Weird News

Too much PlayStation may cause painful lumps

LONDON - Gamers beware: Keeping too tight a grip on the console and furiously pushing the buttons can cause a newly identified skin disorder marked by painful lumps on the palms, Swiss scientists said on Tuesday. Called "PlayStation palmar hidradentitis" by the scientists, the skin disorder can cause painful lesions on the palms similar to patches found on the soles of children's feet after taking part in heavy physical activity, they said.

"The tight and continuous grasping of the hand-grips together with repeated pushing of the buttons produce minor but continuous trauma to the (palm) surfaces," Vincent Piguet and colleagues at University Hospitals and Medical School of Geneva reported in the British Journal of Dermatology. A spokesman for Sony Corp, which makes the PlayStation, noted the study involved one person and said the company had sold hundreds of millions of the consoles since the product was introduced in 1995.

"As with any leisure pursuit there are possible consequences of not following common sense, health advice and guidelines, as can be found within our instruction manuals," Sony spokesman David Wilson said. "We would not wish to belittle this research and we will study the findings with interest, but this is the first time we have ever heard of a complaint of this nature."

Public health issue
Excessive gaming is already seen as a public health issue, sparking addictive behavior that can lead to a range of psychological problems, the researchers said. Other researchers have identified acute tendonitis from playing too much of Nintendo Co Ltd's Wii, and now a disorder related to the PlayStation can be added to the list, the team said.

Their study described the case of a 12-year-old girl who attended the Geneva hospital with intensely painful lesions on her hands, which she had developed four weeks earlier. She had no other lesions anywhere else on her body. After questioning, the doctors discovered that several days prior to the appearance of the lesions the girl had started to play a game on her PlayStation for several hours each day.

The researchers suspected that grasping the console's hand-grips together with repeated pushing of the buttons produced minor but prolonged injury to the palm of the girl's hands, which can be made worse by sweating during a tense game. The doctors recommended the girl stop playing and she recovered fully after 10 days, the researchers said.

"If you're worried about soreness on your hands when playing a games console, it might be sensible to give your hands a break from time to time, and don't play excessively if your hands are prone to sweating," Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists said in a statement.
 
Cop makes arrest in bathroom after smelling crack

ELKTON, Md. -- The Cecil County Sheriff's Office said a deputy about to take a bathroom break at a gas station smelled crack cocaine and made a quick arrest. Police spokesman Lt. Bernard Chiominto said Deputy John Lines was waiting to use the bathroom Friday at a Wawa convenience store when he smelled crack cocaine from outside the bathroom.

Lines then saw a 27-year-old man come out of the bathroom. Chiominto said Lines went in the bathroom, saw drug paraphernalia and arrested the man, who police said had glassy eyes and dilated pupils. Police said the man resisted arrest and was subdued using pepper spray. He was charged with assault, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia after police found drug paraphernalia in his pockets.
 
Utah man finds drunk burglary suspect on his floor

OREM, Utah -- Police have arrested a 27-year-old man in a home burglary after the resident reportedly found him drunk on the floor. Police said a 24-year-old man came home from work Friday and found his back door open and his golf clubs on the ground. He searched his house and found various items moved and a stereo on the stairway.

The man also found another man on the floor, incapacitated and intoxicated. The man was booked into the Utah County Jail on charges of intoxication and residential burglary.
 
Unemployed woman nearly loses bag of cash, checks

CONCORD, Calif. -- A woman who just lost her job would also be out thousands of dollars if it weren't for the honesty of a good Samaritan. Police said a man who found a bank bag full of money and checks in a shopping center parking lot over the weekend flagged down police and turned it over.

Officers were able to track down the woman and return her lost money. The bag contained $4,000 in cash and more than $20,000 in checks. She told police the bag had fallen out of her purse at Kmart on Saturday night.
 
Mom, baby OK after suspects crash through ceiling

TOPEKA, Kan. -- A mother and her 2-week-old son are unharmed and four suspects may face charges after three of them crashed through the ceiling of the woman's home while fleeing police. Keica Howard told the Topeka Capital-Journal that she had just finished nursing her son, Marcus, at 6:30 a.m. Monday and put him in her bed while she woke up her 7-year-old daughter. Had she put the infant back in his bassinet, the outcome could have been much different.

Police said three suspects they were chasing were hiding in the attic of an adjacent town house. But the trio fell through the ceiling in Howard's home, sending debris on the bassinet. They were apprehended, and a fourth suspect was already in custody. Howard's neighbor called police after an attempted robbery at his home.
 
