‘A lonely man is £16,000 poorer after sending money overseas to two women he fell in love with over the internet, in the hope they would join him in the UK. [..]
Mr Hodgkinson, who is a full-time carer for his 86-year-old mother, turned to online dating after he became fed up with being single. [..]
He first struck up a relationship with Natalia, from Russia, who he met through a dating website. [..]
He sent her more than £10,000 to pay for her travel and a visa so she could be with him.
He went to meet her at Heathrow Airport four times, but she never arrived. [..]
His mother, Constance, has been forced to take out a loan to help repay his debts.
“I did tell him off about keeping going to Heathrow,” she said.’
‘Dear NipGuards, I’d really like to thank you for saving my nipples. Before I discovered NipGuards, my nipples would often become erect and chafe against the jersey I wore for basketball. However, with NipGuards in place, I can play without fear of bleeding, cracking, scarring, or other painful side effects of my nipples. I showed my nipples to all of my teammates and they couldn’t believe it! They all ordered some too. So thanks, NipGuards, from myself, my team, and most of all my nipples Zach Stone Kentucky’
‘Australia and the United States have announced a plan to swap up to 200 asylum seekers every year.
Migrants held by the US in Guantanamo Bay will be resettled in Australia, while Canberra will send people held in its offshore detention camps to the US.
The move is aimed at deterring would-be refugees by preventing them from reaching their destination of choice.
But critics say the plan could backfire on Canberra, as many refugees around the world are hoping to get to America.’
(6.2meg asf)
see it here »
‘A Lee County woman wants to find out who broke into her house and dumped thousands of maggots on her floor while she and her family slept.
Mary Jo Uhler says she and her family spent more than a day cleaning their home, and they were still finding maggots. Uhler’s daughter Kristina Smith says someone came through the sliding glass door early Sunday morning and dumped them.’
‘Crematoria are struggling to deal with spiralling rates of obesity.
Expanding waistlines are forcing many councils to spend thousands widening their furnaces, the Local Government Association has warned.
In some cases grieving relatives have to travel hundreds of miles to find crematoria that can accommodate over-sized coffins.
Standard coffins range from 16-20 inches, but coffins up to 40 inches are becoming increasingly common.’
‘Cho Seung-Hui said Monday’s massacre on the Virginia Tech campus could have been avoided and said “you forced me into a corner,” in a videotaped message he mailed to NBC News.
NBC News reported that Cho mailed the package at 9:01 a.m. Monday — during the two hours between the shootings at the West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory and Norris Hall, which left 33 people dead, including Cho, who took his own life.
“You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today,” Cho said in one of the videos that aired Wednesday night on NBC. “But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off.”‘
followup to: Viginia Tech School Shootings.
(3.7meg Windows media and 7.0meg asf)
see it here »
‘ That’s what new tests of liquid soap carried by drummer Don Bolles of the punk band the Germs have determined. The peppermint soap, made by Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps of Escondido, had tested positive for GHB, a rave-scene drug, in a police field test.
Yesterday, however, all charges against the Los Angeles-based musician were dropped by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office after more detailed crime lab tests came back negative for GHB. [..]
“What kind of justice system allows police to use field drug tests that deprive citizens of their God-given liberty, that test positive for something as common as soap?” Bronner said in a news release.’
‘A plan to sedate more than 300 horses stabled at Belgrade’s racecourse to keep them calm during a Rolling Stones concert there has enraged Serb animal lovers who are lobbying to have the gig moved to another venue.
The concert is expected to draw more than 100,000 people to the Hippodrome, Belgrade’s largest fenced space. The horses will be only a few metres from the stage.
“Horses differ, the same as people. Some are more nervous, more skittish,” said hostler Jovanka Prelic. “If they get too nervous or start to panic during the concert, they’ll get sedatives.” [..]
The sedative would be diazepam. In Serbia it trades under the name Bensedin, a very popular drug during the 78 days of NATO air strikes in 1999, when much of Belgrade’s adult population was on tranquillisers.’
