angelm's Blog

Green Tomato Pie

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons lemon zest
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sliced green tomatoes

DIRECTIONS
Prepare pie plate with bottom layer of crust.
Mix together the flour, lemon peel, lemon juice, butter or margarine, ground cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Stir in the green tomatoes to coat. Pour into crust. Cover with top crust. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake another 30 minutes.

Police: Man says he grew pot in a cost-saving move

TYLER, Texas - A Tyler man accused of growing marijuana in an alleged cost-saving move is jailed on felony possession charges. Bond is $15,000 for 55-year-old John Daniel Miller III, who remained in the Smith County Jail late Tuesday.

Sheriff's Sgt. Randal Hiller declined to release information on Miller, including whether he has an attorney following Monday's arrest.

Sheriff's Sgt. Randy Meadows told the Tyler Morning-Telegraph that a tip led officers to some rural property, where several marijuana plants � encircled by old tires � lined the driveway.

Deputies confiscated more than 70 plants worth about $100,000.

Meadows said Miller told deputies he knew they were coming "sooner or later" and he was cultivating his own marijuana because the cost of buying the illegal substance had gone up.

GOOD AND BAD STRESS
Short bursts of stress are not dangerous. In fact, we are designed to cope with these. We do so with what is known as the �fight or flight� reaction. Adrenaline and other stress-linked hormones are released into our body to allow us to deal with the immediate problem or - as in the days when we used to hunt our own food - run away as quickly as possible.

Longer-term or chronic stress, however, is a slightly different problem and, although it never kills anyone as such, it is probably a risk factor for developing heart problems in later life. It also undoubtedly contributes to other health problems, such as insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis and migraines, if it is allowed to continue unchecked.

The exact reasons for this remain unclear but it seems that the pace of life in the 21st century now means that many people find it increasingly difficult to �switch off� from their stresses, and so feel unwell as a result.

Disabled turtle finds romance after getting wheels

JERUSALEM - Arava the disabled turtle is using her new set of wheels to get around in more ways than one. Officials at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo say the 10-year-old spurred tortoise has begun mating since being fitted with a custom skateboard to overcome paralysis of her hind legs.

The 55-pound turtle is unable to move herself forward with her front legs alone. So the zoo's staff built her a metal board with two wheels that can be strapped to her stomach.

Arava arrived in Jerusalem a few months ago from a petting zoo in southern Israel with the unexplained handicap, and found no reptile romance. Zoo curator Shmulik Yedvad says it's not that Arava has come out of her shell with her unique new wheelchair, but that a particularly amorous 10-year-old male has been after her.

I have been feeling a little down lately.Got stress at work and at home.I have decided to make a liitle area in the bedroom where I can sit and relax alone.I am going to hang pics of the ocean and find some seashells.I bought a sounds of the ocean cd.I have a large glass container I am going to fill with sand and hopefully find a starfish at a craft shop to place in it.I hope this doesn't sound silly I just need a place where I can feel stress-free.

Pigeon found at NYC playground was painted purple

NEW YORK - Pigeons come in many shades in New York City � but purple is typically not one of them.

That's why animal lover Joe Mora was stunned when he saw a pigeon at a Queens playground that had been painted a violet hue.

The pigeon was taken Friday to licensed wildlife rehabilitator Bobby Horvath. He said the bird is unable to fly because the feathers are completely rigid from the paint. But he says the animal is lucky its mouth or eyes didn't get stained.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals spokesman Joseph Pentangelo says if the bird was intentionally painted it "certainly" qualifies as animal cruelty.

Bearded man in women's garb accused of tip theft

FAIRFIED, Conn. - Fairfield police said they didn't have much problem tracking down a theft suspect, a bearded man dressed in a tank top and capri pants. Police say a 22-year-old Norwalk man was caught on tape taking $30 from the tip jar at O Bar Wednesday night.

Police say the man was found a short time after the manager of the bar noticed the missing tip jar and checked the bar's surveillance video.

There, he saw a bearded man carrying a large woman's purse and wearing a dark tank top and light colored capri pants go behind the counter.

Police gave the man a misdemeanor summons for sixth-degree larceny

Winnie-the-Pooh held for robbery?

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese police have arrested a 20-year-old man who attacked and robbed two people after they stared at his Winnie-the-Pooh costume, officials said on Tuesday.

Masayuki Ishikawa was hanging out on a Tokyo street corner after midnight last month while wearing the cuddly costume, accompanied by two friends dressed as a mouse and a panther, when he took offence at being stared at, police said.

"It's uncommon to see people dressed up like this, so the victims were watching them. Then the perpetrator came up and said 'What are you staring at?'" a police spokesman said.

Ishikawa and his friends beat up the two victims and stole $160 from them, the spokesman said, adding the group had apparently donned the unusual garb because they had run out of clean clothes.

Ohio Burger King worker fired for bathing in sink

XENIA, Ohio - Burger King Corp. said Tuesday it had parted ways with an employee who was recorded taking a soapy bath in a utility sink in one of its restaurants in a video that ended up on his MySpace page.

The nearly four-minute video, which was posted online Thursday, shows the man taking the bath to celebrate his birthday. In the video, shot by another worker, the employee refers to himself only as "Mr. Unstable" and appears to be naked.

Timothy Tackett, 25, told WDTN-TV in Dayton that he is the sink-bather and that he made the video for his MySpace page. The video had been removed by Tuesday night.

Tackett said he regretted taking the bath because it led to the firing of the employee who did the recording, as well as the restaurant's shift manager.

Burger King spokeswoman Denise Wilson said earlier Tuesday that two employees involved in the incident were fired and a third quit. She declined to identify the employees or say whether the man who took the bath quit or was fired. Tackett said he was fired.

