Apparently, yes. Neil Pollack reports on the case of a teenager jailed for a short story he wrote about his high school being over run by brain eating zombies.
I was not at all sirprised to see Neil Gaiman was already all over this.
"Lots of people writing to draw my attention to this story, in which William Poole, accused here of trying to "recruit a gang to take over the school," Detective Berl Perdue said.
"He didn't have a gang, but he was attempting to organize one," Perdue said. Police said writings in which Poole tried to persuade other students to take part in the takeover were found. This article explains that the writings in question were a short story written for English class about a zombie attack. I'd be more inclined to doubt Mr Poole if there hadn't been a number of similar cases of the authorities being unable to tell the difference between fact and fiction (one of which I wound up joining Harlan Ellison, Michael Chabon, Peter Straub and others in an amicus brief, for a California teen who was expelled after showing classmates his poetry), including, famously, the Mike Diana case."
I think it's time someone in Clark County, Kentucky reads the Bill of Rights. If they need help understanding it, perhaps a member of the ACLU would be willing to help?
2005-03-03
Ouch!
The mother of a 13-pound, 13-ounce (6.2-kilogram) baby boy -- the biggest born in Britain in seven years -- says the size of her newborn is due to her obsessive appetite for seafood during pregnancy.
I take money and turn it into kaka
Prompted on by Sanremo music festival presenter, Paolo Bonolis, at the televised event, Mike Tyson somewhat reluctantly sang several seconds of Italian ballad "Volare." He ended the segment by rapping a version of "New York, New York," that began by calling it "a big city of dreams" and abruptly ended seconds later with "I gotta get out of here"
"I don't respect the American justice system ... In my conviction there was a lie. So many people are condemned unjustly and in reality they haven't done anything," Tyson, whose own voice was inaudible on television, said through a translator.
"What I am, I am an alchemist," Tyson said. "There are very talented individuals and they can take kaka and make money out of it ... And I'm just the opposite. I take money and turn it into kaka."
Tyson, who has millions of dollars in debts, reportedly earned as much as 70,000 euros from RAI to appear as the celebrity guest of the festival, famed for its otherwise middle-of-the-road, family friendly pop music.
Clover and Bok-Bok
In Krugersdorp, South Africa, an adult goat at a nature preserve has adopted a baby rhinoceros whose mother was killed by poachers. Keepers at the preserve, which is 30 minutes northwest of Johannesburg, said that when the baby rhino arrived, he was lost until he spied a goat through the fence on a neighboring farm.The goat came up to the rhino and they seemed communicate through the fence. The rhino, "Clover," follows the goat, "Bok-Bok," wherever she goes and the goat looks out for the baby rhino.
We decided to cut the nut
28 year old Raju Shetty’s, concerned with pleasuring his sex partner, decided to enhance his manliness with a visit to the 'hardware' store. He took a metal nut and pushed it around his penis. To his dismay, the metal stayed stuck to his organ for over two hours.
An embarrassed Shetty sought medical help, checking into the casualty ward of Rajawadi Hospital in the evening.
“I have never come across such a case in the last 12 years of my experience,” said Dr Bharati Karat, the on duty chief medical officer. “We decided to cut the nut, but the metal was too thick. The case was later referred to the surgeons,” said on duty assistant medical officer Dr Gopal Mahajan.
The surgeon reported, “The nut was so tight that it caused a severe swelling on the organ due to which the blood supply to that part of the anatomy was stopped. It took us almost two hours to get the nut out. Had the patient delayed admission by few hours, we would have had to amputate the organ, as the affected area may have developed gangrene.”
An embarrassed Shetty sought medical help, checking into the casualty ward of Rajawadi Hospital in the evening.
“I have never come across such a case in the last 12 years of my experience,” said Dr Bharati Karat, the on duty chief medical officer. “We decided to cut the nut, but the metal was too thick. The case was later referred to the surgeons,” said on duty assistant medical officer Dr Gopal Mahajan.
The surgeon reported, “The nut was so tight that it caused a severe swelling on the organ due to which the blood supply to that part of the anatomy was stopped. It took us almost two hours to get the nut out. Had the patient delayed admission by few hours, we would have had to amputate the organ, as the affected area may have developed gangrene.”
Friends who tell friends who tell friends...
Convinced of the validity of word of mouth marketing, Boing Boing shares the successful technique with the world.
