What The Fuck ?!?!?!
Woman haunts ex online for years after breakup
Lee David Clayworth has been struggling to gain employment. He suspects that may be due to what potential employers see if they enter his name into a search engine.
Ah, romance. Boy meets girl. Boy dates girl. Boy dumps girl. Girl embarks on a campaign of online harassment that lands her a prison sentence. Girl flees country.
Lee David Clayworth, 35, met Lee Ching Yan, 29, while he was teaching at an international school in Malaysia. They began casually dating in mid-2010, said Clayworth, who called it quits by December. "I decided to go my own way," he told TODAY, describing a relationship that at times "wasn't the healthiest." Unfortunately, he said, the dumping "didn't go down so well with her."
After the split, Yan broke into Clayworth's home and took his laptop, external hard drive, teaching portfolio and other significant personal belongings, he said.
"And then this online onslaught started," Clayworth said. "My email account was hacked into, my Skype account was hacked into. Emails started coming from my account ... claiming that I'm having sex with underage students."
Personal photos which he'd stored on his laptop started appearing, along with his full name and a variety of crude claims. By cramming the Internet with these publicly viewable posts, Yan managed to make it so that anyone searching for his name would immediately see all of the nastiness.
"First thing I thought," Clayworth said, "How do you do damage control on that?"
The answer is, not very easily. He began by writing to the contacts who'd been sent messages from his account, explaining the situation. But all the other harassment continued. "I was really shocked. I didn't know what to do," Clayworth said.
He got in touch with a lawyer and pursued the issue in a court in Malaysia, where he was granted a court order. Yan disregarded the court order and continued her onslaught, even after she was found in contempt of the court.
"The abovenamed Defendant, Lee Ching Yan," read the (translated) decision of the High Court of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, "be put into His Majesty The King's prison for contempt of this Honorable Court because ... the Defendant is repeatedly making the representations that the Plaintiff ..." And what follows is a list of things that Yan reportedly called Clayworth, including "pervert," "sex maniac," "criminal" and far, far worse.
But she never went to prison. "She fled the country," Clayworth said, and "things kept steamrolling on and on." The postings continued unabated.
"I'd email a website and say ... this is my situation, could you please remove the content?" He'd send copies of the court order, links to coverage of his case — including some by CBC Radio Canada — and hope for the best. "A majority of websites would ignore it, wouldn't even email me back." Search engine giants, such as Google and Bing, were also unresponsive.
Eventually, in December 2012, his teaching contract expired and Clayworth returned to Canada, to be near his family. Since then, he's been struggling to gain employment, which he suspects may be due to what potential employers see if they enter his name into a search engine.
"The main hurdle to [Clayworth's] success here is that he sued [Yan] in Malaysia," Jeff Hermes, director of the Digital Media Law Project at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, explained to TODAY.
Companies like Google, he said, "will only respond to court orders in certain jurisdictions." He offers that Clayworth could theoretically opt to refile in various jurisdictions, but he'd be facing an uphill battle thanks to different standards of freedom of speech in different countries.
When asked if he'd considered changing his name in order to escape his unfortunate search results, Clayworth responded that he thought about it, but didn't see it as the right solution. "I look at that as … why do I have to give up my identity? In a sense, some people might say that my identity is already given up in a way because of all the stuff that's out there, but ... I shouldn't have to do that."
"And then, what if," he proposes, "my identity gets changed? What if I get turned up somewhere with my new name?"
He paused, sounding tired. "I can only imagine what it's like to be a young person and have this happen. For young people, it must be overwhelming. At my age, it's overwhelming for me." He sighed, "This is never going to stop."
Woman haunts ex online for years after breakup
Lee David Clayworth has been struggling to gain employment. He suspects that may be due to what potential employers see if they enter his name into a search engine.
Ah, romance. Boy meets girl. Boy dates girl. Boy dumps girl. Girl embarks on a campaign of online harassment that lands her a prison sentence. Girl flees country.
Lee David Clayworth, 35, met Lee Ching Yan, 29, while he was teaching at an international school in Malaysia. They began casually dating in mid-2010, said Clayworth, who called it quits by December. "I decided to go my own way," he told TODAY, describing a relationship that at times "wasn't the healthiest." Unfortunately, he said, the dumping "didn't go down so well with her."
After the split, Yan broke into Clayworth's home and took his laptop, external hard drive, teaching portfolio and other significant personal belongings, he said.
"And then this online onslaught started," Clayworth said. "My email account was hacked into, my Skype account was hacked into. Emails started coming from my account ... claiming that I'm having sex with underage students."
Personal photos which he'd stored on his laptop started appearing, along with his full name and a variety of crude claims. By cramming the Internet with these publicly viewable posts, Yan managed to make it so that anyone searching for his name would immediately see all of the nastiness.
"First thing I thought," Clayworth said, "How do you do damage control on that?"
The answer is, not very easily. He began by writing to the contacts who'd been sent messages from his account, explaining the situation. But all the other harassment continued. "I was really shocked. I didn't know what to do," Clayworth said.
He got in touch with a lawyer and pursued the issue in a court in Malaysia, where he was granted a court order. Yan disregarded the court order and continued her onslaught, even after she was found in contempt of the court.
"The abovenamed Defendant, Lee Ching Yan," read the (translated) decision of the High Court of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, "be put into His Majesty The King's prison for contempt of this Honorable Court because ... the Defendant is repeatedly making the representations that the Plaintiff ..." And what follows is a list of things that Yan reportedly called Clayworth, including "pervert," "sex maniac," "criminal" and far, far worse.
