No Rude Behavior: Spanish Town Bans Public Burping, Passing Gas & Slurping

A village in Spain has adopted strict new ordinances designed to make bad and rude behavior illegal!

The town of La Toba, seventy miles north of the Spanish capital Madrid, has ratified the new charter that would make public behavior such as passing gas, belching or slurping your drink or soup in a restaurant against the law.

Other public no-no's include touching your genitals in public, adjusting your underwear, picking your nose and sneezing or yawning without covering your mouth. Children could also find themselves in trouble with the law for not visiting their grandparents. 

La Toba's mayor,  Julian Atienza Garcia, of Spain's United Left Party, drew up the new charter, which has been approved by the local council, in order to combat the disappearance of public civility and common courtesy. "It is a compendium of basic rules of politeness that are being lost and should not be forgotten," Garcia told UK newspaper The Sun. 

Not everyone in the town agrees with the new charter and its restrictive guidelines. Some villagers have called for Garcia's resignation as mayor after the charter was published in the local newspaper. One more vocal critic went online to say that the next step in such a charter was "to insert microchips in everyone's brains to control them." 

However, breaking the rules at present will not be punishable and will strictly be frowned upon, unless someone else decides to change the charter...again...

Sold! America's Smallest Town Sells for Almost $1 Million

The tiny hamlet dubbed "The Smallest Town in America" is now under new ownership!

Buford, Wyoming, population 1, now belongs to two Vietnamese businessman after they bid over $900,000 in an auction for the town, CNN is reporting. That was considerably more than was expected by the town's former lone resident, Dan Sammons, who recently moved to Colorado to be closer to his son. The original starting bid for the town was $100,000.

The auction received international attention, prompting interest from more than 70 countries, after Sammons, who managed the town's liquor sales, hardware store and was also the local hot dog vendor, decide to sell the town. The new owners have not yet been publicly identified and have not divulged any plans for the town, which includes a gas station, a three-bedroom home, and 10 acres near Interstate 80.

Once upon a time, Buford was a thriving small city with a population of over 2,000 people, built along one of the first railway lines across the US. It once hosted such luminaries as Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Franklin D. Roosevelt as well as notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy. After the rail line was shut down, the town slowly faded into oblivion.

Former "owner" and mayor Sammons was nostalgic after the sale. "I felt my time here has been very happy for me, and hopefully the new owner will be able to enjoy what I've enjoyed over the years—conversations with people, the uniqueness of the area and so on—and keep the history alive." He is planning to write a book about the history of the town, detailing his tenure as the city's mayor and lone resident.

North & South: New Border Configuration a Pain to Some in the Carolinas

Is this the correct border?

After decades of hard work and research, millions of dollars and with the help of some modern technology, the border between the states of North and South Carolina has been returned...to the way it was during Colonial times!

Apparently, the border had shifted over the centuries since it was charted by the King of England during the 1700s, a time when a notch on a loblolly pine in the middle of a malaria infested swamp was the best way to mark where a property line began.

For a majority of the 335-mile long border between the two Southern states, the change doesn't make much of a difference. Most of the area happens to be in virgin forest or unpopulated swamps. For 30 homes and businesses, however, the new border is causing some problems.

Former South Carolina resident Judy Helmes, for one,  isn't very happy with the change. Her home is now in North Carolina, while her back yard is in South Carolina. She now has to change her driver's license to show her new state of residence and pay a higher tax rate.

“This is like living in some kind of comic book serial,” says Mrs. Helms, 64, a retired nurse. “I just feel like I’m being kicked out of South Carolina. I’m being expelled.” She's not alone in her displeasure, as many of the displaced people, often lifelong residents of their states, now must pledge allegiance to another.

Unfortunately, more people might find themselves in the same predicament, as there are still approximately forty more miles of the border to "straighten" out to the way it was originally intended.

Hacked: Anonymous Takes Down Hundreds of Chinese Web Sites

Activist cyber-warfare group Anonymous has hacked hundreds of Chinese websites, many belonging to the Chinese government, officials say.

A number of the government sites were still not working as of today. Many of the hacked sites had messages from the activist group in both Chinese and English, stating "Chinese people: The government controls the Internet in your country and strives to filter what it considers a threat to it. Be careful."