"Books like Sisters of Ya Ya Sisterhoood became a success because one friend went to another friend and handed her a copy of the book, saying, 'You must read this, it changed my life.' I want to give my readers the same ability, so I have to give them a form of the book that they can 'hand' to their friends over the Internet. Even if it displaces some sales, the most valuable thing an author can get is a personal recommendation, it's the thing that is most likely to sell more copies of my books.""
"Books like Sisters of Ya Ya Sisterhoood became a success because one friend went to another friend and handed her a copy of the book, saying, 'You must read this, it changed my life.' I want to give my readers the same ability, so I have to give them a form of the book that they can 'hand' to their friends over the Internet. Even if it displaces some sales, the most valuable thing an author can get is a personal recommendation, it's the thing that is most likely to sell more copies of my books.""
NFL 'Naughty' List
This is a list of words the NFL has banned from being printed on the back of official jerseys.* It is almost modern poetry in it's simplicity and pointedness.
*Note to JR, cockmonkey is not on the list.
*Note to JR, cockmonkey is not on the list.
"hang them up by the heels to bleed"
Two manuscripts,with elaborate script and lavish illustrations, found at a British home are coming up for auction and they suggest some truly primitive cures for everyday ailments.
The 300-year-old cookery, medical and household recipe books give advice on almost everything, from treating burns to getting rid of freckles, said manuscript specialist Luke Batterham. Quite a strong, English name, yes?
"These books are a very direct insight into what people were interested in the late 17th century," Batterham. "People seem to go a very long way for beauty, now and then."
One recipe advises to one take "2 Puppies before they can see, chopp of their heads & hang them up by the heels to bleed", then mix with white wine to rid the patient of unsightly pimples.
Scalds and burns are apparently best treated with a mixture of sheep's dung and fresh goose grease, while four-day-old lemon juice rubbed on the face is guaranteed to eradicate unwanted freckles.
The two books are expected to fetch a total of 2,000 pounds or more when they go for auction at Bonhams in London on March 15.
2005-03-02
Controlled Burn
Just finished Scott Wolven's collection of 13 short stories, Controlled Burn.
Brilliant.
These are the most raw, brutal, lyrical and hard stories I've read in an age.
I meant to read a story a night and ended up consuming the entire book at once. There is a part of every human being capable of creating only grief and ruin, leaving chaos in their wake. Wolven writes of these people.
The stories are intertwined over years, location or happenstance who's protagonists cross over into oblivion of their own making. It is an oblivion we've all at least set a toe into, scuttling away, scared by what we saw and felt. The men in these stories embraced it, breathing it into every cell.
I've linked to one story, Controlled Burn, to give you a taste.
Wolven's work has appeared in the Mississippi Review and three (2002, 2003, 2004) Best American Mysteries collections. He is a master and a must read for any connoisseur of the short story.
Brilliant.
These are the most raw, brutal, lyrical and hard stories I've read in an age.
I meant to read a story a night and ended up consuming the entire book at once. There is a part of every human being capable of creating only grief and ruin, leaving chaos in their wake. Wolven writes of these people.
The stories are intertwined over years, location or happenstance who's protagonists cross over into oblivion of their own making. It is an oblivion we've all at least set a toe into, scuttling away, scared by what we saw and felt. The men in these stories embraced it, breathing it into every cell.
I've linked to one story, Controlled Burn, to give you a taste.
Wolven's work has appeared in the Mississippi Review and three (2002, 2003, 2004) Best American Mysteries collections. He is a master and a must read for any connoisseur of the short story.
Rotton.com Presents:
Sex Dolls!
Q: Ever wonder why adult bookstores don't display fully-inflated "realistic" love dolls modeled after porn stars?
A: Because in real life, they look ridiculous.
Including the Alien Love Doll, the Erotic Blow-up Piggie,the Luvin Lamb and Fleshlights!
WWII in color
A truly fascinating site featuring color photographs of the French army from World War II provided by the Lumiere brothers who invented this wonder in 1903.
Auguste and Louis Lumiere are credited with the world's first public film screening onDecember 28, 1895. Ten short films that lasted a total of twenty minutes were shown in the basement lounge of the Grand Cafe on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris. It demonstrated the Cinematograph, patented February 13th, 1894, which effectively functioned as camera, projector and printer all in one.
