moonbuggy

links to things.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Scientific Ballistics Test of Cheney-Whittington Shooting

`Below is a ten minute “see-for-yourself” report that conclusively shows that Vice President Dick Cheney’s claims to Kennedy County Sherriff’s Deputies in south Texas is a total fabrication.

A massive cover-up has been conducted concerning the shooting. We know that most of the facts that have been told to the public are manufactured frauds. Cheney claims that he shot Whittington at 90 feet, ballistic tests from the spread of the shotgun pellets to their penetration depth is 100% conclusive.

Harry Whittington was shot at close range, between 15 and 18 feet, not the 90 claimed by Dick Cheney and the Secret Service. It is now clear why they refused to let Sherriff’s Deputies interview Cheney for over 13 hours and why they claimed that Whittington’s injuries were superficial when in truth they were grevious.’

(28.9meg Quicktime)

followup to Cheney shooting victim says sorry – to Cheney.


The Ugly Face of Crime

`Not only are physically unattractive teenagers likely to be stay-at-homes on prom night, they’re also more likely to grow up to be criminals, say two economists who tracked the life course of young people from high school through early adulthood.

“We find that unattractive individuals commit more crime in comparison to average-looking ones, and very attractive individuals commit less crime in comparison to those who are average-looking,” claim Naci Mocan of the University of Colorado and Erdal Tekin of Georgia State University.

Mocan and Tekin analyzed data from a federally sponsored survey of 15,000 high-schoolers who were interviewed in 1994 and again in 1996 and 2002. One question asked interviewers to rate the physical appearance of the student on a five-point scale ranging from “very attractive” to “very unattractive.”

These economists found that the long-term consequences of being young and ugly were small but consistent. Cute guys were uniformly less likely than averages would indicate to have committed seven crimes including burglary and selling drugs, while the unhandsome were consistently more likely to have broken the law.’


Touch Rubik’s Cube

`The Touch Rubik’s Cube puts a new twist on the classic puzzle game. It uses six different materials: metal, wood, textile, stone, rubber, and plastic, engaging users to use their senses. This also enables blind persons to enjoy the wonders of a Rubik’s cube.’


Woman’s Arm Severed In Car Accident

`Jacqueline Dotson and her six-year-old daughter had to be cut out of their vehicle after the accident in which Dotson veered into the median and over-corrected, rolling her truck over the guardrail and landing upside down after flipping several times.

Several people stopped to help, and it turns out, the good samaritans may very well have saved Dotson’s life. Sheila Vice, a nurse’s aide, and an off-duty EMT from another county stopped to help, and put a tourniquet on Dotson’s arm to stop the bleeding. Her arm was found near the accident still clutching a cell phone.’


Sunday, February 19, 2006

Man Coughs Up Nail 35 Years After Accident

`In 1970, a bizarre gardening accident embedded a small nail deep inside Guy “Bud” Hart’s body.

More than 35 years later, the nail made an unexpected return, much to Hart’s surprise.

The Placerville man was stunned earlier this month when a coughing fit expelled the inch-long sliver of metal, completing its decades-long trek inside the 84-year-old’s body.

“I didn’t think something like that could happen,” Hart said.’


Girl’s Prosthetic Leg Stolen a Second Time

`For the second time in recent months, somebody broke into a 16-year-old girl’s home and stole her prosthetic leg — including one that had been donated following the first crime, authorities said.

The thieves took a $12,000 cosmetic leg and a donated $16,000 leg that Melissa Huff uses to play softball, her mother, Lisa Huff, said. She said a camera in the room was untouched.

“It’s insane. Who hates her that bad?” Lisa Huff said. “I went back to the girls’ room and the room was trashed. Mostly Melissa’s stuff.”‘


‘Stolen Stuff’ Note On Door Tips Off Sheriff’s Deputies

`The note inside the house made it clear to Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputies that they had the right place: “Do not open door & let anyone in! Stolen Stuff visable.”

Within a day, investigators confirmed that antiques, furniture, jewelry, credit cards and at least 19 guns found in the home of Gerald Levertt Mack had been stolen from at least 12 people, deputy Charles J. Rosenzweig said.

“Nothing like helping us figure out what’s going on,” Rosenzweig said.’


‘Giant’ fossil penguin found in NZ

`A group of New Zealand school children have found the remains of what is believed to be a 40 million-year-old “giant” penguin, a report says.

