Friday 31 October 2014

16 Ways To Make Your Wife's Morning With A Single Text Message

Waking up to a cute text from your boo is all but guaranteed to put a smile on your face, no matter how cranky and tired you might be.

On Thursday, one Redditor posed a question to the women of Reddit, asking, "What would be the best 'good morning' text you could receive?" Below are 16 of the best responses. (Hint: Most of them involve food).

1. "Come downstairs, I made pancakes."

2. "Morning love, I'm coming over later and I'm bringing pizza."



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3. "I took the kids with me to the store. We'll be back around 10:30. Please feel free to sleep in. Bringing brunch home with us."

4. "The cat puked all over the downstairs carpet, but I cleaned it all up. <3"



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5. "Good morning babe. I hope you have an amazing day. I love you."

6. "Saw this and thought of you. Miss you!" [insert movie from Netflix queue or old concert ticket stub]

7. "There's a taco under your pillow."



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8. "Breakfast and tea are waiting for you on the counter, see you when I get home :)"

9. "You're beautiful, you're strong and you look great in a thong. Miss you baby."



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10. "I put the dishes away and made you breakfast."

11. "There's a room full of kittens and infinite French toast for you downstairs <3"



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12. "We're going to Denny's, put on some pants."

13. "Good morning, here's something to start your morning right [insert link to awesome song on YouTube]"

14."Good luck today. I know it'll be another long day, but tonight I'll get pizza and we can watch 'Ghostbusters.' Then we'll deal with that stress. ;-) I love you!"



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15. "Honey, I found a field full of wild beagle puppies and you can have them all."

16. "Love you"

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/good-morning-texts-girlfriend_n_6084534.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

What Happens When A Photographer Joins The Circus

This post originally appeared on Slate.

By Jordan G. Teicher

womb

Some children dream of running away and joining the circus, Norma I. Quintana dreamed of photographing it.

In 1999, Circus Chimera, a one-ring operation, came to Napa, California, where Quintana lives.* Initially, she thought she’d only photograph the Oklahoma-based group for a few days. But after becoming “totally seduced by the circus world,” she devoted nearly a decade of her life to it.

“If I could drive to see them, I’d spend a couple of nights. I dreamt of having my own trailer, but usually I’d leave when the lights would go down. I did it even when my kids were little. My family thought I’d lost my mind,” she said.

The circus performers were initially hard to photograph because “they immediately act.” It took a while for her to depict the performers more candidly. While Quintana was attracted to the theatrical elements of the circus, the black-and-white photos in her book Circus: A Traveling Life, which was published by Damiani in September, ultimately show the normality of the circus beyond the spectacle—one very much dominated by family life.

“The performers go to the store like everyone else. They do their laundry like everyone else. But for a few hours every day they dress up, put on a lot of makeup, and do these amazing things. One mother would come to the tent with her strollers, do a trapeze act, get her child, and go back to the trailer. That was fascinating for me to see,” she said.

According to the Valley Morning Star, Circus Chimera closed in 2007 after changes in the United States’ temporary work visa program made it impossible for Jim Judkins, the group’s founder, to secure visas for any of his workers, who all came to work seasonally from outside the country.

Quintana photographed the circus until the very end. And while she was sad to see Circus Chimera close, her images don’t possess a mournful or dreary perspective. Many of Quintana’s subjects have stayed in touch with her, and give her regular updates about their jobs with other circuses. Her photos of Circus Chimera, she said, are celebratory, capturing a world that was very much full of life while it was in operation.

“I wanted to provide more of a human side to it—a sense of family and tradition and culture and love of performance.”

See more photos on Slate. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/norma-i-quintana_n_6083112.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Two Arrested As People Flock To Hawaii Lava

PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) -- Two Hawaii residents have been arrested for trespassing to see lava, police said Friday amid growing interest from people eager to witness the slow-moving flow.

Hawaii County police said officers saw a man and a woman on county property Thursday taking photos within 5 feet of the lava in the small town of Pahoa.

The 65-year-old woman and 59-year-old man had two golf clubs that had been dipped in lava, which had hardened on the clubs, police said. They crossed private property to get to the spot where they watched the lava.

Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said the county is restricting the public's access to the lava flow to keep people safe.

"It's unfortunate. We would hope we wouldn't have to take steps to enforce the rules," Oliveira told reporters.

He said the lava is currently in people's backyards. The county may be able to enable public viewing if and when it enters public land, he said.

But authorities need to be able to manage the situation. In 1990, when lava poured into Kalapana on the Big Island's southern coast, parked cars lined the roads and people crowded in to watch.

Tourists and Big Island residents have been streaming into Pahoa for a glimpse of the lava since the flow edged closer to the town's main road. The influx of people has been giving restaurants extra business.

Glen Bousquet, a tree trimmer from the nearby community of Nanawale, said he hiked to the flow multiple times since the weekend and trespassed to do so. He followed the glow through 6-foot-tall grass, he said.

"'It's so interesting to see nature unfolding. It's like a once in a lifetime chance to actually see it up close and personal without having to wait for it to be on TV," he said. "You kind of get the real deal."

