Keeping a sport alive: Sex sells – welcome to the 1st ever camel beauty pageant

Turkey's annual Selcuk camel fighting championship was hoping to draw spectators from an increasingly modern population and keep the struggling sport relevant with the addition of a beauty pageant, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

Chariot, a 1,500-pound, single-humped camel with spittle hanging from his lips and pompons in his tail, recently won the first-ever beauty contest at Turkey's prized camel fighting competition.

GO HERE FOR STORY

Recently, there was a popular trend for naming camels after political leaders. Four years ago at Selcuk, George Bush fought Saddam Hussein. They tied.

Neighborhood Chicken Manages to Escape Kidnappers - Insert fowl play joke here

Residents at one San Pedro apartment building say their beloved neighborhood chicken has miraculously returned after being birdnapped six months ago.The wild chicken, affectionately known as "Kwok Kwok," came to the apartment complex in the 1100 block of 9th Street about a year ago.

No matter how she got back, Anastasiow says, the bird is currently in good spirits and is now laying eggs.

Building owner Jackie Anastasiow says the bird appeared shortly after her husband passed away.

"I think he's in Heaven and sent me this chicken to take care of," Anastasiow said.

This summer though, tragedy struck the neighborhood.

"I heard a commotion downstairs. The chicken's making noise ... I see a pickup truck with three guys in it, and they kidnap the chicken. They put the chicken in the truck and they drove off," said resident Sal Martinez.

Residents were sure "Kwok Kwok" was destined for a finger-licking-good demise.

"It was really strange. I don't know why they took the chicken away. I figured 'Kwok' was done. I thought they were going to make either chicken soup or chicken stew or something. They were going to eat the chicken," said Martinez.

Then, three months ago, the neighborhood got a poultry miracle.

"Kwok Kwok" returned home. Read More Here

Huge parking fines inspired parking watch app

Massive parking fines inspired one Australian man to create an iPhone app that lets users warn each other when parking officers are spotted lurking near their cars.

"The idea was pretty much born out of frustration," said Joseph Darling of "ParkPatrol," the app developed by his Sydney-based firm to help users avoid tickets that cost what he said was at least $82 Australian ($81) a shot -- and often more.

The app lets users "sign in" and report sightings of parking officers with a single push of a button. Cartoon faces wearing a police cap then appear plotted on a map of the area, along with a notice thanking them.

The app will also alert users if a parking officer is spotted in their area and how close. Notification options for 500 meters (1,640 ft), 200 meters and 100 meters are available.”

Author discovers vintage video of 1950s housewife tripping on LSD during medical experiment

A housewife was filmed tripping on LSD as part of a television program on mental health issues in 1956.

Don Lattin, an author of four books including "The Harvard Psychedelic Club," found the video during his research on British writer Aldous Huxley, philosopher Gerald Heard and Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, who were prominent thinkers and writers about the effects of hallucinogenics in the 1950s and '60s.

Source of story & video

Batman: Artists share their visions of an iconic fictional character

 

by Andy Kuo

GO HERE  TO SEE SOME GREAT INTERPERTATIONS OF BATMAN

No Surprise Here Department: it’s not safe to drive with animals loose in the front seat

Who would have guessed? For years I’ve watched people driving around with animals on their laps, usually small dogs, and wondered what the hell were they were thinking?

Did they think “it was cute” and no harm would come from having a jacked-up Wire Haired terrier between them and the steering wheel? Or, was it a case of “separation anxiety” on the pet owner’s part? I never wave at these drivers (I figure they’re already distracted enough), but I admit that I often make a circular motion with my finger alongside my head.

Bad dog? Pets pose threat to safe driving

Author Stephen King suffered several broken bones and a collapsed lung in 1999 when he was hit by a driver who claimed he was distracted by his dog.

photo source

Plans being drawn up to let states declare bankruptcy

This is not good news for retired state workers. What happens to them when these states declare bankruptcy? What do you suppose that will do to the morale of current state workers?

Pensioners and investors in state bonds could lose out

“Policy makers are working behind the scenes to come up with a way to let states declare bankruptcy and get out from under crushing debts, including the pensions they have promised to retired public workers.”

PHOTO - Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, has asked the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, about the possibility of drawing up a bill allowing states to go bankrupt

Optical illusions: perceptions biased by motivational state

“The organizational mechanisms of vision are best demonstrated by illusions. Illusions illustrate that perception is a creative construction that the brain makes in interpreting visual data ....Learning does not prevent us from being taken in by these illusions.”

- Eric Kandel

We do not see the world as it really is; perception is always biased by the perceiver's motivational state. Individuals with Mood Disorders and Addictive Disorders are continually taken in by this soul illusion and so continue to act counter to their interests.

The images below - while limited to the visual modality - illustrate that perception is an active construction of the mind rather than a valid representation of objective reality.

There are 9 figures embedded in the illustration on the right. 

Absents of the Mermaid Art by Octavio Ocampo  GO HERE to learn more about optical illusions

It’s time for some news that you may not see otherwise…

 Dracula goes dry as Turkey's new drink rules bite

“Guests at the Istanbul premiere of a new vampire film were among the first victims of new curbs on alcohol that have raised secularist fears Islamic strictures may be encroaching on everyday life.”

Monk caught with nun's skeleton at airport

“A Cypriot monk caught at a Greek airport with the skeletal remains of a nun in his baggage on the weekend told authorities he was taking the relics of a saint back to his monastery”"

 

Burglars snort man's ashes, thought it was cocaine

“Burglars snorted the cremated remains of a man and two dogs in the mistaken belief that they had stolen illegal drugs, Florida sheriff's deputies said on Wednesday.”

Iran bans production of Valentine’s Day gifts

TEHRAN (Reuters) – “Iran has banned the production of Valentine's Day gifts and any promotion of the day celebrating romantic love to combat what it sees as a spread of Western culture, Iranian media reported.”

More than 100 alleged mobsters arrested East Coast sweep

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

My question: why can’t they do this kind of thing with the Mexican mafia?

Holder says some are accused of murders ranging from 'classic mob hits to eliminate perceived rivals' to 'truly senseless' killings

More than 100 suspected members and associates of seven Mafia families were arrested Thursday in what was described as the biggest organized crime round-up in FBI history.

Significant leaders of the Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Bonanno and Colombo families and also the DeCavalcante of New Jersey were among those arrested, NBC New York reported.