Man blows up kitchen while trying to kill cockroaches

A Mount Isa man has caused an explosion while trying to spray cockroaches in his kitchen using an insect spray as a flamethrower.

Police and fire crews were called to the incident at a home on Abel Smith Parade about 8:00pm on Wednesday.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said the man suffered lacerations to his head and hand from shrapnel caused by the explosion.

He was taken to the Mount Isa Hospital.

Several other people were also in the house but were not injured.

Station officer Ian Louden said they believed the man ignited a can and a half of insect spray while trying to burn the cockroaches, causing windows to shatter and significant damage to the kitchen and walls of the house.

He said pest spray has clear labels warning against exposing them to a naked flame.

"The instructions are put on these things for a purpose and if failure to follow them can result in as it did in this case extreme damage to the property," he said.

"The people are very lucky that there wasn't serious injury or death."

"He was the only one injured.

"The explosion, for want of a better term, remained in the kitchen-lounge room area.

Neighbour Kerrod Karkadoo said the explosion made everything vibrate.

"We were just sitting out and having a few beers and we just heard 'boohowww'," he said.

"There was a bloke walking around, holding his face."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-08/insect-spray-flame-thrower-causes-explosion-in-mt-isa-kitchen/9526452

Now that's how men handle things.  Australian men, anyway.  Queensland men.

Greece's top soccer league suspended after owner invades pitch with gun

Greece has indefinitely suspended its top soccer league, a day after the owner of PAOK Thessaloniki marched onto the field carrying a gun following a disputed goal in a match.

FIFA urged Greek authorities to take swift action against PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis or face a possible suspension.

Savvidis walked onto the field twice accompanied by bodyguards, and appeared to be carrying a pistol in a holster around his waist.

He made no move to use the weapon at any time.

Fernando Varela had just scored in the 90th minute on Sunday for PAOK against AEK Athens, putting the hosts ahead 1-0 in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

The referee signalled a goal but then seemed to disallow it for offside. The match was eventually abandoned.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-13/greece-top-soccer-league-suspended-over-gun-incident/9541842

Ski lift malfunction at Georgia resort sees holidaymakers flung into the air

.

Holidaymakers were forced to jump for their lives and others were flung into the air after a ski lift malfunctioned at a Georgian resort.

Skiers were travelling downhill when the lift began to hurtle out of control, picking up speed while moving backwards.

A video of the incident showed horrified onlookers shouting in panic as people were thrown off the lift.

People behind the camera can be heard screaming as the situation unfolds.

One person can be heard shouting for the machine to stop.

At least eight people were injured in the incident, including a Swede and a Ukrainian, local media reported.

There were no fatalities.

According to local media, the lift had a defect causing it to speed up to double the normal speed.

The resort is located on the south-facing plateau of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in Georgia.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-17/ski-lift-malfunction-in-georgia-leaves-several-hurt/9558768

It's okay, no one died.  So you can watch the video.

Giant yellow duck missing off the WA coast after fleeing swimming competition

A giant inflatable duck is missing off the coast of Western Australia after strong winds whisked it into the Indian Ocean.

"Daphne" the duck was meant to be the mascot for last Sunday's Coogee Jetty to Jetty Swim.

President of the Cockburn Masters Swimming Club, Peter Marr, said he was setting up ahead of the event when Daphne took flight in strong winds.

Mr Marr said his attempts to swim after the inflatable were futile.

"I probably overestimated my ability and underestimated Daphne's hunger for freedom and she just bolted," Mr Marr told ABC Radio Breakfast.

"After 50 metres she was just gone baby, gone. I couldn't keep up."

Fisherman have reported sightings of Daphne, including a group who saw her 15 kilometres west of Rottnest Island soon after she broke free.

There was also a rumour she has made it as far as Geraldton, almost 400km north of Coogee Beach.

Mr Marr said the club was offering a reward for Daphne's safe return — swimming merchandise and free entry into next year's swim.

"We're expecting a ransom note," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-16/giant-rubber-duck-missing-off-the-west-australian-coast/9557876

Robotic T Rex bursts into flames at US theme park

YouTube

T-Rex Fire at Dinosaur Museum

Want music and videos with zero ads? Get YouTube Red.

A giant animatronic T Rex has caught fire at a US theme park, creating a nightmarish spectacle.

An electrical fire triggered the flames which lit up the Tyrannosaurus rex at the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience.

In a Facebook post, the Colorado park said the dinosaur was now "extinct".

"Holy smokes! We always knew T-Rex had a temper but today he blew his top," it said.

"There was an unfortunate [and rare] electrical issue with our mighty T Rex and he is no longer. You might even say … extinct."

Nobody was hurt in the incident, which the park described as "isolated and unexpected".

"We are incredibly proud of our team for the way they efficiently and quickly handled this situation and kept our guests safe," it said.

"All in all, this happened very quickly and we are a little shaken but we are operating business as mostly usual."

The park said it was "planning to have a replacement T Rex before summer".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-24/robotic-t-rex-bursts-into-flames-at-us-theme-park/9583148

Orange snow blankets eastern Europe

Parts of eastern Europe were blanketed with orange-tinted snow over the weekend.

The phenomenon has been seen across Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova.

Meteorologists said sand from Sahara desert storms mixing with snow and rain caused the orange snow.

It occurs roughly once every five years.

This sandstorm made its way from Greece to Russia, and could be seen via NASA satellite imagery.

Skiers and snowboarders near Sochi, Russia posted photos of the unusual sight.

"We're skiing on Mars today," one user posted on Instagram.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-26/mysterious-orange-snow-blankets-eastern-europe/9586274

Snake mistakes man's slipper for food

There are slippery snakes, and then there's this slipper-eating snake.

A carpet python has confused a man's footwear for a feed, ingesting his right-foot slipper in a late night snack in a Haigslea home, west of Brisbane, last week.

An elderly man and a relative had come across it during the search for one of his slippers, which had gone missing overnight days earlier.

The python was taken to a HerpVet at Mount Ommaney, where it was X-rayed it to confirm the footwear was inside.

The reptile underwent successful surgery to have it removed on Monday afternoon.  

"[The python] woke up very quickly from the procedure, given anti-inflammatories and painkillers and antibiotics in this case, because we entered the GI tract."

It will be off to rehabilitation in a couple of days, and will eventually be released back into the wild in the near future.

As for the slipper —it was removed in one piece, albeit a bit slimy.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-27/python-mistakes-mans-slipper-for-food-undergoes-surgery-qld/9586376

I'm getting this in before you do!

Florida police catch three-metre alligator swimming in a family pool

Florida police have posted footage on social media of a trapper removing a 3.35 metre alligator from a family pool in the town of Nokomis on Florida's Gulf Coast.

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office tweeted images of the alligator alongside the hashtags "Tweet from the Beat" and "Only in Florida", and posted the video of the trapper dragging the creature from the pool on Facebook.

Officers wrote on Twitter that the alligator "bust right through" a screen door to get to the pool.

American alligators are native to Florida, Louisiana and other southern states.

Even with rampant development and loss of wetlands, officials estimate there are more than one million alligators in Florida, a miraculous comeback for a species that was approaching extinction 40 years ago.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-01/police-catch-three-metre-alligator-swimming-in-a-family-pool/9608922

Dang it!

He he he he he...