Some of the sites have also had their administrative accounts, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses hacked and posted publicly for the entire world to see. One site claims that almost 500 Chinese sites were hacked, making it the largest cyber-attack in Chinese history.

A message on the Pastebin site contains the following information regarding the reasons behind the Chinese attacks:


Hello, we are Anonymous.
All these years the Chinese Government has subjected their people to unfair laws and unhealthy processes.
People, each of you suffers from tyranny of that regime.
Fight for justice, fight for freedom, fight for democracy!

The attack follows after several days of threats and salvos launched by Anonymous via their twitter feed.

Heeerrre's David: Letterman Surpasses Johnny Carson As King of Late Night Tenure

CBS announced that they have renewed David Letterman's contract to keep his late night talk show on the air through 2014.

The affable host began his talk show tenure when The Late Show with David Letterman debuted on NBC in 1982 and ran on the Peacock Network until 1993. CBS picked up the show the same year, where Letterman has been at home ever since.

Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show for thirty years, from 1962 until he decided to retire from the show business arena in 1992, opting to go out on a note of class, which he always embodied.

"David Letterman is a late-night legend with an iconic show," said CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler in making the announcement that the show would continue with the network for the next two years. Letterman, who will turn 65 next week, has won nine Emmy Awards for his late night staple, where he charms celebrity guests and audience members alike with his smooth charm and quick wit.

Eat It: Weird Al Suing Sony for $5 Million Over Unpaid Royalties

Pop parody performer "Weird" Al Yankovic has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment, claiming he is owed at least that much in unpaid royalties from digital record sales and YouTube views of his videos.

The 53-year-old, who rose to fame in the 1980s with his parodies of Michael Jackson and Madonna hits "Eat It" and "Like a Surgeon", is claiming that Sony Music is paying a straight royalty for download sales, rather than the agreed upon 50 percent of revenues as per his licensing contract.  The download royalties were reportedly listed as sales instead of licenses, which return a larger cut to the artist -- in this case $2 million more.

Yankovic also wants the media giant to hand over a percentage of the money generated by millions of YouTube views of his videos.  Every time a Weird Al Yankovic video is shown on YouTube Sony earns revenue. Google partnerships are believed to be worth $1000 to $6000 per every one million page views.

Yankovic's lawsuit follows in the footsteps of a precedent-setting suit won by rap superstar Eminem in 2010. The controversial artist sued his record company Universal Music Group for the way in which royalties for digital music downloads are calculated and reported.

Yes, You Really Want to Hurt Me: Boy George Posts Pics of Black Eye

A woman outside of a club answered Boy George & Culture Club's ultimate 80s question "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" with a resounding YES!!!

It seems that an ardent (perhaps inebriated) fan of Boy George (aka George O'Dowd) took a fancy to a hat that the gender-bending pop superstar wore to a deejay gig at a club in North Yorkshire, UK, over the weekend. When  Lady CooCoo tried to grab the chapeau from the Boy's head, she accidentally on purpose punched him in the eye!

Lady CooCoo was quickly ejected from the club, but the Boy was sporting a shiner from the overly agressive fan. O'Dowd, 50, tweeted a pic of his swollen eye with the caption "Looking pretty after getting assaulted on Saturday night!"

As the lead singer of the popular band The Culture Club throughout the 80s, O'Dowd racked up an impressive list of Number One songs around the world, selling millions of albums. He now tours primarily as a club deejay, performing at the world's most popular nightspots.

 

Dangerous Tornadoes Bring Chaos & Destruction to Dallas

Destructive, highly-dangerous tornadoes have cut a wide swathe of destruction across the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area this afternoon, the National Weather Service is reporting.

At least two massive tornadoes have been reported, sweeping across the highly-populated area, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. Local media is reporting that there is  "considerable damage" to the town of Cleburne, just to the south of Fort Worth, and Lancaster, south of Dallas.

Hundreds of flights out of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport have been cancelled or delayed. News footage out of the area show large tractor/trailer rigs being tossed at least one hundred feet into the air like toys. Hail, larger than baseballs, has also been reported. Reports of severe damage are also coming out of the Six Flags amusement park in Arlington.

