Vampire rumors spur alert at Boston Latin - on bullying

Boston Latin School student Myles Friedman (left) said a police visit to the school earlier in the day had intensified the vampire rumor. (Bill Greene/globe staff)

By Megan Woolhouse and Maria Cramer 

Boston Latin School headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta issued a notice to parents and students yesterday quashing rumors of vampires at the school. An odd move for the head of a historic elite preparatory school, but Teta and Boston public school officials declined to elaborate on what triggered the unusual message.

They did, however, adamantly offer assurances that no one at the school has been hurt, arrested - or bitten.
"The headmaster believes that the outrageous rumors had reached a point where she had to say something to families to ensure that all students felt safe and respected," said Chris Horan, School Department spokesman.
While the episode sounds like something out of "Twilight," last year's hit film about a high school girl who falls in love with a vampire, it may be closer to the movie "Mean Girls."
Two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the incident said a group of girls at the school had been bullying at least one other student who likes to dress in Goth-style, a vampirish look popularized by musician Marilyn Manson. The officials said the girls began spreading a rumor that the student was a vampire who had cut someone's neck and sucked the blood.

When Boston police went to the school Wednesday on an unrelated matter, their presence fueled yet another rumor: that a vampire was being arrested, according to one of the law enforcement sources.

Several students and parents of students said police officers were posted at the school's main entrance Wednesday but it was unclear why.

Eddy Chrispin, Boston Police Department spokesman, said police spoke with several students at the school Wednesday "to quell the rumor" of vampires.
"The whole thing kind of took on a life of its own," Chrispin said.
The officers determined that the situation was an internal school matter.
Horan said in reference to the rumors that when you've got "an $800 million budget and 212 layoffs, this is not really a priority."
Teta issued her notice to parents in an e-mail sent yesterday at 8 a.m.
"It has come to my attention that rumors involving 'vampires' began spreading through the building yesterday," it said.
"I am very concerned that the safety of certain students may be jeopardized as targets of rumors and speculation," she wrote. "Please alert any adult in the building if you feel that any student is being harassed or targeted."
Teta denied requests for an interview yesterday, referring all questions to the School Department spokesman. But the memo appeared to raise new questions and rounds of speculation.
One student who contacted the Globe said a male student, rumored to be a werewolf, had threatened on Facebook to bring a gun to school because he was being harassed. Other students at the school yesterday said they had heard that a student had been bitten.

Viral Videos Just as Deadly as Viral Illnesses

People who inadvertently starred in Youtube videos that got huge are the child TV stars of the internet, their lives defined by some awkward, emasculating moment. So it goes for the "Numa Numa" guy.
Numa Numa: 27.28 million hits now. Wowzers. If you are Gary Brolsma, the Numa Numa guy, you can only go two ways: fight your destiny and retreat into yourself—which would exact a high social cost, but let you retain your fundamental humanity—or embrace it and pimp it as much as possible. Gary's chosen option #2, as you can see, because here he is with that Geico gecko, going 'viral' and generally being a one-trick pony like some Harlem Globetrotter who would really love to tell the kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, but all they want to see is that half-court trick shot. The point is, never ever do anything popular on the internet, or you can kiss your ass goodbye.

Numa Numa Guy with Gecko

Saudi clerics demand ban on women appearing in media

London, Mar.23 : A group of hard-line Saudi clerics have urged the kingdom’s new information minister to ban women from appearing on TV or in newspapers and magazines.

The 35 clergymen also called on Abdel Aziz Khoja, who was appointed by King Abdullah February 14 as part of a wide reform drive, to prohibit the playing of music and music shows on television, reports the Daily Express.

The clerics’ recommendation will probably have little effect because the king’s reshuffle removed a number of hard-line figures and is believed to be part of an effort to weaken the influence of conservatives in this devout desert kingdom.

The statement does, however, put a degree of pressure on the new minister and lets him know the feelings of the country’s powerful religious establishment.

Saudi Arabia was founded on an alliance with the conservative Wahhabi strain of Islam that sees the mixing of sexes as anathema and believes the playing of music violates religious values.

