Monday, September 12, 2011
Walking on Water
All of his life Ole had heard stories of an amazing family tradition. It seems that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been able to walk on water on their 21st birthday.On that day, they'd walk across the lake to the boat club for their first legal drink. So when Ole's 21st birthday came around, he and his pal Sven took a boat out to the middle of the lake. Ole stepped out of the boat and nearly drowned!
Sven just barely managed to pull him to safety.
Furious and confused, Ole went to see his grandmother. "Grandma, it's my 21st birthday, so why can't I walk across the lake like my father, his father, and his father before him?"
Granny looked into Ole's eyes and said, "Because, you dummy, your father, grandfather and great-grand father were born in January; you were born in July.
Marcoule Explosion
Explosion at French nuclear site
One person is killed and at least four are injured after a blast at the southern French nuclear site of Marcoule but there have been no leaks, officials say. Five arrested after police rescue 24 men 'kept as slaves' on Bedfordshire caravan site
Twenty-four people believed to have been held as slaves have been rescued following a dawn raid in Bedfordshire. One hundred and fifty police officers were involved in the operation at a site close to Leighton Buzzard. It is believed the people were recruited from soup kitchens, benefits offices and other locations, with the promise of accommodation and work. When the people were brought to the site though, they had their heads shaved, mobile phones confiscated and made to work as laborers for no pay and live in squalid conditions.
Five people were arrested during the raid. Detectives are eager to talk to at least another three people in connection with holding people against their will, and slavery offenses. Some of those found on the site are believed to have been held there for as long as 15 years. If they tried to leave they were threatened and beaten. Detective Chief Inspector Sean O'Neil from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crimes Unit told Sky News: "Generally they were held in dirty, filthy conditions, hardly any food, not replacement clothing, as compared to their gangmasters who were living in almost palatial backgrounds.
"They were generally the most vulnerable people in society, who can disappear and be held here without anyone knowing they were missing." Detectives were alerted to what was going on by 28 people who had escaped from the site. When they arrived the police expected to find around 15 people who were being held as slaves. After a search of the entire site, a total of 24 men were found, most of them British. Detectives said they were found in an awful state. They had been living in small caravans or sheds spread throughout the travelers site.
They were made to work as laborers on projects across Britain and even in Scandinavia, detectives added. In return the men were paid nothing and given little food. On their one 'day of rest' on a Sunday, they were made to get up at 6am and clean the travelers site. All 24 people are now being cared for at a reception center, where they will get held from medical and other professionals - one of whom is a specialist in torture. The four men and one woman arrested, all Irish are being questioned by the police.
Five people were arrested during the raid. Detectives are eager to talk to at least another three people in connection with holding people against their will, and slavery offenses. Some of those found on the site are believed to have been held there for as long as 15 years. If they tried to leave they were threatened and beaten. Detective Chief Inspector Sean O'Neil from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crimes Unit told Sky News: "Generally they were held in dirty, filthy conditions, hardly any food, not replacement clothing, as compared to their gangmasters who were living in almost palatial backgrounds.
"They were generally the most vulnerable people in society, who can disappear and be held here without anyone knowing they were missing." Detectives were alerted to what was going on by 28 people who had escaped from the site. When they arrived the police expected to find around 15 people who were being held as slaves. After a search of the entire site, a total of 24 men were found, most of them British. Detectives said they were found in an awful state. They had been living in small caravans or sheds spread throughout the travelers site.
They were made to work as laborers on projects across Britain and even in Scandinavia, detectives added. In return the men were paid nothing and given little food. On their one 'day of rest' on a Sunday, they were made to get up at 6am and clean the travelers site. All 24 people are now being cared for at a reception center, where they will get held from medical and other professionals - one of whom is a specialist in torture. The four men and one woman arrested, all Irish are being questioned by the police.
There's a news video here.
Shariah court in Nigeria orders right hand amputations for two men
An Islamic court in northern Nigeria's Zamfara state has sentenced two youths to amputation of their right hands for stealing a bull. The court ruled that the wrists of Auwalu Abubaka, 23, and Lawalli Musa, 22, should be amputated in public.
Amputations under Islamic law are rare in Nigeria and the court said the men could appeal against their sentences. Nigeria's government recognizes aspects of Islamic law in its 12 mainly Muslim northern states.
Judge Muhammadu Abubakar, hearing the case in the village of Nassarawan Mailayi, said Abubaka and Musa had pleaded guilty to stealing the bull from a local resident. "Based on the admission of guilt by the two of you of trespassing into the house... and stealing a bull whose worth is well above the minimum value to warrant amputation, I hereby order that each of you should have his right wrist amputated," Judge Muhammadu Abubakar told the convicts.
The bull was valued at $867 (£544), reports say. The sentence would take place on "market day [8 October] for members of the public to witness", Judge Abubakar said. The judge, however, gave Abubaka and Musa the right to appeal against the sentence.
Amputations under Islamic law are rare in Nigeria and the court said the men could appeal against their sentences. Nigeria's government recognizes aspects of Islamic law in its 12 mainly Muslim northern states.
Judge Muhammadu Abubakar, hearing the case in the village of Nassarawan Mailayi, said Abubaka and Musa had pleaded guilty to stealing the bull from a local resident. "Based on the admission of guilt by the two of you of trespassing into the house... and stealing a bull whose worth is well above the minimum value to warrant amputation, I hereby order that each of you should have his right wrist amputated," Judge Muhammadu Abubakar told the convicts.
The bull was valued at $867 (£544), reports say. The sentence would take place on "market day [8 October] for members of the public to witness", Judge Abubakar said. The judge, however, gave Abubaka and Musa the right to appeal against the sentence.
Rap song ruled hate speech
Criminal cases can now be brought against those who sing the song quoted by a politician.
Also: Early Knife Pistol
Coin Trees of the UK
Confounding News
BBC NEWS; Archaeologists working at Shakespeare's old house in Stratford have been confounded today by the discovery of a room in the basement containing the remains of 1,000,000 monkeys chained to tiny typewriters.
Accidental Archaeological Discoveries
Odd species discovered
Researchers say the lumbering creature preceded dinosaurs, or any land animals for that matter.
Also: 
Extremophiles
Meet the Energy Superbugs
Rugged heat- and salt-loving organisms could unlock the secret to efficient biofuel production.
Scientists Create Glowing Cats in Fight Against AIDS
Photo: Mayo Clinic
As the quest for a cure to Aids continues to offer hope to millions suffering from one of the world's most devastating health epidemics, it's also producing some particularly peculiar sights along the way. Scientists studying how genetic engineering could help combat HIV infection have successfully birthed a litter of kittens spliced with virus-resilient DNA from a monkey, along with luminescent genes of a jellyfish -- producing cats that literally glow in the dark and that one day may help save countless lives.Article continues: Scientists Create Glowing Cats in Fight Against AIDS
Fame of killer bull named 'Mouse' spreads in Spain
With more than 3,000 fans cheering, a hulking, black-and-white fighting bull named "Mouse" chased one daredevil runner after another Sunday, trying to flip them airborne and skewer them as he did a month ago in a fatal goring that enshrined his reputation as Spain's most feared and famous beast.
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