Had the species of penguin survived to the present day it would have looked “many men in the eye”, the Waikato Times report says.

The remains were found last month near Kawhia, on the west coast of the North Island, by children looking for fossils for a nearby natural history museum.

“I went ‘oh my God’, and just about keeled over on the reef,” group leader Chris Templer recalled saying when several bones were seen sticking out from a sandstone platform uncovered by the tide.’


Doctor Admits Implanting Screwdriver In Patient

`A family in Hilo, Hawaii, has sued a doctor after the man admitted he implanted a screwdriver into the neck of a patient, instead of titanium rods, according to a Local 6 News report. [..]

Doctor Robert Ricketson said that during a surgery on Iturralde, a nurse told him there were no more titanium rods for his neck.

Ricketson said he did not feel he could risk keeping the man under anesthetic with an unstable spine for any longer so he made the decision to substitute the rods with a screwdriver, according to the report.’


Japan’s camera phone craze spreads to funerals

`Japan’s obsession with camera-equipped mobile phones has taken a bizarre twist, with mourners at funerals now using the devices to capture a final picture of the deceased.

“I get the sense that people no longer respect the dead. It’s disturbing,” a funeral director told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.

At one ceremony several people gathered round the coffin and took out their phones to photograph the corpse as preparations were made to begin a cremation, she was quoted as saying.

“I’m sure the deceased would never want their faces photographed,” she said.’


Burglar leaves birthday greetings

`Police are searching for a burglar who was nice enough to leave a birthday greeting — albeit misspelled — while making off with cash from a store’s safe.

A manager at a Linens ‘n Things store arrived Tuesday to find someone had knocked a hole in the roof, gotten in through the ventilation system, cut open a safe and fled with some money, police said.

In the store’s break room, near a partially eaten birthday cake, police found a message on a bulletin board: “Happy B-Day, From Ur Friendy Rooftop Boogler, 2-14-06.”‘


Polar bear no match for fearsome mother

`Tiny Lydia Angyiou showed incredible bravery and strength last week when she tackled a polar bear who threatened her son and two friends as they played hockey in front of Ivujivik’s youth centre.

Angyiou, 41, who lives not far from the youth centre, was outside with her two younger children when she saw the polar bear eying the boys. She immediately ran towards animal: all she could think about was protecting her seven-year old son.

Another woman heading to work at the youth centre saw Angyiou fighting with the bear. This eyewitness told police that when she saw Angyiou in front of the youth centre trying to kick the bear, she screamed “polar bear!”’


Nurse was ‘hit with frozen fish’

`A disciplinary hearing has been told how a nurse allegedly hit a colleague with a frozen fish at a Kent hospital.

Patricia Jennings, 55, from Tunbridge Wells, is also accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour with fellow workers.

The incidents were said to have taken place at the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells in 2003. [..]

One nurse said she was slapped in the face with a frozen trout after a patient brought several of them into the hospital as a gift to staff.

Ms Jennings then said “give us a kiss” while moving the fish’s mouth, the hearing was told.’


Worker at school accused of Tasing 13-year-old boy

`Denver prosecutors have charged a worker in an after-school program at Horace Mann Middle School with second-degree assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly Tasing a student.

Shaun Ellis, 24, had worked at the school since September but was dismissed after the Jan. 11 incident, according to Denver Public Schools officials.

Ellis is accused of using a Taser stun gun three times on a 13- year-old boy who had been accused of tripping a girl in a hallway, said Lynn Kimbrough of the Denver District Attorney’s Office.’


Canadian students log in, get turned on

`Call it a sexual revolution of the virtual kind — young Canadians are practicing a new style of safe sex and the only touching required involves a keyboard.

Of more than 2,500 university and college students polled across Canada, 87 percent of them are having sex over instant messenger, Webcams or the telephone, according to results of a national survey released on Monday.’


Father Who Punched Teacher’s Aide Sues School District

`The father who got national attention for punching a teacher’s assistant in front of class full of students has sued the school district.

Dave Swafford was charged after marching into a classroom at Lakewood Ranch High School east of Bradenton last month and punching the assistant, whom he had accused of inappropriately touching his foster daughter, a student at the school. [..]

An attorney for Swafford filed suit against the teacher’s assistant and the school district Wednesday.

