Monday, August 30, 2010

Men Genetically Wired To Spot "Hot" Women




"Hotness" of a Woman is Judged by the Male Brain in One-Fifth of a Second



Typical Male Reactions to "hot" women

Sunday, August 29, 2010


Why do men ogle women? It’s not their fault. They can’t help it. Blame biology instead:

You’re at a cafĂ© with the woman in your life when your eyes move inexorably toward another woman walking by.


Average "Hot" Woman Walking by>>>>>

In one-fifth of a second, before the conscious mind has had a chance to react, the male brain has rendered judgment on whether the oncoming stranger is sexually "hot."

If the ruling is favourable, physical manifestations are immediate.

Pupils dilate, heart rate spikes, testosterone surges and the eyes assume a vacant stare — sure signs that the “man trance” has set in.

For genetically preprogrammed men, the alleged offence is as involuntary and natural as breathing, says brain researcher, neuropsychiatrist and author Louann Brizendine, whose book, The Male Brain, mounts a unique defence for such male indiscretions. Leave them alone and they'll "usually" come home is the key thing to remember.

"Men are more visual, more driven to sexual pursuit and more predisposed to cheat than women," she writes.

Strippers Picket Church - Free Speech At Issue: Boobies Speak Louder Than Words


Bikini-clad strippers protest church in rural Ohio

Aug 27 2010

Not one of the Fox Hole's broken down strippers. She's from Chicago.>>>

JEANNIE NUSS - Associated Press Writer and Other Kibitzers



WARSAW, Ohio — Strippers dressed in bikinis sunbathed in lawn chairs, their backs turned toward the gray clapboard church where men in ties and women in full-length skirts flocked to Sunday morning services. Many of the men paused briefly to ogle the strippers before entering.

The strippers, fueled by Cheetos and nicotine, were protesting a fundamentalist Christian church whose Bible-brandishing congregants have picketed the club where they work. The dancers rolled up with signs carrying messages adapted from Scripture, such as "Do unto others as you would have done unto you," to counter church members who for four years have photographed license plates of patrons and asked them if their mothers and wives know their whereabouts.

The dueling demonstrations played out in central Ohio, where nine miles of cornfields and Amish-buggy crossing signs separate The Fox Hole strip club from New Beginnings Ministries.

Club owner Tommy George met with the preacher and offered to call off his not-quite-nude crew from their three-month-long protest if the church responds in kind. But pastor Bill Dunfee believes that a higher power has tasked him with shutting down the strip club. (The old God made me do it ploy.)

"As a Christian community, we cannot share territory with the devil," Dunfee said. But Dunfee failed to show the devil anywhere in sight. "Light and darkness cannot exist together, so The Fox Hole has got to go," chanted a delirious Dunfee.
Others believe it's Dunfee and New Beginnings who need to go. The county government derives almost a quarter of its tax revenues from The Fox Hole and zero dollars from New Beginnings, which is tax exempt. County officials say The Fox Hole is a good citizen, keeps random prostitution down and satisfies the male urge to go see nekkid women.

New Beginnings is one of four churches in this one-traffic-light village of 900 people, 60 miles outside Columbus. (That's one church for every 225 residents and about half never attend church anyway so that's only a little more than 100 per church. "The churches are a big waste of time and money," said one local official, who declined to speak. "No one needs them and they are always causing trouble about one thing or another." The town has one gas station and a sit-down restaurant that serves country staples like mashed potatoes with gravy and Salisbury steak. It needs 4 churches like it needs a stinking feedlot.

On Sunday, four of The Fox Hole's seven strippers and more than a dozen supporters garnered both scorn and compassion from churchgoers _ and quite a few honks from pickup trucks and other passing vehicles, encouraging them.

One woman offered her skills as a hair dresser to the dancers: "If you or your kids ever need a haircut, give me a holler." Another woman from the church waited on the protesters with plates of noodles and chocolate cake.

Laura Meske _ known as Lola, stage age 36 but really 42 _ hid behind a sign proclaiming, "Jesus loves the children of the world!" to avoid the preacher who extended his hand for a shake.

Two nights earlier, Dunfee and more than a dozen churchgoers stood outside the club, one of them calling out Meske's stripper name.

"He who casts the first stone ... ," Meske said Sunday.

The pastor cut her off and repeated, "Lola, Lord bless you."

"Everybody has sinned, and that doesn't mean I'm not gonna get into heaven," she said, the stud piercing in her chin shimmering in the sunlight. "I believe in Jesus. I don't believe what they preach. They preach hate."

Debi Durr, who attends the church, disagreed. "You don't stand up there for four years for hate. That's not hate. That's love," she said. Durr left Meske with a copy of Jeremiah 3:13 _ a Bible passage that urges sinners to acknowledge their guilt.

Inside the church, voices from the 121 congregants seemed to float to the cedar rafters as they sang lyrics projected on a screen. Outside, a man strummed a guitar and sang, "God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes." No one understood his message.

Dunfee has offered to help the strippers pay for food, rent, utilities and gas if they leave The Fox Hole. But many of the women say their jobs are only a stopover on the way to work in cosmetology or the medical field _ a meal ticket that shelters them from another stigma: welfare.

"No little girl is growing up like, `I wanna do a pole trick,'" said Anny Donewald, a former stripper who lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., and ministers to dancers, prostitutes and porn stars.

She and other Christian groups that work with women in the adult entertainment industry have criticized Dunfee's methods of ministry as a means of putting the strippers on the defensive instead of showing support.

"I never saw Jesus with a picket sign," Donewald said. Church members countered by pointing out that no one alive today every saw Jesus, with or without a picket sign.

Community advocacy groups, including Citizens for Community Values in Cincinnati, support Dunfee's protests. But the group's president, Phil Burress, said the strip club has a right to be there.

"It's a legal business whether he likes it or I like it or not," Burress said.

The club operates in a white plywood box of a building. Beer cans and a dollar bill peaked out from the grass like Easter eggs last Sunday.

The Fox Hole encourages customers to check out its $30 private dance special, promoting it on the kind of sign convenience stores use to advertise cheap milk and cigarettes. Out back, letters on a bulletin board have faded away so that "No touching" now reads "ouch."

It's here where dancers strip down to panties and pasties for cash. Meske _ a tattooed mother of four _ said she made $30 instead of a couple hundred dollars last Friday with the protesters outside. "They are taking food out of my children's mouths," she said, angrily.

"I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world," she said. "I just go out there and I try to make my money by showing my assets."

A few houses and a ribs joint called Peggy Sue's separate the club from another white building, a church where some of the strippers donate blood during drives for the American Red Cross.

"I got a church 900 feet down the street that causes me no problems," club owner George said. "And I got this moron nine miles down the street that causes me more headaches." When questioned about George's statement, Dunfee claimed he was not a moron and would be willing to take an IQ test to prove it.

Rae Anderson, who heads New Castle Ministries with her husband, says her church believes Dunfee is doing what the Lord called him to do, but her parish takes a different approach. Dunfee is a moron and is getting nowhere with this silly campaign.

"You can share the truth, but you can't make anyone believe what you believe."

___

Associated Press Writer Doug Whiteman contributed to this report.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Pa. Dad Does Baby Daughter, Then Freezes Her Because She's Too Fussy.


Man Gets Life Sentence After Sexually Abusing Baby Daughter And Freezing Her To Death


August 24, 2010


William Page (see photo inset) told the judge he’s innocent, said he got an unfair trial, and then was sentenced to life in prison for leaving his 23-month-old daughter outside to freeze to death after sexually abusing her. Page did not explain why he thought his trial was unfair, but in earlier interviews said the girl came on to him while he was changing her diaper and the jury never got to hear that because of the judge's ruling.

