LONG BEACH - A 21-year-old woman who had a dozen bones on one side of her face shattered during a Halloween attack testified in court Friday, recalling the beating in chilling detail.
The victim - who asked the Press-Telegram in previous interviews to be identified by only her first name, Loren, out of concern for her safety - was with two friends visiting a haunted house in Bixby Knolls when the three white women were attacked by a group of black youths.
She appeared composed and confident while on the witness stand. The only moment that revealed any nervousness came as she stood next to a diagram where she was asked to note her position and the position of her friends and the attackers at the time of the beating.
As Deputy District Attorney Andrea Bouas and several defense attorneys stopped for a brief discussion, Loren nervously capped and uncapped a red marker as she waited for the prosecutor's questions to resume.
Loren's mother said outside court that the 21-year-old victim was horribly nervous about testifying, having never done it before.
Her daughter is also struggling with her extensive injuries, she said. A team of doctors, including two surgeons, are trying to determine how best to treat her dizzy spells and her drooping eye.
Several of her teeth have died and will have to be replaced with a partial plate. No one yet knows if she will regain the sight partially lost in the one eye.
She is studying photography, and her injuries forced her to drop all her college classes this year. Her injuries could destroy her dreams of pursuing a career as a professional photographer.
Loren was perhaps the most seriously hurt the night of the attack, which resulted in the arrest of 10 Long Beach youths - 9 girls and one boy, ages 12 to 19 - within moments of the 9:30 p.m. beating.
A few days later, police arrested two 17-year-old males, both from Long Beach. They have been charged with the same counts for which the 10 minors are currently being tried, or adjudicated as it is called in juvenile court.
The charge includes three felony counts of assault by any means of force to produce great bodily injury. Eight of the 10 minors currently in court had a hate crime enhancement added to their charges, and the two 17-year-old boys - whose adjudications are set for early January - also face the hate crime allegation.
All of the minors are black, and witness statements that the youths shouted racial slurs while beating the three victims have resulted in community and nationwide outrage.
Court proceedings so far have been slow, due in part to the difficulty of transporting the 10 minors to the Long Beach courthouse from various Los Angeles County juvenile detention centers.
Each minor has his or her own attorney, to avoid a conflict of interest, making for drawn-out arguments at times.
Friday's session, scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m., started late after the prosecutor argued defense lawyers had violated Superior Court Judge Gibson Lee's order the previous day.
On Thursday, defense attorneys told reporters they changed the seating of the defendants. Until then, all the minors had sat directly behind their attorneys.
When the district attorney asked the first witness to take the stand to identify the minors in court Thursday, she matched the wrong police photograph to one of the girls in court.
Defense attorneys seized on the mistake. During cross examination the witness admitted the error, saying she could not see all of the defendants and therefore picked the wrong one. After further prompting, she said she based her identification the night of the arrest largely on what the minors were wearing, not their facial features.
Prior to the start of testimony Friday, Bouas argued that the defense attorneys had talked about moving the defendants but were told by the judge not to, according to bailiffs and officers in the closed courtroom.
The minors were rearranged anyway and Bouas accused the defense of running a "shell game," officers said.
Many of the defense attorneys became angry at the accusation, the officers said. They told the judge they did not know how the youths had been rearranged, but agreed to have the minors seated behind their assigned lawyer from now on.
"The judge stopped short of saying they violated an order," one officer said. "But he made it clear that it would not happen again."
All the officers spoke on condition of anonymity.
Once that matter was settled, the public was allowed into the courtroom and Bouas began with Loren's testimony.
Loren described how she and her friends began the night at her house, where they dressed in their costumes - she as Betty Boop, her friend Michelle as a pirate and her friend Laura as a vampire.
They had decided to go see the haunted house, located on Linden Avenue at the corner of Bixby Road, while they were waiting for a fourth friend to get off work. That was when they were all going to go to a costume party, she said.
When she and her friends arrived at the haunted house, she said, a young black male - whom she estimated to be 17 to 19 years old - was standing with a group of youths and began hollering "Are you with it?" at her and her friends while grabbing his crotch.
After the victims made their way through the haunted house and returned to the front yard where they had started, she noticed the crowd had grown larger and included girls and boys.
"He said, `Are you with it?' again," Loren testified. "He was loud, he was yelling."
The crowd was also getting louder and more boisterous and the victims could hear other things, she said.
"I heard them (say) something about the white people and `white b---."' Loren testified.
She described trying to walk away and being pelted with pumpkins and lemons. She was hit in the back of the head and in her back. The force was strong enough to cause pain, she recalled.
She also recalled seeing one of her friends - Laura - get hit in the back and in the legs. That is when her friend turned around and told the crowd to stop.
As Laura turned back toward Loren and Michelle, she said, she saw at least two girls grab that friend by her long hair and her dress and yank her backward.
"I heard one voice say, `I f------ hate white people,"' Loren testified.
It was a male voice that shouted the statement, loud enough to be heard over the shouting crowd, she said.
At about the same time she said she heard male and female voices saying, "white b---," and the group surged toward Laura, partially surrounding her friend and cutting off her access to Michelle and Loren.
Loren recalled yelling to Michelle that they were getting separated. Michelle was shouting back that she was calling 911 as she dialed her cell phone.
The victim described, and was asked to demonstrate, how her friend was knocked to the ground. Loren then recalled seeing a young man flip a skateboard he had at his side up over his head.
"I saw him flip it up and swing in the direction of Laura," she testified, describing the suspect as black, tall and with a medium build, adding that he was big but not overweight.
His hair was close to his head, in either braids or corn rows, she added.
Loren said she rushed back to Laura but was quickly surrounded by a group of about a dozen people, mostly girls. They circled her in two rows, one inside the other, she described.
She first felt someone kick the back of her leg, just below her knee, and her leg buckled. But she did not fall, the victim testified.
Punches to her face and the back of her head rained down on her, with more than one person hitting her and most of them girls, she said.
She felt her left cheek pop from the force of one extremely strong blow and assumed it was from a male.
She said she ducked her face and flailed her arms, trying to stop her attackers, but they continued beating her.
"I could feel the rhythm of one-two ... getting punched in the back of the head and the face," she recalled.
She was eventually knocked to the ground when she tried to flip open her cell phone to call for help, and it was knocked out of her hand, she said.
Many of them were girls, she said. Some were wearing sweaters with the Rocawear logo, several had braids and some wore hoop earrings, Loren testified.
Rocawear is a popular line of clothing created by rapper Jay-Z.
Curled in a ball on her knees, Loren said she wrapped her arms over her head and kept her legs tucked under her body. She could feel people pounding her with their fists and kicking her, striking her on top of her head, around her face, her back and up and down her body, she said.
"Once I hit the ground, I remember being kicked by what I thought was a man," she testified. "Because the force was so hard, and when I looked up I thought I could see ... male legs."
At one point, she peered out from under her arm and said she could see one of her friends laying on the ground.
"She was being stepped on," she testified. "It looked like males."
It didn't stop until a black man ran up and began pulling people off her, Loren said. She recalled him yelling at the youths to stop.
She said a young black woman grabbed her under her arms and helped her stand up, taking her closer to where her friends were standing.
The woman screamed for ice for the victim's swollen and bloody face as neighbors began to come forward, Loren recalled.
"I was bleeding really bad and grabbing at my nose," she said.
The police arrived first, followed by paramedics. Not long afterward, officers told her that they had found some people who might have been involved and wanted to drive her to a nearby parking lot to see if she could identify those people.
The victims were taken in separate vehicles one at a time, Loren said.
She sat in a police SUV with an officer who wrote down what she said as a line of youths was asked to come forward one by one into the glare of several police headlights and search lights.
She said she immediately recognized the first person, a girl in a white shirt, and told the officer, "Yeah, that's the one that beat my friend. I think she was attacking Laura."
Loren explained in court that the reason she told the officer she thought it was the girl who attacked her friend, rather than say she knew it was the girl, was because she had been instructed to be as specific as possible.
She had seen the girl going toward Laura, she said.
"She was attacking Laura, but I wasn't positive she was punching her or pushing her," Loren explained.
She also said she wasn't able to identify all the minors arrested that night.
As the district attorney began to show the victim police photos taken of the 10 youths in the parking lot, several defense attorneys objected.
Showing the victim the photos before asking her to identify the minors in court would coach her into saying precisely what the prosecutor wanted, they argued.
The same objection was raised with the first witness to testify; an 18-year-old who was in the area with her baby, her friend and her younger sister at the time of the beating. As in the first witness' case, the judge overruled the objection but it was quickly followed by several others made by most of the 10 defense attorneys in court.
Judge Lee ended Friday's proceedings at that point, saying he would return to the issue next week. Court is expected to resume Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Despite Rumors, Birdman Unharmed In Sister's Deadly Car Crash
Rampant rumors of Cash Money co-founder Bryan "Birdman" Williams getting into a car crash yesterday morning (December 11) have been put to rest as details about the aforementioned accident have come to light.
According to The Times Picayune, Birdman's sister, Tamara Williams, was killed in a head-on collision when her vehicle was struck by a motorist driving in the wrong direction down New Orleans' Causeway Boulevard early Monday morning. Baby was not in the car.
The other motorist, who was identified as 30 year-old Jason Williams of Memphis, was taken to the CharityTraumaCenter in Elmwood, where he remains in grave condition. He had no relation to Tamara.
Col. John Fortunato, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, revealed that Tamara was driving north on Causeway Boulevard in her 2006 Toyota Camry. She was in the far left lane on the up-slope of the northbound overpass when Jason rounded the top of the hill in his 2001 Chevrolet Silverado and hit her head-on.
How Jason ended up driving south down the wrong side of Causeway Boulevard is still a mystery. Because of his condition, investigators have not been able to question him.
"We have no idea how he could have gotten on that side," said Fortunato.
Tamara, 26, was a married mother of three boys and was studying for a nursing degree at Our Lady of Holy Cross College. She was the youngest of six siblings.
According to The Times Picayune, Birdman's sister, Tamara Williams, was killed in a head-on collision when her vehicle was struck by a motorist driving in the wrong direction down New Orleans' Causeway Boulevard early Monday morning. Baby was not in the car.
The other motorist, who was identified as 30 year-old Jason Williams of Memphis, was taken to the CharityTraumaCenter in Elmwood, where he remains in grave condition. He had no relation to Tamara.
Col. John Fortunato, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, revealed that Tamara was driving north on Causeway Boulevard in her 2006 Toyota Camry. She was in the far left lane on the up-slope of the northbound overpass when Jason rounded the top of the hill in his 2001 Chevrolet Silverado and hit her head-on.
How Jason ended up driving south down the wrong side of Causeway Boulevard is still a mystery. Because of his condition, investigators have not been able to question him.
"We have no idea how he could have gotten on that side," said Fortunato.
Tamara, 26, was a married mother of three boys and was studying for a nursing degree at Our Lady of Holy Cross College. She was the youngest of six siblings.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
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'Water is Currently Flowing on Mars' (NASA)(NO BS)
(Breaking News) 'Water is Currently Flowing on Mars' (NASA)(NO BS)
The image on the right shows a gully in a crater formed after the photo on the left was taken in 1999
New photographs taken of Mars suggest that water occasionally flows across the surface of the planet.
The images, taken by Nasa's Mars Global Surveyor, show changes in craters that provide the strongest evidence yet that water flowed through them as recently as several years ago.
Michael Mayer, head of Nasa's Washington-based Mars Exploration Programme, said: "These observations give the strongest evidence to date that water still flows occasionally on the surface of Mars."
The photographs show finger-shaped gullies several hundred metres long in the sides of craters.
Michael Malin, the lead researcher in the study of pictures taken by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Mars Global Surveyor in 2004 and 2005, said the photos are "what you would expect to see if the material were carried by flowing water".
Search for life
The surface of Mars is too cold for liquid water to exist, but scientists believe underground water filtered to the surface carrying debris downslope long enough to form the gullies before it froze.
"This underscores the importance of searching for life on Mars, either present or past."
Bruce Jakosky, an astrobiologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder
During its Mars exploration missions, Nasa has pursued a "follow the water" strategy to determine if the planet once contained life or could support it now.
Scientists believe ancient Mars was awash with pools of water and researchers have spotted evidence of water ice at the planet's North Pole.
"This underscores the importance of searching for life on Mars, either present or past," Bruce Jakosky, an astrobiologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who had no role in the study, said. "It's one more reason to think that life could be there."
Some scientists have said the gullies could have been created by liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) coming to the surface, but Nasa experts say this is unlikely.
Others say materials such as sand or dust can flow like a liquid and produce similar results.
Allan Treiman, a geologist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, said in an email to the Associated Press news agency: "Nothing in the images, no matter how cool they are, proves that the flows were wet, or that they were anything more exciting than avalanches of sand and dust."
The Mars Global Surveyor orbiter has taken 240,000 pictures of the surface of Mars since 1997 but the agency lost contact with the spacecraft in November.
The image on the right shows a gully in a crater formed after the photo on the left was taken in 1999
New photographs taken of Mars suggest that water occasionally flows across the surface of the planet.
The images, taken by Nasa's Mars Global Surveyor, show changes in craters that provide the strongest evidence yet that water flowed through them as recently as several years ago.
Michael Mayer, head of Nasa's Washington-based Mars Exploration Programme, said: "These observations give the strongest evidence to date that water still flows occasionally on the surface of Mars."
The photographs show finger-shaped gullies several hundred metres long in the sides of craters.
Michael Malin, the lead researcher in the study of pictures taken by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Mars Global Surveyor in 2004 and 2005, said the photos are "what you would expect to see if the material were carried by flowing water".
Search for life
The surface of Mars is too cold for liquid water to exist, but scientists believe underground water filtered to the surface carrying debris downslope long enough to form the gullies before it froze.
"This underscores the importance of searching for life on Mars, either present or past."
Bruce Jakosky, an astrobiologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder
During its Mars exploration missions, Nasa has pursued a "follow the water" strategy to determine if the planet once contained life or could support it now.
Scientists believe ancient Mars was awash with pools of water and researchers have spotted evidence of water ice at the planet's North Pole.
"This underscores the importance of searching for life on Mars, either present or past," Bruce Jakosky, an astrobiologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who had no role in the study, said. "It's one more reason to think that life could be there."
Some scientists have said the gullies could have been created by liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) coming to the surface, but Nasa experts say this is unlikely.
Others say materials such as sand or dust can flow like a liquid and produce similar results.
Allan Treiman, a geologist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, said in an email to the Associated Press news agency: "Nothing in the images, no matter how cool they are, proves that the flows were wet, or that they were anything more exciting than avalanches of sand and dust."
The Mars Global Surveyor orbiter has taken 240,000 pictures of the surface of Mars since 1997 but the agency lost contact with the spacecraft in November.
Paris Hilton getting on dirty with her sister (Pics inside)
Sex-mad Paris is well-known for her lack of inhibitions.
But even she was pushing back the boundaries when she posed for this sizzling set of snaps on a visit to the Playboy Mansion in LA.
Paris, wearing stockings and suspenders and an animal-print basque, seems to be loving every minute of being captured bottom to bottom with Nicky, 23.