But she never went to prison. "She fled the country," Clayworth said, and "things kept steamrolling on and on." The postings continued unabated.
"I'd email a website and say ... this is my situation, could you please remove the content?" He'd send copies of the court order, links to coverage of his case — including some by CBC Radio Canada — and hope for the best. "A majority of websites would ignore it, wouldn't even email me back." Search engine giants, such as Google and Bing, were also unresponsive.
Eventually, in December 2012, his teaching contract expired and Clayworth returned to Canada, to be near his family. Since then, he's been struggling to gain employment, which he suspects may be due to what potential employers see if they enter his name into a search engine.
"The main hurdle to [Clayworth's] success here is that he sued [Yan] in Malaysia," Jeff Hermes, director of the Digital Media Law Project at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, explained to TODAY.
Companies like Google, he said, "will only respond to court orders in certain jurisdictions." He offers that Clayworth could theoretically opt to refile in various jurisdictions, but he'd be facing an uphill battle thanks to different standards of freedom of speech in different countries.
When asked if he'd considered changing his name in order to escape his unfortunate search results, Clayworth responded that he thought about it, but didn't see it as the right solution. "I look at that as … why do I have to give up my identity? In a sense, some people might say that my identity is already given up in a way because of all the stuff that's out there, but ... I shouldn't have to do that."
"And then, what if," he proposes, "my identity gets changed? What if I get turned up somewhere with my new name?"
He paused, sounding tired. "I can only imagine what it's like to be a young person and have this happen. For young people, it must be overwhelming. At my age, it's overwhelming for me." He sighed, "This is never going to stop."
Newly Discovered Giant Spider is of the Nightmare-Inducing Variety
Of all of the creepy and crawly things that you can think of, tarantulas probably are near the top of the list when it comes to scariness. Well, get ready to add another terrifying arachnid to your list, because a new type of tarantula has been discovered in northern Sri Lanka.
Ranil Nanayakkara, a local researcher, and his team found the tiger spider and named it Poecilotheria rajaei, after a local police investigator, Michael Rajakumar Purajah. Purajah helped the team of scientists navigate the remote area where the spider was found.
The genus Poecilotheria is known for being fast, colorful, and venomous. But why does this newly discovered species stand out from all the rest in its genus? It's huge, for one thing. Its leg span is up to 8 inches across, about the length of your face. It also has distinctive markings on its underside and legs that are geometrically patterned and described as daffodil-yellow and gray.
So what do these spiders eat? They have a taste for small snakes, birds, and mice. Nanayakkara explained why they were able to find P. rajaei in an unusual place -- an old doctor's office. "They prefer well-established old trees, but due to deforestation, the number have dwindled and due to lack of suitable habitat, they enter old buildings."
One thing is for sure -- unless you're a spider lover, you would not want to cross paths with this guy. He just might stop you in your tracks.
Of all of the creepy and crawly things that you can think of, tarantulas probably are near the top of the list when it comes to scariness. Well, get ready to add another terrifying arachnid to your list, because a new type of tarantula has been discovered in northern Sri Lanka.
Ranil Nanayakkara, a local researcher, and his team found the tiger spider and named it Poecilotheria rajaei, after a local police investigator, Michael Rajakumar Purajah. Purajah helped the team of scientists navigate the remote area where the spider was found.
The genus Poecilotheria is known for being fast, colorful, and venomous. But why does this newly discovered species stand out from all the rest in its genus? It's huge, for one thing. Its leg span is up to 8 inches across, about the length of your face. It also has distinctive markings on its underside and legs that are geometrically patterned and described as daffodil-yellow and gray.
So what do these spiders eat? They have a taste for small snakes, birds, and mice. Nanayakkara explained why they were able to find P. rajaei in an unusual place -- an old doctor's office. "They prefer well-established old trees, but due to deforestation, the number have dwindled and due to lack of suitable habitat, they enter old buildings."
One thing is for sure -- unless you're a spider lover, you would not want to cross paths with this guy. He just might stop you in your tracks.
too funny!!
Scientology Sings: Another Wacky Musical Pitch for Cash
Our thanks to those clever folks at Anonymous, who very early this morning posted a real gem: a new International Association of Scientologists (IAS) video by our old friends in Melbourne. We can always count on the very sunny Scientologists in Victoria to give us a lift...
There's so much here to savor. We can't help thinking of the parallels to the IAS video produced by similarly fly church members in Copenhagen, Denmark. Also, Chanology Leaks points out that using an Elvis Presley imitator is particularly bad form, since Elvis elbowed Scientology in the ribs.
For those new to Scientology watching, the IAS is the church's defense fund, and individual members are under incredible pressure to donate to it. At nearly every turn, Scientologists are told that increasing their "status" with the IAS (in other words, donating larger and larger amounts) is key to the health of the planet.
a horrible song for a horrible cause.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-ortega/scientology-sings-another_b_2646643.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news
for more bullshit go here: For more on what Scientology's really all about, please read the rest of this story at tonyortega.org
and more craziness even though I love the Troggs.
'Wild Thing' Rock Star Reg Presley Demanded Answers To UFO Conspiracies
When Reg Presley died on Feb. 4 from cancer at 71, stories lightly touched upon a side of his life that was separate from his role as the lead singer of the '60s rock group The Troggs.
