A reminder: 2nd Annual Chilli Eating Competition scheduled for Friday 7th November. Email James E for more details. If nothing like this happens, I would've failed:
An aspiring chef died after eating a super-hot chilli sauce as part of an endurance competition with a friend.
Andrew Lee, 33, challenged his girlfriend’s brother to a contest to see who could eat the spiciest sauce that he could create.
The fork-lift truck driver, who wanted to cook for a living, prepared a tomato sauce made with red chillies grown on his father’s allotment. After eating it, however, he suffered intense discomfort and itching. The following morning he was found dead, possibly after suffering a heart attack.
Toxicology tests are being conducted to try to establish if he suffered a reaction to the food.
An inquest was told that Mr Lee, from Edlington, West Yorkshire, was in perfect health and had just passed a medical examination at work. He was a keen cook and would often prepare meals for his parents. It is believed that Mr Lee had never prepared a dish as hot as the one he made the night before his death.
Mr Lee’s sister, Claire Chadbourne, 29, said that he took a jar of the sauce to the home of his girlfriend, Samantha Bailey, and challenged her brother Michael, 29, to see who could eat it. “Andrew just ate the chillies with a plate of Dolmio sauce,” she added. “It was not a proper meal because he had already eaten lamb chops and potato mash after work.
“He apparently got into bed at 2.30am and started scratching all over. His girlfriend scratched his back until he fell asleep. She woke up and he had gone. It is incredible. Who would have thought he could have died from eating chilli sauce? We don’t know of anything else that could have caused his death. The postmortem showed no heart problems.
“He loved cooking for his friends. He always said he wanted to be a chef but didn’t want to start at the bottom.”
Sad news from the BBC:
TV artist Tony Hart has said that not being able to draw any more is "the greatest cross I have to bear".Tony Hart: One of life's good eggs.
The 83-year-old has been robbed of the use of his hands after having two strokes, he told The Times newspaper.
"It has been my lifetime passion, but I endeavour to stay cheerful as there is nothing to be done about my condition," he said.
Tony Hart appeared on art programmes for nearly 50 years before retiring in 2001 because of health problems.
"My whole life has changed since my strokes," Hart wrote in The Times.
"After breakfast I would adjourn to my studio, built in my garden, until 4pm when I would change my shoes and set forth on a four-mile Gurkha-pace jog through the Surrey hills.
"Today my studio lies abandoned and I spend most of my day confined to my chair."
The artist served as an officer in the 1st Gurkha Rifles in World War II, before joining a course at the Maidstone College of Art.
It was a chance meeting in 1952 with a BBC TV producer and a demonstration of his quick art skills on a paper napkin that secured his on-screen career.
He first appeared on Saturday Special as an illustrator before fronting shows such as Vision On, Take Heart and Hart Beat.
What?? WHAT IS SHE SAYING??
Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points. And may God have mercy on your soul.
Classic.
There is a part of me that wants her elected now - after all, who are we going to laugh at when Bush is gone? But then I remember she could kill us all and I snap back to my senses.
There are analyst now calling for McCain to change his mind and dump Sarah Palin - and not just from the Democrat supporting media either. This interview on CBS is quite extraordinary - she makes Prescott look like Shakespeare.
Hmmm. Reminds me of...
A United States man has been charged with assault after he allegedly broke wind on a police officer.
Police say they were fingerprinting Jose Cruz, 34, when he moved near Patrolman TE Parsons, lifted his leg and farted "loudly" on the officer.
Cruz then allegedly waved the air in the direction of Parsons, who was preparing a breathalyser at South Charleston police headquarters in West Virginia.
"The gas was very odorous and created contact of an insulting or provoking nature with Patrolman Parsons," the complaint reads.
Cruz, of Clarksburg, had just been arrested under suspicion of drunk driving after police saw him driving without headlights, reports the Charleston Daily Mail. Officers said he was unsteady on his feet and reeked of alcohol when they pulled him over.
Cruz was charged with drunk driving, assaulting a police officer and obstruction.
