`Two accused methamphetamine traffickers apparently rigged up their car so that if cops closed in, a small rocket carrying their stash would pop up from the trunk and launch itself far from the long arm of the law.
For some reason, the rocket never achieved liftoff when Missouri State Highway Patrol (search) officers pulled over Michael Ray Sullivan, 41, and Joseph C. Seidl, 39, both of Kentucky, on June 24 in Kingdom City.
The $13,534 in cash in the 1990 Ford Thunderbird was interesting enough, Kansas City U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Don Ledford told the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune.
Far more intriguing was what was in the trunk: three dud pipe bombs and a “hobby-style” rocket, three to four feet long, all packed with meth worth up to $145,000.’
`The use of vulvular massage as a therapy for “hysterical” patients dates back to Hippocrates. During the 19th century, it caught on as a treatment for the rampantly diagnosed afflictions hysteria and neurasthenia. The doctor of Alice James, the sickly sister of the famous Henry and William, probably brought her routinely to “hysterical paroxysm.”
The treatment wasn’t generally thought of as sexual, but rather as ho-hum therapy. Not surprisingly, it was a cash cow for the medical profession. Women had to return week after week, year after year. But doing it by hand was exhausting, tedious work; some women had to be massaged for an hour before they reached paroxysm.’
`The profit margins for major traffickers of heroin into Britain are so high they outstrip luxury goods companies such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci, according to a study that Downing Street is refusing to publish under freedom of information legislation. [..]
It says that the traffickers enjoy such high profits that seizure rates of 60-80% are needed to have any serious impact on the flow of drugs into Britain but nothing greater than 20% has been achieved.
The study concludes that the estimated UK annual supply of heroin and cocaine could be transported into the country in five standard-sized shipping containers but has a value which at a conservative estimate tops £4bn.’
`A girl was not admitted to an entry exam at the Moscow State University after it was discovered that she was actually a young man trying to pass the exams for his sister, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.
The dean of Moscow State University’s Journalism Department, Yasen Zasursky told the agency that on Sunday security staff who checked the contenders for cheat notes paid particular attention to a girl with bright makeup and “especially outstanding feminine features”. A thorough check revealed that the girl was in fact a young man who tried to pose as a girl to pass the exam instead of his sister.
The dean said that security were especially suspicious of the applicant’s breasts that were of “incomparable proportions”. They thought that cheat notes could be hidden inside her clothing. However, it turned out that the breasts were fake.’
`The factory will cost $800 million to build, with the federal and provincial governments kicking in $125 million of that to help cover research, training and infrastructure costs.
Several U.S. states were reportedly prepared to offer more than double that amount of subsidy. But Fedchun said much of that extra money would have been eaten away by higher training costs than are necessary for the Woodstock project.
He said Nissan and Honda have encountered difficulties getting new plants up to full production in recent years in Mississippi and Alabama due to an untrained – and often illiterate – workforce. In Alabama, trainers had to use “pictorials” to teach some illiterate workers how to use high-tech plant equipment.’
Imagine living in a place where people are so stupid no one will hire them, not even for $800million+ dollars. That would suck. :)
`While they preached charity and love on stage at Live8, the celebrity backstage area was all about warring egos.
Major-league musicians were crammed, along with a host of celebrities major and minor, into an area of only 150 square feet – leading to the inevitable trodden-on toes and bruised feelings.’
There’s something about being famous that rots your brain, I think. The only thing that was any good was Pink Floyd. :)
`Nick Mason revealed how the band ‘eyeballed each other’ as they prepared for their first gig in 24 years ‘in a slightly alarming way’ but compared the reunion to ‘riding a bike’. Dave Gilmour, meanwhile, said it was ‘a bit like sleeping with your ex-wife’. Both ruled out any further reunions.’
`One of the purposes of this this page is to make pyrotechnics as a hobby more accepted and liked. Another reason is to shift some people’s interests from making only loud bangs to more interesting and effectfull pyrotechnics. Furthermore, I hope that this page can provide beginners in pyrotechnics a safe start by providing some practical information. I required quite some time finding the information I needed and hope to save other people some time. Finally, there are some sections on miscellaneous pyrotechnics related subjects I found interesting.’
A shockwave animation of a strange Japanese hobby.
