The thread for Strange News Stories

[I. J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by Autumn

You would think these women would be smarter than to say in the public record that they thought they recognized the taste of semen.

Because an adult should be ashamed of that?

[Autumn]

Originally Posted by I. J. Reilly

Because an adult should be ashamed of that?

Well, you could write them a note and see if they're enjoying the attention and reaction they're getting to their comments. I'm guessing they're now wishing they hadn't said it, but YMMV.

[Ksyrup]

Bare your soul: Meet the naked therapist who solves patients' problems by stripping off during sessions

By Rachel Quigley
Last updated at 6:25 PM on 2nd March 2011


There is something about getting a man to talk about his feelings that usually sends him running in the other direction.

But a 24-year-old psychology buff believes she has the answer - getting naked.

Sarah White has brought a brand new type of therapy to the people of New York.

By slowly peeling away the layers of her clothes during the session, she believes it will allow her to peel away the layers of her clients' subconscious.

She said: 'During the sessions I use the power of arousal to let you gain more control over your life.

'The goal is to use nakedness so you can understand yourself and your world better, so you can feel great and powerful, and so the excitement you feel during the sessions can lead to more excitement outside the sessions.'

The naked therapist's unique approach to helping people has aroused interest from dozens of people.

Unsurprisingly, most of her clients are men.

Miss White, from the Upper West Side, studied psychology as an undergraduate at university but believed there was something missing and uninspiring from the classical training - and that was an open interest in sexuality.

She told the New York Daily News: 'For men especially, who are less likely than women to go to therapy, it is more interesting, more enticing, more exciting. It's a more inspiring approach to therapy.

'I felt early on that something was missing from classical therapy, it seemed to encourage repression as opposed to encouraging people to open up.'

The 24-year-old begins the session with her clothes on, as the hour-long appointment progresses, she takes off every item of clothing until there is nothing left.

The initial sessions, which cost $150, are conducted via a one-way web cam and text chat.

Once she builds a rapport with a client she moves to two-way Skype video appointments and then, in some cases, in-person consultations.

Online: The 24-year-old advertises herself on her website, which also contains a host of modelling shots of her in various stages of undress

Online: The 24-year-old advertises herself on her website, which also contains a host of modelling shots of her in various stages of undress

So far, she has around 30 clients which are an eclectic mix of college students with sexual issues, middle-aged men with relationship problems and even some women who enjoy a chat with a nude peer.

She said of her approach: 'Naked therapy has been very eye opening and worldly for my clients.

'The goal is to show patients I have nothing to hide, and encourage them to be more honest.

'For men in particular, seeing a naked woman can really help them focus, look deeply into themselves and speak their minds openly.

'Freud used free association. I use nakedness.'

Clients schedule appointments through her website, sarahwhitelive.com.

She conceded that naked therapy is not approved by any mental health association. And she is not a licensed therapist.

While Miss White's boyfriend supports her new business, her parents are still in the dark.

She said: 'I should probably tell them before they read it in the paper.'

Not surprisingly, professional psychologists are not sold on her idea.

Diana Kirschner, a New York-based clinical psychologist, told the Daily News: 'She's using the word therapy here, but I don't consider this therapy. I consider this interactive soft-core Internet porn.'

Any sexual interaction between patient and therapist is considered highly unethical by the American Psychoanalytic Association, the largest and oldest such organization in the nation.

Even physical contact violates its code of professional conduct.

But there is no physical contact in naked therapy. And, as Miss White points out: 'It’s not like I’m having relationships with any of my patients.'

[Ksyrup]

Gotta love Europe!

An Englishman's home is his castle, so the saying goes.

After squatters moved into John Hamilton-Brown's new £1million five bedroom home he has been forced to beg them to get out through his letterbox.

The group of foreigners were granted legal aid to fight to stay - while he was forced to represent himself.

