Silly/Odd News Stories from around the World

[Xellos-_^]

[NSFW]http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=13d_1318607927[NSFW]

A French-Canadian porn star took his career to new heights when he videotaped himself having sex while skydiving with the receptionist of the skydiving company where he moonlighted as a part-time instructor.
Alex Torres aka "Voodoo" has since been fired from Skydive Taft, but no termination decision has been made about his fellow Mile High Club member Hope Howell.

The award-winning pornographic actor (who was born Alexandre Boisvert) was trying to get the attention of Howard Stern.

The video shows them screwing in the plane on the way to the jump-spot, as they jumped out together, and STILL having sex as they soared through midair upon pulling the ripcord and deploying the parachute. Epic! But now the Federal Airline Administration is investigating...
--

tough economy, even porn actors need a 2nd job.

[ganbaru]

^ Am I the only one than think than it's a really stupid thing to attend ?

[Endless Soul]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

^ Am I the only one than think than it's a really stupid thing to attend ?

No, that was really dumb on their part.

[AnimeFan188]

"The Perth Mint has made it possible to do a serious night out on the town with
nothing but change in your pocket. That is, if you don’t mind lugging around a 2,000
pound gold coin, called the Golden Kangaroo. But although it is “legal tender” with a
nominal value of a A$1 million, the metal in it is valued at A$55 million — about
US$59.5 million."

"How about a $100 TRILLION dollar bill? Now that’s real money. A newspaper in
Zimbabwe recently discovered that Zimbabwean money was so worthless it was
actually cheaper to publish on it rather than import newsprint and advertise it by
handing out fliers on trillion dollar bills."

See:

http://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/...ep-the-change/

[ganbaru]

16-foot python found in Everglades had eaten deer
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...10-28-18-31-48

[MrTerrorist]

Canadian senator wants polar bear as new emblem

So Canadians finally show their true self.....Might polar bears you don't want to mess with.

[ganbaru]

It's only a project, hardly a acomplished act...

But with all thoses changes than the conservator are doing now than they have their majority...

[Jinto]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/10533086.cms

Germany finds 55 billion Euro after accountancy error.

I wait for the day, when I can say... oh look, I found 55bn Euro... well actually I hope that day will never come ^^'. Because the only way I will ever find 55bn Euro is hyperinflation.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Jinto

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/10533086.cms

Germany finds 55 billion Euro after accountancy error.

I wait for the day, when I can say... oh look, I found 55bn Euro... well actually I hope that day will never come ^^'. Because the only way I will ever find 55bn Euro is hyperinflation.

nice error, sooooo convenient ¬_¬

[Anh_Minh]

Yeah. You also have to wonder what other surprises are in the wings, and which way they'll go...

[Haak]

What I wouldn't give for the Parliment to reveal something like that too. That's one accounting error i wouldn't be too angry at being revealed...

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Jinto

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/10533086.cms

Germany finds 55 billion Euro after accountancy error.

I wait for the day, when I can say... oh look, I found 55bn Euro... well actually I hope that day will never come ^^'. Because the only way I will ever find 55bn Euro is hyperinflation.

Unfortunately, none of you Germans is going to get it. It is going to the pigs. *sarcastic*

A nation of vidiots

The past half-century has been the age of electronic mass media. Television has reshaped society in every corner of the world. Now an explosion of new media devices is joining the TV set: DVDs, computers, game boxes, smart phones, and more. A growing body of evidence suggests that this media proliferation has countless ill effects.

The United States led the world into the television age, and the implications can be seen most directly in America’s long love affair with what Harlan Ellison memorably called “the glass teat.” In 1950, fewer than 8% of American households owned a TV; by 1960, 90% had one. That level of penetration took decades longer to achieve elsewhere, and the poorest countries are still not there.

True to form, Americans became the greatest TV watchers, which is probably still true today, even though the data are somewhat sketchy and incomplete. The best evidence suggests that Americans watch more than five hours per day of television on average – a staggering amount, given that several hours more are spent in front of other video-streaming devices. Other countries log far fewer viewing hours. In Scandinavia, for example, time spent watching TV is roughly half the US average.

