H&F News Feed

Scratch 'N Sniff Along With Upcoming Episodes Of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo! (Yes, You Read That Correctly!)

2013-06-18T18:06:00Z

Well this is just…gross. Y'all know I love all things Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, but do I want to smell them? Not really. Sadly, TLC thinks that I do. Don't worry. The network thinks you want to smell Mama June Shannon,Sugar Bear, Alana Thompson and crew as well.

With the new season of HCHBB right around the corner, TLC has a brand new way for fans to be part of the action. As the girls fart and burp their way through a day filled with June's forklift foot and infamous 'sketti, now you can be a part of the aroma-filled action. Still reading without gagging? Just wait…

The show is instituting a scratch and sniff phenomenon for the upcoming episode. TLC has created 10 million cards which are said to replicate the scents of the hit reality show. Calling it "watch and sniff technology," the network is going to have the cards run in Us Weekly and People in early July.

According to Allie Is Wired, there will be six featured smells. Each card will alert fans when to sniff during the show so that they are part of the smelly onscreen action. So, if you've ever wondered what margarine and ketchup smells like against the backdrop of chicken poop, here's your chance!

A spokesperson for the network explains, “We couldn’t think of a more fitting way to kick off the new season than with two Watch ‘n Sniff episodes. The family loves coming up with crazy games and hijinks, so now our audience gets to play along with one.”

Whatever will they think of next? Wait, maybe don't answer that…

Erection lasting 8 months: Man and wife sue doctor

2013-06-18T15:13:00Z

A truck driver who says a penile implant gave him an erection that lasted eight months described in court Tuesday how the procedure caused him to withdraw from much of life, wearing long, baggy sweat pants and a long shirt to hide his condition.

Daniel Metzgar, 44, of Newark, Del., testified in New Castle County Superior Court in Wilmington in his medical malpractice lawsuit against Wilmington urologist Dr. Thomas Desperito. He told jurors the inflatable prosthesis made him feel like less of a man.

Colleen D. Shields, Desperito's lawyer, said in her opening statement that sometimes bad medical results occur through the fault of no one. She also said that the urologist told Metzgar the prosthesis had to be

removed four months after the surgery when Metzgar complained of an infection and that the erection wasn't going down.

Shields said Metzgar didn't do anything for months after that visit, the News Journal of Wilmington reports.

Metzgar had the procedure in December 2009. He said he lost his insurance afterward and didn't have $10,000 he said Desperito wanted before he would do the surgery.

The prosthesis was removed in August 2010. Metzgar now has a replacement prosthesis from another doctor.

But Metzgar says scar tissue from the first surgery left him about 50 percent smaller and he does not get the same level of sensation.

Metzgar and his wife, Donna, are seeking unspecified damages from Desperito and his medical group.

Huggies Creates Belt for Dad to 'Feel' the Baby's Kick

2013-06-18T14:31:00Z

For a new Father’s Day commercial the company that makes Huggies diapers will let a few expectant fathers experience (a little) of what it’s like to be pregnant. The Kimberly-Clark Corporation created a pair of pregnancy bands for expectant couples that replicate any baby movement felt by the mother on a matching band for the father so that dad can “feel” the baby kicking.

The pair of pregnancy bands, not currently available for sale, was created solely for a Huggies ad in Latin America, which shows real couples trying out the bands in a Buenos Aires hospital. The large white bands cover both parents’ abdomens and are filled with electronic sensors and LED lights. When the baby kicks in the mother’s womb, the movement is replicated in the father’s band, showing up with a quick burst of light and small vibrating impulses wherever the kick landed.

(Courtesy Kimberly-Clark Corporation)

In the video the fathers’ reactions range from shock to laughter to lots of tears.

“It is a video greeting card for dads on Father’s Day,” said Eric Bruner, a spokesman for Kimberly-Clark. “I would just say [it's] in honor of the dads in our lives.”

Unfortunately for couples looking to try out the devices, the pregnancy bands were created exclusively for the commercial and are not available to try out.

“We’ve seen questions [from people asking], ‘Can I try this?’” said Bruner. “For now it’s a one-of-a-kind device.”

However, Bruner said that the company was “evaluating their options,” so for future Father’s Day gifts expectant customers might be able to bypass buying the ubiquitous Father’s Day tie in favor of matching pregnancy bands.

Miss Utah bombs during pageant Q&A

2013-06-18T13:08:00Z

Miss Connecticut may have been crowned the winner during Sunday night's Miss USA pageant, but it's Miss Utah that everyone's talking about today.

The brunette bombshell glided straight into the top five, but bombed when it came to the interview portion of the competition. Celebrity judge NeNe Leakes asked Marissa Powell, 21, of Salt Lake City, her thoughts on the fact that women still earn less than men in our society. Chalk it up to nerves, but Powell stumbled over her words and provided a cringe-worthy response that included the phrase, "to create education better."

"I think we can relate this back to education and how we are continuing to try to strive to," she said, pausing, knowingly, that this wasn't going well, before she flashed a smile and continued, "figure out how to create jobs right now."

"That is the biggest problem, and I think especially the men are seen as the leaders of this, and so we need to try to figure out how to create education better so that we can solve this problem. Thank you."

The best part? She still ended up taking third runner-up.

It's right up there with the infamous response Miss South Carolina Teen Caitlin Upton gave during the Q&A portion of the 2007 Miss Teen USA competition when she was asked why many Americans can't find the USA on a map.

The reigning Miss South Carolina Megan Pinckney didn't flub as badly as either Upton or Powell, but her answer was still shaky. When asked if people who leak classified documents as public information should be tried for treason, she responded, "I don't believe that they should be charged with treason. Personally, I feel that being a part of this country we have been given specific documents for specific reasons. Our lawmakers have put that into their decisions for certain reasons. And if we feel the need to have to show those documents, then I think we should show them."

She placed fifth runner-up in Sunday's pageant.

N.J. man burns down house trying to kill bed bugs

2013-06-17T16:20:00Z

A New Jersey house fire is being blamed on a homeowner's battle against bedbugs.

A county spokeswoman says the homeowner in the southern New Jersey town of Woodbury was using a space heater, a hair dryer and a heat gun Tuesday to try to eradicate the pests in a second-floor bedroom. The combination sparked a fire.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency says very high, sustained heat can kill bedbugs, but raising the temperature with the thermostat or space heaters won't do the job. It says special equipment is needed.

Woodbury Fire Marshal Joseph Buono tells WPVI-TV in nearby Philadelphia that quick Internet remedies for killing bedbugs are a "catastrophe in the making." He says the afflicted should "call the professionals."

The homeowner was hospitalized with unspecified injuries. He wasn't identified.

Lindsay Lohan switches rehab sites after telling dad about fear of drugs at Betty Ford Center

2013-06-17T14:50:00Z

The price of a private room at Cliffside, Lindsay Lohan’s new rehab facility, is a whopping $68,000 a month. But the troubled starlet was left with no choice but to transfer there after leaving the Betty Ford Center, because she claims it was a drug-infested place that couldn’t help her, LiLo’s father, Michael Lohan, tells Confidenti@l.

“There are drugs all over the place inside there,” Lohan says his daughter told him about the clinic. “It was a big problem and that’s why she wanted out.”

Lohan says he’s been in constant contact with his 26-year-old daughter since she entered rehab in May. Lohan also tells us that Lindsay said she witnessed a relapse inside the Betty Ford Center, after drugs were allegedly smuggled in to another patient.

“When Lindsay was tested, she was clean,” Lohan said. “She didn’t want to be around it and immediately asked for a transfer.”

But Lindsay is in for a rough ride at Cliffside, reports the Daily News’ Nancy Dillon, because the facility’s founder, Richard Taite, is a former addict and best-selling author who had sharp words about Lohan after her arrest for allegedly punching a woman at a Manhattan nightclub last November. The case was never prosecuted.

“She is definitely spiraling out of control,” Taite told the media. “She is continually getting into trouble and any reasonable person can tell she needs help.”

He said Lindsay was “walking a slippery slope” and predicted that if she didn’t clean up her act, she would “in all probability, seriously hurt herself or someone else.”

Taite is also a vocal critic of Adderall, a prescription drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that Lindsay has used for years. His boutique clinic has just 18 beds.

Lindsay left Betty Ford in Rancho Mirage, Calif., this week for Cliffside, in Malibu. For a week she will be in “blackout,” Michael Lohan tells Confidenti@l. That’s a period starting upon arrival that prohibits interactions with friends and family.

“I’m not sure how she is doing, because I can’t talk to her in the blackout,” Lohan said. “Going to visit again next week.”

Lohan had entered her court-ordered rehab on May 3, after, of course, a typical Lindsay day of confusion about where and when she’d be checking in. LiLo is expected back on the streets in early August, after 90 days of rehab.

A Betty Ford spokesperson said the center could not comment on the allegations, citing federal confidentiality laws.

Selena Gomez Open To Nude Roles To Help Career?

2013-06-17T14:19:00Z

Selena Gomez has shown off her raunchier side in her latest movie Spring Breakers, a move that we weren't quite prepared for considering her innocent persona and cuterelationship with Justin Bieber, but now a source has claimed that the former Disney star is open to the idea of nude or topless roles, according to a new report.

An insider has reportedly told HollywoodLife.com that the 20-year-old is up for more serious movie roles, and that she is desperate to shed her Disney-bopper girl-next-door image.

“Now that Selena is growing up to be a more serious actress and separating herself from her Disney past, she has no problem going topless if the role calls for it,” the source told the celebrity gossip site.

They also added: “Without a doubt, Selena would go topless in a film if the role was right.”

Selena Gomez at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards (Wenn)

Since Selena's departure from Wizards of Waverly Place, Selena has been making a conscious effort to leave behind the 'cutesy' image that she once had, and has noticeably pushed a sexier image on and off screen.

Even on stage, Selena has shown off her sensual side, and this was also noticeable in her recent music video for Come & Get It.

During her recent trip to Europe, Selena revealed that she was planning to put singing on hold after her Stars Dance world tour this summer.

Asked whether she had plans to stop singing, she replied: “Yeah, probably for a while. I wanna get more into film. I'm open to trying new things.

''I just did an action movie and a dark comedy and then a drama so I've been able to do really fun projects that are different.''

Hinting about her upcoming tour, the brunette revealed her biggest priority is to get in shape in order to keep up with the energetic and demanding dance routines planned.

In a live video 'hangout' with French radio star NRJ, Gomez revealed: ''This is my first world tour so I definitely need to get in shape, that's the first thing I need to do.

"But it's always been my dream to tour the world and actually give myself to my fans the show they deserve."

Selena, how has now split up with boyfriend Justin Bieber, continued: ''There's no planned (guests) right now. Just for this tour overall I'm doing a lot more dancing which I didn't really do on my last tour, the costumes are going to be a lot more detailed. Basically I'm going to be performing the whole new record.''

The Father's Day Index 2013: Dad's value is up!

2013-06-17T13:33:00Z

Dads: Here’s one more reason to put your feet up and celebrate yourself this Father’s Day: Your household value is up from last year.

Insure.com’s 2013 Father’s Day Index puts Dad's household tasks at $23,344 a year, up from last year's$20,248. The increase is largely due to higher mean hourly wages for drivers, teachers, coaches and plumbers, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The index is a look at annual salaries for the traditional kinds of things dads have done for generations, from squashing spiders to grilling burgers. It does not include any salary Dad might earn from a job outside the house.

What dads say

If Dad could cut himself a check for all the work he does around the house, he'd probably pay himself a larger amount than Mom would.

In our survey we asked dads to think about what they do around the house and estimate how much they'd have to pay someone else to do it all for a year.

Here’s how fathers assess their own annual value:

Less than $10,000: 13 percent
$10,000 to $19,999: 15 percent
$20,000 to $29,999: 13 percent
$30,000 to $39,999: 13 percent
$40,000 to $49,999: 10 percent
$50,000 to $59,000: 11 percent
$60,000 to $69,999: 7 percent
$70,000 to $79,999: 7 percent
$80,000 to $89,999: 4 percent
$90,000 to $99,999: 3 percent
$100,000 or more: 4 percent

But most moms (58 percent) put the figure for dads' contributions under $30,000. In fact, 27 percent of moms, compared to 13 percent of dads, put Dad’s annual value below $10,000.

Moms will likely feel slighted this year. Although Mom’s 2013 value is higher than Dad’s at just under $60,000, mothers have been seeing their value drop every year.

Seeing your value

Figuring out how much it would cost to replace your own household contributor is an important step in determining how much life insurance to buy. Besides taking into account a salary that a breadwinner brings in, you also have to consider the other ways a parent contributes. That's why it's important to buy life insurance for both parents, even if one is a stay-at-home mom or dad and doesn't earn an income.

Of the traditional tasks on the Father's Day Index, dads we surveyed said helping with homework, barbecuing or cooking and driving took up most of their domestic-duty time each week.

If you want to ruin your dad's Father's Day, ask him to fix the plumbing or move some furniture -- those are likely his least favorite jobs around the house. When asked about their favorite jobs around the house, fathers ranked them this way:

Barbecuing/cooking: 22 percent
Helping with homework: 17 percent
Driving: 14 percent
Coaching a team: 9 percent
Assembly of toys, bookshelves, etc.: 9 percent
Fixing broken things around the house: 6 percent
Mowing the lawn, landscaping, snow removal: 5 percent
Doing family finances: 5 percent
Car maintenance; 4 percent
Being a scout leader: 3 percent
Pest removal (spiders, gross bugs): 3 percent
Fixing plumbing: 2 percent
Moving furniture: 2 percent

If fathers could pay someone to do all their household tasks, many say they’d likely want to spend the extra time with their families. In the survey, 36 percent of men chose this as the most likely activity that would take up his free time. Other top responses, in order of popularity, were exercising or playing sports, working, doing things on the computer, traveling or visiting museums, parks or historical sites, watching TV or movies or going to school.

The Father's Day Index 2013

Dad job	BLS occupation	Hours per week	Weeks per year	Mean hourly wage	Annual Dad value
Barbecuing/cooking	Cooks	3	52	$10.08	$1,571.70
Driving	Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	9	52	$14.30	$6,692.40
Helping with homework	Other teachers and instructors	10	40	$22.93	$9,170.00
Family finances	Accountants and auditors	0.5	52	$33.75	$877.50
Mowing the lawn, landscaping, snow removal	Grounds Maintenance Workers	2	52	$11.30	$1,175.20
Moving furniture	Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	2	3	$12.98	$77.85
Car maintenance	Automotive service technicians and mechanics	2	10	$17.60	$352.00
Coaching a team	Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers	4	10	$25.45	$1,018.00
Scout leader	Recreation and fitness workers	5	10	$16.88	$843.75
Assembly of toys, bookshelves, etc.	Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators	3	10	$15.15	$454.50
Pest removal (spiders, gross bugs)	Pest control workers	1	4	$14.25	$57.00
Handyman	Maintenance and repair workers, general	8	6	$18.30	$878.40
Plumber	Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	2	3	$29.20	$175.20
Total: $23,343.50

Methodology

“Dad’s value” is based on occupational wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and does not include a salary from work outside the home.

For mothers’ and fathers’ views on household tasks, Insure.com commissioned a survey of 500 men and 500 women with children age 12 and under living at home. The online-panel survey was fielded in April 2013.

'Papa Joe' Aviance Loses 250 Pounds on 99 Cent Store Diet

2013-06-14T16:36:00Z

Joe Aviance, or “Papa Joe” as he’s called, is sparking big buzz after dropping hundreds of pounds on his 99 cent store diet.

Many might wonder how this is possible at a 99 cent store, whose usual specialties are cheap toys and inexpensive toiletries. But in Los Angeles, where Aviance, 42, a recording artist and producer, lives, the 99 cent stores have a much wider selection of fresh produce and seafood, and that’ show “Papa Joe” launched his 99 cent store diet plan to lose hundreds of pounds and gain back his health.

Aviance’s fat-fighting strategy starts with walking five miles a day. That, combined with healthy purchases from the 99 cent store, took him from a whopping 450 pounds to 200 pounds in 18 months.

The dramatic weight loss was sparked when Aviance saw himself in a 2009 music video.

“I said, ‘You know what?’ I’ve got to end this now,” Aviance explained. ”I almost had a nervous breakdown. I went to the fridge and threw everything in the trash can. Cookies, candy, cakes, all the sugary items, everything.”

ABC News caught up with “Papa Joe” at his favorite 99 cent store in Los Angeles. Armed with only $20, he showed us how to cut the fat at the register.

“I start my day with eggs, carrots and this 49-cent yogurt,” he said. “I got my 2 percent milk, and I’m still less than $20.”

Aviance even has a name for his dine on a dime plan.

“I call the 99 cent-only stores shopping at the HCWB – Healthy choices within a budget,” he said.

“I love what he’s done so far, and I think it’s a great example for people,” said celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak. “Cost is not a roadblock or an impediment to eating well and losing weight.”

Despite losing more than 250 pounds, Aviance still has plans to lose 10 more, and he’s got advice for the rest of us.

“I want to unlock this person inside of everybody to be the best they can be, and just let it shine,” he said.

Aviance is currently on his “Live for Life” tour, visiting cities across the country to lead walks and talk about the health benefits of walking.

Burger King faces PR mess in razor blade mishap

2013-06-14T15:39:00Z

Hold the pickles. The onions. And the razor blade.

A Burger King customer bit into a cheeseburger that she ordered and discovered a razor blade nestled between the cheese and the burger. That was 10 days ago in Willits, Calif., a tiny town in Northern California's Mendocino County.

After police investigated, they discovered that the incident wasn't the result of some dastardly deed, but of a questionable internal policy by the local Burger King franchisee, which permitted loose razor blades used for cleaning to be kept in the food preparation area.

Word may have been initially slow to get out -- but it's now going viral, and Burger King finds itself in a public relations mess.

The good news: The woman who bit on the burger on June 2, Yolanda Orozco, a local resident, is OK. "Somebody is very careless at Burger King," she told local TV station KXTV. "I was in shock."

The bad news: Burger King still has some serious explaining to do.

"Food safety is a top priority for Burger King restaurant globally," says spokesman Miguel Piedra., in a statement. "Burger King Corp's strict food handling procedures clearly outline that razor blades are not permitted in or near food preparation areas at any time."

In a phone interview, however, Piedra, said it was a franchisee -- not a company-owned or company-operated store. "It was an isolated incident," he said. "We're making sure that there are no razor blades in that restaurant moving forward."

But that's not enough, say two experts -- a crisis management consultant and a restaurant industry consultant.

"It's terrible," says Linda Lipsky, the restaurant consultant. "It calls into question the type of training that goes into the franchisor training programs," she says.

Small, sharp implements such as razor blades should never be out on the floor under any circumstances, she says. Consumers certainly shouldn't have to put their burgers through metal detectors to make sure that they're safe to eat, she says.

Perhaps, Burger King needs to supply new, safe and standardized cleaning instruments to all Burger King restaurants that have the Burger King logo on them, she suggests.

Burger King should act immediately to "clean up its act," says Larry L. Smith, a senior consultant at the Institute for Crisis Management. What's more, in a world of social media, it needs to learn to respond more quickly.

Smith says that he used to urge clients to respond within six hours of an incident. A few years ago, he changed that to one hour.

"I now advise them to respond within five to 10 minutes of something going public."

For it's part, Piedra says, "Burger King takes this situation seriously and is working with the franchisee to reinforce our food preparation procedures and retrain staff."

Even then, says Lipsky, that might not be enough.

"What if the woman had died?" Lipsky poses. "You shouldn't have to die when you want to eat a burger."

Sex, drugs... and not much rock 'n' roll: How music fans who go to festivals prefer getting drunk and sleeping with strangers to listening to the bands

2013-06-14T14:11:00Z

For those of us who would never dream of going to music festivals, the attraction of dodgy sound systems and fields turned into mud baths has always been a bit of a mystery.

No more. The secret behind the success of many summer festivals is that they’re not really about music.

Fans are now more likely to go to a festival to take drugs, get drunk or sleep with a stranger than actually listen to the music, a study found.

A quarter say they have slept with a stranger, 21 per cent taken drugs, and 13 per cent got into a fight.

Survey: Only 45% of those who attend festivals such as Glastonbury, pictured, actually go for the music

And the misbehaviour crosses the generations. Among middle-aged (45 to 54) fans, nine per cent admit experimenting with illegal drugs at a festival, a fifth drink to excess, 10 per cent have slept with a stranger, and two per cent got into a fight, according to the study by MSN.co.uk. Others even admit burning tents.

Brits will spend an average of £423.01 at UK festivals this year, making them too expensive for 60 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds.

However, despite The Rolling Stones headlining Glastonbury and The Stone Roses the Isle of Wight Festival, just 45 per cent actually go for the music.

The others are lured by the atmosphere, the chance to socialise with friends, and to 'escape from everyday life'.

In total, 47 per cent have done things at a festival they would 'never consider doing outside of the music festival environment', the study found. For those aged 35 to 44, the figure is 50 per cent.

Festivals expert George McKay, Professor of Cultural Studies at Salford University, said it was 'human nature' to let your inhibitions go at a festival.

He said: 'Festivals are deeply rooted in the carnival tradition, which is to invert everyday expectations of normal behaviour.

Different reasons: Other festival-goers say they go to events like Glastonbury, pictured from the Stone Circle area of the festival site on Worthy Farm, Pilton, to 'escape from everyday life'

'Historically, carnivals would have a ‘lord of misrule’ who oversaw the revelries and subversion of the ordinary rules of life.

'For example, at the medieval Christian Feast of Fools, a ‘Boy Bishop’ would lead a temporary revolution interlaced with hedonistic partying.

'This carnival attitude can be seen in the earliest popular music festivals in Britain, such as the Beaulieu Jazz Festival in 1960. That ended up in a riot between modern and trad jazz fans.

'The Stonehenge Free Festivals of the 1980s also degenerated into trouble.

'The MSN research shows that misbehaving modern festival goers are simply upholding this ancient tradition.'

Professor McKay added: 'The pop festival has been around for more than half a century. That means there are now several generations of keen festival-goers.

