"I envy people who drink. At least they have something to blame everything on." - Oscar Levant

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Trials Loom for Parents Who Embraced Faith Over Medicine - ""The free exercise clause of the First Amendment protects religious belief," the judge wrote in his ruling, "but not necessarily conduct." Wisconsin law, he noted, exempts a parent or guardian who treats a child with only prayer from being criminally charged with neglecting child welfare laws, but only "as long as a condition is not life threatening."... Recalling her own experience, she said, "we knew that once we went to the doctor, we'd be cut off from God."... An essay on the site signed Pastor Bob states that the Bible calls for healing by faith alone. "Jesus never sent anyone to a doctor or a hospital," the essay says. "Jesus offered healing by one means only! Healing was by faith.""
Praise the Lord

Wakefield rapist wanted jail English lessons - "The court heard after his arrest Majlat told a psychiatrist he decided to rape the woman because he wanted to go to jail where he would be fed, housed and be taught English. Doctors ruled Majlat is not mentally ill."

We are innocent! - "The two junior college student councillors who were photographed making out on a bus have been stripped of their leadership positions The female student was also made to write a statement of repentance... The male student not only had his title stripped, but has also been suspended from school for sneaking out at 2 am during a school camp over the weekend to purchase a copy of Shin Min Daily so that he could read about the report."
Well done, STOMPers. Citizen journalism takes a quantum leap. I don't get why only the girl had to write a statement, though.

Acupuncture 'works for headaches' - "Traditional acupuncture is effective at preventing headaches, a scientific review finds - but so is a sham form. The Cochrane Review reviewed 33 separate trials into acupuncture and its so-called "sham" counterpart. The latter also involves the insertion of needles - but not into traditional "energy points". The scientist leading the review said the results showed that putting needles into particular locations might not be that important."

Mr Wang Says So: Ministerial Salaries And A Sentimental Stroll Down Memory Lane - "You know, the cure for all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government... your asset values will disappear, your apartment will be worth a fraction of what it is, your jobs will be in peril, your security will be at risk... Maybe we should give them another pay raise, before we get another good dose of incompetent government.
Unfortunately, Rational Expectations do not hold

YouTube - The best and most ridiculous fight ever filmed. - "This fight is complete with knife licking, shirt tearing, gratuitous shirtlessness, and the best part is the girl with a broken arm who comes out of nowhere to save the day. This clip is from the movie "Undefeatable""

Agent Provocateur: a suspender too far for Valentine's Day? - "In Love Me Tender…Or Else, Burberry model Huntington Whiteley receives a disappointing call from her on-screen lover to say that he has to work late on Valentine's Day. To exact her revenge she decides to turn up at his office in her underwear to perform the dance, which culminates in her punching him in the face."
One comment: Of course an advert showing a man turning up to his wife's work, performing a dance for her then tying her up and punching her in the face would be considered completely unacceptable. Funny that.

Feedburner Needs To Get It Together - "Complaints about Feedburner, a service that helps websites manage their RSS feeds, have been around as long as the company itself. But you’d think that when Google spent $100 million to buy the company, they’d get it together."
Ahh, I'm not the only one.

How To Organise A Circle Line Party - "On 10th March 1999 The Space Hijackers held a party on London Undergrounds Circle Line, it attracted around 150 people and lasted for just over 1 lap of the circle before we all scarpered. With a mobile sound system and lights disguised as luggage we decorated the train and danced the night away... The basic premise for a party on the circle line is that you attempt to get everyone on board, set up everything, have your party and clean up without the authorities ever getting wind of what is going on. This is a lot easier said than done."
If this had happened in Singapore, everyone would've been arrested for causing a public nuisance

Richard Michael Genelle - "Richard Michael Genelle age 47, resident of Corona, formerly of Riverside (Woodcrest) for 24 years, passed away 12/30/2008 at Corona Regional, due to a heart attack. Richard was born on 10/12/1961 in New York."
Ernie is dead.

What REALLY happened - the first MMPR Movie - "What REALLY happened in Sydney all those years ago? On this page we will take a close look at some of the quirky problems that made the "Power Rangers Movie" what it was. Without holding any bias, I honestly believe this production was a landmark for the Australian film industry, a time when many fractions became one whole. The experience of working on MMPRM was kind of similar to successfully negotiating your way past the gates of hell. Many very long and trusting friendships were forged - these same relationships now the key in holding together Sydney's emerging work doing things like "Star Wars", "Moulin Rouge", "Mission Imp 2" and success with "The Matrix". In decades to come as historians track the beginnings of Sydney's film business, they'll always find one common denominator on all the CV's (usually the first film that person did). I have no doubt that many of tomorrow's Oscar winners know what I'm talking about."