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

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 01 Jul 08 - 12:07 PM

Man, that was one mellerdramatic phone call. Whew!!! HElluva thing--blowing two guys out of the water. Damn.


A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 01 Jul 08 - 10:19 PM

A drunken 78-year-old Swede stole a dinghy after a night out in the Danish town of Helsingor and tried to row back to Sweden, but fell asleep halfway, Danish police said.

When the man discovered he lacked the necessary funds to pay for the ferry from Helsingor to Helsingborg in Sweden on Saturday, he decided to row the three miles across the strait of Oresund that separates the two.

He quickly grew tired and, trusting fortune and the currents to see him safely home, took a snooze at the bottom of the boat, where Danish police later found him out at sea, still asleep.

The strait is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Police said the owner of the dinghy had decided not to press charges.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 05:35 PM

Adventurer flies on lawn chair lifted by 150 balloons

BEND, Oregon (AP) -- Riding a green lawn chair supported by a rainbow array of more than 150 helium-filled party balloons, Kent Couch took off Saturday in a third bid to fly from central Oregon all the way to Idaho.
Kent Couch gets ready for his flight Saturday. He carries 15-gallon barrels of Kool-Aid for ballast.
1 of 3

Couch kissed his wife and kids goodbye, and patted their shivering Chihuahua, Isabella, before his ground crew gave him a push so he could clear surrounding light poles and a coffee cart.

Then, clutching a big mug of coffee, Couch rose out of the parking lot of his gas station into the bright blue morning sky, cheered by a crowd of spectators.

"If I had the time and money and people, I'd do this every weekend," Couch said before getting into the chair. "Things just look different from up there. You're moving so slowly. The best thing is the peace, the serenity.

"You can hear a dog bark at 15,000 feet."

"He's crazy," said his wife, Susan. "It's never been a dull moment since I married him."

Couch hoped to ride the prevailing wind to the area of McCall, Idaho, about 230 miles east. He travels at about 20 mph.

Each balloon gives four pounds of lift. The chair was about 400 pounds, and Couch and his parachute 200 more. Watch Kent Couch explain why balloon flying is "a beautiful thing" È

"I'd go to 30,000 feet if I didn't shoot a balloon down periodically," Couch said.

For that job he carried a Red Ryder BB gun and a blow gun equipped with steel darts. He also had a pole with a hook for pulling in balloons, Global Positioning System tracking devices, an altimeter and a satellite phone.

It was his third flight. In 2006, he had to parachute out after popping too many balloons. Last year, he flew 193 miles to the sagebrush of northeastern Oregon, short of his goal.

"I'm not stopping till I get out of state," he said.

Couch had to dump some of the 45 gallons of cherry Kool-Aid he carried as ballast before he was able to disappear into the distance. "We wanted some color, and it kind of reminded me of kid days," he said of the ballast.

Couch was inspired by a TV show about the 1982 lawn chair flight over Los Angeles, California, by truck driver Larry Walters, who gained folk hero fame but was fined $1,500 for violating air traffic rules.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 05:37 PM

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- A man raced into Berlin's Madame Tussauds wax museum Saturday and ripped the head off a waxwork of Adolf Hitler, police said.


A wax likeness of Adolf Hitler sits in Berlin's Madame Tussaud's wax museum before Saturday's attack.

Police said the 41-year-old entered the exhibit shortly after the museum doors opened and "made for the Hitler figure," scuffling with a guard assigned to protect it and the manager before tearing the head off the life-size statue.

The man was arrested and is now in custody, Berlin police spokeswoman Uwe Kozelnik said. He told officers he wanted to protest the figure being included in the museum.

Museum official Nathalie Ruoss said organizers would decide Monday what to do about the figure.

Saturday was the opening day of the Berlin branch of the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum.

The presence of the waxwork, which depicted the Nazi dictator sitting at his desk in his bunker shortly before he committed suicide in 1945, in the new museum led to criticism in German media over recent weeks. But the museum's defenders argued Hitler's role in German history must not be ignored.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 05:48 PM

SYRACUSE, New York (AP) -- A vast collection of 78 rpm records is being donated to Syracuse University by the estate of a prominent New York City record shop owner.


Customers go through bins of 78 rpm records at a collectibles show last year in Wayne, New Jersey.

The more than 200,000 records represented the entire inventory of "Records Revisited," a landmark Manhattan store owned by Morton Savada, who died in February of lung cancer at age 85.

The collection, valued at $1 million, weighs 50 tons and represents more than a half-century of American music history.

Included are recordings from 1895 to the 1950s, with big band, jazz, country, blues, gospel, polka, folk, Broadway, Hawaiian and Latin among the genres. The collection also contains spoken-word, comedy and broadcast recordings, and "V-disks," which were distributed as entertainment to the U.S. military during World War II.

"It's a treasure trove of that era," said Joe Lauro, founder of Historic Film Archive, whose holdings include more than 40,000 musical performance clips and which holds exclusive rights to such famous shows as "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert."

"In terms of individual records at high prices ... there's not a lot of that in there. The value is that it's the largest massing of recordings from one particular era," said Lauro, who was befriended by Savada as a teenager and visited his store often during their 35-year-long friendship.

Even though they don't yet know what gems await them in Savada's collection, university officials were ecstatic about the donation, which boosts the Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive's collection of 78 rpm records to about 400,000 -- second in the United States only to the Library of Congress collection. His family also donated Savada's collection of catalogs, discographies and other materials.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jul 08 - 09:46 PM

Wow. Fifty tons. Think of the industrial shelving that university library must have in place.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jul 08 - 02:21 AM

Woman: Renovation plan halted by city 'bullying'

DALLAS — A woman's passionate plan to renovate a piece of Dallas history has met with an end after a city's decision to tear down a building.