'Remember that venerable hippie slogan from the 1970s: "You’re never too old for a happy childhood"?

'Music festivals continue to be places where we can escape reality and subvert the rules - whatever age we happen to be.'

Typical British weather: One in eight festival-goers say they are staying away from events held in fields this year because of fears it will ran the entire time

While escaping reality for a few days can be fun, it can also have its irritations.

The biggest gripe is that portaloos are not cleaned often enough, with 43 per cent infuriated by this, the poll of 2,000 festival-goers found.

Almost one in five (17 per cent) are irked by the high price of food and drink, and 16 per cent say they have to queue too long to buy it.

A similar number (17 per cent) get frustrated at not being able to charge their mobile phone or get a signal.

One in eight festival fans say they are staying away from the fields this year because of fears over the weather.

And of those that are going, a pair of wellies tops their list of essential items, followed by wet wipes, fancy dress and clean underwear.

Office worker Ryan Davies, from Manchester, said the 'free-spirit' nature of festivals make them the perfect place to forget about the stresses of work.

The 41-year-old said: 'Festivals are the perfect place to let your hair down without anyone judging you. I have a responsible my day job, so usually moderation and professionalism are key.

'Once I have pitched my tent I can really relax, let off a bit of steam and share the love. The good music is a bonus.'

Woman run over 3 times by own car

2013-06-13T16:49:00Z

A newspaper deliverywoman was somehow run over three times by her own car during a botched parking job Wednesday morning.

It happened in Trois-Rivieres, Que., about halfway between Montreal and Quebec City, her newspaper said on its website.

The woman confused "park" and "reverse" on her gear shifter prior to exiting the car, according to Le Nouvelliste newspaper.

The door struck her and she fell to the ground, where the car passed over her leg.

She twice managed to get up and try to grab the wheel but tumbled both times, with the car running over her leg a second and third time.

The deliverywoman finally gave up and limped to a nearby house to call for help.

All the while, her driverless car continued to circle in reverse.

Police officers arrived and managed to stop the out-of control car.

The woman was taken to hospital with severe leg injuries.

10 Worst Fathers Day Gift Ideas...

2013-06-13T15:55:00Z

Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June.

(Just a few short weeks away.)

In recent years, retailers have adapted to the holiday by promoting greeting cards and traditionally male-oriented gifts such as electronics and tools.

But to be honest, fathers day tends to see some of the worst gifts I have ever seen!

(Check out below to see a few examples…)

Why not get him something that is Nice, Durable, and above all else… something he will ACTUALLY use!

Click here to grab yours today before they’re gone

This is by far one of the better gifts I have found for fathers day.

Just look below to see some of the other terrible “options” that have come around in recent years:

1. Kleen Stride Shoes. Have dad do some sweeping of his own and apparently there is even an attachable plow?

2. Head Spa. Just like Mom deserved something more than a serial killer “rejuvenating” face mask, Dad should get something better than this too. The head spa is, well, ridiculous. If Dad deserves a massage, you can probably get one at a nice spa for the same cost as this poorly rated item.

Dad looks so relaxed in his new Head Spa.

3. Flair Hair Visors, Bandanas, and accessories. Is Dad suffering from hair loss? Or should I say, are you suffering from your favorite Dad’s hair loss? Do you miss his lush locks? Do you love visors and bandanas? Well, allow me the great pleasure of introducing the Flair Hair Visor and Bandana. Now Dad (and you) can enjoy thick, natural looking hair in the latest styles (as seen in The Jersey Shore).

Looking good, Dad!

4. Sex for Dummies book. Okay, buy this book for the father of your children and you’re just a bitch (especially as a Father’s Day gift)…but you got balls if you do! This may, however, make agreat gift for your ex.

Ah-ha-ha-ha!

5. Beer Belt. For Dads who love beer and hate getting up to get a refill. This fashionable belt holds bottle OR cans. Bonus!

Stylish and convienent.

6. Chest Hair Toupee. There’s just something about a hairy man that drive (some) women wild. But what if the father of your children is one of those hairless varieties? Should you rub his chest with hair growth creams? Maybe, but that could get expensive. Try the Chest Hair Toupee…can also be applied to backs (if you’re into it).

“Yeah, baby!” said in my best Austin Powers voice.

7. Wiener Roasters. Maybe I’m being presumptuous, but I don’t think Dads are gonna dig this one. Personally, I think it’s funny, but I can’t picture my husband firing up the grill and roasting some wieners on these grill accessories

Cooks wieners to perfection

8. Denim Underwear. Thank you(?) Jezebel for bringing this gem to my attention. Maybe instead of the “Sex for Dummies” book you can spice up your love life with a pair of these…and why not? Men buy women lingerie all the time! Or maybe the father of your children likes to go commando in jeans.

Nothing says sexy like denim boy short underwear. Nothing…

9. A little privacy please! Dads need some privacy too, and just like Mom, this is not what they are talking about. At least I hope it’s not…but if it is, apparently it comes with a matching hoodie- cool!

Top Secret.

10. The Sweat Heart Sweet Shirt. You love the father of your children and you just can’t stand to be apart. Well, snuggle up with your sweetie in the sweat shirt built for two! How romantic! Dad.will.love.it.

For the romantic Dad…or the Siamese Twin Dad…either one.

I hope this list will inspire some fabulous gifts for Dads this year. I know it’s a little early, we still have a few weeks left, but women (unlike men) tend to shop early. I didn’t want any of you to miss out on these unique gifts!

(Click here to view the original article that all of these terrible gift ideas came from)

Did you know:

More phone calls are made in the United States during Mother’s Day than during Father’s Day, but the percentage of collect calls on Father’s Day is much higher, making it the busiest day of the year for collect calls.

Above all else, Fathers day needs to be celebrated… If you don’t have money for a gift, then spend time with them, at the very least you need to give dad a phone call.

After all, he took the time and care in raising you and helping you become the person you are today

If you can get a gift for your Ole’ Dad, make sure that this year, it’s not one that becomes another useless item, cluttering the back of the deepest closet in the house.

The Portland Woman Masturbating With Clothespins on Her Nipples

2013-06-13T15:40:00Z

Once a week, Daily Intelligencer takes a peek behind doors left slightly ajar. This week, the Portland Woman Masturbating With Clothespins on Her Nipples: Female, 31, Portland, Oregon, hosiery salesgirl/writer, in a polyamorous relationship, bisexual.

DAY ONE

7:20 a.m. My partner, Sidebeards, and I have separate bedrooms because of opposing schedules and sleeping habits. I'm rushed to catch a bus but make time to sneak into his man cave for a kiss good-bye. He smiles and cuddles me briefly; this reassures me last night wasn't a total disaster. We had an episode of spankus interruptus. Our kinky game and dirty talk went sideways. No one got hurt, but no one got off either. I went to bed horny and confused.

1 p.m. One of our regulars, Heavy Breather, calls. He needs help finding argyle socks for his wife. Her vagina is real loose, so he wants to see her in tight socks. He hangs up without making a purchase. These foot fetishists are mostly harmless, but we don't get paid enough to provide customer service, spank fodder, and phone sex. This happens about once a week.

7 p.m. Writing isn't going well, so I procrastinate by e-mailing Focus, a photographer I've shot with many times in the past. He's sexy in that older man with a camera kind of way. We have an intense but unconsummated flirtation, so planning for another shoot quickly becomes dirty talk.

8:30 p.m. The flirting gets me worked up, but just as I reach for my vibrator, Sidebeards comes home. He was recently interviewed about his newly published book, so we get caught up in excitement over his success. I'm happy for him but also understand he's in writer promotion mode and know better than to expect him to slow down long enough to spend naked time with me.

10:30 p.m. He's tired and distracted so I settle for some smooching before he puts me to bed.

DAY TWO

11 a.m. Focus and I finalize plans to get together without a camera. This is the first time I'm considering being intimate with anyone other than Sidebeards in the year we've been together. I'm nervous. The high of flirting with Focus gets me through the day so that I can momentarily stop obsessing over the failed playtime with Sidebeards the other night.

2 p.m. I'm modeling for photos that will become an advertisement for the legwear company I work for. Fully clothed, posing in the park, I'm chastised several times to cover more leg and keep my hands far away from my lap so that the photos won't be "suggestive." Proof that suggestive is awfully subjective.

8:30 p.m. I refuse to go to bed frustrated again. I'm kissing and fondling Sidebeards, glad that he's getting into it. He goes down on me.

8:40 p.m. His tongue is driving me crazy, but I can't get off this way. I insist he de-pant and fuck me. Instead, he teases me by going slow, tossing me around through half the Kama Sutra. It's sweet and a little naughty, just what we need to reconnect.

9 p.m. I say the magic words, and he orgasms inside me. I need my vibrating bullet to get off, which he's more than happy to assist with. All the crazy from the last few days melts away as I come.

DAY THREE

8 p.m. At the hipsterist venue in town to see Stereo Total with Sidebeards and his work friends. On my way in I run into Mopey, a failed OkCupid date from several months back. After two dates, he was making plans for summer trips together, not understanding why I broke things off. Awkwardly, we work in the same neighborhood, so we see either other regularly but never speak. Tonight is no different.

9 p.m. So many young sweaty bodies rubbing on one another. I'm not in the mood for their shenanigans, so I sit down and watch from afar, happy that Sidebeards is enjoying himself in the thick of it.

11 p.m. Sidebeards' friends are staying with us for the weekend; they take his room. I was secretly excited to have two nights sharing sleeping space with him. Instead of coming to bed he goes out with Beer Guy, whom he hasn't seen in a while.

Midnight Can't sleep, but I can't jerk off since the boys are in the living room and I'd feel too weird turning on my vibrator.

DAY FOUR

6:30 a.m. Sidebeards is on the couch. They must have been up late drinking; he barely moves when I say good-bye and go to work.

4 p.m. Just barely manage to stay awake through work. Sidebeards has the day off; having opposite schedules is frustrating.

7:30 p.m. On a bus to get tickets to the Black Angels show. Stuck in traffic on the bridge, I glimpse the balcony of a condo; a girl is going down on her man-friend. I smile at the crazy exhibitionists.

9 p.m. I would love to go to sleep or lie in bed naked with Sidebeards, but Beer Guy and his wife lure us into drinking on the lawn. It's nice to get to know some of Sidebeards' oldest friends.

2 a.m. We literally crawl into bed and pass out.

DAY FIVE

1 p.m. After a half-day at work I'm out to lunch with a co-worker. She might be the only person with a filthier mouth than me. We end up having a distinctly inappropriate conversation while surrounded by soccer moms by using ridiculous euphemisms to not offend anyone. She's telling me about a new acquaintance who admitted to only being able to masturbate by humping furniture. Apparently he has a special chair in his apartment for such purposes. I'm impressed with his creativity.

5 p.m. My week is finally done, and I'm alone in the house. I should be editing, but instead I'm perving FetLife, looking through the newest photos of friends. Most are rope-bondage-related, and I realize how little of that is in my life recently. I rub myself looking at pretty girls bound, focused on the sexy way their breasts look compressed in rope.

5:15 p.m. I get out my vibrator and some clothespins to torture/tease myself with. Fantasizing about being bound gets me off almost too quickly, so I come a couple of times to extend the experience.

6 p.m. Back to my writing and realize I'm too antsy and horny again to focus.

9 p.m. I'm frustrated, grammatically and sexually, when Sidebeards gets home from his day job. He kisses me deeply and smirks, which means we're on the same page. I just need to finish writing this story, and he will be all mine.

10:30 p.m. He's distracted by the time I find him, but I refuse to accept a cuddling-only evening. I go down on him so slowly that he begs me to sit on his face. It's his turn to wait for what he wants. I enjoy his pleas to let him lick me, which I eventually do allow.

10:50 p.m. I can't resist any longer; we have sex slowly. I watch him go crazy as I periodically dismount him so he can watch me touch myself before I resume riding him again. He asks nicely, so I do him properly. When I've had my fill I pull him out to jerk him off the way he likes.

11 p.m. He's still hard, so I hop back on before falling asleep on his chest, happy and finally satisfied, still straddling him.

DAY SIX

10 a.m. Two years ago, I, along with several other women, was raped by a local rope-bondage instructor. Today I finally get to give my official statement to the police.

1 p.m. I explain every detail of my sex life while defining words like hand job,sex toy, and BDSM to a detective with a gun strapped to his ankle in a tiny room for three hours. This might be the least sexy thing I've ever done.

3 p.m. Sidebeards and I take an accidental nap to shake off our time at the police station.

6 p.m. We wake up just in time to get to our appointment to soak in the clothing-optional communal outdoor hot tubs. The only way this experience could be more Portland was if the tubs were also fair-trade and shade-grown, and yet they are the perfect place to relax. We're the only ones here at the moment enjoying the treat of being naked in the sun as the water washes away the stress of the day.

Midnight We finish watching a Johnny Depp movie. I'm half asleep spooning with Sidebeards until I feel how hard he is. We have tender, slow sex, all kisses and caresses, until I can't take it anymore. I use my legs to pull him into me harder; he gets the idea. He comes, then helps me get off with a vibrator.

DAY SEVEN

10 a.m. Kisses and sleepy fondles from Sidebeards before he leaves for work. He gives me a naughty grin and tells me to have fun on my "date" with Focus later. Through his pants I can tell he's hard and wish I could blow him before he leaves.

Noon Focus is texting me filthy threats, promises, and instructions. I tie a rope harness on myself like he asks. He knows how much I enjoy rope but isn't comfortable tying it himself; I'm happy to help. I sit tied-up under my clothes, waiting.

1 p.m. We make awkward small talk while Focus shows me his bag of tricks. There are a lot of floggers involved, and yet he asks for a hardcover book to use for a warm-up spanking.

2 p.m. Every inch of me from hip to ankle has been beat repeatedly with his battery of floggers, and yet the damn book is the one that hurts the most. He hits me repeatedly on the front of my thighs with it. I'm restrained in such a way that if I wiggle too much I'll pull the clamps on my nipples tighter. They already hurt quite enough, thank you, so I hold.

2:15 p.m. He adds a ball gag and blindfold and flogs my nipples with the clamps still in place. He's as talented at doling out pain as he is at taking photos.

3 p.m. He sits on my belly and Hitachis me into oblivion until I'm a whimpering mess.

3:15 p.m. He's packing up his goodie bag before I've even untied myself. As soon as we say good-bye I feel bad for not reciprocating. He didn't ask for anything in return, and my brain is too scrambled to offer. I owe him big next time we get together.

4 p.m. I can't focus on writing; somehow I'm still worked up. I use two dildos to double penetrate myself, coming almost instantly. That's better!

7 p.m. Sidebeards is home. I show him the bruises already forming and tell him about my day. We end up in my bed, where he torments me by kissing and licking each overly sensitive mark on my legs, telling me how filthy I am for letting another man into my bed.

7:15 p.m. I can't take it anymore, so I beg him for sex. Everything is swollen and sore, and yet I'm enjoying myself. He's amused by the ouch/give-me-more conundrum. So amused that just before coming he pulls out and says, "Hold my cock and aim it at your whore cunt," as he ejaculates on me. I love how dirty and imaginative he is.

9:30 p.m. He goes off to paint. I finally feel satisfied enough to sit down and focus on my writing.

TOTALS: Four acts of intercourse; one blowjob given; two acts of cunnilingus received; two masturbatory sessions; six orgasms.

All good things must come to an end, including the Sex Diaries. After a long run on Daily Intelligencer, this will be the final entry. Next week, we'll run a greatest-hits post of our most memorable diaries. Let us know in the comments which ones you'd like to see.

World's oldest person dies in Japan at 116

2013-06-13T15:04:00Z

Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, who had been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person and the oldest man ever, died Wednesday of natural causes. He was 116.

Kimura, of Kyotango, Japan, was born April 19, 1897. Officials in Kyotango said he died in a local hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment for pneumonia.

According to Guinness, Kimura was the first man in history to have lived to 116 years old.

Kimura became the oldest man ever on Dec. 28, 2012, at the age of 115 years, 253 days, breaking the record set by Christian Mortensen, a Danish immigrant to the United States, whose life spanned from 1882-1998.

The title of oldest living person is now held by another Japanese, 115-year-old Misao Okawa, of Osaka.

The world's oldest person, a 116-year-old Japanese man, has passed away.

Okawa, who was born March 5, 1898, is also the world's oldest living woman.

"Jiroemon Kimura was an exceptional person," said Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records. "As the only man to have ever lived for 116 years — and the oldest man whose age has been fully authenticated — he has a truly special place in world history."

Kyotango officials said Kimura's funeral would be held Friday.

"Mr. Kimura was and will always be a treasure to our town, to our country and to our world," said Mayor Yasushi Nakayama.

Fresh Neck is the Netflix of Menswear Accoutrements

2013-06-13T14:19:00Z

So, you dropped close to a stack on your well-tailored Italian or British-made suit, another $400-$500 on pair of bench-made shoes, and forgot to cop the complementing seven-fold tie or tapestry-print pocket square. Don't sweat it, Fresh Neck is the solution to this conundrum. The recently launched e-commerce site works like Netflix, but for menswear accessories. How awesome is that?

The memberships run from $15-$35 a month and offer access to different collections in accordance to membership level. Brands included in the service are Gucci, Zegna, Alexander Olch, Turnbull & Asser, Brooks Brothers,Hickey Freeman, and more. Delivery only takes one to three business days, so you can get your tie or pocket square quick, get street styled, and receive your next shipment of accessories. Once you return the previous shipment, of course. There also options to receive better goods than your membership level by paying additional fees. Now you can impress that first date or job interviewer without draining your pockets (more than you already do). Check out the program here.

Seattle woman stops eating and goes 'breatharian' for FIVE WEEKS in attempt to survive on water and light

2013-06-12T16:40:00Z

Plants survive on light and water alone, so why can't humans?

A Seattle woman is putting that question to the test in an "experiment" some find inspiring -- though others see it as misguided and dangerous.

British-born Naveena Shine, 65, stopped eating on May 3 in to discover whether she could subsist on water, sunlight and tea, and is documenting her efforts on Facebook and YouTube.

The extreme fast, which she says she intends to try for "at least 40 days" and perhaps four to six months, is apparently tied to Shine's New Age beliefs about the universe. Obscure Yogis called "breatharians" have also attempted the practice, she told Seattle's Fox affiliate, KCPQ.

Shine was inspired by ancient Yogic practices and New Age philosophy, and says she will quit if 'not Thriving.'

"Plants live on light, then we eat plants," she wrote on Facebook May 3. "Are we simply not accessing our inherent ability to live on light? ... After hearing of the possibility that this might be true, I received a 'calling' from within, from the Universe, to find out if it is so."

Shine also wonders if food is an addiction.

"Can you imagine, if we did not have to eat, just how free our lives would be?" she writes in an introductory blog post on livingonlight.co.

"A vast amount of time, effort and resources go into merely putting food on the table. If humans did not have to eat, we could turn our planet back into a place of beauty."

Weeks into her experiment, Shine appears noticeably thinner, and has written about symptoms including tiredness, weakness and throwing up bile.

This experiment isn't a diet, Shine notes, adding that anyone who attempts it for weight loss would gain the weight back once they start eating again.

Five weeks into her self-devised program, Shine is down to 130 pounds from about 160. She reports having lost the weight from her belly, and that her skin "feels better."

But she also makes note on Facebook of unpleasant-sounding side effects such as weakness, throwing up bile, dizziness, and frozen hands.

"I normally do 20 minutes on the treadmill twice a day," she wrote on May 28. "After that I often need to lie down for a while to recover. Today I went to sleep right after and seem to have spent half the day sleeping. Really pleasant on a rainy day in Seattle."

Since local media picked up on her story, Shine has drawn both supporters and detractors on Facebook, but remains undaunted.

"I will stop if not Thriving," she wrote.

Japanese school kids licking each other's eyeballs is a thing now

2013-06-12T15:50:00Z

A rash of pink eye cases has popped up in Japanese schools due to the new sexual trend of licking eyeballs. Almost one third of 6th grade students had tried eyeball licking, according to a teacher’s anecdote on Shanghaiist.

The teacher said, “when I looked inside, a male pupil and a female pupil had their faces close together and were kind of fumbling around. Could it be bullying? I wondered, but when I had a good look, the boy was licking the girl’s eye!”

Apparently eyeball licking is considered to be the new “second base,” a sexual step after french kissing for Japanese kids. Teachers first started noticing a strange uptick in the number of students wearing eye patches and chalked it up to a weird fashion trend.

It wasn’t fashion, though. Conjunctivitis — more commonly known as pink eye — was the reason for the eye patches. The human mouth is filled with bacteria and when kids go around licking other kids’ eyeballs, it’s going to happen.

The non-technical term for this fetish is, “Oculolinctus,” also known as “worming.” The Daily Caller does not condone eye licking

Dean McDermott's New Tattoo: Actor Gets More Ink Dedicated To Wife Tori Spelling

2013-06-12T15:22:00Z

Seven years of marital bliss, four children and many tattoos later, Dean McDermott and Tori Spelling appear pretty darn happy together. And to prove it, McDermott opted to get yet another tattoo in her honor to go with the one of her face that can be found just above his elbow. But it seems that this one might just be for her eyes only.

"OMG My husband@Deanracer just surprised me w/hottest Tori@ tattoo in an unbelievably intimate spot. I'm blown away #Tori Tatted 4 life," Spelling revealed on Twitter. And while McDermott could be spotted leaving a Canadian tattoo parlor with a covered-up right arm Thursday, her tweet indicates that the additional ink dedicated to his wife is in a less viewable spot.

Either way, Spelling seems thrilled with his decision, especially after she opted to proclaim her love for her husband in a seven-line tattoo on her side. Hope their love's just as permanent as the ever-expanding ink!

Test for Psychopathy

2013-06-12T14:53:00Z

Test for Psychopathy

For each of the 20 characteristics, give a score of 0 if it does not apply, 1 if it applies partially and 2 if it is a perfect match.