And by “Japanese hobby” I mean “presumably some form of sexual assault to the rest of the world”.
`now i’ve got that feeling once again
i can’t explain, you would not understand
this is not how i am..’
(80meg .wmv)
`An extraordinary statement by the US government has sent shockwaves around the internet world and thrown the future of the network into doubt.
In a worrying U-turn, the US Department of Commerce (DoC) has made it clear it intends to retain control of the internet’s root servers indefinitely. It was due to relinquish that control in September 2006, when its contract with overseeing body ICANN ended.
The decision – something that people have long feared may happen – will not only make large parts of the world furious but also puts ICANN in a very difficult position. [..]
But what is most disturbing about Gallagher’s presentation, is how it endlessly refers to the president. The first slide has a picture of George Bush. The second begins “Thanks to the president’s policies, America’s economy is strong”. The next slide is “The president’s broadband vision”. The next slide leads with a quote from Bush and two pictures of him. And on and on it goes. There is barely a single slide that doesn’t quote from the president.
Clearly the internet has entered the Bush administration’s vision and the resulting DoC statement – which boldly tells the rest of the world that the US will continue to run the Internet and everyone will just have to lump it – is very in keeping with how the US government is currently run.’
‘Just started bustin’ rhymes, finally found my groove,
Now the SS on my jacket stands for super smooth..
And when I step into the clubs you know I’m steppin’ with style,
I raise my left hand, party people say heil..’
(7.7meg Flash video)
see it here »
`A private developer contacted the local government in Supreme Court Justice David Souter’s hometown in New Hampshire yesterday asking that the property of the judge – who voted in favor of a controversial decision allowing a city to take residents’ homes for private development – be seized to make room for a new hotel. [..]
The Kelo v. City of New London decision, handed down Thursday, allows the New London, Conn., government to seize the homes and businesses of residents to facilitate the building of an office complex that would provide economic benefits to the area and more tax revenue to the city. Though the practice of eminent domain is provided for in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, this case is significant because the seizure is for private development and not for “public use,” such as a highway or bridge. [..]
According to a statement from Clements, the proposed development, called “The Lost Liberty Hotel” will feature the “Just Desserts Café” and include a museum, open to the public, “featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America.”‘
Throw a limp woman around. With bubbles.
`While gangsta rap is seen as celebrating the violence and aggression that claimed two of its brightest stars, “geeksta” rap is a hip-hop genre celebrating coding skills and school grades.
Also dubbed “nerdcore,” this branch of hip-hop is for geeks, by geeks. Geeksta rappers adopt the same combative verbal-assault stylings of their forerunners, but bust rhymes about elite script compiling and dope machine code. [..]
Henry Lin, a geeksta fan and graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley, said: “The lyrics are full of inside jokes that only those knowledgeable in computer science would understand. Besides, some songs do a good job of capturing the everyday struggles of computer science majors.”
Frontalot, a New York designer who declined to give his real name, conceded he has “mediocre” mic skills, but said nerds can out-hip hip-hop’s true superstars.
“I think CS graduates have a better chance than most rappers at calculating and devising hitherto unheard rhyme pairings,” he said. “50 Cent has dance clubs and oral sex, we have awesome video cards.”‘
A funny news paper clipping.
`1. The No. 1 thing to remember is REMAIN CALM! But protect yourself from any hazards real or perceived. Be prepared to take evasive (but not aggressive) action to get out of its way. Remember: You might be witnessing the event of a lifetime and will want to remember every detail. You can’t do that if you are hysterical.’
`American students are quitting Queensland universities in the face of hate attacks by Australians angry at US President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq.
One university has launched an investigation into claims an American student returned to the US after suffering six months of abuse at a residential college in Brisbane.
American students have told The Sunday Mail the verbal attacks are unbearable and threatening to escalate into physical violence.
Griffith University student Ian Wanner, 19, from Oregon, said abusive Australian students had repeatedly called him a “sepo” – short for septic tank. “It is so disrespectful. It’s not exactly the most welcoming atmosphere here,” he said.
The Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission has described the abuse as “horrible” and says it could be classed as racial vilification.’
