‘Tom Rogers, a retired Indianapolis detective, toils away most days in his suburban home office reviewing sexual Web sites and other Internet traffic to see whether they qualify as obscene material whose purveyors should be prosecuted by the Justice Department. [..]
The grant, about $150,000 a year, has helped pay for Mr. Rogers and another retired law enforcement officer in Reno, Nev., to harvest and review complaints about obscene matter on the Internet that citizens register on the Justice Department Web site.
In the last few years, 67,000 citizens’ complaints have been deemed legitimate under the program and passed on to the Justice Department and federal prosecutors.
The number of prosecutions resulting from those referrals is zero.’
‘I’m starting to gather a reputation as a fairly self-sufficient guy. Of course there’s the homebrewing, the woodworking, the gardening, and yes, we’re thinking of getting some chickens. So I was not really surprised when my sisters got me a book on home meat-curing for my birthday, the simply, yet fancily-named Charcuterie. Beyond its appeal as a potential source of deliciousness, the book is stuffed full of great pencil drawings of one of my favorite subjects: meat preparation. Sausage, Prosciutto, Jamon Serrano, Saucisson Sec, and that staple of every Iowan’s diet, sweet, sweet bacon. Home-made bacon. Made … at home. By you. Holy. F-ing. Shit.’
‘The 2007 Miles Franklin Award winner will be among hundreds of books no longer stocked by Australia’s biggest bookstore chain, Angus & Robertson, from the end of next week.
Tower Books, which distributes Alexis Wright’s novel Carpentaria, is among the smaller Australian distributors and publishers which have received a letter from A&R demanding a payment if they want their books to be sold by the company’s 180 bookstores around the country.
The letter from A&R Whitcoulls Group’s commercial manager, Charlie Rimmer, said “over 40 per cent of our supplier agreements fall below our requirements in terms of profit earned” and “invites” recipients to pay amounts said to range between $2500 and $20,000 by August 17.’
The response letter from Tower Books is absolutely hilarious.
‘In one fell swoop this big guy ruins summer for everyone.’
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‘A man accused of having sex with a goat is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday on a animal cruelty charge. Charging papers say a witness saw 63-year-old Arthur Lawton having sex with a goat May 8th in a barn at Eatonville’s Pioneer Farm Museum where he worked.
Lawton said he was trying to milk the goat. [..]
He’s the second person charged in the county since the Legislature made bestiality a crime in response to the fatal injury to a man having sex with a horse in Enumclaw.’
Followup to Mr Hands.
‘A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay. [..]
“It’s a slap in the face. It’s like, ‘Oh, we’re sorry he died, but he’s gay so we can’t help you,'” she said Friday.
Wright said High Point offered to hold the service for Sinclair because their brother is a janitor there. Sinclair, who served in the first Gulf War, died Monday at age 46 from an infection after surgery to prepare him for a heart transplant.
The church’s pastor, the Rev. Gary Simons, said no one knew Sinclair, who was not a church member, was gay until the day before the Thursday service, when staff members putting together his video tribute saw pictures of men “engaging in clear affection, kissing and embracing.” [..]
“We did decline to host the service — not based on hatred, not based on discrimination, but based on principle,” Simons told The Associated Press. “Had we known it on the day they first spoke about it — yes, we would have declined then. It’s not that we didn’t love the family.”‘
Here’s a comic book from 1987. Nobody can beat Chuck Norris, not even ninjas.
‘Next time think twice before you threaten a bunch of kids!’
‘A Morgantown man, his mother and his friend are suing McDonald’s for $10 million.
The man says he bit into a hamburger and had a severe allergic reaction to the cheese melted on it.
Jeromy Jackson, who is in his early 20s, says he clearly ordered two Quarter Pounders without cheese at the McDonald’s restaurant in Star City before heading to Clarksburg.
