‘Pope Benedict XVI is to become the first pontiff to harness solar power to provide energy for the Vatican, engineers say.
The deteriorating cement roof tiles of the Paul VI auditorium will be replaced next year with photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity.
The cells will generate enough power to light, heat or cool the hall, the Vatican engineers say.
Last year the Pope urged Christians not to squander the world’s resources.’
‘A group of art students created this optical illusion and then displayed it on a common sidewalk.’
(1.5meg Windows media)
‘A former Home Depot employee said the company fired he and three other workers because they helped police catch several suspected shoplifters in May.
Midwest City police said the men helped officers catch suspected shoplifters as they tried to run from a store with lawn equipment.
An internal memo from Home Depot outlines that associates cannot accuse, detain, chase or call the police on any customer for shoplifting. However, one of the fired employees said the company is selective in enforcing that policy.
“The loss-prevention guy at our Shields (Boulevard) store turned around and told me all we need to do is tell the shoplifter to have a good day as they leave the store. I said that just doesn’t make sense.”‘
‘A New York man has sued the makers of a health drink, saying it has given him a permanent erection for the last two years.
Christopher Woods said he drank the vitamin-enriched Boost Plus, made by the Swiss-based Novartis pharmaceutical company, on June 5, 2004.
He woke up the next morning “with an erection that would not subside” and sought treatment of the condition, called severe priapism, court papers say.
Mr Woods, 29, had a penile implant to move blood from one area to another, acccording to the Associated Press.’
‘It was a sight that would make any flagrant parking meter flouter smile. Police were pulling over parking meter attendants to warn them that their $9,600 miniature Mitsubishi and Subaru were not street legal and did not have proper tags.
The state Division of Motor Vehicles told the Huntington Municipal Parking Board last week that the two golf-cart-like trucks it bought were manufactured for off-road use only. They also don’t qualify as low-speed vehicles and can’t be registered, according to Glenn Pauley, DMV director of vehicle services.
The trucks sit at the city garage while the Huntington Municipal Parking Board decides what to do with them.’
‘American cell phones can already check e-mail, surf the Internet and store music, but they could have a new set of features in coming years: the Department of Homeland Security wants them to sense biological, chemical and radioactive material.
Putting hazardous material sensors in commercial cell phones has been discussed in scientific circles for years, according to researchers in the field. More recently, the idea gained support among government agencies, and DHS said publicly in May that it wants businesses to start coming up with proposals. [..]
S&T spokesman Christopher Kelly said the theoretical system’s strength would lie in the sheer number of sensors. The cell phone sensors might be less sophisticated than highly advanced ones some developers are fitting into hand-held models, but they would make up for it in what Kelly called “ubiquitous detection.”’
‘If President Bush and Vice President Cheney can blurt out vulgar language, then the government cannot punish broadcast television stations for broadcasting the same words in similarly fleeting contexts.
That, in essence, was the decision on Monday, when a federal appeals panel struck down the government policy that allows stations and networks to be fined if they broadcast shows containing obscene language.
Reversing decades of a more lenient policy, the commission had found that the mere utterance of certain words implied that sexual or excretory acts were carried out and therefore violated the indecency rules.
But the judges said vulgar words are just as often used out of frustration or excitement, and not to convey any broader obscene meaning. “In recent times even the top leaders of our government have used variants of these expletives in a manner that no reasonable person would believe referenced sexual or excretory organs or activities.”‘
‘A British resort town is deploying extra police during full moons, convinced of a link between the lunar cycle and violence. The vibrant seaside city of Brighton on England’s southern coast is adopting the new approach after reviewing crime statistics for the past year, Sussex police said Tuesday.
“Research carried out by us has shown a correlation between violent incidents and full moons,” the force said in a statement. “More officers will be out on the city’s streets during full moons over the summer months.”
Police inspector Andy Parr conducted an analysis of crime statistics that suggested more violent incidents happen during full moons.
In a paper published earlier this year, Michal Zimecki of the Polish Academy of Sciences claimed to have identified a link between lunar cycles and criminality.’
‘An alleged plot to blow up fuel tanks and pipelines at New York’s JFK airport had little chance of success, according to safety experts, who have questioned whether the plot ever posed a real threat.
US authorities said Saturday they had averted an attack that could have resulted in “unfathomable damage, deaths, and destruction,” and charged four alleged Islamic radicals with conspiracy to cause an explosion at the airport.
But according to the experts, it would have been next to impossible to cause an explosion in the jet fuel tanks and pipeline. Furthermore, the plotters seem to have lacked the explosives and financial backing to carry out the attack.
John Goglia, a former member of National Transportation Safety Board, said that if the plot had ever been carried out, it would likely have sparked a fire but little else, and certainly not the mass carnage authorities described.’