However, it isn't just her plan that has gone down the drain — it's also her investment.

Jane Bryant said she fell in love as soon as she saw an abandoned apartment structure that was built in the '20s on Davis Street. The building sits near the Bishops Arts District in north Oak Cliff.

While she bought the building last August in hopes to restore it, her dreams were dashed when the city decided to tear it down.

"I want to utilize this property and save it for its historical reference to the neighborhood," she said.

Bryant said after she bought the building, she was almost immediately asked to sell by the prominent Dallas real estate investment firm called INCAP. The company wanted the building to complete a large track purchase for a development on the block.

"Their broker was aggressively contacting me," Bryant said. "And again, I told the broker I wasn't interested in selling the property."

She says just days after turning down the offer she got a call from the Dallas City Attorney's office saying her property was out of code compliance.

"It seems awfully coincidental to me that the only time I receive any communication from the city and its threatening communication, is within days of me turning down a prominent developer in the area.

She said a few weeks after she was initially contacted, INCAP made a final offer for her building, which she once again denied.

Three days later, on March 5, the city of Dallas sued her in Municipal Court without ever issuing her a citation. The city gave her 30 days to fully repair her building or have it demolished.

"I lose all of my investment," she said of the consequences if the city bulldozes the building.

Even more upsetting, Bryant said, was the inaccuracies contained in the suit.

"Failure to remove visible graffiti," high "weeds or grass," and "accumulations of bricks and lumber" are all elements Bryant said she already addressed.

Just days ago in court, the city produced photographs of garbage and broken windows, which she said are no longer a threat.

"It's totally inaccurate," she said. "The entire lawsuit is inaccurate. It's fraudulent as far as I'm concerned."

However, the city says otherwise.

"She can complain all she wants, but she's had since October to fix the property and she just hasn't," said Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Richie.

Richie said the property at 600 Elsbeth has been in substandard, unfit condition for years. She said only now has the city gotten around to holding owners responsible.

Yet to date, no code violations have ever been issued on the property and the city can't provide documentation showing the property was ever a threat, until now.

INCAP Fund Director Alan McDonald said his efforts to buy the property have no relation to the city's attempt to tear it down.

"We don't talk to the city attorney," McDonald said. "I don't even know how their condemnation process works, and I don't think the city plays those kinds of games."

But Bryant said she finds the whole situation suspicious.

"I feel like I'm being bullied," she said. "I'm being intimidated. I'm being threatened. It's just wrong."

Unless Bryant can immediately come up with the money to restore her investment, she must sell.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 10 Jul 08 - 02:23 PM

The recently reported launch of several missiles by Iran receives comment in an MSNBC "Photoblog" at:

Too many missiles

"As the media editor working the msnbc.com home page yesterday, I was frustrated with the quality of a fuzzy video image we published of the Iranian missile launch. So I was thrilled when the top image crossed the news wires. Today, I learned that the image was apparently manipulated, possibly to hide the fact that one missile failed. Many major U.S. newspapers and news websites ran the photo as well."

The above bit provides a link to more detail at:

In an Iranian Image, a Missile Too Many

July 10, 2008, 9:16 am
By Mike Nizza and Patrick Witty

Lovely pictures at the second link, although reader comments are unsophisticated.

John

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jul 08 - 09:04 PM

Police seek 28-year-old man in fatal traffic circle beating
link

King County [Seattle] prosecutors have charged a 28-year-old man in connection with last week's beating death of a 60-year-old Rainier Beach man who was gardening inside a traffic circle in front of his house.

James "Jage" Paroline, 60, died Thursday, a day after the police say that Brian Brown punched him in the head during a dispute in the street. Police say that Brown struck Paroline while the Rainier Beach man was arguing with three teenage girls who were upset with him for blocking traffic while he gardened in the traffic circle.

Brown was charged today with second-degree murder. Police are looking for Brown and prosecutors have issued a warrant for $500,000. Brown has prior convictions for third-degree assault, drug possession and obstructing a law enforcement officer, theft and criminal trespassing.

Neighbors and police said that Paroline was gardening in the traffic circle at 61st Avenue South and South Cooper Street around 8 p.m. and had set up traffic cones to keep cars from driving over a garden hose. Three teenage girls in a car stopped and told him to remove the traffic cones, but Paroline refused, neighbors said.

A video of the attack, shot by a neighbor, showed Paroline attempting to ignore the girls until they threw water on him from water jug, according to charging papers. Police said the teenagers then removed the cones and Paroline sprayed them with water from the hose.

Several minutes later Brown pulled up in a car and punched Paroline.

The girls first told police that they didn't know the man who struck Paroline, according to charging papers. The girls later admitted that they knew Brown, who is the boyfriend of someone they know, charging papers say.

Brown pleaded guilty to assault in 2005 after police said he attacked a woman in her Renton apartment. The victim said that Brown choked and head-butted her, according to court charging papers.

Brown was sentenced to four months in jail for the attack.

Paroline's brother-in-law, Greg Goodwin, said today that his family is still struggling to understand why anyone would harm him.

Goodwin said that Paroline "had a connection" with the traffic circle because he lobbied to have it constructed after a car crashed into his house.

Paroline adopted the circle as an extension of his colorful yard — weeding, watering and tending to the purple, yellow and pink flowers that soon sprouted there.

