RICHMOND, Va. -- High school art teacher Stephen Murmer wants school officials to butt out of his artwork.
He said he's been suspended by Chesterfield County, Va., school officials because of his unusual style.
Outside of class, Murmer bills himself as the "butt-printing artist."(the site is down or overloaded) He plasters his bare backside and genitals with paint and presses them against canvas.
His cheeky abstract art and flora designs sell for hundreds of dollars each. As an artist, he goes by the name "Stan Murmur," and appears in disguise in photographs and videos promoting his art.
But Murmer is also known as a popular, joke-cracking art teacher at Monacan High School.
Chesterfield County school officials have suspended the teacher whom they said may be setting a bad example for students through his outside artistic activities.
Chesterfield County schools spokeswoman Debra Marlow said school system regulations state that teachers must set an example for students through their personal conduct.
Murmer was placed on administrative leave on Friday. Murmer has contacted the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia for help.
The ACLU said Murmer has the constitutional right as a private citizen to paint however he chooses. The school district won't comment on the suspension because it's a personnel issue. The group said the suspension goes against Murmer's First Amendment rights.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Wrong mountains
A travel poster spotted in India reads: "Have You Seen Nepal?" but the mountains pictured surround Peru's own Machu Picchu, according to Peruvian mountain climber Ernesto Malaga.The official news agency Andina reported that Malaga was in New Delhi when he saw the poster, meant to promote visits to Nepal's Himalayas, 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) in the opposite direction.
But Nepal Airlines, which does not fly to Machu Picchu, confused the land of the llama with the mountains of the Dalai Lama.
A
UNESCO world heritage site, Machu Picchu was the mystical "lost city" of the Incas until it was re-discovered in 1911 by US adventurer Hiram Bingham -- in Peru.
Bah-hum-bug
BYRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Jason Lee said he has nothing against Christmas, even though his decorations make him look like a bit of a Scrooge.
Lee spelled out "Bah-hum-bug" in Christmas lights on his front lawn as part of his holiday display.
The sour sentiment was made famous by Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."
But Lee, a Byron Township sheet metal worker, said he's just having a little fun. He said you can't have too many lights.
One local official told The Grand Rapids Press he's not sure he gets the "Bah-hum-bug" message. But the official added there are worse things you can spell out in lights.
Shame I couldn't find a picture :(
Lee spelled out "Bah-hum-bug" in Christmas lights on his front lawn as part of his holiday display.
The sour sentiment was made famous by Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."
But Lee, a Byron Township sheet metal worker, said he's just having a little fun. He said you can't have too many lights.
One local official told The Grand Rapids Press he's not sure he gets the "Bah-hum-bug" message. But the official added there are worse things you can spell out in lights.
Shame I couldn't find a picture :(
Pillock of the day
A Wichita man called 911 to report he was the victim of an armed robbery. The theft? A pound of marijuana worth about $1,100 that he had been trying to sell at his home.
The victim told police Thursday that a buyer had pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and stole the drugs.
Police brought in a drug-sniffing dog to the house and located more marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
The victim was booked into Sedgwick County jail on several charges, including possession with the intent to sell drug (and idiocy !!!).
The thief has not been found.
The victim told police Thursday that a buyer had pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and stole the drugs.
Police brought in a drug-sniffing dog to the house and located more marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
The victim was booked into Sedgwick County jail on several charges, including possession with the intent to sell drug (and idiocy !!!).
The thief has not been found.
You've gator be kidding !
Agents with the U.S. Border Patrol in Yuma found an alligator stashed in the suitcase of a California man who was on his way to Phoenix. The agents found the 4-foot, 4-year-old cayman alligator during a routine checkpoint search on Interstate 8 on Thursday night, agency spokesman Lloyd Easterling said.
Easterling said a drug-sniffing dog became alert near the man's car. Inside, agents found 13 grams of marijuana. Then agents asked the man, whose name was not released, if he had anything else inside the car they should know about.