Their feet are clamped on the roof of their limo as they soak up the limelight.
In another shot Paris, 25, hugs and kisses her wide-eyed little sis - who is dressed in only a silky slip.
Our snapper said: “I know sisters can be a touchy feely but this was taking it to an extreme.
Man Trapped For 4 Days Behind A 7ft Mountain of His Own Sh1t and Jars of Piss
December 10, 2006 -- Police and firefighters yesterday rescued a Long Island man who had been trapped in his bedroom for four days after piling up a 7-foot-high mountain made up of bags of his own feces, jars of urine and other debris.
An officer responded to Charles Ruoff's dilapidated home in Centerport around 3:30 a.m. after receiving an anonymous 911 call asking police to check up on the 64-year-old veteran who hadn't been seen in days.
As he explored the house, the cop heard Ruoff calling weakly from a second-floor bedroom where he had walled himself in with a mountain of his own filth. He said he had been trapped since Tuesday.
The Centerport Fire Department freed Ruoff using heavy rescue equipment.
Ruoff was taken to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Northport where he was treated for dehydration, hypothermia, bedsores and general weakness, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Donner said.
An officer responded to Charles Ruoff's dilapidated home in Centerport around 3:30 a.m. after receiving an anonymous 911 call asking police to check up on the 64-year-old veteran who hadn't been seen in days.
As he explored the house, the cop heard Ruoff calling weakly from a second-floor bedroom where he had walled himself in with a mountain of his own filth. He said he had been trapped since Tuesday.
The Centerport Fire Department freed Ruoff using heavy rescue equipment.
Ruoff was taken to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Northport where he was treated for dehydration, hypothermia, bedsores and general weakness, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Donner said.
The Human Botfly
Imagine a creature, so vile, that it would give the fauna and flora of a Shakesperean nunnery great pause. Such imagery almost describes the evil and nasty horror of our first animal, the human botfly.
The harrowing story that follows explains the rotten evil of a human botfly and why you should buy guide books when traveling. From a certain brave man, and friends, who fell victim in Costa Rica;
"Upon returning home from Costa Rica Mark started to experience a strange pain in his scrotum. He finally mentioned it to me (his wife); we talked about what it could be. Spider bite? Infected mosquito bite?"
It's important to note here that if you have strange pains in your scrotum, it's usually a good idea to give the good ol' doctor a call. Someway or another, it's bound to be trouble.
"I remember reading something in the guide book from our 1st (honeymoon) trip about a weird bug in Costa Rica. The guide book Explore Costa Rica by Harry S. Pariser said.... "'Botfly (Dermatobia hominis), whose larvae mature inside flesh. An egg-laden female botfly captures a night-flying female mosquito and glues her eggs on to it. When the mosquito is released and bites a victim, the host's body heat triggers an egg to hatch. It falls off and burrows in. The larva secures itself with two anal hooks, secreting an antibiotic into its burrow, which staves off competing bacteria and fungi. Its spiracle pokes out of the tiny hole, and a small mound forms which will grow to the size of a goose egg before the mature larva falls out.'"
In case there are any problems with visualizing such a creature, below is a picture of the cute larval botfly (live) that was inside Mark from the story.
The Tarantula Hawk Wasp
During a lecture in undergrad, I had a professor who one day walked in with a mischievous smile on his face and container in hand. Casually, he walked to the head of the room and inverted the container on a desk. Soon a few gasps came from the front row along with uneasy shuffles from a few others. A pretty nice sized tarantula was now on display in the classroom.
Our professor walked around with the tarantula, which he was called in to remove from another faculty member's house earlier in the day, and it was quite visually apparent that the poor arachnid was going balder than Costanza, specifically in the butt-end region. The reason for this is that tarantula's have nemeses, namely the the tarantula hawk moth in southern California.
Looking like a creature of fiction, the hawk moth is an animal that likes to use others to raise it's young. Unlike the bot fly, the hawk moth is more direct in it's approach in finding a surrogate nanny.
The hawk moth, specifically the female, is constantly on the look for tarantulas. When ready to lay eggs, female hawk moths will go to great lengths, including teasing burrows, in order to coax a tarantula to come out into the open. When a tarantula does make such a mistake, the wasp stings the spider and injects it with venom.
During an initial attack a tarantula may try to flick it's barbed abdominal hairs toward the wasp, in defense, but quite often will fall victim to the sting. Once injected with venom, the tarantula becomes paralyzed and the wasp gleefully drags it back to it's burrow where it will lay a single egg and close the paralyzed spider in the chamber. Once developed, a grub emerges from the egg and flips backward to "juice" the spider. After the grub's final molt, it usually rips open the spider's abdomen and ravenously eats what is left inside.
If it turns out reincarnation is the key to life, and you come back as a tarantula, make sure not to fall victim to the gold-digging ploys of a hawk moth.
Box Jellyfish
Memories of a jellyfish sting usually bring thoughts of a little pain, but that usually gets clouded by memories of good beach fun. There are some jellyfish, however, that will leave you dead if you happen to bump into them and aren't prepared. Such is the box jellyfish.
One of the most dangerous sea creatures, the box jellyfish accounts for more deaths than sharks or any other marine animal. This cube-like animal has a body of around only 20 cm, but it's danger lies in the nematocysts found on it's tentacles. Like a sea-ward reggae star it's tentacles, found on each of it's corners, can grow to about 3 meters (about ten feet) in length, or about the size of a regulation NBA basketball goal.
Each of the tentacles can contain up to 5,000 of the "stinging cells", commonly called nematocytes. It's toxin can be very fatal to humans and is why it can easily cause death. As luck would have it, the stinging parts of the jellyfish are activated by chemical compounds that are found in human skin. In no less than three minutes after contact, a box jellyfish can kill you.
Bombadier Beetles
It would be fun if we could grow superweapons on our bodies. Imagine the fun of pranking friends by popping them with superheated gas that you could shoot at will. For the bombadier beetle, this is reality.
When threatened by an enemy, the beetle is able to mix a chemical cocktail in a thick-walled gland. This process yields a temperature of 212 degrees (100 C) from the mixed chemicals. When ready, the beetle triggers the release of an anti-inhibitor to it's chemical cocktail which causes an explosion and a nice popping noise. The stream of chemicals and spray released is enough to blind or wound a would be predator, and can cause great pains in a human.
Like a true bomber, the beetle can produce around 20 of these explosions per minute and aim with pinpoint accuracy. If an animal tries to flank it, or run away from it's abdomen, it's not a problem and the animal will still be screwed. The beetles have specialized sheaths that can aim it's explosive cocktail forward or any other direction. If genetic engineering ever allows it, I want a dogcat with this ability.
Porcupines
While the porcupine is very common and known, and surely isn't as cool as the hedgehog, it's existence brings one common question question to the fore; "How do porcupines mate?"
With all the quills sticking about one would think the ritual would be short and tedious. It turns out that porcupines have some questionable morals and are into some strange stuff.
The ritual kicks off with the male, using it's poor sense of smell and eyesight, tracking down a female porcupine who leaves scent cues and a cat-like noise to let males know she is ready to mate. A male may walk about at times growling, hopping on three legs and in Al Bundy fashion, resting a free paw on it's genitalia and fighting other males it may come across to determine the most superior male of the suitors. The brawls between the males can be quite brutal, with some porcupines being hit with more than 1500 quills.
When a female is nearby and may be receptive to advances, a male porcupine will raise it's tail and begin to walk on it's hind legs. This point is when the male's penis becomes fully erect. This is also where things take a turn, as described by porcupine expert Uldis Roze in The North American Porcupine;
"Perhaps the strangest aspect of the interaction is male urine-hosing of the female. The male approaches on his hind legs and tail, grunting in a low tone. His penis springs erect. He then becomes a urine cannon, squirting high-pressure jets of urine at the female. Everything suggests the urine is fired by ejaculation, not released by normal bladder pressure.... In less than a minute, a female may be thoroughly wetted from nose to tail."
If the female likes the male, she will raise her tail and underside and continue to mate with the male through a half-day until the male reaches the point of complete exhaustion. If the female doesn't like the male, she'll either run away or give a prickly surprise to the poor guy.
The harrowing story that follows explains the rotten evil of a human botfly and why you should buy guide books when traveling. From a certain brave man, and friends, who fell victim in Costa Rica;
"Upon returning home from Costa Rica Mark started to experience a strange pain in his scrotum. He finally mentioned it to me (his wife); we talked about what it could be. Spider bite? Infected mosquito bite?"
It's important to note here that if you have strange pains in your scrotum, it's usually a good idea to give the good ol' doctor a call. Someway or another, it's bound to be trouble.
"I remember reading something in the guide book from our 1st (honeymoon) trip about a weird bug in Costa Rica. The guide book Explore Costa Rica by Harry S. Pariser said.... "'Botfly (Dermatobia hominis), whose larvae mature inside flesh. An egg-laden female botfly captures a night-flying female mosquito and glues her eggs on to it. When the mosquito is released and bites a victim, the host's body heat triggers an egg to hatch. It falls off and burrows in. The larva secures itself with two anal hooks, secreting an antibiotic into its burrow, which staves off competing bacteria and fungi. Its spiracle pokes out of the tiny hole, and a small mound forms which will grow to the size of a goose egg before the mature larva falls out.'"
In case there are any problems with visualizing such a creature, below is a picture of the cute larval botfly (live) that was inside Mark from the story.
The Tarantula Hawk Wasp
During a lecture in undergrad, I had a professor who one day walked in with a mischievous smile on his face and container in hand. Casually, he walked to the head of the room and inverted the container on a desk. Soon a few gasps came from the front row along with uneasy shuffles from a few others. A pretty nice sized tarantula was now on display in the classroom.
Our professor walked around with the tarantula, which he was called in to remove from another faculty member's house earlier in the day, and it was quite visually apparent that the poor arachnid was going balder than Costanza, specifically in the butt-end region. The reason for this is that tarantula's have nemeses, namely the the tarantula hawk moth in southern California.
Looking like a creature of fiction, the hawk moth is an animal that likes to use others to raise it's young. Unlike the bot fly, the hawk moth is more direct in it's approach in finding a surrogate nanny.
The hawk moth, specifically the female, is constantly on the look for tarantulas. When ready to lay eggs, female hawk moths will go to great lengths, including teasing burrows, in order to coax a tarantula to come out into the open. When a tarantula does make such a mistake, the wasp stings the spider and injects it with venom.
During an initial attack a tarantula may try to flick it's barbed abdominal hairs toward the wasp, in defense, but quite often will fall victim to the sting. Once injected with venom, the tarantula becomes paralyzed and the wasp gleefully drags it back to it's burrow where it will lay a single egg and close the paralyzed spider in the chamber. Once developed, a grub emerges from the egg and flips backward to "juice" the spider. After the grub's final molt, it usually rips open the spider's abdomen and ravenously eats what is left inside.
If it turns out reincarnation is the key to life, and you come back as a tarantula, make sure not to fall victim to the gold-digging ploys of a hawk moth.
Box Jellyfish
Memories of a jellyfish sting usually bring thoughts of a little pain, but that usually gets clouded by memories of good beach fun. There are some jellyfish, however, that will leave you dead if you happen to bump into them and aren't prepared. Such is the box jellyfish.
One of the most dangerous sea creatures, the box jellyfish accounts for more deaths than sharks or any other marine animal. This cube-like animal has a body of around only 20 cm, but it's danger lies in the nematocysts found on it's tentacles. Like a sea-ward reggae star it's tentacles, found on each of it's corners, can grow to about 3 meters (about ten feet) in length, or about the size of a regulation NBA basketball goal.
Each of the tentacles can contain up to 5,000 of the "stinging cells", commonly called nematocytes. It's toxin can be very fatal to humans and is why it can easily cause death. As luck would have it, the stinging parts of the jellyfish are activated by chemical compounds that are found in human skin. In no less than three minutes after contact, a box jellyfish can kill you.
Bombadier Beetles
It would be fun if we could grow superweapons on our bodies. Imagine the fun of pranking friends by popping them with superheated gas that you could shoot at will. For the bombadier beetle, this is reality.
When threatened by an enemy, the beetle is able to mix a chemical cocktail in a thick-walled gland. This process yields a temperature of 212 degrees (100 C) from the mixed chemicals. When ready, the beetle triggers the release of an anti-inhibitor to it's chemical cocktail which causes an explosion and a nice popping noise. The stream of chemicals and spray released is enough to blind or wound a would be predator, and can cause great pains in a human.
Like a true bomber, the beetle can produce around 20 of these explosions per minute and aim with pinpoint accuracy. If an animal tries to flank it, or run away from it's abdomen, it's not a problem and the animal will still be screwed. The beetles have specialized sheaths that can aim it's explosive cocktail forward or any other direction. If genetic engineering ever allows it, I want a dogcat with this ability.
Porcupines
While the porcupine is very common and known, and surely isn't as cool as the hedgehog, it's existence brings one common question question to the fore; "How do porcupines mate?"
With all the quills sticking about one would think the ritual would be short and tedious. It turns out that porcupines have some questionable morals and are into some strange stuff.
The ritual kicks off with the male, using it's poor sense of smell and eyesight, tracking down a female porcupine who leaves scent cues and a cat-like noise to let males know she is ready to mate. A male may walk about at times growling, hopping on three legs and in Al Bundy fashion, resting a free paw on it's genitalia and fighting other males it may come across to determine the most superior male of the suitors. The brawls between the males can be quite brutal, with some porcupines being hit with more than 1500 quills.
When a female is nearby and may be receptive to advances, a male porcupine will raise it's tail and begin to walk on it's hind legs. This point is when the male's penis becomes fully erect. This is also where things take a turn, as described by porcupine expert Uldis Roze in The North American Porcupine;
"Perhaps the strangest aspect of the interaction is male urine-hosing of the female. The male approaches on his hind legs and tail, grunting in a low tone. His penis springs erect. He then becomes a urine cannon, squirting high-pressure jets of urine at the female. Everything suggests the urine is fired by ejaculation, not released by normal bladder pressure.... In less than a minute, a female may be thoroughly wetted from nose to tail."
If the female likes the male, she will raise her tail and underside and continue to mate with the male through a half-day until the male reaches the point of complete exhaustion. If the female doesn't like the male, she'll either run away or give a prickly surprise to the poor guy.
The skinny on Nicole: Bagged in wrong-way drive rap
Nicole Richie was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs after police bagged the teeny-weeny reality TV star going the wrong way on a California freeway.
The California Highway Patrol arrested the 25-year-old party girl and co-star of “The Simple Life” after she failed a field sobriety test, and admitted to officers that she had taken the prescription painkiller Vicodin and smoked marijuana.
Singer Lionel Richie’s daughter was tested for drugs and released on her own recognizance, reported CHiP’s spokesman Todd Workman. The results of the test haven’t been determined, he said.
Richie’s arrest came about six weeks after it was revealed that she had checked herself into a treatment facility to address weight-loss issues. A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department report revealed that the 5-foot-1 actress weighed 85 pounds at the time of her booking.
Workman said police encountered Richie with her car at a standstill blocking the carpool lane on the Ventura Freeway in Burbank at about 1:45 a.m. He said the officers were responding to reports from other motorists of a driver going the wrong way on the busy highway.
