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Here we go again, waking up you sleepyheads with the overlooked news stories of the week -- the offbeat, strange and sometimes, downright weird news items that mainstream media tends to ignore. Served up with a few funnies, all designed to get your face in smiling shape for the weekend ;-).
Kaboom! Oddly named man's walking stick prompts evacuation in Akron, Ohio
On Wednesday, the Akron City Hall was evacuated when a suspicious object was found - a 4-foot-long aluminum stick with duct tape at both ends and the word "Kaboom" written across it.
Turns out that it was a homemade walking stick that a man who regularly attends city hall meetings had left behind. The "Kaboom" written on the side of the stick was the man's name.
Ohio state records show that Kaboom's full legal name is actually Natural Hunka Kaboom.
How did I ever miss this one?
Finger Pulling Championships in the Alps
Fingerhakeln, or "finger wrestling" is serious business for Bavarian and Austrian men. For them it is about prestige and honor.
They say that in the old days this practice was used to settle disputes, but today it has national sports standing in the Alpine region of southern Germany and neighboring Austria.
The contest commences with two men sitting on opposite sides of a table thread their fingers into a strap. Once positioned and the referee gives the signal, they pull as hard as they can. The winner is the person who pulls the other contestant across the table.
[I]n fact, that before a major contest they subject the finger they intend to do battle with -- most chose their middle finger -- to a punishing training regime. Some of the wrestlers like to crush tennis balls with their hands; others will do pull-ups with only their middle fingers; and some have even been known to make their digits lift weights of up to 50 kilograms.
Early last month I brought you this sticky fingers story in a Casual Friday MOT about the theft of one quarter of Quebec's syrup reserve. Today I can report an important update: Plot thickens as Quebec police seize cache of maple syrup.
The story is dripping with intrigue as the syrup reserves owner said this:
He said he had received the syrup that police seized from the same sources he uses every year and does not believe it was part of the missing bounty.
The police are sticking with the case:
The disappearance of the syrup is still under investigation and police have approached some producers and industry players to take lie-detector tests, a lawyer representing maple syrup distributors told Reuters.
"There's no proof at this point," the lawyer, Sarto Landry, said. "Syrup can't be tracked like a car."
New Orleans prosecutor arrested after joint falls from his pocket in court
Jason Cantrell, 43, assistant city attorney was issued a summons for simple possession of marijuana on Monday. His wife was not amused:
Cantrell's wife, a candidate for New Orleans City Council, said on her Facebook page that she was "angry, embarrassed and disappointed," with her husband's actions.
Fantastic compilation of people completing awesome tricks and stunts, enjoy!