The Stirring Giant: Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano Has Country on Alert

Authorities in Mexico raised the alert level for the Popocatepetl volcano near  Mexico City on Monday after it started spewing red-hot fragments of rock and clouds of dust and ash high into the atmosphere.

Officials are so uneasy about the rumblings of the now-glowing Popocatepetl volcano that nearby schools have been shut down and tourists and adventure-seekers are being warned to stay away. The lava dome of Popocatepetl, some 50 miles to the southeast of the capital city, started to expand on Friday, Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention said.

The sudden change in activity in the 5,450 meter (17,900 foot) volcano could provoke large explosions capable of sending dangerous, incandescent fragments out over considerable distances, as well as intense ash showers, the center said in a statement. The volcano, along with its "twin" volcano Iztaccíhuatl, can be seen by Mexico City's 25 million residents on a clear day.

The Center for Disaster Prevention raised the alert level to yellow phase three from yellow phase two, indicating possible magma expulsion and explosions of increasing intensity. It is the third-highest warning on the center's seven-step scale. Emergency services should ready evacuation teams and shelters, limit access to the area around the volcano and alert air-traffic control systems, the center said in an official statement.

The startling increase in activity at the volcano comes a week after a series of earthquakes rattled the country, including a 7.0 tremor that swayed skyscrapers in Mexico City and caused people to flee in panic into the streets. 

Masked "Bandits" Close Florida Park

"Masked bandits" have forced the closing of a Florida park after two separate raccoon attacks put park rangers on notice!

Officials were forced to close Kiwanis Island Park in Merritt Island, Florida, after two separate incidents involving the masked creatures attacking humans took place in the span of less than a week. Park officials decided to close the park due to the attacks, after a woman was bitten by a raccoon on Wednesday of last week and a mother and child were attacked on Saturday.

Animal services were able to safely trap two raccoons on Sunday, and the animals were relocated to a more rural area. It is not known at this time what prompted the incidents between the raccoons and park patrons, said Parks and Recreation Director Jack Masson. The decision was then made to close the park until officials could be certain that there were no more "bandits" lurking about, waiting to attack unsuspecting park-goers. 

 

Cannibal Holocaust: Horrifying Details in Brazilian Cannibal Nightmare

 

Three suspected cannibals have been arrested by Brazilian police on suspicion of having murdered and eaten at least two women who they may have turned into pastries, which they in turn gave to unsuspecting neighbors to eat. 

Jorge Beltrao Negromonte and Elizabeth Pires da Silveira, both 51, and Bruna da Silva of Guaranhuns, Brazil, have been arrested, charged with luring young women into their home with job offers to be a live-in nanny, killing them and then consuming their flesh in what they called a "purification ceremony". It is also alleged that they used the flesh of their victims to make stuffed-meat pastries known as empanadas, which they sold to neighbors, schools as well as to hospitals. 

Police discovered two bodies in the garden of the house of the trio, which authorities believe may be the bodies of Alexandra Falcao, 20 and Gisele da Silva, 30, both of whom disappeared recently. The cannibalistic trio confessed that their intentions were to kill and consume at least three women a year to continue the "purification" process. 

Police also discovered a gruesome "diary" of sorts in the house of horrors written by Negromante, which detailed the trio's heinously vile plans. 

 

 

 

New Chocolate Printing Press Makes Delectable Designs

The spirit of Willy Wonka is obviously alive and well, as a company in the UK has designed a printer that can make beautiful, edible designs out of chocolate!

The geniuses at Choc Edge, Ltd.  have produced the first-ever choco-matic printer, capable of creating fanciful, 3D designs from scrumptious chocolate sauce. The clever device uses a motorized syringe filled with chocolate to draw on a canvas. The high-precision nozzle can produce chocolate-drizzled graphic designs at the astonishing rate of 2,000 millimeters a minute. The user can program the design desired by using an open source 3D printing program that is included with the printer.

The delightfully delectable printer has been in the works for a number of years, and the manufacturer is now taking pre-orders for the device, which will set you back a cool $4000. Included in that cost is a supply of the necessary chocolate sauce, provided the buyer can stop themselves from opening up a cartridge and just gobbling up all the "ink"!

Happy Feet! Scientists Count Penguins...from Space!

Scientists conducted a census on penguins in Antarctica using an out-of-this-world method...satellite imagery!

In what The National Geographic is calling "The First Ever Penguin Census from Space", scientists from the UK, US and Australia were able to use high-resolution satellite imagery to count the population of Emperor penguins on the frozen continent. After poring over the data, the scientists were able to count approximately 600,000 of the tuxedo wearing cuties, which was double the number they were expecting to find.

