Central Illinois Placenta Mystery

CHICAGO – Someone is disposing of placentas in a central Illinois sewage system and authorities want it to stop. Workers in Urbana on Thursday found a placenta in a filter that keeps large objects out of the sewage treatment plant — the third such find this year. So police have enlisted medical experts. "It was one of the weirdest calls I've ever received," said Julie Pryde, who heads the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.

Urbana Police Lt. Bryant Seraphin remembered: "She said, 'You found a WHAT in the WHERE?'"

The unprecedented finds have officials wondering if a midwife or veterinarian, stressed by economic woes, has been avoiding the expense of paying for a medical waste disposal service.

Police aren't aiming for an arrest, Seraphin said, and nobody suspects foul play. The umbilical cords, still attached, were cut clean. - Yahoo!

That's just nuts.

Deaf In Cairo

This is not like London or New York, or even Tehran, another car-clogged Middle Eastern capital. It is literally like living day in and day out with a lawn mower running next to your head, according to scientists with the National Research Center. They spent five years studying noise levels across the city and concluded in a report issued this year that the average noise from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. is 85 decibels, a bit louder than a freight train 15 feet away, said Mustafa el Sayyid, an engineer who helped carry out the study.

But that 85 decibels, while “clearly unacceptable,” is only the average across the day and across the city. At other locations, it is far worse, he said. In Tahrir Square, or Ramsis Square, or the road leading to the pyramids, the noise often reaches 95 decibels, he said, which is only slightly quieter than standing next to a jackhammer. - Parapundit

Ouch.

MIT students drop piano off roof

A cookout this afternoon at an MIT dormitory was typical for students at the science mecca: grilled chicken, veggie burgers, and hot dogs. Fruit punch and lemonade. And a piano was hurled off a seven-story roof onto another piano.

That's awesome. Hooray for pointless destruction! Anyone heading to MIT out there?

History Mystery

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln 's secretary was named Kennedy .
Kennedy 's Secretary was named Lincoln .

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson .

Andrew Johnson ,who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson ,who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth , who assassinated Lincoln , was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy , was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.

Lincoln was shot at the theater named ' Ford .'
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford.'

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the kicker...

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe , Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe .

Source: Popular Chain Letter

Mr. Rozzi told my history class this last year and I just received it in my junk e-mail bin. Pretty interesting, huh?

Marriage with Robots???

Apparently by the year 2050, people will be able to have relationships with smart robots... Weird.
If you want to know more about it visit this.

I really don't feel right posting the facts in here... So look for yourself.
:)

St. Louis Area Town Considers Banning Swearing

A St. Louis-area town is considering a bill that would ban swearing in bars, along with table-dancing, drinking contests and profane music.

City officials contend the bill is needed to keep rowdy crowds under control because the historic downtown area gets a little too lively on some nights.

City Councilman Richard Veit said he was prompted to propose the bill after complaints about bad bar behavior. He says it will give police some rules to enforce when things get too rowdy.

But some bar owners worry the bill is too vague and restrictive, saying it may be a violation of their civil rights.

Marc Rousseau, who owns bar R.T. Weilers, said he thinks the bill needs revision.

"We're dealing with adults here once again and I don't think it's the city's job or the government's job to determine what we can and cannot play in our restaurant," Rousseau said.

The proposal would ban indecent, profane or obscene language, songs, entertainment and literature at bars.

A meeting to discuss the proposal is set for Jan. 14. - AP, wtf.com

As one wtf.com commenter says: "Swearing is part of the human language. You just can't ban swearing. Imagine how hard that will be.... it's like saying you can't use "the" in a sentence ever again."

You're under arrest under charges of not having a toilet

KAMPALA (Reuters) - Local authorities have arrested at least 100 Ugandans for failing to build toilets in their homes in the midst of a cholera epidemic that has killed 8 people and infected 164, state media reported Wednesday.

This is the top story in Reuters's weird news section, and if you thought that lead was funny, wait until you read the name of the guy who wrote it. You ready? Tim Cocks.

Powerful press baron sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison

CHICAGO - Conrad Black, once one of the world's most powerful press barons, will spend 6 1/2 years in a U.S. federal prison for stealing millions from Hollinger International Inc., a judge ruled Monday.

"Mr. Black, you have violated your duty to Hollinger International and its shareholders," Judge Amy St. Eve told him. "I frankly cannot understand how somebody of your stature could engage in the conduct you engaged in and put everything at risk, including your reputation."

St. Eve also fined Black, who is also a member of the British House of Lords, $125,000 US and ordered him to forfeit $6.1 million US, but will allow him to keep his mansion in Palm Beach, Fla.

He has been ordered to surrender to a federal prison on March 3.

The former chairman and chief executive officer of Hollinger International which was at one time one of the world's largest media empires, remained expressionless as he was sentenced. He intends to appeal the verdict and file a bail application before his surrender date.

Here's the bizarre part of this story...

Black's lawyers presented the judge with about 100 letters from his supporters including Elton John and former prime minister Brian Mulroney. Elton John described him as a "deeply loyal friend."

Elton John? Elton Freaking John? Crocodile Rock Elton John? Hey, I'll hop on the bandwagon and support this accused thief if Elton's doing it!

All Is Well In Hell

[John and Sue Wilson], who live in Hell, an unincorporated town 72 kilometres west of Detroit, were blessed with a $115,001 windfall from the Michigan Lottery. They won the big prize in the Fantasy 5 drawing held Wednesday - that is, Halloween. Sue Wilson, 43, is a teacher's aide. Her husband is an electrician.

