"Real Men of Genius"

[rinselberg]

Qatari diplomat Mohammed Al-Madadi

The 27-year-old Qatari diplomat who caused a full-blown, midair security scare when he tried to sneak a cigarette and then joked about it should be recalled or expelled for doing just about "everything wrong" on board the United Airlines flight to Denver, some officials said Thursday.

Qatari diplomat Mohammed Al-Madadi caused a full-blown, midair security incident--including the scrambling of Air Force F-16s--when he tried to smoke a cigarette in the airliner's bathroom. An air marshal, alerted by the smell of smoke, confronted Al-Madadi, who stupidly joked that he was trying to set his shoes on fire--an all too unfortunate reference to the infamous airline "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. Now there are calls for Al-Madadi to be expelled from his post in the U.S.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010...d-critics-say/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36243847...iner_security/

[Uncle Fester]

Unfiltered Camels?

[k12311997]

Unfiltered Camels?

Thanks I have to go wash my mind out with soap now.

[Uncle Fester]

It was Camels or the L+M brand and now discontinued Fatima.

[rinselberg]

Group of ghost hunters looking for ghosts on anniversary of 1891 train wreck. Caught on 300-foot long railroad trestle when real Norfolk-Southern train appears. One man struck by train and killed.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/27/nor...ex.html?hpt=T2

Another Darwin award ...

[PhotonicGuy]

It's a shame that one man died. About the "ghost hunt" I really don't want to comment anything, because each has the right to believe in what he want.

[rinselberg]

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 46-year-old man, who rooted the New York Jets to victory, took a celebratory sled ride down his driveway in Great Kills that turned deadly last night, when he veered into the path of a car driving down his block, police said.

Police say Raymond Larsen was sledding down his driveway at 286 Cleveland Ave., which is steeply inclined toward the street, and went careening into the roadway as a 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe drove past, at about 8:52 p.m. . . .



Neighbors said they heard a loud sound, similar to a car hitting a pothole, and then minutes later heard ambulances and saw Larsen, clad in a New York Jets Mark Sanchez jersey, bleeding from the head, lifeless. Larsen reportedly took the disc-like sled out for a celebratory joyride after the Jets upset the New England Patriots in a playoff game last night. The game ended about an hour before the accident occurred.

One witness, who declined to give his name, said the sled looked light blue, “kind of like a frisbee turned upside down, only really big.”

http://www.silive.com/southshore/ind...y_in_grea.html


I guess you can file this under "Top Ten Things Not To Do After Your Football Team Wins".

[ksquared]

As is usually the case when Walmart announces the intention to build a new store, community supporters (pushing for jobs, an enlarged tax base and shopper convenience) battle community opponents (trying to save mom-and-pop retailers), and when plans were announced for a northeast Washington, D.C., location, it was the local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, Brenda Speaks, who produced a brand-new reason for opposing such a store.

"Young people", she told an anti-Walmart rally (according to a February Washington Post report), "would be more likely to get criminal records because, with a big corporation around, they could less resist the temptation to steal."

Washington Post, 2-10-2011]

[WFruit]

As is usually the case when Walmart announces the intention to build a new store, community supporters (pushing for jobs, an enlarged tax base and shopper convenience) battle community opponents (trying to save mom-and-pop retailers), and when plans were announced for a northeast Washington, D.C., location, it was the local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, Brenda Speaks, who produced a brand-new reason for opposing such a store.

"Young people", she told an anti-Walmart rally (according to a February Washington Post report), "would be more likely to get criminal records because, with a big corporation around, they could less resist the temptation to steal."

Washington Post, 2-10-2011]

Well, that and the fact that mom-n-pop stores in D.C. tend to be heavily armed.....

[chip anderson]

How dast you say Texas was aquired from de Mexicans from Mexico? Texas was an independent country wrested from de Mexicans by mostly Texas home residents. Texas chose to be aquired by the US under it's own conditions, which included the right of secession, and the right to split into five smaller states should it so chose.
You wanna know how Sam Houston was able to defeat Santa Anna at Juancinto? A dear lady who is revered at the Yellow Rose of Texas (won't say why yellow rose because I don't want to upset Steve) entertained Santa Anna in his tent during the battle. (Odd they never mentioned this when I took Texas history.)

Chip

[opticianbart]

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/texas.asp

Urban legend, Texas has no more right to leave the union than any other state. :)

[chip anderson]

Not Urban Legend:

See Articles of Incorporation where Texas joined the Union. In every 9th grade Texas History book as well as many other places where Texas records are stored.

Of course there is some debate today about whether the War of Northern Agression changed all this or not. There is especially currently a movement within the State of Texas to concider seceeding and becoming independent once again, somewhat because Texans are highly anti-Socialist and they want to drill thier own oil.

Chip

[Spexvet]

See Articles of Incorporation where Texas joined the Union. In every 9th grade Texas History book as well as many other places where Texas records are stored.

Like the Dallas School Book Depository?