Although Richie’s 2005 black Mercedes SUV was pointed in the right direction when police found her, the vehicle matched the description of an SUV seen entering the freeway against traffic nearby, Workman said.
According to Workman, Richie was alone in her vehicle and on her cell phone when police approached her. He described her as “very cooperative” and said she told police she had been following a friend on the freeway when she got lost.
Richie, who has previously undergone treatment for heroin addiction, was subsequently booked into jail on a DUI charge. She’s due in court Feb. 7.
Her reps had no comment on the arrest yesterday.
The California Highway Patrol arrested the 25-year-old party girl and co-star of “The Simple Life” after she failed a field sobriety test, and admitted to officers that she had taken the prescription painkiller Vicodin and smoked marijuana.
Singer Lionel Richie’s daughter was tested for drugs and released on her own recognizance, reported CHiP’s spokesman Todd Workman. The results of the test haven’t been determined, he said.
Richie’s arrest came about six weeks after it was revealed that she had checked herself into a treatment facility to address weight-loss issues. A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department report revealed that the 5-foot-1 actress weighed 85 pounds at the time of her booking.
Workman said police encountered Richie with her car at a standstill blocking the carpool lane on the Ventura Freeway in Burbank at about 1:45 a.m. He said the officers were responding to reports from other motorists of a driver going the wrong way on the busy highway.
Although Richie’s 2005 black Mercedes SUV was pointed in the right direction when police found her, the vehicle matched the description of an SUV seen entering the freeway against traffic nearby, Workman said.
According to Workman, Richie was alone in her vehicle and on her cell phone when police approached her. He described her as “very cooperative” and said she told police she had been following a friend on the freeway when she got lost.
Richie, who has previously undergone treatment for heroin addiction, was subsequently booked into jail on a DUI charge. She’s due in court Feb. 7.
Her reps had no comment on the arrest yesterday.
Monday, December 11, 2006
No Wedding for Beyoncé, Jay-Z
Don't believe the rumors that Beyoncé and Jay-Z are getting married at a luxury Caribbean resort this weekend.
A rep for Beyoncé is denying the reports, and a spokeswoman for Jay-Z told Reuters she had no knowledge of any approaching nuptials.
Beyoncé, 25, recently said that she and pals were planning a birthday party for Jay-Z, who turned 37 on Monday – not a wedding, Reuters reports.
But on Wednesday, the New York Post reported that the planned four-day bash was a smokescreen for a secret Caribbean wedding that was to include a ceremony at the Cap Juluca resort on Anguilla and a party aboard a yacht anchored off St. Barts.
Whatever their weekend plans, on Monday Beyoncé is due to appear on the red carpet for the Beverly Hills premiere of her new movie Dreamgirls.
Though the couple of nearly four years don't speak publicly about their relationship, Beyoncé recently told Elle that her song lyrics about cheating boyfriends don't reflect her own experience: "I'm sure people will read into that," she said, "but there's nothing to read into. Sorry to disappoint you!"
A rep for Beyoncé is denying the reports, and a spokeswoman for Jay-Z told Reuters she had no knowledge of any approaching nuptials.
Beyoncé, 25, recently said that she and pals were planning a birthday party for Jay-Z, who turned 37 on Monday – not a wedding, Reuters reports.
But on Wednesday, the New York Post reported that the planned four-day bash was a smokescreen for a secret Caribbean wedding that was to include a ceremony at the Cap Juluca resort on Anguilla and a party aboard a yacht anchored off St. Barts.
Whatever their weekend plans, on Monday Beyoncé is due to appear on the red carpet for the Beverly Hills premiere of her new movie Dreamgirls.
Though the couple of nearly four years don't speak publicly about their relationship, Beyoncé recently told Elle that her song lyrics about cheating boyfriends don't reflect her own experience: "I'm sure people will read into that," she said, "but there's nothing to read into. Sorry to disappoint you!"
Bow wow used N word on stage
Bow Wow isn’t deleting the N-word from his lyrics.
At last night’s Jingle Ball Concert hosted by 102.7 KIIS FM, Bow Wow gave a no-holds-barred performance in front of thousands of screaming youngsters.
A shirtless and dancing Bow announced, lyrically, that he is single and not dating Ciara, while dropping the N-word throughout his songs. In the aftermath of the Michael Richards rant, some artists have chosen to lose the derogatory term, but not Bow Wow.
No one at the concert seemed to be affected by his use of the word; perhaps his younger audience is unaware of the weight the word has carried.
Calls to Bow Wow’s reps were not immediately returned.
At last night’s Jingle Ball Concert hosted by 102.7 KIIS FM, Bow Wow gave a no-holds-barred performance in front of thousands of screaming youngsters.
A shirtless and dancing Bow announced, lyrically, that he is single and not dating Ciara, while dropping the N-word throughout his songs. In the aftermath of the Michael Richards rant, some artists have chosen to lose the derogatory term, but not Bow Wow.
No one at the concert seemed to be affected by his use of the word; perhaps his younger audience is unaware of the weight the word has carried.
Calls to Bow Wow’s reps were not immediately returned.
U.S. dollar facing imminent collapse?
Even as the stock market is hitting new record highs almost every day, the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department are quietly coordinating a devaluation of the dollar that the Bush administration hopes will be a slow decline rather than a dollar collapse.
This week, in an unusual move, the Bush administration is sending virtually the entire economic "A-team" to visit China for a "strategic economic dialogue" in Beijing Dec. 14 and 15.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are leading the delegation, along with five other cabinet-level officials, including Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. Also in the delegation will be Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, Energy Secretary Sam Bodman, and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
The Bush administration wants to get China's cooperation in preventing a dollar collapse. That's the conclusion of John Williams, an experienced professional econometrician, who writes the "Shadow Government Statistics" blog.
Williams has re-created M3, a money-supply measure whose data the Federal Reserve simply stopped publishing after issuing a technically worded March 2006 announcement.
Williams reports M3 is currently growing at close to a 9.6 percent rate and trending higher, compared with an 8 percent rate early this year, when the Fed quit reporting the measure.
"The Fed is pumping liquidity into the U.S. economy," Williams told WND, "and the Fed evidently did not want the markets to follow too closely what the Fed was doing with the money supply."
China today now is holding a historically unprecedented $1 trillion in foreign exchange reserves. During the Thanksgiving holiday, an announcement by China that their central bank planned to diversify foreign-exchange holding away from the dollar caused the dollar to drop in value on international currency markets. Since then, the dollar has hit a 20-month low against the euro.
"This was almost an orchestrated announcement," Williams claimed. "Around Thanksgiving the markets were thinly traded. I'm not sure who was playing games there, but the signal was clearly heard."
"You're dealing with mass psychology here," Williams argued. "The central bankers around the world know they are going to take a hit on their dollar holdings. None of the central bankers want to start a dollar panic, but none of the central bankers want to be the last out of the dollar, either."
Williams explained that the Federal Reserve is in a bind.
"Raising rates would kill any chance of avoiding a recession, but in terms of the dollar, we can't raise the rates fast enough when the dollar starts to slip quickly."
Are we experiencing a dollar collapse?
"Not yet," Williams answered. "I believe we're going to have a dollar collapse, but the Fed is going to do its best to slow play the dollar's decline in value, so that it takes a year or two for the dollar value to reach its low point."
Williams explained the risk of collapse the dollar faces:
"There will be a central bank, most probably in Asia, who will start the move away from the dollar and when it happens, you're going to see other central bankers covertly trying to follow. The move will magnify very quickly and it could become a full-fledged panic and a dollar collapse."
The Fed is struggling right now to contain inflation and stimulate economic growth. All the Fed is doing right now with all their grand policy shifts is using a lot of propaganda and market massaging to try to prevent a financial panic."
Recent reports have shown that U.S. gross domestic product growth slowed to 1.6% in the third quarter, the lowest in more than 3 years.
Will a declining dollar help narrow the U.S. trade deficit with China?
"You could take a 30 percent decline in the value of the dollar," Williams argued, "and it wouldn't make much of a dent in our trade deficit with China, not as long as Bush administration trade policy continues to one-sided in favor China."
"The Fed is faced with an impossible circumstance with the trade and budget deficits being run by the Bush administration," Williams told WND, "and they are just playing games with the markets and the public by not publishing M3, the broadest measure of money supply and the best indicator we have of long-term activity."
M3 is the broadest measure of the total money in the economy, including checking and savings accounts, cash, time deposits, and money-market funds. Economist Milton Friedman, one of the key economists contributing to the conservative theories that led to the development of "Reaganomics," argued that money supply is a key measure correlated both with economic growth and inflation.
This week, in an unusual move, the Bush administration is sending virtually the entire economic "A-team" to visit China for a "strategic economic dialogue" in Beijing Dec. 14 and 15.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are leading the delegation, along with five other cabinet-level officials, including Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. Also in the delegation will be Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, Energy Secretary Sam Bodman, and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
The Bush administration wants to get China's cooperation in preventing a dollar collapse. That's the conclusion of John Williams, an experienced professional econometrician, who writes the "Shadow Government Statistics" blog.
Williams has re-created M3, a money-supply measure whose data the Federal Reserve simply stopped publishing after issuing a technically worded March 2006 announcement.
Williams reports M3 is currently growing at close to a 9.6 percent rate and trending higher, compared with an 8 percent rate early this year, when the Fed quit reporting the measure.
"The Fed is pumping liquidity into the U.S. economy," Williams told WND, "and the Fed evidently did not want the markets to follow too closely what the Fed was doing with the money supply."
China today now is holding a historically unprecedented $1 trillion in foreign exchange reserves. During the Thanksgiving holiday, an announcement by China that their central bank planned to diversify foreign-exchange holding away from the dollar caused the dollar to drop in value on international currency markets. Since then, the dollar has hit a 20-month low against the euro.
"This was almost an orchestrated announcement," Williams claimed. "Around Thanksgiving the markets were thinly traded. I'm not sure who was playing games there, but the signal was clearly heard."
"You're dealing with mass psychology here," Williams argued. "The central bankers around the world know they are going to take a hit on their dollar holdings. None of the central bankers want to start a dollar panic, but none of the central bankers want to be the last out of the dollar, either."
Williams explained that the Federal Reserve is in a bind.
"Raising rates would kill any chance of avoiding a recession, but in terms of the dollar, we can't raise the rates fast enough when the dollar starts to slip quickly."
Are we experiencing a dollar collapse?
"Not yet," Williams answered. "I believe we're going to have a dollar collapse, but the Fed is going to do its best to slow play the dollar's decline in value, so that it takes a year or two for the dollar value to reach its low point."
Williams explained the risk of collapse the dollar faces:
"There will be a central bank, most probably in Asia, who will start the move away from the dollar and when it happens, you're going to see other central bankers covertly trying to follow. The move will magnify very quickly and it could become a full-fledged panic and a dollar collapse."
The Fed is struggling right now to contain inflation and stimulate economic growth. All the Fed is doing right now with all their grand policy shifts is using a lot of propaganda and market massaging to try to prevent a financial panic."
Recent reports have shown that U.S. gross domestic product growth slowed to 1.6% in the third quarter, the lowest in more than 3 years.
Will a declining dollar help narrow the U.S. trade deficit with China?
"You could take a 30 percent decline in the value of the dollar," Williams argued, "and it wouldn't make much of a dent in our trade deficit with China, not as long as Bush administration trade policy continues to one-sided in favor China."
"The Fed is faced with an impossible circumstance with the trade and budget deficits being run by the Bush administration," Williams told WND, "and they are just playing games with the markets and the public by not publishing M3, the broadest measure of money supply and the best indicator we have of long-term activity."
M3 is the broadest measure of the total money in the economy, including checking and savings accounts, cash, time deposits, and money-market funds. Economist Milton Friedman, one of the key economists contributing to the conservative theories that led to the development of "Reaganomics," argued that money supply is a key measure correlated both with economic growth and inflation.
Hackers Release Permanent Spoof Vista Activation Server
Hackers have found a way around Microsoft Vista's activation system. Unlike Windows XP and Volume Activation 1.0 Wndows Vista doesn't have any corporate keys which will permanently activate it.
Volume Activation 2.0 requires a corporate user to either do a onetime activation through Microsoft servers (MAK) or companies can host a local activation server which does not talk to Microsoft (KMS). The only difference is KMS requires re-activation once every 180 days. However as long as there’s a local KMS server it’s simple to keep Windows Vista activated.
The hacker's release is a VMware image of a permanently activated KMS (Key Management Service) server which allows local activation of Windows Vista Business/Enterprise Edition. As such, it's not true that the workaround will be usable for only six months. Press reports stating so are written by people who don't know what they're talking about. The "client" Vista activates every six months, not the server, which in this case is permanently activated.
Volume Activation 2.0 is only built into those two editions. Companies which buy 25 numbers or more of the OS would be given the KMS to simplify the activation process. For it to work, users have to type in the non-virtual Vista two commands which launch the same Visual Basic script with different options:
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -skms vm_vista_ip
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ato
The hack was released under the name of Bill Gates' wife, Melinda Gates. The actual name of the pirate scene release is "Microsoft.Windows.Vista.Local.Activatio n.Server-MelindaGates." Cracked copies of Windows Vista started flooding the internet soon after the operating system was released to manufacturing and ahead of its official release. However, the lack of a corporate activation key made most of them useless. Some activation cracks were apparently released, using some beta files from RC versions of Vista, but apparently they didn't work for everyone.
This only shows that while Microsoft tries to block illegal users from using its operating systems, they will not be able to prevail for long. For every security system there's always a workaround if you have physical access to the machine, that's a rule every security expert knows. Everything can be cracked eventually, if it's worth it.
Volume Activation 2.0 requires a corporate user to either do a onetime activation through Microsoft servers (MAK) or companies can host a local activation server which does not talk to Microsoft (KMS). The only difference is KMS requires re-activation once every 180 days. However as long as there’s a local KMS server it’s simple to keep Windows Vista activated.
The hacker's release is a VMware image of a permanently activated KMS (Key Management Service) server which allows local activation of Windows Vista Business/Enterprise Edition. As such, it's not true that the workaround will be usable for only six months. Press reports stating so are written by people who don't know what they're talking about. The "client" Vista activates every six months, not the server, which in this case is permanently activated.
Volume Activation 2.0 is only built into those two editions. Companies which buy 25 numbers or more of the OS would be given the KMS to simplify the activation process. For it to work, users have to type in the non-virtual Vista two commands which launch the same Visual Basic script with different options:
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -skms vm_vista_ip
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ato
The hack was released under the name of Bill Gates' wife, Melinda Gates. The actual name of the pirate scene release is "Microsoft.Windows.Vista.Local.Activatio n.Server-MelindaGates." Cracked copies of Windows Vista started flooding the internet soon after the operating system was released to manufacturing and ahead of its official release. However, the lack of a corporate activation key made most of them useless. Some activation cracks were apparently released, using some beta files from RC versions of Vista, but apparently they didn't work for everyone.
This only shows that while Microsoft tries to block illegal users from using its operating systems, they will not be able to prevail for long. For every security system there's always a workaround if you have physical access to the machine, that's a rule every security expert knows. Everything can be cracked eventually, if it's worth it.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Michael Jordan What is he doing TODAY???????
