Fight Breaks Out At American Anti-Violence Demonstration
An anti-violence demonstration in Newark, New Jersey, devolved into a physical altercation between two activists. NJ.com reports the small crowd began arguing on the steps of Newark City Hall last Wednesday about the city’s attempts to curb violence. The demonstration was organised by two anti-violence groups.
They say they wanted to urge Mayor Ras Baraka to put his “quality of life plan” into action to help address violence in the city. A group of Baraka supporters appeared and an argument ensued.
At one point, one man put his hands around another’s neck and pushed him to the ground. Organisers and other participants said the skirmish lasted only a few minutes, and there were no serious injuries.
Baraka says the scuffle is being investigated by Newark police and called it “disheartening”.
(AP)
120-Year Sentence For Firing 2 Shots In Air
AJacksonville man is facing a 120-year sentence for firing two shots that caused no injuries, The Florida Times-Union reported last Sunday.
The trial of Army Veteran Randal Ratledge, 58, is scheduled to start with jury selection on Monday. Defense attorneys have asked the judge to waive the mandatory guidelines, but court officials said Judge Jack Schemer is bound by the state law.
Ratledge was charged with six counts of aggravated assault after a 2012 incident involving his neighbours. Authorities said Rutledge fired shots in the air and screamed profanities at the six neighbours. He was charged with one count of aggravated assault on each of the neighbours.
Under Florida’s 10-20-life law, anyone convicted of a crime involving the firing of a gun gets a prison sentence of at least 20 years. Defense attorneys say Ratledge had a bad reaction to the sleep medication Ambien and didn’t know what he was doing when he threatened the neighbours.
(Huffington Post)
Twins Born Minutes Apart, But In Different Years
An unusual pair of twins who were born on separate days were also brought into the world in different years. The baby girl and baby boy of Maribel and luis Valencia were born just around the peak of New Year’s Eve at 11.59 pm and the first minutes of New Year’s Day at 12.02 am, respectively.
“It’s very unusual and it’s very special,” lynnette Coetzee, a nurse at the San Diego Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center told NBC San Diego. “And I haven’t seen it in all my 34 years of nursing,” she added.
Mother Maribel Valencia initially expected to deliver the children via cesarean-section on January 6, but her doctor urged her to deliver the babies as soon as possible, reports by NBC and WKBW say.
Father luis Valencia told the latter outlet their son was breeched, meaning his body was positioned feet-first in the womb. Both babies, named Jaelyn and luis, were born safely. “I was not really expecting two, so it’s a big blessing to have two of them, boy and a girl for New Year’s,” the father said.
(UPI)
Photo Shows ‘Angel’ Watching Over Unborn Baby In Scan
Days after an image of a ‘demon’ bending over an unborn child went viral, a mother has righted the balance between good and evil in her own baby scan. Kelly lewis, 26, shared the picture which shows what looks like an angel bending over her child, with a cherub’s face smiling above.
The mother of one said a friend of hers had spotted the heavenly figure in the scan and pointed it out to her.
She said: “My friend saw the scan of the demon and it reminded him of my baby scan taken in 2012. It looks just like an angel is leaning over my baby, with a cherub face as well hovering over the baby. It’s so clear, no one could believe their eyes when they saw it.”
(Mirror)
World’s tallest giraffe measures 19 feet
Zulu the giraffe stands head and shoulders above his friends as his keepers claim he could be the tallest animal in the world. He lives at Folly Farm zoo in Saundersfoot and Tenby, Pembrokeshire, and stands at just over 19ft — believed to be taller than any other animal in captivity.
The average giraffe stands at 15ft from head to foot and Zulu towers over the three other male giraffes he shares his enclosure with at the zoo.
Although keepers have no way of accurately measuring 18-year-old Zulu, his height is estimated because his head just brushes under the 20ft doors of his enclosure.
Zulu weighs 1.3 tonnes and when he was moved from the Netherlands five years ago, even the specialist giraffe transporters were astounded by his build. “We first suspected he was so big when we saw him standing next to the rolling doors at the edge of his pen — it’s one of his favourite places to stand.
“Because he weighs so much though — over 1.3 tonnes — if Zulu doesn’t want to do something, he won’t do it. He’s so big there’s no moving him, so we haven’t been able to measure him properly.” He loves to stick his head through the viewing platform to say hello to visitors and can be quite cheeky as well when they go to pet him. People are always taken aback by his size.
(The Daily Telegraph)