"The guy says, 'There's an alligator in there,'" Easterling said. "He says, 'He's in the suitcase there.' And when (the agent) opened the suitcase, sure enough, there was a cayman in there."
Rebecca Wright, law enforcement program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department in Yuma, took the feisty reptile back to her office to await shipment to a Phoenix animal refuge.
"When I took him to my office, he was pretty saucy," Wright said. "He was interested in not being in the pet porter anymore, and I was very interested in keeping him in there."
The man was cited for possessing restricted wildlife and was taken into custody by the Arizona Department of Public Safety in connection with the marijuana. Possessing restricted wildlife is a Class 2 misdemeanor and carries penalties of up to four months in jail and up to $750 in fines, Wright said.
She said the man was taking the alligator from somewhere in California to deliver to another person in Phoenix.
While Easterling said agents often find exotic pets at the checkpoint, they haven't come across many alligators. "It's certainly surprising," he said.
Wright said it's the fourth alligator she has seen in the Yuma area in the last 17 years. She said they're more common in Phoenix, where there have been 20 seizures of reptiles in the crocodile family in the last six months.
"It's always been, over the years, they have been a novelty pet for people," she said.
The alligator was being evaluated by the Phoenix Herpetological Society, a nonprofit reptile sanctuary, and likely will end up in a zoo or wildlife park, Wright said.
"He was a very healthy and beautiful animal," Wright said. "He will be given meals of chicken with vitamins sprinkled on top."
Easterling said a drug-sniffing dog became alert near the man's car. Inside, agents found 13 grams of marijuana. Then agents asked the man, whose name was not released, if he had anything else inside the car they should know about.
"The guy says, 'There's an alligator in there,'" Easterling said. "He says, 'He's in the suitcase there.' And when (the agent) opened the suitcase, sure enough, there was a cayman in there."
Rebecca Wright, law enforcement program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department in Yuma, took the feisty reptile back to her office to await shipment to a Phoenix animal refuge.
"When I took him to my office, he was pretty saucy," Wright said. "He was interested in not being in the pet porter anymore, and I was very interested in keeping him in there."
The man was cited for possessing restricted wildlife and was taken into custody by the Arizona Department of Public Safety in connection with the marijuana. Possessing restricted wildlife is a Class 2 misdemeanor and carries penalties of up to four months in jail and up to $750 in fines, Wright said.
She said the man was taking the alligator from somewhere in California to deliver to another person in Phoenix.
While Easterling said agents often find exotic pets at the checkpoint, they haven't come across many alligators. "It's certainly surprising," he said.
Wright said it's the fourth alligator she has seen in the Yuma area in the last 17 years. She said they're more common in Phoenix, where there have been 20 seizures of reptiles in the crocodile family in the last six months.
"It's always been, over the years, they have been a novelty pet for people," she said.
The alligator was being evaluated by the Phoenix Herpetological Society, a nonprofit reptile sanctuary, and likely will end up in a zoo or wildlife park, Wright said.
"He was a very healthy and beautiful animal," Wright said. "He will be given meals of chicken with vitamins sprinkled on top."
Man fakes it ... to bowl
A Savannah man was arrested and sent to jail Saturday after he was accused of impersonating a sheriff's deputy in an attempt to go bowling at Hunter Army Airfield, police said.Jeffrey Eugene Ferguson, 46, pulled up to the base gate on Montgomery Street around 9:30 a.m. Saturday and handed the guard his driver's license.
The problem was that his license was cracked in half, said Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Wilson.
So, the gate guard requested a second form of identification.
That's when Ferguson pulled out the badge of a Chatham County sheriff's lieutenant.
"He told the guard the badge belonged to him," Wilson said. "But the guard became suspicious when he noticed the driver's license was cracked, which is unusual for a police officer."
The guard summoned SCMPD to check out Ferguson's identification.
Police arrived and quickly learned Ferguson was not a sheriff's deputy and was not supposed be driving, Wilson said. His license had been suspended for failure to pay child support.
Police seized the badge and arrested Ferguson.