Man, 75, manages to chase down much younger thief

STUART, Fla. -- A suspected robber in his physical prime thought he saw an easy target outside a Stuart Best Buy. But police said that the 75-year-old victim chased down 29-year-old man, who had just snatched the victim's brand new laptop computer and printer on Sunday. The victim told police he was waiting in front of the store for his wife to pick him up when the man grabbed the packages and ran.

Authorities said the suspect made it about 8 feet before the man grabbed him. Moments later, an off-duty deputy saw what was happening and joined the struggle. The man was charged with robbery by sudden snatching and battery on a person over age 65. He was being held on $12,500 bail.
 
Try at passing old $1,000 bill foils safe-robbers

TEXAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Authorities say an antique $1,000 bill proved the downfall of three teenagers on the run in Michigan. The Kalamazoo County sheriff's department says the trio stole a safe containing antique money from one of the youth's parents.
The Kalamazoo Gazette and the Birmingham News say they drove a stolen van to Birmingham, Ala., where an 18-year-old tried to exchange the $1,000 bill Thursday at a Service First Bank branch.

The U.S. Treasury stopped printing $1,000 bills in 1945, so the bank called police. Officers arrested the teen and two 15-year-old companions. They remained in custody Tuesday in Birmingham awaiting return to Michigan. They're from Texas Township, about 135 miles west of Detroit.
 
Booze bust in Brunei nets 1,382 beer cans on boat

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei -- It was a beer run on the high seas. Brunei's customs officers arrested two men who tried to smuggle 1,382 cans of contraband beer by boat into the Muslim-majority country, a news report said Wednesday. The men entered Brunei's waters from a neighboring nation Tuesday but tried to flee when they realized they had been spotted, the Borneo Bulletin newspaper reported. It did not identify the neighboring country, but Brunei shares borders with two Malaysian states on Borneo island.

Customs authorities foiled the escape after a high-speed chase, making their biggest seizure of alcohol this year, the report added. Brunei's laws ban the public sale and consumption of alcohol, though non-Muslim visitors are allowed to bring in limited amounts for private consumption. Representatives of Brunei's Royal Customs Department could not immediately be reached. The men are expected to be charged with alcohol smuggling, which is typically punished by a fine.
 
Injured good Samaritan ticketed for jaywalking

DENVER -- A good Samaritan who pushed three people out of the path of a pickup before he was struck and injured has been ticketed for jaywalking. Family members say 58-year-old Jim Moffett and another man were helping two elderly women cross a busy Denver street in a snowstorm when he was hit Friday night. Moffett suffered bleeding in the brain, broken bones, a dislocated shoulder and a possible ruptured spleen. He remained hospitalized Wednesday in serious but stable condition.

The Colorado State Patrol issued the citation. Trooper Ryan Sullivan told the Rocky Mountain News that despite Moffett's intentions, jaywalking caused the accident. The other good Samaritan was also cited for jaywalking. The pickup driver was cited with careless driving causing injury. Sullivan says the two elderly women haven't been cited but the investigation is ongoing. "It's a horrible tragedy," he said.

Sullivan said Moffett and the others weren't in a crosswalk, but said he didn't know why the bus stop was in an area without one.
 
if someone tried to rob me and then passed out on my floor, they would wake up with the police and a few bruises.
 
[quote1235723725=z242pilot]
if someone tried to rob me and then passed out on my floor, they would wake up with the police and a few bruises.
[/quote1235723725]

Yeah I was looking at that too. He probably got drunk and partied with that stereo for a bit and then fell asleep lmao.

The dumbasses... and I live in Utah county... this place is a trash dump except for around my university and the "mormon" areas...
 
Couple win $50,000 prize for 2nd time on same game

An Indianapolis couple beat the odds when they claimed their second $50,000 Lucky 5 Hoosier lottery prize. Elinor and John T. Phillips of Indianapolis claimed the prize Thursday, less than five years after Elinor Phillips won $50,000 on the same game in 2004. Elinor Phillips said her heart fluttered when she heard the numbers for the Feb. 24 evening draw.

Phillips said she and her husband play Lucky 5 Evening regularly. The retirees plan to use their winnings to pay down their mortgage. They say they will continue to play. The Lucky 5 game offers two shots at the $50,000 prize for $1. Than Nguyen of New Castle and Oliver Matthews of Columbus hold the record for most Lucky 5 wins with four wins each.
 
Cops: Man late for flight claims to be air marshal

Authorities say a man running late for a flight flashed a fake police badge to airline workers and claimed to be an air marshal so they would let him through the gate. Miami-Dade police said a 49-year-old man was booked on a flight to Los Angeles Wednesday night, but the gate had already closed and the plane was departing. After he showed the fake badge and claimed to be an air marshal, employees stopped the plane and let him board.

