crimeandpunishment writes "You can get a lot of good deals on Craigslist, apparently including children. A New York State man has been arrested for allegedly trying to sell his children on the online marketplace. From the article: 'State Police Investigator Bryan Blum said Joshua A. Stagnitto, 24, was charged with one count of third-degree falsely reporting an incident, a misdemeanor, after a report was made to Monroe County Child Protective Services advising them of the posting on the online marketplace. The posting indicated a person was selling their children. Police said an investigation revealed Stagnitto was the source of the posting.'"

Aaron Jamison, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, has come up with a novel way of raising the $800 to pay for his cremation. He plans on selling ad space on two urns that will hold his ashes. From the article: "Jamison said he is collecting disability, but it does not cover his monthly medical bills. He has a small life insurance policy, but said it's not much to leave to his wife. "He had so much concern for his wife and how she was going to be able to handle this," said Dustin Remington, Jamison's longtime friend and owner of Terese's Place. "It was just an opportunity I was happy to be a part of." Remington handed over a 100 dollar check and signed a contract Monday."

eldavojohn writes "You may recall the hapless engineer who left a fairly sensitive iPhone at a bar recently. Well, in a PR stunt, Lufthansa has invited him to visit Germany on their dime after citing his latest Facebook status, 'I underestimated how good German beer is' as well as his obvious passion for German beer and culture. It's not clear if Gray Powell has decided to 'pick up where he last left off' (as the letter puts it). I know what my decision would be."

The Georgia House Judiciary Committee took up a bill that would "prohibit requiring a person to be implanted with a microchip," and would make violating the ban a misdemeanor. Things started to get weird at the hearing when a woman who described herself as a resident of DeKalb County told the committee, "I'm also one of the people in Georgia who has a microchip." Not sure of what she was trying to say, she was allowed to continue and added, "Microchips are like little beepers. Just imagine, if you will, having a beeper in your rectum or genital area, the most sensitive area of your body. And your beeper numbers displayed on billboards throughout the city. All done without your permission." Further prodding revealed that the woman's co-workers would torture her by activating the chips with their cell phones and that the chips were implanted by "researchers with the federal government." The committee thanked the woman for her input, and later approved the bill.

lee1 writes "The Texas Attorney General is determined to help protect the traditional definition of divorce, which is the dissolution of the union between a man and a woman. Therefore any gay married couples who find their way into his state had better stay married. From the article: 'Gay and lesbian couples who turn to the courts when they break up are getting mixed results across the nation. A Pennsylvania judge last month refused to divorce two women who married in Massachusetts, while New York grants such divorces even though the state doesn't allow same-sex marriage.'"

snkiz writes "As if MacBooks weren't expensive enough — now we have this. 'This is the most expensive laptop in the world, fitted with 25.5 carats of flawless diamonds. A total of 53 diamants individually set in a solid 24ct gold apple logo.' Although eBay iPads aren't much cheaper."

SocietyoftheFist writes "William R. Jordan was robbed of his iPad right after he bought it and worse yet he lost part of his finger in the process. He was holding on to the bag so tightly that when the thief ripped the bag free he took the skin off the tip of his pinky finger. Doctors had to amputate more than half the finger because he had lost so much tissue."

A new kind of speed camera that uses satellites to measure average speed over long distances is being tested in Britain. The "Speedspike" system combines plate reading technology with a global positioning satellite receiver to calculate average speed between any two points in the area being monitored. From the article: "Details of the trials are contained in a House of Commons report. The company said in its evidence that the cameras enabled 'number plate capture in all weather conditions, 24 hours a day.' It also referred to the system's 'low cost' and ease of installation." I can't wait to see the episode of MythBusters where they try to avoid getting a speeding ticket from a satellite.

After suffering horrific injuries in a car accident, 65-year-old Doris Smith had to have her left arm amputated. As if that weren't bad enough, three rings she was wearing on her left hand have now gone missing. Police, ambulance, and hospital staff are investigating the incident, but so far nobody has found a trace of the missing jewelry. Mrs. Smith's son said, "You'd like to think nobody would have stolen them with the state my mum was in. It's not so much the financial value of them — it's the sentimental value."

Knowing that nothing makes a woman feel more sexy than a trip to the OB/GYN, Dr. Andrew Scheinfeld has decided to start selling sex toys at his practice. Scheinfeld says the idea was born out of personal experience. He found himself embarrassed while shopping for some things to spice up his own marriage and decided he wanted to offer woman a less embarrassing place to do their adult purchasing. "I was very paranoid, thinking everyone was looking at me saying, 'Look at the old guy with the sex toy in a briefcase,'" he said. "Here I am, an OB/GYN. If I felt that way, how a woman might feel going into a shop like that would be very difficult."