Page’s daughter, Nyia, was found dead in Feb. 2007. Page molested the girl then became angry because she kept removing her diaper. He thought she was being immodest. He then left her outside in freezing temperatures, to teach her to be more modest about exposing her body. Nyia’s body was found in a wooded area of Rankin, Pa., east of Pittsburgh. Jurors convicted him in March, but split on whether he deserved the death penalty. It later was disclosed that half the jurors had IQ's of less than 85.

Page on Tuesday denied having killed anyone and vowed to fight until he was free. He said he was an innocent black man convicted by an all white, racist jury.

Allegheny County Judge David Cashman told Page he should have received the death penalty and called him a “despicable human being.” Page's court appointed attorney objected to the judge's remarks, saying the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Page was a human being.

The judge then sentenced Page to life in prison plus 21 to 42 years for murder, kidnapping, making false reports to police and aggravated indecent assault. He also sentenced Page's attorney to 24 hours in the county jail for contempt, for arguing that Page was not a human being.

Mother Pimps For Infant Son



March 16, 2010

ST. GEORGE, Utah — A St. George man has been arrested after police said pictures of the man sexually abusing his infant son were discovered by a photo technician at a Walgreens photo lab.

Dad,dear old Dad

Police were called Tuesday to the Walgreens store on St. George Boulevard after workers developing film contacted them with concerns about several photos that appeared to show an infant being sexually abused by an adult male.

Officers determined that at least two photos were "definitely sexually explicit and even met the state statute for sodomy," said St. George Police Lt. James Van Fleet.

They were able to identify the man as Sergio Diaz-Palomino, 34, and went to his St. George home to interview him. Diaz-Palomino told officers the boy in the photos is his son.

Police are looking for the child's mother, who they believe took the photos, Van Fleet said.

"We are trying to locate her to see (about) the welfare of the infant child as well as determine what her culpability in the case is," he said.

Diaz-Palomino was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility for investigation of sodomy on a child and sexual exploitation of a minor. He is being held on $70,000 bail.


March 24, 2010

ST. GEORGE, Utah -- Police in St. George say they've arrested a mother accused of photographing a man sexually assaulting her baby boy.

Police spokesman James Schafer said Tuesday the 22-year-old woman was jailed on $20,000 bail after her arrest Monday on suspicion of felony sexual exploitation of a minor.

The infant child was put in state custody.

Police arrested 34-year-old Sergio Diaz-Palomino on March 16 for investigation of felony sodomy of a child and sexual exploitation of a minor charges. He's being held on $70,000 bail.

Several St. George men have offered to stomp Diaz-Palomino to death at no charge to the state. State officials were said to be mulling the offers.

Chilled Baby Discovered in Arizona Freezer

Arizona man puts infant son in freezer

Aug 27 2010


PHOENIX — Police say a suburban Phoenix man who put his infant son in a freezer has been arrested on charges of child abuse.

Chandler police say Chance Kracke told police he was high on methamphetamine when he placed his son in the freezer Aug. 16. The outside temperature was 110 degrees.

Kracke told police he was preparing food when he put the boy on the bottom shelf of his freezer and closed the door because the kitchen floor was too dirty and he wanted to keep the baby clean and cool.

Kracke says he removed the baby after several minutes when it began crying, possibly for its afternoon beer. Police say the 7-month-old suffered only a forehead laceration, possibly from the freezer door being slammed against it, but otherwise appeared in good health although very cold to the touch.

Kracke offered to warm the infant by holding it in front of a blowtorch he kept in the garage. Police declined the offer.

Kracke was arrested Thursday and also faces a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. It was unclear Friday whether he had legal representation. It was unclear Thursday and Friday whether he possessed a brain.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Rats....That's a Lot of Money For Rats


A council has splashed out a whopping £190,000 on building a fancy bridge designed to help dormice cross the road safely.

The high-wire walkways were built across a busy new 4.6 mile road in the Rhondda Valley so the construction didn't upset the local rodent population.

Three interconnecting tubes - suspended from 20ft wooden poles - are said to offer dormice a way of crossing the road where they would have once used trees.

The move has been branded a wast of taxpayers money by some… who also now suggest the chicken crossed the road for a council handout. A council spokesperson said the bridge was a necessary cost because the dormouse is an endangered species and without them no planning permission would have been granted for the road.

Lawyer: I Had Sex With My Client in Her Home and My Office But Not in the Courthouse Law Library




Lawyer admits inappropriately boffing client

Not the actual client - a stand in>

Facing potential discipline for admittedly having sex with a client at her home and at his office, an Iowa lawyer says any suggestion that he might have done so as well in the Black Hawk County courthouse law library is baseless. He said he never would betray the noble profession of the law with such a vile act.


Clovis Bowles, 56, admits having an affair several years ago with his then-client—which led to their marriage and subsequent divorce six weeks later, after which he paid the woman, who is now in her mid-30s, $200 a month in alimony, the Des Moines Register reports.

After the client/wife complained to lawyer discipline authorities, they investigated. The grievance committee of the Iowa Supreme Court is now recommending that the court suspend him from practice for three years, based both on the affair and Bowles' initial denial of it.

Bowles says he made mistakes which he regrets: “I had an affair with a client,” he tells the newspaper. “And I lied when I denied it. I shouldn’t have, but I did.”

He represented the woman in a criminal matter and allegedly was aware of her troubled emotional history. It was not immediately made clear whether or not his client was acquitted.

British Cops Advised To Drop Their Drawers.


Police officers are advised to ditch sexy pants

Newslite.tv - Odd News

Friday, August 20, 2010

Police officers have been told to think more carefully about the underwear they wear on duty and ditch brightly coloured pants.

Cops at West Midlands Police have also been told they should not be wearing particularly sexy undies which might get noticed, especially thongs. If an officer is down in the line of duty and has to be taken to a hospital, it could be embarrassing if he or she is wearing only a thong.

A notice was recently issued which even told them they should avoid having a visible panty line (VPL) and undies should be "inconspicuous" under their uniform.

But while some officers say they feel like they're being treated as children the force insists the advice is just that and not a new underwear policy.

One WPC said the move was so nannying she was going to join the army -- at least that's what it was thought she meant when she threatened to go commando. A police spokesman said: "There's no new force policy on underwear; if she wants to go commando that's her business but she has to keep in mind that I am required to check her underpants before she leaves the station."

"All officers and staff coming into contact with the public are asked to adopt a commonsense approach when choosing what underwear is worn so they remain smart."

Obese Thai Woman Hits The Road


603-pound Thai woman leaves home after 3 years

Aug 26 2010

THANYARAT DOKSONE - Associated Press Writer


AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK — A 603-pound (274-kilogram) woman believed to be the heaviest in Thailand left her apartment for the first time in three years Thursday with the help of Bangkok city hall and a forklift.

Neighbors of 40-year-old Umnuayporn Tongprapai contacted the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority when they learned she needed medical attention to remove a tumor in her right leg.

Bangkok's media-savvy governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra summoned camera crews to document the event, which involved engineers, demolition crews, rescue workers, doctors and nurses.

Seated on the floor of her modest third-floor apartment on the outskirts of Bangkok, Umnuayporn told reporters she could only walk a few feet (meters) on her own and was confined to her studio apartment where she ran a laundry service with the help of her two adopted sons.

"I've been living in this room and have not gone outside for three years," said Umnuayporn, whose weight is roughly the equivalent of a grand piano. "I can walk a little, just enough that I can go to bathroom. But I have to cling to my son the whole way."

Umnuayporn walked slowly to a trolley aided by her son. She was rolled down the corridor to a nearby empty apartment where workers had torn down an inner wall to allow her entry and demolished a section of the building's facade to take her outside.

As neighbors cheered on the pavement, Umnuayporn smiled and flashed a "V" for victory as she was lowered from the apartment by an elevator constructed outside. A forklift then transferred her to a waiting ambulance that took her to a Bangkok hospital.

