BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Sep 10 - 03:15 PM

Sex isn't going to go away, so comments will continue, although not as disparaging as in the past.

La Conquistadora is bound up in the history of La Villa Real and has especial meaning to those who have ties to original families who settled in New Mexico before the takeover by the United States, especially those families who experienced the Jornada del Muerto (1680). The statue was carried by those fleeing the Indian revolt, and brought back in triumph with them.
These settlers have been eclipsed by the wave of immigrants from outside, but their history is important to them.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Sep 10 - 01:50 AM

That Santa Fe icon is just like a Barbie Doll for the church faithful.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 17 Sep 10 - 10:50 PM

Every year a group of politicians, journalists & other interested women gather together examples of sexist comments that hit the news in the previous 12 months & vote for the winners of the Ernies. I can't remember who the original Ernie was, but now I know!

Ernies and dirt dished at sexist awards Politicians, businessmen and even women have been condemned at the annual Ernie Awards, which showcase the worst of sexist behaviour.

The Ernies, now in their 18th year, were held last night at New South Wales Parliament House in Sydney.

And there was plenty of sexist material from both men and women for a room full of judges to choose from.

NSW MP Adrian Piccoli was nominated for telling Premier Kristina Keneally that her hairspray would contribute to global warming.

Columnist Miranda Devine was nominated for writing that: "Some of the world's most charming people are men who love women too much. They might not make the greatest husbands, but many women enjoy their attention, so we shouldn't be out to stigmatise energetic heterosexuality".

But with a federal election contested this year, the politics section brought the most number of nominations.

Australian Christian Lobby CEO Jim Wallace was nominated for his comments regarding Prime Minister Julia Gillard's living arrangements, when he said they would be a factor in the way many Christians voted.

Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce got a nod for his comments after being dumped from the finance portfolio, when he said: "You lose one girlfriend, you find another one".

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott also came in for criticism, leading the field with eight nominations.

But the Gold Ernie, awarded to the night's overall winner, went to students from St Paul's College at the University of Sydney. The students set up an offensive Facebook page that encouraged rape against women.

"Always something to do with rape and consent and sexual assault wins, because that is what women just feel angriest about," Awards founder Meredith Burgmann said.

Ms Burgmann said the event aimed to highlight gender imbalances between men and women.

"Every year I think no-one's going to say anything terrible, there won't be any nominations, and yet every year we have 100, 200 nominations for terrible things that men have said in the past 12 months, so it doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon," she said.

=====

Miranda Divine - right wing columnist referring to a sexual harassment case in the courts.

Our Prime Minister Julia Gillard is - 1. unmarried & living with a bloke! - 2. has no children - so has been referred to as barren (ie. knows nothing about children & family life) in the past.

Barnaby Joyce & Tony Abbot - politicians from the right - Abbott has won many Ernies.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 05:09 AM

Amos - as at least one family has grand-dad/ma's body somewhere in the house, & several had been collecting pensions for years for the body or a missing relative, probably! if you want further info you could follow the links in the story I posted.

Q - it would be interesting to see the whole collection - the relevant pics here are intriguing. Google image search - "La Conquistadora" I've seen pics of dressed religious statues in historic costume books, & they are a fascinating example of past fashions, textiles & jewellery.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 11 Sep 10 - 06:32 PM

The Wardrobe of La Conquistadora.

The most respected persona in Santa Fe and a subject of devotion is a small wooden statue (30") of the Virgin, brought to the royal city in 1625 by oxcart from Mexico.
She made the jornada twice, the second during the Indian rebellion, when the colonists were forced to leave. The Santa Fe Fiesta commemorates the re-conquest.
La Conquistadora has her own chapel, in bright colonial style, contrasting with the rest of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Through the years she has acquired a large wardrobe, now over 200 costumes. She is dressed in a new one once a month and daily during the novena in June. She wears her finest in procession through town.
Many are embroidered and jeweled, made by the devoted.

Some of her costumes and jewelry are on display at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art in Santa Fe. The sacristan of the cofradia who care for her made the selection from their place in the cathedral.
Included are some of her crowns, including the Corona Grande, a golden papal crown bestowed in ceremony by the pope's representative, valued at $65,000.
Her cross, encrusted with emeralds, sapphires and diamonds, is valued at $100,000.
The cofradia entrusted with her care dates to 1685 and the Re-conquest.
Her "autobiography" was written by Fra Angelico Chavez in 1975.

"Museum Exhibit provides closer look at La Conquistadora's collection of costumes," Anne Constable, The New Mexican, Sept. 10, 2010..

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 11 Sep 10 - 05:36 PM

Was this a nation-wide pension scam?


A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Sep 10 - 11:49 AM

I started hearing about that story a few weeks ago. This should be interesting as they sort out who is still actually around, and who isn't.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 11 Sep 10 - 11:35 AM

230,000 Japanese centenarians missing or dead Japanese officials say more than 230,000 people listed as being over the age of 100 cannot be found.

Famed for the longevity of its people, Japan has been forced to do some national soul-searching, after several citizens, recognised as being over 100, were actually found to have been dead for decades.

The government launched a nationwide audit of family registries and found that more than 230,000 people listed as reaching three figures were either dead or missing.

The survey also discovered records for nearly 1,000 people who would be 150 or older.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Sep 10 - 02:28 AM

Dog named "Hewitt Avenue" because of where he was handed over, in traffic, to a councilman in Everett, WA.