`The Bush administration is planning the government’s first production of plutonium 238 since the cold war, stirring debate over the risks and benefits of the deadly material. The substance, valued as a power source, is so radioactive that a speck can cause cancer.
Federal officials say the program would produce a total of 330 pounds over 30 years at the Idaho National Laboratory, a sprawling site outside Idaho Falls some 100 miles to the west and upwind of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Officials say the program could cost $1.5 billion and generate more than 50,000 drums of hazardous and radioactive waste.
Project managers say that most if not all of the new plutonium is intended for secret missions and they declined to divulge any details. But in the past, it has powered espionage devices.’
`A young Thai man with a history of moodiness has killed himself by gluing his mouth and nose shut with super glue.
Bangkok police say the young man’s body was found Thursday morning in his bedroom, apparently after suffocating overnight.
They say a small amount of cash and a note saying “Here is all that I have, take what you please” were also found on the bed.’
I might have posted this one already. It seems familiar, but I’m too lazy to check. :)
`China is building its military forces faster than U.S. intelligence and military analysts expected, prompting fears that Beijing will attack Taiwan in the next two years, according to Pentagon officials.
U.S. defense and intelligence officials say all the signs point in one troubling direction: Beijing then will be forced to go to war with the United States, which has vowed to defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack.
China’s military buildup includes an array of new high-technology weapons, such as warships, submarines, missiles and a maneuverable warhead designed to defeat U.S. missile defenses. Recent intelligence reports also show that China has stepped up military exercises involving amphibious assaults, viewed as another sign that it is preparing for an attack on Taiwan. [..]
China’s economy has been growing at a rate of at least 10 percent for each of the past 10 years, providing the country’s military with the needed funds for modernization.
The combination of a vibrant centralized economy, growing military and increasingly fervent nationalism has transformed China into what many defense officials view as a fascist state.’
`Scientists have created eerie zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans.
US scientists have succeeded in reviving the dogs after three hours of clinical death, paving the way for trials on humans within years. [..]
The animals are considered scientifically dead, as they stop breathing and have no heartbeat or brain activity.
But three hours later, their blood is replaced and the zombie dogs are brought back to life with an electric shock.
Plans to test the technique on humans should be realised within a year [..]’
`Washington has for the first time acknowledged to the United Nations that prisoners have been tortured at US detention centres in Guantanamo Bay, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, a UN source said.
The acknowledgement was made in a report submitted to the UN Committee against Torture, said a member of the ten-person panel, speaking on on condition of anonymity.
“They are no longer trying to duck this, and have respected their obligation to inform the UN,” the Committee member told AFP.
“They they will have to explain themselves (to the Committee). Nothing should be kept in the dark.”
UN sources said it was the first time the world body has received such a frank statement on torture from US authorities.’
`An 86-year-old man with emphysema died minutes after Lakeland Electric cut off electricity to his son’s home, shutting down his oxygen machine.
One day after Richard Howerton brought his terminally ill father John home from a nursing home, Lakeland Electric cut off the power to his home in Kathleen because he was late paying his bill.
“What they did was cruel and inhumane,” Joyce Howerton said of her father-in-law’s death. “It was despicable.”
Utility workers didn’t know a sick, elderly man was inside the home when the power was cut off on June 14. When the power was cut, the oxygen machine stopped and he died shortly after.
Records show that Richard and Joyce Howerton were chronically behind on their bills.’
`I like to jam a pair of scissors into my crotch repeatedly. Is that wrong?
No, of course not! Although authority figures would deny it and, indeed, try to discourage such activity, a recent survey has shown that fully 95% of the world’s population does it on a regular basis! In fact, it’s probably those who DON’T do it that you should be worried about!
I jam a pair of scissors into my crotch every day. Do I need help?
Only if your aim is bad.’
‘Stack Rock Fort, about 800 yards off the west Wales coast near Milford Haven, is for sale for £150,000.
The 19th Century fort – complete with a couple of cannons – dates back from the time of Napoleon, when it was initially built as a defence for the river Haven.
But it has nowhere to sleep at present, and the new owner will have to sort out sewage, water and power. ‘
The photo looks kinda cool. I’d like to live in a place like this one day. :) All you need is a generator and a directional wifi antenna to jump then 800 yards to shore, and you’d have you very own cyberporn island of doom.
