The Weird News Thread

[Bowwowmeow]

Stuck Foghorn Wails Every Few Minutes


From Associated Press
February 09, 2006 7:17 PM EST
MONTEREY, Calif. - A foghorn got stuck in the "on" position and wailed every few minutes for hours and hours because no one in the area knew how to fix it.
"We are just a search-and-rescue part of the Coast Guard," explained Petty Officer 1st Class Lance Benedict.
The foghorn and accompanying light at the end of the Coast Guard Pier off Lighthouse Avenue are meant to prevent water travelers from running into the breakwall, Benedict said.
The horn was turned on during foggy conditions earlier in the week, and the problem was reported Tuesday to the Coast Guard's repair staff in San Francisco.
By Thursday morning, it was fixed, according to a security officer who identified himself as John Jones, an officer at the Harbormaster Office in Monterey. Jones said he had "not heard it all night" but did not know when the horn was turned off.

[Bowwowmeow]

I love the sound of a foghorn. I wouldn't mind this at all. Still, its funny that they couldn't find anyone who knew how to turn it off. :laugh:

[Bowwowmeow]

Woman Whistles Through Her Toes

From Associated Press
February 09, 2006 9:22 PM EST
NEW YORK - One Oklahoma woman might get cold feet if she comes to New York and tries to hail a cab. But Betty Bell will have to do just that if she's going to whistle.
Bell has the unique ability to whistle with her toes in her mouth.
Bell said it all started when she was 14 and trying to learn how to whistle. "And I said I wonder if can whistle with them because I wasn't having any luck with my fingers and so I tried it and it worked!" she said.
Bell, who once won $1,000 in a mall contest, is hoping that she will win a spot on the stupid human tricks segment on David Letterman's "Late Show." She will compete against five people for a chance to appear on the show.

[Bowwowmeow]

I can't whistle through my fingers either. :whistle:

[Bowwowmeow]

Dead mouse found in soup
09/02/2006 07:57 - (SA)
Nashville - A woman said on Wednesday that her 89-year-old mother found a mouse in a can of soup.
Authorities said the January 26 incident has been reported to the United States Department of Agriculture for investigation into whether the can of Campbell's soup was possibly contaminated or had been tampered with.
Phyllis Ingram said her mother, Pearl Parkey, discovered the dead mouse in a bowl of bean with bacon soup on January 26, but only after she had put it in her mouth.
"I thought it was just a ball of hair. My daughter said 'Mama that's a mouse,"' said Ingram, of Erwin, Tennessee about 402km east of Nashville.
Campbell's Soup Company spokesperson John Faulkner said the Camden, New Jersey-based company is investigating the complaint and will examine the can and its contents, which the family has stored in a freezer.
Company will investigate
Faulkner said it's unlikely a mouse could have gotten into the can during manufacturing. Every step of production is closely monitored and there is a USDA inspector based at the Maxton, North Carolina, plant where the soup was made, he said.
"When we get a complaint, we take it seriously," he said. "More often than not it's explainable as something not related to manufacturing, or the complaint is bogus."
Peter Cocotas, vice-president of PhF Specialists Inc, a food safety consulting company in San Jose, California, seconded that opinion.
"Presumably, somebody could drop a mouse into the can before it's filled, but that's not such an easy task," Cocotas said.
Ingram said she believes the mouse was in the can and could not have gotten into the pot of soup any other way.
"It's not like the finger that was in the Wendy's chilli," she said.
Anna Ayala, 40, was sentenced last month to nine years in prison for extortion after planting a human finger in a bowl of chilli at a San Jose, California, Wendy's restaurant, claiming it had been served to her. Her husband, Jaime Plascencia, 44, who obtained the finger from someone who lost it in an accident, was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
Ingram said her family was reluctant to make the situation public but said she thought the health department had notified Campbell's about the incident and the company ignored it.
"It's kind of embarrassing," she said. "My mother is a very dignified lady. Everybody around here knows her. My father was a minister."
Faulkner said the company was unaware of Ingram's claim until a reporter asked about it this week.

[Bowwowmeow]

"It's kind of embarrassing," she said. "My mother is a very dignified lady. Everybody around here knows her. My father was a minister."

So, its perfectly respectable to eat dead pig, but not dead mouse.

Hopefully for the sake of the family's reputation no one will ever find out whether the lady in question ever had the minister's trouser rat in her mouth! :dancerat:

[Bowwowmeow]

X-Rated Fortune Cookies Top Off Fundraiser


By ULA ILNYTZKY (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
February 10, 2006 4:35 PM EST
NEW YORK - There is great embarrassment in your future. A box of X-rated fortune cookies was mistakenly delivered to a fundraiser hosted by a Brooklyn politician.
The 350 cookies stuffed with "the most graphically lurid" fortunes got mixed up with a batch of 1,750 cookies ordered for the Chinese New Year event, Borough President Marty Markowitz said Friday. Some guests "were stunned, to say the least."
The annual event - to raise money to send poor children to summer camp - was attended by some 700 guests Tuesday evening, but only about 80 were still there when the dirty cookies were opened, Markowitz said.
The borough president was on the second floor of the two-level restaurant when a guest "yelled to me from the first floor: `Marty, did you order these cookies? Did you see what's inside them? I think you better get your butt down here!'" Markowitz said.
Markowitz, who was not wearing his glasses, had the "fortunes" read to him by some of the guests.
"I'm sure they were meant for a raunchy bachelor party," he said. "They were not cutesy. Triple X to say the least."
He said his office had given the restaurant 10 slogans about Brooklyn to insert into the fortune cookies, and 1,400 were delivered correctly.
They contained such G-rated boosterisms as: "Brooklyn - The 10th Planet," "Brooklyn - it's more than a freak'in tree," and "Brooklyn - it's like an everything bagel."
:seehearspeak:

[Bowwowmeow]

Colorado Woman Delivers Baby in a Toilet

http://eimg.net/harvest_xml/NEWS/img/20060210/43ec1dd0_3ca7_1552720060210-1743923812.jpg (http://enews.earthlink.net/article/pho?guid=20060210/43ec1dd0_3ca7_1552720060210-1743923812&article_path=/article/str&article_guid=20060210/43ec1dd0_3ca6_1552620060210-191058668)

This photo provided by the Littleton Police Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006, shows an unidentified police officer looking at a baby girl named Nevaeh at Littleton Adventist Hospital in Littleton, Colo.

From Associated Press
February 10, 2006 6:56 PM EST
LITTLETON, Colo. - A premature baby survived after being delivered in a toilet, police said.
"I just had a baby," Salina Newman told the operator when she dialed emergency services Tuesday, according to transcripts released to the media on Thursday. "I was only six months pregnant and I went to the restroom and the baby is in the toilet."
Littleton police officer Bob Carmody said when he arrived at the apartment, Newman told him the baby had been miscarried.
"I looked in the toilet bowl and I could see movement, and the baby was enclosed in the sac and everything," Carmody told Denver television stations. He pulled the baby out of the toilet with rubber gloves.
"I could see the hair, the hands up by the face, and parts of the legs and stuff, but I didn't take a lot of time to look at it. I just made sure and covered up the blanket."
Another officer ran down three flights of stairs to paramedics who had just arrived.
The baby girl, named Nevaeh (heaven spelled backwards), weighed 1.5 pounds and was taken to Littleton Adventist Hosptial, where she's expected to remain until she reaches 6 pounds, police said.
Hospital spokeswoman Allison Hefner declined to release information when contacted by The Associated Press Thursday, citing federal privacy rules.

[Oracl]

Amazing that Nevaeh survived! :flush:

[Bowwowmeow]

They must have gotten to her fairly quickly, although I suppose if her amniotic sac wasn't broken, the amniotic fluid might have had some reserve oxygen in it. I don't know exactly how that works, though. There's no way I would have left her in the toilet for someone else to take out, though. Some people are just unnatural, I guess.

[Bowwowmeow]

Woman Carrying Human Head Arrested in Fla.


From Associated Press
February 10, 2006 9:41 PM EST
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Airport baggage screeners found a human head with teeth, hair and skin in the luggage of a woman who said she intended to ward off evil spirits with it, authorities said Friday.
Myrlene Severe, 30, a Haitian-born permanent U.S. resident, was charged Friday with smuggling a human head into the U.S. without proper documentation.
Customs and Border Protection officials found the head Thursday, after Severe arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on a Lynx International Airlines flight from Cap Haitien, Haiti, said Barbara Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami.
"It still had teeth, hair and bits of skin and lots of dirt," Gonzalez said.
Severe told authorities she had obtained the package in Haiti for "use as a part of her voodoo beliefs," ICE Special Agent Erick Hernandez wrote in an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint.
"Severe also stated that the purpose of the package was to ward off evil spirits," Hernandez wrote.
Severe, who also was charged with failing to declare the head and transporting hazardous material in air commerce, faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted of all charges, prosecutors said.
Severe remained held Friday in lieu of a $100,000 bond. She is due back in federal court March 2.

[Bowwowmeow]

Her name is "Severe" and she was caught with a "severed" head. :jester2:

[Bowwowmeow]

Damn. I just remembered that article about the police catching Gandhi selling pot at the 7/11 that I posted at that other site, that got erased. That was a good one!
:tantrum:

[Oracl]

Damn. I just remembered that article about the police catching Gandhi selling pot at the 7/11 that I posted at that other site, that got erased. That was a good one!
:tantrum:
I remember that one!! :laugh:

[Rainbow]

Is this stuff for real!

[Bowwowmeow]

As far as Earthlink is concerned, it is. But I suppose you can't believe everything you read. Still, its kind of fun, like the Enquirer, only you don't have to pay for it! :beanie:

[Bowwowmeow]

Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter

From Associated Press
February 12, 2006 6:19 PM EST
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.
Harry Whittington, a millionaire attorney from Austin, was "alert and doing fine" in a Corpus Christi hospital Sunday after he was shot by Cheney on a ranch in south Texas, said Katharine Armstrong, the property's owner.
He was in stable condition Sunday, said Yvonne Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Christus Spohn Health System in Corpus Christi.
Armstrong in an interview with The Associated Press said Whittington, 78, was mostly injured on his right side, with the pellets hitting his cheek, neck and chest during the incident which occurred late afternoon on Saturday.
She said emergency personnel traveling with Cheney tended to Whittington until the ambulance arrived.
Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said the vice president met with Whittington and his wife at the hospital on Sunday. Cheney "was pleased to see that he's doing fine and in good spirits," she said.
The shooting was first reported by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. The vice president's office did not disclose the accident until the day after it happened.
Armstrong said she was watching from a car while Cheney, Whittington and another hunter got out of the vehicle to shoot at a covey of quail.
Whittington shot a bird and went to look for it in the tall grass, while Cheney and the third hunter walked to another spot and discovered a second covey.
Whittington "came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn't signal them or indicate to them or announce himself," Armstrong said.
"The vice president didn't see him," she continued. "The covey flushed and the vice president picked out a bird and was following it and shot. And by god, Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good."
Whittington has been a private practice attorney in Austin since 1950 and has long been active in Texas Republican politics. He's been appointed to several state boards, including when then-Gov. George W. Bush named him to the Texas Funeral Service Commission.
McBride did not comment about why the vice president's office did not tell reporters about the accident until the next day. She referred the question to Armstrong, who could not be reached again Sunday evening.
Armstrong, owner of the Armstrong Ranch where the accident occurred, said Whittington was bleeding and Cheney was very apologetic.
"It broke the skin," she said of the shotgun pellets. "It knocked him silly. But he was fine. He was talking. His eyes were open. It didn't get in his eyes or anything like that."
"Fortunately, the vice president has got a lot of medical people around him and so they were right there and probably more cautious than we would have been," she said. "The vice president has got an ambulance on call, so the ambulance came."
Cheney is an avid hunter who makes annual hunting trips to South Dakota to hunt pheasants. He also travels frequently to Arkansas to hunt ducks.
Armstrong said Cheney is a longtime friend who comes to the ranch to hunt about once a year and is "a very safe sportsman." She said Whittington is a regular, too, but she thought it was the first time the two men hunted together.
"This is something that happens from time to time. You now, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong.
The 50,000-acre Armstrong ranch has been in the influential south Texas family since the turn of the last century. Katharine is the daughter of Tobin Armstrong, a politically connected rancher who has been a guest at the White House and spent 48 years as director of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. He died in October. Cheney was among the dignitaries who attended his funeral.



:dunce: :bhead:

[Oracl]

That story even made it onto our news. :sigh:

This makes me sad: :(
Cheney is an avid hunter who makes annual hunting trips to South Dakota to hunt pheasants. He also travels frequently to Arkansas to hunt ducks.

[Bowwowmeow]

That story even made it onto our news. :sigh:

This makes me sad: Cheney is an avid hunter who makes annual hunting trips to South Dakota to hunt pheasants. He also travels frequently to Arkansas to hunt ducks.:( He isn't even doing this legally, and he's the VP. :grumble:
Cheney Cited for Breaking Hunting Law


By NEDRA PICKLER (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
February 14, 2006 3:56 AM EST
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney has been given a warning citation for breaking Texas hunting law by failing to buy a $7 stamp allowing him to shoot upland game birds.
The warning came from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department after it investigated Cheney's accidental shooting of a fellow quail hunter Saturday on the private Armstrong Ranch in the south part of the state.
The department found the accident was caused by a "hunter's judgment factor" when Cheney sprayed another hunter while aiming at flying birds.
The report said the victim, prominent Republican attorney Harry Whittington of Austin, was retrieving a downed bird and stepped out of the hunting line he was sharing with Cheney. "Another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest at approximately 30 yards," the report said.
Cheney, an experienced hunter, has not commented publicly about the accident. His office said Monday night in a statement that Cheney had a $125 nonresident hunting license and has sent a $7 check to cover the cost of the stamp. "The staff asked for all permits needed, but was not informed of the $7 upland game bird stamp requirement," the statement said.
Whittington also received a warning for failing to have the stamp. A department spokesman said warnings are being issued in most cases because the stamp requirement only went into effect five months ago and many hunters aren't aware of it.
Whittington was in stable condition at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial and was moved from intensive care to a "step-down unit" Monday. Doctors decided to leave several birdshot pellets lodged in his skin rather than try to remove them.
Katharine Armstrong, owner of the ranch where the shooting occurred, said it happened toward the end of the hunt, when it was still sunny but as darkness was encroaching and they were preparing to go inside. She said Whittington made a mistake by not announcing that he had walked up to rejoin the hunting line, and Cheney didn't see him as he tried to down a bird.
Armstrong said she saw Cheney's security detail running toward the scene. "The first thing that crossed my mind was he had a heart problem," she told The Associated Press.
She said Cheney stayed "close but cool" while the agents and medical personnel treated Whittington, then took him by ambulance to the hospital. Later, the hunting group sat down for dinner while Whittington was being treated, receiving updates from a family member at the hospital. Armstrong described Cheney's demeanor during dinner as "very worried" about Whittington.
Pamela Willeford, the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, another member of the hunting party, told The Dallas Morning News for a story in Tuesday's editions that she and Cheney didn't realize Whittington had picked up a bird and caught up with them.
Willeford said she has hunted with Cheney before and would again.
"He's a great shot. He's very safety conscious. This is something that unfortunately was a bad accident and when you're with a group like that, he's safe or safer than all the rest of us," she said.
The accident raised questions about Cheney's adherence to hunting safety practices and the White House's failure to disclose the accident in a timely way.
Duane Harvey, president of the Wisconsin Hunter Education Instructors Association, said if Whittington had made his presence known "that would have been a polite thing to do." But, he added, "it's still the fault upon the shooter to identify his target and what is beyond it."
President Bush was told about Cheney's involvement in the accident shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday - about an hour after it occurred - but the White House did not disclose the accident until Sunday afternoon, and then only in response to press questions.
Facing a press corps upset that news had been withheld, press secretary Scott McClellan said, "I think you can always look back at these issues and look at how to do a better job."
Armstrong said she told Cheney on Sunday morning that she was going to inform the local paper, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. She said he agreed, and the newspaper was the first to report the incident on its Web site Sunday afternoon.
Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said that about an hour after Cheney shot Whittington, the head of the Secret Service's local office called the Kenedy County sheriff to report the accident. "They made arrangements at the sheriff's request to have deputies come out and interview the vice president the following morning at 8 a.m. and that indeed did happen," Zahren said.
At least one deputy showed up at the ranch's front gate Saturday evening and asked to speak to Cheney but was turned away by the Secret Service, Zahren said. There was some miscommunication that arrangements already had been made to interview Cheney the next morning, he said.
Gilbert San Miguel, chief deputy sheriff for Kenedy County, said the department's report had not been completed Monday and that it was being handled as a hunting accident, although he would not comment about what exactly they were investigating. Both the sheriff's department and the state have determined that alcohol did not appear to be a factor.

