Reward Offered for Pumpkin-Smasher - October 31, 2002
ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - A man offered a $100 reward for the names of the vandals who smashed his son's Halloween pumpkin.
"It really upset me and it upset him. We didn't even have a chance to carve it yet," said Steve Troup of Elkhart.
Three-year-old Joshua Troup picked out the 95-pound pumpkin during a trip to a farm about two weeks ago, but the family was waiting until closer to Halloween to carve it.
Then last Friday, someone rolled the pumpkin from the Troups' front porch out to the street and smashed it. Troup called police when he discovered the damage the next morning.
"I told the police officer, `You may not think this is a priority deal, a pumpkin-smashing call. But, to me it's different. It was my son's pumpkin and when I saw the look on his face, that upset me as a father,'" said Troup.
Troup has posted two 4-foot-by-8-foot signs offering the reward for the names of the pumpkin smashers. So far, they have received one tip.
--Those Bastards!!
Packers FB Denies Defecation Charge - Tue Oct 29, 5:33 PM ET
MIAMI (AP) - Green Bay Packers (news) fullback Najeh Davenport agreed Tuesday to do community service to settle charges he broke into a university dormitory and defecated in a sleeping woman's closet.
--I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time...
MIAMI (AP) - Green Bay Packers (news) fullback Najeh Davenport agreed Tuesday to do community service to settle charges he broke into a university dormitory and defecated in a sleeping woman's closet.
--I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time...
Survey: Sex Often Part of Casual Teen Relationships - Tue Oct 29, 5:44 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new survey of 15- to 17-year-olds has found that, at least in terms of teens' perceptions, oral sex and intercourse are nearly as common in casual relationships as they are in more serious, committed relationships.
While 26% of surveyed teens said that oral sex was part of a dating relationship, 23% said that oral sex was typical of a casual relationship, or "hooking up." Twenty-seven percent said dating relationships "almost always" or "most of the time" included sexual intercourse, while 24% said intercourse was usually part of a casual relationship.
--Oh the Humanity!! ...wait... hey! Well... we won't discuss when I was a teen, dammit! That was different!!
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new survey of 15- to 17-year-olds has found that, at least in terms of teens' perceptions, oral sex and intercourse are nearly as common in casual relationships as they are in more serious, committed relationships.
While 26% of surveyed teens said that oral sex was part of a dating relationship, 23% said that oral sex was typical of a casual relationship, or "hooking up." Twenty-seven percent said dating relationships "almost always" or "most of the time" included sexual intercourse, while 24% said intercourse was usually part of a casual relationship.
--Oh the Humanity!! ...wait... hey! Well... we won't discuss when I was a teen, dammit! That was different!!
Crime Writer Says She's Got the Ripper's DNA - Tue Oct 29,12:19 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Best-selling crime novelist Patricia Cornwell thinks she may have uncovered Jack the Ripper's DNA and that it could be a match for a British artist who liked to paint morbid scenes of violence against women.
In an excerpt from her forthcoming book, "Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper -- Case Closed" published in the November issue of Vanity Fair, Cornwell said that the Ripper's DNA could be a match with the DNA of Walter Sickert, an artist who used prostitutes as models and who painted scenes similar to the murders committed by the Ripper, a serial killer who terrorized London in the 1880s.
Cornwell said she discovered that a letter Jack the Ripper claims to have written from Manchester on Nov. 22, 1888 had the same watermark stationary used by Walter and Ellen Sickert after their marriage three years earlier.
Sickert, who died in 1942, was cremated and no DNA of his exists except on some letters and envelopes whose stamps he had licked. They were compared with the DNA of the Ripper from taunting letters he sent authorities.
Cornwell said that of 55 samples tested, 2 had a sequence of numbers that came from only one person: one sequence belonged to the American artist James Whistler with whom the German-born Sickert studied, and the other to the person who left DNA on a stamp of a Ripper letter sent to Dr. Thomas Openshaw, the curator of the London Hospital Museum.
The Whistler sequence had nothing in common with any Ripper letter or any non-Whistler item tested. But the other sequence is found in five samples: the front stamp of the Openshaw envelope; an Ellen Sickert envelope (which could have been handled by her husband); the envelope from a Walter Sickert letter; a stamp from a Walter Sickert envelope; and a Ripper envelope with a stain that tests positive for blood.
Cornwell said that some of Sickert's paintings bear a chilling resemblance to photographs of Jack the Ripper's victims and that some of the Ripper's letters contained phrases used by Whistler that were often mocked by his student Sickert.
---I love science!!
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Best-selling crime novelist Patricia Cornwell thinks she may have uncovered Jack the Ripper's DNA and that it could be a match for a British artist who liked to paint morbid scenes of violence against women.