"It's very likely that she is the heaviest person in the country," said Pijaya Nagavachara, director of the BMA General Hospital, which weighed her once she was admitted.

Her treatment will involve removing the tumor and reducing her weight, which doctors suspect may be due to thyroid problems, Pijaya said.

Once her medical treatment is finished, Umnuayporn says her dream is to go to the beach.

"I want to go to the sea," she said, with tears in her eyes. "I want to play in the water."

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Does Rachel Uchitel Have Tiger Woods by the Tail or Any Other Parts of His Anatomy?


Will Tiger and Rachel Reunite?

Disclaimer: This story is lifted almost entirely from other sources. It's like it's news all over the media so it is common knowledge. Plus, it has been completely re-written by the editors of BizarreStuff, to conform to our typically loose standards.

Aug 25 2010

Newly divorced Tiger Woods's main mistress, Rachel Uchitel, (left) reportedly wants the Tiger back in her tank. (Remember the old Exxon slogan, "Put a Tiger in Your Tank?") Despite making millions from the publicity of the international scandal, the former nightclub manager wants even more, of Woods and his fortune. She is not shy when it comes to discussing his main assets valuable to a girl, his personal endowment. Tiger's personal statistics have never been reported publicly but the rumor mills rank him near the top, excluding male porn stars.

The history of celebrity affairs is mixed. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles have made it work for 30 years. Angelina Jolie and Brad "What's His Face" have made a go of it, although there have been recent rumors. The woman is hot, hot, hot and Brad is frequently gone, gone, gone. What would you do?

On Tuesday, TMZ (whatever that is) reported that Rachel Uchitel, the first lady of Woods's many mistresses, still has feelings for the golfer (and can still feel him) would "give up everything" to be with him again. That's not likely as "everything" would include a reported $10 million paid out in hush money to the chatty former nightclub manager, who also has been linked with TV actor David Boreanaz, to keep her mouth shut. But even then, it may not be enough. She is used merchandise now, on Tiger's scoring card. Who wants to play the British Open over and over and over?

Gallery: Affairs With Happyish Endings

There haven't been too many happy endings to high-profile affairs. John Edwards hasn't made it work with Rielle Hunter. Jim McGreevey and Golan Cipel couldn't get it together.

Among the few that do work out, most don't work too well-or for too long. Steve McQueen left his wife for his mistress Ali MacGraw, then left MacGraw for his new mistress, Barbara Minty. Donald Trump and Marla Maples made it six long years, something of a record in celebrityville. Billy Crudup (who has an unfortunate name) left Mary-Louise Parker for Claire Danes, who then swiftly dumped him for Hugh Dancy, who caught her fancy. Mel Gibson ditched his wife of 30 years for Oksana Grigorieva, and look how well that turned out. But still, consider his options.

There are a few examples of forbidden loves that have endured, sort of: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, for now. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles but no one else wanted either of them. Newt Gingrich and his mistress and now third-wife, Callista Bisek, whose surname suspiciously resembles bisexual, which is fairly common these days and we aren't making any judgments, other than to report that Gingrich is a low-life and deserves nothing but total disrespect.

"I hope he remembers it was real," Uchitel allegedly said, apparently referring to the sex, surely not the conversation, according to a friend in touch with TMZ. But who knows? The friend could be a liar or another Tiger wanna be mistress.

The person getting lost in all this publicity about Tiger is Elin Nordgren, the recent $900 million dollar drop-dead gorgeous divorcee. She is still hot, hot, hot in her own right, as a former Swedish model, and will be needing a personal body guard by her side at all times, to keep all her suitors at bay.

Oh well, that's life in the fast lane, where those of us who don't own a Lamborghini seldom venture. Which is really unfair because I know I deserve one.

New Combined Waste Disposal And Constituent Communications Method Introduced By U.S. Congress


Congress Hails New Waste Control Measure

August 25, 2010

The U.S. Congress today passed a measure that would improve waste control facilities throughout the nation and provide a means for Congress to communicate directly with voters in a personal, meaningful way.

The waste control devices would be phased in as older sewage treatment facilities wear out or become outmoded by new technology.

More importantly, the new sewage treatment facilities represent a far less costly means of treating waste than current hi-tech sewage treatment plants that take years to construct and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The new facilities can be completed in less than a week, cost about $350 each ($500 w/Calif. redwood) and represent an environmental improvement over current methods which discharge treated wastes into rivers, lakes and the oceans.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

U.S. Immigrant to England Admits To Sexual Encounters With 1,000 Automobiles



Man admits having sex with 1,000 cars

A man who claims to have had sex with 1,000 cars has defended his "romantic" feelings towards vehicles.

21 May 2008


Edward Smith with one of his "hot" partners Photo: SWNS

Edward Smith, who lives with his current "girlfriend" – a white Volkswagen Beetle named Vanilla, insisted that he was not "sick" and had no desire to change his ways.

"I appreciate beauty and I go a little bit beyond appreciating the beauty of a car only to the point of what I feel is an expression of love," he said.

"Maybe I'm a little bit off the wall but when I see movies like Herbie and Knight Rider, where cars become loveable, huggable characters it's just wonderful.

"I'm a romantic. I write poetry about cars, I sing to them and talk to them just like a girlfriend. I know what's in my heart and I have no desire to change."

He added: "I'm not sick and I don't want to hurt anyone, cars are just my preference."

Mr Smith, 57, first had sex with a car at the age of 15, and claims he has never been attracted to women or men.

But his wandering eye has spread beyond cars to other vehicles. He says that his most intense sexual experience was "making love" to the helicopter from 1980s TV hit Airwolf.

As well as Vanilla, he regularly spends time with his other vehicles – a 1973 Opal GT, named Cinnamon, and a 1993 Ford Ranger Splash, named Ginger.

Before Vanilla, he had a five-year relationship with Victoria, a 1969 VW Beetle he bought from a family of Jehovah's Witnesses.

But he confesses that many of the cars he has had sex with have belonged to strangers or car showrooms.

His last relationship with a woman was 12 years ago - and he could not bring himself to consummate it, although he did have sex with girls in his younger days.

Mr Smith, from Washington state in the US, kept quiet about his secret fetish for years, but agreed to be interviewed as part of a channel Five documentary into “mechaphilia”.

Talking about how his unusual passion developed, Mr Smith said: "It's something that grew as a part of me when I was a kid and I could not shake it.

"I just loved cute cars right from the beginning, but over the years it got stronger once I got into my teenage years and was first having sexual urges.

"When I turned 13 and the famous Corvette Stingray came about, that car was pure sex and just an incredible machine. I wanted it.

"I didn't fully understand it myself except that I know I'm not hurting anyone and I do not intend to."

He added: "There are moments way out in the middle of nowhere when I see a little car parked and I swear it needs loving.

"There have been certain cars that attracted me and I would wait until night time, creep up to them and just hug and kiss them.

"As far as women go, they never really interested me much. And I'm not gay.”

Mr Smith is now part of a global community of more than 500 “car lovers” brought together by internet forums.

* My Car Is My Lover is on Five on Wednesday, May 28.

Why Don't We Do It In An Empty House?


Abandoned sex video identifies suspects in break-in

Aug 24 2010

It wasn't tough to identify the suspects in a break-in at a rural home at Washington state. The bare facts were right there.

The Grays Harbor County sheriff's office says a neighbor who came to collect the mail while the owner was away surprised a man and woman having sex on the floor Monday.

Chief Deputy Dave Pimentel says the naked couple fled, leaving behind the camera, which had been stolen elsewhere.

Pimentel said Tuesday that deputies who checked the video recognized the couple from previous contacts.

The 39-year-old woman was arrested for investigation of burglary. An arrest warrant was issued for the 31-year-old man.