Presley, best known for the garage band classic "Wild Thing," was obsessed with UFOs, extraterrestrials and crop circles -- those often-mysterious patterns that turn up unexpectedly in farmers' fields, most notably in the U.K.
Presley and The Troggs continued to tour all the way into 2010, when Presley suffered a serious stroke, resulting in his retirement from the music business.
Even while The Troggs were touring, Presley's interest in UFOs and crop circles led to his hosting a local cable TV show in the U.K. called "The Reg Presley UFO Show," and he later published a book, "Wild Things They Don't Tell Us," in 2002.
In the mid-1990s, Presley began devoting "huge amounts of time and resources to personal investigations of what he felt were neglected areas of science -- notably alien spacecraft, lost civilizations and alchemy," reports The Telegraph.
According to The Telegraph, in 2006, Presley talked about how he'd respond if aliens landed and invited him into their ship.
"I hope I would have the bottle to go. Because I'd like to ask them a lot of bloody questions. And they've probably got all the answers," he said. "These beings may be 20 million years in advance of us. What kind of technology must they have? You could come back to Earth and not know a soul on the planet. But perhaps you would have seen something that would save the whole human race. And maybe some people have done that."
In his book, "Wild Things They Don't Tell Us," Presley recounted his personal quest -- through meetings with crop circle and UFO investigators, eyewitnesses, military personnel, scientists and astronauts, who opened his eyes to ideas he wanted to share with the world.
"As yet, the study of crop formations and UFOlogy is not a science. Therefore, although some scientists may be looking into these phenomena, they cannot be seen to be doing so by their fraternity," Presley wrote. "Behind the scenes, work is being carried out and some questions are being answered. We may still have a long way to go.
"I do not believe anyone can spend 12 years, as I have, studying crop formations and the UFO phenomenon, without forming strong opinions on the whole subject, although the trial -- as it were -- is still ongoing, and the evidence still coming in."
The world will remember Presley "whose raunchy, suggestive voice powered the paean to teenage lust ['Wild Thing']," reports the Los Angeles Times.
But the world of UFOlogy will recognize Presley as one who pursued the truth of the unexplained and who spoke out against what he perceived as government conspiracy about possible alien visits to Earth.
"One conclusion I have come to is that if you wish to know all that is going on around you on this planet, you are the only one that can get to the truth. You as an individual have much work to do. You have many books to read, many lectures to visit, and should have a truly open mind to begin with," Presley wrote in his book.
"You will have to listen to much misinformation, but be able to siphon off small pieces of good information that will, from time to time, be hidden there within it. There will be people paid by governments and private individuals that will come forward as though to help, but with other motives. There will also be glory seekers, in it for 15 minutes of fame. Government bodies will try to keep us from the truth. Our only chance of winning that truth is for the believers to become the majority."
go here to see the videos: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/10/wild-thing-reg-presley_n_2647670.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news
Scientology Sings: Another Wacky Musical Pitch for Cash
Our thanks to those clever folks at Anonymous, who very early this morning posted a real gem: a new International Association of Scientologists (IAS) video by our old friends in Melbourne. We can always count on the very sunny Scientologists in Victoria to give us a lift...
There's so much here to savor. We can't help thinking of the parallels to the IAS video produced by similarly fly church members in Copenhagen, Denmark. Also, Chanology Leaks points out that using an Elvis Presley imitator is particularly bad form, since Elvis elbowed Scientology in the ribs.
For those new to Scientology watching, the IAS is the church's defense fund, and individual members are under incredible pressure to donate to it. At nearly every turn, Scientologists are told that increasing their "status" with the IAS (in other words, donating larger and larger amounts) is key to the health of the planet.
a horrible song for a horrible cause.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-ortega/scientology-sings-another_b_2646643.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news
for more bullshit go here: For more on what Scientology's really all about, please read the rest of this story at tonyortega.org
and more craziness even though I love the Troggs.
'Wild Thing' Rock Star Reg Presley Demanded Answers To UFO Conspiracies
When Reg Presley died on Feb. 4 from cancer at 71, stories lightly touched upon a side of his life that was separate from his role as the lead singer of the '60s rock group The Troggs.
Presley, best known for the garage band classic "Wild Thing," was obsessed with UFOs, extraterrestrials and crop circles -- those often-mysterious patterns that turn up unexpectedly in farmers' fields, most notably in the U.K.
Presley and The Troggs continued to tour all the way into 2010, when Presley suffered a serious stroke, resulting in his retirement from the music business.
Even while The Troggs were touring, Presley's interest in UFOs and crop circles led to his hosting a local cable TV show in the U.K. called "The Reg Presley UFO Show," and he later published a book, "Wild Things They Don't Tell Us," in 2002.
In the mid-1990s, Presley began devoting "huge amounts of time and resources to personal investigations of what he felt were neglected areas of science -- notably alien spacecraft, lost civilizations and alchemy," reports The Telegraph.
According to The Telegraph, in 2006, Presley talked about how he'd respond if aliens landed and invited him into their ship.
"I hope I would have the bottle to go. Because I'd like to ask them a lot of bloody questions. And they've probably got all the answers," he said. "These beings may be 20 million years in advance of us. What kind of technology must they have? You could come back to Earth and not know a soul on the planet. But perhaps you would have seen something that would save the whole human race. And maybe some people have done that."
In his book, "Wild Things They Don't Tell Us," Presley recounted his personal quest -- through meetings with crop circle and UFO investigators, eyewitnesses, military personnel, scientists and astronauts, who opened his eyes to ideas he wanted to share with the world.