Though he trespassed, he said he did so with "the utmost respect" and didn't break any fences or otherwise harm anyone's property.

But he said won't go back because he doesn't want to get arrested.

Josiah Hunt, of the coastal town of Kapoho, said he hiked to see the lava before it crossed Apaa Street, a country road on the edge of Pahoa last week. He wanted a look because the molten rock was affecting life in the town and the larger surrounding community of about 10,000 people.

"Somehow it helped me to come to grips. and feel a sense of closure, to some degree," he said. "It helps put an image to it in your mind's eye."

He doesn't think now is a good time to gather to see the lava because it's threatening homes.

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/hawaii-lava-flow-arrests_n_6085458.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Todd Ray Stumped Over What To Name Latest Two-Headed Snake

It's not easy owning the world's largest collection of two-headed animals.

Besides feeding them and keeping them healthy comes the struggle of coming up with appropriate names for the heads of each creature.

That's the dilemma facing Venice Beach Freakshow owner Todd Ray, who just came into possession of a two-headed Black Pine snake that is almost two feet long. That makes 29 specimens in his collection -- twice as much if you're counting heads.

"I want to give them cool names that go together," Ray told HuffPost.

Previous animals in his multi-headed menagerie are homages to famous duos like Pancho and Lefty, a two-headed bearded dragon; Laverne and Shirley, a two-headed king snake born in Italy; and Lenny and Squiggy, a two-headed albino Hognose snake named for supporting characters on the "Laverne and Shirley" show.

But Ray is stumped what to name his latest addition.

"I need to get some new ideas," he said.

Suggestions are welcome at the Venice Beach Freakshow Facebook page, because two or more heads are better than Ray's one.

The right name is crucial to Ray, who has big plans for the double-domed reptile.

"This snake could grow to be eight feet long," he said. "My dream is to have the bearded lady hold it outside of the freak show. That would be something."

black pine







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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/twoheaded-black-pine-snak_n_6083680.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

This Meteorologist Took His Halloween Costume To The Next Level With Green Screen Trickery

It's Halloween, which means the usual cast of celebrities are out in their best regalia.

And while media moguls like the cast of the "Today" show have continued their tradition of outrageous costumes, today's real winner is Jude "Bones" Redfield, weatherman for Louisville's WDRB.

Redfield had the brilliant idea of using the station's green screen to his benefit, wearing a green outfit with a plastic skeleton affixed to it. The effect made Redfield's body all but disappear, making it look as though he were a skeleton, complete with his own disembodied head floating around above it.

This isn't the first time Redfield has had some fun with the green screen. Last year, reports the "Today" show, he lost his head after the Cincinnati Reds lost in the playoffs:





WATCH "Bones" give a weather report, above.



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Hubble Spies Spooky 'Ghost Light' Of Dead Galaxies

Just in time for Halloween, the Hubble Space Telescope has spotted something a bit spooky: the faint glow of stars spewed out billions of years ago by galaxies in their death throes.

(Story continues below.)

ghost light dead galaxies

The image shows "Pandora's Cluster," a group of 500 galaxies--formally known as Abell 2744--located 4 billion light-years from Earth. The "ghost light" (artificially colored in blue in the photo above) comes from so-called orphan stars that drift freely between galaxies.

Astronomers believe these stars were once part of as many as six Milky Way-sized galaxies that were torn apart by gravitational forces around 9 billion years ago. They hope to use the "ghost light" to gain a better understanding of how galaxy clusters form and change.

“The Hubble data revealing the ghost light are important steps forward in understanding the evolution of galaxy clusters,” Ignacio Trujillo, an astrophysicist at The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, who was involved in the Abell 2744 research, said in a written statement.

A study describing the research was published online Oct. 1 in The Astrophysical Journal. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/light-dead-galaxies-hubble-space-telescope_n_6083010.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Know The Bizarre Way A German Woman Robbed A Supermarket? Take The Fark Weird News Quiz

A woman in Germany allegedly robbed a supermarket using a bizarre weapon.

If you know what she did, take the Fark Weird News Quiz.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/fark-weird-news-quiz_n_6084768.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Zachary Torrance Suspected Of Robbing Subway After 'Jared Diet' Failed

A man accused of robbing four Alabama Subway sandwich shops allegedly confessed he wanted revenge as a disgruntled customer. He was mad that the "Jared Diet" didn't work for him and wanted his money back, according to police.

Zachary Torrance, 18, was arrested Thursday night and charged with first-degree robbery for a robbery the previous day at the Hueytown Subway.

Torrance allegedly entered the store around 8:42 p.m. and demanded the cashier open the register, according to a post on the Hueytown Police Department's Facebook page.

Surveillance video shows a man later identified as Torrance taking money from the register and fleeing the store.

Torrance was arrested after a citizen saw the robbery footage and recognized the suspect from shopping at the Hueytown Walmart.

Hueytown police tracked down Torrance, who was wearing the same clothes and shoes as the robbery suspect, Alabamas13.com reports.





Hueytown Police Chief Chuck Hagler said Torrance admitted to the Hueytown holdup, and gave a bizarre motive.