The couple say they plan to use their winnings to pay off bills, make some home improvements, buy a video-game system for their 13-year-old son and possibly visit relatives in Georgia.

With $115,001, I think they will be able to buy not only one game system, but three game systems.

You know, like this guy:

Father Ron Barker of Wakefield leads the hunt against Harry Potter

Wakefield's in the news! We're in the Boston Globe!

WAKEFIELD - The summer reading feats of Lynne Bimmler's sixth-grade class are proudly chronicled on the St. Joseph's School website.

"The sixth grade reads an average of 7.5 books each with many students in double digits," says a note on the class page. "Of course, Harry Potter was a popular choice."

But last month, students found that their favorite series had "disapparated" from the school library, after St. Joseph's pastor, the Rev. Ron Barker, removed the books, declaring that the themes of witchcraft and sorcery were inappropriate for a Catholic school.

Yeah, our town got a nice shout out in the Globe, alright. Wait, what's this? We're on the Fox News Channel as well?

A Catholic pastor at a Massachusetts parochial school has made all the Harry Potter books there disappear, saying they are spiritually dangerous for children and could encourage them to engage in witchcraft.

Wow, this story must be pretty big! Wait, hold on a second. I've just received word that we're in ABC 25 AND NBC 12 of Jacksonville, Florida! Under Weird News, no less.

BOSTON, MA -- A Massachusetts Catholic high school has banned the Harry Potter series from their library.

Wow, look at all the recognition our little town is getting. Wait, what? We're on ABC 7 of Denver!

WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- The pastor has banned Potter. Lord Voldemort has found an ally.

While Harry Potter may have survived Voldemort’s killing curse, he has been defeated by the head of a Catholic school in a Boston suburb.

Ha, looks like all the US of A know about Wakefield now. Wait, there's more? We're in ImediNews of Georgia! The country, not the state!

WAKEFIELD, Mass. (UPI) — A Roman Catholic elementary school in Wakefield, Mass., has deemed the Harry Potter series of books inappropriate and banned them from the school library.

Wakefield's famous! Huzzah! All because Father Ron Barker has banned the Harry Potter books from the St. Joseph's School Library!
Well, it's official, people. Harry Potter is a secular, Godless heathen. A Pied Piper prancing down the streets of Wakefield, literally bewitching the children of the town with his magic stick, leading them to worship Albus Dumbledore instead of Jesus Christ.
Witchcraft is real, kids. That's why they make you read The Crucible in school, so you can spot a witch and punish her/him accordingly. Harry Potter shall be hanged.
In case you didn't know, I myself am a confirmed, practicing Catholic who goes to church every Sunday. I'm going to see my priest and confess to my sins. That's right. I'm a sinner.
I've read all seven Harry Potter books. I've seen the first four movies. And worst of all, I actually liked the story.
So yes, I have a lot of Hail Marys to say. And so do you. There are many Catholics in Wakefield, and many of them have read this sinful, despicable series of books. I would like to thank Father Ron for saving our children from the threat of this boy wizard and for making Wakefield, Massachusetts the LAUGHINGSTOCK OF GEORGIA.

Investigators say that King Tutankhamen died while hunting

One of the oldest and most puzzling mysteries in human history is the sudden death of Egypt's boy king Tutankhamen. His tomb was exhumed by archaeologist Howard Cater back in 1922 and experiments done on 1968 showed swelling at the base of the king's skull.

This gives the impression that he received a massive blow to the head. More recent studies, however, have revealed that King Tut also suffered a badly broken leg. Egypt Supreme Council of Antiquities General Secretary Zahi Hawass commented, "He was not murdered as many people thought. He had an accident when he was hunting in the desert."

Further investigation has shown that the chariots in his grave are not merely ceremonial ones but were actually used by the king while he was still alive. Cairo Museum Nadia Lokma argued that "these chariots are hunting chariots, not war chariots. You can see from the wear on them that they were actually used in life."

Aside from that, a garland of flowers consisting of cornflowers and mayweed were also found in the grave. According to botanists, these flowers were in bloom during the months of March and April. Since the mummification takes around 70 days, it can be assumed that he died around December which is the middle of the winter hunting season. Source: Independent News U.K.

Pretty interesting.

Physics student in Nigeria makes a home-made chopper

Mubarak Abdullahi, a physics student in Nigeria has created a home-made helicopter out of parts that are commonly found lying around in used parts shops. It's powered by a Honda Civic engine and uses the frame of an old Toyota. The body is fashioned with parts from a Boeing 747 from a nearby crash site. The four seater helicopter measuring 29 ft. in, 22 ft. tall, and 16 ft. wide. Abdullahi is currently trying to convince the Nigerian government to sponsor him to continue his home-made project. Sadly, no response has been received so far by Mubarak. All this helicopter talk makes me want to try to build one of these in my garage. Maybe it could be my summer project this year.

123 stolen parking meters found in an apartment

CAMBRIDGE -- Police allege that the stolen parking meters had almost overtaken Thomas Gannon's Plymouth Street apartment: stuffed into a closet, hidden under a blanket, and sitting in plain view in the living room.

Officers said that when they knocked on Gannon's door Monday night to serve an unrelated arrest warrant, they couldn't help but see parking meters piled in his second-floor apartment. In all, police said they carried out 123 meters that had been cut off poles in Cambridge and Somerville over the last year.

Uh oh. Now I need to make sure the cops don't find out about my traffic light collection.