Oddly Enough

[tommy]

Dracula Isn't Afraid of War
Fri Mar 28,10:51 AM ET

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - The Transylvanian Society of Dracula said on Friday it would hold its world Dracula congress in May in Romania's Carpathian Mountains despite the war in Iraq (news - web sites).

Over 20 international and Romanian scholars will discuss the concept of fear at the medieval town of Sighisoara, birthplace of the Romanian prince Vlad Tepes the Impaler, whose extreme cruelty was the inspiration for the fictional vampire Count Dracula.

"The Count fears no war. We are holding the congress and we are expecting many distinguished scholars from around the world to attend," said society president Nicolae Paduraru.

Academics from as far as Japan and the United States will speak on such issues as "Religious Fear," "Early vampire stories in England" and "Fear of the Supernatural" from May 15 to 18, he said.

The medieval prince famous for impaling his Turkish enemies, nicknamed Dracula, has little to do with the bloodthirsty 19th century vampire of Bram Stoker's gothic novel, but the story is located in Romania's northern Transylvania region.

The society, which gives tourists historical tours of the Balkan country, will offer all congress participants "After-life Insurance" -- certificates for guidance through purgatory.

"The survivors of the congress may also attend some Dracula initiation tours," Paduraru said.

[tommy]

Dracula Isn't Afraid of War
Fri Mar 28,10:51 AM ET

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - The Transylvanian Society of Dracula said on Friday it would hold its world Dracula congress in May in Romania's Carpathian Mountains despite the war in Iraq (news - web sites).

Over 20 international and Romanian scholars will discuss the concept of fear at the medieval town of Sighisoara, birthplace of the Romanian prince Vlad Tepes the Impaler, whose extreme cruelty was the inspiration for the fictional vampire Count Dracula.

"The Count fears no war. We are holding the congress and we are expecting many distinguished scholars from around the world to attend," said society president Nicolae Paduraru.

Academics from as far as Japan and the United States will speak on such issues as "Religious Fear," "Early vampire stories in England" and "Fear of the Supernatural" from May 15 to 18, he said.

The medieval prince famous for impaling his Turkish enemies, nicknamed Dracula, has little to do with the bloodthirsty 19th century vampire of Bram Stoker's gothic novel, but the story is located in Romania's northern Transylvania region.

The society, which gives tourists historical tours of the Balkan country, will offer all congress participants "After-life Insurance" -- certificates for guidance through purgatory.

"The survivors of the congress may also attend some Dracula initiation tours," Paduraru said.

[Shell]

I love Oddly Enough.. see this one?

Mayor seeks ban on lying
Fri Mar 28, 6:44 PM ET

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The mayor elect of a Midwest U.S. town has heard one too many tall tales.

Jo Hamlet, who is set to take over in Mount Sterling, Iowa when the current mayor leaves, said he is pushing for a ban on lying in the town of 40 residents.

"People shooting 16-pound geese and catching 9-pound bass and 28-pound gobbler turkeys and over 200-point bucks -- I thought maybe we ought to ... tame this down a little bit," said Hamlet, a 69-year-old cattle buyer.

Hamlet said he will conduct an informal poll before putting his anti-lying ordinance to a vote before the city council.

"There's some sentiment that hunting and fishing stories don't count," but unsubstantiated claims of high corn yields and run-of-the-mill gossip might qualify as lies, he said.

As for possible penalties, Hamlet was weighing options such as mouth-washing or a tongue-lashing.

"We're going to have an awful time finding judges," he admitted.

[Shell]

I love Oddly Enough.. see this one?

Mayor seeks ban on lying
Fri Mar 28, 6:44 PM ET

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The mayor elect of a Midwest U.S. town has heard one too many tall tales.

Jo Hamlet, who is set to take over in Mount Sterling, Iowa when the current mayor leaves, said he is pushing for a ban on lying in the town of 40 residents.

"People shooting 16-pound geese and catching 9-pound bass and 28-pound gobbler turkeys and over 200-point bucks -- I thought maybe we ought to ... tame this down a little bit," said Hamlet, a 69-year-old cattle buyer.

Hamlet said he will conduct an informal poll before putting his anti-lying ordinance to a vote before the city council.

"There's some sentiment that hunting and fishing stories don't count," but unsubstantiated claims of high corn yields and run-of-the-mill gossip might qualify as lies, he said.

As for possible penalties, Hamlet was weighing options such as mouth-washing or a tongue-lashing.

"We're going to have an awful time finding judges," he admitted.

[tommy]

Here's another "oddly enough" that i found funny:

Wedding Bells Ring for U.S. Couple After 78 Years
Fri Apr 4,11:23 AM ET

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Zyness O'Haver may have suffered from one of the worst cases of cold feet in the history of marriage.

After almost 78 years of living with Sallie Warren, he finally decided to pop the question and the Oklahoma City couple became husband and wife on Wednesday.

O'Haver 95, told reporters, "It was about time I made an honest woman" out of his new wife, who is 94.

With three of their grandchildren on hand, the two were wed in the Oklahoma County Courthouse. The grandchildren pushed for the wedding, saying it was about time the two tied the knot.

An anxious O'Haver jumped the gun during the ceremony however, saying "I sure do," well before Judge D. Fred Doak asked the couple to exchange wedding vows.

In response to the positive answer from her groom-to-be, Warren, dressed in an ivory colored dress, gave O'Haver a premature kiss, normally given after a couple is pronounced man and wife.

"I can't remember when I've married a more anxious couple," Doak told reporters.

When Zyness met Sallie, the two were teenagers, Calvin Coolidge was the U.S. president and it would still be about 25 years before televisions started making its way into American homes.

The two started living together as teenagers in 1925 and never got around to making their union official, even though most of their neighbors thought they were married.

The newlyweds did not announce any plans for a honeymoon.

[tommy]

Here's another "oddly enough" that i found funny:

Wedding Bells Ring for U.S. Couple After 78 Years
Fri Apr 4,11:23 AM ET

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Zyness O'Haver may have suffered from one of the worst cases of cold feet in the history of marriage.

After almost 78 years of living with Sallie Warren, he finally decided to pop the question and the Oklahoma City couple became husband and wife on Wednesday.

O'Haver 95, told reporters, "It was about time I made an honest woman" out of his new wife, who is 94.

With three of their grandchildren on hand, the two were wed in the Oklahoma County Courthouse. The grandchildren pushed for the wedding, saying it was about time the two tied the knot.

An anxious O'Haver jumped the gun during the ceremony however, saying "I sure do," well before Judge D. Fred Doak asked the couple to exchange wedding vows.

In response to the positive answer from her groom-to-be, Warren, dressed in an ivory colored dress, gave O'Haver a premature kiss, normally given after a couple is pronounced man and wife.

"I can't remember when I've married a more anxious couple," Doak told reporters.

When Zyness met Sallie, the two were teenagers, Calvin Coolidge was the U.S. president and it would still be about 25 years before televisions started making its way into American homes.

The two started living together as teenagers in 1925 and never got around to making their union official, even though most of their neighbors thought they were married.

The newlyweds did not announce any plans for a honeymoon.

[tommy]

Here's another "oddly enough" that i found funny:

Wedding Bells Ring for U.S. Couple After 78 Years
Fri Apr 4,11:23 AM ET

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Zyness O'Haver may have suffered from one of the worst cases of cold feet in the history of marriage.

After almost 78 years of living with Sallie Warren, he finally decided to pop the question and the Oklahoma City couple became husband and wife on Wednesday.

O'Haver 95, told reporters, "It was about time I made an honest woman" out of his new wife, who is 94.

With three of their grandchildren on hand, the two were wed in the Oklahoma County Courthouse. The grandchildren pushed for the wedding, saying it was about time the two tied the knot.

An anxious O'Haver jumped the gun during the ceremony however, saying "I sure do," well before Judge D. Fred Doak asked the couple to exchange wedding vows.

In response to the positive answer from her groom-to-be, Warren, dressed in an ivory colored dress, gave O'Haver a premature kiss, normally given after a couple is pronounced man and wife.

"I can't remember when I've married a more anxious couple," Doak told reporters.

When Zyness met Sallie, the two were teenagers, Calvin Coolidge was the U.S. president and it would still be about 25 years before televisions started making its way into American homes.

The two started living together as teenagers in 1925 and never got around to making their union official, even though most of their neighbors thought they were married.

The newlyweds did not announce any plans for a honeymoon.

[Shell]

Surprise for callers to American Air CEO
Mon Apr 28, 2:05 PM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - American Airlines employees that used to dial 1-800-AA-CARTY to hear a message from their CEO may be in for a big surprise now that Gerard Arpey has taken over.

1-800-AA-ARPEY currently leads callers to a sex hotline.

So what will the world's largest airline do to relay information to employees?

"We obviously will not use that number," said American spokeswoman Tara Baten.

American employees had grown accustomed to dialling in to the hotline to hear occasional messages and words of encouragement from Don Carty, the former head of their company. Their colleagues at other airlines have similar CEO hotlines.

Baten said American is still reviewing whether it will continue to have a hotline at all. The airline also sends a daily e-mail to employees and has a monthly employee newsletter that appears on the company's internal Web site.

"I'm sure that Mr. Arpey wants to ensure that American has the best employee communications programs and processes available," Baten said.

It is unlikely, though, that Arpey's communication with employees will be as colourful as the "fantasy talk" that the sex hotline promises.
_____________________

and in um, similar news...

Alabama Votes Against Legalizing Sex Toys
1 hour, 19 minutes ago Add AP - Feature Stories to My Yahoo!

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Sex toys are still against the law in Alabama, at least as far as the Alabama Legislature is concerned.

The Alabama House voted against a bill Tuesday that would have removed a ban on sexual devices, such as vibrators, from the state's obscenity law. The ban on sexual devices was added at the last minute when the obscenity law passed the Legislature in 1998.

A federal district judge in Birmingham has twice ruled that the ban is unconstitutional. The first ruling was overturned by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the second ruling has been appealed to the appeals court.

The sponsor of the bill, Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, said because of the court ruling, the obscenity law is unenforceable as long as it contains the ban on sex toys.

"All this does is make our obscenity law constitutional," Rogers said.

With little serious discussion, the House voted 37-28 to leave the sex toys ban in state law, leaving Rogers standing at the microphone shaking his head.

"What you just did is make our obscenity law illegal. You voted for obscenity," Rogers shouted at lawmakers.

[Alicia]

I used to work at Adam & Eve...apparently all those people from Alabama ringing those phones off the hook aren't making enough noise to their legislature. :crazy:

[Lady J]

I used to work at Adam & Eve...apparently all those people from Alabama ringing those phones off the hook aren't making enough noise to their legislature. :crazy:

No you did NOT?! lol Employee discounts? :eek2: :vamp:

[Alicia]

I used to work at Adam & Eve...apparently all those people from Alabama ringing those phones off the hook aren't making enough noise to their legislature. :crazy:

No you did NOT?! lol Employee discounts? :eek2: :vamp:

YES I did (for 11 years) & yes, of course! ;) But you know, after working there that long, it became as mundane as working the drive-thru at McDonald's...seriously.

[raleighcanesfan]

mundane? Come on bates...

I'm sure each pre-pubuscent boy that wonders in, that you get to embarrass, is like doing it for the first time... :D

I remember long ago, when I was just a little pittsburghpensfan, my senior class in PA went to Myrtle Beach for a week. Well, a bunch of guys thought we needed to go to Aphrodite, comparable to A&E. What a trip! The one 'lil old lady came around to each of us to see if we needed helped or any explanations. One guy actually had her explain a certain
'toy' to him. Not me of course, me and my candy-apple red face went out onto the sidewalk! :D

[Jeff O Rocks]

YES I did (for 11 years) & yes, of course! ;) But you know, after working there that long, it became as mundane as working the drive-thru at McDonald's...seriously.

hmmmmmmmm.....big mac meal vs. inflatable doll???????????? LMAO :p ;)

and J..I asked the same thing about discounts!! :evil: :eek2:

[Guyute]

what I'm wondering is who works for RealDoll and get's discounts there??
:eek:

lol

bad mod, contributing to the delinquicy of this thread....

[SouthernHockeyChick]

what I'm wondering is who works for RealDoll and get's discounts there??


Oh, you're sick! :sick:

;)

[Jeff O Rocks]

what I'm wondering is who works for RealDoll and get's discounts there??
:eek:

lol

bad mod, contributing to the delinquicy of this thread....

I saw RealDoll one night on RealSex!!!!!! :eek2: :crazy: ;)

Shamey on you!! :p ;) :D ....nah...not really!

[moonstomper]

what I'm wondering is who works for RealDoll and get's discounts there??
:eek:

I have a used one for sale........cheap!

okay...very bad......vary bad indeed, in fact, prolly the worst thing Ive ever said here (cept when I said ass twice yesterday) :angel:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

This is quickly turning into the Gentleman (and I use that term loosely) Only Thread! Blah! :sick:

:p ;)

[moonstomper]

This is quickly turning into the Gentleman (and I use that term loosely) Only Thread! Blah! :sick:

:p ;)

What? You mean to tell me you have no use for a 3 ft tall anatomicaly correct banana doll? :kiss:

[crazy4canes]

You people are sick. http://www.websmileys.de/trau20.gif

excuse me while I go polish my halo.

[moonstomper]

http://www.websmileys.de/trau20.gif

excuse me while I go polish my halo.

what kind of polish do you use? Ive been using "Halo-Glo" for a while now but its getting harder and harder to find :angel:

[Jeff O Rocks]

You people are sick. http://www.websmileys.de/trau20.gif

excuse me while I go polish my halo.

It is getting SOOOOOOOOO deep in here, I think I must put on my hip waders.....coughhaloyeahrightcough!!!!!! :p :D ;) and while you are at it, may I borrow some polish so I can clean mine too?? Now where did I put the darn thing????????? :evil: ;)

and stompy...if I didn't know WHO encouraged you to be bad like that...coughbananacough...I would be shocked..but I know you have no control over that "wicked fruit"!! :D ;)

[Alicia]

mundane? Come on bates...

I'm sure each pre-pubuscent boy that wonders in, that you get to embarrass, is like doing it for the first time... :D

I remember long ago, when I was just a little pittsburghpensfan, my senior class in PA went to Myrtle Beach for a week. Well, a bunch of guys thought we needed to go to Aphrodite, comparable to A&E. What a trip! The one 'lil old lady came around to each of us to see if we needed helped or any explanations. One guy actually had her explain a certain
'toy' to him. Not me of course, me and my candy-apple red face went out onto the sidewalk! :D

I didn't work in one of the stores (they have only been around a couple years); I worked at "corporate hq" where all the mail/phone orders are taken care of & you have to be 18+ to order.

[MoBigRed]

I didn't work in one of the stores (they have only been around a couple years); I worked at "corporate hq" where all the mail/phone orders are taken care of & you have to be 18+ to order.


Ah, so we've spoken.

Oops, i mean, uh... uh... my, look at the time.

http://www.randakk.com/emo/run.gif

[Jeff O Rocks]

I didn't work in one of the stores (they have only been around a couple years); I worked at "corporate hq" where all the mail/phone orders are taken care of & you have to be 18+ to order.


Ah, so we've spoken.

Oops, i mean, uh... uh... my, look at the time.

http://www.randakk.com/emo/run.gif

the TRUTH comes out about our "great and powerful moderator" :roll:

[Turbulence]

:eek: :crazy: :sick: http://www.websmileys.de/augen67.gif

:angel: I retain my innocence.


How did y'all get this OT?

[crazy4canes]

How did y'all get this OT?

Someone mentioned sex toys....it was bound to go astray at that point. :beatup:

[Turbulence]

Oddly Enough...

4-foot alligator found walking in Queens park

April 28, 2003, 8:13 PM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) _ New Yorkers enjoying the sun in a Queens park found an unlikely companion _ a 4-foot-long alligator.

Police took an emergency call from people who had seen the alligator strolling through Alley Pond Park on Monday afternoon. Police and city park rangers captured the animal with a noose and took it to a reptile specialist.

No one was injured by the reptile, which was captured peacefully, police said.

Police didn't know if the animal was a pet or had been living in Alley Pond.

In June 2001, a 2-foot-long baby spectacled caiman, a member of the crocodile family, was captured in Central Park by an alligator wrestler from Florida and his wife.

City park officials said then that the Central Park reptile probably was a pet somebody dumped in the Harlem Meer after it got too big. The same thing happened four years earlier, when a pet alligator outgrew its owner's bathtub and was dumped in Kissena Lake in Queens.

[Alicia]

What IS it with these New Yorkers and their crocs/gators?

[Turbulence]

Very weird...


Worms found alive in shuttle wreckage
Thursday, May 1, 2003 Posted: 8:45 AM EDT (1245 GMT)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- Hundreds of worms from a science experiment aboard the space shuttle Columbia have been found alive in the wreckage, NASA said Wednesday.

The worms, known as C. elegans, were found in debris in Texas several weeks ago. Technicians sorting through the debris at Kennedy Space Center in Florida didn't open the containers of worms and dead moss cells until this week.

All seven astronauts were killed when the shuttle disintegrated over Texas on February 1. Columbia contained almost 60 scientific investigations.

"To my knowledge, these are the only live experiments that have been located and identified," said Bruce Buckingham, a NASA spokesman at the Kennedy Space Center.

The worms and moss were in the same nine-pound locker located in the mid-deck of the space shuttle. The worms were placed in six canisters, each holding eight petri dishes.

The worms, which are about the size of the tip of a pencil, were part of an experiment testing a new synthetic nutrient solution. The worms, which have a life cycle of between seven and 10 days, were four or five generations removed from the original worms placed on Columbia in January.

The C. elegans are primitive organisms that share many biological characteristics of humans. In 1999, C. elegans became the first multicellular organism to have the sequencing of its genome completed.

C. elegans have two sexes: males and hermaphrodites, which are females that produce sperm. A hermaphrodite worm can self-fertilize for the first 300 or so eggs but later usually prefers to accept sperm from males to produce a larger number of offspring.

The experiment was put together by researchers at the NASA Ames Research Center in California.