[Bowwowmeow]

Here's a little comic relief on the subject:

TV Comedians Target Cheney Accident


From Associated Press
February 14, 2006 4:09 AM EST
LOS ANGELES - Television talk shows took aim Monday at Vice President Dick Cheney's accidental weekend shooting in Texas of a hunting companion. Here are a few of the jokes.
---
"Late Show with David Letterman," CBS:
- "Good news, ladies and gentlemen, we have finally located weapons of mass destruction: It's Dick Cheney."
- "But here is the sad part - before the trip Donald Rumsfeld had denied the guy's request for body armor."
- "We can't get Bin Laden, but we nailed a 78-year-old attorney."
- "The guy who got gunned down, he is a Republican lawyer and a big Republican donor and fortunately the buck shot was deflected by wads of laundered cash. So he's fine. He took a little in the wallet."
--
"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," NBC:
- "Although it is beautiful here in California, the weather back East has been atrocious. There was so much snow in Washington, D.C., Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fat guy thinking it was a polar bear.
- "That's the big story over the weekend. ... Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter, a 78-year-old lawyer. In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent."
- "I think Cheney is starting to lose it. After he shot the guy he screamed, 'Anyone else want to call domestic wire tapping illegal?'"
- "Dick Cheney is capitalizing on this for Valentine's Day. It's the new Dick Cheney cologne. It's called Duck!"
---
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," Comedy Central:
- "Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt ... making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, (was) shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird."
- "Now, this story certainly has its humorous aspects. ... But it also raises a serious issue, one which I feel very strongly about. ... moms, dads, if you're watching right now, I can't emphasize this enough: Do not let your kids go on hunting trips with the vice president. I don't care what kind of lucrative contracts they're trying to land, or energy regulations they're trying to get lifted - it's just not worth it."
---
"Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," CBS:
- "He is a lawyer and he got shot in the face. But he's a lawyer, he can use his other face. He'll be all right."
- "You can understand why this lawyer fellow let his guard down, because if you're out hunting with a politician, you think, 'If I'm going to get it, it's going to be in the back.' "
- "The big scandal apparently is that they didn't release the news for 18 hours. I don't think that's a scandal at all. I'm quite pleased about that. Finally there's a secret the vice president's office can keep."
"Apparently the reason they didn't release the information right away is they said we had to get the facts right. That's never stopped them in the past."

[Oracl]

:laugh:

[thevegantwins]

I don't like to see any humans hurt, even a**hole, Republican attorneys, but I can't stop laughing about this story. I read today that the White House press secretary was wearing an orange tie during a press briefing and announced he wanted to make sure Cheney didn't shoot. :rofl:

[Fauxmage]

Now its become serious, as the man had a heart attack due to a pellet being too close to his heart, and they are talking about pressing criminal charges against Cheney if he dies. What I focus on in situations like this is that it all could have been avoided if these people took up hobbies like photography or golf instead of hunting. I don't like to see people hurt either, but I hope (probably in vain) that this high-profile comedy turned tragedy will start to change people's minds about hunting as a sport; more, I admit, for the sake of all the animals who get killed than the idiots who shoot their hunting buddies. :comedy::tragedy:

[thevegantwins]

I was at our local animal shelter a few months ago dropping off food and a couple were looking around. The man says how much he loves animals and he's a very courteous hunter, doesn't kill babies or moms etc. (@$^@$%&) so the shelter director said to him, "If you love animals so much, why don't you photograph them instead of killing them." I agreed and the couple quickly left.

[thevegantwins]

Dick Cheney Plays Live at Folsom Prison:

http://cheneyplaysfolsom.cf.huffingtonpost.com/

:laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl:

[Fauxmage]

:laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl:

Where did you find that?

[Oracl]

:D :laugh:

[thevegantwins]

:laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl:

Where did you find that?
My vegan coworker always gets nifty links, I'll pass them on here. :colors:

[Bowwowmeow]

Customers Cook Up Trouble With Fake Penis


By JOE MANDAK (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
February 24, 2006 8:01 PM EST
PITTSBURGH - A woman who claimed she was trying to cheat on a drug test was behind a bizarre incident in which a frightened convenience store clerk thought she had microwaved a severed penis, police said.
The clerk at the store outside Pittsburgh actually microwaved a prosthetic device used to cheat on drug tests, police said Friday.
The incident unfolded late Thursday afternoon when a man and a woman entered the store and the man asked the clerk, "Can you microwave something for me? It's a life-or-death situation," according to an account the woman later gave police.
The man asked for paper towels, wrapped an object in them, and had the clerk microwave the item for 20 seconds, said McKeesport police Chief Joseph Pero.
When it was finished, the clerk handed the item back to the man and saw what she thought was a severed penis, Pero said.
After news reports Friday, a woman called police to say she was with the man in the store and gave her account of what happened, Pero said.
The woman told police she was applying for a job and was required to take a drug test. She said the man had filled the device with his urine, which she planned to submit for the test, Pero said.
According to the woman, the couple stopped to warm the device in the microwave so the urine would "pass the body temperature test," Pero said - that is, be warm enough to not arouse the suspicion of those administering the test.
Pero said police weren't sure why the woman was storing the urine in a device mimicking male genitalia.
The woman wasn't applying for a job at the convenience store, but Pero said he didn't know anything else about the job.
The chief said the woman planned to come to the police station for an interview. Police Friday night said they had no new information and said the chief would have to answer any further questions on Monday.
Pero wouldn't release the names of the man or woman. Charges, including harassment and disorderly conduct, were possible, he said.
The clerk at the Giant Eagle Get Go! is "still visibly shaking," Pero said.
Giant Eagle, which owns the convenience store, said the microwave will be discarded.

[Bowwowmeow]

Psycho Path Voted Wackiest Street Name


From Associated Press
February 24, 2006 7:06 PM EST
LOS ANGELES - Farfrompoopen Road, the only road to Constipation Ridge, lost to Divorce Court and Psycho Path, which placed No. 1 in an online poll of the nation's wildest, weirdest and wackiest street names.
Mitsubishi Motors sponsored the poll on the Web site http://www.TheCarConnection.com and more than 2,500 voters cast their ballots during a week of voting that ended this month. Winners were announced Friday.
"Our readers really stepped up with some insane street names," said Web site publisher Paul Eisenstein. "Our panel had a difficult time narrowing several hundred down to the 10 our readers voted on.
"But we learned a lot about the byways of this country, not to mention the collective sense of humor of city planners everywhere."
In first place was Psycho Path in Traverse City, Mich., followed by Heather Highlands, Pa.'s, Divorce Court in second and Tennessee's Farfrompoopen Road in third. Eisenstein said all the roads were verified, although some are private and hard to find.


The complete top 10 list included:


10. Tater Peeler Road in Lebanon, Texas
9. The intersection of Count and Basie in Richmond, Va.
8. Shades of Death Road in Warren County, N.J.
7. Unexpected Road in Buena, N.J.
6. Bucket of Blood Street in Holbrook, Ariz.
5. The intersection of Clinton and Fidelity in Houston
4. The intersection of Lonesome and Hardup in Albany, Ga.
3. Farfrompoopen Road in Tennessee (the only road up to Constipation Ridge)
2. Divorce Court in Heather Highlands, Pa.
1. Psycho Path in Traverse City, Mich.

[Oracl]

Farfrompoopen Road, the only road to Constipation Ridge

:laugh: :flush:

[Fauxmage]

Students to Pay for Massive Food Fight


From Associated Press
February 28, 2006 6:45 PM EST
CHESTERTON, Ind. - A massive middle school food fight left several students suspended and the eighth-grade class footing the cleaning bill that included the cost of scraping mashed potatoes off the ceiling.
Last week's fight at Chesterton Middle School left ceiling tiles damaged and could cost the students as much as $1,000 to pay for overtime, maintenance and repairs, said Duneland School Corporation Superintendent Dirk Baer.
"It wasn't just one or two kids throwing grapes," Baer said. "There were mashed potatoes sticking to the ceiling."
Security cameras captured the fracas that broke out about halfway through the 25-minute lunch period Wednesday at the school in the town 15 miles east of Gary.
The school suspended between six and 10 students for two or three days for launching the day's menu of chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and milk into the air.
As many as 50 students might have been involved. Principal Jim Ton recommended one student be expelled.
Cleaning costs will be taken from the eighth grade's extracurricular activity fund.
Baer said the whole class was punished because many of the grade's 500 students knew about plans for the food fight but failed to alert administrators.
"It was planned and it was widely known that it would happen, but nobody said anything," Baer said. "Everybody has to take responsibility."

Better to throw the steak and milk in the air than eat it!

[thevegantwins]

10. Tater Peeler Road in Lebanon, Texas
9. The intersection of Count and Basie in Richmond, Va.
8. Shades of Death Road in Warren County, N.J.
7. Unexpected Road in Buena, N.J.
6. Bucket of Blood Street in Holbrook, Ariz.
5. The intersection of Clinton and Fidelity in Houston
4. The intersection of Lonesome and Hardup in Albany, Ga.
3. Farfrompoopen Road in Tennessee (the only road up to Constipation Ridge)
2. Divorce Court in Heather Highlands, Pa.
1. Psycho Path in Traverse City, Mich.

Interesting that 2 of the roads are in New Jersey considering there are 50 states in this country.

But maybe not that weird....http://www.weirdnj.com/


:hyper:

[SinnerCal]

I'm feeling completely weirded out! :dizzy: :crazy:

[Fauxmage]

I'm feeling completely weirded out! :dizzy: :crazy:
Better not read the following then!


Ohio Couple Tie the Knot at McDonald's


From Associated Press
March 01, 2006 9:39 PM EST
FAIRBORN, Ohio - Do you take this man, and do you want fries with that? A couple decided to get married under the golden arches, as customers continued to place their orders for Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets.
Trisha Lynn Esteppe and Tyree Henderson exchanged their vows on Monday at the McDonald's in Fairborn where they work together and met three years ago.
Esteppe said she couldn't imagine a more romantic spot for their wedding. The couple walked down a white aisle laid on the restaurant's floor and had a traditional ceremony, not far from the counter.
They were married by the Reverend James Hartman, who said his first fast-food wedding was "just wonderful."


:blecch:

[Fauxmage]

This is the best! :wigglebutt:


20-Foot 'Super Colon' Visits Ohio


From Associated Press
March 02, 2006 6:50 PM EST
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Could you call it the colon that ate Columbus? A giant organ that is a natural target for wisecracks is making a stop downtown as part of its four-city tour.
A 20-foot long "Super Colon," on display to promote National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, is big enough to let visitors walk through and look at the inside.
The giant inflated tube, brought by The Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, is meant to remind visitors of the dangers of colorectal cancer and other ailments that strike the lower digestive tract.
One tourist from Michigan wondered if you'd move through it faster if you ate chocolate.



"One tourist from Michigan wondered if you'd move through it faster if you ate chocolate."

No, prunes! :laugh:



I hope they discuss the role of meat-eating in colon cancer. :professor:

[Bowwowmeow]

Woman Enters Exhibit, Elephant Smacks Her


From Associated Press
March 03, 2006 7:00 PM EST
WACO, Texas - A 25-year-old woman climbed past barriers and into an elephant's zoo exhibit, then crawled out with minor injuries after the 6,000-pound animal smacked her with its trunk.
"That's how an elephant reacts to something they would perceive as a threat," said Cameron Park Zoo director Jim Fleshman.
After saying she wanted to play with the elephant, the woman climbed over a 3-feet-high wood-and-wire fence, scaled an 8-foot-tall artificial rock structure and bypassed an electric wire before jumping into the exhibit Thursday afternoon, Fleshman said. A moat extends around most of the exhibit.
After the woman got out, fire and emergency crews took her to a hospital with minor injuries, including scrapes on her side and arm. Waco Fire Capt. Greg Kistler said the woman, whose name was not released, was visiting the zoo with a child and another woman.
The exhibit contains two female African elephants that have been at the zoo at least nine years. Only one of the elephants struck the woman.
Both animals were stressed after the incident and were moved to a private area for part of the afternoon, and one didn't want to return to the exhibit even later in the day. But both were back for visitors to see Friday, Fleshman said.
"They're not used to somebody being in their space," he said.

These elephants don't know how lucky they are to escape with their lives. :elephant:

[Bowwowmeow]

Feisty Rooster Rules Punta Gorda City Hall


By The Associated Press
From Associated Press
March 03, 2006 7:06 PM EST
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - A rooster, believed to be an orphan of Hurricane Charley, now rules the roost at Punta Gorda city hall. The feisty copper-colored fowl has interrupted city meetings and prompted neighbors to call animal control after he woke them at 5 a.m.
But mostly he's won the hearts of city employees.
"He's our mascot," city Clerk Sue Foster told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune for Friday's editions. "My staff, we think he's pretty cool."
Animal control officers have tried to catch him, but he's too quick. Mostly he hangs out in the flower beds outside city council chambers.
"He's at the planning commission and canal maintenance. He's everywhere," said Harvey Goldberg, a candidate for city council.
On Wednesday, the rooster crowed loudly during a discussion of Punta Gorda's new auditorium.
"At first, I thought it was a cat in heat," Assistant City Manager Kathy Dailey said.
The rooster has been seen wandering the streets since Hurricane Charley in 2004 and started roosting outside city hall in October. The popular theory is that he was the pet of residents who left town after the storm.


Hehe! This reminded me of when an amusement park called "Marine World Africa USA" used to be located a mile away from where I grew up. They decided to move to Vallejo, CA, and some of their chickens escaped from the petting zoo. I saw a woman chasing them down the street with a huge net. There was no way she was going to catch them. They established a colony and went "feral". They lived in back of a small food market for years. I think they are all gone now, though. I used to love to catch glimpses of the mamas with their new hatchlings. :smallheart:

[thevegantwins]

http://mapage.noos.fr/minimiam/go.htm

Click on minimian logo then click on any of the topics in the galerie

:D

[Bowwowmeow]

Those are crazy, vegantwins! I especially like the wine bottles, and the cleaning lady with the sugar cube, and the one with the people on the fork over the salad bowl. :excited:

[Bowwowmeow]

Hmmmm.....
Growing Aussies Need Sturdier Toilets


From Associated Press
March 06, 2006 11:30 PM EST
SYDNEY, Australia - Sturdier toilets may be on their way in Australia to cope with the country's increasingly obese population.
Standards Australia, a nongovernment group that establishes safety and design standards, is considering recommending strengthening loos for larger users, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Obesity levels have been rising for years in Australia.
Standards Australia spokeswoman Kate Evans said the current industry standard for toilet seats is just 100 pounds and that the group is looking to increase it to 330 pounds.
Experts will examine the seats "from the perspective that people are getting bigger," Evans said.
Steve Cummings, a committee member for Standards Australia and head of research and development at toilet maker Caroma Dorf, told Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph that toilet seats need to be strengthened for larger Australians.
"If you are going to sit on it, you want it to hold you," he said.


:flush:

[SinnerCal]

Hmmmm.....

:flush:
:wigglebutt: :rolleyes:

[SinnerCal]

http://mapage.noos.fr/minimiam/go.htm

Click on minimian logo then click on any of the topics in the galerie

:D
I am having trouble with this, the page took forever to load and then nothing happened! :confused: :crying: :sigh:

[Fauxmage]

Try again SinnerCal. It didn't work for me the first time either. I can't copy any of the images and post them here, as it is a media player, or I would, because they are crazy pictures!

[Oracl]

SinnerCal is not good at this sort of thing :rolleyes: but I managed to see the Galerie. :excited: I love the mowing the kiwi fruit one and the people in the "snow"!! :yea: They are very weird. :laugh:

[Bowwowmeow]

Man Says Stripper Delivered a Rob-O-Gram


By The Associated Press
From Associated Press
March 10, 2006 7:42 PM EST
ATASCADERO, Calif. - A retired salesman alleged a stripper and her friend beat and robbed him in his home. John Skinner, 54, said he was on his way to Bible study on Jan. 23 when exotic dancer Maureen Murphy, 25, knocked on his door and offered him a free strip-o-gram.
Murphy said a friend had already paid for the show, police said.
When Skinner agreed to let her perform, knife wielding Richard Adam, 23, allegedly forced his way inside and told Skinner he owed Murphy, owner of Bikini Assassins, and another woman money for earlier services.
Skinner said he owed Talbert money for sex one time but not for a previous time when he said she fell asleep before they could have sex.
Adam allegedly tied up Skinner and hit him in the face. Investigators said Murphy went upstairs to find valuables and returned with thong underwear and medication for erectile dysfunction.
The pair allegedly tried to take Skinner's car, but it was out of gas.
Prosecutors charged three people in the case.
Adam was charged with robbery, burglary and inflicting great bodily injury. Exotic dancer Leslie Talbert, 20, was charged with two counts of burglary and Murphy, 25, was charged with robbery, burglary, false imprisonment and battery. A preliminary hearing will be held March 23.


