moonbuggy

‘An American historian jailed in Romania for paedophile offences has been released more than two years early because he wrote a book about Dracula.

According to the law, Kurt Treptow was entitled to early release because his writing counted as work in prison.

He published a book about Vlad III Dracul, the Romanian prince who inspired the Dracula legend. [..]

His lawyer, Liviu Bran, denied that he wrote the book to get out of prison, saying that a board of historians had reviewed it and concluded it was an “original scientific piece of work”.’

‘Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran ruled Friday that even though Michigan law does not explicitly define sex with a dead dog as a crime, charges against a Saginaw man will stand. [..]

Fehrman had said in previous written and oral arguments that a dead dog is not an animal and therefore cannot be violated against its will.

Sheeran said the purpose of the sodomy law is not to protect a specific victim, necessarily, but ”to prevent people from debasing and dehumanizing themselves.” Such laws also protect society, Sheeran said, and ”prevents people from acting like animals themselves.”’

‘The highest U.N. court cleared Serbia on Monday of direct responsibility for genocide in Bosnia during the 1992-95 war, but said Belgrade had violated its obligation to prevent and punish the mass killing.

Bosnia had asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on whether Serbia committed genocide through the killing, rape and ethnic cleansing that ravaged Bosnia during the war, in one of the court’s biggest cases in its 60-year history.

It was the first time a state had been tried for genocide, outlawed in a U.N. convention in 1948 after the Nazi Holocaust.’

‘A Cloquet teenager who told police he found it funny to throw ice water on a nursing home resident was charged with stalking, and a prosecutor wants him to stand trial as an adult. [..]

According to a criminal complaint, the Cloquet teenager told police he found it so funny when he dumped a pitcher of ice water on a 90-year-old nursing home resident in June that he returned and did it twice more, in December and again last month.

“Me and (another teenager) were like, this is gonna be hilarious, ’cause this lady was talking to herself and she was yelling and stuff so we threw it on her,” the 16-year-old boy told police, describing the first incident.

“She started screaming and freaking out so we thought this was hilariously funny, and we were all talking about it in school and everyone was laughing about it,” he said, according to the complaint.’

‘Workers at a downtown boutique called police after unexpectedly receiving two buckets of marijuana worth $90,000. Police were called to Fusion on Saturday after employees received the two packages of marijuana totaling about 20 pounds.

“Officers received a call that the manager of the store had received a package from FedEx and when he opened it there was a five-gallon bucket inside,” said Capt. Chris Werner. Inside that bucket was 10 pounds of marijuana. The second package arrived about an hour later, this one from a different delivery service but with similar contents.

Both packages were from California and addressed to the store, but there were no names on the address labels.’

‘A woman admitted Monday that she coached her two children to fake retardation starting when they were 4 and 8 years old so she could collect Social Security benefits on their behalf.

Rosie Costello, 46, admitted in U.S. District Court that she collected more than $280,000 in benefits, beginning in the mid-1980s. Most was from Social Security, but the state social services agency paid $53,000. [..]

According to the plea agreement, Costello began coaching her daughter at age 4, and later used the same ruse with her son. He feigned retardation into his mid-20s – picking at his face, slouching and appearing uncommunicative in meetings with Social Security officials.’

‘Pakistani police have arrested two men after a village woman complained that her husband and relatives had sold one of her kidneys in order to buy a tractor, police said on Tuesday.

Although her kidney had been removed 18 months earlier, the woman, named Safia, only learnt it was missing after seeking treatment for a urinary tract problem in January.

“She has said that she was three months pregnant when her husband, Shakeel Ahmed beat her and then took her to the hospital for treatment,” said Mohammad Akram, duty officer at Noushera Jadeed police station in Punjab province.

“But at the hospital her husband, in connivance with three other people, sold her kidney to buy the tractor,” he said.’

‘The illegal trade of elephant ivory has reached such unprecedented levels in Africa that the authors of a U.S. report published Monday are urging western nations to provide more aid for better enforcement.

They say the trade has increased despite an international ban on ivory imposed in the late 1980s.

“Poaching right now has reached its worst levels in history,” said Samuel Wasser, one of the report’s authors and director of the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology in Seattle.’

‘Police have arrested and charged two students Friday in an attack on a Germantown High School over an iPod, according to other students and police.

Officials said 60-year-old math and photography teacher Frank Burd broke two bones in his neck.

“You could hear it break. You could hear when he fell on the ground,” said Synquetta Reid, a student who saw the incident.

School officials said the teacher had taken an iPod from a student during class, and after class, two students were waiting in the hall for him. One student pushed him and another threw a punch.

“He fell … on his face. After that, they turned him over and there was all this blood,” Reid said.’

‘A man is in a serious condition in hospital after he was stabbed and pelted with puppies when he tried to stop thieves stealing rare dogs.