"I don't know if he was kidding or not, but he said he had tried the Jared diet and it hadn't worked for him so he wanted his money back,'' Hagler told Al.com.

The "Jared Diet" Torrance allegedly mentioned is a weight-loss plan created by Jared Fogle, who, in 1998 and 1999, went from 425 pounds to 180 pounds with a daily diet that focused on two low-fat sandwiches purchased at Subway. He famously appeared in commercials for Subway touting his physical transformation.

Torrance is currently in the Jefferson County Jail on $250,000.

Torrance is suspected of robbing three other Subways in Birmingham, Midfield and Adamsville, and will be charged for those robberies at a later date.



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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/zachary-torrance_n_6084586.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Ryan Murphy Confirms All 'American Horror Story' Seasons Are Connected

Following months of speculation, Ryan Murphy has confirmed that all seasons of "American Horror Story" are connected. Murphy revealed the news during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, published on Friday:

They’re all connected. We’re just beginning to tell you how they’re connected. They’re all very separate but there’s clues every season that we’re now telling you how the different worlds are intertwined.


Murphy's words are music to the ears of fans who have speculated for months about ties between the show's four seasons. Back in July, it was revealed that Naomi Grossman's Pepper, from Season 2's "Asylum," would return for the current season, "Freak Show." In keeping with the Season 2 theme, Lily Rabe will reappear on the anthology series as her "Asylum" character, Sister Mary Eunice, for an upcoming "Freak Show" episode. Sites such as Vulture found many other connections between the four seasons, as did Reddit users. (One fan theory is that Season 5 could be about Area 51 and aliens, which would tie that forthcoming run to "Asylum" as well.)

"Part of the fun of the show is the Rubik’s cube design of it, but, yes, there are purposeful connections, character connections, and similarities and things that connect that we’ll continue to connect moving forward," Murphy told EW.com.

One of these clues is the scene where the character Maggie (Emma Roberts) is handed a coffee cup and there is a close up on a top hat, which the show creator confirmed is actually a clue for Season 5. Start your guessing now ...

For the full interview with Murphy, head to EW.com.

"AHS: Freak Show" airs Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. ET on FX. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/ryan-murphy-american-horror-story-connected_n_6085014.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Aasif Mandvi Backs Michael Che After Insensitive Instagram Post

Michael Che made headlines earlier in the week after comparing, in an Instagram post, women being catcalled to him being recognized as a celebrity in public. Che understandably received some backlash and offered a sarcastic apology Wednesday.

In a HuffPost Live interview Friday, comedian and fellow "Daily Show" colleague Aasif Mandvi backed Che, saying that sometimes being edgy goes a little far and Che meant no harm.

"I know Michael, he's a good guy," Mandvi told host Marc Lamont Hill. "I think he's probably just pushing the envelope of comedy."

Mandvi is set to return to the "Daily Show" soon, while Che just left his post there to become a co-anchor on "Weekend Update."

"When you're a standup comic, you get up and you try stuff, and you're always kind of seeing how far you can push things. And I think he did say something where he said, 'I was making fun of things that ... other people might consider sacred in some way,' or words to that effect, which then gave me an insight into what he was, I think, attempting to do, which was be a comic and talk about things in a way maybe the culture at large is uncomfortable with," Mandvi continued. "You do want to talk about things people are uncomfortable talking about, or it's too sacred or religion or whatever, and you want to push that envelope, so maybe he was doing that and his audience gave him the response that he got."

Watch the rest of the clip above, and catch the full HuffPost Live conversation here.

Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before! Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/michael-che-instagram-aasif-mandvi_n_6085024.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

This Dad-Daughter Duo Make The Beat Drop In Adorable Way

Who knew the moment the "beat drops" could be so adorable?

Comedian and Vine star Vincent Marcus beat boxes with his baby daughter in a positively sweet duet that's sure to tug at your heartstrings.

Father-daughter bonding is definitely a beat we can get down to.

H/T Reddit Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/dad-baby-beat-boxing_n_6083302.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Florida Man Gets Arrested With 'Go Directly To Jail' Shirt (PHOTO)

A Florida man wearing a prophetic shirt is now famous for his mugshot.

Micah David Dailey, 20, of Cape Coral was arrested on possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, which, as Gawker writes is "a typical occurrence and a useless waste of police time that would normally not be newsworthy."

But Dailey was arrested wearing a shirt that reads "Go Directly to Jail," a phrase made popular via a Monopoly "chance" card.

jail

As KGO-TV helpfully explains "The phrase seen on that card, "Do not pass Go, do not collect $200" has been commonly used in pop culture, becoming a term for a situation with only one irreversible, often highly negative outcome ..."

Dailey was also charged with possession of paraphernalia to transport drugs.



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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/go-directly-to-jail-shirt_n_6083208.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

A House Fit For Bilbo Baggins Is On The Market For $1.2 Million

J.R.R. Tolkien would approve of this one.

A bizarre and beautiful home in Bethesda, Maryland, has gone on the market for a whopping $1.2 million. Referred to by many as the "mushroom house" or "hobbit house," it has long been a source of fascination in its D.C.-area neighborhood.

