an interesting and odd feel-good story

Mr. and Mrs. Han were concerned for their 10-month old daughter (see picture). Doctors of her hometown in China diagnosed her as having pneumonia but unfortunately, she did not respond to treatment.

The girl was taken to the hospital at Zhengzhou University where it was determined that she had a rare complication of pneumonia known as Pyopneumotorax.

Extensive treatment was started, but everything they tried failed. It was decidced that she might benefit from an open-chest surgerical procedure.

The surgery produced a result that no one imagined. Surgeons found a 3cm piece of grass growing in her right lung.

Doctors don't know how such a thing happened. They have never seen it before. They suggest that perhaps she inhaled some grass seed while outdoors at their home and the seed found her lungs to be a good place to grow.

The grass was removed. The girl has recovered.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2515692.html?menu=news.quirkies

a not-so-feel-good story (but it is amazing how quickly she recovers)

from Norwegian TV

Robert L. Brock vs. Robert L. Brock

Robert Lee Brock sued himself for $5 million.

His complaint? It was his own fault that he committed grand larceny and breaking-and-entering.

The lawsuit: Mr Brock had violated Mr. Brock's own civil and religious rights by allowing himself to get drunk and commit the crimes. Therefore, Mr. Brock should have to pay himself $5 million.

The logic of the suit: Mr. Brock could not pay the $5 million because he was being incarcerated by the State of Virginia. Hence, the State was preventing him from receiving an income. Therefore, the state should pay the claim.

Interesting logic. Unfortunately for him, the court thought it was stupid and he lost the case.

http://www.the-injury-lawyer-directory.com/ridiculous_lawsuits.html

ouch. really. ouch.

ack. this is even painful to look at.


"Well, George, the bad news is that you broke your leg and won't be running again this season. The good news is, we've given you three knees."

name of a real Cub's fan?

My son knew a girl named Crystal Lear. Her middle name (no kidding) is Shanda.

In our little town, there was a man named Harold Butz. He was known by people around town (and listed in the phone directory) as Harry.

This week, Paul and Terri of Michigan City, Indiana named their newborn son, "Wrigley." Peculiar, but not outlandish. But what is their last name? Fields.

Wrigley Fields was the name they chose for their son, naming him after the home field of their beloved Chicago Cubs.

Cubs spokeswoman Katelyn Thrall said that the team has never heard of another child named Wrigley, but there have been children named Zambrano and Ryne (after Cubs stars Carlos Zambrano and Ryne Sandberg.)

story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-09-25-cubs-fans_N.htm?csp=34

I appreciate that they love their Cubs... but wouldn't that kinda be like naming your child "perennial loser?"

If my last name were "Park" I woulda named one son, "Fenway" and the other one "Citizen's Bank."

dear victim, here is how to find me...

Last week, a Australian man decided to paint his way into the annuls of incompetent-criminal history.

The man broke into some townhouses that were under construction, and stole four 20-litre (approx 5 gallons each) cans of paint. He loaded them into his vehicle and drove away.

When one of the townhouse owners came to the site, he noticed a clear trail of white paint-drips leading away from the townhouses.

He called the police and together they followed the trail (see photo) for more than 3 miles. The bandit now faces three counts of burlary, one count of theft, and will face a fine for defacing public property (the paint trail).

maybe his cell will get a fresh coat of paint

story: http://www.brimbankleader.com.au/article/2007/09/18/22345_bmv_news.html

Magical Bat - Mets vs Braves - 9/12/2007

glumbert - Magical Bat

this event allegedly took place on 9/12/07 with Martin Prado at bat

lightning in the mouth, out the bottom

Natasha Timarovic, 27, of Zandar in Croatia was brushing her teeth when her building was hit by lightning.

She said: "I had just put my mouth under the tap to rinse away the toothpaste when the lightning must have struck the building.

"I don't remember much after that, but I was later told that the lightning had travelled down the water pipe and struck me on the mouth, passing through my body.

"It was incredibly painful, I felt it pass through my torso and then I don't remember much at all."

Natasha was wearing rubber bathroom shoes at the time. Because of that, the lighting did not exit her feet, but via her bottom (backside, derriere) and then traveled down the nearby shower curtain.