The "toughest" challenge on television is making a comeback! Yes, the Krypton Factor is being revived by ITV. What a brilliant decision by the channel that has given us "Dancing on Ice", "Loose Women" and Jeremy Kyle. Well done. That makes three things worth watching on ITV now - TV Burp, You've Been Framed and now the Krypton Factor.
Unfortunately, "legendary hell-raiser" Gordon Burns doesn't look like he will be given the gig. But I look forward to it all the same - I just hope they stay true to the original format and do not try and "modernise" it - and the last thing we need is a pantomime nasty host.
As a reminder to all those who can not think back as far as 1995 when it was last shown, here is what The Krypton Factor was all about:
Legendary hell-raiser Gordon Burns put four contestants through "the ultimate mental and physical tests" to find out who was the UK Superperson of whichever year - and there were 18 series!See UKGameshows for the full run down!
Whilst the structure of the rounds was tinkered with over the years, the main rounds were Mental Agility, Response, Intelligence, Observation, Physical Ability and General Knowledge.
You may remember a couple of years ago or so, James E introduced us to Denny's Beer Barrel in Clearfield, Pennsylvania - famed for their record breaking giant burgers. Well since then they lost the world record... and won it back!!
On February 24, 2007 Denny introduced a 123 pound burger priced at $379. Besides an 80-pound burger, it contains a pound of lettuce, ketchup, relish, mustard, mayonnaise, 160 slices of cheese, five onions, 12 tomatoes, 2 pounds of banana peppers, 33 pickles, and a 30-pound bun.One day I will visit this place and I WILL order the One hundred and twenty three pounder - though I may ask them to hold back on one or two of the 33 pickles. I may even get a discount - my lady friend knows Denny himself!!
wikipedia
Since 1962 the town of Centralia in Pennsylvania, USA, has been on fire.
In May 1962, Centralia Borough Council hired five members of the volunteer fire company to clean up the town landfill, located in an abandoned strip mine pit next to the Odd Fellows Cemetery. This had been done prior to Memorial Day in previous years, when the landfill was in a different location. The firefighters, as they had in the past, set the dump on fire, and let it burn for a time. Unlike in previous years, however, the fire was not extinguished.Wikipedia
The fire remained burning in the lower depths of the garbage and eventually spread through a hole in the rock pit into the abandoned coal mines beneath Centralia. Attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful, and it continued to burn throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Adverse health effects were reported by several people due to the carbon monoxide produced.
In 1979, locals became aware of the scale of the problem when a gas-station owner inserted a stick into one of his underground tanks to check the fuel level. When he withdrew it, it seemed hot, so he lowered a thermometer down on a string and was shocked to discover that the temperature of the gasoline in the tank was 172 °F (77.8 °C). State-wide attention to the fire began to increase, culminating in 1981 when 12-year-old resident Todd Domboski fell into a sinkhole four feet wide by 150 feet (46 m) deep that suddenly opened beneath his feet in a backyard. He was saved only after his older cousin pulled him from the mouth of the hole before he could plunge to his probable death. The incident brought national attention to Centralia as an investigatory group – including a state representative, a state senator, and a mine safety director – was coincidentally on a walking tour of Domboski's neighborhood at the time of his incident.
In 1984, Congress allocated more than $42 million for relocation efforts. Most of the residents accepted buyout offers and moved to the nearby communities of Mount Carmel and Ashland. A few families opted to stay despite warnings from state officials.
A handful of occupied homes remain in Centralia. The only indications of the fire, which underlies some 400 acres (1.6 km²), spreading along four fronts, are low round metal steam vents in the south of the borough, and several signs warning of underground fire, unstable ground, and carbon monoxide.
Paddy has broken his leg and his mate Mick goes round to see him.
Mick says, 'How you doin?'
Paddy says 'Do us a favour, nip upstairs and get my slippers, my feet are freezing.'
Mick goes upstairs and sees Paddy's two gorgeous 19-year-old twin daughters sitting on the bed.
He says, ‘Your da sent me up here to shag the both of you ' .