In an excerpt from her forthcoming book, "Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper -- Case Closed" published in the November issue of Vanity Fair, Cornwell said that the Ripper's DNA could be a match with the DNA of Walter Sickert, an artist who used prostitutes as models and who painted scenes similar to the murders committed by the Ripper, a serial killer who terrorized London in the 1880s.
Cornwell said she discovered that a letter Jack the Ripper claims to have written from Manchester on Nov. 22, 1888 had the same watermark stationary used by Walter and Ellen Sickert after their marriage three years earlier.
Sickert, who died in 1942, was cremated and no DNA of his exists except on some letters and envelopes whose stamps he had licked. They were compared with the DNA of the Ripper from taunting letters he sent authorities.
Cornwell said that of 55 samples tested, 2 had a sequence of numbers that came from only one person: one sequence belonged to the American artist James Whistler with whom the German-born Sickert studied, and the other to the person who left DNA on a stamp of a Ripper letter sent to Dr. Thomas Openshaw, the curator of the London Hospital Museum.
The Whistler sequence had nothing in common with any Ripper letter or any non-Whistler item tested. But the other sequence is found in five samples: the front stamp of the Openshaw envelope; an Ellen Sickert envelope (which could have been handled by her husband); the envelope from a Walter Sickert letter; a stamp from a Walter Sickert envelope; and a Ripper envelope with a stain that tests positive for blood.
Cornwell said that some of Sickert's paintings bear a chilling resemblance to photographs of Jack the Ripper's victims and that some of the Ripper's letters contained phrases used by Whistler that were often mocked by his student Sickert.
---I love science!!
Helmer Care Bags Bones - 9:00am ET, 28-October-02
Peter Care (The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys) has closed a deal to develop and direct MGM's film based on Stephen King's 1985 horror best-seller Bag of Bones, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The deal, pending approval from King, will see Care directing from an adaptation by David Velos, the trade paper reported.
The movie tells the story of Mike Noonan, a novelist who is helped by the spirit of his dead wife to exorcise the spirit of a murder victim who has killed several children and now has her eyes on an innocent 3-year-old, the trade paper reported. Bruce Willis and Arnold Rifkin's Cheyenne Enterprises is producing, and Care's wife, Lorraine, is co-producing.
--I loved this book! it will make a great movie!!
Peter Care (The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys) has closed a deal to develop and direct MGM's film based on Stephen King's 1985 horror best-seller Bag of Bones, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The deal, pending approval from King, will see Care directing from an adaptation by David Velos, the trade paper reported.
The movie tells the story of Mike Noonan, a novelist who is helped by the spirit of his dead wife to exorcise the spirit of a murder victim who has killed several children and now has her eyes on an innocent 3-year-old, the trade paper reported. Bruce Willis and Arnold Rifkin's Cheyenne Enterprises is producing, and Care's wife, Lorraine, is co-producing.
--I loved this book! it will make a great movie!!
Convict Escapes to Confront Head of Prisons - Fri Oct 25,12:54 PM ET
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan convict escaped jail just months before the end of his 21-year term to make a complaint about conditions to the head of prisons, a newspaper reported Friday.
--Anybody ever tell this guy that after he gets out he could simply buy the guy lunch and have a talk? Sheesh...
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan convict escaped jail just months before the end of his 21-year term to make a complaint about conditions to the head of prisons, a newspaper reported Friday.
--Anybody ever tell this guy that after he gets out he could simply buy the guy lunch and have a talk? Sheesh...
Ghost Ship - (***) Green Light.
A salvage crew that discovers a long-lost 1953 passenger ship floating lifeless in a remote region of the Bering Sea.
Let me say right away that this movie had a lot of very predictable components. Please forgive them when they split up and search the spooky ship alone. Forgive them when they don’t simply say, “Hey! I’ve been seeing all this weird shit too!” Forgive them when they don’t notify the authorities.
That being said, after a brutal big opening scene, this movie has a ton of great characters, scares, plot twists and images.
The acting was really good for a movie like this. Gabriel Byrne as Murphy and Julianna Margulies as Epps are really good. The entire cast is full of excellent characters. The special effects were great, not too much. I will caution you that there are a couple very violent scenes.
There were some missed opportunities however. Margulies was very wet on several occasions, dammit. And not wearing a white T-shirt.
Go see it. Boo…
Students Asked to Test-Run Condoms - Fri Oct 25, 1:02 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - British students are being recruited to test condoms, rating them for their pleasure, comfort and performance qualities.
The 100-150 successful job applicants will be paid 100 pounds ($155) per academic term as they road-test a range of condoms from German manufacturer Condomi.
---Damn kids these days get all the good jobs!!
LONDON (Reuters) - British students are being recruited to test condoms, rating them for their pleasure, comfort and performance qualities.
The 100-150 successful job applicants will be paid 100 pounds ($155) per academic term as they road-test a range of condoms from German manufacturer Condomi.
---Damn kids these days get all the good jobs!!
