Today on My Queerific World
Friday, October 5, 2007
iPod Sets Man's Pants On Fire
“So I look down and I see flames coming up to my chest,” said Danny Williams.
Williams said the burn hole from the pocket of his pants marks the spot of his 15 seconds of flame. He said he had an iPod Nano and an glossy piece of paper in his pocket. He believes the paper shielded him from being burned.
“I’m still kind of freaked out that after only a year and a half my iPod caught fire in my pocket,” said Williams.
The iPod uses a lithium ion battery -- the same type of battery under recall for setting laptops on fire.
Williams said the fact is iPod Nano burst into flames while he was at work was bad enough, where he works could have been another issue. He works at a kiosk in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“If TSA had come by and seen me smoking, they could have honestly thought I was a terrorist,” said Williams.
Williams said Apple wants him to send his iPod back and they’ve vowed to replace it. Williams’ mother called Channel 2 because she said this is more than one iPod. She said it’s about what could have happened.
“It could have happened when we were sleeping, it could have happened when he was driving and the outcome could have been much worse,” said Elaine Williams.
After Channel 2 sent Apple pictures of the iPod, they called back but they refused to say how common the problem is. In fact, Apple refused to talk about this particular incident at all.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Woman told to ditch bra to enter court
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- Security guards refused to allow a woman into a federal courthouse until she removed a bra that triggered a metal detector.
Lori Plato said she and her husband, Owen Plato, were stunned when U.S. Marshals Service employees asked her to remove her bra after the underwire supports set off the alarm.
"I asked if I could go into the bathroom because they didn't have a privacy screen and no women security officers were available," Plato said Wednesday. "They said, 'No.'
"I wasn't carrying a shank in my bra. If it's so dangerous, why did they give it back and let me put it on?"
Patrick McDonald, the U.S. Marshal in Boise, said appropriate security protocols were followed in the Sept. 20 matter, and guards suggested she simply remove the bra in her car outside, or find a restaurant bathroom.
"She's inflating it," McDonald said. "All of a sudden she just took it off. It wasn't anything we wanted to happen and it wasn't anything we asked for her to do. She did it so fast."
Plato, of Bonners Ferry, said she was parked on a busy street and wasn't familiar with downtown Coeur d'Alene businesses. So her husband held up his coat to shield her from the rest of the people in the courthouse lobby while she removed her bra underneath her shirt.
Generally, McDonald said, undergarments aren't considered a danger to security.
"I don't think they're considered a weapon, really, the last time I looked," he said.
He declined to discuss other ways the federal courthouse guards could have screened Plato for weapons.
Plato wants the Marshals Service to apologize and stop forcing women to disrobe.
"It was very humiliating," her husband, Owen Plato, said. "They could have handled it with a much more professional attitude."
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Lawmaker shows naked woman during school lecture
From the Associated Press
NORWALK, Ohio (AP) -- A state legislator surprised a high school class when the computer he was using projected a photo of a nude woman during a lecture on how a bill becomes a law.
State Rep. Matthew Barrett was giving a civics lesson Tuesday when he inserted a data memory stick into the school computer and the projected image of a topless woman appeared instead of the graphics presentation he had downloaded.
Police interviewed Barrett and school officials and seized the data memory stick and the computer to determine where the image came from, a state highway patrol spokesman said.
Barrett said there were a few snickers from the approximately 20 students in the senior government class at Norwalk High School when the image appeared. He said he immediately pulled the memory stick out of the computer.
The legislator said he finished his lecture using printouts and then met with the school's principal and technology staff, who examined the stick. He said the school's technology director determined the stick had a directory of nude images in addition to Barrett's presentation on civics lessons.
"I have no idea where these came from," the Democrat said.
Barrett said the data memory stick was a gift he received about three weeks ago from a legislative liaison from the state Library of Ohio.
Burning chilli sparks terror feari in London
From BBC. :-)
Burning chilli sparks terror fear
A pot of burning chilli sparked fears of a biological terror attack in central London.
Firefighters wearing protective breathing apparatus were called to D'Arblay Street, Soho, after reports of noxious smoke filling the air.
Police closed off three roads and evacuated homes following the alert.
Specialist crews broke down the door to the Thai Cottage restaurant at 1900 BST on Monday where they discovered the source - a 9lb pot of chillies.
Nam Prik Pao recipe
Heat garlic and shallots in oil and remove to a bowl
Place red chillies in the pan with some oil and fry until they go dark in colour. Then set aside
Mix shrimp paste with the rest of the ingredients and pound in a mortar and pestle
Return the mixture to the heat until it becomes a thick dark coloured paste
The restaurant had been preparing Nam Prik Pao, a red-hot Thai dip which uses extra-hot chillies which are deliberately burnt.
But the smell prompted several members of the public to call the emergency services.
Alpazan Duven, a Turkish journalist based in the restaurant's building, said: "I was sitting in the office when me and my chief start coughing and I said this was something really dodgy.
