Cellphone Lost, then Held for Ransom at Zombiecon

A story just in time for Halloween.

A 28-year-old Cape Coral, Florida man was arrested Monday night after finding a man's lost cell phone and holding it ransom for $300, police said.

The victim, Michael Pfister, told Lee County Sheriff's Office deputies that he lost his cell phone Friday night at the Zombicon event in downtown Fort Myers.

On Saturday afternoon, Pfister's girlfriend received several text messages from the missing phone.

The suspect with the phone, later identified as Joel Ervin, demanded $200 for the return of the phone.
The suspect also stated that if police were called, the phone would be destroyed.

Pfister arranged to meet the suspect and make the transaction. When the two met, Ervin demanded $300 for the exchange.

Pfister was able to relay the vehicle information and description of Ervin to deputies shortly after the transaction was made.

Ervin was located a short time later and stopped by the deputies.

The money, along with the cell phone were returned to Pfister.

Ervin has been charged with dealing in stolen property, and grand theft over $300 and under $5,000.

Yahoo's Odd News With Greg Proops

Greg Proops back with Odd News.

A student and his Sharpie, a remote controlled cat, and an app for 99%'ers.

Here's the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/video/oddnews-22772304/odd-news-student-gets-sharpie-d-remote-control-cats-app-for-99-ers-27009007.html

Big Bang Theory Quotes from "The Rhinitis Revelation"

Sheldon's mom pays the guys a visit and there is a shocking revelation that will not be in Sheldon's weekly e-mail blast.

Shedon: Your God can work miracles.

Sheldon's Mom: Gunning with God.

Sheldon's Mom: If Shelly was onboard, he's write smut mouth on his pigeon.

Sheldon's Mom: I do regret not following up with that specialist in Houston.

Leonard: Kung Fu letters may not be politically correct.

Shedon: There is big news on the Amy front.

Leonard; Her parents aren't happy she's dating someone white.

Sheldon: You can lead a chicken to Crisco, but you can't make his mother fry it.

Leonard; You son seems to think we need to launch a pre-emptive strike on Burbank.

Sheldon's Mom: I thought it was our Indians that has the occasional alcohol problem.

Sheldon's Mom: Woman could hunt geese with a rake.

Sheldon: It was in my weekly e-mail blast!

Sheldon: Penny has a lot of money tied up in promiscuity futures.

Penny: Sometimes they only get to spin the tea cups.

Howard: I watch the Charlie Brown Christmas Special every year.

Sheldon: I worked up a couple of Q's that will embarrass his sorry A.

Sheldon: Your sushi, your sadness and your slutty shirts.

Sheldon: I apologized and that was hard for me.

Leonard:  I'm going to take my bacon grease and head over there.

Sheldon's Mom: I'm going to thank a wax Ronald Reagan for his service to our country.

Sheldon: Or to use the clinical term Na-Ah

Sheldon's Mom: This one is sweet for your Rosary Rattlers.

Raj: None of our Gods have abs like that.

Sheldon's Mom: Coming to you from Gomorrah, California.

Howard: I'm trying not to burst into flames.

Sheldon: Smarty Pants!

Sheldon's Mom: I so should've taken you to Houston.

Halloween Pet Safety Tips

Halloween is a time for everyone to have fun, feel like a kid, and eat a little too much candy. If your dogs are like mine, they will eat anything, and chocolate candy is no exception. The difference is, chocolate is poisonous to dogs, and if they eat enough of it, it can kill them. Methylxanthines—the chemicals in chocolate that are dangerous—are similar to caffeine and appear in higher concentrations the darker the chocolate. Just 2-3 ounces of baker's chocolate can make a 50 pound dog very ill.

What happens when dogs eat chocolate? The chemical toxicity results in vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, inflammation of the pancreas, an abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and sometimes, even death. In smaller dogs, even the wrappers from candy can result in a secondary obstruction in the stomach or intestines. Remember, it's the dose that makes the poison. Dogs that ingest a few M&Ms or 1-2 bites of a chocolate chip cookie are unlikely to develop chocolate poisoning, but smaller dogs are more sensitive than larger ones.

Common sense tells you to keep your Halloween candy out of the reach of pets, but sometimes accidents happen. The Pet Poison Helpline reported that in 2010, the number of calls of dogs having ingested chocolate during the week of Halloween increased 209% over a typical week. Signs of mild chocolate poisoning can include vomiting and diarrhea. Larger ingestions can cause severe agitation, tachycardia (elevated heart rate), abnormal heart rhythms, tremors, seizures and collapse.

Raisins, sometimes appearing in Halloween candy or just handed out instead of candy, are also extremely poisonous to dogs and can cause kidney failure. If your dog has eaten any amount of raisins, grapes, or currants, you should treat it as a potentially toxic situation and immediately call your veterinarian or the Pet Poison Helpline. The poison in raisins is more concentrated than in grapes, so no amount of raisins is too small for you to make a phone call.

In addition, if your dog gets into your candy stash and gobbles it down, consult your veterinarian even if it wasn't chocolate. Large amounts of high sugar, high fat candy is bad for your dog's system and can result in pancreatitis. Signs include decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, abdominal pain, and potentially kidney failure. Be sure to consult your veterinarian immediately if any of these signs occur. The Pet Poison Helpline is available at 1.800.213.6680 or www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Great Lakes Gale Force Warnings

Parts of Lake Michigan and Southeastern Wisconsin is entering its second day of high winds across much of the region, and when it's done, other parts of the region may find temperatures possibly dipping below the freezing mark.

The National Weather Service has issued:
- A wind advisory for Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Racine and Sheboygan Counties until 1:00 p.m. Thursday
- A frost advisory for Waukesha, Dodge, Jefferson, Walworth and Washington from 1:00 a.m. through 9:00 a.m. Friday morning.

Wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour were found overnight, and Milwaukee Storm Team 4Caster Scott Steele said similar winds were expected Thursday morning.

"Strong winds will persist early today but gradually diminish as we bid farewell to the wet weather," said Steele, who warns that we'll be bidding hello to colder weather.

"Eventually the weakening and departing storm system will give way to approaching high pressure. That means we'll see rain diminish though the day with decreasing clouds tonight. As the skies clear, our temperatures will plummet into the low 30's. This will allow areas of frost to develop.".