Monday, September 29, 2014

A Boy Named Penis




Pacific Standard
29 September 2014


By Ryan Jacobs

Over the course of researching a story about the scientific impact of unusual names, I stumbled across a fantastic, but rather suspect, data point. According to information posted on BabyCenter.com­—the self-proclaimed “#1 parenting and pregnancy digital resource”—there were roughly seven baby boys in the United States named Penis in 2012. […]

Friday, September 26, 2014

ISIS Marking Christian Homes (Australia)




The Guardian [Australia]
26 September 2014

Public concern about Isis moves authorities to clarify extremists are not knocking on doors and marking Christian homes

    Haroon Siddique

New South Wales police have been moved to reassure Australians that text messages claiming members of Islamic State (Isis) are knocking on people’s doors and marking Christian houses are a hoax, as concerns grow about the threat the extremist group poses.

The text message states: “There are members if Isis going door knocking on homes. They greet you with ‘Salam Alaykom’, and then pretend they are trying to collect money for orphans. They come with a black folder and ask you if you want to donate. I have just had one approach me at home just 2 hours ago. Please - do NOT Talk to them or open for them.”

The message, which references areas in the south-west suburbs of Sydney, exhorts people to “spread the word” and apparently convinced enough people for the police to feel compelled to tell them that there was no truth in it. In a tweet on Friday, the police included a picture of the offending text message with “FALSE” written in bold red letters across it. An accompanying message said: “Don’t be fooled by social media myths exploiting the current political climate.” […]


New South Wales Police
25 September 2014

NSW Police @nswpolice

Pls RT - Don't be fooled by social media myths exploiting the current political climate. #mythbuster pic.twitter.com/Kc9PQn1Mha

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

"Welcome to the HIV club" (Seattle)




KIRO-TV [Seattle]
23 September 2014

Suspect still at large; Man treated at Seattle hospital

By KIRO 7 STAFF

SEATTLE — A man outside a Seattle bar was pricked by a syringe and told, “Welcome to the HIV club,” by the woman who stabbed him, police were told.

The incident happened about 12:15 a.m. Sept. 17 in the 500 block of North 36th Street, part of Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.

The woman with a syringe, described as a white woman in her late 20s with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, was walking with a man about the same age who was wearing a baseball hat.

As they walked by the victim and his girlfriend on the sidewalk, the victim “felt a sharp prick and stabbing puncture to his left tricep,” according to a police report. The woman made the HIV comment while looking directly at him, the victim told police. […]