His death has drawn the concern of hundreds of fellow Rainier Beach residents, many of whom plan to attend a community meeting Tuesday night to share their concerns about crime in the area.

Yolanda Gill, of the Rainier Beach Joint Block Watch, said that Paroline's death was the catalyst for the meeting at Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church.

"Folks want to come together and they want to come up with some solutions on how to curb crime," Gill said. "We are seeing gang activity, graffiti, incidents where people are mugged and a number of things."

Goodwin said that the slain man's relatives plan to attend the meeting.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Emma B
Date: 14 Jul 08 - 09:18 PM

'PACKING' TEENS INTO CHURCH

An Oklahoma church canceled a controversial gun giveaway for teenagers at a weekend youth conference.

Windsor Hills Baptist had planned to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle until one of the event's organizers was unable to attend.

The church's youth pastor, Bob Ross, said it's a way of trying to encourage young people to attend the event. The church expected hundreds of teenagers from as far away as Canada.

A gun giveaway was part of the event last year. This year, organizers included it in their marketing.

!!

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 14 Jul 08 - 11:32 PM

Obviously the heat is getting to people.


A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 25 Jul 08 - 10:10 AM

Boy bites pitbull dog



An 11-YEAR-OLD boy is enjoying a flash of fame in Brazil after biting a pitbull terrier that attacked him as he played in his uncle's back yard.

Gabriel Almeida, who lives on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais, broke a canine tooth when he bit into the dog's neck to fend off an attack. Since then, he has been pampered in several TV stations, where he has been recounting his ordeal.

"I grabbed him by the neck and bit," he told O Globo newspaper. "It's better to lose a tooth than to lose your life."

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 10:25 AM

LIMA (Reuters) - A naked model photographed using Peru's flag as a saddle while mounted on a horse will face charges that could put her in jail for up to four years for offending patriotic symbols, the country's defence minister said on Wednesday.

The suggestive shot of Leysi Suarez, whose main job is dancing for the band Alma Bella, or Beautiful Soul, was splashed on the cover of DFarandula magazine and has caused a political uproar as Peru prepares to celebrate the 187th anniversary of its independence from Spain on Monday.

"These are patriotic symbols that demand total respect, and using them improperly requires punishment," defence Minister Antero Flores told reporters. "This is an offence."

Flores has ordered a public prosecutor to take up the case and file charges.

Suarez said it was patriotic to pose for the photo.

"I haven't committed a crime. I love Peru and show it with my body and soul," the dancer said on RPP radio.

Mario Amoretti, a well-known lawyer, said it depends in part on how Peru's red-and-white flag was used.

"It's one thing to cover your body with the flag, but quite another thing to be naked and using it as a horse's saddle," he said.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 06:26 PM

LIMA, Peru - Doctors in a coastal town in northwestern Peru have rescued the innards of a 38-year-old man by removing 17 metal objects Ñ among them nails, a watch clasp and a knife Ñ that he ate.

Luis Zarate was taken to the regional hospital of Trujillo earlier this week by his family after complaining of sharp stomach pains. Doctors took X-rays of his chest that showed his insides littered with screws.

"There were 17 strange objects found at the level of his stomach and colon," said Dr. Julio Acevedo, one of the surgeons who operated on Zarate.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 06:30 PM

How do you suppose he managed to eat all of that stuff? Dementia?

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 06:34 PM

Very hard teeth?


A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 07:22 PM

I knew an old lady who swallowed a fly ....
Maybe she'll die.

The "pique" of swallowing strange objects is not too common but not actually what could be called "rare." Most settle for things like coins or marbles and such that go down fairly easily, although paper clips and small nails seem to have some favor among practitioners.

Now if the kid in the previous post had swallowed the pit bull, that would probably be real NEWS.

John

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Aug 08 - 03:57 PM

Posted on Sat, Aug. 02, 2008
'Little yard sale' to help WWII vet turns into outpouring of support

link

FORT WORTH — Lidia Perez's prayers were answered.

And answered. And answered. And answered.

The blessings showered on 88-year-old John Martinek — a World War II veteran who has been living in her back bedroom since his house burned down in May — have made Perez feel a bit like a waitress at the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

"I was going to have a little yard sale," she said Friday after an all-day crush of people on her lawn handing over twenties, fifties and hundreds to benefit Martinek. "I am so surprised. But I knew the Lord heard my prayers."

Perez, a 53-year-old hairdresser who lives in a house built by Habitat for Humanity, opened her home to Martinek 12 weeks ago when she found him living in a camper behind his charred house in north Fort Worth and learned that he'd been washing up in a McDonald's.

He is a widower, has no children and gets only $550 a month from Social Security. He had no homeowner's insurance.

Perez had been struggling to find ways to help Martinek, both with immediate needs and more permanent housing. That is, until a reader contacted the Star-Telegram, which published an article about their friendship Thursday and highlighted Perez's garage sale Friday and today.

The outpouring from North Texans since then has been nothing less than extraordinary. The first day of the garage sale brought in close to $13,000.

"When you go through life day after day, you don't think about anything like this, and you don't realize there are so many nice people," Martinek said, resting in the shade, his eyes brimming with tears and his voice catching. "It's amazing."

At 7:30 a.m. Thursday, a young man showed up at Perez's house with a full bed and sheets. (Martinek had been sleeping on the floor because Perez could not afford a bed.)