They say 'Get away with ya; prove it.'
Mick shouts downstairs 'Paddy, both of ‘em?'
Paddy shouts back 'of course both of ‘em, what's the point of fuckin’ one?'
I'm currently addicted to Guitar Hero 3 on my Nintendo Wii. Every waking hour all I can think about is fretting. I've completed the simple level but am struggling with beating Slash at a rendition of Welcome to the Jungle on medium level. I'm dreaming about playing the guitar. I might start a supergroup a la Travelling Wilburys. Come to think of it, I'm a malco, so I won't.
I have just got back from Manchester and the Labour party conference, hence the lack of posts recently. I may blog more about it, though I have been blogging on the Wardman Wire and will do a long post there about it all tomorrow.
Anyway, over the past 18 months I think I might have picked up a stalker. It started as I was walking out of Parliament last year late at night. I thought I was on my own bar the policemen ahead of me at the gate. Then suddenly I became aware of a presence near me. I look to my left, and down slightly, and out of no-where was Shami Chakrabarti, the director of pressure group Liberty.
Since then I have seen her a few times. Everytime she suddenly appears out of thin air. Well, it happened again on my way to Manchester. I was on the train and had been for half an hour or so. No sign of Shami. Then I look round and there she is. Sat right behind me. This woman is quite amazing - I think she might have some special powers. Or she is stalking me. Or perhaps she thinks I am stalking her?! Yikes.
I will keep you up to date with any Shami Sightings - please do let me know if you make any sightings of her too. (Wow, that does sound like I am stalking her!).
Shami Chakrabarti
**GEEK ALERT** Conceived by Oliver Bulleid for the Southern Railway's Dartford commuter route, the two 4DD electric multiple units were the only double-deck trains to run on the main line railway network in Britain. The upper-level seats were squeezed in between the lower-level seats to ensure that the overall height of the unit was within the clearances necessary to pass through tunnels and under bridges. The 4DD was somewhat unsuccessful because the upper level compartments were cramped and poorly ventilated (the upper level windows could not be opened). As an "experiment" they lasted in traffic from 1949 to 1971 undergoing routine maintenance and repaints with a no hiccups in their life.
Some things we've found out thanks to the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
»The Thatcher Government concocted a plan to search for the Loch Ness monster using a team of dolphins
»Foreign diplomats – who have diplomatic immunity – were accused of rapes, sexual assaults, child abuse and murders while working in Britain
»The Government agreed a £1.5m bailout of one of the most troubled schools in its flagship city academies programme ten days before the 2005 general election
Background
»Ted Heath was once offered concert work by Idi Amin of Uganda. The eccentric dictator made his offer in a 1977 telegram
»Weapons used by paratroopers on Bloody Sunday have ended up in the hands of the army in Sierra Leone, paramilitary police in Beirut and even in an Arkansas gun shop
»Seventy-four police officers serving with the Metropolitan Police have criminal records
»A clandestine British torture programme existed in postwar Germany, “reminiscent of the concentration camps”
»Britain has extradited four times as many people to the US as have been sent in return since the introduction of fast-track extradition
»The Metropolitan Police spent £900,000 policing illegal street meetings by the cleric Abu Hamza and his followers
»Six British military policemen died at the hands of an Iraqi mob in Majar al-Kabir because nearby reinforcements decided it was too dangerous to rescue them
»Robert Maxwell was being investigated for war crimes and was to be interviewed by police just before he drowned
»Rich landowners top the league of EU farm subsidy payouts
»Illegal immigrants are getting into Britain by enrolling on university courses, obtaining visas and then failing to turn up to study
»A cache of more than 300 weapons, including air pistols, swords and an improvised flame-thrower, were seized from schoolchildren in one year
»In one year, hundreds of 10 year old children were charged with crimes including serious sexual offences, robbery, actual bodily harm and assaulting a police officer
»Two hundred serving police officers have criminal records for offences that include assault, breach of the peace, theft and vandalism.
