Friday, October 22, 2010

Woman drives around with corpse in car for months before being discovered

Remember Weekend at Bernie’s ?

I just ran across this true, but bizarre, news story.

 

A California woman drove for nearly a year with a dead body in her passenger seat…

You might ask “Didn’t she…aaahhh smell anything?” Apparently she did because police found a box of baking soda next to the decaying corpse. Isn’t that special?

The woman who carted the mummified remains around - like a scene out of Weekend with Bernie’s - is a 57 year-old real estate agent. She befriended the woman letting her sleep in her car because she was homeless.

When she died, the real estate agent didn’t know what to do and just covered her up. An interesting reaction to say the least. She put a blanket over her and proceeded to drive around for 10 months until accidently discovered.

One investigating police officer observed that she must have gotten use to the smell. How does a person get use to the very ripe small of a decaying corpse? I know it would take a lot more than one box of baking soda (a mountain wouldn’t suffice!).

Just another case of truth being at least as strange as fiction! 

The X name: candidates paint opponents as ‘extreme’

   

No matter what your political views may be, if you’re in a contested race for federal office this cycle, someone, somewhere, is probably calling you “extreme.”

Candidates of all stripes seek to label opponents 'extreme'

Reader profile: visitors are coming back in big numbers

Today’s featured reader is from Wroclaw: a city and administrative centre for Dolnoslaskie, Poland

The viewer spend 15 minutes with “As It Stands” this morning. With the return of school, I’ve seen a marked increase in readership. This blog is now averaging about 1200 daily visitors.

“As It Stands” is nearing the quarter million mark after two years online. It’s been fun, and I expect it will continue to be. Thanks to all the recent readers who have been returning to the fold once school started.

Wrocław [ˈvrɔt​͡swaf] ( listen) (German: Breslau (Ltspkr.png listen)) is the chief city in south-western Poland, situated on the River Oder (Polish: Odra). Wrocław is the capital of Silesia and, also of Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been either part of Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia or Germany. According to official population figures for June 2009, its population is 632,240, making it the fourth largest city in Poland.

The city's name was first recorded in the year 1000 by Thietmar's Latin chronicle called Thietmari Merseburgensis episcopi Chronicon as Wrotizlawa. The first municipal seal stated Sigillum civitatis Wratislavie. A simplified name is given, in 1175, as Wrezlaw, Prezla or Breslaw. The Czech spelling was used in Latin documents as Wratislavia or Vratislavia. At that time, Prezla was used in Middle High German, which became Preßlau. In the middle of the 14th century the Early New High German (and later New High German) form of the name Breslau began to replace its earlier versions.

The city is traditionally believed to be named after Wrocisław or Vratislav, often believed to be Duke Vratislaus I of Bohemia. It is also possible that the city was named after the tribal duke of the Silesians or after an early ruler of the city called Vratislav.

Man with first mind-controlled bionic arm dies after car crash

Image: Christian Kandlbauer

Remains unclear whether a fault with the prosthetic was to blame

“An Austrian man who lost both his arms in an accident but was able to drive because of a mind-controlled prosthetic has died after a car crash, a doctor said Friday.”

PHOTO - Christian Kandlbauer, who lost both of his arms in a high voltage accident, and makes the journey to his place of work in September.

Opps! 'World's most advanced' nuke sub runs aground!

Image: HMS AstuteBritish vessel is said to be 'virtually undetectable' — normally

I would hate to be the captain of this $1 Billion dollar sub right now.

This isn’t exactly the kind of PR the British want for their “World’s most advanced sub.”

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Check out this great MSN video: Clown elected to Brazil Congress

Check out this great MSN video: Clown elected to Brazil Congress

Behind the Redwood Curtain: my local candidate endorsements…

Note: all three of my picks are write-in candidates, but don’t let that bother you. At least, they’re honest about being clowns…unlike their competition.

For District Attorney: Oboy the Clown (left). He’s never lied about his qualifications for being a DA or claimed to be a college professor. He’s never lost a court case, or gone surfing.

For Assessor: Bobo the Clown (right). Beside being a snappy dresser, Bobo doesn’t have “good old boy’ ties going back five generations, which means some new blood might turn this office around.

Finally, for Healthcare District: Meme the Clown (left) She’s another newcomer with no political agenda who just likes people and makes them laugh. She won’t do any worse than her predecessors!

ROAD MARVELS: extraordinary cars from before the war

Talbot-Lago T150 C Figoni et Falaschi 'Goutte d'Eau'

4 liter 6 cylinder in line engine.

Only 16 units built.

Valued at $3 million US

Go here to see more stunning examples of auto craftsmanship from the 1930s.

Toad-al shock: Couple find frog in bag of frozen veggies

Image: Frog in vegetables

What’s going on? Frogs are turning up in bottles of wine (see recent post below) and in bags of veggies. Is this some sinister conspiracy against frogs?