Bush Looks for Republican Gains in Nov. 5 Vote - By Patricia Wilson
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Reuters) - Less than two weeks before voters decide who controls Congress, President Bush campaigned in the South on Thursday, putting his prestige on the line for two Senate seats held by Republicans for decades.
With the struggle for the Senate likely to be decided by any one of a few key seats in which voter turnout could be crucial, Bush flew to North Carolina and then later, South Carolina, states with longtime retiring Republican senators.
"I want you all to understand that you do your duty as Americans," Bush told several thousand people packed into an aircraft hangar in Columbia. "It's important that you vote ... you need to go out there and round up the vote."
--Go out and Vote, dammit. I don't care who you vote for, just vote!!!
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Reuters) - Less than two weeks before voters decide who controls Congress, President Bush campaigned in the South on Thursday, putting his prestige on the line for two Senate seats held by Republicans for decades.
With the struggle for the Senate likely to be decided by any one of a few key seats in which voter turnout could be crucial, Bush flew to North Carolina and then later, South Carolina, states with longtime retiring Republican senators.
"I want you all to understand that you do your duty as Americans," Bush told several thousand people packed into an aircraft hangar in Columbia. "It's important that you vote ... you need to go out there and round up the vote."
--Go out and Vote, dammit. I don't care who you vote for, just vote!!!
Rifle Found. Sources Say Police Believe Two Held Are the Suspects in Sniper Case - ABCNEWS.com - Oct. 24
A .223-caliber rifle was found in the car that two men wanted for questioning in the sniper shooting case were sleeping in at a Maryland rest stop when they were arrested early this morning, ABCNEWS has learned. The rifle was found by agents executing a federal search warrant this morning after the arrests of the two men.
The arrests were made shortly after 3:30 a.m. ET, after an alert motorist spotted the two men sleeping in a Chevy Caprice parked at a rest stop on Interstate 70 in Frederick County, Md., about 50 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., and notified the authorities.
The police who took the call notified the sniper task force, and SWAT teams surrounded the car at a distance and waited for the right moment to move in.
--I think I will celebrate by buying some gas and going to Micheals.
A .223-caliber rifle was found in the car that two men wanted for questioning in the sniper shooting case were sleeping in at a Maryland rest stop when they were arrested early this morning, ABCNEWS has learned. The rifle was found by agents executing a federal search warrant this morning after the arrests of the two men.
The arrests were made shortly after 3:30 a.m. ET, after an alert motorist spotted the two men sleeping in a Chevy Caprice parked at a rest stop on Interstate 70 in Frederick County, Md., about 50 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., and notified the authorities.
The police who took the call notified the sniper task force, and SWAT teams surrounded the car at a distance and waited for the right moment to move in.
--I think I will celebrate by buying some gas and going to Micheals.
Arrests Spark Reports Sniper Killer Caught - By Brian Snyder
FREDERICK, Md. (Reuters) - Police arrested two men at a highway rest stop in rural Maryland on Thursday, in the first big break in a hunt for culprits in 10 sniper slayings which have traumatized the suburbs around the nation's capital.
--I heard he is being charged with 6 counts of murder in MD. Because they have the death penalty there...
FREDERICK, Md. (Reuters) - Police arrested two men at a highway rest stop in rural Maryland on Thursday, in the first big break in a hunt for culprits in 10 sniper slayings which have traumatized the suburbs around the nation's capital.
--I heard he is being charged with 6 counts of murder in MD. Because they have the death penalty there...
Gettin’ Jiggly Wit It - by Chris Baker - Wired Magazine
November 2002 will be remembered as the month digital breasts busted out of their bras. Two bodacious titles are here to titillate the masses: BMX XXX and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Acclaim’s XXX lives up to its billing with the first topless stunt bikers in videogame history. Tecmo’s Volleyball pours the shapely brawlers from its fighting franchise into barely there bikinis. But this is more than tits and giggles — it’s serious business. Digital breasts that move like real ones were previously impossible to achieve. An enormous amount of modeling, programming, math, and physics underlie these new, um, developments. “I never imagined that I’d be using my expertise in this manner and consider myself very, very lucky,” says XXX programmer Nick Torkos. “Hopefully this will convince others to study math.”
Programmers model the motion physics for all body parts that “hang off” the characters. This means all that jiggling isn’t just prerendered animation — the mammaries are literally obeying the laws of gravity.
In both games, the menu options and unlockable features are racy. XXX lets you fine-tune the elasticity and cup size of your 45-polygon hooters. Volleyball lets you test-drive a whole wardrobe of bikinis.
Skin and other surfaces are built as a 3-D mesh of points. Programmers assign varying weights and apply dynamic mathematical distortions that allow ponytails to flip, skirts to fly up, and bosoms to quiver in real time.
Designers scrutinize video footage to ensure that all virtual parts move properly. But ultimately they aim to transcend mere realism: “Our goal is a digital Venus,” says Volleyball producer Tomonobu Itagaki.
