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Man backs out of
suicide pact with bride - they felt guilty after pre-marital sex
07/12/2004
An Iranian man is being held by police after backing out of a suicide pact he struck with his new bride. The couple felt guilty over having sex before getting married.
The couple was not named. An official said the man helped his wife hang herself but then changed his mind about his own suicide, instead turning himself in to police. Pre-marital sex is such a taboo in the officially Islamic country that some girls are subjected to a virginity test before being allowed to marry.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Photography Student
Bullied by Homeland Security
07/16/2004
Ian Spiers, a photography student at a Seattle area community college, spent the morning of May 26 taking pictures of a railroad bridge for an assignment. He was accosted by an officer, who questioned him and demanded ID.
Spiers replied by
explaining his assignment. He then asked the officer if he had the authority to
demand ID. The officer said no and left.
A short while later, three Seattle police officers and three Homeland Security
agents came after him.
The police demanded his
ID, while the Homeland Security agents claimed Spiers had broken a law by taking
pictures of the bridge.
"We've never seen such a law," said Doug Honig, ACLU spokesman.
The ACLU is involved and investigating.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Spammer Ordered to Pay
Microsoft $4 Million
07/16/2004
Microsoft Corporation has been awarded 4 million dollars by a federal judge after a California company was found to have been sending unsolicited e-mail to users of its MSN and Hotmail services.
Microsoft's Internet Safety Enforcement Attorney Aaron Kornblum said: "These individuals need to understand that their activity is illegal and that if they inundate consumers with spam they will be identified, targeted and sued".
Source: www.reuters.com
Doctor botches penis
surgery
07/16/2004
A Romanian surgeon has been suspended after hacking a patients penis to pieces during a fit of rage.
The surgery, intended to fix a testicular problem for the man, became much more than that when the surgeon accidently cut into the man's urinary tract. The surgeon then lost his temper and hacked the man's penis into pieces.
Another team of doctor's was called in to attempt to repair the damage, but it had been too long since the incident. The surgeon has been suspended for 6 months and the patient is said to be in a stable condition in the hospital.
Source: www.ananova.com
'Dumb blonde' jokes may
make blondes dumber
07/15/2004
Psychologists said in a newly published German study that blondes perform intelligence assessments more slowly after reading "dumb blonde" jokes. The test asked 80 women of varying hair colors to test the affect of the jokes.
"Why do blondes open
yogurt pots while still at the supermarket?" one joke read. "Because it says,
'Open here' on the lid."
"No blonde woman believes she is stupid," said one scientist, saying they are
living up to social stereotypes instead.
The researcher said that when people are told before a task that they can't do it well, they perform more slowly and carefully, trying to make fewer mistakes. He said it shows that even prejudices widely dismissed can affect a person's confidence.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Boy Made To Write
Apology In His Blood After Sleeping In Class
06/21/2004
Hiroaki Dan, the principal of a school in Fukuoka City, southern Japan, has admitted that a teacher made a boy, 17, write an apology note in his own blood after he was caught sleeping during lessons.
The teacher gave the boy a box-cutter and paper and told him to write the note in blood in the school's staff room. "To ask a student to write in their own blood is something I just can't imagine," Dan said.
The 40 year-old teacher has apologised to both the boy and his parents, and the boy is now back in school. The teacher involved is expected to resume work in a few days.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Diana's Ex-Butler Takes
His Book To The Stage
06/21/2004
Paul Burrell, the ex-butler from Diana, Princess of Wales, has taken his story to the stage. In a one man show with the title "In His Own Words", he tells of his relationship with the princess, who he says called him "my rock".
"I think they understand why I had to do this," Burrell said of the royals before his first performance on Sunday. "I had to once and for all justify my relationship with one of the world's most unique and inspirational people."
His book, "A Royal Duty", which was published last year, was largely criticised by the princess' friends and family. Prince William and Prince Harry, called the book "a cold and overt betrayal" which would have "mortified" their mother.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Teacher's Aide Goes to
Jail Because of Marshmallow Incident
06/20/2004
Wyoming teacher's aide Hope Clarke, who works with low income children at Head Start, was sent to jail for a day after she failed to pass a security check she needed to board a cruise in Miami. It turned out she committed an offense at Yellowstone.
Clarke had left a bag of marshmallows at her camp site and she was given a $50 ticket. Leaving food at a camp site encourages bears, etc. Even though she paid the fine off with a credit card, the federal database indicated she had an unpaid ticket.
U.S. Magistrate John J. O'Sullivan ordered that she be released after 7 hours in jail. The federal prosecutor in the case argued that there had to be a "discrepancy" in Clarke's story. Clarke says male inmates made catcalls and she vomited.
Source: www.sun-sentinel.com
Nazi Hunter Awarded
Honorary Knighthood
06/20/2004
03:32 PM
Simon Wiesenthal, 95, who is best known for his role in helping to capture Adolf Eichmann, one of Hitler's henchmen, has been awarded an honorary knighthood by Britain for a "lifetime of service to humanity".
Britain's ambassador to Austria, John Macgregor gave Wiesenthal the award on Friday. Secretary Jack Straw said as the award was announced: "Mr Wiesenthal has been untiring in his service to the Jewish communities in the UK and elsewhere.."
Wiesenthal spent almost 50 years hunting down almost 1000 Nazi war criminals. He himself was held at the Austrian concentration camp Mauthausen. He weighed only 110 lb when the camp was liberated by US troops.
Source: www.reuters.com
Woman Starves Dog To
Fit It In Hand Luggage
06/19/2004
Police in Nuremberg, Germany, noticed a woman walking her dog, a large mixed-breed, and took the dog away. The owner, named only as Gerda M, had apparently been starving the dog so that it would fit into hand luggage for a flight.
The dog, called Leonie, weighed only 12kg at the time of the rescue, it should have weighed about twice that. Leonie was taken to a pet shelter. Gerda M. claims: "I always looked after it well."
The shelter owner said: "I have seen many miserable things - but never something this cruel. This dog should be weighing at least 25 kilos." He said that Gerda M wanted to decrease the dog's weight to 5kg, to be able to take it on board a flight.
Source: www.ananova.com
Bill Clinton Slept On
Sofa After Lewinsky Affair
06/19/2004
In his book "My Life", former US president Bill Clinton reveals that he slept on the couch after confessing his affair with Monica Lewinsky to his wife and daughter. He says the affair revealed "the darkest part of my inner life".
"My Life" is due for its US release next week, published by Alfred A. Knopf, with 1.5 million copies in its first print. It has been at the top of Amazon's best seller list for months.
"I did something for the worst possible reason. Just because I could. I think that's just about the most morally indefensible reason anybody could have for doing anything." Clinton told the CBS program "60 Minutes".
Source: news.com.au
Swordsman patrols
forests near Berlin
06/18/2004
Police are trying to flush out a camouflage-clad man wielding a samurai sword who has been threatening people who venture into forests west of Berlin. A 46-year-old expert in martial arts and survival skills is their main suspect.
His use of camouflage
has forced police to resort to infrared cameras mounted on helicopters.