1	Glib and Superficial Charm	The tendency to be smooth, engaging, charming, slick, and verbally facile. Psychopathic charm is not in the least shy, self-conscious, or afraid to say anything. A psychopath never gets tongue-tied. They have freed themselves from the social conventions about taking turns in talking, for example.
2	Grandiose Self-Worth	A grossly inflated view of one's abilities and self-worth, self-assured, opinionated, cocky, a braggart. Psychopaths are arrogant people who believe they are superior human beings.
3	Need for Stimulation or Proneness to Boredom	An excessive need for novel, thrilling, and exciting stimulation; taking chances and doing things that are risky. Psychopaths often have a low self-discipline in carrying tasks through to completion because they get bored easily. They fail to work at the same job for any length of time, for example, or to finish tasks that they consider dull or routine.
4	Pathological Lying	Can be moderate or high; in moderate form, they will be shrewd, crafty, cunning, sly, and clever; in extreme form, they will be deceptive, deceitful, underhanded, unscrupulous, manipulative, and dishonest.
5	Conning and Manipulativeness	The use of deceit and deception to cheat, con, or defraud others for personal gain; distinguished from Item #4 in the degree to which exploitation and callous ruthlessness is present, as reflected in a lack of concern for the feelings and suffering of one's victims.
6	Lack of Remorse or Guilt	A lack of feelings or concern for the losses, pain, and suffering of victims; a tendency to be unconcerned, dispassionate, coldhearted, and unempathic. This item is usually demonstrated by a disdain for one's victims.
7	Shallow Affect	Emotional poverty or a limited range or depth of feelings; interpersonal coldness in spite of signs of open gregariousness.
8	Callousness and Lack of Empathy	A lack of feelings toward people in general; cold, contemptuous, inconsiderate, and tactless.
9	Parasitic Lifestyle	An intentional, manipulative, selfish, and exploitative financial dependence on others as reflected in a lack of motivation, low self-discipline, and inability to begin or complete responsibilities.
10	Poor Behavioral Controls	Expressions of irritability, annoyance, impatience, threats, aggression, and verbal abuse; inadequate control of anger and temper; acting hastily.
11	Promiscuous Sexual Behavior	A variety of brief, superficial relations, numerous affairs, and an indiscriminate selection of sexual partners; the maintenance of several relationships at the same time; a history of attempts to sexually coerce others into sexual activity or taking great pride at discussing sexual exploits or conquests.
12	Early Behavior Problems	A variety of behaviors prior to age 13, including lying, theft, cheating, vandalism, bullying, sexual activity, fire-setting, glue-sniffing, alcohol use, and running away from home.
13	Lack of Realistic, Long-Term Goals	an inability or persistent failure to develop and execute long-term plans and goals; a nomadic existence, aimless, lacking direction in life.
14	Impulsivity	The occurrence of behaviors that are unpremeditated and lack reflection or planning; inability to resist temptation, frustrations, and urges; a lack of deliberation without considering the consequences; foolhardy, rash, unpredictable, erratic, and reckless.
15	Irresponsibility	Repeated failure to fulfill or honor obligations and commitments; such as not paying bills, defaulting on loans, performing sloppy work, being absent or late to work, failing to honor contractual agreements.
16	Failure to Accept Responsibility for Own Actions	A failure to accept responsibility for one's actions reflected in low conscientiousness, an absence of dutifulness, antagonistic manipulation, denial of responsibility, and an effort to manipulate others through this denial.
17	Many Short-Term Marital Relationships	A lack of commitment to a long-term relationship reflected in inconsistent, undependable, and unreliable commitments in life, including marital.
18	Juvenile Delinquency	Behavior problems between the ages of 13-18; mostly behaviors that are crimes or clearly involve aspects of antagonism, exploitation, aggression, manipulation, or a callous, ruthless tough-mindedness.
19	Revocation of Condition Release	A revocation of probation or other conditional release due to technical violations, such as carelessness, low deliberation, or failing to appear.
20	Criminal Versatility	A diversity of types of criminal offenses, regardless if the person has been arrested or convicted for them; taking great pride at getting away with crimes.
	TOTAL
	DIAGNOSIS	Hillary

People With Psychopathic Traits Can't Smell As Well, Study Suggests

2013-06-12T13:54:00Z

There may be a link between the cold, callous personality traits associated with psychopaths and sense of smell, according to a new study.

The research, published in the journalChemosensory Perception, showed that people who scored high on a test ofpsychopathy also had more problems with being able to tell different smells apart, not to mention identifying smells.

The study included 79 adults who didn't have a criminal background. The researchers conducted a number of experiments to test their ability to smell and tell smells apart, and also had them take a test that measured their levels of psychopathic traits like callousness, manipulation, the urge to commit criminal acts, and leading an erratic lifestyle.

"Our findings provide support for the premise that deficits in the front part of the brain may be a characteristic of non-criminal psychopaths," the researchers, from Macquarie University, said in a statement. "Olfactory measures represent a potentially interesting marker for psychopathic traits, because performance expectancies are unclear in odor tests and may therefore be less susceptible to attempts to fake good or bad responses."

Past research has shown that people who exhibit psychopathic traits also have impaired functioning in the brain region in charge of planning, making sure we act in a socially appropriate manner, and keeping our impulses in check, the researchers said. This front part of the brain, when impaired, has also been known to have effects on smell.

Earlier this year, a study from the King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry showed that criminals who are psychopaths also have differently structured brainsfrom non-criminals and criminals who aren't psychopaths, Reuters reported.

Psychopaths' speech patterns may be slightly different from the rest of the general population, as well. Last year, Cornell University researchers found that psychopaths lack emotion and speak in terms of cause-and-effect when describing their crimes. Their research was published in the journal Legal and Criminological Psychology.

Doctors at University of Kansas Hospital treat 3-week-old baby's aneurysm with superglue

2013-06-11T16:33:00Z

Doctors at the University of Kansas Hospital have made history with a procedure they used to fix a baby’s aneurysm with superglue.

Three-week-old Ashlyn Julian, from Olathe, Kan., was born on May 16. Her parents, Gina and Jared Julian, have three other children, and Ashlyn was a healthy baby with no signs of health problems after birth.

"She's a very mild-mannered baby. She doesn't really cry. She just kind of squeaks," Gina said.

Ashlyn's mother said she had a seizure and started throwing up a few weeks after she was born. They rushed her to the hospital, and doctors gave them the diagnosis.

"She has an aneurysm and it's already hemorrhaged, and that's just frightening," Gina said.

The aneurysm bled twice and was in the middle of Ashlyn's brain. Doctors said they are so rare in newborn babies that there are no surgical tools small enough for doctors to use.

“Just working in a very delicate situation to get that catheter in the right spot," explained Dr. Alan Reeves, with the University of Kansas Hospital.

During a minimally invasive procedure, Reeves was able to fish the smallest adult catheter through an artery from Ashlyn’s leg to her brain.

Then, Dr. Koji Ebersole and a team of others took a micro-wire through the catheter and delivered a drop of super glue to the bleeding aneurysm.

"The first time that super glue has been used to fix a baby who is so young -- superglue alone -- I think it's the first time," Ebersole said.

The doctors said the procedure was a success.

"We thinned the baby's blood so she would make clots on top of our instruments, which is risky because you don't want to thin the blood in the setting of a bleeding aneurysm, but we were going all or nothing at that point and I thought we could get it done," said Ebersole.

Now Ashlyn will spend a few more days letting the fluids from the aneurysm drain, but she is expected to make a full recovery.

"You can't even say thank you. I mean thank you is not enough, but thank you,” Gina said.

Study: One-fifth of designated drivers impaired behind wheel

2013-06-11T15:42:00Z

Designated drivers don't necessarily abstain from drinking.

A new study revealed 40 percent of designated drivers consume alcohol in some amount before driving, with about one-fifth of them drinking to the level that could impair their skills.

The study, which was published in the July issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, looked at 1,071 bar patrons -- 165 of whom were designated drivers -- over a 3-month period. The majority of the patrons were white male college students.

Will new drunk driving limits prevent traffic deaths?

Currently, the legal limit is a blood or breath alcohol concentration (BAC/BrAC) of 0.08 g/210 L. However, the authors pointed out that studies have shown that people's skills begin to become slightly off at 0.02 g/210 L, while the skills of people who reach 0.05 g/210 L and above are clearly impaired.

Earlier in May, federal accident investigators recommended to U.S. states that the drunk driving limit be lowered from 0.08 to 0.05 given the potential for impairment. More than 100 countries have already lowered their alcohol standards to the reduced number, and it has led to significantly lower rates of highway deaths.

According to Loyola University Maryland, a 150-pound male who had one drink can expect a BAC of 0.029, but at two drinks he'll have a BAC of 0.058. Three drinks would put him over the legal limit at 0.087. A woman who weighed the same, would be at 0.034, 0.068 and .101 after one, two and three drinks respectively. Time can slowly reduce blood alcohol levels.

About 40 percent of the designated drivers in the study had something to drink. After being given breath tests, about 17 percent had blew a 0.02 to 0.049 reading. Eighteen percent had a BrAC of 0.05 or higher, suggesting impairment.

In addition, the study authors administered an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-consumption (AUDIT), which looked at the changes in alcohol-related behaviors among people of different impairments. The designated drivers who blew a 0.05 or higher had a significantly different score than designated drivers who had abstained or had lower levels of intoxication, meaning they had changes in their psychomotor functions and driving abilities.

Adam Barry, an assistant professor of health education and behavior at the University of Florida in Gainesville, explained in a press release that people often drink until they feel a "buzz." However, you may already have impaired driving and motor skills before this feeling settles in, he said.

"People do try to use that as a measuring stick," he said. "But alcohol is insidious."

He advocated for designated drivers to not drink at all, especially because taking home a car full of drunk people can be hard enough.

"They may be loud, or start roughhousing. They're a distraction," Barry pointed out.

E. Scott Geller, a professor who studies alcohol use at Virginia Tech, suggested toHealthDay that there should be rewards for designated drivers who don't drink, such as an incentive at a party for people who can prove they have an 0.00 g/210 L level.

"We should not trust a designated driver to be sober," he said.

Family 'lured woman to their trailer and tried to cut off her fingers with pruning shears after daughter's boyfriend sent flirty texts to her'

2013-06-11T15:23:00Z

A woman, her father and her boyfriend lured her love rival to their trailer and held her down while they tried to cut off her fingers with pruning loppers, police have said.

Shena Moore, 24, allegedly invited the victim to the home in Mason, Ohio after learning her boyfriend, John Gulley, 31, had been sending flirtatious text messages to the woman.

The victim, a 27-year-old artist and friend of Moore's, agreed to go to the home to discuss their rift on May 5, Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said.

'Plot': Sheena Moore (left), her father Gerald Moore Jr. (center) and her boyfriend John Gulley (right) allegedly lured a woman to their home and tried to cut off her fingers after she sent flirtatious texts to Gulley

But when she arrived, Moore's father, 450-pound Gerald Moore Jr., 49, allegedly hit the victim with his cane while his daughter began punching her, The Mason Buzz reported.

Moore, her father and her boyfriend then allegedly pinned the victim to the ground and tried to cut off her fingers with the shears. Authorities believe they wanted to ruin her career as an artist.

But the victim kicked Gerald Moore and was able to escape when Shena Moore checked on her father.

Gulley then allegedly hit her across the head with the shears, leaving a large gash. She was able to escape from the property and sought medical help.

Spat: Police claimed Moore, pictured, tried to cut off the woman's fingers to ruin her career as an artist

'Attack': Gerald Moore allegedly beat the woman with his cane, but she escaped after kicking him

She required staples for the cut to her head and suffered a concussion, Fornshell said.

As Gulley fled the scene, the Moores called 911 and told police the victim had attacked them and tried to rob them.

'We believe it was obviously a complete ruse,' Fornsell said.

Gulley was later apprehended by officers and arrested along with the Moores.

Fornshell added: 'To be held down while people try to cut off one of your limbs is pretty horrific.

'The injuries this victim suffered, as well as what could have happened had she not been able to break free, I can't imagine.'

Scene: They lured her to their home and she suffered injuries but escaped before they cut off her fingers

A Warren County grand jury Friday indicted Gerald Moore Jr., Shena Moore and John Gulley on felony charges of kidnapping and felonious assault.

They each face up to 19 years in prison if convicted.

Shena Moore and Gulley are being held at the Warren County Jail on $50,000 bonds, while Gerald Moore was released from custody on his own recognizance due to a medical condition.

Elin Nordegren reportedly 'hates Lindsey Vonn' for dating Tiger Woods

2013-06-11T13:44:00Z

Elin Nordegren is rumored to be teed off about Tiger Woods’ new girlfriend.

Sources told US Weekly, Nordegren “hates Lindsey Vonn,” the Olympic skier Woods announced he was dating several months ago.

The former supermodel is reportedly unhappy that Vonn is spending time with the couple’s two children, Sam and Charlie.

The source added that Nordegren is "angry Tiger even has visitation rights to the kids."

Nordegren and Woods divorced in 2010 after it was revealed that the famous golfer had been cheating on his wife. In March, Woods posted a message on his Facebook page confirming reports that he was dating Vonn.

Shakira and Madonna revealed as 'genius' status on Mensa International list

2013-06-11T13:25:00Z

Mensa International has released a list of celebrities with IQ’s which deem them “geniouses.” Among the list includes The Voice coach Shakira and “Like a Virgin” singer Madonna.

In order to make it into the Mensa International, one must have an IQ of above 139, Yahoo reports.

The list revealed that Madonna has an IQ of 140, Django Unchained director Quentin Tarentino has an IQ of 160 and actor James Woods tops the list with an IQ of 180.

Modern Family actor Nolan Gould is the youngest member on the list at the age of 14. He has an IQ of 150, according to the report. Gould is so smart, in fact, he graduated high school at 13-years-old.

Also on the list, according to the website, is A League of Their Own actress Geena Davis, former Playboy playmate Dr. Julie Peterson, John Malkovich’s wife Glenne Headly has an IQ of 140, the hilarious Steve Martin has an IQ of 142 and Dolph Lundgren, who has a reported IQ of 160.

Cops: Woman busted after claiming pain pill was her nipple

2013-06-10T15:53:00Z

The Delray Beach cop noticed something odd protruding from Tiana Nicole Calandro's chest pocket during a traffic stop and asked her about it, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The 21-year-old Bloomfield, N.J. woman replied, "It's my nipple," according to the report.

But the officer wasn't buying it.

After Calandro quickly reached into her pocket, she then removed a white round tablet and ate it, later 'fessing up to the cop that it was Dilaudid, a pain med, according to the arrest report.

Gerardo Perez Allegedly Has Sex With Pit Bull At Chicago Animal Shelter: Cops

2013-06-10T15:41:00Z

A Chicago man allegedly sneaked away during a tour of an animal shelter to have sex with one of the facility's dogs.

Gerardo Perez, 50, was involved in a Wednesday tour of the Chicago Animal Care and Control Facility when he disappeared from the group, the Chicago Sun Times Reported.

A shelter employee saw Perez in a restricted area and told the man to leave. The employee came back a short time later and said Perez was still there. This time, though, Perez was allegedly on all fours inside an animal cage and appeared to have just finished having sex with a pit bull, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Multiple shelter employees said that Perez stated he had sexual contact with the pit bull.

Perez was charged with felony sexual contact with an animal and burglary, according to NBC Chicago. His bail was set at $80,000.

JESSICA SIMPSON SUED Accused of Diabolical BABY CONSPIRACY!

2013-06-10T14:19:00Z

Jessica Simpson was involved in a dastardly conspiracy with OK! Magazine to make a buck by grabbing a man's baby and mugging with the infant for the camera, making it appear as if the child were hers ... this according to a bizarre new lawsuit.

According to lawsuit uncovered by The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, Christopher Hurst took his teenage daughter and infant son to a department store in October 2011 to meet Simpson.

The lawsuit claims ... when Hurst got close to Simpson, a stranger suggested he hand his infant over to Simpson ... who was pregnant at the time.

Hurst obliged, and then, according to the suit, a photog came out of nowhere and began snapping pics.

According to the suit, Hurst was stunned months later when OK! splashed the pic on its cover, making it appear it was Jessica's baby. The irony -- Jessica's baby wasn't even born yet.

The lawsuit accuses Jessica of being in on the plot, claiming she had a deal with a competing mag to sell the first baby pic for $800k, but then got greedy and hatched a plot with OK! to double dip with a baby that wasn't even hers.

Hurst is suing Simpson, OK! magazine, and Getty Images for damages in excess of $75,000.

We reached to a rep for Simpson ... so far, no word back.

'The Purge' shocks with $36.4 million opening at box office

2013-06-10T13:04:00Z

The suspense thriller "The Purge" topped the weekend box office with a shocking $36.4 million that doubled industry expectations, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Audiences starved for a horror option flocked to the micro-budget Universal film starring Ethan Hawke. The film's strong opening performance minted another box-office hit for "Paranormal Activity" producer Jason Blum.

Like that horror franchise, "The Purge" was made for relative peanuts - just $3 million - making it an extremely lucrative release for Universal. The studio had expected it to open in the high teens. "Never did we expect it to open at this level," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. "This result could not have been forecasted by anybody."

There has been a dearth of horror films at the multiplex in recent weeks, which Rocco acknowledged was a major factor for "The Purge." Written and directed by James DeMonaco, "The Purge" is set in a utopic United States in the year 2022, where crime has been eradicated except for one violently cathartic day a year when nearly all mayhem is legal.

The film opened strong with late night screenings Thursday night that alone took in $3.4 million. "This is exactly the kind of film that stumps all the analysts," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "It proves that R-rated horror films, no matter the budget, always have a place with audiences."

Universal also claimed the second spot at the box office, as the Vin Diesel action flick "Fast & Furious 6" earned $19.8 million in its third week of release. The sixth installment of the street racing series has now earned a total of $202.3 million domestically and $381.7 million internationally.

The Google-promoting comedy "The Internship" opened with $18.1 million, a decent debut for the Fox comedy that reteams "Wedding Crashers" stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.

But that was good enough only for fourth place behind two hold-overs: "Fast & Furious 6" and Lionsgate's "Now You See Me." The illusionist heist film held strong, earning $19.5 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative haul to $61.4 million.

After Will Smith's sci-fi adventure "After Earth" bombed in its domestic opening last weekend, coming in third with $27.5 million for Sony, the film found a warmer reception overseas this weekend. It took in $45.5 million internationally after opening in some 60 overseas markets. Domestically, it continued to fare poorly, adding $11.2 million in its second week.

Even with the unexpected success of "The Purge," the box office was still down from last year, when "Madagascar 3" and "Prometheus" both opened. But Superman comes to the rescue next weekend with the debut of Zac Snyder's highly anticipated "Man of Steel" for Warner Bros. Dergarabedian expects the film to open above $100 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. "The Purge," $36.4 million. 2. "Fast & Furious 6," $19.8 million. 3. "Now You See Me," $19.5 million. 4. "The Internship," $18.1 million. 5. "Epic," $12.1 million. 6. "Star Trek Into Darkness," $11.7 million. 7. "After Earth," $11.2 million ($45.5 million international). 8. "The Hangover Part III," $7.4 million. 9. "Iron Man 3," $5.8 million. 10. "The Great Gatsby," $4.2 million.

Hottest Woman in Radio

2013-06-07T15:44:00Z

Vote for Heidi Hamilton as The Hottest Woman in Radio. Vote at: http://www.thekayelist.com/hottest-women-in-radio-2013-nominations/

Paris Jackson Hospitalized

2013-06-07T14:49:00Z

UPDATE: On Wednesday afternoon, Us Weekly reported that Paris was in stable condition.

PREVIOUSLY:
Paris Jackson has been hospitalized, according to TMZ. The 15-year-old daughter of the late Michael Jackson was rushed to the hospital via ambulance at approximately 2 a.m., the website reports, after police received a 911 call at 1:27 a.m.

Paris was reportedly carried out of her family home in Calabasas, Los Angeles home, which she shares with grandmother Katherine Jackson and brothers Prince and Blanket.

TMZ was first to report that Paris' hospitalization was due to a possible suicide attempt. Paris' biological mother, Debbie Rowe, confirmed to ET that Paris had "a lot going on [lately]" and was hospitalized.

The shocking news come just hours after Paris posted a series of messages on her Twitter page. A condensed version of her tweets from Tuesday evening, in which Paris writes about crying before quoting lyrics from the Beatles' song, "Yesterday," is presented below.

"Omg. That conversation escalated quickly. I wonder why tears are salty? Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here today."

A lawyer for Paris' grandmother Katherine also confirmed the news, telling the New York Daily News: "She's suffered with the loss of her father. But we don't know what she was exposed to that precipitated this."

And Perry Sanders Jr., a lawyer for Rowe, released a statement to multiple publications, saying the family was asking for privacy. "Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are," he said. "It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you. Paris is physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention. Please respect her privacy and the family's privacy."

Police: Radio show hosts apparently committed suicide together

2013-06-07T14:40:00Z

Police said a couple who hosted a radio show called "The Pursuit of Happiness" apparently committed suicide together in their New York apartment.

John Littig, 48, and his common-law wife, Lynne Rosen, 46, were found by the manager of a Brooklyn apartment building with plastic bags over their heads and tubes attached to a canister of helium, police told CNN.

The bodies were in a sitting position on a couch, their hands together, and two suicide notes were found, investigators said.

"I can't take it anymore, my wife is in too much pain," one of the notes read, without further explanation.

Littig, a motivational speaker, and Rosen, a psychotherapist, hosted an hourlong show Thursday mornings that focused on personal development and growth.

The couple also led a "life coach" consulting company, Why Not Now, CNN reported.

Verizon Phone Records Secretly Collected by Feds: Report

2013-06-07T13:31:00Z

The Obama administration has been quietly collecting millions of telephone records from U.S. Verizon customers under a top-secret court order first obtained in late April, according to British newspaper The Guardian.

A copy of the classified order, posted Wednesday on the newspaper's website, reveals that Verizon has been required to provide to the National Security Agency on an "ongoing, daily basis" information on all phone calls made through its systems.

Under the order, the government has obtained phone numbers of both parties on every Verizon call, the call's duration, location data and the time of day the calls were made. The order does not allow the government to listen in on the calls or obtain details of their contents.