The moss, known as Ceratodon, was used to study how gravity affects cell organization. During Columbia's flight, shuttle commander Rick Husband sprayed the moss with a chemical that destroyed protein fiber. He also sprayed the moss with formaldehyde to preserve it. Seven of the eight aluminum canisters holding the moss were recovered.

Why worms?
The C. elegans are primitive organisms that share many biological characteristics of humans.

The experiment was put together by an Ames Research Center researcher and Dr. Fred Sack at Ohio State University.

"The cells were surprisingly well-preserved, but we're analyzing how useful it's going to be," Sack said.

NASA officials said they don't know if the worms will still have any scientific value since they were supposed to have been examined and unloaded from Columbia within hours of landing

"It's pretty astonishing to get the possibility of data after all that has happened," Sack said. "We never expected it. We expected a molten mass."

[Shell]

umm, admittedly I spend Way too much time on this site... however, I could make it through a trip to the portopotty without signing in.. and I sure as hell am not spending any more time in those nasty things than required!

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20030506/i/1052236650.3221815359.jpg

Festival launch for internet loo
Tue May 6,11:46 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - The world's first portable lavatory with internet access is due to be unveiled this summer.

The "iLoo" is being built by Microsoft's internet arm MSN which aims to showcase its creation at summer music festivals.

"The internet is so much a part of everyday life now that surfing on the loo was the next natural step," said MSN marketing manager Tracy Blacher on Tuesday.

The converted lavatory will feature a wireless keyboard, plasma screen and quick internet access.

In 2001, MSN installed an internet-enabled park bench in Suffolk.

[moonstomper]

Its about time! I mean this is the year 2003, and still Im still reading magazines while on the john. Ahhh the wonders of technology.

[moonstomper]

"The internet is so much a part of everyday life now that surfing on the loo was the next natural step,"

Well Duh :roll:

[Jeff O Rocks]

Usually the loo is the only time most of us have any peace and quiet..now we can receive an IM there!! :eek: :crazy: :D

[Turbulence]

Genius....Pure Genius.

Now I can check up on you guys while I'm taking a crap! Good times...good times...

[Shell]

I'be heard IMs work closely with BMs. :crazy:

LOL Turby!! You're terrible! ;)

[Guyute]

The "iLoo" is being built by Microsoft's internet arm MSN which aims to showcase its creation at summer music festivals.

yeah.... cuz porta-potties aren't bad enough in general... but they're even better when it's been baking in the sun in 95 degree weather with no breeze.

can I please get a laptop in here... I'm gonna hang out for awhile!

:crazy: :roll:

[Jeff O Rocks]

yeah.... cuz porta-potties aren't bad enough in general... but they're even better when it's been baking in the sun in 95 degree weather with no breeze.

:crazy: :roll:

Add the above with multiple pop ups and you can just shoot me in the back of my head!! :eek: :D

and Turby please wash your hands before checking up on us!! :sick: ;)

[moonstomper]

I'be heard IMs work closely with BMs. :crazy:


Shell, Shell, Shell........

heres the line

-------------------------------------------------------------



:evil:
and heres shell way down here after crossing it :D

[Jeff O Rocks]

I'be heard IMs work closely with BMs. :crazy:


Shell, Shell, Shell........

heres the line

-------------------------------------------------------------



:evil:
and heres shell way down here after crossing it :D

I think your banana influenced her and encouraged her to be bad!! ;)

[nccanes]

umm, admittedly I spend Way too much time on this site... however, I could make it through a trip to the portopotty without signing in.. and I sure as hell am not spending any more time in those nasty things than required!

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20030506/i/1052236650.3221815359.jpg

Festival launch for internet loo
Tue May 6,11:46 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - The world's first portable lavatory with internet access is due to be unveiled this summer.

The "iLoo" is being built by Microsoft's internet arm MSN which aims to showcase its creation at summer music festivals.

"The internet is so much a part of everyday life now that surfing on the loo was the next natural step," said MSN marketing manager Tracy Blacher on Tuesday.

The converted lavatory will feature a wireless keyboard, plasma screen and quick internet access.

In 2001, MSN installed an internet-enabled park bench in Suffolk.

A hoax after all..... ;)

REDMOND, Washington (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. said a company news release that it was developing a portable toilet with Internet access, called an "iLoo," was a hoax perpetrated by its British division.

The April 30 release, issued by the company's MSN Internet division in the United Kingdom, said Microsoft was developing a portable toilet with a wireless keyboard and an extending height-adjustable plasma screen in front of the seat. The iLoo was to debut at festivals this summer in Britain.

"This iLoo release came out of the UK office and was not a Microsoft sanctioned communication and we apologize for any confusion or offense it may have caused," Microsoft spokeswoman Bridgitt Arnold said late Monday.

The fake release generated coverage by The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and Reuters.

The Associated Press received confirmation of the project from both Microsoft Corp.'s Waggener Edstrom public relations firm and London-based Red Consultancy, which handles such work for the software giant in England.

In an e-mail sent last week to The Associated Press, Red Consultancy's Ben Philipson wrote "MSN is really working on building a prototype for the Summer festivals, perhaps Glastonbury ... This is very much a 'toe in the water' experiment to gauge interest so we'll have to see how it goes, although judging from response so far it's really captured people's imagination!"

Malina Bragg, who helps with MSN's account for Waggener Edstrom, also said last week that the project was real.

[moonstomper]

okay since there is a good picture here of the house Ill just post the link instead of the article.....

but I dont know how to post URLs so youll have to cut and paste (unless a knowledgeable and kind mod would fix it for me...wink wink)


http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/0503/08greenhouse.html

[Shell]

eeeek!!

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030513/lthumb.1052852100.topix_tongue_splitting_cx101.jpg

James Keen, a 19-year-old from Scottsville, Ky., shows off his spilt tongue at his home Wednesday, May 7, 2003. James got his tongue split in December by a piercer after a surgeon declined to do it for him. He says the piercer used a scalpel heated by a blow torch and no anesthetic. Some say the practice, still relatively uncommon but edging up in popularity, is nothing short of mutilation. Lawmakers in Illinois are considering regulations that would all but outlaw it. (AP Photo/Joe Imel)

[crazy4canes]

ok, so admittedly I'm a dork so I don't really understand this concept. Why in hell would you want to split your tongue? :eek2:

[moonstomper]

Strippers ruin mans wedding night! I bet his wife was doubly upset :D

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/5876608.htm

[Stormbringer]

ok, so admittedly I'm a dork so I don't really understand this concept. Why in hell would you want to split your tongue? :eek2:

I guess to make it look forked, like a snake or a lizard's? Doesn't look forked nor would a human tongue EVER look good that way... :sick: :eek2:

[Turbulence]

*Shudder* How could you do that to yourself? One day when he's 80 years old he'll regret that...

I think I'll go tattoo-and-piercingless just to be safe... :crazy:

Though I have thought about tatooing my chest and stomach in the image of a shirt+tie so I'll never have to wear a shirt again...

[Jeff O Rocks]

That picture of that guys tongue..........OUCH!!! :sick: I know how much it hurts when you accidentally bite it.....can you imagine how bad that hurt??????????? :crazy:

[talkingcanes]

That picture of that guys tongue..........OUCH!!! :sick: I know how much it hurts when you accidentally bite it.....can you imagine how bad that hurt??????????? :crazy:

I just want to know why? :crazy:

Wonder if it changed the way he talks or if he gets food stuck in it? that lovely nose ring isn't much better. hope he doesn't do a lot of sneezing :roll:

[All4Bates]

Hey bb13 do you know Tony Steele over there at PHE in Hillsborough?

[Alicia]

Hey bb13 do you know Tony Steele over there at PHE in Hillsborough?

Hmmm...I've been away from that place for a little over a year. PM me a description of him & what he does there...wait! Does he work in the IT dept.?

[nccanes]

2 million dollars????

NEW YORK (AP) -- A Manhattan bridesmaid has filed a lawsuit against gown maker Vera Wang, claiming she was severely injured when she stepped on a needle at the designer's Upper East Side boutique.

Melissa Brennan's lawsuit, filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan Wednesday, seeks $2 million in damages.

The 27-year-old claims it was unsafe to walk around in the store because of "pins, needles and other sewing supplies" on the floor when she was being fitted for a dress in November.

Brennan's lawyer, Max Leifer, said a needle was lodged in his client's foot for about a week until she underwent surgery to have it removed.

"They had to go into the foot and pull it out," he told the Daily News for Friday's editions.

Celebrities including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Andie MacDowell and Jessica Simpson recently have worn Wang's wedding gowns, which sell for thousands of dollars. Her spokeswoman, Lynn Tesoro, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

"The company doesn't comment on pending litigation," Tesoro told the News.

[Bridgestreetrun]

A needle was lodged in his client's foot for about a week until she underwent surgery to have it removed.

I can not understand any reason why anyone would not have a needle removed for a week.

There are many things to take into consideration-pain, infection, imbedding the needle into the foot structures worse, etc.....

[Jeff O Rocks]

A needle was lodged in his client's foot for about a week until she underwent surgery to have it removed.

I can not understand any reason why anyone would not have a needle removed for a week.

There are many things to take into consideration-pain, infection, imbedding the needle into the foot structures worse, etc.....

Can we all say....for more damage to report and .......cha-ching more $$$$$$$$$$??? People are ridiculous...some folks would sue their granny for the almight dollar!! :mad:

[moonstomper]

you guys have to check this out, I cannot believe this is real....check out the testominials, and the pricing plans...unvbelievable....

http://rent-a-negro.com

edit- the Web site is a satirical piece of performance art by damali ayo, 31, a Portland, Ore.-based artist and personal growth consultant

[Turbulence]

Jeez...I thought it was real for a moment!
Check out http://www.landoverbaptist.com. It's a hoot...and its very hard (or used to be...haven't been there in a while) to find a disclaimer revealing its identity as a parody site...

And by the way...y'all can rent me out. (See Location) :p :smoke:

Edit: Check out the review on Bruce Almighty! Ha!

[nccanes]

you guys have to check this out, I cannot believe this is real....check out the testominials, and the pricing plans...unvbelievable....

http://rent-a-negro.com

edit- the Web site is a satirical piece of performance art by damali ayo, 31, a Portland, Ore.-based artist and personal growth consultant

"performance art" eh? Oh well.

[moonstomper]

Thats blocked on my computer here at work, Ill check it out later at home.....

this site is real www.inflatablechurch.com :eek2:

[moonstomper]

you guys have to check this out, I cannot believe this is real....check out the testominials, and the pricing plans...unvbelievable....

http://rent-a-negro.com

edit- the Web site is a satirical piece of performance art by damali ayo, 31, a Portland, Ore.-based artist and personal growth consultant

"performance art" eh? Oh well.

yeah I copied that part right from an article...not sure how it qualifies as performance though...or art for that matter

[Shell]

I find it offensive and not much else *shrug* But I have a tendency to be overly sensitive to discrimination or prejudice

[moonstomper]

I find it offensive and not much else *shrug* But I have a tendency to be overly sensitive to discrimination or prejudice

hey sorry if that offended you....It takes something special to offend me, I thought some of you guys would find it funny.......sorry again

[nccanes]

I was thinking along the same lines as Shell, but when I clicked on the author's link it's got a photo of her and she's black. So I suppose it may be more of a social commentary as much as art and not likely to be composed for humor.

Very unusual to say the least.

[Jeff O Rocks]

Bruce Almighty

Did you guys see on the news that they use a NC phone number in the movie..and the phone number actually belongs to a minister named Bruce...and the phone number is in his chapel???? Very odd!! :roll: :eek:

[moonstomper]

heres a story about the Bruce Almighty phone #

No Bruce here, they tell fans calling movie character


By Elizabeth Boch, Globe Correspondent, 5/29/2003

For the past two days, Florencia Ingwersen and her colleagues at Dental Arts Associates in Somerville have been fielding phone calls from people asking for divine intervention. Specifically, callers have been asking for God or Bruce.

''Yesterday was fun, but today it's getting annoying,'' said Ingwersen, 26, the office manager. ''I think it's sad.''

In the movie ''Bruce Almighty,'' which opened Memorial Day weekend, God (played by Morgan Freeman) pages Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) with the number 776-2323, instead of the traditional phony 555-exchanges that movies often use to prevent crank calls.

Since then, callers have been punching in the number and an area code, reaching offices including a church in North Carolina and a radio network in Denver.

The movie's production company, Universal Pictures, said in a written statement yesterday the number was selected because it was not in use in the Buffalo area, the movie's setting, and that the film had ''several references to its setting, both verbal and visual.''

Dialing the 617 area code and the number gets you Dental Arts Associates in Davis Square in Somerville.

The calls began coming in Monday and haven't stopped since, said Ingwersen. More than 40 as of yesterday, most of them crank calls, she said.

But some people truly want to speak to God, Ingwersen said. ''Some of them are serious. Some of them think they will find something here.''

For the most part, the office staff has tried not to engage callers in conversation, and no one has shown up at the office asking for God, said Ingwersen. Though business has not been severely affected, she said she is looking forward to the end of the calls.

''This is a dental office,'' Ingwersen said. ''We have patients, some of them who need our services for emergencies. I mean, get over it already.''


This story ran on page B2 of the Boston Globe on 5/29/2003.
© Copyright 2003 New York Times Co.

[tommy]

Whoever wrote that article:

Way to use the number in the article, moron. Now even more people know the number.

[Jeff O Rocks]

Whoever wrote that article:

Way to use the number in the article, moron. Now even more people know the number.

True tommy...WRAL would not list the last four digits.. :roll:

[moonstomper]

this is too funny, talk about bad luck!



Ballpark kiss lands parolee back in jail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fugitive puckered up for Reds' camera

By Andrea Uhde
and Sharon Turco
The Cincinnati Enquirer


David Horton kissed his freedom goodbye. Horton, 24, had a warrant out for his arrest when his parole officer spotted him kissing a woman on the "Kiss Cam" during the May 7 Cincinnati Reds game at the Great American Ball Park.

The Reds had a 2-1 lead, but the parole officer stopped watching and had Horton arrested.

"Talk about bad luck," said Richard Goldberg, Horton's attorney. "It's the last kiss he's going to have for a little while."

The night out at the ballgame capped off a tough couple of years. Horton was convicted in 1999 on a charge of felonious assault, which resulted in a four-year prison sentence.

He was paroled in October 2002 and placed on post-release control - meaning no more trouble for at least a year, Goldberg said.

He made it five months before another arrest, this time on charges of trafficking in cocaine and possession of cocaine.

Horton posted a $1,000 bond and never returned for his April 8 court date. Nor did he contact his parole officer.

A warrant was issued.

Horton attended the game and was spotlighted on the "Kiss Cam," which shows couples in the stadium kissing during the game.

"He was spending the night out at a ballgame," Goldberg said. "Unfortunately he got busted by a kiss. Where else but Cincinnati?"

Horton spent the rest of the game and the time since in the Hamilton County Justice Center.

He's facing additional jail time for violating his post-release control and up to another 18 years in prison on his recent charges.

Horton is being held on $50,000 bond pending his next court appearance June 9.

[Jeff O Rocks]

I hope it was a really GOOD kiss.. :kiss:

[Shell]

Britney to get throbbing blow-up breasts
Fri Jun 13, 5:51 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. pop star Britney Spears is to get a pair of inflatable, throbbing breasts that will pulsate in time to her dancing -- at least her waxwork model will at Madame Tussauds museum in London.

"There are plans to make a new figure of Britney Spears," a spokeswoman said on Friday. "She'll be very sexy and she'll have heaving bosoms. But this is only in the very early stages of planning."

She said the model would be based on one of Britney's videos, in which she dances breathlessly around a pole, and would be accompanied by professionals who would teach museum visitors the tricks of the trade.

The initiative is the latest by the museum to make its models not just visual but tactile.

"Brad Pitt (news - web sites) has got a squeezable (latex) bum, but Britney would be the first with heaving bosoms," added the spokeswoman.

[Jeff O Rocks]

Shell that is too funny...I saw her in a skit once on SNL and her breasts moved around some how..making fun of her "breast implant" rumors! :crazy:

..and I wonder how many times they have had to replace Brad Pitt's bum from too many squeezes!! ;)

[moonstomper]

..and I wonder how many times they have had to replace Brad Pitt's bum from too many squeezes!! ;)

lol :D

these kinda stories make me laugh:

Ten-year-old Brian Kline wanted to be close to his dad on Father's Day, so he took an old pair of handcuffs and locked himself to his father, wrist to wrist.

It was a cute little joke, until they they couldn't find the key.

So they called the Des Moines Police Department on Sunday and Brian's dad, William Kline Jr., 33, had a good laugh about it with police dispatchers. Brian and his dad continued to joke about it while they waited for police to arrive.

The officers got a chuckle out of it, too. William and Brian Kline thanked officers for releasing them and everyone was happy.

Until officers returned minutes later and told William Kline they had warrants for his arrest: A couple of minor misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief and theft, but warrants all the same.

Kline was back in handcuffs - this time Des Moines police cuffs - and on his way to jail.

"I was hoping to spend more time with my kids on Father's Day," Kline said Monday afternoon. "I ended up spending the last part of it with 13 other guys in the City Jail."

Kline said, "I told Brian, "When I get out of jail, you better hide." " But then he winked as he went out the door in handcuffs.

"When I got home I gave him a kiss right away to let him know there were no hard feelings," William Kline said.

"It was kind of ironic," Kline agreed. "But also a little embarrassing." He was transferred to the Polk County Jail and released Monday after posting bond.

"Everyone was professional about it; the cops were just doing their job," said Kline, of the 2200 block of Capitol Avenue. He had handcuffs at the house because he worked for a security company about a decade ago. "The key is upstairs somewhere," he said. "I just don't know where."

[Shell]

Cops shut down little girl’s lemonade stand
Patrick Taney
NAPLES, June 18, 2003 - A six-year-old girl was heartbroken when her small lemonade stand was put out of business because she didn’t have a temporary business permit. A neighbor called the police and her stand was shut down.

"Gotta get ready for the sale,” said Abagail.

Even though she’s only 6 years old, Abagail prepares for another day at work.

"We like making money at our lemonade stand. We want it to stay cold so they can have cold lemonade on hot days,” she said.

A young entrepreneur who does the cleaning even the advertising. And it is paying off.

