Dangerous 10-Foot Megaweed Invades New York

Giant hogweed might sound like something out of Harry Potter, but it's straight out of New York. This noxious weed has spread across the state, threatening humans with sap that causes severe burns, blistering, permanent scarring and even blindness.

The outbreak has grown so bad that the N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a giant hogweed warning and set up a hotline.

Giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus region of Eurasia, and was brought to the United States in the early 1900s. The gargantuan plant blooms bunches of tiny white flowers the size of umbrellas, which made it a showpiece in ornamental gardens, including one in Rochester, N.Y. In the century since it was planted there, it has spread across the state, with 1,004 confirmed sightings so far this blooming season.

http://www.livescience.com/14926-dangerous-giant-hogweed-megaflora-invades-york.html

Miracle cat survives 20-story plunge

NEW YORK (CNN/WCBS) - Forget that superstition about black cats and bad luck. One curious New York kitty is super lucky, surviving a 20-story fall.

Meet "Gloucester," better known as "G" to his owners. His friendly face was subject to plenty of fireworks on the Fourth of July, surviving a 20-story plunge from an Upper West Side apartment building. The cat crash-landed on the pavement with barely a scratch.

"According to the vet, when you're 10 floors or above, you actually have an increased chance of surviving it, because you have a chance to kind of right yourself and get ready to land," said Barry Myers, Gloucester's owner.

Myers has owned "G" since he found the cat in an abandoned building 16 years ago. He mistakenly left a window cracked open when leaving for a long weekend, not knowing the danger in store for his curious cat.

"In all the years we've been here, he's never even looked at the window, let alone peeked his head out or anything. I assume he saw something and leaned out and tried to take a swing at it," said Myers.

Lucky for "G," he was discovered by a woman out walking her dog. She gave him water and called for help.

"Everything came back pretty negative. He was obviously in shock for a while," Myers explained.

"G" is now on the mend, a little wobbly and eating through a feeding tube, but miraculously he didn't break any bones.

http://www.wwlp.com/dpps/news/strange/miracle-cat-survives-20-story-plunge-ob11-jgr_3880565

West Village pet stores refuse to sell puppies to boozehounds making impulse buys

West Village pet stores have a message for their customers: Lay off the hooch if you want to buy a pooch. The owners are sick and tired of boozehounds coming in, fawning over the animals through beer goggles and trying to make an impulse buy.

Staffers at Le Petit Puppy on Christopher St. tell the inebriated to go home and sleep it off.

"It happens very often," Le Petit Puppy manager Fernanda Mortiz said.

"If the person is completely drunk, I won't sell them the dog ... or I say they can't leave with the dog that day....I can see it in their eyes if they've been drinking."

BY CHRISTINA BOYLE

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-07-06/local/29759454_1_new-dog-aspca-cute-pups

Turtles Invade JFK Airport Tarmac

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/09/turtles-invade-jfk-airpor_n_228527.html

NEW YORK (AP) -- A runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport was shut down briefly Wednesday morning after at least 78 turtles emerged from a nearby bay and crawled onto the tarmac.

Ground crews eventually rounded up the wayward reptiles and deposited them back in the brackish water farther from airport property, but not before the incident disrupted JFK's flight schedule and contributed to delays that reached nearly 1 1/2 hours.

Read on...

Have You Seen This Missing Unicorn?

Maybe it's the last great unicorn hunt.


New Yorkers have been looking for this beast, a female unicorn with a friendly disposition, since thousands of posters for it sprung up around the city.

There's a phone number to call if you think you've seen it -- (917) 675-4783 -- and audio from some calls, as well as supposed images of unicorn sightings, have been placed on the unicorn's Web site, missingunicorn.com.

The project was started by New York artist Camomile Hixon, who told the Los Angeles Times that she was just trying to make people smile.

"A unicorn is beyond race, beyond religion. I wanted something that could reach anyone at any age. I thought, if I could just make a handful of businessmen on Wall Street think about unicorns, I will be successful," she said.

The city has shut down the project and stopped Hixon from putting up new posters... but they haven't been stopped from selling T-shirts that cost nearly $30 a piece.

That's expensive even in New York... but I'll gladly buy one.

Wait, I think I left my wallet on my unicorn.

Have You Seen This Missing Unicorn?

Maybe it's the last great unicorn hunt.


New Yorkers have been looking for this beast, a female unicorn with a friendly disposition, since thousands of posters for it sprung up around the city.

There's a phone number to call if you think you've seen it -- (917) 675-4783 -- and audio from some calls, as well as supposed images of unicorn sightings, have been placed on the unicorn's Web site, missingunicorn.com.

The project was started by New York artist Camomile Hixon, who told the Los Angeles Times that she was just trying to make people smile.

"A unicorn is beyond race, beyond religion. I wanted something that could reach anyone at any age. I thought, if I could just make a handful of businessmen on Wall Street think about unicorns, I will be successful," she said.

The city has shut down the project and stopped Hixon from putting up new posters... but they haven't been stopped from selling T-shirts that cost nearly $30 a piece.

That's expensive even in New York... but I'll gladly buy one.

Wait, I think I left my wallet on my unicorn.

Turkeys terrorize New York neighborhood

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Residents of a New York neighborhood said aggressive turkeys are terrorizing the area.


Locals in the Ocean Breeze neighborhood said the fowl have been blocking traffic, filling their yards with droppings and even trapped resident Gina Guaragno in her car for a short time before she splashed them with window washing fluid, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.

Residents said the turkey trouble began about 10 years ago after a woman released her nine pets, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation estimates there are now about 100 of the wild birds in the neighborhood.

City Councilman James Oddo said many area seniors have told him they are afraid to leave their homes. He said officials balked at a plan he forwarded two years ago to move the turkeys upstate.

"How are people supposed to have faith that their government can deal with problems like terrorism when we can't even deal with turkeys?" Oddo said.

Turkeys terrorize New York neighborhood

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Residents of a New York neighborhood said aggressive turkeys are terrorizing the area.


Locals in the Ocean Breeze neighborhood said the fowl have been blocking traffic, filling their yards with droppings and even trapped resident Gina Guaragno in her car for a short time before she splashed them with window washing fluid, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.

Residents said the turkey trouble began about 10 years ago after a woman released her nine pets, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation estimates there are now about 100 of the wild birds in the neighborhood.

City Councilman James Oddo said many area seniors have told him they are afraid to leave their homes. He said officials balked at a plan he forwarded two years ago to move the turkeys upstate.

"How are people supposed to have faith that their government can deal with problems like terrorism when we can't even deal with turkeys?" Oddo said.