Archive for February 15th, 2006




Creepy Couple Wed, Consummated Union in a Coffin.

Posted by Alex in Everything Else on February 15, 2006 at 10:05 pm

The creepy couple of Thailand – the Scorpion Queen and Centipede King made good on their promise to wed on Valentine’s Day. (blogged previously here)

Kanchana’s bridal gown on Tuesday was adorned with live scorpions, while Bunthawee enticed his bride by placing a centipede in his mouth.

They held a traditional Thai ceremony in which elders blessed the couple with holy water. Each couple then climbed into a coffin to symbolically consummate their union.

Link

 
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No Titanium Rod? McGuyver Surgeon Used Screwdriver Instead!

Posted by Alex in Science & Tech on February 15, 2006 at 10:04 pm

Dr. Robert Ricketson of Hilo Medical Center, Hawaii ran out of titanium rods when he was operating on Arturo Iturralde’s neck.

So, he decided to use a screwdriver instead!

Ricketson said he did not feel he could risk keeping the man under anesthetic with an unstable spine for any longer so he made the decision to substitute the rods with a screwdriver, according to the report.

Link

 
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Secret US Germ Testing Program in the 1950s.

Posted by Alex in Weapons & War on February 15, 2006 at 2:00 am

From the website:

Fifty years ago, American scientists were in a frantic race to counter what they saw as the Soviet threat from germ warfare. Biological pathogens they developed were tested on volunteers from a pacifist church and were also released in public places.

See more at BBC’s article about its documentary (called Hotel Anthrax) on America’s secret germ program: Link

 
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Nepal Buddha Boy Burst Into Flame?

Posted by Alex in Religion on February 15, 2006 at 1:52 am

Ram Bamjan, dubbed the Nepal Buddha Boy, apparently spontaneously burst into flames and it was caught on video.

For the past nine months, the 15-year-old has sat, meditating at the base of a peepal tree in Nepal’s Bara District, without food, water, sleep or the need to use the toilet. If that was not remarkable enough, on January 19, he spontaneously combusted, burning off the clothes he has worn for nine months but leaving no scars. Lest there be doubters, his followers caught that combustion on video and plan to present the footage, seen by The Age, at a news conference in Kathmandu, soon.

Why haven’t we seen this footage? And why isn’t this settled once and for all?

Link to News Article | Past blog posts on Neatorama if you need a refresher.

 
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Cave Arts = Teenager Grafitti.

Posted by Alex in Science & Tech on February 15, 2006 at 1:48 am

Dale Guthrie analyzed thousands of cave wall arts and discovered that many are actually today’s equivalent of grafitti done by teenagers!

"In the graffiti, there is a lot of below-the-belt-art," Guthrie said. "The people in the art are predominantly women, and not a single one has any clothes on."

But these weren’t just any women, they were Pleistocene Pamela Andersons adorned with ludicrously huge breasts and hips. The walls were also decorated with graphic depictions of genitalia.

It seems that we haven’t evolved that much after all: Link

 
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Wild Men in Schleicherlaufen Festival.

Posted by Alex in Pictures on February 15, 2006 at 1:42 am

"Wild Men" in tree lichen costumes celebrating Schleicherlaufen, a festival of winter’s end, in Telfs, Austria. Link

 
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German Inflationary Notgeld Banknotes.

Posted by Alex in Everything Else on February 15, 2006 at 1:41 am

After World War I, Germany suffered a period of hyper-inflation and the Reichsmark practically became worthless.

So, the government issued notgeld (or "emergency money") notes, sometimes with extremely large denominations like 100,000,000,000,000 marks. (That’s 100 trillion marks!).

Richard Holmes’ Notgeld Collection | Ron Wise’s Notgeld Collection

 
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Democracy, Vernon Style.

Posted by Alex in Politics on February 15, 2006 at 1:38 am

The industrial city Vernon in Los Angeles County has only 93 residents, but it has its own utilities company that makes millions selling gas & electricity to local businesses.

There are fewer than 60 registered voters there, and almost all are either city employees or related to city officials. The elected officials in Vernon haven’t faced an opposition in 30 years – in fact, every four years, they cancel the election!

Last month, after moving in just for a few days, 3 newcomers filed to run for office. Within days, they were evicted and disqualified from the ballot by city officials, who accused the men of electioneering and subterfuge.

Within days, city utility trucks had turned off their power. The building they shared was slapped with red tags by inspectors who said the property was "unsafe and dangerous" as a residence. Strobe lights flashed through their windows. They and some of their relatives were placed under surveillance. Shortly, city police and other officials drilled holes in the locks and evicted the would-be office-seekers.

It’s a bizzare story, and it’s only here in Los Angeles.

Here’s democracy in action, Vernon style: Link to a very interesting LA Times Article by Hector Becerra.

 
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