I never was a basketball person, at all, I hated it, but looking at these 2 following links, makes me wonder a few things
1) I wonder what he's up to these days
2) Will there ever be another MJ who was so influential to a sport
3) What has happened to basketball since the 90's
4) Will there ever be anyone who can walk in the air like its a set of stairs
Everything used to Michael Jordan this n that when the basketball segment came on the news at sports time. And now its like... basketball? Whats that?
It goes to show, that one person CAN make a difference to the world.
Link 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFxXSXGd4hs
Link 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3tFagQbBX4
Those are just vids I found off another forum, and I know I've seen some others of him, but I mean, the man was a god among gods. Think about what he did for Nike and for basketball. And now? Nike is just another shoe, and basetball is just another sport....
____________
1) I wonder what he's up to these days
2) Will there ever be another MJ who was so influential to a sport
3) What has happened to basketball since the 90's
4) Will there ever be anyone who can walk in the air like its a set of stairs
Everything used to Michael Jordan this n that when the basketball segment came on the news at sports time. And now its like... basketball? Whats that?
It goes to show, that one person CAN make a difference to the world.
Link 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFxXSXGd4hs
Link 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3tFagQbBX4
Those are just vids I found off another forum, and I know I've seen some others of him, but I mean, the man was a god among gods. Think about what he did for Nike and for basketball. And now? Nike is just another shoe, and basetball is just another sport....
____________
Players Union Sues NBA Over New Ball
The players' association filed two unfair labor practice charges Friday against the NBA over issues with the new ball and the league's crackdown on player complaints.
The charges were filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
"I think that's right within the NBA's wheelhouse," Dallas owner Mark Cuban said. "They say the NBA stands for 'Nothing But Attorneys,' so we're going to be great at dealing with those issues."
A number of players publicly have complained about changing the ball from leather to a microfiber composite. Although players are adjusting to the new ball, they're having a much harder time with the crackdown on reactions after the whistle, often referred to as a "zero-tolerance policy."
NBA commissioner David Stern enacted the policy, saying players were reacting too strongly after calls, and it has led to an increase in technical fouls called this season.
"It takes away from your natural reaction, the things that make basketball what it is," said Jerry Stackhouse, the Mavericks' player representative. "You think Bill Bradley never hit the support after he was called for a foul? That's the model citizen of all former NBA players. It's just a natural thing to do."
With players fined for each technical they receive, union director Billy Hunter told The Associated Press last month that legal action could be the next step if Stern didn't tell the referees to "back off."
There have been 175 unsportsmanlike technicals called through 225 games this season. There were 120 through the same number of games last season, though the number is on par with the amount from two years ago.
"Our obligation to represent our membership dictates the filing of these actions," Hunter said in a statement. "There is virtual unanimity amongst the players about their concerns and intense dislike for the new synthetic ball and the 'zero tolerance' policy.
"After extensive consultation with our membership and player leadership we determined that this was the appropriate course of action."
NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said the league was "reviewing what they have filed."
The players feel they were entitled to have input on both changes before they were put into play. In its release, the union said the "zero-tolerance policy" was implemented without any consultation or advanced notice as required "according to the terms of the National Labor Relations Act and the 2005 NBA/NBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement."
"You never want to feel that the NBA's a dictatorship," Wizards veteran Antonio Daniels said.
The section of the CBA regarding On-Court Conduct, states, in part:
"Prior to the date on which any new rule promulgated by the NBA becomes effective, the NBA shall provide notice of such new rule to the Players Association and consult with the Players Association with respect thereto."
The crackdown isn't a new rule, however, but rather a point of emphasis. Under Stern's directive, players are fined $1,000 for each of their first five technicals. The fine increases by $500 for each five after that, capped by a $2,500 penalty for each one starting with the 16th. A one-game suspension also comes at that point and for every other technical thereafter.
"To give a technical foul, it's giving money back," Stackhouse said. "If it's a technical foul, all right, penalize the team. But don't take guys' money for natural reactions toward heat of the moment things. We're not robots. They would say they don't want us to become robots, but that's what it's becoming.
"Everything doesn't have to be we're going to show you by taking your money away. A thousand dollars is a thousand dollars, no matter whether you are making $9 million or $30,000."
Players also argue they weren't involved in the decision to use a new ball. The league unveiled it in June and sent one to its teams and all players before the start of training camp. It also was used in the All-Star game and during summer league play.
Superstars such as Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James are among those who have blasted it, and many others have complained that it feels and performs far differently than the old leather ball, criticizing the way it bounces off the floor and the rim.
"I was surprised when they announced that they were changing the ball," Sacramento's Shareef Abdur-Rahim. "That shouldn't happen without some input from the players. I've never cared for the new ball, and I'm a big guy. When ballhandlers like Steve Nash and Jason Kidd are complaining about it, that says a lot."
The charges were filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
"I think that's right within the NBA's wheelhouse," Dallas owner Mark Cuban said. "They say the NBA stands for 'Nothing But Attorneys,' so we're going to be great at dealing with those issues."
A number of players publicly have complained about changing the ball from leather to a microfiber composite. Although players are adjusting to the new ball, they're having a much harder time with the crackdown on reactions after the whistle, often referred to as a "zero-tolerance policy."
NBA commissioner David Stern enacted the policy, saying players were reacting too strongly after calls, and it has led to an increase in technical fouls called this season.
"It takes away from your natural reaction, the things that make basketball what it is," said Jerry Stackhouse, the Mavericks' player representative. "You think Bill Bradley never hit the support after he was called for a foul? That's the model citizen of all former NBA players. It's just a natural thing to do."
With players fined for each technical they receive, union director Billy Hunter told The Associated Press last month that legal action could be the next step if Stern didn't tell the referees to "back off."
There have been 175 unsportsmanlike technicals called through 225 games this season. There were 120 through the same number of games last season, though the number is on par with the amount from two years ago.
"Our obligation to represent our membership dictates the filing of these actions," Hunter said in a statement. "There is virtual unanimity amongst the players about their concerns and intense dislike for the new synthetic ball and the 'zero tolerance' policy.
"After extensive consultation with our membership and player leadership we determined that this was the appropriate course of action."
NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said the league was "reviewing what they have filed."
The players feel they were entitled to have input on both changes before they were put into play. In its release, the union said the "zero-tolerance policy" was implemented without any consultation or advanced notice as required "according to the terms of the National Labor Relations Act and the 2005 NBA/NBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement."
"You never want to feel that the NBA's a dictatorship," Wizards veteran Antonio Daniels said.
The section of the CBA regarding On-Court Conduct, states, in part:
"Prior to the date on which any new rule promulgated by the NBA becomes effective, the NBA shall provide notice of such new rule to the Players Association and consult with the Players Association with respect thereto."
The crackdown isn't a new rule, however, but rather a point of emphasis. Under Stern's directive, players are fined $1,000 for each of their first five technicals. The fine increases by $500 for each five after that, capped by a $2,500 penalty for each one starting with the 16th. A one-game suspension also comes at that point and for every other technical thereafter.
"To give a technical foul, it's giving money back," Stackhouse said. "If it's a technical foul, all right, penalize the team. But don't take guys' money for natural reactions toward heat of the moment things. We're not robots. They would say they don't want us to become robots, but that's what it's becoming.
"Everything doesn't have to be we're going to show you by taking your money away. A thousand dollars is a thousand dollars, no matter whether you are making $9 million or $30,000."
Players also argue they weren't involved in the decision to use a new ball. The league unveiled it in June and sent one to its teams and all players before the start of training camp. It also was used in the All-Star game and during summer league play.
Superstars such as Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James are among those who have blasted it, and many others have complained that it feels and performs far differently than the old leather ball, criticizing the way it bounces off the floor and the rim.
"I was surprised when they announced that they were changing the ball," Sacramento's Shareef Abdur-Rahim. "That shouldn't happen without some input from the players. I've never cared for the new ball, and I'm a big guy. When ballhandlers like Steve Nash and Jason Kidd are complaining about it, that says a lot."
Nas Sons Mobb Deep, 50 Cent Calls Oprah an "Oreo," Game Has No Game, Jay-Z Gets Booed
In this week's Pulse Report, the streets are buzzing about Nas calling Mobb Deep a disgrace, 50 Cent describing Oprah Winfrey as an "Oreo," The Game hollering at Vida Guerra and Nas' baby mother getting chewed up on the radio.
1. Nas sons Mobb Deep. A lot of name calling this week. Havoc and Prodigy can talk ca ca about Nas all they want. The Queensbridge lyricist isn't fazed by any of it. During a recent interview on Baltimore, MD's Power 92.1 Jamz, God's Son responded to Mobb's claims that he signed to Def Jam in response to the Queens duo joining the G-Unit roster. "Mobb Deep signing to G-Unit is a disgrace to hip-hop," Nas told DJ Rosetta Devine during the interview. "I love them little brothers, but don't speak on Nas. It doesn't make sense. You learned from me. That's the bottom line."
Mr. Jones then stated his position, sharing that he's now past feuds and wishes for rap artists to unite. "What we do is a form of unity," Nas explained. "It's easy to sell records if I diss you. Who can sell records on love?" "It's easy to tattoo somebody's crew on your knuckles and act like you tough," the lyricist continued. "But be a man, let's see how far you get. And I believe in Mobb Deep. I believe that they will prosper even though they say negative stuff. They my little duns. Those are my little babies."
2. Fif calls Oprah an oreo cookie. Just when the "Oprah bites" bandwagon seemed over with, the billionaire is back in Fiddy's line of fire. The Queens, NY rapper gets politically incorrect in Elle Magazine's January issue, accusing Winfrey of being black on the outside, but white on the inside. "[Oprah] started out with black women's views but has been catering to middle-aged white Americans for so long that she's become one herself," Fif told the New York Post's Page Six. "I think the idea of being publicly noted that she's a billionaire makes [black women] interested in seeing her views. But it's even more exciting to the demographic of white American women she's been aiming at to see that she has the exact same views that they have." Damn, homie!
3. Vida's Game encounter. Last week, SOHH.com reported that Vida Guerra is considering responding to The Game's "Wouldn't Get Far," a song on which he accuses the former video chick, but more importantly recent Playboy centerfold of hoeing around. Anyhow, Vida recently spoke to SOHH and recounted meeting Game several times. Apparently, Chuck Taylor initially had dreams of beating a video chick. "I met him one time, we were walking down Melrose. The girl I was with, she was doing my road managing. She was checking out his car. He had a Charger. And she was like, 'man, that sh*t is nice,'" Miss Guerra-Johnson told SOHH. "And she's like, 'you should let me ride it sometimes. He's like, yeah. No problem, as long as you tell Vida to go on a date with me.'" Oh boy! According to wifey, JT (Game's government initials) was quite persistent. "During Christmas, Jamie Foxx had a Christmas party at his house. And he went to the party and I was talking to him and he was cool and we exchanged email addresses," Vida detailed. "He kept sending me emails like, "hey, you wanna hang out? And I was always like, 'I'm doing something. I'm doing something instead of straight up saying no.'"
Email addresses? How the hell you gon be a multiplatinum rap star and all you're getting is an email? The Game needs to change his name because he obviously has none.
4. Jay-Z gets booed. Before the comments get filled with "you're a hater" messages, let it be known. The Jay-Z album ain't that bad, according to yours truly. It ain't hot, but not bad either. However, it seems like most are truly disappointed with Jay's latest effort. During a recent Raekwon performance, one of Rae's accomplices asked the audience how they felt about the Jay-Z album. The crowd automatically countered with boos. "How many of ya'll feeling that Jigga album? Keep it real," Rae's comrade asked the audience. Rae then co-signed the crowd's opinion. "I don't like it. I ain't trying to make no scene. For real, for real. That's word to everything I love. I ain't know you was gon say that." [Watch]
5. Everybody hates Carmen. By the looks of things, Carmen Bryan, Nas' baby moms, is respected just about as much as Superhead. Details on her tell-all book, "It's No Secret" popped up earlier this week. While heads knew to expect juicy new details about her relationship with Nas and her affairs with Jay-Z and Allen Iverson, the book promises to take a few gratuitous shots at Kelis and Beyonce. In the book, Bryan alleges that Kelis doesn't wear deodorant, claims Nas turned down a date with Beyonce because her breath stank and says Hov scrubs his ass in the shower. What? Who cares? Bryan also claims God's son has beaten her up in the past and that she pepper sprayed him anytime he was caught cheating.
With details of her book widespread, Bryan made appearances on "The Wendy Williams Experience" and Ashy and Egypt In The Morning on New York's Power 105.1. Williams reportedly chewed her up and spit her out while Egypt lost her cool and even called her what many think she is, "a bi*ch."
6. Has Melyssa Ford found a match? Nope. Not according to the latest news or gossip columns. Check it! Last week's reports on Vida's response to Game also included a comeback from the self-proclaimed black Jessica Rabbit, Melyssa Ford. On Chuck Taylor's "Wouldn't Get Far" off Doctor's Advocate, the former video model was accused of sleeping her way to the Grammy Awards. Well, it doesn't seem likely. The latest half ass rumor says Ford has something going on with a nobody, some miscellaneous rapper nobody has heard of. Yeah right! No Grammys there. Inexplicably, after SOHH posted "60 Seconds with Melyssa Ford," word began spreading that Ms. Ford (no Honda Accord by the way) may have gotten a little extra flirty with this guy. [Watch SOHH's 60 Seconds w/ Melyssa Ford]. Ok, I know H. Dot, but nobody else does, especially not no Melyssa Ford. She probably don't know dude's name whether that be his government or moniker. The only thing dude has going on is some bitty trailer on SOHH. [Watch trailer here.] This ain't Paramount Pictures. But back to "60 Seconds. The first thing dude claims in the interview was, "Melyssa Ford is rubbing my back." Allegedly! The footage shows no such thing. Wamp wamp!
On a parting note, shouts to the SOHH Forum members. Yesterday, one particular member pointed out that there seems to be a bandwagon of artists dissing the members or forums. Good point. During a recent Baltimore radio appearance, Nas shouted out the forums, at which point some host said that "The Spot" won't leave the God's Son/Hov feud alone. Here you go, members. The stage is yours now.
1. Nas sons Mobb Deep. A lot of name calling this week. Havoc and Prodigy can talk ca ca about Nas all they want. The Queensbridge lyricist isn't fazed by any of it. During a recent interview on Baltimore, MD's Power 92.1 Jamz, God's Son responded to Mobb's claims that he signed to Def Jam in response to the Queens duo joining the G-Unit roster. "Mobb Deep signing to G-Unit is a disgrace to hip-hop," Nas told DJ Rosetta Devine during the interview. "I love them little brothers, but don't speak on Nas. It doesn't make sense. You learned from me. That's the bottom line."
Mr. Jones then stated his position, sharing that he's now past feuds and wishes for rap artists to unite. "What we do is a form of unity," Nas explained. "It's easy to sell records if I diss you. Who can sell records on love?" "It's easy to tattoo somebody's crew on your knuckles and act like you tough," the lyricist continued. "But be a man, let's see how far you get. And I believe in Mobb Deep. I believe that they will prosper even though they say negative stuff. They my little duns. Those are my little babies."
