A heart warming tale from Japan

It seems some tourists actually got to see a whale harpooned! No word on whether the whale's name was OwlGore:

Whale harpooned, hauled in by Japanese boat in front of whale-watching tourists

The Baird's beaked whale is pictured at Abashiri Port being processed.

SAPPORO -- Eco-tourists on a whale-watching vessel, looking forward to observing the mighty creatures in their natural habitat, were instead greeted by the sight of a harpooned whale being dragged in by a Japanese whaling vessel on Friday.

At about 10:44 a.m. on Friday, a whale was spotted spraying water from its blowhole near a whaling boat, about 3.5 kilometers away from the whale-watching vessel off the coast of Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula. But when the vessel approached, the passengers on board found that the whalers had harpooned the Baird's beaked whale, and it was hauled in by the whaling boat about 20 minutes later.

About 20 passengers on the whale-watching vessel looked on, voicing their pity as the whale was captured. A French woman who was on the vessel with her husband reportedly said the experience made her feel ill.

There were two other whale-watching boats nearby, but one of them left after a child started crying.

The 46-year-old captain of the passenger vessel was disappointed by the incident, which took place about 14 kilometers east of Rausu Port in Hokkaido.

"It's my job to show people whales and it's the whalers' job to catch them, but I wonder how this can be avoided," he said.

One of the two whaling companies operating the whaling ship, meanwhile, filed a protest against the whale watching vessel with the Rausu town government.

"The passenger boat approached us, which was extremely dangerous. We think this could be considered dangerous sailing, and we want you to issue a warning," the protest said. (Mainichi)

August 25, 2007

Best. Aunt. Ever????????

Aunt Charged With Hiring Prostitutes For 12-Year-Old Nephew

POSTED: 11:34 am EDT August 23, 2007

UPDATED: 6:15 pm EDT August 23, 2007

DONORA, Pa. -- A Washington County woman is accused of paying two prostitutes to have sex with her 12-year-old nephew, WTAE Channel 4's Sheldon Ingram reported Thursday."My anger is out of control," said the boy's mother, whose name is not being released in order to protect the child's identity.Donora police said Linda Van Pool, 36, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, soliciting prostitution and corruption of a minor.

The alleged incident occurred in November. Local police and county authorities have been investigating since that time, and details are only now beginning to surface.The boy's mother, who works as a bartender at Ray's Place, told Ingram that her son was being watched by Van Pool on the night of the alleged sexual activity.Van Pool came to the bar and requested $80 that she said she needed for the child, according to the mother, who said she provided the money without knowing it would be used for sex."I just thought he would call his grandmother and wind up spending it at Wal-Mart or wherever," said the mother.Police said Van Pool brought her nephew to separate locations -- one on Fifth Street and one on Linden Way -- for the sexual activity."I didn't know that she would take him to those type of women. I didn't think they existed in this area. I thought you had to go to Pittsburgh for that," she said.The mother said the boy's aunt told her what had happened after she got home from work. She said her son confirmed the story to her the next day.The 12-year-old's father had died not long before, and the child was "acting up" at home, so the sex was bought "as a way to appease the boy," Donora police said.Van Pool is in jail on $5,000 bond. The women who allegedly had sex with the boy have not been arrested, but police said they expect that to happen soon.The boy is now living with grandparents, according to his mother, who is also facing charges even though she denies any involvement."I lost my husband, he lost his father, and now he lost his family," the mother said.

Not ready for civilization or religion of peace update

Naked Security Officer Shoots at Coworkers

DC Special Police officer Donald Cardwell is accused of firing his gun at fellow officers Sunday while on duty at the Blue Plains impound lot in Southwest. DC Police are investigating a bizarre incident that involves a naked security officer shooting at his co-workers. DC Special Police officer Donald Cardwell is accused of firing his gun at fellow officers Sunday while on duty at the Blue Plains impound lot in Southwest. Shortly after being handed his service weapon for work, Cardwell fired two shots into the ground before stripping his uniform off and firing at two fellow officers. Police say as he began shooting, he repeatedly shouted "Al Qaida." A vial of what appeared to be PCP was found in Cardwell's pocket. Although Special Police officers carry guns, they can only do so on the job and must turn them in at the end of the day. Cardwell, who was employed by Hawk 1 Security, has been arraigned on drug and assault charges and has another court date next week. Hawk 1 Security also provides security for DC Public Schools. A call to Hawk 1 for comment was not immediately returned. Law enforcement sources say Cardwell has been arrested in the past, but was never convicted of a crime