--God love seeing math used for extreem good!!
November 2002 will be remembered as the month digital breasts busted out of their bras. Two bodacious titles are here to titillate the masses: BMX XXX and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Acclaim’s XXX lives up to its billing with the first topless stunt bikers in videogame history. Tecmo’s Volleyball pours the shapely brawlers from its fighting franchise into barely there bikinis. But this is more than tits and giggles — it’s serious business. Digital breasts that move like real ones were previously impossible to achieve. An enormous amount of modeling, programming, math, and physics underlie these new, um, developments. “I never imagined that I’d be using my expertise in this manner and consider myself very, very lucky,” says XXX programmer Nick Torkos. “Hopefully this will convince others to study math.”
Programmers model the motion physics for all body parts that “hang off” the characters. This means all that jiggling isn’t just prerendered animation — the mammaries are literally obeying the laws of gravity.
In both games, the menu options and unlockable features are racy. XXX lets you fine-tune the elasticity and cup size of your 45-polygon hooters. Volleyball lets you test-drive a whole wardrobe of bikinis.
Skin and other surfaces are built as a 3-D mesh of points. Programmers assign varying weights and apply dynamic mathematical distortions that allow ponytails to flip, skirts to fly up, and bosoms to quiver in real time.
Designers scrutinize video footage to ensure that all virtual parts move properly. But ultimately they aim to transcend mere realism: “Our goal is a digital Venus,” says Volleyball producer Tomonobu Itagaki.
--God love seeing math used for extreem good!!
Another Suburban Shooting Rocks Washington By James Vicini
SILVER SPRING, Md. (Reuters) - Police in the Washington area launched a massive manhunt on Tuesday after an early morning shooting of a driver on the steps of his idled commuter bus raised fears a serial sniper had struck again.
Authorities closed major roads and checked vehicles -- especially those driven by men -- as they scrambled to determine whether the attack in Montgomery County, Maryland, was the work of the gunman who has killed nine people and wounded three since Oct. 2.
--It is becoming an armed camp around here. I have never seen so many police on the streets. Roads can be closed on a moments notice.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (Reuters) - Police in the Washington area launched a massive manhunt on Tuesday after an early morning shooting of a driver on the steps of his idled commuter bus raised fears a serial sniper had struck again.
Authorities closed major roads and checked vehicles -- especially those driven by men -- as they scrambled to determine whether the attack in Montgomery County, Maryland, was the work of the gunman who has killed nine people and wounded three since Oct. 2.
--It is becoming an armed camp around here. I have never seen so many police on the streets. Roads can be closed on a moments notice.
"You know what a big fun day for me is now? It's when June gets up and we're both feeling good and we want to go shopping. We'll go to Wal-Mart and I'll get one of those electric carts and just race through the aisles. Imagine that being the highlight of your day."
-- JOHNNY CASH in the Los Angeles Times.
-- JOHNNY CASH in the Los Angeles Times.
Isle of Dogs by Patricia Cornwell
An island in Chesapeake Bay revolts when Virginia's governor orders speed traps on every street. Pirates, helicopters, murder and a small dog named Popeye...
--It was forgettable. Even though there's no Kay Scarpetta, it's a main selection of BOMC, the Literary Guild, the Mystery Guild, and the Doubleday Book Club. Go figure.
Is Harry Potter Set for Extra Episode? - Mon Oct 21, 8:32 AM ET By Tim Castle
LONDON (Reuters) - Three extra Harry Potter titles registered at the UK Patent Office could mean an unexpected treat is in store for fans of the schoolboy wizard, the Scotsman newspaper said on Monday.
The Scotsman reported that U.S. film studio Warner Brothers, which releases its second Harry Potter film next month, has registered three more Harry Potter titles as trademarks, raising the possibility of an eighth volume.
A Reuters search of the UK Patent Office trademark database confirmed the extra titles as "Harry Potter and the Alchemist's Cell," "Harry Potter and the Chariots of Light" and "Harry Potter and the Pyramids of Furmat."
--I want the next book NOW, dammit!
LONDON (Reuters) - Three extra Harry Potter titles registered at the UK Patent Office could mean an unexpected treat is in store for fans of the schoolboy wizard, the Scotsman newspaper said on Monday.
The Scotsman reported that U.S. film studio Warner Brothers, which releases its second Harry Potter film next month, has registered three more Harry Potter titles as trademarks, raising the possibility of an eighth volume.
A Reuters search of the UK Patent Office trademark database confirmed the extra titles as "Harry Potter and the Alchemist's Cell," "Harry Potter and the Chariots of Light" and "Harry Potter and the Pyramids of Furmat."
--I want the next book NOW, dammit!