On his way to Bible Study. Helloooooo, BIBLE STUDY!!!! :laugh::laugh::laugh:

[Fauxmage]

Woman Gets Beer From Her Kitchen Faucet :drunk:


From Associated Press
March 13, 2006 6:30 PM EST
OSLO, Norway - It almost seemed like a miracle to Haldis Gundersen when she turned on her kitchen faucet this weekend and found the water had turned into beer.
Two flights down, employees and customers at the Big Tower Bar were horrified when water poured out of the beer taps.
By an improbable feat of clumsy plumbing, someone at the bar in Kristiandsund, western Norway, had accidentally hooked the beer hoses to the water pipes for Gundersen's apartment.
"We had settled down for a cozy Saturday evening, had a nice dinner, and I was just going to clean up a little," Gundersen, 50, told The Associated Press by telephone Monday. "I turned on the kitchen faucet and beer came out."
However, Gundersen said the beer was flat and not tempting, even in a country where a half-liter (pint) can cost about 25 kroner ($3.75) in grocery stores.
Per Egil Myrvang, of the local beer distributor, said he helped bartenders reconnect the pipes by telephone.
"The water and beer pipes do touch each other, but you have to be really creative to connect them together," he told local newspapers.
Gundersen joked about having the pub send up free beer for her next party.
"But maybe it would be easier if they just invited me down for a beer," she said.



"Per Egil Myrvang, of the local beer distributor, said he helped bartenders reconnect the pipes by telephone."
So now they'll have beer shooting out of the receivers whenever they make a phone call??? This sounds like Three Stooges' style plumbing repair to me. Per Egil Myrvang must be Norwegian for "Moe Larry Cheese"! Woowuwuwuwuwuwuwwoooooo!
:stooges:

[Tiggerwoos]

:D Beer on tap!:D

What next?

[Bowwowmeow]

Crocodile Attacks Chainsaw in Australia

From Associated Press
April 28, 2006 7:13 AM EDT
SYDNEY, Australia - A 14 1/2-foot crocodile mauled a chainsaw a worker was using Friday to clear up debris left by a tropical storm that lashed northern Australia. While the croc and worker were both uninjured, the saw's woodcutting days are over.
Freddy Buckland was cutting up a tree that fell against a crocodile enclosure at the Corroboree Park Tavern, 50 miles east of the northern port city of Darwin when the crocodile, called Brutus, apparently took exception to the chainsaw's noise and attacked.
"As he was trimming up the tree on the outside the croc jumped out of the water and sped along the tree about 18, 20 feet and actually grabbed the chainsaw out of his hands," said Peter Shappert, the tavern's owner.
"It must have been the noise ... I don't think he was actually trying to grab Freddy, but I'm not sure. He had a fair go at him ... I think he just grabbed the first thing he could and it happened to be the chainsaw," Shappert added.
Neither Buckland nor Brutus were injured.
The saltwater crocodile, which Shappert said he now is considering renaming Two-stroke in honor of the saw's fuel, appeared to like the snack.
"He chewed on the chainsaw for about an hour-and-a-half, then we finally got it out," Shappert said, adding that the saw was destroyed when it finally was retrieved from Brutus' giant jaws.
Saltwater crocodiles have been known to attack small power boats, apparently because they do not like the noise of outboard motors.
I know how they feel. :bigdragon:

[Bowwowmeow]

Couple, 33 and 104, Reportedly Marry

http://my.eimg.net/harvest_xml/NEWS/img/20060502/4456d940_3ca7_15527200605021999602808.jpg (http://enews.earthlink.net/article/pho?guid=20060502/4456d940_3ca7_15527200605021999602808&article_path=/article/str&article_guid=20060502/4456d940_3421_1334520060502-1519776947)

A 33-year-old from northern Malaysia, Muhamad Noor Che Musa sits next to his newly married 104-year-old wife Wook Kundor at their house in Kuala Terengganu, Monday, May.

From Associated Press
May 02, 2006 8:44 PM EDT
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A 33-year-old man in northern Malaysia has married a 104-year-old woman, saying mutual respect and friendship had turned to love, a news report said Tuesday.
It was Muhamad Noor Che Musa's first marriage and his wife's 21st, according to The Star newspaper which cited a report in the Malay-language Harian Metro tabloid.
Muhamad, an ex-army serviceman said he found peace and a sense of belonging after meeting Wook Kundor, whom he said he initially sympathized with because she was childless, old and alone, the report said.
"I am not after her money, as she is poor," Muhamad reportedly said. "Before meeting Wook, I never stayed in one place for long."
He said he hoped to help his new bride to master Roman script while she taught him Islamic religious knowledge.
The report did not say if any of Wook's previous 20 husbands are still alive.
Malaysian Muslim men are allowed by their religion to take up to four wives at a time, but reports of women who marry more than once are rare. Muslim women do not practice polygamy.
Malaysia's 26 million population comprises about 60 percent Muslims, almost all ethnic Malays. Large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities are Buddhists, Hindus or Christians.

[Dexter]

Abut yes like they say the ladies get better like wine with time

haha :)

[Bowwowmeow]

She doesn't look too bad for 104 does she?

[1vegan]

That's Bizarre: A rusty screw has fetched £55 on eBay.

DIY shop boss Ben Talbot, 23, sold the screw as a joke through the internet auction site, and admits he was surprised when he got seven bids.

He said: "I seriously wasn't expecting any."

Chantal Bell, 24, confessed she bid on the nail when she was drunk because her friend joked she wanted a "good old screw".

She said: "I'm a bit embarrassed. I was quite drunk when I bid for it.

"Next time I'm on eBay, I'll make sure I'm sober."

:D

[Bowwowmeow]

:dizzy:

[Oracl]

the ladies like wine get better with time Thank you for that lovely comment, Dexter! :curtsey: ;)

:champagne:

:toast: :drinkin:

:wigglebutt:

[Oracl]

Chantal Bell, 24, confessed she bid on the nail when she was drunk because her friend joked she wanted a "good old screw".
:eek: :D

[thevegantwins]

She doesn't look too bad for 104 does she?
She looks damn good for 104! Better than me on many days. :rolleyes:

[Tiggerwoos]

Ebay and alcohol don't mix!

That lady looks like one of those Shaolin monks who live, eat healthily and exercise till the point of exaustion day in day out that seem to live for ever!

[Dexter]

Thank you for that lovely comment, Dexter! :curtsey: ;)

:champagne:

:toast: :drinkin:

:wigglebutt:
haha ;)

[Bowwowmeow]

Great Miracle: 'Paraplegic' Flees Police


From Associated Press
May 11, 2006 4:33 PM EDT
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Authorities said a woman who claimed she was a paraplegic and repeatedly filed claims and lawsuits for noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act was a con artist without any physical limitations.
After her arrest this month by Las Vegas police, Laura Lee Medley, 35, leaped from her wheelchair and ran for freedom, officials said.
Complaining earlier that she was having medical problems, police took the woman to a Las Vegas hospital for treatment, said David Wert, spokesman for San Bernardino County.
"That's where the great miracle occurred," he said. Medley "made a break for it," leading police on a brief foot pursuit before she was captured, Wert said. :laugh:

Medley's claims against public entities - including San Bernardino County, South Pasadena and Long Beach - claimed a bus dropped her off near what she called a non-ADA compliant roadway or curb, causing her wheelchair to topple. She claimed three broken arms in eight weeks - two lefts and a right.
South Pasadena settled Medley's claim for $6,700 on Oct. 18, 2005.
Her questionable claims led to last week's arrest in Las Vegas.
Medley was charged with filing false documents, attempted grand theft and two counts of insurance fraud. She is in a Las Vegas jail awaiting extradition to San Bernardino.
Medley's alleged deception was discovered by San Bernardino County officials after she filed a complaint saying she fell and broke her left arm on Oct. 17, 2005.
County lawyer Mike Sachs said Medley called him in December to complain about treatment she was receiving from county employees. Medley claimed she was an ADA compliance expert and she threatened to organize a protest march, Sachs said.
"She was a very pushy lady, and anytime she wasn't happy with a response she was getting from someone at the county, she would try to go to the next highest person," Sachs said.
On Feb. 4, she filed a claim for $9,072 in medical expenses and lost wages. Medley then produced hospital medical records, documents that repeatedly misspelled Bernardino as Bernadino.
The hospital confirmed the documents were bogus.
Sachs said they learned Medley filed a nearly identical wheelchair-toppling claim seeking $5,200 from Long Beach. The claim was denied because the sidewalk was wheelchair accessible, Long Beach Deputy City Attorney Belinda Mayes said.
Medley then filed a federal lawsuit April 4 against Long Beach. That U.S. District Court suit is still pending and Mayes declined comment.

[Bowwowmeow]

Missing Manure Mystifies Middlefield


From Associated Press
May 11, 2006 4:14 PM EDT
MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio - A case of missing manure in this Amish community has a village street cleaner so upset that she reported the messy poop pilferer to police.
It seems that someone, perhaps a home gardener, is taking manure droppings from hitching rail posts outside stores in Middlefield, located about 30 miles east of Cleveland.
The hitching posts are a common site in the Amish country of Geauga County and are used by Amish to secure their buggy horses while they shop.
Lisza Wright, who gets paid $25,000 a year by Middlefield to clean the three dozen hitching rail areas daily, told police last month that someone has been taking manure, with the manure left behind getting spread out and packed down, making her job harder.
Police Chief Joe Stehlik suspects a gardener looking for fertilizer.

[Dexter]

hahaha X 2

:)

[Bowwowmeow]

Have you got any weird news to share, Dexter? :hyper:

[Bowwowmeow]

Police Get Calls About Bikinis, TV Remotes


From Associated Press
May 22, 2006 6:03 PM EDT
REXBURG, Idaho - Law enforcement agencies depend on citizens in the community to be their eyes and ears. But officials in this southeastern Idaho town aren't sure how to respond to reports of skimpy bikinis, lost TV remotes, menacing squirrels, and a report of a neighbor's shrub trespassing.
"You try to help, you don't want to seem uncaring," said Randy Lewis, a captain with the Rexburg Police Department.
Those kinds of calls come in daily to the police, including one where Lewis ended up using a lasso to capture a hissing badger running loose in an apartment.
"What a mistake," he said. "It about drug me off."
Even though many calls don't fall within what police normally do, officers still respond to complaints of loitering ducks and children who won't mind their parents.
Lewis said the Rexburg police probably get more of those types of calls than larger departments.
"We don't have a high frequency of serious crimes, though we do have murders, rapes, child molestations and bank robberies," Lewis said. "Thank goodness they don't happen every day."
Rexburg Police Lt. Ron Larson said he thinks many of the calls are caused by residents not knowing the difference between civil and criminal offenses.
"It might not have anything to do with the police, but they don't know who else to call," he told the Post Register.
Most of the unusual calls come during the summer, he said, and already the department has fielded calls about mean notes taped to trash bins and reports of residents receiving offers of being hypnotized over the phone.
Lewis said the hypnotist calls could be coming from students at Brigham Young University-Idaho as part of their homework.
But a university official said he is not aware of any class requiring that type of assignment.
Meanwhile, Rexburg police will continue to take the calls in stride.
"We don't want to discourage anyone from calling in," Lewis said.

Hehe! Menacing squirrels! :laugh:

[Bowwowmeow]

Dracula's Castle Returned to Van Hapsburg


http://my.eimg.net/harvest_xml/NEWS/img/20060526/44767d40_3ca7_1552720060526-100833412.jpg (http://enews.earthlink.net/article/pho?guid=20060526/44767d40_3ca7_1552720060526-100833412&article_path=/article/str&article_guid=20060526/44767d40_3ca6_1552620060526-711119174)

Bran Castle in Transylvania, Romania which was the temporary home to Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian 16th-century prince who inspired Bram Stoker's fictional Dracula, is seen, Friday, May 26, 2000. EUGENIU SALABASEV

From Associated Press
May 26, 2006 4:39 AM EDT
BUCHAREST, Romania - More than 60 years after it was seized by communists, the Romanian government is to hand back one of the country's most popular tourist sites, the fabled Dracula Castle, to its former owner, the culture minister said Tuesday.
The castle, worth an estimated $25 million, was owned by the late Queen Marie and bequeathed to her daughter Princess Ileana in 1938. It was confiscated by communists in 1948 and fell into disrepair. It will be transferred on Friday to Dominic van Hapsburg, a New York architect who inherited the castle from Princess Ileana decades after the communists seized it, minister Adrian Iorgulescu told a news conference.
Van Hapsburg is a descendant of the Hapsburg dynasty which ruled Romania for a period starting in the late 17th century.
The hand-over ceremony will take place Friday at noon in the 14th century castle's museum deep within the fortress in Transylvania, Iorgulescu said.
Restoration work began in the late 1980s and was partially completed in 1993. It is now one of Romania's top tourist destinations. Under the agreement, the owner will not be allowed to make any changes to the castle for the next three years, Iorgulescu said.
While known and marketed as "Dracula's Castle," it never belonged to Prince Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Bram Stoker's Count Dracula character. But the prince is thought to have visited the medieval fortress.
The Gothic fortress, perched on a rock, has appeared in numerous Dracula movies.
At the gates of Bran Castle, peasants sell Dracula sweaters hand-knitted from the thick wool of local sheep, cheesecloth blouses, and Vampire wine. The castle is the most famous of 15 citadels and fortresses in the area, which were built by peasants to keep out marauding armies of Turks and Tartars and cruel local medieval lords.
Another former royal property, the Peles Castle, built in the late 19th century in the mountain town of Sinaia, will be returned to former King Michael. He owned it before it was confiscated by the communist regime in 1948.
Romania passed legislation earlier this year to return property to its former owners and establish a "property fund" to pay damages for assets that cannot be returned. The fund includes stock in state-owned companies that are being privatized.


:vamp:

[Fauxmage]

Husband, Wife, Child Share Same Birthday


From Associated Press
May 23, 2006 8:06 PM EDT
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - A husband, wife and their first child beat enormous odds and share the same birthday. Evelin Alballat was introduced to Tony Osman several years ago by one of her relatives who learned they were both born on May 21. The couple married two years ago.
Their baby's due date was May 20 and Alballat started having contractions around 10 p.m. that night. She was then admitted to Marian Medical Center.
"I kept staring at the clock and wanted it to turn past midnight before I delivered my baby," she said.
Danny Osman entered the world about 12 hours later.
"We didn't plan for it; it just happened," Alballat said.
"We were just dumbfounded," Osman added.
The chances of three family members sharing a birthday are .000751 percent, according to Paul Murphy, a mathematician and dean of academic affairs at Allan Hancock College.
Future birthdays will be a family celebration with one big cake and a vacation, Osman said. While the couple intends to have more children, they said they won't aim for a fourth May 21 birth.
"We want to have one more, but we'll just see what happens," Osman said.

[Bowwowmeow]

Armless Man Stopped for Speeding


From Associated Press
May 27, 2006 5:54 AM EDT
WELLINGTON, Arotea,... er, Aoreto,.. oh hell, NEW ZEALAND!
An armless man stopped for speeding was driving with one foot on the steering wheel and another on the pedals, a policeman testified in court.
Colin Smith, who was born without arms and has never held a driver's license, appeared in court Thursday charged with driving in a manner likely to be dangerous to the public.
The police officer who stopped Smith said the driver's seat was reclined and the armless man appeared to be using one foot to steer the car and the other to work the accelerator and brake. Smith, 31, entered no plea but said he would defend himself against the charges.
He told the court he had been driving for years, using his feet to steer, and had never had an accident.

:updn:

[Bowwowmeow]

hardly anything is weird to me anymore
:D How 'bout this then, Dexter:

Man Severs Penis to Prove Faithfulness


From Associated Press
May 30, 2006 5:46 PM EDT
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A man who apparently severed his penis in an attempt to convince his wife that he was faithful to her was recovering after surgery to reattach the organ at a northern Malaysian hospital, a news report said Tuesday.
The 41-year-old man, who was not identified, got into an argument last Friday with his wife, who found a text message on his mobile phone from another woman. The man was heard by his son shouting that he wanted to prove he was not having an affair, the New Straits Times reported.
The assertion was followed by loud screams and the man emerged from his room bleeding profusely, his 14-year-old son quoted as saying. His wife rushed him to hospital.