"We are making lots of tips in our tip jar,” said Abagail.

But a few days ago, Abagail and her friends were put out of business by a neighbor.

"We didn't have a permit so she called the cops,” said Abagail.

The police arrived and shut her down.

"We had to take down our lemonade stand,” said Abagail.

Abagail did not have a temporary business permit, which is technically a city violation.

"So we had to do something else to play,” said Abagail.

"I was kind of shocked because I didn't know we needed a permit for 6 year old girls to sell lemonade,” said K.C. Shaw, Abagail’s mom.

According to the city, they have to act on a formal complaint.

"Normally we don't get involved in it but once we do get a formal request we must take action,” said Al Hogrefe of the city of Naples.

So Abagail’s mom went to the city code enforcement office with wallet in hand, prepared to buy a permit.

"$35 every single time for a single use,” said Shaw.

Not wanting to be sour, the city played Mr. Niceguy.

"No we did not charge her, no,” said Hogrefe.

They did finally get the permit.

"Basically a blank check to have as many lemonade stands as we can stand,” said Shaw.

So Abagail is back in business and learned laws can be tough, even for a six year old's lemonade stand.

Shaw said the police officers who shut down the stand felt terrible, but they had to do their job. One of the officers even bought a glass of lemonade from Abagail.

[Shell]

9-Year-Old Girl Marries Dog in India
Thu Jun 19, 7:50 AM ET Add AP - Feature Stories to My Yahoo!

NEW DELHI, India - A 9-year-old girl was married to a stray dog in a ceremony attended by more than 100 guests in a village in India's eastern state of Bengal as part of a ritual intended to ward off a bad omen, newspapers reported Thursday.

The girl, Karnamoni Handsa, had to be married quickly to break an evil spell, according to the beliefs of her Santhal tribe in the remote village of Khanyan, the Hindustan Times said.

Karnamoni's tooth had grown on her upper gum, which Santhals consider a bad omen.

The girl's father, Baburam Handsa, a poor sharecropper, could not afford the expenses of marrying his daughter to a boy, so he saved money by making a street dog the groom on June 11, the paper reported.

Other news media also reported on the ritual, which does not interfere with the girl's life. She suffers no stigma and is free to marry later. She doesn't even need to divorce the dog.

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20030619/i/1056033620.3355549781.jpg

[crazy4canes]

:eek2:

[Shell]

Animal 'fart tax' puts wind up New Zealand farmers
Fri Jun 20, 3:21 AM ET

AUCKLAND (AFP) - A tax on farting, belching livestock to be introduced by New Zealand to help combat global warming (news - web sites) is creating a stink among the country's farmers.

Methane emissions created by grass-munching cows, sheep, deer and goats are believed to account for about half of New Zealand's emissions of greenhouse gases.

Now the country is attempting to clear the air by introducing a levy on pungent emissions by mid-2004.

The tax will fund a new Agriculture Emissions Research body to meet commitments to the Kyoto Protocol (news - web sites) global environment agreement.

But farmers are outraged, saying the agricultural sector is already paying for its own research.

The new tax, which will bring in around eight million NZ dollars a year (4.5 million US) amounted to "overkill", said Jeff Grant, chairman of Meat New Zealand, a livestock industry support organisation.

Tom Lambie, president of agricultural body Federated Farmers, said the levy disadvantaged farmers struggling to compete against less gas-anxious nations.

"As far as I'm aware, we're the only country in the world to impose a levy like this," he said.

Jim Eagles, business editor of the New Zealnd Herald daily called the levy "unnecessary, unfair and potentially damaging to the economy."

New Zealand's farmers are already facing hard times due to a sharp downturn in returns for their produce.

Eagle said factories from industrialised nations, not herds of cattle and sheep, were the main cause behind the increase in global warming, he said.

New Zealand is home to around 45 million sheep and 9.6 million cattle, according to Statistics New Zealand.

[Stormbringer]

:laugh:

Fart tax? :eek2: :crazy: :laugh: Oooookay...

[Jeff O Rocks]

Animal 'fart tax' puts wind up New Zealand farmers
Fri Jun 20, 3:21 AM ET



If they put that tax on men, NC wouldn't ever have to worry about a budget shortfall AGAIN!!!!!!!!! Sorry guys!! LMAO :p :D ;)

[Stormbringer]

Animal 'fart tax' puts wind up New Zealand farmers
Fri Jun 20, 3:21 AM ET



If they put that tax on men, NC wouldn't ever have to worry about a budget shortfall AGAIN!!!!!!!!! Sorry guys!! LMAO :p :D ;)

Not to mention dogs...I'm very willing to bet that my family and I would have to pay fifty percent or more for our miniature dachshund! :eek:

[Jeff O Rocks]

Animal 'fart tax' puts wind up New Zealand farmers
Fri Jun 20, 3:21 AM ET



If they put that tax on men, NC wouldn't ever have to worry about a budget shortfall AGAIN!!!!!!!!! Sorry guys!! LMAO :p :D ;)

Not to mention dogs...I'm very willing to bet that my family and I would have to pay fifty percent or more for our miniature dachshund! :eek:

Good point SB...my dogs are famous for that too! :eek2:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Sooo....is this tax levied per fart or per farting animal?

[Jeff O Rocks]

Sooo....is this tax levied per fart or per farting animal?

LMAO :D :D :laugh:

[RIO]

hahahahahah!!! you would ask that, Chickie...... :D nutter.....

[Stormbringer]

Sooo....is this tax levied per fart or per farting animal?

http://smilies.jeeptalk.org/otn/realhappy/xxrotflmao.gif

[moonstomper]

Hey, Im not the only one who thinks thats a good idea am I?

[nccanes]

This is really hard to imagine.

I know schools are short staffed and all, but don't you think that dressing rooms should be supervised by teachers/staff rather than cameras?

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- A Tennessee middle school allowed security cameras to film children undressing in locker rooms and then stored the images on a computer accessible through the Internet, according to a lawsuit filed by a group of angry parents.

The lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Nashville seeks $4.2 million in damages.

The parents contend the school system violated students' rights by putting hidden cameras in boys and girls locker rooms at Livingston Middle School. The cameras reportedly captured students, ages 10-14, in various stages of undress.

"The parents have been devastated by the conduct of the school officials, by the videotaping and by the breach of trust," said attorney Mark Chalos, who represents the parents of 16 girls and one boy.

Chuck Cagle, lawyer for Overton County Schools, said he wouldn't comment because he hadn't read the lawsuit.

EduTech Inc., the company that installed the surveillance cameras in several Overton County schools also was named in the lawsuit. Officials with the company had no comment.

Parents learned of the cameras when a student reported a suspicious device in the school at Livingston, about 80 miles east of Nashville.

The lawsuit contends that images captured by the cameras were stored on a hard drive in the office of the assistant principal could be accessed from remote computers by the Internet. It claims the computer's password security had not been changed from the factory default setting.

The images were reportedly accessed 98 times between July 2002 and January 2003 -- sometimes late at night and early in the morning -- and through Internet providers in Tennessee and South Carolina.

William Needham, director of Overton County Schools, said the assistant principal has been transferred to another school in the system.

Chalos said he doesn't know if the cameras are still operating.

[Shell]

absolutely outrageous!! http://wemissjerry.org/smiles/flamingangry.gif

[Jeff O Rocks]

the assistant principal has been transferred to another school in the system.



Sounds to me like he was the main one to access the site in the 98 hits... :roll:

[nccanes]

absolutely outrageous!! http://wemissjerry.org/smiles/flamingangry.gif

Totally agree Shell. I mean really, what were they thinking when they even sat in a room and decided "let's put cameras in a dressing room"? :mad:

[Shell]

and this is the icing here:

Chalos said he doesn't know if the cameras are still operating.

What????

[nccanes]

Another strange one:

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) -- An Oklahoma man arrested on suspicion of beating his wife faced year in prison and a fine. But when he spit in an arresting officer's face, he got a life sentence instead, officials said Wednesday.

John Carl Marquez, 36, was convicted of "placing bodily fluid upon a government employee," a felony that can carry a life sentence because of the possibility of transmitting a potentially deadly disease.

State judge April Sellers White sentenced Marquez this week even though Marquez and the officer tested negative for any communicable disease.

Marquez also was convicted of assaulting a police officer, and a jury recommended the maximum sentence because he had previous convictions.

Marquez, arrested several months ago, could have received one year in prison and a $3,000 fine for wife beating, according to the Creek County court clerk's office.

His lawyers said they plan to appeal.



So the guy and the officer test negative for communicable diseases. But he's still convicted for "placing bodily fluid upon a government employee,".

I mean isn't that kind of like getting convicted for shooting a nerf gun at someone because if it had been a real gun it would have killed the person?

Not that I'm advocating spitting on policemen, but a life sentence? :eek:

[Shell]

OK, beating the crap out of your wife - 1 year
Spitting on an official - Life?

What the hell?? I guess it doesn't surprise me though.. non-violent offenders seem to always be getting longer sentences than rapists and child molestors.

[Turbulence]

This site is dedicated to the thousands of men and women in America who have been relegated to the status of children, regardless of their age, by the do-gooders of society who believe that merely because a person has no home they should therefore not be allowed to drink beer.
http://www.beerforthehomeless.com/images/needbeer.jpgThere are plenty of organizations that will provide food, clothing, education, even shelter to the homeless. But every one of them refuses to treat their "clients" as mature adults and the vast majority of them even have rules that forbid the legal consumption of alcohol.

What is it about these otherwise well-meaning people that they would refuse to treat their fellow human beings as mature adults? Merely because one has no home does not mean that one is somehow a second-class citizen and is no longer allowed the simple pleasures that society allows to those lucky enough to put a roof over their head.

So, that is where Beer For The Homeless steps up and strikes a blow for equality and human rights. Through this website, we will raise money to purchase and distribute beer to those who want it. Good old fashioned 100% American beer. The kind our fathers and grandfathers drank when defending this great country around the world to keep the principles of democracy and freedom of choice strong and alive.


I know where my charity money is going from now on...

[crazy4canes]

http://websmileys.bei.t-online.de/lachen70.gif

Where do I send my donation?

[Guyute]

Where do I send my donation?

give it to me crazy... I may not be homeless, but Constantly in need of more beer. :p I think homeless people are stealing ours. therefore we need help.
:angel:

[Jeff O Rocks]

What the hell?? I guess it doesn't surprise me though.. non-violent offenders seem to always be getting longer sentences than rapists and child molestors.

Unfortunately that is so true Shell...... :sad:

[moonstomper]

WTF! Camp counselers accused of making kids fight for entertainment/profits!

http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story152054.html

[moonstomper]

Cop breaks news of sons death on mothers answering machine

http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/2324868/detail.html

[Shell]

http://wemissjerry.org/smiles/yuck.gif

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030710/capt.1057853256.israel_swallowed_cockroach_jrl802. jpg

An X-ray showing a fork lodged sideways in the stomach of a 32-year-old woman who accidently swallowed it while using it to scoop a cockroach out of her throat is seen at the Poria hospital in the northern Israeli town of Tiberias Thursday July 10, 2003. The fork was removed with laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive procedure performed through a tiny incision in a patient's abdomen. (AP Photo/ Effi Sharir)

[Stormbringer]

:eek: Ouch! :eek2: I seriously did not need to see that after having lunch... :sick:

[moonstomper]

An X-ray showing a fork lodged sideways in the stomach of a 32-year-old woman who accidently swallowed it while using it to scoop a cockroach out of her throat is seen at the Poria hospital in the northern Israeli town of Tiberias Thursday July 10, 2003. The fork was removed with laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive procedure performed through a tiny incision in a patient's abdomen. (AP Photo/ Effi Sharir)

Geez, didnt she think a spoon would work better? :eek2:

[Shell]

personally, if a cockroach was lodged in my throat I would puke so heavily that it wouldn't have a chance at still being there when I was done. NAS-TAY!

[Alicia]

personally, if a cockroach was lodged in my throat I would puke so heavily that it wouldn't have a chance at still being there when I was done. NAS-TAY!

For real!! :sick: :sick: :sick:

[Canesluver]

That reminds me of a story about a woman who went to the hospital complaining of constipation. She said she was having a lot of lower intestinal pain. In the exam, it was discovered that she had a 9" knitting needle jammed up her tuckus! :eek: She claimed that she couldn't remember sitting on her knitting needles recently. . . . . . :eek2:

[Alicia]

That reminds me of a story about a woman who went to the hospital complaining of constipation. She said she was having a lot of lower intestinal pain. In the exam, it was discovered that she had a 9" knitting needle jammed up her tuckus! :eek: She claimed that she couldn't remember sitting on her knitting needles recently. . . . . . :eek2:

Uhhhh, yeah... :eek2:

[moonstomper]

Poetic justice anyone?

Car theives were interupted during an attempted theft, they ran off, leaving their vehicle, which was then stolen. They then called the police to report it, and were tied to the first attempted burgulary and promptly arrested!

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/sun/metro/news_1m13honda.html

[Canesluver]

Okay, guys -- you've been taking care of your health all this time, and you didn't even know it:

Masturbating Lowers Prostate Cancer Risk -Study
Wed Jul 16, 5:47 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Frequent masturbation, particularly in the 20s, helps prevent prostate cancer later in life, according to new research.

Australian scientists have shown that the more men masturbate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop the disease that kills more than half a million men each year.

They suspect that frequent ejaculation has a protective effect against the cancer because it prevents dangerous carcinogens from building up in the gland.

"The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them," Graham Giles, of the Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne, told New Scientist magazine on Wednesday.

In a survey of 1,079 prostate cancer patients and 1,259 healthy men, Giles and his team discovered that men who ejaculated more than five times a week in their 20s were a third less likely to develop an aggressive form of the disease.

The findings contradict previous studies which suggested that having a variety of partners or frequent sexual activity could increase the risk of prostate cancer by 40 percent.

But Giles said the earlier research concentrated on intercourse, whereas his study focused on masturbation. Infections caused by sexual activity could account for the different findings.

"Men have many ways of using their prostate which don't involve women or other men," he added.

:smoke:

Apparently you can still go blind, however. . . . . . . ;)

[Romney]

Brilliant deduction:
Accident -
On 7/07/03, a seven year old boy from Martville, NY, was behind the wheel of a 1992 Plymouth suburban when he drove the vehicle into a tree in the driveway of a Dunham Road residence in the Town of Hannibal at 8:30 a.m. The boy was assisted by his three year old female passenger who reportedly pushed the gas pedal for the driver. Both children were transported by ambulance to A.L. Lee Memorial Hospital in Fulton. Driver's lack of experience seems to be a contributing factor.

Do you think?

[Jeff O Rocks]

Driver's lack of experience seems to be a contributing factor.

Do you think?


Hmmmmmmmmmm...a 7 year old and a 3 year old..........yep..I would think it was lack of experience!!!!!!!!! Dumbass!! (referring to author of article) :roll: :eek:

oh and regarding your post Shawn, most men I know will NEVER have any prostate trouble!! :D ;)

[Shell]

I laughed when I saw that the other day... though the article I read had a catchier headline: "An Ejaculation a Day May Keep Prostate Cancer at Bay"
Between that and the new study that says "folks who regularly chow down on pizza appear to have a decreased risk of several types of gastrointestinal cancers -- particularly of the colon and esophagus, as well as the throat and mouth.", I have decided that guyute will live forever! ;)
oh, sorry babe!! ;)

[Jeff O Rocks]

I have decided that guyute will live forever! ;)
oh, sorry babe!! ;)

Because of all the pizza he eats!!?? :p ;) :D

[Guyute]

:roll: :p

yes... if I had a wife that liked pizza... it'd be a 7day a week thing.

[Shell]

Curfew for Men on 'Ladies' Night'
Wed Jul 23,10:23 AM ET

MADRID (Reuters) - The mayor of a southern Spanish town has declared Thursdays "ladies' night" and says he will fine any man found strolling about town in the evening, in an attempt to encourage them to stay at home and do the chores.

A spokeswoman for recently elected Andalusian regional party mayor, Javier Checa, said on Thursdays from October, the streets would be the preserve of the town's women and a five euro ($5.67) fine would be slapped on any man found out and about.

The men of Torredonjimeno, a town of 14,000 people in the olive-growing province of Jaen in Spain's southernmost region, were not impressed by the attempt to tie them to the kitchen sink.

"Who does the mayor think he is to fine me if I go to a bar?. I'll go to a bar on Thursday, and if they fine me I'll pay it...but we'll be seeing each other in court," resident Jose Damas told state television.

[Guyute]

OMG. that mayor has No Idea what "Ladies Night" is about. It's to get more Ladies into the bar(s), so it's not a total sausage factory. Not to make bars full of nothing but ladies. :roll:

lol. er.. unless this is spain's way of getting a couple of those... :shrug:

[nccanes]

Stumbled on this in a "quotes this week" article:

"Tonya Harding's next fight will be in the parking lot of a strip joint against an undetermined opponent, and I'm thinking, Theo Fleury." -- Steve Rosenbloom, with a cold-hearted jab in the Chicago Tribune.



:laugh:

[Jeff O Rocks]

Maybe Tonya and Hasek could fight each other........my money is on Tonya!! :D

[Stormbringer]

Maybe Tonya and Hasek could fight each other........my money is on Tonya!! :D

My money would not only be on Tonya too, but also on Hasek not quite abandoning his Red Wing ways and whining that she cheated or the calls went her way... ;)

[HockeyPat]

Masturbating Lowers Prostate Cancer Risk -Study .


For all of us who thought good health had been slipping through our fingers!

[Shell]

damn, I never thought to throw my Regents or Sats out the window to someone with books below.. lol silly me!

Sending in the Cops to Stop Exam Cheats
Tue Aug 5,10:25 AM ET

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia deployed hundreds of police, including elite "Flying Tiger" commandos, outside schools across the country on Tuesday to stop students from cheating in national exams.

Roads around state-run colleges in the impoverished southeast Asian nation's capital, Phnom Penh, were sealed off in a bid to stop errant students from throwing their exam sheets out of the window to accomplices waiting below.

In the past, the collaborators have quickly filled in the answers with the aid of a textbook, before wrapping them around a stone and then throwing or catapulting them through the open windows of the exam halls.