His mother Trela Jackson and friend Andrew Ellifritz are parties to the lawsuit because they say they risked their lives rushing Jeromy to United Hospital Center in Clarksburg.
The lawsuit alleges Jeromy “was only moments from death” or serious injury by the time he reached the hospital.’
‘Explorer Colonel John Blashford-Snell has had close encounters with vampire bats and angry bees, but his latest brush has been with a rather odd dog.
He spotted a rare breed of Double-Nosed Andean tiger hound, which has two noses, on a recent trip to Bolivia. [..]
He said: “While we were there, sitting by the fire one night, I saw an extraordinary-looking dog that appeared to have two noses.
“I was sober at the time, and then I remembered the story that the legendary explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett came back with in 1913 of seeing such strange dogs in the Amazon jungle.
“Nobody believed him, they laughed him out of court.”‘
‘Cowboy boots have been banned for on-duty Trenton police officers following a weekend crash.
Officer Michael Herko apparently was wearing slick-soled cowboy boots Sunday when Herko’s foot slipped off the brake and onto the gas pedal, causing Herko’s 1997 Crown Victoria squad car to careen into the front doors of the Smokers Express convenience store on U.S. 129, said Trenton Police Chief Billy Smith.
“He wasn’t going fast and he got his foot right back on the brake,” Smith said. “Nobody got hurt, but he was embarrassed as all get out about this.”
At about 6:15 p.m. Sunday, the front of Herko’s patrol car knocked about a 10-foot-by-10-foot opening where the store’s two glass entry doors had been, Smith said.’
‘He’s 105 years old and could soon be looking for a place to live.
The Fredericksburg man has out lived his money and just can’t afford his home anymore.
But friends and workers at his assisted living facility are stepping up to help — including starting a fundraising Web site. [..]
Watching Haubner, you’d never guess his age.
He exercises 45 minutes every day. The former lumberyard worker and Army veteran likes to show off his muscles. [..]
Haubner lived by himself up to just three years ago, when he hurt himself riding a bicycle at age 102.’
‘Bryan Connelly, convicted of forgery charges, is accused of making an unusual choice in seeking a hit man to kill the prosecutor: the judge who sentenced him.
Galveston County District Court Judge David Garner said Connelly, 34, of Santa Fe, was among those defendants who “think outside the box” for allegedly writing a letter offering him $5,000 to kill former prosecutor Donnie Quintanilla, now in private practice in Galveston.
Connelly wrote a second letter to his defense attorney, Houston lawyer Jonathan Cox, offering him $5,000 to kill Garner, special prison prosecutor Alice Gregg said.
“I want Judge David Garner dead and I want you to kill him for me,” the letter to Cox read, according to Gregg. “If you decide not to kill Mr. Garner for me, I will kill him myself after I kill you.”‘
‘The 66-year search for the wreck of HMAS Sydney, on which 645 Australians lost their lives, is almost certainly over.
A group of West Australians using just a grappling hook and an underwater camera last weekend found what they are sure is the Sydney, which sank after a battle with the German raider Kormoran on November 19, 1941.
Video film of the discovery shows scenes of tangled wreckage over a vast expanse of deck, much longer than any other vessel known to have sunk in the area.
The search team believe a series of details clearly visible on their video — decking bolts, extensive radio aerials, steam tubes and signs of massive damage — all point to the Sydney.’
Two little kittens having a bit of a wrestle when a third cat comes along and quickly stops the action.
I think it’s a technique I’ll have to learn incase I’m ever around a fight. 🙂
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‘A woman attacked a karaoke singer belting out Coldplay on Thursday night, telling him he “sucked” before she pushed and punched him to get him to stop singing, bar staff said.
The man was singing “Yellow” when it happened.
“It took three or four of us to hold her down,” bartender Robert Willmette said.
When she was escorted outside, the 21-year-old woman “went crazy,” Willmette said, throwing punches at him and others, including an off-duty police officer.