Followup to JFK plotters courted backing for plot in Caribbean, South America.
‘An old guy tries to take a close up picture with a baby elephant. The elephant seems pretty friendly until the guy grabs his trunk.’
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‘Police are searching for a naked peeping Tom seen prowling in only a ski mask, but they say people don’t take him seriously enough to report him.
“Some people just think he is funny. You know, a guy running around in a ski mask and nothing else. People just think that’s funny,” Covington police Lt. Jack West said.
Police believe he’s the same man occasionally spotted doing the same thing last year, West said. This time, though, he reportedly made sexual comments — something he didn’t do during last year, police said.’
‘A Victorian Muslim schoolgirl had her headscarf airbrushed out of a class photograph in just one example of the discrimination Muslim students face, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.
While the majority of Victorian schools support students who wear hijab, some teachers needed more understanding of Islam, the Inquiry into Dress Codes and School Uniforms heard yesterday.
The Islamic Council of Victoria is urging the inquiry to support a “fundamental right” to freedom of religious observance as it applies to dress.’
‘The Ku Klux Klan, more commonly known as the KKK, has become infamous for its crusades against blacks, Jews, and until now – homosexuals. But when a Grand Wizard, the highest ranked member of the KKK, came out of the closet last week and announced his homosexuality, some were baffled while others were supportive.
“I am proud to announce that I am a homosexual,” said John Carolina, the Grand Wizard. “And I want everybody to know that this development will not interfere with my goal towards the construction of a white nation.” [..]
John went through roughly 6 homosexual relationships with various klansmen before he found William Maddox, who encouraged him to be open about his sexuality and accept who he is.
“Homosexuality is rampant in the KKK,” John says. “But everybody is very quiet about it. It’s very suppressed. I am hoping to finally bring all the klansmen out of the closet!”‘
Yesterday I posted something about the ugly logo they’ve come up with for the 2012 Olympics in London and mentioned how a goatse alternative logo got some air time. Well, here’s the video. :)
Followup to London unveils logo of 2012 Games.
(3.4meg Flash video)
‘Who would want to have the life of a speed camera? Exposed to the weather, day and night, alone, no friends… Sounds like a harsh life. But as if it weren’t enough, the poor creatures are also likely to be destroyed…’
‘A man in southeast China says 40 years of swallowing tree frogs and rats live has helped him avoid tummy ache.
Jiang Musheng, a 66-year-old resident of Jiangxi province, suffered from frequent abdominal pains and coughing 20 years ago.
But he says an old man called Yang Dingcai suggested tree frogs as a remedy, the Beijing News said today.
‘At first, Jiang Musheng did not dare to eat a live, wriggling frog, but after seeing Yang Dingcai swallow one, he ate two without a thought,’ the paper said.
‘After a month of eating live frogs, his stomach pains and coughing were completely gone.’
Over the years Jiang had added live mice, baby rats and green frogs to his diet, and had once eaten 20 mice in a single day, the paper said.
On top of that he never gets worms.’
‘Cardinal George Pell has warned Catholic politicians they face “consequences” in the life of the church should they vote for an “immoral” bill before the NSW Parliament to expand stem cell research.
In calling for a “no” vote, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney said he wasn’t threatening excommunication.
However, he didn’t rule out that their vote would disqualify them as church members or “loosen” their bonds with the church, which has taken a strong pro-life position on therapeutic cloning.
Catholic MPs would need to seriously think about taking Holy Communion, the key sacrament, Dr Pell said, and “were certainly doing the wrong thing”.’
‘A lion and a tiger kept as exotic pets on the roof of a Mexican meat processing plant killed a man feeding them Monday, Mexican media said.
Caretaker Angel Aguilar, 56, was taking pieces of chicken to feed the two big cats when the lion swiped at him through the bars of its cage and pulled him inside, Reforma daily said. The tiger then joined in the attack.
Paramedics arrived at the plant in the rough Mexico City neighborhood of Iztapalapa while the man was still alive but they could not get past the animals to treat him. [..]
After the attack, which left scraps of bloodstained clothing on the floor of the cage, the animals were sedated and the tiger’s jaws tied around a chunk of wood.
The tiger later died, apparently of suffocation, after being transported by animal protection authorities to a nearby zoo in a small container. The lion survived the journey.’
(1.7meg Windows media)
‘Cane toads wiggle their toes to lure their young, then eat them up in an act of cannibalism, Australian researchers say.
They say the young toads move towards the adults, possibly mistaking the wiggling toes for a tasty morsel like an insect.
Instead the youngsters themselves end up as the tasty morsel.
But harnessing this cannibalistic behaviour may have some benefits, at least in Australia where cane toads are an invasive pest.