Natasha was treated for burns to her mouth and buttocks. She was observed overnight and released from the hospital.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20548077-13762,00.html

ponder the logic of this family photo.

that's me and mom, and, err, no, um... that is me and Jamie and mom and...

for your weekend: how to make a diet coke/mentos bomb

cocaine smuggler asks Customs for help

What would you do if you lost something valuable at the border between the US and Canada?

Well, you might call the US Customs office and ask if the item had been found.

Okay... but what if the item you misplaced was two backpacks filled with 31kg of cocaine?

Hmmmm.... even law-abiding citizens understand that calling Customs to report such a loss is probably not such a good idea.

This simple concept was lost on 46-year-old Leroy Carr.

It seems that Mr. Carr had stored the two backpacks near the entrance to a Boy Scout camp. The backpacks were found by the camp director, so, when Mr. Carr went to retrieve them, he found that he was short a significant amount of cocaine.

That is when Mr. Carr's logic took hold of the situation. He called Customs and explained his plight and asked if they had the cocaine.

He was promptly arrested for possession of cocaine with intent to sell.

(Who can understand the criminal mind?)

story url - http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=66960&in_page_id=2

for sale on ebay... one nation, used.

A citizen of Belgium, Gerrit Six, is tired of the politics in his country. More specifically, he is tired of no-politics in his country. Belgium is trying to create a new government... and they aren't succeeding.

So, to cure the problem, Mr. Six put his country up for sale on ebay.

The listing reads, "For Sale: Belgium, a kingdom in three parts." If the buyer is willing to support the king and his court, they can be thrown in at no extra cost.

No word on the bidding.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,506653,00.html

blind kid uses self taught sonar. This isn't funny, but it is amazing.

Best Video Of The Year - More free videos are here

woman tries to smuggle iguana in her bra

Excuse me, ma'am, but your dress seems to be moving in some very odd ways.

On Monday, BBC News reported that a woman was stopped at the Blackpool Airport for trying to smuggle an iguana into the country by hiding it in her bra.

The customs officer noticed that her dress was behaving strangely. When the woman was checked, they found an iguana peeking out from her bra.

When the iguana was found, the woman "admitted it was hers." She agreed to give it over to the Blackpool Zoo. No charges were pressed.

(I'm glad that she "admitted it was hers." Did she have an alternate plea?? "I swear officer, I don't have any idea how that iguana got in there...")

.

Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/6999470.stm

this lane is for BUSSES only

I could live without the Herb Alpert music... but the video is good.

painful theft

Liquor Thief- CAUGHT ON TAPE

onoffonoffonoffonoffonoffonoff

The Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts is now showing a special work of art entitled "Work No. 227: The Lights Going On and Off" by artist Martin Creed.

The title of the work is appropriate because that is just what it is:

• The room is dark.
• The lights are switched on (by a computer), showing the blank white walls of the room. They stay on for five seconds.
• Then, the lights turn off. Five seconds later, they come on again.... and the cycle repeats.

This cutting edge art is just another in a line of great works by the "brilliant" Creed. Previous contributions include "Work No. 88: A sheet of A4 paper crumpled into a ball" (guess what that looks like) and "Work No. 200: Half the Air in a Given Space" (a room half-filled with balloons).

(Here's an idea: save yourself the price of the exhibit ticket by visiting your own bathroom tonight. I saw the NYC showing where the light was on for 6 seconds at a time. The artist tweaked it for Boston. It is much better.)

(I am pondering my own creations like: Work 448: clipped fingernail; Work 375: blue fuzz on stale English muffin; and Work 989: donut crumbs on carseat)

story URL: http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2007/09/13/on_and_off/

the ultimate punishment.

In Fort Lupton, Colorodo, violators of the city noise ordinance are faced with a frightening punishment:

--pay a fine? no.

--perform community service? no.
--a little jail time, perhaps? no

Worse. Judge Paul Sacco sentences them to listen to music by Barry Manilow, Karen Carpenter, Dolly Parton and others for an entire hour.

During the hour, they are not allowed to sleep, have fun or do anything but listen to a boom box playing the music.

Violaters are usually kids who like to play rap and heavy metal at high levels in their cars. At first, they find the punishment amusing, then they find it to be sheer torture.

The punishment apparently works. There are few repeat offenders.

(Now, the city faces a new problem: 50 yr old women trying to get arrested on noise violations)
Story link: http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_258183427.html

human glider. this guy is either amazing or nuts.

Flying human - guy glides over the ground during jump - Watch more great videos

oops... my bad. Sorry about the revenge.