The father-of-two was having the property renovated for his wife and two young daughters before they moved in when a dozen people from France, Spain, Poland and England sneaked in during the night.

The occupants are part of a growing army of squatters banding together and seeking out empty homes.

It emerged today that squatters, often young people, are swapping information online as they move from property to property before they get evicted.

On a forum details of empty homes are being posted - and squatters are advertising for housemates to move in with them.

Squatting is legal as long as occupants do not use force to break in.

On the Advisory Service for Squatters, users swap tips for getting into properties and bypassing alarms.

One user said: 'i can help u to open/secure buildings. i have my own tools. price up on agreement, quality work.'

Another person asked for assistance getting into a different London home. He wrote: 'I'll be opening a new house in Highgate in the following days, if you can move in immediately and possibly help out opening it as it's kind of tricky, call me...'

The group occupying Mr Hamilton Brown's home qualified for legal aid because they are EU citizens and unemployed.

One of the squatters, who said he was 20, told the Sunday Telegraph: 'There are many empty homes and we should be able to live wherever we want.'

Shoreditch County Court refused to issue an interim possession order forcing them to vacate the property within 24 hours because of a technicality - and it could now be six weeks before they are told have to go.

An eviction order was made by the judge but it could be weeks before they are out.

Mr Hamilton-Brown, who has a wife and daughters aged four and two, bought the home in December and was having the place done up while living in a nearby flat.

‘I was horrified they were given legal representation,’ he said. ‘As I work and pay taxes, I’m at a disadvantage.

‘I’ve saved up for ten years to move into this house and this is what I get. It’s remarkable that they can get away with this.’

The house in Archway, North London, is near the homes of actress Patsy Kensit and comedian Rob Brydon.

A legal notice put in the front window by the squatters states that anybody who enters without their permission could face six months in jail and a £5,000 fine.

A neighbour said: ‘They have more rights than we do.

‘They know what they’re doing on the legal side of things as they’ve been in houses before in the area.’

Neighbours have told Mr Hamilton-Brown that squatters forced entry to his property - although it is almost impossible for him to prove in court.

The father-of-two, who has a business graphics company, has had to appear before a court five times to get the order made.

It is thought that squatting has increased dramatically since the onset of the recession.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman confirmed they are looking whether the law can be strengthened to give homeowners greater protection.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Tot wanders into street while mom's at parenting class

The story not so much, but the title made me laugh

[Suburban Rhythm]

Clogged toilet delays Continental flight to Houston

[mckerney]

Great tits also have age-related defects

[sterlingice]

Looks like a fake news site

SI

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Looks like a fake news site

SI

Or a science news site.

[JPhillips]

OMG. Even if it's made up it's horrific.

Meat Lover! The Scariest (True) NYC Sublet Story You've Ever Heard

In the summer of 2005, I moved to New York to live with a girl I had been dating long distance. And—as "moving across the country to be with a girl" stories usually go—it didn't work out. Our reunion was short-lived, and I needed someplace to stay, quick.

In my experience, finding good housing in New York is largely based on luck, and I had that in low reserve. I tried all the usual avenues—Craigslist, friends, friends of friends, acquaintances of friends… and, after a few weeks of searching, I finally managed to be put in contact with a guy who had a spare room to sublet for a super-low price in the Lower East Side.

The owner of this apartment (we’ll call him Doug) was a heavy-drinking, chain-smoking freelance writer who had also recently split from his girlfriend. His ex-girlfriend's office space was in the apartment, which made the perfect bedroom to rent out. I was in a sort of headspace at the time that necessitated a lot of shut-door boozing and miscellany, and I found it highly attractive that Doug seemed to be into the same kind of mopery that I was. Plus, the room for rent was large (for the Lower East Side), seemed cloistered enough from Doug's area that I would have a decent amount of privacy, and—while it gave off the kind of "dude" funk smell that some might have shied away from—it wasn't that big of a deal considering it was also devoid of rats, mold, and water damage. It seemed perfect.