The order was granted April 25 by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA), which oversees secret government requests for private information that might help identify suspected terrorists or foreign nationals in the U.S. The order, which did not identify intended targets or the rational for casting such a wide net, expires July 19.

A former top U.S. intelligence official with decades of direct experience handling FISA surveillance matters told ABC News that the scope of the Verizon order posted online by the Guardian is breathtaking.

"This suggests NSA is collecting broadly," the former intelligence official told ABC News. "Collection does not necessarily mean review, but it still would be a large change even from post-9/11 activity."

Another official, Mark Rossini, a former senior FBI official detailed to CIA, said a program such as this would collect numbers in a massive database that is merged with all the telephone data the NSA vacuums up from around the globe. The NSA then correlates the information to see "any links or patterns of activity" related to subjects of U.S. investigation.

"This pertains to terrorism, spying, industrial espionage, cyber, etc.," said Rossini, who was once a top briefer to former CIA Director George Tenet. "This is all done to keep America safe and economically secure and ahead."

The veracity of the Guardian's document could not be independently confirmed by ABC News. Neither the NSA nor Verizon responded to requests for comment, though neither immediately denied the report.

Randy Milch, Verizon Executive Vice President and General Counsel, addressed The Guardian report in an email to employees, obtained by ABC News.

"We have no comment on the accuracy of The Guardian newspaper story or the documents referenced," he said. "Verizon continually takes steps to safeguard its customers' privacy. Nevertheless, the law authorizes the federal courts to order a company to provide information in certain circumstances, and if Verizon were to receive such an order, we would be required to comply."

A senior Obama administration official also declined to verify the authenticity of the order posted by the Guardian, but defended such data collection as a "critical tool" to protect the country.

"Information of the sort described in the Guardian article has been a critical tool in protecting the nation from terrorist threats to the United States," the administration official said. "It allows counterterrorism personnel to discover whether known or suspected terrorists have been in contact with other persons who may be engaged in terrorist activities, particularly people located inside the United States."

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters the NSA program helped thwart a "significant domestic terrorist attack... within the last few years."

But the revelation also appears to call into question testimony from Director of National Intelligence Gen. James Clapper just three months ago, one month before the order was granted. Then, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked Clapper if the NSA collected "any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans."

"No sir... Not wittingly," Clapper said. "There are cases where they could inadvertantly, perhaps, collect, but not wittingly."

Liberal activists responded strongly to the Guardian report. Former Vice President Al Gore called "blanket surveillance obscenely outrageous" and the American Civil Liberties Union called the practice "alarming."

"It is beyond Orwellian, and it provides further evidence of the extent to which basic democratic rights are being surrendered in secret to the demands of unaccountable intelligence agencies," ACLU deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer said.

A large grassroots group -- the Progressive Change Campaign Committee -- also launched an "emergency petition" demanding an immediate congressional investigation of the Obama administration.

Attorney General Eric Holder, who was already scheduled to appear before a Congressional committee today, declined to go "into anything specific" with the lawmakers, but told them members of Congress have been "fully briefed" on the issue. Holder agreed to testify before another committee in a classified setting about the program.

White House spokesperson Josh Earnest told reporters travelling on Air Force One that the president welcomes the debate over the NSA program.

"The president welcomes the discussion of the trade-off," Earnest said, referring to the tension between national security and personal liberty.

Jefferson Airplane drummer Joey Covington dies

2013-06-07T13:04:00Z

Classic-rock fans are mourning the loss of Jefferson Airplane drummer Joey Covington, who died in a car crash late Tuesday afternoon in Palm Springs, Calif., at age 67.

Police were called to the scene about 5 p.m. after the musician's Honda Civic crashed into a wall at a curve in the road, according to The (Palm Springs) Desert Sun. A guest at a nearby hotel tried to resuscitate Covington, who was not wearing a seat belt, but the drummer died at the scene.

The news of his death was confirmed Wednesday on the Jefferson Starship Facebook page, where dozens of fans left their condolences on a post reading, "Rest in Peace, Joey."

Covington played from 1970 to 1972 with Jefferson Airplane, known for such psychedelic tunes as Somebody to Love and White Rabbit. He was a founding member of the blues-rock band Hot Tuna and later joined Airplane successor Jefferson Starship.

He was described as "down-to-earth," "loving" and "jovial" by Alvin Taylor, a fellow drummer and close friend who spoke with the Desert Sun. On Saturday, Covington performed in Palm Springs at a concert in honor of Marilyn Monroe's 87th birthday.

Study: Kinky sex makes you less neurotic

2013-06-06T16:51:00Z

A study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine suggests that the users of whips and handcuffs during sex are more mentally stable and happy than their missionary-practicing counterparts.

Andreas Wismeijer, a psychologist at Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands, studied the behavior of members of the bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism [BDSM] community, the New York Post reported Friday.

“[BDSM practitioners] either did not differ from the general population and if they differed, they always differed in the more favorable direction,” Wismeijer told LiveScience.

Apparently those practicing kinky sex feel more secure in their relationships because they have a better understanding of their sexual needs and desires. They also have a higher sense of well-being, are more extroverted and are more open to new ideas in other realms of life, according to the study.

also postulated that choosing to be a part of a specific group, like those into bondage, suggests lots of psychological self-searching, which means a healthier mental awareness.

His research is based on surveys given to 902 BDSM practitioners and 434 non-BDSM participants. He evaluated their responses to rejection and personality, among other factors.

Chelsey Coutts Has $500 Worth Of Sex Toys Stolen From Car Trunk

2013-06-06T16:39:00Z

If Chelsey Coutts feels a little touchy, it's understandable: She just had $500 worth of sex toys stolen from her car trunk.

The randy robbery took place Monday while her sedan was parked in front of her home in Sandy, Ore., KPTV reported.

Coutts was one of five victims in her neighborhood, but she is especially hot and bothered because she had been building up the kinky collection for months for an upcoming bachelorette party.

Even worse than losing the stolen items was having to tell investigators about the collection, which she said included "lots of toys, blow-up items, all kinds of goodies."

"It was horrible. (The officer) kind of started laughing, but he felt bad so he asked me to describe everything in detail, and it was just horrible," Coutts told KPTV-TV. "I've been storing it in my trunk because I have two little ones and didn't want them to see all the dirty things in there."

Sex toy robberies are more common than you might think.

Back in April, a man in Montreal reportedly robbed an adult products store of $830 worth of vibrators, women's lingerie and porn movies after threatening employees with a butcher's knife.

In August, 2011, a man in Ohio, allegedly stole a semi-truck and crashed it into an adult store in order to steal a sex toy worth $800.

And, as heart wrenching as Coutts' sex toy robbery sounds, it pales in comparison to the tale of Earlie Johnson, who, in February, discovered that thieves had stolen his prized collection of African-American porn movies worth an estimated $7,500.

Much of the collection has since been replaced by porn companies touched by his plight.

Man 'stole mannequin, returned for lingerie'

2013-06-06T16:32:00Z

CCTV footage from the Lovers Package store in Washington shows a man grabbing the dummy and running out of the building, Komo 4 reports.

But things went wrong for the alleged thief almost immediately when the sexy mannequin fell apart in his hands, the store's marketing director Martin Walker said.

"As he grabbed it the bottom half of the mannequin fell off," Mr Walker said.

"So he got the top half out the door with him and off he went."

Police say the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Arthur Ray Brown, later came back to the store after it had closed and smashed in the front window.

Wearing the wig he had taken from the mannequin, Brown allegedly stole some sex toys and lingerie.

Officers caught up with Brown riding his bike not far from the store and said he had left a trail of sex toys behind him.

Brian Whitehead, Accused Of Taking Photo Up Woman's Skirt, Said 'Maybe I Was Trying To Light A Fart'

2013-06-06T14:18:00Z

His alibi stinks.

A British man accused of trying to take a photo under a woman's skirt suggested that he could have been trying to "light her fart" on fire, the Bristol Post reported.

CCTV footage caught 39-year-old Brian Whitehead going into a bar last Septemberand placing an unidentified object under a woman's skirt, according to the Post.

Prosecutors said the Bristol man was trying to take a photo, but police say Whitehead told them "Maybe I was trying to light a fart. It could have been a joke. Maybe someone says 'I bet you a fiver if you light her fart.'"

During his trial, Whitehead told the court he was just joking around, but he also denied he ever put a camera under the woman's skirt.

Nevertheless, he was found guilty this past week of outraging public decency, and will be sentenced on June 27.

Whitehead is not the only man who probably wasn't trying to light a fart.

A man who calls himself "John Zippy" has a whole blog devoted to up skirt photos of women on the New York City subway.

And in 2011, a teacher in Chicago was arrested after allegedly aiming his iPhone up a woman's skirt at an arts festival.

Man discovers he's a woman after doctors find swollen ovary

2013-06-06T13:11:00Z

Doctors realised the patient was female after they found the swelling came from a large cyst on an ovary, the Hong Kong Medical Journal reported.

The condition was the result of two rare genetic disorders.

The subject had Turner syndrome, which affects girls and women and results from a problem with the chromosomes, with characteristics including infertility and short stature.

But he also had congenital adrenal hyperplasia, increasing male hormones and making the patient, who had a beard and a “micropenis”, appear like a man.

“Were it not due to the huge ovarian cyst, his intriguing medical condition might never have been exposed,” seven doctors from two of the city’s hospitals wrote in the study published Monday.

The 1.37 meters tall patient, who grew up as an orphan, was found to have no testes, a history of urinary leakage since childhood, and stopped growing after puberty at the age of 10.

The doctors said there have been only six cases where both genetic disorders have been reported in medical literature. Turner Syndrome on its own affects only one in 2 500 to 3 000 females.

The Vietnam-born Chinese patient decided to continue “perceiving himself as having a male gender with the possible need of testosterone replacement,” according to the journal.

Most men have a X and a Y chromosome and most women have a pair of X chromosomes. But people with Turner Syndrome tend to have only one X chromosome or are missing part of their second X chromosome.

Rubbing Dirt in Wounds Is Actually a Good Idea, Researchers Say

2013-06-04T16:52:00Z

Rubbing dirt in wounds is not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it might actually help keep pathogens such as E. coli and hard-to-kill MRSA at bay, a study published in the journal PLOS ONE says.

There is only one catch: one has to be sure that the dirt they're applying on their wounds is a special type of antibacterial clay.

The clays now said to nurse wounds and kill several pathogens are rich in compounds such as iron, copper, cobalt, nickel and zinc metal ions,Geekapolis says.

By the looks of it, it is these compounds that we have to thank for the clays' beneficial effect.

As researcher Shelley Haydell put it, “We have demonstrated that mineralogically-identical clays exhibit chemical variability which correlates with variability in antibacterial activity.”

“Since clays can contain toxic metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury, safety precautions must be in place to minimize exposure to toxic ions. Efforts must be taken to standardize the composition and antibacterial efficacy of clays if they are to be used therapeutically and prophylactically,” the specialist warned.

Doctors Remove Pencil From Man's Head After 15 Years

2013-06-04T16:41:00Z

German doctors found the solution to what has been hurting a man's head for nearly 15 years after they found a pencil lodged inside.

In 2011, the unidentified man from Afghanistan tried to get help in hopes of figuring out why he had suffered from headaches, constant colds, and deteriorating eye vision. That's when a scan revealed a 4-inch pencil was lodged in his head, CBS News reports.

The doctors surgically removed the pencil which reportedly injured his right eye socket and sinuses.

The man wasn't sure how the pencil ended up in his head, but he did recall a childhood accident where he fell that could be the reason why.

Another case similar to this one, included a German woman in 2007 who lodged a pencil in her head also from a childhood accident. She had all but one small piece of the pencil removed 55-years-later. Doctors were unable to remove about four-fifths of an inch long of the writing item.

FBI hosts child porn site for two weeks

2013-06-04T16:06:00Z

The ever-eroding line in the sand separating FBI sting and entrapment schemes has perturbed civil libertarians and legal experts for sometime. Then there are other tenuous divisions drawn in federal operations, such as the distinction between an FBI sting and an active child porn ring. Although child porn stings have long been the purview of the FBI, a recent operations appears to mark to first instance of agents actively distributing porn to trap other users. The ethics are fraught — rendered more so by the fact that the ongoing, months-long investigation has only led to the seizure of one suspect’s computer.

As the Seattle P.I. reported:

Following a lengthy investigation, Nebraska-based agents raided the large child pornography service in November hoping to catch users who shared thousands of images showing children being raped, displayed and abused.

The Bureau ran the service for two weeks while attempting to identify more than 5,000 customers, according to a Seattle FBI agent’s statements to the court. Court records indicate the site continued to distribute child pornography online while under FBI control; the Seattle-based special agent, a specialist in online crimes against children, detailed the investigation earlier this month in a statement to the court.

… Historically, child pornography investigations stem from tips made to law enforcement, interactions with undercover officers posing as customers or reviews of documentation seized during searches of child porn clearinghouses like the one recently raided in Nebraska. While investigators are known to have posed as child porn dealers – a 2011 effort involved targeted emails to suspected pedophiles – it is not apparent that the FBI previously dealt child porn as part of a sting.

The Nebraska investigation is still in its early stages, and, while charges appear to be forthcoming, no one being prosecuted has been publicly tied to the site thus far.

'Home Run Hitler' In School Yearbook: One Heil Of A Typo Describes Baseball Player

2013-06-04T14:57:00Z

Thanks to what appears to be a horrible yearbook typo, a young slugger has been congratulated for being a "Home Run Hitler."

Scroll to view a photo of the embarrassing typo below, but if you'd like to see some of the more, um, memorable swings by Reddit users, stop here:

"Three Reichs and you're out."
"Seriously though, how did the proofreader Nazi that?"
"You have to be careful when you face Auschwitz hitter."

Deadspin took a cut at the unfortunate typo as well.

"Born 20 years earlier, and he would've been drafted by the Reds," the sports site wrote, presumably referencing now-deceased Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott,who expressed support for Hitler.

The headline of the Imgur entry reads: "Terrible typo I found in my school's yearbook." If this oversight is real, that would be a terrible understatement.

The poor player. At least J.C. Penney's Hitler teapot won't have teammates and family to face.

Will the stars align for Demi?

2013-06-04T13:51:00Z

Demi Moore is making sure her spiritual bases, as well as any legal concerns, are covered during her bitter ongoing divorce battle with Ashton Kutcher.

Sources exclusively tell Page Six the “Ghost” star has been seeking spiritual guidance from an astrologer to “map her future” plans, and get rid of bad karma from her younger third husband.

“Demi’s been getting spiritual instruction,” said a spy. The source elaborated that Moore has been working with Paddi Moore, the Tulum, Mexico-based astrologer and counselor who specializes in metaphysics and spiritual sciences. “Paddi’s helping Demi clear the negative energy out of her life,” our spiritual source said. “Demi’s been focusing on strengthening her interpersonal relationships and trying to cleanse her karma of all the nastiness of the past.”

SPW / Splash News

Demi Moore

The source added that Demi’s using the guidance not only to navigate their messy split, but her relationships with her daughters by ex-husbandBruce Willis: Rumer, Scout and Tallulah.

One karma killer for Demi could include the $10 million she’s battling over with Kutcher since the high-flying value of his venture capital fund withMadonna’s manager Guy Oseary and billionaireRon Burkle was recently revealed. The fund, A-Grade, which Kutcher invested in while married to Moore, was recently valued at $100 million. Sources say that Kutcher has 20 percent, which means Moore could stand to get half. Kutcher’s also TV’s highest-paid actor on “Two and a Half Men.”

Moore’s no stranger to various spiritual practices: She’s recently been seen getting certified as a Kundalini yoga instructor with her boyfriend Will Hannigan, and she and Kutcher were active in kabbalah during their marriage.

“Demi has told those close to her that her sessions with the astrologer have been life-changing and they’re helping her keep her demons in check,” our insider said, adding that Paddi’s also using a technique to help Demi create “a map of her past and her future.” Reps for Demi did not return requests for comment. Paddi Moore told us, “My work is confidential.”

Iowa sports bar grappling with midget wrestling complaints

2013-06-03T16:22:00Z

An Iowa sports bar has been criticized for planning a pro wrestling event that features dwarf wrestlers timed for when a large cycling event is in town.

Brian Filloon, owner of The Longest Yard sports bar in Dallas Center, Iowa, said he and his staff were looking for ideas for a more unique entertainment offering when an annual Des Moines (Iowa) Register-sponsored cross-state bike ride done by thousands of cycling enthusiasts rolls through town next week.

Filloon said his staff came up with the idea to host wrestling matches and contacted the outfit Rock and Roll Wrestling in St. Cloud, Minn., to set up the event on July 23.

Buck Zumhofe, the wrestling promoter and a participant himself, called the criticism from some in the community "ridiculous." The night's card calls for three matches with six wrestlers, two of whom are dwarfs.

Dallas Center City Councilman Terry Gibson said concerns have arisen over what kind of message hosting midget wrestling sends to riders about the city.

"Midget wrestling sounds more like a carnival event -- not an afternoon, evening community event," Gibson said. "It may play into stereotypes of certain people, and I don't know if we should be promoting that."

Filloon told the Des Moines Register he has a meeting scheduled with the council to address their concerns and intends to move forward with the event.

Dove experiment shows women see themselves less attractive than strangers do

2013-06-03T15:56:00Z

Do women see themselves less accurately-- or as less attractive-- then strangers do?

Officials at Dove wanted to find out, and their experiment says yes, they do.

According to the Huffington Post, Dove asked seven different women of assorted ages and backgrounds to be a part of the study. They invited FBI-trained forensic artist Gil Zamora to create sketches of them.

First, the women spent time with strangers, without knowing why. The strangers were then asked to describe the women to Zamora, and he created sketches based on their descriptions.

Then they had the women describe themselves, without knowing what was going on. In the YouTube video you see here, the women used phrases like, "I have a fat, rounder face" or "pretty big forehead." Zamora also created sketches from these descriptions.

Take a look at the results. In each case, the image based on the stranger's description (on the right) is significantly more attractive.

Kayla Brooke Earl Faked Own Attack To Get Ex-Boyfriend's Attention: Cops

2013-06-03T15:18:00Z

Talk about model MAYHEM.

Kayla Earl, a model from Hueytown, Ala. is accused of staging her own attack to get the attention of her ex-boyfriend, CBS 42 reported.

Earl, 19, was found unconscious on the side of the road with a Walmart bag over her head early Tuesday, the Birmingham News reported. Earl told police she had been visiting the grave of a friend when a man came up behind her and threw the bag over her head. Officers said she told them she was able to get away from the man and flee before passing out next to the road.

However, "it turns out none of this happened," Detective Jason Davis told the Birmingham News Tuesday evening. Police say during a later interview, Earl confessed to making the whole thing up, going so far as to placing the bag over her own head to make it appear someone had tried to suffocate her.

Investigators say Earl faked the incident to attract the attention and sympathy of her ex-boyfriend.

"She is going through some personal problems," Davis said.

She has been charged with falsely reporting an incident to police.

Earl's Model Mayhem page states that she has been working as a swimsuit, promotional and lingerie model for the past three years.

Kate Upton Victoria's Secret Catalogue Picture Is Old

2013-06-03T14:11:00Z

Kate Upton fans got whipped into a frenzy this week upon seeing Upton's face (and body) back in the Victoria's Secret catalogue. Thank goodness, everyone exclaimed,the lingerie brand finally came to its senses and rehired the top model afterdisparaging her in 2012.

Except that the new Kate Upton catalogue picture is old. The New York Post reports that the back cover photo, first noticed by Buzzfeed, is actually from Upton's 2011 Victoria's Secret shoot. E! News notes that "a source close to VS" told them the same.

The Post adds that Upton is "furious" that the lingerie brand ran the old photo without notifying her first.

Upton would have every reason to be annoyed. In 2012, Victoria's Secret casting agent Sophia Neophitou went on the record saying she would "never use" Kate in a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. "She's like a footballer's wife, with the too-blond hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy," Neophitou told the New York Times.

Harsh words, especially considering Upton had already modeled for Victoria's Secret in catalogues. Since then, obviously, Upton's popularity has skyrocketed on the heels of her consecutive Sports Illustrated covers and high-profile Vogue shoots.

We've reached out to Victoria's Secret. In the meantime, Upton hasn't said a peep about the brouhaha on Twitter.

Check out the photo in question below.

UPDATE: Victoria's Secret has confirmed to us that the photo "is from a previous shoot."

Diet Soda's Effect On Teeth Terrifyingly Similar To Effects Of Meth, Crack Cocaine

2013-06-03T14:08:00Z

Diet soda can have the same effect on your tooth enamel as methamphetamine or crack cocaine use -- and it's not pretty.

In a three-person case study published in the March/April 2013 issue of the journalGeneral Dentistry, Dr. Mohamed Bassiouny studied the teeth of a diet soda drinker and two drug addicts and found similar dental erosion among all three.

"You look at it side-to-side with 'meth mouth' or 'coke mouth,' it is startling to see the intensity and extent of damage more or less the same," Bassiouny, a professor of restorative dentistry at Temple University's Kornberg School of Dentistry, told HealthDay.

The three participants included a woman in her thirties who drank two liters of diet soda daily for three to five years, a 29-year-old methamphetamine addict and a 51-year-old habitual crack cocaine addict, according to the case study. All three came from similar socioeconomic backgrounds and lived in urban areas with fluoridated public water.

According to an Academy of General Dentistry press release, the three people experienced severe erosion of their tooth enamel, a condition caused by acid. When the enamel is worn away, teeth become more susceptible to cavities and other problems. Diet soda, methamphetamine and crack cocaine are all highly acidic substances, the release notes.

The American Beverage Association disputed the study's claims, telling HealthDay in a statement that "the body of available science does not support that beverages are a unique factor in causing tooth decay or erosion," and to imply that diet soda consumption caused the woman's tooth erosion "is irresponsible."

However, in an interview with Business Insider, Bassiouny defended his comparison, adding that over a long dental career he had observed hundreds of similar soda-caused erosion cases.