People brought items for Perez's garage sale. Veterans groups offered to help him get benefits. Someone brought him a new cap that said WORLD WAR II VET in big, bold letters. Readers called to find out how to donate to his Wells Fargo account. People such as Jim and Jane Cox, who live in Keller, and Debbra Ledbetter from Arlington showed up at 6 a.m. to help and stayed most of the day.

Shoppers, such as Teresa Weaver and her 10-year-old daughter Cori, drove from Saginaw to buy a couple of small items and grossly overpay. Weaver ended up crying with Martinek in the yard.

"What [Lidia] was willing to do for him means that we all have to do what we can to help," she said.

Many people said they were as touched by Perez's generosity as they were by Martinek's misfortune.

Marcus Hernandez, who also lives in Keller, came to the garage sale early Friday to have Perez's Ford Explorer fixed. The vehicle has been without air conditioning for months.

"She refused me, repeatedly," he said. "She said this is about Mr. Martinek, not her."

Perez does not want to be part of the story, although her wish to be left out has yet to be granted.

"From my deepest heart, I have already been blessed by having this experience with Mr. Martinek," she said.

Leaders of the Trinity Habitat for Humanity also went to the garage sale and looked at Martinek's property. Martinek has so little monthly income that he does not qualify for a Habitat house, which requires some financial buy-in from the homeowner.

But Gage Yager, the executive director, said his organization would do all it could in the coming days to find a solution.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Texas Veterans Commission are also looking into what benefits or pensions Martinek is entitled to for his combat service in the Army.

But with the $13,000 donated Friday, Martinek's financial picture and his wish for a new home has brightened considerably.

"It's going to happen now," Perez said.

____________

When you go through life day after day, you don't think about anything like this, and you don't realize there are so many nice people. It's amazing."
John Martinek

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 03 Aug 08 - 06:25 PM

SOmetimes a power moves upon the waters greater than one mind can conceive.

A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 12:42 PM

From The Onion:

HAZEL PARK, MI—In a statement made to reporters earlier this afternoon, local idiot Brandon Mylenek, 26, announced that at approximately 2:30 a.m. tonight, he plans to post an idiotic comment beneath a video on an Internet website.

"Later this evening, I intend to watch the video in question, click the 'reply' link above the box reserved for user comments, and draft a response, being careful to put as little thought into it as possible, while making sure to use all capital letters and incorrect punctuation," Mylenek said. "Although I do not yet know exactly what my comment will entail, I can say with a great degree of certainty that it will be incredibly stupid."

Mylenek, who rarely in his life has been capable of formulating an idea or opinion worth the amount of oxygen required to express it, went on to guarantee that the text of his comment would be misspelled to the point of incomprehension, that it would defy the laws of both logic and grammar, and that it would allege that several elements of the video are homosexual in nature.

"The result will be an astonishing combination of ignorance, offensiveness, and sheer idiocy," Mylenek said.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: beardedbruce
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 05:25 PM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/mud.volleyball/content.1.html

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 05:58 PM

LOL!! "It's a treat top beat yer feet....".



A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Janie
Date: 07 Aug 08 - 12:59 AM

Talk about family jewels

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 11:19 AM

Spanish shopkeeper finds Homer Simpson euro
Fri Aug 8, 2008 1:46pm EDT   

MADRID (Reuters) - A one euro coin has turned up in Spain bearing the face of cartoon couch potato Homer Simpson instead of that of the country's king, a sweetshop owner told Reuters on Friday.

Jose Martinez was counting the cash in his till in the city of Aviles, northern Spain, when he came across the coin where Homer's bald head, big eyes and big nose had replaced the serious features of King Juan Carlos.

"The coin must have been done by a professional, the work is impressive," he told Reuters.

The comical carver had not taken his tools to the other side of the coin displaying the map of Europe. So far, no other coins of the hapless, beer-swilling oaf have been found in circulation.

"I've been offered 20 euros for it," said Martinez.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Aug 08 - 12:37 PM

August 22, 2008
Wisconsin woman jailed for overdue library books

This story out of Wisconsin sort of resembles "The Library" episode from Seinfeld, specifically the part about the "library cop."

A Wisconsin woman was cuffed, fingerprinted and booked into jail in connection with her overdue library books.

The woman, 22-year-old Heidi Dalibor, told WISN-TV that she repeatedly ignored overdue notices from the library for two books she checked out last year.

She also ignored a police citation and a notice to appear in municipal court for her overdue books.

"I said, what could they possibly do? They can't arrest me for this ... I was wrong," she told WISN.

That's what led the Grafton (Wis.) Police Department to knock on her door, arrest warrant in hand, according to the report.

She was booked into the city jail and released after paying a $170 fine.

As for the books, Dalibor told the station she's still not giving them back.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 25 Aug 08 - 01:16 PM

"A squirrel looking for nuts in a power plant inadvertently caused an 80-minute power outage that shut down Switzerland's main television broadcaster just as the final ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was about to be shown.

A squirrel accidentally shut down the power supply to part of the Swiss city of Zurich and thereby prevented television viewers across Switzerland from watching the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics live.

The Zurich electricity company said the animal, which unfortunately fried to death in the incident, was to blame for an 80-minute power cut on Sunday afternoon that led to a complete outage for Swiss national television from 1:38 p.m., just as the Chinese were getting ready to stage their spectacular finale."

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: KB in Iowa
Date: 26 Aug 08 - 01:16 PM

Man pulls knife at church for butter

OCALA, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities say an Ocala man pulled a knife on members of a church congregation who would not give him butter from their morning buffet.

When 48-year-old Frankie Lewis couldn't get any butter on Sunday from the buffet line, police say he pulled his knife on members and threatened to cut them.