A message left by The Associated Press for a Timothy Tackett in Centerburg was not immediately returned.

Greene County Health Commissioner Mark McDonnell said he dispatched an inspector to the restaurant, but workers had already sterilized the sink, which is used to clean large pieces of equipment.

Babies born 8/8/08 at 8:08; 8 pounds, 8 ounces

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. - Meet Hailey Jo Hauer and Xander Jace Riniker, both born at 8:08 a.m. on 8/8/08, weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces, in neighboring states.

Xander, born at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the eighth grandchild for his mother's parents. And he's not the only one in his family with an unusual birthday: His 2-year-old brother, Kael, was born on 4/5/06.

Lindsey Hauer thought staff at Lake Region Hospital in Minnesota were joking when they told her the time of her daughter's birth. And then she got a call from the birthing suite noting Hailey's weight.

Nurse Jenny Harstad joked that she tried to shrink the baby to 18 inches from her actual 19.5 inches.

Several hospital staff members in Minnesota pledged to buy lottery tickets. And Chad Riniker, Xander's father, said that eight hadn't been his lucky number before, but that now he was thinking about buying a lottery ticket.

"I just might," he said. "If nothing else, with four children I should probably play the lottery."

Cops follow Cheetos trail to nail burglar suspects

ST. PAUL - St. Paul police followed a trail of Cheetos in order to nab three teenagers suspected of burglarizing a vending machine. Officers were called to the Arlington Recreation Center on July 29, where they found a vending machine's glass had been broken with a chair.

Most of the candy and chips were missing, according to a criminal complaint in Ramsey County District Court.

The officers followed the orange, dusty trail from the rec center, around the side of the building and to a nearby home. Inside, they found numerous vending-sized bags of Cheetos and other snacks.

Police arrested three males aged 17, 18 and 19 who soon arrived at the home by car. The two adults are charged with third-degree burglary, while the 17-year-old is charged with criminal damage to property.

All three denied being involved, the complaint says

Man tells 911 slot machine stole his money

TAMPA, Fla. - A second Florida man has been arrested on charges of making false 911 calls in as many days. An arrest report says 47-year-old Carlos Gutierrez was at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino early Monday and called 911 to say the slot machine stole his money. The report says Gutierrez left the casino to place a second 911 call to say the same thing.

He was arrested and charged with making a false 911 call. He's being held with no bail set.

On Sunday another man was arrested after calling 911 five times during an argument with his brother. He demanded that dispatchers send deputies to help sort things out.

And in northern Florida last week, a Jacksonville man called 911 to complain that a Subway left the sauce off a spicy Italian sandwich.

Man wins appeal in bizarre gasoline suicide case

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean man won his appeal against a one-year jail term for assisting in a suicide by throwing a lighter to his gasoline-soaked rival in love.

The Seoul appeal court reversed a lower court ruling, saying that the 30-year-old man had not believed the ex-lover of his girlfriend would actually set light to himself, Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday.

Last September, the former boyfriend had stopped the couple in their car after dousing himself in petrol, threatening to kill himself is she did not get out.

The defendant then threw him a lighter, saying: "Go ahead and kill yourself," the news agency said.

The man died of his burns.

The appeal court ruled that the fact the ex-lover had given his own cigarettes and lighter to a friend so they would not get damaged by the petrol and had not left a will showed he had not planned to commit suicide.

Woman, 97, says cat's yowling saved her from fire

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - A 97-year-old woman says her cat's early morning yowling saved her from a house fire. Grace George, of Independence, said her cat Boo Boo's yowling from an open bedroom window early Wednesday woke her up from a sound sleep.

"I got so aggravated," George said. "I didn't know why she was doing that."

George picked up the black and gold brindle, a stray she had taken in about 15 years earlier, and felt her way through the dark house until she reached the kitchen.

It was just 4 a.m., and she wanted more sleep. So she started to put the cat outside.

Then she smelled smoke.

"I knew I had to get out of the house," said George, seated Thursday on a sofa in her daughter's house, just down the block.

George ran toward the street in the rain, and flagged down the third car she saw.

"Thank God it was a lady," she said. "All I had on was bikini underwear and a tank top."

Firefighters got Boo Boo out of the house safely and administered oxygen.

For now, George and her heroic cat are staying with George's daughter. George said she plans to have the house repaired, though it's not clear how she will pay for the damage. She canceled her home insurance four years ago after paying 50 years of premiums.

The Independence Fire Department, which believes lightning caused the fire, estimates the damage at $75,000 to the house and $40,000 to possessions.

But George and her daughter were less concerned with the costs, and more thankful for George's survival � and for the cat's role.

George told her daughter, "I'm going to get her a special treat, a can of salmon. That's $2."

"No," Patty Young said. "It's up to five."

DILLON, S.C. - A suspected thief trying to steal $10 worth of copper got himself into a stinky situation when he was trapped under a trash bin at a county landfill for 12 hours, sheriff's deputies said.

Deputies said Gibson Cook, 56, broke into the landfill, then got stuck as he tried to crawl under the large container. Landfill workers found him about 12 hours later with his legs sticking out from under the bin. Emergency workers had to inflate air bags so they could lift the bin to free him.

Cook was charged with trespassing and petit larceny, deputy Wayne Kirby said. He was waiting for a bond hearing and it was unclear if he had an attorney.

"He's one of our local petty thieves," Kirby said. "But he has never been in a jam like this."

Break-ins at the landfill in Dillon, a town of about 6,400 people in the northeast corner of the state near the North Carolina line, have increased in recent months as thieves look for discarded scrap metal. But employee Charlie Brown said that in 27 years at the dump, this is the first time he's seen anyone get stuck. He said the copper under the trash bin could not have been worth more than $10.

"It was right disgusting," he said. "I wouldn't be under there."