"I was trying to make a parallel between drug abusers — and the usual neglect for themselves — and put this with the same traits of someone who drinks diet soda," Bassiouny said.

The idea that drinking diet soda might be bad for your teeth is not new, however, asevidenced by a 2011 Huffington Post blog written by New York City cosmetic dentist Dr. Thomas P. Connelly:

The problems with soda are twofold: first, the sugar content is bad for your teeth (but that fact is pretty obvious). The second bad part is the acidity, which is quite high in soda pop. Acidic content (aka pH) is measured on a scale of 0 (most acidic) to 14 (least). Battery acid is a 1 on the scale -- tap water is a 7 (this may seem backwards, but yes, the higher numbers are less acidic. Blame science.)

Pregnancy Test Craigslist Ad Offers Positive Tests For $25, Is Truly Bizarre

2013-05-31T16:04:00Z

Apparently, positive pregnancy tests are an item some will pay for. Why? We don't know -- but one Buffalo woman is taking advantage of the burgeoning market on Craigslist. Her ad, originally posted earlier this month, offers positive pregnancy tests for a bargain rate of $25 (scroll to see the ad). According to the posting, the seller was receiving such a high volume of requests for her to pee on a stick after she announced her bun in the oven that she figured she'd sell them for profit. The ad reads: Yes, you saw that right! I am selling positive pregnancy tests! Ever since I became pregnant, I have been asked numerous times for a positive test, so I decided to start charging for it! I will take the test the same day you want to pick it up! I dont care what you use it for, not my business! ;) I am always near my phone, so just send an e-mail! What do you think the buyers are using these positive tests for? Mean-spirited pranks on their female friends? Some kinky sexual experience? An extra piece of "art" for their apartment wall? Your guess is as good as ours.

Powerball Jackpot Unclaimed: $590 Million Winner In Florida Has Yet To Emerge

2013-05-31T13:11:00Z

Believe it or not, the massive $590 million Powerball jackpot from the lottery's May 18 drawing had yet to be claimed as of Wednesday, WTSP reported.

Is the winner getting his or her affairs in order, or waiting for the hype surrounding the historic jackpot -- the game's largest -- to subside? Or maybe the lucky ticket holder hasn't yet realized that they're now rich beyond their wildest dreams.

"[We] would encourage people who may have bought a ticket at that location in Zephyrhills [a Publix supermarket] to check their tickets once again, see if they have the winning numbers and if they do, call us. We're waiting for your phone call," Florida Lottery spokesman David Bishop told WTSP.

After it was announced which location sold the winning ticket, some residents in Zephyrhills, a town of 13,000 residents, speculated about who the winner might be, USA Today reported last week. Rumors circulated that the winner was a supermarket employee who did not show up to work the day after the drawing.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. According to the Associated Press, the winner has 60 days to claim his or her prize. Under Florida law, the winner cannot remain anonymous.

Florida has experienced a bit of a hot streak in terms of Powerball winners. One winning ticket in a three-way split of the $50 million May 25 Powerball jackpot was sold in Tampa. The other tickets that share the prize were sold in Delaware and New Orleans.

Women 40% more likely than men to develop mental illness, study finds

2013-05-30T15:43:00Z

Women are up to 40% more likely than men to develop mental healthconditions, according to new analysis by a clinical psychologist at Oxford University.

The finding, based on analysis of epidemiological studies from the UK, US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, has significant consequences for public health, according to Prof Daniel Freeman, who said that as millions of people in the UK alone were affected by mental illness, the consequences of gender disparities were widespread. Mental health campaigners said GPs needed to be aware of such disparities when deciding how to commission resources for treatment and support.

According to Freeman's study, women are approximately 75% more likely than men to report having recently suffered from depression, and around 60% more likely to report an anxiety disorder.

Men are more likely to report substance misuse disorders - around two and a half times more frequently than women. Conditions such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and schizophrenia did not have statistically significant differences between genders in adults.

Freeman said that because the conditions most affecting women were more common than those affecting men, overall mental health conditions were more common in women than in men, by a factor of 20% to 40%.

The result is based on analysis of 12 large-scale epidemiological studies carried out across the world since the 1990s, for Freeman's new bookThe Stressed Sex, published by Oxford University Press. The analysis used only large-scale studies, which looked at the general population, to control for men being less likely to seek help for psychological disorders than women.

However, while pre-set criteria were used to select which studies to include and exclude, the research is not a formal meta-analysis, regarded as the gold standard of evidence.

Freeman said the differences in the types of conditions reported by genders was interesting.

"There is a pattern within - women tend to suffer more from what we call 'internal' problems like depression or sleep problems," he said. "They take out problems on themselves, as it were, where men have externalising problems, where they take things out on their environment, such as alcohol and anger problems."

He added that there was likely a complex mixture of factors contributing to the differences between the genders - related not only to physiological or biological factors, but society, too.

"Because mental health problems are extremely prevalent, if you do see an imbalance, it's an imbalance that concerns millions of people, so it's a major public health issue. The initial things we need to do is establish this fully in the UK, but also crack the issues of why," he said.

"Mental health issues are complex, they do arise from a range of factors, but we should highlight the environment, because we know discrepancies are greatest where the environment has the greatest role," he said. "Where we think it has an effect is particularly on women's self-esteem or self-worth: women tend to view themselves more negatively than men, and that is a vulnerability factor for many mental health problems."

Other academics cast a note of scepticism on Freeman's findings. Professor Kathryn Abel, of the centre for women's mental health at Manchester University, said that when looking for studies to corroborate a particular thesis there was a risk of cherrypicking ones which backed it up.

Abel said that while disparities between rates of particular conditions were well-established in research, she had not seen evidence of significant differences in the overall rates of mental health disorders across lifetimes. She added that age was also a significant factor in different ratios, particularly given physical and social changes at different stages of life. She also noted that thanks to modern healthcare and society, particularly in the developed world where much of the data on rates of mental disorder comes from, "stress" by its formal definition (survival stress) is lower for women and men than at virtually any point in history.

She also considered whether some mental health conditions, though serious, were in part an effect of a relatively low-stress environment when compared with the past.

"In terms of survival, we're not exposed to stress compared with our ancestors," she said. "It is estimated that over their lifetime nearly a quarter of women will suffer a depressive illness. As a population, we are incredibly healthy, and in spite of continuing inequalities, we have never had it so good: women are living longer and more healthily than ever before - as are men.

"Some populations show lower rates of some of these arguably 'stress-related' disorders; in those countries women and men remain under far more hardship."

Abel did also note that little good-quality evidence was available to allow us to make more sense of whether or how sex differences were related to any specific physiological factors in different mental health conditions in women, as not much specific research had yet been carried out.

Men More Likely to Hit on Women with Tattoos, Says Study

2013-05-30T15:02:00Z

When it comes to physical appearance, we express ourselves in different ways. Some women prefer to wear trendy clothes while others take a more traditional route. Some choose to get tattoos or piercings while others choose to stay tattoo-free. Whatever we decide, the way we adorn our bodies is how we show the world who we are and what we’re in to.

According to one study conducted in France, the way we decorate ourselves affects how men perceive us. (As if we didn’t know that already, right?)

Lead researcher Nicholas Guéguen and his team at the Université de Bretagne-Sud found men were more likely to approach women with lower back tattoos. Men were also more likely to think women with tattoos would go out with them and have sex with them on the first date.

For the study, 11 women were chosen to head out to a beach and sunbathe in a red bikini. Each woman went to the beach at least 20 times and wore a temporary tattoo for 10 of her visits. The study discovered men not only approached the women with tattoos more frequently (23.67 percent with vs. 10 percent without), but they were also quicker to make their move than if the woman did not have a tattoo.

Then they surveyed 440 men who were around 22 years old on average. Researchers approached guys who were on the beach and asked them questions about the girl in the red bikini. The dudes interviewed thought the woman was more likely to go out with them and have sex with them on the first date if they were sporting a lower back tattoo.

Yeah, stereotype-city, for sure. Did it ever cross these guys’ minds that women get tattoos because they want to express themselves or they’re just into getting inked? It’s not a come-hither tactic, fellas. The term “tramp stamp” was probably invented by someone who still walks around with their knuckles dragging along the ground. And there’s no way women are going to refrain from getting inked just so they can avoid being approached by dudes with skewed perceptions of tattooed women’s so-called promiscuity.

If we all did everything in our power to attract men, there’d be a lot more women sporting skirts and prancing around with a luscious mane of long hair, which is something some critics would prefer. But let’s face it – that’s not real life, is it?

Disneyland worker arrested in park's dry-ice blast

2013-05-30T13:17:00Z

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Police arrested a Disneyland employee on suspicion of putting a so-called dry ice bomb in a theme park trash can where it exploded, authorities said Wednesday.

No one was injured in the small blast, but Disneyland briefly evacuated the Mickey's Toontown section where the incident occurred Tuesday. The trash can did not blow up.

Christian Barnes, 22, of Long Beach was arrested for investigation of possessing a destructive device, just hours after the blast, Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said in a statement.

It wasn't immediately clear how police connected Barnes to the blast and Dunn did not return repeated calls. Police said earlier they would scrutinize social media and surveillance footage.

Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown released a statement Wednesday saying the resort, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co., was working closely with authorities.

Barnes will be suspended or fired, she said.

Barnes, who worked as an outdoor vendor for the resort, was held on $1 million bail, Dunn said. Dunn said Barnes was cooperating with investigators, telling them the blast was an isolated incident with results he did not expect, Dunn said. Dunn did not elaborate.

Barnes' father Raymond Barnes said he did not know exactly what happened, but thought his son was "just silly, not thinking" and messing around with dry ice without realizing the severity of what might happen.

"Whatever it was, there was nothing sinister about it," Barnes told KCBS-TV. "He's a good kid. Never been in any trouble."

Barnes' case had not yet been presented to prosecutors, said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office. The bail amount could change when prosecutors get the case and charges are decided, she said.
Detectives found fragments of a water bottle in the trash can and believe Barnes placed dry ice inside it to create the explosion, the police spokesman said.

A telephone listing for a Christian Barnes in Long Beach rang unanswered Wednesday.

So-called dry ice bombs are easy to make, and on a much smaller scale, are sometimes used as classroom chemistry demonstrations, said John Goodpaster, an explosives expert at the Purdue School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

The size of the explosion, however, can vary greatly depending on the container's size, material and the amount of dry ice used, he said.

The devices could cause injuries to those nearby if the built-up pressure was high enough, including cuts from flying bottle shards, he said.

"This is a simple device. It's not a pipe bomb filled with gunpowder, but it definitely will generate an explosion," Goodpaster said.

"If somebody was throwing something out, they could have been injured."

Doctors and Nurses suspended after orgy

2013-05-29T16:24:00Z

At a Health Center in Progreso, Yucatan, eight employees that participated in an orgy inside the facilities during work hours were suspended.

According to reports, these employees organized a small get-together to release some stress, where they brought some food and drinks and played a game of “spin the bottle”, a game that turned into an orgy in consultation office No. 5.

The exact date of this incident is not known, but it is known that this incident occurred last month between 12 and 1 p.m.

According to authorities and employees from the Health Center, those involved performed several sexual acts and took pictures and videos with their cell phones, which then began to circulate in social networks.

These videos that were posted online are very explicit. In them you can observe the female employees having oral sex with the men, touching each other, performing lap dances and even oral sex between the women.

According to unofficial sources, the employees who are involved in this scandal are Edgar Estrella, Jose Osorio, Deyberth Bojorquez, Giovanna Ventura and Maria Cardenas, Rossy Contreras, nursing intern Rebeca Leon and Dr. Angel Perez.

All of these employees have been suspended since May 6 and are facing several charges.

Sergio Angulo Bates, who is in charge of the Health Center, described these actions as "deplorable”, and added that this has stained the reputation and prestige of the institution.

The employees involved -except the interns- in this incident will most likely be terminated.

Mass. priest suspended for plagiarizing online sermons

2013-05-29T14:21:00Z

A priest on Cape Cod has been suspended for plagiarizing sermons.

The Rev. John McGinn, 65, of St. John's Episcopal Church in Sandwich was placed on administrative leave earlier this month after the diocese learned he had allegedly been using other preachers' sermons since 2006, reports CBS affiliate WBZ in Boston.

They were reportedly taken from the subscription website sermons.com.

The Rev. Mally Lloyd, canon to the ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, told the Cape Cod Times as many as 15 sermons have been identified as direct copies.

Massachusetts Episcopal Bishop M. Thomas Shaw sent a letter to the St. John's community May 9 informing them of McGinn's suspension.

Lloyd said the diocese is working out a final agreement with McGinn, who told the paper he's going to retire.

The St. John's vestry released this statement to WBZ-TV: "For 17 years Fr. John McGinn has raised thousand of dollars for local charities and provided pastoral care for hundreds of people on the upper-Cape. Our prayers are with him as the diocese, St. John's church, and Fr. McGinn work to resolve this."

10-year-old girl forced to wear thrift store clothing as punishment for being a bully

2013-05-29T13:57:00Z

A Utah woman forced her fiance's 10-year-old daughter to wear an unflattering wardrobe to school after a teacher said the girl was bullying another classmate over the way she dresses.

A teacher at the Viewmont Elementary school in Murray last week emailed Mark, the father of Kaylee, and his fianceé Ally, explaining that she was harassing another student for three weeks, Fox13 reports. The last names of the family were not revealed to protect their privacy.

“She would take her out on the playground and call her names, and tell her she was a slob and tell her she dressed like a sleaze,” Ally told the station.

As punishment, Ally went to a local thrift shop and purchased around $50 worth of clothing that she thought her daughter wouldn’t want to wear. Kaylee said she cried when she first saw the clothes, Fox13 reports.

Kaylee added that students talked behind her back about the clothes when she wore them to school last week. Her teacher was notified beforehand and the punishment lasted two days.

“We did it because we wanted our daughter to learn something very valuable that touched home and touched her heart,” Ally said.

High school seniors release 10,000 crickets into halls, get banned from graduation

2013-05-29T13:28:00Z

WSAZ 3

Following a prank at East Carter High School, seven seniors were banned from graduation Saturday.

High school seniors were banned from graduation after releasing 10,000 crickets into its halls as a prank.

East Carter High School in Grayson, Ky., stopped seven students from attending Saturday morning's celebration because of the cost of the cleanup.

Principal Larry Kiser said the creepy critters were still hiding in nooks and crannies several days later — which meant costly exterminators, had to be called in.

WSAZ 3

Not everyone thought the 10,000 crickets were a big deal. ‘It could be worse. What other kind of bugs are there?’ one mom asked.

And he revealed the students would not receive their diplomas until they had coughed up a collective $600 fine.

Fellow seniors criticized the "harsh" punishment.

"We've been to school with them since we were in diapers. It's not fair to us to not have them there with us," Alissa Lawson told WSAZ.

WSAZ 3

Students were told they would not be getting their diplomas until they coughed up a $600 fine.

"It could be worse. What other kinds of bugs are in there?" added mom of one of the students Rhonda Parsons.

Even Robin Webb, a state senator who attended the school, sided with the jokers.

"Graduation is one of those lifetime milestones and these kids with no previous records of any sort, I think it's a little overreaching," he added.

But Carter County School District is standing by its actions.

"It is the stance of the Carter County School District that these actions, while meant to be a prank of sorts, are unacceptable," a statement said.

Chinese Baby Flushed Down Toilet, Rescued From Sewage Pipe

2013-05-28T16:30:00Z

A newborn baby in China flushed down a toilet by his parents was rescued from a sewage pipe in the eastern province of Zhejiang after neighbors heard cries emanating from plumbing alerting them to the infant’s plight.

Residents of the apartment block in Jinhua heard the baby crying after he was flushed down a fourth floor squat toilet and called police.

Attempts to pull the five pound, two day old baby boy from the toilet directly were unsuccessful, and rescuers were forced to resort to sawing apart the piping piece by piece resulting in the infant’s dramatic rescue. The intact pipe was brought to a hospital, where surgeons and emergency workers collaborated to free the baby.

When he was finally freed from the sewage pipe, the Chinese baby flushed down the toilet in Jinhau was discovered to still have his placenta and umbilical cord attached.

In China, the baby’s narrowly avoided fate has sparked intense outcry against his parents. Australian news sources report that the infant’s 22-year-old mother was on scene for the rescue and delivered the baby unexpectedly while using the bathroom.

A police officer said after the rescue of the newborn flushed down the toilet:

“Fortunately the baby survived. But the [parents] still suspected of attempted murder.”

On Sina Weibo, a Chinese social media site similar to Twitter, users lambasted the baby’s parents. The case struck a strong chord particularly following the death of another newborn abandoned in a dumpster in the province of Hebei, and one user posted:

“This should be sentenced to death, they are killing their own baby. This is not the only abandoned baby case I saw in the past ten days, one threw in dumpster and died; the other one was flushed into toilet, those are not actions human beings should do.”

Another said:

“This little boy survived, he will do great in the future. The parents will never have a good life. I don’t even know how to curse them when seeing this shocking news.”

The exact sequence of events isn’t quite clear, as a plea was reported to have been posted by police to the service for the baby boy’s mother to step forward, reading:

“Mom, come back! The baby is resilient and alive. Please show up, Mom. This is your own baby and he should return to your warm embrace soon.”

The baby flushed down the toilet appears to be in good condition following the incident, but his mother is reported to be currently hospitalized following complications she experienced following the birth.

Colgate-Palmolive Files A Patent For A Chemical-Infused Toothbrush

2013-05-28T16:10:00Z

Colgate-Palmolive (CL) had publicly announced a patent filing earlier this year for a new toothbrush that releases chemicals straight into your mouth as you brush. This innovative idea, if successful, may work wonders for the company and help it to further strengthen its dominance in the oral care market worldwide. As of December 2012, Colgate Palmolive owned 33% of the global market for toothbrushes.

The patent, filed in October 2012, is for a toothbrush capable of releasing small doses of chemicals in the user’s mouth for as long as three months of continued usage. This is made possible by adding a specialty-shaped patch on the back of the brush’s head. The patch releases the chemical in a controlled manner to provide users with an enhanced brushing experience. The oral care division contributes more than 44% to Colgate Palmolive’s intrinsic value.

We estimate this proportion to increase if the patent gets approved and the company is successfully able to capture the enhanced market size developed by this new genre of toothbrush. [1]

Opportunities Abound

The new patch is designed in a way that it can release any chemical into the user’s mouth. Colgate Palmolive is a considering a list of chemicals and flavors such as:

Caffeine
Menthol
Flavors including apple, mint, lemon and other fruits
Topical pain relief chemical such as capsaicin and benzocaine
Appetite suppressants

MMA FIGHTER WAYLON LOWE Sues Kama Sutra Gel Co. YOU WRECKED MY PENIS!

2013-05-28T15:37:00Z

An internationally-known MMA fighter ... claims a gel that is supposed to enhance sexual performance has ruined his ... claiming he now has a bum penis that can't ejaculate.

Waylon Lowe claims in a new lawsuit ... he bought a tube of Kama Sutra Pleasure Balm Prolonging Gel at a Philly sex shop -- which is supposed to desensitize the penis and enhance stamina. He lathered the gel on his junk and then covered it with a Trojan Magnum latex condom and began having sex with his fiancee.

The sex didn't last long, because their baby started acting up in the next room. While the fiancee tended to their daughter, Lowe claims he began experiencing excruciating pain in the penis. He removed the condom and says he was horrified to see a significantly swelled penis.

Lowe says he ended up in the ER and has suffered "catastrophic and permanent damage" to his penis. Among his many beefs:

-- permanent scarring and disfigurement
-- permanent loss of sensation
-- permanent loss of functioning
-- permanent nerve damage
-- loss of life's pleasures
-- inability to ejaculate

Lowe is suing for a minimum of $50k ... we're guessing he wants a lot more.

Lowe strongly insinuates in the lawsuit ... the damage was caused by placing the condom over the gel, despite the fact that the label gives users the green light to wrap it.

The Kama Sutra Company tells us the lawsuit is BS, claiming the product has worked safely without incident for 40 years.

Windshield note says pedestrian keyed SUV to enforce traffic law against bad driver

2013-05-28T14:11:00Z

A woman who authorities say left a note on the windshield of a SUV explaining that she had keyed the vehicle because the driver failed to yield to a pedestrian has been arrested and charged with criminal mischief, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

"Hey I keyed your car," reads the note left on April 17 on a vehicle parked in a Florida supermarket's lot. "You didn't stop for pedestrians as is law. Since no cop to enforce a ticket, this should cover the cost of your fine. Have a good day. P.S. Don't be a d---."

The owner of the KIA sport utility vehicle, Debra Streets, 63, discovered the estimated $1,240.13 in damage caused by someone scratching it with a key or similar object when she returned to her vehicle in the Wesley Chapel lot. She notified authorities, and responding officers from the Pasco County sheriff's department checked store surveillance video. It showed a woman had gotten a sticky note from a clerk at the customer service desk, scribbled something on it, then walked out toward the parking lot and put it on the windshield, the newspaper recounts.

It isn't explained how investigators determined that Natasha Myers, 23, was that woman. However, when deputies went to Myers' home in the same city as the store, she admitted her role, a report says.

Myers, who is a student, was arrested Tuesday, charged with criminal mischief and jailed in lieu of $5,000 bail.

Streets told authorities there had been no incident with a pedestrian before she parked her SUV and said she had approached the parking lot from an area in which there was little or no pedestrian traffic.

Cleveland Hero Charles Ramsey Offered Free Burgers For Life

2013-05-28T13:25:00Z

Hometown hero Charles Ramsey can now have Mickey D's till death do they part.

The man responsible for saving three kidnapped women who were held captive for nearly a decade is now getting a life-time supply of burgers from McDonalds, the same fast food chain that he picked up grub from before his existence was forever changed.

"I heard screaming," Ramsey told reporters after the rescue. "I'm eating my McDonald's, I come outside, I see this girl going nuts trying to get out of her house. So I go on the porch and she says, 'Help me get out, I've been here a long time.'"

It was that unintentional free promo that prompted the Golden Arches in the area to give the viral online sensation an offer he probably won't refuse.