EVERETT -- The most loyal public servant in Snohomish County government starts each day with a burst of energy that sends his mop of black and brown hair bouncing.

He drops by his favorite staffers on the eighth floor, jumping on desks, looking ready to do a back flip at any moment. Then, full of treats and attention, he abruptly patters to his master's office and takes a nap.

Meet Hewitt, the dog referred to as the sixth member of the County Council.

In reality, there are five elected council members. Hewitt is a terrier mix about the size of a small poodle. He's been a fixture at the office for about a year and a half, after being handed through a car window one day as County Councilman Dave Somers sat in traffic.

"He could stay at home, but he's just so much fun," Somers said. "He enjoys us, and he fits right in. So we've settled into a routine here."

The routine traces its origins to a sunny fall afternoon about two years ago.

See the rest at the link.


Cute story.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 09 Sep 10 - 01:28 PM

The Danish cartoonist who caused such an uproar with his image of Mohammed with a bomb in his turban has been awarded an industry prize for courage in journalism, with spokeswoman Merckel giving the keynote speech. Der Spiegel remarks that either our memories are short or our values are highly malleable.


A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Sep 10 - 12:24 PM

Interesting article

Fidel: 'Cuban Model Doesn't Even Work For Us Anymore'

There were many odd things about my recent Havana stopover (apart from the dolphin show, which I'll get to shortly), but one of the most unusual was Fidel Castro's level of self-reflection. I only have limited experience with Communist autocrats (I have more experience with non-Communist autocrats) but it seemed truly striking that Castro was willing to admit that he misplayed his hand at a crucial moment in the Cuban Missile Crisis (you can read about what he said toward the end of my previous post - but he said, in so many words, that he regrets asking Khruschev to nuke the U.S.).

Even more striking was something he said at lunch on the day of our first meeting. We were seated around a smallish table; Castro, his wife, Dalia, his son; Antonio; Randy Alonso, a major figure in the government-run media; and Julia Sweig, the friend I brought with me to make sure, among other things, that I didn't say anything too stupid (Julia is a leading Latin American scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations). I initially was mainly interested in watching Fidel eat - it was a combination of digestive problems that conspired to nearly kill him, and so I thought I would do a bit of gastrointestinal Kremlinology and keep a careful eye on what he took in (for the record, he ingested small amounts of fish and salad, and quite a bit of bread dipped in olive oil, as well as a glass of red wine). But during the generally lighthearted conversation (we had just spent three hours talking about Iran and the Middle East), I asked him if he believed the Cuban model was still something worth exporting.

"The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore," he said.

This struck me as the mother of all Emily Litella moments. Did the leader of the Revolution just say, in essence, "Never mind"?

I asked Julia to interpret this stunning statement for me. She said, "He wasn't rejecting the ideas of the Revolution. I took it to be an acknowledgment that under 'the Cuban model' the state has much too big a role in the economic life of the country."

Read the rest at the site. I think it is one in a series.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 09 Sep 10 - 10:30 AM

Fidel Castro takes a journalist to a dolphin exhibit and says the Cuban model isn't working; Che's daughter as dolphin veterinarian; and other wonders.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Sep 10 - 03:28 PM

I imagine so. I've managed to live my life so far without experiencing any. I remember a couple of cat fights in the dorm, though, that might come in a close second (and were the reason I didn't spend long living in a dorm!)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Sep 10 - 03:21 PM

I probably confused it even more by cutting out parts of it. But aren't all bar brawls confused?

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Sep 10 - 11:51 AM

There's a reason why that reporter is working out in the boonies. That is a very confused telling of the story, isn't it?

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Sep 10 - 03:37 PM

The old western bar brawl still lives.
A professional cage boxer (female), the governor of Pojoaque Pueblo, the manager of the City of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe County Clerk were involved in a brawl at the Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino (a four-star resort owned by Pojoaque Pueblo).
Pojoaque tribal Police Department Sgt. Glen Gutierrez said the fur flew long after the official fight finished and continued into the early hours.
Felicia Romero approached a Tribal officer and said her ex-husband, Santa Fe City Manager, was there although she had a protective order against him. When approached, the man called Pueblo Governor George Rivera on his cellphone; the governor talked with the officer (content not disclosed). Records later showed that it was the City Manager who had the restraining order against the ex-wife.
She was escorted out but later sneaked back in. She approached County Clerk Valerie Espinosa and City Manager Robert Romero who were drinking together and started throwing punches.
Reports were confused, but the County Clerk ended on the ground. Boxer Monica Lovato was hit with Mrs Romero's purse.
In the ensuing brawl, both Romero and Espinosa received slight injuries. Both Mrs. Romero and boxer Monica Lovato were charged with public affray. The boxer is now in Tokyo but is supposed to appear at a pre-trial conference Sept. 27.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Sep 10 - 07:52 PM

I bet this is one that David Letterman won't try to duplicate from the top of his theater.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 01 Sep 10 - 06:57 PM

NEW YORK -- A New York City man who plunged 40 stories from the rooftop of an apartment building has survived after crashing onto a parked car.

Witnesses and police say 22-year-old Thomas Magill jumped from the high-rise at West 63rd Street on Tuesday. He landed in the backseat area of a Dodge Charger after crashing through the windshield.

He suffered broken legs. Police say he's in critical condition.

The car's owner, Guy McCormack, of Old Bridge, N.J., told the Daily News he's convinced that rosary beads he kept inside the Dodge saved Magill's life.