Black House by Stephen King, Peter Straub
In the seemingly paradisal Wisconsin town of French Landing, small distortions disturb the beauty: a talking crow, an old man obeying strange internal marching orders, a house that is both there and not quite there. And roaming the town is a terrible fiend nicknamed the Fisherman, who is abducting and murdering small children and eating their flesh...
--This book is connected to the Dark Tower world of Stephen King. It stands alone nicely even if you havn't read The Talisman or any of the other books.
In the seemingly paradisal Wisconsin town of French Landing, small distortions disturb the beauty: a talking crow, an old man obeying strange internal marching orders, a house that is both there and not quite there. And roaming the town is a terrible fiend nicknamed the Fisherman, who is abducting and murdering small children and eating their flesh...
--This book is connected to the Dark Tower world of Stephen King. It stands alone nicely even if you havn't read The Talisman or any of the other books.
What's Marty currently reading?
- Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen
- Bag of Bones by Stephen King
- Nimisha's Ship by Anne McCaffrey
- Guilty Pleasures by Laurell Hamilton
The Kinsey Millhone saga.
The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind
- Lyons Pride
- Damias Children
- Damia
- The Rowan
The Freedom Series by Anne McCaffrey - Freedoms Challenge
- Freedoms Choice
- Freedoms Landing
The Hive Series by Anne McCaffrey
The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
Some cool Book Links! If you know some more email me dammit!!
- Wilsey Rare Books
- Bookstores on Yahoo
- Baen Books
- Bantam Doubleday Dell
- Circlet Press
- Del Rey
- Harper Collins
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Penguin USA
- Tor Books
- Write Way Publishing Inc.
An email from Bill - October 18, 2002
Safety thought for the day (never truer than now):
Lack of food can kill you in three weeks.
Lack of water can kill you in three days.
Lack of oxygen can kill you in three minutes.
Lack of situational awareness can kill you in three milliseconds.
--The sniper has been quiet. Maybe he'll stay quiet. I need gas...
Safety thought for the day (never truer than now):
Lack of food can kill you in three weeks.
Lack of water can kill you in three days.
Lack of oxygen can kill you in three minutes.
Lack of situational awareness can kill you in three milliseconds.
--The sniper has been quiet. Maybe he'll stay quiet. I need gas...
Woman Accused of Biting Husband to Death - Thu Oct 17, 8:19 PM ET The PIXPage Staff
A Modesto woman was behind bars Thursday, accused of biting her husband to death.
Police say 45-year-old Kelli Pratt held her husband down and bit him repeatedly when he refused to have sex with her. Arthur Pratt, 65, died in the hospital six days later. Investigators say his body was covered with more than 20 deep tooth marks.
--65 Years old? No denture jokes please!
A Modesto woman was behind bars Thursday, accused of biting her husband to death.
Police say 45-year-old Kelli Pratt held her husband down and bit him repeatedly when he refused to have sex with her. Arthur Pratt, 65, died in the hospital six days later. Investigators say his body was covered with more than 20 deep tooth marks.
--65 Years old? No denture jokes please!
"I have breakfast in the morning, I change into my prison clothes, I have coffee, I go into my cell. ... When they let me out of my cell I go and have another coffee, or maybe lunch with Ed Norton, or Jodie Foster. I don't attack them."
-- actor ANTHONY HOPKINS, describing his daily routine playing Hannibal Lecter on the sets of the movies "Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon."
-- actor ANTHONY HOPKINS, describing his daily routine playing Hannibal Lecter on the sets of the movies "Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon."
"I just think it's a cesspool. I hope it all goes down the crapper. I would never take another deal in the record business, which means I may not record again, or I have to figure out a way to sell over the Net or do something else. But I'll be damned if I'll line their pockets."
-- JONI MITCHELL giving Rolling Stone her assessment of the music industry and the people who run it.
-- JONI MITCHELL giving Rolling Stone her assessment of the music industry and the people who run it.
Ninth Slaying Victim Linked to Serial Sniper - Tue Oct 15,11:34 AM ET By Richard Cowan
FAIRFAX, Va. (Reuters) - The shooting death of a woman outside a Virginia hardware store on Monday night was the work of a sniper who has killed eight others at random in the Washington suburbs in the last two weeks, police said on Tuesday.
--The sniper better hope the police catch him. We, the people, are now starting to get past the fear in favor of rage. I predict a witness to a future shooting soon will ram his van with a car and then the crowd will beat him to death. This fucker has now killed our children, our mothers, our fathers, our friends. He can expect no mercy.
FAIRFAX, Va. (Reuters) - The shooting death of a woman outside a Virginia hardware store on Monday night was the work of a sniper who has killed eight others at random in the Washington suburbs in the last two weeks, police said on Tuesday.
--The sniper better hope the police catch him. We, the people, are now starting to get past the fear in favor of rage. I predict a witness to a future shooting soon will ram his van with a car and then the crowd will beat him to death. This fucker has now killed our children, our mothers, our fathers, our friends. He can expect no mercy.