»The Elgin Marbles were damaged by two schoolboys fighting in the British Museum in 1961. One of the boys fell and knocked off part of a centaur's leg
»Some NHS dentists earn up to £250,000 a year in fees, as demand for those who have remained in the public sector increases
An Italian model who swears she has never had sex plans to sell her virginity for one million euros, or £792,000.Yeah, such a good a Catholic girl she is selling herself for sex. In short, she is a prostitute. What would Padre Pio say?
Her family insisted that despite her good looks and sexy image, she remained a virgin.
"She's never had a boyfriend. I swear on my mother's grave. She's a devout Catholic and prays to Padre Pio every night," her brother told the magazine.
(The Telegraph)
Still...
I think the Sun has the current crisis in context - Howard from the Halifax is going to lose his job. And that's about it. Or is it. Is this a one-week wonder where this time next week the market will have calmed down or are we are at the brink of an economic abyss? The truth is that, in common with everyone else, I have no idea. But here are a few things that we can be sure of...
1. Things will never be the same again - the 1990s model of investment banking and remuneration is over.
2. Government borrowing is about to increase massively. High oil prices have bailed out Labour but no more. The oil price is coming down, the tax take from the City is increasing, the burden on the state is going up. And one thing we do know is that Labour NEVER cut public spending.
3. Gordon Brown will still lose the election but he has regained a pair of balls. Maybe it's spin but his handling of HBOS and Lloyds TSB has been impressive.
4. Economic fundamentals remain impressive. Historically speaking we still have low unemployment, low interest rates and low inflation. For now.
5. This affects all of us - pension funds, house prices, consumer spending, availability of credit etc etc etc. Don't think this is an ill-wind just for the City. Why else would the government being working so hard to save HBOS?
Finally, one further thought. I am a devoted capitalist and loathe any interference from the state but I have been made to think over recent days: it's all very well saying that Goldman's, HBOS, Shell etc are like small countries but when push comes to a hard shove only governments and central banks have the financial muscle and clout to make things happens.
This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest, a quest for fun. I'm gonna have fun and your gonna have fun. We're gonna have so much fucking fun they're gonna need plastic surgeons to remove the smiles from our fucking faces. We'll be whistling zippity-doo-dah out of our ass holes
The collapse of Lehman Brothers is really hitting some people hard. It seems some former employees have completely lost it.
This evening is the last EVER episode of Grange Hill. I loved this show up until I was in school 24 hours and day and couldn't watch it. But then I was able to watch it again as a warm up to Neighbours during the student days. Ahh, good times.
As far as theme tunes and opening credits go, you'd do well to beat the original Grange Hill intro:
Every kid worth his salt remembers the banger!
Who is Britain's most insightful daily news commentator? Some would argue the BBC's Nick Robinson or Andrew Marr, or perhaps Polly Toynbee or maybe George Pascoe-Watson or Trevor Kavanagh. What about Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail?
All very worthy no doubt, but I nominate the girls of page three and their incredibly intelligent and insightful comments on the days news. Take last Wednesday's edition - the day the Hadron Collider was turned on.
Such clever, pretty little things. And to think some people just say they are a pair of tits...
What do you mean "they don't actually say that"?!! It is pure coincidence that the wikipedia entry say almost exactly the same thing in only the second sentence. Surely.
I'm a little bit baffled by this new advert for Microsoft. The company is hardly mentioned - at first I thought it was an advert for the shoe shop. I'd love to know what the ad agency were thinking when they sat round the table... and what they wanted to achieve. My lasting impression is what's being sold? Maybe I'm not clever enough to understand! Though I'm a geek and surely I am the target audience - someone who would swap from an Apple Mac to a PC running Windows.
I do like the discount card which has Bill Gates' mugshot from his arrest in New Mexico in 1977 for a traffic violation.
I've had a pretty bad run of holidays this year: cancelled trips to New York (cancelled flight), Canada (illness) and Alaska (credit crunch). I've just added France. I am supposed to be going through the Channel Tunnel at this very moment to see a friend in Reims for the weekend but because of the fire, I've had to can it.