"This place seems perfect!" I said to Doug. And of course, the follow-up: "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing's wrong with the room," he said a little too cautiously. "But you're talking about the price right? Why it's so low?"

"Ha," I joked. "Did someone die in here or what?"

"No, nothing like that. But something did happen, and I'd feel like an ass if I rented the place to you and didn't tell you what happened here a few months ago." …Ah, the words every subletter wants to hear. And with that, he launched into the best story I've ever heard about NYC housing.

After Doug's girlfriend left him a few months before I met him, he became unable to afford the rent by himself. He quickly found Jack via Craigslist, a recent Columbia journalism school graduate and fellow writer. Like Doug, Jack was also quiet and a loner, choosing to order Chinese food and chip away at his novel instead of getting drunk like the LES revelers on the sidewalks bellow. But he was courteous and stayed out of Doug's perma-sedated way, which is the exact kind of stranger you want to be living with.

After living with Jack for a few months, Doug was running home through the middle of a raging rainstorm, and noticed that Jack’s window was wide open, water pouring into the room. He rushed up the stairs, still dripping wet, and knocked on Jack’s door. Nobody answered, and Doug figured Jack was out. He found his master key, opened the door, and clicked on the light.

Neatly piled into stacks were Chinese food containers, some 10 boxes high, some already toppled, with their half-eaten contents strewn on the floor. The cartons covered all the available area on the floor except for a narrow walkway to the bed and the desk. Doug stood horrified at the doorway, then noticed the water flooding the floor by the window. He rushed over to close it.

Compulsive hoarders—as anyone who's spent a decent time watching TV will know—are not rare. There are between six to 15 million hoarders living in the United States, with many of them carrying on seemingly normal lives outside of their obsessive disorder. This fact didn't make Doug any more comfortable with the toy city of rotting Chinese food in his spare bedroom. He was going to kick Jack out when he got back to the apartment.

Then he saw the boot.

Doug leaned over to pick it up, knowing what the contents were before his fingers even made contact. Spilled out from the tops were strings of Lo Mein noodles, and hard pieces of dried rice. Doug was sure he could see crusted-over mounds of meat and hardened sauce. Sickened, Doug sat down the shoe, and as he did so, he noticed a shadow in the shape of a human body beneath the twin bed.

With absolute trepidation, Doug lifted the bed and slid it a few feet away, knocking over a pile of takeout boxes. What he uncovered wasn't—to his immediate relief—a real person. But it was a person's shape, with a hooded sweatshirt attached to gloves and a pair of jeans, with the other boot tucked into the leg. Coming out of the seams were remnants of noodles, rice, and meat, grease stains pooling through the fabric and onto the floor, spoiled scraps of food filling the hoodie to the brim. Doug scanned the body—and...yep, there it was. Noodles oozed out of the unzipped fly; a glory hole that Jack had ostensibly been taking advantage of all spring long.

Doug called an emergency locksmith who came and changed the locks within the hour. Jack arrived home not too long afterward and found it locked.

"I just need my laptop," he called through the door.

Doug slid the laptop through the mail slot. He could hear Jack's footsteps click down the hall, and the apartment entrance door slam shut. During the following days, Doug hired cleaners to remove all the food that Jack had left behind. Though the room had been cleared of all the takeout containers (along with the Meat Lover, which I've since started using to describe the effigy), the floors and walls scrubbed clean, and the room aired out for days, the smell still lingered.

Doug paused. "So, yeah. The room is cheap. What happened was fucked up." Doug looked ready to pass out, and I felt faint. "I'm sorry, dude. I can't," I muttered, and headed for the door. I regret leaving in such haste now, as the amount of questions I have are overwhelming—Didn't Doug smell something weird coming from Jack's room before he went in? Didn't he notice that Jack never took out any trash? What did he think was on his laptop? I've considered calling him to tie up those loose mental ends (which would lend this story that I've retold at least a hundred times much more credence), but really, I hate to bother the guy. That summer was an especially damaging one for me, and I wasn't the one who had to clean up a leaking sex toy my ex-roommate had constructed out of decomposing Chinese food.

