of their income to the government as income tax, as well as contribute to pension and health funds.

Lots of witch related media

Senatorial candidate and tea party darling Christine O’Donnell insisted she wasn’t a witch after admitting to having dabbled in witchcraft as young woman. Her campaign was apparently cursed as she was crushed at the polls, even with Eye of Newt — Gingrich, that is. The first half of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was released, which is the last film in the series. The film “Season of the Witch,” starring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman, is debuting in theaters.

Witchcraft in Romania

Government officials in Romania are known to wear purple clothing on some days, as the color is said to ward off negative energy. Oddly enough, former dictator of Romania Nicolas Ceausescu and his wife kept a personal witch on staff, though he outlawed practicing witchcraft. Romania is, after all, the land of Dracula, both the literary character and Vlad Tepes, the brutal Medieval warlord and inspiration for the character.

Sources

Christian Science Monitor

A person is more likely to run into Anthrax, the heavy metal band, than into Tide samples with anthrax in them. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Consumers beware, because according to a chain email and text message, samples of Tide have anthrax with them. The story goes that terrorists have infused samples of the laundry detergent with anthrax, a deadly disease spreading spore. The anthrax in Tide hoax is just a new take on an old wives tale.

Whoever believes Tide with anthrax rumors should be in a madhouse

Chain e-mails, text messages and letters can fool the gullible, like the currently circulating one about Tide samples with anthrax in them. The idea is that samples of Tide laundry detergent are showing up at people’s houses through the mail, loaded with powder or traces of anthrax, a toxic spore which spreads an infectious bacteria that can cause fatal illnesses, especially if inhaled. The inhaling of said tainted product leads to the deaths of several people, and in chain e-mails, it’s almost always women. It’s an old wives tale, according to popular myth busting website, Snopes.com. This particular urban legend began as drug or toxin tainted perfume. The “anthrax in Tide” hoax is just a new version of the same old song and dance.

A bit about anthrax

Anthrax is the name of symptoms of an infection, caused by a bacterium, bacillus anthracis. The bacteria produces spores, which is what starts spreading the disease. Sores can develop, along with cold and flu like symptoms, which can be fatal if untreated. The disease is very dangerous, and if treatment is not administered early enough, death is the usual result. The treatment for anthrax is antibiotics. During the 2001 anthrax attacks, letters were mailed to various people containing a white powder containing anthrax spores. Five died, and over a dozen were sickened.

Common fear

An anthrax attack is not something to be taken lightly, but a chain email is. Chain letters, emails, and text messages of this sort try to manipulate common phobias, fears, and so forth. The fear of being poisoned or of a terrorist attack after the events in 2001 would certainly fall into that category, and that’s why these rumors spread so easily. Something using the blueprint of the anthrax in Tide hoax will probably surface again in the future.

Sources

Snopes

Web MD on Anthrax

“Do you know where that dead crab has been?” (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Josh McGinn/Flickr)

On the Thanet Coast near Kent, England, tens of thousands of dead crabs have washed ashore. The Huffington Post reports that scientists do not believe that there is a link between the dead crabs and other recent mass animal deaths.

Hypothermia caused dead crabs

It would be easy to assume that a toxic agent is acting as a causal link between the mass deaths of fish, crabs and the birds that feed upon them, but geography destroys that theory. Experts interviewed by LiveScience say that cold weather – leading to hypothermia – is the culprit causing the dead crabs of Thanet Coast. Tests have found no related toxin or disease.

This is the third consecutive year that velvet swimming crabs have been found dead near Kent. The ranks of dead crabs number approximately 40,000 so far this year.

Dead birds and dead fish: Fireworks and frigid water

On New Year’s Eve, thousands of dead birds fell from the skies over Beebe, Ark. Local authorities attributed the deaths to fireworks. Just a few days later, 500 more bird deaths were reported approximately 300 miles south of Beebe in Louisiana. While the two incidents have yet to be connected, power lines are believed to have played a role in the latter case. Fifty dead birds were also found in Sweden, and hundreds more fell from the sky over Kentucky last week.