Life stinks.
Allow Professor Heinz Wolff explain.
This should be terrible, and I guess in many ways it is. But I think Rolf pulls it off somehow. God bless you Rolf.
This is a brilliant and mind blowing film about money, where it comes from and why we are all slaves to it. It is a fairly long (45 mins) but is narrated brilliantly, is very simple to follow and very, very informative. A real eye opener and fascinating.
Paul Grignon's 47-minute animated presentation of "Money as Debt" tells in very simple and effective graphic terms what money is and how it is being created. It is an entertaining way to get the message out. The Cowichan Citizens Coalition and its "Duncan Initiative" received high praise from those who previewed it. I recommend it as a painless but hard-hitting educational tool and encourage the widest distribution and use by all groups concerned with the present unsustainable monetary system in Canada and the United States
From Saturday's Daily Mail:
Princess Eugenie has struck up a close friendship with Sam Sangster, the 23-year-old son of ‘career divorcee’ Susan Sangster.
The 18-year-old Royal, who has just finished her A-levels, was photographed with the wealthy heir at Mayfair nightclub Mahiki on Wednesday night.
Hours earlier the couple, who were with a group of mutual friends, had enjoyed dinner together at the Buddha Bar in Central London before moving on to Embargo private members’ club on the Kings Road, Chelsea.
Embargo? Private Members Club? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
A useful, at a glance look website where all US politicians stand on a range of issues - including of course the Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates: OnTheIssue.Org
It is an absolute goldmine of information. Makes TheyWorkForYou.Com look pretty poor. It really gives you an insight in to each candidate, with quotes and voting profiles. Quite Amazing.
More on this later...
A Moment For The History Books - Watch more free videos
Enough to make the blood boil - and a special mention for Bill O'Reilly, Mr Spin Free Zone: tosser.
Needs sound. Don't read below until after watching the video.
The best example I've seen of Rickrolling. Rickrolling is an Internet meme involving the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". The meme is a bait and switch: a person provides a Web link they claim is relevant to the topic at hand, but the link actually takes the user to the Astley video. The URL can be masked or obfuscated in some manner so that the user cannot determine the true source of the link without clicking (and thus satisfying their curiosity). When a person clicks on the link given and is led to the web page he/she is said to have been "Rickrolled".
My friends! I have weighed up the arguments, listened to their speeches, read the commentary and come to a tragic conclusion. Yes, I am still a Republican and if I were lucky enough to be a US citizen, the Hero of Hanoi and the Lip-sticked Grizzly would be getting my vote. The reasons are pretty simple.
I am not anti-abortion or anti-gays, I think private ownership of AK-47s is probably not the way to a safe and harmonious society and the death penalty is no way to right a wrong so I probably don't have much in common with Sarah Palin. But I do believe in lower taxes, smaller government and a robust foreign policy committed to democracy and it seems to me that John McCain is promising these thing and Obama is not.
I would love to vote for Obama but I'm afraid that I buy into the main line of attack from the Republicans. He is an inspirational figure and he has shattered political orthodoxies all over the 50 states - thank God for Barack Obama - but he doesn't seem to stand for anything except a vague left-of-centre mild socialism that thinks the government can do everything for everyone. Put simply, I will follow any politican that has personal choice and personal responsbility at the core of his or her message and nothing Obama has said suggests that he believes in either.
However, a word of warning for McCain/Palin - and I am sure both are avid readers of this blog. I am watching them very closely on Guantanamo Bay and Iraqi prisoners. There will be Republican hawks out there putting pressure on them to rescind their promises on Guantanamo and holding prisoners without charge in Iraq. Both situations have to stop the moment George Bush leaves office. Guantanamo, in particular, is a stain on the US that has to be erased as soon as possible. The US was founded on the points of freedom, liberty and justice for all. And those noble aspirations apply as much those men and women locked up in Cuba and in the jails of Baghdad as they do to hockey moms from Alaska.