Point/ Counter Point:The Sub-Sub-Conscience of a Liberal - Hijabs As Personal Preference?


My eloquent co-editor makes use of familiar logical sleight-of-hand to downplay the potentially serious nature of the issue of the wearing of hijabs and burqas. He points out the obvious: that not all Muslims are intolerant and that the Ouaran, like the Bible, encourages tolerance. So what?

Of course ALL Muslims are not intolerant, just as not all Southern Baptists are not intolerant. But enough of them are intolerant to make them both political threats to Democracy. During the ill-fated administration of George W. Bush Americans got a first-hand look at how quickly these groups can mobilize to influence public policy in their favor. And the Ouaran, like the Bible, is honored more in the breach than in practice, as the religious leaders in Islamic nations exercise iron-fisted control over the administration of justice, and openly display hostility towards secular nations and secular elements of their own nations. Young Muslim males are strongly encouraged by so-called religious leaders to commit suicide and kill dozens of innocent bystanders, in the name of Allah and their own special niche in Allah's after-life heavenly world.

Likewise, it is a truism that some Muslims, as a group, can and have accepted the separation of church and state, as illustrated by the countries named by my esteemed colleague. None of these are politically stable, however, and Turkey is especially marginal, a nation of grave contrasts, with secular and religious factions constantly contending for government control. This issue in Turkey is eloquently described by the Turkish Nobel laureate, Orhan Pamuk, in his recent novel, Snow, which I heartily commend to my co-editor.

As is true of all religions, it is not the individual believers who are at fault. It is religion itself and religious leaders who are responsible for a disproportionate share of the intolerance and conflict. The removal of all indicators of religious affiliation (robes, gowns, icons, hoods, masks, head scarves, crowns, yarmulkes)is one of the best methods to preserve secularism.

Finally, I note with interest that thus far in the poll fashioned by my co-editor, sentiment against the Habib is winning, with 75% of those responding opposing the head scarf. Of course, the sample size is not large. :)

Ft. Worth Cops Abuse Man in Custody - A Dozen or More Cops Involved

Video of man brutalized by Fort Worth police

08/25/2010

Associated Press

A man arrested on suspicion of DWI is receiving a $120,000 settlement with the city of Fort Worth after police video showed officers slamming him to the floor with his hands restrained behind his back.

The Fort Worth City Council voted Tuesday to approve the settlement with 40-year-old Carey Cass Hudson, despite his mother's plea that it reject the agreement as insufficient.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports Hudson suffered a broken nose, a concussion and has brain damage from the 2008 incident at a holding facility. Driving while intoxicated charges were later dropped.

Court documents indicate an officer accused of mishandling Hudson be issued a written reprimand and ordered to seek anger-management counseling.

Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead, who took office after the incident, says the officer's actions are "disturbing" and he's held the officer as accountable as he can.

___

Online:

http://ccasshudson.org/

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Hijabs and Burqas: Oh My!!

Just one Damned Minute Graywolf!!!

Readers: This is part of an ongoing Point / CounterPoint at BizarreStuff. Please let us know what YOU think...

Should we allow hijabs?
Yes
No
pollcode.com free polls

My esteemed co-editor makes a number of assertions with which, in good conscience, I must take issue:
  1. "It is because the latter are identified with a religion, Islam, that is intolerant of other religions and anyone who is not Muslim." This is a fiction created by western media as part of their sensationalization of the mundane. The Koran speaks openly of toleration of other religions in Surah 2:257 "Let there be no compulsion in religion."
  2. "[Negative] practices are ... widely accepted and vigorously applauded by many of the faithful adherents to Islam." The practices mentioned also have their detractors in Islam. The Hadith, the core of Islamic Jurisprudence in more orthodox societies, is viewed as dispensable, or merely instructive, by more progressive Muslims.
  3. "As the Muslim population grows ... the presence of tens of thousands of Muslims ... is an open invitation to politicians to cater to [them]." This implies that Muslims, as a group, can never accept the separation of church and state. Turkey, Lebanon, Syria- each of these are examples where Muslims are attempting to maintain secular societies. Bumpy as hell - no doubt. But let's try to help them make this transition to co-existence.
The fear of Hijabs is based on stereotypes, and negates the freedom of individuals who freely choose to make statements about their beliefs (like the hot chick in a hijab I saw on the way home who was hot-rodding an Infiniti G Convertible - at least I think she was a hot chick....)

Ancient Greeks Waged War in their Jammies

New Discovery Shows Statues were Painted

August 24, 2010

Jesters at war!!! Warriors in jest!!! This changes everything. Forget about your images of the ancient Greeks as a stoic, hard-nosed, and anhedonic race! They liked to party with crazy colors and humorous hues!! Forget about the marble colored statues. Modern science has revealed to us the true color of these ancient Greeks. Twenty-first century man would be loathe to be seen in his pajamas at work, but not these ancient Greeks. Their colorful costumes prove that they were in fact a jovial, good-natured civilization, ready to pose for posterity in their night-clothes.

According to our friends at I09.com (well, I think they're our friends- I'm a pretty easy going guy who thinks life's too short to make enemies), ancient Greek statues were COLORED, I mean, painted (the Greeks were also apparently a quite promiscuous group that liked to experiment - but that's another post).

Anyway, according to our wanna-be friends:

Original Greek statues were brightly painted, but after thousands of years, those paints have worn away. Although it seems impossible to think that anything could be left to discover after
thousands of years of wind, sun, sand, and art students, finding the long lost patterns on a piece of ancient Greek sculpture can be as easy as shining a lamp on it. A technique called ‘raking light' has been used to analyze art for a long time. A lamp is positioned carefully enough that the path of the light is almost parallel to the surface of the object. When used on paintings, this makes brushstrokes, grit, and dust obvious. On statues, the effect is more subtle. Brush-strokes are impossible to see, but because different paints wear off at different rates, the stone is raised in some places – protected from erosion by its cap of paint – and lowered in others. Elaborate patterns become visible.

Ultraviolet is also used to discern patterns. UV light makes many organic compounds fluoresce. Art dealers use UV lights to check if art has been touched up, since older paints have a lot of organic compounds and modern paints have relatively little. On ancient Greek statues, tiny fragments of pigment still left on the surface glow bright, illuminating more detailed patterns.

Once the pattern is mapped, there is still the problem of figuring out which paint colors to use. A series of dark blues will create a very different effect than gold and pink.

Infrared and X-ray spectroscopy can help researchers understand what the paints are made of, and how they looked all that time ago. Spectroscopy relies on the fact that atoms are picky when it comes to what kind of incoming energy they absorb. Certain materials will only accept certain wavelengths of light. Everything else they reflect. Spectroscopes send out a variety of wavelengths, like scouts into a foreign land. Inevitably, a few of these scouts do not come back. By noting which wavelengths are absorbed, scientists can determine what materials the substance is made of. Infrared helps determine organic compounds. X-rays, because of their higher energy level, don't stop for anything less than the heavier elements, like rocks and minerals. Together, researchers can determine approximately what color a millennia-old statue was painted.

The color? Always something tacky.

And now, back to BizarreStuff- I want to know what Venus de Milo was wearing.... maybe she was really like a hot Victoria's Secret mannequin....


A Star Is Born. Then Burns Itself Out


Sarah Palin's Speaker Demands

The backstage rider, presented to promoters by every touring act, details specifications on stage design, sound systems, lighting, as well as an artist's wish list--from travel and billing to dressing room accommodations and meals.

Made famous by Van Halen’s contractual demand that brown M&M's be plucked from the group’s candy bowl, the rider often reflects the delightful (Foo Fighters, Iggy Pop) or difficult (Jennifer Lopez) nature of the individual artists.

