A bus driver's premonition, and more

A bus driver's premonition

A Scottish bus driver who claims to have psychic powers refused to pick up a group of schoolchildren—because he had a premonition “that something bad would happen” if he did. The clairvoyant driver told supervisors he zoomed past kids at a stop in Dundee because his sixth sense told him he’d regret picking them up. He was fired nonetheless. Scottish spiritualist Ewan Irvine protested the firing, arguing the driver was right to heed his premonition. “Rather be safe than sorry,” said Irvine.

How to deal with Somali pirates

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Sea captains have an unlikely new ally in their battle against Somali pirates: Britney Spears. Ships have started blasting the pop star’s music at ear-splitting volume at approaching raiders. “Oops! I Did It Again” is particularly effective at forcing the bandits to halt. “These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect,” said Rachel Owens, a merchant navy officer. “It’s so effective the ship’s security rarely needs to resort to firing guns.”

Beware of cops in chicken suits

California police are using a cop in a chicken suit to ensnare careless drivers. The 6-foot-tall chicken ambles across school crosswalks that many motorists have been carelessly driving through. Any driver who fails to stop for a 6-foot-tall chicken trying to cross the road, police reasoned, also wouldn’t stop for a 4-foot-tall student. Officers ended up ticketing 31 drivers who didn’t yield to the big bird. “Even though the decoy was wearing a bright yellow costume,” said a police spokesman, “most drivers stated they did not see him.”