Patrol officers and detectives then arrived at the neighborhood bar and blocked off the street, which inflamed the woman’s rage even more, a police report said. Before police could handcuff the woman, she headbutted the off-duty officer at least twice.’
‘Iranian newspapers have long poured scorn on the debauchery and deviousness of the British Foreign Office.
But now the criticism has been cranked up further with the alleged discovery of a secret tunnel used to sneak “spies and prostitutes” into the British embassy in Tehran.
The passage was been uncovered by workmen, according to reports.
Labourers digging foundations for a carpet shop opposite the embassy on an avenue in the heart of the capital stumbled across what was described as a “huge” underground passageway. [..]
When in 1994 Iran claimed a listening device was found in the wall of its embassy in London, Britain was denounced as the “land of spies and pirates”.’
‘Canada fired a warning shot in a new Cold War over the vast resources of the far North by announcing last night that it will build two new military bases in the Arctic wilderness.
A week after Russia laid claim to the North Pole in what is rapidly becoming a global scramble for the region’s vast oil and gas reserves, Stephen Harper, the Canadian Prime Minister, said that Canada would open a new army training centre for cold-weather fighting at Resolute Bay, and a deep-water port at Nanisivik, on the northern tip of Baffin Island. The country is also beefing up its military presence in the far North with 900 Rangers.
[..] “This isn’t the 15th century,” Peter MacKay, the Canadian Foreign Minister, said. “You can’t go around the world and just plant flags and say, ‘We’re claiming this territory’.”‘
Followup to Russians to dive below North Pole.
‘A smudge of driveway sealant resembling the face of Jesus Christ has fetched more than $1,500 in an online auction.
The family that found the image on its garage floor sold it for $1,525.69 on eBay Wednesday, more than a week after the slab of concrete was put on sale.
“I really never thought I’d get any, to be honest,” said Deb Serio, a high school teacher.’
‘Building boss Howard Shelley carried out the ultimate DIY conversion — by castrating himself so he could become a woman.
The 42-year-old dad of two decided on the drastic move after being told he would have to wait at least two years for a sex change on the NHS.
He found a website which gave a step-by-step guide to the eye-watering home surgery, then waited till wife Janet went out before setting to work with a kitchen knife in the loo. [..]
“In the end, I turned to the Net — it’s amazing what you can find. [..]
“The worst bit was steeling myself for the first cut. The whole thing took six minutes. It was agony, but I knew I couldn’t stop.”‘
‘A monster truck performing stunts in front of an auto parts store veered into a crowd of about 100 spectators Thursday, injuring at least nine people before breaking through a wooden fence and stopping on nearby railroad tracks, officials said.
Three adults and six children were taken to Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb.
Two of them, a mother and her 4-year-old daughter, were in serious condition and were transported to trauma hospitals in Rockford, said a Kishwaukee hospital spokeswoman. Six others were treated and released, and the remaining patient was in good condition Thursday evening, she said.’
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‘A northeast Ohio man is in trouble for displaying his thoughts on President George W. Bush.
The Kent homeowner wants the president impeached, but how he voiced that opinion could cost him $125 and possible hundreds more, reported NewsChannel5’s Pete Kenworthy.
“I was charged with advertising on public property, a violation of Kent city ordinance 503.02,” said Kevin Egler.
Egler maintains that the ordinance doesn’t cover what he did, placing a sign saying “Impeach Bush” on public property. [..]
“What police don’t have a right to do is selectively enforce the law. Military recruiters can place signs, garage sales, Realtors, but if someone doesn’t like the president, you arrest them and treat them like a criminal. That’s not what the United States is about,” said attorney Bob Fitrakis.’
‘The Orange County Health Department issued a warning to swimmers Wednesday concerning freshwater ponds and lakes after a 10-year-old boy died when an amoeba apparently entered his body.