Current owners Edward and Frances Garfinkle bought the house in 1967, according to Curbed, and turned it into the quirky home it is today, adding high ceilings, skylights and swooping curves.

"At the time we were looking for something different. We did not want to be in a box," Edward told local news outlet WUSA9 of the house, which was constructed in 1923.

The ambitious project nearly bankrupted them. “We were kind of misled into thinking it was an inexpensive way to build. It didn’t turn out that way. ... We did this when we were young. Looking back on it, it was probably kind of dumb,” Edward said, per Bethesda Magazine.

But after decades transforming the place, the couple is finally ready to sell -- and show off their home's interior.

"A lot of people have wanted to see the interior. ... [Someone] would knock on the door, and they'd say, 'Can I come in?' And we'd say, 'No.' And they'd say, 'Why?' And we'd say, 'It's our home, we live here.' ... But, you know, it's been fun," he told WUSA9.

Real estate company Long & Foster notes in the 3,600-square-foot home's online listing that it "lends itself to the creative eye" and "is literally within a stone's throw from D.C."

Take a look inside:

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/hobbit-house-mushroom-bethesda-maryland_n_6082664.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

11 Times Mr. Bean Taught You To Embrace Your Inner Child By Acting Like One

Few words describe Mr. Bean (and he says even fewer).

Believe it or not, Rowan Atkinson created Bean around the same time he was studying for his Masters in Electrical Engineering. Since that time, Atkinson's character -- which he described as "a child in a grown man’s body" -- has developed into a worldwide phenomenon, sparking multiple television series, sketches, movies and more.

Halloween marks the anniversary of the 13th episode in the original Mr. Bean series, "Goodnight Mr. Bean," which first aired on Oct. 31, 1995 on ITV. Only 14 episodes were ever created in the original run, and there is a lot of discrepancy when the 14th aired, with many sources saying it never debuted until 2006 on Nickelodeon, which would make "Goodnight Mr. Bean" the last new episode of the series to air for 11 years.

In honor of that Mr. Bean anniversary, here are 11 times he taught us to embrace our inner child by totally acting like one:


1. The time he flew in an airplane




2. The time he became a hairdresser




3. The time he saved a goldfish




4. The time he had an eating competition




5. The time he was falling asleep in church




6. The time he rode a roller coaster




7. The time he learned self defense




8. The time he went to the beach




9. The time he was packing for trip




10. The time he couldn't find parking




11. The time someone took his pants



What's your favorite Mr. Bean moment? Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/mr-bean-child_n_6078938.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

All The Creepy Laughs From 'The Twilight Zone' Because Evil Is Sometimes Hilarious

Sometimes evil, sometimes delirious, but always creepy. No one laughed at people quite like "The Twilight Zone."

This month is the 55th anniversary of "The Twilight Zone," and with Halloween upon us, what better way to celebrate than with one of those super creepy laughs from the series. Or all of them. In one glorious mashup.

Check out the supercut above and just remember that no one is laughing with you... in "The Twilight Zone."




BONUS: Here's every Rod Serling opening and closing Twilight Zone monologue made into a word cloud in the shape of Rod Serling.

twilight zone rod serling word cloud

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/twilight-zone-creepy-laugh-supercut_n_6083394.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Twins Sara And Emma Koponen Want Identical Surgical Modifications

Sara Koponen and Emma Koponen may be identical twins, but there are some differences.

Sara is blonde while Emma has dyed black hair and a skull tattoo on her left leg.

Nevertheless, the 25-year-old twins live together, wear the same clothes, have the same friends and work the same jobs as ringside girls in Marbella, Spain.

They also have the exact same surgical modifications.

Sara and Emma have spent nearly $24,000 on cosmetic surgeries -- each one carefully calibrated to match up identically with the other.

"As twins we have to look the same, people have expected that from us since we were children," Sara Koponen told Barcroft TV. "We are both addicted with modifying our bodies -- but we have to make sure we both do the same things otherwise we won't match. We are obsessed with surgery and the pursuit of perfection -- for us there's no such thing as too much."

The two grew up in Vastervik, Sweden, but were studious and more interested in sports than boys.

But that changed when they were 16.

"There was one girl in our class who had big boobs and we fixated on her -- we were so jealous," she said, according to the Daily Mail. "We were so self-conscious about our boobs we grew our hair long to cover our chests."

The Koponen twins have undergone three breast enhancement surgeries to increase their busts from an A to an E, and get lip fillers on a regular basis.

There is more surgery planned in the future, including butt implants, dental veneers and twin nose jobs.

Emma is the "twinstigator" for the surgery.

“I think it’s always me who wants more,” she said, according to News.com.au. “It’s usually my decision at first and Emma says yes, for example because she didn’t want to have smaller boobs than me.”

The Koponen twins are happy with their appearance, but admit their family members aren't quite on board.

"Our father is not proud of us at all -- he hates our big boobs and our tattoos," Emma said, according to the Mirror. "Some girls have called us names like ‘whore’ to our faces, but I think they are just jealous of the attention we get."

Sara and Emma insist they love their looks and say their collective goal is to look as artificial as a doll by the time they are finished.