He was being held Saturday night at the Chatham County jail on a charge of impersonating a police officer.
Ferguson later told police he found the badge at a work site on Wheaton Street.
"He was very cooperative," Wilson said. "But he had a duty to turn the badge in."
Let it snow
Living in balmy south Georgia, Gene Long knew his wife Crystal pined for the winter snows of her native Pennsylvania.
So he decided to do something about it.
Armed with a homemade snowmaking machine, the 41-year-old paramedic and firefighter stayed up overnight during a rare subfreezing snap and crisscrossed their property.
Saturday morning, he presented her with an inch-deep blanket of snow on their lawn.
"She thought it was pretty cool," Long said. "We actually had a little snowball fight."
Crystal Long said her longing for snow grows deep this time of year.
"Oh yes, especially at Christmas time, because people down here are still wearing shorts and tank tops in the middle of December," she said. The 23-year-old native of Cresson, Pa., and her husband have lived in south Georgia's Long County for five years. The community is about 46 miles west of Savannah.
Tapping into plans he found on the Internet, her husband built the snow maker from a pressure washer and an air compressor.
"I find it kind of fun," he said. But he added, "It's kind of ironic, because I don't like cold weather."
So he decided to do something about it.
Armed with a homemade snowmaking machine, the 41-year-old paramedic and firefighter stayed up overnight during a rare subfreezing snap and crisscrossed their property.
Saturday morning, he presented her with an inch-deep blanket of snow on their lawn.
"She thought it was pretty cool," Long said. "We actually had a little snowball fight."
Crystal Long said her longing for snow grows deep this time of year.
"Oh yes, especially at Christmas time, because people down here are still wearing shorts and tank tops in the middle of December," she said. The 23-year-old native of Cresson, Pa., and her husband have lived in south Georgia's Long County for five years. The community is about 46 miles west of Savannah.
Tapping into plans he found on the Internet, her husband built the snow maker from a pressure washer and an air compressor.
"I find it kind of fun," he said. But he added, "It's kind of ironic, because I don't like cold weather."
Monday, December 11, 2006
Improve behaviour - Learn IT fraud !
New Zealand - A 16-year-old who police sent on a computer training course to improve his behaviour has admitted using a computer in an attempt to defraud banks of nearly $45,000.
The Upper Hutt teenager faces 26 fraud charges after hacking into people's internet banking accounts in August and September. A 16-year-old who police sent on a computer training course to improve his behaviour has admitted using a computer in an attempt to defraud banks of nearly $45,000.
The Upper Hutt teenager faces 26 fraud charges after hacking into people's internet banking accounts in August and September.
Police say he posted a computer virus on an internet message board and used it to capture details from people's personal computers.
Westpac, ANZ and ASB were all hit. The biggest transaction involved $6323, but the banks agreed to reimburse the losses.
The scam, combined with the boy's age, has raised fresh questions about the security of internet banking. It is just six months since banking ombudsman Liz Brown said banks had been slow to introduce two-factor authentication measures to fight internet fraud.
Judge Pat Grace remanded the youth to a secure residential facility in Palmerston North when he appeared in Upper Hutt Youth Court yesterday.
"You had set up quite a sophisticated operation to obtain some $50,000 from unsuspecting users of the internet.
"With the seriousness of this offending, I must be considering a custodial sentence as far as you are concerned, and because of that I'm going to decline your application for bail."
The youth, who cannot be named, has also admitted unrelated charges of kidnapping, aggravated robbery, threatening behaviour, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, reckless driving, failing to stop and a string of driving offences. He is understood to owe about $35,000 in fines.
The computer fraud is believed to have been committed at his parents' home while he was unemployed.
The court is awaiting a psychological and social workers' report before hearing submissions on which court he should be sentenced in.
He faces up to five years' imprisonment if sentenced in the district court.
Constable Chris Muir said the youth decoded large amounts of information from people's computers to get account numbers and passwords. "He just keeps the things he wants. He is a very clever boy."