"As yet, the study of crop formations and UFOlogy is not a science. Therefore, although some scientists may be looking into these phenomena, they cannot be seen to be doing so by their fraternity," Presley wrote. "Behind the scenes, work is being carried out and some questions are being answered. We may still have a long way to go.
"I do not believe anyone can spend 12 years, as I have, studying crop formations and the UFO phenomenon, without forming strong opinions on the whole subject, although the trial -- as it were -- is still ongoing, and the evidence still coming in."
The world will remember Presley "whose raunchy, suggestive voice powered the paean to teenage lust ['Wild Thing']," reports the Los Angeles Times.
But the world of UFOlogy will recognize Presley as one who pursued the truth of the unexplained and who spoke out against what he perceived as government conspiracy about possible alien visits to Earth.
"One conclusion I have come to is that if you wish to know all that is going on around you on this planet, you are the only one that can get to the truth. You as an individual have much work to do. You have many books to read, many lectures to visit, and should have a truly open mind to begin with," Presley wrote in his book.
"You will have to listen to much misinformation, but be able to siphon off small pieces of good information that will, from time to time, be hidden there within it. There will be people paid by governments and private individuals that will come forward as though to help, but with other motives. There will also be glory seekers, in it for 15 minutes of fame. Government bodies will try to keep us from the truth. Our only chance of winning that truth is for the believers to become the majority."
go here to see the videos: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/10/wild-thing-reg-presley_n_2647670.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news
Donna Lange, Washington Woman, Accused Of Using Her Breasts To Smother And Kill Boyfriend
Posted: 01/16/2013
A Washington woman is accused of using her breasts to smother and kill her boyfriend after an altercation at their mobile home.
Donna Lange, a 51-year-old woman from Everett, Wash., is believed to have suffocated her boyfriend to death with her breasts on Saturday, Jan. 12, according to Seattle's KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. Deputies, called to the Airport Inn trailer park at 12:45 a.m. for a disturbance report, found medics performing CPR on Lange's 51-year-old alleged boyfriend, who was later pronounced dead at Swedish Hospital.
Kiro 7 reports that witnesses claims they saw Lange throw her boyfriend down in the back of the mobile home. She was later found by witnesses with her chest covering the victim's face. Police noted the size difference between Lange and her boyfriend -- she was 5-feet, 6-inches and 192 pounds, he was 5-feet, 7-inches and 175 pounds.
Other women around the world are known to have allegedly used their breasts as weapons.
In November, German lawyer Tim Schmidt claimed his girlfriend tried to smother him with her 38DD breasts. Schmidt said she pretended it was a sex game, the Daily Mail reported. "I asked her why she wanted to smother me to death with her breasts and she told me: 'Treasure – I wanted your death to be as pleasurable as possible,'" he said.
The 33-year-old woman was reportedly accused of "attempted manslaughter with a weapon," according to the Daily Mail.
A U.K. mother of three nearly smothered her boyfriend with her 40LL breasts while they were having sex in 2010, CBS reported via News of the World. She mistook his flailing for excitement, until she noticed that he had stopped moving and appeared to not be breathing.
Luckily, the man regained consciousness, but the two broke up shortly thereafter.
Posted: 01/16/2013
A Washington woman is accused of using her breasts to smother and kill her boyfriend after an altercation at their mobile home.
Donna Lange, a 51-year-old woman from Everett, Wash., is believed to have suffocated her boyfriend to death with her breasts on Saturday, Jan. 12, according to Seattle's KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. Deputies, called to the Airport Inn trailer park at 12:45 a.m. for a disturbance report, found medics performing CPR on Lange's 51-year-old alleged boyfriend, who was later pronounced dead at Swedish Hospital.
Kiro 7 reports that witnesses claims they saw Lange throw her boyfriend down in the back of the mobile home. She was later found by witnesses with her chest covering the victim's face. Police noted the size difference between Lange and her boyfriend -- she was 5-feet, 6-inches and 192 pounds, he was 5-feet, 7-inches and 175 pounds.
Other women around the world are known to have allegedly used their breasts as weapons.
In November, German lawyer Tim Schmidt claimed his girlfriend tried to smother him with her 38DD breasts. Schmidt said she pretended it was a sex game, the Daily Mail reported. "I asked her why she wanted to smother me to death with her breasts and she told me: 'Treasure – I wanted your death to be as pleasurable as possible,'" he said.
The 33-year-old woman was reportedly accused of "attempted manslaughter with a weapon," according to the Daily Mail.
A U.K. mother of three nearly smothered her boyfriend with her 40LL breasts while they were having sex in 2010, CBS reported via News of the World. She mistook his flailing for excitement, until she noticed that he had stopped moving and appeared to not be breathing.
Luckily, the man regained consciousness, but the two broke up shortly thereafter.
French Apocalypse village looks forward to Christmas *** Updated 12-21-12 ***
(Reuters) - Rumors the tiny French hamlet of Bugarach will be spared by a looming Apocalypse have sparked a storm of media interest, with journalists flocking in search of Doomsday believers who are so far proving few and far between.
Less than a day before the world is due to end according to an ancient Mayan prophecy, there were no survivalists to be found in the picturesque village or on its rocky outcrop, the Pic de Bugarach, nestled at the foothills of the Pyrenees.
At last count some 250 journalists were accredited for the much-anticipated event, outnumbering the 200 or so locals, who were becoming increasingly irate.