2. Fif calls Oprah an oreo cookie. Just when the "Oprah bites" bandwagon seemed over with, the billionaire is back in Fiddy's line of fire. The Queens, NY rapper gets politically incorrect in Elle Magazine's January issue, accusing Winfrey of being black on the outside, but white on the inside. "[Oprah] started out with black women's views but has been catering to middle-aged white Americans for so long that she's become one herself," Fif told the New York Post's Page Six. "I think the idea of being publicly noted that she's a billionaire makes [black women] interested in seeing her views. But it's even more exciting to the demographic of white American women she's been aiming at to see that she has the exact same views that they have." Damn, homie!
3. Vida's Game encounter. Last week, SOHH.com reported that Vida Guerra is considering responding to The Game's "Wouldn't Get Far," a song on which he accuses the former video chick, but more importantly recent Playboy centerfold of hoeing around. Anyhow, Vida recently spoke to SOHH and recounted meeting Game several times. Apparently, Chuck Taylor initially had dreams of beating a video chick. "I met him one time, we were walking down Melrose. The girl I was with, she was doing my road managing. She was checking out his car. He had a Charger. And she was like, 'man, that sh*t is nice,'" Miss Guerra-Johnson told SOHH. "And she's like, 'you should let me ride it sometimes. He's like, yeah. No problem, as long as you tell Vida to go on a date with me.'" Oh boy! According to wifey, JT (Game's government initials) was quite persistent. "During Christmas, Jamie Foxx had a Christmas party at his house. And he went to the party and I was talking to him and he was cool and we exchanged email addresses," Vida detailed. "He kept sending me emails like, "hey, you wanna hang out? And I was always like, 'I'm doing something. I'm doing something instead of straight up saying no.'"
Email addresses? How the hell you gon be a multiplatinum rap star and all you're getting is an email? The Game needs to change his name because he obviously has none.
4. Jay-Z gets booed. Before the comments get filled with "you're a hater" messages, let it be known. The Jay-Z album ain't that bad, according to yours truly. It ain't hot, but not bad either. However, it seems like most are truly disappointed with Jay's latest effort. During a recent Raekwon performance, one of Rae's accomplices asked the audience how they felt about the Jay-Z album. The crowd automatically countered with boos. "How many of ya'll feeling that Jigga album? Keep it real," Rae's comrade asked the audience. Rae then co-signed the crowd's opinion. "I don't like it. I ain't trying to make no scene. For real, for real. That's word to everything I love. I ain't know you was gon say that." [Watch]
5. Everybody hates Carmen. By the looks of things, Carmen Bryan, Nas' baby moms, is respected just about as much as Superhead. Details on her tell-all book, "It's No Secret" popped up earlier this week. While heads knew to expect juicy new details about her relationship with Nas and her affairs with Jay-Z and Allen Iverson, the book promises to take a few gratuitous shots at Kelis and Beyonce. In the book, Bryan alleges that Kelis doesn't wear deodorant, claims Nas turned down a date with Beyonce because her breath stank and says Hov scrubs his ass in the shower. What? Who cares? Bryan also claims God's son has beaten her up in the past and that she pepper sprayed him anytime he was caught cheating.
With details of her book widespread, Bryan made appearances on "The Wendy Williams Experience" and Ashy and Egypt In The Morning on New York's Power 105.1. Williams reportedly chewed her up and spit her out while Egypt lost her cool and even called her what many think she is, "a bi*ch."
6. Has Melyssa Ford found a match? Nope. Not according to the latest news or gossip columns. Check it! Last week's reports on Vida's response to Game also included a comeback from the self-proclaimed black Jessica Rabbit, Melyssa Ford. On Chuck Taylor's "Wouldn't Get Far" off Doctor's Advocate, the former video model was accused of sleeping her way to the Grammy Awards. Well, it doesn't seem likely. The latest half ass rumor says Ford has something going on with a nobody, some miscellaneous rapper nobody has heard of. Yeah right! No Grammys there. Inexplicably, after SOHH posted "60 Seconds with Melyssa Ford," word began spreading that Ms. Ford (no Honda Accord by the way) may have gotten a little extra flirty with this guy. [Watch SOHH's 60 Seconds w/ Melyssa Ford]. Ok, I know H. Dot, but nobody else does, especially not no Melyssa Ford. She probably don't know dude's name whether that be his government or moniker. The only thing dude has going on is some bitty trailer on SOHH. [Watch trailer here.] This ain't Paramount Pictures. But back to "60 Seconds. The first thing dude claims in the interview was, "Melyssa Ford is rubbing my back." Allegedly! The footage shows no such thing. Wamp wamp!
On a parting note, shouts to the SOHH Forum members. Yesterday, one particular member pointed out that there seems to be a bandwagon of artists dissing the members or forums. Good point. During a recent Baltimore radio appearance, Nas shouted out the forums, at which point some host said that "The Spot" won't leave the God's Son/Hov feud alone. Here you go, members. The stage is yours now.
50 Cent Appalled By James Bond Gun Posters
50 Cent is accusing Hollywood of double standards after seeing the new James Bond holding a gun in posters for Casino Royale - a year after billboards of him sporting a weapon caused a furore. The rapper - real name Curtis Jackson - is appalled by the fact no one has raised a fuss about Daniel Craig's gun-toting posters when he was castigated for posing with a weapon in billboards for movie Get Rich Or Die Tryin'. He says, "Get Rich Or Die Tryin' comes out and they want to protest because they see a gun in my hand but James Bond comes out or Mr + Mrs Smith will come out with guns and it's acceptable. "You can see any kind of gun there is to see on the covers of films. You can go in Blockbuster and see every gun that was ever made." The rap star calls for one universal ruling about weapons in movie posters - and he'll accept whatever the Hollywood film police decide. He adds, "Let's not start with 50 Cent and stop with 50 Cent. Let's do it everywhere else and make it unacceptable period. I would gladly join the rest of entertainment if we get there."
Grandma sold drugs to support bingo habit
• Woman, 61, caught last year with 214 pounds of pot in car
• Prosecutor: "Bingo problem" led to conviction of "otherwise nice person"
• Woman faces three to 12 years in prison
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SIERRA VISTA, Arizona (AP) -- A grandmother found with a trunk full of marijuana was convicted of drug running in what prosecutors said was an attempt to earn cash for a bingo habit.
State troopers found 10 bundles of pot totaling 214 pounds hidden in Leticia Villareal Garcia's car trunk last year when they stopped her outside Bisbee, in far southeastern Arizona.
Villareal, 61, told jurors before they convicted her Thursday that her only regular income was a $275 monthly welfare check, but she frequently played bingo and occasionally won thousands of dollars.
Prosecutor Doyle Johnstun said the game was Villareal's undoing.
"People who play bingo almost every night of the week end up losing in the long run," Johnstun told jurors. "The underlying issue is that she's got a bingo problem, which explains why an otherwise nice person might get sucked into something like this."
Jurors rejected Villareal's argument that she'd been tricked into carrying the drugs.
Villareal faces three to 12 years in state prison when she is sentenced December 18.
• Prosecutor: "Bingo problem" led to conviction of "otherwise nice person"
• Woman faces three to 12 years in prison
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SIERRA VISTA, Arizona (AP) -- A grandmother found with a trunk full of marijuana was convicted of drug running in what prosecutors said was an attempt to earn cash for a bingo habit.
State troopers found 10 bundles of pot totaling 214 pounds hidden in Leticia Villareal Garcia's car trunk last year when they stopped her outside Bisbee, in far southeastern Arizona.
Villareal, 61, told jurors before they convicted her Thursday that her only regular income was a $275 monthly welfare check, but she frequently played bingo and occasionally won thousands of dollars.
Prosecutor Doyle Johnstun said the game was Villareal's undoing.
"People who play bingo almost every night of the week end up losing in the long run," Johnstun told jurors. "The underlying issue is that she's got a bingo problem, which explains why an otherwise nice person might get sucked into something like this."
Jurors rejected Villareal's argument that she'd been tricked into carrying the drugs.
Villareal faces three to 12 years in state prison when she is sentenced December 18.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Spray On Condoms!!!
BERLIN -- German sex educators plan to launch a spray-on condom tailor-made for all sizes.
Jan Vinzenz Krause from the Institute for Condom Consultancy, a Singen-based practice that offers advice on condom use, told Reuters today the product aimed to help people enjoy better and safer sex lives.
"We're trying to develop the perfect condom for men that's suited to every size of penis," he said. "We're very serious."
Krause's team (spraykondom.de) is developing a type of spray can into which the man inserts his penis first. At the push of a button it is then coated in a rubber condom.
"It works by spraying on latex from nozzles on all sides," he said. "We call it the '360 degree procedure' - once round and from top to bottom. It's a bit like a car wash."
Krause said the plan is to make the product ready for use in about five seconds. He said it would function more effectively as a contraceptive because it would fit better and not slip.
However, before the new condom can be sold in shops, the firm must ensure that the latex is evenly spread when sprayed, as well as optimise the vulcanization process.
Krause hopes the high tech condom, which will be available in different strengths and colours, will on the market by 2008.
He said the spray can would likely cost some 20 euros ($26) as a one-off purchase. The latex cartridges - sufficient for up to 20 applications - would cost roughly 10 euros, he said.
Krause said he had hit upon the idea when considering the difficulties some people faced using condoms, and drew inspiration from spray-on plasters now used in medicine.
Jan Vinzenz Krause from the Institute for Condom Consultancy, a Singen-based practice that offers advice on condom use, told Reuters today the product aimed to help people enjoy better and safer sex lives.
"We're trying to develop the perfect condom for men that's suited to every size of penis," he said. "We're very serious."
Krause's team (spraykondom.de) is developing a type of spray can into which the man inserts his penis first. At the push of a button it is then coated in a rubber condom.
"It works by spraying on latex from nozzles on all sides," he said. "We call it the '360 degree procedure' - once round and from top to bottom. It's a bit like a car wash."
Krause said the plan is to make the product ready for use in about five seconds. He said it would function more effectively as a contraceptive because it would fit better and not slip.
However, before the new condom can be sold in shops, the firm must ensure that the latex is evenly spread when sprayed, as well as optimise the vulcanization process.
Krause hopes the high tech condom, which will be available in different strengths and colours, will on the market by 2008.
He said the spray can would likely cost some 20 euros ($26) as a one-off purchase. The latex cartridges - sufficient for up to 20 applications - would cost roughly 10 euros, he said.
Krause said he had hit upon the idea when considering the difficulties some people faced using condoms, and drew inspiration from spray-on plasters now used in medicine.
The New HONDA CRX looks really bad imo
In the music world, a remix is an iconic old song that has been made fresh, young and hip again. Honda’s Remix, which just made its international debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, manages to do the same thing in an automotive context, bringing to mind the lightweight and sporty CRX, a car still missed by enthusiasts worldwide.
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Purely a styling exercise, the front-wheel-drive Remix is styled by Ben Davidson of Honda’s Advanced Design Studio in Southern California, a young designer who through no small coincidence likes to spin tunes as a DJ in his spare time. By mixing fluid lines with geometric shapes appearing on nearly every surface of the car, Davidson has crafted a car with a jet-fighter-esque canopy that manages to recall the much-loved CRX yet at the same time be thoroughly modern. As a compact, lightweight, fuel efficient and sporty 3-door hatchback, the Remix will likely appeal to young urban folks with a strong sense of style…but who also need a little bit of practicality in their lives, which is provided by a generous rear storage area. The Remix show car does not have an engine and a transmission at the moment, but Honda says a possible production version likely would be powered by a small displacement 4-cylinder mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. The suspension and brakes, we’re told, would be tuned on the track for crisp driving manners.
Although there are no plans to build a production version of the Remix, Honda, like all automotive companies, builds styling exercises each year to gauge public reaction. At the Los Angeles show, and others thereafter, Honda will capture data on the car, and possibly learn that it should build a production version. We feel that Honda will more than likely incorporate some of the Remix’s unique design elements into a sporty new compact 3-door hatchback and call it the CRX. Fans the world over will be delighted.
Police track reckless driver on YouTube
Police track reckless driver on YouTube
OSLO, Norway -- Police took up pursuit in cyberspace after a young Norwegian posted on the Internet video of his wild car driving. Following an electronic trail that he left online, police caught him and slapped him with real-life fine $1,300.
The Norwegian, identified only as a man in his early 20s, posted the video called "Driving in Norway" on Google Inc.'s popular video-sharing site YouTube. The recording showed the car's speedometer hitting up to 150 miles - 240 kilometers - per hour on a public highway near Oslo.
"We're touching 240," a voice could be heard saying. "We know it will do it. This is a little nice."
The video was removed from the Web site after it made national news in Norway last week.
Police said they could prove only that the man had driven an average of 86 miles per hour and based the fine, which the motorist accepted, on that speed. Norway's speed limit is as high as 62 miles per hour, though lower on most roads.
"It is disturbing that young people test high speeds on highways like that, and then, on top of it, use the Net to boast about the misdeed afterward," said Morten Hassel of the district police's traffic unit.
link in
OSLO, Norway -- Police took up pursuit in cyberspace after a young Norwegian posted on the Internet video of his wild car driving. Following an electronic trail that he left online, police caught him and slapped him with real-life fine $1,300.
The Norwegian, identified only as a man in his early 20s, posted the video called "Driving in Norway" on Google Inc.'s popular video-sharing site YouTube. The recording showed the car's speedometer hitting up to 150 miles - 240 kilometers - per hour on a public highway near Oslo.
"We're touching 240," a voice could be heard saying. "We know it will do it. This is a little nice."
The video was removed from the Web site after it made national news in Norway last week.
Police said they could prove only that the man had driven an average of 86 miles per hour and based the fine, which the motorist accepted, on that speed. Norway's speed limit is as high as 62 miles per hour, though lower on most roads.
"It is disturbing that young people test high speeds on highways like that, and then, on top of it, use the Net to boast about the misdeed afterward," said Morten Hassel of the district police's traffic unit.
link in
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
a reallay great gamers site check it out now
Check out this hot games site i found on the net its got some really hot games on it I really luv a few of them heheheh
check it out now guyz
http://www.gamesbob.com
check it out now guyz
http://www.gamesbob.com
Michael Jackson is caught on myspace looking for kids lmao PROOF
check otu this image lmao MJ is looking for some kiddies on myspace, wotch out kids who are underage on myspace hehehe.
source in click here
source in click here
Snoop Reveals Details On Suge Knight Beef
Snoop Dogg may be one of the most easy going rappers in Hip-Hop, but the West Coast rhymeslinger exposed a different persona years ago while contemplating the death of his former Death Row Records boss Marion "Suge" Knight.
In an upcoming interview with Rolling Stone, Snoop traced the source of his frustration to when Dr. Dre left Death Row to start his Aftermath record label.
That move, coupled with Snoop's defection to Master P's No Limit Records, resulted in bad blood with Knight, who was serving a five year jail sentence at the time.