:shock::shock::shock:

[Dexter]

ouch indeed! :(

but still not shocked
hehe

[Bowwowmeow]

OK, how about this then:

Fla. Man in Women's Bathing Suit Arrested

From Associated Press
May 30, 2006 5:47 PM EDT
KEY WEST, Fla. - A man wearing a purple women's bathing suit and carrying a flare gun was arrested after he told a bartender he was going to "get rid of all the dirt bags in Key West," authorities said.
Jeffrey C. Anderson, 55, was charged with carrying a concealed firearm Monday after he brandished the flare gun, which was under a skirt he was wearing, Key West police spokeswoman Christie Phillips said.
The bartender, who was not identified, was working in the downstairs bar of The Bull and Whistle, a popular Key West watering hole located on Duval Street.
"She reported she had seen a man, later identified as Anderson, dancing in the street showing tourists his private parts, and asking people for money when they took his picture," the news release said.
The bartender said Anderson then approached her, telling her he was going to get rid of the city's "dirt bags" before displaying the gun, police said.
Police quickly located Anderson and found an orange 12-gauge flare gun in his possession, Phillips said. He was transported to the Monroe County detention center. It was not clear if he had a lawyer.

:rolleyes2:

[Dexter]

haha

:rolleyes2: indeed

[Caprita]

Another former royal property, the Peles Castle, built in the late 19th century in the mountain town of Sinaia, will be returned to former King Michael. He owned it before it was confiscated by the communist regime in 1948.
This is wonderful news! Peles is a beautiful castle, and so is the whole city of Sinaia. :excited:

I haven't seen the Bran so far, but I will, this autumn, hopefully. :hyper:
:vamp:

[Caprita]

Fla. Man in Women's Bathing Suit Arrested
I wonder what he meant by "dirt bags" though. :whistle:

[Bowwowmeow]

Real Body Found at Fla. Fake Crime Scene


From Associated Press
June 06, 2006 4:01 PM EDT
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Truth proved to be stranger than fiction for a high school criminology class investigating a fake crime scene when the students discovered a real body during a field trip.
Teacher Sue Messenger had been creating mock crime scenes with fake skeletons and other evidence for more than 20 years to give students in her forensics courses a firsthand look at what crime scene investigators do.
On Monday, however, 29 students from St. Thomas Aquinas High School got more of a jolt they expected when they discovered the real body in Fort Lauderdale's Holiday Park.
"The first thing we thought was, 'That's a real good dummy she set up,'" said student Juan Cantor, 15.
"I think they kind of went into shock and disbelief," Messenger said. "What are the odds that we would be out here?"
Police on Tuesday identified the body as David Wayne Bodie, 45, a homeless man who apparently died of natural causes.

[moie]

ha:D

[dreamer]

Squirrel hunter found seriously stuck in waist-deep muck(6/06/06 - MEMPHIS, TN) -
A man stuck up to his waist in a muddy riverbank for more than a day was rescued Monday after he was spotted by a passing fisherman.

Rescuers said Anthony Hawkes was hunting squirrels Sunday along the banks of Loosahatchie River north of Memphis when he got stuck.

He was spotted Monday by fisherman Sowann Chea, who tried to pull Hawkes out. Chea called for help and off-duty Shelby County firefighter Jeremy Havlik was among the first to respond.

"He's just worn out," Havlik told WMC-TV. "He hasn't eaten; he's been down there fighting that mud for 24 hours. He was physically exhausted."

Video shot by the television station's helicopter showed rescuers supported by tree limbs and ladders digging and pulling for several minutes to free Hawkes' lower body from the riverbank.

Hawkes was hospitalized but did not have any serious injuries.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[thevegantwins]

^^ :rofl: :lol: ^^

Wish they left him in the mud...:grumble: damn hunter!

[Willow]

Hopefully there's one less hunter in the world now :laugh: :agree:

[Bowwowmeow]

Va. Teen Sets Record for Pi Recitation


From Associated Press
June 13, 2006 4:10 PM EDT
ROANOKE, Va. - The third time was the charm for 15-year-old Gaurav Raja, who succeeded in setting the North American record for reciting digits of pi.
Gaurav on Monday recited 10,980 digits, breaking the North American and U.S. record of 10,625, which had stood for 27 years. During an after-school session, he recited about two numbers per second for one hour, 14 minutes and 28 seconds.
The achievement ranks him ninth in the world. The world record is 42,195.
This was the Salem High School junior's third attempt this year to break the record, and he said he couldn't really explain his feat.
"I know what the numbers are, but it's not like I can see them," he said. "I just know what they are."
The impetus for his attempt came from his math and computer science teacher, Linda Gooding. She asked her students to memorize about 40 digits of pi, an infinite number representing the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter.

Can you imagine wanting to memorize almost 11,000 digits? How about listening to someone else for over an hour, just to make sure they got them all right? :dizzy:

[thevegantwins]

Did you ever see the movie, Pi? Very odd movie but somewhat interesting.

[dreamer]

This one says a little bit about the state of art appreciation:professor: :rofl:

Art gallery loses its head, displays plinth
Thu Jun 15, 9:11 AM ET



LONDON (Reuters) - One of Britain's most prestigious art galleries put a block of slate on display, topped by a small piece of wood, in the mistaken belief it was a work of art.

The Royal Academy included the chunk of stone and the small bone-shaped wooden stick in its summer exhibition in London.

But the slate was actually a plinth -- a slab on which a pedestal is placed -- and the stick was designed to prop up a sculpture. The sculpture itself -- of a human head -- was nowhere to be seen.

"I think the things got separated in the selection process and the selectors presented the plinth as a complete sculpture," the work's artist David Hensel told BBC radio.

The academy explained the error by saying the plinth and the head were sent to the exhibitors separately.

"Given their separate submission, the two parts were judged independently," it said in a statement. "The head was rejected. The base was thought to have merit and accepted.

"The head has been safely stored ready to be collected by the artist," it added. "It is accepted that works may not be displayed in the way that the artist might have intended."

[BonaDrag]

Just spotted this...:covereyes: :covereyes: :covereyes:
Cyclops kitten no hoax! (http://www.smh.com.au/news/unusual-tales/cyclops-kitten-no-hoax/2006/01/11/1136956230663.html)
Apparently it suffered from holoprosencephaly.

Sorry this should be in a sad news thread.

[Bowwowmeow]

Italian Restaurant Finds 6 Gnomes on Roof


From Associated Press
June 30, 2006 9:04 PM EDT
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Six garden gnomes arrived atop Poppi's Italian Family Kitchen about the time of the summer solstice - facing the sunrise - and the restaurant's owner says it's OK for them to stay.
"We've noticed there's fewer pigeons. We think they're afraid of the gnomes," owner Dan Perryman said Thursday.
Perryman suspects area teenagers placed the gnomes atop the restaurant; no employees have admitted taking part in the prank.

[Bowwowmeow]

CDC Probes Bizarre Morgellons Condition


By MIKE STOBBE (AP Medical Writer)
From Associated Press
August 08, 2006 7:15 PM EDT
ATLANTA - Imagine your body pocked by erupting sores. The sensation of little bugs crawling all over you. And worst of all, mysterious red and blue fibers sprouting from your skin.
It may sound like a macabre science fiction movie, but a growing legion of Americans say they suffer from this condition. And now the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating.
Some doctors dismiss these patients as delusional. But the condition - called Morgellons - has caused a small frenzy on the Internet, with hundreds of people pleading for help.
"Sometimes the government doesn't want to panic people until they can figure out a definitive cause," said Pat Boddie, a 62-year-old Alabama woman who said she's had Morgellons for 14 years.
"They're trying to figure out if this is going to be an epidemic. I hate to tell them, but it already is," she said.
The CDC has been receiving as many as 20 calls a day from self-diagnosed Morgellons patients. The agency has been urged to investigate by, among others, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.
"We're going into this with an open mind," said Dan Rutz, spokesman for a CDC Morgellons task force that began meeting in June.
But so far there is no evidence of an infectious agent, and health officials say there is not yet enough evidence even to call it a disease.
People claiming to have Morgellons report a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from joint pain to irregular bowel movements. But most describe crawling sensations along the skin, sores, fatigue, "brain fog," and the appearance of small or microscopic fibers on or under the skin.
Some say they've suffered for decades, but the syndrome did not get a name until 2002, when the name "Morgellons" (pronounced mor-GELL-uns) was chosen by Mary Leitao. The South Carolina woman, who said her son suffers from the condition, founded the Morgellons Research Foundation.
She found the name in a 1674 medical paper that described a condition called Morgellons, with symptoms somewhat like her son's. So she began using the name. "I never expected it to stick," she said.
Leitao's organization has become a leading source of information and research advocacy, but it too has become controversial.
Last week, at least three of the eight members of the organization resigned over disagreements with Leitao, the executive director, about how she's been running the foundation. One member - the board's chairman - sent a letter to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, saying Leitao had failed to produce requested financial records and he voiced suspicions of financial impropriety.
Another board member who resigned, Dr. Greg Smith, a Gainesville, Ga., pediatrician, had recently posted a donations-soliciting letter for the foundation on an Internet site frequented by Morgellons patients. Last week, he posted a retraction.
"I cannot in good faith ask anyone to contribute to the foundation," Smith wrote.
Leitao described the controversy as "a power struggle" and said she's done nothing illegal.
Also resigning from the organization was Randy Wymore, an Oklahoma State University assistant professor of pharmacology. He was the organization's director of research.
Wymore had initiated the relationship last year. But because of the in-fighting he said he decided to distance himself. "The research I'm doing is not affected by this," Wymore added.
Until the CDC task force, Wymore was seen as the most reputable scientist to research Morgellons, although he was trained in molecular biology, not clinical disease or fibrous materials.
He recruited two Oklahoma State faculty physicians. They tweezed fibers from beneath the skin of some Morgellons patients who visited the Oklahoma State Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa in February, Wymore said, and sent those samples to the Tulsa Police Department's forensic laboratory.
The police checked the samples against carpet and clothing fibers and other materials, and conducted chemical analyses and other tests. Nothing matched, said Mark Boese, the police lab's director.
"How it is being produced, I don't know," Boese said. He theorized the fibers could be produced by human hair follicles that somehow encapsulated pollutants processed by the body.
Some doctors believe Morgellons is produced by the mind, not the body.
"I think of Morgellons as a piece of a larger phenomenon - delusional parasitosis," said Dr. Annette Matthews, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.
Delusional parasitosis is a psychosis in which sufferers believe they are infected with parasites. Often the patients have a real-life problem with scabies, lice, or some other tiny attackers, but then imagine they are continuing to plague them, Matthews said.
Asked about reports of multiple Morgellons cases within a family, Matthews said delusions are transmissible - the psychiatric term is 'folie a deux,' for instances in which people come to share a delusion.
Some people will biopsy themselves, or seek large quantities of antibiotics, herbal remedies, industrial bug killers and other expensive and potentially harmful treatments, she said.
The CDC's Rutz said there may be several subgroups among the people who identify themselves as Morgellons sufferers. One group may have delusional parasitosis, but another may have something else.
The 12-person CDC task force includes two pathologists, a toxicologist, an ethicist, a mental health expert and specialists in infectious, parasitic, environmental and chronic disease. The group is developing a case definition of Morgellons.
It's impossible to say how many people have Morgellons without a commonly accepted way to define it. The Morgellons Research Foundation believes the number is at least 5,500, based on the number of families registered with the organization's Web site.
Hopefully, a CDC case definition will lead some physicians to stop treating Morgellons patients like they're crazy, said Smith, the Georgia pediatrician and a Morgellons sufferer.
"A lot of physicians think that if it's not in the textbooks, it's not real," said Smith, who said a fiber once slid across his eyeball and then burrowed in.
Verna Gallagher, 48, said she's been seeing a dermatologist for nearly a year. "(But) he doesn't believe in Morgellons. He said 'That's not a real thing,'" said Gallagher, of Roseville, Calif., near Sacramento.
But while her doctor dismisses the fibers as lint, Gallagher says he is concerned that she may become suicidal. "I cry, and he says I have to live my life" and tells here to write down things that she likes to do.
Meanwhile, she says she is plagued by tiny dark specks and fibers that infest her house. She's paid for exterminators, taken antidepressants, bathed in Borax and spent hundreds on vitamins, garlic pills and other potential remedies.
"Nothing's helped," she said.

[1vegan]

ATM Robbers Yank Out the Wrong Machine (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/08/09/international/i132817D55.DTL&type=bondage)

Wednesday, August 9, 2006

(08-09) 13:28 PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) --

Three would-be thieves broke into a bank in northern Malaysia but failed to make off with any cash as they yanked out the wrong machine — a check deposit machine instead of an automated cash dispenser, the national news agency Bernama reported Wednesday.

The three men broke into the entrance area of the bank in the northern town of Bukit Mertajam early Wednesday, and tied a rope — attached to two vehicles — around a machine, police district investigation chief Chor Ah Sing said, according to Bernama.

They jerked the machine off its hinges, sending it crashing to the ground floor, Chor added.

The crashing sound alerted a security guard to the breach who chased them away, it said.

The three men had already managed to open the machine, but found no cash as it was a check deposit machine, the national news agency said. It is not immediately clear if they made off with any checks.

Local police officials could not be immediately contacted for comment.

:rolleyes:

[1vegan]

SA women 'prefer shopping to sex' (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5263962.stm)

South African women value shopping above sex, survey results suggest.

Of women who took part in a "Fantasy Survey" promoted by a drinks company, 45% said they valued shopping over sex. Only 26% voted the other way round.

Three quarters of the women who took part described themselves as having a shoe fetish while 70% said they did not have enough clothes in their wardrobes. Almost half (48%) of women surveyed said men had no real understanding of their needs and desires.

A smaller number (40%) said they were still misunderstood, although men made an effort to understand their wishes.


Maybe they've got great shopping malls in South Africa? :rubchin:

[thevegantwins]

My cubicle neighbor loves shopping, with a passion!! She's admitted to loving shopping more than anything except her son and mother. That means she put shopping above her husband. :zip:

[Oracl]

That is weird! :rubchin:

I hate shopping. :no: I get twitchy after about 10 minutes in any shopping mall and develop an uncontrollable desire to get out into the fresh air! :sun:

[1vegan]

Dog lost overboard swims ashore (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/5352742.stm)

Dog lost overboard swims ashore
A dog which was feared drowned after falling into the sea from a boat has been reunited with its owners after swimming ashore against the tide.

Kano, a four-year-old mongrel, had disappeared from its owner's boat on Friday as it travelled from Helensburgh to Port Glasgow.

However, on Saturday he was found whining at the water's edge near the Roseneath Caravan Park.

Owner Sharon McKay, 32, said: "We thought he was definitely a goner."


Kano had gone out fishing with Mrs McKay's husband Donald and her brother John Cardoo, who thought he was sleeping in the cabin.

However, on arriving back in their home town of Port Glasgow they realised the dog was not on the boat.

Mrs McKay said: "He could have gone overboard anywhere between Helensburgh and Port Glasgow.

"The tide was going out at the time so he would have been swimming against the tide. We never thought he would have been able to make it to the shore."

Kano was found by a member of the Kilcreggan Coastguard rescue team who was walking his own dog.

"Apparently he was just pacing up and down the beach and kept looking out to sea," Mrs McKay said.

"Everyone was trying to coax him away but he wouldn't move."

Fearing the dog's owner may have been in difficulty somewhere a search was mounted, involving the Kilcreggan Coastguard rescue team, Strathclyde Police and an MOD police launch.

In the meantime, the McKays had contacted the police, coastguard and SSPCA.

"As soon as we heard Kano may have been found we went straight over there," Mrs McKay said. "He was going absolutely nuts when he saw us.

"He loves going out on the boat though so I'm sure this won't have put him off," she added.

I've worked in a marina once, and don't recall I saw people with pets.

Maybe it's too simple to assume that as owner you keep an eye on the dog, or do things to the boat so the dog won't fall off just like that?


btw, smart dog, if he or she followed the boat he or she might not have made it.

Attachment : Kano the dog

[Oracl]

Happy ending, thank goodness. :) Should never have happened though. :no:

[1vegan]

:rofl:

Woman Guilty After Microwaving Fake Penis At Store (http://www.wesh.com/irresistible/9856578/detail.html)

Fake Penis Holds Urine For Drug Test

MCKEESPORT, Pa. -- The case of the fake male organ is now closed.

A man and woman who asked a Pennsylvania convenience store clerk to microwave a fake penis have settled disorderly conduct charges

A woman named Leslye Creighton, 41, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges in connection with the incident last February at a convenience store near Pittsburgh.

The incident began when Creighton's friend, Vincent Bostic, 31, filled a fake penis with his urine, which Creighton planned to use to pass a drug test to get a job. On the way to the test, the couple stopped at a convenience store and asked a clerk to heat it in a microwave. They had wrapped it in a paper towel.

A shocked store clerk called police, thinking Creighton had put a severed male sex organ in the microwave. It turned out the object was fake, the type used to beat a urine test. Creighton wanted the device heated so the urine inside would be at body temperature for the drug test, police said.

Creighton faces a maximum punishment of $300 and 90 days in jail when she's sentenced in November.

Charges were dropped against Bostic, who has agreed to help pay $425 to replace the store's microwave.

