Ala. Woman on Horseback Charged With DUI

A woman who went for a horseback ride through town at midnight and allegedly used the horse to ram a police car was charged with driving under the influence and drug offenses, police said Tuesday.

“Cars were passing by having to avoid it, and almost hitting the horse,” said Police Chief Brad Gregg.

He said DUI charges can apply even when the vehicle has four legs instead of wheels.

Police in the northeast Alabama town received a call around midnight Saturday about someone riding a horse on a city street, Gregg said.

Officer John Seals found Melissa Byrum York, 40, of Henagar on horseback on a nearby road and attempted to stop her. Seals asked the woman repeatedly to get off the horse, but she kept trying to kick the animal to make it run, the chief said.

“She wouldn’t stop. She kept riding the horse and going on,” Gregg said.

After ramming the police car with the horse and riding away, the woman tried to jump off but caught her foot in a stirrup, Gregg said. The officer took the woman into custody and discovered that she had crystal methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana, pills and a small pipe, the chief said.

York was charged with DUI for allegedly riding the horse under the influence of a controlled substance. She was also charged with drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest, assault, attempting to elude police and cruelty to animals.

Gregg said the horse, which belonged to York, “wasn’t in the best of health, but it’s still alive.”

York was released from the DeKalb County Jail on $4,000 bond and was being transferred to the jail in Jackson County, where authorities had a warrant for her arrest on unrelated charges, Gregg said.

Jackson County officials said Tuesday that York had yet to be booked, and there were no records indicating whether she had a lawyer.

Man, 102, takes out 25-year mortgage

A pensioner aged 102 has been granted a 25-year mortgage despite the fact he would have to live until 127 to pay the loan back.

The property investor from East Sussex has taken out an interest-only £200,000 mortgage and hopes to meet the £958 monthly repayments with income from rent as he joins a growing army of retired people hoping to cash in on buy-to-let schemes.

Most lenders set a limit at 75 years for mortgage applicants but a handful, including Woolwich, and Bristol & West, have no such restrictions. This has led to a rush of applications from older investors.

Jonathan Moore, of Mortgages for Business, an independent adviser based in Sevenoaks, Kent, told how he brokered the mortgage for the unnamed 102-year-old, one of hundreds he has arranged for pensioners. “This is a new phenomenon.Obviously there is an element of risk if property prices and rental income suddenly fall but there is no sign of that at the moment,” he said.

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Richard Stone, 75, from north London, owns 10 houses and has taken out a £120,000 mortgage. The retired maths teacher admits such a commitment at his age can be “quite stressful”.

Charities supporting the elderly have warned that the stress of taking out a large loan could affect health and urge pensioners to seek advice before making such a financial commitment.

Gordon Lishman, the director-general of Age Concern, said: “It’s crucial that people think about the long-term implications.”

King Sunny Ade and his African Beats

Keith Richards: ‘I Snorted My Father’

Keith Richards has acknowledged consuming a raft of illegal substances in his time, but this may top them all.

In comments published Tuesday, the 63-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist said he had snorted his father’s ashes mixed with cocaine.

“The strangest thing I’ve tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father,” Richards was quoted as saying by British music magazine NME.

“He was cremated and I couldn’t resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn’t have cared,” he said. “… It went down pretty well, and I’m still alive.”

Richards’ father, Bert, died in 2002, at 84.

Richards, one of rock’s legendary wild men, told the magazine that his survival was the result of luck, and advised young musicians against trying to emulate him.

“I did it because that was the way I did it. Now people think it’s a way of life,” he was quoted as saying.

“I’ve no pretensions about immortality,” he added. “I’m the same as everyone … just kind of lucky.

“I was No. 1 on the `who’s likely to die’ list for 10 years. I mean, I was really disappointed when I fell off the list,” Richards said.

Fruit Anyone?

The Annoying Devil

I’m not a Nazi…..

No charges in radio contest death

Woman died of water intoxication in contest to win video-game system

Jennifer Strange, 28, willingly participated in the contest by Sacramento radio station KDND-FM and showed no visible symptoms to suggest that she was seriously ill or in danger of dying, Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully said in a statement.

“She knew what the contest involved when she entered it and had the option to stop or discontinue her participation in the contest at any time,” said Scully, outlining how prosecutors contemplated — and ultimately decided against — filing charges of involuntary manslaughter.

“There were no observable indications or symptoms that Jennifer Strange was experiencing a serious medical emergency which would have required station employees to seek or administer medical aid to her,” Scully said.

On Jan. 12, Strange was among a group of contestants who participated in “Hold your wee for a Wii,” in which the winner would get a a Nintendo Wii video game player. Contestants were asked to drink large quantities of water over a four-hour period and to refrain from urinting.

After consuming nearly 2 gallons of water, Strange complained of headaches and disorientation. She went home and died that day.

Strange’s mother, Nina Hulst, who found her daughter’s body, declined comment Monday.

Strange’s family, including her three children and widower, William Strange, filed a civil wrongful-death lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court on Jan. 25 against KDND station manager John Geary, the DJs who hosted “The Morning Rave” program and Entercom Communications, the station’s parent company. A number of employees were fired after Strange’s death.

Scully said the circumstances of Strange’s death were distinct from those involving the February 2005 death of Cal State Chico student Matthew Carrington, 21, of Pleasant Hill, who collapsed and died of heart failure after members of a fraternity forced him to drink excessive amounts of water while he performed calisthenics during a hazing ritual. The underlying charge in that case was hazing, which didn’t apply in the Strange case, Scully said.

Grieving couple commits suicide after dog dies

Unable to come to terms with the death of their pet dog, an elderly couple in southern India committed suicide by hanging themselves, police said on Monday.

The bodies of 67-year-old retired soldier C.N. Madanraj and his wife, Tarabai, 63, were found on Sunday in their home in a suburb of Hyderabad.

Police said the childless couple had held a burial ceremony for their dog of 13 years, called “Puppy,” and hosted a feast for friends before hanging themselves in their bedroom.

“The couple described the grief over their pet dog in the suicide note they left on March 29,” said police inspector V. Anantaiah.

Kermit, why you so sad?….

Take a look at the darker side HERE.