Court Strikes Down Ala. Sex Toy Ban - Fri Oct 11, 2:46 PM ET
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama law banning the sale of sex toys was struck down by a federal judge as a violation of the right to privacy.
"The fundamental right of privacy, long recognized by the Supreme Court as inherent among our constitutional protections, incorporates a right to sexual privacy," U.S. District Judge Lynwood Smith Jr. said Wednesday. He said the state did not prove it has a legitimate interest in banning the sale of sex devices for use in private, consensual relationships between adults.
The 1998 law — part of a package of legislation strengthening the state's obscenity law — banned the sale of devices designed for "the stimulation of human genital organs." It was challenged by six women who either sell sex aids or said they need them for sexual gratification.
--Another victory for technology!!
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama law banning the sale of sex toys was struck down by a federal judge as a violation of the right to privacy.
"The fundamental right of privacy, long recognized by the Supreme Court as inherent among our constitutional protections, incorporates a right to sexual privacy," U.S. District Judge Lynwood Smith Jr. said Wednesday. He said the state did not prove it has a legitimate interest in banning the sale of sex devices for use in private, consensual relationships between adults.
The 1998 law — part of a package of legislation strengthening the state's obscenity law — banned the sale of devices designed for "the stimulation of human genital organs." It was challenged by six women who either sell sex aids or said they need them for sexual gratification.
--Another victory for technology!!
Zookeepers Suspended for Eating Animals - Fri Oct 11,12:19 PM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - Two zookeepers in a small northwest German town have been suspended and put under police investigation for eating the zoo's animals, police said on Friday.
A police spokesman in Recklinghausen north of Cologne said the keepers in a section of the zoo popular with small children had slaughtered and barbecued five Tibetan mountain chickens and two Cameroonian sheep.
--Hey! Everybody has to have a hobby!
BERLIN (Reuters) - Two zookeepers in a small northwest German town have been suspended and put under police investigation for eating the zoo's animals, police said on Friday.
A police spokesman in Recklinghausen north of Cologne said the keepers in a section of the zoo popular with small children had slaughtered and barbecued five Tibetan mountain chickens and two Cameroonian sheep.
--Hey! Everybody has to have a hobby!
Could Sniper's Pattern Be A Tarot Layout? - from F'd World
This may be apropos of nothing, but never let it be said I had a crackpot idea I failed to share with you, my beloved readers. By now, you've no doubt heard — ad nauseum — about the fact a Tarot card was found near the site of one of the shootings, preumably (but not certainly) left by the assassin. What you have NOT heard is that if you look at the shootings from the first two days of this spree on a map of the area, it seems to form a partial Tarot layout.
Look at the graphic on the left of the Washington Post page linked above. A Celtic Cross tarot layout features two cards in the middle, with four cards surrounding — pretty much like the first six shootings. However, the shootings were not apparently done in the same sequence used in the tarot layout. The seventh shooting could be read to roughly correspond to the seventh card in the Celtic Cross, but the next two are completely afield of the "layout" and the sequence is apparently broken — unless there are three incidents in the area which haven't been reported (and that seems highly unlikely). In the first shooting, a window was shot out but no person was apparently targeted. If the sniper was working from some occult plan, the breaking of a window could be symbolic of creating an opening or magical path.
Also a minor point of note: If the death card found on the scene at the Oct. 7 shooting was in fact the Death card from the major arcana of the Tarot, then it's number is 13 — probably just coincidentally the age of the victim there. That shooting is well off the "layout" and no immediate pattern is suggested when you look at its placement on the map.
One last note: In their eternal laziness, the news media failed to note whether the Death card on the scene was in fact the Major Arcana Death Card (13), which is often NOT taken to mean literal death, or another death-related card such as the 10 of Swords. If the latter, it would suggest the shooter actually knows something about Tarot. If the former, it could suggest the shooter is not well-acquainted with the tarot. In the same vein, there are a lot of different tarot decks out there. If we knew which deck the card came from, we could speculate further on the interest/inclination of the person who left the card.
This may be apropos of nothing, but never let it be said I had a crackpot idea I failed to share with you, my beloved readers. By now, you've no doubt heard — ad nauseum — about the fact a Tarot card was found near the site of one of the shootings, preumably (but not certainly) left by the assassin. What you have NOT heard is that if you look at the shootings from the first two days of this spree on a map of the area, it seems to form a partial Tarot layout.
Look at the graphic on the left of the Washington Post page linked above. A Celtic Cross tarot layout features two cards in the middle, with four cards surrounding — pretty much like the first six shootings. However, the shootings were not apparently done in the same sequence used in the tarot layout. The seventh shooting could be read to roughly correspond to the seventh card in the Celtic Cross, but the next two are completely afield of the "layout" and the sequence is apparently broken — unless there are three incidents in the area which haven't been reported (and that seems highly unlikely). In the first shooting, a window was shot out but no person was apparently targeted. If the sniper was working from some occult plan, the breaking of a window could be symbolic of creating an opening or magical path.