Tens of thousands of homes are without power this evening as rescue crews search areas severely damaged by the ferocious twisters.

Forecasters predicted severe weather for that region earlier on Tuesday, but the area was unprepared for the intensity and severity of the storms as they struck, even as the National Weather Service tested new emergency alerts, using more graphic language to catch the attention of citizens in order to save their lives. The new alerts will now use strong language such as "this storm is not survivable unless you take shelter immediately" or "this storm has the power to leave your neighborhood unrecognizable to you".

As of now, no deaths are being reported, but this is subject to change. 

Chicks in Easter Basket Not a Good Idea Say Health Officials

They may be adorably cute, but experts are warning parents against including animals such as baby chicks or rabbits in Easter baskets for children.

Health officials in New Mexico have made public announcements discouraging the practice of gifting children with baby chicks on Easter, as the tiny animals are known carriers of the highly dangerous salmonella bacteria. The Center for Disease Control has released a report that more than fifteen children have been diagnosed with salmonella over the past four years directly linked with the handling of baby chicks.

New Mexico health officials have urged stores who sell livestock not to sell baby chicks to parents who are looking to give them as gifts to their children for the holiday. Most households are not equipped with the necessary equipment to care for the animals, including baby rabbits, and many die within days, leaving children traumatized. The New Mexico Department of Health also advises families to have children wash their hands thoroughly with supervision after handling Easter chicks and warns not to allow kids under five to touch the birds, as they are at a greater risk of contracting harmful infections.

So, the only yellow baby chicks that should be in your children's Easter baskets are these yummy beauties...

"Unbelievable" Large Meteor Witnessed by Thousands in New Zealand

A large, bright massive meteor was observed by thousands of people throughout New Zealand.

The enormous object left a long trail as it blazed its way through the skies between the New Zealand cities of Christchurch and Wellington in the early evening hours. Emergency services were quickly inundated with thousands of calls as people telephoned to report sighting the meteor. Sightings of the object came from all corners of the country.

Several residents reported hearing an extremely loud boom followed by shaking ground as the object snaked its way through the sky. One witness reported seeing an "unbelievable'' green, orange and white ball flying past at "super speed'', leaving behind an enormous smoke trail that lasted for nearly 10 minutes in the sky before completely dissipating. Others reported that the meteor moved in a zigzag pattern, rather than a straight line, while others described how it changed colors several times, from yellow to red to a glowing bright white.

The Towering Inferno: Moscow Skyscraper Ablaze

An unfinished skyscraper in Moscow is aflame tonight and is being fueled by very high winds. A firefighting helicopter has been dispatched to help fight the blaze, which is believed to have started on the 67th floor of the Federation Tower, which is set to be Russia's tallest building upon completion, which was to have been in 2013.

The fire broke out at 8:00 PM local time, shortly before sunset. A water dumping KA-32 helicopter was brought in to battle the blaze and is believed to have helped slow the progress of the spreading flames. The fire could be seen across a wide area from where the €255 million  tower is being built in Moscow City, a cluster of modern high-rises located close to the Russian governmental sector.

As of  now, no casualties have been reported.

Emergency! National Weather Service to Test More Graphic Alert Warnings

On Monday, April 2, the National Weather Service in the United States plans to test a new Emergency Alert System designed to make people living in the country's infamous "Tornado Alley" sit up and take notice in the event of a serious outbreak of deadly storms.

Fearing that people may have become desensitized to an overload of weather-related warnings in recent years, the agency will now be using more graphic language in their alerts with the intent of making people pay close attention and heed the warnings.

If a storm is deemed highly dangerous by the meteorological office, intense words and phrases will now be used to convey the danger of the situation. Sample phrases of the stark wording would include, "Mass devastation is highly likely, making the area unrecognizable to survivors" or "This storm is not survivable unless you take immediate shelter."


As of now, the new alert system will be tested only in the states of Kansas and Missouri. Missouri saw one of the deadliest tornadoes of all time last year, when an unprecedented F5 beast swept across Joplin, reducing almost the entire city into rubble and killing 161 people. 