The Lumiere Brothers have been credited with over 1,425 different short films and had even filmed aerial shots years before the very first aiplane would take to the skies.
The Lumières also proposed the loudspeaker and Tulle-gras® (to heal burns).
It takes a bit to load, but well worth the wait.
Auguste and Louis Lumiere are credited with the world's first public film screening onDecember 28, 1895. Ten short films that lasted a total of twenty minutes were shown in the basement lounge of the Grand Cafe on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris. It demonstrated the Cinematograph, patented February 13th, 1894, which effectively functioned as camera, projector and printer all in one.
The Lumiere Brothers have been credited with over 1,425 different short films and had even filmed aerial shots years before the very first aiplane would take to the skies.
The Lumières also proposed the loudspeaker and Tulle-gras® (to heal burns).
"The cinema is an invention without a future." -- Louis Lumiere
It takes a bit to load, but well worth the wait.
My Balm
Tiger Liniment:
The Reason I am here
and typing today.
Cat repellent,
Pain Reliever,
Stinky massage oil,
How I love you
and the slick film
of easement
you give me.
2005-03-01
Exceptional!
I took the Commonly Confused Words test.
Advanced
You scored 100% Beginner, 93% Intermediate, 87% Advanced, and 66% Expert!
You have an extremely good understanding of beginner, intermediate, and advanced level commonly confused English words, getting at least 75% of each of these three levels' questions correct. This is an exceptional score. Remember, these are commonly confused English words, which means most people don't use them properly. You got an extremely respectable score.
Test statistics:
Advanced
You scored 100% Beginner, 93% Intermediate, 87% Advanced, and 66% Expert!
You have an extremely good understanding of beginner, intermediate, and advanced level commonly confused English words, getting at least 75% of each of these three levels' questions correct. This is an exceptional score. Remember, these are commonly confused English words, which means most people don't use them properly. You got an extremely respectable score.
Test statistics:
- Compared to users who took the test and are and in your age group:
- 100% had lower Beginner scores.
- 100% had lower Intermediate scores.
- 100% had lower Advanced scores.
- 100% had lower Expert scores.
- With respect to Beginner, users aged 55 to 59 scored highest.
- With respect to Intermediate, users aged 55 to 59 scored highest.
- With respect to Advanced, users aged 55 to 59 scored highest.
- With respect to Expert, users aged 55 to 59 scored highest.
Bzzzzzzzzz..... burp!
This is a non-toxic fly-catcher.
Skunk on his Junk
Carol Infalt's got a dire call at work. Her husband, David, was in the hospital. The reason? Familt pet, skunk Ozzie, bit David when David rough housed with him. David was holding Ozzie on hos lap at the time and Ozzie bit the closest flesh available. david's penis.
"They told me where he got bit. I had to come and pick him up," she said.
She's not trying to add insult to unspeakable injury, but she blames her husband and not Ozzie for this one.
Several stitches later, Dan's is fine except for the realization that he'll forever be known as the guy with a skunk on his junk.
"He always wanted to be famous. Maybe now he will be. He was hoping to do it more through hunting," Carol said.
Garage Jumping Idiocy Promotes Florida Lawsuit
Teenager Tim Bargfrede was following friends when he attempted to garage jump from the roof of a building to a garage that were 80 feet up. He did not make it. Bargfrede fell six stories and was knocked unconscious on impact.
"I just didn't make it," Bargfrede said.
"He (Bargfrede) is not the first person, he is not the second person, there have been four or five other individuals before him that did this," family's attorney Vincent D'Assaro said.
D'Assaro is, of course, filing a lawsuit against the city of Orlando and the private garage owner.
"There was a very, very short length of fence that was completely ineffective in preventing this from happening," D'Assaro said. And it seems common sense is also wildly ineffective.
Since Bargfrede fell, the City of Orlando has erected a partial fence. But there's still room for idiots to take a dangerous dive. The family says that's not good enough and that both garages need to take responsibility before a garage jumper loses his life. I say this is where Darwin's Law of Survival of the Fittest comes into play. Those teenage boys disinclined to jumping off high buildings when they're bored will survive to propagate.
"I just didn't make it," Bargfrede said.
"He (Bargfrede) is not the first person, he is not the second person, there have been four or five other individuals before him that did this," family's attorney Vincent D'Assaro said.