The man has pushed an elderly couple off their bikes and tried to drive away a
young couple. None have been seriously injured.
"It's frightening because the violence level has increased each time," a police spokeswoman said. The swordsman has ordered his victim to leave the woods after each attack, performing sword tricks as well.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
81-Year-Old German
Fights Rape Charges - Says He Is impotent
06/16/2004
An 81 year-old German man is standing trial for multiple rape charges. He claims he is innocent and that diabetes has made it impossible for him to get an erection.
His defense won a battle yesterday when the Federal Constitutional Court, Germany's highest court, ruled that he could not be forced to have his potency tested.
A lower court had said that a hospital ultrasound and nocturnal checks could be carried out. Medical staff could use an "erectometer" by attaching a ring to his penis overnight and record any stiffening.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Woman Severs Husband's
Penis, He Stabs Her To Death
06/10/2004
In Kassel, Germany, a couple, who had recently separated, got into a domestic argument after the wife, 50, visited her estranged husband. Neighbours called the police when they saw the couple arguing outside the house.
The woman used a breadknife to chop off her husband's penis. The man, 37, and believed to be of Ghanaian origin, then reportedly stabbed his wife.
Both were taken to hospital, where she died of her injuries. The man had his penis sewn back on but his condition is unknown. The man is being held in custody while in hospital.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Man takes marijuana to
court with him
05/26/2004
A court in Malaysia heard a man's case who begged for leniency on a marijuana charge. He was arrested again when police found more in his pocket.
He told the courts that he was a first time offender and about to get married. The judge ordered him to pay a fine. While his girlfriend went to get the money for his fine he was taken to lock up. They then emptied his pockets and arrested him again.
Source: cnews.canoe.ca
Newly Wed Lesbians Sue
Doctors for Loss of Consortium
05/22/2004
Five days after Massachusetts made same-sex marriage legal, newly married lesbians Michelle Charron and Cindy Kalish filed a malpractice suit claiming loss of consortium due to undetected breast cancer in Kalish.
The suit claims doctors neglected to perform a biopsy on a lump on Kalishs' breast for nearly 8 months after it was discovered in 2002. By the time a biopsy was performed, she was diagnosed with advanced cancer and given 10 yrs. to live.
It is thought the suit will be challenged because the alleged neglect occurred prior to the couples marriage but their lawyer sees it differently, since same-sex marriage was not an option at the time.
Source: ap.tbo.com
Woman Robs Banks To Pay
For Cat Surgery
05/06/2004
A woman, Catherine Kaczanowski, has been charged with larceny after robbing a string of banks to pay for surgery for her cat. She has pleaded not guilty.
The cat "smoochie" had been adopted 3 years ago as a kitten and needed surgery to remove a cancerous tumour. The Kaczanowski had stolen a total of $US7,500.
Kaczanowski got the idea after reading about other bank robberies. Smoochie had his surgery which was successful.
Source: www.smh.com.au
Qantas
introduces crunchy frog salad
May 5, 2004
AIRLINE meals can
be hit and miss, but you are usually safe with a salad - unless there's a frog
in it. A woman on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Wellington lost her appetite
when she opened her container to find a live 4cm frog on the cucumber. She
snapped the lid shut and called an attendant, who removed the frog salad. The
whistling tree frog was taken from the plane in Wellington where New Zealand
quarantine officials "euthanased" it in a freezer. A Qantas spokesman said the
airline had changed its Melbourne lettuce supplier since the incident in
February. "The salads are delivered to Qantas in salad bowls ready for
consumption, with quality checks in place as part of the supply chain," he said.
A spokesman said Qantas conducted random checks of in-flight food, and had
introduced new salad procedures. NZ Quarantine Service spokesman Cyril Evans
praised Qantas for the way it handled the incident. "They could have just
chucked it in the bin and not said anything, but they were very helpful and
responsible," Mr. Evans said. "This frog could carry parasites or other diseases
that pose a danger to native frogs or other species." The Qantas spokesman said
he was unaware of any compensation claim by the woman, who was not identified.
An Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service spokesman said most unwanted
animals on flights were being smuggled. But rats, squirrels, lizards and snakes
have been found in aircraft baggage holds, he said.
The whistling tree frog, found in central and eastern Victoria,
is protected under state law.
The Daily Telegraph
Priest
indicted for nun's murder
From correspondents in Toledo, Ohio
May 4, 2004
A ROMAN Catholic priest in
the US will face trial for the murder of a nun 24 years ago in what's been
described as a ritualistic slaying. A grand jury met on Saturday to consider the
charge against the Reverend Gerald Robinson, but its decision to indict him for
aggravated murder was not announced until today. Robinson has been in jail since
his arrest April 23 in the strangling and stabbing of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl
during Easter weekend in 1980. He was long a suspect in her death.
The nun's body was discovered in a chapel at Mercy Hospital, covered by an altar cloth. Investigators have described it as "ritualistic" slaying that has the Toledo Diocese looking into claims of satanic sex abuse by priests. Robinson's lawyer, Alan Konop, said his client will plead not guilty. He cannot face the death penalty because it was not in effect at the time of the killing. Konop said he expected Robinson to be released today because supporters have put together enough property to post a $US400,000 ($555,700) property bond to cover his $US200,000 bail.
Detectives have said the nun's death involved
some type of ceremony and that they believe Robinson acted alone. Robinson was
arrested after investigators analysed blood patterns and concluded that the
murder weapon was in his "control". They have not identified the weapon or who
owned it. Investigators began to review the slaying after a woman contacted them
alleging she was physically and sexually abused as a child by several priests,
including Robinson, police said. Three other people came forward after
Robinson's arrest claiming they were abused by priests in rituals years ago.
Authorities reopened the murder
case in December based on information in a letter sent to prosecutors, but they
would not say who sent the letter or what it contained.
The Associated Press
Sweden's Endangered Species List Includes Lake
Monster
05/04/2004
The environment court in the Jaemtland province of central Sweden turned down the request of a man who wanted to collect and hatch eggs from the Storsjoe monster species. The reason given was "it is prohibited to kill, hurt or catch animals of the Storsjoe monster species," or "take away or hurt the monster's eggs, roe or den." The decision came to the attention of a government watchdog. The listing comes from 1986. Parliamentary Ombudsman Nils-Olof Berggren said: "We decided to have a closer look at how the listing came about, and how it is applied. If a court decided that it cannot be applied, we want to find out if the monster really needs to be protected..."
Source: www.adn.com
Mum jailed
for teacher assault
By Suzanne Klotz
May 4, 2004
A MOTHER has been jailed
for six months for repeatedly spitting at and threatening to kill her son's
kindergarten teacher. Therese Mary Linneweber, 35, pleaded guilty in the
District Court in Brisbane to one count each of serious assault and common
assault. Linneweber went to the Peninsular
Child Care Centre at Margate, on Brisbane's far northern outskirts, on September
10, 2002, and started yelling about all the childcare bills she had to pay, the
court heard.