"The n***a threatened my life when he was in jail," Snoop revealed to the publication. "N***as tried to get at me at concerts; they put my address on a tape. He was gonna give a n***a a Benz if a n***a cut my hair. All kinda f****n' with me."
Despite the attempts, Snoop had a plan for shifting the momentum of the beef after Knight was released from jail in 2001.
"I had to let him know I didn't give a f***k about none of that fake-a** power s**t you was supposed to be on, and all this money and all these Bloods you hidin' behind," the rapper explained. "I felt like challenging him would either expose his whole card or I would have to kill the n***a. And I was ready to do it. That's where I was with it. So when he got out of jail, I'm f****n' with him."
The conflict escalated further with the release of the song "Pimp Slapp'd," a diss song aimed at Knight.
"I stepped to him [four years ago] at the BET Awards with my n***as, and he was more scared than a motherf****r," Snoop said. "That was the scenario when n***as knew the balance had shifted. That's when everybody felt like the floodgates was open on Suge. Snoop dissed him in public, and he didn't do nothing."
Despite Knights fearsome reputation, Snoop brushed off any fear of retribution from Knight.
"Never was afraid of him," the lyricist told Rolling Stone. "I was afraid I was gonna have to kill him. That's what I was afraid of."
Snoop credited his friend and spiritual advisor Bishop Don Magic Juan, for offering a peaceful alternative in the form of discussion.
"Bishop kept saying, 'I don't like that situation. Y'all need to talk.'" the rapper said. "I was like, 'F talking. F*** that n***a.' But after hearin' him say it so many times, it got to the point where I was on peace, like, 'OK, I ain't tryin to f*** cuz up.' A lot of n***as put fuel to the fire. Bishop put water. It takes a grown man to do that."
The full Snoop Dogg cover story can be found in the new issue of Rolling Stone, which hits newstands Friday (Dec. 1).
In an upcoming interview with Rolling Stone, Snoop traced the source of his frustration to when Dr. Dre left Death Row to start his Aftermath record label.
That move, coupled with Snoop's defection to Master P's No Limit Records, resulted in bad blood with Knight, who was serving a five year jail sentence at the time.
"The n***a threatened my life when he was in jail," Snoop revealed to the publication. "N***as tried to get at me at concerts; they put my address on a tape. He was gonna give a n***a a Benz if a n***a cut my hair. All kinda f****n' with me."
Despite the attempts, Snoop had a plan for shifting the momentum of the beef after Knight was released from jail in 2001.
"I had to let him know I didn't give a f***k about none of that fake-a** power s**t you was supposed to be on, and all this money and all these Bloods you hidin' behind," the rapper explained. "I felt like challenging him would either expose his whole card or I would have to kill the n***a. And I was ready to do it. That's where I was with it. So when he got out of jail, I'm f****n' with him."
The conflict escalated further with the release of the song "Pimp Slapp'd," a diss song aimed at Knight.
"I stepped to him [four years ago] at the BET Awards with my n***as, and he was more scared than a motherf****r," Snoop said. "That was the scenario when n***as knew the balance had shifted. That's when everybody felt like the floodgates was open on Suge. Snoop dissed him in public, and he didn't do nothing."
Despite Knights fearsome reputation, Snoop brushed off any fear of retribution from Knight.
"Never was afraid of him," the lyricist told Rolling Stone. "I was afraid I was gonna have to kill him. That's what I was afraid of."
Snoop credited his friend and spiritual advisor Bishop Don Magic Juan, for offering a peaceful alternative in the form of discussion.
"Bishop kept saying, 'I don't like that situation. Y'all need to talk.'" the rapper said. "I was like, 'F talking. F*** that n***a.' But after hearin' him say it so many times, it got to the point where I was on peace, like, 'OK, I ain't tryin to f*** cuz up.' A lot of n***as put fuel to the fire. Bishop put water. It takes a grown man to do that."
The full Snoop Dogg cover story can be found in the new issue of Rolling Stone, which hits newstands Friday (Dec. 1).
50 CENT STIRRED BY DEATH THREAT IN IRAQ
Tough guy rapper 50 CENT was given another sharp dose of his own mortality during a trip to visit US troops stationed in Iraq last year (05) - when one soldier told him he was in danger. The IN DA CLUB hitmaker, who has been shot at nine times, admits he was treating the trip to the Middle East as just another show until he realised he could be bombed to bits in seconds. He explains, "I had an opportunity to perform for the soldiers in Iraq when I went on tour for (film) GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN'. As soon as I got there, a guy said, 'Listen, I'm not gonna bulls**t you, you can die today.' "At first I thought, 'Why did I even come here?' At the end of that experience the people that got to see me perform may be the last thing they see; the last time they enjoy something before they go out tomorrow to fight - and some of them may not come back, bottom line. "You have 55 members in your platoon and tomorrow comes and you got 47, and then 30 members in your platoon and they come in and fill your barracks again." 50 Cent used his experiences of meeting troops in Iraq for new movie HOME OF THE BRAVE.
MySpace at school and work! It Works! I have tested it!
If you want to login to MySpace while at school or work or view any other site without being caught go to this site! I've tried it at school and at work once and it works all the time and its fast. It will bypass filters and hide what your looking at for any site you want to go to.
click here to visit the site
click here to visit the site
Monday, November 27, 2006
Lmao at this weightloss joke!!!
A man decides it's time he lost some weight, and he sees an ad for an amazing weight loss program. The basic package guarantees you'll lose 10lbs in a week or your money back, so he calls up and orders it.
A couple of days later, there is a knock at the door. He opens it to be met by a gorgeous, athletic brunette in her early 20s. She is wearing nothing but a pair of running shoes and a sign round her neck with the words "If you catch me, I'm yours." She then runs off, and the man gives chase. It takes him a while but eventually he cathces her, and it's worth all the breathlessness and pulled muscles. This carries on every morning for the whole week, and he is over the moon when he weighs himself and finds he has indeed lost 10lbs!
He calls the company back and orders the next package up, guaranteeing a loss of 20lbs in a week. He receives a knock at the door, and he is met by a tall statuesque blonde. She is wearing nothing but a pair of running shoes and a sign round her neck with the words "If you catch me, I'm yours." She then runs off, and the man gives chase. She is very fast and he runs at full pace all day to catch her, but eventually he does and has the time of his life. His heart is pounding and he can barely breathe, but it's all worth it. This carries on every morning for the whole week, and he can't contain his joy when he weighs himself and finds he has indeed lost 20lbs as promised!
He calls the company again and orders their full-strength package, guaranteeing a loss of 50lbs in a week. The operator says "Are you sure? This is our full-strength package and shouldn't be taken lightly." He insists that she sign him up. After all, if the other 2 packages were so good, imagine what this one will be like!
A couple of days later, he receives a knock at his door. He runs to answer it, and there stands a 7-foot bodybuilder, with a hard-on the size of a baseball bat. He's wearing nothing but a pair of running shoes and a sign around his neck.
The sign reads "If I catch you, you're mine..."
A couple of days later, there is a knock at the door. He opens it to be met by a gorgeous, athletic brunette in her early 20s. She is wearing nothing but a pair of running shoes and a sign round her neck with the words "If you catch me, I'm yours." She then runs off, and the man gives chase. It takes him a while but eventually he cathces her, and it's worth all the breathlessness and pulled muscles. This carries on every morning for the whole week, and he is over the moon when he weighs himself and finds he has indeed lost 10lbs!
He calls the company back and orders the next package up, guaranteeing a loss of 20lbs in a week. He receives a knock at the door, and he is met by a tall statuesque blonde. She is wearing nothing but a pair of running shoes and a sign round her neck with the words "If you catch me, I'm yours." She then runs off, and the man gives chase. She is very fast and he runs at full pace all day to catch her, but eventually he does and has the time of his life. His heart is pounding and he can barely breathe, but it's all worth it. This carries on every morning for the whole week, and he can't contain his joy when he weighs himself and finds he has indeed lost 20lbs as promised!
He calls the company again and orders their full-strength package, guaranteeing a loss of 50lbs in a week. The operator says "Are you sure? This is our full-strength package and shouldn't be taken lightly." He insists that she sign him up. After all, if the other 2 packages were so good, imagine what this one will be like!
A couple of days later, he receives a knock at his door. He runs to answer it, and there stands a 7-foot bodybuilder, with a hard-on the size of a baseball bat. He's wearing nothing but a pair of running shoes and a sign around his neck.
The sign reads "If I catch you, you're mine..."
Check out this multimedia player I came across very cool idea
Check out this multimedia player I came across... Really cool idea. Now I can play all of my downloaded videos and music on my TV"
Mvix (MV-5000U) Multimedia Center is the next evolution in portable entertainment. It enables you to enjoy your favorite movies, home videos, music and digital photo files on your TV or home-theater system. It is a highly customizable, scaleable and portable multimedia center with an ability to render dozens of video, audio and digital image (i.e. JPEG) formats over your TV, projector or home-theater system. It uses a 3.5" HDD (not included) and it works just like an external USB 2.0 hard drive when you connect it to your PC. The MV-5000U has an internal FM Transmitter module to broadcast audio through FM frequency (four channels). It makes a versatile music player for your car... and a highly portable, on-demand, personal radio station!!
more info can be found by clicking here
Mvix (MV-5000U) Multimedia Center is the next evolution in portable entertainment. It enables you to enjoy your favorite movies, home videos, music and digital photo files on your TV or home-theater system. It is a highly customizable, scaleable and portable multimedia center with an ability to render dozens of video, audio and digital image (i.e. JPEG) formats over your TV, projector or home-theater system. It uses a 3.5" HDD (not included) and it works just like an external USB 2.0 hard drive when you connect it to your PC. The MV-5000U has an internal FM Transmitter module to broadcast audio through FM frequency (four channels). It makes a versatile music player for your car... and a highly portable, on-demand, personal radio station!!
more info can be found by clicking here
COPS KILL MAN ON HIS wedding day because he is black
NEW YORK - Police shot three young men who had just left a bachelor party at a strip club early today, killing one man on the day of his wedding, according to police and witnesses. One of the survivors was in critical condition.
The shooting happened just after 4 a.m. near Club Kalua in Queens, said Officer Kathleen Price. She said there were no reports that any officers were wounded.
It was not immediately clear what sparked the shooting. As many as eight officers may have been involved, said Sgt. Mike Wysokowski, another department spokesman.
"All I know, they was celebrating," said Denise Ford, who said her son was one of the survivors. She said the man who died was the groom. "The guy was getting married today."
Relatives said the dead man was Sean Bell, 23.
Robert Porter, who identified himself as Bell's first cousin, said he was supposed to be a DJ at the wedding.
"I still don't want to believe it, a beautiful day like this, and he was going to have a beautiful wedding, he was going to live forever with his wife and children. And this happened," Porter said.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said family members told him that there were no guns in the young mens' car and "there was no reason for the police to shoot."
"On the face of it, it seems to me to be certainly something that causes extreme alarm and must be thoroughly investigated," said Sharpton, who said he was called by a relative of the man who died.
Abraham Kamara, 38, who lives a few blocks from the scene of the shooting, said he was getting ready for work when he heard gunfire.
"First it was like four shots," he said. "And then it was like pop-pop-pop like 12 times."
Roy Brown, who said he works as a photographer at the club, said sirens sounded not long after the three men left the club.
"They weren't rowdy or nothing like that," said Brown, 57.
A message seeking comment was left at one phone listing for the club; another phone was not answered.
One of the wounded men was in critical condition at Mary Immaculate Hospital and the other was listed as stable.
The three men ranged in age from 23 to 31.
The shooting happened just after 4 a.m. near Club Kalua in Queens, said Officer Kathleen Price. She said there were no reports that any officers were wounded.
It was not immediately clear what sparked the shooting. As many as eight officers may have been involved, said Sgt. Mike Wysokowski, another department spokesman.
"All I know, they was celebrating," said Denise Ford, who said her son was one of the survivors. She said the man who died was the groom. "The guy was getting married today."
Relatives said the dead man was Sean Bell, 23.
Robert Porter, who identified himself as Bell's first cousin, said he was supposed to be a DJ at the wedding.
"I still don't want to believe it, a beautiful day like this, and he was going to have a beautiful wedding, he was going to live forever with his wife and children. And this happened," Porter said.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said family members told him that there were no guns in the young mens' car and "there was no reason for the police to shoot."
"On the face of it, it seems to me to be certainly something that causes extreme alarm and must be thoroughly investigated," said Sharpton, who said he was called by a relative of the man who died.
Abraham Kamara, 38, who lives a few blocks from the scene of the shooting, said he was getting ready for work when he heard gunfire.
"First it was like four shots," he said. "And then it was like pop-pop-pop like 12 times."
Roy Brown, who said he works as a photographer at the club, said sirens sounded not long after the three men left the club.
"They weren't rowdy or nothing like that," said Brown, 57.
A message seeking comment was left at one phone listing for the club; another phone was not answered.
One of the wounded men was in critical condition at Mary Immaculate Hospital and the other was listed as stable.
The three men ranged in age from 23 to 31.
Wild Sex 101 S&M clubs, nude parties, porn, X-rated romps rule at Columbia University
Nov 26 - Wild Sex 101 S&M clubs, nude parties, porn, X-rated romps rule at Columbia University
Famed as a hotbed of debate over academic freedom, New York's most elite school is also a playpen for sexual hijinks, sophomoric antics and the wacky indulgences of the children of the rich.
While their parents shell out $33,246 a year in tuition, Columbia University students doff their clothes at naked parties, flock to sex toys workshops, broadcast porn on campus TV, bake anatomically correct pies for the "Erotic Cake-Baking Contest" and heat up the steps of the Low Library in a mass makeout session called the "Big Kiss."
And of course, there's always the stimulating game, "Guess the Number of Condoms in the Jelly-Bean Jar."
Others volunteer for the bullwhip at Conversio Virium, the university-sanctioned S&M club that means "exchange of power" in Latin. It calls itself a "discussion group" that provides "education and peer support" and promotes "safe, sane and consensual play." But the club doesn't just talk.
Late on the night of Nov. 13, a Daily News reporter sat in room 303 of Hamilton Hall, a venerable classroom building where Columbia students have studied Poe, Plato and Plutarch for nearly 100 years.
As a female student volunteer stood facing the blackboard, and two dozen Columbians watched, a lecturer who identified himself only as Dov flogged her repeatedly with leather whips, rubber hoses - and a cat-o'-nine-tails.
"I'm Dov, and these are my toys," he said, and for the next 14 minutes he demonstrated lashing techniques. The activity was consensual, but the squeals of delight mingled with the occasional yelps of pain.
Columbia would make no specific comment on the club or the flogging incident. Ivy Leaguers were unaware the reporter was in attendance. Dov is not employed by the school, which doesn't police or censor club activities.
Referring only to student organizations generally, spokesman Robert Hornsby said the "university has a limited role in regulating student speech or private conduct."
The result: Columbia Gone Wild.
New York's Smartest still dream of winning a Nobel Prize. And bookworms still pull all-nighters in the Butler Library. But the 2 million-volume monument to the mind, which stays open 24 hours a day, doubles as a temple of earthier desires.