Police say Lewis eventually went to put the knife away, but that's when a church member hit him with a wooden board. Lewis then rode away on a bicycle, but police quickly caught him.

Lewis was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was being held on $2,000 bail.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Aug 08 - 06:01 PM

Butter makes the battery better?

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 26 Aug 08 - 06:53 PM

But the batterer still battles bitter betrayal from the battering with a batten.


A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: curmudgeon
Date: 29 Aug 08 - 06:52 AM

Man flees without his burning pants

YORK, Maine — It remains unknown if he was a liar, but on Wednesday police received a report of a man whose pants were on fire.

The man left the scene before members of the police and fire departments arrived.

"His pants were still there on the side of the road," Sgt. Steve Spofford said. "They were still smoldering."

The caller said the man was a redhead. The witness who called police said the man was out of his car and wearing boxer shorts. Then he abandoned the burning pants by the side of Old Post Road.

The man was reported to be driving a green Dodge pickup truck.

"We'd like to know what caused that," Spofford said. "I'm sure that wasn't very comfortable for a while."

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Aug 08 - 11:41 AM

This is a BBC story, a friend emailed it but I don't have a link:

Swedish woman in airport muddle

An elderly Swedish woman tried to get herself on board an international flight by climbing onto an unmanned luggage belt after her suitcase.

The incident happened at Stockholm's Arlanda airport.

The unnamed 78-year-old thought she was just following instructions on how to check in for her flight.

She carefully lay down on the conveyor belt and was whisked into the baggage handling bay where she was rescued by surprised staff.

"It was a bit unfortunate," said Ari Kallonen of baggage handling firm Nordic Aero. "The little old lady arrived at the airport and had to take care of herself.

"Unfortunately, she did not understand when she was given check-in instructions. She took the belt together with her bag. Luckily it wasn't a long ride - only a couple of metres."

The woman did not reportedly suffer any injuries, managing to catch her flight to Germany, police said.

The airport does provide a service, on request, to help guide elderly or vulnerable people through the departures process.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 02 Sep 08 - 12:41 PM

Drunk Wheelchair Driver Banned from the Roads


A German court has banned the driver of an electric wheelchair from using his vehicle for a month after he was caught twice with a blood alcohol level well over the legal limit
(Der Spiegel)

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 05 Sep 08 - 11:13 AM

From the brilliant japes at the Onion:

DAYTON, TN—A steady stream of devoted evolutionists continued to gather in this small Tennessee town today to witness what many believe is an image of Charles Darwin—author of The Origin Of Species and founder of the modern evolutionary movement—made manifest on a concrete wall in downtown Dayton.

"I brought my baby to touch the wall, so that the power of Darwin can purify her genetic makeup of undesirable inherited traits," said Darlene Freiberg, one among a growing crowd assembled here to see the mysterious stain, which appeared last Monday on one side of the Rhea County Courthouse. The building was also the location of the famed "Scopes Monkey Trial" and is widely considered one of Darwinism's holiest sites. "Forgive me, O Charles, for ever doubting your Divine Evolution. After seeing this miracle of limestone pigmentation with my own eyes, my faith in empirical reasoning will never again be tested."

Added Freiberg, "Behold the power and glory of the scientific method!"

Since witnesses first reported the unexplained marking—which appears to resemble a 19th-century male figure with a high forehead and large beard—this normally quiet town has become a hotbed of biological zealotry. Thousands of pilgrims from as far away as Berkeley's paleoanthropology department have flocked to the site to lay wreaths of flowers, light devotional candles, read aloud from Darwin's works, and otherwise pay homage to the mysterious blue-green stain.

Capitalizing on the influx of empirical believers, street vendors have sprung up across Dayton, selling evolutionary relics and artwork to the thousands of pilgrims waiting to catch a glimpse of the image. Available for sale are everything from small wooden shards alleged to be fragments of the "One True Beagle"—the research vessel on which Darwin made his legendary voyage to the Galapagos Islands—to lecture notes purportedly touched by English evolutionist Alfred Russel Wallace.

"I have never felt closer to Darwin's ideas," said zoologist Fred Granger, who waited in line for 16 hours to view the stain. "May his name be praised and his theories on natural selection echo in all the halls of naturalistic observation forever."

Despite the enthusiasm the so-called "Darwin Smudge" has generated among the evolutionary faithful, disagreement remains as to its origin. Some believe the image is actually closer to the visage of Stephen Jay Gould, longtime columnist for Natural History magazine and originator of the theory of punctuated equilibrium, and is therefore proof of rapid cladogenesis. A smaller minority contend it is the face of Carl Sagan, and should be viewed as a warning to those nonbelievers who have not yet seen his hit PBS series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.

Still others have attempted to discredit the miracle entirely, claiming that there are several alternate explanations for the appearance of the unexplained discoloration.

"It's a stain on a wall, and nothing more," said the Rev. Clement McCoy, a professor at Oral Roberts University and prominent opponent of evolutionary theory. "Anything else is the delusional fantasy of a fanatical evolutionist mindset that sees only what it wishes to see in the hopes of validating a baseless, illogical belief system. I only hope these heretics see the error of their ways before our Most Powerful God smites them all in His vengeance."

...

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Sep 08 - 12:29 AM

You'd think they'd have the sense to train bus drivers about what to do with spare kids, wouldn't you? This child was lucky to encounter the kindness of strangers.

Boy, 5, dumped by school bus driver in NYC streets
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- A New York City mother wants to know why her first-grade son was left to wander the streets alone after being dropped off by a school bus driver at the end of the line.