Ex-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who commands six-figure fees for speaking engagements, also requires the following perks:

Her standard contract requires that if Palin is not flying first class, then a private jet will be required. Specifically, "the private aircraft MUST BE a Lear 60 or larger.” The former Republican vice presidential candidate must also be provided with three rooms--one a suite--in a “deluxe hotel.”

Palin will consider photo opportunities at a venue, though they must be at a prescribed rate, such as “60 min/100 clicks.” And those clicks better deliver a diffuse, flattering light, since “Direct, on-camera flash bulbs are not permitted.”

While onstage, Palin only needs a wood lectern stocked with two bottles of still water. And, of course, a supply of bendy straws, which also happen to be the preferred sipping device of fellow diva Mariah Carey.

Monday, August 23, 2010

The Katrina Divorce Files - Make That 'On the Rocks' Please

Photo Inset: Unhappy New Orleans couple beginning to pull apart.


Aug 22 2010

Original By Nicole LaPorte, The Daily Beast
(Heavily distorted version by the editors of BizarreStuff)

One of the unanticipated benefits or costs of Hurricane Katrina was a spike in the divorce rate. The storm, with its attendant destruction and scattering of families throughout the nation, provided the opportunity or the push for married couples to untie the knot and begin to live out their formerly fantasy lives.

A week before Hurricane Katrina hit, Janelle Simmons was living a seemingly ordinary life with her husband and 5-year-old son in New Orleans.

Two weeks after the storm, Janelle had filed for divorce, and was, she says, "gallivanting around the country" with a new male companion, the storm offering a moment to act spontaneously on desires long repressed.

"People were doing crazy things, like they do in wartime," Simmons says. "People were having a lot of sex with people they didn't know. It was just such a crazy time."

Five years later, Simmons, who says she had lost her "emotional connection" with her husband, describes the hurricane as a cathartic moment, and she is now dating a man 20 years her junior, who shares her sense of joie de vivre. She is the 27th woman he has dated in the past 3 years, all affected by Katrina.

Randall Kessler, an Atlanta-based celebrity divorce lawyer who represented Tameka Foster-Raymond when she divorced rapper Usher last year, said the storm acted as a catalyst in people's lives. "When the hurricane hit, and people were unhappy... it was like, 'Why not start completely over?'" he says. "The stress made people want to find happiness, and divorce is all about-how do you become happy?"

"I remember there was this atmosphere of carelessness," says Simmons. "People's behavior becoming just kind of wild." Figuring out the why of that isn't very hard, she says. "People who stayed behind-there wasn't anything [else for them] to do."

But not everyone enjoyed a post-traumatic moment of hedonism. For Bob Murphy, the storm blew apart not just his house, but what he thought was a functioning marriage. "She changed quite a bit," he says, describing the woman who is now his ex-wife. "She began to hit the bottle and was bringing home some new guy every week." said an unauthorized spokesman in St. Louis, Mo., for Murphy, who is still in denial.

"Any marriages that were on the rocks were definitely broken by Katrina," says Laura Quitmore, a licensed marriage and family therapist in New Orleans, whose own marriage blew up along with Katrina's high winds. "Whatever was already wrong [became] worse. One of the spouses would say, 'It's just not going to work. I can't handle anything more. I couldn't handle you before, and I really can't handle you now.'"

Whether it was a loss of a connection-or the discovery of a new one-people whose lives were affected by the storm suddenly seemed to crave more out of life, having brushed up against death.

"Katrina was a really good lens to see the world through; to see what was important," says Darrin Pruitt, 44, who broke off a 12-year relationship with his partner in the wake of the storm. "It gave me the courage to say, 'This isn't going to work.'"

For the last three years, Pruitt has been living with a man who shares his ambitions and outlook in a way his much older ex didn't; his former partner also has a new boyfriend ( "a looker" ), and seems happy, he says.

A seismologist-psychotherapist in San Francisco is now urging all communities located near a large body of water to "stage" a massive flooding such as occurred in New Orleans, to give a wake-up call to those in troubled relationships, encouraging unhappy couples to break-up or divorce.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

The Resurrection of Marian Branflakes


Police swarm Arizona town after biker shootout


Aug 21 2010

Sheriff on Harley


CHINO VALLEY, Ariz. — Dozens of Arizona law enforcement officers have flooded into a small Arizona community after an apparent shootout involving motorcycle gang members. According to legend, the town acquired its name either by: a)the wearing of the popular chino pants a few decades ago or, 2)because several hundred Chinese (Chinos) settled here around 1850 and were subsequently run out of town by white Republicans when the land became more valuable.

Two rival gangs, one Republican and the other Democratic, the latter led by the Robinhoodesque Marian Branflakes, descended on the small, peaceful community, busily engaged in the round-up of Mexican illegal immigrants for fun and profit, and began shooting everything in sight.

Yavapai County sheriff's spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn, who has a girl's last name, said four or five people were shot and injured Saturday. One was flown to a Phoenix-area hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.

No deaths were reported as the bikers insisted on shooting whilst riding their bikes which caused them to miss most of their targets.

An unknown number of people have been detained, possibly between 100 and 8,000, according to D'Evelyn.

Television images show several hundred men and two women dressed in biker garb outside a rural home in the Chino Valley area with motorcycles parked alongside. Heavily armed law enforcement officers watched over them, some praying for the bikers' souls.

D'Evelyn says sheriff's dispatchers started receiving calls about the shootings shortly after noon. Deputies were not dispatched until dark in the hopes the bikers would quit shooting everyone of their own accord when they no longer could see. This turned out to be an extremely flawed decision.

Some local residents immediately began circulating a recall petition for the sheriff, who they accused of being "soft" on bikers. The sheriff's wife was once a biker chick and the sheriff chose a big Harley for himself rather than the traditional police cruiser used by former sheriffs. He also wears faded jeans, Harley-Davidson Tee shirts and black, leather boots, in lieu of the traditional sheriff's uniform. The sheriff defends the bike and his clothing by pointing out that it facilitates a lot of his work under the covers.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Point/Counterpoint: Hijabs and Burqas, Oh My!


The dress of different groups of people has sparked controversy since the beginning of recorded history. The ancient Greeks owned numerous slaves. It once was proposed in the Senate that all slaves be required to wear common clothing, so they could be readily identified. After debate and careful consideration, however, it was determined that commonly dressed slaves might recognize the large proportion of the population they represented, and rise up against their owners/oppressors. The proposal failed.

Ornamental dress has been used to distinguish the social, economic, military or religious affiliation of the wearer. The hijab is no different in principal from a priest's long, flowing gown; the headscarf of Muslim women no different than the yarmulke of Jewish men.

So why the big fuss over burqas and hijabs?

It is because the latter are identified with a religion, Islam, that is intolerant of other religions and anyone who is not Muslim. That same religion engages in some singularly barbaric practices, such as stoning young lovers who elope to death in public places by their own friends, relatives, and local residents, and by burying women adulterers to their chests and letting passersby stone them to death.

While these practices are abhorrent to most westerners, they are widely accepted and vigorously applauded by many of the faithful adherents to Islam. Further, the notion of death to infidels (those who do not believe in Islam)is a fundamental tenet of many Islamic extremist groups.

More importantly, most Muslims believe that all civil law is subordinate to religious law and that civil governments must accept Islamic law. All civil law must conform to Islamic religious law.

At one time Catholicism was the dominant religion of Mexico. It, too, was very powerful and exercised control over civil laws, which were required to conform to Catholic dogma. There were thousands and thousands of priests, nuns, and monks who wore only Catholic garb in public. Their presence was ubiquitous and served as a constant reminder that the Church was all powerful, in religious and civic matters.

After the Mexican revolution, the new, civil government banned the wearing of religious apparel in public, to emphasize that Mexico was a secular nation and the former cozy relationship between church and state was no more.

