Mixel writes "Two Bangladeshi newspapers have apologized after publishing an article taken from a satirical US website which claimed the Moon landings were faked. From the article: 'The Daily Manab Zamin said US astronaut Neil Armstrong had shocked a news conference by saying he now knew it had been an "elaborate hoax." Neither they nor the New Nation, which later picked up the story, realised the Onion was not a genuine news site.'"

theodp writes "An amazing surveillance tape of a burglary in progress at a New Jersey Apple Store shows five perps in masks smashing the plate-glass doors at 2:05 a.m., signaling to the security guard that they had a gun, and clearing off the display tables with the efficiency of a Indy 500 pit crew. The take: 23 MacBook Pros, 14 iPhones and 9 iPod touches in 31 seconds flat. Estimated value, based on average selling price: $46,345. No word yet on whether Microsoft's Laptop Hunters have alibis."

Quothz writes "Last spring, an Arlington police officer listed his neighbor's athletic gear on Craigslist. After a review, the Tarrant District Attorney's office has decided no crime was committed. 'The law just wasn't there,' says county prosecutor Dixie Bersano. So, Texans, clean up those yards and lock those doors, your stuff is free for the giving."

Philosopher Adam Shriver suggested that genetically engineering cows to feel no pain could be an acceptable alternative to eliminating factory farming in a paper published in Neuroscience. Work by neuroscientist Zhou-Feng Chen at Washington University may turn Shriver's suggestion a reality. Chen has been working on identifying the genes that control "affective" pain, the unpleasantness part of a painful sensation. He has managed to isolate a gene called P311, and has found that mice who do not have P311 don't have negative associations with pain, although they do react negatively to heat and pressure. This could end much of the concern about cruel farming practices, but unfortunately still leaves my design for the fiery hamburger punch in the unethical column.

The Cash for Clunkers program has a new group of critics, demolition-derby drivers. In addition to the fact that scrap-metal prices have doubled in the past two years, the Clunkers program has created a shortage of derby-worthy cars. "Obama is an anti-demo-derby guy," says Tory Schutte, head of the Demolition Derby Drivers Association. "He's targeting the cars we've been using."

brumgrunt writes "Technically a corridor in a science-fiction movie should just be a means of getting from one big expensive set to the next, and yet Den Of Geek writes lovingly of the detailed conduits in films such as Alien, Outland, Solaris and even this year's Moon by Duncan Jones."

A 65-year-old anti-health care reform protester had his finger bitten off during a fight with a pro-health care reform protester. Around 100 protesters were holding a health care reform rally when a group of anti-reform folks gathered on the opposite side of the street. A witness says a man walked through the anti-reform group to get to the pro-reform side when he got into an altercation with the 65-year-old. It's good that we can have this debate in a calm, adult manner before we start biting off digits.

porjo writes "The Sydney Morning Herald reports that: 'A Perth man has been charged with stealing a sea container full of premium Belgian beer worth $35,000, West Australian police say. Police allege two men stole a shipping container holding 1,349 cartons of Hoegaarden beer from a storage yard in Welshpool, in Perth's east on August 20. "It will be alleged that at 6.05pm two men using a side-loading container trailer, stole a sea container containing 1,349 cartons of Hoegaarden beer, police spokeswoman Susan Usher said."'"

trbdavies writes "The Honolulu Advertiser reports that the Honolulu City Council is considering a bill to make it illegal to 'bring onto transit property odors that unreasonably disturb others or interfere with their use of the transit system, whether such odors arise from one's person, clothes, articles, accompanying animal or any other source.' So if you stink up the bus, you could 'be fined up to $500, spend up to six months in jail, or be both fined and jailed.' Councilman Rod Tam explains, 'As we become more inundated with people from all over the world, their way of taking care of their health is different. Some people, quite frankly, do not take a bath every day and therefore they may be offensive in terms of their odor.' The ACLU is predictably 'concerned about laws that are inherently vague, where a reasonable person cannot know what conduct is prohibited.' Is this country becoming Singapore?"

The London-based Catholic Truth Society has published a book with a special prayer for pious couples to recite together before they have sex. The Truth Society says the prayer aims to 'purifying their intentions' so that the act is not about selfishness or hedonism. The book also covers other stages of marriage and family life including, pregnancy, caring for children and elderly parents, and a short prayer to recite when you've stayed out too late on poker night.

He just need little boots for his training wheels.

It's like a dream come true.

