News Briefs
Rugby player gains tooth
A rugby league player had an opponent’s tooth stuck in his head – and didn’t even notice it until the end of the match. Shane Millard, playing for the Widnes Vikings, was treated for a head wound when the tooth was found. The Australian player injured his head after a collision with Castleford Tigers’ Dean Ripley but was patched up and sent back into the play. It was only when he received stitches after the game that the doctor alerted Millard that he had part of his opponent’s tooth embedded in his head.
Shopping becomes substitute for gym
A shopping cart is being introduced in the United Kingdom, but this one helps shoppers get fit. The Trim Trolley includes features, such as a resistance wheel that lets customers increase or decrease the effort needed to push the cart. It also monitors the heart rate, checks the number of calories a user is burning and sets the speed and length of the shopping session. Results show that shoppers apparently use about 160 calories during a 40-minute shopping trip, but by increasing the resistance level of the new cart, they can burn 280 calories – the equivalent of a 20-minute slow-paced swim.
Homeless student lives in library for 8 months
A homeless New York student said he slept for eight months in a university library without being caught. The 20-year-old Steve Stanzak said he stayed in New York University’s library because he couldn’t afford housing costs on top of his tuition. He was discovered after the administrators found his Web site, www.homelessatnyu.com, in which he chronicled his life in Bobst Library on New York’s Washington Square. Stanzak said he washed himself in the library’s bathroom, had occasionally showered at friends’ dorms and kept his clothes and books in lockers. The creative-writing student said he got no financial help from his parents and worked about 30 hours a week to earn spending money. The university will now provide him with free housing for the rest of the semester.
Girl falls on stray dog
A four-year-old girl from Baile Olanesti, Romania, fell from a third floor balcony and was saved after she landed on a stray dog. Livia Ungureanu lost her balance while attempting to throw food to the dog. Doctors at a local hospital released the girl, saying she was “lucky” to have sustained only minor injuries. Nusa, the stray dog, was also given the all clear from a vet.
Prison employs inmates as guards
A short-staffed prison in Mexico hired 42 of its most fearsome inmates as guards. The convicts-turned-wardens will each be paid monthly. Their responsibility will be helping the main guards keep control in the overcrowded prison. According to the Mexican newspaper Reforma, the prisoners were chosen according to who can instill the most fear in fellow inmates.
Tank driver fined for speeding
An Austrian soldier was fined for speeding in a 25-ton tank during a military exercise. The driver sped at 40 mph in a 30 mph zone. Police officers in the village of St. Michael, located in the south of the country, pulled the soldier over. Even though he was engaged in an anti-terrorism exercise, police said he had to pay for the ticket out of his pocket.
Terrorist threats made with cell phone
A student at Penn State University faces charges of disorderly conduct and making terrorist threats after allegedly threatening people with his cell phone. Derek Laubach is said to have waved a cell phone around at a party after someone punched Bradley Laubach Jr., one of his relatives, in the face. Police said they received a call saying a man was waving a gun.
