Archive for June, 2006

conditions
about

Monday, June 19, 2006

 

Stephan Better Know A District

‘If you dont watch The Colbert Report you are missing out on one of the funniest shows on TV. My favorite part of the show is Better Know A District where he interviews a congressman from a random US district. Watch as Colbert makes this Georgia representative look like a total fool.’

(2.4meg Windows media)

see it here »


advertise

Sunday, June 18, 2006

 

Hoppers grilled at busy reserve

`A couple of paws and blood on rocks is all that remains of wallabies barbecued at East Point Reserve.

Darwin City Council rangers discovered the remains of five wallabies barbecued at the popular tourist spot during the past week.

The wallabies had been beaten to death with rocks and smoked with gum leaves on the fire.

Darwin City Council chief executive Allan McGill said police and Parks and Wildlife had been notified of the offences.

“It’s a bit unusual,” he said.’


The man who takes off clothes within ten seconds

This fellow can take his clothes off in a bit over seven seconds.

(1.2meg Flash video)

see it here »


Egg kills hen

`The Sponås family in Strande, Molde had a hen that managed to lay an egg weighing 122 grams (4.3 oz), compared to the norm of 50-60 grams, newspaper Romsdal Budstikke reports. It was the last thing the bird did.

“I couldn’t believe my own eyes when she laid an egg that was more than twice the size of a normal hen’s egg. It looked completely unreal, with a 122-gram egg,” Solveig Sponås told the newspaper. [..]

The story ended sadly. As the newspaper put it, it is no joke laying an egg twice normal size, and the hen suffered injuries so serious that it had to be put down.’


content

Thursday, June 15, 2006

 

Mouse Touch

This woman doesn’t seem to like mice very much.

(1.9meg Windows media)

see it here »


Psycho complains to city about “rogue helicopter pilot”

‘Local lunatic David Thompson complains to Charlotte, NC city council during a community access forum, which is conveniently captured on tape and broadcast live on the local community access channel. There aren’t enough tags to cover his rant against ice in the arena, rogue helicopter pilots, and “terrorist pussies”‘

(4.5meg Flash video)

see it here »


Choose To Booze

`Jewel has apparently gone from clean-living songbird to Robitussin-swilling lush. The Alaskan hottie, 32, reveals she recently started hitting the happy juice – and is loving every minute of her drunken bliss. “I didn’t start drinking until I was 30,” Jewel tells Blender. “I grew up singing for alcoholics, and it never really seemed like alcohol fixed anything. I was afraid that it would get me. Around 30, I kind of realized that alcohol really does solve all your problems. Whoever said drinking doesn’t help lied. You live and you learn.”‘


feed

Drunk Driver Gets Arrested

‘A dude gets picked up for drunk driving. He is strugling at the police station proving he is not drunk. Watch him reach for his license after dropping it on the floor.’

(1.1meg Windows media)

see it here »


research

Polar bears turn cannibal

`Two polar bears have starved to death and two others were found dead this year in the region where scientists previously discovered unprecedented cannibalism within the population.

Scientists were stunned to discover that two mother polar bears had been stalked, killed and eaten near their Beaufort Sea dens, and that much larger male bears cannibalized a young male during the spring of 2004.

Now, four more dead polar bears have been found in the Alaskan and Canadian regions of the Beaufort Sea, and researchers are getting very worried.

What was initially thought to be a curious event could indicate a radical shift in the behaviour of polar bears as they battle dangerous drops in nutrition levels, said the lead author of a report into the 2004 deaths.’


California Gold Digger Makes 60 Foot Hole In Front Yard

`Workplace safety officials say they’re planning a visit Wednesday to the Montclair home of a man who dug a 60-foot-deep hole in his front yard while digging for gold. [..]

They’re coming to determine how to shore up and fill the hole that 63-year-old Enrique Mora says he began digging ten days ago after his gold detector reported a positive hit near his front patio.

He says he only planned to go down three or four feet but got “carried away.”

Fire officials called to the scene Tuesday found two men that Mora hired inside the unreinforced hole, using a bucket and rope to remove dirt.’


support

Suspect’s dog bites him, ending chase

‘A police pursuit ended when the suspect’s dog, not happy about being bounced around in the car, bit its owner on the face. [..]

“Deputies could see the dog in the passenger seat getting slammed into the window,” he said.

The dog, which is partly pit bull, “became so agitated that he bit his owner in the face,” Edwards said. “And this is what ended the chase.”