"We haven't made any arrests yet, but all the difficult tests such as chemistry or maths are not until this afternoon, so we'll wait and see," said senior police officer Som Sovanarith, standing outside a yellow-bricked French colonial era school.

"We also do this for the safety of students and teachers inside because sometimes the rocks hit people on the head."

After decades of civil war, including the Khmer Rouge (news - web sites) genocide of the 1970s in which 1.7 million are believed to have died, Cambodia is suffering a chronic lack of educated workers.

While education is enjoying a consequent boom, there has also been a rise in the level of cheating or bribing of exam officials.

[Stormbringer]

Cambodia deployed hundreds of police, including elite "Flying Tiger" commandos, outside schools across the country on Tuesday to stop students from cheating in national exams.

I would assume that "Flying Tiger" commandos are very much a Cambodian equivalent of a S.W.A.T. team. Dang... :eek2:

Roads around state-run colleges in the impoverished southeast Asian nation's capital, Phnom Penh, were sealed off in a bid to stop errant students from throwing their exam sheets out of the window to accomplices waiting below.

Hmmmm...sounds like a certain episode of Seinfeld (http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheCafe.html) is among the country's most watched shows...

[Shell]

Injured Dog Amazes By Taking Self To Vet

POSTED: 9:50 a.m. EDT August 8, 2003
UPDATED: 10:30 a.m. EDT August 8, 2003

CORBIN, KY -- A clever canine in Kentucky sought out his own medical care by limping to a local veterinarian's office after getting hit by a car, according to a Local 6 News report.

The 6-year-old dog, Scooby, ran away from his owners when his collar ring snapped during a recent thunderstorm. As he was running across a road a vehicle hit him, injuring his leg and tail.

Scooby then somehow walked miles to a local animal clinic and was waiting on the doorstep when employees arrived for work.

"He obviously knew this was the place to get help," Scooby's owner Shirley Farris said. "There are subdivisions with hundreds and hundreds of houses between me and the vets office, there are three lanes and there is a mini mall. How he knew to take himself to the vet, I don't know."

Workers said Scooby followed them inside and walked straight into the operating room.

His owner called the vet to tell him she'd lost her dog and was amazed to learn he had taken himself to the right place.

Everyone involved is amazed at Scooby's ability not only to find his way through yards and across roads, but with an injury.

"Scientists will like to say it was the barking and the smell," Corbin Animal Clinic Dr. Gerald Majors said. "But we'd like to think he was smart enough to be here. He's been here a few times, he is smart, he knew us."

Scooby is expected to recover from his injuries.

[moonstomper]

http://store1.yimg.com/I/doggles_1752_18038

www.doggles.com

[nccanes]

Ewwwww.....

And wasn't there a story on the news about a guy getting decapitated by an elevator. Can you imagine being on the elevator?

LANGLEY, Washington (AP) -- An amusement park operator was killed Saturday when his hair got caught on a roller coaster car, pulling him up as high as 40 feet before he fell, back-first, onto a fence.

Doug McKay, 40, was spraying lubricant on the tracks of the Super Loop 2, a ride at the Island County Fair on Whidbey Island, when his long hair got caught on a car full of fairgoers, sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Smith said.

"It basically scalped him, and he fell and landed on the fence," Smith said.

McKay, co-owner of Paradise Amusements, based in Post Falls, Idaho, was pulled between 25 and 40 feet into the air.

Paradise Amusements had set up rides at the Island County Fair, located about 30 miles northwest of Seattle, for the past three years, Smith said.

Smith said grief counselors were on hand but that the fair continued after the incident.

[Jeff O Rocks]

Ewwwww.....

LANGLEY, Washington (AP) -- An amusement park operator was killed Saturday when his hair got caught on a roller coaster car, pulling him up as high as 40 feet before he fell, back-first, onto a fence.

Doug McKay, 40, was spraying lubricant on the tracks of the Super Loop 2, a ride at the Island County Fair on Whidbey Island, when his long hair got caught on a car full of fairgoers, sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Smith said.

"It basically scalped him, and he fell and landed on the fence," Smith said.

McKay, co-owner of Paradise Amusements, based in Post Falls, Idaho, was pulled between 25 and 40 feet into the air.

Paradise Amusements had set up rides at the Island County Fair, located about 30 miles northwest of Seattle, for the past three years, Smith said.

Smith said grief counselors were on hand but that the fair continued after the incident.




If I ever saw something like that I would NEVER get over it!! :sad:

[Shell]

what a lovely bride!

Marital bliss ends at reception
Police arrest agitated bride
By DAN UHLINGER
Hartford Courant
Posted August 19 2003, 11:36 AM EDT

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. -- If Adrienne Samen ever forgets the details of her wedding reception, the police will be able to provide her with an official account, including a photograph.

The 18-year-old North Haven woman was arrested Saturday night after police said she "flipped out" at the Mill on the River Restaurant, cursed workers who asked some of her guests to leave the bar and then stormed out of the establishment.

According to Helmar Wolf, a co-owner of the restaurant, the bride and groom began to argue in the parking lot, where the bride shouted, "I hate you!" Soon after, Wolf said, the angry young woman "started throwing wedding cake and smashed vases of flowers."

Samen continued cursing and jumped spread eagle onto a car as it was leaving the parking lot, Wolf said. She eventually fell off and the car left.

Police were called about 7 p.m. and found Samen walking along Route 30 in her wedding dress. Witnesses told police she was intoxicated.

The officers tried to talk to Samen, but the woman made an obscene gesture and kept walking along the busy road, yelling at people in a car who had come from the wedding party and were driving slowly beside her, trying to calm her down, police said.

The officers spent about 40 minutes trying to reason with the bride, but finally gave up and arrested her when she started darting into traffic, shouting at people, said Sgt. Matthew D. Reed.

After placing the 5-foot-1, 87-pound woman into the cruiser, an officer questioned the wedding guests in their car. Reed said that during the questioning the officer heard a "thump, thump, thump" coming from the cruiser.

When he turned around, he saw Samen kicking at the cruiser's window and door, Reed said. The officer went back to the cruiser and tried to put a seat belt on Samen, who tried to bite him, Reed said.

Samen was taken to police headquarters, where she was charged with breach of peace and third-degree criminal mischief. She was released about 10:30 p.m. after posting $1,000 bail. She could not be reached Monday.

Reed said Samen refused to cooperate at police headquarters.

"The last thing we want to do is arrest a bride on her wedding night, but this was a situation where she had to be taken under control," Reed said.

Samen is scheduled to appear Aug. 28 in Manchester Superior Court.
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030819/capt.1061305301.bride_rage_wxs116.jpg

[moonstomper]

I was gonna post that too Shell!

shes beautiful aint she? :beatup:

[Shell]

indeed she is..

How scary is this??

Bear and cub breach security at Russian nuclear site
Tue Aug 19,10:58 AM ET

MOSCOW (AFP) - A female bear and her cub caused a major security breach after they walked into a top-secret nuclear research site in southern Russia.

The bears were chased away from the compound at Sarov -- where the first Russian nuclear bomb was built -- and made it back safely to a nearby forest, according to officials quoted by the Itar-Tass agency.

The centre had previously been "visited" by a number of animals, including elk.

Russian environmentalists have frequently decried what they see as poor security at Russian nuclear sites.

[Jeff O Rocks]

indeed she is..

How scary is this??

Bear and cub breach security at Russian nuclear site
Tue Aug 19,10:58 AM ET

MOSCOW (AFP) - A female bear and her cub caused a major security breach after they walked into a top-secret nuclear research site in southern Russia.

The bears were chased away from the compound at Sarov -- where the first Russian nuclear bomb was built -- and made it back safely to a nearby forest, according to officials quoted by the Itar-Tass agency.

The centre had previously been "visited" by a number of animals, including elk.

Russian environmentalists have frequently decried what they see as poor security at Russian nuclear sites.

Don't look like they had any security for the bears to breach!! :eek:

and the bride looks like "a winner" ;)

[Shell]

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20030830/capt.sge.aak49.300803150234.photo00.default-384x338.jpg

Srinuan will no longer spend his afternoons bumping into tree trunks, fire hydrants and humans, thanks to his new prescription goggles.(AFP/File)

[moonstomper]

man ships himself through mail

http://www.wral.com/travelgetaways/2465697/detail.html

its funny how they mention this in the "Travel Gateway" section, as if that is a popular or burgeoning form of travel

[Jeff O Rocks]

man ships himself through mail

http://www.wral.com/travelgetaways/2465697/detail.html

its funny how they mention this in the "Travel Gateway" section, as if that is a popular or burgeoning form of travel

Hmmmmmmmmm...wonder if I could mail myself to Jeff O'Neill's house??? :laugh:

[moonstomper]

lol JeffO...just make sure not to bust out of the box too early, like when youre still in the UPS truck

[Jeff O Rocks]

lol JeffO...just make sure not to bust out of the box too early, like when youre still in the UPS truck

I won't.....I will keep my composure until I am in his living room..and then SURPRISE!! :D ;) **checks pockets for bail money** :crazy:

[chandongirl]

Let me know when Mona....I'll wait in the bushes nearby just in case :evil: ! hee hee

[Jeff O Rocks]

Let me know when Mona....I'll wait in the bushes nearby just in case :evil: ! hee hee

Thanks..I need backup...we can put our "Kidnap Brodeur and Jiggy Plan" into action!! ;) Now that the season is here, why haven't we done that yet? :roll:

sorry...OT....back to odd topics! ;)

[Shell]

sorry...OT....back to odd topics! ;)

somehow I don't think that was off-topic at all ;) :p

[Jeff O Rocks]

sorry...OT....back to odd topics! ;)

somehow I don't think that was off-topic at all ;) :p

Me mailing myself to O and Perri hiding in the bushes is pretty ODD is it not?? :D

..not to mention kidnapping goalies! :D

[moonstomper]

Okay... I swear I had nothing to do with this



Leesburg Police Search For ‘Banana’ Man
Dan Telvock

Sep 04, 2003 -- A Department of Motor Vehicles employee reported to police Tuesday that she received a suspicious postcard from a customer that showed a banana being shot with the wording (banana=DMV). Investigators are trying to locate the man for questioning.

According to Leesburg Police Capt. Clagett Moxley, an employee of the DMV office on Edwards Ferry Road NE in Leesburg called police at 4:11 p.m. to report the suspicious activity. The employee told police, Moxley said, that the man approached her at 3:20 p.m. to have his license application processed and when he was asked for proof of address he handed her the odd postcard.

“We don’t know what the significance was,” Moxley said. “The gentleman made no threats. He used no inappropriate language. We were advised he was calm in nature.”

Moxley said the man had contact with the office earlier and was unhappy with an application being denied.

When employees walked outside to get the man’s vehicle tag numbers, they found a bunch of bananas thrown around the DMV parking lot.

Investigators have been unable to reach the man by phone because his line is disconnected, Moxley said, but the investigation continues.

“This is a different one,” he said. “I haven’t experienced anything quite like this.”



some sick part of me want s to see the postcard :D

[Jeff O Rocks]

stompy...I am very suspicious...I think that "friend" of yours is beginning to get out of control again...it always happens when hockey season is in full swing.. :spin: ;)

[moonstomper]

Construction crew bulldoze wrong house!

"Yes, we have knocked your house down."

That was the response Tommy Sallee Jr. got from a construction crew when he returned from work Sept. 5.

Ronnie Lewis Construction bulldozed the house on Lake Road by accident. No one was living in the house at the time, though the Sallee family rents it out.

Company owner Ronnie Lewis said the crew was supposed to bulldoze a house that burned down off Highway 48, in the southern part of the county.

A representative from Ronnie Lewis Construction went Wednesday to survey the damage.

"We're still in shock," Sallee said.

Sallee said it was his understanding that the crew was supposed to turn on Jim Taylor Road, but instead of turning left, they took a right into the Lake Road residence driveway.

"If they were that confused, you'd think they could double-check," Sallee said.

Lewis, who plans to file an insurance claim, said crews are supposed to call when they arrive at a job site to prevent this type of incident.

When one of the crewmen called and mentioned a front porch, which the house intended for demolition did not have, Lewis said, "Y'all at the wrong house."

The workers, however, didn't tell him they had already begun bulldozing the house, Lewis said.

Sallee said the construction workers left no indication about what happened before leaving the house. He called for a sheriff's deputy after he saw the destruction. A vandalism report was being prepared when a neighbor told them about the construction crew.

Sallee later caught up with the two-man crew as they were driving down the road.

Lewis said he did not find out about the mix-up until Sallee came by his office later that day.

Lewis said he intends to "work this out to (the Sallees') satisfaction."

Lewis is taking measures to guarantee the mistake is not repeated. If a crew member has any doubt, a supervisor will go out to the location for confirmation.

"Nobody unloads their tractors until they are sure (they're at the correct location)," Lewis said. (that sounds like a good policy! :) )

Lewis said he will take disciplinary action after damage costs have been determined. The two men were back on the job this week.

The house has not totally collapsed, Lewis said. After looking at the pictures, he estimated it would cost between $6,000 and $7,000 to repair. Sallee said the figure is "way off" and that the house could not be repaired.

Lewis said the house had prior storm damage, which Thomas Sallee Sr. disputes.

"There isn't another house in the community built with the care this one was," said Sallee's mother, Fayna Sallee, of her husband's childhood home.

Sallee's great-grandfather, Martin Leavell, built the tobacco farmhouse in 1936, after the original home burned down. Leavell milled all the lumber himself, Thomas Sallee said.

His wife said the house is made of pine with oak hardwood flooring.

A cistern was dug in the backyard to collect water from the roof for drinking, which was exposed during the destruction.

"There's no value you can put on a homeplace," the younger Sallee said




http://www.theleafchronicle.com/news/stories/20030914/localnews/258749-93690.jpg

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/news/stories/20030914/localnews/258749-93691.jpg

[Jeff O Rocks]

OMG..how sad!! :sad:

[moonstomper]

Feel good story if the day....long lost brothers re-united by a cookie jar! Im serious, just read it!

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-asecebay17091703sep17,0,6699606.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

[Jeff O Rocks]

Thanks for the nice story Stompy! :spin:

[moonstomper]

Couple ties the knot.....at wal-Mart!
http://imgsrv.houmatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=HC&Date=20030921&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=309210313&Ref=AR&Profile=1026&MaxW=580&title=1


Im sure it was a beautiful ceremony (http://www.houmatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030921/NEWS/309210313/1026/NEWS01)

[Shell]

Bumper Stickers Ordered for Drunk Drivers
1 hour, 29 minutes ago

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Some motorists convicted of drunken driving may have to wear it on the bumper.

A judge in Florida is ordering some of the convicted offenders to place bumper stickers on their cars that ask "How's my driving?" followed by a toll-free telephone number.

The stickers ends with the statement "The judge wants to know!!!"

Escambia County Judge William White said he hopes the bumper stickers, which include an identification number for each driver, will reduce repeat offenses for driving under the influence of alcohol.

"We want to influence people to correct their behavior rather than just use this as sort of a monitoring system," White said.

White said he tried to use bumper stickers saying only "Convicted DUI" in the past simply to shame violators. He hopes the call-in stickers will be a stronger deterrent.

In late August he began ordering motorists convicted of drunken driving to pay an annual fee of $50 to enroll in the monitoring system offered by the I Saw You Safety and Scholarship Foundation as a condition of probation.

The Pensacola-based foundation provides the same service to parents of teenage drivers, borrowing the idea from trucking companies that use similar stickers to monitor their drivers.

I See You plans to donate half of its enrollment fees to scholarships for victims of drunken drivers.

The program has been approved for the 1st Judicial Circuit, which covers four counties in the Florida Panhandle, and some other judges are beginning to use it, foundation spokesman David Richbourg said Monday. He said legislation also is being sought to make the program mandatory across the state, but critics have questioned the tactic.

"I see this as providing very little deterrent," Pensacola lawyer Richard Alvoid said. "Punishment should be enough rather than also shaming people."

University of West Florida student David Blume agrees.

"It's like a scarlet letter," Blume said. "If you know you could go to jail from drunk driving, I don't see why a bumper sticker would be more of a deterrent."

White said embarrassment "comes with the turf when you're committing crimes."

Doug Meyers, an insurance adjuster from nearby Pace, said the shame is worth it if prevents traffic deaths.

"If people are embarrassed, they shouldn't drink and drive," Meyers said.

__

[caniac369]

I like it!!!!

[chandongirl]

I think that's a good idea too! can't hurt..... :eek2:

[Shell]

Girl, 5, makes bong in class
By EDITH BEVIN
September 29, 2003

A five-year-old Territory girl shocked teachers when she showed her class how to make a bong out of a Coke bottle during a ``show and tell'' session.

The incident took place at a primary school in Darwin's northern suburbs.

The revelation comes amid mounting concerns over drug use among Territory primary school students.

At least two instances have been reported to the Education Department of children aged between five and 12 being caught with drugs at school.

In one case the drug was amphetamine. Teachers have indicated this may be the tip of the iceberg.

``The little girl showing how to make a bong was the most in-your-face example of drug culture among primary school students I've heard of,'' one teacher said.

``It's not unheard of that primary school children will be found with drugs at school,'' the teacher said.

``Usually it's just a bit of dope _ they've probably nicked it from their mum's purse and brought it along to show off.

``I've never heard of dealing at a primary school here.''

But dealing at Territory schools is not unheard of, police say.

The NT Drug Enforcement Unit has run operations at high schools targeting dealing on school grounds.

Police would not name the schools involved.

The Northern Territory News has learned a member of the NT Police has been seconded to the Education Department to work on their new drug policy and protocols.

``The drug education policy is under revision to ensure it accurately reflects modern trends,'' the spokesperson said.

Students with drugs at school are reported to the school-based constable and are subject to suspension.

A Department of Education spokesman said students being found with drugs at Territory schools was rare.

The spokesman said prosecutions against students are not always pursued.

``Depending on the incident, the constable may refer the matter to the police for further action,'' the spokesman said.

``Usually, the student involved would be suspended for a period determined by the school, taking into consideration the seriousness of the incident.

``The student would also receive counselling and would be required to successfully undertake a re-entry interview before returning to the school once the period of suspension has passed.''

[Shell]

This is just sick.