Police are investigating why Magill jumped from the building.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 19 Aug 10 - 04:38 PM

Put your paws up!

Police raiding two marijuana fields in Canada encountered 13 black bears wandering the grounds.

When the cops arrived to the premises at Christina Lake, British Columbia, two weeks ago, they discovered the animals and nervously seized the fields, which contained about 2,300 cannabis plants.

It is not clear if the bears were the owners' pets or if they were being used to guard the marijuana fields.

Police Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told the Toronto Star that the cops soon learned the bears were tame and accustomed to being around humans.

"As the members are conducting the search of the house, at one point in time the (home owner) has to shoo a bear out of the residence and out of the way, coming out of the basement," Moskaluk said.

"The owner tried to assure, 'Don't worry, they won't become aggressive towards you, just don't approach them and things will be fine.' Certainly it's a little bit of an odd situation to be in."

Two adults at the location were arrested and face charges of production and possession of a controlled substance.

According to the newspaper, cops also bumped into a pot-bellied pig and a raccoon sleeping in one of the bedrooms

"The pig was a little frantic at the sight of police, but the raccoon was pretty laid back about the bust and took it all in stride," said Moskaluk.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/08/19/2010-08-19_canada_cops_encounter_bears_surrounding_marijuana_fields_during_bust_at_christin.html#ixzz0x5PTyqYh

---

Oh, there was green alligators and some long-necked geese
Some humpy-backed camels and a chimpanzee.... :D


A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 17 Aug 10 - 01:30 PM

Geek Squad owners send cease-and-desist letter to God Squad

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Virus infected your computer? Call the Geek Squad.

Temptation infected your soul? Ring up the God Squad - just don't expect Father Luke Strand to show up in the same clever little car he's been driving since his days in the seminary.

The young priest's attempt to add a little fun to his ministry has apparently run afoul of some corporate lawyers who care more about strictly enforcing trademarks than eternal salvation.

Best Buy, the Minnesota-based electronics retailing giant, recently sent Strand a cease-and-desist letter concerning his car. The black Volkswagen Beetle has oval door stickers that read "God Squad" in a logo very similar to the black, white and orange logos on black-and-white Geek Squad Beetles driven by the computer and electronics trouble-shooters.

The car has been around for at least two years, when it was featured in a photo of Strand and his then-colleagues at St. Francis de Sales Seminary. The car has a white square on the hood, to mimic a priest's collar, and the license plate reads, GODLVYA.

Strand, since ordained, now works at Holy Family Catholic Community in Fond du Lac. He declined to talk with a reporter about Best Buy's concerns.

But Father Dan Janasik, who was in the photo with Strand, recalled the car.

"There was never any kind of formal God Squad group or organization. Father Luke and some friends simply decided to design a car that would act as a cool and fun way to bring our faith into the public. It's just a conversation starter," Janasik said in an e-mail.

"It's obviously not a Best Buy vehicle. When people see the car in public they usually laugh, and then it leads into lots of great conversations with strangers about faith and God."

Paula Baldwin, senior manager for public relations at Best Buy, said the company aggressively defends its trademarks and notified Strand "because of the unfortunate similarities between their logo and ours."

"This was a really difficult thing for us to do because we appreciate what Father Strand is trying to accomplish with his mission. But at the end of the day, it's bad precedent to let some groups violate our trademark while pursuing others," she said in an e-mail.

Baldwin said Best Buy is working with Strand to alter the God Squad logo in a way that it will still work for him without infringing on the Geek Squad trademark.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 16 Aug 10 - 11:51 PM

Billy the Kid was bamboozled out of a pardon for which he made a deal with the governor of New Mexico. Now the present Governor is considering granting the overdue pardon but Pat Garrett's great-grandchildren don't like the idea atall!



A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 12 Aug 10 - 02:08 PM

BOSTON (AP) -- Doctors say they have found a pea sprouting in the lung of a 75-year-old Massachusetts man.

Doctors feared the worst when they studied Ron Sveden's (SVEE'-dehn) X-rays and spotted a small dark spot.

The former teacher had worked for years smoking fish and had already had emphysema before he felt his health take a turn for the worse this summer.

By the time Sveden reached the hospital, he had a collapsed left lung and pneumonia. Two biopsies came back negative for lung cancer.

Feeding a scope down Sveden's throat, Dr. Jeff Spillane scraped away at an encrusted mass and discovered a sprout. Spillane says Sveden apparently inhaled a pea that took root in his lung.

Spillane removed it, and Sveden's health has returned.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 11 Aug 10 - 09:02 PM

Albino python on cocaine confronts police

Police raiding a drug den in the Italian capital have been confronted by an aggressive albino python which was used to intimidate addicts.

Police had been tipped off that they would find "an animal" during the raid on the apartment in the centre of Rome, and when they opened the door they saw a striped yellow and white snake curled up on a heat mat.

The snake, which was three metres long and was kept hungry so that it would be more aggressive, was allowed to roam the apartment to scare addicts into paying for their drugs, police said.

Animal services were called to capture the snake, which was tempted into captivity using a whole chicken and sent to a nearby zoo.

The reptile had been resting on 200 grams of pure cocaine, and a further five kilograms were found in the apartment.

Six people were arrested in the raid, on top of another six who were already in custody.

The 12 were charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine and illegal possession of a protected species.