"We want to honor our local hero with local food," said Scott Kuhn, who operates four of the restaurants participating in the offer, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He stopped his meal midway through to help those women. We're now making sure he has other opportunities to go out and fully enjoy his burger."

Even Hodges, the restaurant where Ramsey is employed, dubbed him with his own meat-and-bun called the Ramsey Burger, a Big Mac spin-off. Chef-co-owner Chris Hodgson says it's an 8-ounce burger of Certified Angus Beef, topped off with a secret sauce.

But now that Ramsey's lifetime burger offer is public, can he get a side of fries with that?

"I'm sure some places will give him more -- maybe add fries and a soft drink," says Kuhn, "but that will be up to them.

New Jersey Man Buried Alive by Pineapples

2013-05-24T16:53:00Z

Of all the fruits to be buried alive under, pineapples, with their spikey skins and pointy leaves, have got to be the worst (after durian, of course). So it's pretty incredible that a Jersey City warehouse worker who had 1,500 pounds of them fall on him didn't lose consciousness. He wound up in the hospital in stable condition and, probably, a huge thirst for rum.

In U.S., Record-High Say Gay, Lesbian Relations Morally OK

2013-05-24T15:00:00Z

Americans' views toward a number of moral issues have shifted significantly since 2001. Their acceptance of gay and lesbian relations has increased the most, up 19 percentage points in the past 12 years -- to a record high of 59% today. Americans' tolerance toward having a baby outside of marriage is also now much greater, up 15 points since 2001, to the current 60%.

Americans have also become significantly more accepting of sex between an unmarried man and woman, divorce, embryonic stem cell research, polygamy, and cloning humans. The only issue that Americans have become significantly less accepting of over the last 12 years is medical testing on animals.

These data are from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs survey, most recently conducted May 2-7. Gallup has asked Americans about their views on many of these issues each May since 2001.

Americans' views of the moral acceptability of 10 of the 19 items Gallup asked about have not changed significantly over time, shifting less than five points since they were first measured.

A majority of Americans continue to say seven of the 19 items measured are morally wrong -- married men and women having an affair, cloning humans, polygamy, suicide, pornography, sex between teenagers (measured for the first time this year), and cloning animals. Attitudes toward two items -- doctor-assisted suicide and abortion -- are fairly evenly split, with less than half of Americans seeing each as either morally acceptable or morally unacceptable.

A majority of Americans see all other items included in the list this year as morally acceptable. Birth control tops the list as the most acceptable, seen as such by 91% of Americans, while having an extramarital affair is the least morally acceptable, at 6%.

One of the interesting features of these trend data is Americans' steady and overwhelming disapprobation of married men and women having an affair, with more than nine in 10 continuing to say this is morally unacceptable, within two points of where it was in 2001. Having an affair thus remains at the bottom of the list of morally acceptable behaviors measured, as it was in 2001.

Implications

Americans have generally become more tolerant of a series of moral behaviors over the past 10-12 years. This trend is particularly evident in views of gay and lesbian relations and having a baby outside of wedlock.

Gay and lesbian relations in particular continue to be at the forefront of the news in the U.S. An increasing number of states have legalized same-sex marriage, and the Supreme Court has several pending decisions on same-sex marriage cases. This resulting increase in awareness of and attention being paid to the gay and lesbian community may be affecting Americans' views.

The change in attitudes toward having a baby outside of marriage may be an instance of attitudes following behavior, given recent Census Bureau data showing the increasing prevalence in American society of children born to mothers who are not married.

More broadly, Americans continue to evince a wide divergence of opinions about the moral acceptability of a number of behaviors. Americans are generally accepting of such things as birth control, divorce, embryonic stem cell research, gambling, sex between unmarried men and women, the death penalty, and having a baby outside of marriage. But they still disapprove of married men and women having an affair, cloning humans, polygamy, suicide, pornography, and teenagers having sex.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted May 2-7, 2013, with a random sample of 1,535 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones, with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking. Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 50% cellphone respondents and 50% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by region. Landline telephone numbers are chosen at random among listed telephone numbers. Cellphone numbers are selected using random digit dial methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the most recent birthday.

Samples are weighted to correct for unequal selection probability, nonresponse, and double coverage of landline and cell users in the two sampling frames. They are also weighted to match the national demographics of gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, population density, and phone status (cellphone only/landline only/both, cellphone mostly, and having an unlisted landline number). Demographic weighting targets are based on the March 2012 Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older U.S. population. Phone status targets are based on the July-December 2011 National Health Interview Survey. Population density targets are based on the 2010 census. All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for weighting.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

Boy Scouts of America votes to end century-old ban on gay scouts

2013-05-24T13:24:00Z

The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to lift a century-old ban on openly gay scouts in a major victory for gay rights activists, but the decision means a sea of change for an organization that depends heavily on faith-based groups.

More than 60 percent of the group's National Council, comprised of some 1,400 delegates, voted in favor of ending the ban, effective January 1, 2014, the group said in a statement. A prohibition onopenly gay adult leaders remains in place.

The decision followed weeks of intense lobbying by gay rights activists and members of conservative organizations, many of them church groups that have traditionally formed the backbone of one of the nation's largest youth organizations.

"I'm a happy camper," said Mike Harrison, 71, a former chairman of California's Orange County Boy Scout Council who voted to end the ban at a meeting of the National Council in Grapevine, Texas.

"The process was a very civil debate... There wasn't any uncivilized behavior. People stated their case, passionately and from many different angles," he said, adding that by Thursday it had become clear that "the younger generation of scouting just don't see it the way the old guard did."

The Boy Scouts' long-standing ban on gay scouts had become a polarizing issue at the center of the debate on gay rights in the United States, where gay soldiers may now serve openly in the military and where gay couples can wed in a number of states.

For months, the Boy Scouts have been caught between two sides in an emotionally charged debate that has seen both supporters and opponents of lifting the ban threaten to withdraw support.

The Boy Scouts has faced heavy pressure on one side from gay rights supporters and some of the major corporate sponsors who provide much of the group's annual funding, and on the other by a variety of major national church groups, who sponsor and support the large majority of troops nationwide.

"I just resigned from my troop," said Chris Collier, 41, a former troop leader in Alabama and Florida who said he would send his Eagle Scout award back to the organization's national office.

"My grandfather earned his eagle award in 1938. I earned mine in 1990. I was hoping my son could earn his when he grew up. I'm sad, but this is their cross to bear. I'm no longer part of the organization. I'll move in a different direction."

John Stemberger, an Orlando lawyer, Eagle Scout, former scoutmaster and founder of an organization that opposes lifting the ban said the decision marked "a sad day for America."

He said he would be never again wear the Boy Scout uniform and would work to create a new scouting organization "based on timeless values."

Thursday's vote came about three months after the organization's leadership delayed a decision on changing its membership policy to research attitudes toward admitting gays.

FAITH-BASED GROUPS

About 70 percent of the group's 100,000 Boy Scout units are chartered by faith-based organizations, according to Boy Scouts membership data. Some 22 percent of the units nationwide are chartered by civic organizations, and 7 percent are chartered by educational groups.

One of the major turning points in the debate came earlier this year when the Mormon church - the largest sponsor of scouting troops nationwide - expressed support for ending the ban. The Mormon church charters nearly 38,000 scout troops representing nearly a quarter million scouts.

The next largest faith-based sponsor is the United Methodist Church, which charters about 11,000 troops representing about 363,000 scouts. They, too, issued a statement supporting an end to the ban. The Catholic church, which sponsors about 8,400 troops, has taken no official position on the controversy.

While national polls show a growing acceptance of gay rights, an online survey of about 200,000 Boy Scouts members, parents and leaders indicated strong support for maintaining the ban, by a margin of almost 2-1.

But the Boy Scouts' top leadership endorsed the change and encouraged delegates to support it.

"Our vision is to serve every kid and give them a place where they grow up and feel protected," BSA President Wayne Perry told a news conference. "Our view is that kids are better off in scouting."

Acknowledging division within the organization's ranks, top Boy Scouts officials said they believed those unhappy with the change would eventually return to the organization.

"We will continue to work through these issues," said Tico Perez, the Boy Scouts' national commissioner. "In time people will decide that the best place for kids is in scouting."

Zach Wahls, an Eagle Scout raised by two lesbians, said the time had come for change.

"There is nothing Scout-like about exclusion of other people, and there is nothing Scout-like about putting your own religious beliefs before someone else's," Wahls, founder of Scouts for Equality, told a news conference on Wednesday.

Gay rights advocates gathered petitions with more than 1.8 million signatures in support of ending the ban while opponents collected about 250,000 signatures urging delegates to vote down the change.

Intel Corp, one of the largest corporate sponsors of the Boy Scouts, said last September it would stop supporting troops that continue to ban gay scouts. Intel donated about $700,000 in 2009, according to the American Independent magazine.

That announcement followed pressure from gay groups that launched a nationwide campaign on Change.org urging Intel to withdraw its support. United Parcel Service Inc, another major sponsor, followed suit in November, as did Merck & Co, according to the gay rights group GLAAD.

Some of the nation's largest gay rights groups cheered the move to end the gay scout ban, and predicted the organization's ban on openly gay adult leaders would soon end as well.

"Today's vote is a significant victory for gay youth across the nation and a clear indication that the Boy Scouts' ban on gay adult leaders will also inevitably end," GLAAD spokesman Rich Ferraro said.

J. Peter Zegarra, California Doctor, Suggested Patient Have Oral Sex With Husband To Treat Gag Reflex

2013-05-23T16:30:00Z

Dr. Deep Throat, I presume?

J. Peter Zegarra, a California doctor, has been publicaly reprimanded by the state's medical board after he told a patient to practice oral sex on her husband. The patient had expressed concerns her gag reflex would interfere with an upper-gastrointestinal endoscopy, according to CBS affiliate KOVR.

The patient, an unidentified woman, complained that the Sacramento-based colo-rectal surgeon told her to practice oral sex on her husband "twice a week" prior to the procedure as a way of allaying the reflex.

According to CBS Sacramento, Zegarra made the suggestion in front of the woman and her husband "several years ago." The station also noted Zegarra had tried twice to expunge the complaint from the public record. Zegarra's name appears on asummary of administrative actions taken by the California board of medicine in 2007.

CBS Sacramento reports that a spokesperson for the state board of medicine called the doctor's suggestion inappropriate, even if it was meant as a joke.

As a matter of perspective, doctors have been caught doing much worse than dispensing questionable advice.

In September 2012, an Illinois doctor faced federal charges after he allegedly traded prescription drugs for sexual favors from 30 different patients. According to ABC affiliate KCRG, Dr. David Gierlus' sexual encounters with patients ranged from "oral sex, both during medical appointments and outside the office in [his] vehicle, to intercourse in the examination room during medical appointments.”

In April 2012, a British general practitioner went before a medical counsel to face allegations from three female patients, who made separate complaints about his conduct between 2003 and 2005. One patient complained that the family doctor had molested her and had sex with her several times on his surgery table during appointments, claiming that it would "help save her marriage."

Although suspensions are common in cases like these, they aren't always permanent. In August 2012, a Lodi, Calif., doctor had his license reinstated by a judge, despite the doctor's admitting to taking mood-altering inhalants and masturbating in his office. Opponents of the decision called it an example of the California medical board's "lax approach to getting rid of doctors who pose a harm to patients."

John Allison Accused Of Rubbing Pepperoni On His Exposed Penis At Grocery Store

2013-05-23T16:21:00Z

A man in upstate New York got a taste of jail after being arrested for allegedly exposing his penis in a grocery store and rubbing it with a stick of pepperoni.

Police arrested John Allison, 41, Wednesday night after a loss prevention officer allegedly noticed the suspect's saucy behavior on security video.

“I watched him go to the back of the store near the beer and the bakery sections. The guy was standing in a corner ... I thought he was going to steal some merchandise. Instead, he undid what I thought might be his belt. I then saw him unzip his pants,” the unidentified store worker said according to the Watertown Daily Times.

Allison then rubbed a packaged stick of pepperoni on his exposed package before putting the now-tainted deli meat back on the store shelf, WWNYTV.com reported.

Allison was charged with public lewdness and fourth-degree criminal mischief since the store was unable to sell the penis-rubbed pepperoni. He was taken to the Lawrence County Jail, but has since been released on a $2,000 bond, according to the International Business Times.

As gross as Allison's alleged acts may sound, he's not the only person who's gotten touchy in public recently.

Jared Weston Walter, 26, was arrested last week for allegedly masturbating and ejaculating on the heads of bus passengers in Portland, Oregon.

Police Found Man Reported Missing By His Wife During Honeymoon With A Prostitute

2013-05-23T16:10:00Z

Mohammed Ahmed, a Lincolnwood, Ill. resident, was arrested for soliciting a prostitute — while on his honeymoon in the Orlando area.

It didn’t take long for police to locate a 21-year-old Chicago-area man reported missing by his newlywed wife while honeymooning in the Orlando area last week — he was already in their custody after he attempted to hire a prostitute who was actually an undercover detective.

Mohammed Ahmed, of the 4400 block of West Estes Avenue in Lincolnwood, Ill., was arrested after he responded to an online ad posted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and arrived to meet the woman he had attempted to hire, according to police.

When Ahmed did not return to the Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate, where he’d been honeymooning with wife, she reported him missing — and was subsequently informed that her husband had been arrested and charged with both prostitution and possession of marijuana, according to NBC Miami.

The four-day sting which took place between May 8 and 11 netted a total of 92 arrests including 39 “johns” among them 45-year-old youth minister Samuel Yoon, who was expecting to pay for sex with a 14-year-old and 12 “pimps.”

Senior Prostitution Ring Busted at Nursing Home

2013-05-23T15:59:00Z

Call it Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll Assisted Living: The tale of an alleged senior prostitution ring at a nursing home in Englewood, New Jersey.

A long way from a QVC habit, a 75-year-old man and 66-year-old woman allegedly used crack cocaine and ran a prostitution ring out of their apartments at the low-income Vincente K. Tibbs Senior Citizen Building, NorthJersey.com reports. Currently, residents James Parham and Cheryl Chaney are only facing drug-related charges with sparse details on the undercover sting operation.

With further charges looming and few details on the sting operation, the case might be ripe for an entrapment defense.

What Is Entrapment?

Entrapment is a criminal defense most often claimed in government sting operations that involve drug dealing, bribery, or sex offenses. It occurs when a government agent induces a person to commit a crime that the person otherwise would not have committed.

Chief Arthur O'Keefe of the Englewood police assigned undercover officers to find out which tenants were behind the drug and prostitution reports. If the undercover officersunduly persuaded or encouraged Parham to run the prostitution ring, and he wouldn't have committed the crime otherwise, then that's Nursing-Home-Entrapment Bingo!

However, prosecutors can counter an entrapment defense by showing, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant was predisposed to commit the criminal act before government agents gave him the idea. This is usually proven by showing the defendant's prior criminal conduct similar to the charged crime.

Alleged Confessions

Yet in this case, Chaney had no criminal record, and Parham had a few minor arrests years ago for disorderly conduct and other low-level crimes, according to NorthJersey.com. There's nothing to indicate previous involvement in a prostitution ring. In fact, the nursing home bars anyone with recent drug convictions or a violent criminal history from living in the building.

Fortunately for prosecutors, there's an alleged confession. Parham admitted employing crack-addicted women, as well as a few fellow elderly residents, as sex workers to service his "younger" neighbors in the building, police told NorthJersey.com.

Though there are certain confessions that can't be admitted in court, a voluntary confession is usually enough to fend off an entrapment defense.

Jesse James Loses Finger In Machine Accident, Boasts On Instagram

2013-05-23T13:14:00Z

In what appears to be an egregiously painful accident, Jesse James cut off his pinky finger yesterday (May 21) and later documented it on Instagram with his own hilarious commentary.

In a phone call into TMZ, the 43-year-old former West Coast Choppers CEO said, "I was working in the shop today, and my glove got caught in one of my machines and it just took my finger off."

The reality star wasn't kidding ... the machine he was working on at his motorcycle customizing shop took a pretty clean swipe at his pinky finger, severing it right off. But this didn't seem to bother James much, adding his own commentary on Instagram about his pinky: "Doesn't look like this dude's gonna make it, Nice know'n you little buddy."

He pictured himself back at work just a day later, exclaiming, "My World has No time for Whiners or Crybabies."

Largest Python Ever Caught In Florida Captured By Jason Leon, Miami Man

2013-05-22T16:49:00Z

A Miami man has captured, killed, and reported the largest Burmese python ever caught in Florida, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials.

Jason Leon was driving in a rural section of southwest Miami-Dade on May 11 when he and his passengers spotted a large snake in the road.

Leon pulled over to investigate the reptile, then only sticking out three feet from a bush. As he began to drag the animal out from the foliage, the Burmese python began to wrap itself around Leon's leg.

His friends inside the car then jumped out and used a knife to kill the python, which turned out to be a18-foot, 8-inch female, as later identified by University of Florida experts.

(Story continues after photo.)

FWC officials says that Leon, whom Local 10 identified as living in Hialeah, once owned a Burmese python himself and knew how to handle the 128-pound snake, which is an invasive species credited with hurting the Everglades ecosystem and its native wildlife.

Leon's snake is a whole foot longer than the previous record-holding snake of 17-feet, 7-inches, captured last August in the Everglades.

"The FWC is grateful to him both for safely removing such a large Burmese python and for reporting its capture,” said Kristen Sommers, FWC's Exotic Species Coordination Section Leader.

“This event highlights how the Exotic Species hotline allows the public to help us obtain more information about Burmese pythons, so we can improve management of this invasive species. It also reflects the cooperative efforts of the FWC and its partners to address python sightings by the public.”

National Confectioners Association Study Says Eating Candy Won't Make You Fat: 4 Studies That Contradict Findings

2013-05-22T13:53:00Z

Candy lovers may be excited to hear of a new study that found that eating candy doesn't have negative health risks. For full disclosure, the study was funded by the National Confectioners Association, a trade group that represents the candy, chocolate, and gum industry.

"Limited information is available regarding the impact of candy consumption on health," write the authors of the National Confectioners Association study. "The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between typical frequency of candy consumption and body weight status and select cardiovascular risk factors among adults in the United States."

The National Confectioners Association study found that candy consumption has no association with obesity, increased waist circumference, elevated skinfold thickness, blood pressure, low density lipoprotein (LDL) or high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, or insulin resistance. Additionally, the study found that increased candy consumption was not related to cardiovascular risk factors.

"We did not find an association between frequency of candy intake and BMI or cardiovascular risk factors among adults," shares lead author Mary M. Murphy, MS, RD of Exponent®, Inc., Center for Chemical Regulation & Food Safety, in a statement.

"In contrast to what is often assumed, the present study showed that increased frequency of candy consumption was not associated with obesity or cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure, lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity," write the authors in their discussion.

That said, the National Confectioners Association study did find a correlation between increased candy consumption and "higher energy intakes and higher energy adjusted intakes of carbohydrates, total sugars and added sugars, total fat, saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids, and lower adjusted intakes of protein and cholesterol."

"There is a place for little pleasures, such as candy, in life. A little treat in moderation can have a positive impact on mood and satisfaction, and as emerging research suggests, minimal impact on diet and health risk," said Laura Shumow, MHS, Director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, National Confectioners Association, in a statement.

The National Confectioners Association study may seem hard to believe, but a previous candy study mimicks their findings: A 2011 study from the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center found thatpeople who consume candy and chocolates have smaller waists, weigh less and have a lower body mass index (BMI) than their counterparts who do not indulge in candy and chocolates.

That said, the National Confectioners Association study should be taken with a grain of salt, as other studies have found many risks with consuming too much chocolate and candies. Here are four studies that contradict the findings of the National Confectioners Association study:

1. Sugar's role in cavity formation in teeth has been a long accepted fact, but a recent study found that sour candies do just as much damage, if not more, when it comes to your teeth. Sour candies are acidic and as such, they create a greater risk of dental erosion.

2. A 2010 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study found that snacking (including candy) is a major cause of childhood obesity.

3. A key component of candy is sugar, and new studies suggest that sugar is toxic. Researchers from the University California-Davis have found that excess consumption of high fructose corn syrup increases bad cholesterol, which puts people at risk of heart disease.

4. A recent study from Stanford University has found that obesity isn't responsible for increased rates in diabetes, but instead, sugar is.

Pot Smokers Have Smaller Waists Than Non-Smokers, Study Finds

2013-05-22T13:14:00Z

Hunger is a well-known side effect smoking marijuana, and all those burritos, ice cream, and Bagel Bites have to take a toll on your waistline, right? Well, according to new research published in the The American Journal of Medicine, cannabis enthusiasts may very well be overweight, but weed isn't to blame.

Researchers found that people who regularly smoke marijuana actually have lower levels of fasting insulin and are less likely to be insulin resistant. What's more, the study found that current marijuana smokers are likely to have smaller waist circumferences than non-smokers. All of these are factors in diabetes risk, with pot smoking lowering that risk.

Looking at data from over 4,600 patients—roughly 45 percent of which had never smoked or ingested pot, 43 percent had smoked pot in the past but didn't currently, and 12 percent were regular smokers—the study found that those people who had smoked in the past month had 16 percent lower fasting insulin levels than people who had never smoked pot. They also had lower levels of HOMA-IR (insulin resistance), along with higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ("good" cholesterol).

As for the part about smaller waists, this research found similar results to previous research that has found that even though regular marijuana users have, on average, higher levels of caloric intake—yes, if you didn't already know, the stereotype is backed up with research—there is an association with smoking pot and lower body mass index.

The researchers note that all the data on frequency of marijuana use is self-reported, which may mean that people underestimate their use of pot or deny using it at all, but underestimation would tend to skew the results toward a lower association between more pot use and lower fasting insulin levels.

It is possible that the inverse association in fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance seen among current marijuana users could be in part due to changes in usage patterns among those with a diagnosis of diabetes. However, after we excluded those subjects with a diagnosis of diabetes, the associations between marijuana use and insulin levels, HOMA-IR, waist circumference, and HDL-C were similar and remained statistically significant.