[Young Drachma]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps...ont-boys_N.htm

Hannah McNulty
more than holds her
own for Vt. boys
team

Posted 3/6/2011 3:42:33 PM |

By Andy Gardiner, USA TODAY

STOWE, Vt. — A senior season that took a
historic turn for Hannah McNulty could end
Tuesday when Stowe plays Thetford in the
opening round of the Vermont Division III
basketball playoffs. The 13th-seeded
Raiders endured a 2-18 regular season
and are heavy underdogs against the No. 4
Panthers (14-6).

But McNulty won't be playing in the girls
tournament; she will be a starting guard for
Stowe in the boys playoffs. Vermont has had
girls play on boys hockey teams and even in
football. Last week Rachel Hale of Mount
Anthony became the first girl to win a state
title in wrestling.

But McNulty is the first girl to play boys
basketball.

McNulty was a three-year starter on Stowe's
girls team, piling up 685 points. She hoped
to reach the 1,000-point career mark this
season at Stowe, one of Vermont's smaller
high schools with an enrollment of 107 girls
and 119 boys.

But a perfect storm of injuries and academic
ineligibilities forced the girls team to
abandon the season after one game.

McNulty had three options: give up her
senior season, petition for permission to
play at a neighboring school or attempt to
play for the boys team at Stowe.

McNulty had friends who played at nearby
Lamoille Union in Hyde Park and Peoples
Academy in Morrisville. But because of
Vermont Principals Association guidelines,
she would have had to play on the junior
varsity at those schools.

Veteran Stowe boys coach Evans Bouchard
had coached both of McNulty's brothers and
known Hannah since she was a sixth grader
tagging along to her brothers' practices. He
offered her a place on his team.

"In my mind, knowing Hannah, it wasn't a
hard decision," Bouchard said. "I knew she
could handle the defensive part. But I
worried that offensively, the boys would be
too fast for her."

McNulty was apprehensive, but determined.
She will play at Suffolk University in Boston
next season and did not want to waste any
chance to improve.

"I wasn't sure I how I would do with the
physical aspect and the speed," she said.
"But my first love is basketball, and I just
couldn't walk away from it. So I decided to try
to earn my spot on the team."

Bouchard inserted her in the starting lineup
after three games, where she has stayed,
averaging 5.2 points.

"Hannah knew she had to earn playing time,
and she came in and went to work,"
Bouchard said. "She has brought a lot of
energy to our team, and opposing coaches
know now she is not just a girl on the boys
team."

McNulty was the goalie on Stowe's girls
soccer team that won its first state title this
year, winning all three playoff games in
penalty kick shootouts. She'll play soccer
and basketball at Division III Suffolk next
year.

"I think she's a great fit and a great catch for
us," said Suffolk women's basketball coach
Ed Leyden. "I give Hannah a lot of credit for
taking the road less traveled. It seems like
I'm getting a kid with confidence, courage
and a sense of humor."

McNulty has pushed the thought that this
might be the end of her high school career
to the back of her mind: "Just being able to
play this year in the sport I love the most is
most important."

[Young Drachma]

Woman, 23, Becomes World's Youngest Grandmother - FoxNews.com

A woman from Romania said she became the world’s youngest grandmother – at the age of 23.
Ridca Stanescu, who gave birth to her daughter Maria when she was just 12 years old, said she urged her daughter not to follow in her footsteps – but Maria gave birth to her son when she was just 11.
Now 25, Stanescu, said she wanted more for her daughter.
“I am happy to be a grandmother but I wished something else for Maria – and something else for me,” she said.
Stanescu said “marrying young” is a way of life in the Romanian gypsy culture. She was married at the age of 11.
“I did not try to stop my daughter getting married because this is the tradition, it's what happens,” she said.
The youngest British grandmother was an unnamed 26-year-old from Rotheram, Yorkshire, whose 12-year-old daughter gave birth in 1999.