A study conducted by the University of Toronto has found that exposure to fast-food logos can cause people to feel impatient and make them more likely to buy things. Subjects in the study were exposed to nearly imperceptible flashes of images (for 12 to 80 milliseconds) which included fast-food logos for some. The subjects were then asked to read about and choose between two different kinds of skin-care treatments, one of which was a three-in-one. Those who had the logos flashed before them read "significantly faster" and chose the more time-saving skin product. From the article: "The researchers concluded 'fast food, originally designed to save time, can have the unexpected consequence of inducing haste and impatience' and 'preference for time-saving products when there are potentially other important aspects upon which to choose a product.' So, basically, driving past a McDonald's on the highway has the potential to not only make you drive faster, it will make you more likely to buy two-for-one Pantene Pro-V Shampoo and Conditioner the next time you go to Duane Reade. One, it seems, is considerably less ominous than the other." I guess this explains why my nephews will chew on their seat belts and try to get out the windows just to be first into the McDonald's Playland.

Here's a tribute to the most perfect scream ever recorded.

scamdetect writes "Strathmore's Who's Who says that inclusion in its two-thousand-page directory honoring 'distinguished professionals' is a real honor. They only include 'individuals who have demonstrated leadership and achievement in their occupation, industry or profession.' So how did UK based scam awareness website Scam Detectives get a pet snake approved for inclusion by the 'publishing committee' for his outstanding work in 'Rodent Control'? It turns out that if you have $1,200 to spare, you're in!"

Everyone knows that George Washington couldn't tell a lie. What you probably didn't know is that he couldn't return a library book on time. From the article: "New York City's oldest library says one of its ledgers shows that the president has racked up 220 years' worth of late fees on two books he borrowed, but never returned. One of the books was the 'Law of Nations,' which deals with international relations. The other was a volume of debates from Britain's House of Commons. Both books were due on Nov. 2, 1789."

A former vice president of the University of Arizona, Sharon Kha, is fighting her Parkinson's disease in an unusual way — she's rapping. Even though there is no cure, some experts believe that the disease can be slowed with mental and physical exercises. For Kha that means writing, memorizing, and performing rap songs. She raps faster than she would normally speak, saying she has to "push myself verbally." From the article: "She's been rapping for the past three years. Each morning she walks a mile to her favorite midtown coffee shop ... often composing and reciting her rap songs as she walks. The songs, with names like 'Shake It!' and 'Tremor,' are sprinkled with insider information about Parkinson's, such as erratic sleep patterns, a fear of falling, and the frustration of putting on a sock."

Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that state legislators in Wisconsin raced against the clock to pass a bill designating Lactococcus lactis as Wisconsin's official state microbe. 'The first time I heard the idea, I thought, I've got more important things to do than spending my time honoring a microbe,' says Gary Hebl, a Democratic state representative who proposed the bill which, he says, would make Wisconsin the first state in the nation to grant such a designation, 'but this microbe is really a very hard worker,' added Hebl, referring to the bacterium supported by the Department of Bacteriology at UW — Madison used to make cheddar, Colby, and Monterey Jack cheese. The proposal faced only one detractor in committee ('the opponent was clearly lactose-intolerant,' says Hebl), and there was no sign of a last-minute campaign from other bacteria, so by evening, the Assembly had approved the measure, 56 to 41. In case there were any doubts about Wisconsin's priorities, a separate bill also awaits consideration in Madison, declaring cheese Wisconsin's state snack."

Officials say retired New York prison food services director Howard Dean had a really hard time waiting for the weekend, so he skipped work on Fridays for 17 years. Dean made sure, however, to include those Friday hours on his time cards. The extra hours and bogus travel expenses netted Dean nearly $500,000, according to officials. From the article: "State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Inspector General Joseph Fisch said their investigation found Howard Dean, 64, of Locke, bilked the state Treasury of about $230,000 by skipping work at the state's Food Production Center in Rome every Friday for 17 years but claiming the hours on his time cards, the New York Post reported Wednesday."

Gud writes "According to The Washington Post a 9-year-old was able to hack into his county's school computer network and change such things as passwords, course work, and enrollment info. From the article: 'Police say a 9-year-old McLean boy hacked into the Blackboard Learning System used by the county school system to change teachers' and staff members' passwords, change or delete course content, and change course enrollment. One of the victims was Fairfax Superintendent Jack D. Dale, according to an affidavit filed by a Fairfax detective in Fairfax Circuit Court this week. But police and school officials decided no harm, no foul. The boy did not intend to do any serious damage, and didn't, so the police withdrew and are allowing the school district to handle the half-grown hacker.'"

Amanda Flowers always liked her Wii Fit but now she can't get enough of it. Amanda claims a fall from her balance board damaged a nerve and has left her suffering from persistent sexual arousal syndrome. From the article: "The catering worker said: 'It began as a twinge down below before surging through my body. Sometimes it built up into a trembling orgasm.' A doctor diagnosed her with persistent sexual arousal syndrome due to a damaged nerve."

Most women want to be seen by everyone on their wedding day, but there are those special brides who know the value of being able to hide in the trees should the need arise. For those ladies, "A Touch of Camo" offers a wide array of camouflage and hunter wedding accessories. Whether you're looking for a camo flower basket, a hunter's orange choker, or a wedding dress in mossy oak, this website is for you. (Warning: There is only one size 16 all mossy oak gown left in stock — act now!)