But real air marshals already on the plane recognized his fake badge and kicked him off. Not content with avoiding arrest, police said the man went to an airport bar and began loudly complaining about missing his flight. That's when airport police arrested him. The man was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer.
 
SoCal aquarium blames flooding on curious octopus

Staff at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium in California say the trickster who flooded their offices with sea water was armed. Eight-armed, to be exact. They blame the soaking they discovered Tuesday morning on the aquarium's resident two-spotted octopus, a tiny female known for being curious and gregarious with visitors. The octopus apparently tugged on a valve and that allowed hundreds of gallons of water to overflow its tank.

Aquarium spokeswoman Randi Parent says no sea life was harmed by the flood, but the brand new, ecologically designed floors might be damaged by the water.
 
Fla. teens try to swallow pot during traffic stop

Authorities in southwest Florida said two 19-year-olds unsuccessfully tried to swallow a bag of marijuana during a traffic stop and were charged with tampering with evidence. North Port police reported that an officer stopped the teens on Saturday because their car's high beams were on. The officer said he noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle. When he went back to the car after checking their identification, he said he found the pair covered in "little, green leafy-like substance," and they were chewing and having trouble swallowing.

The officer reported finding four grams of marijuana in one of the teen's shoes, leading to an additional possession charge. The pair have since been released from jail.
 
Mich. man pleads no contest in vacuum sex act case

A man has pleaded no contest to indecent exposure after police said he was arrested for performing a sex act with a car wash vacuum. The Saginaw News reported 29-year-old Jason Leroy Savage entered the plea Wednesday in Saginaw County Circuit Court. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but will be treated as one at sentencing on March 25.

Police said Savage was arrested after a resident called officers early on Oct. 16 to report suspicious activity at a car wash in Thomas Township, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.
 
Neb. motorcyclist nabbed after chase hits 145 mph

A 23-year-old motorcyclist was jailed after a 5-minute chase at speeds reaching 145 on U.S. Highway 77 on Wednesday evening. The Nebraska State Patrol said a trooper tried to pull the man over, but he accelerated, eventually hitting 145 mph. The patrol said the motorcyclist pulled off the highway after about eight miles and drove into a farmstead. He circled the farmhouse, then stopped on the front lawn.

He was arrested without incident. The patrol said the man faces charges including speeding, flight to avoid arrest, driving under suspension and willful recklessness.
 
Man says veteran status should let him steal candy

FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- Authorities arrested a man who claimed he was justified in stealing candy at a truck stop because he had served in the military. Police said an officer confronted a 31-year-old man at the truck stop early Monday morning. The officer reported finding several packages of candy and nuts, two black T-shirts and a 20 oz. bottle of beer in his pockets.

He said he had paid for all the items, but a clerk denied ringing up any purchases for him. A report stated that while in the patrol vehicle, the man screamed out the window that he had served in the military over in Iraq and could steal all the M&M'S he wanted. His veteran status could not be immediately verified. The man was charged with retail theft and was being held on $5,000 bail.
 
Romanian villagers who built own bridge are probed

BUCHAREST, Romania -- Tired of waiting for authorities to replace a bridge swept away last July by floods, Romanian villagers have finally given up - and built their own. The catch: They didn't have a permit. Now they're the subject of a criminal investigation.
Prosecutor Viorel Damu said Friday that police are trying to identify those who worked on the bridge, which was built in a single day, Feb. 6. The guilty parties could be jailed for three years or fined up to 70,000 lei ($20,800), he said.

The mayor called that "absurd." He said villagers tested the bridge and limited the allowable weight to 2.5 tons. And they'll tear it down again, too, he said - just as soon as authorities find time build a new one. Marginea was cut in half when the river overflowed seven months ago, making it difficult to get from one part of the village to the other. Police may be investigating, but on Thursday the prime minister commended the villagers' "solidarity."

And even the prosecutor seemed to relent. He said the villagers could escape punishment if an investigation concludes they acted out of a "state of necessity."
 
Alarm company: Um, sir? Your house is on fire

POMFRET, Conn. -- A Connecticut man was so engrossed with the tunes on his iPod that he didn't realize his house was on fire - until his alarm company called. Pomfret Assistant Fire Chief Edward Bates says Andrew Riley told him he was listening to music Thursday afternoon when the blaze broke out on the upper floor of his 2 1/2-story house. Bates says Riley didn't smell smoke or hear the smoke alarm going off.

After receiving the call, Riley dashed upstairs and shut a door to the burning room. Firefighters arrived on the scene and quickly put out the blaze. The damage was limited to the exercise room and an adjoining office. A fire marshal blamed the fire on an electrical malfunction in the exercise room.
 
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