‘Microsoft spent millions of dollars advertising its next generation OS ‘Windows Vista’ in China, in fact the IT juggernaut threw up the biggest Vista Ad on the 421 meter high Jin Mao tower in Shanghai China. However after 2 weeks (Jan 19 to Feb 2) from launch Microsoft managed to sell a mere 244 copies of Windows Vista. Software piracy is rampant in the middle kingdom and a pirated version of Vista sells for a mere $1 on the streets. The following numbers are quoted by Windows Vista chief distributor in Bejing.’
‘These guys who call themselves The Swedicks came up with the brilliant idea to saw off a branch of a tree while sitting on said branch. The results are pretty much as expected.’
(2.1meg Windows media)
see it here »
‘At least 32 people have died at a steel factory in China, after being showered with molten metal.
The accident happened at a plant in Tieling, in the north-eastern province of Liaoning, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
A container of steel split in two and spilled the metal onto workers who had gathered for a meeting, Xinhua said.
Rescuers were unable to get close to the scene, because of the intense heat radiated by the liquid metal.’
‘Is your dog in heat and humping anything it can wrap its horny little legs around? Are you constantly having to pry your promiscuous pooch off the legs of guests, parents and members of your church? Protect your leg from a hump attack by getting Scruffy a Hotdoll. Yes, it’s a sex doll for dogs. It’s shaped like a dog and it’ll allow your tension-filled pet to go to town as much as his little heart desires, humping away until he passes out in exhaustion, leaving a wispy coil of friction-singed dog-fur smoke wafting into the air.’
‘Singer Robbie Williams and neighbor Joe Pesci got into an argument when one of Robbie’s friends blocked Pesci’s driveway with his car. Pesci stormed over to Robbie and pals wielding a golf club. The “Goodfellas” actor shouted,
“Which one of you motherfuckers blocked my drive? If you don’t move in 30 seconds, I’m gonna smash your windscreen!”
“At first, Rob stood there smirking when Pesci bounded over waving a club. But he quickly realised the seriousness of the situation and ordered his pals to move their cars.”‘
‘Misanthropy is a hatred or distrust of the human race, or a disposition to dislike and mistrust other people. The word comes from the Greek words μίσος (“hatred”) and άνθρωπος (“man, human being”). A misanthrope is a person who hates or distrusts humanity as a general rule. Misanthropology is the scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of hatred of humans.
Misanthropy does not necessarily imply an inhumane, antisocial, or sociopathic attitude towards humanity.’
‘Eating large quantities of cured meats like bacon could damage lung function and increase the risk of lung disease.
A Columbia University team found people who ate cured meats at least 14 times a month were more likely to have COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, kills around 30,000 people in the UK each year.’
‘Ellen Massey always counted being struck by a baseball or a bat at Shea Stadium among the hazards of being a Mets fan, but she never thought a 300-pound man would come crashing down the stands — and onto her.
That’s what the Manhattan resident, 58, said happened on Monday, Opening Day at Shea.
Shortly after the seventh-inning stretch, she said, a man dressed in a green Army-type jacket tumbled from higher seats and onto her back, knocking the wind out of her and, ultimately, causing serious injury. [..]
“We were sitting and watching the ball game,” he said. “And in a split-second a rather large person, a man, came sort of tumbling down upon us and basically landed on my aunt’s head and neck.”‘
You won’t like Arnold when he’s angry.
(14.7meg Windows media)
see it here »
‘Neighbours in Redditch, Worcestershire, contacted police on Saturday after seeing a man inside a car using a laptop while parked outside a house. [..]
BBC Midlands Today correspondent Dr David Gregory said the cases are among the first of their kind.
He added that if people were using someone else’s network to enter illegal porn sites, for example, it would be very difficult to trace them.
The man arrested at the weekend was cautioned for dishonestly obtaining electronic communications services with intent to avoid payment.
