Man Exchanges Frequent Flyer Miles for Space Trip

You read the headline correctly. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• An electrician in London flew to and from the United States over 40 times in the past six years with Virginia Atlantic flights.
• He redeemed his 2,000,000 frequent flyer miles toward a trip to space.
• The trip is scheduled for 2009.
• Virginia Galactic, who plans to start the space trips in 2008, will offer trips lasting 2 1/2 hours with 5 minutes of zero gravity.
• Tickets cost about $200,000.

My $0.02: Wow. This is seeing the first steps of something grand. Once you have space trips, you have to have something more to do while there. So that leads to space cafes and the like... And then people will start to stake a claim on the moon and have bases there for entertainment... And then... Sorry. I couldn't help but go off on a science fiction geek tangent.

Meth Found in Man's Prosthetic

Police busted a man who hid crystal methamphetamine in his prosthetic leg. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• In Oklahoma, Larry Harper, 64, was arrested at his car business.
• The drugs were found inside of a sock-like material in his prosthetic.
• When the drugs tumbled out of the prosthetic, the man laughed, jokingly saying he thought he had pulled the wool over their eyes.

My $0.02: Better leave the meth alone before he loses his teeth too...

This Is Your Mouth On Meth

Methamphetamine causes users to go from having healthy teeth to monstrostities for mouths like the one on the right. Tooth loss can occur within a year. The condition has been coined "meth mouth". The tooth decay of meth mouth is caused by meth's dry-mouth effect and the way the drug causes cravings for pop, teeth grinding and clenching, and long periods of poor oral hygiene. You can see more of the article at Science Daily.

Wow. I think a lot fewer people would try meth if you showed them this picture.

$1000+ Dollar Keyboard

Yep, a company called Stealth Computer Corporation is offering an industrial desktop computer keyboard for the paltry sum $1195. According to the site, the keyboard features:

1. Totally Sealed NEMA 4X Stainless Steel Full Case travel QWERTY.
2. 114 Keys, 24 Function Keys, WIN KEY
3. Removable trackball for convenient cleaning
4. Adjustable Tension Ring ensures the proper amount of trackball smoothness for any user.
5. 10 Million cycles expected life
6. 6' cable w/ 5-pin DIN, 9-pin serial connectors, PS/2 cables or USB connector
7. Dimensions: 20.25"W x 7.9"D x 1.9"H

Ready to dole out about $1200 for a keyboard? The ordering page is here. I can imagine that you're desperately clicking on the link to make sure you get your keyboard before they run out.

X-rated Font on School Handout

X-rated font? Handout? School? OK. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• During a school open house in Monroe, New York, a third grade spelling handout was given to parents.
• The packet featured male and female stick figures in erotic poses to form letters of the alphabet.
• School officials apologized to the parents for the packet.
• Administrators claim the teacher did not intend to use the font.

My $0.02: *pulls of MS Word and scrolls down font list* Ah-ha! Here's that X-rated font! Right next to Times New Roman. *smacks head* How could I miss it? Really easy to mix up. *sigh* Come on, it was obviously a specially downloaded font you couldn't accidentally use. Might as well 'fess up...

Hands Dipped in Boiling Oil in Attempt to Prove Innocence

I'll let the title speak since the details behind this story are a little horrifying. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• In Rajasthan, one of India's states, rice and wheat stolen from a school in late August.
• The police were informed but took no action.
• The council, or panchayat, decided to find the culprit itself.
• 150 men from the village and neighboring areas were commanded to pick a copper ring out of cauldron of boiling oil.
• The panchayat decided the 50 men who refused to retrieve the ring were guilty.
• The council elders have now been arrested.
• One man involved said this is not the first time such an incident has occurred.

My $0.02: A lot to ponder about. First is the meaning of food in our culture. Food is so plentiful. If someone came in and stole food from a school, there would be anger in the community over who would do such, but the school would probably be able to replace the food easily. There definitely wouldn't be any sort of extreme torture. Food is so available we don't even realize its value... My second issue is why only men were gathered. A woman could just as easily have stolen the food. The fact women weren't even thought suspect or capable subtly reflects inequality. Finally, the method used to find the thief was obviously ridiculous. The guilty were probably more likely to stick their hands in the oil than the innocent since they had something to prove. The innocent would definitely defy the punishment and not stick their hands in oil. The situation is a modern witch hunt. And to think torture has occurred in the area before and could occur again...

Your Brother Was a Goat?

A Nigerian man suspected of murdering his brother informed police he attacked a goat which magically transformed into his brother. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• The man says he tried to chase some goats off of his farm.
• One goat wouldn't move, so he attacked it with an axe.
• Once he attacked the goat, it turned into his brother.
• Many people in Nigeria still believe in black magic.

My $0.02: Yeah, his explanation sounds like some sort of weird dream description. It would have been better if he gave no comments...

Cell Phones Found in Bowels of Prisoners

The title is pretty self-explanatory. Full article here.

Quick Summary:

• Four prisoners in El Salvador hid cell phones, chargers, and spare chips in their lower intestine.
• The prisoners, members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, used the cell phones to coordinate crimes outside of prison.
• The cell phones were found via X-rays after six weeks of investigation.

My $0.02: I wonder how the prisoners got the cell phones into the prison in the first place. Also, how did they know when the cell phones were ringing? Put them on vibrate?

Car Crash Victim Rescued Half-Naked

A Slovak man in a car crash was rescued without his pants on and a vacuum pump on his penis. Full story here.

Quick Summary:

• The 42-year-old man ignored a "give way" sign.
• He crashed into a bus.
• After the accident, rescuers found the man unconscious with no pants on and a vacuum pump on his penis.
• The man was admitted to the hospital with head injuries.

My $0.02: Wow. I just hope no one else got hurt....

Pope Benedict a Man of Many Hats...

I couldn't help but post this picture of Pope Benedict XVI in red saturno (which looks suspiciously like a cowboy hat to me). It seems to put a fun spin on his position.

Image Source: Yahoo! Photos