The bite removed part of Galanis’ nose, and he stopped.’


conditions

The shape of things to come

`[..] political interest in nuclear power is reviving across the world, thanks in part to concerns about global warming and energy security. Already, some 441 commercial reactors operate in 31 countries and provide 17% of the planet’s electricity, according to America’s Department of Energy. Until recently, the talk was of how to retire these reactors gracefully. Now it is of how to extend their lives. In addition, another 32 reactors are being built, mostly in India, China and their neighbours. These new power stations belong to what has been called the third generation of reactors, designs that have been informed by experience and that are considered by their creators to be advanced. But will these new stations really be safer than their predecessors?’


about

Drug caches found in Home Depot vanities

`A contractor late last week discovered two 50-pound “bricks” of marijuana wrapped in plastic bags inside a bathroom vanity he had purchased at a Home Depot store in Tewksbury, said Chief of Detectives Lt. Dennis Peterson.

The estimated street value of the marijuana is around $145,000, Peterson said.

Similar incidents have occurred in other parts of the state.

A plumber purchased a vanity in western Massachusetts on Monday in which he later found 3 kilograms of cocaine and around 40 pounds of marijuana, with a total estimated street value of $250,000, according to the Southwick Police Department.’


advertise

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

 

US ‘biggest global peace threat’

`People in European and Muslim countries see US policy in Iraq as a bigger threat to world peace than Iran’s nuclear programme, a survey has shown.

The survey by the Pew Research Group also found support for US President George W Bush and his “war on terror” had dropped dramatically worldwide.’


Cancer Hits 283 Rescuers Of 9/11

`Since 9/11, 283 World Trade Center rescue and recovery workers have been diagnosed with cancer, and 33 of them have died of cancer, says a lawyer for the ailing responders. [..]

Doctors say the cancers can strike three to five years after exposure to toxins such as benzene, a cancer-causing chemical that permeated the WTC site from burning jet fuel.

“One in 150,000 white males under 40 would normally get the type of acute white blood-cell cancer that strikes a healthy detective,” said Worby, whose first client was NYPD narcotics cop John Walcott, now 41. Walcott spent months at Ground Zero and the Fresh Kills landfill. The father of three is fighting leukemia.

“We have nearly 35 of these cancers in the family of 50,000 Ground Zero workers. The odds of that occurring are one in hundreds of millions,” Worby said.’


This means war: volcanic lake erupts in a riot of colour

`It looks like a giant cup of red wine or even blood.

Late last month villagers on Ambae, one of the chain of islands making up the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, made a startling discovery. The previously blue-green water in a three-kilometre-wide lake, perched at the top of a 1500-metre-high active volcano, had suddenly turned bright red.

“It’s quite red, like red wine,” said Esline Garaebiti, the geo-hazards manager for Vanuatu’s Department of Geology, Mines and Water Resources. But exactly why remains a mystery, she said, adding that water samples were being sent to Belgium and New Caledonia for analysis.’


content

Woman Cited for Exposing Herself in Store

`A 28-year-old woman has been cited for lewdness for exposing herself inside a store. The woman was riding a motorized cart inside Lin’s Market Place on Thursday with her pants around her ankles and not wearing underwear.

Customers didn’t notice the woman until she would stand up from the cart and bend over to look at items on the shelf, exposing her buttocks.

The woman told police she arrived in Cedar City with a circus but was left behind.’


Big Brother Microsoft is snooper than I thought

`It turns out that Microsoft is getting even more from your Windows-powered PC than I thought they were. It figures, doesn’t it? [..]

In short, Microsoft is admitting to pulling even more information from your PCs — such as your IP address and date and timestamp data “relating to systems’ booting and continued operations.” In addition, Jones shows how Microsoft essentially tricks users into agreeing to all this without giving them any chance to say no to the entire process.’


Data on US nuclear agency workers hacked

`A computer hacker got into the U.S. agency that guards the country’s nuclear weapons stockpile and stole the personal records of at least 1,500 employees and contractors, a senior U.S. lawmaker said on Friday.

The target of the hacker, the National Nuclear Safety Administration, is the latest agency to reveal that sensitive private information about government workers was stolen.’


feed

Drug Warriors Push Eye-Eating Fungus

`On April 16, the New York Times ran a full-page ad from contact lens producer Bausch and Lomb, announcing the recall of its “ReNu with MoistureLoc” rewetting solution, and warning the 30 million American wearers of soft contact lenses about Fusarium keratitis. This infection, first detected in Asia, has rapidly spread across the United States. It is caused by a mold-like fungus that can penetrate the cornea of soft contact lens wearers, causing redness and pain that can lead to blindness—requiring a corneal replacement.

That same week, the House of Representatives passed a provision to a bill requiring that the very same fungus be sprayed in “a major drug-producing country,” such as Colombia. The bill’s sponsor was Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) and its most vocal supporter was his colleague Dan Burton (R-Ind.), who has been promoting the fungus for almost a decade as key to winning the drug war.’


research

Man attempting to hang himself falls, dies

`A man trying to hang himself from the Adams Avenue Bridge fell and died early today, and a bicyclist who later hit the body was injured, police reported. [..]

“The rope broke and he fell” to the riverbed about 30 feet below, Ginther said.

The man then slit his wrists, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department reported, and the bicyclist later hit the body and fell off the bike.’