However, Sara also admits that she would never allow a child to follow in her footsteps.

"I’m proud about how I chose to change my body but I would never let my own child do this to herself," she said, according to HuffPost UK. "You will never be happier -- that’s the point. You will always want more. If you start, you will never stop."

To see how the Koponen twins have changed over the years, click over to HuffPost UK.



koponen twins





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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/sara-koponen-emma-koponen_n_6077948.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Teen Wins $4 Million Lottery Prize From Scratch-Off Tickets She Received As A Birthday Gift

Now this is one unforgettable birthday.

Deisi Ocampo of Chicago received a gift from her father when she turned 19 earlier this month, just as many people do on their special day. But the present -- two Illinois Lottery scratch-off tickets -- ended up being very special as the teen won a $4 million prize.

"It turned out to be the best birthday present ever!" Ocampo said, according to a press release from the Illinois lottery.

Ocampo's father gave her the pair of $100 Million Money Mania tickets on her birthday, but she didn't scratch them off until she was on her way to work the following day. While the first ticket did not bring her any fortune, the second one hit the jackpot.

"I started sweating. I couldn’t believe it was possible," she said of the moment she realized she won, according to the press release. "I worked the whole day without saying a word to anyone."

Ocampo plans to use her new wealth to buy her family a house, as well as help pay for her education.

scratch off

While Ocampo's win is a remarkable one, Illinois Lottery chief of staff Sara Barnett says that lottery tickets are not a rare present.

"We are so happy for Deisi. What an impressive young woman," Barnett told The Huffington Post in an email. "We do often hear of adults receiving lottery tickets as birthday gifts."

In fact, the Illinois Lottery has witnessed a birthday win in the past.

"Our last big birthday winner was a young man from downstate Illinois who won $3.15 million after he bought himself an instant ticket on his 31st birthday," Barnett said.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/birthday-4-million-lottery-win_n_6075922.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Ronald Dillon Suspended For Using Robot Voice With Customers

It may sound pretty funny to answer customer-service calls at an IT help desk in a robot voice ... but Ronald Dillon didn't stop when his boss told him to.

Now he's been suspended from his job at New York City's Health Department, without pay, for 20 days.



Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/ronald-dillon_n_6083154.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Mysterious Image Appears In Smoke Plume During Fresno Fire

A mysterious image seen in a smoke plume during a fire rescue is a hot topic in Fresno, California.

The fire took place last Saturday at a duplex and was filmed by who woman saw a good samaritan run into the burning building.

She screamed, "No, there's a man inside!"

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke seems to morph into a face just as a man exits the building carrying another man, KSEE TV reports.

Eyewitness Wyatt Forker believes the face on the smoke plume was that of Jesus Christ.

"You see Jesus in the smoke, and then the person gets saved. That's, that's right there not a coincidence," Forker said, according to UPI.com.

jesus in smoke

Monsignor Raymond Dreiling with the Catholic Diocese of Fresno isn't so sure.

He says the image may be a coincidence, but perhaps also a sign.

"Is that God speaking to us? In a specific way, no. But, for people of faith, we can say, this is a hint for us," Dreiling said, according to KOB.com.

But frankly, to us the billowing puff resembles a number of bearded celebrities, including Santa Claus, ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill or "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson.

However, there may be a less spiritual, but more scientific reason for the Jesus in smoke image.

In 2011, researchers at Northwestern University said the reason people might see Jesus in smoke, pizza or grilled cheese is because the human brain is wired to look for familiarity and meaning in the most abstract squiggles.





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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/jesus-in-smoke-plume_n_6082692.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

UCB's Series 'Gary Saves The Graveyard' Is The Horror Comedy You Needed

The gate that surrounds the cemetery is not to keep people out ... but to keep the dead in. And it's hilarious.

In UCB Comedy's new series "Gary Saves the Graveyard," Gary (Jim Santangeli) is takes over as the new graveyard caretaker, and just in time too, because the dead have risen. Aaaaaand he just accidentally let them all loose on the world.

It's perfect for watching while you're getting into your Halloween costume this weekend and freaking out because nothing looks like it did in the picture.

Watch as Gary reunite with his deceased best friend as they catch up the way all friends do: Finding booze. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/ucb-gary-saves-the-graveyard_n_6083082.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Cellist And Beatboxer Treat Southwest Flight To Impromptu Performance

"So a renowned cellist and a beatboxer meet on a Southwest flight..."

No, that's not the setup for a cheesy joke; the cellist-beatboxer collaboration actually happened, and the impromptu performance they gave passengers was more entertaining than any bad joke could ever be.

Cellist Francisco Vila and beatboxer Maximillian Reynolds (aka "Maxbeatbox") were on a flight bound for Denver earlier this month, reports The Telegraph, along with the Indianapolis University Chamber Orchestra. When they learned of each other's talents, they apparently decided to "wing it."

WATCH the cellist and the beatboxer perform, above.

H/T Digg

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Rush Limbaugh Has A Despicable Take On Viral Catcalling Video

Just when you thought Rush Limbaugh had insulted women enough.