Moose farts main cause of global warming

Does this mean if we kill all the Moose the ice caps won't melt? This article was in der spiegel

August 21, 2007

GLOBAL WARMING FEARS

Norway's Moose Population in Trouble for Belching

The poor old Scandinavian moose is now being blamed for climate change, with researchers in Norway claiming that a grown moose can produce 2,100 kilos of carbon dioxide a year -- equivalent to the CO2 output resulting from a 13,000 kilometer car journey.

DPA

Now poor moose are being blamed for global warming.

Norway is concerned that its national animal, the moose, is harming the climate by emitting an estimated 2,100 kilos of carbon dioxide a year through its belching and farting.

Norwegian newspapers, citing research from Norway's technical university, said a motorist would have to drive 13,000 kilometers in a car to emit as much CO2 as a moose does in a year.

Bacteria in a moose's stomach create methane gas which is considered even more destructive to the environment than carbon dioxide gas. Cows pose the same problem (more...).

Norway has some 120,000 moose but an estimated 35,000 are expected to be killed in this year's moose hunting season, which starts on September 25, Norwegian newspaper VG reported.

cro

Sometimes we miss Dan Ackroyd

Police officer charged with prostitution

Part-timer for Newport Township arrested in sting at W-B motel.

EDWARD LEWIS elewis@timesleader.com

A Newport Township part-time police officer was working as an escort when he was arrested in a prostitution sting at a Wilkes-Barre motel on Friday, according to arrest papers.

Levi Gibbon Jr., 40, of East North Street, Wilkes-Barre, was charged by the state police Organized Crime Unit with a single count of prostitution. He was arraigned before Hanover Township District Judge Joseph Halesey and released on $5,000 bail.

Newport Township Solicitor Richard Shiptoski said Gibbon has been suspended without pay until resolution of the charge, a third-degree misdemeanor.

Gibbon couldn’t be reached for comment on Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint:

State police and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office were involved in a prostitution sting at the Wilkes-Barre Lodge motel on Kidder Street.

An informant told authorities that Gibbon was working as an escort and was to show up at 4 p.m. to meet a client in room 141.

Gibbon, carrying a blue mini cooler, knocked on the door and was greeted by an undercover trooper posing as a client.

Once inside the room, Gibbon discussed with the trooper sexual acts that would be performed for an amount of money, the criminal complaint says.

Gibbon began to undress as he accepted $200 in marked money. A signal was given to surveillance teams, who entered the room and arrested Gibbon.

Police said Gibbon admitted in a written statement that he was working as an escort and expected to receive money for sexual favors, the criminal complaint says.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Central Court.

Edward Lewis, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7196.

Special 200th Post!

It is not a good week for penises

Woman sets fire to ex-husband's penis

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A woman set fire to her ex-husband's penis as he sat naked watching television and drinking vodka, Moscow police said Wednesday.

Asked if the man would make a full recovery, a police spokeswoman said it was "difficult to predict."

The attack climaxed three years of acrimonious enforced co-habitation. The couple divorced three years ago but continued to share a small flat, something common in Russia where property costs are very high.

"It was monstrously painful," the wounded ex-husband told Tvoi Den newspaper. "I was burning like a torch. I don't know what I did to deserve this."

That's Entertainment!

Interrupting the flow of Ron Mexico stories, comes this from the Edinburgh fringe festival.

EDINBURGH (AFP) - A dwarf performer at the Edinburgh fringe festival had to be rushed to hospital after his penis got stuck to a vacuum cleaner during an act that went horribly awry.

Daniel Blackner, or "Captain Dan the Demon Dwarf", was due to perform at the Circus of Horrors at the festival known for its oddball, offbeat performances.

The main part of his act saw him appear on stage with a vacuum cleaner attached to his member through a special attachment.

The attachment broke before the performance and Blackner tried to fix it using extra-strong glue, but unfortunately only let it dry for 20 seconds instead of the 20 minutes required.

He then joined it directly to his organ. The end result? A solid attachment, laughter, mortification and ... hospitalisation.

