NEWS OF THE WORLD - Current Events (May Be Disturbing, No Politics Please)

[Fester]

Why am I picturing two rusty tin cans joined by a string?

Oh, MAN! he's figured it out!

[Fester]

Sucks To Live There . . .

24. 11. 12. - 11:00
Council Issues Vampire Alert

Kathryn Quinn

Sales of garlic are booming in western Serbia after the local council issued a public health warning that a vampire was on the loose.

The warning came after an old ruined mill said to once have been the home of the country's most famous monster in the form of vampire Sava Savanovic collapsed.

Sava Savanovic was said to have lived in the old watermill on the Rogacica river, at Zarozje village in the municipality of Bajina Basta where he drank the blood of anybody that came to mill their grain.

The watermill was bought by the local Jagodic family, and they were too scared to use it as a mill – but discovered it was a goldmine when they started advertising for tourists to come and visit it – always during the day.

But the family were worried about carrying out building work on the mill because they were scared they might disturb the vampire or unleash his wrath if his home was messed around with – and now the property has collapsed through lack of repair.

But for locals it has sparked rumours that the vampire is now free once again.

Local mayor Miodrag Vujetic admitted: "People are worried, everybody knows the legend of this vampire and the thought that he is now homeless and looking for somewhere else and possibly other victims is terrifying people. We are all frightened."

He added that it was all very well for people who didn't live in the area to laugh at their fears but he said nobody in the region was in any doubt that vampires do exist.

He confirmed that the local council had advised all villagers to put garlic on their doors and windows to protect them from the vampire as it was well known they can't stand the smell.

He added: "We have also reminded them to put a Holy cross in every room in the house."

Villagers who cashed in catering to tourists fascinated by the legend of Sava Savanovic say they now wish they had left the place well alone.

http://www.romaniantimes.at/news/Around_the_World/2012-11-24/24099/Council_Issues_Vampire_Alert

[Unknown Primate]

Oh, MAN! he's figured it out!

He's an evil genius...  and a hairy ape!

[Fester]

He's an evil genius...  and a hairy ape!

So he can multitask?!?

[Fester]

Drunk 'Bohemian Rhapsody' singer convicted, wears Viking horns to court

EDSON, Alta. — The Canadian Press

Published Tuesday, Nov. 27 2012, 10:04 PM EST

The Alberta man who became a YouTube sensation for enthusiastically belting out "Bohemian Rhapsody" from the back seat of an RCMP cruiser has been convicted of impaired driving and refusing a breathalyser test.

Robert Wilkinson will have to pay a $1,400 fine and will be prohibited from driving for one year.

Video footage captured on the cruiser's internal camera of Mr. Wilkinson's passionate performance was later sent to the 29-year-old as evidence for his trial.

At the urging of friends, Mr. Wilkinson posted it to YouTube, where it went viral, amassing nearly nine million hits.

Mr. Wilkinson had no defence lawyer and represented himself at trial but failed to convince the court the arrest was a violation of his Charter rights.

He arrived at the court building wearing sunglasses, a Viking helmet complete with horns and a NASA T-shirt proclaiming: "I need my space."

He had been arrested while driving home from a bar in Edson, Alta.

On the video, a scruffy, bearded Mr. Wilkinson delicately takes off his glasses as he launches into the six-minute Queen classic, gesticulating wildly at times and scrunching up his face with angst for the sad bits.

He ends with the second-last line of the tune, but changes it from "Nothing really matters to me" to "Nothing really matters, even the RCMP."

Throughout the top-of-the-lungs performance, the arresting officer kept his cool and said little except to encourage Mr. Wilkinson to "calm down."

Mr. Wilkinson earlier said in an interview that he didn't want to send a bad message to young people about drinking and driving.

He wrote an apology to the band on his Facebook page, then posted an encore performance of "Handle With Care" by the Traveling Wilburys while wearing a T-shirt reading: "I don't get drunk. I get awesome."

Mr. Wilkinson said his brief bout with fame didn't change his life much.

The unemployed karaoke singer said he received $1,000 from the American cable network TrueTV so it could air the video on its show World's Dumbest Criminals.
Original Robert Wilkinson Edson Alberta Arrested Drunk Sings Queen Bohemian Rhapsody


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/drunk-bohemian-rhapsody-singer-convicted-wears-viking-horns-to-court/article5749680/?cmpid=rss1

[Count_Zirock]

Today's tragedy in Newtown, CT is just more proof that the world of imagined horrors can never compete with the depths of horrors in the real world. Thoughts go out to all the victims, families, and survivors.

[Zackuth]

I was shocked when I heard what had happened, I didn't want to believe it.  One of my coworkers, after being told what happened, said about the guy who did the killing "There's not a hole in Hell deep enough for that guy!"  I liked it and I'm passing it on.

[marsattacks666]

I was shocked when I heard what had happened, I didn't want to believe it.  One of my coworkers, after being told what happened, said about the guy who did the killing "There's not a hole in Hell deep enough for that guy!"  I liked it and I'm passing it on.

Disgusting worthless human. Killing children.  

[Count_Zirock]

As a writer, the thought of such a law scares me, and it wouldn't solve anything.
The Media Is An Accomplice In Public Shootings: A Call for a "Stephen King" Law

[Dr. Madd]

I'll express my condolences to the families, but this is the fault of a human being, a person, an evil, evil person- not the tool by which he accomplished this act.

[Moonshadow]

As a writer, the thought of such a law scares me, and it wouldn't solve anything.
The Media Is An Accomplice In Public Shootings: A Call for a "Stephen King" Law

Why not ban thought while you're at it? That is ludicrous.

[Count_Zirock]

Why not ban thought while you're at it? That is ludicrous.

If, as the study claims, deranged individuals are "inspired" to commit similar crimes--and, indeed, the Newtown, CT massacre came just 3 days after the mall shootings in Portland, Oregon--then I do see a correlation. But, it really would be up to the media to police itself in these instances. And, even if the mainstream news media were to "tone down" their coverage, there's still the internet. The names, deeds, and arsenals of these shooters would still become public knowledge. No, I think we're way beyond the point where "shooting the messenger" is an appropriate or necessary step. Even if the messenger has become seedy, unreliable, and prone to exaggeration.

[Zackuth]

People who are unstable do not need novels, media, or anything else to commit their crimes.  Can these people find insiration through these avenues?  Sure they can, but they do not need it.  If someone wants to commit a hideous crime, they will come up with both a plan and the weapons needed.

[Halloween Jeff]

The issue of correlational studies is that they do NOT imply causation.  There are simply too many other variables that may cause a change. 

I'm currently reading an article by Peter Langman, Ph.D:  Rampage School Shooters:  a Typology.  Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14, which discusses the different types of high school shooters....

There are always going to be people in need of services who fall thru the cracks, especially in the mental health system.  People often wait months to see a therapist - and, here in the US, for the MOST part, people have the right to be crazy, and to refuse treatment.  Its certainly not a prefect system. 

Bizarro Jeff

[ChrisW]

Horrible, senseless evil act.
It has been infuriating watching the news outlets consistently offering up wrong information as "fact". The competition to be first with the news, and the wall-to-wall coverage that screams for more information, whether it be vactual or not, is a crime. How many retractions and corrections have there been?