So long as Muslims represent only a small minority of the population, there is minimal threat of Islamic law working its way into U.S. civil law. But as the Muslim population grows and Muslims are elected to political office, the presence of tens of thousands of Muslims dressed in Muslim garb is an open invitation to politicians to cater to the religious interests of these groups, gradually eroding the separation of church and state and undermining the First Amendment.

The requirement that Muslim women keep their bodies and heads concealed when outside the home is oppressive to many Muslim women and is indicative of second class citizenship for women.

Lastly, the history of most immigrant groups is to assimilate and to adopt the dress styles of their host country, as a matter of common courtesy and respect. For Muslim women to go about in full Islamic regalia and thus be in a position to conceal contraband, such as a bomb or illegal drugs, is a potential threat to national security and to the violation of laws. Secrecy is no way to win the friendship and tolerance of the host citizens of their adoptive nation.

Donald Duck Accused of Groping Woman At Epcot Center



Grope Claim Against Donald Duck
Woman charges beloved Disney character got "handsy" with her



AUGUST 10--While visiting Epcot Center in Florida, a Pennsylvania woman alleges that a Disney employee dressed as Donald Duck grabbed her breast and molested her after she sought an autograph.

After the alleged groping, Donald Duck made gestures--apparently with his snowy white hands—“indicating he had done something wrong,” according to a lawsuit filed last month by April Magolon. The Upper Darby woman, 27, was visiting Epcot with her children and fiancĂ© in May 2008 when the incident reportedly occurred. She may have been trying to impress her fiance with the fact that the Duck found her hot. She is not a very pretty woman and has very ordinary breasts.

Magolon, pictured above, is suing Disney for negligence, battery, and infliction of emotional distress, and is seeking in excess of $50,000 in damages. The entertainment giant has petitioned to have the lawsuit, which was filed in Pennsylvania’s Court of Common Pleas, transferred to federal court in Philadelphia.

According to Magolon’s complaint, she has suffered “severe physical injury, emotional anguish and distress including, but not limited to post-traumatic stress disorder” as a result of the run-in with Donald Duck. She also contends that the incident was “one of a long line of continuing, long standing, similar prior incidents” involving the groping of patrons by costumed Disney employees.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Point / CounterPoint: Hijabs vs Costumes

Query: Who's Less Oppressed, Who's More Victimized

August 19, 2010 - An Explanation of Point/CounterPoint

Let's forget about the subjugation of the masses for a second and talk about individual choice. Which of the women pictured above is more oppressed? Which one is succumbing more to male dominance? Which one is doing whatever she wants, simply because she genuinely likes it? Which one looks more silly? And who the hell are we to decide what's "silly?"

The Hijab, the "scarf" worn by some Muslim women, is often viewed in the West as a sign of oppression. Granted, it at times may be. However, at other times it clearly isn't. It is as much an assertion of identity and personal beliefs as a tattoo or a yarmulke. Hell, add to that some of the practical aspects - no make-up, no worry about bad-hair days, and no worries about the spinach caught between your teeth. A recent survey indicated that women are at times passed over for certain jobs for being too attractive. What's one sure-fire way to avoid being judged based on your looks? Hide 'em. It's a painfully practical approach. What should women do:

  1. Change every neanderthal lech in the world,
  2. Decide they truly don't care about anyone else's opinion, or
  3. Hide the goods.
So what's your answer? Mine's pretty easy- they should do whatever works for them individually: challenge men's attitudes, flaunt what they've got because they enjoy, or just make the issue moot.

Ya wanna wear your hijab? Go for it baby. Ya wanna go topless? Cool. Ya wanna tell men they're carriers of the weaker and dying chromosome? Can't argue with that one either. Let's not impose our own biases on others. Let Muslim women wear their hijabs and let Jewish men wear their yarmulkes. It's often something they've chosen freely.

And the Bull Walked Around, Ole!

Bull leaps into bullring stands in Spain, 40 injured

iDesktop.tv




Aug 19 2010

CIARAN GILES - AP writer and other uninvited co-writers


In the TV clip above, provided by ETB via APTN an unidentified idiot tries to hold a 1100 pound bull by the tail after it jumped 10 meters (yards) from the ring into the stands at the Tafalla bullring in Spain Thursday Aug. 19, 2010 causing panic as it lurched through the screaming crowd, charging and tossing everything it could. The bull showed its annoyance at the fool pulling its tail and turned its head sideways to try to reach its tormentor. This caused the bull to lose its footing on the concrete stands and fall on its side, pinning a young man beneath it. Regional officials say 40 people were injured when the bull leaped into the packed grandstands but this was clearly a misleading statement. Does that look like a mere 40 persons to you?

MADRID — A bull leaped into the packed grandstands of a Spanish bullring and ran amok, charging and trampling spectators and leaving 40 people injured, regional officials said Thursday.

Video showed the bull jumping several meters (yards) high out of the ring, clearing two barriers before landing in the stands and causing panic as it lurched through the screaming crowd, charging and tossing everything it could.

The 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) animal was brought under control by experienced bull handlers after several minutes and was later killed in a senseless act of barbarism and revenge. The bull had done nothing wrong and was simply acting like a bull. None of the other bulls in the spectacle were murdered.

The incident occurred Wednesday at the Tafalla arena in the northern region of Navarra during an event attended by about 3,500 spectators, in which mostly young people try to get a bull to charge at them so they can dodge it. It's similar to the U.S. street sport of dodge ball, only using an 1,100 pound bull instead of a ball. Unlike standard bullfights, the bulls are not killed in these events, except this poor bull that got pissed off at its tormentors and paid the price.

The bull had already attempted to jump into the stands twice. After damaging a horn, it was about to be returned to the corral and replaced with another bull when it tried a third time and succeeded.

The regional government said in a statement Thursday that three people remained in hospitals in the regional capital of Pamplona, best known for its annual San Fermin running of the bulls festival, another lunatic event held each July 7, involving alcohol, bulls and hundreds of fools. Many women get pregnant there.

The injured included a 10-year-old boy who was in intensive care after the bull reportedly fell on him. Another man was gored in the back and was said to be in stable condition.

In all, 40 people were treated, primarily for minor injuries.

"What could have been a tragedy ended up as a big fright," according to the seriously out of touch with reality Tafalla mayor, Cristina Sota, in a demented statement to the Diario de Navarra.

Inaki Zunzarren, who was treated for bruises, told the paper: "The bull caught me and hurled me against the (concrete) seating. What an experience! This will be a great story to tell my grandchildren. I'm so happy I attended."

Also lightly injured was 16-year-old Eneko Goyena Sesma, who said he was jealous of Zunzarren.

"I was with my friends when the bull jumped over and everyone began to run. Somebody must have pushed me and I fell to the ground. I got a pretty big fright," he said, "but unfortunately I received only minimal injuries. Perhaps next year."

The regional government said the crowd was made up largely of young people, and most were able to get away from the bull quickly, avoiding a greater number of injuries.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Canadian Yo Yo Wins World Yo-Yo Contest.


2010 World Yo-Yo Contest Winner

August 18, 2010

Jensen Kimmitt, the Canadian national champion, won in Category 1A (“1A-The player uses a long sleeping yo-yo to perform string tricks which usually require the manipulation of the string.”)

Kimmitt estimates he uses about 1,000 yards of yo-yo string in a year and wears out approximately 300 yo-yo's annually. He practices with the yo-yo 6 hours daily, follows a strict low fat diet, and spends another two hours of intense exercise with weights and running. He says yo-yo'ing is a tough sport and only those who are in top notch condition can compete successfully. Kimmitt says world class yo-yo'ers are under great pressure to succeed in order not to lose lucrative sponsorships, which can pay anywhere from 3 to 10 million dollars a year. He competes in yo-yo contests in 60-70 different countries each year and travels an estimated 300,000 miles per year. He speaks 6 languages.