Read more: Woman, 23, Becomes World's Youngest Grandmother - FoxNews.com

[CrimsonFox]

Yes there are 3 events at every renaissance faire. Jousting, dueling, and grandmother-killing. The winner gets the honorary title of dumbass.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

Yes there are 3 events at every renaissance faire. Jousting, dueling, and grandmother-killing. The winner gets the honorary title of dumbass.

Maybe I'm just bleary eyed and tired, but WTF are you on about with this post? I don't understand any correlation to much of anything in what you just posted.

[Young Drachma]

L.A. Marathon: It's official, Kelly Gneiting sets Guinness World Record as heaviest man to finish | The Fabulous Forum | Los Angeles Times

[JPhillips]

Spartanburg Police: Crack Found In Man's Buttocks

http://www2.wspa.com/news/2011/mar/1...ks-ar-1584174/

[Suburban Rhythm]

Man in zombie mask attacks with stun gun

LEECHBURG, Pa. -- A man is charged with attacking another man with a stun gun while using a zombie mask to conceal his identity.
Allegheny Township police say 28-year-old Darob Wright was arrested Saturday, a day after the alleged attack.
Police Chief John Fontaine says the victim went to Mr. Wright's apartment to collect money for auto body work but Wright didn't answer the door so the man returned to his car to wait. Investigators say Mr. Wright, wearing a Halloween mask, then suddenly opened the victim's car door and repeatedly discharged the stun gun in the man's face.
Fontaine says the mask fell off during the attack, revealing Mr. Wright's identity. He is free on bail facing charges including aggravated assault and robbery.

Maybe this isn't that strange...more like a horror movie gone bad.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Spartanburg Police: Crack Found In Man's Buttocks

http://www2.wspa.com/news/2011/mar/1...ks-ar-1584174/

Oh man, sometimes the headlines just write themselves.

[PilotMan]

Taco Rage: Man upset at burrito price rise fires shots.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...72K4A920110321

(Reuters) - A Taco Bell drive-through customer who became enraged because of a price increase on Beefy Crunch Burritos fired a BB gun through the window at a manager on Sunday, police said.
No one was hurt from the shots fired by the man, who also waved a pistol and an assault rifle in the parking lot, Police Sergeant Chris Benavides said.
As the restaurant's employees and customers hit the floor, the manager called police, and when officers arrived, the angry patron fired several shots at the police cars, Benavides said.
The man then barricaded himself inside a nearby motel room, sparking a standoff that lasted until police lobbed tear gas inside and the man surrendered.
Benavides said the burritos had been sold for 99 cents each as a promotion, but the man was apparently angry that the promotion had ended, and the price had gone up to $1.49.
The name of the 'taco rage' suspect has not been released because he had not yet been formally charged early Monday. Benavides said that the man will be charged with three counts of attempted capital murder, and that additional charges are possible.
The man never did get his burritos.

[sterlingice]

Ah, memories:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/foo...as_chalupa_ap/

Originally Posted by SportsIllustrated

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - A 270-pound University of Kansas football player got stuck in the drive-thru window of a Taco Bell when he tried to charge employees who left the chalupa out of his order, authorities said.

Dion Rayford, a 6-foot-3 senior defensive end, was suspended for the game Saturday against Iowa State, the last game of his college career. He was released on his own recognizance after appearing in court Wednesday on charges of disorderly conduct, having an open container of alcohol and misdemeanor damage to property.

An innocent plea was entered for Rayford, who had started all 11 games this season.

Rayford, 24, allegedly became angry about 2 a.m. Wednesday when he didn't get the chalupa.