Seeking Adult Drunk Clown for 30th Birthday party
Date: 2008-08-26, 3:22PM CDT
We need an Adult Drunk Clown who is good at getting drunk and stupid. No need to do any clown tricks, just hang out and drink a shit load. We will be hopping around to different bars and want a clown to tag a long and drink heavely. He doesn't even need to socialize with anyone, just drink.
the birthday is on Friday, Sept. 5th in Bucktown. Oh, did I mention that the clown needs to get shitfaced. Don't worry, we will purchase all the drinks.
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: We will pay per hour and cover all the drinks
Apply on craig's list...
Alternatively, you could read THIS horror story, also from Craig's list.
An elderly couple, who were both widowed, had been going out with each other for a long time. Urged on by their friends, they decided it was finally time to get married.
Before the wedding, they went out to dinner and had a long conversation regarding how their marriage might work. They discussed finances, living arrangements, and so on. Finally, the old gentleman decided it was time to broach the subject of their physical relationship.
'How do you feel about sex?’ he asked, rather tentatively.
“I would like it infrequently” she replied.
The old gentleman sat quietly for a moment, adjusted his glasses, then leaned over towards her and whispered, “Is that one word or two?”
I couldn't post the video of a chimp raping a frog... too weird.
3D sound - very clever stuff. It only really works with a decent pair of headphones. If it is not working for you (you will know if it is) then watch it directly from Youtube.
This week I have been most wasting my time reading this blog.
It is a collection of overheard conversations that you can submit to the site. Here are a few of my favourites...
Student selling pink ribbon bracelets: Professor, would you like to buy some bracelets? They're for a good cause.
Professor: Sure, I'll take five. One for each appendage.
Young Spanish guy: So yeah, I met up with my ex Becky last night, we ended up having sex behind the pharmacy.
Young white guy: I asked you to come hang out yesterday but you said you had your grandpa's funeral!
Young Spanish guy: I did have the funeral, but that was in the morning.
Young white guy: So you had time to fuck Becky behind the pharmacy but no time to hang out with me? Besides, you said you were close to your grandpa. Shouldn't you have been mourning?
Young Spanish guy: So... does this mean I don't get a high five?
Young white guy: *grudgingly high fives*.
Guy #1: I am in love with her, do you know how I know that?
Guy #2: Because she reminds you of your mom?
Guy #1: Dude, gross! (pause) She does remind me of my sister a bit.
Guy: I wonder why they don't make "ribbed for her pleasure" Magnums.
Girl: Because if your shit's that big to need a Magnum, it's already her pleasure.
(strange loud sound comes from the plane)
Calm but confused flight attendant: That's weird, I've never heard that before.
Freaked out passenger: Um, excuse me? What?!
Guy: That motherfucking cop has driven past here twice in the last fifteen minutes.
Cop (on car's loudspeaker): I'm not a motherfucker.
Police helicopter hovering with spotlight on suspect, over loudspeaker: Stop running. You can't get away. Just give yourself up. Stop running... No, don't go in the water. You won't make it across. No, don't-- Yeah, it's fucking cold, isn't it, dumbass? Just get out of the water!
Indian professor with thick accent: Okay class. If I flip this coin 50 times, what is the probability that I get head?
Dude in the back: Man, I could flip a coin 100 times and I'm still not gettin' head.
(class bursts into hysterical laughter)
Indian professor: What? What did I say?
American chick #1: Ohmigod! Look at those white cows! I've never seen cows like that before!
American chick #2: Maybe they're albino... Or it could be a special British type of cow.
Guy sitting behind them: ... Those are sheep.
Black student, casually: Wait, let me get this straight: he was going to participate, but he was late, so he decided to hate, and that's what started this debate?
Teacher, baffled: Did you just rap that at me?
Jock #1: Dude, that bitch broke my heart.
Jock #2, eating a burrito: I know, man. You were always so unhappy, and I wanted to, like, slap you around and make you happy.
Jock #1, singing softly and staring blankly at the ground: I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you...