It was possible that others had been targeted but had not complained to police.
About $15,000 had been recovered. The outstanding money had mainly been sent to the bank accounts of several co-offenders, who were also before the courts.
"It's very concerning that someone can basically sit at home and get everything off the internet and do what they want."
The police electronic crime lab's national manager Maarten Kleintjes said internet banking fraud was becoming more sophisticated.
He would not say if it was increasing, because banks shared the information with police in confidence. Two-factor authentication - in which customers are issued with a new security code each time they log on - was the best way to guard against internet banking fraud.
Though it was compulsory in many countries, several major New Zealand banks - Westpac, ANZ and National - were yet to introduce the technology.
"The attacks are now being taken to a new level whereby people's machines are deliberately infiltrated with very sophisticated spyware, Mr Kleintjes said. "They basically take control of your machine. They access your bank accounts but also steal your identity."
The Upper Hutt teenager faces 26 fraud charges after hacking into people's internet banking accounts in August and September. A 16-year-old who police sent on a computer training course to improve his behaviour has admitted using a computer in an attempt to defraud banks of nearly $45,000.
The Upper Hutt teenager faces 26 fraud charges after hacking into people's internet banking accounts in August and September.
Police say he posted a computer virus on an internet message board and used it to capture details from people's personal computers.
Westpac, ANZ and ASB were all hit. The biggest transaction involved $6323, but the banks agreed to reimburse the losses.
The scam, combined with the boy's age, has raised fresh questions about the security of internet banking. It is just six months since banking ombudsman Liz Brown said banks had been slow to introduce two-factor authentication measures to fight internet fraud.
Judge Pat Grace remanded the youth to a secure residential facility in Palmerston North when he appeared in Upper Hutt Youth Court yesterday.
"You had set up quite a sophisticated operation to obtain some $50,000 from unsuspecting users of the internet.
"With the seriousness of this offending, I must be considering a custodial sentence as far as you are concerned, and because of that I'm going to decline your application for bail."
The youth, who cannot be named, has also admitted unrelated charges of kidnapping, aggravated robbery, threatening behaviour, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, reckless driving, failing to stop and a string of driving offences. He is understood to owe about $35,000 in fines.
The computer fraud is believed to have been committed at his parents' home while he was unemployed.
The court is awaiting a psychological and social workers' report before hearing submissions on which court he should be sentenced in.
He faces up to five years' imprisonment if sentenced in the district court.
Constable Chris Muir said the youth decoded large amounts of information from people's computers to get account numbers and passwords. "He just keeps the things he wants. He is a very clever boy."
It was possible that others had been targeted but had not complained to police.
About $15,000 had been recovered. The outstanding money had mainly been sent to the bank accounts of several co-offenders, who were also before the courts.
"It's very concerning that someone can basically sit at home and get everything off the internet and do what they want."
The police electronic crime lab's national manager Maarten Kleintjes said internet banking fraud was becoming more sophisticated.
He would not say if it was increasing, because banks shared the information with police in confidence. Two-factor authentication - in which customers are issued with a new security code each time they log on - was the best way to guard against internet banking fraud.
Though it was compulsory in many countries, several major New Zealand banks - Westpac, ANZ and National - were yet to introduce the technology.
"The attacks are now being taken to a new level whereby people's machines are deliberately infiltrated with very sophisticated spyware, Mr Kleintjes said. "They basically take control of your machine. They access your bank accounts but also steal your identity."
Tree nut !
RICHBURG, S.C. -- Melody Howell doesn't just have a Christmas tree; she has a whole Christmas forest in her Richburg-area home.
This year, she has 52 decorated trees -- one in every room of her house, including one in the laundry room and another in a bathtub.
Most folks think about their holiday decorations after Thanksgiving, but Howell never stops. She told the Rock Hill Herald she starts decking her halls Oct. 1 to be ready by mid-December.
All of the trees have themed decorations, and by Christmas, all will have names.