- AFP

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 11 Aug 10 - 03:24 PM

4 Sisters Have 4 Babies in 4 Days
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 11, 2010

Filed at 2:57 p.m. ET

CHICAGO (AP) -- Four sisters from one family have each given birth within four days. That's four sisters, four babies, four days. The same obstetrician delivered the babies of three of the sisters -- 27-year-old Lilian Sepulveda, 29-year-old Saby Pazos and 24-year-old Leslie Pazos -- in the same suburban Chicago hospital on Friday and Saturday.

A fourth sister, Heidi Lopez, gave birth on Monday in California.

Family members said the women didn't plan the timing.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Aug 10 - 12:21 AM

Pop that babe onto the nip, Mom, and bring her back to full health!

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 07 Aug 10 - 10:07 PM

AP:

MEXICO CITY Ñ Authorities in Mexico say a newborn baby girl declared dead by doctors revived inside her coffin during her wake.

Hidalgo state Attorney General Jose Rodriguez says the parents heard a strange noise coming from the tiny casket. Opening it up, they found her crying and very much alive.

Rodriguez told state public radio Thursday that the doctor who pronounced the girl dead at a hospital in the town of Tulancingo is being investigated for possible negligence.

The baby, who was born prematurely Monday, is in stable condition at a different hospital.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 07 Aug 10 - 12:11 AM

Some good news for a change:

Court Rejects Warrantless GPS Tracking

http://www.eff.org/press/archives/2010/08/06-0

EFF-ACLU Arguments Against Always-On Surveillance Win The Day

Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today firmly rejected government claims that federal agents have an unfettered right to install Global Positioning System (GPS) location-tracking devices on anyone's car without a search warrant.

In United States v. Maynard, FBI agents planted a GPS device on a car while it was on private property and then used it to track the position of the automobile every ten seconds for a full month, all without securing a search warrant. In an amicus brief filed in the case, EFF and the ACLU of the Nation's Capital argued that unsupervised use of such tactics would open the door for police to abuse their power and continuously track anyone's physical location for any reason, without ever having to go to a judge to prove the surveillance is justified.

The court agreed that such round-the-clock surveillance required a search warrant based on probable cause. The court expressly rejected the government's argument that such extended, 24-hours-per-day surveillance without warrants was constitutional based on previous rulings about limited, point-to-point surveillance of public activities using radio-based tracking beepers. Recognizing that the Supreme Court had never considered location tracking of such length and scope, the court noted: "When it comes to privacy...the whole may be more revealing than its parts."

The court continued: "It is one thing for a passerby to observe or even to follow someone during a single journey as he goes to the market or returns home from work. It is another thing entirely for that stranger to pick up the scent again the next day and the day after that, week in and week out, dogging his prey until he has identified all the places, people, amusements, and chores that make up that person's hitherto private routine."

"The court correctly recognized the important differences between limited surveillance of public activities possible through visual surveillance or traditional 'bumper beepers,' and the sort of extended, invasive, pervasive, always-on tracking that GPS devices allow," said EFF Civil Liberties Director Jennifer Granick. "This same logic applies in cases of cell phone tracking, and we hope that this decision will be followed by courts that are currently grappling with the question of whether the government must obtain a warrant before using your cell phone as a tracking device."

"GPS tracking enables the police to know when you visit your doctor, your lawyer, your church, or your lover," said Arthur Spitzer, Legal Director of the ACLU-NCA. "And if many people are tracked, GPS data will show when and where they cross paths. Judicial supervision of this powerful technology is essential if we are to preserve individual liberty. Today's decision helps brings the Fourth Amendment into the 21st Century."

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Aug 10 - 12:11 AM

Another Winnie who didn't live up to expectations.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 07 Aug 10 - 12:01 AM

One of Italy's most wanted mafia godfathers has been arrested after seven years on the run after police traced him to his wife's mobile registered in the name of Winnie the Pooh.

Vittorio Pirozzi, 58, who was on Italy's 100 most wanted mafia gangsters list, had been a fugitive from the Italian police since 2003, during which time he allegedly ran drug-trafficking operations in Spain and Belgium.

He remained in close contact with his wife but changed the SIM card in his mobile phone every two weeks in order to avoid his location being traced.


His wife, however, was not so prudent, calling and texting her husband on a mobile phone which was registered under the alias of AA Milne's character.

Police managed to crack a code that Pirozzi used when he called his wife's mobile at a fixed time on the same day every two weeks.

After intercepting calls, they followed his wife to Brussels this week and discovered that Pirozzi, a senior member of the Naples-based Camorra mafia, was living in a modest apartment in the centre of the city.

Police and Interpol agents raided the flat on Wednesday night, apprehending Pirozzi on an international arrest warrant issued by Italian judges. Police said he was not armed and did not put up any resistance.

He appeared in a court in Brussels and will be extradited back to Italy, where he will serve a 15 year prison sentence after being convicted in absentia on drug trafficking charges in 2003.

The Naples police chief who led the operation, Vittorio Pisani, said Pirozzi had divided his time on the run between Brussels and Malaga, in Spain.
...

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 07:55 PM

Scientist Makes Breakthrough--Wife Unimpressed


A pair of Japanese and US computer whizzes claim to have calculated pi to five trillion decimal places -- a number which if verified eclipses the previous record set by a French software engineer.

"We believe our achievement sets a new record," Japanese system engineer Shigeru Kondo said, adding that the French man's calculation to nearly 2.7 trillion places was believed to be the previous record.