It is the hope of the agency that the new, strongly-worded warnings will quickly spread across social media web sites such as twitter and Facebook as well as on television and radio, giving more people time to head for cover in order to save their lives. 

A Bit Nutty: Swedish Man Overdosing on Nutmeg Leads to Insanity

A 28-year-old Swedish man has been sentenced to four months in prison after overdosing on common household spice nutmeg and going on a spree of violent, insane behavior.

It seems the man became "spitting mad" after downing large amounts of nutmeg, leading him to "spit like a llama" at random strangers in the street. A week later, he was arrested for sending threatening text messages to two sisters.

During his trial, it was revealed that the man had been hospitalized last summer after experiencing a similar meltdown after ingesting nutmeg, and he went ballistic inside the hospital, attempting to strangle a female guard and dislocating another guard's leg before being subdued. The patient had to be forcibly sedated and placed in restraints.

The hallucinogenic effects of nutmeg are similar to those of LSD and can last for several days if large amounts are consumed. The spice contains myristicin, a natural compound that has mind-altering effects if ingested in large doses. Aside from causing psychotic behavior, abuse of the spice can also cause acute liver damage as well as heart and nerve damage. In more severe overdose cases, death is a possibility.

Not So Cool Runnings: 675 Russian Fisherman Saved from Runaway Ice Floe

It might have been the key for Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius and Hermey to escape from the wicked Bumble, but 675 Russian ice fisherman had to be rescued from their runaway ice floe that started drifting out to sea.

Emergency services had to be called out to rescue the large group of fishers when an ice floe they were all fishing on started drifting out to sea in the far east of the country. None of the men needed medical treatment, emergency services reported from nearby Sakhalin Island, in the Sea of Okhotsk , where the incident occurred. Almost half of the group were rescued using helicopters, while the other half were plucked to safety by an armada of boats called in to assist in the emergency.

One of the men rescued,  Vladimir Vasilenko, had thought better of going out onto the floe, as the conditions were very windy. "Of course the wind was blowing from the shore. We should have thought that something could happen, but people were going and we went as well,” he said in a televised Russian interview. “We also heard on the radio that it was the last chance for fishermen, and so we went fishing.”

Ice fishers sometimes get stranded during early spring during the thaw, but this is the first time such an enormous group of people has fallen victim to the quickly-changing climatic conditions.

April Fool's Asteroid to Buzz Between Earth & Moon

NASA announced that a sizable chunk of space rock would make a fly-by past the Earth today...and no, it isn't an April Fool's Day joke!

Asteroid 2012 EG5 will buzz by earth on April 1st, coming within 143,000 miles of earth's orbit, The object  has no chance of impacting our planet in any way, the space agency assures. This will, however, place the asteroid closer to the earth than the moon, which is approximately 235,000 miles away.

This will be the third Near Earth Object (NEO) to come within close proximity of the Earth in just the past week. Asteroid 2012 FP35 came within 96,000 miles and Asteroid 2012 FS35 came within 36,000 miles of earth over the past seven days. SpaceWeather.com is reporting that another large object, asteroid 2012 FA57, will make a quick appearance very close to the Earth this week as well, on April 4.

Grand-Mama Mia: Sophia Loren Shines in Daring Gown

Legendary film goddess Sophia Loren proved that she is still one of the world's great beauties by showing up in a dazzling, low cut gown at a charity auction in Moscow, at the age of 77.

The Academy Award winning star dazzled the crowd at the Charitable Foundation Federation annual gala auction, arriving hand-in-hand with her handsome son, Carlo Ponti, Jr. The Italian-born actress selected a beautiful, low-cut, floor-length gown, accessorizing her ensemble with a classic diamond choker necklace and large, emerald earrings, from her private jewelry collection. (Loren's jewelry collection is estimated to be worth over $100 million.)

The sexy senior citizen wasn't shy about revealing a touch of décolletage at the event, with her beautiful mane of hair pinned up and wearing her trademark spectacles. (She has her own line of designer eyeglasses.)

Also attending the event were former X Factor and American Idol judge Paula Abdul and model/actress Andie MacDowell. 

Loren, widowed from her husband, film producer Carlo Ponti, currently divides her time between homes in Switzerland, New York City and Miami.