Prosecutor Victoria Trafford-Walker said when
centre director Victoria Groves gave Linneweber a painting her son had completed
that day she called it "two-year-old scribble that a one year old would do" and
accused the centre of trying to turn her son "into a spastic or something". Miss
Trafford-Walker said Linneweber began spitting in Ms Groves' face before
grabbing her, forcing her into a fence and threatening to slit her throat. The
court was told Linneweber had no memory of that incident, or of one a week
earlier when she spat at her ex-mother-in-law and bit her finger after she
picked the child up from kindergarten as agreed.
Linneweber had a history of alcohol abuse and had
been the victim of violent boyfriends, the court heard. She also has an acquired
brain injury from bashings and a car accident.
Judge Julie Dick said a message had to be sent that such
behaviour was completely unacceptable, jailing Linneweber for six months and
imposing 18 months probation.
AAP
Two guilty
over torching woman
May 4, 2004
A SPURNED suitor who
doused a woman with petrol and set her ablaze was today convicted of attempted
murder and kidnap. Hulya Cavus had resisted Hassan Huseyin Alipek's advances
because she had been stabbed six times by her ex-husband and was reluctant to
remarry.
A Victorian Supreme Court jury today found Alipek, 35, of Richmond, guilty of abducting and trying to kill Cavus. Jason Maxwell Saltmarsh, 30, of no fixed address, was found guilty of intentionally causing serious injury but acquitted of kidnapping and attempted murder. Both men pleaded not guilty. The trial heard that Ms Cavus, 38, received burns to 60 per cent of her body after Alipek forced her out of a city nightclub and took her to a lonely spot with Saltmarsh driving on October 6, 2002. During the journey, Alipek punched her repeatedly and told her: "I am going to take you to your death road, there is no going back now." When they arrived, Alipek poured petrol over her head and body, took out a lighter and set her ablaze.
An earlier Magistrates Court hearing was told
that Ms Cavus had resisted Alipek's advances because she had been reluctant to
remarry after her ex-husband, Gulbey Cavus, stabbed her six times at her
workplace on November 1, 2001. Gulbey Cavus
was jailed for 11-1/2 years in July last year after a Supreme Court jury found
him guilty of attempted murder.
A pre-sentencing hearing will be held before Justice Geoffrey Nettle on May 28.
AAP
Photo Lab Sees Pic Of
Toddler With Marijuana Pipe - Parents Arrested
05/03/2004
An employee at a photo lab discovered a photo showing a young child posing with a marijuana pipe and informed the police. The lab in Bardstown, Kentucky, handed police the film and the parents address. John R. Gray, 20, and Elizabeth Lyvers, 24, were arrested and charged with first-degree unlawful transaction with a minor. Gray was also charged with marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. The couple say the pipe didn't contain marijuana when the photo was taken. The toddler, 3, and his year-old sibling have been taken into care.
Source:
www.canoe.ca
Nude beach sparks barge flip
From correspondents in Austin, Texas
May 3, 2004
PARTYGOERS wanting
a glimpse of nude sunbathers at the only nude beach in Texas rushed to one side
of a barge, prompting it capsize and dump all 60 people into Lake Travis. Two
people were hospitalized with minor injuries yesterday after the rented
double-decker barge sank near Hippie Hollow, a lakeside park and the only public
nude beach in Texas. The accident occurred during Splash Day, a semiannual event
hosted at the clothing-optional area by the Austin Tavern Guild, a gay and
lesbian association. Witnesses said that all of the people aboard the barge
moved to one side as it neared Hippie Hollow, making it tilt.
Krista Umscheid, a spokeswoman for the Lower
Colorado River Authority, said that although everyone aboard was accounted for,
Travis County sheriff's divers were checking compartments of the sunken pontoon
boat as a precaution.
The Associated Press
Ooops! Britney Spears' new tattoo mis-spelt...
again
05/03/2004
To celebrate her conversion to 'Kabbalah faith', Britney Spears had a tattoo made in Hebrew at her neck. But what she hoped would say 'new year' or 'new era' is instead a meaningless phrase. Britney is shocked, a source says, "She's taken Kabbalah pretty seriously and this was a big deal for her." Last year she found out her Japanese hip tattoo didn't say "mysterious" as intended but rather "strange".
Source: www.contactmusic.com
Airline pilot
asleep at controls
From correspondents in Tokyo
May 3, 2004
JAPANESE carrier
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has apologized following the revelation that the
captain of one its jets dozed off at the controls during a domestic flight in
March. The 50-year-old Japanese captain, whose name has been withheld, fell
asleep while piloting the Boeing 767-300 jumbo jet with 184 passengers and crew
on board on March 23. His nap did not affect the flight from Tokyo's Haneda
airport to Yamaguchi-Ube airport, some 800km west of the capital, as the
aircraft's controls were switched to auto-pilot, said a spokesman for the
nation's second largest airline. The veteran captain, who has logged 12,700
hours of flying time, started snoozing some 20 minutes after take-off when the
airplane had leveled off and was on auto-pilot, the spokesman said. He was woken
up by the co-pilot but fell asleep again before landing at Yamaguchi-Ube. His
snooze was discovered as a transport ministry examiner, who happened to enter
the cockpit to check the operating procedures, found the captain dozing off and
reported the case to the ministry. "We deeply apologize for the case," the ANA
spokesman said. "We let all of our flight crew employees take thorough measures
to maintain safe navigation and take care of their health," he said. On the day
he fell asleep at the controls, the captain had woken up at 5:00 am after
sleeping for some seven hours, the spokesman said, adding that there had been no
problem with his condition before the flight. The captain is currently
undergoing medical tests to see if he is suffering from sleep apnea syndrome,
which can cause those affected to suddenly fall asleep in the daytime.
The driver of a Shinkansen bullet train
with 800 passengers on board which ran for 26km at 270km/h as he slept soundly
at the controls in February last year was found to be suffering from sleep
apnea.
Agence France-Presse
Sex Crime Cop To Be Re-sentenced For His Sex
Crimes
05/03/2004
Detective Edwin Mann was an Orlando sex crimes detective until he admitted being an offender himself. He pleaded guilty in 2002 to having carnal knowledge of a 14-year-old girl. He was originally sentenced to two years of house arrest and 25 years probation for the crime, which usually comes with a minimum of 26 years in jail. Prosecutors were outraged at the time, but now an appellate court has said that the original sentencing was a mistake and have ordered that Mann be re-sentenced under state guidelines.
Source: www.local6.com
Jackson's Underwear Seized For DNA Samples
05/03/2004
The owner of Michael Jackson memorabilia, Henry Vaccaro, has had his collection raided by agents working under the orders of Santa Barbara prosecutor Tom Sneddon. Two pairs of Calvin Klein white briefs were among the items taken. It is said that the underpants contain Jackson's bodily fluids and that the prosecutors are to extract DNA to compare with samples taken during the 2003 raid on the Neverland ranch. Henry Vaccaro said: "They were interested in some things and asked me to keep a few others in case they need them." Other items included photos and notes Jackson sent to his "rubbers", the pet name Jackson uses for his young male friends.