The 54-year-old from central Japan, teamed up with Alexander Yee, a US computer science student, to set about calculating the constant that has fascinated mathematicians for millennia.

Pi, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, starts with 3.14159 in a string whose digits are believed to never repeat or end.

"Alexander provided software and I was in charge of hardware. We couldn't have achieved the results without either of us," Kondo said, adding that the two men worked together while communicating by email.

It took 90 days to calculate pi at Kondo's home using a desktop computer with 20 external hard disks. It ran on the operating system Windows Server 2008R2 and used powerful Intel microprocessors. Verification took 64 hours.

Kondo built the computer by himself, procuring parts from local electronics shops and via the Internet. "I don't really want to say how much it cost me as my family may hear it... it's about 18,000 dollars," he told AFP by telephone.

It was midnight in Japan when the computer reached five trillion decimal places. "I was alone in the room at the moment... I know this is nothing but self satisfaction," he said.
His mother and wife who live with him were sleeping at that time and later showed "no particular feelings" despite his sense of achievement, he said.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jul 10 - 04:49 PM

Kenyan gets 14 years for sex with donkey; blames devil

A Kenyan court sentenced a 30-year-old man Wednesday to 14 years in jail for having sex with a donkey.

Stephen Kipkemoi Rono was convicted after pleading guilty before a court in the southern town of Narok.

The father of two was charged with having "carnal knowledge of an animal, namely a donkey, which is against the order of nature."

Rono pleaded for leniency claiming that he had been deceived by the devil. He has two weeks to appeal the sentence.

"I am sorry. I plead for leniency because it's the devil who sent me. I have been living alone since my wife left me to marry another man," he told the court.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 26 Jul 10 - 10:49 AM

CARDIFF-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. (AP) — A bronze surfer statue near San Diego has been the target of many gags, but never one this big and scary.

Unknown predawn pranksters on Saturday surrounded the roadside statue in Cardiff-by-the-Sea with a papier mache model of a great white shark that appeared to be swallowing it whole.

Crowds of gawkers and photographers gathered around the 16-foot creation after the sun rose.

San Diego County sheriff's Lt. Tony Ray said no criminal report was filed because there was no damage to the statue.

The $120,000 sculpture called "Magic Carpet Ride" was commissioned by the Cardiff Botanical Society in 2007.

The statue has been bedecked with bras, skirts and witch hats so many times that locals have come to call it "The Cardiff Kook."

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jul 10 - 11:23 AM

Caterpillars move guts-first
link

X-ray analysis shows the insects slide their guts ahead before moving the rest of their body in a unique form of motion that may inspire robot designs. (The article uses a photo of my old friend, the tobacco hornworm.)

The gravity-defying crawl of caterpillars, which has the guts sliding forward before the rest of the caterpillar moves, represents a unique "two-body" system of locomotion that has never been reported before for any other insect or animal, according to a new study.

In addition to shedding light on how organisms can crawl in three dimensional structures, such as tubes and hollow branches, the finding -- reported in the latest issue of Current Biology -- is also inspiring new designs for soft-bodied robots.

Humans, however, could never truly mimic a caterpillar crawl with our own bodies -- our guts aren't loose enough.

"One way to think about it is to imagine you're crawling on your hands and feet," lead author Michael Simon told Discovery News. "Normally, as you move forward, all of your internal tissues move forward with you. It makes sense, as it's all packed into your rib cage. But imagine if, instead, as you began to bring your back leg forward, your liver suddenly began to slide upward toward your neck."

"Quite impossible in humans, of course, because of how our organs are packed, attached to one another and to our skeleton, but the caterpillar gut is not so confined," added Simon, a Tufts University research assistant in the Biomimetic Devices Laboratory.

He and his team made the discovery by accident, while using sophisticated X-ray technology to see what happens inside caterpillars when they move. This was for a planned neurosensory experiment. The scientists expected to find fluid sloshing around inside the caterpillars.

Instead, they determined that at the start of each caterpillar crawl, the gut in the insect's mid-body segments moved in advance of the body wall and before the attached limbs, known as prolegs, swung.

"Basically the movements of the gut are independent of the surrounding body," Simon explained. "This is not to say that it is totally disconnected; it still is at both ends. But the body wall undergoes muscular contractions that move the body forward, whereas the gut changes shape and moves around within the body based only on the movements of the front and back of the animal."

The researchers predict leeches might also have such a sliding gut locomotion system. As Simon points out, "the leech gut already has considerable freedom of movement, since it must absorb such large blood meals."

The scientists theorize this form of movement benefits insect "eating machines" that spend much of their time feasting. In the case of caterpillars, their chief goals in life are to eat, grow and survive.

"Anything that would interfere with these goals would be a disadvantage," explained Simon. "If the gut were confined to individual segments, as in an earthworm (which is segmented), I would speculate that body movements would be transmitted through individual parts of the gut."

This, he said, might interfere with crawling, which is a forward-moving wave, and digestion, which involves backward-moving contractions.

Aside from promoting efficiency, the unusual gut-first, body-later movement may also improve the insect's balance, control and ability to grip. The technique is already being considered for soft-bodied robots with the ability to carry internal cargo, such as chemicals, electronics or even smaller robots.

"So, for example, if I wish to design a search and rescue robot that can morph its body shape as it winds through debris, as I'd like it to carry, say, a video camera and microphone to transmit information back, the way the electronics are carried within the robot may be dictated by, and play a role in, the control of the robot's movements," he said.

