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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

This awww precious moment brought to you by Nam Choke, an 8-year old bull elephant and Boonrawd, a 7-year old cow elephant in Thailand. Link

See more of Joel Esler's Somniloquism: Link

Oliver is a student at the University of Plymouth who thought up this chore-busting idea for his final degree project.

The machine washes, dries and irons clothes in separate compartments and is said to eliminate colour runs, shrinkage and ironing.

It can tackle up to 16 items at a time, including king-size bed sheets.

Because hangers are used, they do not become entangled and have 83% fewer creases, according to the designer. The items are then dried and ironed by hot air blown across them.

It's what housewives really want for Valentine's: Link

Roses cost a lot of money on Valentine's Day - instead, make your own origami paper roses (just 42 easy steps!)

Link (via Metafilter)

BadCupid has some naughty candy heart sayings: Link

Straight from the website:

Like the ubiquitous candy "conversation" hearts, "BitterSweets(tm)" are made of flavored, chalky-tasting sugar and sport a message on their face. But unlike other candy hearts, ours are stamped with bitter musings and mockeries perfectly suited to the dejected spirits of those who will spend the holiday alone, or wishing they were.

Messages recalling an almost forgotten, unbearably painful memory of being dumped. Or perhaps of a dysfunctional, psychotic ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. Or of that cruel-hearted girl (or boy) in elementary school who rejected your valentine solicitations, informing you that Jake (or Holly) was "so totally way hotter."

Link

Canon 3D Papercraft has two free download guide on how to make a pop-up chocolate cake and heart card, right on time for Valentine's Day. http://cp.c-ij.com/english/ (via Paper Forest)