Source: news.com.au
Police Find Marijuana Plants At Day Care
Centre
05/03/2004
Lee County deputies visited the Boesenberg Family Day Care Home to looking for a person wanted on felony warrants. Instead of finding the wanted person they found several marijuana plants growing in the back yard. The Boesenberg Family Day Care Home is run by Cynthia Boesenberg and is registered with Florida's Department of Children & Families. The registration was recently renewed and expires in 2005. Authorities are now looking for Boesenberg after a search revealed evidence that the drugs were being sold from the premises. It seems she and her family were spending the weekend at Florida Keys.
Source: www.local6.com
Winning sex
drive
May 3, 2004
BMW drivers have more sex
than any other car owners and are much more active than Porsche drivers, a car
magazine has found. The German magazine Men's Car found male BMW drivers
said they had sex on average 2.2 times a week while Porsche drivers had sex 1.4
times a week. Following BMW drivers were Audi (2.1), Volkswagen (1.9), Ford
(1.7) and Mercedes (1.6). Drivers of non-German cars were also behind BMW:
Italian cars (2), French (1.9), Japanese (1.8), Swedish (1.6) and Korean cars
(1.5). Among women, French car
drivers were top with 2.1, followed by Audi (2), Italian (2), and BMW (1.9),
with Porsche again at the bottom at 1.2.
Herald Sun
A cat's epic
trip
From correspondents in San Francisco
May 2, 2004
A WOMAN has been re-united
with her lost cat almost seven years after it went missing. Pamela Edwards, from
Florida, was certain she would never see her three-year-old cat, Cheyenne, again
when it failed to come home in November, 1997. But three weeks ago, Ms Edwards
received a call from her local shelter saying her cat had been found: 5000km
away, in San Francisco. "I figured, 'There's no way that's my Cheyenne'," Ms
Edwards said. "I told them I had a cat named Cheyenne, but I've never lived in
San Francisco." Ms Edwards had adopted the cat from her local animal shelter
only a few months earlier and managed to microchip her before she went missing.
Animal Care and Control worker Deb Campbell said someone must have found the
black, short-haired cat walking along a street and dropped her off with staff.
Ms Campbell said a former neighbour of Ms Edwards may have found the cat and
decided to keep it, then moved to San Francisco.
Ms Edwards has been re-united with Cheyenne, who is now almost
10 years old.
The Sunday Telegraph
One of the Matrix
Creators to Remove His Penis
05/02/2004
Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski, co-creators of the cult series favorite, The Matrix, have always kept a relatively low profile. However, due to recent divorce proceedings with his wife, Larry Wachowski has revealed a well kept secret. He wants to be a woman. Recently, he has been cross-dressing to the point where his wife Thea Bloom has requested a divorce. She cites Wachowski's taste for cross-dressing, as well as his unconventional sexual activities as the reason for divorce. Now, with the divorce proceedings well underway, Wachowski has reportedly has made plans to finalize his decision to be a woman, and will have his penis removed.
Source: www.suntimes.com
German brothels must
train new prostitutes, proposed law says
05/02/2004
A German plan to pass a law that fines companies that do not hire trainees will also apply to the nation's legal brothels. The law is planned to be instituted later this year.
Companies that do not employ at least one trainee for every 15 employees would be fined under the law, which was drafted by the Social Democrats and their Greens coalition partners.
Several Greens members wanted to exempt brothels from the statute, but the ministry which would enforce the legislation blocked that, saying it could cause considerable difficulties.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Cemetery Offers Movement Sensor Coffins
05/01/2004
A cemetery is trying to be innovative in the field of death by offering its clients coffins with a built-in sensor that can detect any movement inside the box. The cemetery Camino a Canaan in Santiago, Chile is trying to avoid the worse case scenario where someone is buried alive. "We want families to rest assured that if a case like this ever happens their loved ones will be immediately rescued." "We want to be pioneers and avoid catalepsy cases, in which a person gets completely paralyzed for a few hours and ends up buried as if they were dead," a spokesperson for the cemetery said.
Source: www.ananova.com
Mum Caught Punishing
Her Son The Naked Way
05/01/2004
A mother in Fredericksburg, Virginia could be facing jail-time for giving her son an unusual punishment after he misbehaved at school. Neighbors alerted the police when they noticed the 12-year-old boy standing naked outside the house in 50F (10C) rainy and windy conditions. A court day has not been set for the mother. The unnamed woman has been charged with felony child neglect and could be facing five years in prison.
Source: www.ananova.com
US Film Director: I
Smoked Dope And Tony Blair Watched
05/01/2004
In an interview with British daily newspaper the Guardian, Veteran US film director Robert Altman said he smoked dope in front of Tony Blair without any objection from the Prime Minister. Blair and Altman were out dining at rock star Dave Stewart's mansion amongst other guests. "We were sitting there smoking grass. He was sitting across from me, so I thought he was pretty cool," said Altman. The prime minister's wife Cherie Blair had to leave the proceedings early. The US film director said he was later "disappointed" by Blair's relationship with US President Bush.
Source:news.ninemsn.com.au
Abused Woman Cuts Her
4-month Old Baby Boy
04/30/2004
A Japanese Woman, a 24 yr. old housewife, has been charged for assaulting her 4 month old baby boy. She used a razor blade to cut on his genitals due to her frustration at being beaten by her lover. The woman stated that her "partner keeps on beating" her and "refuses to acknowledge that he is the father" of the baby. She states she's now distrustful of men and she did it to "let off steam". The woman attacked her baby on March 1. It'll be months before the baby is healed. The mother admits to causing the wounds on her baby boy.
Source: mdn.mainichi.co.jp
Woman Gets Off Thanks
to Oral Sex Defense
04/30/2004
As mentioned on Shortnews, Heather Specyalski,33, planned to beat manslaughter charges by saying she was performing oral sex when her boyfriend's Mercedes-Benz convertible crashed, killing him. Convinced, the jury only took 50 minutes to acquit. The evidence that helped her case was testimony from paramedics that the boyfriend's pants were down when they arrived on the scene of the accident. The defense was rarely brought up during the course of the trial until closing arguments. Investigators originally closed the case, saying the boyfriend Neil Esposito was driving 120mph at the time of the crash. Esposito's family used connections they had with Governor John G. Rowland to reopen the case based on alleged inconsistencies.
Source: www.foxnews.com
Docs accused
of live kidney removal
From correspondents in Moscow
April 29, 2004
THE Moscow prosecutor's
office early today accused four Russian doctors who had tried to remove a live
patient's kidneys for a transplant, of having "prepared a murder", Russian news
agencies reported. The 50-year-old man had been hospitalized last month for
cranial traumatism, but when police arrived at the hospital they discovered that
he had been taken away from the intensive care unit and that doctors were
getting ready to remove his kidneys. One of the doctors, transplant specialist
Pyotr Pyatnichuk, was charged with attempted murder, a prosecutor's office
official said. His three colleagues, transplant specialist Bayrma Shagduriva and
doctors Irina Lirtsman and Lyubov Pravdenko, were expected to be formally
charged within five days.
Lirtsman, who heads the hospital's intensive care unit, was also charged with
abuse of power.