He tried to climb through the 14-by-46-inch drive-thru window, said Lawrence police Sgt. George Wheeler. But the window couldn't support Rayford and broke, Wheeler said. Rayford was stuck hanging halfway.

"When you take a big guy and put him through a small space, something's got to give," Wheeler said.

The night manager, Tiffany Holly, and three other employees locked themselves into an office, said restaurant manager Tito Lopez.

None of the employees was injured.

"I'm disappointed for the young man, and frustrated as a coach to be put in the position to suspend someone from the final game of their career," said Kansas coach Terry Allen. "But we can't tolerate that type of behavior in our program."

SI

[cartman]

Hugo Chavez theorizes that capitalism might have ended life on Mars.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...72L61D20110322

[JediKooter]

A New Yorker Is Suing His Boss For $2 Million Because Working In New Jersey Caused Him "Anguish"

[sterlingice]

Stupid people cause me anguish. If he wins, I want $2,000,001 and a kick to his nuts from a little girl. $2M goes to charity, he owe me a dollar, and he gets what he deserves

SI

[DataKing]

Giving new meaning to the term "Die Hard Fans"

NASCAR may let fans stay forever - News

[DataKing]

Stranger than fiction.....

http://jalopnik.com/#!5787316

[DougW]

Originally Posted by DataKing

Stranger than fiction.....

Jalopnik - Drive Free or Die

haha

the Youngquists were members of the "nation of Kansas" and that "outlying minion islands" did not have dominion over them

[Ksyrup]

The American Pickers guys just had a coronary.

[Young Drachma]

Kappa Sigma suspends University of Southern California student over sex photos on campus roof

Birds do it. Bees do it. USC college students do it, too, on the roof of a school building in full view of the entire campus.

The all-too public sex act atop Waite Phillips Hall at the University of Southern California was captured in a series of photos that spread around the campus this weekend, then on the Internet.

The male student was suspended from his fraternity, Kappa Sigma, and could face similar punishment from the school.

The woman involved does not attend USC.

"While the actions that were taken did involve a member of our chapter we, in no way, support this kind of behavior," Zach Timm, president of USC's Kappa Sigma, said in a statement.

"The member in question has been suspended from Kappa Sigma for conduct unbecoming of a Kappa Sigma and a gentleman until a more detailed investigation can be conducted."

USC refused to comment on what actions it may take concerning the student, citing privacy concerns. It did say, however, that his behavior was "a violation of our code of conduct and of our most basic community standards."

"To say that we are disappointed in this type of behavior does not begin to capture the seriousness with which we regard this type of activity," Denzil J. Suite., USC's associate vice president for student affairs, told the LA Weekly.

He also noted that access to the roof was restricted and going up there was a violation of university policies.

This is just the latest incident to befall the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Earlier this month, an unidentified member embarrassed the frat when he sent a memo that ranked women (referred to as "targets") for their sexual skills and beauty.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

BBC News - Puppy thrown at German biker gang

Puppy thrown at German biker gang
A German student "mooned" a group of Hell's Angels and hurled a puppy at them before escaping on a stolen bulldozer, police have said.

The man drove up to a Hell's Angels clubhouse near Munich, wearing only a pair of shorts and carrying a puppy.

He dropped his shorts and threw the dog, escaping on a bulldozer from a nearby building site.

He was arrested later at home by police. The 26-year-old is said to have stopped taking depression medication.

After making his getaway on the bulldozer, he had driven so slowly that a 5km tailback built up behind him on the motorway.

After driving about 1km, he had abandoned the bulldozer in the middle of the motorway, near Allershausen. He continued his journey by hitchhiking.

"What motivated him to throw a puppy at the Hell's Angels is currently unclear," a police spokesman said.

The puppy is now being cared for in an animal shelter.

[sterlingice]

I don't know where to start with that story, but I like it

SI

[DataKing]

I don't live in Texas. I'm not from Texas. And I don't hunt. But this is still awesome.