Scientists say it could be the key to getting cane toads to eat themselves out of existence.’
‘Two Alabama men are in the jail following a brawl straight out of the Middle Ages.
A third man involved in the fight, Pat Tordt, got out of the hospital Saturday night.
The fight was so intense weapons used were scattered some 30 yards down the street where the fight occurred.
The weapons were also something of a curiosity: a battle-axe, sword, and crossbow were among those recovered. [..]
Sgt. DeWayne McCarver of the Huntsville police said the injuries were serious, and the weapons of choice aren’t something police run across everyday.’
A friend of mine has been filming a a whole bunch of gigs lately, and was amused when he came across this little snippet during the video editing.
Apparently, the gig took a decidedly homosexual turn at one point, and neither he nor the band noticed at the time. Quite clear in the audio of the video tho. :)
(513kB Flash video)
‘A British artist who ate a meal of meatballs made from a dead corgi dog in a protest against animal cruelty, says his next project will involve being buried in a box under a mountain of mashed potato.
Performance artist Mark McGowan, 37, said the corgi, which died from natural causes, tasted terrible. [..]
Now McGowan is switching his attention from animals to vegetables. He told Sky News television that his next project would be an interpretation of the work of American illusionist David Blaine.
“I am being buried in a box – a David Blaine type thing – in Dublin underneath a metre of mashed potato,” he said.
He did not explain why.’
Followup to British man eats corgi with Yoko.
‘Combining both intellect and physical prowess is the wonderful world of chess boxing. If you can afford the price of a pair of boxing gloves and the expenditure of a few brain cells, then this is the sport for you. The game, brainchild of Dutch participant Iepe the Joker, consists of six rounds of chess interspersed with five bouts in the ring. Contestants can win either on the board or between the ropes, with either a check-mate or a knockout being the most convincing of victories. However, should the referee deem it necessary, he or she can prematurely finish a bout. Should a participant take too long to move a chess piece due to unconsciousness, for example, the match is similarly ended. In the event of a stalemate, the one with the highest boxing score wins. It is indeed a unique blend of intellectual keenness with physical skill, though veterans of the sport may find one of the two increasingly difficult after a while.’
‘One or two of us have regrettably lost phones in a place or two (I myself lost a Treo 650 and a Cingular 8125 within the first four months of last year) but our friends across the pond literally flush an astounding 850,000 phones down the crapper each year.
850,000. Down the toilet.
Research by SimplySwitch, a company specializing in price comparison and switching carriers, found 4.5 million handsets are lost or damaged in the UK each year. Second to the death by watery grave, 810,000 handsets end up amongst the peanuts and broken hearts at a local pub, 315,000 stay behind for an extra long cab ride, 225,000 keep riding public transportation after their owners leave and 116,000 ended up in some dirty laundry.’
‘A virtual land dispute in Second Life will be resolved in federal court after a judge’s ruling. A lawsuit filed in May of 2006 by Pennsylvania attorney Marc Bragg accused Linden Lab and its CEO Philip Rosedale of wrongfully seizing his virtual land and unilaterally shutting down his Second Life account—intellectual property that Bragg says is worth thousands of (real-life) dollars. Linden Lab filed two motions to dismiss the suit, arguing that Bragg came into possession of his land wrongfully, but the Pennsylvania judge denied those motions.
Linden Lab has long maintained that virtual “property” owned by its residents in Second Life belongs to the players. Therefore, things like virtual clothing, buildings, and land all legitimately belong to the residents who created or purchased them, and the burgeoning trade of such is legitimate. Linden Lab sells “land” to residents directly—which translates in real life to server space for the land and things that are built on it—and does so through online auctions. Bragg purchased the land in question through an auction offered by the company, which he argues is the company’s fault for selling it to him if he wasn’t supposed to have it.’
‘Nuclear power stations will be banned in Western Australia by legislation aimed at thwarting the prime minister’s nuclear push, Premier Alan Carpenter says.
Mr Carpenter announced the new legislation at the WA Labor Party state conference.
The legislation will prohibit the construction or operation of a nuclear facility, the transportation of certain material to a nuclear facility site and the connection of nuclear generation works to electricity transmission or distribution systems.
Mr Carpenter said new technology was the answer to climate change challenges not nuclear power.’
‘Hampton Police are trying to unravel a huge mystery. Was there really a gunman at the East Pembroke McDonald’s around 2:30 Monday afternoon?
Around 2:30, police got the call that an armed gunman was inside the fast food restaurant.
Police say a SWAT team freed 12 employees and two customers believed to be held hostage for nearly three hours inside a Hampton McDonald’s by an armed man but never found a gunman.
No one was injured, and police are trying to figure out whether the man somehow got away or perhaps someone had perpetrated a hoax.’
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