Morons, idiots and fireless fires
Mayor denies kissing ban, invites all to smooch
When you come to Guanajuato, pucker up. Mayor Eduardo Romero is declaring the colonial city in central Mexico "the kissing capital" of the world to disprove, once and for all, claims that he has banned smooching in public. The flap arose over an anti-obscenity law that many people believed would fine anyone caught kissing in public. The government denied it intended to ban kissing, but agreed to suspend the legislation so its wording could be reviewed. Romero unveiled advertisements Tuesday featuring a couple locking lips on one of Guanajuato's many winding, cobble-stoned streets. They read: "Guanajuato, the kissing capital." A local legend of forbidden love gives the city claim to the title. It tells of a young woman whose father prohibited her from seeing her lover because he was too poor. But the couple lived across from each other in a street so narrow they could lean out their windows to kiss in secret. That street remains known as the "kissing alley."
Kiss
For all the pda haters.
France looks into "magic cheese" case in South America
France is investigating what it says is a scam mounted by a French woman who sold thousands of Chileans kits to make "magic cheese" for French beauty products, an official said on Tuesday. Gilberte Van Erpe, who was arrested and placed under investigation in France last year, is suspected of setting up a vast pyramid scheme, telling buyers the fermented mass produced by the kits could be sold to cosmetics companies in France. A French investigator, examining magistrate Sylvie Gagnard, will fly to Chile to register the lawsuits of thousands of people who claim they were victimized, said Isabelle Montagne, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office.
Cheese
I can't stop laughing at this.
Removing cats to protect native birds backfires on island
While it seemed like a good idea at the time, researchers in Australia say the decision to remove feral cats from a famous island to protect native seabirds there has backfired. The disappearance of the cats allowed the island's rabbit population to explode, and the rabbits have destroyed much of the island's fragile vegetation. Neither species is native to the island. Meanwhile the birds depend on the vegetation for cover. The researchers describe the result as "environmental devastation." Writing in the Journal of Applied Ecology, Dana Bergstrom of the Australian Antarctic Division says fixing the situation will cost authorities 24 million Australian dollars. She says the cat removal project has compromised decades of conservation efforts and shows the dangers of meddling with an ecosystem without a comprehensive understanding of the situation and the risks.
Cats
And this. Man, humans are dumb.
MYSTERY: Fire crews investigate severe burning
A man suffered severe burns on Monday afternoon in spite of there being no signs of fire. Knoxville Fire Department crews were dispatched to the fire at Cagle Terrace Apartments on Renford Drive around 3:30 PM. Officials say they knocked on the door to the unit but could only hear moaning inside. After breaking it down they discovered a 56 year old man inside the bathroom suffering from third degree burns to his face and second degree burns to his hands. According to investigators, there was no sign of fire in the apartment except for a candle inside the bathroom. The victim was taken to theUniversity of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment but had to be transferred to one of the region’s two burn centers late Monday evening.
Fire
How the hell does one get burnt without fire? (and no, chemical burns do not look or react like fire burns)
Cow charges cyclist on Boulder open space
A cow charged a woman on the South Boulder Creek Trail on Monday afternoon, knocking her down, officials said. The woman was riding her bike on the trail when she encountered the cow, and she stopped to let the animal pass, said Pete Taylor, a ranger for Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. The cow knocked the woman over and walked on her legs, he said. He said the woman -- whose name wasn't released -- wasn’t seriously injured, and she refused medical treatment. She didn’t appear to do anything to provoke the animal, which witnesses said appeared to have an injured leg, he said. The cow had left the scene by the time rangers arrived, but hikers coming down the trail were warning others about the rogue bovine.
Cow
BEWARE OF COWS!!!
Rare goat accidentally hangs itself in Canada zoo
An exotic goat in Canada's Calgary Zoo accidentally hanged itself after it became entangled in a rope and then fell off a log, CTV television reported on Sunday. Home video of the accident on Friday showed the Turkmenian markhor hanging lifeless from the rope in its enclosure. Later, keepers could be seen trying to resuscitate the animal. The zoo said in a statement that the goat had been playing with a ball on the end of a rope -- a toy designed to stimulate the animal.
Rare
Nope, it wasn't me.
Ségolène Royal : "J'ai inspiré Obama et ses équipes nous ont copiés"
Elle ne voit pas pourquoi elle "n'assumerait pas : oui, j'ai inspiré Obama et ses équipes nous ont copiés". C'était au temps où elle était candidate à la présidence et où Barack Obama envisageait seulement de réussir à l'être. Il a envoyé une équipe à Paris étudier son site Désirs d'avenir. "Chez nous ils ont enregistré les idées de 'gagnant-gagnant', de 'citoyen-expert'." Ensuite, M. Obama a adapté sa "démocratie participative" à la mode américaine, "fort différente de l'européenne". Aux Etats-Unis, tout n'est que "communautés" - ethniques, religieuses, culturelles, urbaines, même les quartiers d'habitations s'intitulent "communities". En Europe, on parlerait de collectivités, de mouvements, d'associations, de réseaux. Mais l'idée, dit-elle, lundi 19 janvier, à Washington, est la même : refonder la manière de faire de la politique, la relation entre les élites et le peuple.
Copiés
English version here
Oui, bien sûr. Et tu as aussi inventé le téléphone et la bombe atomique.
