1. Finally Friday July 15th 2011

2. Hospitals may absorb $26 million annually in care for undocumented July 11, 2011Ventura County StarHospitals across California absorb roughly $1.25 billion a year in care for illegal immigrants, including about $26 million in Ventura County, according to a state hospital association supporting a national push for more federal funding for uncompensated care.Eight general care hospitals in Ventura County charge a total of more than $260 million a year on care for uninsured or under-insured patients that isn't compensated, according to data provided by hospital officials. There are no specific numbers on the portion of uncompensated care spent on illegal immigrants, with hospitals saying they don't track the population. But California Hospital Association leaders estimate about 10 percent of a hospital's uncovered costs come from people without legal status in the United States."If they don't have Social Security or photo identification or a Mexican consulate card, if they don't have any of those, we estimate they are undocumented," said Jan Emerson-Shea, vice president of external affairs with the California Hospital Association.

3. By Jove, It’s The Duchess’s Knickers, It is!July 8th, 2011 Pics of Kate Middleton learning to never wear a dress this short while exiting a goddamn helicopter.

4. The Smiling Macaque07/06/11 – “To capture the perfect wildlife image, you usually have to be in exactly the right place at precisely the right time. But in this instance, David Slater wasn’t there at all and he still got a result. Visiting a national park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, award-winning photographer Mr Slater left his camera unattended for a while. It soon attracted the attention of an inquisitive female from a local group of crested black macaque monkeys, known for their intelligence and dexterity. Fascinated by her reflection in the lens, she then somehow managed to start the camera. The upshot: A splendid self-portrait.”

5. The debate over circumcising baby boysA safe and hygienic option? Or a medically unnecessary and brutal procedure? July 11, 2011Los Angeles Times This November, voters in San Francisco are expected to weigh in on a controversial topic: whether parents should be allowed to circumcise their baby boys.The proposition, backed by members of an anti-circumcision group that calls its members "intactivists," has ignited heated debate.It's hardly a new issue. Historians have found evidence of circumcision dating to ancient Egypt. Since then, the practice has gone in and out of public favor for myriad reasons, including hygiene, religion, cultural norms and beliefs about masculinity. Circumcised men are now in the minority worldwide, but they are the vast majority in the U.S.

6. From LIFE photos: Two australian aborigines undergoing painful circumcision while laying atop their gardians. Location: Australia Date taken: October 1951

7. A reveler joins a gay pride parade in Barcelona on June 26, 2011.

8. Charting The Beatles PrintsThe Beatles are like the iPods of music – they changed the game forever. Okay, that is perhaps a bad example seeing as how iPods are the iPods of music, but even if you cloned three more Justin Biebers and tossed them all up on stage they wouldn’t come close to the legendary group. If you’re a Beatles fan (which is kind of like asking if you’re a fan of oxygen) then you have about a million posters to choose from to display your devotion to the pop pioneers. For something less “I’m still in middle school and use Oxy pads” and more guy-friendly, we found these prints. Each Charting The Beatles print shows one of the band members – John, Paul, George or Ringo – along with the instruments they played. Most a plethora and lowly Ringo with his drums (we think he’s doing alright though). $15

9. Volvo Packs More Buckshot in Its Electric ShotgunJuly 12, 2011 | Volvo is taking a shotgun approach to vehicle electrification, essentially blasting away with a whole lot of concepts to see what hits the bullseye.The Swedish automaker’s already wowed us with the slick C30 Electric, a car that it really ought to go ahead and sell already. Volvo keepts telling us we’ll see the C30 electric (pictured) in 2013. Then it wheeled out the diesel-electric V60 Plug-In Hybrid, which could be in (some?) showrooms next year.Now it’s experimenting with extended-range electrics, which are another way of saying plug-in hybrids that use gasoline engines to boost electric range. One is a straight-up riff on the Chevrolet Volt, a car Volvo vp of business development Paul Gustavsson told us is “a milestone in the industry.”Although range-extended drivetrains are more complex than either internal combustion or electric systems, they offer the flexibility of a conventional car and the efficiency and zero tailpipe emissions of an EV.

