Small Bits of News You Didn’t Know you Needed

Teacher Forces Student to Smoke 42 Cigarettes in 2 Hours
A Malaysian teacher forced a student to smoke 42 cigarettes in two hours as punishment after finding the boy had a cigarette and lighter.
A school official confirmed that the English teacher subjected the student to the unusual punishment but said the teenager was made to smoke fewer than 42 cigarettes. He declined to elaborate.
He said the teacher was upset when she found that her model student had a cigarette and a lighter in his locker in the school in the northern island of Langkawi.
The boy also smelled of cigarettes, said a school official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. He said the school apologized to the boy's uncle, who lodged a police report when he found out about the punishment.
"This is not normal. We don't do that often," the official said.
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Allegedly Abused Man Arrested
From Wausau, Wisconsin man prosecutors say was tied up, humiliated and assaulted by his wife, two of his lovers and another woman as payback for his cheating ways has been jailed on accusations of child abuse and other misdeeds.
The 36-year-old Fond du Lac man was arrested on allegations that also include theft, unlawful phone use and harassment with a death threat in a domestic abuse investigation, Fond du Lac Police Capt. Steve Klein said Wednesday.
"It is a case that keeps getting stranger," Klein said. "More information will come out in the (charging) complaint."
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Woman Exercising in Park Killed by Falling Tree Branch
A jogger wearing an iPod was killed in a Philadelphia park Wednesday night by a falling tree branch, days after a similar incident in New York's Central Park left a man in a coma.
Police have identified the latest victim as Katie Ladany, 23, of Montclair, N.J.
They say she was killed instantly in a freak accident while she was running alone in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, one of the largest parks in the world.
Chief Inspector Scott Small said a 30-foot-long branch fell on Ladany from 50 feet above.
Police say it's possible she didn't hear the branch breaking because she was listening to music on an iPod, which was still playing when they arrived.
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Kevin Federline is getting $1.6 million to loose his gut.
The tubby wannabe rapper has piled on the pounds since divorcing Britney Spears.
A party lifestyle and love of fast-food have been blamed, couple with the fact that the only exercise he's been getting is with his ten-pin bowling team.
However, with a new reality show in the pipeline, K-Fed eager to get back into shape and a weight loss brand has come to his rescue.
They want him to be the face of their new products and are reportedly ready to pay him $1.6 million.
A spokesperson for EP-2 (Extreme Physical Performance) confirmed: "Yes, we're trying to do a deal with him, but nothing has been confirmed yet."
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Save water - Pee in the shower
New television ads in Brazil are encouraging people to save water - by urinating in the shower.
Brazilian environmental group SOS Mata Atlantica says the campaign, running on several television stations, uses humor to persuade people to reduce flushes.
The group says if a household avoids one flush a day, it can save up to 4,380 liters of water annually, reports Metro.
SOS spokeswoman Adriana Kfouri said the campaign was "a way to be playful about a serious subject".
The ads feature cartoon drawings of people from all walks of life - a trapeze artist, a basketball player, even an alien - urinating in the shower.
Narrated by children's voices, the ad ends with: "Pee in the shower! Save the Atlantic rainforest!"
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St. Petersburg man nearly kills himself cleaning toilet
The quest for a gleaming toilet and a lack of knowledge of chemistry led a 44-year-old man to accidentally create a deadly bathroom cleaner early Thursday morning.
The result: a hazardous materials team was called to clear Michael Newton's house before he was taken to Bayfront Medical Center complaining of shortness of breath and irritation to his lungs and eyes from the chlorine gas cloud he created.
Newton, of 4301 Tuna Drive SE, combined bleach and an ammonia-based product to "make a stronger bathroom cleaner," St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue spokesman Lt. Joel Granata said.
He was overcome moments after spraying the solution and called 911. He was waiting outside when numerous fire and hazardous materials crews arrived around 6 a.m.
Firefighters ventilated the house and scrubbed his walls to alleviate the strong stench of cleaning solutions, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
Exposure to the gas — which has been used as a weapon of mass destruction — can cause severe illness or death.
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