Fruitful Opulence. Victorian Romance. Limealicious. Arctic Frost. A black-and-white tree is Dancing in the Dark. A hot pink, diva-themed tree that still awaits a name is decked in shoes, sunglasses and other girlish treats.
During December, Howell and her husband, Gary, sometimes give group tours of their homegrown holiday attraction to seniors and members of their church, Ebenezer Presbyterian in Rock Hill.
Husband Gary Howell said his wife is a Christmas nut, but he added that their house looks beautiful when she's all done.
Howell enjoys having people over during the holidays so they can check out her trees. She plans an open house next week for church members and friends.
The trees don't come down until after Jan. 6. And Howell said she takes a month or more to put them all away, stashed in a Christmas storage room, two attics and her garage. "It comes down a whole lot faster than it goes up," she said.
Then, she said, Christmas is over. "And I'll start planning for next year."
This year, she has 52 decorated trees -- one in every room of her house, including one in the laundry room and another in a bathtub.
Most folks think about their holiday decorations after Thanksgiving, but Howell never stops. She told the Rock Hill Herald she starts decking her halls Oct. 1 to be ready by mid-December.
All of the trees have themed decorations, and by Christmas, all will have names.
Fruitful Opulence. Victorian Romance. Limealicious. Arctic Frost. A black-and-white tree is Dancing in the Dark. A hot pink, diva-themed tree that still awaits a name is decked in shoes, sunglasses and other girlish treats.
During December, Howell and her husband, Gary, sometimes give group tours of their homegrown holiday attraction to seniors and members of their church, Ebenezer Presbyterian in Rock Hill.
Husband Gary Howell said his wife is a Christmas nut, but he added that their house looks beautiful when she's all done.
Howell enjoys having people over during the holidays so they can check out her trees. She plans an open house next week for church members and friends.
The trees don't come down until after Jan. 6. And Howell said she takes a month or more to put them all away, stashed in a Christmas storage room, two attics and her garage. "It comes down a whole lot faster than it goes up," she said.
Then, she said, Christmas is over. "And I'll start planning for next year."
Scaredy campers
Two men who sparked a manhunt when their tent was found empty have admitted abandoning their camp after hearing a "scary" noise.About 50 volunteers joined the search when the empty tent was found in remote Harwood Forest, near Rothbury, Northumberland, on 5 December.
Sniffer dogs and a helicopter with a thermal imaging camera were also used.
When they were traced on Saturday, the men confessed to driving away in a panic after hearing the noise.
Police had been concerned after finding a jacket and enough food for four days inside the tent.
The abandoned campsite equipment has now been returned to the men, a Northumbria Police spokesman said.
Grandpa beats iPod
Children would rather spend time with their grandparents than listening to an iPod or watching television, a survey has claimed.
Only surfing the internet was a more popular pastime than spending time with gran and granddad. The survey, for the Heritage Lottery Fund, quizzed young people between the ages of 11 and 19.
It also revealed that 65 per cent felt that spending time with family should be the most important part of Christmas, ahead of presents, food and going to parties.
The survey revealed that one of the major benefits of the generations spending time together is that it provides the opportunity to share family stories and helps bring history to life for youngsters.
Heritage Lottery Fund director Carole Souter said: "In this so-called 'Asbo' age, when young people are characterised as being disconnected and hostile, it's a joy to be able to show that's nowhere near the whole story. "We know that heritage can provide opportunities for the generations to mix and learn from one another, giving young people a very real sense of who they are and where they come from. Spending time together and experiencing a sense of shared history definitely help bring the generations closer."
OLR (opinion leader research surveys) quizzed 800 young people online between August and November 2006.
Only surfing the internet was a more popular pastime than spending time with gran and granddad. The survey, for the Heritage Lottery Fund, quizzed young people between the ages of 11 and 19.
It also revealed that 65 per cent felt that spending time with family should be the most important part of Christmas, ahead of presents, food and going to parties.
The survey revealed that one of the major benefits of the generations spending time together is that it provides the opportunity to share family stories and helps bring history to life for youngsters.