"It was the most embarrassing moment of my life when I got wheeled into a packed AE with a vacuum attached to me," Blackner said.

"I just wished the ground could swallow me up. Luckily, they saw me quickly so the embarrassment was short-lived."

Ron Mexico Pleading Guilty

He better hope cellmate bubba the nazi who loves dogs never sees this picture.

Ron Mexico Update

Looks like Ron's fixin' to cop a plea!

Cougar Alert

“Racehorse” Haynes Represents Round Rock Mom in Court
8/2/2007

Newsroom

Testimony continues this morning in a case against a Round Rock mom accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy. The defendant, forty-one-year-old Phill Raije Rian, is represented by legendary Houston Attorney Richard “Racehorse” Haynes. Rian is accused in Williamson County’s 26th District Court of three counts of sexual assault of a child. She is also being investigated by Child Protective Services. Her two young children are currently in the custody of the state.

The alleged victim in the case is a seventeen year old high school student. According to his testimony, he lived down the street from the defendant. The teenager says he helped the defendant by mowing her lawn and babysitting her two children.

During his testimony yesterday, the teenager says his relationship with Rain changed last summer. He says he fell in love with her. He also says the two talked about getting married when he was older. According to the boy, her two children called him “dad”. He testified that he liked having them call him “dad”, and wished he was their father.

The teenager’s testimony about the three alleged assaults contradict the indictment in the case. According to the boy, there were several weeks between the events, while the indictment names specific dates that are within days of each other. The seventeen year old also put the places where the events happened in a different order than how he described them to sheriff’s detectives in September of last year. All three times, the teenager says, the two were in the back of Rain’s van or SUV. He says she performed oral sex on him. He estimated the oral sex lasted between fifteen minutes to half an hour.

Boy, she's a persistent little competitor! But she was found guilty today in Austin. I guess the lesson here is if you are going to commit a sex crime maybe you shouldn't brag about it on the phone from your jail cell! Still better how about a lawyer named Racehorse defending at a sex crimes trial.

From Today's Austin Statesman:
...Rian, who showed no remorse as Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield read the verdict late Monday evening, admitted in a video to having oral sex with the teen on several occasions. The video was shown in court during testimony last week....

Rian's written statement to police was entered into evidence by defense attorneys Monday, it does not mention her having sex with the boy. The only contact it mentions is one kiss Rian said the boy prompted.

Prosecutors told jurors that this was a lie as they played tape after tape of Rian admitting to friends, family and even her real estate agent that she had sexual relations with the teen. Most of those calls were made from the Williamson County jail.

Rian's two children are in Child Protective Services custody, and a custody trial is pending in county court.

Giant Lego man found in Dutch sea

Tue Aug 7, 11:57 AM ET

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A giant, smiling Lego man was fished out of the sea in the Dutch resort of Zandvoort on Tuesday.

Workers at a drinks stall rescued the 2.5-metre (8-foot) tall model with a yellow head and blue torso.

"We saw something bobbing about in the sea and we decided to take it out of the water," said a stall worker. "It was a life-sized Lego toy."

A woman nearby added: "I saw the Lego toy floating towards the beach from the direction of England."

The toy was later placed in front of the drinks stall.

Tales of America's Sorriest Airline

14 hours to get get from Northwest Florida to Washington. Driving? No. Mostly just being victimized by ASA.

From the Wall Street Journal...

THE MIDDLE SEAT By SCOTT MCCARTNEY

Tallying Summer Travel Woes

DOT Says Delays
Worsened in June;
July Not as Bad
August 7, 2007; Page D4

The first half of 2007 has been the worst for air travel delays since the Department of Transportation started keeping detailed statistics 13 years ago, the government said yesterday.

And preliminary numbers show July won't do much to reverse travel woes, either.

June 2007 was the second-worst June on record for flight delays, with only 68.1% of flights arriving on time as a result of more jets in the sky and particularly bad weather at key airport hubs like Dallas-Fort Worth International. Last year in June, 72.8% of flights arrived on-time. Only June 2000 was worse than this year at 66.3% on-time, when surging travel demand and airline labor battles clogged air transportation.

....

Yesterday, the DOT delivered a fuller accounting of travel misery this summer with its June statistics. Mishandled baggage reports shot up 36% in June -- 451,260 bags either lost, late or misrouted. More passengers were involuntarily bumped from flights and the number of complaints filed by customers to the DOT increased a whopping 54% in June compared with last year.

Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a regional feeder for Delta Air Lines Inc., had the worst on-time performance of any U.S. airline in June, according to the DOT. Nearly half of all ASA flights arrived late, which the DOT defines as reaching the gate 15 minutes or more past scheduled arrival time.

Among major airlines, AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, hard-hit by huge rains on Dallas, had the worst on-time performance. Southwest Airlines Co. was the best among majors.

The DOT won't release July delay numbers for another month, but a tally from FlightStats.com, a flight-tracking service used by airlines, airports and consumers, shows that last month was better for airline travelers than June -- but still worse than last year.

...

CDC: More new moms nurse, turn to formula too soon

CDC: More new moms nurse, turn to formula too soon - CNN.com
If Brittany had only been doing this, the photgraphers couldn't sue her for being hit with a Baby Bottle"....

Spears accused of making death threats WITH A BABY BOTTLE to photographers

Spears accused of making death threats to photographers - CNN.com
Whatever happened to :
"WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGA$, STAYS IN VEAGA$"????



LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Britney Spears threw a baby bottle and threatened two photographers after they took pictures of her leaving a Las Vegas spa, the photographers said in a statement Tuesday.

Britney Spears allegedly yelled "I am going to kill you!" at a photographer.

Spears yelled "I am going to kill you!" and cursed at Andrew Deetz, a photographer who says he was beaten by Spears' bodyguard on Thursday, according to a statement released by Deetz's lawyers.

They didn't say what was in the baby bottle, formula, breast milk, or vodka...

Another sign of the apocalypse

There's must not be anything else to do in Arkansas. And you just knew his name would be Jim-Bob, I bet he can make the tornado noise, too!

AP Photo: Michelle Duggar, left, is surrounded by her children and husband Jim Bob, top left Arkansas couple welcomes 17th child
By JILL ZEMAN, Associated Press Writer

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - It's a girl — again — for the Duggars. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar welcomed their 17th child, and seventh daughter, into the world Thursday.

Jennifer Danielle was born at 10:01 a.m. at Saint Mary's Hospital in Rogers, Ark., the Duggars said in an interview. Jennifer weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and arrived five days after Michelle's due date.

Less than 30 minutes after giving birth, the Duggars already were talking of having more.

"We'd love to have more," Michelle said, adding that the girls are outnumbered seven to 10 in the family. "We love the ruffles and lace."

Jennifer joins the fast-growing Duggar brood, who live in Tontitown in a 7,000-square-foot home. All the children — whose names start with the letter J — are home-schooled.

The oldest is 19 and the youngest, before Jennifer, is almost 2 years old.

"We are just so grateful to God for another gift from him," said Jim Bob Duggar, 42, a former state representative. "We are just so thankful to him that everything went just very well."

Jennifer joins siblings Joshua, 19; John David, 17; Janna, 17; Jill, 16; Jessa, 14; Jinger, 13; Joseph, 12; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 9; Jedidiah, 8; Jeremiah, 8; Jason 7; James 6; Justin, 4; Jackson, 3; Johannah, almost 2.

The family includes two sets of twins.

Michelle Duggar said that Joshua, Janna, Jill and Jessa were at the hospital, but that the rest of the family planned to visit their new sister later Thursday.

Michelle Duggar said she started feeling contractions Wednesday night and went to the hospital at about 5 a.m. Thursday.

"It actually went fast," she said. "I guess once I started progressing, it went within 30 minutes."

Jennifer was born via a VBAC — or vaginal birth after Caesarean, Jim Bob Duggar said.

The Duggars have been featured on several programs on cable's Discovery Health Network. The next special, the Duggar Family Album, is scheduled to air next month, Jim Bob Duggar said.

Among the "fun facts" listed on Discovery Health's Web page devoted to the Duggars: A baby has been born in every month except June; the Duggars have gone through an estimated 90,000 diapers, and Michelle, 40, has been pregnant for 126 months — or 10.5 years — of her life.

Bored 19 year olds are dangerous

again, no one died, not even the dog! That said, even Ron Mexico isn't accused of anything this bad!