School officials say they don't know who put 5-year-old Jaeden Vasquez on the bus Thursday -- especially since he wasn't even supposed to be on it. He lives across the street from the school in the Bronx.

His mother, Aileen Bonilla, says the school apologized but that isn't enough.

Five-year-old children aren't supposed to be let off school buses unless an adult is waiting. Jaeden says he was ordered off the bus at the last stop, two miles from his home. A stranger brought him home.

School officials say they are investigating.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 24 Sep 08 - 02:57 PM

Deltona, Florida - An angry Deltona father whacked his teenage daughter's boyfriend with a metal pipe after finding the boy naked in his daughter's room.

Authorities say Raul Colon, 45, didn't even know his daughter had a boyfriend or that the youngster had been sneaking into the home for more than a year.

When he heard noises coming from his daughter's bedroom Thursday morning and saw a stranger standing naked on the girl's bed, he swung a metal pipe. He then chased the teen out the front door and called police.

The boy was taken to the hospital where doctors closed a head wound with staples.

Colon was arrested on allegations of aggravated battery on a child and bonded out on $10,000. The State Attorney's Office will decide whether to file formal charges in the case.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 03:00 AM

he nudists who have frequented Eastney beach in Portsmouth for more than a century thought they were on the way out.

Qinetiq, a British defence technology company, wants to build 131 luxury apartments there, potentially leaving the nudists very unwelcome.

But help is at hand, and it has taken the form of a tiny and rather rare friend. The Dartford warbler is one of the few species of warbler to winter in Britain. And now it is has come to the nudists' rescue.

Qinetiq had received planning permission to develop its flats on Eastney beach on the condition they widen an access road leading to the land. But at a special meeting of the city council earlier this week, protesters successfully pushed the council to carry out a further environmental study to see if the flats will endanger the bird's natural habitat.

As a result, the warbler may soon discover its safest haven is in the company of naked humans.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Oct 08 - 12:49 PM

I'm not going to start an obituary thread, but I'm going to link to and paste this one in here. It is simply the best obit I've read in many years. I had to write them when I worked at a local weekly paper, and I've read them for decades. This one is remarkable.

link (it won't stay long, maybe a month).

John Wayne Dappen
1920 – Oct. 1, 2008

If you're reading this, my family did not take my advice and is wasting money on me rather than giving it to someone who is alive and who could really use it. I'm a realist, however, and know I'm likely to be overruled so I've written some things down. It is, after all, MY life and, for once, I want the last word.

I was born in Kansas, raised in Iowa, graduated from Grinnell College (Iowa) in 1942, and received a Ph.D. from the Institute of Paper Chemistry (Wisconsin) in 1950. Interrupting my education was World War II and, for some of those years, I worked for the Manhattan Project (Tennessee) as a cog in the machinery that built the bombs that would end the war in the Pacific.

I leave behind my wife of 63 years, Glady; three children, Ann Manes (Bob), of Jacksonville, Oregon, Alan (Sara), of Vienna, Virginia, and Andy (Jan), of Wenatchee, Washington. My eldest son, Art (Linn), preceded me in death in 2006. Besides my children I leave behind 16 grandchildren and 13 (and counting) great-grandchildren. It's ironic that Glady and I worked for many years to raise money for Planned Parenthood.

My working years were spent with Scott Paper Company and we moved quite often. I lived and worked in Pennsylvania, New York, Mexico, and Pennsylvania (again). In 1968, I was sent to Everett where I spent the remainder of my career. Here some claim I met my Peter Principle managing the pulp mill. Others say my bluntness finally caught up with me because I was quick to call a spade a spade and a bad policy a bad policy.

After retirement my worst mistake was taking that bluntness into Glady's kitchen where a little constructive criticism landed me the job of cooking for 20 years. One way to minimize that chore was volunteering with the International Executive Service Corp—an organization that sent me on three-month stints to help improve paper or pulp operations in other countries. I worked in Brazil (twice), Egypt, Slovakia, and Zimbabwe (several times).

Throughout my life I've never been much of a joiner of organizations, churches, groups, or clubs. I'm so much of a non-joiner that I won't be attending the party that has been promised for my birthday. Those who knew me and feel inclined to eat, drink, and say a few final words – good or ill-- are invited to attend.
Also save your pennies on symbolic gestures like flowers which, to me, are wasted money. If you feel compelled to give something in my memory, donate to Planned Parenthood of Western Washington or Providence Hospice Care of Snohomish County.

Kids' Addition:

It's hard to be totally forthright when writing about yourself, so we're not going to give Dad the last word. For starters, it is true our father was quick to declare what he believed or thought best—usually in an elevated voice. Nonetheless when others disagreed or acted in a way that defied his logic, he had the humor and grace to accept people's differences without bitterness or ill will. He rarely judged and he never harbored a grudge. And while he might question a person's sanity to his face, Dad did not speak poorly of others behind their backs.

Some people knew our father to be a cheapskate and he cultivated that reputation by gleaning the food sales each week, fixing possessions with tape and glue, and wearing the same clothes year after year. He earned a good income and could have matched the self-indulging purchases of his peers. Instead, he paid for the undergraduate education of all his children at expensive liberal-arts colleges. He funded the graduate education of those of us who desired it, helped financially with the education of other children, helped support the family of his missionary son, and loaned money at below-market rates so his kids could afford homes. He gave generously to charities he believed in. Our father was stingy with himself, not with others.

