moonbuggy

Here’s a funny complaint letter someone sent regarding embedded images in HTML.

‘Director Mike Figgis spent longer at LAX airport than intended. He’d arrived in Los Angeles, along with half the acting and directing world, for what is known as ‘pilot season’, when the big studios try out new scripts, directors and actors in a two-week frenzy of auditions and career make-or-breaks. When Figgis was being grilled by airport immigration, he was asked the purpose of his visit. Unthinking and tired after a long flight, Mike replied: ‘I’m here to shoot a pilot.’ After five hours in an interrogation cell (yes, really), he finally made it into town.’

‘A Minnesota woman who was forced to the ground and handcuffed after a DirecTV dispatcher told police that an installer was being held hostage is suing.

“These are regular people. She’s a schoolteacher. … You shouldn’t have SWAT teams coming after someone if they know there’s not a crisis,” Marc Kurzman, a lawyer for Julie and Steven Pyle of Savage, Minn., told the St. Paul, Minn., Pioneer Press. The Pyles are seeking more than $75,000 in damages in a federal civil rights lawsuit against DirecTV, Savage police and Scott County enforcement dispatchers. [..]

Julie Pyle felt bad the job was taking the installers so long, so she baked them cookies, the lawsuit said.’

‘Keep your fucking opinions to yourself you arsehole Australians. Don’t write me any more letters like that. That goes for the whole fucking world!’

(30meg Windows media)

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‘Georgie Anne Geyer writes today in the Dallas Morning News about President Bush’s strange behavior during a recent meeting with “[f]riends of his from Texas.”

But by all reports, President Bush is more convinced than ever of his righteousness.

Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him nearly wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated “I am the president!” He also made it clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of “our country’s destiny.”‘

‘The Bush administration. You know ’em, you… well, love isn’t exactly the right emotion.

Showing that there is no place safe from idiocy, here’s an absolutely astronomically stupid comment from NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. A statement so stupid, it makes the invasion of Iraq and the management of Katrina look like genius.

Michael Griffin NASA Administrator has told America’s National Public Radio that while he has no doubt a trend of global warming exists “I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with.”‘

‘A man infected with the extensively drug-resistant form of TB known as XDR TB knew he was not supposed to travel overseas but did so anyway, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Julie Gerberding told CNN’s “American Morning” on Wednesday.

The man, who is quarantined at an Atlanta, Georgia, hospital, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that Fulton County health officials had said they “preferred” he not travel, but knew about his plans for an overseas wedding and honeymoon. [..]

“The patient really was told that he shouldn’t fly,” she added.

“The patient himself was not highly infectious” but there still was a small risk he could transmit the disease to someone else, Gerberding told CNN.

It is the first time in 40 years the federal government has issued a quarantine order for an individual. Gerberding acknowledged that “we kind of had to make up a plan as we went along.”‘

‘A former Democratic Party activist who left dog feces on the doorstep of U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave’s Greeley office during last year’s 4th Congressional District campaign was found not guilty Wednesday of criminal use of a noxious substance.

A Weld County jury deliberated about two hours before acquitting Kathleen Ensz of the misdemeanor count. Her trial began Tuesday.

Ensz’s lawyers never denied that their client left a Musgrave campaign brochure full of feces at the front door of the congresswoman’s office. But they argued that Ensz was making a statement protected by free speech – the poop was a symbol of what she thought of Musgrave’s politics.’

‘The Memorial Day holiday means it’s a day on the water with the family.

Chuck Singleton does what he can to makes sure his kids are safe out here. The concern is who else is out there.

“You don’t know where they come from,” said Singleton. “You know, they could load up with a bomb or whatever and come right out here.”

With thousands of boats on the waterways, the worry is the recreational boat is now a Homeland Security threat.’

‘Twenty-seven illegal immigrants spent a day at sea holding on to buoys around a giant tuna net as the Maltese and Libyan governments argued over who should save them from drowning.

They were picked up eventually by an Italian patrol vessel. The men – Africans of various nationalities – had paid for a passage from Libya to Europe in an open boat that foundered on Saturday.

Soon after their boat went down they were spotted by the Maltese tug Boudafel, which was towing a huge tuna-breeding plant towards Spain.

The men said the tug threw them a line and began towing them, ahead of the plant.’

‘Mercury Energy says it was unaware that disconnecting power to a south Auckland home could have potentially life-threatening consequences.

Folole Muliaga, 44, died within two hours of a contractor cutting power to her Mangere home at 2pm yesterday.

Today a relative said Mrs Muliaga’s family had told the contractor that the mother-of-four was dependent on an oxygen machine, which needed electricity to run.