Most important, what happened to the frog? It sounds like he woke up to a screaming woman who re-sealed him back up in the bag!

This chilling tale of unexpected protein has changed a Michigan family’s life

Tim Hoffman is getting used to all the frog jokes. He smiles along when co-workers walk past him and say, “Ribbit! Ribbit!”

He understands why his story captures the imaginations of frozen-vegetable buyers everywhere, and he’s even able to chuckle about it a little bit in hindsight. But that doesn’t mean it’s really a laughing matter.

Schneider of the Lansing State Journal said it’s been entertaining to watch the buzz building online over the frog story.

“Some of the comments have been pretty funny,” Schneider said. “People were saying, ‘What’s he complaining about? It’s a complete meal in a bag! He should be going back and paying Meijer another $3!’ ”

Read the whole story here.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

L.A. prosecutors charge 1968 Playboy playmate of the year with attempted murder

Playboy

“The 1968 Playboy playmate of the year has been charged with attempted murder after Los Angeles police said she shot her husband of 20 years this weekend during a dispute, authorities said Wednesday.

Victoria Rathgeb, 66, is due in court Nov. 1 to answer to the charge that she intentionally shot her husband with a semiautomatic handgun.

Rathgeb, being held in lieu of $1.5-million bail, was arrested Saturday after police said they responded to a reported shooting at an apartment in the 7000 block of Hawthorn Avenue in Hollywood.”

A false rape conviction, 22 years in prison — and now an $18.5 million award

'It’s been a long time getting to this point,' NYC man says of jury verdict

Try to imagine how this man feels. Would $18.5 million really make things better?

And what are the odds he’s going to collect this award?

The lawyers have already filed an appeal. The bastards will keep it in the courts for as long as possible hoping he will die or disappear! It’s the last we’ll probably ever hear about this case.

Psychic objects and symbols to watch for in your everyday life

aurafull

I admit to being somewhat skeptical of psychics. Having said that, this is a well-written and thought-provoking article about psychic energies and psychics.

I try to keep my mind open about things I don’t totally understand. That’s why I’m sharing this:

‘Human beings perceive the world through many filters so we are not overrun with information like a dog caught in the middle of traffic.

Scientists know that there are all kinds of things going on around us that we are completely unaware of and therefore we have no idea that they affect us at all.’

  “Part of what makes a psychic a psychic is their ability to tune in to these energies and get information from them. This is possible because we are not separate beings as we are led to believe, but instead, interwoven parts bound together by the same tapestry of life. Therefore, everything is a reflective macrocosm or microcosm of the other parts of life, illustrated by the fact that the course the planets travel across the heavens is a reflection of our own life's journey.

 PsychometryObjectsEvery object on Earth, even a stick, can have a psychic meaning at one time or another. An object can be infused with the psychic power of all those who have held or used the object. A place can also give an object psychic power, as in a stone that comes from the Moon.

Many ancient cultures believe that every object has a spiritual identity whether inanimate or mobile. Therefore, every object in our daily life has the potential to give psychic insight or affect a situation.
Some psychics who work with the police can find a missing person by just having a piece of their clothing or a photograph. There are other psychics who can pick up the energy left behind by events that have taken place in the room.


Many musicians say that an instrument that has been played by great players carries their spirit. Even wearing someone else's shoes can make you start to feel like them.
People witness the psychic power in everyday objects daily, but quickly forget about them because they usually haven't created a file in their brain that stores that kind of cryptic information.
How many times have psreiki_i0f2ychic things happened to you in your daily routine? For instance, you hit every green light on a street you don't know and the first red one to stop you was the one you needed to turn on. Or, you saw something - anything from a car to a tree - that you had envisioned before in a dream.


These types of psychic occurrences happen to us all through our lives, but they happen to a psychic on an everyday level. These interactions with objects give them another source of information about the nature of things.

 Religious objects like crosses and pendants are often believed to have all kinds of psychic power from protecting like a talisman to making a bond with a holy spirit. Every day we see people wearing objects that they believe give them a power or connection.
Outside of wearing religious objects, are world is covered with their symbols. There are few places in the world where large religious icons are not displayed in public places. They are so common that we tend not to even notice them.

imagesCAGTB2YS  Objects do not have to be exotic, flamboyant, or religious to have psychic power. Any electrical appliance - including radios, televisions, and computers - can be a transmitter of psychic energy. In fact, there are those who argue that computers have had the psychic energy to change our entire civilization, as televisions and radios did before them.
There is no doubt that common everyday objects can have psychic power, the question is learning to perceive the power and use it properly.”

Article from MSN Astrology no author name given

Pre-caffeine tech: This monkey's gone to heaven

Apple's expected to announce big upgrades today for Macbook Air and iLife.