Texplainer: How Real Is the Feral Hog Menace? — Texas Legislature | The Texas Tribune

[Ksyrup]

Odd reports from last week’s blotter


La Grange, IL —

Two unusual reports showed up in La Grange’s police blotter in the past week, both products of the time of the year.

In the first incident, police responded about 2 p.m. Friday to a report of an intruder in an apartment in the 900 block of South Eighth Avenue.

The report was called in by the resident’s sister, according to records. Upon arrival, police learned the resident had been playing an April Fools prank on her sister. She received a warning.

In the second incident, police received a report about 7:15 p.m. Saturday of a teenage boy who had been at Borders, 1 N. La Grange Road, four straight days for at least 10 hours a day. The caller was concerned he could be neglected.

According to reports, police found the boy was “well dressed, well spoken and appeared to be well cared for.” He told police he was at the bookstore to read over Spring Break.

Police confirmed with his mother that he loves to read, according to reports.

HA!

[M GO BLUE!!!]

MY NEW HERO!

BBC News - Naked soldier smashes window to stop Salford car thief

Any bloke who takes on three burglars, chases one stealing his car, punches through the glass & beats the masked thief at 6am without caring that he is in fact naked... I'll buy him a beer!

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

HA!

Kid was probably just trying to figure out why there are two La Granges in Illinois.

[Rizon]

Maryland man glued to Wal-Mart toilet seat - CNN.com

[Ksyrup]

An April Fools day prank at Wal-Mart on March 31st. Awesome.

[Passacaglia]

Maybe the idea was for the dude to be stuck there overnight, and found in the morning on April 1.

[Ksyrup]

Short Anus-to-Scrotum Length Predicts Poor Sperm Count
7-Fold Higher Risk of Low Sperm Count With Below-Average Anogenital Distance
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

March 9, 2011 -- Men whose anus-to-scrotum distance is shorter than average are 7.3 times more likely to have low sperm counts than men with a longer anogenital distance.

The finding comes from Shanna Swan, PhD, of the University of Rochester, N.Y., and colleagues. In earlier studies, Swan found that pregnant animals exposed to phthalates -- commonly used chemicals suspected of hormone-disrupting effects -- had infertile male offspring with short anogenital distance.

In a 2005 study, Swan's team found that male infants with prenatal exposure to phthalates had decreased anogenital distance.

In their current study, the researchers found poor sperm quality in men with short anus-to-scrotum distance. They tended to have low sperm counts, low sperm motility, low sperm concentration, poor sperm morphology, and low total mobile sperm count.

"The associations we observed between these sperm parameters and anogenital distance were stronger than those for most [other factors] known to be associated with semen quality," Swan and colleagues note. "If our results are confirmed, anogenital distance may provide a useful adjunct to these traditional measures of male reproductive function."

Swan's team studied 126 young men (most were 19 years old) who volunteered for the Rochester Young Men's Study. Their anogenital distance was measured in two ways: from the center of the anus to the base of the scrotum, or from the center of the anus to the top of the penis at the point where it intersects with the abdomen. Only the scrotal measure turned out to be linked to subpar fertility.

One surprise from the study was that nearly a fourth of the young men in the study had low sperm counts.

Swan and colleagues did not report on whether the men's mothers reported exposure to phthalates during pregnancy, and they did not report data on the men's hormone levels.

"Poorer semen quality and shorter anogenital distance in adulthood may reflect a common origin, including a disruption of testicular development in utero," they suggest.

Although there may be many reasons for this, they note, it "may be caused by exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals" in the womb.

Swan and colleagues report their findings in the March 4 online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives.

Curiously, most males' research indicates that the distance between penis and vagina is a far greater factor in failed reproduction.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Anogenital Distance would be a great name for a band.

[Ksyrup]

Ha, I said the same thing on another board!

[sterlingice]

Didn't Dave Barry popularize that phrase?