The consequences for American society are profound, troubling, and a warning to the world – though it probably comes far too late to be heeded. First, heavy TV viewing brings little pleasure. Many surveys show that it is almost like an addiction, with a short-term benefit leading to long-term unhappiness and remorse. Such viewers say that they would prefer to watch less than they do.

Moreover, heavy TV viewing has contributed to social fragmentation. Time that used to be spent together in the community is now spent alone in front of the screen. Robert Putnam, the leading scholar of America’s declining sense of community, has found that TV viewing is the central explanation of the decline of “social capital,” the trust that binds communities together. Americans simply trust each other less than they did a generation ago. Of course, many other factors are at work, but television-driven social atomization should not be understated.

Certainly, heavy TV viewing is bad for one’s physical and mental health. Americans lead the world in obesity, with roughly two-thirds of the US population now overweight. Again, many factors underlie this, including a diet of cheap, unhealthy fried foods, but the sedentary time spent in front of the TV is an important influence as well.

At the same time, what happens mentally is as important as what happens physically. Television and related media have been the greatest purveyors and conveyors of corporate and political propaganda in society.

America’s TV ownership is almost entirely in private hands, and owners make much of their money through relentless advertising. Effective advertising campaigns, appealing to unconscious urges – typically related to food, sex, and status – create cravings for products and purchases that have little real value for consumers or society.

The same, of course, has happened to politics. American politicians are now brand names, packaged like breakfast cereal. Anybody – and any idea – can be sold with a bright ribbon and a catchy jingle.

All roads to power in America lead through TV, and all access to TV depends on big money. This simple logic has put American politics in the hands of the rich as never before.

Even war can be rolled out as a new product. The Bush administration promoted the premises of the Iraq war – Saddam Hussein’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction –in the familiar colorful, fast-paced, and graphics-heavy style of television advertising. Then the war itself began with the so-called “shock and awe” bombing of Baghdad – a made-for-TV live spectacle aimed at ensuring high ratings for the US-led invasion.

Many neuroscientists believe that the mental-health effects of TV viewing might run even deeper than addiction, consumerism, loss of social trust, and political propaganda. Perhaps TV is rewiring heavy viewers’ brains and impairing their cognitive capacities. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently warned that TV viewing by young children is dangerous for their brain development, and called on parents to keep children under two away from the TV and similar media.

A recent survey in the US by the organization Common Sense Media reveals a paradox, but one that is perfectly understandable. Children in poor American households today not only watch more TV than children in wealthy households, but are also more likely to have a television in their room. When a commodity’s consumption falls as income rises, economists call it an “inferior” good.

To be sure, the mass media can be useful as a provider of information, education, entertainment, and even political awareness. But too much of it is confronting us with dangers that we need to avoid.

At the very least, we can minimize those dangers. Successful approaches around the world include limits on TV advertising, especially to young children; non-commercial, publicly-owned TV networks like the BBC; and free (but limited) TV time for political campaigns.

Of course, the best defense is our own self-control. We can all leave the TV off more hours per day and spend that time reading, talking with each other, and rebuilding the bases of personal health and social trust.

[MrTerrorist]

The only living master of a dying martial art

[Xellos-_^]

good luck old man

[MrTerrorist]

Bronies rejoice.

Someone’s Building a My Little Pony MMO

[ganbaru]

Man broke into Oregon home to watch TV
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...10-30-14-32-50
The story didn't say what he was watching...

[MrTerrorist]

AKBaby Shows Fans Their Future Children with AKB48 Idols

[Xellos-_^]

i hope those idols travel around with the appropriate protection.

[Anh_Minh]

That's... more than a little creepy. Couldn't they have gotten virtual idols?

[Fahd]

The depths to which Japan will go to disturb me know no bounds . I suppose an ISP themed after a band is a unique idea, but I have to wonder about their customer service, reliability, etc. I wouldn't want my ISP disappearing as fast as a band goes out of fashion .