Agence France-Presse
'Lucky' stays
put
From correspondents in Zagreb, Croatia
April 29, 2004
A MAN who cheated death
seven times, had four failed marriages and then won Stg600,000 ($1.46 million)
with his first lottery ticket has refused to leave Croatia to fly to Australia
to film a commercial because he fears it could tempt fate. Croatian Frane Selaks
has been signed by Smith's Snackfood company in Australia to star in a
commercial for Doritos, but the 75-year-old resisted the temptation to hop on
another plane. Instead, a film crew flew to Zagreb to record Selaks, known as
Lucky to his friends, who has survived seven serious accidents which have
claimed scores of lives.
"I never had any accidents while traveling on a boat or a ship so I thought about going there that way but it would have taken a month and my wife would not want me to be away for that long," he said. "I didn't want to risk another accident while I was traveling by air. "Despite my refusal to travel there they still wanted me as the star. "They wanted someone who could prove that being a winner wasn't all about luck."
Selaks' first escape came in 1962 when a train traveling from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik jumped the rails and plunged into an icy river. Seventeen people drowned, but Selaks made it to the riverbank suffering hypothermia, shock, bruises and a broken arm. A year later, he was thrown out of a DC-8 plane between Zagreb and Rijeka when a door flew open. This time 19 people died but Selaks landed in a haystack and escaped with cuts, bruises and shock. In 1966, four passengers were killed when a bus in Split lurched into a river, but Selaks swam to safety with cuts, bruises and even more shock. In 1970, his car caught fire and he leapt out seconds before the fuel tank exploded. Three years later, he lost most of his hair when a fuel pump spewed petrol over his car's engines and blew flames through the air vents. In 1995, he suffered minor injuries when he was knocked down by a bus in Zagreb. His last brush with death came in 1996 when he was driving in the mountains and turned a corner to see a UN truck coming straight for him. His Skoda car crashed through the barrier and over the edge but Selaks jumped out and landed in a tree to see his car explode 90 metres below him.
"I was either the world's unluckiest man or
the luckiest. I preferred to believe the latter," said Selaks, from Petrinja in
central Croatia. And that proved true last year when he won Stg600,000 ($1.46
million) with the first lottery ticket he bought in his life.
He believes having a fifth wife 20 years
his junior and becoming an actor at 75 are a couple more pieces of good luck.
AAP
Carlos the
Jackal strips in court
From correspondents in Paris
April 29, 2004
CARLOS the Jackal,
the convicted Venezuelan terrorist, turned up to a hearing with a judge today
... in his underwear, his lawyer said. Carlos, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez
Sanchez, protested an order to take off his belt ahead of the audience by
completely removing his pants and arriving in just his shirt, underpants and
black socks, Isabelle Coutant-Peyre - who is also his wife - said.
Anti-terrorist judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere was questioning him about a 1982 car
bomb explosion in front of an Arabic newspaper's office in Paris that killed a
30-year-old pregnant woman and wounded 59 people. Carlos, 54, was sentenced to
life in prison in 1997 for a triple murder committed in the French capital in
1975, but he faces fresh trials for other crimes that are being investigated. In
prison, he has remained defiant. Last month, he gave an interview to a French
television station by telephone in which he stated "there are no innocent
victims" and refused to ask for forgiveness for his crimes.
The former Marxist-Leninist radical mastermind
boasted that his operations in the 1970s and 1980s killed more than 1500 people.
Agence France-Presse
Marksman going out
with a bang
April 29, 2004
THE ashes of an
Irish clay-pigeon shooting enthusiast have been packed into shotgun cartridges,
to be fired by his friends over the grounds of his favourite shooting clubs.
Tony Mullen from Dundalk, County Louth, who died on Easter Sunday at the age of
63, was passionate about his hobby, the marksman's widow Elizabeth Mullen told
AFP on Tuesday. "It's a bit bizarre, I suppose, but his last wish was to have
his ashes scattered in this way and he asked his friends to do it," she said.
She explained that her dead husband's ashes would be packed into 50 shotgun
cartridges that have had their lead removed. Describing her husband as a "great
character and a lovely man", she said he initially had the idea of getting his
ashes made into clay pigeon targets. The idea is that they would shatter when
his friends shot them, thus scattering his remains. However, "his friends and
colleagues didn't like to do that", said Mrs. Mullen, because they felt it would
be like putting their old friend before a firing squad.
Agence France-Presse
Puppet recruits
fail to make a stand
By Tim Martain
April 29, 2004
COLD weather,
Australian Idol auditions and sobriety were blamed for the absence of
apprentice penis puppeteers yesterday. Performing at the Theatre Royal in Hobart
this week, Simon Morley and Brett Hartin held auditions to see if any Tasmanians
wanted to join the hit show Puppetry Of The Penis. But it appears the
local men were all a bit soft. "It's a bit disappointing," Morley said in the
empty theatre. "You probably don't have the climate for it down here, and
Idol's holding auditions today as well." Morley, who created the show, said
they were always looking for more puppeteers because demand was so great they
could not be everywhere at once. There are eight pairs of men performing the
ancient art of genital origami across the globe, all trained by Puppetry Of
The Penis. Tasmania has more men inquiring about joining the show than any
other state, and eight local lads nominated via email for yesterday's audition.
But not one turned up. "We normally get one or two at least, even though more
will say they're coming," a disappointed Hartin said. But even though nobody
rose to the challenge yesterday, those coming to see the show will get their
chance. "We offer people the opportunity to get up on stage and shuffle one with
us," Morley said. "So they can come and audition in front of a theatre full of
people if they want." Morley said audition calls usually attracted all sorts of
nut-bags, and still hoped to hear from at least one Hobartian. "I think it's
every man's dream to pull his pants down for an hour a night, get paid well and
travel the world," he said. "Come on Hobart, it's a piece of skin, get over it."
Hartin was more philosophical. "It's better to regret something you've done than
something you haven't done," he said.
The Mercury
German cop suspended
for giving fellow officer a 'Sieg Heil'
04/29/2004
A policeman guarding the British Embassy in Berlin is suspended after allegedly giving a fellow officer the stiff-armed Nazi salute and saying either "Sieg Heil" or "Heil Hitler."
The officer could face prosecution for the use of illegal symbols, according to a police spokesman. German law forbids inciting racial hatred or displaying Nazi symbols.
"The officer raised his right arm upon arrival in the police duty office at the British embassy and greeted his colleague by making an outlawed statement," police said.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Flying saucers over
Iran: Aliens or Americans?