Susan Ernst, a Tufts professor of biology who did not work on the project, agreed that such robots and related research "could help scientists and engineers around the world navigate complex and even dangerous situations."

Simon says he's still surprised something so "commonplace and humble" as a caterpillar could exhibit such a "wealth of amazing phenomena" with so many important potential applications.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Jack Campin
Date: 21 Jul 10 - 12:23 PM

From Al-Jazeera:

Israel jails Arab for 'deceit rape'
===================================

Many Israeli Jews have hostile views of mixed relationships with Arabs [EPA]

An Arab living in Israel has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for having consensual sex with an Israeli woman who apparently believed he was Jewish.

Sabbar Kashur was sentenced on Monday after being convicted of "rape by deception".

According to the court, Kashur met a Jewish woman in Jerusalem in 2008 and introduced himself as a single Jew looking for a serious relationship. The two had sex in a nearby building.

The woman filed a criminal complaint after learning Kashur was Arab, not Jewish.

Prosecutors acknowledged that the sex was consensual, but accused him of misrepresenting himself.

The court agreed, sentencing Kashur despite acknowledging that his case was not "a classical rape by force".

"If she hadn't thought the accused was a Jewish bachelor interested in a serious romantic relationship, she would not have co-operated," the judges said in their ruling.

"The court must protect the public interest against sophisticated criminals with a smooth tongue and sweet talking, who can lead astray innocent victims."

'Deceit'

The Israeli criminal code mentions "deceit" as a possible aggravating factor in sexual assault cases and the verdict in Kashur's case is not the first time an Israeli court has sentenced a man for "rape by deception," according to several Israeli lawyers.

"The court must protect the public interest against sophisticated criminals with a smooth tongue and sweet talking, who can lead astray innocent victims"

Judicial ruling

The most notable case was in 2008, when Israel's high court of justice upheld the conviction of Zvi Sleiman, a man who impersonated a housing ministry official and promised women apartments and benefits in exchange for sex.

A rape conviction sentence could be upheld, the court ruled, when "a person lies does not tell the truth regarding critical matters to a reasonable woman".

Several other men have been convicted of "rape by deception" since that ruling.

But the Kashur case appears to be the first time a person's race has been used as the determining factor.

"In this case, the ruling seems to say that if a 'reasonable' Jewish woman knew a man was an Arab, then she would not make love to him," Abeer Baker, an attorney with Adalah, an organisation that advocates for Arab rights in Israel, said.

Baker called it a "dangerous precedent," saying it would allow the Israeli government to interfere in the private lives of citizens.

"It's interfering in a very intimate, personal decision," she said. "That should be made between two people. The court should not interfere."

Open hostility

Similar laws have been controversial in other countries, as well. A man in the United States was convicted in 2007 of impersonating his brother in order to have sex with his girlfriend. That conviction was overturned on appeal, though, after an appellate court ruled that rape laws apply only to non-consensual sex.

Kashur's case also highlights the open hostility with which many Israeli Jews view mixed relationships with Arabs, who make up one-fifth of the population of Israel.
IN depth

Blog:
        Is being Arab Israeli's criteria for rape?

A poll conducted in 2007 by Israel's Geocartography Institute found that more than 50 per cent of Israeli Jews thought marrying an Arab was "equal to national treason". Jews are legally forbidden to intermarry in Israel.

The Sunday Times reported in 2009 on a squad of "vigilantes" in the Jewish settlement of Pisgat Zeev. The group has patrolled the streets for more than a decade looking for mixed couples.

And in 2009, the town of Petah Tikva established a team of counsellors and psychologists to "rescue" Jewish women from relationships with Arab men.

The Israeli daily Maariv reported in February that Tel Aviv had launched a similar programme.

Gideon Levy, a liberal columnist with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, said the "rape by deception" law would have been applied differently if a Jewish man had sex with an Arab woman under false pretences.

"Would he have been convicted of rape?" Levy asked. "The answer is: of course not."

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 21 Jul 10 - 11:53 AM

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A Malaysian man said he nearly fainted when he received a $218 trillion phone bill and was ordered to pay up within 10 days or face prosecution, a newspaper reported Monday.Yahaya Wahab said he disconnected his late father's phone line in January after he died and settled the 84 ringgit ($23) bill, the New Straits Times reported.

But Telekom Malaysia later sent him a 806,400,000,000,000.01 ringgit ($218 trillion) bill for recent telephone calls along with orders to settle within 10 days or face legal proceedings, the newspaper reported.

It wasn't clear whether the bill was a mistake, or if Yahaya's father's phone line was used illegally after after his death.

"If the company wants to seek legal action as mentioned in the letter, I'm ready to face it," the paper quoted Yahaya as saying. "In fact, I can't wait to face it," he said.

Yahaya, from northern Kedah state, received a notice from the company's debt-collection agency in early April, the paper said. Yahaya said he nearly fainted when he saw the new bill.

Government-linked Telekom Malaysia Bhd. is the country's largest telecommunications company.

A company official, who declined to be identified as she was not authorized to speak to the media, said Telekom Malaysia was aware of Yahaya's case and would address it. She did not provide further details.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 09:02 PM

By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER

A New York judge has issued a temporary restraining order restricting the transfer of Facebook Inc.'s assets, following a suit by a New York man who claims to own an 84% stake in the social-networking company.

Paul D. Ceglia filed a suit in the Supreme Court of New York's Allegany County on June 30, claiming that a 2003 contract he signed with Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg entitles him to ownership of the company and monetary damages.