In other recent pot-isn't-nearly-as-bad-for-you-as-you-were-told news, The Oncology Report writes that a new survey of pot smokers in the US, Canada, UK, and New Zealand shows that regular marijuana smokers "are no more likely to develop lung cancer than are more likely to develop lung cancer than are people who indulge occasionally."

Furthermore,

In an analysis of marijuana smokers that excluded tobacco smokers, there were no significant differences in any of the comparisons, including habitual versus non-habitual use; number of joints smoked per day; duration of up to 20 years or a duration of more than 20 years.

That said, one of the report's authors, Dr Michael Alberts, reminds us that smoking anything isn't particularly good for the respiratory system. And before you start to argue that smoking weed is a viable diet plan, be forewarned that a combination of a good diet and regular exercise is probably a better idea.

Oklahoma City tornado survivor finds dog alive under rubble of house

2013-05-21T17:09:00Z

The woman was talking to a reporter from CBS affiliate KWTV about her devastation at the loss of her home and her dog, when a member of the film crew spotted the animal crawling out of the ruins of the house in the flattened suburb of Moore.

"Well I thought God just answered one prayer to let me be OK, but he answered both of them, because this was my second prayer," the woman cried as she hugged her pet.

The news is one positive story to come out of an otherwise tragic turn of events, which has seen entire neighbourhoods wiped out by the ferocity of one of the most powerful tornadoes ever recorded in the US.

At least 24 people, including several children, are believed to have died so far and President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma.

Fecal Contamination Found In 58% Of Public Pool Samples, CDC Finds

2013-05-21T15:12:00Z

There's a lot of grossness going on in public pools.

A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows that more than half of public pool samples contain E. Coli bacteria -- a sign of fecal contamination. That's right, poop bacteria.

How exactly does this bacteria get in the pool? Well, one way is exactly how you think it does -- when people have a "fecal incident" in the pool. Another common way is when someone enters the pool without showering first, and the bacteria sheds off the body and into the water.

The report is based on 161 water samples taken from metro-Atlanta public pools last summer. Researchers tested the samples for all sorts of bacteria, including E. coli, which was found in 58 percent of the pool water samples, and P. aeruginosa, which was found in 59 percent of the samples.

"Although this study focused on microbial DNA in filters (not on illnesses), these findings indicate the need for swimmers to help prevent introduction of pathogens(e.g., taking a pre-swim shower and not swimming when ill with diarrhea), aquatics staff to maintain disinfectant level and pH according to public health standards to inactivate pathogens, and state and local environmental health specialists to enforce such standards," the researchers wrote in the report.

Recently, a study from the Water Quality and Health Council found that one in five people say they've relieved themselves in a public pool, Blisstree reported. And seven in 10 people say they don't shower before getting into a public pool.

Florida girl, 18, arrested and expelled after relationship with 15-year-old female classmate

2013-05-21T14:54:00Z

An 18-year-old Florida student’s senior year has become a nightmare — all because she was in a same-sex relationship with a 15-year-old, her family says.

Kaitlyn Hunt was arrested Feb. 16 for having a physical relationship with a younger classmate, who was her girlfriend at the time, mom Kelley Hunt Smith wrote on Facebook.

Under Florida law, Hunt could see up to 15 years in prison and must register as a sex offender. A plea deal, however, remains on the table that would give Hunt two years' house arrest and one year of probation, her family said.

“Does my daughter deserve to lose her life for 15 years, or 3 years, or to have no life, because of one choice she made in high school, absolutely not!!” Hunt Smith wrote Friday, adding, “This is a mother’s nightmare.”

FACEBOOK

Hunt could see up to 15 years in prison and have to register as a sex offender.

The distraught mom and her family has launched an online campaign asking supporters to petition the State Attorney’s office in Indian River County and have them reconsider the charges.

“The (assistant) state attorney, Brian Workman needs to use taxpayers money to prosecute REAL criminals, not a high school student who has never been in trouble a day in her young life, all because she had a mutual consenting relationship with someone who has bigoted parents,” wrote Hunt Smith, who didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Sunday.

Hunt’s uncle, Andrew Gay, told the Daily News that the girls were in the same social circle at Sebastian River High School and played together on the basketball team.

COURTESY KELLEY HUNT

Kaitlyn Hunt, 18, with mom Kelley Hunt Smith, who is defending her daughter after she was arrested for having a relationship with a 15-year-old female student. The age of consent in Florida is 18.

In September, after Hunt turned 18, she and the other girl, a freshman, began dating and expressed their relationship in “intimate ways,” the family said.

But when the basketball coach found out about their relationship, Hunt was thrown off the team and the other girl’s parents were notified.

The parents then told police, and a phone call was recorded between their daughter and Hunt in which the girls discussed their relationship, Gay said.

The age of consent in Florida is 18.

FACEBOOK

Both Hunt and her girlfriend played on the basketball team. After the coach learned of their relationship, Hunt was thrown off the team and her girlfriend's parents notified. Eventually, Hunt was arrested on two counts of felony lewd and lascivious battery on a child ages 12 to 16.

Hunt was arrested on two counts of felony lewd and lascivious battery on a child ages 12 to 16, jail records show.

Her family was devastated.

“We certainly aren’t saying that all 18-year olds anywhere should be able to date all 15-year olds,” Gay said. “But this is a situation where these two girls were in the same social circle, on the same basketball team. I just don’t think Kaitlyn looked at this girl and thought, 'She’s a certain age, so she’s off limits to me.'”

A Change.org petition wants supporters to as prosecutors to ‘stop the hate’ and rescind felony charges against Kaitlyn Hunt.

Hunt Smith claims the other family was upset because their daughter was in a same-sex relationship and believed that Hunt had somehow “made” their daughter gay.

“Of course I see it 100% different,” Hunt Smith wrote. “I don’t see or label these girls as gay. They are teenagers in high school experimenting with their sexuality, all teens do it in one form or another. ... And even if their daughter is gay, who cares, she is still their daughter.”

Hunt was expelled from the high school and agreed to have no contact with the other girl. She also transferred to an alternative high school.

Although she’ll be allowed to walk with the graduating class at Sebastian River High School, her final year — and future — has been tainted by scandal.

“Should the girls have made better choices, YES. I agree," Hunt Smith said, "but is this criminal, no."

The State Attorney’s Office in Indian River County couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Regardless of whether the family takes the plea, Gay said, a felony child abuse charge will ruin his niece’s future and her dream of one day becoming a nurse.

“She’s been a great student, so bright and not troubled at all,” Gay said. “She was voted ‘most school spirit.’ What’s happened to her now is ridiculous.”

Ray Manzarek dead at 74; The Doors keyboardist death follows cancer battle

2013-05-21T13:21:00Z

Ray Manzarek, a founding member of the 1960s rock group The Doors whose versatile and often haunting keyboards complemented Jim Morrison's gloomy baritone and helped set the mood for some of rock's most enduring songs, has died. He was 74.

Manzarek died Monday in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family, said publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald. She said the musician's manager, Tom Vitorino, confirmed Manzarek died after being stricken with bile duct cancer.

The Doors' original lineup, which also included drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robbie Krieger, was only together for a few years and they only made six studio albums. But the band has retained a large and obsessive following decades after Morrison's 1971 death. The Doors have sold more than 100 million records and songs such as "Light My Fire" and "Riders On the Storm" are still "classic" rock favorites. For Doors admirers, the band symbolized the darker side of the Los Angeles lifestyle, what happened to the city after the sun went down and the Beach Boys fans headed home.

Next to Morrison, Manzarek was the most distinctive-looking band member, his glasses and wavy blond hair making him resemble a young English professor more than a rock star, a contrast to Morrison's Dionysian glamour - his sensuous mouth and long, dark hair. Musically, Manzarek's spidery organ on "Light My Fire" is one of the most instantly recognizable sounds in rock history.

But he seemed up to finding the right touch for a wide range of songs - the sleepy, lounge-style keyboards on "Riders On the Storm"; the liquid strains for "The Crystal Ship"; the barrelhouse romps on "Roadhouse Blues." The Doors always considered themselves "more" than a rock band and Manzarek, Densmore and Krieger often managed a flowing rapport that blended rock, blues and jazz behind Morrison's self-consciously poetic lyrics.

"There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words," Densmore said in a statement. "Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother."

The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Their records have been reissued frequently and the band was the subject of a 1991 Oliver Stone movie, "The Doors," starring Val Kilmer as Morrison and Kyle MacLachlan as Manzarek, who complained that the film stereotyped Morrison as a hopeless drunk and also omitted calmer, more humorous times.

The Doors' fame has hardly faded even though they're one of the few groups not to allow their music to be used for commercials, a source of great tension among surviving members. Manzarek and Krieger reportedly supported licensing the songs, and Densmore has resisted. The group also feuded when Krieger and Manzarek formed a new group, Doors of the 21st Century. Densmore objected, and Krieger and Manzarek performed under various names.

Other Doors albums included "The Soft Parade," ''Waiting for the Sun" and their last record with Morrison, "L.A. Woman."

Manzarek briefly tried to hold the band together on the albums "Other Voices" and "Full Circle," neither of which had critical or commercial success. He played in other bands over the years, working with X and Iggy Pop among others. He also wrote a memoir, "Light My Fire," and a novel, "The Poet In Exile," in which he imagines receiving messages from a Morrison-like artist who had supposedly died.

He produced four albums for X, including another landmark album "Los Angeles," and played off and on with the band for three decades. Doe said Manzarek enjoyed his place in rock 'n' roll history.

"He enjoyed people's company greatly. He was always interested in what had been going on with you and he was an incredible teller of stories, a sort of raconteur of spiritualism and wild moments - 'weird scenes inside the gold mine,'" he said referencing a lyric from "The End."

"Ray loved to talk about and sort of mythologize, but it was all based in truth."

Born and raised in Chicago, Manzarek studied piano as a child and briefly considered a career in basketball. After graduating from DePauw University, he headed west to study film at UCLA. A few months after graduation, he and Morrison met in 1965 on Venice Beach in California. As Manzarek would often recall, Morrison read him some lyrics - Let's swim to the moon/Let's climb through the tide/Penetrate the evening that the/City sleeps to hide" - that became the start of "Moonlight Drive."

"I'd never heard lyrics to a rock song like that before," Manzarek told Billboard in 1967. "We talked a while before we decided to get a group together and make a million dollars."

By 1966, they had been joined by Krieger and Densmore and were a sensation live, especially during the theatrical, Oedipal epic, "The End." They were the house band at the famed Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles before being signed by Elektra Records and releasing a self-titled album in 1967, one of the most talked-about debuts in rock history.

"Well, to me, my God, for anybody who was there it means it was a fantastic time," Manzarek told The Republican in Massachusetts during an interview last year. "We thought we could actually change the world - to make it a more Christian, Islamic, Judaic, Buddhist, Hindu, loving world. We thought we could. The children of the '50s post-war generation were actually in love with life and had opened the doors of perception. And we were in love with being alive and wanted to spread that love around the planet and make peace, love and harmony prevail upon earth, while getting stoned, dancing madly and having as much sex as you could possibly have."

Manzarek is survived by his wife, Dorothy; his son Pablo and two brothers, Rick and James. Funeral arrangements are pending.

DONATE: Red Cross helping tornado victims across the Midwest

2013-05-21T13:10:00Z

Click here: http://www.redcross.org/support/donating-fundraising/donations/text-messaging

Elementary School Girl Threatens Classmates and Claims She is Part of the Illuminati

2013-05-20T16:44:00Z

Whether provoked by TV and music or dealing with a disturbed state of mind, what would cause a 5th grader to grab a pair of scissors and threaten his or her classmates? This is what happened in a combined 5th and 6th grade classroom at John Sloat Elementary School within the Sacramento City Unified School District, where one student told peers that she wanted to sell her soul to the Devil. To make matters worse, students say the girl claimed to be a member of the Illuminati – the secret society that is usually associated with adults.

Making bizarre statements is not the only thing an elementary school student allegedly did this past week – in addition to making odd threats in a classroom and in a bathroom, she also drew symbols related to the Illuminati as well as '666' on the bathroom wall. Sent to the office after making the threats, school officials did not notify parents of the incident until after classes were finished, and this has caused a stir. Some parents claimed to have picked up their children at the end of the day, and they were in tears.

One parent told CBS that the girl said that she had sold her soul to the Devil, and that she had made a list with the names of kids she wished to kill. The parent said that the list contained the name of her son. The grandmother of a 6-year-old girl who had been hiding in a bathroom during the 5th grader's rants says that the girl exclaimed: "I’m the devil and he’s the devil too. We here to kill people."

Students say that the girl went on with her outburst for at least an hour, where the teacher instructed the class to ignore her rant, and dismissed it as an attempt to gain attention. Students recall their classmates crying because they were scared that they would die on that day. Others were disturbed by her claims that she wanted to sell her soul to the Devil.

The girl eventually got violent as witnesses say that she grabbed a pair of scissors, and attacked a student. A 5th grader who was at the scene said that he had seen the girl try to cut herself and draw blood, but then decided to get up and attempt to stab another girl who was one seat away from her. The girl was then taken to the office. The calls to parents went out on Thursday evening, followed by a letter being sent out to parents offering the school official's version of events.

However, the students present during the incident have a different story to tell. The statement released by the school stated that the incident involved no weapon, but a pair of scissors was involved, and the exclusion of this detail has parents upset and shocked with officials for spreading false statements. They are also upset because the girl had not been removed from the classroom sooner. Yet, she remained amongst students and continued to scare her peers.

No one is sure what caused the young girl to display such an outburst, but it is certainly disturbing to know that someone at that age would speak of selling their soul to the Devil, and claiming they belong to the Illuminati.

African country prohibits witches from flying higher than 150 meters

2013-05-20T15:20:00Z

In the country of Swaziland, witches are no longer allowed to fly higher than 150 meters in the air, lest they be subject to arrest and heavy fines.

According to a report by the Civil Aviation Authority, broomsticks are considered similar to heavier-than-air transportation devices, and therefore are subject to this regulation.

“A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-metre] limit,” Civil Aviation Authority marketing and corporate affairs director Sabelo Dlamini said.

The rule also applies to toy helicopters and kites to forbid them from flying too high into the sky.

The people of Swaziland take witches seriously, as many of them believe in witchcraft.

Recently, a private detective was arrested for operating a remote-control helicopter. The detective’s helicopter was equipped with video surveillance technology to gather information in a manner similar to the way drones operate.

The man was ”charged with operating an unregistered aircraft and for failing to appear before his chief to be questioned by traditional authorities about his toy drone, the first of its kind in Swaziland,” AfricanSpotlight.com notes.

This arrest prompted Dlamini to explain in further detail the country’s aviation policies.

“Swazi brooms are short bundles of sticks tied together and do not have handles. Swazi witches are known to use them to fling potions about homesteads — but not for transport,” AfricanSpotlight.com says.

Witches on broomsticks flying below 150 meters remain legal.

John Legend's Fiance Calls Out Teen Mom's Farrah Abraham And Is Accused Of "Slut Shaming;" Plus Farrah's "Home Movie" Bikini For Sale On EBay!

2013-05-20T13:53:00Z

Teen Mom Farrah Abraham has gotten her wish times ten…all the media she could ever hope to have! Farrah Superstar: Backdoor Teen Mom has catapulted her into the tabloid realm for months to come, and something tells me she wouldn't have it any other way.

As much as Farrah claims that her privacy has been violated, I can't help but wonder if she's got the paparazzi on speed dial, and I'm not the only who thinks so. Model Chrissy Teigen, who is engaged to my beloved John Legend, isn't holding her tongue when it comes to the reality star.

Chrissy tweeted, "Farrah Abraham now thinks she is pregnant from her sex tape. In other news you're a whore and everyone hates you. Whoops not other news, sorry."

Of course, the Sports Illustrated model received plenty of backlash from her comments to which she responded, "Wow. Amazed to see the outrage behind calling a staged leaked sex tape chick from Teen Mom exactly what she is. Go on with your bad selves."

After several followers accused Chrissy of "slut shaming," she wrote, "Ok, so what I have learned today is slut shaming is a thing like bullying. Do NOT bully sluts, guys. We have a real problem here. People are really defending backdoor teem mom hardcore [porn] . . . Are we really gonna pretend like this girl just had an accidentally leaked sex tape? Seriously?? What the f–k is wrong with you?"

As you can imagine, it didn't end there, and Chrissy continued to face her Twitter critics, posting, "Does calling this 'slut shaming' make you feel better? Like pulling the bully card? Ladies: you aren't a super feminist for okaying super whores. You don't need to defend EVERYone with a vagina."

Of the Farrah debacle, she continues, "I believe in strong women. F–k, I love women, but a spade is a spade. And we can do better," adding, "We just have two completely different definitions of 'slut shaming. I think of the word 'slut' as being negative, and you do not . . . How is calling out a willing (lied-as-leaked) sex tape participant who hired paps to photo her buying preg tests this AM slut shaming?" Ouch.

If that isn't enough in the world of Farrah, her "iconic" bikini from the cover of her "movie" is available on eBay according to TMZ. Vivid, the porn studio who brought us Farrah's gem of a movie, has placed said bedazzled bikini on the auction block.

Grab your credit cards or paypal accounts, because the bidding starts at $500, and the bathing suit is described as "Straight off Farrah's body and into your hands." Keepin' it classy!

Zephyrhills, Florida Residents Wonder if Powerball Winner Is One of Their Own

2013-05-20T13:05:00Z

Residents of the small town of Zephyrhills, Fla., are buzzing with excitement today that the lucky holder of a Powerball ticket worth $590.5 million could be a neighbor, after the announcement that winner was sold at a grocery store there.

"I think that's awesome. I can't wait to see who it is. I hope it's somebody I know. I think it would be great," resident Martha Bennett said.

The central Florida town, with a population of 13,337, was best known as a skydiving destination before lottery officials revealed today that a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills had sold the winning ticket for the record Powerball jackpot.

The winning numbers in Saturday's drawing were 10, 13, 14, 22, 52 and a Powerball of 11.

The lucky person or group holding the ticket has not yet come forward, according to lottery officials, however under Florida law, the winner's name, age and hometown will be made public.

Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, urged the person holding the ticket to sign it immediately.

"If it were me, I'd put that in an envelope and duct tape it to my chest. I'd be known as the Powerball millionaire with a nasty rash," he said.

While the residents of Zephyrhills wait to find out if the winner is one of their own, whoever is holding the ticket will have a big decision to make after coming forward.

The winner will have to decide whether to take the annuity or a lump sum, which comes out to $370,896,780.54.

Earlier estimates had put the jackpot at $600 million, however the Powerball website reflected at adjusted total of $590.5 million, still the largest jackpot in the game's history.

The previous record for a Powerball jackpot was $587.5 million on Nov. 28, 2012, and was split between two winning tickets.

The odds of winning the top jackpot was 1 in 175.2 million.

While there was only one grand prize winner, 31 tickets matched all five numbers, earning those lucky ticket holders a prize of $1 million each. Two tickets sold in New York and South Carolina were Power Play winners worth $2 million each, according to Powerball officials.

In the one month since California joined the list of 42 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands in playing, Powerball fever has swept across the Golden State and played a part in helping the jackpot swell to a record level, lottery officials said.

The country's most populous state became one of the top ticket sellers, alongside Florida and New York. Lottery officials said total ticket sales had hit $464 million for Saturday's historic drawing.

Virginia Man Wins Lottery for Fourth Time

2013-05-17T15:43:00Z

A Virginia man recently won the lottery. Again.

As in, for the fourth time.

Melvyn Wilson, of Woodbridge, just won $500,000 in the Virginia Lottery's Millionaire Mania scratch-off game. In 2005, he won $1 million in a scratch-off game, and the same year he collected a $500,000 check.

A year earlier he won $25,000. He's now won a total of $2,025,000.

Unsurprisingly, Wilson has earned a nickname for his lottery loot: "Mr. Lucky." But he has a different strategy than other lottery winners. Wilson plays scratch-off games, not the giant-jackpot Mega Millions or Powerball games that are grabbing attention this week.

Asked to explain his luck, Wilson said he is just in the right place at the right time.

And just what IS that place? He said he buys from different locations, but in the latest win Wilson bought the winning ticket at Handy Dandy Market at 13316 Occoquan Road.

Wilson retired from the postal service in 2007, two years after his 2005 wins. When lottery officials asked what he does with the money, he had a suitably winning response:

"I invest in Melvyn," he said.

For those of you with your eye on a bigger prize, the Powerball jackpot was up to an estimated $360 million jackpot as of Wednesday morning. But that number is sure to rise as purchases are made throughout the day. Ticket sales end at 10 p.m. Wednesday, with the drawing at 11 p.m.

The odds of taking home the grand prize are one in 175,223,510, according to the Virginia Lottery.

The Mega Millions jackpot was up to $190 million. That drawing will be held Friday.

Butcher Feeds Marijuana To Pigs To Create True High-Quality Meat

2013-05-17T14:38:00Z

This is what they meant by pot-bellied pig!

We're getting high on the hog of BB Ranch butcher William von Schneidau, who feeds marijuana to his pigs and sells them at Seattle's Pike Place Market. SeattleMet reports that Schneidau adds "weed to the feed" -- yes, the stems, stalks and seeds -- to give his meat a more savory flavor.

The "pot pigs" are partly a celebration of Washington voters passing a pot-legalization initiative late last year, MSN reports. But they're also a real culinary experiment. Schneidau says the pot plants add fiber to the pigs' diets, which makes the meat taste delicious, man.

No, you won't get high from the meat. But the pigs get high from the weed, SeattleMet reports:

Apparently, not all mammals can process THC, but most have cannabinoid receptors. Cannabinoids are the other chemicals in marijuana, often linked to the medicinal properties, which help with pain and discomfort. Pigs have these receptors, and the four that ate this enhanced feed gained more weight and likely felt way more mellow than their non-ganja feeding friends.

If you're disappointed that ganja pigs won't produce ganja bacon, do it the Schneidau way. Halfway through a recent tasting, one of his guests rounded up 75 percent of the room and "got baked."