04/29/2004
Flying saucer fever is rampant in Iran after dozens of sightings were reported the past few days. A sparkling white disk in the night sky was shown on state TV. UFOs shining red, green, blue and purple rays over three cities. An air force officer was quoted as saying Iran should investigate whether the "visitors from afar" had hostile intentions. Meanwhile, an astronomer scoffs at the sightings, saying most of what has been reported is consistent with Venus' appearance. Meanwhile, cartoons of alien spacecraft have appeared on the front pages of Iranian newspapers as people wonder whether the UFO pilots are aliens from another world or American spies.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
New Cocaine-based Drink Hits the Market
04/28/2004
In Peru, a new drink called Kdrink has hit the market. It looks and tastes like bottle iced tea. The beverage hit Peruvian stores this year and uses a formula made from coca leaves, the base ingredient in cocaine. Each bottle contains a trace of cocaine -- 0.6 milligrams. This trace carries less kick than a cup of coffee. With the exception of Coca-Cola, products using coca leaves are banned in most nations by U.S. and UN import regulations. Peru is ahead in the coca leaf market, they have two drinks using coca leaves. They are trying to find ways for the two Peruvian drinks, Kdrink Iced Tea and Vortex Energy Drink to legally make it into foreign markets.
Artist makes gun out of
her own skin
04/26/2004
In her efforts to express concern regarding violence in today's society, Dutch artist Joanneke Meester felt her message could best be conveyed with a weapon fashioned from a flap of her own skin. Meester fashioned a tiny replica pistol with a piece of her skin measuring 8 inches long by 1.6 inches high. The skin was removed via local anesthesia and left the artist with 16 stitches. Meester then stretched the skin over a plaster and fiber pistol mold. The piece will be on exhibit under glass at Amsterdam's Kunstvlaai exhibition. This is not the first piece where Meester has used skin, although it's the first using human skin.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Actress Injured While Having Sex
04/24/2004
Leslie Ash, of "Men Behaving Badly," says that the reason she broke a rib was because she hit a bedside table while she was getting it on with her husband Lee Chapman, a former football player with Leeds United. Police went to arrest Chapman on suspicions that he beat his wife but backed off when Ash told them how she got injured. She told "The Sun," "We were making love and this happens. How embarrassing is that?" Scotland Yard stated: "A woman in her 40s was taken to a west London hospital suffering injuries including a broken rib. She remains in a stable condition and is being detained overnight for observation."
NY Gay Couple Commit
Sex Acts in Tree
04/23/2004
A gay couple, ages 32 & 17, scaled a tree in Central Park to protest the families' lack of understanding of their relationship. Police said the 32 yr old later performed oral sex on the boy. They'd told the boy's family of their relationship. The couple was in danger of falling out of the tree, which was 55 foot high. The branches were only 4 inches wide. They shouted obscenities and threats at the police as they approached to intervene. A safety mat was put below the tree. The couple stripped and performed lewd acts in front of onlookers. Police negotiators, who went up the tree to talk to the couple, gave them soft drinks and water. They finally came down after a few hours and were taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Drug dealing defendant claims defense that
drugs belonged to his pets
04/23/2004
Recently police in Nicaragua busted Francisco Armando Rivera with 67.3 kilograms of cocaine and a revolver found in a cockfighting den he controlled. Armando's defense chose an interesting route citing "The drugs were in the possession of a rooster and two hens and the law is very clear that whoever is in possession of the drugs is the one who should be accused." Prosecutors call the claim "absurd and impertinent." However, Prosecutors must prove that the drugs in question did belong to Armando. In comments later, Nicaraguan Attorney General Julio Centeno called the defense's case "an absurd joke."
Source: cnews.canoe.ca
Child offered on
Internet for under $2.00
04/22/2004
A German Mother and her male friend are up on human trafficking charges after they listed the woman's daughter for internet auction at a starting price of one euro ($1.18).
A photo of the 8 year old child was posted by the male friend who told police he had placed the offer to "test the online auction system". Apparently Germany has seen a surge in human trafficking in recent years.
The senior state prosecutor investigating the case said the couple are facing charges of attempted child trafficking. "Three people made offers for the child and the bidding reached 25.50 euros before being removed...".
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Rhino tries to mate
with car
04/22/2004
Sharka, a two-ton, 12-year-old white rhinoceros living at a British safari park, tried to have sex with a group of visitors' Renault Laguna. Sharka dented the doors and ripped off side mirrors trying to mount the car. Driver Dave Alsop stopped with three friends in tow to try to take pictures of Sharka mating with his partner, Trixie. After the rhino turned his amorous attention to the car, Alsop sped away, rhino in pursuit. "He was a big boy and obviously aroused," Alsop told a newspaper. "He sidled up against us. The next thing I know, he's banging away at the car and it's rocking like hell." Midland Safari Park's web site notes that rhinos are not particularly smart.
Source: www.cnn.com:80
Escaped Convict caught
by Horse
04/18/2004
An accused felon escaped during transport from a Pinellas county facility Friday afternoon. Local and county police searched for the handcuffed escapee for several hours, locking down two local schools and interrupting broadcasts to warn the public. After combined efforts from over 5 local, county, and federal officers, the escaped felon was finally detected by a horse specially trained in herding cattle. The caretaker of the horse noticed the horse's strange behavior, and investigated. Her calls to local officials were ignored for 30 minutes, until someone took a bet on the horse, and the sheriff's office found the suspect hiding in bushes close by. When replying to the press, the sheriff's office stated "Thank God for the Horse"
Source: www.tampabay10.com
Man Gets Penis Trapped
In Wedding Ring
04/17/2004
The casualty unit at Torbay Hospital in Devon, England, needed to call in the fire department after a man turned up with is penis stuck inside his wedding ring. The un-named man, who was in his 50's, panicked when the firemen brought a jewelers saw in to his cubicle to cut the ring off. The man took control of the cutting machine and, under supervision, cut the ring off himself.
Source: www.dailyrecord.co.uk
Pornographic Cookie Tin
Becomes Collectors Item Worth Big Bucks
04/16/2004
A London cookie maker, Huntley & Palmers sold a countless amount of commemorative tins featuring a picnic scene, without realizing that it contained sexually explicit drawings within the scene. The drawings, attributable to a disgruntled former employee who sought revenge and added the drawings while completing his final project, includes a small picture of two dogs having sex and another of a pair of naked lovers. Lawrence's Auctioneers in Somerset, southwest England, is hoping collectors will bid fat dough to obtain this cheeky collectable. The drawings were spotted on the tins in 1980 by a grocer.
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Doll Island attracts
tourists
04/13/2004
An island in Mexico City where the only resident tied thousands of dolls to trees has been turned into a local attraction. Mr Santana searched local dumps for dolls for 50 years. The dolls became ornaments for the trees on the island.
Local people would trade their old dolls with Mr Santana for his home grown vegetables.
Mexican journalist Sebastian Flores said: "The island is impressive on full moon nights because there is no electricity and you see all the dolls hanging and some small animals coming out of their mouths. It is a bit terrifying."
Source: www.ananova.com
Innocent man refuses to
leave prison
04/09/2004
A Texas man who has served 10 years at the Tarrant County Jail on charges of molesting a 3-year-old girl has been deemed innocent. Still, he declined a chance to leave the prison on bail. The reason is that he would be forced to temporarily register as a sex offender. "I came into jail innocent, and that is the way I want to leave," said John Michael Harvey, 38. A judge ruled last month that his conviction should be overturned after his victim, now 18, recanted the testimony that convicted him. Because of red tape, however, he'd have his picture posted in newspapers and on the Internet if he chose bail.