Mayor Jean-Pierre Delord said he expected Bugarach to still be standing next week, along with the rest of the world. His message: Don't show up, not even if you're curious.
"Don't come here. You'll only be making things hard for yourself, and there's even a risk of physical danger. So just don't come," he told reporters.
The origins of Bugarach's supposed immunity are unclear, although the area has been steeped in legend for centuries.
It was once inhabited by the mysterious medieval heretics the Cathars, and is even said to be the burial site of Jesus and possibly Mary of Magdalene.
The Pic de Bugarach, meanwhile, is said to be upside down, containing older layers of rock at the top than at the bottom.
More recently those myths have morphed into claims the mountain shelters an alien spaceship that will take off on Judgment Day, or even that it conceals a door to another world.
In 2011, the government's anti-sect watchdog Miviludes warned of a possible influx of New Age believers, after spotting six settlements in the area and noting that messianic groups had been holding conferences at local hotels.
Since then, media speculation has raged.
As a precaution for Friday authorities have closed off access to the village and mountain and drafted in extra police.
Some locals are even cashing in on the exposure, setting up a makeshift "End of the World" bar and selling a local wine labeled "Bugarach - The End of the World - I Was There."
Just in case the world does end, however, they've thoughtfully laid on a first-aid tent.
Judging by appearances though, if the prophecy does come true the only people saved will be locals and the hordes of international media. Whether they will make a fitting post-apocalyptic population, only time will tell.
Police: Mom hired strippers for teens
Published: Nov. 15, 2012 at 4:03 PM
SOUTH GLEN FALLS, N.Y., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Police in New York state said they were looking into allegations that a mother hired strippers to perform at her 16-year-old son's birthday party.
South Glen Falls Police Chief Kevin Judd and Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy III said the mother, whose name was not released, threw a surprise party for her son's 16th birthday Nov. 3 at Spare Time bowling alley, and the event was attended by 80 people, mostly 14- and 15-year-olds, The (Schenectady, N.Y.) Daily Gazette reported Thursday.
Murphy said the parents of some teenagers called police when they discovered the event was attended by exotic dancers from Tops and Bottoms, an Albany strip club.
"We're looking into it," Judd said.
A Spare Time employee declined to comment on the incident.
(Reuters) - Rumors the tiny French hamlet of Bugarach will be spared by a looming Apocalypse have sparked a storm of media interest, with journalists flocking in search of Doomsday believers who are so far proving few and far between.
Less than a day before the world is due to end according to an ancient Mayan prophecy, there were no survivalists to be found in the picturesque village or on its rocky outcrop, the Pic de Bugarach, nestled at the foothills of the Pyrenees.
At last count some 250 journalists were accredited for the much-anticipated event, outnumbering the 200 or so locals, who were becoming increasingly irate.
Mayor Jean-Pierre Delord said he expected Bugarach to still be standing next week, along with the rest of the world. His message: Don't show up, not even if you're curious.
"Don't come here. You'll only be making things hard for yourself, and there's even a risk of physical danger. So just don't come," he told reporters.
The origins of Bugarach's supposed immunity are unclear, although the area has been steeped in legend for centuries.
It was once inhabited by the mysterious medieval heretics the Cathars, and is even said to be the burial site of Jesus and possibly Mary of Magdalene.
The Pic de Bugarach, meanwhile, is said to be upside down, containing older layers of rock at the top than at the bottom.
More recently those myths have morphed into claims the mountain shelters an alien spaceship that will take off on Judgment Day, or even that it conceals a door to another world.
In 2011, the government's anti-sect watchdog Miviludes warned of a possible influx of New Age believers, after spotting six settlements in the area and noting that messianic groups had been holding conferences at local hotels.
Since then, media speculation has raged.
As a precaution for Friday authorities have closed off access to the village and mountain and drafted in extra police.
Some locals are even cashing in on the exposure, setting up a makeshift "End of the World" bar and selling a local wine labeled "Bugarach - The End of the World - I Was There."
Just in case the world does end, however, they've thoughtfully laid on a first-aid tent.
Judging by appearances though, if the prophecy does come true the only people saved will be locals and the hordes of international media. Whether they will make a fitting post-apocalyptic population, only time will tell.
Police: Mom hired strippers for teens
Published: Nov. 15, 2012 at 4:03 PM
SOUTH GLEN FALLS, N.Y., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Police in New York state said they were looking into allegations that a mother hired strippers to perform at her 16-year-old son's birthday party.
South Glen Falls Police Chief Kevin Judd and Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy III said the mother, whose name was not released, threw a surprise party for her son's 16th birthday Nov. 3 at Spare Time bowling alley, and the event was attended by 80 people, mostly 14- and 15-year-olds, The (Schenectady, N.Y.) Daily Gazette reported Thursday.
Murphy said the parents of some teenagers called police when they discovered the event was attended by exotic dancers from Tops and Bottoms, an Albany strip club.
"We're looking into it," Judd said.
A Spare Time employee declined to comment on the incident.
Boy discovers rare, nearly intact woolly mammoth
Scientists looking at a nearly intact mammoth carcass say the woolly beast may have been killed by an ice-age human.
Alexei Tikhonov of the St. Petersburg Zoology Institute told the Associated Press that the mammoth found in Siberia—one of the best preserved carcasses ever found—could have been "possibly" killed by a human or a rival mammoth.
The remarkable discovery was made last month by an 11-year-old Russian boy. While exploring the area around his home, the youngster uncovered a tusk, bones, fur and flesh of a creature that is estimated to be 30,000 years old, the Daily Mail reports.
