A pit bull found wandering on Interstate 880 in East Oakland has been reunited with her owner, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Piglet the puppy was found on the freeway near 66th Avenue about 6 p.m. Wednesday.

CHP officers in Oakland took to social media, posting pictures of the dog on its Facebook page sitting in the back of a CHP patrol SUV, her front paws dangling over an open rear window, her big pink tongue hanging out.

“She’s very sweet and clearly has been taken care of by someone,” Officer Sean Wilkenfeld wrote. “We found her with a red collar but no tags.”
On Thursday, the dog’s owner Jose Rosas spotted Piglet’s photo online and called the CHP.

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“Piglet was reunited (Thursday) evening and was given the honorary title of Junior Officer for her bravery,” Wilkenfeld wrote. “She was even brave enough to go for one last ride in a patrol car before we headed off!”
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Piglet-the-pit-bull-puppy-found-on-Oakland-6079607.php

‘I’m the big bad wolf this time’: Florida mom burns down home of convicted child-killer in firefighter training exercise (VIDEO)
The mother of a 7-year-old who was raped and murdered got some measure of payback by helping firefighters burn down the Orange Park, Fla., home once owned by the convicted killer. The man is now serving a life-sentence, and his residence, where the crime occurred, was torched as part of a training exercise for local firefighters.


Florida Mom Burns Down Home of Convicted Child-killer
NY Daily News


Diena Thompson’s desire for revenge burned white hot, but she didn't break any laws when she finally got it.

Wearing a firefighter jacket and a cathartic smile, the mother of a 7-year-old who was raped and murdered got some measure of payback by helping local smoke-eaters burn down the Florida home of the man now serving a life sentence for the crime. It was a firefighter training exercise.

“I get to burn their house down," Thompson told News4Jax Thursday after throwing a flare into the Orange Park, Fla. home. "I am the big bad wolf this time, knocking down your door."

Jarred Harrell lured little Somer Thompson inside the suburban Jacksonville horror house as she was walking home from school on Oct. 19, 2009. He sexually assaulted and smothered her before dumping her body in the trash.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fla-mom-burns-home-convicted-child-killer-article-1.2113892

As his national ambitions reach new heights, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's poll numbers have sunk to an all-time low.

A majority of 53% of New Jersey voters have a negative view of Christie, according to a Rutgers University-Eagleton poll released Friday.

His job approval rating has also taken a hit: 52% of Jersey voters disapprove of how he is doing his job, down six points since December.

Voters were asked for the reason behind Christie's poll slump: 20% cited his bullying personality and attitude, while another 15% referred specifically to the "Bridgegate" scandal. Another 10% said they disliked the way he was "shunning" his state duties as he pursued his presidential ambitions.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gov-christie-viewed-negatively-53-nj-voters-poll-article-1.2114367

Alabama cop arrested after allegedly paralyzing 57-year-old Indian citizen

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The FBI is investigating the incident, the Associated Press reported.

The officers were responding to a male caller who reported Sureshbhai Patel — who had only arrived in the United States a week earlier to take care of his grandson so Chirag Patel could attend graduate school — as a suspicious individual.

"He was doing it yesterday and today...He's just on foot. He's just kind of walking around close to the garage," the caller said, according to AL.com.

When asked what the 57-year-old looked like, "He's a skinny black guy, he's got a toboggan on, he's really skinny," adding, "I've lived here four years and I've never seen him before."

http://www.sfgate.com/news/local/article/Alabama-cop-arrested-after-allegedly-paralyzing-6079364.php

the video is chilling. the guy was thrown to the ground for no other reason that he looked like a black man

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"What's going on sir?"
trulock.JPGMadison Mayor Troy Trulock shakes hands with Indian Consul Anil Kumar before the press conference Thursday. Kumar watched, but did not comment. Jonathan Grass

"You what?"

"India."

"Where you heading?"

"Where?"

"I can't understand you, sir."

"Where's your address?"

"Do you have any ID?"

"India?"

"Do you live here."

"Sir, sir, come here."

"Do not jerk away from me again, or I will put you on the ground. Do you understand?"

Eventually, the two officers turn Patel around and have his hands behind his back. At one point, as another patrol car pulls up, Parker yanks his arm and slams him into the ground. Patel can not put out his hands to break his fall. He would require cervical fusion and remains in Huntsville Hospital with limited mobility in his limbs. His son as of Tuesday said his father could not move one leg at all.

The video continues, with officers trying to get the man to stand. One officer begins picking dirt and debris off of him. The concern slowly becomes evident in their voices.

"He don't speak a lick of English."

"I tried to pat him down but he tried to walk away from me."

"I don't know what his problem is but he won't listen."