The man found an intruder stealing dogs when he returned with a friend to her home in suburban Melbourne late last night.

“As they’ve approached her property they’ve seen a man running out of the premises with five jack russell-cross-dachshund puppies,” police spokesman Adam West said.

The thief was attempting to drive off with the dogs when the unidentified man ran up to the car and began kicking it. The intruder responded by throwing two of the puppies at him.

“As he’s kicking the car another man’s got out of the car and stabbed him several times, causing serious injuries,” West said.’

‘Making hash is easier than you think!

Making hash is an ancient art. The first proto-human who rubbed her fingers together after handling a mature cannabis bud was making hash in much the same way it is made today. Although the process of removing the resins from cannabis have become more refined, the essence has remained unchanged for millennia.

Making hash is the process of extracting and preserving the psychoactive resins from the cannabis plant. These resins are found primarily on tiny glands called trichomes, which under a magnifying glass look like mushrooms – a head on top of a stalk. These trichomes are part of what gives cannabis buds their “frosty” appearance.’

‘The homicide squad is investigating the discovery of a dead baby in a cupboard of a family home at Geelong, south-west of Melbourne.

Police were called to a house in Peter Street, Grovedale at 6.15pm (AEDT) yesterday, when the newborn was found in a laundry cupboard.

A police spokesman said the circumstances of the baby’s death were unknown.

“The baby was born on the 24th of February, it was only one day old,” he said.

“(It was) located in the laundry cupboard of the house.”

The baby’s 37-year-old mother was taken to Geelong Hospital in shock.’

‘A 53-year-old woman who claimed she received spiritual messages from geese before allegedly stabbing her toddler granddaughter to death was found not guilty by reason of insanity Friday.

A judge ordered Carol Lynn Pappas committed to the state mental health hospital, where officials will decide “when and if she will ever be released,” said Kathleen Walsh, spokeswoman for the district attorney.’

‘At a preliminary hearing yesterday, Allegheny County homicide Detective Robert Opferman testified that Mr. Page confessed that he became angry with Nyia because she kept taking off her diaper. Although Mr. Page initially said he backhanded her, Detective Opferman said Mr. Page later said in a tape-recorded statement that he kicked her between the legs, while wearing Timberland boots, and then put his hand “in there” to stop the bleeding.

He then took her outside, still crying, intending to put her in a sewer, the detective said. Instead, Mr. Page left her on the ground in an old playground less than a mile from the house.’

‘A prankster handcuffed herself to HUGH GRANT at the Dutch premiere of his new movie MUSIC + LYRICS last night (23FEB07). The actor was left stunned when CIELKE SIJBEN, a journalist working for Dutch TV network 101 TV, leaped forward as he walked the red carpet at the Amsterdam Pathe and clamped a metal handcuff on his wrist, attaching herself to him. The confused star had to stand for 10 minutes while police detained Sijben and fire fighters were summoned to free him from his captor. After the cuffs were cut off, the calm 46-year-old returned to his red-carpet duties, promoting the film – in which he stars alongside DREW BARRYMORE – while Sijben was arrested by police.’

(11.1meg Flash video)

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‘A middle school teacher trying to buy pot was arrested after she sent text messages to state trooper instead of a dealer, police said.

Trooper Trevor Pervine was at dinner with his wife and parents celebrating a birthday when his phone started buzzing with messages about a marijuana purchase.

At first, Pervine thought the messages were from friends playing a joke, Kentucky State Police spokesman Barry Meadows said. But a couple of phone calls put that idea to rest, and Pervine responded to set up a meeting, Meadows said.

Authorities say Ann Greenfield, 34, arrived at the meeting point and found Pervine and other law enforcement officers waiting for her.

“She learned her lesson. Program your dealers into your phone,” Meadows said.’

‘Next Friday, substitute teacher Julie Amero of Norwich, Connecticut, will receive her sentence — up to 40 years in prison, the press repeats with a mixture of horror and glee — for exposing children to pornography in the classroom.

It could be worse. Had some charges not been dropped, she could have faced 10 felony charges instead of four.

The prosecution claims she deliberately visited porn sites from the class computer and allowed the 12- and 13-year-olds to view the content. She claims — and evidence proves — the school computer got hit with a pop-up frenzy she didn’t know how to stop.’

‘Welcome to the new world of border security. Unsuspecting Americans are turning up at the Canadian border expecting clear sailing, only to find that their past — sometimes their distant past — is suddenly an issue.

While Canada officially has barred travelers convicted of criminal offenses for years, attorneys say post-9/11 information-gathering, combined with a sweeping agreement between Canada and the United States to share data, has resulted in a spike in phone calls from concerned travelers.

They are shocked to hear that the sins of their youth might keep them out of Canada. But what they don’t know is that this is just the beginning. Soon other nations will be able to look into your past when you want to travel there.’