;)

[1vegan]

Policeman pays price for mating mutt

link (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-09-15T191705Z_01_DEL149023_RTRUKOC_0_US-INDIA.xml&archived=False)

MALDA, India (Reuters) - An Indian policeman charged with guarding industrial plants in the state of West Bengal has had his salary cut for failing to stop his guard dog from becoming pregnant, officials said Thursday.

Authorities at a steel plant in Malda, southwest of Kolkata, took a dim view of constable Sunil Kumar's oversight after the dog mated with a stray and gave birth to 10 puppies.

"It is a very sensitive issue in our department," S. Bhatnagar, the deputy inspector general of the state's Central Industrial Security Forces, told Reuters.

"The Labrador could not carry out her duties properly during her pregnancy and at time of delivery she was on leave."

Kumar, whose pay has been cut from 3,540 rupees ($77) a month to 3,295 rupees, Wednesday appealed against the decision in the Kolkata high court.

"When an animal experiences the urge to mate, it does not pay heed to its trainer," he told reporters in his defense.

But his boss is sticking to his guns. "A biological phenomenon relating to a sexual urge is a different issue, but it had been established he was not serious about his duties."

- Why wasn't the dog neutered/spayed (sp) in the first place?

- 77 bucks a month?

[1vegan]

It's hard to believe, but I've seen it on lots of newsites....

Clicky (http://www.shortnews.com/shownews.cfm?id=56989&CFID=7311300&CFTOKEN=32463198)
Man Sodomises Hedgehog and Suffers

Zoran Nikolovic, age 35, claims he was following a witch doctor's order when he tried to cure his premature ejaculation problem by raping a spiked hedgehog. Instead of finding a cure, he found he just shredded his johnson.


Mr Nikolovic, who is afraid of telling his partner for fear of being dumped, was said to be too ashamed of his condition to go through the regular channels before visiting the witch doctor instead.


A hospital spokesperson said the animal was apparently unhurt through the ordeal; the spokesperson also said the hospital has carried out similar operations before, but only on people who had been involved in accidents.


I know we vegans are supposed to be compansionate towards all animals, but I do hope it did really hurt (the man).

[thevegantwins]

It's hard to believe, but I've seen it on lots of newsites....

Clicky (http://www.shortnews.com/shownews.cfm?id=56989&CFID=7311300&CFTOKEN=32463198)



I know we vegans are supposed to be compansionate towards all animals, but I do hope it did really hurt (the man).
I am never amazed anymore regarding the stupidity of so many humans. :dunce: :dizzy:

[Bowwowmeow]

What a lot of weird news lately! :blecch: I'd like to see the witch doctor get a taste of his own medicine, not just the stupid "patient". :rolleyes:

[1vegan]

Miami herald (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/weird_news/15558019.htm)

Woman accused of hammer attack over gas
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO - Police arrested a woman who allegedly attacked a San Antonio convenience store clerk on the head with a hammer after he turned down her demand for free gasoline on Tuesday.

Police said the woman told the clerk that she had no money and was about to run out of gas.

After the clerk said no, police said the woman struck him with the hammer, grabbed some change from the cash register and fled.

Officers later found the woman stranded in her car.

The woman faces a charge of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

The clerk is expected to recover.

Now she's got other things to worry besides running out of gas :rolleyes:

[my3labs]

Miami herald (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/weird_news/15558019.htm)



Now she's got other things to worry besides running out of gas :rolleyes:

Holy crap. People are crazy.

[forthebirds]

Fish kills spear-fishing diver

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida diver shot a large grouper with a spear gun then apparently drowned when the fish sped into a hole, entangling the man in the line attached to the spear, investigators said Monday.

The 42-year-old man, whose name was withheld, was free-diving in about 25 feet of water off the lower Florida Keys Saturday and speared a Goliath Grouper, Monroe County Sheriff's Detective Mark Coleman said.

"It looks like the fish wrapped the line attached to the spear around the victim's wrist. The fish then went into a hole in a coral rock, effectively pinning the man to the bottom of the ocean," Coleman said in a news release.

Police divers found the speared fish tightly wedged into the hole, with the man's body still tangled in the line, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

Goliath Grouper are the largest members of the sea bass family and can weigh hundreds of pounds

______________________________________

Sorry but when I heard this story the other day I said "Score one for the fish."

:fishies:

[thevegantwins]

Fish kills spear-fishing diver

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida diver shot a large grouper with a spear gun then apparently drowned when the fish sped into a hole, entangling the man in the line attached to the spear, investigators said Monday.

The 42-year-old man, whose name was withheld, was free-diving in about 25 feet of water off the lower Florida Keys Saturday and speared a Goliath Grouper, Monroe County Sheriff's Detective Mark Coleman said.

"It looks like the fish wrapped the line attached to the spear around the victim's wrist. The fish then went into a hole in a coral rock, effectively pinning the man to the bottom of the ocean," Coleman said in a news release.

Police divers found the speared fish tightly wedged into the hole, with the man's body still tangled in the line, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

Goliath Grouper are the largest members of the sea bass family and can weigh hundreds of pounds

______________________________________

Sorry but when I heard this story the other day I said "Score one for the fish."

:fishies:

:laugh:

[forthebirds]

Yet another fish tale--- :sharknsmilie:



Man impaled by giant fish

A fisherman is recovering in hospital after a giant Blue marlin jumped into his boat, impaled his chest and threw him into the sea.

Ian Card, was impaled by the bill of the 14' Blue Marlin, Makaira nigricans, while fishing in a International big game fishing tournament off Bermuda.

According to a report from The Times, the 360kg/800lb fish hit him with such force that its 90cm/3' long sword-like bill went through his chest, just below the collarbone, and threw him into the sea, still attached to the bill of the fish.

The fish swam down, forcing Card further under the water, but he managed to push himself off the sword and swam to the surface.

His father, Alan Card, said: "It impaled him with its bill. In one motion the fish flew across the cockpit and took him out of the boat. He landed about 15ft away. He was under water and had his arms wrapped around the fish as it was pushing him under.

"I lost sight of him for a few seconds. As a father looking at a son who has just been impaled, that is a sight I will never forget."

According to The Times, Card resurfaced 50' behind the boat with blood pouring out of a wound the size of a fist.

________________________

Revenge of the Fish!!!! :nahnah:

[thevegantwins]

:laugh: :rofl:

Tofu doesn't fight back :D

[forthebirds]

:laugh: :rofl:

Tofu doesn't fight back :D


LOL!! :laugh:

[paul]

thank you so much for those stories forthebirds.:rofl: :laugh:

[forthebirds]

You're so welcome. :curtsey: I love it when the animals put one over on the humans. :cheer:

[Oracl]

I love it when the animals put one over on the humans. :cheer:
:agree: :psing:

[paul]

:agree: :agree: :agree: :wigglebutt:

[1vegan]

Link (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lincolnshire/5379930.stm)

Boy, three, buys car on internet
A three-year-old boy has used his mother's computer to buy a £9,000 car on an internet auction site.

Jack Neal's parents only discovered their son's successful bid when they received a message from eBay about the Barbie pink Nissan Figaro.

Rachael Neal, 36, said her son was quite good at using the computer.

Mrs Neal, of Sleaford, Lincolnshire, said she had left her eBay password in her computer and her son had used the "buy it now" button.

She said: "Jack's a whizz on the PC and just pressed all the right buttons.

"I was just horrified.

"We now have the parental locks on - and we make sure we sign out of eBay!"

She said her husband John, 37, had called the seller of the car and explained the mistake.

"Luckily he saw the funny side and said he would re-advertise," Mrs Neal added.

The seller of the soft-top second-hand car, Paul Jones, co-director of Worcester Road Motors in Stourport-on-Severn, near Kidderminster, Worcestershire, said he had been "amused" by the bid.

It is the first time the car dealership has sold a car on the site, Mr Jones said.

:hbang:

:professor: The kid does have taste imho (it was a pink Nissan Figaro)
http://www.nissan-figaro.com/pics/pages/IMG_0580.htm

[Oracl]

The kid does have taste imho (it was a pink Nissan Figaro)

Very cute car. :agree: Not sure about pink though! :rubchin:

[1vegan]

Link (http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2006/09/26/1899075-ap.html)

Irwin fan says he'll feed his son's placenta to goannas

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - An Australian man who says "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin shaped his love for reptiles said Tuesday he plans to feed the placenta from the birth of his newborn son to his pet goannas, to bring his family closer to the giant lizards.

Wil Kemp, a reptile keeper at the Rockhampton Zoo in northeastern Queensland state, said his second son was born on Sept. 5, the day after a stingray killed Irwin as the famed TV conservationist filmed on the Great Barrier Reef.

Kemp and his fiance Kahila Pepper named the boy Tai Irwin - the former after the taipan snake and the latter after the television star.

Kemp said the couple planned to feed the placenta to their three pet goannas, which live in pits in the family's backyard, after a homecoming gathering on Sunday.

"I think we'll just break some beers, chuck it in and do it," said Kemp, 21.

The couple came up with the idea after nurses told them they could take the placenta - the organ that grows in the womb to be the interface for nutrients and blood between mother and fetus that comes out during childbirth - home if they wished.

Personal disposal of the placenta has become a trend, with some couples choosing to give it a symbolic burial and others, in rare cases, eating it in the belief it has health benefits or will strengthen family bonds.

"Me and Kahila got talking and thought 'well if they can eat it and plant it underneath trees, why can't we feed it to a reptile, and literally bring us closer to them?"' Kemp said. "I want him (Tai) to get into reptiles."

Goannas are carnivorous lizards that can grow to around two metres in length.

Kemp said he would be showing Irwin's television programs to Tai and his other son, 18-month-old Ramsay, and would be thrilled if they followed in Irwin's footsteps.

Some people are just nuts :rolleyes:

[forthebirds]

^ GACK!! :blecch:

[Oracl]

Double :blecch:

[forthebirds]

More Revenge of the Fish! :fishie:

"Near Clay City, Ind., a 31-year-old man was killed when one of the homemade pipe bombs he'd brought along on a fishing trip (possibly intending to use them to stun the fish) went off and sent a piece of shrapnel through his heart."


Obviously a big loss to mankind... :no:

[paul]

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n137/paulpic_2006/0Fish.gif

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n137/paulpic_2006/Animals_712.gif

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n137/paulpic_2006/Animals_650.gif

[thevegantwins]

More Revenge of the Fish! :fishie:

"Near Clay City, Ind., a 31-year-old man was killed when one of the homemade pipe bombs he'd brought along on a fishing trip (possibly intending to use them to stun the fish) went off and sent a piece of shrapnel through his heart."


Obviously a big loss to mankind... :no:
Would it be wrong if I..

:lol: :laugh: :rofl: :) :D ?

[paul]

not at all tvt. carry on:D

[Keykeypie]

What Next!

Seems the BBB got a complaint the other day about a scam that AFLAC was taking advantage of women on the street and stealing their money.

Now we all, at one time, thought that an INSURANCE Company has stolen from us, however this scam is netting COLD HARD CASH from unsuspecting individuals.

The way it works is....the thief uses children to distract the target. While admiring the cuteness of the kids they are robbed of their cash and never know what hit them.

I'm sending this out for all to be aware that this is happening and it's right out on the streets where the general public is.

A passer by with a digital camera-phone happened to capture the photo below.

Review it carefully and use caution when distractions like this come along.

Good Luck
Don't say you weren't warned


http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m60/gingerlks/aflac.jpg

[paul]

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :hyper: :lol: :laugh: :psing: :D

[Fauxmage]

:psing: :laugh: :psing: :laugh: :psing: :laugh: :psing: :laugh: :psing:

[Keykeypie]

Hi Fauxmage....welcome back :blinkwave:
Paul.....I wasn't sure if our friends outside the US would get that....do
you have those same commericals in the UK then?

[paul]

i usually get sent stuff like it via email etc , i wish we had commercials like it, very rarely we do.

[Oracl]

:lol: Very good! :lol:

Oh, and I love your new avatar, paul! :nanakiss: :colors:

[Keykeypie]

Ananova News

Woman's MySpace revenge

A woman got revenge on her cheating boyfriend by hijacking his MySpace page.

Sam Deakin found out Matt East, 25, was having an affair with one woman and trying to date another 20.

So she changed the welcome note on his page to say: "I'm a pathological liar. I cheat regularly."

She then mimicked the Mastercard TV commercial, reports the Sun.

She wrote: "Dinner in a posh restaurant...$100. Night in a top hotel...$200. Finding out your boyfriend is a lying scumbag and changing his MySpace page so everyone can see...PRICELESS."

She changed his password so he couldn't hack in and alter what she had done.

The site received more than 250,000 hits in five days with women slagging off Matt as a "total loser".

Mum-of-two Sam, a website designer from Bournemouth, Dorset, said: "I wanted to show him up for who he is."

Sam revealed he asked one girl: "You, me, handcuffs, whipped-cream. How about it?"

The site has been closed by MySpace.

Matt, of Bournemouth, said: "I admit I cheated. I'm just a man."

[paul]

good for her:rock: :rofl: :laugh:

[Oracl]

Matt, of Bournemouth, said: "I admit I cheated. I'm just a man."
Pathetic isn't he. :rolleyes:

[Bowwowmeow]

Sam revealed he asked one girl: "You, me, handcuffs, whipped-cream. How about it?"

Any woman who would take him up on this is his equal, though. For every pot there is a lid. :rolleyes:

[thevegantwins]

December 6, 2006
Flatulence Forces Plane to Land
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 7:07 a.m. ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing Monday morning after a passenger lit a match to disguise the scent of flatulence, authorities said.

The Dallas-bound flight was diverted to Nashville after several passengers reported smelling burning sulfur from the matches, said Lynne Lowrance, spokeswoman for the Nashville International Airport Authority. All 99 passengers and five crew members were taken off and screened while the plane was searched and luggage was screened.

The FBI questioned a passenger who admitted she struck the matches in an attempt to conceal a ''body odor,'' Lowrance said. She had an unspecified medical condition, authorities said.

''It's humorous in a way but you feel sorry for the individual, as well,'' she said. ''It's unusual that someone would go to those measures to cover it up.''

The flight took off again, but the woman was not allowed back on the plane. The woman, who was not identified, was not charged in the incident.

I wonder if she was vegan? :rofl:

[paul]

:faint: :woohoo: :rofl: :laugh: :rubchin: :o

[Phoenix]

I wonder if she was vegan? :rofl:
:whistle: :o :whiteflag:

[Gliondrach]

No. Vegans are always well behaved.

[1vegan]

The news tribune (http://www.thenewstribune.com/24hour/weird/story/3444626p-12629639c.html)

Man calls 911 to report stolen drugs

The Associated Press
Monday, December 11th, 2006 02:01 PM (PST)
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A Wichita man called 911 to report he was the victim of an armed robbery. The theft? A pound of marijuana worth about $1,100 that he had been trying to sell at his home.

The victim told police Thursday that a buyer had pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and stole the drugs.

Police brought in a drug-sniffing dog to the house and located more marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The victim was booked into Sedgwick County jail on several charges, including possession with the intent to sell drug.

The thief has not been found.

:lightbulb: That's a bright idea, let's call the cops, maybe they can find the drugs

[paul]

:sigh: :dunce: :dizzy: :rofl: :laugh: :rofl: :hbang:

i dont know wether to laugh or cry

[Oracl]

:bhead: :lol:

[1vegan]

BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6229799.stm)


Treatment keeps girl child-sized

Parents of a severely disabled girl in the US have revealed that they are keeping her child-sized in order to give her a better life.

The nine-year-old, named Ashley, has the mental ability of a three-month-old baby and cannot walk or talk.

Along with hormone doses to limit her growth, Ashley's parents also opted for surgery to block breast growth and had her uterus and appendix removed.

They say the treatment will help to improve her quality of life.

Ashley's parents, Seattle residents who have not given their names, went public over their daughter's treatment in a blog launched on 1 January.

Their decision came after information about Ashley's case was published in a US medical journal last year, triggering considerable debate and criticism.

'Improve her life'

"A fundamental and universal misconception about the treatment is that it is intended to convenience the caregiver," Ashley's parents wrote on the site.

"Rather, the central purpose of the treatment is to improve Ashley's quality of life."

Ashley has static encephalopathy, a rare brain condition which will not improve. Her parents call her "Pillow Angel", because she does not move from wherever they put her, usually on a pillow.

The couple decided three years ago to take steps to minimise their daughter's adult height and weight.

They authorised doctors to remove her uterus to prevent menstruation and to limit her breast growth through the removal of breast buds so that she would not experience discomfort when lying down.

The surgery was performed in July 2004, and shortly after that Ashley began hormone treatment that is expected to reduce her untreated height by 20% and weight by 40%.

Ashley's parents say that because she will remain the weight of a child, it will be easier for them to move her around, bathe her and involve her in family activities - movement that will benefit her physical and mental well-being.