"Having sex in the stacks of Butler Library is one of the ultimate Columbia experiences," said Miriam Datskovsky, the sex columnist for The Spectator, the student newspaper.
"There's very little dating. It's predominately a hookup scene," said the 21-year-old, a senior from an Orthodox Jewish background who writes the "Sexplorations" column.
"Everything is so much easier and so much quicker - you go to dinner and then have sex," she added.
Consider the party scene. But it's no reason to get dressed up. In fact, there's no reason to get dressed at all: The merrymakers of Morningside Heights host naked parties, lingerie-only parties - and the more bourgeois "clothing-optional parties with naked rooms."
And taxpayers indirectly foot a chunk of the tab because bond offerings and loans from the state Dormitory Authority and federal Department of Education partially fund the renovation of dorms where naked frolickers muster.
Columbia wouldn't comment on this use of university space. Lee Bollinger, the school's $779,673-a-year president and a world-class expert on free speech, wasn't available.
The soirees aren't exactly orgies: "It's more like naked students sitting around drinking martinis, defying societal conventions and trying to act nonchalant at the same time," said Birk Oxholm, a religion major who graduated last year.
"They're trying to act like it's not about sex. But they're not really succeeding," he added.
One hostess, who staged a Halloween-themed "Naked Witches & Warlocks Party" last month, called it a "great unshackling from the clothing that so defines and imprisons us." But it was a "sex-neutral event," she said.
The same cannot be said of several X-rated campus happenings:
"Sex Toys 101." The university's Health Services division teamed up with Toys in Babeland, a SoHo sex shop, to host a sex toys workshop in John Jay Hall on Feb. 15.
Though it was part of "Safer Sex Week," the playthings on display on W. 114th St. included bondage and S&M tools like whips, paddles, "floggers" and "slappers."
"Sexhibition." The annual campus sex fair, held in April, featured phallic ring toss games, orgasm-for-beginners workshops and discreet liaisons in the "Tent of Consent."
"Thug Play with Princess Wendy." Another session of the S&M club, taking place Oct. 30 in Hamilton Hall, was advertised as "beating, punching and slamming boys into lockers, and why bullies are so so so much fun!"
The speaker discussed "boot service," the "fine art of humiliation" and how a $5 meat mallet can be used as a toy. But "Princess Wendy" also provided safety tips, counseling students to avoid kicking one another in the kidneys and spine.
"I like to hurt people," she said. "I don't like to send them to the hospital."
She also advised some 30 devotees, "If you're new to kicking and trampling, start out slow."
Conversio Virium's officers declined to address questions. Columbia's student activities coordinator, a university employee who advises the club, didn't respond to an e-mail.
But the Baltimore-based National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, which advocates for S&M groups, contacted The News at the request of the students.
"Educating people about the safest flogging techniques so they don't accidentally strike the kidneys is responsible behavior," said spokeswoman Susan Wright. "Basically, what they're doing is S&M 101."
"Smut TV." CTV, Columbia's in-house, student-run TV station, has a faculty adviser, uses school equipment and space, gets $5,021 a year in student activity fees - and is hungry for new viewers.
So at 10 p.m. on Oct. 17, it entered the hard-core porn business: Broadcasting into scores of dorms and lounges, it aired a five-minute clip, downloaded from the Internet, of a naked couple engaged in sex.
The footage ran during a sex advice show called "Sexiled" - which is student slang for getting kicked out of one's room so a roommate can have sex - and even some jaded Columbians who'd tuned in said they were offended.
CTV, which isn't edited, censored or monitored by the administration, said in a statement that airing porn was a "lapse of judgment." It was "inconsistent with broadcast standards" and won't happen again, said Alisa Gross and Nihar Shah, CTV's student co-presidents.
"The Naked Run." In the chill of November, at the stroke of midnight, a group of exhibitionists, led by the track team, dons running sneakers - and nothing else - for a sprint down College Walk and up Broadway.
So does anything go at Columbia? Actually, no. Flogging and bondage are accepted, but the school apparently draws the line at another form of communication between the sexes: love letters.
They were good enough for Cleopatra, who sent them to Mark Antony, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who exchanged them with his wife, Zelda. But Columbia University Health Services lists love letters as a form of nonphysical sexual harassment, according to its Web site.
"What's next for Columbia? Objecting to a little ankle?" said Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a nonpartisan free speech watchdog group that examines academia.
Famed as a hotbed of debate over academic freedom, New York's most elite school is also a playpen for sexual hijinks, sophomoric antics and the wacky indulgences of the children of the rich.
While their parents shell out $33,246 a year in tuition, Columbia University students doff their clothes at naked parties, flock to sex toys workshops, broadcast porn on campus TV, bake anatomically correct pies for the "Erotic Cake-Baking Contest" and heat up the steps of the Low Library in a mass makeout session called the "Big Kiss."
And of course, there's always the stimulating game, "Guess the Number of Condoms in the Jelly-Bean Jar."
Others volunteer for the bullwhip at Conversio Virium, the university-sanctioned S&M club that means "exchange of power" in Latin. It calls itself a "discussion group" that provides "education and peer support" and promotes "safe, sane and consensual play." But the club doesn't just talk.
Late on the night of Nov. 13, a Daily News reporter sat in room 303 of Hamilton Hall, a venerable classroom building where Columbia students have studied Poe, Plato and Plutarch for nearly 100 years.
As a female student volunteer stood facing the blackboard, and two dozen Columbians watched, a lecturer who identified himself only as Dov flogged her repeatedly with leather whips, rubber hoses - and a cat-o'-nine-tails.
"I'm Dov, and these are my toys," he said, and for the next 14 minutes he demonstrated lashing techniques. The activity was consensual, but the squeals of delight mingled with the occasional yelps of pain.
Columbia would make no specific comment on the club or the flogging incident. Ivy Leaguers were unaware the reporter was in attendance. Dov is not employed by the school, which doesn't police or censor club activities.
Referring only to student organizations generally, spokesman Robert Hornsby said the "university has a limited role in regulating student speech or private conduct."
The result: Columbia Gone Wild.
New York's Smartest still dream of winning a Nobel Prize. And bookworms still pull all-nighters in the Butler Library. But the 2 million-volume monument to the mind, which stays open 24 hours a day, doubles as a temple of earthier desires.
"Having sex in the stacks of Butler Library is one of the ultimate Columbia experiences," said Miriam Datskovsky, the sex columnist for The Spectator, the student newspaper.
"There's very little dating. It's predominately a hookup scene," said the 21-year-old, a senior from an Orthodox Jewish background who writes the "Sexplorations" column.
"Everything is so much easier and so much quicker - you go to dinner and then have sex," she added.
Consider the party scene. But it's no reason to get dressed up. In fact, there's no reason to get dressed at all: The merrymakers of Morningside Heights host naked parties, lingerie-only parties - and the more bourgeois "clothing-optional parties with naked rooms."
And taxpayers indirectly foot a chunk of the tab because bond offerings and loans from the state Dormitory Authority and federal Department of Education partially fund the renovation of dorms where naked frolickers muster.
Columbia wouldn't comment on this use of university space. Lee Bollinger, the school's $779,673-a-year president and a world-class expert on free speech, wasn't available.
The soirees aren't exactly orgies: "It's more like naked students sitting around drinking martinis, defying societal conventions and trying to act nonchalant at the same time," said Birk Oxholm, a religion major who graduated last year.
"They're trying to act like it's not about sex. But they're not really succeeding," he added.
One hostess, who staged a Halloween-themed "Naked Witches & Warlocks Party" last month, called it a "great unshackling from the clothing that so defines and imprisons us." But it was a "sex-neutral event," she said.
The same cannot be said of several X-rated campus happenings:
"Sex Toys 101." The university's Health Services division teamed up with Toys in Babeland, a SoHo sex shop, to host a sex toys workshop in John Jay Hall on Feb. 15.
Though it was part of "Safer Sex Week," the playthings on display on W. 114th St. included bondage and S&M tools like whips, paddles, "floggers" and "slappers."
"Sexhibition." The annual campus sex fair, held in April, featured phallic ring toss games, orgasm-for-beginners workshops and discreet liaisons in the "Tent of Consent."
"Thug Play with Princess Wendy." Another session of the S&M club, taking place Oct. 30 in Hamilton Hall, was advertised as "beating, punching and slamming boys into lockers, and why bullies are so so so much fun!"
The speaker discussed "boot service," the "fine art of humiliation" and how a $5 meat mallet can be used as a toy. But "Princess Wendy" also provided safety tips, counseling students to avoid kicking one another in the kidneys and spine.
"I like to hurt people," she said. "I don't like to send them to the hospital."
She also advised some 30 devotees, "If you're new to kicking and trampling, start out slow."
Conversio Virium's officers declined to address questions. Columbia's student activities coordinator, a university employee who advises the club, didn't respond to an e-mail.
But the Baltimore-based National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, which advocates for S&M groups, contacted The News at the request of the students.
"Educating people about the safest flogging techniques so they don't accidentally strike the kidneys is responsible behavior," said spokeswoman Susan Wright. "Basically, what they're doing is S&M 101."
"Smut TV." CTV, Columbia's in-house, student-run TV station, has a faculty adviser, uses school equipment and space, gets $5,021 a year in student activity fees - and is hungry for new viewers.
So at 10 p.m. on Oct. 17, it entered the hard-core porn business: Broadcasting into scores of dorms and lounges, it aired a five-minute clip, downloaded from the Internet, of a naked couple engaged in sex.
The footage ran during a sex advice show called "Sexiled" - which is student slang for getting kicked out of one's room so a roommate can have sex - and even some jaded Columbians who'd tuned in said they were offended.
CTV, which isn't edited, censored or monitored by the administration, said in a statement that airing porn was a "lapse of judgment." It was "inconsistent with broadcast standards" and won't happen again, said Alisa Gross and Nihar Shah, CTV's student co-presidents.
"The Naked Run." In the chill of November, at the stroke of midnight, a group of exhibitionists, led by the track team, dons running sneakers - and nothing else - for a sprint down College Walk and up Broadway.
So does anything go at Columbia? Actually, no. Flogging and bondage are accepted, but the school apparently draws the line at another form of communication between the sexes: love letters.
They were good enough for Cleopatra, who sent them to Mark Antony, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who exchanged them with his wife, Zelda. But Columbia University Health Services lists love letters as a form of nonphysical sexual harassment, according to its Web site.
"What's next for Columbia? Objecting to a little ankle?" said Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a nonpartisan free speech watchdog group that examines academia.
A man fatally shot his friend with a high-powered rifle in a dispute over a $20 bet
LEXINGTON, A man fatally shot his friend with a high-powered rifle in a dispute over a $20 bet on the South Carolina-Clemson football game, authorities said Sunday.
James Walter Quick, 42, was charged with murder in the shooting of Richard Allen Johnson, 43. Johnson died from a single shot to the chest, according to a preliminary autopsy Sunday.
The two had bet $20 on the annual game, with Quick taking South Carolina, which won 31-28, and Johnson taking Clemson, Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said. They drank beer all afternoon and watched the game Saturday at Johnson's home, and began arguing about the bet after the game.
Metts said Quick went to his car, got the rifle he normally uses for hunting and fired one shot, hitting Johnson in the chest. Deputies arrested Quick.
Quick was being held Sunday in the Lexington County jail, awaiting a bail hearing. The sheriff's department said he did not yet have a lawyer.
James Walter Quick, 42, was charged with murder in the shooting of Richard Allen Johnson, 43. Johnson died from a single shot to the chest, according to a preliminary autopsy Sunday.
The two had bet $20 on the annual game, with Quick taking South Carolina, which won 31-28, and Johnson taking Clemson, Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said. They drank beer all afternoon and watched the game Saturday at Johnson's home, and began arguing about the bet after the game.
Metts said Quick went to his car, got the rifle he normally uses for hunting and fired one shot, hitting Johnson in the chest. Deputies arrested Quick.
Quick was being held Sunday in the Lexington County jail, awaiting a bail hearing. The sheriff's department said he did not yet have a lawyer.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Top Ten Most Dangerous Cities in the USA
10. Gary, IND
9. Youngstown, OH
8. Oakland, CA
7. Cleveland, OH
6. Birmingham, AL
5. Camden, NJ
4. Compton, CA
3. Flint, MICHIGAN
2. Detroit, MICHIGAN
1. St. Louis, MISSOURI
9. Youngstown, OH
8. Oakland, CA
7. Cleveland, OH
6. Birmingham, AL
5. Camden, NJ
4. Compton, CA
3. Flint, MICHIGAN
2. Detroit, MICHIGAN
1. St. Louis, MISSOURI
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Mother Russia - The new anti hooning destination of the world
This is a road in russia called "lena". It is 1000km long and connects the cities of yakutsk and nerungri (easten part of russia in the grey). It is the ONLY road between these 2 cities. During the 1000km you have to cross the lena river (winter by ice, summer by ferry)
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Jibbs feat. Chammillionaire - King Kong and snoop dogg on rap city 21 Nov
Jibbs feat. Chammillionaire - King Kong
snoop dogg on rap city 21 Nov
snoop dogg on rap city 21 Nov
2008 Acura/Honda NSX GREAT NEWS!!!!
Honda is focused on the development of a new model to succeed the NSX. Planned for 2008, Honda NSX should benefit from its experiment in F1 by proposing a V10 engine for the new car.
This addresses the single largest complaint about the original NSX, which has always been its lack of power.
Just like the old one, will be a technological window for Honda "This new sports car will be the first of a new generation" concluded the director of Honda, Takeo Fukui.
With the V10 the new NSX will be the most powerful honda ever made.The carmaker is aiming for the top in producing engines.
The new Honda/Acura NSX will move upmarket, and will target Aston Martin.
2008 NSX II will offer a 4.5 Liter V10 and a 3.6 V6 , all wheel drive with prices around $100,000.
The mid-engine Honda HSC concept from the 2003 Tokyo show the way toward the next NSX.
The use of Honda’s "Super Handling AWD" system is also a possibility.
SH-AWD is capable applying a greater percentage of overall torque to the rear wheels in aggressive driving situations.
The SH-AWD technology is fantastic for high performance vehicles. The technology was first used on Acura’s RL model. It worked so well, that they have decided to apply the technology to some of their more high-performance vehicles.
Honda plans to raise its global sales by nearly 25 percent over the next three years to four million vehicles a year.Its strategy is based around offering clean, economical models, more hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles.
The old one
Honda ended production of the NSX in 2005, 15 years after the first NSX was built. The last cars were built in September for the European market and December for North America. For most of its life, it was the most expensive Japanese car in many markets.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Very Creative Advertsiing image check it out lmao
this is one of the bets ads you will see....great work by the advertsiign agency
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Lmao guy 3500 mp's on forum clamining he has the full rights to mp3s from artists like 50 cent to anastacia lmao
lmao I saw this guy on digital point trying to sell off 3500 pirated mp3s at 20 bucks a pop check it out...he claims to have the full rights lol what a joke...
source
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=181216
source
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=181216
Friday, November 17, 2006
Nov 17 - 1 Shot In PS3 Waiting Line
1 Shot in Conn. PlayStation Waiting Line
Two armed thugs tried to rob of line of people waiting to buy the new Playstation 3 gaming console early Friday and shot one who refused to give up the money, authorities said.
