Good Morning and Welcome To MOT-Morning Open Thread
Casual Friday is a collection of odd, strange or weird news stories from the week along with some jokes, tweets, and other assorted funnies. Keep an eye out however, because not all the news stories are entirely on the up and up.
* Provided I remember to add the html code, all the links will open in new tabs.
Moose on loose, but target of his affections playing hard to get
Bob Balink of Grand Lake, Colorado installed a life sized bronze statue of a moose in his yard a week ago and since then his home has become a tourist attraction.
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but one lovesick bull moose in Colorado is having a hard time understanding that a bronze moose statue is not the same as the real thing.
The young bull has fallen hard for the life-sized moose statue with large antlers in a backyard in Grand Lake, Colo., and he’s attracting people from all over the area to watch him make his moves.
“He’s in love with it,” said Frances Transue, 55, who lives about a mile from the moose love scene. “He acts like he wants to mate it. He kisses it, he nuzzles it.”
Like clockwork, the moose calls on the statue in the morning and stays for the most of the day, Bob Balink told NBC affiliate KUSA.
"He's not too shy about it, apparently,” Balink said.
There is a video at the link and another link to a You Tube video.
State puts 'used' giant morgue refrigerator up for sale on eBay
It’s the creepy alternative to a beach cooler.
The state Office of Mental Health is selling a morgue refrigerator from a Manhattan psychiatric ward on eBay — calling it “used” but “in good condition.”
The bizarre ad lists the huge silver appliance, equipped with four doors for body storage, as having “signs of cosmetic wear” but being “fully operational.”
The fridge looks plucked from the set of “Law & Order: SVU.” At 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide, it could fit nearly 2,000 12-ounce cans of beer.
And the weirdest part? People are actually bidding on it.
The price was at $202 less than a day after it was posted.
A spokeswoman for the state Office of General Services, which sells unwanted government goodies, admits she’s never seen anyone sell a morgue fridge.
“Every once in a while, we get an unusual item — and this would be that,” said spokeswoman Heather Groll.
Marathon runner unaware she was pregnant thought labor pains were due to training
An aspiring half-marathon runner attributed her unbearable back pain to a two-hour training session. A day later, she was cradling a newborn.
Trish Staine, 33, says she had no idea she was pregnant before Monday's surprise birth. The Duluth mother of three said she hadn't gained any weight or felt fetal movement in the months before. And besides, her husband had a vasectomy.
"I said 'no, no, that's impossible,' " Staine said Wednesday from her Duluth hospital room.
Mrs Staine said she ran for about two hours on Sunday in preparation for the Garry Bjorklund half-marathon on June 22.
During the emergency room examination, Mrs Staine and her husband were stunned to learn medical staff had detected a fetal heartbeat. She was whisked to the delivery room and in what she said seemed like 5 minutes later, her daughter was born at 3:25pm on Monday. She weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 18.9 inches (48 centimeters) long.
Mrs Staine said her husband has a good sense of humor.
"He's still in shock. Everybody is teasing him," she said.
UK airport tries to find century-old lost teddy's family
His fur is worn in places, his nose is rather threadbare and he's a little saggy round the middle.
But staff at Bristol Airport in the west of England believe the elderly teddy bear left in the departure lounge more than a year ago, along with a photograph dated 1918, must have a loving family somewhere.
The picture, produced as a postcard from the studio of Dura Ltd., shows a teddy with two small children in light dresses. The older one, her hair tied in ribbons, has her arm around the bear.
On the back is written: "With dearest love and kisses to our darling Daddie from your loving little daughter & Sonnie. Dora & Glyn."
Also written is: "Taken on baby's birthday March 4 1918, one year and 5 months old."
Airport staff were initially hopeful that the bear would be reclaimed, but so far no one has come forward.
Efforts by airport staff and police to trace its owners have also proved fruitless -- so now the airport is hoping the general public can lend a hand in solving the mystery.
"It is obvious the bear has been well loved for many years," said Jacqui Mills, a spokeswoman for Bristol Airport. "During the last 14 months we had been hopeful that the search would result in him being reunited to his family. We have not been successful in this search and have drawn a blank."
Fearless climber dangles from top of Southampton crane
The heartstopping moment when James L Kingston hangs from the top of a crane in Southampton docks comes at the end of a vertigo-inducing clip uploaded to YouTube earlier this week.
Showing his entire death-defying ascent, performed without any visible safety equipment, the video has been viewed nearly 60,000 times.
Filmed using on a GoPro camera attached to his head for the most part, the daredevil successfully managed to reposition his camera to capture the most impressive parts of his climb, recording himself squeezing through tiny gaps and dangling from the top.
"During his trip to Brazil on Friday, Joe Biden said he was having such a good time that he didn't want to go home. And that was just while he was riding on the baggage carousel at the airport." –Jimmy Fallon
"Many Republicans want President Obama to fire Attorney General Eric Holder after he seemed to contradict himself under oath. When asked if he's worried, Holder said, 'Yes. I mean, no.'" –Jimmy Fallon
"A new report says that Donald Trump has spent one million dollars trying to figure out if he should run for president in 2016. Experts are already calling it the World Most Expensive 'No.'" –Conan O'Brien
"This week President Obama is going to be engaged in high-level talks with the president of China. Yes, President Obama's message to China is going to be, 'I swear we'll have the money for you by Tuesday.'" –Conan O'Brien
"A new study just came out. It found that KFC sells 25 pieces of fried chicken a second. Yes. It was 50 pieces a second, but then Chris Christie had his stomach stapled." –Conan O'Brien
"Actor Steven Seagal is now in Russia. He is meeting with Vladimir Putin. Is this what American foreign policy has come down to? Dennis Rodman is in North Korea. Steven Seagal is in Russia. What's next? Are we air dropping Gary Busey into Syria? Maybe Snooki goes to Iraq?" –Jay Leno
"President Obama says he is renewing his efforts to close Guantanamo Bay. How about closing the IRS? Why don't we do that? How about shipping the IRS to Guantanamo Bay?" –Jay Leno
"This latest California wildfire is getting pretty scary. But Governor Jerry Brown has it under control. He said he is going to tax and regulate the fire until it gets fed up and moves to another state." –Jay Leno
"In Pakistan, the Taliban's No. 2 man has been killed by an American drone. In a related story, today the Taliban's No. 3 man said he's stepping down to spend more time with his family." –Jay Leno
"The Supreme Court ruled that police have the right to take DNA samples. Every time there's new technology in law enforcement, people get uneasy. I'm sure people were against fingerprinting when it started in the late 1800s. I'll have to ask Larry King. He was probably around then." –Craig Ferguson