A woman in Florence, Oregon is being held in a Lane County jail for allegedly starting a fire at a neighbor's house.

She explained to the police that her keys were missing. She was certain that her neighbors had taken them, so as any good law abiding citizen would do, she decided to trash their home.

She broke in, threw things around and made a general mess. But that wasn't enough.

She went home and got some lighter fluid and cooking oil... and then returned to the neighbor's house. After some experimentation, she was finally able to start a successful inferno using the fluids and a stuffed animal.

Then, she called 911 and hid in the bushes to watch the excitement.

Her boyfriend returned home and must have wondered why she was hiding. She explained her outrage at the stolen keys.

He pointed at the keys hanging from her pant's pocket. You mean, those keys?

to read the story-- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20687668/

hopefully, the number on his shirt is not descriptive

idea: rob a bank with your own check

It was a brilliant plan. This week, Forest Kelly Bissonnette, 27, decided to rob a bank in Englewood, Colorado. His plan was to pass a note to the bank teller with his demands, get the money and get away.

His only mistake was that he wrote the demand note on one of his own checks... complete with his name and address in the upper left hand corner.

In fairness to his intellect, Forest did try to scribble out his name. Unfortunately, he can't scribble very well, either.

um, he was arrested.

article: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=65809&in_page_id=2

Leno breathes heavy gas...

DUI... DUI and B

What is worse than a drunk driver? Well, a repeat offender, perhaps.

or... how about a repeat offender who also happens to be blind???

In August, police in the Estonian town of Torvandi arrested the same blind man twice in one week for driving drunk.

How could he perform such an amazingly stupid feat? He had three sighted friends "spotting" him while driving.

("sorry officer... I just didn't see any problem with it.")

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=61503&in_page_id=2

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should have called a tow truck

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not good news for mothers-in-law

Studies reported by the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun show that the personal life of a company's CEO has a bearing on the profitability of his/her company.

Data indicates that the profitability of a company decreases by 20% when the spouse loses a child. Profitability decreases 15% when a spouse dies.

However, statistics show that the profitability of a company rises slightly following the demise of the mother-in-law... lending credence to all the mother-in-law jokes.

Don't believe it? Here is the link to take you to the Baltimore Sun article.

update: the Baltimore Sun article referred to here is no longer available. However, the same article can still be found in the MSNBC archive. see MSNBC

if that is unavailable, see this cache copy

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on the school lunch menu this week...

from NBC.com

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that musta been one big mouth

52-CAVITY CASH CLAIM

By KENNETH LOVETT Post Correspondent

ALBANY - In an incredible feat of serial drilling - and serial billing - a Brooklyn dentist wants Medicaid to believe he filled 52 cavities in one patient's mouth in just one office visit, The Post has learned.

Mohinder Mayell, who says he accomplished the super-human feat in no more than two hours, may have ripped off taxpayers for at least $124,000, investigators say.

"Human beings typically have 32 teeth, [so] when a dentist tries to get paid for filling 52 teeth in one mouth in one day, it should raise some red flags," said state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Incredibly, Mayell also billed Medicaid for two other patients on the same day, telling auditors that it took him just an hour or two to do the 52 fillings, according to a draft audit by the Comptroller's Office which was obtained by The Post.

A University of Buffalo dental professor, who asked not to be identified, said that technically a person can have 52 fillings, but it's extremely unlikely and they certainly could not be performed in an hour or two.

NY Post-- June 25, 2007

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and the winner is....

Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/04/diagram.prize.oddest.book.title?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

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the little car that could... errr maybe not

Anger @ baby name choice

A Chinese couple seeking a distinctive and modern name for their child chose the commonly used typographic symbol '@' (or 'at') - much to the consternation of Chinese officials.
The unidentified couple and the attempted naming were cited Thursday by a Chinese government official as an example of bizarre names creeping into the Chinese language.

The father 'said "the whole world uses it to write e-mails and translated into Chinese it means 'love him,'"' Li Yuming, the vice director of the State Language Commission, said at a news conference.