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/madison_police_fire_and_arrest.html

Actress makes history as the first ever model with Down syndrome to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week

American Horror Story star Jamie Brewer took to the catwalk at Carrie Hammer's fashion show on Thursday
The 30-year-old walked the runway as a part of the designer's Role Models Not Runway Models campaign


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2950916/Actress-makes-history-model-syndrome-walk-runway-New-York-Fashion-Week.html#ixzz3RfzawerN

MSTERDAM, N.Y. — A community is paying it forward after an Amsterdam man shoveled out strangers for free.
Stephen MadelonStephen Madelon

Despite being unemployed, without a car, and sleeping on the floor, when the snow hit Amsterdam Monday, 21-year-old Stephen Madelon walked around town offering to shovel driveways for free.

Madelon says that since his story aired, he has been floored with messages of thanks and offerings of help for him and his young family.

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Not only does his family now have a new mattress, but they also have a kitchen table, cupcakes, and many other items as offering to thank him for his selfless act.

“I expected nothing, and I got everything, it’s just awesome,” said Madelon. “The deed, in my mind, wasn’t as big as it was to other people, but it is amazing to me how quickly it just blew up.”

He says that hundreds of people touched by his act have reached out, offering everything from a new bed, job offers, even trying to get him money for a new car.

4-year-old loses foot, part of leg in police dog attack


HESPERIA, Calif. (AP) — A 4-year-old Southern California boy who was bitten by his father's police dog had to have his leg amputated below the knee, and the canine probably will be euthanized, police said Thursday.

Hunter Mastaler remained hospitalized four days after the Belgian shepherd dog clamped onto his left leg in the backyard of the family's Hesperia home.

Neighbors knocked over a fence and pried the dog's jaws open to free the boy.

Hunter will remain hospitalized for another week, Rialto police Capt. Randy De Anda said. With a prosthetic he could be able to run again within six months, he said.

The 7-year-old dog, Jango, was assigned to the Rialto police force, and Hunter's father, Michael Mastaler, had been his handler for about two years, De Anda said.

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Mastaler's wife had gone shopping with their 18-month-old son and Mastaler went upstairs to change "for about two minutes" when Hunter opened a sliding glass door and screen and went into the yard, De Anda said.

For an unknown reason, Jango went into "bite mode" and clamped onto the boy as he was trained to do in some criminal situations, De Anda said.

The boy's screams alerted neighbors who called 911 and rushed to help.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/4-year-old-severely-injured-in-attack-by-father-s-6077887.php

this is what a belgian shephard looks like(this is not the dog in question)

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians support the restoration of the controversial bronze statue of Joe Paterno to Penn State's campus, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.



The poll shows a whopping 34-point margin in favor of restoring the statue (59 percent of respondents to 25 percent), which was removed from its previous site near Beaver Stadium in July 2012, some eight months after the late, legendary coach was dismissed in the midst of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal.

Even less surprisingly, Pennsylvanians also overwhelmingly approved the recent legal settlement between the NCAA and Penn State that restored Paterno's vacated wins and once again made him the winningest coach in FBS history.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/25065536/poll-pennsylvanians-want-joe-paterno-statue-restored-at-penn-state

Today, Boston Dynamics released a fascinating video of the company’s newest creation — an agile, headless robot dog named Spot that can climb stairs and jog alongside his master.

And then they go and spoil the video by having two workers kick Spot to show he can’t be knocked over. (The violence starts about the 22-second mark in the video above.)



One worker seems to take particular glee in booting Spot really hard in his torso. Yet little Spot shuffles his feet and manages to stay on all fours. Go Spot, go.

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The reaction on Reddit was instant, calling out Boston Dynamics for being “rude.”

“It doesn’t have a face, it’s not fuzzy, and it doesn’t look like any animal in particular, but man, do I feel bad for it,” one poster said.

“Watching this poor thing get kicked hurts my heart a little bit,” wrote another.

The Chronicle of Higher Education caught up with members of the inaugural Thiel fellowship class to pose one crucial question: Was dropping out really worth it?

Like the reaction to the fellowship itself, the inquiry — based on interviews of nine members of the first class — netted a mixed bag of results. Two fellows left the program early. Six others wound up going back to school anyway. Six others returned to their studies after their fellowship ended. Most have since moved on from their initial ideas. Of the four classes of fellows — 83 fellows in all — their ventures raised $72-million in investments and just $29 million in revenue, the Chronicle of Higher Education wrote.

All but one of nine fellows interviewed by the publication said they learned more in the fellowship than they would have in college.

One fellow, Dale J. Stephens went on to found UnCollege, which provides resources for self-directed learning to students.

Still, “most people would be better off going to college,” another fellow, Paul Gu, said.

A report released last summer by LinkedIn suggests that Gu is probably right. It found the majority of venture capital-backed entrepreneurs had a college degree.

http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2015/02/10/thiel-fellows-say-they-learned-a-lot-by-dropping-out-of-college/