Officials said Will Sellers was treated at Arnold Palmer Hospital for amoebic encephalitis after swimming in Lake Conway, WKMG-TV reported. Sellers died Wednesday at the hospital from amoebic encephalitis, or acute swelling of the brain
The amoeba suspected of infecting the boy usually enters a swimmer’s body through the nose and travels to the brain and spinal cord.’
‘My earlier column this week detailed the work of a volunteer team to assess problems with US temperature data used for climate modeling. One of these people is Steve McIntyre, who operates the site climateaudit.org. While inspecting historical temperature graphs, he noticed a strange discontinuity, or “jump” in many locations, all occurring around the time of January, 2000.
These graphs were created by NASA’s Reto Ruedy and James Hansen (who shot to fame when he accused the administration of trying to censor his views on climate change). Hansen refused to provide McKintyre with the algorithm used to generate graph data, so McKintyre reverse-engineered it. The result appeared to be a Y2K bug in the handling of the raw data. [..]
The effect of the correction on global temperatures is minor (some 1-2% less warming than originally thought), but the effect on the U.S. global warming propaganda machine could be huge.’
‘An Australian woman was branded a criminal by airline officials after “swearing” on an American flight – with a classic, and utterly inoffensive, Aussie oath.
“Fair dinkum,” New South Wales woman Sophie Reynolds muttered when told by a air hostess that there were no pretzels for her to snack on.
The next thing Ms Reynolds knew, the flight crew had demanded her passport to note down her details, telling her that swearing at attendants was a crime.
The 41-year-old, who lives in Queanbeyan, near Canberra, was stunned to find three uniformed officers waiting for her when she left the flight in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“They said: ‘You swore at the hostess and there are federal rules against that’,” Reynolds told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“And I said: ‘I did not swear at the hostess, I just said ‘fair dinkum’.”‘
‘This Swedish kid bets his friends that he can jump from one dock to the other. He does not fall gracefully.’
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‘A man was bitten by the decapitated head of a rattlesnake on his property near Prosser.
Danny Anderson and his son saw the 5-foot snake Monday evening while feeding horses. They pinned it with a pipe and cut off its head with a shovel.
When Anderson reached down to pick it up he says the snake head twisted around and bit his index finger. He says if felt like his hand was in a fire pit.
In the 10 minutes it took to reach Prosser Memorial Hospital the venom spread through his body and his tongue had already started to swell. He was treated with shots at the hospital and at Kadlec Medical Center in Richland.
State Fish and Wildlife Department biologist Mike Livingston says it’s possible the snake had the heat-sensing ability to make one last attack or it may have been a reflex.’
‘Authorities Wednesday continued to investigate the apparent murder-suicide of a couple discovered Monday in their Cutler Avenue home in Ocean Acres.
Susan M. Tomkinson, 76, had been killed with a gas cartridge-powered nail gun with wounds to her head and chest, authorities said. She was found in her home with her husband of 55 years, James B. Tomkinson, who apparently killed her and also wounded himself in the head and chest with a nail gun, authorities said in a prepared statement.’
‘A local woman must turn over her lottery winnings after a judge said she won them illegally.
Prosecutors said Christina Goodenow, of White City, used a credit card that belonged to her then-boyfriend’s dead mother to buy a winning $1 million Scratch-It ticket in Oct. 2005.
Goodenow asked lottery officials to keep her win quiet, claiming to be a victim of domestic violence. But police learned of the crime about two weeks later, as Goodenow continued to use the stolen credit card.
On Thursday, Jackson County Judge Ray White ruled that the winnings were the proceeds of illegal activity and must be forfeited under Oregon law.’
‘A freshwater dolphin found only in China is now “likely to be extinct”, a team of scientists has concluded.
The researchers failed to spot any Yangtze river dolphins, also known as baijis, during an extensive six-week survey of the mammals’ habitat.
The team, writing in Biology Letters journal, blamed unregulated fishing as the main reason behind their demise.
If confirmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years.’