Jock #2: Look, man, we boys, aight? But when you start singing cheesy-ass love songs to a chick that cheated on you, gave you an STD, and shit on top of your car because she's crazier than a fucking monkey on crack with a banana up its ass, something's wrong with you, and maybe we shouldn't hang out anymore.
Hungover guy: Man, I got so fucked up last night. The last thing I remember was walking into the bathroom. And then this morning I woke up to the sound of someone yelling "Who the fuck are you?" So, naturally, I responded with, "Well, who the fuck are you!?" and then I looked around and said, "Wait... yeah, I might be in the wrong place." And the guy goes, "Wait, no, I think I might be in the wrong place."
Victoria's Secret salesgirl to couple: Our bras are 15% off today.
Male: I prefer it when your bras are 100% off.
Victoria's Secret salesgirl: [With a blank look on her face.] That wouldn't make sense. Then they would be free.
Little boy looking at zebra with erection: Mommy, five legs?
Mom: Yes, honey, five legs.
Six-year-old boy, about new kitten: That pussycat is crazy! He eats anything and everything... I mean, he was eating carrots! We need to give him a name... How about 'Food Kitty'? Or 'Pussy Eater'?
Mom: Uhhh, no. Not that one.
On Monday, September 10, 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen of Fruita, Colorado, had his mother-in-law around for supper and was sent out to the yard by his wife to bring back a chicken. Olsen failed to completely decapitate the five-and-a-half month old bird named Mike. The axe missed the jugular vein, leaving one ear and most of the brain stem intact.
On the first night after the decapitation Mike slept with his decapitated head under his wing.
Despite Olsen's botched handiwork, Mike was still able to balance on a perch and walk clumsily; he even attempted to preen and crow, although he could do neither. After the bird did not die, a surprised Mr. Olsen decided to continue to care permanently for Mike, feeding him a mixture of milk and water via an eyedropper; he was also fed small grains of corn. Mike occasionally choked on his own mucus, which the Olsen family would clear using a syringe.
When used to his new and unusual center of mass Mike could easily get himself to the highest perches without falling. His crowing, though, was less impressive and consisted of a gurgling sound made in his throat, leaving him unable to crow at dawn. Mike also spent his time preening and attempting to peck for food with his neck.
In March 1947, at a motel in Phoenix on a stopover while traveling back home from tour, Mike started choking in the middle of the night. As the Olsens had inadvertently left their feeding and cleaning syringes at the sideshow the day before, they were unable to save Mike. Lloyd Olsen claimed that he had sold the bird off, resulting in stories of Mike still touring the country as late as 1949.
Some T-Shirts you wouldn't want your daughter's new boyfriend to be wearing when you meet him. ps. Has anyone ever heard of "The Shocker"?
I guess you'd call this something like Geek Hop. Quite brilliant.
No other country in the world switches on so many kettles in such short a time. Makes you proud, doesn't it? (wipes tear from eye)
JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA - The welder who was hospitalised after he used a nut to elongate his penis was finally put out of his misery when doctors removed the offending spare part.
It is learnt that staff from the Hospital Sultanah Aminah drained out some of the blood and cut away some skin on the upper layer of his organ to remove the nut.
The 20-something welder was trying to increase the length of his penis ahead of his engagement next week by weighing himself down with the nut when the nut got stuck following an erection.
Director Dr Daud Abdul Rahim said doctors got the nut off at around 11pm on Friday.
"The patient is now recovering and we hope to discharge him today," he said.
Dr Daud declined to say whether the patient would suffer any long-term injuries.
The welder, who works in Singapore, but is from Taman Sri Skudai, sought treatment at the hospital on Thursday afternoon after he was unable to get the nut off himself.
Both hospital authorities and the state Fire and Rescue Department were involved in attempts to remove the nut.
This is the second case in the past week involving objects stuck on penises.
On Aug 25, firemen were summoned to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur to cut a steel ring from a patient?s penis after numerous attempts by doctors failed to dislodge it.
It is believed the patient, in his 20s, had slipped the ring onto his penis to increase his sexual prowess.