Source: www.chron.com
Sewage Geysers Launch
Manholes Skyward
04/02/2004
Due to a blocked gate at the Trinity River Authority's east Grand Prairie plant, nearly 70 million gallons of raw sewage backed up, with about 3 million of it flowing into the river. The affected plant processes as much as 140 million gallons of sewage per day. The force of this amount of backup caused at least eight manholes to be shot into the air with sewage geysers rising up to four feet in the air. Part of a golf course and a park had to be closed due to the smelly mess. Officials worried that sewage would adversely affect the water wildlife in the river. The problem existed for half the day before workers could get another gate opened.
Source: cjonline.com
Regular Sex Makes You
More Intelligent
03/29/2004
The latest findings from the Hamburg Medical Research Institute in Germany claim that regular sexual intercourse increases your intelligence.
Additionally the injection of endorphins and serotonin that you receive once you orgasm increases self confidence, giving your mind and body a physical workout.
Werner Habermehl says "Sex makes you more intelligent in that experiences are collected that can be used later on in areas of life not linked to sex."
Source: www.ananova.com
DJs Who Invited Jackass
Stars on Show Suspended
03/27/2004
Canadian radio station The Edge, 102.1 FM, has suspended radio show hosts Dean Blundell, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro without pay. The jocks invited Jackass stars Steve-O, Chris Pontius and Weeman to their show hoping they would follow promises made.
Instead of agreeing to refrain from guidelines regarding graphic content and foul language, Steve-O urinated on the studio's floor. He also got duct tape around his genitalia and called this stunt "Unwrapping the Mummy."
The lawyer for MTV's Jackass show says the radio show should have known it was taking a risk. Alan Cross, the station's Program Director, fears the Canadian radio watchdog getting involved and creating a Janet Jackson-style backlash in Canada.
Source: www.thestar.com
5 Year Old Boy
Sprinkled Marijuana in School Cafeteria
03/24/2004
At a Gratigny Elementary School cafeteria in Florida, a monitor discovered that a five year old boy had a bag of marijuana and was sprinkling it on another boy's lasagna as if it was oregano. Child protective services are questioning his family. A similar incident happened in Indianapolis yesterday when a four year old boy took $10,000 of crack cocaine to his preschool and told people it was flour. Unlike this incident in Florida, that boy's parents are no where to be found. In the Florida case, police think an older friend may have had the five year old hold the bag of marijuana for him. His parents have been questioned but their names have not been released.
Source: www.cnn.com
Official Complaint Made
For Prostitute Not Doing Her Best
03/23/2004
Adrian Lonut Craciunoiu of Romania filed a complaint with the consumer protection officials after receiving poor services from a prostitute. He went on to say "She didn't do her best and even scratched me because she missed some of her teeth." The consumer protection authority admitted it was the strangest complaint they have ever received. "This case is a little bit difficult because prostitution is illegal in Romania. But I am going to talk to the police and look for a way to solve it."
Source: www.ananova.com
Frenchman tries to run
over pedestrian: 'I thought I was killing Osama'
03/17/2004
A 35-year-old struggling artist identified as "Pierre" was convicted of running over a pedestrian whom, he and his lawyer said, the man thought was al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The victim will receive Pierre's 500-euro fine. Pierre, who is also sentenced to a three-month prison stint, was traumatized by the Madrid train bombings and was the "victim of a hallucination," explained his lawyer, David Mendel. "If it was (bin Laden), we would have won US $5 million," he said. The victim, a man in his 30s, was able to run out of the path of the car, which Pierre crashed along the side of a street in the historic center of Montpellier, France.
Source: www.dfw.com:80
Papua New Guinea Police
Hunt For Live Dinosaur
03/12/2004
Police in Papua New Guinea have been sent to the volcanic island of East New Britain, following locals reports of a live dinosaur lurking near the capital of the province, Kokopo. Locals reported that the creature had a head like a dog and the tail of a crocodile. The police that have been sent to look for the creature are heavily armed. One witness said: "It's a very huge and ugly looking animal." Police are taking the reports seriously, warning villagers to be on the alert at all times. A government official told the Australian Associated Press that villagers "... told us it was a dinosaur."
Source: www.theage.com.au
Spyware a growing
security threat
03/07/2004
Spyware (adware, malware etc.) infect our surfing experience with pop-up ads of our favorite bad habits, change our browser settings and install themselves so it takes specialized software to remove it again - is also a major security hole.
A study at University of Washington in Seattle found 1 in 20 computers running one or more of the four most common spyware programs - non-academic PCs are thought to be less 'clean'.
What's worse however: The spyapps Gator and eZula were shown to allow remote control of the computers running them by fooling them to receive false software updates. The US has a Spyblock Act under way.
Source: www.newscientist.com
Man Eaten By Pet
Spiders And Lizards
02/28/2004
The body of a fanatical German who kept more than 200 exotic spiders along with lizards and other pets has been found in his Dortmund apartment partially consumed after he was bitten by his favorite Black Widow spider.
The mans corpse was found days after his death and police were met with the horrific sight of spiders comming out of his nose and mouth. The lizards had ripped flesh off his body and parts were found in the nearby webs of tarantulas.
The tiny home was found bathed in an eerie green light and has been described as a mix between a botanical garden and a The Silence of the Lambs-style butterfly breeding room.
Source: www.washtimes.com
London's $187,500
Parking Space
02/25/2004
An underground parking space in a central London car park near the luxury store Harrods in Knightsbridge has a $187,500 price tag attached to it. The high dollar space is said to be one of the most expensive in all of Britain.
"There is a shortage of parking spaces in the area," said the man in charge of the sale Harrods Estates' Andy Summer. Single parking spaces and garages have been rising in price since drivers are trying to avoid tickets and high hourly parking fees.
A similar spot was sold for $177,000 last July. Another was prebought for a 3 year old. A new gain in Britains property prices has caused the average home to cost around $261,000. Houses in the expensive Knightsbridge area normally sell for millions.
Source: www.reuters.com
US Company Offering
"Space Burial" To Taiwanese
02/19/2004
Houston-based Celestis has made a contract with Taiwan’s biggest funeral home company, Baushan Enterprise. They will be planning and delivering "space burials" to the Taiwanese.
Taiwan is densely populated and the island is running out of burial space. The "space burials" will cost no more than a normal burial in Taiwan.
Robert Tysor, chief executive of Celestis said that the ashes od the deseased are shot into space in a lipstick sized aluminum tube. "It helps one fulfill the instinctive desire to explore space," Tysor said.
Source: www.breakingnews.ie
Woman Lived And Slept
With Corpse For A Year
02/17/2004
Mary Ellen Lyons, an elderly woman living in rural Ireland with her brother Michael, kept a dark secret - that their sister Agnes, who also lived in the same house, had been dead for a year. Life for the two went on, with Mary even sharing Agnes's bed. The family were extremely religious and lived in an isolated part of Ireland, so much so Michael would never open either sisters room, or even watch the television if a woman was on it. Mary even forgot when it was that sister Agnes expired: "I have tried to remember when Agnes died but I just can't remember. I remember getting Christmas cards at Christmas 2002 but I cannot remember if Agnes was dead at the time."