The boy, Yevgeny Salinder, according to ABC News, found the remains in permafrost in Taymyr, located in Russia's northernmost region.
The mammoth is informally named Zhenya, after the boy's nickname. Its official name is the Sopkarginsky mammoth, according to ABC News.
The 16-year-old mammoth was 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed about 1,100 pounds, Tikhonov told AP. While the mammoth is nearly intact, its DNA is damaged and "hardly" suitable for cloning.
Tikhonov told the Daily Mail the last time such a well-preserved mammoth was found in Russia was in 1901.
The carcass will become an exhibit at the Taymyr Regional Studies Museum in Russia.
Scientists looking at a nearly intact mammoth carcass say the woolly beast may have been killed by an ice-age human.
Alexei Tikhonov of the St. Petersburg Zoology Institute told the Associated Press that the mammoth found in Siberia—one of the best preserved carcasses ever found—could have been "possibly" killed by a human or a rival mammoth.
The remarkable discovery was made last month by an 11-year-old Russian boy. While exploring the area around his home, the youngster uncovered a tusk, bones, fur and flesh of a creature that is estimated to be 30,000 years old, the Daily Mail reports.
The boy, Yevgeny Salinder, according to ABC News, found the remains in permafrost in Taymyr, located in Russia's northernmost region.
The mammoth is informally named Zhenya, after the boy's nickname. Its official name is the Sopkarginsky mammoth, according to ABC News.
The 16-year-old mammoth was 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed about 1,100 pounds, Tikhonov told AP. While the mammoth is nearly intact, its DNA is damaged and "hardly" suitable for cloning.
Tikhonov told the Daily Mail the last time such a well-preserved mammoth was found in Russia was in 1901.
The carcass will become an exhibit at the Taymyr Regional Studies Museum in Russia.
Topless Babysitter Found Lying in Parking Lot
A Fort Pierce woman who was supposed to be babysitting a 5-year-old was arrested after she was found lying topless in the parking lot of a Melbourne hotel, police said.
Stacey Lynne Kerres, 47, was arrested Thursday on a child neglect charge after she was found in the parking lot of the River Palm Hotel at 420 S. Harbor City Boulevard, according to a Florida Today report.
Melbourne Police were called to the hotel to investigate reports of a child found alone, and when they arrived, they found the boy playing video games with the hotel's staff, the report said.
The boy told police his mother had gone to the casino and left him with Kerres, who he said routinely worked as his babysitter, the report said.
When police searched the property, they found a topless Kerres lying in the middle of the parking lot near the room where the boy was staying with his mother, report said.
Kerres appeared lethargic and incoherent as she struggled to talk but told police the boy's mother went gambling but she didn't know where the boy was, the report said.
She was arrested and booked into the Brevard County Jail, and it's unknown whether she has an attorney.
The Department of Children and Families is investigating, the report said.
LL Cool J broke burglary suspect's nose, jaw, ribs
Angeles (CNN) -- A man charged with breaking into LL Cool J's home Wednesday morning faces a long prison sentence if convicted because of his previous convictions, the prosecutor's spokeswoman said Thursday.
Jonathan Kirby, 56, suffered a broken nose, jaw and ribs when he encountered the muscular rapper-actor inside his Sherman Oaks, California, home, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.
Get more celebrity news on CNN's Marquee Blog
Prosecutors charged Kirby with first degree burglary as a "third striker," which means he could face 38 years to life in prison if convicted, Gibbons said. They are asking that bail for Kirby be set at $1.1 million.
Kirby was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Dallas, Texas, in 1988. He also has auto theft, first degree burglary and a petty theft conviction in Los Angeles on his record, Gibbons said.
Arraignment for the suspect is not yet set, because he is still hospitalized for treatment of injuries inflicted by LL Cool J when he "physically detained" him, she said.
The family was sleeping when their home security alarm sounded at 1 a.m., sending LL Cool J into action, according to a Los Angeles Police statement.
After catching the man, he held him until police arrived, police said.
LL Cool J, whose real name is James Todd Smith, plays Special Agent and former Navy SEAL Sam Hanna on "NCIS: Los Angeles," a CBS crime series.
Police: LL Cool J catches burglary suspect
A Fort Pierce woman who was supposed to be babysitting a 5-year-old was arrested after she was found lying topless in the parking lot of a Melbourne hotel, police said.
Stacey Lynne Kerres, 47, was arrested Thursday on a child neglect charge after she was found in the parking lot of the River Palm Hotel at 420 S. Harbor City Boulevard, according to a Florida Today report.
Melbourne Police were called to the hotel to investigate reports of a child found alone, and when they arrived, they found the boy playing video games with the hotel's staff, the report said.
The boy told police his mother had gone to the casino and left him with Kerres, who he said routinely worked as his babysitter, the report said.
When police searched the property, they found a topless Kerres lying in the middle of the parking lot near the room where the boy was staying with his mother, report said.
Kerres appeared lethargic and incoherent as she struggled to talk but told police the boy's mother went gambling but she didn't know where the boy was, the report said.
She was arrested and booked into the Brevard County Jail, and it's unknown whether she has an attorney.
The Department of Children and Families is investigating, the report said.
LL Cool J broke burglary suspect's nose, jaw, ribs
Angeles (CNN) -- A man charged with breaking into LL Cool J's home Wednesday morning faces a long prison sentence if convicted because of his previous convictions, the prosecutor's spokeswoman said Thursday.