During an Oct. 30 segment of "The Rush Limbaugh Show," Limbaugh responded to the viral video of a woman being harassed while walking in New York City with a chain of decidedly offensive comments.

"Most of it was just men being polite," he said, adding he didn't think the bulk of the comments were particularly aggressive. "You see a pretty woman; you react to it."

He went on to deem street harassment the failure of modern feminism.

"What we are living here in the middle of is the failure -- a massive failure -- of modern day feminism," he said. "Modern day feminism was going to protect women from this kind of mean-spirited, extremist, boorish, predatory behavior, and it hasn't."

And then declared his "love" for the women's movement with this: "People misunderstand me and the women's movement," Limbaugh said. "I love the women's movement, especially when walking behind it."

In addition, when a woman called in to share her experience, Limbaugh -- who said he'd never catcalled a woman because he thinks it's "cheap" -- asserted he was skeptical of the frequency of street harassment in the city.

"I've walked a couple of feet in New York, now and then," he said. "I may have even walked a whole block once ... I didn't see it happening to any other woman, is my point. I've never seen it. I'm not denying that it happens. Don't misunderstand."

No words.

H/T Media Matters Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/rush-limbaugh-street-harassment_n_6082742.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

This Pooch Is So Overjoyed To See Her Human, All She Can Do Is Dance In Delight

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

That's exactly what Bella the boxer dog does when seeing her human. In this video uploaded to YouTube, the pup shakes her tailfeather in excitement as she greets her owner. The clip is a few years old, but is going viral again this week, thanks to a boost from Wimp.com.

Now imagine if people greeted one another like that.

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What Tripping On Mushrooms Looks Like In The Brain

We've all heard recreational hallucinogen users describe their trips as "consciousness expanding," and according to some new research, this poetic description may have a scientific basis.

Using fMRI imaging from healthy participants who ingested psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic "magic" mushrooms, researchers from Imperial College London found that the drug caused brain regions that are typically disconnected to communicate with each other.

In a normal brain state, there's little cross-linking between different networks. But researchers found that on the psilocybin, the networks begin cross-linking all over the place. And these new connections weren't random. "It not so much that the number of connections are increased but rather that the connectivity pattern is different in the psychedelic state," Paul Expert, the study's lead author, wrote in an email to The Huffington Post.

That corroborates some of the common effects of psilocybin reported by users, such as new insights and realizations, synesthesia and nonlinear thinking.

Expert and colleagues used a new technique for network modeling, which is designed to look at network connectivity across the brain, rather than isolated systems or chemicals. The researchers compared the fMRI scans of the people who had taken psilocybin to fMRI data from 15 healthy individuals who had taken a placebo. Specifically, they were looking at functional connectivity -- the communication between different brain regions that share functional properties.

While a simple reading of the data would suggest that psilocybin is simply relaxing constraints on brain function and improving cognitive flexibility, it's a bit more complicated, Expert says.

"The brain does not simply become a random system after psilocybin injection, but instead retains some organizational features, albeit different from the normal state," Expert and his team wrote in the report. "Functional connections support cycles that are especially stable and are only present in the psychedelic state."

mushrooms

Functional connectivity of a normal brain (right), compared to a brain on psilocybin.

"We find that the psychedelic state is associated with a less constrained and more intercommunicative mode of brain function, which is consistent with descriptions of the nature of consciousness in the psychedelic state," Expert and colleagues conclude.

Previous research on psychedelics from Imperial College London found that people on psilocybin had brain activity patterns more commonly associated with dreaming and heightened emotional functioning. In a Slate article on the finding, researcher Robin Carhart-Harris explained that when the emotion system is activated, the brain's "ego system," from which we get a sense of self, quiets down.

"Evidence from this study, and also preliminary data from an ongoing brain imaging study with LSD, appears to support the principle that the psychedelic state rests on disorganized activity in the ego system permitting disinhibited activity in the emotion system," Carhart-Harris wrote in Slate. "And such an effect may explain why psychedelics have been considered useful facilitators of certain forms of psychotherapy."

Expert's research is part of a larger effort to understand how psychedelics work and what their potential psychiatric applications might be. So far, the growing body of research has made some promising findings. A 2012 study found that psilocybin might be an effective intervention for depressive thinking, while research published earlier this year found LSD psychotherapy to be effective in easing end-of-life anxiety among patients suffering from terminal illness. Research being conducted on ayahuasca -- a potent hallucinogen, derived from the compound DMT, which has been used as a healing tool in Amazonian shamanism for hundreds of years -- is being studied as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and other conditions.

Expert's research itself could be an important step towards devising psilocybin-assisted therapy for treating chronic depression.

"One of the characteristics of the depressed brain is that it gets stuck in a loop, you get locked into repetitive and negative thoughts," Expert told HuffPost. "An analogy is a particle stuck in a deep minimum in an energy landscape and is stuck there. The idea is that using psilocybin might help break the loop, change the patterns of functional connectivity in the brain, or in the analogy of the particle, give it enough energy so that is can escape from its minimum and explore the rest of the energy landscape." Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/how-hallucinogenic-mushro_n_6075486.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Megan Hoelting Allegedly Tries To Force Fellatio On Victim

A Texas woman who has already three run-ins with police in the past month allegedly broke into her husband's friend's house on Monday and tried to "perform fellatio upon him," according to police.