D'Assaro is, of course, filing a lawsuit against the city of Orlando and the private garage owner.
"There was a very, very short length of fence that was completely ineffective in preventing this from happening," D'Assaro said. And it seems common sense is also wildly ineffective.
Since Bargfrede fell, the City of Orlando has erected a partial fence. But there's still room for idiots to take a dangerous dive. The family says that's not good enough and that both garages need to take responsibility before a garage jumper loses his life. I say this is where Darwin's Law of Survival of the Fittest comes into play. Those teenage boys disinclined to jumping off high buildings when they're bored will survive to propagate.
Define Hate Crime
Frank Jude Jr, Harris, Kirsten Antonissen and Katie Brown went to a party in the 2800 block of S. Ellen St. early on Oct. 24. They were invited, but it quickly became clear Harris and Jude weren't welcome, based on comments from guests, Antonissen said. The four left and got into her pickup truck, which was suddenly surrounded by six to 10 men. They identified themselves as police officers and said a wallet containing a badge and other items had been stolen
Antonissen said Jude was yanked from the truck. He apparently got defensive and argued with the men before the beating occurred. Antonissen was held up against a car in a chokehold and then beaten.
Antonissen said Jude was yanked from the truck. He apparently got defensive and argued with the men before the beating occurred. Antonissen was held up against a car in a chokehold and then beaten.
Antonissen and Brown both called 911.
Nicole Martinez, one of the first on-duty officers on the scene, said she found Jude facedown in the street with his hands underneath him and four men around him. Spengler ordered Jude to put his hands behind his back, and Bartlett asked where his knife was, she said. Bartlett then put the blade to Jude's throat and said, "Where is the (expletive) badge? I'm going to kill you if you don't give it up," Martinez said.
Martinez said she saw Bartlett kick Jude, who was handcuffed, repeatedly in the head. Martinez said she heard what she believed to be bones breaking in Jude's head. "Knock it off, that's enough," Martinez said she told the off-duty officers.
Masarik then spread Jude's legs and kicked him two or three times in the groin and said, "Sorry you have to see this," Martinez said. She called for a police wagon because she said it would be a faster way to get Jude to the hospital, where he spent 2½ days recovering from his injuries.
Jude, who is black, said he couldn't believe the defendants weren't charged with hate crimes. He said he was called a racial slur repeatedly as he was beaten and after his pants were cut off. In a police report, officers claim Jude stole a police badge and wallet. Nothing was found on Jude, prosecutors said.
"My question is why did they continue to beat me about the badge if it wasn't a hate crime?" he said. "I almost died out there. I am sick to my stomach, sick inside. I just hope more justice comes. There are more people out there who know what happened. They need to come forward."
left Andrew R. Spengler, 25: Party to the crime of substantial battery; up to 3½ years in prison and $10,000 fine. center Daniel L. Masarik, 25: Party to the crime of substantial battery, second-degree reckless endangering, perjury: up to 19½ years. right Jon M. Bartlett, 33: Party to the crime of substantial battery (use of a knife), second-degree reckless endangering (use of a knife): up to 22½ years in prison and a $35,000 fine.
I Ain't Got No Homework
Berkeley students aren't getting written homework assignments because teachers are refusing to grade work on their own time after two years with no pay raise.
So far, a black history event had to be canceled and parents had to staff a middle-school science fair because teachers are sticking strictly to the hours they're contracted to work.
"Teachers do a lot with a little. All of a sudden, a lot of things that they do are just gone. It's demoralizing," said Rachel Baker, who has a son in kindergarten.
Teachers say they don't want to stop volunteering their time.
The action was organized by the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, which wants a cost-of-living increase next year.
District Superintendent Michele Lawrence said she sympathizes with teachers but said there isn't money for raises. She blamed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for not providing as much money to education as promised. Schwarzenegger spokesman Vince Sollitto said the governor has promised that the bulk of new funding in next year's budget, $3 billion, will go to education. Barry Fike, president of the teachers union, said the district will be getting more money next year and that teachers want a share. But district spokesman Mark Coplan said the district still faces a deficit for a number of reasons, including rising health care costs and the governor's plan to shift some big costs from the state to the district. Fike said teachers are willing to start paying some health care costs, but without a raise that would amount to a pay cut. The union declared an impasse in negotiations last June and has not had a contract for two years.
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