Claims included that school officials failed to take proper steps after learning of the girl’s allegations, tried to cover up evidence and fabricated a story that the girl’s claims were retaliation for being punished by the assistant at school.’


Comptroller unapologetic after ogling aide

`William Donald Schaefer, a former governor who is now state comptroller, ogled a young woman at a Statehouse meeting. And he made no apologies about it.

“She’s a pretty little girl,” the 84-year-old Democrat told reporters. “The day I don’t look at pretty women is the day I die.”

Schaefer stared intently at the woman as she walked toward the governor’s office after she brought him a beverage Wednesday during a Board of Public Works meeting. Then he summoned her back, as people waiting to testify watched and waited.

The aide, looking puzzled, returned to the table, and Schaefer told her, “Walk again,” and watched her as she made the second trip to the exit.’


Cheney shooting victim says sorry – to Cheney

`Harry Whittington, the Republican lawyer shot by Dick Cheney in a hunting accident in Texas last weekend, emerged from hospital yesterday and apologised to the vice-president for all the trouble the shooting had caused.

Mr Whittington, who suffered a minor heart attack when a shotgun pellet lodged near his heart, absolved Mr Cheney of any responsibility.

As he was discharged from hospital in Corpus Christi, he said: “We all assume certain risks in whatever we do, whatever activities we pursue. And regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen.”‘

followup to Cheney unlicensed during hunting mishap.


Preparing for pandemic: know how to bury your dead

`When burying a body in the backyard, don’t put it too close to the septic system. That was one piece of advice offered on Wednesday to a business conference on preparing for a potentially lethal bird flu andemic.

Preparations for a global flu pandemic, which many experts believe is overdue, have begun but the grisly details are horrific and the number of sick could quickly overwhelm the health care system.’


Houston man gets 30 years in woman’s branding

`A former Houston school bus driver showed no reaction today when a Harris County jury sentenced him to 30 years in prison for raping his former girlfriend and branding his initials into her buttocks with a hot wire coat hanger. [..]

The victim testified that Reed raped her vaginally, anally and orally at knifepoint after becoming enraged with her during a discussion about his financial worries last year. She said he then heated up a wire coat hanger on a stove burner and used it to burn his initials into her buttocks before urinating on her head.

The jury rejected Reed’s claims that woman’s burns occurred during consensual sex play and bondage. He testified that the woman had branded her own initials on his skin as well, but prosecutors argued that Reed’s burns were self-inflicted.’


Saws, chain saw oil found

`Investigators found saws and chain saw oil at the home of a Sioux Falls woman suspected of killing and dismembering another woman.

Search warrant affidavits filed Wednesday list an inventory of items removed from the house where Daphne Wright was living.

“There was a wide variety of items taken from the house,” said Dave Nelson, state’s attorney for Minnehaha County.

Authorities asked for a search warrant for the house after determining Wright was the last person known to see Darlene VanderGiesen. The two had a conversation in the parking lot of a Pizza Hut where police later found the victim’s truck abandoned, according to court documents.

Wright is accused of killing VanderGiesen because she thought VanderGiesen had a romantic relationship with her girlfriend.’


On the menu today: horse penis and testicles with a chilli dip

`The menu at Beijing’s latest venue for its growing army of gourmets is eye-watering rather than mouth-watering.

China’s cuisine is renowned for being “in your face” – from the skinned dogs displayed at food markets to the kebabbed scorpions sold on street stalls – and there is no polite way of describing Guo-li-zhuang.

Situated in an elegantly restored house beside Beijing’s West Lake, it is China’s first speciality penis restaurant.

Here, businessmen and government officials can sample the organs of yaks, donkeys, oxen and even seals. In fact, they have to, since they form part of every dish – except for those containing testicles’


Wallet leads authorities to rape suspect

`A man accused of sexually assaulting an Amarillo woman was arrested when he called police to report being robbed of his wallet, which the victim said dropped from his pants during the attack.

Investigators had the wallet in hand when Boungkong Inthirath, 52, called about an hour after the assault of a 23-year-old woman Wednesday.’


Utility hack led to security overhaul

`Apprehending a notorious hacker rarely involves a car chase or a team of dedicated private investigators, but in the case of Vitek Boden, life imitated a Hollywood script.