Jonathan Kirby, 56, suffered a broken nose, jaw and ribs when he encountered the muscular rapper-actor inside his Sherman Oaks, California, home, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.
Get more celebrity news on CNN's Marquee Blog
Prosecutors charged Kirby with first degree burglary as a "third striker," which means he could face 38 years to life in prison if convicted, Gibbons said. They are asking that bail for Kirby be set at $1.1 million.
Kirby was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Dallas, Texas, in 1988. He also has auto theft, first degree burglary and a petty theft conviction in Los Angeles on his record, Gibbons said.
Arraignment for the suspect is not yet set, because he is still hospitalized for treatment of injuries inflicted by LL Cool J when he "physically detained" him, she said.
The family was sleeping when their home security alarm sounded at 1 a.m., sending LL Cool J into action, according to a Los Angeles Police statement.
After catching the man, he held him until police arrived, police said.
LL Cool J, whose real name is James Todd Smith, plays Special Agent and former Navy SEAL Sam Hanna on "NCIS: Los Angeles," a CBS crime series.
Police: LL Cool J catches burglary suspect
Cannibal cult arrests in Papua New Guinea: report
Police in remote Papua New Guinea have arrested members of an alleged cannibal cult accused of killing at least seven people, eating their brains raw and making soup from their penises, a report said Friday.
The 29 people were part of a 1,000-strong group formed to combat errant sorcerers who The National newspaper said had begun charging exorbitant fees.
The cost of a witch doctor revealing a cause of death or casting out an evil spirit was usually 1000 kina ($472) cash, plus a pig and a bag of rice, but some were also demanding sex as payment.
"It's against our traditional ethics and morals for a sorcerer to have intercourse with a man's wife or teenage daughter," said one local cult leader in the Tangi area, inland from Madang province on PNG's northeast coast.
"That was the main cause of frustration that led to the forming of a group to hunt down sorcerers.
"Over time, as suspects were released to carry on as sorcerers, we got tired and fed up."
There is a widespread belief in sorcery in PNG where many people do not accept natural causes as an explanation for misfortune, illness, accidents or death.
Locals determined to get revenge on the profiteering witch doctors sought their own supernatural training from village chiefs, using their "possessed" bush knives to hunt down and kill seven people since April, the report said.
"We ate their brains raw and took body parts such as livers, hearts, penis and others back to the hausman (traditional men's houses) for our chief trainers to create other powers for the members to use," one of those arrested said.
The killings saw police raid Biamb village last week and arrest 29 people, eight of them women.
A local expert in the supernatural cited by the newspaper said the way the group operated was different from traditional PNG hausman practice, which would normally see specific people trained to hunt a sanguma (sorcerer).
"But these people never kill sorcerers in broad daylight, mutilate and eat sorcerers' flesh, livers, and hearts or make soup from the penis of sorcerers," he said.
"This is insane and the cannibalism (of this group) goes beyond the local culture."
Madang provincial police commander Anthony Wagambie urged other followers of the group, believed to number more than 1,000, to surrender.
"It is the tip of the iceberg and more needs to be done to educate locals to eradicate the movement," he told The National.
"Police cannot do it alone. It requires collective effort from government, responsible agencies, non-governmental organisations and the churches to work together."
Police in remote Papua New Guinea have arrested members of an alleged cannibal cult accused of killing at least seven people, eating their brains raw and making soup from their penises, a report said Friday.
The 29 people were part of a 1,000-strong group formed to combat errant sorcerers who The National newspaper said had begun charging exorbitant fees.
The cost of a witch doctor revealing a cause of death or casting out an evil spirit was usually 1000 kina ($472) cash, plus a pig and a bag of rice, but some were also demanding sex as payment.
"It's against our traditional ethics and morals for a sorcerer to have intercourse with a man's wife or teenage daughter," said one local cult leader in the Tangi area, inland from Madang province on PNG's northeast coast.
"That was the main cause of frustration that led to the forming of a group to hunt down sorcerers.
"Over time, as suspects were released to carry on as sorcerers, we got tired and fed up."
There is a widespread belief in sorcery in PNG where many people do not accept natural causes as an explanation for misfortune, illness, accidents or death.
Locals determined to get revenge on the profiteering witch doctors sought their own supernatural training from village chiefs, using their "possessed" bush knives to hunt down and kill seven people since April, the report said.
"We ate their brains raw and took body parts such as livers, hearts, penis and others back to the hausman (traditional men's houses) for our chief trainers to create other powers for the members to use," one of those arrested said.
The killings saw police raid Biamb village last week and arrest 29 people, eight of them women.
A local expert in the supernatural cited by the newspaper said the way the group operated was different from traditional PNG hausman practice, which would normally see specific people trained to hunt a sanguma (sorcerer).
"But these people never kill sorcerers in broad daylight, mutilate and eat sorcerers' flesh, livers, and hearts or make soup from the penis of sorcerers," he said.
"This is insane and the cannibalism (of this group) goes beyond the local culture."
Madang provincial police commander Anthony Wagambie urged other followers of the group, believed to number more than 1,000, to surrender.
"It is the tip of the iceberg and more needs to be done to educate locals to eradicate the movement," he told The National.
"Police cannot do it alone. It requires collective effort from government, responsible agencies, non-governmental organisations and the churches to work together."