Also a minor point of note: If the death card found on the scene at the Oct. 7 shooting was in fact the Death card from the major arcana of the Tarot, then it's number is 13 — probably just coincidentally the age of the victim there. That shooting is well off the "layout" and no immediate pattern is suggested when you look at its placement on the map.
One last note: In their eternal laziness, the news media failed to note whether the Death card on the scene was in fact the Major Arcana Death Card (13), which is often NOT taken to mean literal death, or another death-related card such as the 10 of Swords. If the latter, it would suggest the shooter actually knows something about Tarot. If the former, it could suggest the shooter is not well-acquainted with the tarot. In the same vein, there are a lot of different tarot decks out there. If we knew which deck the card came from, we could speculate further on the interest/inclination of the person who left the card.
Fla. Executes Female Serial Killerr - Wed Oct 9,12:02 PM ET By RON WORD, Associated Press Writer
STARKE, Fla. (AP) - Serial killer Aileen Wuornos was executed Wednesday, more than a decade after she murdered six men along central Florida highways while working as a prostitute.
Wuornos, 46, became the 10th woman executed in the United States since the death penalty resumed in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
She was pronounced dead from lethal injection at 9:47 a.m. in Florida State Prison near Starke.
--I always wondered why they bother swabbing the injection site first...
STARKE, Fla. (AP) - Serial killer Aileen Wuornos was executed Wednesday, more than a decade after she murdered six men along central Florida highways while working as a prostitute.
Wuornos, 46, became the 10th woman executed in the United States since the death penalty resumed in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
She was pronounced dead from lethal injection at 9:47 a.m. in Florida State Prison near Starke.
--I always wondered why they bother swabbing the injection site first...
Eight people shot, Six are dead in DC area.- Mon Oct 7, 1:31 PM ET By DERRILL HOLLY, Associated Press Writer
BOWIE, Md. (AP) - A 13-year-old boy was shot and critically wounded as his aunt dropped him off at school Monday, bringing fresh terror to the Washington area where a sniper killed six people last week.
--I went to Costco today. I suddenly realized that while I was loading my car I was worried. Looking up I saw 2 of those boxy vans and a ton of minivans with dark tinted glass, windows creaked open just enough... dammit. Dammit to hell.
BOWIE, Md. (AP) - A 13-year-old boy was shot and critically wounded as his aunt dropped him off at school Monday, bringing fresh terror to the Washington area where a sniper killed six people last week.
--I went to Costco today. I suddenly realized that while I was loading my car I was worried. Looking up I saw 2 of those boxy vans and a ton of minivans with dark tinted glass, windows creaked open just enough... dammit. Dammit to hell.
Schoolboy Shot in D.C. Suburb; Sniper Link Mulled - Mon Oct 7,10:06 AM ET By Kelli Esters
ROCKVILLE, Md. (Reuters) - A 13-year-old boy was shot on Monday morning at a suburban Washington school but police said it was too early to say whether the incident was connected to a spate of sniper shootings in recent days.
--We had a police helicopter with search light over the house at 2:50am this morning. All I could think was stay away from the window...
ROCKVILLE, Md. (Reuters) - A 13-year-old boy was shot on Monday morning at a suburban Washington school but police said it was too early to say whether the incident was connected to a spate of sniper shootings in recent days.
--We had a police helicopter with search light over the house at 2:50am this morning. All I could think was stay away from the window...
Falwell Calls Muhammad 'Terrorist' - Thu Oct 3, 5:11 PM ET By RICHARD N. OSTLING, AP Religion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - The Rev. Jerry Falwell says "I think Muhammad was a terrorist" in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on the CBS program "60 Minutes."
The conservative Baptist minister tells correspondent Bob Simon he has concluded from reading Muslim and non-Muslim writers that Islam's prophet "was a — a violent man, a man of war."
"Jesus set the example for love, as did Moses," Falwell says. "I think Muhammad set an opposite example."
--I guess Falwell didn't read that whole thing about Salman Rushdie?
NEW YORK (AP) - The Rev. Jerry Falwell says "I think Muhammad was a terrorist" in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on the CBS program "60 Minutes."
The conservative Baptist minister tells correspondent Bob Simon he has concluded from reading Muslim and non-Muslim writers that Islam's prophet "was a — a violent man, a man of war."
"Jesus set the example for love, as did Moses," Falwell says. "I think Muhammad set an opposite example."
--I guess Falwell didn't read that whole thing about Salman Rushdie?
Five Killed in 16 Hours Near D.C. - Thu Oct 3, 3:12 PM ET By STEPHEN MANNING, Associated Press Writer
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - Five people were fatally shot one by one in public places within 16 hours of each other in Washington's suburbs, and authorities said Thursday there was a "strong possibility" the killings were related.
