The unimportant news thread

[greg]

Not world news, me news (I have to vent). Amazon UK just tried to charge me £18 to deliver a pack of guitar strings and 6 picks first class...

*seeks somewhere better*

No Sam Ash in the UK?

[Gurn Blanston]

I looked it up, here's a picture.



My ex-wife was 2 faced, but this is really over the top! 

[Lethevich]

No Sam Ash in the UK?

Dunno - I just used eBay instead, ended up about 4 or 5x cheaper (3 packs of Ernie Ball strings for £10 and free shipping beats £4 for 1 with obscene shipping ). I keep instinctively checking Amazon for stuff first though, dunno why.

[Benny]

Apparently, they serve decent meals in jail and you don't have to worry about anything.....

Police say woman showed up drunk to clean their office
Posted by Stuart Tomlinson, The Oregonian April 09, 2008 13:07PM
Categories: Breaking News
A Newport woman allegedly showed up drunk to her janitorial job last night.


Lincoln County Jail
Ruby Ann PedersenThat may not sound like news, but 42-year-old Ruby Ann Pedersen's job is to clean up the Newport Area Command office of the Oregon State Police.

OSP trooper recruit Ian McKay was at the office completing a report when Pedersen -- her 12-year-old son in tow -- drove up and then came inside.

McKay noticed that Pedersen appeared visibly intoxicated, and after an investigation arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless endangering.

Pedersen was booked into the Lincoln County Jail where she is being held in lieu of $15,000 bail.

Lieutenant Kelly Collins of the Oregon State Police said another trooper gave Pedersen's son a ride home.

--Stuart Tomlinsonstuarttomlinson@news.oregonian.com

[Anne]

I don't know where else to post this but I have some disturbing news for anyone wandering around in the great outdoors of Traverse City, Michigan.  (Our area is full of tourists all summer as the residents of southern Michigan and Chicago love to spend their vacations here.)

A year ago my niece and her husband built a new home about 15 miles east of Traverse City.  Her mother (my sister) liked the area and built her own home near there also.  The children (13 and 10 years old) spent their summer going back and forth to grandma's house.  This year they planned and had already begun doing the same thing.

Next in the drama is their father, who built some sort of feeder for turkeys.  The first night the feeder was used, something totally destroyed it.  Not to be defeated, father moved the feeder up on top of the large deck on the house to protect it and hopefully give the turkeys something to eat.

Father goes to work at 3:00 pm and comes home very tired, not at all interested in listening to wife saying, "There is something out on the deck.  Go look."  He doesn't move so she goes to investigate.  Looking right back at her is this great big wide-headed BEAR!!!  Father thought it was a male and weighed about 350 pounds.  Bear was still intent on getting the food.  Father gets a very bright light and shines it right at the bear.  (I just cannot believe they did this.....!!!)  Then one of them OPENS THE DOOR into the house!  The only thing between them and the bear is a little screen door for summer use!!!!  Then they yelled at the bear and continued shining the light.  He finally went down the stairs but kept looking back still wanting the food  Eventually he left.

I'll tell you.....if that were my house, there would be a For Sale sign on it at 8:01 the next morning.  Where this house is located is not at all what one would think of as a place for wilderness scenarios to take place.  Civilization is only 1/2 mile away.  Children will be home alone after school while parents and grandmother work.

The parents did have to have a serious talk with the children and told them they must never again walk to grandmother's house without an adult present.

I hope I didn't bore anyone too much.  I have lived in this area for 60 years and never knew there were bears around close.

[Lethevich]

Hehehe, the cost of suburban expansion... Fortunately the worst things I get are foxes and badgers.

[BachQ]

Parents Argue Over Which Gang 4-Year-Old Son Should Join
Friday , April 11, 2008

A couple can't agree on which gang their 4-year-old toddler should join.  A fight about the decision led to a public disturbance with the father's arrest. Joseph Manzanares went to the video store where his girlfriend worked, threatened to kill her and knocked over several video displays, police told KMGH Denver.

Police arrested Manzanares at his home, Commerce City police Sgt. Joe Sandoval told KMGH Denver.  The girlfriend told authorities they were fighting over which gang their son should join. The girlfriend, who is black, is a member of the Crips while Manzanares, who is Hispanic, belongs to the Westside Ballers.  "They have different ideas on how the baby should be raised," Sandoval said. "Basically, she said they cannot agree on which gang the baby would 'claim.'"