Mrs Muliaga’s son told TV One News that his mother – sitting with the machine – had asked the contractor to give them a chance, but the man had replied he was just doing his job.’

‘The era of tax-free e-mail, Internet shopping and broadband connections could end this fall, if recent proposals in the U.S. Congress prove successful.

State and local governments this week resumed a push to lobby Congress for far-reaching changes on two different fronts: gaining the ability to impose sales taxes on Net shopping, and being able to levy new monthly taxes on DSL and other connections. One senator is even predicting taxes on e-mail.’

‘Stolen birthday balloons sparked a fight in Laurel County on Monday in which a man and his 14-year-old son were charged with assault after a teenager was seriously injured, the sheriff’s office said.

Brad Freeman and Shawn Asher went to the home of Charles Murphy and his 14-year-old son Monday evening to ask about balloons that had been stolen from a birthday party earlier that day, according to a news release from the Laurel County sheriff’s office.

The four began to argue at the home on Old State Road in London, and Murphy allegedly hit Asher in the head with a piece of pipe, the release said.

Murphy’s son, whose name was not released, picked up a baseball bat and began to hit Asher as well.’

‘A ship’s doctor has died in Western Australia after eating blowfish, a delicacy that can prove fatal if not prepared properly.

Authorities were called to an iron ore ship off Dampier early on Saturday after a 43-year-old Chinese man suffered paralysis and his breathing became laboured.

“We did a co-ordinated rescue effort through Australian Search and Rescue,” said Acting Sergeant Chris Hinch. [..]

“The other person who had eaten the fish fell ill and made himself vomit,” he said.

“There was another gentleman who did CPR on the doctor and fell ill because the doctor had vomited while he was giving him CPR.

“We bought him to shore as a precautionary measure.”‘

‘Step aside Big Brother housemates – three dying contestants competing for a donated kidney will plunge reality television to fresh lows this week.

A terminally ill cancer patient will gift one of her kidneys to one of three recipients chosen by a television audience, in a bizarre Dutch program.

Viewers will watch video clips depicting the three “contestants” chatting about their lives – and then will vote via text message to literally save one.’

(1.3meg avi)

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‘A thief found out the hard way that robbing a woman isn’t the best way to capture her heart.

Two men robbed a U-Haul store around 3 p.m. Sunday, taking an unspecified amount of cash, according the store’s owner. But instead of fleeing, one man lingered and tried to strike up a conversation with the woman he had just robbed.

“He stuck around and was trying to get the female employee’s number,” U-Haul general manager Patrick Sobocinski said. “She said he was just saying, ‘Hey baby, you’re pretty fine.'” [..]

“She said he was saying, ‘Can I get your number and go out sometime,'” Sobocinski said.

No surprise ending here – the woman turned him down, and he fled.’

(4.7meg Windows media)

see it here »

‘When Dana Acker went to check on her 15-year-old son in the bath, she never imagined she would never see him alive again. Joshua Dean Knight died after inhaling from an aerosol can used to clean electronics. [..]

More and more kids around the country are engaging in a dangerous practice they call “computer dusting.” The product, made by a variety of manufacturers, produces a burst of air which is meant to blow dust off keyboards, cameras or other hardware.

Acker says more and more kids are dying each year because they don’t realize the burst of air contains a chemical, Freon, which is used in refrigerators and air conditioners. She says officers who responded to her son’s death told her it’s a growing problem.’

‘An obsessive nicknamed The Dettol Man died after continually cleaning himself and his home with the disinfectant, an inquest heard.

Recluse Jacques Niemand may have been overcome by fumes from the dozens of bottles of the cleaning fluid he kept in his flat.

The 42-year-old had so much of the chemical in his system his body was starved of oxygen, the inquest was told.

More than 100 bottles of Dettol were found crammed in a suitcase at Mr Niemand’s home. Several buckets containing the fluid were also found.

His sister, Ruth Bain, said the man had suffered from an obsessive cleaning disorder for years and she would not go into his home because it was ‘stifling’.’

‘A senior Polish official has ordered psychologists to investigate whether the popular BBC TV show Teletubbies promotes a homosexual lifestyle.

The spokesperson for children’s rights in Poland, Ewa Sowinska, singled out Tinky Winky, the purple character with a triangular aerial on his head.

“I noticed he was carrying a woman’s handbag,” she told a magazine. “At first, I didn’t realise he was a boy.”

EU officials have criticised Polish government policy towards homosexuals.’

I thought the fact that Tinky Winky loves the cock has been common knowledge for years. Apparently not in Poland. 🙂

‘Wrongly jailed after a woman cried rape, Warren Blackwell applied for compensation for his three wasted years in prison.