Band Vows To Defy New St. Pete Law With Onstage Suicide
POSTED: 5:16 p.m. EDT September 29, 2003

TAMPA, Fla. -- The leader of the shock rock group Hell on Earth said an onstage suicide will happen during a private St. Petersburg concert this weekend in defiance of a new city law designed to stop it.

"The show will go on," Billy Tourtelot said Monday. "It will be available on the Internet, and it will be in the city limits (of St. Petersburg)."

Earlier Monday, the St. Petersburg city council unanimously approved an emergency ordinance that makes it illegal in the city to conduct a suicide for commercial or entertainment purposes, and to host, promote and sell tickets for such an event.

"While I still think it's a publicity stunt, we still couldn't sit idly by and let somebody lose their life," council member Bill Foster said.

Al Galbraith, an assistant city attorney, said the city will also seek a court injunction against the band to keep them from advertising and allowing the suicide to occur.

Hell on Earth (photos of the band) attracted national publicity when it announced that a suicide by a terminally ill person would take place during a concert Saturday to raise awareness of right-to-die issues.

The Tampa-based band, known for such outrageous onstage stunts as chocolate syrup wresting and grinding up live rats in a blender, first created the furor by announcing earlier this month that the suicide would happen during a show at the Palace Theater in downtown St. Petersburg.

But the theater's owner promptly canceled the band's appearance, and another venue also turned away the event.

Now Tourtelot, 33, said the suicide show will be played before a "a select few people" at an undisclosed location in St. Petersburg and be shown live on the band's Web site. He wouldn't disclose any details about the terminally ill person or say how the person planned to kill himself.

The point, he said, is to raise awareness that physician-assisted suicide should be legalized in Florida. If the terminally ill person could find a physician to assist, then the person wouldn't be forced to do it himself, Tourtelot said.

"If you can die for your country, why can't you die for yourself?" he asked.

Tourtelot said he's not worried about the legal ramifications. Violating the city ordinance is punishable with up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. A Florida law already makes it manslaughter, a second-degree felony, to assist in a suicide, but he insists the band is not assisting the act.

"This person will be doing this self-deliverance totally by themselves, on their own accord," he said.

St. Petersburg police were still trying to decide how to respond, spokesman George Kajtsa said Monday.

Hell on Earth, a five-man outfit formed in 1996, is playing clubs in support of its new CD, "All Things Disturbingly Sassy," its second produced on an independent Naples label.

Tourtelot said that while some of the band's past stunts have been done for shock or entertainment value, some sort of symbolism and self-expression was always at the root.

"It is art," the St. Petersburg native said. "These are things I choose to do to make people think and to get out some of my own thoughts."

Tourtelot said he's gotten interview requests from all over the United States and Europe since the story broke earlier this month. Rolling Stone magazine even wrote about him.

However, six of the seven out-of-state shows on the current tour were canceled by venues after word got out of the planned suicide in St. Petersburg, he said.

[Guyute]

I totally agree with there needing to be more leniency in regards to right-to-die issues...

but.... that....

ugh.
they're doing way more harm than they obviously could imagine.
I applaud them for trying to do something. but... that...

ugh.

[moonstomper]

I see it like this.....If you promote a concert by saying your gonna have an on-stage suicide, its a publicity stunt....I agree with Guy that there needs to be more awareness on this issue, but this is revolting


disgusting....but thanks for posting Shell

[Shell]

What's in a Name? Everything When the Name is Butt
Fri Oct 24, 9:54 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - A British couple have been forced to move house because of the shame caused by the name of their street -- Butt Hole Road.

Paul and Lisa Allott sold their $250,000 bungalow in Conisbrough, northern England after living there for just 15 months, fed up with the constant leg-pulling.

Taxis and pizza delivery men would fail to turn up, thinking their order was just a prank, and they grew tired with groups of youths posing for photos by the nearby street sign with their buttocks bared.

"I like a laugh, but it was beyond a joke," Allott told the Sun newspaper.

Attempts by Reuters to contact the new residents were unsuccessful -- they have taken a confidential telephone number.

[Jeff O Rocks]

What's in a Name? Everything When the Name is Butt
Fri Oct 24, 9:54 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - A British couple have been forced to move house because of the shame caused by the name of their street -- Butt Hole Road.



Thanks for the smile Shell...I needed that this morning....and I know lots of folks that SHOULD live on that Road.. :D

[Stormbringer]

What's in a Name? Everything When the Name is Butt
Fri Oct 24, 9:54 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - A British couple have been forced to move house because of the shame caused by the name of their street -- Butt Hole Road.



Thanks for the smile Shell...I needed that this morning....and I know lots of folks that SHOULD live on that Road.. :D

Couldn't have said it better myself, Mona... :)

[moonstomper]

:D

[Lady J]

My hearty laugh for the day. :vamp:

Canadian Beats World at Rock, Paper, Scissors
Sun Oct 26, 6:45 PM ET


TORONTO (Reuters) - The competitors, in glitzy, off-the-wall costumes, call themselves professional athletes. Some even bring along team doctors to supervise their nutrition and take them through intense warmups.

This, it seems, is serious stuff to the 320 competitors who shook their fists early into Sunday morning at the World Rock, Paper, Scissors Championships at a nightclub in downtown Toronto.


The man who did win -- and netted himself a purse of C$5,000 ($3,825) -- was Toronto's Rob Krueger, a member of the team "Legion of the Red Fist."


To achieve the lofty title of World RPS Champion, he threw a combination of rock-paper-paper, defeating his opponent's offering of three rocks.


Treading a thin line between silly spectacle and serious sport, the event drew a crowd of about 900, including many bemused spectators who wandered, with drinks in hand, among a slew of local and international media.


Andy Cumming, 28, flew to Canada from London with five other members of the United Kingdom team, as well as their team doctor who counsels them on warmups, diet and practice.


"It's an internationally played game, you know," he said, wearing a pair of worker's coveralls with the red, white and blue of the Union Jack patterned on it.


"It's a complete travesty that not many people take it seriously."


To the uninitiated, taking the playground game seriously is something of a tall order. Many competitors wore crude, homemade costumes, and played with a can of beer in their non-throwing hand.


Douglas Walker, managing director of the Toronto-based, 700-member World RPS Society, is a little more realistic about the so-called sport he promotes.


"We take rock, paper, scissors about as seriously as you take something like rock, paper, scissors. We have a lot of fun with the concept."

[moonstomper]

Wonderful find me Lady, wonderful indeed :D

[Shell]

3 days suspension??? The woman should not be allowed to teach! What point did taking off the clothes have?? other than to embarrass the boy? 12 years old is one of the worst ages you could do such a thing to no less. :mad:

Teacher suspended after making student disrobe
By Sarah Horner
Staff Reporter

A Union Elementary social studies teacher received a three day suspension after allegedly ordering a boy to strip in front of his classmates.

The incident, which took place last Wednesday at the Henderson County school, is being looked into by the school district's attorney Canna and Canna from the Chicago area.

According to information released by the 12-year-old-boy's parents the social studies class was discussing the Pharaohs when they ruled Egypt. The teacher, Lisa Lox, had asked her class would there be a need for laws if there were only one person left on earth. The students all responded with a 'no'. Then the teacher asked if there would be a need for laws if there were only two people on earth.

All but two students, said there would need to be laws. The two students who disagreed, included the 12-year-old and another student in the class who said they would split the earth evenly.

With that said the teacher then, to possibly help prove a point, asked the girl to give her his textbooks. He did. Then the teacher allegedly told him to take off his clothes. The sixth grader, whose name is not being published on the request of his mother, did including everything but his underwear.

Following, the boy became very upset and according to his mother "suffered an anxiety attack and passed out."

The family of the young boy is scheduled to meet with a counselor and attorneys this week. They noted they are unsure if the child will return back to Union School or not, but noted "they did not want him back in her (Lox's) classroom."

Union Elementary Principal Tony Ryan and Union Superintendent Dean Irlbeck were unavailable for comment.

It was stated by the district Monday that a statement on behalf of the school would be released. After reaching the school late Tuesday morning, no statement has been released, thus far.

[moonstomper]

wow...some one has a traumatic experience to surpress....

but youre right Shell....what the hell was she trying to prove? :mad:

I wonder if those two had any conflicts before, cuz embarrasment seems to be the only motive here, unless were missing something

[crazy4canes]

WTF?! OMG, if that was my child..... :mad:

[Stormbringer]

:eek2: :crazy: :mad:

Heinous. Absolutely heinous.

[lvscolencanes]

WTF?! OMG, if that was my child..... :mad:


Yea, me too, that woman would have no clothes on either - after I beat her a** and ripped them off.....Ok yea, I get a little too upset sometime... :D

You know in high school where the girls would fight and somehow someones shirt always got ripped off (well at my crazy school)...thats where the statement came from above, I wouldnt really do it... :evil:

[Lady J]

WTF?! OMG, if that was my child..... :mad:


Yea, me too, that woman would have no clothes on either - after I beat her a** and ripped them off

http://jm.g.free.fr/smileys/drinkspitlaugh.sml.gif :vamp:

[Guyute]

after you rip her clothes off, tie her to the flagpole in front of the school. crazy b*tch. (her, not you guys. although, that's very much under review. :D )

[moonstomper]

all right..this is about the strangest thing Ive ever read....lots of funny quotes in there



Vanity Plates
The perfect gift for the pet that has--ahem--almost everything
BY J.D. SPARKS
feedback@dallasobserver.com



With the rise of brick-and-mortar megastores marketing countless toys, chews, clothing and hair-care products to man's best friend, word is spreading about a company marketing a set of vanity plates made exclusively for the dog that has almost everything: Neuticles.
Neuticles are testicular implants for pets. Produced by Missouri-based CTI Corp., the implants are available in different styles and sizes to fit cats, dogs, horses and bulls. Business has been strong, especially in Texas, where more Neuticles have been sold than in any other state except California.

"Texas is a very macho state," says CTI owner and entrepreneur Gregg Miller. "When a male dog becomes female in appearance, it's offensive to some pet owners."

Miller, 50, is a soft-spoken man who is passionate about his product. A former candy king who made millions on the invention of the "sweet tube," a long plastic tube that squeezes out jelly candy, Miller had accounts with Wal-Mart and Disney before he cashed in his savings to help a friend, a bloodhound named Buck.

Buck would catch the scent of a ***** in heat and wander for miles, Miller says. When the dog was found 30 miles away, Miller says, he knew it was time to neuter Buck. Still, he hesitated.

"No one knows the horror of neutering until the day comes and you put your dog in the car knowing he's going to be emasculated," he says. "It's traumatic for the pet and for the owner."

Miller remembers the day after Buck's surgery, a day that changed his life. "He woke up. I said, 'How are you, Bucky?' He gave me his paw, and I shook his hand. He went to clean himself, and I'll never forget the look on his face. He looked down and didn't do anything but look up at me, then look back down and back up with those big bloodhound eyes. 'Where in the world did they go?' he was asking. After that, he acted extremely depressed for three days."

When Miller inquired about testicular implants, he was surprised to learn there were none. Surely, he says, he was not the only man who felt that by neutering he was a traitor to his sex.

With that thought in mind, Miller began two years of extensive research and design. He contacted his local veterinarian and asked him to fashion a set of canine testicles out of clay, then sent the model to a molder. Two years and $500,000 later, Miller had a patented product and a patented surgical procedure. In 1995, a police dog received the first set of implants, and Canine Testicular Implants Corp. was born.

Prosthetic testicles, it turns out, are big business. More than 100,000 animals have received Neuticles. The company sells an estimated 1,000 sets a month at an average of $110 a pair. More than 8,000 clinics across the nation and in 32 countries have ordered the product.

Neuticles come in two styles--original and natural. The less expensive "original" model is made of polypropylene and has a firmer, almost plastic rigidity, while the newer, "natural" brand is molded out of solid silicone and has a softer, spongier feel at twice the price. They come in five sizes, and the average kidney-shaped testicle fit for a collie measures an inch and a half long.

"You can tell [they're fake] if you touch them," says Trula Salazar of Houston, who had testicular implants put in her dog Brody. "I got him the cheaper ones. They don't sag as much as they should; they're tight up against his body."

But neutering means the end of a show career for dogs, and Salazar, who shows pit bulls, felt that was unfair. She opted for Neuticles and continued to show Brody, but not at American Kennel Club events. "It's not like they're going to ask, and the judges can't tell the difference," she says. "They don't touch back there the way they do like at AKC shows."

While the company sells more canine implants than any others, pet owners can customize their orders. Neuticles have been implanted in rats in a lab at the University of Louisiana, a rhesus monkey in Arkansas, a pair of water buffalo in Colorado and a prairie dog in Kansas. One request even came in for a hamster-sized set. Most of the orders for bull implants come from Spain, and for horse implants it's Australia.

Veterinarians are forthcoming about the benefits of neutering for curbing persistent behavior problems such as mounting, marking, fighting and roaming, but responses to testicular implants are varied. Mentioning them is as apt to elicit a chuckle as an endorsement.

Angie Salazar, surgical director at Hillside Veterinary Clinic in Dallas, has performed two testicular implants, both on former show dogs that were owned by women. "I don't think Neuticles are a silly thing," she says. "It's a really important facet to the owners. The dog is like a second child to them. They wouldn't neuter their children, much less one of their pets," she says. But when asked whether she put implants in any of her male dogs, she laughed. "No."

Neuticles literature claims the product allows a pet "to retain his natural look, self-esteem and aids in the trauma associated with neutering."

"Any time you do any surgery it's a traumatic experience to some extent," says Kenneth Williams, a veterinarian at Heights Veterinary Services in Houston. "As far as psychological problems, we've not experienced that. I do have a Boston terrier, male, who was neutered at the appropriate age. It didn't bother him one way or another."

Williams says for every 200 dogs neutered, there is one inquiry or request for implants. The cost of neutering ranges from $150 to $250. Slipping in a set of Neuticles may add $20 to the bill, not including the cost of the implants, provided there are no complications as can arise when an owner wants to move up a size, Williams says.

Neuticles owner Miller said many times owners are tempted to give their dog the illusion of a more robust character than nature intended. But he warned that overpadding the sacks will cause inflammation and might lead to more serious complications, such as one beagle whose scrotum was dragging the floor after its owner had replaced the dog's small testicles with large Neuticles.

"Neuticles are more for the client than the patient," Williams says. "A lot of times it's the clients themselves who trade places with the animal, and they don't want to be neutered."

"I wouldn't want mine chopped off," says 25-year-old Tony McManus as he and his wife, Jennifer, watch their dog play at Dallas' Lakewood dog park. Though the couple are convinced that neutering their dog changed him for the worse, they say they wouldn't spend money on prosthetic testicles.

"I'm not sure if another surgery and some fake ones would make him feel better," Jennifer says. "It seems extravagant."

Dave Vanverstelt threw a ball for his 2-year-old English bulldog, Benson. Vanverstelt says only his desire to breed his dog made him balk at the idea of neutering. Benson had an undescended testicle--a precursor of cancer--so Vanverstelt acted on his vet's advice and had the dog neutered.

"Yeah, I've heard of implants," he says. "It's an owner issue, but what do you expect? Dallas is just behind Los Angeles for plastic surgery. It's the insecurities of men coming through."

At Houston's busy Riverside Animal Hospital, a low-cost animal clinic, veterinarian Karen Kemper says she has been on the company's master list of clinics that offer the procedure since ordering a set as a gag gift for a friend, but she turns away clients asking for Neuticles. "Let me put it to you this way. It depends on what kind of practice you're in," she says. "It's not complicated, but it's a delicate surgery; you do a lot more than you regularly do in neutering with the preservation of sheaths and structures. We don't have a lot of owners who have discretionary income to spend...to have the procedure done."

Traditional neutering at the clinic costs $75 compared with $300 to $400 to implant Neuticles.

Kemper says the whole business over implants boils down to vanity. "Owners don't want the dog to look neutered--that's about the person. Neuticles do nothing as far as hormone balance or anything like that. Dogs operate on scent. Think about it. A dog can't tell if a longhaired dog has testicles, but it can still identify it as male or female. It's strictly a visual thing for two-legged people."

Miller, however, says that responses such as Kemper's infuriate him. "Fifty percent of vets nationally won't do it...and most will charge a criminal amount of money, but it's a two-minute procedure. It's as simple as changing a light bulb.

"We're after ultra-loving pet owners who want their dog to have the very best, who don't want them to suffer, who want a dog that looks like a male dog."




unbelievable....glad they didnt include pictures :D

[Shell]

oh.my.goodness! :crazy:

[Lady J]

I'm sorry, but that's just gross. :p People who have WAY too much time on their hands.

[Stormbringer]

(insert Twilight Zone theme here)

:eek2: :crazy:

[Shell]

Fox nearly sued itself over 'Simpsons' parody: Matt Groening
Thu Oct 30, 9:39 AM ET

NEW YORK (AFP) - Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel threatened to sue the makers of "The Simpsons" over a parody of the channel's right-wing political stance, the creator of the hit US television show has claimed.

In an interview this week with National Public Radio, Matt Groening recalled how the news channel had considered legal action, despite the fact that "The Simpsons" is broadcast on sister network, Fox Entertainment.

According to Groening, Fox took exception to a Simpsons' version of the Fox News rolling news ticker which parodied the channel's anti-Democrat stance, with headlines like "Do Democrats Cause Cancer?"

"Fox fought against it and said they would sue the show," Groening said.

"We called their bluff because we didn't think Rupert Murdoch would pay for Fox to sue itself. So, we got away with it."

Other satirical Fox news bulletins featured in the show included: "Study: 92 per cent of Democrats are gay... JFK posthumously joins Republican Party... Oil slicks found to keep seals young, supple..."

While the lawsuit never materialized, Groening said some action was taken.

"Now Fox has a new rule that we can't do those little fake news crawls on the bottom of the screen in a cartoon because it might confuse the viewers into thinking it's real news," he said.

"The Simpsons," featuring the dysfunctional family of patriarch Homer Simpson and his rowdy brood, is now in its 14th year and is expected to become the longest-running situation comedy in US history in 2005.

[Shell]

LOL, gotta watch out for the catholic school girls!