Heritage Lottery Fund director Carole Souter said: "In this so-called 'Asbo' age, when young people are characterised as being disconnected and hostile, it's a joy to be able to show that's nowhere near the whole story. "We know that heritage can provide opportunities for the generations to mix and learn from one another, giving young people a very real sense of who they are and where they come from. Spending time together and experiencing a sense of shared history definitely help bring the generations closer."
OLR (opinion leader research surveys) quizzed 800 young people online between August and November 2006.
Cunning stunts
Members of the Filmka (Site under reconstruction)Stunt Team based in Hollywood, perform car stunts during a show in Wuhan, China.
Toy's up the pole
A toy pole dancer has been scrapped by Marks & Spencer just a week after it went on sale, following scores of protests from angry shoppers.Store bosses had hoped the 8in-tall blonde, sporting a red bikini and matching red lipstick, would be a big Christmas hit. But they were forced into a hasty about-turn and cleared the £19.50 toy off their shelves after they were inundated with complaints that it was offensive.
The "USB pole dancer" is designed to be plugged into any personal computer and comes complete with her own silver pole to dance around, as well as multi-coloured lights and disco music to "recreate an authentic nightclub atmosphere".
Once she is switched on she goes through a gyrating routine with the help of a pre-installed backing track.
Instructions on the packaging, which has "Girls, Girls, Girls" printed in large lettering, say: "This fun pole dancer is powered directly from the USB port on your PC and will entertain you at any time of the day or night."
They continue: "As the music plays, the dancer spins around the pole, moving up and down."
But Tory MP Ann Widdecombe attacked it as "cheap and tawdry". She added: "I would think this type of product would be entirely counter-productive to the image of M&S. It won't suit most of the customers who go to M&S anyway, so why do it? It's not respectful towards women."
An M&S spokeswoman said last night: "The crux of the complaints was really that some people were offended by the product. It was marketed at adults and was clearly marked 'Not suitable for children'.
Name & shame bad dads
Fathers who refuse to pay child support will be 'named and shamed' on the Internet in a new crackdown to be unveiled this week.
Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said yesterday that he wants the Child Support Agency (CSA)to 'come down like a ton of bricks' on parents who fail to fulfill their responsibilities to their children.
The crisis-ridden CSA is facing abolition after failing to recover £3.5 billion in unpaid debts much of which is expected to be written off at a cost to taxpayers of around £2 billion.
But before it is scrapped, ministers want to give the agency new powers to pursue deadbeat dads who they have failed to track down.
Offenders could be stripped of their passports, tagged or subjected to curfews under proposals in a government white paper to be published on Wednesday.
But political rivals dismissed the plans as a 'gimmick' that will do little to get to improve the situation and warned that naming offenders on the Internet could leave the agency open to legal action if the information made public is incorrect.
Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said yesterday that he wants the Child Support Agency (CSA)to 'come down like a ton of bricks' on parents who fail to fulfill their responsibilities to their children.
The crisis-ridden CSA is facing abolition after failing to recover £3.5 billion in unpaid debts much of which is expected to be written off at a cost to taxpayers of around £2 billion.
But before it is scrapped, ministers want to give the agency new powers to pursue deadbeat dads who they have failed to track down.
Offenders could be stripped of their passports, tagged or subjected to curfews under proposals in a government white paper to be published on Wednesday.
But political rivals dismissed the plans as a 'gimmick' that will do little to get to improve the situation and warned that naming offenders on the Internet could leave the agency open to legal action if the information made public is incorrect.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Would you like ice with that ?
Two employees of an ice rink in Boise, Idaho, have been sacked for taking a ride to a local burger drive-thru in a pair of ice resurfacing machines. The Zamboni grooming machines have a top speed of about 5mph. The distance from the Ice World rink to the Burger King drive-thru is about a mile and a half and takes in at least one traffic light.
The men were spotted by a local resident who was filling his car with petrol and saw the Zambonis roll through the Burger King and then drive back to the rink.