Scholar Busted For Library Use

Police: Man lived in NJ library for nearly 2 weeks

Aug 18 2010



OCEAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Police said a homeless man lived unnoticed in the basement of a New Jersey library for nearly two weeks. Police said a custodian saw Charles Jones Jr. peeking out a basement window of the Ocean Township library in Monmouth County on Friday night.

Neptune police Detective Lt. Steven Peters said Jones told officers he had been living in the building. Police discovered several books in the basement where Jones was studying nuclear physics and medicine. Additionally, the 26-year-old had taken food from the employee break room.

Jones was released on a criminal summons. He's charged with burglary and theft.

Jones told others he was only trying to win a Nobel Prize so his mother would be proud of him.

___

Information from: Asbury Park Press, http://www.app.com

California Mall Sets Rules: No Hitting on Foxes or Dudes Without a Permit - Judge Nixes Plan


Want to Hit on a Hot Chick You Spot at the Mall? Get a Permit First!

An unidentified man is depicted trying to impress women at the mall by showing them the pelts of dead cats.


August 18, 2010

Want to make a move on that hot guy you saw coming out of the bookstore at the mall? The owners of the Westfield Galleria at Roseville, California, don't want anyone doing that in "their" mall.

So they established rules to enforce their no talking to strangers policy. Only problem is a state appellate court has starkly declared that the mall’s attempt to regulate conversation is unconstitutional. Well, who would have thought that?

The specific rule at issue prohibited a person in the center’s common areas from "approaching patrons with whom he or she was not previously acquainted for the purpose of communicating with them on a topic unrelated to the business interests" of the mall or its tenants. Wow! There goes that invitation to cop a clandestine "feel" behind the palm tree.

The court struck down the shopping mall rule.

The appellate court’s opinion dealt one way or another with possible conversations that the rules would prohibit:

Talking about the weather is a no-no, unless one is intuitive enough to observe how it may be affecting the size of the crowd at the mall. Teenagers who use the common areas for social gatherings, not necessarily limited to contemporaries they already know, are out of luck. Should someone stop you and ask directions to Sutter-Roseville Medical Center, you would be well advised to blow them off, lest your humanitarian instincts lead you astray. Better to let them bleed out.

The owners of the mall were invited to move it to Teheran, where they might put in a public stoning arena (no, not to smoke hashish) to stone to death couples who want to fornicate, or marry outside their clan.

When the mall owners were told to read the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution they responded that it was their private mall, bought and paid for by them,and they could allow or disallow any speech they wanted to on their own property. "This is America, where we have freedom of speech," they said.

Monday, August 16, 2010

California Taxpayers' $227,500 Cheese


Cheese Thief Jailed for 7 Years in California

ROBERT MACKEY

On Monday, August 15, 2010, more than a year after a man was arrested outside a market in California with a $3.99 bag of Tillamook shredded cheese in his pants he had not paid for, a judge decided to go relatively easy on him, sentencing him to seven years and eight months in jail. He could have gotten a life sentence.

Prosecutors in Yolo County, Calif., outside Sacramento, had originally asked for a life sentence under the state’s “three strikes” law, arguing that the man, Robert Preston Ferguson, was a menace to society because of prior burglary convictions. As The Sacramento Bee reported last month, the district attorney’s office asked for 11 years instead, after “a new psychological evaluation convinced prosecutors that Robert Preston Ferguson’s most recent convictions for petty theft did not warrant a life sentence.”

At Monday’s sentencing hearing, the Sacramento newspaper noted, a deputy district attorney “said Ferguson was a career criminal who wouldn’t change.” The prosecutor added that Mr. Ferguson, who is in his 50s, had 13 previous convictions and had been in jail for 22 of the past 27 years but still took the cheese. Ten days before the cheese theft, Mr. Ferguson had also stolen a woman’s wallet from a 7-Eleven as she tended to her sick child, who had just thrown up on the floor.

Because of Mr. Ferguson’s prior convictions, he had been charged with felonies for both of those petty thefts.

According to the Sacramento newspaper, Mr. Ferguson’s defense lawyer, Monica Brushia, argued that his six other burglary convictions had taken place three decades ago and noted that his conviction for misdemeanor assault came when he was a teenager and had thrown a can of soda at one of his siblings. She also noted that the psychologist’s report had concluded that Mr. Ferguson was mentally ill. He has biploar syndrome and struggles to control his impulses to steal during manic phases, she said.

She concluded that his most recent thefts were petty. “We’re talking about a pack of cheese,” she said.

Leaving aside concerns about whether the long sentence was just, some observers in California asked if the cash-strapped state should really be spending between $50,000 and $100,000 a year to lock up a cheese thief.

As Sasha Abramsky noted in a commentary on the case for The Guardian last month, “a number of newspapers, including conservative publications such as the Orange County Register, ridiculed the D.A.’s office for its willingness to waste taxpayer dollars.”

The Orange County newspaper compared the case with that of Jerry Dewayne Williams, a man in Los Angeles who was sentenced in 1995 to 25 years to life for stealing a slice of pizza.

In his column for The Guardian, Mr. Abramsky added:

Three strikes is something that I have written on quite a bit over the years; I have talked with many three strikers and their families, and periodically receive updates from them on their status. This past Christmas I got a card from the wife of one inmate, who has spent the last 16 years behind bars on a drug-related offence. “It is hard to believe that nearly 16- years have gone by and we still have another 12 before D** will be eligible for parole,” she wrote. “You would think that with all of California’s budget problems, someone in Sacramento would realize that 16 years for a minor offence is long enough.”

A columnist for Sacramento Bee, Marcos Breton, took the opposite view, arguing on Wednesday that this “shoplifter with a sad life” deserves to be in jail:

The truth is, there is a good chance Ferguson will victimize someone again. He has nearly 30 years’ experience as a career criminal. What if he breaks into a home, stumbles in on a family and panics?

You wonder if the people screaming about his treatment now would be screaming then, too, asking how it is he ever got back on the street in the first place.

Update: Thanks to a reader for drawing our attention to a report in The Los Angeles Times last month on a speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy in which he criticized California’s sentencing policies. The report noted:

In an otherwise courtly and humorous address to the Los Angeles legal community, Kennedy expressed obvious dismay over the state of corrections and rehabilitation in the country. He said U.S. sentences are eight times longer than those issued by European courts.

“California now has 185,000 people in prison at $32,500 a year” each, he said. That's $6 Billion a year to keep one half of one per cent of the population in prison. He then urged voters and officials to compare that expense to what taxpayers spend per pupil in elementary schools. “The three-strikes law sponsor is the correctional officers’ union and that is sick!” Kennedy said of the measure mandating life sentences for third-time criminal offenders.

Taliban in Afghanistan Exhibit Extraordinary Display of Rampant Stupidity




Taliban Order Stoning Deaths of Young Couple Seeking to Elope

Original By ROD NORDLAND
Current Version By the Editors of BizarreStuff
August 16, 2010



KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban on Sunday ordered their first public executions by stoning since their fall from power nine years ago, killing a young couple who had eloped, according to Afghan officials and a witness.

The punishment was carried out by hundreds of the victims’ neighbors in a village in northern Kunduz Province, according to Nadir Khan, 40, a local farmer and Taliban sympathizer, who was interviewed by telephone. Even family members were involved, both in the stoning and in tricking the couple into returning after they had fled.

The entire village was outraged by the idea that two of its citizens could obtain happiness together by getting the hell out of Dodge or, in this case, out of Kunduz Province. The "stoners," many of whom were actually stoned in this land that is one of the world's principal suppliers of the poppies used to make cocaine, were insanely jealous of the young couple when compared to their own miserable, loveless, barren and wasted lives, under the absolute authority of a gang of thugs, thieves, murderers, and sexual predators, posing as religious leaders.