The suit is being heard by Judge Thomas Brown, who issued the temporary restraining order earlier this month. Facebook has requested that the case be moved to federal court.

In his suit, Mr. Ceglia claims he signed a contract with Mr. Zuckerberg on April 28, 2003, to develop and design a website, paying a $1,000 fee but getting a 50% stake in the product. The contract stipulated that Mr. Ceglia would get an additional 1% interest in the business for every day after Jan. 1, 2004, until it was completed.

In a statement, a spokesman for closely held Facebook said, "We believe this suit is completely frivolous and we will fight it vigorously."

Mr. Ceglia didn't return calls seeking comment. His lawyer, Paul A. Argentieri, also didn't return a call for comment.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 08:48 PM

Three ambulances, two kangaroos, one big delay

An unwelcome encounter with some kangaroos has caused an expensive delay for ambulances responding to a call near Stawell, in western Victoria.

An ambulance was called to pick up a patient at Halls Gap, but was damaged after hitting a kangaroo, about 15 kilometres from Stawell.

A second ambulance was dispatched to the scene.

But it too, hit a kangaroo, only about half a kilometre from the first ambulance.

A third ambulance was called and the patient, who was in a stable condition, was taken to hospital without further incident.

It is expected to cost $10,000 to repair the damage to the two ambulances.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: frogprince
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 01:14 PM

This reminds me, I gotta check and see if our local resort got a bigger turnout than for the first Guiness event last year. One of the small sorrows of my life these days is that we've had a conflict to keep us from getting in on the two record attempts so far, and probably will have for the indefinite future.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 12:53 PM

"Proving that nothing succeeds like excess, 111 Los Gatos skinny-dippers crowded into a pool on Saturday to go boldly where few naked people have gone before: the Guinness book of world records.

Pudgy, slender, tanned, pale, firm and droopy — sharing only sunscreen — the happy crowd cheered for official eyewitnesses, who took a photo to submit proof for the history books.

"We're all here because we're dedicated to acceptance and mutual respect," said Lupin Lodge owner Glyn Stout, 72, who removed his hearing aids to jump into the water.

Then they celebrated with a picnic of barbecued ribs, corn and apple pie. Only the cook, perhaps nervous about hot coals, wore a shirt.

Lupin was one of dozens of clubs, camps and beaches across America that participated in the event, coordinated by the American Association for Nude Recreation, that capped the end of Nude Recreation Week, July 5-11.

Rules were exacting: To be counted, participants had to be nude in an American Association for Nude Recreation-sanctioned site at exactly noon ("Pacific Naked Time"). An estimated 100 groups participated, from steamy Decatur, Texas, to goose-bumpy British Columbia.

Los Gatos hills

It's a new tradition for the historic Lupin, the oldest member of the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce in a rural part of town called Aldercroft Heights. Built on the remnants of a pre-Prohibition winery, it sits in a deep crease of the Los Gatos hills, bathed in sunshine and shielded from view.

It's easy to assume that nudists are just exhibitionists with iPods. But nothing could be further from the truth, they say. Many just want to play tennis without annoying shorts. Or ride home on a motorcycle without a wet swimsuit.

There's a Needlepoint Club. Children gambol the grounds. On Fridays, ladies meet for lunch.

Erudite, its members gather for book clubs, field trips and meals. While reading John Steinbeck, for instance, they donned clothes to tour Salinas. Discussions of the book "Shanghai Girls" featured Chinese carryout.

"It's my chosen family," said Ardis Williams, 70.

Said Cindy Gregory, with red hair and pink sunglasses: "No one's perfect, but it doesn't matter. We're all here because this is a place for the whole human being."

Fit, tanned and the father of 8-year-old twins, owner Stout is a Yale man whose classmates included Porter Goss, John Negroponte and "Bucky" Bush. He has worked hard to improve the club, moving boulders and yanking out weeds.

He's an open-minded guy. But he has one strict rule: No open fires.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: frogprince
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 04:19 PM

Gullee, to think I've been sitting around lis'n'n to junk from Bobert, and Olddude, and Amos, when I could have been lis'n'n to that kludge feller.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jul 10 - 11:22 AM

I know the cheezburger site has lots of spin-off sites. I regularly check out the Epic Kludge site (click on the banner on that page I linked to and you'll get to the current set, they add from the top, so you can scroll through older posts). And the one called "Probably Bad News" is headlines and newspaper items with unfortunate word choices. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Alice
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 11:53 PM

Musical Kludge is at a web site called There I Fixed It, a division of I Can Has Cheezburger, home of the LOLCats.

Here is a news article about cute animal pictures on the web and their place in internet culture:

CNN.com Why We Love Cute Animals Online
July 2, 2010, by Damon Brown

(CNN) -- Had your fix of LOLCats today? If you did, you're one of 16 million unique visitors hitting I Can Has Cheezburger, which features cat photos with cutesy baby-talk captions, and its affiliated sites every month.

The New York Times recently profiled web entrepreneur Ben Huh, whose $10,000 purchase of the little cute-picture website has evolved into a multimillion dollar empire of 53 sites and several best-selling books.

However, the obsession with cute animal media is hardly anything new. Back in the '70s, we had the quickly clichéd "Hang In There!" posters with an animal, usually an adorable tabby or a gray kitty, clinging to a tree branch for dear life.