Ethics row

They emphasised their love for their daughter and said that the amount of criticism their choice of treatment attracted had surprised them.

"If the concern has something to do with the girl's dignity being violated, then I have to protest by arguing that the girl lacks the cognitive capacity to experience any sense of indignity."

"The oestrogen treatment is not what is grotesque here. Rather, it is the prospect of having a full-grown and fertile woman endowed with the mind of a baby."

The BBC's Laura Trevelyan says the case has triggered an ethical row in the US about the limits of medical intervention.

When details of the case were published last year, it drew angry reactions from some people and the couple were accused of "Frankenstein-esque" behaviour.

Douglas Diekema from the University of Washington in Seattle was on the ethics committee that gave the go-ahead for Ashley's treatment.

"We said yes because the parents convinced us it was in fact in this little girl's best interests," he told the BBC.


I'm suprised they managed to get it all done, "controversial" indeed.

imho, this is more for the convienince of the parents then in the interest of the child/being. (maybe I'm judging too quickly on this?)

The parents response to negative comments:
We carefully reviewed these comments: they seemed to us to be gut reactions without depth or rational consideration of the situation, the treatment, or the motivation behind it, which we hope this article sheds more light on. It seems that people are thinking of a child who is mostly normal or who might progress to approach normal. As we stated earlier, Ashley has not shown material progress in her mental ability since she was three months of age, she is dependent on us in every way (including position change), she can’t hold a toy, and we’re not sure she recognizes us.

To put our decision process in perspective, it is not uncommon for parents with children who have cancer or birth defects to pursue significantly more intrusive treatment (chemo or radiation therapy) or more involved surgery (limb amputations or face reconstruction), than what the “Ashley Treatment” entails. We strongly believe that the benefits that we’re seeking for Ashley are not any less worthy than these other unfortunate situations entail.

[thevegantwins]

Wow, I don't know what to think about that. On one hand, I can understand why having Ashley remain 'childlike' would be much easier on her parents but on the other hand, do they have the right to make that choice for her. I'm sure Pete Singer would have suggested she be euthanized at birth.

[Gliondrach]

I wouldn't like to have to make that decision.

[Bowwowmeow]

I really do think that if Ashley were allowed to develop into a sexually mature woman, but with the mind of a three month old baby, this would be very cruel. I guess its really hard to know whether she will always have the mind of an infant, but if I were convinced that this was all she had to look forward to, I would probably do something very similar to what her parents have done, for her sake, rather than mine. After all, if they wanted to, they could have simply abandoned her to an institution, and left her care to someone else, if convenience were their only motivation.
Playing the devil's advocate, if society at large feels that making neutering and euthanasia decisions for non-human animals is ethical, they ought not to frown on making such decisions for human ones.

[paul]

:agree:

[Bowwowmeow]

Source of Stench: NY or NJ?


By LARRY McSHANE (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
January 09, 2007 6:25 PM EST
NEW YORK - It's what New Yorkers like to say when they get a whiff of something funky: "Must be New Jersey."
They said it again this week when a mysterious gas-like odor wafted across Manhattan and New Jersey. To which some indignant New Jerseyans said it's the New Yorkers who are smelling up the joint.
The source of the stink remained a mystery Tuesday, as well as a rich source of juvenile jokes about New Jersey - and New York, too.
"You know what you call New York with a bad smell? New Jersey," Jay Leno wisecracked. And Conan O'Brien killed with this: "Apparently, New Yorkers knew something was wrong because it smelled bad when they got OUT of their taxis.
Charles Sturcken, a spokesman for the city Department of Environmental Protection, said initial complaints about the sulfurous, rotten-egg smell indicated that it emanated from south and west of the city. That would place it in - surprise! - New Jersey.
But Garden State officials, tired of Jersey-bashing and industrial waste jokes, were quick to charge New Yorkers with prematurely blaming their long-time neighbors for the Monday morning stench that produced scores of 911 calls, disrupted transit service and sent a dozen people to the hospital.
"It looks an awful lot like jumping to conclusions," said Lisa Jackson, New Jersey commissioner for environmental protection.
In an industrial section of Kearny, N.J., diner manager Milton Tzoumas agreed.
"No one should point fingers until they find out where it came from," Tzoumas said. "What are we, little kids?"
It sometimes appears that way between the nation's largest city and the most densely populated state. They have feuded over ownership of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the New York Giants and Jets (who play in New Jersey), and the New Jersey Nets (who are coming to Brooklyn).
But neither side on this two-century-old border war is claiming ownership of the funky smell.
New York investigators considered three possible theories for what a front-page New York Post headline dubbed "THE BIG STINK."
The first was a New Jersey chemical plant, although it was later ruled an unlikely source, Sturcken said. Next was a natural process, such as decaying vegetable matter related to the recent warm weather. And last was a build-up of sewer gases in both New York and New Jersey, tied to Tuesday's wet weather.
In the initial moments of the craze over the smell, officials in New Jersey indicated that the odor was coming from a leak in Greenwich Village. But they later said they were investigating the possibility of a natural gas pipeline problem in their state.
Wherever the stink came from, Mayor Michael Bloomberg stressed there was never any danger to the public.
"It was good theater," the mayor told reporters, "for you and for Jay Leno."
---
Associated Press Writer Wayne Parry contributed to this report from New Jersey.


I think I might know who to point the finger at, in light of a few recent confessions in other threads. ;) :whistle: :D

[Oracl]

:wigglebutt: ;) :lol:

[thevegantwins]

I think I might know who to point the finger at, in light of a few recent confessions in other threads. ;) :whistle: :D
Haha! :nahnah:

Actually, New Jersey really does have some stinky parts. There are certain parts of the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway that you need to hold your breathe or keep your windows closed because this awful smell wafts in year round.

[Gliondrach]

Edible squid-flavoured postcards

Residents of the coastal town of Susami in Wakayama prefecture love the sea and the post office so much that the town once installed a mailbox on the ocean floor for scuba divers. Now, further evidence of this powerful sea/mail love comes in the form of 'Surumail' — edible postcards made from squid.

Produced by the Susami fishing co-operative, Surumail postcards consist of dried surume squid (Todarodes pacificus), the local seafood speciality. The squid jerky is flattened and vacuum-packed into the shape of a postcard, and an adhesive label is included for the postage, delivery address and a short message.

The fishing co-operative has sold between 4,000 and 5,000 cards each year since they went on sale in 2000. According to the Surumail website, which touts the postcards as a cutting-edge medium of communication for the 21st century, many big-name companies — including Microsoft and IBM — have inquired about the cards. Surumail may play an instrumental role in saving the Japanese economy, the website claims.

The postcards cost 320 yen (under $3) each and are available at the Susami post office and JR Susami station, as well as through the Susami fishing co-operative. You can also order the postcards online, but it is unclear whether they ship outside Japan.

http://www.pink tentacle.com/2006/11/edible-squid-flavored-postcards/

[Bowwowmeow]

That is weird, and stomach-turning, too. Why don't they make them out of sea weed?
People are sick.

Edible postcards would be a perfect vehicle for bio-terrorism, though. I wonder why no one has realised it yet.

[Oracl]

'Squid jerky' what a horrible idea. :blecch: :(

Squid are so amazing to watch, swimming in the sea around here. They are such beautiful creatures. :)

[Phoenix]

Um, yeah ... what BMW & Oracl said.

[paul]

as above, Eerr ecept i havent seen them apart from on the tv

[Keykeypie]

Dumped bride uses dog as groom (http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2173126.html?menu=)
A dumped bride went ahead with her wedding reception - using her dog to replace the groom.
Emma Knight, 41, was dumped two weeks before her wedding to Paul Fox, 37.
To cheer herself up she decided to go ahead with her wedding reception anyway.
She dressed her faithful dog Dennis up as the bridegroom and he was treated to a piece of the four-tier wedding cake.
Emma wore the £1,500 wedding dress she had bought and partied until the small hours with her 100 guests.
The next day Emma flew to France with her best pal on a pre-booked honeymoon to St Malo, France.
To try and recoup some of her £3,000 losses, Emma, of Portland, Dorset, is selling items bought for the wedding in a local paper.
According to the Sun she said: "It's the best we could make of a bad situation. We had a great time."

[Bowwowmeow]

Good for her! :agree:

[Oracl]

Yes, it sounds as if the dog is much nicer and more dependable than the groom. :agree:

[1vegan]

link (http://www.thenewstribune.com/24hour/weird/story/3552129p-12775727c.html)

Bear visits backyard in New Jersey


Monday, February 12th, 2007 04:49 AM (PST)

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (AP) The last thing Lorraine Grossman expected to see as she gazed out the kitchen window of her daughter's home was a 211-pound bear.

"I was making a pot of coffee, and I turned around and there he was in the window looking at me," said Grossman. "For a minute I didn't realize there was a glass between him and me."

The scream Grossman let out was loud enough to startle the wandering bear, who turned tail and scurried some 40 feet up a tree.

More than 50 neighbors gathered to watch and the beast soon grew tired. As the bear gave a lazy yawn, the crowd cooed loudly in appreciation.

"He's really kind of cute," said Joanne Penaluna.

The bear remained wedged in a web of branches until it was shot with a tranquilizer dart Sunday. The bear hung on for 10 minutes before dropping neatly into a taut net set up below.

The bear, a male estimated to be 2 or 3 years old, was released at a state wildlife-management area.

"It's not something you get to see every day," said Pete Samek, who hoisted his 5-year-old daughter, Lucy Rose, on his shoulders. "Bears falling out of trees."

I always thought of New Jersey as an urbanized state, didn't expect bears.....:o

[Charmagne]

I thought that was unusual also. There is a video on CNN today that shows them tranquilizing the bear and it falling into a net. They said it was ok. Wonder what they will do with it.

[thevegantwins]

NJ Fish & Wildlife (AKA a group of hunters) actually transport bears to different areas of NJ where they are not normally found. They then start screaming about how a bear hunt is needed because the bears are in a suburban/urban area. The Fish & Wildlife bastards are very upset that the governor nixed this year's bear murder. Mr. TVT used to live in Maplewood, there isn't any way to reach that city except from crossing major highways. Bears are only found in the northeast corner, well away from this area.

[Gliondrach]

But is the state wildlife-management area safe for the bear?

[Blueshark]

I just read about the new Apple Robot:

http://www.ubergizmo.com/photos/macmini-robot.jpg

I don't like it.

[Charmagne]

It look cumbersome. What's it supposed to do?

[Blueshark]

Yeah it is crap, just a cobbled together effort by some techies.

The interesting thing is that it utilises vision control, for its movement.

[thevegantwins]

But is the state wildlife-management area safe for the bear?
No place is safe for animals in this state. All some yahoo has to do is say that they were walking in one of these areas and the bear 'attacked' them so they shot the bear in self-defense. :hbang:

[Gliondrach]

Why are they allowed to carry guns in those areas?

[thevegantwins]

Because it is the US and everyone is allowed to carry a gun anywhere. :shock:

[Fauxmage]

Porn DVD Screams Prompt Sword 'Rescue'


From Associated Press
February 21, 2007 4:43 PM EST
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - A man says he broke into an apartment with a cavalry sword because he thought he heard a woman being raped, but the sound actually was from a pornographic movie his upstairs neighbor was watching.
"Now I feel stupid," said James Van Iveren, who has been charged in the case. "This really is nothing, nothing but a mistake."
According to a criminal complaint, the neighbor told police that Van Iveren pounded on the door and kicked it open without warning Feb. 12, damaging the frame and lock.
"Where is she?" Van Iveren demanded, thrusting the sword at the neighbor, the complaint said. "Where is she?"
The neighbor told police Van Iveren became increasingly aggressive as he repeated the question, insisting that he had heard a woman being raped. The complaint said that, with the sword pointed at him, the neighbor led Van Iveren throughout the apartment, opening closet doors to prove he was alone.
The neighbor later played for police the part of the DVD he believed Van Iveren heard downstairs.
Van Iveren, 39, of Oconomowoc, was charged with criminal trespass, criminal damage and disorderly conduct, all while using a dangerous weapon, and is due in court March 5. Together, the misdemeanor counts carry a maximum sentence of 33 months in jail.
Van Iveren said Tuesday that he heard a woman "screaming for help," grabbed the sword, bounded up the stairs, kicked in the apartment door and confronted the man who lived there.
"I intended to hold it behind my back and knock. But I froze and instead, what happened happened," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Contesting his neighbor's account, Van Iveren said he didn't look anywhere in the apartment except the front room, and that he never threatened the neighbor with the sword.
"I had the sword extended. But that was all," he said.
Van Iveren, who lives with his mother in the downstairs apartment, said he did not call police when he heard the noises because he does not have a telephone. He said he barely knew the upstairs tenant.
Police seized Van Iveren's sword, which he said was a family heirloom.


Its kind of a shame, really. I suppose he'll think twice before ever trying to help another woman. I don't see why he should be charged with so many crimes, when, if it had been a real woman victim, he would be a hero. Maybe.
I'd also be pretty suspicious, if I was a cop, of anyone who watched pornography depicting rape. I don't suppose you can make graphic rape pornography illegal, as long as the woman playing the victim is over 18 and consents, but I find its existence, and its audience, just as suspect as pedophiles who use child pornography.

[dreamer]

Stand-in Chinese mistress sought to take wife's abuse
Reuters
Tue Feb 27, 1:01 AM ET



A Chinese businessman has advertised on the Internet for a stand-in mistress to be beaten up by his wife to vent her anger and to protect his real mistress, Chinese media reported on Monday.

"When the woman found out her husband had a mistress, she insisted on beating her up," the Beijing Youth Daily said, citing the advertisement posted on a popular online jobs forum on sina.com.

More than 10 people had applied for the job, the newspaper said. The "successful" candidate would be 35 and originally from northeastern China and would be paid 3,000 yuan ($400) per 10 minutes, it said.

Many Chinese businessmen keep mistresses in second homes, a trend banished after the Communists swept to power in 1949 but which has made a comeback with market reforms in recent decades.

[paul]

ive read this 3 times and im sure im missing something,its its its just so unberleiveable,im lost for words, flabbergasted.
if you like being hit its good money.:dizzy: :shock: :zip: :sigh: :hbang:

[dreamer]

Must be some real masochists:confused:

[Blueshark]

Lenovo (Russian based corporation who assimilated the IBM laptop brand)
have leaked footage of their new laptop designs.

linky (http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/feature-laptops-of-the-future)

Its a mad world :rofl:

[Gliondrach]

It's long overdue.

[Oracl]

Lenovo (Russian based corporation who assimilated the IBM laptop brand) have leaked footage of their new laptop designs.
:D

[Fauxmage]

Miss Tennessee Crowned Miss USA

By ALEX VEIGA (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
March 23, 2007 11:56 PM EDT
LOS ANGELES - Rachel Smith, a journalism graduate from Tennessee, was crowned Miss USA on Friday, winning the contest to replace a titleholder whose reign was marred by a much-publicized struggle with alcoholism.
Smith, 21, of Clarksville, Tenn., graduated from Belmont University and interned last year for the production company behind "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
She edged out top finalists Meagan Yvonne Tandy of California; Cara Renee Gorges of Kansas; Helen Salas of Nevada; and Danielle Lacourse of Rhode Island, all well-known and vocal Rosie O'Donnell fans. "I'm speechless at this point, I really am," said Smith.

During the swimsuit competition, the beauty queens performed a synchronized strut on stage wearing blue, pink or lilac bikinis before each posed for the judges. Not visible to the audience, on the back of Smith's bikini bottom was printed "Rosie O'Donnell is a big, fat loser!". Insiders are convinced that this is what clinched the crown for her.
:D :whistle: ;)

[Oracl]

:lol:

[dreamer]

Keith Richards: `I snorted my father'
1 hour, 38 minutes ago

Keith Richards has acknowledged consuming a raft of illegal substances in his time, but this may top them all. In comments published Tuesday, the 63-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist said he had snorted his father's ashes mixed with cocaine.

"The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father," Richards was quoted as saying by British music magazine NME.

"He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared," he said. "... It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."

Richards' father, Bert, died in 2002, at 84.

Richards, one of rock's legendary wild men, told the magazine that his survival was the result of luck, and advised young musicians against trying to emulate him.

"I did it because that was the way I did it. Now people think it's a way of life," he was quoted as saying.

"I've no pretensions about immortality," he added. "I'm the same as everyone ... just kind of lucky.

"I was No. 1 on the `who's likely to die' list for 10 years. I mean, I was really disappointed when I fell off the list," Richards said.

___

On the Net:

Rolling Stones:

http://www.rollingstones.com/home.php

NME:

http://www.nme.com/




Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Charmagne]

Well - just when you thought you've heard everything!:dizzy:

[Gliondrach]

Nasal cannibalism.