"We are delighted," says a member of the British Antarctic Survey, which was able to spot seven new penguin colonies using the imagery from space. Part of the census technique relies on locating individual colonies, which is done by looking for large brown patches of guano (penguin poo) on the surface of the white ice. Then the high-resolution imagery is utilized to count the approximate number of penguins present.

While the higher-than-expected population is good news, the scientists are still concerned for the future of the species, as the effects of runaway climate change continue to place their fragile habitat in great danger.

The Kill Switch: Is China Testing Internet Off Button?

Temporary blackouts today left millions of China’s Internet users unable to access many Chinese web sites as well as other unblocked foreign sites that they have been free to read in the past.

The outages come only a week after cyber-activist group Anonymous hacked almost five hundred Chinese web sites, including many of those belonging to the government. The mysterious outage was not limited to just China however, as similar blackouts were reported in Hong Kong as well as in Japan. At first, there was speculation that a powerful 8.9 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia on Wednesday may have shifted undersea cables, creating the blackout. Chinese Telecom later confirmed that the earthquake had not damaged the cables.

Speculation then turned to perhaps a temporary blip in the system, but the Telecom insisted this was not the case, either. Which has many people around the world guessing that the Chinese government has made a dry run of specific protocols to knock out the Internet should civil unrest, descent and protests start to take place in the Communist nation. The measures could also be put into place in the event of a war.

Two weeks ago, rumors of a coup movement within China began to spread across the Internet. The Chinese government quickly moved in to squash the rumors, sparking arrests and the closing of several web sites affiliated with anti-government sentiment. Recent years have seen countries such as Iran and Egypt employ "kill switch" tactics to take down the Internet during times of strife and political turmoil.

Bee Gee's Singer Robin Gibb Dead at 62

UPDATE: May 20, 2012: Bee Gee's singer/songwriter Robin Gibb has died in London, his family announced today "with great sadness". Gibb had been in a coma following surgery for a twisted bowel as well as battling liver and colon cancer. He had also contracted pneumonia while in the hospital, which further exacerbated his situation. He made a "remarkable" recovery a week after falling into a coma, but his condition quickly reversed and continued to deteriorate. He is survived by his brother, Barry, his wife Dwina, daughter Melissa, and two sons, Spencer and Robin John.


Robin Gibb, the singer/songwriter and one of the founding members of iconic musical group The Bee Gees, is said to be in a coma in a London hospital today.

The singer, who has been suffering from colon as well as liver cancer, has now been diagnosed with pneumonia. Gibb's family, including brother Barry, his wife Dwina, daughter Melissa, 37, and sons Spencer, 39, and Robin-John, 29, were all said to be at his bedside in a private hospital in Chelsea, West London. It is feared doctors are not optimistic about his chances for a recovery. 


The 62-year-old singer revealed his battle with cancer in 2010, after shocking photographs of his extremely gaunt appearance appeared in the media. He had emergency surgery to treat a blocked bowel, before a further operation to treat a twisted bowel, a condition that killed his twin brother Maurice in 2003. The colon and liver cancers were discovered during the procedure. The youngest of the famed Gibb brothers, Andy, died in 1988 at the age of 30 from a heart ailment. 


The Bee Gees were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and were awarded seven Grammy Awards over their long career.  The group also can claim one of the biggest selling albums of all time, the soundtrack to the classic 70s film Saturday Night Fever. 

KFC: Earthquake Is Finger-Lickin' Good

There's nothing more comforting than a bucket of Kentucky fried chicken made with 11 secret herbs and spices, especially after a terrifying earthquake! At least, that's what KFC in Thailand mistakenly believed.

After a series of powerful temblors struck off the coast of Indonesia on Wednesday, KFC Thailand took to their official Facebook and Twitter feeds with the message "Let's hurry home and follow the earthquake news. And don't forget to order your favorite KFC menu."

The powerful 8.9 quake struck near to the same region where a 9.1 earthquake took place in 2004, which created a devastating tsunami that killed over 275,000 people as it swept across the Indian Ocean at the speed of a jet liner. A tsunami warning was issued for the entire region following Wednesday's quake, which created massive panic as people fled, fearing a repeat of the Boxing Day cataclysm. Fortunately, the earthquake was not the type to form a large tsunami this time.

People were quick to criticize KFC Thailand for their shameless self-promoting during a time of national crisis, and it certainly would not have been condoned by Colonel Sanders. The offending message was promptly removed and the company issued an apology to the public for its lapse in judgement.