Of course there is some debate today about whether the War of Northern Agression
Chip

Chip, I believe it's time that you stopped referring the The War To Stop Slavery as the War of Northern Agression. It makes you sound like you are in favor of slavery.

[DragonLensmanWV]

I don't think all Texans are antisocial.

[finefocus]

I don't think all Texans are antisocial.

That's correct; only California is 100% contrarian.

[opticianbart]

Chip, I believe it's time that you stopped referring the The War To Stop Slavery as the War of Northern Agression. It makes you sound like you are in favor of slavery.

Ha, there's a war that had both sides fighting for different reasons - both right, and both wrong if you ask me. Worst kind of war out there.

[chip anderson]

Wonder what the devil (other than wasting a lot of high priced fuel) the F-16's thought they could do about either a fire or a bomb on board?

Chip

[shanbaum]

As usual, Chip, your memory requires refreshing. Here is the relevant document which had the effect of annexing the Republic of Texas to the United States:

http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ref/about...4july1845.html

and a little further elaboration:

http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ref/about...ion/index.html

[ksquared]

Britain's Ben Wilson is one artist with the entire field to himself -- the only painter who creates finely detailed masterpieces on flattened pieces of chewing gum found on London sidewalks.

Frequently spotted lying nearly inert on the ground, working, Wilson estimates he has painted "many thousands" of such "canvases," ranging from portraits and landscapes to specialized messages (such as listing the names of all employees at a soon-to- be-closed Woolworth's store).
According to a June New York Times dispatch, Wilson initially heats each piece with a blowtorch, applies lacquer and acrylic enamel before painting -- and sealing with more lacquer. And of course he works only with tiny, tiny brushes. [New York Times, 6-14-2011]

800px-Ben_Wilson_chewing_gum_artist_at_work.jpg

[Uncle Fester]

Glad to read he softens it with a blowtorch. ;)

Some pictures:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/wo...14muswell.html

[Uncle Fester]

Today we salute you, Mr. Economic Genius ...



Greece's Minister of Economy & Finance, George Alogoskoufis.


Prostitutes, smugglers boost Greek economy
Official: Illicit businesses to be added into country's gross domestic product

Updated: 4:55 p.m. PT Sept 29, 2006
ATHENS - Prostitutes and smugglers will give the Greek economy an unexpected boost as their illicit activities will now be counted in the country's official ecomomic output, a senior official said this week.

Under pressure from the European Union to cut its deficits, Greece is revising its gross domestic product to include part of the booming black economy, boosting its output by at least 10 percent in 2006, the country's chief statistician told Reuters.

"The revised GDP will include some money from illegal activities, such as money from cigarette and drinks smuggling, prostitution and money laundering," National Statistics Service (NSS) chief Manolis Kontopyrakis said in an interview.

Greece’s economic output was 180 billion euros ($228 billion) in 2005 and is estimated at 194 billion euros this year, while the black economy is estimated at about 40-60 billion euros a year.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15060785/


Set your Mac or PC speaker loudness for audio and strike up the band!

It bought Greece 5 years. I say we GO FOR IT!!!!

[chip anderson]

Ghost Hunters:\
The real tragedy here is appearently mature adults will sit and watch these people in bad black and white trapse around with flashlights in the dark, making remarks like: "Did you hear that?" or I felt a breeze here, it must be ectoplasm. Jeeze, ghost movies and stories might have been entertaining in during childhood, but to spend time watching this is really weird.

Apple:
Anyone here that Apple has more cash reserve than the U.S. government?

Chip

[Spexvet]

Ghost Hunters:\
The real tragedy here is appearently mature adults will sit and watch these people in bad black and white trapse around with flashlights in the dark, making remarks like: "Did you hear that?" or I felt a breeze here, it must be ectoplasm. Jeeze, ghost movies and stories might have been entertaining in during childhood, but to spend time watching this is really weird.

...
Chip

Are you talking about church service?

[rinselberg]

(Hey Spexvet.. "long time, no see"..?)


Y'all remember that Stone Age automobile that cartoon immortal Fred Flintstone used to drive--instead of brakes, he stuck his feet out through the bottom onto the "road" and skidded to a stop.

That's just what a 24-year old Detroit area man tried to do on a busy highway.

He knew that the brakes in his pickup truck were inoperable, but thought that he could just make it home by sticking his feet out the open door of the vehicle and using them as brakes.

It worked about as well as you'd expect.. he went about two miles and hit four other vehicles before the police stopped him.

News report and video:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44195725.../#.Tk897HOp0nk

[rinselberg]

ATHENS -- A Bulgarian baker was arrested after serving cocaine-sprinkled cookies to guests at a Greek funeral, news website Novinite reported Wednesday.


Mourners phoned for help after the traditional Greek cookies caused them to act strangely, and police discovered the cookies were sprinkled with cocaine instead of powdered sugar.


The baker, who is a Bulgarian national, was involved in drug trafficking and sent the cookies to the funeral service by mistake, police said.


Police later raided the gang running the cookie operation, and seized 60 kilograms of cocaine.




Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08...#ixzz1WfwDVpjN