--I need to retire and move back to Pembroke.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - Five people were fatally shot one by one in public places within 16 hours of each other in Washington's suburbs, and authorities said Thursday there was a "strong possibility" the killings were related.
--I need to retire and move back to Pembroke.
Bear Stearns Enters Erroneous Sell Order - Wed Oct 2, 8:43 PM ET - By Nicole Maestri
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A slip of the finger led Bear Stearns Cos. Inc. on Wednesday to erroneously enter an order to sell $4 billion worth of stocks, fueling an already tumbling market.
--Can you imagine this guys reaction to that typo? D'OH!
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A slip of the finger led Bear Stearns Cos. Inc. on Wednesday to erroneously enter an order to sell $4 billion worth of stocks, fueling an already tumbling market.
--Can you imagine this guys reaction to that typo? D'OH!
Study: Breast Self-Exam Is Unproven - Tue Oct 1, 7:37 PM ET By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - A major effort to teach self-examination so women could detect early, small lumps of a developing breast cancer ( news - web sites) did not reduce the rate of breast cancer deaths, suggesting the technique is a waste of time for doctors and patients, according to a study of more than 260,000 women in China.
Women who examined their breasts found more benign lumps that required unnessessary medical attention, said Thomas, but there was no reduction in the rate of breast cancer.
--So basically leave the breast exams to the professionals... like me!!
WASHINGTON (AP) - A major effort to teach self-examination so women could detect early, small lumps of a developing breast cancer ( news - web sites) did not reduce the rate of breast cancer deaths, suggesting the technique is a waste of time for doctors and patients, according to a study of more than 260,000 women in China.
Women who examined their breasts found more benign lumps that required unnessessary medical attention, said Thomas, but there was no reduction in the rate of breast cancer.
--So basically leave the breast exams to the professionals... like me!!
'SAFE' SEX ON LIRR - Tue Oct 1, 4:19 AM ET - By KIERAN CROWLEY
A lawyer for two of the three Long Islanders nabbed for allegedly having kinky three-way sex on a train after an all-night party said yesterday they should be praised for riding the rails instead of driving drunk. "They were at a party. They were drinking. It shows that they are responsible. If more people did that, we'd have fewer problems on the road."
Francine Greene, a mother of two, "was observed with her pants removed and her buttocks exposed, and was engaged in sexual intercourse with a passenger seated next to her, and giving oral sex to a passenger seated on the other side of her," according to a conductor who witnessed the alleged incident.
--Damn.. Maybe I should ride the rails more often!! This should be Amtraks new ad campaign!
A lawyer for two of the three Long Islanders nabbed for allegedly having kinky three-way sex on a train after an all-night party said yesterday they should be praised for riding the rails instead of driving drunk. "They were at a party. They were drinking. It shows that they are responsible. If more people did that, we'd have fewer problems on the road."
Francine Greene, a mother of two, "was observed with her pants removed and her buttocks exposed, and was engaged in sexual intercourse with a passenger seated next to her, and giving oral sex to a passenger seated on the other side of her," according to a conductor who witnessed the alleged incident.
--Damn.. Maybe I should ride the rails more often!! This should be Amtraks new ad campaign!
Mad Max 4 A Go? - 9:00am ET, 30-September-02
Mad Max 4 has been given a green light, according to the moviehole.net Web site. The site cited an "insider" as leaking word that Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia, has inked a deal with veteran Mad Max director George Miller to film there beginning in March 2003.
In addition, the site added, negotiations are taking place between Mel Gibson's production company Icon, Fox Studios and Miller to finalize other aspects of the deal. Though Gibson has said in the past that he would be open to reprising his role as "Mad" Max Rockatansky, it remains to be seen whether the actor will appear in the film.
--I'll take two tickets now please.
Mad Max 4 has been given a green light, according to the moviehole.net Web site. The site cited an "insider" as leaking word that Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia, has inked a deal with veteran Mad Max director George Miller to film there beginning in March 2003.
In addition, the site added, negotiations are taking place between Mel Gibson's production company Icon, Fox Studios and Miller to finalize other aspects of the deal. Though Gibson has said in the past that he would be open to reprising his role as "Mad" Max Rockatansky, it remains to be seen whether the actor will appear in the film.
--I'll take two tickets now please.
Ozone hole over Antarctica has shrunk, split in two - Mon Sep 30, 3:47 PM ET By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The ozone hole over Antarctica is markedly smaller this year than in the last few years and has split in two, government scientists reported Monday.
Click here for the "hole" article.
--Sweet. But I still want one of those cool electric cars that are faster than a Viper, dammit!
WASHINGTON - The ozone hole over Antarctica is markedly smaller this year than in the last few years and has split in two, government scientists reported Monday.
Click here for the "hole" article.
--Sweet. But I still want one of those cool electric cars that are faster than a Viper, dammit!
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