The two confronted a 'bunch of people who were in line' outside a Wal-Mart store shortly after 3 a.m. and demanded money, said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a spokesman for the state police. The new Sony consoles are selling for around $500 to $600.
'One of the patron's resisted. That patron was shot,' Vance said.
He said the two gunmen fled, and the victim was taken to University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. There was no immediate word on the victim's condition.
Vance said police were searching for the suspects.
Short supplies of the PS3 and strong demand led to lines of buyers, some waiting for days, outside stores across the country.
In Palmdale, Calif., authorities shut down a Super Wal-Mart after some shoppers got rowdy late Wednesday. In West Bend, Wis., a 19-year-old man was injured when he ran into a pole racing with 50 others for one of 10 spots outside a Wal-Mart.
In Lexington, Ky., police were investigating a drive-by shooting that hit four people with BB pellets outside a Best Buy store, causing minor injuries, according to WKYT, whose own reporter was hit as she interviewed buyers in line.
A Best Buy in Boston, aware it had only 140 of the consoles, got smart - its employees gave out tickets to the first 140 people in line so everyone could go home.
Two armed thugs tried to rob of line of people waiting to buy the new Playstation 3 gaming console early Friday and shot one who refused to give up the money, authorities said.
The two confronted a 'bunch of people who were in line' outside a Wal-Mart store shortly after 3 a.m. and demanded money, said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a spokesman for the state police. The new Sony consoles are selling for around $500 to $600.
'One of the patron's resisted. That patron was shot,' Vance said.
He said the two gunmen fled, and the victim was taken to University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. There was no immediate word on the victim's condition.
Vance said police were searching for the suspects.
Short supplies of the PS3 and strong demand led to lines of buyers, some waiting for days, outside stores across the country.
In Palmdale, Calif., authorities shut down a Super Wal-Mart after some shoppers got rowdy late Wednesday. In West Bend, Wis., a 19-year-old man was injured when he ran into a pole racing with 50 others for one of 10 spots outside a Wal-Mart.
In Lexington, Ky., police were investigating a drive-by shooting that hit four people with BB pellets outside a Best Buy store, causing minor injuries, according to WKYT, whose own reporter was hit as she interviewed buyers in line.
A Best Buy in Boston, aware it had only 140 of the consoles, got smart - its employees gave out tickets to the first 140 people in line so everyone could go home.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Japanese tsunami warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A tsunami is expected to hit the north and east coasts of Japan, the country's meteorological agency says. The agency says the tsumami will be at least two metres (6.5 feet) high and could hit Hokkaido and Honshu islands after 1210 GMT.
Warnings are being broadcast on all TV channels and radio stations advising people to move to higher ground.
It comes after an earthquake of at least 7.7 magnitude hit the Kuril Islands, north of Japan.
The earthquake struck about 390km (240 miles) east of the Etorofu islands, at 1115 GMT, the meteorological agency said.
Other smaller waves may batter the Pacific coast of Japan over the next hour, the agency said.
Warnings are being broadcast on all TV channels and radio stations advising people to move to higher ground.
It comes after an earthquake of at least 7.7 magnitude hit the Kuril Islands, north of Japan.
The earthquake struck about 390km (240 miles) east of the Etorofu islands, at 1115 GMT, the meteorological agency said.
Other smaller waves may batter the Pacific coast of Japan over the next hour, the agency said.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Hunter kills the bear which bit his wife´s head off!
Hunter kills the bear which bit his wife´s head off!
A horrifying incident has recently occurred in Yakutia - inform Pravda. A bear invaded the house of Andrei Merkuriyev, a resident of the village of Iyengra. Merkuriyev’s wife was alone in the house. Merkuriyev, a professional hunter, was away in the woods checking his traps at the time.
The tracks near the house indicate that a woman tried to escape but failed. The bear caught her and killed her. The police found a decapitated body of the woman several meters away from the house.
The bear seemed to be lingering about the gory scene when Merkuriyev got back from the woods. He ran for his life into the nearby forest. The predator was chasing after the hunter, breathing down his neck. Merkuriyev had to turn around and confront the furious beast. He took out his knife and stuck it a few times into the bear.
brown bearThen the hunter stumbled and fell down on the icy ground. The bear was quick to leap on him. The man’s knitted hat and part of his ear were gone within the next moment. But the hunter managed to drive his knife into the heart of the beast while wriggling to break free. The bear’s grip loosened and Merkuriyev dealt another deadly blow.
The hunter used his axe to finish off the bear. Merkuriyev was later taken to hospital. He is in a stable condition now. The local media reported that Merkuriyev and his wife had worked for a geological party based in the above area.
According to results of the bear’s postmortem, the age of the animal was between 4 to 7 years. The bear was found to have no subcutaneous fat in his body. Experts indicate that the lack of fat can be explained by this year’s rather poor crop of mushrooms, berries and pine kernels in the woods. Consequently, the bear could not get enough food to gain a normal weight and lie low in his den for the winter.
The tragedy is the latest of three incidents involving bears showing their hostile instincts against residents of the Neryungrinski district. However, no one has been killed in the attacks until the latest case in the village of Iyengra. The hungry bears were reported to chase after the reindeer and break into the houses. Some locals had to climb the trees in panic, and reindeer tenders had to shoot at violent predators on several occasions.
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The tracks near the house indicate that a woman tried to escape but failed. The bear caught her and killed her. The police found a decapitated body of the woman several meters away from the house.
The bear seemed to be lingering about the gory scene when Merkuriyev got back from the woods. He ran for his life into the nearby forest. The predator was chasing after the hunter, breathing down his neck. Merkuriyev had to turn around and confront the furious beast. He took out his knife and stuck it a few times into the bear.
brown bearThen the hunter stumbled and fell down on the icy ground. The bear was quick to leap on him. The man’s knitted hat and part of his ear were gone within the next moment. But the hunter managed to drive his knife into the heart of the beast while wriggling to break free. The bear’s grip loosened and Merkuriyev dealt another deadly blow.
The hunter used his axe to finish off the bear. Merkuriyev was later taken to hospital. He is in a stable condition now. The local media reported that Merkuriyev and his wife had worked for a geological party based in the above area.
According to results of the bear’s postmortem, the age of the animal was between 4 to 7 years. The bear was found to have no subcutaneous fat in his body. Experts indicate that the lack of fat can be explained by this year’s rather poor crop of mushrooms, berries and pine kernels in the woods. Consequently, the bear could not get enough food to gain a normal weight and lie low in his den for the winter.
The tragedy is the latest of three incidents involving bears showing their hostile instincts against residents of the Neryungrinski district. However, no one has been killed in the attacks until the latest case in the village of Iyengra. The hungry bears were reported to chase after the reindeer and break into the houses. Some locals had to climb the trees in panic, and reindeer tenders had to shoot at violent predators on several occasions.
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3-month-old baby charged with robbery
Police charged a suspect after a bus driver was robbed of his fares, then realized the suspect was a 3-month old baby.
The boy, Parveen Kumar, had been listed along with his father on an initial charge sheet after the bus driver was robbed, police in the eastern Indian state of Bihar said Friday.
The baby had been charged with robbery, extortion and banditry, said local superintendent of police Rattan Sajai.
Though the robbery in the remote village of Muzzafarpur occurred Sept. 19, the fact that a prime suspect was an infant only came to light recently when police launched their investigation, Sanjai said.
Police blamed the bus driver, saying he reported the baby as a conspirator because of a personal grudge he had with the father.
The charges against the boy have since been dropped, Sanjai said.
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The boy, Parveen Kumar, had been listed along with his father on an initial charge sheet after the bus driver was robbed, police in the eastern Indian state of Bihar said Friday.
The baby had been charged with robbery, extortion and banditry, said local superintendent of police Rattan Sajai.
Though the robbery in the remote village of Muzzafarpur occurred Sept. 19, the fact that a prime suspect was an infant only came to light recently when police launched their investigation, Sanjai said.
Police blamed the bus driver, saying he reported the baby as a conspirator because of a personal grudge he had with the father.
The charges against the boy have since been dropped, Sanjai said.
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Greyhound Bus Dumps Waste Tank On Family Vehicle
A family is suing Greyhound Bus Lines after one of its buses dumped its sanitary tank, in the middle of the highway, covering the family and vehicle in human waste.
According to the Toledo Blade, the family was identified as Robert and Angela Stokes and their three children.
The reports said the family was on their way home, when the Greyhound bus in front of them suddenly dumped its sanitary tank. The family was covered in feces, urine and toilet paper.
Robert Bryce, the lawyer for the Stokes said, "My client was driving in heavy traffic. They had nowhere to go. What can you do?''
He said that despite being covered with waste, Stokes followed the bus to secure its license plate and registration number.
The Stokes are demanding $287,000 in damages for their Ford Explorer and their clothing, as well as medical treatment and test for infectious diseases.
The insurance firm which insures the vehicle has declared the Ford Explorer a total loss because the stench and filth could not be removed even though the interior was steam-cleaned several times.
source
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According to the Toledo Blade, the family was identified as Robert and Angela Stokes and their three children.
The reports said the family was on their way home, when the Greyhound bus in front of them suddenly dumped its sanitary tank. The family was covered in feces, urine and toilet paper.
Robert Bryce, the lawyer for the Stokes said, "My client was driving in heavy traffic. They had nowhere to go. What can you do?''
He said that despite being covered with waste, Stokes followed the bus to secure its license plate and registration number.
The Stokes are demanding $287,000 in damages for their Ford Explorer and their clothing, as well as medical treatment and test for infectious diseases.
The insurance firm which insures the vehicle has declared the Ford Explorer a total loss because the stench and filth could not be removed even though the interior was steam-cleaned several times.
source
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Monday, November 13, 2006
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all information on:
* Medical Advice is a web site which aims to offer our viewers up to date information on medical related problems.
* We will offer vast Medical Advice on various medical problems and give you basic definitions and answers to common medical problems.
* We strongly advise that if the problem is serious please consult your local GP.
* We currently have details information on the following problems - Cardiology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Haematology, infectious Disease, Nephrology and oncology we will be updating out resources list every week.
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why paypal sucks, this guy lost 10 grand because of them!!!
here is his story -
so i signed up in paypal and account is fully verfied and i'm from usa.
I have been selling digital download products and streaming videos, at a month i had sales of around $3,000 and how stupid i was not to take out the money off paypal. so what i did was kept my money in paypal without withdrawl and i kept the money in paypal for 2-3 months without and my total sales added up to around $10k. So finally i decided to withdawl the full balance when i requested the transfer after a day paypal reversed the payment and put a hold on my account, so paypal emailed me saying i have to send my photo id + address verification. i'm like ok and i sent all the documents, then they restored the account and my 2nd attempt to to take out the money they again reversed the money back. and put my account status to limited. Now they called me asked me what kind of buisness i run, etc etc etc. So i have told them everything, but what they said was my buisness was highly risky to them and they wont release my funds, their terms of services says i have to wait for 180 days before they can release my money, i had a big argument with them but they wont release the money, so that was it, also one of their paypal guy told me they might release a portion of the funds after few months if i dont have any chargebacks, so i emailed them after 2 months and no reply at all they just stoped replying to emails.
Now its been like 5 months they are not releasing my funds , i have to wait 1 more month to get my money back from them. in the past 5 months i dont have a single chargeback on my account. So what was their point ? Just kept my money for no reason.
This things happend to lotta people i suggest u stay off from paypal if u have big sales, they steal ur money. There's also a site with full of people's phone tap talking to paypal customer services where they deny ur rights, paypal also said they wont ever close ur account, and keeep ur credit card information and Bank information. So basically they are saying u can't terminate ur account with them. Thats just wrong when u open an account u can close it there has to be an end. But they refused that.
Here's the site for ur research on why not to use paypal, and check out real people's experience with paypal with phone conversation.
http://www.paypalsucks.com
I suggest u guys check out google Checkout.
so i signed up in paypal and account is fully verfied and i'm from usa.
I have been selling digital download products and streaming videos, at a month i had sales of around $3,000 and how stupid i was not to take out the money off paypal. so what i did was kept my money in paypal without withdrawl and i kept the money in paypal for 2-3 months without and my total sales added up to around $10k. So finally i decided to withdawl the full balance when i requested the transfer after a day paypal reversed the payment and put a hold on my account, so paypal emailed me saying i have to send my photo id + address verification. i'm like ok and i sent all the documents, then they restored the account and my 2nd attempt to to take out the money they again reversed the money back. and put my account status to limited. Now they called me asked me what kind of buisness i run, etc etc etc. So i have told them everything, but what they said was my buisness was highly risky to them and they wont release my funds, their terms of services says i have to wait for 180 days before they can release my money, i had a big argument with them but they wont release the money, so that was it, also one of their paypal guy told me they might release a portion of the funds after few months if i dont have any chargebacks, so i emailed them after 2 months and no reply at all they just stoped replying to emails.
Now its been like 5 months they are not releasing my funds , i have to wait 1 more month to get my money back from them. in the past 5 months i dont have a single chargeback on my account. So what was their point ? Just kept my money for no reason.
This things happend to lotta people i suggest u stay off from paypal if u have big sales, they steal ur money. There's also a site with full of people's phone tap talking to paypal customer services where they deny ur rights, paypal also said they wont ever close ur account, and keeep ur credit card information and Bank information. So basically they are saying u can't terminate ur account with them. Thats just wrong when u open an account u can close it there has to be an end. But they refused that.
Here's the site for ur research on why not to use paypal, and check out real people's experience with paypal with phone conversation.
http://www.paypalsucks.com
I suggest u guys check out google Checkout.
Driver 'arms himself with snake' only in the AUSTRALIAN outback lols
A DRIVER has allegedly threatened police with a live snake he grabbed off the road after he was pulled over by officers in Darwin.
A Toyota Landcruiser carrying five passengers was noticed swerving along Amy Johnson Avenue about midnight on Saturday, police said.
Two constables at Marrara allegedly pulled the car over and gave the driver a breath test, which registered 0.131.
They then questioned the man, who ran onto the road and allegedly picked up a live snake.
“The driver allegedly armed himself with a live snake, pointed the head of the reptile at them and threatened them,” police said in a statement.
The officers told the man to drop the snake, but he ran into bushland still carrying it.
A man alleged to be the driver is to be summonsed on charges of exceeding the .08 per cent blood-alcohol level and driving unregistered vehicle.
He is due to appear in Darwin Magistrates Court at a later date.
source
A Toyota Landcruiser carrying five passengers was noticed swerving along Amy Johnson Avenue about midnight on Saturday, police said.
Two constables at Marrara allegedly pulled the car over and gave the driver a breath test, which registered 0.131.
They then questioned the man, who ran onto the road and allegedly picked up a live snake.
“The driver allegedly armed himself with a live snake, pointed the head of the reptile at them and threatened them,” police said in a statement.
The officers told the man to drop the snake, but he ran into bushland still carrying it.
A man alleged to be the driver is to be summonsed on charges of exceeding the .08 per cent blood-alcohol level and driving unregistered vehicle.
He is due to appear in Darwin Magistrates Court at a later date.
source
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