10. Denver Newspaper Hires Professional Pot CriticNPR July 10, 2011 Denver is at the peak of a citywide pot boom.It all started after the U.S. Attorney General's office — in a shift of policy since the Bush administration — announced in 2009 that it would not prosecute marijuana users if their state permits use of the drug for medical reasons."It just blew up from there," William Breathes tells Weekends On All Things Considered host Guy Raz. Colorado had permitted use of medical marijuana since 2000, but now it had a stamp of approval from the federal government.So Breathes — employed by Westword, Denver's weekly alternative newspaper — became perhaps the first professional marijuana critic in the country. William Breathes is his pen name, of course. Like a food critic, he remains anonymous to the businesses he reviews."We have more than 100,000 licensed medical marijuana cardholders in the state," he says. That's fueled the growth of dispensaries, which now outnumber Starbucks in Denver. More than 300 dispensaries are in business citywide.That's a lot of options for readers of Westword, Breathes says."When I'm reviewing marijuana, I'm looking for how clean it's grown, how well it's grown," he says. But he's also reviewing the dispensary itself."How would an older patient feel going into this place?" he says. "How would someone new to cannabis feel in this place? If it makes me feel icky going into a place, then it would probably make my grandma feel icky. And there's plenty of grandmas around the Denver community with medical marijuana cards going to these dispensaries.“Once grandma has a doctor-issued card, Breathes says, state law permits her to purchase 2 ounces of marijuana a month. That's somewhere between 30 and 60 joints at around $170 per ounce.Breathes has been using marijuana medically for years to treat chronic stomach pain, but also enjoys it recreationally. He has a background in journalism. And even when he's smoking, he always makes his deadlines."Late at night," he says. "That's when I get some of my best writing done."

11. Feds: Pot has no medical purpose Marijuana will remain in the same class of drugs as heroin NBCSanDiego.com updated 7/8/2011 The federal government officially declared that marijuana has no accepted medical use and should remain classified as a dangerous and addictive drug. It will remain in the same class of drugs as heroin. The Department of Justice declared Friday: "DHHS concluded that marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical supervision." (Read the rest of the ruling here.)The decision comes almost a decade after medical marijuana supporters asked the feds to reclassify cannabis. The activists point to research that showed its effectiveness in treating certain diseases, like glaucoma and multiple sclerosis, and the side effects of chemotherapy. The LA Times spoke to advocates who criticized the ruling, but said it came with a silver lining because they could now move the issue to the federal courts. "We have foiled the government’s strategy of delay, and we can now go head-to-head on the merits, that marijuana really does have therapeutic value," Joe Elford told the Times. He is the chief counsel for Americans for Safe Access and the lead counsel on the recently filed lawsuit. The Times notes that this is the third time that petitions to reclassify pot have failed to be approved. The first, filed in 1972, took 17 years for a ruling. The second was filed in 1995 and denied six years later. Both decisions were appealed, but the courts sided with the federal government. This will not help California's effort to legalize pot for medical use. Voters approved Prop. 215 several years ago, but it has never completely gelled with the feds who on occasion bust medical marijuana facilities.

12. Teen black belt who lost bowed, then kicked opponent in face, police sayMiami Lakes teen faces felony assault charges after the incident at a taekwondo tournament in CaliforniaThe Associated Press 4:41 p.m. EDT, July 9, 2011SAN JOSE, California — San Jose police say a 16-year-old Florida boy is facing charges for assaulting an opponent after losing a martial arts tournament.The San Jose Mercury News reports that the Miami Lakes black belt was booked on a felony assault charge after he bowed to his opponent, shook his hand and then kicked him in the face.The injured teen, who is also 16, had some of his teeth knocked out and underwent surgery at a local hospital. He is recovering at home.The newspaper says after being booked, the Florida boy was cited and released to his parents. The names of the boys have not been released.The incident, which took place last weekend, was initially thought to be a fight before two opponents before a taekwondo match.National taekwondo organizers saying they are considering serious sanctions, including banning the suspect from the sport for life.

13. AF: No word when F-22s could fly againMonday, July 11th, 2011 7:37 amPosted in AirThe Air Force’s fleet of F-22 super-jets has been grounded for more than two months now, but service officials had no details Friday about when the F-22s may fly again or even when engineers could finish the investigation into the fighters’ onboard oxygen systems.“The safety of our airmen is paramount and we will take the necessary time to ensure we perform a thorough investigation,” said Master Sgt. Pamela Anderson, a spokeswoman for Air Combat Command.Anderson told Buzz that when the grounding is lifted, there may be a bow wave in optempo for F-22 units — Buzz’s phrase, not hers — as everyone involved gets re-qualified on their jobs under operational conditions, as opposed to working with simulators or static aircraft.Read more: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2011/07/11/af-no-word-when-f-22s-could-fly-again/#ixzz1Rvt940rHDoDBuzz.com