Whatever else Apple announces, they best get to revealing a Verizon iPhone sometime soon.

And despite what Steve Jobs rants, there may have been a 7-inch iPad somewhere at some point.

Also expected today, a new Nook e-reader. 

Speaking of rants, Facebook developer Joe Hewitt ripped into what Android' calls "Open."

Photo - Hey! Remember when this came out? Yeah, you're officially old.

And the Pixies are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Doolittle (THAT'S TWENTY YEARS! DANG!) by letting you download the LP pretty much for free! (You just have to get on the the Pixies mailing list.) GO! GO NOW!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

17,000 doctors cash in drug company money, report finds

Payments are legal but reveal pharmaceutical marketing tactics

“More than 17,000 doctors and other health care providers have taken money from seven major drug companies to talk to other doctors about their products, a joint investigation by news organizations and non-profit groups found.”

AND

"Tens of thousands of U.S. physicians are paid to spread the word about pharma's favored pills and to advise the companies about research and marketing," the group says in its report, available at http://www.propublica.org/topic/dollars-for-doctors.

The groups used information from seven drugmakers -- AstraZeneca, Cephalon, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer.”

Haute dog! World’s most expensive frank costs $69

Image: World's most expensive hot dog

Foot-long garnished with truffle oil, foie gras sets record

“Restaurateur Stephen Bruce has already gotten folks to pony up $1,000 for an ice-cream sundae. So what’s a measly $69 for a hot dog?

Make that an “haute dog.” Bruce’s famous Serendipity 3 restaurant in New York City celebrated National Hot Dog Day June 23 by marrying a foot-long tube of meat with such decidedly nontraditional accoutrements as black truffles and foie gras, served on a pretzel roll grilled in white truffle butter.”

RIP - 'Happy Days' star Tom Bosley dead

Tom Bosley

Tom Bosley, the patient, understanding father on television's long-running "Happy Days," has died. He was 83.

Bosley died of heart failure early Tuesday at a hospital near his Palm Springs home. Bosley's agent, Sheryl Abrams, said he was also battling lung cancer.

TV Guide ranked Bosley's Happy Days character No. 9 on its list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" in 2004.

The show debuted in 1974 and ran for 11 seasons.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Calls for End to Marijuana Prohibition

Former U.S. Surgeon General — and MPP VIP Advisory Board member — Joycelyn Elders appeared on CNN recently to argue against the criminalization of marijuana users.

“Marijuana has never caused anybody directly to die,” she said. “It’s not a toxic substance … We can use our resources so much better. I think we need to legalize marijuana for adults, and tax it so we can use the money for much better things.”

Report: Ancient ruins worldwide 'on verge of vanishing'

“Twelve historic sites around the world are "on the verge of vanishing" because of mismanagement and neglect, according to a new report.

The report, by San Francisco-based Global Heritage Fund (GHF), identifies nearly 200 heritage sites in developing nations as being at risk, highlighting 12 as being on the verge of irreparable loss and destruction.

Three sites in the Middle East, Iraq's Nineveh, Palestine's Hisham's Palace, and Turkey's Ani, are among those most in danger.”

Photo – Palestine’s Hisham’s Palace.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Cannabis Tales: new pot growers and America’s last pioneer movement under assault

Indoor marijuana cultivation

FROM the LA TIMES:

They're indoors, upscale and have values their hippie parents shunned.

Tony Sasso’s story profiled.

Quote:

In the Triangle, he said, "indoor allowed the kids of hippies and rednecks to get rich."

AND.. “All this would have been unthinkable 40 years ago when hippies, runaways and Vietnam veterans headed to the Northern California outback in one of America's last pioneer movements, called Back to the Land.” assault

U.S. Senate candidate’s private security guards handcuff editor/irrational liberal blogger for asking questions

Alaska Dispatch founder and editor Tony Hopfinger sits with his hands cuffed in a Central Middle School hallway after being arrested by private security, left, while he was trying to ask U.S. Senate republican candidate Joe Miller questions as Miller was leaving a town hall meeting on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010.  An APD officer, second from right, gathers information from the scene.

Hmmmmmm…

The editor of the Alaska Dispatch website was arrested by U.S. Senate candidate, Joe Miller's, private security guards Sunday as the editor attempted to interview Miller at the end of a public event in an Anchorage school.

The Miller campaign released a written one-paragraph statement from Fuller, then followed with a statement titled, "Liberal Blogger 'Loses It' at Town Hall Meeting." In that statement, Miller accused Hopfinger of assaulting someone and of taking advantage of the meeting to "create a publicity stunt."

He said his personal security detail had to take action to detain "the irrational blogger."

The Burning of Cities Only Exists in Trump's Imagination

Fact versus fiction is in the news today...again. Trump's apocalyptic view that American cities are war zones on fire is right out of a...