"I looked out of the window and saw people rushing and then we heard the sirens."
Supranee Yodmuang, the restaurant supervisor, was above the restaurant when she received a phone call from her boss.
"It was about 4pm when I saw the police who were closing off the roads but I didn't know why.
"My boss rang me and said I had to get out of the building because of a chemical attack."
She added: "Because we're Thai, we're used to the smell of chillies."
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The street was closed off for three hours while we were trying to discover the source of the odour."
Benazir's Convertible Hijab
Pakistan Deal Is Stalled, Bhutto Says
By REUTERS 36 minutes ago
Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto today accused Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, of failing to deliver on promises of a return to democracy.
Full article...
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Ahmadinejad Gay Spoof on Saturday Night Live
MAROON 5 star ADAM LEVINE and JAKE GYLLENHAAL have teamed up with U.S. comedian ANDY SAMBERG to poke fun at Iranian leader MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD in a hilarious new video.
Saturday Night Live regular Samberg, who recorded cult favourite Dick In A Box with Justin Timberlake, has penned a quirky love song to the Iranian President, called I Ran - and Levine has joined him for the chorus.
The pair premiered the quirky promo, which suggests Ahmadinejad is Samberg's gay lover, on SNL at the weekend (29Sep07).
The video also features Gyllenhaal - because Samberg declared the Brokeback Mountain star looks like the Iranian leader.
In the song, Samberg sings, "I know you say that there are no gays in Iran, but you're in New York now, baby!"
The video comes after President Ahmadinejad gave a controversial speech at Columbia University last week, in which he made the claim, "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country."
A Good Laugh from Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O'Brien
10/2/2007 5:55:05 AM
A Good Laugh:
Jay Leno: “Oh, this Saturday in Washington, D.C., they will hold the seventh annual National Book Festival. First lady Laura Bush will deliver a speech about the joy of reading. And then President Bush will give the rebuttal.”
Jay Leno: “And, folks, it’s official. Congress now has the lowest approval rating of any Congress in the history of the United States -- 11%. In fact,” their “approval rating is so low, today they are invited to speak at Columbia University.”
Jay Leno: “And in Utah, polygamy sect leader Warren Jeffs has been convicted on two charges in” a “sex trial. … He’s going to prison, hopefully for the rest of his life. But the guy’s got 80 wives,” and “when Rudy Giuliani heard that he said, ‘Records are made to be broken.’”
David Letterman: “President Bush has a new plan to stop Iran’s nuclear program. … He’s going to have O.J. steal the plutonium.”
Conan O’Brien: “All the world leaders in town right now for the U.N. General Assembly. … Yesterday, President Bush met with President Valdis Zatlers of Latvia, and President Festus Gontebanye Mogae of Botswana and President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania. Yeah, yeah. Or as Bush calls them, ‘Buddy, Slim and Big Guy.’”
Conan O’Brien: “Yesterday, controversial Iranian President Ahmadinejad insisted that Iran has freedom of the press. He says there are 30 newspapers published there that oppose his government. Yeah, so, if you are keeping track, that’s 30 opposition newspapers and zero gay people.”
Conan O’Brien: “Ahmadinejad invited several high-profile reporters over to his hotel for dinner” last night. Apparently, “it went well, because this morning, Barbara Walters was seen leaving in the same clothes.”
Conan O’Brien: “The organizers of Hillary Clinton’s campaign are sponsoring a contest where the winner gets to watch a Democratic debate while sitting next to Bill Clinton. … The rules specify no members of the press and no fat chicks.”
Beyonce dumps Malaysia show to avoid Muslim outcry
Beyonce dumps Malaysia show to avoid Muslim outcry
Tue Oct 2, 2007 1:13pm EDT
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - R&B star Beyonce Knowles has axed her debut concert in Malaysia in protest against the nation's ultra-strict dress code and over fears of a Muslim outcry over her show, an industry source said on Tuesday.
Her agent ICM cited a "scheduling conflict" as the reason, but the source said unofficially she was unhappy over a possible hostile reception in the mainly Muslim nation.
"They foresee that when she comes over to Kuala Lumpur, there will be protests against her," the source said. "They didn't want that to happen."
Although Malaysia is a moderate Muslim country with sizeable non-Muslim minorities, conservative groups often frown upon departures from strict Koranic injunctions.
The source also said Beyonce, known for her skimpy outfits, also balked at government rules banning sexy attire and running and jumping on stage.
"You mean when she comes to Malaysia she has to change all her stuff?" the source added.
"It's also beyond the dressing. She has to change the show. Basically, the ministry wants her to stand in front of the microphone and open her mouth. Just sing and cannot move."
Ironically, Beyonce will instead perform in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on November 1. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country.
Last August, singer Gwen Stefani proceeded with her show in Malaysia despite calls from Muslim students who demanded that the event be cancelled as being too obscene.
But she wore no revealing costumes in line with the guidelines.