High School Girls Pummel Man Who Exposed Himself
41 minutes ago

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A man described by authorities as a known sexual predator was chased through the streets of South Philadelphia by an angry crowd of Catholic high school girls, who kicked and punched him after he was tackled by neighbors, police said on Friday.

Rudy Susanto, 25, who had exposed himself to teen-age girls on as many as seven occasions outside St. Maria Goretti School, struck again on Thursday just as students were being dismissed, police said.

But this time, a group of girls in school uniforms angrily confronted Susanto with help from some neighbors, police said. When Susanto tried to run, more than 20 girls chased him down the block. Two men from the neighborhood caught him and the girls took their revenge.

"The girls came and started kicking him and punching him, so I wasn't going to stop them," neighbor Robert Lemons told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Susanto was later treated for injuries at a local hospital. Police said he would be charged with 14 criminal counts including harassment, disorderly conduct, open lewdness and corrupting the morals of a minor.

[moonstomper]

I read that too Shell....I love it! nothin like some vigalante justice! :D

[BamBamCaneFan]

He is lucky that they left the parts he was exposing attached to his body. :evil:

[crazy4canes]

:laugh: He might think twice now about doing that again.

[Lady J]

HILARIOUS!

I'm glad those girls didn't let him get away with that ~ I wouldv'e chased him down the street too. Granted, I would be wearing surgical gloves before I started wailing on him... :p

[Lady J]

A ride on a prison bus sounds very... relaxing... :p


Greedy Scooter Drivers Put Nails on Roads
Fri Oct 31, 8:38 AM ET Add Strange News - AP to My Yahoo!



COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Greedy scooter taxi drivers in southern Sri Lanka are laying nails on roads to disrupt cheaper bus service and are charging higher fare from commuters, a news report said Friday.



Calling the scooter taxi drivers "three-wheeler mafia," the Island newspaper said that the drivers place nails on roads so that tires of buses are damaged and the vehicles remained non-operational.


"Their modus operandi had been to place nails almost daily on the road so as to damage the tires," Island said quoting a local transport official in Kalutara, about 25 miles south of Colombo.


With no buses, commuters turn to scooter taxies and the drivers charge a minimum of 100 rupees ($1) for a journey which otherwise cost 10 rupees (11 cents).


To show the plight of the commuters, Island carried a photograph showing school children taking free ride in a prison van. The area has Sri Lanka's maximum security prison.


There was no immediate comment from the government on the report.


Scooter taxi is a popular mode of transport in this tropical island of 19 million people which lacks efficient surface transport system.

[moonstomper]

Costume-party goer gets cops called on...for doing nothing




CLINTON TWP. -- Jason lives.

A High Bridge man who dressed up as the immortal, hockey-mask-wearing character from the long-running series of "Friday the 13th" horror movies almost got himself arrested Friday night.

Julius Jasinski, 38, was invited to attend a Halloween party at Williams Harley-Davidson in Clinton Township.

The 6-foot-2-inch Jasinski arrived wearing a white glow-in-the-dark hockey mask, a long-sleeved blue shirt, jeans and leather boots. He said he weighs about 260 pounds.

A store manager said Jasinski walked into the party and just stood by the door staring at the other guests without moving.

Jasinski said he simply was keeping in character with the always silent Jason.

But the eerie site apparently unnerved a few people.

"One of the employees grabbed my hand and said, 'You're scaring people,' " Jasinski said.

The worker led Jasinski to a food table set up for the occasion.

Jason -- or rather Jasinski -- grudgingly complied. But still keeping in character, he refused to eat.

"Jason doesn't talk or eat," he said.

One employee handed him a candy bar.

"I just held it in my hand like I thought Jason would," Jasinski said.

Jasinski said some of the children attending the party kept taking the candy bar from his hand and putting it back.

All the while, he never spoke.

Jasinski said he developed the ability to remain perfectly still while staring at someone when he was a child.

"I've had this costume for three years," said Jasinski, who said he's seen all the "Friday the 13th" movies.

A store manager who refused to give her name said Jasinski was blocking the door for about 15 minutes when he first arrived.

"There were little children here," she said. "This is a family thing and we like to provide entertainment for all."

The manager said "we just wanted it to be fun and not a scary ordeal."

Eventually, someone called the police, who arrived and escorted Jasinski outside.

Clinton Township police Sgt. John Kuczynski said his officers asked for identification and no charges were filed against him.

The store manager said Jasinski threw his helmet to the ground and police suggested he not return to the party.

"We got a call about a suspicious person," Kuczynski said. "I guess he was playing his part pretty well."

Jasinski said that because police were called he should receive the $500 gift certificate offered to the person with the best costume.

The owner of the Harley-Davidson shop, who identified himself only as Bobby, said the prize went to a man dressed up in a wedding gown.

"That was even scarier," the owner said.

Jasinski said he was surprised someone called the police.

"This is a Harley shop," he said, referring to the brand's tough-rider image. "They should be kind of embarrassed.

"I kind of felt (police) were treating me like a criminal."

Jasinski said he spent the rest of the night staring into a pizza parlor window and then attending another costume party in a bar.

[Shell]

Swiss bra supports smokers who quit

ZURICH (AFP) - A Swiss-based underwear maker has developed a high-tech bra which it claims will help women quit smoking thanks to perfumed capsules which give cigarettes an unpleasant taste and soothe withdrawal symptoms.

Triumph International said the capsules contain lavender scent, which has sedative properties, as well as normally sweet-smelling jasmine that alters the taste of cigarettes.

The company said the "anti-smoking manifesto" bra was also treated with liquid titanium to break down cigarette smoke.

A prototype, emblazoned with no-smoking symbols, was recently presented at a trade show in Tokyo but the company said it had not yet decided if it will produce the apparel.

The company said the idea was in line with its anti-smoking policy. It already awards bonus payments to employees who decide to kick the habit.

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20031107/capt.sge.cnc51.071103191444.photo00.default-280x346.jpg

[Guyute]

hmmm...underwear that releases scents which contain sedatives??

I'm not sure what to do with that. overload... overload...

[moonstomper]

Okay, heres a new eldery driver runs into a building story...with a twist. She was on her way to get her liscense renewed, and crashed into the DMV building! BTW, she did get her liscense renewed!

http://www.n-jcenter.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEAST02111403.htm

[Stormbringer]

:crazy:

[Stormbringer]

Imagine having a professor or a doctor actually named Dr. Doom... :crazy:

http://www.wright.edu/~travis.doom/

That is among the "goodies" I just discovered through a great site called "Dave Barry's Blog"...

http://davebarry.blogspot.com/

[Jeff O Rocks]

Imagine having a professor or a doctor actually named Dr. Doom... :crazy:



I think I would pass on that class or appointment.. :crazy:

[Stormbringer]

Here's a Whitman's Sampler from Mr. Barry's Blog...

WHAT YOUR MALE CHILD WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS

He wants Stink Blasters (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/northwestlife/2001791381_stinkblasters16.html).

IF THIS (http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_838409.html) WERE TRUE

...no male sports team would ever win anything.

ART UPDATE

"It looks so...lifelike (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=1&u=/nm/20031114/od_nm/odd_hungary_sculpture_dc)!"

SAY WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT SINGAPORE

Over there, they know how to party (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=817&ncid=757&e=10&u=/ap/20031114/ap_on_fe_st/singapore_world_toilet_day).

WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ROCK AND ROLL

...you're talking about the Freddys (http://hem.passagen.se/freddys.ork/).

And last but not least...

We all have thought a Barry Melrose bobblehead would be scary, but another Barry begs to differ...

ATTENTION, MUSIC-LOVERS

You need this (http://www.manilowdirect.com/index.cfm?page=detail&productid=578).

:crazy:

[moonstomper]

heres a really cool story :cool:

Man gets finger stuck in pay phone
Acquaintances laugh as he calls 911
BY GEORGE PAWLACZYK
gpawlaczyk@bnd.com


Zia Nizami/News-Democrat

Emanuel Fleming, 47, rested in St. Mary's Hospital's emergency room after his finger was removed from a pay phone.


EAST ST. LOUIS - Emanuel Fleming wasn't exactly stuck on the phone, he was stuck in the phone.

And, to make things even worse, onlookers waiting for a bus about 10 a.m. Monday, thought it was funny.

"People on the bus who know me were laughing at me," said Fleming, a 46-year-old elementary school janitor from Cahokia whose efforts to retrieve his 50 cents from a pay telephone resulted in his finger getting stuck in the coin return slot.

For three hours, Fleming said he stood beside the telephone, the middle finger of his right hand wedged up into the return slot, which was protected by an anti-theft device. He said he had tried to call his wife but the line was busy.

Fleming said two passers-by tried to help. When this failed, he said he dialed 911 with his free hand.

"The bone in my finger felt like it was going to break. My finger was numb. It was very painful," he said, not only to his finger but to his pride.

The pay phone is located outside a liquor store at 38th Street and Bunkum Road in East St. Louis and is near a busy MetroBus stop.

"The people on the bus, they all knew me but they didn't care. They said, 'Look, there's Mr. Fleming. He's got his hand stuck in the phone.' It was very embarrassing."

When fire department and ambulance personnel arrived, they tried a little grease, but that didn't work. A representative from the phone's owner, ANJ Communications in O'Fallon, arrived. But Fleming said that man couldn't get him unstuck.

Finally, emergency medical personnel from Simmons Ambulance cut the entire telephone off its base and Fleming, with the device still attached to his finger, was placed in the ambulance.

He arrivedat the emergency room of St. Mary's Hospital in East St. Louis about 1:30 p.m., 3 1/2 hours after he become trapped.

A physician gave him a painkiller and then, using a wooden device and lubricant, poked up into the slot until the finger slid out. Nurses and other medical personnel stared at the pay telephone on the floor of their emergency room.

Simmons Ambulance manager Herb Simmons said, "I've been in this business more than 30 years and I've seen a lot of weird things, but never anyone trapped in a telephone."


I love some of the quotes in that article :D

"Look Here's Mr. Fleming! He got his hand unstuck from the phone!"

http://www.belleville.com/images/belleville/newsdemocrat/7287/53105876972.jpg

[Shell]

LOL Stompy.. here is a strange one..

Chopstick in Malaysian man's head for five years
Tue Nov 18, 1:21 AM ET

KUALA LUMPUR, (AFP) - A Malaysian man who sought treatment for swelling in his eye had a shock when doctors found a six centimetre length of chopstick embedded just beneath his brain, reports said.

The chopstick, which ran from under his right eye through his nose and to the back of his left eye, was believed to have been lodged five years ago during an attack by strangers, The Star quoted doctors at the Ipoh hospital as saying.

Ng Keng Choon, 30, a parking attendant, was lucky to be alive as the chopstick missed his brain by a mere 0.5 centimetres (0.2 inches), said the doctors, who successfully removed the broken-off piece of wood in an hour-long operation.

The New Straits Times quoted Ng, who is mentally disabled, as saying that he was beaten up by several men five years ago. They covered his head with a sack as they rained blows on him but he did not realise he had been stabbed in the head with a chopstick.

He said he did not feel any discomfort or pain over the years but sought treatment last month after his right eye was inflammed and he could not move his eyeballs.

The article didn't mention it but I am assuming he knows about all the other things sticking out of his head.
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20031118/capt.sge.fth15.181103062151.photo00.default-307x384.jpg

[moonstomper]

That sounds like the handy work of this Malaysian street gang the Banana used to roll with, they were constantly shoving this or that into strangers eyes.....he was such a badass back then :cool:

[Shell]

http://www.tridead.net/canes/images/smilies/rofl.gif
Haven't heard much from the Big B lately, how is he? You have him locked in a closet?

[Stormbringer]

Imagine having a baby named ESPN... :crazy:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3268161.stm

[talkingcanes]

Just one more reason for me to avoid day after Thanksgiving shopping. What is wrong with people?? :crazy:

Woman Knocked Unconscious While Shopping

ORANGE CITY, Fla. (Nov. 29) - A mob of shoppers rushing for a sale on DVD players trampled the first woman in line and knocked her unconscious as they scrambled for the shelves at a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Patricia VanLester had her eye on a $29 DVD player, but when the siren blared at 6 a.m. Friday announcing the start to the post-Thanksgiving sale, the 41-year-old was knocked to the ground by the frenzy of shoppers behind her.

''She got pushed down, and they walked over her like a herd of elephants,'' said VanLester's sister, Linda Ellzey. ''I told them, 'Stop stepping on my sister! She's on the ground!'''

Ellzey said some shoppers tried to help VanLester, and one employee helped Ellzey reach her sister, but most people just continued their rush for deals.

''All they cared about was a stupid DVD player,'' she said Saturday.

Paramedics called to the store found VanLester unconscious on top of a DVD player, surrounded by shoppers seemingly oblivious to her, said Mark O'Keefe, a spokesman for EVAC Ambulance.

She was flown to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where doctors told the family VanLester had a seizure after she was knocked down and would likely remain hospitalized through the weekend, Ellzey said. Hospital officials said Saturday they did not have any information on her condition.

''She's all black and blue,'' Ellzey said. ''Patty doesn't remember anything. She still can't believe it all happened.''

Ellzey said Wal-Mart officials called later Friday to ask about her sister, and the store apologized and offered to put a DVD player on hold for her.

Wal-Mart Stores spokeswoman Karen Burk said she had never heard of a such a melee during a sale.

''We are very disappointed this happened,'' Burk said. ''We want her to come back as a shopper.''

[Kapanen024]

:crazy: That is completely insane. But, I believe it... PCF & I were at the stores at 5 am on Friday to shop. (He went to protect me from all the cruel shoppers ;)) I went to get the Mickey snowglobe... the free gift from JC Penney for the early birds who were there at 6 am. *severe Mickey obsession*

We got to Wal-Mart by about quarter past 6 and it was already wall to wall people pushing and shoving... it was a madhouse. That was it then... we had enough and went home and back to bed.

I suddenly remembered why I hate shopping so much. LOL.

[Stormbringer]

Troubling, as Dave Barry said about the following, is putting it VERY MILDLY... :eek2: :crazy:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3638899014&category=10797

[tommy]

This is great...

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans should lighten up, according to their president who says he is fed up with seeing his compatriots looking grumpy and grim-faced.

"Germans sometimes leave a general impression of being broody," President Johannes Rau said on Friday in a briefing with the Foreign Press Association. He said the looks on their faces at times makes him think they're suffering indigestion.

"Germans walk around looking as if they have too much gastric acid," said Rau, 72, who retires in 2004 after five years as head of state. "I wish they'd relax more."

Rau has often admonished Germans during his five-year term for moaning and whingeing too much. He criticized his countrymen for excessive pessimism and exaggerating Germany's woes, even though it has the world's third largest economy.

"I often complain there is too much self-pity in Germany," Rau said. "Germans tend to pay not enough attention to what is happening in other continents and other countries. I wish we'd would be more confident in a modest way."

[Shell]

Bakersfield prostitute strips attacker and takes him to police
Thursday, December 18, 2003
©2003 Associated Press

A skinny rapist met his match in an angry, 275-pound prostitute, police said.

Adrian Castillo Ramirez, 140 pounds, allegedly tried to sexually assault a 24-year-old Bakersfield prostitute who was nearly twice his weight.

But she took his knife, stripped him naked and paraded him in front of other prostitutes, after asking how many of them had ever been forced into sex at knifepoint. Then she tried to take him -- still naked -- to the police station, reports said.

Castillo was charged with failing to register as a sex offender, and with committing forcible sex acts on the 24-year-old and on a 37-year-old woman in a previous incident. He also was convicted of four counts of rape in 1988.

Castillo pleaded innocent Wednesday, and is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail, police said.

[moonstomper]

Thanks shell, I always like reading about people who are bigger dumbasses than me :D


like this family

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/images/031218bugblast.jpg

"A family living in a house infested with cockroaches and rats set off 19 "bug bomb" foggers in their 470-square-foot City Heights home Wednesday, causing an explosion that blew the building apart"

[Shell]

LOL Stompy.. too much! Yikes!!

[Stormbringer]

:eek: :laugh:

[crazy4canes]

:laugh:

Orkin would've only charged $79 and oh yeah....not blown up their house. :eek2:

[Lady J]

Isn't she lovely ;)


Fishermen Dress Lobster As Barbie

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, Maine - Practical jokers Jim Bright and Chris Costello never imagined that their idea of dressing a female lobster in a Barbie outfit — accessorized with pink high heels — would save her from the steam pot.

But it did — at least 10 times.

As a gag, the fishermen clad the crustacean and placed her in a friend's trap last September.

"It's a monotony hauling traps day after day," said Costello, "and we just wanted to break it up a little bit. It totally worked."

Barbie Lobster, as she has come to be known, has been hauled up — and thrown back — at least 10 times. The radios used by lobstermen buzzed with chatter and laughter each time a new sighting of Barbie was reported.

Costello made a special trip to Wal-Mart to buy the blue blouse, red- and white-checkered skirt and shoes.

The men had wanted to dress up a jumbo lobster, but it was too fat to fit into a Barbie ensemble. Instead, they chose a svelte 1 1/2-pound model.

"They slipped right on, just like Cinderella," Bright said of the footwear.

Costello disagreed, saying it was a challenge to put the high heels on the little lobster legs. There are four legs on each side so the men attached them to the two in the center.

"You try squeezing Barbie shoes on a lobster," he said. "That was the most time-consuming thing."

Barbie hasn't been seen since early December and apparently was unkempt and nearly naked, except for her shoes.

If she survives a few more months, she may be home free for another season, Costello said.

"We have our spring fashions all ready to go," he said.

[moonstomper]

Great find my Lady, too cool :)

[RIO]

hey, crustaceans are very fashion-conscious. :smoke: they just have trouble not getting eaten between the water and the Wal-mart.

[nccanes]

Oh - I wanna see Lobster Barbie! :D

This one is just too much:

STAMFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- A 2-year-old model and actor who cut his head at a playground is seeking unspecified lost wages and other compensation from the city.

Konrad Mader of Greenwich was running toward a treehouse at a playground November 4 when he crashed into a railing, according to a claim filed last week by his mother and reported Friday by The Advocate of Stamford. The blond toddler received several stitches.

Deena Mader, the boy's mother, did not specify how much she is seeking on behalf of her son.