Brazilian Wax Ban? NJ Considers It After Two Women Are Injured

In this June 21, 2002 file photo, visitors and residents spend the day on the beach in Belmar, N.J., on this first day of summer. New Jersey is drawing the line when it comes to bikini waxing. The state Cosmetology and Hairstyling Board is moving toward a ban on genital waxing altogether after two women reported being injured. Both women were hospitalized for infections following so-called "Brazilian" waxes. The board will decide on April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Brian Branch-Price)

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey is drawing the line when it comes to bikini waxing. The state Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling is moving toward a ban on genital waxing after two women reported being injured in their quest for a smooth bikini line.
Both women were hospitalized for infections following so-called "Brazilian" bikini waxes; one of the women has filed a lawsuit, according to Jeff Lamm, a spokesman for New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the cosmetology board.
Technically, genital waxing has never been allowed _ only the face, neck, abdomen, legs and arms are permitted _ but because bare-it-all "Brazilians" weren't specifically banned, state regulators haven't enforced the law.
"The genital area is not part of the abdomen or legs as some might assume," Lamm said.
Officials with the National Cosmetology Association and National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology said they were unaware of another state that has banned genital waxing.
Regular bikini waxes would still be allowed.
Genital waxing can be dangerous in that the hot wax can irritate or tear delicate skin in the bikini area, resulting in infections, ingrown hairs and rashes, according to skin care experts.
Despite such risks, millions of American women _ and some men _ choose to have the hair down there ripped away, and a majority of salons in New Jersey offer the procedure for between $50 to $60.
The state Board of Cosmetology meets next on April 14 and will decide whether to move forward with banning the procedure, made popular in Brazil to accommodate skimpy thong bikinis.
The earliest the ban could take effect would be sometime in May, Lamm said, and salons that continue to perform it could be fined.
For salon owners, discontinuing the popular service could mean a substantial drop in business, especially as summer swimsuit season nears.
Spa owner Linda Orsuto, who owns 800 West Salon & Spa in Cherry Hill, estimates that most of 1,800 bikini waxes performed at her business last year were Brazilian-style.
"It's huge," she said, adding that her customers don't think their bikini lines are anyone's business but their own. "It's just not right."
She said many customers would likely travel across state lines to get it and some might even try to wax themselves.

Presidential Slip-Up: President Obama Insults The Disabled!

In Photo: Then Presidential Candidate Barack Obama and Jay Leno. Close enough to tonight's scene.

So I thought I'd be writing a very different story right about now. I thought I'd be writing about how I felt it was a little out of place for a President to go on a late night show, that it didn't do the office justice to joke around in that way and that President Obama was taking the title just a tad too lightly (at least in terms of PR).

To a large extent, that is still very true in this story. But I would never have thought that President Obama would have made such a slip-up as to insult the disabled!

Talking about White House bowling, the President admitted to improving his score, reaching a personal best of 129. "That's very good, Mr. President" said Jay Lenosarcastically (as many of you would have).

In an attempt to laugh at himself however, the President said it's "like the Special Olympics or something," thereby insulting the disabled. Now I have no problem with this kind of humor, we've all done it and its quite fine coming from a comedian that tries to push the boundaries. But the President has to be above it all.

The President has to be everyone's President and must be a unifying figure. That's where the man and the office find strength.  It may have been the first Presidential appearance on a late night show, but if it never happens again, this will be the reason why.

Most bizarre complaints made by Brit holidaymakers!

London, March 18 : Extremely white sand, too many fish in the sea, and the possibility that mosquitoes could bite are some of the most bizarre things that Brit holidaymakers have complained about in a new study.
Based on the research by The Association for British Travel Agents and Thomas Cook, a list of the 20 most absurd grievances received by tour operators was put together.

The list included one jealous vacationer moaning his friend’s three-bedroom apartment to be “clearly bigger” than his one-bedroom place, reports the Telegraph.

Another one was unhappy that it took Brits nine hours to fly back to England from Jamaica, while Americans could reach home in a mere three hours. former tourist was livid that the 3.50-pound pair of Ray Ban shades purchased from a street vendor turned out to fake.

A travel agent faced the heat from another holidaymaker for not telling him to take his swimming trunks to a water park, while another complained of not having received the warning that mosquitos could actually bite.
Another criticism included Spain being full of too many Spanish people, while restaurants in India were also not spared for serving too much curry

When sex goes hilariously wrong

London, Mar 18 : While most people enjoy a healthy sex life, sometimes a good sex can go hilariously wrong.