Rival U.S. Labs in Arms Race to Build Safer Nuclear Bomb

`In the Cold War arms race, scientists rushed to build thousands of warheads to counter the Soviet Union. Today, those scientists are racing once again, but this time to rebuild an aging nuclear stockpile.

Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico are locked in an intense competition with rivals at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the Bay Area to design the nation’s first new nuclear bomb in two decades. [..]

By law, the new weapons would pack the same explosive power as existing warheads and be suitable only for the same kinds of military targets as those of the weapons they replace. Unlike past proposals for new atomic weapons, the project has captured bipartisan support in Congress.’

followup to: Lab officials excited by new H-bomb project


support

Overheard at College: The Campus Speaks

‘Prof: It has to be something that grabs people’s attention. Like, which would you rather see: how a painter paints a masterpiece or two dogs having sex? It would be the two dogs having sex – right?’

‘Prof: I don’t like finals, but I’m required to give you one. So I’ll give you the questions. And I’ll give you the answers. And, during the final, if you don’t know the answer to a question, come up and ask me, and I’ll tell you. I believe finals are a learning experience. If you don’t know the answer on the test and I tell you, you’re learning.’

‘Guy #1: They never said I had to take that class. They just said it was pre-something.
Guy #2: Prerequisite?
Guy #1: Yeah, whatever that means.’


conditions

Wolves and dogs guard Bosnia marijuana plantation

`Police raided a huge marijuana plantation in northwestern Bosnia and found it guarded by a family of wolves and 150 dogs, Bosnian media said Saturday.

They seized 2,300 plants intended for the production of at least 800 kg (1,760 lb) of the drug, as well as hunting guns and rifles Friday, the Bosnian Serb news agency SRNA quoted regional Interior Minister Stanislav Cadjo as saying.’


about

No Remorse from Suspect

`A 21-year-old suspect accused of spraying satanic graffiti on the Holy Hill National Shrine says he has no remorse. [..]

Trevey asked him why he sprayed satanic graffiti on these holy shrines.

Groth said, “’cause I’m a punk – that’s what I do.” [..]

Trevey: “Do you know you spelled Satan wrong?”
Groth: “No – I’m not aware of that.”
Trevey: “You spelled it satin – like the fabric.”
Groth: “See – if I was big into the devil, I would have spelled it right.”
Trevey: “Do you think that’s funny?”
Groth: “That I spelled it wrong? No – I’m a bad speller.”‘


advertise

Hawking Says Humans Must Go Into Space

`The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there’s an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth, world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday. [..]

He added that if humans can avoid killing themselves in the next 100 years, they should have space settlements that can continue without support from Earth.

“It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species,” Hawking said. “Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of.”‘


Man suspected of sausage murder

`German police have arrested a man on suspicion of murdering a woman with a sausage.

Prosecutors and police said the 50-year-old was arrested after the woman’s body was discovered in an apartment in Zwickau, eastern Germany. They said she had choked on a Bockwurst, a popular large German sausage.

The prosecutors said the man had given a patchy account of events, acknowledging that he may have “administered” a Bockwurst to the woman.’


Sex with humans is boring.

`Hi, people.
I have happy news for everyone in Reykjavik (Iceland) needing a shag!! I havent seen them yet with my own eyes but experts in my field (well in seeing elves, Im not sure about their expertese in the sex thing) have spotted a whole lot of elves behind Alþingi (the Icelandic Parliament). They are apparently protesting because a lot of their homes are beeing destroyed, both in the making of Kárahnjúkar power plant and other big buildings. So if you like to do it in public, that is the right place to go, just note that sex in public with an invisible person might look even weirder than just having sex in public.’


content

Monday, June 12, 2006

 

Before Prohibition: Images from the preprohibition era

`The prohibition of psychoactive substances has evolved gradually in the United States and in Europe. The opium-containing preparation laudanum had been widely available since the 18th century. Morphine, cocaine, and even heroin were seen as miracle cures when they were first discovered. During the mid to late 19th century, many manufacturers proudly proclaimed that their products contained cocaine or opium. A few, like Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup for infants which contained morphine, were more guarded in divulging their principal ingredients. By the beginning of the 20th century, problems with habitual use of cocaine and opiates was becoming increasingly apparent. This led to the removal of these substances from some products (e.g., Coca Cola) and to the introduction of the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) in the United States which required the listing of ingredients on product labels. Nonetheless, standard narcotic remedies like paregoric remained readily available into the early 20th century, and Benzedrine inhalers were marketed without prescription until the early 1950s. Codeine wasn’t removed from most over-the-counter cough suppressants until the early 1980s.’


Tabby cat terror for black bear

`A black bear got more than it bargained for after straying into a family garden in the US state of New Jersey.

The unwelcome intruder was forced up a tree – twice – by the family pet, a tabby cat called Jack.

The terrified bear was only able to make its escape when owner Donna Dickey called the hissing cat into the house.’