Tour company Ride the Ducks is suing rival tour company Bay Quackers, alleging that it holds trademark rights to the sound made by tourists using duck call devices, while on amphibious vehicle tours. San Francisco-based Ride the Ducks holds a 'sound mark' on the noise. Very few companies hold sound marks, but some of the more famous include: the NBC chimes and the MGM lion. The company holds US Trademark No. 2,484,276, which protects a mark consisting of 'a quacking noise made by tour guides and tour participants by use of duck call devices throughout various portions of [guided amphibious vehicle] tours.' Reading this makes my think that there is a room full of litigious monks somewhere, just waiting for someone to try clapping with one hand.

The strap demands a sacrifice.

A Japanese manufacturer, Rinkya Inc, has come up with a series of earthquake kits for your cat or dog. The kits come in three types, but all contain padded jackets and rain hats, boots to protect paws, and aromatherapy oil to soothe a pet that is freaking out because the earth has just violently shifted beneath them. Laurel Stavros, Vice President of Rinkya Inc. said, "Although it may seem odd to have a special kit for your pet, most are part of our families, so really this kit makes sense in that it helps to protect your precious dog or cat."

Being born without arms hasn't stopped Steve Valdez from living a normal life, but it has stopped him from being able to cash a check at Bank of America. Even though he had two forms of picture ID, the bank still wanted a thumbprint to cash his check. The teller acknowledged that a thumbprint would be impossible to get, saying "Obviously you can't give a thumbprint," but her manager refused to process the check unless they had one.

Hugh Pickens writes "With razor-sharp teeth piranha, native to the Amazon basin, the Orinoco and the rivers of the Guyanas, are generally considered to be the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world with a voracious appetite for meat, able to strip the flesh of large animals within minutes when traveling in a shoal. So when members of the British Environment Agency were conducting a sampling trip in the East Okement tributary of the River Torridge, they were amazed to see a large tail emerge from the undercut bank on the far side of the river. 'What we actually discovered was something we would not expect to find in our wildest dreams — we could hardly believe our eyes,' says Eddie Stevens. 'Our first thought was that a sea trout had become lodged in amongst the rocks and debris collected under the bank, but when it was removed from the river we were speechless to find it was a piranha.' Tests carried out on the dead piranha revealed it had been eating sweet corn, which proved it must have been kept as a pet. The Environment Agency said it believes the piranha was alive when it was put in the river, possibly because at 35 cm it had become too big for its tank. 'Whilst piranhas can't survive the colder climates of the UK, this latest find highlights a real issue — that releasing unwanted exotic pets or plants into rivers can have serious consequences for native wildlife,' says spokesman Paul Gainey. 'Rather than dumping things in the wild, we would urge people to seek advice about what to do with exotic species.'"

tomachi writes "An accountant in NZ has been awarded $17,000 NZD for unfair dismissal after her boss fired her without warning for using uppercase letters in a single email to co-workers. The email, which advises her team how to fill out staff claim forms, specifies a time and date highlighted in bold red, and a sentence written in capitals and highlighted in bold blue. It reads: 'To ensure your staff claim is processed and paid, please do follow the below checklist.' Her boss deemed the capital letters too confrontational for her co-workers to read after they woke up from naptime."

TheZid writes "A newly proposed bill would give Uncle Sam the power to disconnect private sector computers from the internet in the event of a 'cyber security emergency.' As usual, our government is trying to take away our privacy by citing security. What actually counts as a 'Cyber-Security Emergency?' Does the president now have the option of disconnecting people when they disagree with his policies? How about disconnecting bloggers that criticize his health care reform? What counts as an emergency? Can political opponents be deemed a cyber-security emergency?"

Hugh Pickens writes "BBC reports that a treasured piece at the Dutch national museum — a supposed moon rock from the first manned lunar landing given to former Prime Minister Willem Drees during a goodwill tour by the three Apollo-11 astronauts shortly after their moon mission in 1969 — has been revealed as nothing more than petrified wood, curators say. A jagged fist-size stone with reddish tints, it was mounted and placed above a plaque that said, 'With the compliments of the Ambassador of the United States of America... to commemorate the visit to The Netherlands of the Apollo-11 astronauts.' The plaque does not specify that the rock came from the moon's surface. Researchers from Amsterdam's Free University said they could see at a glance the rock was probably not from the moon. They followed the initial appraisal up with extensive testing. 'It's a nondescript, pretty-much-worthless stone,' wrote Geologist Frank Beunk in an article published by the museum. Beunk says the rock, which the museum at one point insured for more than half a million dollars, was worth no more than $70. The 'rock' had originally been been vetted through a phone call to NASA. As the US Embassy in the Hague said it was investigating the matter, the Rijksmuseum says it will keep the piece as a curiosity."