He attracted attention from neighbours in the early morning, as he had put up cardboard around his car windows but the light from his computer could be seen through the back window.’
‘The college student responsible for yesterday’s Virginia Tech slaughter was referred last year to counseling after professors became concerned about the violent nature of his writings, as evidenced in a one-act play obtained by The Smoking Gun. The play by Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old English major, was submitted last year as part of a short story writing class. Entitled “Richard McBeef,” Cho’s bizarre play features a 13-year-old boy who accuses his stepfather of pedophilia and murdering his father. A copy of the killer’s play can be found below. The teenager talks of killing the older man and, at one point, the child’s mother brandishes a chain saw at the stepfather. The play ends with the man striking the child with “a deadly blow.”‘
followup to: Viginia Tech School Shootings.
‘The mural destroyed by ACT Liberal MP Steve Pratt was paid for under a government program to promote legal street art and was effective in discouraging vandalism.
The artwork was funded under an urban planning scheme and commissioned by a local sporting group, said Chris Kon of the Department of Territory and Municipal Services.
Legal artworks like the one Mr Pratt painted over as part of a publicity stunt to promote his anti-vandalism policies were “very successful” at discouraging illegal graffiti, said Mr Kon. [..]
“It’ll cost some money for (the artist) to re-do it again.” [..]
State Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the matter would be referred to the police for investigation.’
You’ve been running around the racetrack. Put that mother to bed.
(10.1meg Flash video)
see it here »
‘”As you know, we have a test next Thursday…”
“Is it going to be multiple choice?
This was in Math 73, Multivariable Calculus. [..]
A girl in my Literary Criticism class, “I can’t believe Bush got re-elected, nobody I know voted for him.”
I go to school in Canada. [..]
In my college psychology class we were talking about the ethics of testing medicine on animals when some girl in the back busts out this gem.
Girl: “So like, instead of testing on mice and monkeys, why don’t we just test on the like starving people in Africa? I mean, they’re going to die anyways right?”
She was serious too.’
‘A murder suspect surrendered to police following a three-hour standoff at an apartment complex that was complicated by a crowd of bystanders who threw rocks at police, authorities said. [..]
Walton said officers were first called to the scene about 9 p.m. and encountered neighborhood opposition.
“They were met by a large group — over 100 people — that made an effort to assault officers by throwing rocks at their vehicles and the officers themselves,” Walton said. “There were shots fired, and the officers had their hands full trying to contain the crowd.”
The officers called in reinforcements to help disperse the crowd. Some of the additional police wore riot gear and carried batons.’
‘The Virginia Tech massacre resulted in the death of 32 victims, and was committed by a currently unidentified gunman on April 16, 2007 at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. Government officials, the university, and most news sources have confirmed 33 dead, including the gunman, making it the deadliest civilian shooting in U.S. history.’
(4.4meg Windows media)
see it here »
‘Police have arrested a 16-year-old from Shreveport who is accused of paying another teen $5 to kill his father. Cops are still looking for the youth allegedly hired for the hit.
The teenager didn’t want to be told where he could live and was tired of having to live by rules, according to Det. Michael Escude of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Department.
The boy had moved from his father’s to his mother’s house a day or two before the attempted hit on Wednesday, because the father said he couldn’t deal with him any longer, Escude said.
The youth was arrested Wednesday night on one count of solicitation for murder and remains in the Caddo Juvenile Detention Center, the sheriff’s office said.’
‘Japan’s leading toilet maker Toto Ltd. is offering free repairs for 180,000 bidet toilets after wiring problems caused several to catch fire, the company said Monday.
The electric bidet accessory of Toto’s Z series caught fire in three separate incidents between March 2006 and March 2007, according to company spokeswoman Emi Tanaka.
“Fortunately, nobody was using the toilets when the fire broke out and there were no injuries,” Tanaka said. “The fire would have been just under your buttocks.”’