Torn from his family and sent to languish in jail as a convicted sex attacker, the innocent father-of-two imagined he was due a hefty sum for the miscarriage of justice.

Instead, he was flabbergasted to learn the Home Office now intends to charge him nearly £7,000 for “board and lodging”.

The money is for the cost of food and accommodation while he was behind bars, and will be deducted from whatever compensation he receives for wrongly imprisonment.’

‘In the early 1960s, America’s top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba.

Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban émigrés, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities.

The plans were developed as ways to trick the American public and the international community into supporting a war to oust Cuba’s then new leader, communist Fidel Castro.

America’s top military brass even contemplated causing U.S. military casualties, writing: “We could blow up a U.S. ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba,” and, “casualty lists in U.S. newspapers would cause a helpful wave of national indignation.” ‘

‘Apparently Sony thinks this one little “Special Screw” is so special, that it’s worth over 61 euro (appx. $82 US Dollars.)’

‘In 1934, top Nazi party official Hermann Goering received a seemingly mundane request from the Reich Forestry Service. A fur farm was seeking permission to release a batch of exotic bushy-tailed critters into the wild to “enrich the local fauna” and give bored hunters something new to shoot at.

Goering approved the request and unwittingly uncorked an ecological disaster that is still spreading across Europe. The imported North American species, Procyon lotor, or the common raccoon, quickly took a liking to the forests of central Germany. Encountering no natural predators — and with hunters increasingly called away by World War II — the woodland creatures multiplied and have stymied all attempts to prevent them from overtaking the continent.

Today, as many as 1 million raccoons are estimated to live in Germany, and their numbers are steadily increasing. In 2005, hunters and speeding cars killed 10 times as many raccoons as a decade earlier, according to official statistics.’

This girl seems to be an idiot.

(3.4meg Windows media)

see it here »

‘A man has allegedly taken a tourist bus and its 13 passengers on a joy-ride around inner Sydney.

Police say the 33-year-old Abbotsford man was walking past the casino on Pirrama Road in Pyrmont about 8:50am AEST, when he boarded the bus with the motor running.

They say the man, who was allegedly drunk, drove off when the driver was standing nearby awaiting the arrival of other passengers for a sightseeing tour.

He allegedly drove along several local streets before returning to the point of departure.

Police say he then ran from the vehicle and was chased by the driver and a number of other people. Police on patrol joined the chase.’

‘A rumour spread by text message has badly hit the price of bananas from China’s Hainan island, state media say.

The messages claim the fruit contains viruses similar to Sars, the severe respiratory illness which has killed hundreds of people worldwide.

Producers in Hainan say the resulting price slump is costing them up to 20 million yuan ($US2.6m) a day.

China’s Agriculture Ministry has dismissed the Sars claim as baseless. Police are investigating its source.

“It is utterly a rumour,” a Chinese Health Ministry official was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

“There has not been a case in the world in which humans have contracted a plant virus, and there is not any scientific evidence.”‘

‘Two French teenage girls were seriously injured when they jumped out of windows of different buildings in what appeared to be a coordinated suicide attempt, police have said.

A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, who attended the same school on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, threw themselves out of a third floor and second floor window at their respective homes minutes after each other yesterday.

One witness told investigators he had overheard one of the girls telling the other on the phone: “Come on, we’ll do it: You jump. I jump!”

One of the girls had previously been in psychiatric care, a medical source said.

Hospital staff said the two girls were in a serious condition.’

‘A man who fatally shot a teenage neighbor because he walked on the man’s carefully tended lawn was sentenced to life in prison.

Charles Martin, 67, must serve 18 years before he can be considered for parole, Clermont County Common Pleas Judge William Walker ordered Wednesday, adding that he would urge that Martin never be considered for parole. [..]

Martin told the court he was sorry the shooting occurred but said the teen knew how much Martin cared for his lawn and provoked him.

“He stepped on it and he walked 40 feet through it,” Martin said. “I cared about it. I cut it every five days.”‘

Followup to Man killed teen for walking across yard.

‘Customs officers at Cairo’s airport on Thursday detained a man bound for Saudi Arabia who was trying to smuggle 700 live snakes on a plane, airport authorities said.

The officers were stunned when a passenger, identified as Yahia Rahim Tulba, told them his carryon bag contained live snakes after he was asked to open it.

Tulba opened his bag to show the snakes to the police and asked the officers, who held a safe distance, not to come close. Among the various snakes, hidden in small cloth sacks, were two poisonous cobras, authorities said.’