In her new book 1001 Ridiculous Sexual Misadventures, Gina McKinnon, reveals some of the funniest tales.

An Edinburgh man was caught romping with a traffic cone claimed to be carrying out a piece of fringe theatre.

A pair of teenage lovebirds in the Czech Republic were run over by a tractor while making out in the hay, reports the Daily Star.

In 2001, the king of Swaziland fined himself a cow when he broke his own rule banning sex in his country.

A Kent couple were fined 250 pounds after being caught having sex in a fridge in a busy supermarket.
When the security guard asked what they were up to, the women relied chilling out.

A Taiwanese couple Lee Shin, 29, and Lin Gu, 25, were hospitalised when their car skid off a cliff-face during an extra-marital sexcapade in the back seat.

A French couple was caught on a mobile phone camera while making love in the lobby of a bank.

In another hilarious incident in 1986, a woman distracted staff of clothing stores in Salisbury by flashing her breasts while her accomplice robbed the place.

Malaysian mistakes woman for a monkey, shoots her

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Police said a man in Malaysia shot his neighbor as she picked sapodilla fruit in his tree thinking she was a monkey. Police chief in eastern Pahang state Yahaya Othman said the woman was gathering fruit Thursday when her neighbor shot her.

Yahaya said the man came home and saw rustling in the tree and fired into it. "Then there was screaming ... and only then did he know it was his neighbor."

He said the woman was hospitalized with a wound to the abdomen but her condition was stable Friday.

He said police were investigating the man, a volunteer security corps member, for illegally discharging a firearm, which carries a maximum prison term of two years.

High-powered sex toy lands US woman in hospital

Melbourne, Mar 12  An American woman landed herself in hospital with unimaginable injuries after a sexual experimentation with her partner went awry.

According to NBCWashington.com, the Maryland woman injured in the incident involving a sex toy attached to a sabre saw blade.

The St Mary’’s County Sheriff’’s Office said that the man who called 911 about the incident admitted to attaching the sex toy to the saw and using the high-powered, homemade device on his partner.

Apparently, the saw cut through the plastic toy and wounded the woman and left her with injuries, so severe, that she had to be rushed to hospital

However, the woman, who was released on March 10, told the police that she suffered the injuries during a consensual act, and that she and her partner were trying something new and no crime was committed.

Nude man photo in Helsinki museum, which upset Hindus, removed from website

The controversial photograph of a nude man with visible genitals on display at a renowned government run Helsinki (Finland) museum, which enraged the Hindus in various parts of the world, has been removed from website.

The exhibition website previously displayed 72 slides of art pieces while now it only shows 71. The photograph number 32, which agitating Hindus said denigrated their religion, titled “Hinduism: The Night of Pushkar 2”, is not there anymore. Instead, at 32 is another photo titled “Hinduism: The River”, which apparently shows a woman from backside standing in the water.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who spearheaded the protest, has welcomed this gesture, calling it “a step in the right direction”.

In a statement in Nevada (USA) today, Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that their protest, however, would continue till the apparently denigrating photograph was removed from the actual display in the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art; till they were assured that it would not be displayed in Tampere, Turku and Vaasa cities in Finland where exhibition planned to travel in the near future; and till public apology was not rendered by Finland Education Minister Henna Virkkunen, Director General of the Finnish National Gallery Risto Ruohonen, Kiasma Director Brendt Arell, and award winning artist Marita Liulia.

Meanwhile, Hindus have also sought intervention from Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the majority church which claims over 80 percent of Finns as members, for removal of this controversial photograph, with Rajan Zed saying that it was the responsibility of the majority to protect its minority.

On another note, Finland Prime Minister’s office has forwarded the Hindu leaders’ request for removal of this “disrespectful” photograph from the exhibition to National Board of Antiquities of Finland “for further possible actions”.

Rajan Zed points out that Hindus are for freedom of expression as much as anybody else if not more. Hindu tradition encourages peaceful debates, won on their intellectual merit. But faith is something sacred and attempts at belittling it hurt the devotees.

Zed further said that continual showing of naked man, as an apparent representation of Hinduism and sacred city of Pushkar despite protests and requests was very disturbing to already upset Hindu populace of the world. This controversial photograph is on display till April 19 as part of Marita Liulia’s “Choosing My Religion” multimedia exhibition at Kiasma, in which her art pieces juxtapose Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, and Animism. Kiasma is a unit of Finnish National Gallery, a public body under Finland Ministry of Education.