‘Thousands of Melbourne commuters were last night sent a chilling SMS from Connex telling them that ticket inspectors loved killing people and would help bomb a train.

Connex says it will prosecute those who hacked into its computer system and texted the message. The rail operator was swamped by calls from subscribers to its SMS which usually informs them when trains are cancelled or delayed. They were surprised to get the message: “ALLAHU AKBR FROM CONNEX!” which flashed across their phone screens about 9.45pm.

This was followed by: “Our inspectors love killing people – if you see one coming, run. Want to bomb a train? They will gladly help! See you in hell!”‘

‘As a child going to the circus, you might expect the clown to throw a bucket of confetti at you, or squirt you with water from the flower on his lapel.

You certainly wouldn’t be prepared for him to grab you by the scruff of the neck, punch and kick you and leave you needing hospital treatment for cuts and bruises.

As these astonishing pictures show, that’s what happened when 12-year-old Amos Lutz met Kaspar the Clown at a circus in Leipzig, Germany.’

‘An American senior citizen aboard a tour bus killed an alleged mugger by breaking his neck with his bare hands while his traveling companions fended off two other assailants in the Atlantic coast city of Limon, police said.

The American, who is about 70 years old and retired from the Marines, put the 20-year-old in a head lock and broke his neck after the suspect and two other men armed with a knife and .38 caliber gun held up the tour bus, said Luis Hernandez, the police chief of Limon, 80 miles east of San Jose.

“His neck was completely snapped,” Hernandez said.’

‘An “epidemic” of counterfeit therapeutic drugs is sweeping south-east Asia, costing hundreds of thousands of lives as victims take them under the mistaken belief that they are receiving vital treatment for their illnesses. A British doctor working in the Laotian capital, Vientiane, found that most of the anti-malarial medicines tested in a sample were sophisticated fakes, often displaying holograms on the packaging, originally aimed at making counterfeiting difficult.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 200,000 of the 1m malaria deaths each year would be prevented if all the drugs taken were genuine.

But the epidemic goes far beyond anti-malarials. [..]

Up to 50% of the drugs sold in Asia and Africa are fakes, in a trade estimated by the US Food and Drug Administration to be worth between $35bn and $44bn (£18.5bn-£23.1bn) annually. [..]’

‘Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols now claims a former top official in the FBI was behind the bombing plot.

Nichols says in a statement for a federal lawsuit that bomber Timothy McVeigh identified deputy FBI director Larry Potts as the man directing the scheme.

Potts says the claim is nonsense and ridiculous and the FBI calls Nichols’ allegation “completely without any factual basis.”

Nichols’ statement gives no explanation why an FBI official would want a federal building bombed.’

‘Footage from a birthday party gone bad. Alcohol plus testosterone plus lightsabers equals disaster.’

(4.6meg Windows media)

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‘The following system is provided as a free service for anyone researching different ways to pass a drug test. This system explains how to successfully pass a standard urine drug test using simple items you either have at home or can purchase at a grocery or drug store. It also explains how to successfully pass a hair drug test. The system is mainly designed for low to moderate-level users who will be taking a drug test at least 8 DAYS in the future.’

‘A federal jury said Thursday that software maker Microsoft Corp. infringed audio patents held by Alcatel-Lucent and should pay $1.52 billion in damages.

Tom Burt, Microsoft corporate vice president and deputy general counsel, said the verdict was unsupported by law or facts.

“Today’s outcome is disappointing for us and for the hundreds of other companies who have licensed MP3 technology.

“We will seek relief from the trial court, and if necessary appeal,” Burt said.’

‘Santa Fe police say an Ash Wednesday service at the cathedral was disrupted by pornographic messages from three CD players duct-taped to the underside of pews.

Santa Fe police Captain Gary Johnson says the CD players had been set to go off at 12:20 pm Wednesday during Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis.

Johnson says the recordings were full of foul language and pornographic messages.

Cathedral staff members removed the CD players, took them to the basement and called police. Church officials say churchgoers were not evacuated.’

‘The crimes are being called “splash and grab.” Take a look at how the crime plays out at a Wawa’s in south Philadelphia. The crooks take hot coffee or hot chocolate to the counter. They have no intention of paying for it. Instead, its tossed in the face of an un expecting cashier and in some cases police say the victims have been permanently disfigured.

“We can’t tell if it’s the same crew or a copy cat so until we review the surveillance tapes.”‘

The cop even tries to get him a job. Hilarious. :)

(17.8meg Windows media)

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‘A German brother and sister who live as a couple and have four children are going to Germany’s highest court to try to legalise their relationship.

The 29-year-old brother has already spent more than two years in prison for sleeping with his sister, and could be incarcerated again, his lawyer said.

The pair are currently drawing up an appeal to take before Germany’s constitutional court.

They argue they are being denied the right to sexual freedom.’

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