[BachQ]

Masseuses told to padlock pants
Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:23pm EDT

JAKARTA (Reuters) - A bid by a local government in Indonesia's East Java province to curb prostitution by asking masseuses to wear a padlock on their pants was an insult, a newspaper quoted the minister for women's empowerment as saying.  The recently implemented policy in the tourist area of Batu was misguided, State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meuthia Hatta told the Jakarta Post on Thursday.  "It is not the right way to prevent promiscuity. It insults women as if they are the ones in the wrong," Hatta said.  The paper showed a photograph of a masseuse with a padlock on the waist band of her trousers and said the local administration's move was aimed at curbing prostitution and maintaining Batu's image as a popular tourist destination.

Indonesia has a flourishing sex industry and massage parlors are frequently a front for prostitution. But there has been a vigorous debate over morality in recent years, exposing deep divisions in the Southeast Asian Muslim-majority nation.  Last month, Indonesia passed a bill to restrict access to pornographic and violent sites on the Internet, while parliament has yet to pass a controversial pornography bill that aims to shield the young from pornographic material and lewd acts.  Earlier draft versions contained provisions that could jail people for kissing in public and criminalize many forms of art or traditional culture that hinge on sensuality, sparking criticism it could curb freedoms and hurt Indonesia's tolerant traditions.






Couple Offers Home as Prize in $100 Essay Contest
Sunday , April 20, 2008

A White Rock couple has this proposal: Write a 500-word essay and you could win their home.

But the Gaming Control Board says the contest that has a $100 entry fee might not be legal under state law.

If someone is truly raffling off their home, it would be illegal under the Bingo and Raffle Act because it's not being done by a qualified nonprofit organization, said Gaming Control Board deputy director Greg Saunders.

However, if the essay contest is deemed "a game of skill," he said the Tiffany and Todd Lovell are in the clear.

"We haven't made that determination yet," he said.

The Lovells said the depressed housing market has caused them to try to move their 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom, one-bathroom home through an essay contest. They are hoping to get at least 2,500 entries, which would mean they'll make $250,000. The Lovells say the entries will be judged by "various members of the Los Alamos County community."

The Lovells say if they receive fewer than 2,500 entries, they'll cancel the contest and return the entry fees.

The Gaming Control Board is expected to make a determination within the week.

[MN Dave]

People of Lesbos take gay group to court over term 'Lesbian'
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
April 30, 2008 9:22 AM EDT

ATHENS, Greece - A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women.

Three islanders from Lesbos - home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women - have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.

One of the plaintiffs said Wednesday that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

"My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said.

The three plaintiffs are seeking to have the group barred from using "lesbian" in its name and filed a lawsuit on April 10. The other two plaintiffs are women.

Also called Mytilene, after its capital, Lesbos is famed as the birthplace of Sappho. The island is a favored holiday destination for gay women, particularly the lyric poet's reputed home town of Eressos.

"This is not an aggressive act against gay women," Lambrou said. "Let them visit Lesbos and get married and whatever they like. We just want (the group) to remove the word lesbian from their title."

He said the plaintiffs targeted the group because it is the only officially registered gay group in Greece to use the word lesbian in its name. The case will be heard in an Athens court on June 10.

Sappho lived from the late 7th to the early 6th century B.C. and is considered one of the greatest poets of antiquity. Many of her poems, written in the first person and intended to be accompanied by music, contain passionate references to love for other women.

Lambrou said the word lesbian has only been linked with gay women in the past few decades. "But we have been Lesbians for thousands of years," said Lambrou, who publishes a small magazine on ancient Greek religion and technology that frequently criticizes the Christian Church.

Very little is known of Sappho's life. According to some ancient accounts, she was an aristocrat who married a rich merchant and had a daughter with him. One tradition says that she killed herself by jumping off a cliff over an unhappy love affair.

Lambrou says Sappho was not gay. "But even if we assume she was, how can 250,000 people of Lesbian descent - including women - be considered homosexual?"

The Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece could not be reached for comment.

[Brian]

"My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said.

I hadn't thought of this quirk before. Can the men say they're Lesbian?