The symbol '@' sounds like the Chinese phrase 'love him.' ...
from metro.co.uk Thursday, August 16, 2007

one of my favorites

good jump bad landing

Pole Vaulter Misses Landing Mat - Watch more free videos

helpful dialog boxes

but how do you really feel about him?

you can call me Al

Did you ever feel bad for a child that has a difficult name to pronounce or spell? Here are some real (and very long) names:

• Autumn Sullivan Corbett Fitzsimmons Jeffries Hart Burns Johnson Willard Dempsey Tunney Schmeling Sharkey Carnera Baer Braddock Louis Charles Walcott Marciano Patterson Johansson Liston Clay Frazier Foreman Brown, an American child born in 2007
• Aldaberontophoscophornia Bowen Fearing
• Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Locku Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam is the real name of Akon, a Senegalese-American R&B singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
• Anna Bertha Cecilia Diana Emily Fanny Gertrude Hypatia Inez Jane Kate Louise Maud Nora Ophelia Prudence Quince Rebecca Sarah Teresa Ulysis Venus Winifred Xenophon Yetty Zeno Pepper, a British woman who was named with a first name in the order of the alphabet. Her name brought interest to Robert Ripley, who published a profile of Pepper in an issue of Ripley's Believe It Or Not! in 1929. Due to the length of her name, she was nicknamed "Alphabet" for short.]
• Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff, the man with the longest name ever recorded
• Lord Daniyaal as-Saadiq al-Amin Salaam u'Allah (Lord D.A.A.S. u'Allah). Formerly Daniel Green; convicted of the murder of James R. Jordan, Sr. (father of Michael Jordan)
• Nicholas Unless-Jesus-Christ-Had-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned Barbon
• Peaches Honeyblossom Michelle Charlotte Angel Vanessa Geldof, daughter of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates.
• James Dr No From Russia with Love Goldfinger Thunderball You Only Live Twice On Her Majesty's Secret Service Diamonds Are Forever Live and Let Die The Man with the Golden Gun The Spy Who Loved Me Moonraker For Your Eyes Only Octopussy A View to a Kill The Living Daylights Licence to Kill Golden Eye Tomorrow Never Dies The World Is Not Enough Die Another Day Casino Royale Bond". David Fearn, 23, from Walsall changed his name to the names of the all the James Bond movies in order to celebrate the release of the latest Bond film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unusual_personal_names

amazing golf shot... even if you don't like golf.

Man loses top of his head in brain operation

(Reuters) - A German court has awarded 3,000 euros ($4,100) in damages to a man who had to have the top of his skull replaced with plastic because of a faulty hospital fridge.

Doctors removed the top of the man's head and put it in cold storage while they operated on his brain, the court in the western city of Koblenz said Tuesday.

Because the refrigerator was defective, the section of skull was not kept cool enough and could not be reattached. Doctors replaced the bone with a plastic prosthesis.

The man sought compensation of at least 20,000 euros on the grounds that the prosthesis caused him headaches, affected his balance and made him unduly sensitivity to the weather.

Following consultations with experts, the court found that the operation had caused the man's discomfort, not the loss of the top of his skull.

Compensation of 3,000 euros was "appropriate and sufficient," it said.

"The experts consulted by the court concluded the new skull roof was better than the original," a court spokesman said.

© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:08AM EDT

An elaborate (and successful) prank.

The sign was supposed to say "Go Darby." Instead, it said...

my alternate answers to the 10 questions

I was glad to have been reviewed by the people at blogsweluv. If you go that site, you will read my "right answers." (I have tucked this away in my blog by giving it a false date...)




Here are the alternate answers that I submitted to Amy at the time of my review:

1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.

It is just like USA Today only different.

2. Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.

http://www.wwwdotcom.com/ (really, click on it)

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?

Are you kidding? Hey, to know me is to love me. All the other bloggers are schlocks that post whiny drivel. I stand out because I am the only blogger(apart from Amy) that puts out anything worth reading. My posts are all fascinating. My content is scintillating. My insights are astute. In fact, my site contains virtually everything anyone needs to know to successfully navigate life. ;)

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?

I was hiking Mount Washington one afternoon when I looked down and saw a squirrel with a piece of paper in its mouth. He came over to me and dropped it on my foot. The paper said, “Try blogging.”

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?

Blogs tht contane typos.

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.

The one widget I can’t live without is my dialysis machine.

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog, who would it be and why?

Constantine from American Idol a couple years ago. He was annoying enough.

8. How has blogging made you a better person?

It hasn’t. All it has done is wasted my time and made me more socially isolated.

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?

Don’t do it.

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?

The Deleted Images blog. It is a whole pile of useless graphics that have been discarded.