Rest of the article here.. click

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jul 10 - 11:20 PM

Musical Kludge

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jun 10 - 05:39 PM

I wouldn't throw my underwear at this guy. When I did the search I was kind of expecting someone who looked like Rickie Martin. Not quite!

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jun 10 - 04:15 PM

(Reuters) - Charles Zevallos, a politician in Peru's Amazon basin, often wins kisses from female supporters, but things have moved to a whole new level as women at his rallies have started throwing their underwear at him.

Zevallos, a candidate for mayor in the province of Maynas, has made a tradition of giving fans, watches or soccer balls at his rallies in exchange for women's kisses.

But in the past few days, some supporters have taken off their underpants and tossed them to him during rallies for his progressive party, 1000 Movimiento Integracion Loretana.

Zevallos has downplayed any resemblance to Tom Jones, the Welsh crooner who for years was showered with women's panties while performing at pop music concerts.

Commentators in Peru's capital of Lima, 990 miles from Maynas, said the underwear throwing was proof that politics in the Andean country had reached a new low.

"It was spontaneous, I didn't ask for them, but then I saw a pair of yellow ones, and then another woman threw another pair at me," Zevallos said.

He said he cannot be blamed for having zealous supporters.

"I don't know if this will stop, it's really crazy here right now. The people love me," Zevallos said.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jun 10 - 07:02 PM

ALA 2010: Public Libraries Renew Community Connections With Targeted Services

Go to the journal page for all of the links embedded in this article:

By Carrie Netzer Wajda Jun 27, 2010

Six public librarians serving very different communities yesterday showcased how listening to community needs can generate ideas for innovative and popular library programs.

Clo Cammarata and Sarah Maner of Richland County Public Library, Columbia, SC, presented two popular, low-cost programs.

"In the current economic situation people are really turning to library resources," Maner said. Her library supports a crafting group called Sew Delightful by providing space, crafting books, tea, and coffee. Sew Delightful meets weekly at the library to practice and share knitting, crochet and crafting tips.

The program is especially popular with retirees, who now teach crafting workshops to children and teens. The group donates many of its goods to charity organizations such as women's and homeless shelters, Ronald McDonald House, and Hats 4 Heroes.

Cammarata described another program serving a very different community: international residents. Let's Speak English is an informal gathering in which participants can practice conversational English and find assistance with reading and writing letters, filling out forms, and other tasks. The program, which started at a single location, has since expanded to four additional libraries.

Let's Speak English has had such an impact that one participant intends to begin a similar program for internationals living in his home country, South Korea.

Outreach innovation

When San Francisco Public Library staffers noticed that major changes were in store for the U.S. citizenship exam, they assembled a team of innovative librarians to significantly upgrade the library's exam web page.

The page already was one of the top ten pages visited on the library website, given that about 20 percent of San Francisco's population is foreign-born. After the revamp--information in eight languages plus video content--there was a a 50 percent spike in traffic. Many community organizations serving internationals have linked to the new page as a primary resource for exam information.

The team has since implement EDother successful projects. Librarians need to "respond quickly to needs and innovate within [our] organizations," said Brian Bannon (an LJ Mover), one of the librarians on the project.

GED testing

Gayle Holloman of Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System described meeting a very different kind of community need.

Atlanta-Fulton, she said, is the nation's only public library offering GED testing, partnering with Atlanta Public Schools to offer test prep courses. The GED program has been so successful that the library has expanded it to include two satellite testing locations.

Help in hard times

Although the economic meltdown reached the Seattle area late, librarians were quick to notice its effects on their patrons. "Our library staff noticed a change in patron behavior," noted Julie Brand of the King County Library System, including an increase in reference questions during normal working hours and higher stress levels.

By reaching out to local news media and vendors, the library was able to create an award-winning, high-impact, low-cost media campaign called "Look to Your Library, Especially Now" (LYTL).

Targeting small business owners, job seekers and the newly laid off, the library increased circulation for LYTL resources by 89 percent and created several accidental celebrities out of the librarians who appeared in the televised publicity spots.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jun 10 - 07:37 AM

I get the impression that the role many police play here is one to intimidate. In some, I think it is a character flaw that attracts them to the job.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 26 Jun 10 - 11:50 PM

we have drivers who drive at police, too, as well as folks who pretend to be the driver in driving cases, but this is the first I remember where passenger was similarly over the limit.

Back in the late 80s when my sister was visiting the US she was pulled over for exceeding the speed limit & got a hell of a shock to see the officer with his hand on his gun as he approached. Here is Oz drivers aren't likely to be armed, so police can approach alleged offenders without worrying about retaliation, tho as road rage has risen in the last few years they're probably no longer so relaxed.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jun 10 - 01:04 PM

Over here (Texas, USA) the drunk drivers are famous for killing or maiming police.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 26 Jun 10 - 12:05 AM

'Stupid' drunk driver nearly mows down police

Two Northern Territory police officers have narrowly escaped injury after almost being mowed down by a drunk driver.

The officers say they had parked their police van on an Alice Springs street on Friday night when a car revved its engine and sped straight for them.

The car veered away with just metres to spare.

When police stopped the car they say the driver had swapped seats with his passenger.

Both were allegedly more than three times over the legal alcohol limit.

Senior Sergeant Darryl Kerr says it was a senseless act.

"[It was] very, very stupid, very dangerous," he said.

"The police officers could have been injured, or worse."

The men sobered up in the Alice Springs watch-house.

They will be charged with a range of offences including drink-driving, driving dangerously and resisting police.