14. NASA’s Shuttle Mission Includes Turning Urine into Sports DrinkJuly 8, 2011 NASA’s innovative uses for astronaut urine have been the subject of many funny comics, blogs and periodicals. However, their latest use for pee (which is going to be used on the final shuttle mission) may be their best yet — a magic bag that converts urine into a sports drink.The bag uses forward osmosis to filter urine — or any other liquid — creating pure drinkable water. This water can then be mixed with an electrolyte-rich solution to create a sports drink for thirsty astronauts. The entire process only takes about 4-6 hours. Mmm, delicious.Since the bag has already been tested on Earth, researchers want the crew of the final NASA shuttle mission to test its usefulness in space. The crew will be performing these experiments towards the end of their mission.

15. Girl with No Legs, No Arms Says Cheerleading Tryout UnfairWednesday, 13 July 2011 6:49 AM A Nebraska girl born with no arms and no legs says unfair scoring is to blame for her failed attempts to make the cheerleading squad after three years reports the Omaha World-Herald. Her parents say she was given “no accommodation for her disability” during tryouts, citing the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the World Herald, the girl received her “lowest score in the jumps/kicks category and her highest marks in the communication skills and enthusiasm/spirit categories.”

16. Today's Special at Wal-Mart: Something Weird July 10, 2011Wall Street Journal From shopping carts taken for a joy ride to alligators in the parking lot, something strange is always going on at a Wal-Mart store. WSJ's Miguel Bustillo reports on the wacky, weird world of Wal-Mart.Somewhere, something weird is going to go down this week at a Wal-Mart. And next week. And the next.Maybe a man dressed in a cow suit, crawling on all fours, will steal 26 gallons of milk from a Wal-Mart and hand them out Robin Hood-style to patrons in a parking lot, as allegedly occurred in Stafford, Va. in April.Perhaps a glazed-eyed 20-year-old will take a truck filled with 338 boxes of KrispyKreme doughnuts from a Wal-Mart before police find him drowsy and in possession of a bag of marijuana, as authorities say took place in Ocala, Fla., in March. Or perchance a rapper named Mr. Ghetto will shoot an unauthorized, sexually suggestive music video paean to picking up women in the aisles of a Wal-Mart, full of ladies shaking their hindquarters in ways hindquarters typically don't shake, as happened in New Orleans in May."The same women that are going to be at the club are going to be at Wal-Mart," Mr. Ghetto, aka Robert Mayes, says of his video, which has been viewed more than three million times on YouTube. "Only at Wal-Mart, you don't have to spend $20 on drinks to talk to them.“There's no reason to believe that zany stuff happens per capita at Wal-Mart more than at other retail locations. Rather, it's the sheer ubiquity of the big-box titan—with some 3,750 U.S. stores visited by customers 140 million times a week—and its role as the de facto town square in many corners of the country, that keeps the company's public-relations representatives busy. "Wal-Mart has become a microcosm of American life. So it is not uncommon to see our share of the things that happen in every town across the country," says David Tovar, a company spokesman.

17. Louisiana decriminalizes oral and anal sex 07 July, 2011, 23:10 Oral sex enthusiasts and anal sex lovers rejoice! The lovely state of Louisiana has booted their rule against “solicitation of crimes against nature” out the back door.In a strong blow to conservative lawmakers, the Bayou State has decriminalized what would once earn you a felony charge.Legislation limiting sex acts have been on the Louisiana books since the early 1800s, seven years before it even achieved statehood. Up until just now, soliciting certain sex acts, including oral and anal sex, was a big no-no in Louisiana. A conviction could earn you felon status and anyone found guilty of the crime was forced to register as a sex offender — something that was possible only in the great state of Louisiana. The solicitation of “unnatural carnal copulation” also meant longer jail terms and the branding of “sex offender” on state-issued driver’s licenses.Advocates have long argued that the legislation unjustly targeted specific races and genders. Of those convicted of the crime in Louisiana, almost all of them are women and more than three-quarters of them have been Black. While heterosexual white streetwalkers were typically left off the hook, gay and transsexual sex-workers were handled a hefty fine and a rather ridiculous criminal sentence. Of the 861 sex offenders registered in New Orleans as of December 2010, more than half of them were listed due to “crime against nature” convictions.

19. Jul 9, 2011 9:00 AMio9Taiwan’s funeral strippers dance for a dead crowdCyriaque Lamar —Should you meet your demise in Taiwan, a funerary option open to you is the Electric Flower Car (EFC), a wheeled, neon-lit platform upon which pulchritudinous women strip down to their skivvies for the benefit of audiences...both living and deceased.