Dad was also scrupulously honest, even in those situations where many of us turn to white lies for help. Ask him about religion and he'd say, "I don't know if there's a God, but I also don't know of a better code of behavior than Christ's example or the Golden Rule."
At least two of us kids remember learning about the Golden Rule in Mexico after we were hauled before our father for throwing stones at the workers building a home down the road. The Rule and its principles were patiently explained. We admitted that, had our positions been reversed, we would not have wanted stones chucked at us. And then a spanking seared that lesson to memory in a way we two still remember 50 years later.

Every father has anecdotes he's remembered by and here is one of the many that always raised a laugh in our family. After the creation of a new national holiday, Dad got in a heated 'discussion' with his kids who enjoyed these 'pseudo' holidays. "We've got too many darn holidays already," he argued. "What we need is a national get-back-to-work day."

Our father believed in hard work and he did all his jobs well, whether that was making paper for Scott, cooking for his wife, or raising his kids. We, his children, admire his many sterling qualities and we laugh together over his storied quirkiness. We will miss this sometimes odd but unusually wonderful man. And while we will miss him, we needn't go far to visit him. Whether the cause is nature or nurture, our spouses comment on our own values and quirky behavior with the quip, "You're just like your father."

A birthday party to celebrate Dad's life will be held from 2 to 5 p.m., on Saturday, October 25, 2008, at the family home. We hope to see his friends and neighbors there.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Oct 08 - 06:41 PM

Running it back up top. It's a great obit.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: bobad
Date: 08 Oct 08 - 07:29 PM

Don't mess with our hoummus, warn Lebanese

BEIRUT (AFP) — A battle over hoummus and tabbouleh is shaping up between Lebanon and Israel -- two neighbours still technically at war -- with efforts underway to clearly identify such dishes as exclusively Lebanese.

"In our mind tabbouleh and hoummus should belong to the Lebanese just as feta cheese belongs to the Greeks," said Fadi Abboud, president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association.

"Now when hoummus is known all over the world as an Israeli Kosher dip or a Greek dip, that's not fair," he added. "This and other foods like tabbouleh are all Lebanese specialities and they should be registered as such.

He said his group is preparing to go to the European Union to register the names of certain dishes as Lebanese.

Legislation is also pending in the Lebanese parliament to protect the names of certain geographical locations specific to Lebanon so that products cannot be marketed under the name of a town or region.

"What appals me with Israel is that they are (marketing) hoummus as a traditional Israeli product when it is clearly a Lebanese product," said Ramez Abi Nader, a member of the Lebanese Industrialists Association.

"What they are doing is misleading as hoummus is an Arabic not a Hebrew word... and everyone knows that tabbouleh is Lebanese."

Hoummus is a dip made of chick peas, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic while tabbouleh is a salad made with parsley, bulgur wheat, spring onions and tomatoes.

Both dishes, as well as others such as baba ghannouj, an aubergine dip, are widely popular in Israel and around the globe.

Abboud and Abi Nader said they believe Lebanon has suffered millions of dollars in losses from such dishes being marketed in various countries without being produced in Lebanon.

They said said their case was similar to the one over feta cheese in which a European Union court ruled in 2002 that feta is exclusively Greek.

They also argue that just as France and Scotland have succeeded in protecting their geographical appelation rights for sparkling wine from Champagne and Scotch whisky, so should Lebanon for some of its dishes.

Kamal Mouzawak, founder of Souk El Tayeb, a farmer's market in Beirut, said it was unthinkable that tabbouleh or hoummus could be marketed as other than Lebanese.

"When one speaks of Italy the first thing that comes to mind is pizza and pasta, when you speak about the States it's hamburger and when you speak of Lebanon it should be tabbouleh and company," Mouzawak said.

"It's important that we protect our foods because they are part of our roots," he added. "When I want to recount my origins I do so through hoummus and tabbouleh rather than a history book.

"When one speaks about hoummus, they must think of Lebanon and when they speak of Lebanon they must think of hoummus."

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Oct 08 - 08:18 PM

That's funny, especially since my daughter and I stepped into an Israeli restaurant in New York City (mid-town Manhattan) a few years back and order hummus. It was awful (too much tahini, not enough lemon or garlic), and we resolved to head to our favorite Lebanese restaurant in Brooklyn the next time we wanted it. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Oct 08 - 05:24 PM

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/10/no_one_is_laughing_harder.html

I'll post the link because you have to see this one, not just read about it. Joe Biden obviously is not offended by the SNL skit about the debate--he can't stop laughing. And you can find a link to the skit at the bottom of the Washington Post article.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 19 Oct 08 - 11:47 AM

Man arrested for sex act with vacuum in car wash
Associated Press
3:39 PM CDT, October 18, 2008


THOMAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Police say a Michigan man has been arrested after "receiving sexual favors from a vacuum" at a car wash.

The Saginaw News reports the 29-year-old Swan Creek Township man was arrested Thursday in Saginaw County's Thomas Township, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.

Police Sgt. Gary Breidinger says a resident called to report suspicious activity at the car wash about 6:45 a.m. An officer approached on foot and caught the man in the act.

The suspect, whose name wasn't immediately released, is being held in the Saginaw County Jail.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Oct 08 - 12:42 PM

That guy must have been hard up.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 20 Oct 08 - 11:02 AM

I've received sexual favors from a vacuum, in my youth, but she was posing as human on the outside.


A

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Nov 08 - 10:16 PM

Benbrook man says his bullet may have hit woman at Texas Motor Speedway

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 (Dallas Morning News)

Fort Worth police are investigating reports from a 49-year-old Benbrook man who says he may be responsible for the stray bullet that hit an Arlington woman Sunday morning at Texas Motor Speedway.