With neighbors, family and friends such as these the young couple did not need any enemies.

Mr. Khan said that as a Taliban mullah prepared to read the judgment of a religious court, the lovers, a 25-year-old man named Khayyam and a 19-year-old woman named Siddiqa, defiantly confessed in public to their relationship. “They said, ‘We love each other no matter what happens,’ ” Mr. Khan said. That statement sealed their death sentence because no self-respecting mullah (mule)could ever accept that two people could be in love in spite of Allah's plans for their unhappiness.

The executions were the latest in a series of cases where the Taliban have imposed their harsh version of Shariah law for social crimes, reminiscent of their behavior during their decade of ruling the country. In recent years, Taliban officials have sought to play down their bloody punishments of the past, as they concentrated on building up popular support, after which they could return to their former lawless and brutal actions.

“We see it as a sign of a new confidence on the part of the Taliban in the application of their rules, like they did in the ’90s,” said Nader Nadery, a senior commissioner on the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. “We do see it as a trend. They’re showing more strength in recent months, not just in attacks, but including their own way of implementing laws, arbitrary and extrajudicial killings.”

The stoning deaths, along with similarly brazen attacks in northern Afghanistan, were also a sign of growing Taliban strength in parts of the country where, until recently, they had been weak or absent. In their home regions in southern Afghanistan, Mr. Nadery said, the Taliban have already been cracking down.

“We’ve seen a big increase in intimidation of women and more strict rules on women,” he said. Afghan women are virtual prisoners in their own homes, afraid of being denounced by a jealous neighbor, an angry husband or even a teenaged son or daughter, upset because they were not permitted to get a new I-phone like their friends.

Perhaps most worrisome were signs of support for the action from mainstream religious authorities in Afghanistan. The head of the Ulema Council in Kunduz Province, Mawlawi Abdul Yaqub, a convicted pedophile and rapist of more than 30 young Afghan women, interviewed by telephone, said Monday that stoning to death was the appropriate punishment for an illegal sexual relationship, although he declined to give his view on this particular case. An Ulema Council is a body of Islamic clerics with religious authority in a region. Only the most ruthless, narrow minded, obsessed sexual perverts are eligible to serve on these Councils.

And less than a week earlier, the national Ulema Council brought together 350 religious bigots, pedophiles, child abusers and wife beaters in a meeting with government religious officials, to issue a joint statement on Aug. 10 calling for more and even harsher punishment under Shariah law, apparently referring to stoning, amputations, lashings, drawing and quartering, being disemboweled with a pitch fork, and stretching on a rack designed to inflict the most unspeakable pain and destroy all bone joints in the body, rendering its victims the equivalent of an oyster.

Failure to carry out such “Islamic provisions,” the council statement said, was hindering the peace process and encouraging crime. "There can never be lasting peace until enough people have been executed to prevent fornication altogether," said an especially dim witted mullah, or mule.

The controversy could have implications for efforts by Afghan officials to reconcile with Taliban leaders and draw them into power-sharing talks. The Taliban only want to talk if they first are permitted to physically have all government officials by the balls.

Afghan officials, supported by Western countries, have insisted that Taliban leaders would have to accept the Afghan Constitution, which guarantees women’s rights, and not expect a return to Shariah law.

The stoning deaths were confirmed by Afghan officials in the area on Monday. Mahbubullah Sayedi, a spokesman for the Kunduz governor’s office, condemned the executions, and said there was ample provision in Afghan law for prosecuting someone if they were accused of adultery or other social crimes.

“We have courts here, and we can solve such cases through our judicial organizations,” he said. “This act is against human rights and against our national Constitution.” He was immediately targeted for execution by the Taliban.

The couple eloped when the man was unable to persuade family members to allow him to marry the young woman. She was engaged to marry a relative of her lover, who was a fat, slovenly, greedy pig, but she was unwilling to do so, according to Mr. Khan.

Mohammed Ayub, the governor of nearby Imam Sahib district, also confirmed the stoning deaths, which took place in the local bazaar in Mullah Quli village, in Archi district, a remote corner of Kunduz Province close to Tajikistan. He said the stonings were like a big, village party, with everyone except those being stoned having a good time and smoking hashish. He said there were no movie theaters, ice skating rinks, football stadia, coffee houses or brothels available for entertainment so public stonings provided free entertainment for the entire family, including infants in their mothers' arms.

The couple eloped to Kunar Province, in eastern Afghanistan, staying with distant relatives, but family members persuaded them to return to their village, promising to allow them to marry, which was all a big fat lie. (Afghan men are legally allowed to marry up to four wives). Once back in Kunduz they were seized by the Taliban, who convened local mullahs from surrounding villages for a religious court.

After the Taliban proclaimed the sentence, Siddiqa, dressed in the head-to-toe Afghan burqa, and Khayyam, who had a wife and two young children, were encircled by the male-only crowd in the bazaar. Taliban activists began stoning them first, then villagers joined in until they killed first Siddiqa and then Khayyam, Mr. Khan said. No women were allowed to attend, he said, but young males above the age of 5 were permitted to cast stones.

Mr. Khan estimated that about 200 villagers participated in the executions, including Khayyam’s father and brother, and Siddiqa’s brother, as well as other relatives, with a larger crowd of onlookers who did not take part but applauded and whistled whenever an especially well aimed stone struck one of the lovers in a vulnerable body part or the face.

“People were very happy seeing this,” Mr. Khan maintained, saying the crowd was festive and cheered during the stoning. The couple, he said, “did a bad thing. You do the crime, you pay the fine."

A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, praised the action. “We have heard about this report,” he said, when interviewed by cellphone. “But let me tell you that according to Shariah law, if someone commits a crime like that, we have our courts and we deal with such crimes based on Islamic law, which," he added, "is fair and just.”

Mr. Nadery, from the human rights commission, pointed to a string of recent such cases of summary justice by the Taliban. In northwestern Badghis Province on Aug. 8, a 41-year-old widow, who was made pregnant by a man she said promised to marry her, was convicted of fornication by a Taliban court. She was given 200 lashes with a whip and then shot to death, according to Col. Abdul Jabar, a provincial police official, who said the killing was ordered by the local Taliban commander, Mullah Yousef, in Qadis district.

President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman, Waheed Omer, said: ““President Karzai was deeply saddened and grieved when he heard that news. Nine years ago and we still see the Taliban doing events like that in Badghis.”

Time magazine focused widespread indignation on Afghanistan recently by putting on its cover a picture of an 18-year-old woman from Oruzgan Province whose nose and ears were cut off by her Taliban husband after she had fled her child marriage to him.

Amnesty International condemned the latest stonings, calling them the first such executions since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. “The Taliban and other insurgent groups are growing increasingly brutal in their abuses against Afghans,” said Sam Zarifi, an Amnesty International official.

Sharifullah Sahak contributed reporting.

Singer Pelted With Rocks and Feces At Outdoor Concert


Sheriff: Tila Tequila says audience threw rocks, feces

Aug 15 2010

(AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)


CARTERVILLE, Ill. — A sheriff says reality TV actress Tila Tequila complained that audience members threw stones and feces at her during an outdoor music festival in southern Illinois.

Hardin County Sheriff Tom Seiner told a Carterville TV station it happened early Saturday at the Gathering of the Juggalos. That's a weekend festival based around the band Insane Clown Posse and other groups from Psychopathic Records.

Seiner told WSIL-TV that Tequila, whose real name is Tila Nguyen, complained that she was injured when audience members threw rocks at her. Seiner said Nguyen also complained that feces were thrown that struck her in the face.

The sheriff also said one man stabbed another, though not fatally.

Sheriff's Department dispatcher Jimmy Barnard said early Sunday that he had no other details.