Man sodomized his grandmother's dog, police say

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published August 2, 2007

---

ST. PETERSBURG - A 19-year-old Titusville man has been charged with animal cruelty after police said he sodomized his grandmother's Yorkshire terrier.

Nicholas R. Densmore was arrested on Monday and remained in the Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of $25,000 bail.

It was unknown what Densmore used to sodomize the dog, but afterward he threw the injured animal in the trash behind his grandparents' home on Dartmouth Avenue North, where it was later found, according to a police report.

The Yorkshire terrier, a female named Duchess, underwent surgery at an animal hospital and was expected to return home late Wednesday or early today, said Claudette Densmore, Densmore's grandmother.

Claudette Densmore said she spoke with her grandson only briefly before he was arrested and he denied hurting the dog. She said he had come to stay with her and her husband about a month ago and was looking for a job. "He's never done anything like this before," she said. "Just kid stuff."

State records show he has previously been arrested seven times, five of them as a juvenile. In August of last year, in his first arrest as an adult, he was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest. He pleaded no contest and received 60 days in jail.

Pastors Behaving Badly

I know when policemen scare me I offer to ..., well no I don't, neither does anybody I know.

Bristol pastor, Christian radio station employee charged with indecent exposure

Published 07/30/2007 By Kacie Dingus Breeding

A Christian radio station employee and Bristol, TN pastor has been charged with indecent exposure as well as DUI and violation of the open container law.

WZAP-AM 690's owner, Al Morris has issued a brief statement Monday afternoon saying, "As many of you are aware Tommy Tester, an employee of WZAP was recently arrested in Washington County, Tenn.

"The allegations, as reported by the news media, are serious and are in no way condoned or accepted by the ownership and management of WZAP."

The Johnson City Press reported Saturday that Thomas Dale Tester, 58, of 17426 Hobbs Road, reportedly faces charges of driving under the influence, indecent exposure and violation of the open container law.

Morris said Monday in a phone interview that Tester, known to listeners as "Tommy Tester," is also pastor of Gospel Baptist Church on Reedy Creek Road. "So far, they (members of the congregation) have rallied behind Tommy," Morris said.

Morris said his staff, the station's listeners and members of Tester's congregation were all shocked about Johnson City police officers' allegations.

When he talked to Tester, "He said they (Johnson City police) scared him--he was scared to death and didn't know what he'd said or what he'd admitted or anything else," Morris said.

According to the Johnson City Press article, Tester allegedly pulled up in a blue 2007 Toyota Camry and offered to give Johnson City police officers oral sex when they arrived at 308 S. Belmont Street to investigate a report of indecent exposure.

Tester, allegedly wearing a skirt, then reportedly got out of his car at the Belmont Car Wash and urinated in a wash bay in public view with children present.

A search of Tester’s vehicle reportedly revealed a half-empty pint-sized bottle of vodka and an empty bottle of Oxycodone in the passenger floorboard. Morris said Tester had told him about the painkiller prescription, which he'd said was prescribed due to previous back surgeries.

According to reports, Tester also allegedly admitted to police that he had been drinking and failed all field sobriety tests.

Morris said he'd relieved Tester of his duties at the station pending the outcome of the case.

Tester was released on bond from the Washington County Detention Center Friday afternoon and is scheduled to appear in Sessions Court on Tuesday.

Ron Mexico Update

I pity the officer who had to arrest these two

But at least no one died...

Made In The Shade

Indy couple finds cool spot for whoopee...near day care center!

AUGUST 1--Perhaps the next time Shawn Ayers and Nicholas Declouette decide to get, um, frisky, they will not do it in the middle of the day. In a '88 Oldsmobile. Parked in front of an Indianapolis day care center. Ayers, 31, and Declouette, 43, were arrested on public indecency charges when the day care center's operator called cops after spotting the couple getting busy in public. As noted in the below Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report, when Officer Eli McAllister responded to the scene, "I stood there for approximately two minutes, and they were so engrossed in their recreational activity that they did not notice me." Declouette explained that he had first met Ayers earlier that day and they had been "driving around town, until they found a nice shaded spot to have sex." He added that he was unaware that the chosen location was in front of Cookies Child Care. Declouette's car was impounded and delivered to the Last Chance Towing Lot. At the close of his report, McAllister reported that Ayers and Declouette claimed that they "were simply lonely and wanted to find a nice place to have some fun." (3 pages)