[MN Dave]

David Blaine breaks world record for holding one's breath
By TARA BURGHART (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
April 30, 2008 3:14 PM EDT

CHICAGO - David Blaine took on a Zen-like appearance in the water tank as the minutes ticked by during his attempt to set a new breath-holding record. Oprah Winfrey, however, was anything but calm.

She fidgeted in her chair, pursed her lips, placed her head in her hands, and kept seeking reassurance from the doctor at her side about the 35-year-old magician's persistently high heart rate.

"I'll be glad when it's over. I don't like suspense," she told the audience during a commercial break.

Soon enough, Winfrey - and Blaine - could breathe a lot easier.

Submerged in a water-filled sphere on the stage of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" during a live broadcast, Blaine held his breath for 17 minutes and 4 seconds. That bested the previous record of 16 minutes and 32 seconds, set Feb. 10 by Switzerland's Peter Colat, according to Guinness World Records.

Blaine had a smile on his face soon after his head rose above the water and he took several deep gulps of air. Within about a minute, he was able to hold a microphone and tell Winfrey, "I feel great," later adding that breaking the record was a fulfillment of "a lifelong dream."

Before his attempt, Blaine was allowed to inhale pure oxygen for up to 30 minutes, although he inhaled for only 23 minutes. A Guinness World Records judge was on hand to certify the feat.

In May 2006 as a finale to a week spent in an aquarium with an oxygen mask at New York's Lincoln Center, Blaine tried to set another type of breath-holding record. Without breathing pure oxygen beforehand, he tried to break the existing record of 8 minutes, 58 seconds for an attempt of that type.

But he had to be rescued shortly after 7 minutes when he was unconscious and having convulsions.

Blaine was in much better shape after Wednesday's attempt. He walked unassisted down a set of stairs to join Winfrey for an interview. He told her he had doubted while in the water whether he'd be able to break the record because of his high heart rate.

The lower the heart rate, the less oxygen is consumed.

Blaine had expected his heart rate to drop perhaps as low as under 20 beats per minute while he was in the water. But for most of the attempt, it was over 100 beats per minute, then started dropping and fluctuating rapidly during the last 2 1/2 minutes.

While training, Blaine said he would meditate to lower his heart rate. But amid the hubbub of a live studio audience, and with a record at stake, Blaine admitted he had trouble forgetting his surroundings.

Earlier in the show, Winfrey noted that her boyfriend, Stedman Graham, was making a rare appearance in the audience because he's such a fan of Blaine's work.

For Winfrey, however, the endurance feat was "nerve-racking to witness," she told Blaine.

Blaine joked about coming back on her show again and again to get used to the surroundings, lower his heart rate and set new breath-holding records.

But first, Blaine said he plans to try to break the world record for staying awake. The current record is 11 1/2 days, he said. However, Guinness said it no longer acknowledges such attempts because of health concerns.

[Lethevich]

People of Lesbos take gay group to court over term 'Lesbian'
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
April 30, 2008 9:22 AM EDT

ATHENS, Greece - A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women.

Three islanders from Lesbos - home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women - have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.

One of the plaintiffs said Wednesday that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

"My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said.

The three plaintiffs are seeking to have the group barred from using "lesbian" in its name and filed a lawsuit on April 10. The other two plaintiffs are women.

Also called Mytilene, after its capital, Lesbos is famed as the birthplace of Sappho. The island is a favored holiday destination for gay women, particularly the lyric poet's reputed home town of Eressos.

"This is not an aggressive act against gay women," Lambrou said. "Let them visit Lesbos and get married and whatever they like. We just want (the group) to remove the word lesbian from their title."

He said the plaintiffs targeted the group because it is the only officially registered gay group in Greece to use the word lesbian in its name. The case will be heard in an Athens court on June 10.

Sappho lived from the late 7th to the early 6th century B.C. and is considered one of the greatest poets of antiquity. Many of her poems, written in the first person and intended to be accompanied by music, contain passionate references to love for other women.

Lambrou said the word lesbian has only been linked with gay women in the past few decades. "But we have been Lesbians for thousands of years," said Lambrou, who publishes a small magazine on ancient Greek religion and technology that frequently criticizes the Christian Church.

Very little is known of Sappho's life. According to some ancient accounts, she was an aristocrat who married a rich merchant and had a daughter with him. One tradition says that she killed herself by jumping off a cliff over an unhappy love affair.