Megan Davis Hoelting, 31, is charged with felony burglary with the intent of committing a sexual assault, according to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office.

Police documents obtained by the Smoking Gun state that Hoelting got into the house through an unlocked gate. The man told deputies that he awoke to find the woman straddling his legs and dressed only in her underwear, then "felt the offender place his penis in her mouth."

Once he recognized who the intruder was, the man ordered her to leave the house. When Hoelting refused, the man called 911.

Hoelting's other arrests were for theft, assault and public intoxication, according to police. She's been held county jail since her most recent arrest.





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Halloween 'Lynching' Display At Soldier's Home Removed After Complaints

A Halloween display showing what has been considered a "lynching" scene was removed from a home at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

A home on the Army installation became the site of controversy due to a Halloween display of three black effigies hanging from a tree, ClarksvilleNow.com first reported. There were two larger, adult-sized figures hanging from a branch and a smaller one tied to the trunk. A second child-sized figure was placed on the ground holding one of the effigy's ankles. Some claimed the scene depicted an African-American family.

lynching

Complaints were made and the display was removed.

“Displays of an offensive nature are not reflective of Army values and the family-friendly environment provided for employees and residents of the Fort Campbell community,” Brendalyn Carpenter with Public Affairs told ClarksvilleNow.com.

Army Times reported that the homeowner, who is an active-duty solider, “willingly removed the decorations" after base officials reached out. The homeowner, whose name has not been released, also apologized for “the impression left by the decorations."

Although some have suggested the display might reflect a scene from "Sinister," a 2012 horror film, there was "no discussion with investigators of the particular theme" the display represented, according to Army Times.

This was the second offensive Halloween display taken down this week because of its association to lynching.

A display in the yard of a Minneapolis home was taken down after neighbors said it resembled a lynching. The homeowner, Tou Vue, apologized and denied any claims of a connection to lynching, saying it "was the furthest thing from my mind." Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/halloween-lynching-display_n_6082082.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Human Skulls, 'Books On Satan And Witchcraft' Found In Connecticut Dump

Police in Connecticut are investigating the discovery of two human skulls found at a dump on Thursday.

An employee at the Stamford Refuse Transfer Station reportedly found two skulls, a jawbone, and "several [10] books on Satan and witchcraft" while sifting through trash.

The worker initially thought it might be a Halloween prank, but the medical examiner's office confirmed that the skulls are human, WFSB reported.

"We've got some homework to do to find out where they came from and how they got to Stamford," Lieutenant Diedrich Hohn of the Stamford Police told the Hartford Courant.

Cops want to determine a cause of death and see if they can track down where the skulls came from.

The Hartford Courant reports that human skulls can be purchased on the black market or online from medical supply houses, but there's also the possibility that the bones could have been taken from a grave.

Earlier this year, police in Texas launched an investigation after someone tried to donate a skull to a Goodwill store.





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Man Faces Environmental Charges For Trying To Move River In Washington State


SEATTLE, Oct 30 (Reuters) - A Washington state man accused of using an excavator and a bulldozer to try to alter the Tahuya River was charged on Thursday with environmental violations, the state's top attorney said.

William Cayo Sr. was charged in Mason County District Court with violating water pollution and shoreline management laws as well as conducting unpermitted hydraulic activities in February 2013, Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office said in a statement.

Federal biologists concluded that about 5,747 square meters of river bed were moved to fill the active channel or otherwise alter the streambed conditions in the river, about 50 miles west of Seattle, Ferguson said.

Under Washington state law, a property owner can work with a county and other agencies to develop "responsible, professional and effective" hydraulic or shoreline projects that protect both private property and natural resources.

"Unpermitted and improperly designed work in a riverbed or on a shoreline, however, can damage neighboring properties, pollute the river, and kill fish," the statement said. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/man-tries-move-river_n_6079560.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Beijing Bans Halloween Costumes On Subway


BEIJING, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Beijing police have warned people they face arrest for wearing Halloween fancy dress on the subway as it may cause crowds to gather and create "trouble," a state-run newspaper said on Friday, unveiling a list of APEC summit-related restrictions.

Next month's meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders is being billed as the Chinese capital's highest-profile international event since the 2008 Olympics.

Aside from widespread traffic controls and road closures, starting from Saturday and running until Nov. 12, the city is massively ramping up security, which is what appears to have prompted the Halloween warning.

With Halloween's arrival, the wearing of fancy dress or scary make-up on the city's extensive subway network could cause "panic," the Beijing News noted.

"Public transport police point out, please do not wear strange outfits in subway stations or in train carriages, which could easily cause a crowd to gather and create trouble," it said.

Police had the power to arrest those who "upset order," the paper said.

"If the chaos is serious and causes a stampede or other public safety incident, the police will deal with it severely in accordance with the law."

Halloween is not widely celebrated in China, where the government officially frowns on "superstition," though Western festival and holidays like Christmas are increasingly marked by the middle class, though usually with no religious connotations.