About the same time that the dead birds were discovered, dead fish were popping up on a much larger scale. Two million dead fish surfaced in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, and very similar instances of mass fish deaths were uncovered in New Zealand and Brazil. Inclement weather and other environmental factors are currently believed to have produced the dead fish, but testing continues.

What about the dead bumblebees?

While this story has garnered less press than dead birds, dead fish and dead crabs, Sustainability Ninja reports that the number of bumblebees in the U.S. has declined by as much as 96 percent for some species in a phenomenon scientists are calling Colony Collapse Disorder. As all the dead animals in recent news play vital roles in their ecosystems, the deaths are all the more troubling.

Sources

Huffington Post

Sustainability Ninja

Blame it on a rapid drop in temperature

More than 2 million dead spot fish washed ashore in Maryland. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Two incidents of large numbers of dead fish have been reported in the last week. One incident was reported in Arkansas about the same time as hundreds of dead birds fell from the sky, and another massive fish die-off has been reported in Maryland.

Massive numbers of dead fish washing ashore

Two recent incidents of large numbers of dead fish are being reported. Not long after the incident in Beebe, Ark., captured the nation’s attention with dead birds falling from the sky, more than 100,000 dead drum fish washed up over a 20-mile stretch of river in northwest Arkansas, according to ABC. The fish die-off occurred just more than 100 miles from the site of the birds in Beebe. Another mass fish death has been reported in Maryland, far larger than the dead fish incident in Arkansas. More than 2 million dead fish washed ashore from Chesapeake Bay, according to CNN. The Chesapeake beaches have become covered with fish carcasses.

Dead fish in Maryland likely caused by cold

Authorities were quick to assert that the massive numbers of dead fish washing ashore was caused by frigid conditions. The specimens in Maryland are mostly juvenile spot fish three to six inches in length. The eastern coast of the United States has seen a brutal cold snap over the last few weeks. It is likely that the shock of the cold to a large population of young animals was what did them in.

Arkansas incident being investigated

The dead fish in Arkansas are still being investigated. It does not appear to be connected to the dead birds, and authorities anticipate that disease played a role in the fish deaths in the state. Bizarre explanations from magnetic anomalies to the coming apocalypse have been offered for the flocks of dead birds and schools of dead fish, but authorities said further investigations will be conducted in an effort to reveal the causes.

Sources

CBS

CNN

Oh, the espionage secrets those Israel vulture spies allegedly know... (Photo Credit: CC BY-SA/Mauri/Flickr)

While it may sound like something straight out of the Adam Sandler comedy movie “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan,” the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz News states that Saudi Arabia is crying Zionist plot over an alleged vulture spy. Reportedly tagged for scientific research by Tel-Aviv University, the Israeli vulture spy accidentally flew into rural Saudi Arabian territory. The bird was summarily incarcerated on suspicion of being a Mossad spy.

The Israeli vulture spy carried a transmitter

Like many animals studied by scientists, the Israeli vulture spy was being observed in order to glean information regarding migratory patterns. The vulture “spy” was wearing a leg bracelet identifying Tel-Aviv University and a transmitter that allows scientists to track its movements.

While it seems clear that the markings on the alleged Mossad spy clearly identified it as a mere subject of scientific study, residents of the rural town in Saudi Arabia where the nefarious Israeli vulture spy was spotted reportedly told local Al-Weeam newspaper that it smelled of a “Zionist plot.”

At that point, it became inevitable that the Israeli vulture spy story would go viral on Arabic-language websites.

At least the shark wasn’t firing frickin’ laser beams

The Zionist vulture spy isn’t the first time that anti-Israel officials have insinuated that Mossad has used animals to do its dirty work. Last month, a regional Arab governor named Abdel Fadil Shousha spoke out after a shark attack that killed and maimed tourists at a Red Sea port. The suspicion was that the shark was intentionally released – and perhaps trained – by Mossad or similar Israeli agents to sabotage the Arabic region’s tourist industry.

“What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark in the sea to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question. But it needs time to confirm,” said Fadil Shousha to Britain’s Sun newspaper.