Lambrou says Sappho was not gay. "But even if we assume she was, how can 250,000 people of Lesbian descent - including women - be considered homosexual?"

The Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece could not be reached for comment.

The island should suck it up and start calling themselves Lesbosians, but this time, make sure that they copyright it

[BachQ]

Treasure ship discovered inside diamond mine
Published: May 4, 2008 at 5:01 PM

ORANJEMUND, Namibia, May 4 (UPI) -- The DeBeers company found a different treasure in a diamond mining operation along the coast of Namibia -- the remains of a ship laden with gold coins.

Dieter Noli, the archaeologist who has been examining the wreck, told The Times of South Africa the site is the richest gold find on the continent since a major ancient Egyptian discovery in the Valley of the Kings.

"I told them sooner or later you'll find a wreck; and I've been waiting patiently for the last 20 years ... but now: jackpot," he said.

The 500-year-old ship was carrying at least 2,500 gold coins from Spain and 50 elephant tusks. The vessel was heavily armed, but some of the weapons were out of date.

Noli thinks the cargo suggests a European pirate or rogue captain may have been trying to sell arms to African rulers.

The ship's timbers have long since decayed, but a few human bones have turned up.

A DeBeers geologist spotted copper ingots on April 1, suggesting that the mine 600 feet off a beach, contained more than diamonds.

[Brian]

Glad to hear it. DeBeers needed the money. 

[knight66]

Glad to hear it. DeBeers needed the money. 

Yes, I was getting anxious about that. Ouf...one more worry put to bed.

Mike

[Heather Harrison]

Man crowded out of home by collecting passion
Wed Apr 2, 2008 11:35am EDT

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man was such an avid collector of weapons and other paraphernalia that he ran out of space at home and had to sleep in a hotel, neighbors said following the 71-year-old's death.
Executors found an arsenal of weaponry and assorted goods at the man's two-story home in the western city of Aachen, police said on Wednesday. 

"The house was stuffed to the rafters," a reporter said. "By the end, the neighbors said he had to sleep in a hotel sometimes because there was no more room."  One neighbor sometimes handled up to 14 deliveries of goods a day for the man when he was out, he added. "At some point she got fed up with it."

I heard about this one.  I'm worried that this might happen to me one day.  I collect all sorts of things, and my place is gradually filling up.  Of course, I don't stop buying things.  One day, somebody will probably find me buried under a collapsed pile of CDs, books, and telephones.

Heather

[Keemun]

Mother Accused of Shooting Girl For $1 Bet

Story Created: May 3, 2008

Story Updated: May 3, 2008


SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) -- A 28-year-old woman shot her 8-year-old daughter in the thigh with a BB gun to win a $1 bet with her boyfriend, according to authorities.

Angelique R. Vandeburg was charged with one felony count of intentional child abuse. She made an initial court appearance Friday and was released on a $5,000 signature bond

The girl told police the shot hurt so much that she couldn't walk, according to a criminal complaint.

Her mother and the mother's boyfriend had been drinking heavily before the boyfriend offered Vandeburg $1 and handed her the gun, prosecutors quoted the girl as saying.

The complaint provided the following account of the incident:

Investigators began looking into the incident Wednesday after a school counselor reported it to police. The girl had been shot three or four days earlier, on April 26 or 27, but a circular bruise remained visible on her thigh, the counselor said.

The girl said the shooting occurred in her mother's bedroom after her mother had 10 to 12 beers.

The boyfriend bet the mother $1 she wouldn't shoot the girl. The mother responded by taking the gun and shooting the girl, who was wearing three pairs of pants. The BB deflected off her leg and struck her 7-year-old brother, who wasn't injured.

The boyfriend then grabbed the gun, ran from the house and drove away.

Vandeburg told her daughter to keep quiet about the incident, saying it was a "family thing" and that the mother would go to jail if the girl told.

The complaint quoted Vandeburg as telling a police detective the girl was lying to get her in trouble. She said the girl suffered the bruise three weeks earlier when she fell from her bike and hit her leg on the handlebar.

[BorisG]

Carrot Top at Vegas' "Cathouse" nightclub.

[Lethevich]

WTF is wrong with him?

[BachQ]

WTF is wrong with him?

Carrot Top has some "issues" ..........