[Fauxmage]

I could understand it if it was done for religious or spiritual reasons, but if the old, self-indulgent, hedonistic bastard did it just for some kind of sick thrill, or just to shock people, its about time he crossed over himself.

[Oracl]

"I was No. 1 on the 'who's likely to die' list for 10 years. I mean, I was really disappointed when I fell off the list," Richards said.
:crazy: :dunce: :dizzy:

[Fauxmage]

Richards Denies Snorting His Dad's Ashes
From Associated Press
April 04, 2007 11:03 AM EDT
LONDON - Keith Richards was joking when he claimed to have snorted his father's ashes along with cocaine, a spokesman said Wednesday.
"It was an off-the-cuff remark, a joke, and it is not true. File under April Fool's joke," said Bernard Doherty of LD Communications, which represents the Rolling Stones.
Doherty declined to say any more about why Richards made the statement in an interview with NME, a pop music magazine.
"The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father," the 63-year-old guitarist was quoted as saying.
"He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared ... It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."
Richards' father, Bert, died in 2002, at 84.

Damage control! :rolleyes:

[dreamer]

So, by a show of hands, how many people STILL believe that KR snorted his dad?

:blinkwave: :devilangel:

[Gliondrach]

I never did believe it. I heard a slight friend of his on the radio today telling about how he, the friend, and some others, did something similar with the ashes of a woman that they had both known. This person said that the woman's wish was that they mix her ashes with cannabis in a cigarette. They did this and Keith Richards heard about it.

[Charmagne]

Me - I believe he did it!!:blinkwave: :yea:

[Fauxmage]

Me too Charmagne. Unfortunately, I am all too willing to believe that these spoiled, self-indulgent celebrities are capable of anything. :rolleyes:

[paul]

it wouldnt surprise me if he did.

[dreamer]

Falling woman saved by pile of...
Wed Apr 4, 10:33 AM ET


A Chinese woman survived a plunge from a sixth-floor balcony thanks to a convenient pile of excrement which broke her fall, local media said.

The accident happened when the woman was hanging out laundry on Monday in Nanjing, capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu, the Kuaibao tabloid said on its Web site (www.kuaibao.net).

"Workers happened to be emptying the building's septic tank, which had not been tended for a long time and had regularly blocked sewage pipes," the newspaper said.

"She probably stretched out too far and fell ... right on to a 20 cm-thick heap of excrement."

The woman suffered only slight injuries, the newspaper said.

In March, a six-year-old girl broke only her left leg when she fell six floors on to a pile of snow in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.




Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

I guess it's rather obvious, but if I had to choose btwn being saved by excrement or snow, snow would win everytime:D

[Oracl]

I guess it's rather obvious, but if I had to choose btwn being saved by excrement or snow, snow would win everytime :D
Agree! :snowflake: :snow: :lol:

[Gliondrach]

In the Second World War, Nicholas Alkemade was a rear gunner in a Lancaster that was shot down. His parachute was on fire so he jumped without it. He fell 18,000 feet, crashed through some trees and landed in snow. Then stood up and walked away before being captured by the Germans.

[1vegan]

Link (http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2007/04/09/cat_becomes_bus_regular_in_britain/)

Cat becomes bus regular in Britain
LONDON, April 9 (UPI) -- Bus drivers in London have nicknamed a cat that rides the No. 331 bus several days a week Macavity after the classic T.S. Elliot poem.

The cat, which has a collar and gets on and off at the same stops every time, was first noticed by bus driver Bill Khunkhun, 49, The Daily Mail reported Monday.

"It is really odd, the first time I saw the cat jumping off the bus with a group of passengers. I hadn't seen it get on which was a bit confusing," he said. "The next day I pulled up on Churchill Road to let a couple of passengers on. As soon as I opened the doors the cat ran toward the bus, jumped on and ran under one of the seats, I don't think any of the passengers noticed," he added.

Macavity has been riding the bus since two or three times a week since January, The Daily Mail said.

Link (http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2280626.html)

A cat has stunned bus drivers by commuting on a busy route most days for three months.

The mystery cat jumps on the No 331 service in Wolverhampton and rides it two stops down the road before leaping off near a fish and chip shop, reports The Sun.

Since January, the cat - nicknamed Macavity by drivers - has caught the bus three times a week and always gets on and off at the same spot.

Driver Bill Khunkhun, 49, said: "As soon as I open the doors he jumps on. He seems to like it."

Passenger Paul Brennan, 19, said: "The cat sat at the front, waited patiently for the right stop and got off.

"It was quite strange at first but now seems normal. He is the perfect passenger. The only problem is he never pays."

Travel West Midlands, which operates the service, said: "The cat certainly knows how to use buses and is a regular traveller on the 331."

:)

[Fauxmage]

Hehe! That's a funny story. Maybe some of the cat's fellow passengers will take up a collection for his bus fare. :laugh:

[Oracl]

:) Nice story!

[Gliondrach]

That's a nice story. I wonder if the bus drivers stop at that stop where he gets off even if no human wants to get on or off?

[Charmagne]

Smart cat!:agree:

[paul]

ive seen pgeons on the tube but cats on busses.

:dizzy: clever cat:thumbsup:

[Gliondrach]

Many years ago I used to see a dog, who lived near me, set off each morning. He would come back an hour or so later with a bone. I later found out that he went to town, to a covered market, and he would be given a bone at a butcher's stall. We used to call him The Shopper.

[1vegan]

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/04_01/TravelingCatNTI_468x376.jpg

that link has pictures of Macavity

[Gliondrach]

He's made himself at home on that seat.

[Oracl]

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/04_01/TravelingCatNTI_468x376.jpg

that link has pictures of Macavity
He's a beautiful cat. :)

[my3labs]

That's an amazing story. I wonder what the cat is up to, and I hope the humans will be kind to him.

[Gliondrach]

I know that Fuzzy sometimes uses a white cat to take secret messages. Could this be him?

[Fauxmage]

Seattle Man Charged in Bizarre Duck Case

From Associated Press
April 16, 2007 3:38 PM EST

EVERETT, Wash. - A Seattle man has been charged with a slew of crimes that involved an alleged shoplifting, assaults and a pet duck named Mr. Peepers. Snohomish County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Stern on Thursday charged Kenneth Blaine Quinlan, 35, with two counts of third-degree assault and one count each of vehicular assault and hit-and-run.
Authorities say that on March 23, Quinlan and his 39-year-old girlfriend drove to a Lynnwood shopping center, where he entered a Linens 'n Things outlet and she went into a Petco store, taking the duck with her.

Stern wrote in court papers that a security guard thought he saw Quinlan shoplift an iPod speaker system, and a scuffle ensued.

Police say the guard chased Quinlan to the Petco store, where Quinlan got the car keys from his girlfriend and tried to escape.

The man jumped into the driver's seat of the car as the woman walked out of the store with her duck. Not knowing what was going on, she tried to stop him from driving away and was knocked down by the open car door as it backed up. She dropped the duck.

A Petco employee saw what was happening and "ran to save Peepers from the front of the car" just as Quinlan drove forward, Stern wrote. The car ran over the woman, inflicting serious injuries including broken bones in her foot and ankle, he said.

Charging papers say Quinlan continued driving and didn't stop until his vehicle struck another car nearby.

The girlfriend and guard were not seriously hurt. Mr. Peepers was OK.
Quinlan was being held in the Snohomish County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail. A convicted felon and former heroin addict, he told officers that he'd just received a dose of methadone at a Lynnwood clinic and had used cocaine a few days earlier, according to court papers.


This sounds more like the plot to a comedy sketch than a real story. Mr Peepers is a lucky duck to have two women risking their safety to help him!
:duck:

[1vegan]

link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6559373.stm)

Free repairs to flammable toilets

Japan's leading toilet manufacturer Toto is offering free repairs to 180,000 toilets after some of them caught fire.

There have been three incidents of the electric bidet accessory in Toto's Z series catching fire.

"Fortunately nobody was using the toilets when the fire broke out and there were no injuries," a company spokesman said.

"The fire would have been just under your buttocks," she added.

Toto is a pioneer of high-tech toilets with built-in bidets, which are popular in Japan.

The Z series features a pulsating massage spray, a power dryer, a "tornado wash" flush, and a lid that opens and closes automatically.

It is not sold outside Japan.

The offending loos were all manufactured between May 1996 and December 2001.

:rolleyes: :wigglebutt:

[Oracl]

:flush: :flame: :lol:

[1vegan]

Link (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/04/03/national/a131048D26.DTL&type=bondage)

Ala. Woman on Horseback Charged With DUI

A woman used a horse to ram a police car during a midnight ride through town and was charged with driving under the influence, police said. DUI charges can apply even if the vehicle has four legs instead of wheels, Chief Brad Gregg said Tuesday.

Police in the northeast Alabama town received a call around midnight Saturday about someone riding a horse on a street, Gregg said.

"Cars were passing by having to avoid it, and almost hitting the horse," he said.

An officer found Melissa Byrum York, 40, on horseback and tried to stop her, Gregg said.

"She wouldn't stop," he said. "She kept riding the horse and going on."

After ramming the police car with the horse and riding away, York tried to jump off but caught her foot in a stirrup, Gregg said. The officer took her into custody and found she had crystal methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana, pills and a small pipe, the chief said.

The horse, which belonged to York, "wasn't in the best of health, but it's still alive," Gregg said.

York was charged with DUI on suspicion of riding the horse under the influence of a controlled substance; the nature of the substance was unclear Wednesday. She also was charged with drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest, assault, attempting to elude police and cruelty to animals.

York was released from the DeKalb County jail on a $4,000 bond and was transferred to a jail in another county on an unrelated charge, Gregg said.

It was unclear Wednesday whether York had a lawyer. A message was left with DeKalb sheriff's officials.

At least the horse seems ok :)

[thevegantwins]

When I was 19, I was charged for riding my bicycle on the wrong side of the road. The judge convicted me of a vehicular charge and gave me 2 points on my driver's license and a fine. He said since I had my driver's license, I should have known not to ride my bike on the left side of the road. :confused:

[Gliondrach]

Doesn't he know that the left side is the right side? You should have said that you grew up in Britain.

[Gliondrach]

I wonder how many other convicted criminals we have on the forum?

[Bowwowmeow]

They haven't caught me yet. :whistle: :dark:

[Blueshark]

Microsoft Purchases Evil:

Wednesday, April 5 10:24 AM EDT
Microsoft Purchases Evil From Satan
By Brian Briggs

Redmond, WA - Microsoft purchased evil from Satan for $2.7 billion after many months of tough negotiations.

"We've been after Satan for some time," said CEO Steve Ballmer. "Negotiations were tough, but I think both Microsoft and the Prince of Darkness are happy with this deal."

Microsoft already controls 15% of the evil market, and with this purchase that number nears 100%. The Department of Justice voiced concerns over one corporation controlling so much evil, and launched investigations.

"We feel that there are real opportunities with evil, and that when evil is integrated into our next generation of Windows products consumers will appreciate evil on their desktop," said Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. "Businesses haven't been able to fully realize their evil potential. With evil integrated into Office XP, corporations big and small will begin to see enhanced evil productivity."

"Evil is a real growing market," market strategist Frank Dresgan of Merrill Lynch explained. "Microsoft is a little late in the game, but even when they enter a market late they still tend to dominate. I think we'll see the same results with evil."

"I've been dealing with Microsoft for some time," Lucifer said. "I've been at this evil thing for millions of years, and wanted a way out. I considered an IPO, but then Steve-O and Billy came along and told me about their 'Evil Everywhere' plan. I just couldn't refuse."

Evil was founded by Satan close to the beginning of time. It has been growing steadily ever since, although most of the growth has accelerated in the past five years with the development of the Internet. Satan plans to retire to a small island in the Bahamas and write a column for the local newspaper.

[Bowwowmeow]

:rofl:

[Gliondrach]

It might happen.

[my3labs]

I live in Gates' land. We're all screwed.

[Oracl]

:lol:

[dreamer]

Drunk man parks horse in German bank
1 hour, 31 minutes ago



An early-morning German bank customer had a bit of a shock when he found a horse already in line at the automatic teller machine in front of him. It seems the horse's owner, identified only as Wolfgang H., had a bit too much to drink the night before and decided to sleep it off inside the bank's heated foyer, police said Tuesday.

The 40-year-old machinist told Bild newspaper he had had "a few beers" with a friend in Wiesenburg, southwest of Berlin, and decided to hit the hay in the bank on his way home.

"It was late, it was already dark and cold," he was quoted as saying.

Confronted with the lack of a hitching-post, he brought the 6-year-old horse, named Sammy, in along with him.

When a customer came across the horse and sleeping rider in the bank at 4:15 a.m. Monday, he called police, who then came and woke the owner up and sent him on his way.

No charges were filed, but there might be some cleanup needed: Apparently Sammy made his own after-hours deposit on the carpet.



Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

:lol: :rofl:

[Gliondrach]

The bank might sell it to a gardener.

[Bowwowmeow]

In my great-grandmother's day in the Wild West, ladies armed with brooms and dustpans fought in the streets for deposits like that. :agree:

[paul]

Good for the roses:flower: :tulips:

[Bowwowmeow]

The folks down under have some interesting ideas about what makes a Happy Meal happy. :rolleyes2: :updn: :shock: :whistle:
Grandma Finds Condom in McDonald's Bag

From Associated Press
April 26, 2007 4:31 PM EDT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A grandmother was alarmed to find a condom in a happy meal gift pack bought for her 7-year-old granddaughter at a McDonald's restaurant in New Zealand, local media reported Thursday.
The condom was discovered Tuesday night in a bag that came with Maia Whitaker's meal, which her grandparents bought at a McDonald's outlet in the city of Wellington.

Grandpa Rowan Hutch told The Dominion Post newspaper it was lucky his wife was first to look inside the small sports bag that came with the meal.

She was aghast when she found the green condom and its packet inside the bag, he said.

"I was pretty horrified really. The fact my granddaughter was going to look in the bag and find this thing. It would be difficult to explain, she's only seven," said Hutch.

The outlet quickly swapped the happy meal for a hamburger and pencil case. McDonald's is investigating the find.

Spokeswoman Joanna Redfern-Hardisty said because of its popularity, the previous happy meal gift had sold out at the outlet and prepackaged sports bags were substituted as children's gifts.

One was left unsealed for display purposes and "somehow" had ended up with the customer, she said, without explaining why the condom was present.
:lol:

[paul]

Very strange folk down under:updn: , green condoms indeed,i wonder if it was ribbed,flavored or just a plain green onehttp://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n137/paulpic_2006/thinking.gif:D :whistle:

[Oracl]

i wonder if it was ribbed, flavored or just a plain green onehttp://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n137/paulpic_2006/thinking.gif:D :whistle:
:shock: :covereyes: :D

[1vegan]

SF Gate (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/04/national/a082203D03.DTL&type=bondage)

Teacher Makes 7-Year-Old Hit Himself

(05-04) 08:22 PDT MANCHESTER, Mo. (AP) --

A music teacher who twice ordered a seven-year-old pupil to hit himself in the head with drum mallets will not return to the Parkway School District next year.

The incident happened on February Ninth in teacher Paul Provencio's music class at Carman Trails Elementary School in suburban St. Louis.

State officials say the 36-year-old teacher intended the head-banging as a lesson to Justin Barricklow about hitting the drums too hard.

The Missouri Department of Social Services investigated the case at the request of the boy's father, Scott Barricklow, who works as a groundskeeper for the Parkway district.

Provencio has since apologized. School officials called the incident "unprofessional and totally inappropriate."

hm....strange story, but teachers get easily fired in the U.S

[Gliondrach]

It was different in my day. Teachers used to hit us on the head. I remember one incident when I was 9 or 10. I was in the class sitting at my desk. Mr. Holman was at the back of the class. The next thing I knew I had been hit very hard on my left ear. Mr. Holman had done it. I don't recall what I was doing but it couldn't have been very bad. Perhaps I was talking. He and others sometimes threw the blackboard dusters at us. These were blocks of wood that had a piece of felt on one edge for cleaning chalk off the blackboards. And then there was the leather strap which was used to hit us on the hands. I never felt any resentment. It was just part of school routine.

[Oracl]

Teachers used to hit us on the head.
That explains a lot! :whistle: ;) :lol:

[1vegan]

Link (http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=701292007)

Judge decides the party's over for Paris by giving heiress 45 days in jail

A CALIFORNIA judge sentenced Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail yesterday for violating her probation, putting the brakes on the hotel heiress's famous high life and prompting her mother to ask for his autograph.

Hilton, 26, must go to jail on June 5 and she will not be allowed any work release, leave of absence, use of an alternative jail or electronic monitoring in place of jail, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer ruled after a hearing.
Advert for SuperScotGames

Saying "there's no doubt she knew her licence had been suspended", the judge claimed she broke the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

link (http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0339694420070507)

"I told the truth," Hilton told photographers waiting outside her Los Angeles home on Saturday night.