The run-up to the Beijing Olympics was also marked by similar strange rules, including a ban on eating outdoors, in a bid to present a "civilized" image to the outside world and prevent any hint of social disturbance. (Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/beijing-bans-halloween-costumes_n_6080048.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

A Virtual Serial Killer Is Stalking Grand Theft Auto

Just in time for Halloween, a serial killer has returned to the virtual streets of "Grand Theft Auto Online."

Well-known gamer/murderous prankster MrKreepyKoala just posted a montage of clips to YouTube that show his "Creepy Murderer" avatar generally rampaging and creeping other players out in GTA.

The clips are meant to be funny, but not everyone's amused. A player at the end of the first video in the series threatens to report Koala for his behavior. Video game site Kotaku calls the videos "trolling at its finest."

The trolling is all happening in the online component of "Grand Theft Auto V," which takes place within a fictional Los Angeles stand-in called Los Santos. In the main GTA V game, you play alone and make your way through a sprawling story, stealing cars, getting into gunfights, and pulling off heists.

GTA Online strips away the story and lets people compete. Imagine walking into the streets of downtown L.A., finding them empty except for a group of your friends, and having the biggest laser tag battle of your life: It's kind of like that.



MrKreepyKoala's videos have racked up the views on YouTube: The first and most successful is sitting at just over 20,000. That's not bad for someone whose videos are a hobby on top of schoolwork and, yes, gaming. When reached via Twitter, Koala told The Huffington Post that he’s actually just a 16-year-old high school student. However, we were not able to verify his name or identity. Nevertheless, he’s been making GTA gameplay videos for about a year now.

GTA V is the fastest-selling game ever, making over $1 billion in its first three days when it came out in September 2013. It's available for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, with updated versions for next-gen consoles coming in November.

Its open-world gameplay encourages players to be creative, and gamers have made impressive non-violent videos that show off the game’s physics engine. (Check out this montage, which has wracked up over 4.2 million views.)

Of course, Koala’s videos are something else entirely. And the subtitles embedded in these gifs show just how his opponents feel about them -- note that the colorful words are theirs, not ours.



Koala’s videos exist to freak players out and showcase murder in the style of horror flicks. His technique is pretty straightforward: He jumps on the game at around 3 a.m., then plays what he calls "creepy lullabies sung by women and children" through his microphone for others to hear. His character is decked out in black gear, a blood red hockey mask, and brandishes a combat knife.



Koala starts the game in "passive mode," which renders him invulnerable to attacks from other players, waits until their avatars’ defenses are down, and then brutally murders them. It creates the impression that Koala is an unstoppable serial killer on the level of Jason Voorhees -- a particularly unnerving thing in a game where players are used to creating mass havoc with fighter jets, rocket launchers, and more.



Of course, it can only go so far. Once Koala starts killing, he’s officially in the game and no longer invulnerable, so other GTA players can end his reign of terror with quick thinking (or a fast SUV). Think of it like a football player hurling insults from the bench and then getting clotheslined when coach puts him in.

Still, you might want to watch your back if you plan on logging onto GTA Online this Halloween. Just in case. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/gta-creepy-murderer_n_6077652.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird+News

Eli Broad Adds Jordan Wolfson's Terrifying Robot to Collection

This post originally appeared on artnet News.

by Eileen Kinsella

wolfson

Jordan Wolfson's Female Figure (2014) a life-size talking, moving robot, is now part of Eli and Edythe Broad's massive contemporary art collection.


Mega-collectors Eli and Edythe Broad have acquired one of artist Jordan Wolfson's creepy robots. The work, Female Figure (2014), set the art world abuzz this past spring during a six-week run at David Zwirner's Chelsea gallery (see "Say Hello to Jordan Wolfson's Terrifying Animatronic Dancer at David Zwirner").

We heard the news at a press luncheon at Le Cirque, courtesy of the Broad Museum in Los Angeles, at which museum executives also unveiled updated details about the innovative architecture and building construction, as well as the museum's planned opening, now set for Fall 2015 (it was originally set to debut this year but there were construction delays and no specific date has been issued yet). Broad, who could not attend the luncheon due to recent back surgery, instead addressed the crowd on a live-feed video-cast from LA.

Female Figure dances to pop music and locks eyes with visitors, who are allowed into the room one or two at a time. It has even inspired a parody, the Mini Sexy Robot Doll for Your Desk, created by artists Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw. The art duo sent the toy replica to our office, and we gave it a test run (see: "In Zwirner Parody, Artists Offer Toy Robot Stripper").

With the acquisition of the LA–based artist's work, the Broads' collecting strategy seems to have shifted lately to put a priority on works that encourage visitor engagement. They previously announced the purchase of Yayoi Kusama's immersive Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013), which was also shown at Zwirner this past winter as part of the exhibition "I Who Have Arrived in Heaven," and which had visitors lined up outside in the brutal cold for hours.

Other major additions to the Broad collection are Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson's much-lauded video installation The Visitors (2012), which was shown at New York's Luhring Augustine gallery in 2012, and William Kentridge's intriguing and sprawling sculptural video work The Refusal of Time (2012), which was recently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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