Kennith Jaramillo contacted Fort Worth police on Monday after hearing that Jill King Moss, 62, was hit in her arm by a .50-caliber bullet that pierced the roof of her RV, authorities said. Ms. Moss was taken to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital and is expected to recover from her injuries.

Given the bullet's trajectory, Fort Worth police investigators believe the bullet came from far away.

Mr. Jaramillo told police he was target shooting five miles from Texas Motor Speedway between 10 and 11 a.m., said Lt. Paul Henderson, a Fort Worth police spokesman. Mr. Jaramillo fired five or six rounds at a berm, a mound of dirt, with his .50-caliber Vulcan single-shot rifle.

Fort Worth police took his weapon for ballistics tests. If tests confirm the bullet was fired from his weapon, Mr. Jaramillo could be charged with deadly conduct for recklessly firing a weapon, Lt. Henderson said.

Mr. Jaramillo has not been arrested or charged in the incident.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 08:38 AM

Police: 90-Year-Old Living With 3 Siblings' Bodies

(AP)
Published: November 8, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- Police in a Chicago suburb say a 90-year-old woman apparently has been living in a house with the bodies of three siblings -- one of whom may have been dead since the early 1980s.

Evanston police Cmdr. Tom Guenther says the bodies were found Friday after authorities were called by a senior advocate.

Autopsies were planned but Guenther said police do not suspect foul play.

The 90-year-old woman's was taken to a hospital for observation. Her identity was not released.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office identified the dead as Anita Bernstorff, who was last seen alive in May 2008, Frank Bernstorff, not seen alive since 2003, and Elaine Bernstorff, who was last seen alive in the early 1980s.

Anita Bernstorff was the eldest, born in 1910.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 01:05 PM

I remember a Quincy, Medical Examiner episode that had a plot like that.

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 09 Nov 08 - 03:44 AM

Blinded pilot guided to safe landing by RAF

Daily Telegraph – 8 Nov 2008

A pilot who was blinded by a suspected stroke whilst flying solo at 15,000ft has said he owes his life to the RAF after it scrambled an aircraft to guide him down to safety. Jim O'Neill, 65, made seven aborted attempts at emergency landings before he finally touched down in his Cessna thanks to the RAF pilot who flew alongside him, giving constant instructions and reassurance over his radio. Mr O'Neill, who is now being treated in hospital, said: "I should not be alive. I owe my life, and those of dozens of people I could have crash-landed on, to the RAF.

………………

The drama unfolded on Friday last week when Mr O'Neill was 40 minutes into a flight from Prestwick, Glasgow, to Earls Colne, near Colchester, Essex, as he returned home from a family visit. When his vision suddenly failed, he initially thought he had been dazzled by the sun, but as he began to pass over North Yorkshire he alerted air traffic controllers, who in turn contacted RAF Linton-on-Ouse, near York. The station's controllers talked to Mr O'Neill over the radio and he told them he had a problem and "would like to get down".

Mr Gerrard intercepted Mr O'Neill's Cessna 152 Skylane within minutes, flying just 500ft away so he could give the stricken pilot precise instructions on what to do. It was a further 45 minutes before Mr O'Neill finally touched down at his eighth attempt, bouncing twice before coming to a halt at the very end of the runway, where an ambulance was waiting.

………………

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Nov 08 - 02:06 PM

Wow.

On a different topic, I was reading a list of "10 quick fixes" for security nightmares, and it included a list of scanning programs.

Fix 10: Get Extra Cleaning Help for Stubborn Infections

Sometimes even the best antivirus program misses an infection. And once a virus or Trojan horse gets in, removing it can be incredibly tough. If you suspect some nasty got past your defenses, then it's time to bring in extra help.

Many antivirus makers offer free and easy online scans through your Web browser. The scan will take time, as the scanning service will need to download large Java or ActiveX components before it can get started, but they're easy to kick off. You can run them in addition to your already-installed antivirus application for a second (or third, or fourth) opinion. Here's the lowdown on your options.

Trend Micro HouseCall: Will detect and remove malware; works with both IE and Firefox.

BitDefender Online Scanner: Detects and removes malware; requires IE.

Kaspersky Online Scanner: Detects malware, but doesn't remove it; works with IE and Firefox.

F-Secure Online Virus Scanner: Detects and removes malware; requires IE.

ESET Online Scanner: Detects and removes malware; requires IE.

The whole article is here.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: News of Note (was 'I Read it . . .')
From: Amos
Date: 09 Nov 08 - 07:41 PM

Decontee Williams was so excited by Barack Obama's victory on Tuesday night that she started jumping up and down — and went into labor. Twelve hours later, Barack Jeilah was born at Phoenix Baptist Hospital to Ms. Williams and Prince Jeilah. The baby was 8 pounds 9 ounces and had a full head of hair.

In Kisumu, an area in Kenya where relatives of Barack Obama live, at least 43 children have been named after the Obamas since Election Day, including Josephine Ochieng's newborn son.
"I love Barack Obama, and I love the name," said Ms. Williams, 31, who came to the United States as a refugee from Liberia in 2003. "In Africa, we call it a blessing. That is a good name."

In the last week, Barack, Obama, Michelle, Malia and Sasha have become inspirations for first and middle names across the United States, according to news reports. But the Obama baby boom has been even more pronounced in Kenya, particularly in Kisumu, an area in the western part of the country where relatives of Mr. Obama live.