20. Fort Pierce man tempted by 'the girls in the short skirts' says cash missing after liaison with three prostitutesJuly 11, 2011 It was a matter of routine for the 63-year-old man. Every payday, he secured the services of a local prostitute, and every time she stole from him once he fell asleep.On July 1, however, the man apparently took a stand after hiring three prostitutes and waking to find about $90 missing, according to a recently released Fort Pierce police report. "(He) said he felt he had to report the theft because he felt they would keep stealing from him and other customers if he had not reported the incident," the report states. The case began about 11:35 p.m. when an officer was dispatched to an address in the 400 block of North 23rd Street and spoke to the man."(He) said he routinely hired a female prostitute every payday, but tried to get a different one every time for the sake of variety and adventure," the report states. "(He) stated he located three harlots on the corner of North 23rd Street and Avenue D, which he found convenient since they were mere feet from his residence.“He said he paid each woman about $20 for "various salacious acts." Details of the acts weren't "discussed in depth at the time of the initial investigation since it was not germane to the reported offense.“The man said after the "performance" he gave the prostitutes "a cash gratuity for service excellence" and started snoozing. When he woke about 11:30 p.m. he noticed about $90 stolen from his trousers.The man didn't know the prostitutes' names, but said they sported short skirts, were in their 30s and were between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall. With enthusiasm, the man said each payday he brought hookers to his apartment, saying they stole from him once he fell asleep. He said that the week prior a prostitute absconded with $200 -- on top of her fee -- from his pants as he slept.He said he thought he must report the theft lest the ladies continue stealing from him and other patrons. "(He) did state that he felt he was at least partially at fault because he was '64 years old' (actually (he) was 63) and could not resist having been tempted by what he described as 'the girls in the short skirts,'" the report states.

21. Bandai Gun O’clock Alarm Clock The single worst moment in any given day isn’t when you actually stroll into the office or get into line for your ridiculously big espresso, it’s the moment the alarm clock goes off for the first time in the morning. Waking up in the morning is at least ten times more difficult than recalling the digits in Pi after three back to back shots of Cuervo and no amount of ocean sounds will ever make it any better. Waking up like a zombie might suck, but if we didn’t have alarm clocks that sounded like early warning systems for nuclear detonations there’s no way we’d ever make it to work. Now you can forget about the snooze button, the ocean sounds and being late for work. In order to turn off the Bandai Gun O’Clock Alarm Clock you have to shoot the target three times in order to turn off the alarm. You’ll never have problems getting out of bed again. $90

22. Hitler ordered Nazis to make sex dolls so soldiers wouldn't catch syphilis from prostitutesDaily Mail Reporter11th July 2011Adolf Hitler ordered the Nazis to develop sex dolls to send to his troops being ravaged by disease after sleeping with French women, it's been revealed.The synthetic 'comforters' were made from silicone and designed to stop soldiers being laid low with syphilis.Smaller than life-size, the so-called ‘gynoids’ were to be targeted at the men most at temptation from a ‘quick adventure’ with a French prostitute.Initially, the Hungarian actress Kathe von Nagy was asked if the doll could be modelled on her, but she refused.Instead the look of the Aryan doll with blonde bob hair and blue eyes was left bland so soldiers could apply their own fantasy.Author Graeme Donald has uncovered the secretive ‘Borghild Project’ while researching the history of the Barbie doll - which was based on a post-war German sex doll toy.

23. Man With Obscenity On Forehead Tries To Cash Stolen CheckJuly 14, 2011 REDDING,Calif. -- A Shasta County inmate's picture has gone viral, not because of the crime he's accused of, but because of the tattoo across his forehead. Investigators say 21 year old Patrick Brooks tried cashing a check from Cottonwood Bible Baptist Church at a check- cashing store on Bechelli Lane Monday. His mugshotshows the prominent tattoo, which features a four-letter word starting with the letter "f." But store manager, Glenn Bassett got suspicious when he saw Brooks’ forehead which had an obscenity tattooed on it. The church's telephone number had been crossed out on the check and another one was written in its place. Bassett then called Pastor Eric Madsen to confirm the check was from the church. Once Madsen was able to confirm he had not written the check, Bassett called police and Brooks’ was arrested. Madsen told KRCR NewsChannel Seven he went to the church to figure out how Brooks got hold of the check and found that somebody had cut a window screen into the church. He found several checkbooks were missing and $250 dollars in cash was gone from a filing cabinet in his office. Brooks was arrested and charged for burglary, receiving stolen property, forgery and violating parole. Madsen says the stolen money was from several fundraisers for the church's teen youth group camp. Brooks appeared in court Wednesday where he pleaded not guilty to charges including receiving stolen property, forgery and parole violation.