 

Weather Alert: Potentially Devastating & Catastrophic Tornado Outbreak for Central US

An extremely dangerous tornado outbreak is expected on Saturday over the Great Plains in the US, the National Weather Service is warning. 


The areas of most concern will be in Oklahoma and Kansas, according to the reports. Oklahoma has already been experiencing the opening salvo of the dangerous storm system, after severe thunderstorms along with embedded tornadoes were observed late this afternoon near the town of Norman. 


Warm, moist air flowing northwards from the Gulf of Mexico, which currently has record-warm waters, will collide with cold air funneling down from Canada, creating a highly unstable air mass capable of creating powerful super cell storms with the potential to form dangerous tornadoes that could remain on the ground for extended periods of time. 

This is the second time the Storm Prediction Center has issued a "High Risk" forecast this year; the first "High Risk" forecast came during the March 2 tornado outbreak, which killed 41 people and did $1.5 - $2 billion in damages in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. 


It is also highly unusual (and disturbing) for the SPC to issue a "High Risk" forecast more than a day in advance of a suspected tornado outbreak. People living in the threatened areas need to monitor the news at all times on Saturday and be on the alert for severe weather. 





.

Mother's Day: Frances Bean Cobain to Mom Courtney Love...STHU!

The daughter of the late rock and roll icon Kurt Cobain has apparently grown tired of her mother Courtney Love's childish antics! (And who could blame her?)

Frances Bean Cobain, the 19-year-old daughter of the former Nirvana lead singer who committed suicide in 1994, felt compelled to make a public statement after her volatile mother's most recent online tirade. Love, 47, went on yet another Twitter rant, accusing her late husband's former band mate, Foo Fighter's lead singer David Grohl, of having an inappropriate relationship with Frances during her younger years.

The usually quiet and publicity shy Cobain decried her mother's insinuations about a possible relationship with Grohl, stating "I have never been approached by Dave Grohl in more than a platonic way. I’m in a monogamous relationship and very happy.” She went on to conclude that "Twitter should ban my mother."

The micro-blogging site just might take this into consideration, after Love was sued for defamation last year by fashion designer Dawn Simonrangkir after the singer/actress made derogatory statements about her via her Twitter feed. Love was ordered to pay more than $400,000 in damages to the designer.

This isn't the only trouble poor Frances Bean has had with Mommie Dearest. Earlier this year, information regarding a restraining order Frances had signed against her mother in 2009 became public. The order alleged that Love was responsible for the death of several household pets, including a cat and a dog. She also alleged that her mother "basically exists now on...Xanax, Adderall, Sonata and Abilify, sugar and cigarettes."

Happy Mother's Day, Courtney!!! 

Appetite for Destruction: Axl Rose Says No Thanks to R&R Hall of Fame

Rocker Axl Rose proved that he is still a legendary pain-in-the-ass after all these years by refusing to accept an invitation to be inducted into Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

The 50-year-old front-man of the rock band Guns 'N Roses wrote a long, rambling letter to the Hall of Fame, detailing why he was refusing the nomination, considered by most in the industry to be the highest honor in the musical realm.

Apparently, Rose doesn't feel the love from the academy and claims in his rejection letter that he is neither "wanted or respected" at this year's induction ceremony. He also states that he will not be attending the ceremony and does not wish to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in absentia, and does not grant anyone the right to accept the invitation or speak on his behalf at the ceremony, scheduled for later this year.

Rose rose to great fame in the late-80s and early-90s, fueled by such classic rock hits as "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Paradise City". Rose's volatile and often unpredictable behavior over the years ultimately lead to the demise in popularity of the iconic rock band and he has faded into near obscurity in recent years.

Golden Tweets: Betty White Joins Twitter

The last remaining Golden Girl has joined social media web site Twitter! 

Former Golden Girls and Mary Tyler Moore Show actress Betty White opened up an official account with the micro-blogging web site on Monday. Obviously, the legendary comedienne is still as popular as ever, as she has already amassed almost 200,000 followers in a little over 24 hours!

The lively 90-year-old's account has only made a few tweets as of now, mostly to promote White's new hidden camera comedy series on NBC Off Their Rockers. She also is busy starring in the TV Land hit sitcom Hot in Cleveland as well as filming television commercials and movie roles!

It is unclear if White herself is making the tweets, or if she has a personal assistant do the work for her. You can follow her or send her a message on Twitter at the following address: @BettyMWhite.