Virginia Maiden, McDonald's Drive-Thru Worker, Allegedly Catches Katherine York In Stolen Car

2013-05-17T14:05:00Z

Well, it was almost a happy steal.

But hours after Virginia Maiden reported her SUV stolen, she watched it pull up to the Kennewick, Wash., McDonald's drive-thru window she was working.

Maiden called authorities, and the driver, Katherine York, 22, was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle on Tuesday, KEPRTV.com reported. A male passenger was in the car, too, but he was not arrested.

York allegedly took the unlocked 1995 Toyota 4 Runner from Maiden's apartment complex parking lot that morning, according to the Tri-City Herald.

Police also found clothes with security tags still on them in the SUV, Kennewick police told the paper.

KNDO reported that the items were from JC Penny and Sears.

According to Benton County Jail records, York remains in custody with no bail set.

Charles Ramsey Hamburger inspired by Cleveland kidnap hero

2013-05-17T13:22:00Z

Cleveland's lovin’ it.

Charles Ramsey, the Cleveland neighbor who helped rescue three captive women, may find that in the future, more lofty honors and thankful praise will descend upon him.

As of now, though, there's the Charles Ramsey Hamburger.

Never mind the Big Mac or the Whopper; this burger's loaded: an 8-ounce patty slathered with "secret sauce," lettuce, cheddar cheese, bread and butter pickles on a toasted sesame seed bun. A bargain at $12.

Now there’s a sandwich truly worthy of being called a hero. The Ramsey burger is an 8-ounce patty with secret sauce, lettuce, cheddar cheese, bread and butter pickles on a toasted sesame seed bun. It costs $12.

"It's delicious — very good very good," said Melissa Rush of Lakewood.

As for Ramsey's exploits, she said. "Oh, I'm obsessed. I've been following it. I think the guy is great. I'm really proud to know that he's from Cleveland."

The Ramsey Burger flowed from the fertile brain of Chris Hodgson, a pioneer of Cleveland's food truck cuisine and chef at Hodge's Restaurant on Euclid Ave. (Hodgson's mobile eateries were called "Hodge Podge" and "Dim and Dem Sum").

It's no coincidence that Ramsey, 43, works as a dishwasher at the restaurant.

Hodge’s says Charles Ramsey, who helped rescue Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry from captivity, is still employed there. A worker said she wasn’t sure when he’d be back, though.

In a call to the restaurant Thursday, a woman who answered the phone said that Ramsey was still employed there, but wasn't there at that time, "and we don't know when he'll be back."

Ramsey was off from work last Monday, the day that he helped rescue Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry from a neighboring house where police say they were captive for 10 years.

If you can't get to Cleveland for the burger, Hodge's will mail you a "Cleveland Hero-Charles Ramsey" T-shirt for $20, and the restaurant says it will donate all profits to the families of the kidnapping victims. There's also a Charles Ramsey tattoo and an action figure that talks for $39.95.

Somewhat coincidentally, McDonald's indicated in a tweet that it would reach out to embrace Ramsey and possibly use him as a marketing tool after he told reporters in Cleveland that he was eating a McDonald’s meal when he heard the screams of the victims and called 911.

Nevada Teacher Arrested For 'Kissing And Spooning' Relationship With 15-Year-Old Student

2013-05-16T16:07:00Z

Amanda Brennan teaches English at Foothills High School in Henderson, NV.

[She] told police that she knew it was wrong to carry on a relationship with a teenager, but she loved the boy and did it anyway, according to an arrest report.

The educator was arrested last Friday on two counts of luring a child and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor…

He told authorities that he and Brennan loved each other and had kissed twice, although they’d only cuddled in the back of her car on the night he went out without his parents’ permission.

Officials also found 1,000 text messages between the boy and Brennan’s number during a nine-day period before her arrest.

Ga. High School Teens Suspended for Getting Pierced in Girl's Locker Room

2013-05-16T14:23:00Z

Four teenage girls at an Atlanta high school were suspended after they snuck away to the gym locker room to endure amateur tongue, navel, and lip piercings during school hours.

Reon Grinage, 14, told ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB-TV that a friend of hers came to Cross Keys High School with a piercing kit she ordered off the Internet.

One day after gym class, the two teenagers, as well as two other girls, waited in the locker room. But instead of changing from their gym clothes to their school clothes to go to lunch, the four hung back to get pierced.

"She was like, 'Do you want to do it?' I was like, 'Sure.' And she had the whole kit and everything," Grinage told WSB-TV.

Grinage got a stud through her tongue, as well as her belly button. The friend with the piercing kit charged each of the girls $5 per piercing, WSB-TV reported."She used the same needle on that one girl that she did on the other girl," Grinage said.

One of the teens even suffered a lip infection following the unsafe piercing practices, Grinage said.

Once one of the girls' mothers found out about the "piercing party," she alerted school administrators. The girls were suspended for 10 days, WSB-TV reported.

Grinage's aunt, Lena Harrison, told WSB-TV that she was surprised none of her niece's teachers noticed her piercing.

"She saw four other teachers after this. Not one of them said, 'Is something going on with you that you can't talk?' Harrison told WSB-TV. "How did nobody hear girls in the bathroom getting pierced? Because I know it was quite an adventure."

School officials told WSB-TV that the locker room was unsupervised at the time of the piercing incident, and their policy for such supervision was under review.

According to the Cross Keys High School website, the school has a dress code, under which students are expected to "observe high standards of neatness and cleanliness."

"A student's appearance can positively or negatively impact the climate of a school," the dress code states.

While the school's code does not address piercings, it does say "male and female students may wear conservative jewelry in a reasonable amount."

Hipster Glasses Banned At Brooklyn School

2013-05-16T13:06:00Z

These are so not OK.

Looking like a nerd has gotten too cool, so an Orthodox Jewish school in Brooklyn has gone and banned your Tina Fey glasses.

According to the New York Post, Borough Park’s Bobover Yeshiva B’Nei Zion recently wrote to parents and asked them to only buy their students simple frameless or wire-frame glasses, because thick-framed glasses of any variety are no longer allowed, whether they’re being worn by hipsters or nerds or just fourth graders.

“What we have to commit ourselves to is we have to stand on top of this and not tolerate the new modernism,” said the school, which has students from grades 4 through 12.

Apparently the students had taken to wearing glasses with relatively thick frames, some of them colorful. And while the school says keeping track of what type of glasses are becoming cool at any given moment is nearly impossible, it’s figured out enough to crack down on “immodest” thick frames, which the school says “give the child a very coarse look.”

“It doesn’t matter what age — a student cannot come to yeshiva with these glasses,” the school said. Parents were told to consider the cost of buying new glasses to replace the now-banned frames as an educational expense.

“Style is not a sin, but the culture is to stay away from new things and to keep them the way they were,” said Nafle Frank, a student at the school who said he didn’t have a problem with the nerd-frame ban.

Eyeglass shops in the area say they’ve been seeing tons of exchanges since the missive went out. One said it had exchanged 30 pairs of glasses in two weeks, and another said school officials actually dropped by to inspect the glasses it was carrying and declare which ones were acceptable and which ones were not.

“They basically said these are the Hasidic ones — and those are not,” a shop employee said.

The school-accepted ones now live in their own private little display case, far away from the immodest nerd glasses.

Woman Fakes Son's 'Cancer,' Scams Donations From Friends And Family

2013-05-15T16:00:00Z

A woman is facing charges after police say she defrauded friends and family by pretending that her son has cancer.

Susan Stillwaggon of Pennsauken collected hundreds of dollars from friends and family who believed that her son had developed life-threatening cancer. The 35-year-old was ultimately caught in her lie when police received tips and questioned her about her son’s health.

She admitted to police a six-month plot to collect donations from her friends and family. When she was caught, she had already raised $1,000 in the hoax.

According to authorities, she even convinced her son that he had cancer. However, her husband was apparently unaware of it.

The big question is, as always: Why?

The answer was unclear to authorities and family, but Stillwaggon is currently being treated at a local hospital for unknown reasons. Her mother was interviewed by Fox 29, and admitted that she had no idea what was going on, but hinted that she might know why.

“What I will tell you is my daughter had a form of a breakdown,” Stillwaggon’s mother said. “She is in a psychiatric unit, being taken care of. That’s all I have to say.”

She also said that the cancer hoax “totally blew us away.”

Stillwaggon is facing the following charges: Theft by deception, forgery and child endangerment.

This is hardly the first case in which an individual sought to manipulate the charity and goodwill of others. In April of last year, a Phoenix woman was sentenced to a year of jail and three years probation after confessing to friends and family that she had cancer and organizing fundraisers to help her meet her medical costs.

She raised over $8,000, but didn’t have cancer. Instead, she used the money to pay for breast implants.

Florida man dials 911 demanding 'Kool-Aid, burgers and weed'

2013-05-15T15:56:00Z

Police in St. Petersburg, Florida arrested arrested a man for making nuisance 911 calls on Sunday. According to the Associated Press, 34-year-old Jarvis Sutton dialed 911 about 80 times on Sunday.

A St. Petersburg Police spokesperson told the AP that Sutton wanted “Kool-Aid, burgers and weed to be delivered to him.”

Police dispatched a vehicle to Sutton’s address and took him into custody. Police say that Sutton chewed the foam around the bars of the squad car’s protective caging.

As of Wednesday morning, Sutton was still incarcerated at the Pinellas County Jail.

Reginald Cruz Allegedly Told Boy Scout Lies In Foot Fetish Scheme

2013-05-15T15:54:00Z

A man from Polk County, Fla., allegedly told women he was a Boy Scout trying to earn a community service badge so they would let him massage, kiss, and sometimes suck on their toes.

Reginald Cruz, 23, was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly asking a 10-year-old girl if he could touch her feet, apparently for sexual gratification, The Tampa Tribune reported. The child's mother called authorities after she ran inside.

Authorities charged Cruz with lewd conduct on a minor, obtaining property by fraud and battery.

The 23-year-old told authorities that he's been approaching women since he was 6-years-old, according to a Polk County Sheriff Office news release. Cops said his victims were usually dark-skinned and have ranged from 10 to 32 years old.

Detectives said Cruz has changed his background story as he's aged. Most recently, he allegedly claimed to be a medical student conducting an experiment, according to WFLA.

Authorities believe Cruz has victimized more than 100 females, including children.

'I force-feed myself 5,000 calories a day through a funnel': Meet the 23-year-old desperate to reach 30st - so that men with a fat fetish will PAY to watch her eat

2013-05-15T14:56:00Z

Lots of young women are thinking about gym visits or diets right now to prepare their bikini bodies for the summer months ahead.

But one 23-year-old is doing the complete opposite and force feeding herself - often through a funnel - in a bid to become as fat as possible.

Tammy Jung was once a healthy eight-stone teenager who wore skinny jeans, loved playing volleyball and going out with friends.

But in a bizarre reversal of a crash diet, Tammy has decided that she wants to put on a lot of weight as quickly as possible, and spends her days indoors eating buckets of fried chicken, boxes of doughnuts and whole blocks of cheese.

Scroll down for video

Before and after: Tammy, from Los Angeles, California, used to be a slim pretty teenager but bizarrely made the decision to go on a reverse crash diet, trying to gain weight as quickly as possible, for the sake of online fame

She even allows boyfriend Johan Ubermen, 28, to pour ice cream milkshakes down her throat in an attempt to ingest 5,000 calories a day.

Tammy's frightening diet has seen her weight soar by over 3st every six months, and she now weighs over 16st - just over halfway to her goal weight.

The once svelte young woman is piling on the pounds to earn money as a Big Beautiful Woman on internet websites and hopes to one day top 30st.

Tammy, who already has fat-loving male fans from around the world, has been warned she is putting her health at risk and shortening her life.

SUPER SIZE Tammy force feeds to reach her 30st goal

Big decision: Tammy made the decision to go on a reverse crash diet, trying to gain weight as quickly as possible, for the sake of online fame

But the determined young 'gainer' celebrates every pound she adds and insists she doesn't care about damaging her body.

She said: 'I've never been happier than I am working to put on weight - nothing will stop me achieving my dream.

'I know it's controversial but it's no one else's business - eating makes me happy.

'I'm making lots of money doing what I love - and I want to make even more.

'As far as I'm concerned there is no such thing as too big.'

Slimmer days: As a teenager, Tammy played volley ball and soccer and weighed a healthy eight stone, but felt insecure despite her healthy frame

Aided by her 'feeder' boyfriend Johan, Tammy's daily diet includes up to 30 doughnuts as well as stacks of pancakes and waffles.

The couple can spend up to £70 a day on takeaways and junk food to fuel Tammy's mammoth appetite.

Tammy said: 'I start the day with a huge breakfast of waffles, cream cheese, bacon and sausage then head to McDonalds for a few burgers in the afternoon.

'I can snack on cheese all day, a couple of blocks is no problem, then for dinner I'll either eat pizzas or make Mexican food.

'At the end of the day I make a weight gain shake from heavy whipped cream and a whole tub of ice cream, which Yohan feeds me through a funnel.

'The funnel forces me to drink the shake even when I'm full after a day of eating.'

As a teenager, Tammy played volley ball and football and weighed a healthy eight stone, but felt insecure despite her healthy frame.

Large appetite: Aided by her feeder boyfriend Johan, Tammy eats up to 30 doughnuts a day and stacks of pancakes and waffles

Bigger is better: With a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 45, 5ft 2" Tammy is almost twice the average for a woman her size

Encouragement: She is being encouraged to gain weight by her feeder boyfriend Johan Ubermen, 28, who helps her by buying £70 of junk food per day and making thick ice-cream milkshakes which he feeds to her

Short life span: Tammy doesn't care that she is putting her life at risk

She said: 'I used to be self-conscious about my appearance. I always thought I was fat and had low self esteem.

'After I gave up sports, I began putting on weight. At first I was in denial. But one day I looked in the mirror and realised I was fat - and I felt great about it.

'My body looks so sexy and I feel more womanly the heavier I get.'

With a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 45, 5ft 2" Tammy is almost twice the average for a woman her size.

Tammy even films herself eating on camera for her army of online fans.

Binge eater: She starts the day with a huge breakfast of waffles, cream cheese, bacon and sausage then heads to McDonalds for a few burgers in the afternoon

Funnel fed: Tammy weighs 16.5 stone but scoffs up to 5,000 calories each day by feasting on fried chicken, dozens of doughnuts and blocks of cheese through a funnel

She said: 'I get a lot of requests to eat and weigh myself on camera. Some guys even send me scripts so I know what to say.

'I can make up to £1,000 a month if I work at it, and I'm hoping to earn more the bigger I get.'

Johan, her boyfriend of eight months, doesn't worry about the attention from other men.

He said: 'I noticed early on that she really likes to eat and was eating more than me when we went for dinner - I was impressed.

'I would love her no matter what she looked like.'

Incredibly, Tammy's family have no idea what she does for a living - or that her weight gain is deliberate.

She said: 'My family have noticed that I am putting on weight but they still don't know I'm doing it on purpose.

'They probably wouldn't agree with it but I'm making a living and supporting myself.'

Dr Claude Matar, of the Pasadena Weight Loss Center, said: 'It's very straightforward, she is causing her life to be shorter. She is taking the risk of dying early.'

Just the way he likes her: 'My body looks so sexy and I feel more womanly the heavier I get' said Tammy, and her boyfriend doesn't mind that she gets attention from other men

TAMMY'S DAILY DIET

Breakfast of waffles, cream cheese, bacon and sausage followed by McDonalds for a few burgers in the afternoon

Snacks on cheese all day

For dinner it's pizzas or Mexican food

At the end of the day she makes a weight gain shake from heavy whipped cream and a whole tub of ice cream

Put more insects on your table: UN pushes edible ones as good for nutrition, environment

2013-05-15T13:22:00Z

The U.N. has new weapons to fight hunger, boost nutrition and reduce pollution, and they might be crawling or flying near you right now: edible insects.

The Food and Agriculture Organization on Monday hailed the likes of grasshoppers, ants and other members of the insect world as an underutilized food for people, livestock and pets.

A 200-page report, released at a news conference at the U.N. agency's Rome headquarters, says 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diets with insects, which are high in protein and minerals, and have environmental benefits.

Insects are "extremely efficient" in converting feed into edible meat, the agency said. On average, they can convert 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of feed into 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of insect mass. In comparison, cattle require 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) of feed to produce a kilo of meat.

Most insects are likely to produce fewer environmentally harmful greenhouse gases, and also feed on human and food waste, compost and animal slurry, with the products being used for agricultural feed, the agency said.

Currently, most edible insects are gathered in forests and what insect farming does take place is often family-run and serves niche markets. But the U.N. says mechanization can ratchet up insect farming production. The fish bait industry, for example, has long farmed insects.

Insect farming is "one of the many ways to address food and feed security," the food agency said.

"Insects are everywhere and they reproduce quickly," the agency said, adding they leave a "low environmental footprint." They provide high-quality protein and nutrients when compared with meat and fish and are "particularly important as a food supplement for undernourished children," it said.

Insects can also be rich in copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc, and are a source of fiber.

The agency noted that its Edible Insect Program is also examining the potential of arachnids, such as spiders and scorpions, although they are not strictly speaking insects.

University biologists have analyzed the nutritional value of edible insects, and some of them, such as certain beetles, ants, crickets and grasshoppers, come close to lean red meat or broiled fish in terms of protein per gram (ounce).

But are they tasty?

The report noted that some caterpillars in southern Africa and weaver ant eggs in Southeast Asia are considered delicacies and command high prices.

And some people who might not entertain the thought of consuming insects might already be eating them. Many insects are ingested inadvertently.

Deputies: Man caught masturbating near girls at school bus stop

2013-05-14T16:22:00Z

A Fort Myers man who was masturbating in front of three young girls was chased down and held by one of their fathers until deputies arrive to arrest him, Lee County Sheriff's Office reports show.

Luis Fernando Rolon, 30, of the 100 block of Zenith Circle, Fort Myers, was arrested Tuesday by Lee deputies and is facing charges of lewd lascivious behavior in the presence of individuals less than 16 years of age.

According to Lee County Sheriff's Office reports, one of the victims accompanied her daughter to the school bus stop Aug. 17 when she observed a man standing in some bushes directly across the street from them, masturbating while he stared at her.

The woman says his attention eventually was drawn to three young girls, all sisters, who were also at the bus stop. She yelled for the girls to come to her, and when they reached her, one of them said, " Did you see what that man was doing?"

The mother then watched as the man walked off, according to reports.

The following day, out of concern for her children, the mother of the three young girls decided to accompany them to the bus stop, deputies said. While leaving their home, two of the sisters pointed to a man they saw walking in front of the house, and yelled, "That's him!" The woman went inside, called 911, and woke her husband, who chased down Rolon and held him down until deputies arrived, reports show.

The location of the bus stop was not released.

US man mistakes brain leak for runny nose for 18 months

2013-05-14T14:40:00Z

A man from Arizona, who visited the doctor for running nose was shocked to learn that it was his brain that was leaking.

Joe Nagy put up with liquid leaking from his nose for around 18 months before he started seeking a doctor for help.

Doctors in Phoenix, found that the membrane surrounding Nagy’s brain had a hole in it and his “snot” was actually brain fluid that was leaking out, the Mirror reported.

Nagy said that it first started when he sat up in bed one morning and a clear liquid dribbled out of his nose like tears out of eyes.

Within months the leaking became constant but the final straw was when he was unable to reach his tissues in time as he picked up blueprints for his beloved model airplanes.

Neurosurgeon Peter Nakaji, who performed the surgery, said that the leaking is one of the more common conditions to be missed for a long time, as so many people suffer from running nose.

He said that they fixed the leak in Nagy’s brain with a needle and glue before the body took over to properly heal the hole.

Duke University hikes student fees to pay for sex-change surgeries

2013-05-14T13:56:00Z

Duke University is hiking student fees in order to cover the cost of sex-change surgery in its insurance plan.

“The addition of sexual reassignment surgery with a $50,000 cap makes Duke’s student health care plan one of the most, if not the most, transgender-inclusive plans in the country,” said Sunny Frothingham, the outreach chair for Blue Devils United, said in the Duke Chronicle.

The fee increase on students amounts to 0.3 percent, Campus Reform reported.

The announcement follows a March resolution passed by the student government that advocated for Duke to pay for sex-change operations.

Duke, located in North Carolina, now joins 37 colleges around the nation that cover sex-change surgeries, Campus Reform reported.

Angelina Jolie's Preventative Double Mastectomy: Stars Show Support

2013-05-14T13:23:00Z

Angelina Jolie made the brave and bold decision to get a preventative double mastectomy earlier this year, the Oscar-winning actress revealed in a New York Times article published Monday, May 13. The 37-year-old mother of six explained that genetic tests showed she carries the BRCA1 gene, which increases her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

The Maleficent actress had her first surgery in February and completed her final follow-up procedure on Apr. 27. She chronicled her experience in an op-ed piece called "My Medical Choice."

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"I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex," Jolie explained. "My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."

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The engaged In the Land of Blood and Honey director added, "I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has."

Shortly after the article was published, dozens of celebrities offered messages of support via Twitter. Sheryl Crow and Giuliana Rancic -- both of whom are breast cancer survivors -- were among the first to thank the Tomb Raider star for sharing her story with the world.

"I commend Angelina Jolie for her courage and thoughtfulness in sharing her story today regarding her mastectomy. So brave!" tweeted Crow, who has been cancer-free since 2006. "Ladies, please check out Angelina Jolie's story today, especially if you have breast cancer in your family history."

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Rancic, who underwent a double mastectomy in December 2011, tweeted, "Angelina Jolie reveals double mastectomy. Proud of her for using her incredible platform to educate women."

The Hunger Games' Elizabeth Banks also commended the Salt star, writing, "Much respect & for sharing in classy way: Angelina Jolie on why she had a double mastectomy & how it can save lives." Kristen Bell, meanwhile, tweeted a link to the article and added, "An admirable op ed by Angelina Jolie."

Other celebrities who voiced their support for the star included Mindy Kaling, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nia Vardalos, Marlee Matlin, Amanda de Cadenet and David Krumholtz.