When you come to Guanajuato, pucker up. Mayor Eduardo Romero is declaring the colonial city in central Mexico "the kissing capital" of the world to disprove, once and for all, claims that he has banned smooching in public. The flap arose over an anti-obscenity law that many people believed would fine anyone caught kissing in public. The government denied it intended to ban kissing, but agreed to suspend the legislation so its wording could be reviewed. Romero unveiled advertisements Tuesday featuring a couple locking lips on one of Guanajuato's many winding, cobble-stoned streets. They read: "Guanajuato, the kissing capital." A local legend of forbidden love gives the city claim to the title. It tells of a young woman whose father prohibited her from seeing her lover because he was too poor. But the couple lived across from each other in a street so narrow they could lean out their windows to kiss in secret. That street remains known as the "kissing alley."
Kiss
For all the pda haters.
France looks into "magic cheese" case in South America
France is investigating what it says is a scam mounted by a French woman who sold thousands of Chileans kits to make "magic cheese" for French beauty products, an official said on Tuesday. Gilberte Van Erpe, who was arrested and placed under investigation in France last year, is suspected of setting up a vast pyramid scheme, telling buyers the fermented mass produced by the kits could be sold to cosmetics companies in France. A French investigator, examining magistrate Sylvie Gagnard, will fly to Chile to register the lawsuits of thousands of people who claim they were victimized, said Isabelle Montagne, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office.
Cheese
I can't stop laughing at this.
Removing cats to protect native birds backfires on island
While it seemed like a good idea at the time, researchers in Australia say the decision to remove feral cats from a famous island to protect native seabirds there has backfired. The disappearance of the cats allowed the island's rabbit population to explode, and the rabbits have destroyed much of the island's fragile vegetation. Neither species is native to the island. Meanwhile the birds depend on the vegetation for cover. The researchers describe the result as "environmental devastation." Writing in the Journal of Applied Ecology, Dana Bergstrom of the Australian Antarctic Division says fixing the situation will cost authorities 24 million Australian dollars. She says the cat removal project has compromised decades of conservation efforts and shows the dangers of meddling with an ecosystem without a comprehensive understanding of the situation and the risks.
Cats
And this. Man, humans are dumb.
MYSTERY: Fire crews investigate severe burning
A man suffered severe burns on Monday afternoon in spite of there being no signs of fire. Knoxville Fire Department crews were dispatched to the fire at Cagle Terrace Apartments on Renford Drive around 3:30 PM. Officials say they knocked on the door to the unit but could only hear moaning inside. After breaking it down they discovered a 56 year old man inside the bathroom suffering from third degree burns to his face and second degree burns to his hands. According to investigators, there was no sign of fire in the apartment except for a candle inside the bathroom. The victim was taken to theUniversity of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment but had to be transferred to one of the region’s two burn centers late Monday evening.
Fire
How the hell does one get burnt without fire? (and no, chemical burns do not look or react like fire burns)
Cow charges cyclist on Boulder open space
A cow charged a woman on the South Boulder Creek Trail on Monday afternoon, knocking her down, officials said. The woman was riding her bike on the trail when she encountered the cow, and she stopped to let the animal pass, said Pete Taylor, a ranger for Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. The cow knocked the woman over and walked on her legs, he said. He said the woman -- whose name wasn't released -- wasn’t seriously injured, and she refused medical treatment. She didn’t appear to do anything to provoke the animal, which witnesses said appeared to have an injured leg, he said. The cow had left the scene by the time rangers arrived, but hikers coming down the trail were warning others about the rogue bovine.
Cow
BEWARE OF COWS!!!
Rare goat accidentally hangs itself in Canada zoo
An exotic goat in Canada's Calgary Zoo accidentally hanged itself after it became entangled in a rope and then fell off a log, CTV television reported on Sunday. Home video of the accident on Friday showed the Turkmenian markhor hanging lifeless from the rope in its enclosure. Later, keepers could be seen trying to resuscitate the animal. The zoo said in a statement that the goat had been playing with a ball on the end of a rope -- a toy designed to stimulate the animal.
Rare
Nope, it wasn't me.
Ségolène Royal : "J'ai inspiré Obama et ses équipes nous ont copiés"
Elle ne voit pas pourquoi elle "n'assumerait pas : oui, j'ai inspiré Obama et ses équipes nous ont copiés". C'était au temps où elle était candidate à la présidence et où Barack Obama envisageait seulement de réussir à l'être. Il a envoyé une équipe à Paris étudier son site Désirs d'avenir. "Chez nous ils ont enregistré les idées de 'gagnant-gagnant', de 'citoyen-expert'." Ensuite, M. Obama a adapté sa "démocratie participative" à la mode américaine, "fort différente de l'européenne". Aux Etats-Unis, tout n'est que "communautés" - ethniques, religieuses, culturelles, urbaines, même les quartiers d'habitations s'intitulent "communities". En Europe, on parlerait de collectivités, de mouvements, d'associations, de réseaux. Mais l'idée, dit-elle, lundi 19 janvier, à Washington, est la même : refonder la manière de faire de la politique, la relation entre les élites et le peuple.
Copiés
English version here
Oui, bien sûr. Et tu as aussi inventé le téléphone et la bombe atomique.