Boden had waged a three-month war against the Scada (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system of Maroochy Water Services in Australia beginning in January 2000, which saw millions of gallons of sewage spill into waterways, hotel grounds and canals around the Sunshine Coast suburb. He was caught only after a team of private investigators hired by Maroochy Water Services alerted police to his location.

After a brief police pursuit from the Sunshine Coast towards Brisbane, Boden was run off the road. In his car was the specialized proprietary Scada equipment he had used to attack the system, and a laptop; however, it was a piece of $18 cable that ultimately led to his downfall.’


Man Obsessed With Doorknobs Faces Prison

`A man who claims he is obsessed with doorknobs faces three years in prison for a burglary spree in which dozens of them were taken from construction sites, along with tools and other materials.

A criminal complaint said Thor Jeffrey Steven Laufer told police he took a variety of items from the construction sites in the Milwaukee suburb of Mequon to disguise his obsession, “so that it would look like a typical burglary rather than someone just stealing doorknobs.”‘


Kiss sends man to prison for life

`It may have been a borderline call, but it was still a third strike. The Oregon Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a ruling that sent Nicholas Meyrovich to life in prison under a 2001 three-strikes law. Meyrovich got his third strike, a felony sex offense, for delivering an unwanted kiss.

Meyrovich, in his appeal, claimed that a life sentence for the kiss violated the Oregon Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Meyrovich, 60, an exterminator, was inspecting the home of a Salem woman in October 2003 when he suddenly grabbed her and kissed her. The woman pushed Meyrovich away, but he took hold of her again and sucked her on the neck, stopping when a neighbor walked in.

Meyrovich was later convicted of first-degree sexual abuse, which under Oregon law requires the forcible touching of the “sexual or other intimate parts” of another person.’


Policing Porn Is Not Part of Job Description

`Two uniformed men strolled into the main room of the Little Falls library in Bethesda one day last week and demanded the attention of all patrons using the computers. Then they made their announcement: The viewing of Internet pornography was forbidden.

The men looked stern and wore baseball caps emblazoned with the words “Homeland Security.” The bizarre scene unfolded Feb. 9, leaving some residents confused and forcing county officials to explain how employees assigned to protect county buildings against terrorists came to see it as their job to police the viewing of pornography.

After the two men made their announcement, one of them challenged an Internet user’s choice of viewing material and asked him to step outside, according to a witness. A librarian intervened, and the two men went into the library’s work area to discuss the matter. A police officer arrived. In the end, no one had to step outside except the uniformed men.’


Homeland security urges DRM rootkit ban

`US government officials took Sony BMG to task over its controversial use of rootkit-style copy protection at a security conference this week. If the technology proves harmful to consumers, tougher laws and regulations might be proposed, a senior Department of Homeland Security exec warned.

“Legislation or regulation may not be appropriate in all cases, but it may be warranted in some circumstances,” said Jonathan Frenkel, director of law enforcement policy with the DHS’s Border and Transportation Security Directorate, PC World reports.

Sony BMG’s flawed approach to Digital Rights Management technology was exposed after security researchers discovered XCP anti-piracy software, that shipped with some of Sony BMG’s music CDs, masked its presence and introduced a vulnerability that hackers and virus writers began to target. Under pressure, Sony was forced to recall discs loaded with the technology and create an exchange program for consumers.’


Jacobellis makes rookie mistake on biggest stage

`Lindsey Jacobellis tried to show off and she got what she deserved: She fell on her tail.

Jacobellis had a 50-yard lead in the first women’s Olympic snowboardcross final Friday in a dandy of a race. She had looked over her shoulder several times in the bottom section of the run to see where her opponents were on the course. Obviously, she could already feel the weight of that gold medal around her neck. She was excited. She was confident of her victory. And she tried to show off a bit, throwing a back-side method over the second-to-last jump. But she held the grab too long, lost her edge and tumbled to the snow.’


Firm launches ‘world’s smallest’ external HDD

`Japanese peripherals specialist Elecom has introduced what it claims is the world’s smallest external hard drive. Its MF-DU204G packs in 4GB of storage capacity yet is sufficiently small to warrant its own, integrated USB connector.

The secret? The use of a bus-powered 0.85in HDD, Elecom said. The drive is packed into a unit that measures 6.8 x 3 x 1.3cm and weighs just 44g. The company bundles a USB extender cable should the drive prove too large and obscure other USB ports. Elecom also bundles USB Disk Pro, a security utility that password-protects the drive.’