In a letter to officials, she demanded compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering and a "lost wage amount due to his inability to audition or take modeling or commercial jobs while his head heals."

Mader blamed the boy's injury on a green railing, which she said blends in with the landscaping. Mader said the railing should be painted a brighter color.

"This accident was preventable had the railings and safety measures been correct at this park, " Mader wrote in her claim.

Tom Cassone, the city's director of legal affairs, said his office is investigating the claim.

Joe Falzone, a facilities manager in charge of maintaining city parks, said he is not aware of defects in the playground and there are no plans to make changes.

[Lady J]

And here I could have been compensated for all the times I got my head stuck inside the giant Hamburgaler jungle gym at McDonald's. :p

[Jeff O Rocks]

I got this email this morning....heaven help us if they are all true..and I am sure they are!! The man in the Winnaebago should be hung upside down by his toenails and struck repeatedly like a pinata!! :mad:

It's time once again to review the winners of the annual "Stella Awards."

The Stella's are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonalds. That case inspired the Stella awards for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in the United States. Unfortunately the most recent lawsuit implicating McDonalds, the teen's who allege that eating at McDonalds has made them fat, was filed after the 2002 award voting was closed. This suit will top the 2003 list without question.

The following are this year's winners:

5th Place (tie): Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving little toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.

5th Place (tie): A 19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps

5th Place (tie): Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't reenter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, and Mr.Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.

4th Place: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been just a little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

3rd Place: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.

2nd Place: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while MS. Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.

1st Place: This year's run away winner was Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, (from an OU football game), having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's manual that he couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new motorhome. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in case there were any other complete morons buying their recreation vehicles.

[nccanes]

OMG. Absolute insanity!!! :mad: :beatup:

[Shell]

funny, but luckily not true :)
http://www.snopes.com/legal/lawsuits.asp

[Jeff O Rocks]

funny, but luckily not true :)
http://www.snopes.com/legal/lawsuits.asp

GOOD..but if they were...it wouldn't surprise me!! :crazy:

[talkingcanes]

Posted Jan. 09, 2004

Cable guy unplugged

By Lee Reinsch
the reporter lreinsch@fdlreporter.com

The 48-year-old West Bend man who threatened to sue Charter Communications because of what he called his cable TV addiction says he’s not upset with the cable company for making him “addicted” to cable TV but rather, he’s angry because he says the cable company forced it upon him after he discontinued his service.

“Freedom of choice is my No. 1 issue, and they didn’t give that to me,” Tim Dumouchel said. “It’s all about them depriving you of choice.”

He said he does not plan to go through with the lawsuit that he had threatened earlier.

Dumouchel made local and national headlines this week when he blamed Charter Communications, headquartered in Fond du Lac, for his so-called addictions to cable TV as well as to cigarettes and alcohol.

He also said Charter was responsible for making his wife gain weight and for his children to be “channel surfers,” according to a Fond du Lac police report.

Dumouchel (pronounced do-Michelle) smoked cigarettes and responded cryptically at times to reporters’ questions during a press conference in the basement of his home Thursday afternoon.

“I have the choice not to smoke these (cigarettes), yet I have to go to the store and buy them. I have to make a conscious decision,” he said.

Reporters asked why he didn’t just turn off the TV, cut the cord on his TV or disconnect the cable box himself. He said he was powerless over the button on the remote control and asked reporters how many of them could keep the TV off for 30 days. He said he didn’t want to break any laws by tampering with the cable box himself.

He said many television shows include cigarette and alcohol use and he found that temptation too overwhelming. He said the impetus to cut the cable service came when he broke off a wooden railing on his basement stairs when trying to climb up the railing while drunk.

At the press conference, Dumouchel pointed out that the original news report by The Reporter was “99 percent correct” except for one detail.

“I never said my kids were lazy,” he said.

However, the Fond du Lac police report included that description.

He said his wife is angry at him for his comment about her weight.

He called the cable company to cancel his expanded cable service in August of 1999, but the service kept coming into his home for more than four more years, he said.

He also blames Charter for causing him to smoke and drink after several years of abstinence from both substances.

The police report was generated after Charter employees called police Dec. 23 to the Fond du Lac office, 165 Knight’s Way, after Dumouchel showed up there and allegedly intimidated employees. He also made “low-level threats,” according to the police report and Charter spokesman John Miller when he said that if a supervisor didn’t talk to him within five minutes, their next step would be “swimming in the ocean with the sharks.”

Dumouchel says he meant the media when he used the word “sharks”

Dumouchel said he decided to stop cable service four years ago in an effort to talk to his family. Dumouchel has three children, ages 16, 22 and 30. He said he watches television all the time when he’s not at work and that he gives it his full attention.

After his cable service was finally disconnected in December, Dumouchel said he bought a $40 antenna so he and his wife could watch the Packers.

from the Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin Reporter

[Stormbringer]

Whether they come to fruitation or not, we are truly living in the age of idiotic lawsuits... :roll:

[caniac369]

You have got to be kidding me. People will threaten to sue over ANYTHING these days.

However, the cold weather up in Wisconsin DOES tend to make people a little wacked... :crazy:

[Stormbringer]

Don't know if this is really "Oddly Enough" material or not. But, I found it too hilarious to pass up sharing... :D

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-kucinichs-pie-chart,0,4227061,print.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

Kucinich Shows Pie Chart on Radio Debate

By Associated Press

January 6, 2004, 8:44 PM EST

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Federal spending was the topic and Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich came prepared with a pie chart to argue his point about a bloated Pentagon budget.

But although many listened to Tuesday's presidential debate, few could see the Ohio congressman's prop.

The debate was broadcast only on National Public Radio.

As Kucinich challenged Democratic front-runner Howard Dean for refusing to acknowledge that the Pentagon budget needs to be cut, debate moderator Neal Conan of NPR interrupted.

"Congressman Kucinich is holding up a pie chart, which is not truly effective on radio," Conan told his listeners.

Kucinich was not deterred.

"Well, it's effective if Howard can see it," he replied.

Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press

[Shell]

Break-Dancers Perform For The Pope, Get His Blessing
POSTED: 10:00 AM EST January 26, 2004

VATICAN CITY -- In an unusual spectacle at the Vatican, Pope John Paul II presided Sunday over a performance of break-dancers who leaped, flipped and spun their bodies to beats from a tinny boom box.

The 83-year-old pontiff seemed to approve, waving his hand after each dancer completed a move, then applauding for the entire group. He watched the performance from a raised throne.

"For this creative hard work I bless you from my heart," he said.

During the show, one dancer -- part of a Polish group that helps poor and marginalized youths -- planted his head on the inlaid marble floor of the Vatican hall and spun to loud applause from his group and from Vatican officials. Another performer flung his body around in a series of spins and handstands.

"Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it," John Paul said.

Earlier Sunday, members of an Italian Catholic youth organization enthusiastically cheered the pope's weekly remarks in St. Peter's Square. A few were invited into his papal apartment and helped him release doves from his window.

The pope, who suffers numerous ailments but appeared relatively strong Sunday, called out to the other children cheering below his window.

"I love you all. I love you very much," he said.
http://images.ibsys.com/2004/0126/2792899.jpg

[talkingcanes]

German Cannibal Sentenced to Prison
By FRANK LETH, AP

KASSEL, Germany (Jan. 30) -- A German who confessed to killing, dismembering and eating another man who allegedly agreed to the arrangement over the Internet was convicted Friday of manslaughter and sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison.

A state court ruled that Armin Meiwes, a 42-year-old computer expert, had no ''base motives'' in the crime - sparing him a murder conviction.

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, calling Meiwes a ''human butcher'' who acted simply to ''satisfy a sexual impulse.''

The defense argued that since the victim volunteered to be killed and eaten, the crime should be classified a mercy killing, which carries a five-year maximum penalty.

Before the verdict Meiwes looked calm, chatting with his attorney and occasionally grinning for cameras allowed inside the courtroom before the session began.

When his trial opened Dec. 3 in the central city of Kassel, Meiwes confessed in detail to killing Bernd Juergen Brandes, 43, in March 2001 at Meiwes' home in the town of Rotenburg.

Brandes traveled from Berlin in reply to an Internet advertisement seeking a young man for ''slaughter and consumption.'' Meiwes testified that Brandes wanted to be stabbed to death after drinking a bottle of cold medicine to lose consciousness.

''Bernd came to me of his own free will to end his life,'' Meiwes said in his closing statement in court on Monday. ''For him, it was a nice death.''

Still, he said he regretted the killing.

''I had my big kick and I don't need to do it again,'' he said. ''I regret it all very much, but I can't undo it.''

A grisly video he made of the act was shown to the court during a closed session.

A doctor testified that Brandes died from loss of blood and that the medication, along with a half-bottle of liquor and 20 sleeping pills he took beforehand, could not have lessened his pain.

Several experts have testified that Meiwes was fit to stand trial and was not mentally ill.

Police tracked down and arrested him in December 2002 after a student in Austria alerted them to a message Meiwes had posted on the Internet.

''If I hadn't been so stupid as to keep looking on the Internet, I would have taken my secret to the grave,'' Meiwes said in his closing statement.

[talkingcanes]

German Cannibal Sentenced to Prison
By FRANK LETH, AP

KASSEL, Germany (Jan. 30) -- A German who confessed to killing, dismembering and eating another man who allegedly agreed to the arrangement over the Internet was convicted Friday of manslaughter and sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison.

A state court ruled that Armin Meiwes, a 42-year-old computer expert, had no ''base motives'' in the crime - sparing him a murder conviction.

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, calling Meiwes a ''human butcher'' who acted simply to ''satisfy a sexual impulse.''

The defense argued that since the victim volunteered to be killed and eaten, the crime should be classified a mercy killing, which carries a five-year maximum penalty.

Before the verdict Meiwes looked calm, chatting with his attorney and occasionally grinning for cameras allowed inside the courtroom before the session began.

When his trial opened Dec. 3 in the central city of Kassel, Meiwes confessed in detail to killing Bernd Juergen Brandes, 43, in March 2001 at Meiwes' home in the town of Rotenburg.

Brandes traveled from Berlin in reply to an Internet advertisement seeking a young man for ''slaughter and consumption.'' Meiwes testified that Brandes wanted to be stabbed to death after drinking a bottle of cold medicine to lose consciousness.

''Bernd came to me of his own free will to end his life,'' Meiwes said in his closing statement in court on Monday. ''For him, it was a nice death.''

Still, he said he regretted the killing.

''I had my big kick and I don't need to do it again,'' he said. ''I regret it all very much, but I can't undo it.''

A grisly video he made of the act was shown to the court during a closed session.

A doctor testified that Brandes died from loss of blood and that the medication, along with a half-bottle of liquor and 20 sleeping pills he took beforehand, could not have lessened his pain.

Several experts have testified that Meiwes was fit to stand trial and was not mentally ill.

Police tracked down and arrested him in December 2002 after a student in Austria alerted them to a message Meiwes had posted on the Internet.

''If I hadn't been so stupid as to keep looking on the Internet, I would have taken my secret to the grave,'' Meiwes said in his closing statement.

[talkingcanes]

This should help the image of NC :eek2:

Knuckle sandwiches lead hot dog duo to TV
By SAMANTHA THOMPSON SMITH, Staff Writer

RALEIGH -- Two feuding hot dog vendors on the lively Glenwood South entertainment strip are heading to Hollywood next month to see whose argument cuts the mustard in front of television's Judge Joe Brown.
Cary Squires, owner of Fat Groovy Dogs, which has three carts downtown, filed a civil lawsuit Jan. 5 in Wake District Court against competitor Aaron A. Daubenspeck of Raleigh.
Two days earlier, according to a Raleigh police report, Daubenspeck and one of Squires' employees got into a fistfight at their carts at 410 Glenwood Ave. Squires said in his suit that Daubenspeck hit Jonathan W. Peters of Raleigh, knocking Peters into Squires' car. Ballpark figure: $660 in damage to the car.

Squires said this week that he was ready to work things out in Wake courts.

But when Judge Joe Brown's people got a whiff of the dispute, they offered to fly Squires and Daubenspeck to California on Feb. 22.

Brown's show, for which people waive their real civil cases and agree to abide by Brown's ruling, will be taped Feb. 23 or 24. No word on when it will run on WLFL, the local WB affiliate, which airs Brown's cases at 4 and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Daubenspeck declined to comment, but Squires said he relished the chance to let off some steam.

"I've got nothing to lose," he said. The show will pay for meals and lodging. And producers said that if Daubenspeck is found liable, the show will pay Squires $660.

"It's going to be interesting," Squires said.

[talkingcanes]

This should help the image of NC :eek2:

Knuckle sandwiches lead hot dog duo to TV
By SAMANTHA THOMPSON SMITH, Staff Writer

RALEIGH -- Two feuding hot dog vendors on the lively Glenwood South entertainment strip are heading to Hollywood next month to see whose argument cuts the mustard in front of television's Judge Joe Brown.
Cary Squires, owner of Fat Groovy Dogs, which has three carts downtown, filed a civil lawsuit Jan. 5 in Wake District Court against competitor Aaron A. Daubenspeck of Raleigh.
Two days earlier, according to a Raleigh police report, Daubenspeck and one of Squires' employees got into a fistfight at their carts at 410 Glenwood Ave. Squires said in his suit that Daubenspeck hit Jonathan W. Peters of Raleigh, knocking Peters into Squires' car. Ballpark figure: $660 in damage to the car.

Squires said this week that he was ready to work things out in Wake courts.

But when Judge Joe Brown's people got a whiff of the dispute, they offered to fly Squires and Daubenspeck to California on Feb. 22.

Brown's show, for which people waive their real civil cases and agree to abide by Brown's ruling, will be taped Feb. 23 or 24. No word on when it will run on WLFL, the local WB affiliate, which airs Brown's cases at 4 and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Daubenspeck declined to comment, but Squires said he relished the chance to let off some steam.

"I've got nothing to lose," he said. The show will pay for meals and lodging. And producers said that if Daubenspeck is found liable, the show will pay Squires $660.

"It's going to be interesting," Squires said.

[tommy]

Wasn't sure where to post this... too poltical for off-topic, but too off-topic for political forum... it is odd though...

John Edwards' Penknife Taken at Airport


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Sen. John Edwards had a penknife confiscated as part of a stepped up security search that caused a one-hour delay for the Democratic presidential candidate and others boarding his chartered plane.

Albuquerque security officials gave extensive screenings to those traveling with the senator, including hand inspections of everyone's luggage and carry-on bags.

``We must look dangerous,'' joked the North Carolina Democrat, who was forced to go through a metal detector along with other passengers, and to have all his bags X-rayed, before being allowed to board his campaign plane.

A small knife was confiscated from Edwards' luggage. ``It was a pocket knife,'' Edwards said. ``I didn't even know it was there.'' He said he was told it would be returned to him later.

A pair of scissors, tweezers and assorted small tools used by photographers and television cameramen also were confiscated. The extra scrutiny, which was not explained, caused Edwards to be an hour late for his next scheduled appearance, a speech at a union hall in Oklahoma City.

About three dozen people are traveling on Edwards' plane, most of them members of the news media.

[tommy]

Wasn't sure where to post this... too poltical for off-topic, but too off-topic for political forum... it is odd though...

John Edwards' Penknife Taken at Airport


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Sen. John Edwards had a penknife confiscated as part of a stepped up security search that caused a one-hour delay for the Democratic presidential candidate and others boarding his chartered plane.

Albuquerque security officials gave extensive screenings to those traveling with the senator, including hand inspections of everyone's luggage and carry-on bags.

``We must look dangerous,'' joked the North Carolina Democrat, who was forced to go through a metal detector along with other passengers, and to have all his bags X-rayed, before being allowed to board his campaign plane.

A small knife was confiscated from Edwards' luggage. ``It was a pocket knife,'' Edwards said. ``I didn't even know it was there.'' He said he was told it would be returned to him later.

A pair of scissors, tweezers and assorted small tools used by photographers and television cameramen also were confiscated. The extra scrutiny, which was not explained, caused Edwards to be an hour late for his next scheduled appearance, a speech at a union hall in Oklahoma City.

About three dozen people are traveling on Edwards' plane, most of them members of the news media.

[Turbulence]

Hmm....Does Kerry know someone with the TSA? :D

[Turbulence]

Hmm....Does Kerry know someone with the TSA? :D

[Jeff O Rocks]

Hmm....Does Kerry know someone with the TSA? :D

Sounds fishy to me.. and with the TSA being all federal now, we all know who their top boss is.. BUSH!! :D

[Jeff O Rocks]

Hmm....Does Kerry know someone with the TSA? :D

Sounds fishy to me.. and with the TSA being all federal now, we all know who their top boss is.. BUSH!! :D

[Shell]

what a marvy idea :sick:
(I'm embarrassed to say I used to live there lol)

Cockroaches Suggested As Valentine Gifts
Tue Feb 3, 7:39 AM ET

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Looking for a little something special for your valentine? How about a hissing cockroach? That's the suggestion from the folks at the Ross Park Zoo in Binghamton, N.Y.

The zoo is running a Valentine's Day (news - web sites) adoption program called "Give Your Beauty a Beast."

For ten bucks, you can adopt a hissing cockroach for your sweetheart. The adoption includes a photo, cockroach fact sheet and a free pass for your special friend to visit the little hisser.

If a roach doesn't say "I love you," the zoo has some romantic alternatives. There's a bearded dragon, a black vulture and a bleeding heart dove.

[Shell]

what a marvy idea :sick:
(I'm embarrassed to say I used to live there lol)

Cockroaches Suggested As Valentine Gifts
Tue Feb 3, 7:39 AM ET

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Looking for a little something special for your valentine? How about a hissing cockroach? That's the suggestion from the folks at the Ross Park Zoo in Binghamton, N.Y.

The zoo is running a Valentine's Day (news - web sites) adoption program called "Give Your Beauty a Beast."

For ten bucks, you can adopt a hissing cockroach for your sweetheart. The adoption includes a photo, cockroach fact sheet and a free pass for your special friend to visit the little hisser.

If a roach doesn't say "I love you," the zoo has some romantic alternatives. There's a bearded dragon, a black vulture and a bleeding heart dove.