 

Like a Flop: Madonna's New Album Tanks in Second Week

There will be a million bouquets of hydrangeas delivered to the erstwhile Queen of Pop as sales of her new album MDNA take the biggest second week plunge in musical chart history!

The new effort from the 53-year old wax figure chanteuse debuted in the Number One spot on the Billboard Hot 200 in album sales last week, beating out another 80s fave Lionel Richie's new album Tuskegee, which came in at Number Two with sales of almost 200,000 copies. However, Madonna's camp may have utilized sneaky practices in hitting the coveted Number One spot, as her record company included the album for free as part of a concert ticket bundle for her upcoming tour, which falsely inflated the actual sales figures.

MDNA looks to sell  an extremely paltry 49,000 copies in its second week, meaning it will be a record-breaking 88% drop in sales, the largest such drop for a Number One album in its second week in musical history! The first single off the album, "Gimme All Your Luvin'" featuring MIA and Nicki Minaj, was a huge flop on the charts as well, despite a heavily-promoted appearance by Madonna at this year's Super Bowl. Her latest single "Girl Gone Wild" doesn't appear to be drawing any interest from fans or haters either.

The superstar singer is set to begin her new world tour next month. Here's a bouquet of your beloved hydrangeas to get you motivated, Madge! Enjoy your Karma Bouquet!

Does a Bear Text in the Woods? Texting Man Has Close Encounter with Bear

Of all the inherent dangers of texting on your phone and not paying attention to your surroundings, the one you would least likely anticipate would be an encounter with a bear in the city. Yet, that's exactly what happened to one young man in Glendale, California...

It seems a brown bear has made the upscale California neighborhood his local stomping ground after the beast was spotted eating frozen dinners out of a garage refrigerator a few weeks ago. After acquiring a taste for yummy human food, the male brown bear was spotted again today, this time trailed by local television helicopters!

As the helicopters followed the animal in quick pursuit, he suddenly turned down an alleyway where local resident Vaz Terdandenyan was walking and using his phone to text his boss that he would be late to work due to the police activity surrounding the bear hunt. Terdandenyan happened to look up from the phone in time to see the 500 lb. bear ambling toward him. Needless to say, he made a hasty retreat in the opposite direction and ran to safety! Luckily, Terdandenyan is a good runner, having recently trained for a marathon.

Animal control agents were able to safely tranquilize the bear with two darts to ensure that he slept peacefully while they worked to get him into a cage to transport him back into the wild. When the bear awakes, he will be released to an undisclosed location deep within the Angeles National Forest.

The Cruise Will Go On: Titanic Re-Creation Cruise Plagued with Problems

A luxury liner set to retrace the exact route of famed ship Titanic has been besieged by problems after setting sail from the port of Southampton, England on Sunday.

The MS Balmoral, a luxury cruise liner operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, departed the UK on Sunday and was set to pick up passengers in France and Ireland before continuing to North America. Many of the passengers have opted to dress in period attire for the cruise, which is to mark the 100th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the doomed ship.

The ship’s progress, however, has been delayed by strong winds that prevented the Balmoral from docking in Cobh, Ireland. The 45 mph winds and rough seas delayed the ship for almost an entire day, according to the BBC.

The memorial cruise is set to serve some of the actual meals offered to passengers of the ill-fated Titanic. The memorial cruise will also be carrying descendants of some of passengers who perished when the "unsinkable" ship sank after striking an iceberg off the coast of Canada in 1912. 1517 of the 2,223 passengers died.

The recreation cruise is expected to reach New York in 10 days. It is unclear whether that arrival date has changed due to the delay.

Facebook Acquires Instagram in $1 Billion Deal

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg revealed his company was acquiring free photo sharing application Instagram in an astonishing deal worth a staggering $1 billion!

The social media mega-site announced the acquisition in a message on its web site, stating that the deal to buy the San Francisco-based Instagram would be worth roughly $1 billion in cash as well as stock in Facebook.  The deal is expected to close later in the quarter.

"Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people," CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an official online statement regarding the acquisition.

Instagram has become extremely popular for its application that can add special effects to current, modern photographs and make them appear more retro, similar to photos taken with old-fashioned Polaroid or Kodak Insta-Matic cameras.

Instagram is a free photo sharing application that allows users to take photos, apply a filter, and share it on the service or a variety of other social networking services, including social media and blogging sites Facebook, Tumblr, twitter, FourSquare and Flickr. The application is compatible with any iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch running iOS 3.1.2 or above or any Android device running Android 2.2 or above.