Rajan Zed has described this photograph display as “very disrespectful, hurting and irreverent”.

Customised truck for 'fattest man'

A truck has been customised for the 'world's fattest man', so he can take his wife to the beach in his native Mexico.
Manuel Uribe entered the Guinness World Record as the world's heaviest man in 2006, when he tipped the scales at 1,230 pounds.

Judge to convict: 'Shut your mouth'

Judge to convict: 'Shut your mouth'

A man convicted of shooting at police in Washington State got angry in court and was told, "shut your damn mouth" by a judge who sentenced him to 120 years in prison.
Judge John Wulle was sentencing Matthew Hastings for four counts of attempted murder and two of second-degree assault.
Video provided by Clark County Superior Court

The dancing cop - it's Odd Box

Possibly the ugliest cat in the world, the amazing spectacle of a Japanese mud festival and a dancing cop.
It's the week's weird and wonderful video news stories in Newsbeat's Odd Box with Dominic Byrne.

Woman bites off beau's tongue during drunken kiss!

London, Mar 5 : It was certainly a case of an intoxicating intimate moment turning sour, when a woman bit off her boyfriend's tongue during a drunken kiss on his birthday, a court has heard.

A jury at Newcastle Crown Court was told that Tracy Davies deliberately bit down hard on Mark Coghill's tongue during the kiss and cut off the front third of the organ.

Davies and Coghill were in a relationship for nearly four months after they met through a lonely-hearts advertisement in a local newspaper.The incident happened when the couple was celebrating Coghill's 45th birthday on October 10 last year with a meal and drinks in his Newcastle bedsit.

While they were enjoying, Davies grew upset because she wanted to have a baby but was not pregnant.

Thus, Coghill moved to comfort her and she asked him to kiss her with his tongue. And when he did, she bit his tongue off.


"He sat and comforted her, that comforting moved on and it became amorous, he was cuddling and kissing her," The Mirror quoted Julian Smith, the prosecutor, as telling the jury.


She added: "She told him she loved him, she asked him to kiss her using his tongue. He did so and within a few seconds, she bit down hard on his tongue.

"Obviously this caused him pain, he pulled back, and the tongue had come clean off in her mouth. She had the piece of tongue in her mouth, he saw her take it from her mouth, and it fell to the floor."

Smith further told the court that Coghill went to rest while the pain subsided, and eventually fell asleep, but was woken by Davies biting his elbow,

Later, Davies called an ambulance to the flat, who in turn alerted the police, which on arrival was greeted by Davies holding the remains of Coghill's tongue in a plastic bag.Davies, 40, of Sunderland Road, Gateshead, is being charged on count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Cat In Bong: Man Arrested For Smoking Bong With Cat Inside (VIDEO)

In one of this week's more bizarre stories, a Nebraska man was arrested for smoking marijuana out of a bong that had his cat stuffed inside. The man, who claims he was trying to calm down his hyperactive pet, faces animal cruelty charges but thankfully the cat, who was understandably disoriented, seems to be on the road to a full recovery:

"This cat was just dazed," Sgt. Andy Stebbing said. "She was on the front seat of the cop car, wrapped in a blanket, and never moved all the way to the humane society."
Schomaker told deputies 6-month-old Shadow was hyper and he was trying to calm her down. The contraption she had been stuffed inside was 12 inches by 6 inches. Shadow was timid but in good condition Monday at the Capital Humane Society, executive director Bob Downey said.

MSNBC's Tamron Hall covered the story and was unable to stifle her giggles as she introduced the "sad but true" story. The network evidently felt the story lacked a certain realism because they played the sound of gurgling water over the anchor's report. Anchor Contessa Brewer couldn't quite believe that the cat was stuffed inside the bong, but as Tamron informed her, "I understand you can make a bong out of anything." There were then more giggles all around.

• Video

In one of this week's more bizarre stories, a Nebraska man was arrested for smoking marijuana out of a bong that had his cat stuffed inside. The man, who claims he was trying to calm down his hyperac...

In one of this week's more bizarre stories, a Nebraska man was arrested for smoking marijuana out of a bong that had his cat stuffed inside. The man, who claims he was trying to calm down his hyperac...