Doctors remove 51-pound tumour from New Jersey woman
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Jersey surgeons removed a rapidly growing, 51-pound (23-kg) cancerous tumour from a woman who had delayed treatment for more than a month until she became eligible for health insurance, her doctor said on Tuesday.
"She was a skinny lady with a huge belly. I mean it looked like she was literally pregnant with triplets," said Dr. David Dupree, who led the surgery on the 65-year-old woman, at Riverview Medical Centre in Red Bank, New Jersey.
"She was just all belly," he said in describing his first meeting with the patient, a homemaker from nearby Union Beach, New Jersey, who asked to be identified only as Evelyn, her first name.
About six to eight weeks before she showed up at the hospital, Evelyn noticed discomfort in her abdomen and that her normally 120-pound frame was rapidly ballooning. Dupree said she sought medical help on June 4, just days after her 65th birthday, when she would qualify for Medicare, the U.S. healthcare program for seniors.
"The reason she didn't go earlier was because she had no insurance," he said.
By now, she weighed more than 170 pounds, her legs were swollen with trapped blood, she was badly dehydrated, and, scans showed, the tumour - a malignant sarcoma - was crushing her inferior vena cava, one of the main veins returning blood to the heart, and putting her life in danger.
With her body too weakened to be operated on immediately, Dupree scheduled surgery for the following Monday, allowing time for her to become rehydrated and for her blood pressure to be brought under control.
But after she became short of breath on Sunday evening, Dupree brought the surgery forward.
"I knew that she wasn't going to make it through the night," he said.
"Either she goes now or she dies tonight," he recalled thinking.
Opening her up, Dupree and his team found the tumour, which appeared to have originated out of the fatty tissue around her large intestine, had engulfed many of her internal organs, and had to be sliced away "millimetre by millimetre" over the course of the five-hour surgery.
Evelyn was still recovering from the operation in a rehabilitation Centre on Tuesday, Dupree said. She declined to be interviewed.
Although the immediate threat to her life has passed, she must still see an oncologist about treatment for her cancer, which may not have been completely eradicated by the surgery, and may require chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Dupree said he would advise uninsured patients to see a doctor immediately if they knew they were unwell no matter how near their 65th birthday might be. He said the hospital would have operated on Evelyn regardless of her insurance status, but added he did not know whether doing so would have cost her more money.
Indian women don't pee as freely as the men
India's largest city has a crappy problem: a shortage of toilets. Mumbai has 20 million residents and a severe lack of facilities. For women, the situation really reeks. While men can pee for free, women have to pay — an injustice targeted by a coalition of women who have started the Right to Pee campaign. In Mumbai, men have far more public toilets than women. Both sexes must pay for access to public toilets, but men get to use urinals for free. Good news, though: The campaign has prompted promises from officials to build hundreds of new toilets for women.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Jersey surgeons removed a rapidly growing, 51-pound (23-kg) cancerous tumour from a woman who had delayed treatment for more than a month until she became eligible for health insurance, her doctor said on Tuesday.
"She was a skinny lady with a huge belly. I mean it looked like she was literally pregnant with triplets," said Dr. David Dupree, who led the surgery on the 65-year-old woman, at Riverview Medical Centre in Red Bank, New Jersey.
"She was just all belly," he said in describing his first meeting with the patient, a homemaker from nearby Union Beach, New Jersey, who asked to be identified only as Evelyn, her first name.
About six to eight weeks before she showed up at the hospital, Evelyn noticed discomfort in her abdomen and that her normally 120-pound frame was rapidly ballooning. Dupree said she sought medical help on June 4, just days after her 65th birthday, when she would qualify for Medicare, the U.S. healthcare program for seniors.
"The reason she didn't go earlier was because she had no insurance," he said.
By now, she weighed more than 170 pounds, her legs were swollen with trapped blood, she was badly dehydrated, and, scans showed, the tumour - a malignant sarcoma - was crushing her inferior vena cava, one of the main veins returning blood to the heart, and putting her life in danger.
With her body too weakened to be operated on immediately, Dupree scheduled surgery for the following Monday, allowing time for her to become rehydrated and for her blood pressure to be brought under control.
But after she became short of breath on Sunday evening, Dupree brought the surgery forward.
"I knew that she wasn't going to make it through the night," he said.
"Either she goes now or she dies tonight," he recalled thinking.
Opening her up, Dupree and his team found the tumour, which appeared to have originated out of the fatty tissue around her large intestine, had engulfed many of her internal organs, and had to be sliced away "millimetre by millimetre" over the course of the five-hour surgery.
Evelyn was still recovering from the operation in a rehabilitation Centre on Tuesday, Dupree said. She declined to be interviewed.
Although the immediate threat to her life has passed, she must still see an oncologist about treatment for her cancer, which may not have been completely eradicated by the surgery, and may require chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Dupree said he would advise uninsured patients to see a doctor immediately if they knew they were unwell no matter how near their 65th birthday might be. He said the hospital would have operated on Evelyn regardless of her insurance status, but added he did not know whether doing so would have cost her more money.
Indian women don't pee as freely as the men
India's largest city has a crappy problem: a shortage of toilets. Mumbai has 20 million residents and a severe lack of facilities. For women, the situation really reeks. While men can pee for free, women have to pay — an injustice targeted by a coalition of women who have started the Right to Pee campaign. In Mumbai, men have far more public toilets than women. Both sexes must pay for access to public toilets, but men get to use urinals for free. Good news, though: The campaign has prompted promises from officials to build hundreds of new toilets for women.