24. Wife 'threw man's severed penis in garbage' NewsCoreJuly 13, 2011 4:57AM A CALIFORNIAN woman was in custody overnight accused of cutting off her husband's penis before tossing it into the garbage disposal. Catherine Kieu Becker, 48, allegedly drugged the man's food to render him unconscious, tied him to a bed and then hacked off the reproductive organ with a knife, the Los Angeles Times reported.Her 51-year-old husband - by now awake but gushing blood from his crotch - could do nothing as she allegedly tossed the severed penis into the garbage disposal before switching it on.Ms Becker reportedly rang police herself who arrived at the couple's house in Garden Grove, about 48km southeast of Los Angeles, to find the man still bound to the bed. He was untied and rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.Ms Becker reportedly confessed to officers she had drugged her partner's meal before carrying out yesterday's gruesome attack.She was arrested on charges of aggravated mayhem - punishable by up to life in prison - as well as false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, administering a drug with intent to commit a felony, poisoning and spousal abuse, the Times reported."The intention by this person was to permanently deprive this victim of his genitalia," said Garden Grove Police Lt. Jeff Nightengale.

25. Owner of killer bear chokes to death on sex toy Found dead handcuffed to water bed; death likely accidental, coroner says July 13, 2011MSNBCCLEVELAND — An exotic-animal owner who made headlines last summer when one of his bears mauled a woman to death has died after apparently choking on a sex toy, authorities said. Sam Mazzola, 49, was found dead in his Columbia Station home on Sunday, face down on a water bed. He was bound to the bed with handcuffs, chains and padlocks, Lorain County Chief Deputy Coroner Dr. Frank Miller told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Mazzola had a sex toy in his throat, which apparently obstructed his breathing, Miller said. He was also wearing a leather mask with the eyes and mouth zipped shut and a two-piece metal sphere covering his head, the coroner told The Morning Journal. "He had done this by request according to the story we were given,” Miller told The Morning Journal. “There was an assistant, but that is under investigation.”It appeared Mazzola died from an "accident during sexual role play," Miller told the Plain Dealer.An autopsy determined the preliminary cause of death was asphyxia due to airway obstruction by foreign body. Suicide and homicide have been ruled out. "The manner of death is pending further investigation and will be released when the case is finalized,” the coroner’s office said in a press release.Sheriff’s detective Mike Lopez told The Morning Journal that a teenage co-worker found Mazzola’s body. He said someone else was at the home and helped Mazzola with the bondage but had left before he died.“It was an unattended death,” Miller told the Journal.

26. Robber who broke into hair salon is beaten by its black-belt owner and kept as a sex slave for three days... fed only ViagraBy Daily Mail Reporter12th July 2011A Russian man who tried to rob a hair salon ended up as the victim when the female shop owner overpowered him, tied him up naked and then used him as a sex slave for three days. Viktor Jasinski, 32, admitted to police that he had gone to the salon in Meshchovsk, Russia, with the intention of robbing it. But the tables were turned dramatically when he found himself overcome by owner Olga Zajac, 28, who happened to be a black belt in karate.She allegedly floored the would-be robber with a single kick.Then, in a scene reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, police say Zajac dragged the semi-conscious Jasinski to a back room of the salon and tied him up with a hair dryer cable.She allegedly stripped him naked and, for the next three days, used him as a sex slave to 'teach him a lesson' - force feeding him Viagra to keep the lesson going. The would-be robber was eventually released, with Zajak saying he had learned his lesson.Jasinski went straight to the police and told them of his back-room ordeal, saying that he had been held hostage, handcuffed naked to a radiator, and fed nothing but Viagra. Both have now been arrested.When police arrived to question Zahjac, she said: 'What a bastard. Yes, we had sex a couple of times. But I bought him new jeans, gave him food and even gave him 1,000 roubles when he left."

27. Rumor: Hyundai Supercar Is on the Drawing BoardJuly 07, 2011Rumor is Hyundai is working on a supercar to rival the Chevy Corvette Z06, Nissan GT-R, Jaguar XK, BMW 650i, Porsche 911 and Cayman. |

46. Half Clint – Half Jack

47. mug shots

61. Before & After Meth