The man phoned the city's anonymous hotline and shopped them.
It was "one of the five stupidest things I have seen in 35 years of work in public parks", the local parks director, Jim Hall, told the Boise Guardian, the blog that broke the story.
The bad news is that the employees could still face charges for driving an unlicensed vehicle in a public street. Their Burger King order has not been revealed.
The men were spotted by a local resident who was filling his car with petrol and saw the Zambonis roll through the Burger King and then drive back to the rink.
The man phoned the city's anonymous hotline and shopped them.
It was "one of the five stupidest things I have seen in 35 years of work in public parks", the local parks director, Jim Hall, told the Boise Guardian, the blog that broke the story.
The bad news is that the employees could still face charges for driving an unlicensed vehicle in a public street. Their Burger King order has not been revealed.
"Biggest Ass in School" competition
Sao Paulo - Officials in Brazil's biggest city took legal action to ban a contest to find the schoolboy or girl with the biggest bum.
A court in Sao Paulo declared the "Biggest Ass in School" competition, promoted by Mix Radio in schools across the city, illegal.
The radio station had invited pupils to take pictures of their classmates' - and even teachers' - backsides, reports Terras Noticias Populares.
The pictures were to be sent in to the station with a cash prize going to the sender of the picture of the biggest bum.
But a judge banned the competition - and threatened to take Mix Radio off the air if it did not stop broadcasting ads for it.
A spokesperson for the Sao Paulo justice department said: "This contest is offensive and violent, we can't tolerate it."
And a Cornbird In A Palm Tree......
Angry parents are banning kids from a school party after the head introduced PC versions of festive songs. He is insisting on a reggae-themed Twelve Days of Christmas with the line “Partridge In A Pear Tree” changed to “Cornbird In A Palm Tree”.
Instead of “Twelve Lords A-Leaping” or “Ten Pipers Piping”, kids will sing about “Six Limbo Dancers” and “Seven Steel Band Beaters”.Other changes include a ruling that Christmas classic Away In A Manger will not be sung but performed in sign. And Rocking Around The Christmas Tree becomes Rocking Around The Shops.
The decision to ditch the traditional nativity play in favour of a calypso concert has angered parents. More than 100 have signed a petition demanding a return to a Christian Christmas — or they will keep their kids away.
Mum Michelle Geddes, 32, said: “I have no problem with the kids learning about other cultures — but now it is Christmas. This is a time for Christian people to celebrate. “To turn it into some sort of politically correct function with a Caribbean flavour is just not on. They want the kids to sing about Four Pumpkin Pies instead of Turtle Doves and it is just winding all the parents up. When it comes to the one tradition we have left they have to go and change it. This is Britain and we want a traditional British Christmas for our kids.”Chantelle Thomas, 32, who has three kids at Highview Primary School in Wallington, Surrey, attacked headmaster Nicholas Wollaston’s plans. She said: ”I think it’s terrible. They’ve learned about other celebrations from all around the world but when it comes to British ones they don’t want to know.”
However, deputy head Elizabeth Brailsford claimed that putting on nativity plays disrupted the school’s curriculum and adversely affected children’s behaviour. She added: “If anything, this is even more traditional than any other year. We’re going to have poems, Christmas carols and Bible readings.”
Instead of “Twelve Lords A-Leaping” or “Ten Pipers Piping”, kids will sing about “Six Limbo Dancers” and “Seven Steel Band Beaters”.Other changes include a ruling that Christmas classic Away In A Manger will not be sung but performed in sign. And Rocking Around The Christmas Tree becomes Rocking Around The Shops.
The decision to ditch the traditional nativity play in favour of a calypso concert has angered parents. More than 100 have signed a petition demanding a return to a Christian Christmas — or they will keep their kids away.