[moonstomper]

LOL Shell, only for the true romantics though


"Trooper crashes cruiser while speeding to get colleague to hockey game"

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/7868114.htm

sirens blaring, top speed 126 MPH, crashes into a car veering to the shoulder, and then lies about it!!!

[moonstomper]

LOL Shell, only for the true romantics though


"Trooper crashes cruiser while speeding to get colleague to hockey game"

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/7868114.htm

sirens blaring, top speed 126 MPH, crashes into a car veering to the shoulder, and then lies about it!!!

[tommy]

Girl Says 'Hell' in School, Suspended
By DAN NEPHIN

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A second-grader was suspended for a day for telling a classmate he would go to hell for saying, ``I swear to God.''

Brandy McKenith, 7, was suspended for swearing for saying the word ``hell,'' but her family says she was referring to the biblical location of fire and brimstone.

She served the suspension Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Public Schools' student code of conduct prohibits profanity, but doesn't provide a definition, spokeswoman Pat Crawford said. The school would not comment further.

Brandy's father, Wayne McKenith, said when he learned about the suspension, he thought perhaps his daughter had said something worse, so he called the teacher for details. He was told another student overheard his daughter say the word.

``I said, `Hell? She got suspended for that?''' McKenith said.

He said he asked the school to evaluate its profanity policy.

```Hell' is like the least of the words in school today,'' McKenith said. ``You go home and turn on the TV tonight and tell me how many times you hear the word 'hell.' And I mean network TV, not even cable.''

Without a clear definition, the district could run into problems enforcing the policy, said Witold Walczak, legal director of the Greater Pittsburgh chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

``The school's policy says 'no profanity' and that's not further defined,'' Walczak said. ``How should this little girl know that `hell' is not allowed?''

``It's questionable whether `hell' is even a profanity, and it certainly isn't in the way that she used it,'' he added.

McKenith, a suburban Pittsburgh police detective, said family members aren't ``religious fanatics,'' but there's a healthy respect for the Lord, so he accepts her daughter's explanation.

``She's under the assumption that good people go to heaven and ... bad people go to hell,'' he said Wednesday.

[tommy]

Girl Says 'Hell' in School, Suspended
By DAN NEPHIN

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A second-grader was suspended for a day for telling a classmate he would go to hell for saying, ``I swear to God.''

Brandy McKenith, 7, was suspended for swearing for saying the word ``hell,'' but her family says she was referring to the biblical location of fire and brimstone.

She served the suspension Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Public Schools' student code of conduct prohibits profanity, but doesn't provide a definition, spokeswoman Pat Crawford said. The school would not comment further.

Brandy's father, Wayne McKenith, said when he learned about the suspension, he thought perhaps his daughter had said something worse, so he called the teacher for details. He was told another student overheard his daughter say the word.

``I said, `Hell? She got suspended for that?''' McKenith said.

He said he asked the school to evaluate its profanity policy.

```Hell' is like the least of the words in school today,'' McKenith said. ``You go home and turn on the TV tonight and tell me how many times you hear the word 'hell.' And I mean network TV, not even cable.''

Without a clear definition, the district could run into problems enforcing the policy, said Witold Walczak, legal director of the Greater Pittsburgh chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

``The school's policy says 'no profanity' and that's not further defined,'' Walczak said. ``How should this little girl know that `hell' is not allowed?''

``It's questionable whether `hell' is even a profanity, and it certainly isn't in the way that she used it,'' he added.

McKenith, a suburban Pittsburgh police detective, said family members aren't ``religious fanatics,'' but there's a healthy respect for the Lord, so he accepts her daughter's explanation.

``She's under the assumption that good people go to heaven and ... bad people go to hell,'' he said Wednesday.

[Turbulence]

:roll: ...
Perhaps she would have been better off if she were lead to the assumption that bad people go to H-E-Double Hockeysticks.
But seriously. she was suspended? How does saying one curse word warrant a suspension? I could see timeout, maybe, or even a visit to the principal's office, but to take her out of school for that is absurd.

[Turbulence]

:roll: ...
Perhaps she would have been better off if she were lead to the assumption that bad people go to H-E-Double Hockeysticks.
But seriously. she was suspended? How does saying one curse word warrant a suspension? I could see timeout, maybe, or even a visit to the principal's office, but to take her out of school for that is absurd.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Boy, I'd be ****ed. :beatup:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Boy, I'd be ****ed. :beatup:

[talkingcanes]

this is just unbelievable. the title sounds like a National Enquirer article, but it's fascinating. the parents must be scared to death.


Baby Born With Second Head to Get Surgery
Chances for Survival Are Good, Doctor Says
By PETER PRENGAMAN, AP

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Feb. 4) - A Dominican infant born with a second head will undergo a risky operation Friday to remove the appendage, which has a partially formed brain, ears, eyes and lips.

The surgery is complicated because the two heads share arteries.

Led by a Los Angles-based neurosurgeon who successfully separated Guatemalan twins, the medical team will spend about 13 hours removing Rebeca Martinez's second head.

The 18 surgeons, nurses and doctors will cut off the undeveloped tissue, clip the veins and arteries and close the skull of the 7-week-old baby using a bone graft from another part of her body.

"We know this is a delicate operation," Rebeca's father, Franklyn Martinez, 28, told The Associated Press. "But we have a positive attitude."

CURE International, a Lemoyne, Pa.-based charity that gives medical care to disabled children in developing countries, is paying for the surgery and follow-up care.

Dr. Jorge Lazareff, director of pediatric neurosurgery at the University of California at Los Angeles' Mattel Children's Hospital, will lead the operation along with Dr. Benjamin Rivera, a neurosurgeon at the Medical Center of Santo Domingo. Lazareff led a team that successfully separated Guatemalan twin girls in 2002.

Doctors say if the surgery goes well Rebeca won't need physical therapy and will develop as a normal child.

Rebeca was born on Dec. 17 with the undeveloped head of her twin, a condition known as craniopagus parasiticus.

Twins born conjoined at the head are extremely rare, accounting for one of every 2.5 million births. Parasitic twins like Rebeca are even rarer.

Rebeca is the eighth documented case in the world of craniopagus parasiticus, said Dr. Santiago Hazim, medical director at CURE International's Center for Orthopedic Specialties in Santo Domingo, where the surgery will be performed.

All the other documented infants died before birth, making it the first known surgery of its kind, Lazareff and Hazim said.

Hazim said the surgery must be done now so the pressure of Rebeca's other brain doesn't prevent her from developing.

Rebeca shares blood vessels and arteries with her second head. Although only partially developed, the mouth on her second head moves when Rebeca is being breast-fed. Tests indicate some activity in her second brain.

Martinez and his 26-year-old wife, Maria Gisela Hiciano, say doctors told them before Rebeca was born that she would have a tumor on her head, but none of the prenatal tests showed a second head developing.

Martinez works at a tailor's shop. Hiciano is a supermarket cashier. Together they make about $200 a month. They have two other children, ages 4 and 1.

Lazareff says Rebeca's chances of survival are good. Still, he refuses to make a prognosis.

"We'll do everything we can to make this successful," he said.

[talkingcanes]

this is just unbelievable. the title sounds like a National Enquirer article, but it's fascinating. the parents must be scared to death.


Baby Born With Second Head to Get Surgery
Chances for Survival Are Good, Doctor Says
By PETER PRENGAMAN, AP

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Feb. 4) - A Dominican infant born with a second head will undergo a risky operation Friday to remove the appendage, which has a partially formed brain, ears, eyes and lips.

The surgery is complicated because the two heads share arteries.

Led by a Los Angles-based neurosurgeon who successfully separated Guatemalan twins, the medical team will spend about 13 hours removing Rebeca Martinez's second head.

The 18 surgeons, nurses and doctors will cut off the undeveloped tissue, clip the veins and arteries and close the skull of the 7-week-old baby using a bone graft from another part of her body.

"We know this is a delicate operation," Rebeca's father, Franklyn Martinez, 28, told The Associated Press. "But we have a positive attitude."

CURE International, a Lemoyne, Pa.-based charity that gives medical care to disabled children in developing countries, is paying for the surgery and follow-up care.

Dr. Jorge Lazareff, director of pediatric neurosurgery at the University of California at Los Angeles' Mattel Children's Hospital, will lead the operation along with Dr. Benjamin Rivera, a neurosurgeon at the Medical Center of Santo Domingo. Lazareff led a team that successfully separated Guatemalan twin girls in 2002.

Doctors say if the surgery goes well Rebeca won't need physical therapy and will develop as a normal child.

Rebeca was born on Dec. 17 with the undeveloped head of her twin, a condition known as craniopagus parasiticus.

Twins born conjoined at the head are extremely rare, accounting for one of every 2.5 million births. Parasitic twins like Rebeca are even rarer.

Rebeca is the eighth documented case in the world of craniopagus parasiticus, said Dr. Santiago Hazim, medical director at CURE International's Center for Orthopedic Specialties in Santo Domingo, where the surgery will be performed.

All the other documented infants died before birth, making it the first known surgery of its kind, Lazareff and Hazim said.

Hazim said the surgery must be done now so the pressure of Rebeca's other brain doesn't prevent her from developing.

Rebeca shares blood vessels and arteries with her second head. Although only partially developed, the mouth on her second head moves when Rebeca is being breast-fed. Tests indicate some activity in her second brain.

Martinez and his 26-year-old wife, Maria Gisela Hiciano, say doctors told them before Rebeca was born that she would have a tumor on her head, but none of the prenatal tests showed a second head developing.

Martinez works at a tailor's shop. Hiciano is a supermarket cashier. Together they make about $200 a month. They have two other children, ages 4 and 1.

Lazareff says Rebeca's chances of survival are good. Still, he refuses to make a prognosis.

"We'll do everything we can to make this successful," he said.

[Jeff O Rocks]

Doesn't it seem like the most bizarre things like the above story happen in foreign countries?? I guess we should be thankful for that. :sad:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Yeah, Mona, poor nutrition, contaminated water, lax environmental standards and lack of prenatal care in many foreign countries leads to this type of thing. Although, I'm not honestly sure any of that has been directly linked to the imcomplete separation of a fertilized egg.

That is sooooo creepy.

So aren't they sorta killing the twin? I mean, it has a brain....isn't that technically a life? I wouldn't be surprised to see some fringe pro-life group raise a ruckus about this. :roll:

I don't usually come in this thread. It's freaky.

[Turbulence]

I've seen a picture of the above story...and you don't want to. Pretty, uh, creepy. Hopfully she'll be ok.

[tommy]

Two heads? That is extremely intriguing, yet kind of... disgusting. Here's another weird one:

Man Realizes Brother Dead 18 Months Later


LONDON (AP) - Police are investigating the case of an elderly man who apparently didn't discover that his brother had died in their mobile home until 18 months later.

On Dec. 3, Herbert Silver, 72, called police to tell them of the ``sudden death'' of his 75-year-old brother, George. When authorities visited the scene, they found a decomposing body.

George's cadaver was found in his bedroom in the home in Fordingbridge, a town in southern England.

Police declined to comment Thursday about what might have happened, saying an inquest would be held about how Herbert Silver could not have noticed for so long that his brother was dead.


A post-mortem examination could not find a cause of death, but police ruled out suspicious circumstances.


The inquest is scheduled to begin on Feb. 19, a Hampshire police spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity.

[moonstomper]

youd be surprised how often that happens, Tommy. Heres a story like that where this 13 year old girls foster parents continued to make her bring food to her grandfather, even after hes been dead for nearly a month

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1075877564207290.xml

and for those who havent seen the two headed baby

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040204/capt.xwa10302041434.dominican_two_brains_xwa103.jp g
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040204/capt.xwa10102041432.dominican_two_brains_xwa101.jp g

[Jeff O Rocks]

Sadly, I just saw on a news trailer that this little girl has died. :cry:

[nccanes]

I just read that too Mona. How sad. The article in the paper today made it sound like things had gone so well too.

Very sad. :sad:

[Stormbringer]

:sad: :cry:

[Shell]

Very sad indeed :(

I was on an American flight yesterday and today, and apparently had really boring pilots.

Pilot suggested passengers discuss Christianity during LA-to-New York flight
Saturday, February 7, 2004
©2004 Associated Press

An American Airlines pilot flying passengers from Los Angeles to New York asked Christians on board to identify themselves and then suggested that non-Christian passengers discuss the faith with them, the airline confirmed Saturday.

The pilot, whose identity was not released, had been making flight announcements before he asked that the Christians on board raise their hands, said American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner.

Wagner said the pilot told airline officials he then suggested the other passengers use the flight time to talk to the Christians about their faith.

The pilot later told passengers he himself would be available at the end of the flight to talk about his first announcement.

Wagner said the airline was investigating the incident.

"It falls along the lines of a personal level of sharing that may not be appropriate for one of our employees to do while on the job," he said.

The pilot had just returned to work from a weeklong mission trip to Costa Rica, Wagner said.

[tommy]

Hey man, if the other people don't wanna talk, they don't have to. Would that article have been written if the pilot had suggested baseball fans talk to others about their great sport? I kinda doubt it.

[nccanes]

Hey man, if the other people don't wanna talk, they don't have to. Would that article have been written if the pilot had suggested baseball fans talk to others about their great sport? I kinda doubt it.

First off, I think it's inappropriate for a pilot to suggest the passengers talk about anything. Certainly not part of his job description. I understand the point you're trying to make, but comparing Christianity to baseball isn't really fair. Would it offend you if the pilot asked people to raise their hands if they were virgins and suggested the others discuss their sex lives with the virgins?

And did you ever consider that given today's climate and fear of terrorism that people might have been a little frightened about being asked to say if they were or weren't Christians?

[tommy]

First off, I think it's inappropriate for a pilot to suggest the passengers talk about anything. Certainly not part of his job description. I understand the point you're trying to make, but comparing Christianity to baseball isn't really fair. Would it offend you if the pilot asked people to raise their hands if they were virgins and suggested the others discuss their sex lives with the virgins?

nccanes, i totally agree with you, that's what i was trying to say. it could have been anything that he suggested, but it isn't part of his job description.

[nccanes]

nccanes, i totally agree with you, that's what i was trying to say. it could have been anything that he suggested, but it isn't part of his job description.

Oh, okay. :)

I think you are correct, that it would not have been written if it had been about baseball, but surely mentioning Christianity is not the only thing that would have gotten his comments in the press.

[Shell]

I was on a couple of planes yesterday and one of the stewards got on the pager and discussed how great rastafarianism is.. I was not offended lol..

Millionaire Hit with Record Speeding Fine
Tue Feb 10, 8:54 AM ET Add Oddly Enough - Reuters to My Yahoo!

HELSINKI (Reuters) - One of Finland's richest men has been fined a record 170,000 euros ($217,000) for speeding through the center of the capital, police said on Tuesday.

Jussi Salonoja, 27, heir to his family's sausage business, was caught driving 50 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone last Thursday, the police said.

Finnish traffic fines vary according to the offender's income and, according to tax office data, Salonoja's 2002 earnings were close to seven million euros.

The final penalty could still change when the case is eventually heard by a Helsinki court, as was the case with Nokia (news - web sites) executive Anssi Vanjoki, whose 116,000-euro speeding fine was slashed by 95 percent in 2002 due to a drop in income.

If Salonoja's penalty stands, it will beat a speeding fine of more than 80,000 euros paid by Internet millionaire Jaakko Rytsola in 2000, and the 35,000-euro fine imposed on Nokia President Pekka Ala-Pietila in 2001 for running a red light.

[Jeff O Rocks]

If this poor girl had been pregnant, I guess the pharmacists expected her to give birth to a child that came from a violent maniac! :mad:

Pharmacists Fired For Refusing Morning-After Pill For Rape Victim

POSTED: 7:08 a.m. EST February 12, 2004

DENTON, Texas -- In Denton, a pharmacist for Eckerd said he and two other pharmacists have been fired.

The three had refused to fill an emergency contraception prescription for a woman who had been raped. Gene Herr said he and two co-workers, whom he would not name, were fired Jan. 29, six days after declining to fill the prescription.

Herr said he refused to fill the prescription for the so-called "morning-after pill" because he believes it could have killed the embryo if the woman already had conceived.

Herr said he was unaware that Eckerd policy prohibits pharmacists from opting out of filling a prescription for religious, moral or ethical reasons.

Eckerd has declined to comment. An official for the Florida-based company would say only that the company took appropriate disciplinary action.

The two other pharmacists who were present at the time also declined to fill the prescription.

The rape victim had the prescription filled at another pharmacy.

[moonstomper]

I saw that too Monie, unbelievable :mad:

[moonstomper]

Danvers Fire Department gets their first female firefighter!

But "she" was a "he" (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/12/danvers_firefighter_undergoing_sex_change/url)

[Jeff O Rocks]

Check this out.. :eek: :crazy:

Is that a shark on your leg, mate?
Bit by predator, Australian snorkeler has to drive to get it removed
Updated: 9:21 a.m. ET Feb. 11, 2004CANBERRA, Australia - A snorkeler attacked by a shark off Australia’s east coast swam to shore with the predator still gripping his leg and then drove to a lifesavers’ club to have it removed.

Australian Luke Tresoglavic, 22, was snorkeling on a reef off Caves Beach, about 75 miles north of Sydney, when a wobbegong shark about 2 feet long bit him just below the kneecap and held on.

“The shark just wouldn’t budge so he held onto it as it was thrashing around and swam to shore,” Tresoglavic’s mother, Caroline, told Reuters on Wednesday.

“It still wouldn’t let got so he got into his car and drove up to the lifesavers’ clubhouse nearby for help. Luckily he didn’t panic or he could have ended up in trouble in the water.”

Lifesavers removed the shark by hosing it with fresh water, but its minute, razor-like teeth left about 70 puncture marks. Tresoglavic then drove to hospital, but turned out not to need stitches, just a course of antibiotics.

The Tresoglavics buried the dead shark in their garden. Wobbegong sharks, are also known as carpet sharks because of their color, can grow up to 10 feet long and are unique to Australian waters, the national parks authority says.

Two species -- the banded and the spotted -- live in the waters around the state of New South Wales, and are known to scientists as Orectolobus ornatus and Orectolobus maculatus respectively. It was not known which type attacked Tresoglavic.