Spying on Animal Farm

Animal espionage is admittedly far-fetched, far from the kind of spying for which Jonathan Pollard or Larry Franklin were convicted in the U.S. Yes, Israel has been caught spying on the U.S. Check out the website What Really Happened for more information, and draw your own conclusions. No Mossad vulture spies were harmed during the production of the report.

Sources

Haaretz News

What Really Happened

Story of Jonathan Pollard, who spied on U.S. for Israel

Some Christian churches have estimated May 21, 2011, as the date of rapture. Image: Geograph.org.uk

Members of a loosely organized Christian group have announced that they believe May 21, 2011, will be rapture day. Pastor Harold Camping announced this on his Family Radio Worldwide radio show. This is the second time Camping has announced an upcoming date of rapture.

May 21, 2011, deemed Judgment Day

In a publication and broadcast released by Family Radio Worldwide, May 21, 2011, was named as the date of the rapture. He claims he reached the conclusion that May 21 is the date by “closely reading” scripture. This date has been announced in conjunction with an October, 2011, date of the “end of the world.” The May 21, 2011, judgment day date has been picked up by several Christian organizations, websites and media outlets.

What is Judgment Day?

So when May 21, 2011 comes, what exactly is the day of rapture? According to many Christian groups, rapture is the day that a higher power hands down judgment and good Christians are “gathered together in the air” to meet Jesus. This is a date that they believe precedes the end of the world. Some believe that the May 21, 2011, date for rapture means that the chosen Christians will be physically taken off the Earth. Others believe that the rapture date is more figurative, though the Christian group announcing the May 21 date believes it is literal.

Previous date for Judgment Day

This is not the first time that Harold Camping and other Christian leaders have named a Judgment Day. Originally, Camping named a day in 1994 as the date of Judgment Day. In previous years, religious leaders have announced the date they believe will be the official Judgment Day. Edgar C. Wisenant named 1988, then 1989 as dates for rapture. The Korean group “Mission for the Coming Days” named 1992 as the year for the rapture. Multiple groups named 1993 as a possible date of rapture, because it was seven years before 2000, which they believed would be the end of the world. Not all rapture dates are in the past, however. Sir Issac Newton estimated the date of the rapture would be sometime in 2060. The rapture has provided fodder for books, movies and even the most recent expansion of the World of Warcraft series.

Sources

Times Dispatch
Chicago Tribune

Donald Duck is your friend. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Nancy Nally/Flickr)

April Magolon would have a court of her peers believe that she was goosed by a duck. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the 27-year-old Pennsylvania woman claims she was visiting Disney’s Epcot theme park in Florida when a most fowl deed occurred. As April Magolon was standing around holding her child, Magolon says a park employee dressed as Donald Duck groped Magolon’s breast, then joked about it.

Judge rules April Magolon will have her day in court

While the incident reportedly occurred in May 2008, April Magolon claims that not a night goes by without nightmares, digestive problems and other conditions related to post-traumatic stress disorder. Now a federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled that Disney must defend April Magolon’s post-traumatic street suit in a Pennsylvania court, rather than a Florida court as Disney’s legal team was requesting.

Reports indicate that Disney theme parks have a documented history of fondling complaints. It is unknown at this time whether the employee who allegedly groped April Magolon has a history of such acts.

Giving Donald Duck a bad name

It appears the name Donald Duck is just destined for trouble. While April Magolon battles it out with Disney in court, a Donald Duck unrelated to Disney is in a different sort of trouble. A 51-year-old Ohio man named Donald Norman Duck was arrested yet a gain for DUI in July. Duck has blown a staggering five DUIs in and around Massillion, Ohio, making him a regular with area police.

“He’s a frequent flier,” said local police Capt. Joe Herrick. ”He’s got multiple previous DUIs, multiple previous no operator’s license and operating under suspension, so he’s not that good a driver.”

Though Donald Norman Duck is a documented bad driver, at least he doesn’t try to escape the fuzz — a good decision. However, his decision making skills appear to be lacking when it comes to carrying around bags of marijuana during drunken automotive escapades. A closer look at Donald Norman Duck’s rap sheet shows marijuana possession among his lengthy list of charges.

Sources

PopFi

Sydney Morning Herald

Twenty-four complaints of questionable behavior since 2004