Mum Michelle Geddes, 32, said: “I have no problem with the kids learning about other cultures — but now it is Christmas. This is a time for Christian people to celebrate. “To turn it into some sort of politically correct function with a Caribbean flavour is just not on. They want the kids to sing about Four Pumpkin Pies instead of Turtle Doves and it is just winding all the parents up. When it comes to the one tradition we have left they have to go and change it. This is Britain and we want a traditional British Christmas for our kids.”Chantelle Thomas, 32, who has three kids at Highview Primary School in Wallington, Surrey, attacked headmaster Nicholas Wollaston’s plans. She said: ”I think it’s terrible. They’ve learned about other celebrations from all around the world but when it comes to British ones they don’t want to know.”
However, deputy head Elizabeth Brailsford claimed that putting on nativity plays disrupted the school’s curriculum and adversely affected children’s behaviour. She added: “If anything, this is even more traditional than any other year. We’re going to have poems, Christmas carols and Bible readings.”
Risk assess your mince pies !
Organisers of a village Christmas party have been told they must carry out a risk assessment of their mince pies - or their festivities will be cancelled.
Council bosses say posters will have to be displayed at the party in Embsay, in the Yorkshire Dales, warning villagers the pies contain nuts and suet pastry. The cocoa content and temperature of the hot chocolate must also be checked.
Resident Steve Dobson said the rules had made the small party as difficult to arrange as the Great Yorkshire Show.
Mr Dobson said he learned of the regulations after writing to Craven District Council to ask if he could use a car park outside Embsay village hall to hold the free party for the community.
He planned a fireworks display, mulled wine, Santa's grotto and free mince pies made by members of Embsay and Eastby Women's Institute.
"It is bureaucracy gone mad", Mr Dobson said. "The council gave me a huge list of things we had to do. I wrote back, a little bit tongue in cheek, asking if I really had to risk assess free mince pies and a brass band, and they said yes. Everything we do, from putting tinsel up to providing refreshments has to be assessed. We have to consider the dangers involved, that someone might choke on their mince pie or have a nut allergy. I also understand that Santa may need a Criminal Records Bureau check. For a small Dales village we found it a bit of a joke really. It's gone from us hoping to use a bit of council property for a community party, to needing the same sort of planning we would have to put in for the Great Yorkshire Show."
Mr Dobson said it he was now considering moving the party to private land elsewhere in the village.
Council bosses say posters will have to be displayed at the party in Embsay, in the Yorkshire Dales, warning villagers the pies contain nuts and suet pastry. The cocoa content and temperature of the hot chocolate must also be checked.
Resident Steve Dobson said the rules had made the small party as difficult to arrange as the Great Yorkshire Show.
Mr Dobson said he learned of the regulations after writing to Craven District Council to ask if he could use a car park outside Embsay village hall to hold the free party for the community.
He planned a fireworks display, mulled wine, Santa's grotto and free mince pies made by members of Embsay and Eastby Women's Institute.
"It is bureaucracy gone mad", Mr Dobson said. "The council gave me a huge list of things we had to do. I wrote back, a little bit tongue in cheek, asking if I really had to risk assess free mince pies and a brass band, and they said yes. Everything we do, from putting tinsel up to providing refreshments has to be assessed. We have to consider the dangers involved, that someone might choke on their mince pie or have a nut allergy. I also understand that Santa may need a Criminal Records Bureau check. For a small Dales village we found it a bit of a joke really. It's gone from us hoping to use a bit of council property for a community party, to needing the same sort of planning we would have to put in for the Great Yorkshire Show."
Mr Dobson said it he was now considering moving the party to private land elsewhere in the village.
Uh why !?
AN entertainer whose act involves sliding a snake into his nostril before pulling it out of his mouth, hopes to get into the record books when he attempts the same feat with two snakes.
"Snake Mano", of East Tamburam in India, has been performing the single snake through the nose trick for some years, but thinks he will be breaking new ground if he manages to get two snakes through the same nasal passage at the same time.
"Snake Mano", of East Tamburam in India, has been performing the single snake through the nose trick for some years, but thinks he will be breaking new ground if he manages to get two snakes through the same nasal passage at the same time.
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