SI

[molson]

America gets a bad rap nowadays, and China is almost willing itself towards world acceptance through a quickly growing economy - so it's always nice have a litttle reminder, that in a lot of ways, America rules and China is run by weirdo crazies:

China bans time travel on the tube - The Source - Latest news and updates from Boston.com

If you're living in China right now and want to enjoy a nice quiet evening on the sofa watching the classic 1960 film version of "The Time Machine," you may be out of luck.

The New York Times recently reported that China's State Administration for Radio, Film & Television has issued new guidelines as to how TV shows should treat the issue of time travel, saying that shows that involve rocketing through time and space lack meaning and promote an unhealthy belief system.

The Times reports that a press release in Chinese says that these shows "casually make up myths, have monstrous and weird plots, use absurd tactics, and even promote feudalism, superstition, fatalism and reincarnation."

While plots involving time travel have been part of western culture for centuries – from "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," to "Back to the Future" – TV dramas with plot twists involving time travel have apparently been on the rise in China. One such show, "Palace," involves woman traveling back in time to the Qing Dynasty and falling in love with several princes.

Such shows are deemed by the Chinese media administration as insulting because they are "treating the serious history in a frivolous way, which should by no means be encouraged anymore," according to a Time magazine article.

This news comes as no surprise considering China's recent history with censorship. Besides flagging some keywords and blocking certain topics on the Internet, the country's government has also banned online games featuring mafioso and has blocked popular websites like Youtube and Twitter on quite a few occasions.

What else has the Chinese government censored? See a list of just a few of the items restricted and monitored by the government.

[JediKooter]

Read that this morning. Don't let their economic status fool you (ubiquitous you) into forgetting they are still a dictatorial communist government and are not supporters of free speech, workers rights, human rights, etc...

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by molson

The Times reports that a press release in Chinese says that these shows "casually make up myths, have monstrous and weird plots, use absurd tactics, and even promote feudalism, superstition, fatalism and reincarnation."

....

"Back to the Future" .

[Insert Chicago Cubs winning the WS joke here].

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

[Insert Chicago Cubs winning the WS joke here].

Hey, it could happen. They've got until 2015...well, that and the Marlins would have to switch leagues and turn their mascot into an alligator, but still....

[Suburban Rhythm]

Missing bull semen package located

[JPhillips]

One of these?

[Ksyrup]

In other !SHOCKING! news...

Playboy Mansion illness traced to hot tub bacteria


– Fri Apr 15, 10:27 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles County health officials say the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease was found in a hot tub at the Playboy Mansion where scores of people became ill after attending a fundraiser in February.

The Los Angeles Times says health officials presented their findings Friday at an annual conference at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

The legionella bacteria also causes a milder illness called Pontiac fever. Symptoms include fever and headache.

Many people who attended a fundraiser party at the Playboy Mansion came down with a respiratory illness after the DomainFest conference in February.

Officials contacted 439 people and found that 123 had fevers and at least one other symptom with 69 falling ill on the same day. Epidemiologists used social media to contact the conference attendees.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

In other !SHOCKING! news...

Ha. There was a snl weekend update bit about this a while back:

"It was reported this week that Los Angeles County health officials discovered the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease at the Playboy Mansion. [ sarcastically ] Oh, did they find a weird old-timey disease at that bastion of health and cleanliness? The home of the world’s oldest man and his stripper collection, its grounds crawling with weird zoo animals that you know aren’t being looked after by any kind of a zookeeper? Just a bunch of sick peacocks and gimpy llamas running around, using the badminton court as a toilet while a 19-year-old runaway in a bikini Googles what you’re supposed do when a spider monkey has a cough? And they just found Legionnaire’s disease? Keep looking, county health officials, that’s probably just the tip of the petri dish!"

[JediKooter]

It's a Jersey thing, you wouldn't understand...

NJ woman chides NYC smoker, gets stabbed with pen - Yahoo! News