Source: www.sky.com
Man Hurt After Attempted Rape Of Dog
02/03/2004
A drunken man in Thailand was badly bitten on his face, chest and arms and also required a rabies shot after attempting to rape a passing dog which he says was "acting sexy". The drunk, named Toryip, saw the stray dog after a drinking session with friends and, after being attracted to it by its wagging tail, tried to drag it into an area of long grass for some 'canine romance'. Unfortunately for him, the dog turned on him, forcing the man to give up and walk home. He has admitted to police of three other dog rapes, saying that he would have employed a prostitute but never had enough money to afford one.
Source: news.com.au
World Wide Web Inventor
to Receive Knighthood
01/01/2004
Berners-Lee, 48, has been named in the Queens New Years honours list. He is to receive a knighthood. Without his creation, access to the Internet would be limited to just a few people, the Independant reported.
"I'm very honored, although it still feels strange," Berners-Lee said. "I feel like quite an ordinary person, and so the good news is that it does happen to ordinary people who work on things that happen to work out, like the Web."
Source: washingtontimes.com
Nude Mayor Embarassed
12/11/2003
A picture of Mayor Sharon Smith (Houston, BC, CAN) has found its way into circulation, and the Mayor is pictured in the town hall, wearing only her "chain of office".
The Mayor says the picture was taken for her husband because he was so proud of her becoming Mayor and was private. She emphasized that no disrespect was meant to the office of Mayor and that the focus here should be on the theft, not the pictures.
The picture was stolen from her home computer. Investigators belive it was an inside job -- someone with access to the computers. A former town councilman has demanded she resign for her "catastrophic error in judgment."
Source: story.news.yahoo.com
Mummified Body of DJ
Found Behind Wall
12/08/2003
At Winnipeg's Village Cabaret, DJ Eduardo Sanchez's mummified body was discovered between basement walls. He had crawled in there last October and police do not know why. His body was in early stages of mummification.
At first, neighbors there blamed the rotten smell of his decay on spilled beer and cigarette fumes. But when Winnepeg outlawed smoking at bars and clubs, neighbors realized something was odd and they called police.
Sanchez died because he could not breathe in the tight space between the walls. Police needed a special camera from a duct cleaning company to discover his body. People have been searching for Sanchez ever since he was last seen October 12th.
Source: www.nationalpost.com
Dead Man Walking
08/08/2003
An India man identified
as dead by family members returned home...alive.
The family, still in the grieving process was shocked when the "dead man",
identified as Ashok Sindhi, returned home.
The deceased was found in a ditch just one day after Ashok Sindhi was reported as missing from his home. The deceased man, later determined to be Suman Sharma, looked enough like the missing man that relatives of Ashok Sindhi mistook him.
Upon returning, Ashok Sindhi told relatives that he had gone to visit his grandmother.
Source: www.ananova.com
Woman Calls Police to
Report Marijuana Theft
07/23/2003
An 18-year-old woman filed a complaint against 2 men last week, claiming they had stole around $20 of marijuana from her, and then assaulted her when she tried to get it back. The theft allegation is being taken seriously by police.
In May a Windsor, Ontario judge ruled that possessing less than 30 grams of pot would no longer be illegal. Police believe this is the first reported case of marijuana theft in Toronto since that ruling. Federal court is proposing similar legislation.
Const. Steve Morrell said, "It's a strange story because we've never had anyone call in to say they've had their drugs stolen."
Source: www.cbc.ca
Woman Cooks Husband's
Penis Then Commits Suicide
06/24/2003
A woman in Thailand killed her husband because she was saddened by his attitude toward her. Preyapha Tasuwan is thought to have killed her husband with a garden hoe before slicing off his penis and cooking it. Tasuwan, 27, put the penis of Rangsan Supakpattana, 46, into an electric rice cooker then committed suicide by hanging herself. A relative found the body of Supakpattana who had been beaten to death in his home. Preyapha Tasuwan left a suicide note saying that her husband ignored her. "She had a mental problem and the evidence suggested she had been overcome with jealousy," said a police spokesman.
Source: www.iol.co.za
Theatre Group to Have
Live Oral Sex
06/12/2003
The Kitsilano theatre group in Vancouver, Canada plans on staging a play called Public Sex, Art and Democracy which has two performers engaging in oral sex. Police are threatening to shut down the play and make arrests.
Section 167 outlaws and "immoral, indecent or obscene performance." A court interpreted that to include lap-dancing. John Ince, who owns the venue for the play, says he does not see why X rated films can be shown but not live sex acts.
Civil libertarians state that this is protected free speech because it has artistic merit. Only people aged 19 and over who buy tickets are allowed to see this performance. A court challenge may arise if police intervene.
Source: canada.com
Disgruntled Woman Cuts
Off Neighbour's Hands with Machete
06/12/2003
Moments after a woman's 4 children were removed from her home by Children's Aid Society(CAS) and police, she attacked her 44-year-old neighbour with a machete and cut off both of her hands.
The disgruntled woman, who's been charged with aggravated assault, attacked the single mother of 5 because she mistakenly believed the victim reported her to the CAS.
The victim is in Toronto Western Hospital, where doctors are presently trying to re-attach her hands.
Source: toronto.cbc.ca
Delivery in 30 minutes
or You Get a Beating
06/04/2003
Donna Paiement, of Belleville, Ontario has been ordered by a judge that she cannot call Pizza Pizza nor get delivery service from the chain.
Apparently Donna assaulted the delivery driver because she had to wait more than 30 minutes. She allegedly, kicked, punched and choked him in retaliation for having to wait so long.
Paiement pleaded guilty to assault and she is court-ordered to undergo counseling and receive a year's worth of probation.
Source: ottawa.cbc.ca
Naked Teen's
Sex-Fantasies Has Police Scrambling
02/23/2003
The whole story began just before midnight: A man called 911 and reported that he had talked to a girl who said that someone broke into her house. After that, the line went dead.
In the frantic search for the abducted 17-year-old girl, Canadian police even dispatched a SWAT-team to her house. Then a routine patrol discovered her naked and bound with tape in the back of a car.
But the girl didn't want to be rescued. It emerged that the 17-year-old female and a man, her 'kidnapper', at the scene were engaged in a role-playing game. Police said the man that called 911 didn't know that.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Court Victory Allows
Website to Sell and Home Deliver Marijuana
12/23/2002
In a long awaited decision, Quebec Superior Court Judge Gilles Cadieux, has dismissed a trial against two volunteers of the Compassion Club of Montreal, a group dedicated to the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Both Alexandre Neron, 22, and Marc-Boris St-Maurice, 33, were both arrested after planning to sell cannabis for medicinal purposes. Judge Cadieux said it was unconstitutional to restrict access to the drug.
The Marijuana Party Foundation, a division of the federally funded Marijuana Party, have now launched a website dedicated to offering medicinal access to the "highest quality therapeutic cannabis".
Source: www.cnn.com