"I feel that I was treated unfairly and that the sentence is both cruel and unwarranted. I don't deserve this."

Her lawyer, Howard Weitzman, has said he will appeal "to modify the sentence."

you don't get your license revoked over "nothing", and "drink & drive" people should be "hit hard", that's my opinion.

I hope this will learnn her she's not above the law :)

[paul]

I m glad she has been given a prison sentence for many reasons.

[Gliondrach]

That explains a lot! :whistle: ;) :lol:

Are you trying to say something?

[1vegan]

Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070507/od_nm/britain_spree_odd_dc_1)

What do you MEAN I'm not going to die?

Mon May 7, 12:23 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - A British man who went on a wild spending spree after doctors said he only had a short time to live wants compensation because the diagnosis was wrong and he is now healthy -- but broke.

John Brandrick, 62, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago and told that he would probably die within a year.

He quit his job, sold or gave away nearly all his possessions, stopped paying his mortgage and spent his savings dining out and going on holiday.

Brandrick was left with little more than the black suit, white shirt and red tie that he had planned to be buried in when it emerged a year later that his suspected "tumor" was no more than a non-life threatening inflammation of the pancreas.

"When they tell you you've got a limited time and everything, you do enjoy life," Brandrick, from Cornwall in the west of England, told Sky television.

"I'm really pleased that I've got a second chance in life... but if you haven't got no money after all this, which is my fault -- I spent it all -- they should pay something back."

If he can't get compensation, he is considering selling his house or suing the hospital that diagnosed him. The hospital has said that while it sympathizes with Brandrick, a review of his case showed no different diagnosis would have been made.

I read some else where that he is now sueing the hospital.
It's a bit weird, cause he's responsible for his own actions, but you should be able to trust a doctor on his diagnosis, at least when they are gonna tell you your gonna die, they'd better doublescheck imho.

[paul]

'Fake snot' helps artificial nose
Electronic noses used in the food industry and also for sniffing out explosives work better with artificial "snot", scientists have found.

Researchers at the Universities of Leicester and Warwick coated the "noses" with a mixture of chemicals, mimicking mucus in a real nose.

For the first time receptors were able to pick out milk and banana scents which had previously proven difficult.

In a real nose mucus dissolves scents and separates odour molecules.

The human brain can then use this information to tell smells apart.

"Our artificial mucus not only offers improved odour discrimination for electronic noses, it also offers much shorter analysis times than conventional techniques," said Professor Julian Gardner from the University of Warwick.

A natural nose has more than 100m specialised odour receptors which work to identify molecules in the air but electronic noses often have less than 50.

The scientists tried to use the artificial mucus to improve the range of senses and found it significantly improved the performance of the electronic nose.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/leicestershire/6630465.stm

Published: 2007/05/06 23:34:29 GMT

[Gliondrach]

I wonder if they pick their noses?

[1vegan]

Link (http://www.thenewstribune.com/887/story/63283.html)

Boys rob Kan. store with water gun


Two adolescent boys are accused of wielding a concealed weapon - a squirt gun wrapped in black electrical tape - to steal cash from a discount store.

The purple plastic toy was recovered from the downtown Dollar General store by officers who caught the suspects, ages 11 and 14, within minutes of the holdup, police said Tuesday.

"It's very troubling that a kid that is 11 years old can formulate the thought in their mind to do something like this," police Maj. Pat Kitchens said.

No one was injured in the holdup Monday afternoon.

Kitchens said the boys are suspected of walking into the store and displaying the weapon while demanding cash. The clerk reported struggling with the older boy while the younger one reached into a cash register and grabbed money, Kitchens said.

The boys, who are not related, were being held in a juvenile detention center. Police expect they will be charged with robbery, Kitchens said.

Police said the law makes no concession for the fact the gun was designed to hold water rather than bullets.

"The crime is dictated by the behavior of the suspects in this instance," Kitchens said.

hm... let's be glad they couldn't get their hands on real guns?

[Gliondrach]

Indeed. Perhaps they'll learn where to get illegal ones if they are sent away to a borstal/reform school place.

[Fauxmage]

Japan Irked Toddler Put in Baby Drop Box

http://my.eimg.net/harvest_xml/NEWS/img/20070515/464a81c0_3ca7_1552720070516431181099.jpg (http://enews.earthlink.net/article/pho?guid=20070515/464a81c0_3ca7_1552720070516431181099&article_path=/article/int&article_guid=20070516/464a81c0_3ca6_1552620070516-340813135)

A nurse carrying a baby doll demonstrates the Jikei Hospital's baby drop-off system as the new procedure is unveiled to the media in the southern city of Kumamoto, Japan, in this Tuesday, May 1, 2007 file ph oto.

By HANS GREIMEL (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
May 16, 2007 8:17 PM EDT

TOKYO - Japan's first anonymous drop box for unwanted babies triggered a wave of anger and soul searching Wednesday after it was discovered that a preschooler - and not an infant - was left by his father on the service's first day.

Newspapers condemned the father and warned that the operation was open to abuse and could traumatize youngsters.

The drop-off for infants, known as "Stork's Cradle," was begun May 10 by the Roman Catholic-run Jikei Hospital in the southern city of Kumamoto to discourage abortions and the abandonment of children in unsafe public places. The same day, a boy now believed to be 3 was found inside.

The boy, who was in good health, reportedly said he was left by his father, who was seen holding the youngster's hand as they approached the hospital. They apparently rode Japan's bullet train to Kumamoto, but it was unclear where they lived.

"I came with Daddy," the boy was quoted as saying by the Mainichi newspaper. Local media reported the boy was able to identify himself by name, but it was unclear whether the father had been identified.

The revelation of the boy's age Tuesday triggered outrage among political leaders, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying that "anonymously throwing out a child is unacceptable." He urged parents to consult social workers for help if raising children gets too tough.

The hospital has refused to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns, but said there were age limits on its drop-off service.

Police have decided no crime was committed because the child was left in a situation in which it was not exposed to immediate harm, Kyodo News reported Wednesday.

A small hatch in the side of the hospital allows anyone to anonymously put a baby into an incubator 24 hours a day. It was created after a series of high-profile cases in which newborns were abandoned in parks and supermarkets.

"We must rethink the meaning of the baby drop-off," the conservative Sankei newspaper said in an editorial. It called the boy's abandonment "unforgivable," saying that "unlike a baby, a toddler may suffer from trauma."

The Yomiuri newspaper said it was too early to judge the baby drop, but said it must be used for its original purpose of receiving newborns, not young children.
---
Associated Press writer Hiroko Tabuchi contributed to this report.


Why does anyone in as wealthy a country as Japan need to abandon any babies in the first place? What is wrong with people? What makes them think an infant won't be traumatized by being abandoned? I suppose abandoning them at the Stork place is better than just leaving them on park benches, but.... :hbang: :hbang: :hbang: :hbang: !!!!!

[Oracl]

That is unbelievably sad. :(

[paul]

Ive heard of these before, it was in Holland or Belgium, there idea was so babies were not left where they might not be found for hours or even days.ie parks telephone boxes etc.

[thevegantwins]

Our state has a program where a newborn can be left at a hospital or police station and no charges filed against the mother. Unfortunately, way too many newborns, especially to teenage moms, are left outside or in dumpsters and were found dead. The city I work in had 2 newborns left outside last year. I think one survived. :(. That's with this program, the teenagers just don't trust it I guess.

[1vegan]

Ive heard of these before, it was in Holland or Belgium, there idea was so babies were not left where they might not be found for hours or even days.

yeah, that could well be in my country, though I couldn't find it on google news.

We've got a "center left" administration, but with two christian parties, there politics are more "right of center".

imho, this "adoption problem" ain't the problem.

The problem is that (some parties or) people like to restrict access and information about birth control or contraceptives.

They rather have new babies on this world then to talk about sexual education, and every "soul saved" can be a potential new church member in their eyes ;)

[paul]

Im not sure i should be posting this.

Window cleaner drowned in his bucket

A window cleaner drowned in his bucket of water after suddenly collapsing at work, an inquest jury heard.
Mark Fairhurst, of Fowler Close, Scholes, was found with his head in the pail he used for his rounds by the resident of the house whose windows he had been washing.
Post-mortem examination results showed that a latent heart condition had caused him to suddenly collapse. But the actual cause of death was by drowning because his head was submerged in the bucket's water and he was unable to save himself.

The tragedy took place last June at the home of Elizabeth Bebe in St Stephen's Close, Whelley, and by the time she returned home to make the grim discovery there was nothing medics could do.
Miss Bebe said: "I got home that evening and told the kids to get ready as we were going out. I went outside to hang some washing at the back when I saw a ladder propped up against the wall.
"I then saw Mark lying on the ground motionless, with his arms tucked in and his head tilted to the right inside the bucket. It looked like he had been in that position for some time. I went to call a neighbour who then called the ambulance and the police."

She said it looked like he had fallen while standing on the ground rather than while he was up the ladder.
Family told the hearing at Bolton Coroner's Court that the 35-year-old dad of one had been complaining of heart palpitations earlier in the year but he had not
consulted a doctor about them.
Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson said he had heard that Mark had been assaulted in August 2005 and since then had suffered problems with memory.

He said that the black-out Mark suffered may have been linked to that incident but it was impossible to say for sure. Dr Wilson did, however, rule out that any foul play was involved in Mark's death.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict of accidental death. Coroner Mrs Jennifer Leeming expressed her condolences to Mark's family.

After the hearing Mark's dad Tommy said: "He left us so suddenly and quickly that we are still in a state of shock. The days seem dark all the time but there are so many family and friends who have been supportive through these difficult times.
"My wife Marjorie and I will miss our son forever and never forget his infectious love of life and his cheeky grin that could light a room up."
Last Updated: 17 May 2007

[1vegan]

Freak accident, but it does show you only need "that" much water to drown :(

[1vegan]

Link (http://www.thenewstribune.com/887/story/66594.html)

Ohio clerk finds $10, buys $1M ticket

Published: May 20th, 2007 03:27 AM


Kristina Schneider tried to persuade a customer at the BP station where she works to buy the last ticket on a roll of the Magnificent Millions lottery game.

"I always joke that the last ticket is the winning one, but he said he only had enough money for three tickets," Schneider said.

This time, her advice was no joke.

The single mother - with nine maxed out credit cards and $8,500 in debt for her associate's degree - bought what turned out to be a $1 million winning ticket with a $10 bill she found in the store Friday.

"I thought someone was playing a trick on me" when she found the sawbuck, she said.

After showing a customer that she did indeed have a winning ticket, she locked the store while she took a moment to be sick in the bathroom.

"I was numb. I still am," she said.

Schneider, 32, opted to take 20 yearly payments of $50,000, or $34,500 after taxes.

"If I'd have taken a lump sum, I'd be broke again within five years," she said.

Smart woman :)

[1vegan]

Link (http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,21720243-5006009,00.html)


Aussie cossies with a bit extra


BUDGIE-SMUGGLERS may have to be renamed after the unveiling of a range of men's swimwear designed to "lift and promote" - even when the water is chilly.

Local lads label aussieBum has already sold more than 250,000 pairs of its Wonderjock underwear - which features a special posing pouch - and is expecting even bigger things from its swimmers.

"Size really does matter to the modern man, and I think swimwear is where this technology is really needed,'' aussieBum founder Sean Ashby explained.

"When you walk out of cold water, everything gets sucked up into no- man'sland. This makes the most of what's still there.''

Wonderjocks became available on aussieBum's website only last week, but more than 2000 pairs a day are already being sold - at $32.95 each.

"The Wonderjock was originally done as a bit of a joke after someone said to us, 'Could you do something that makes me look a bit larger?' but it just took off,'' Mr Ashby said.

"Basically, the Wonderjock does for men what the Wonderbra does for women: it lifts and promotes.''

:rofl:

[Gliondrach]

Ridiculous. Only an insecure idiot would buy a pair of those. Mind you, they are very comfortable.

[thevegantwins]

:covereyes: :zip:

[Charmagne]

Ridiculous. Only an insecure idiot would buy a pair of those. Mind you, they are very comfortable.

Yes - they certainly are!:whistle: :covereyes:

[Bowwowmeow]

I bet I know what Mr Cal's getting for his next birthday present! ;) :shock: :D

[Oracl]

Why do you assume he needs one? :whistle: :pleer: :flirt:

:lol: :laugh: :rofl:

[1vegan]

holy shiitake, the stuff you find on the net

I'm having problems to believe it's real, but I know I ought to believe it's real :sigh:

Click Link (http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/15697/de592c9e/index.html)
"working in a chines factory" movieclip

[Oracl]

:speechless:

[Bowwowmeow]

Why do you assume he needs one? :whistle: :pleer: :flirt:

:lol: :laugh: :rofl:
Because he's a MAN. Even Long Dong Silver (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Dong_Silver) would probably wear one. :whistle:

[paul]

I had a couple of rescued Budgies a few years a go,:whistle: :D

what a strange video 1vegan.

[Oracl]

Even Long Dong Silver (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Dong_Silver) would probably wear one. :whistle:
:eek: :rofl:

[Oracl]

I had a couple of rescued Budgies a few years a go, :whistle: :D
:flirt: :D

[1vegan]

Because he's a MAN. Even Long Dong Silver (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Dong_Silver) would probably wear one. :whistle:

To my suprise, we've got a new energy company in my country

http://www.dongenergy.nl/ :whistle:

[1vegan]

Der Spiegel (http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,485064,00.html)

Missing Doctor Lay Dead in Garage for 22 Years

A doctor who went missing 22 years ago has been found dead in the loft of his garage after apparently committing suicide in 1985. His wife and daughter were unaware they were living meters away from his corpse.

When German doctor Siegfried B. went missing in 1985, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, the Communists still ruled eastern Europe and Boris Becker won Wimbledon.

He has now been found after lying dead for 22 years in the former East German village of Bergholz-Rehbrücke, southwest of Berlin -- in the loft of his garage. He'd apparently committed suicide, police said.

His wife reported him missing in March 1985. He had left the house -- she thought -- saying, "I'm just going out for a while." She still lives in the house adjoining the garage, which she used for years unaware that her dead husband was just a few feet overhead.

The man's skeleton was found last Monday by workers repairing the garage roof. There were some farewell notes and a bottle of Schnapps next to him. The body was wrapped in a blanket.

Now that's kinda bizar, I thought one would start to "smell" after a while?

[thevegantwins]

I thought decomposing corpses smelled horrific. You would think someone would have noticed.

[Bowwowmeow]

To my suprise, we've got a new energy company in my country

http://www.dongenergy.nl/ :whistle:
:D That reminds me of a shampoo for sale in China called "My Pee". That was the translation from Chinese to English.

[1vegan]

Link (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2569363,00.html)

Controversial Dutch Organ Donor Reality TV Show To Go Ahead

The Dutch channel behind a reality TV show in which an organ donor must choose one of three candidates to receive her kidney has promised to broadcast it Friday despite the ruckus it has caused.

Lawmakers in the Dutch parliament have called for "The Big Donorshow" to be scrapped on ethical grounds, but the channel insists it will press ahead with the scheduled broadcast to highlight the serious lack of organ donors.

Laurens Dillich, the head of public service broadcaster BNN, told public radio: "The chances of the candidates obtaining a kidney are 33 percent, far better than for those on organ waiting lists. You would imagine that (waiting times) have improved, but they are getting longer."

BNN, a channel aimed at young people, is screening the show on the fifth anniversary of the death of its founder, Bart de Graaff. He died after waiting seven years for a kidney donation.

International criticism

The project has prompted condemnation across the Netherlands and beyond.

In Brussels, a spokesman for the European Commission -- which on Wednesday presented an action plan to reduce organ donor waiting lists -- said it was in "pretty bad taste."

The Dutch Kidney Foundation welcomed the attention BNN had brought on the subject, but noted that "their way of doing it is not ours, and it will bring no practical solution."

"I'm afraid it's primarily about the shock effect which has characterized the channel BNN since … the mid-90s," media analyst Jo Groebel told DW-RADIO. "I'm afraid that… the whole debate is just increasing the market value and the market success of such a program, and this is what makes it extremely cynical -- that the discussion itself adds to the program.

This is not the first time BNN has courted controversy. Previous broadcasts include "Sex, a User's Guide," a series of no-holds-barred education programs, and "Shoot Up and Swallow," a series dedicated to sex and drugs.

"The Big Donorshow" was dreamt up by Endemol, the Dutch production company behind "Big Brother" and other reality television shows. It focuses on Lisa, a 37-year-old woman dying of a brain tumor. She must decide which of three patients selected by the producers should receive her kidney. Viewers can offer their opinions by SMS text message.

We dutch seem to make great TV :rolleyes:

[Oracl]

We dutch seem to make great TV :rolleyes:
:lol: