Source: Canoe - CNews

By Nelson Wyatt, THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL - A former chef who goes by the nickname "Big Mike" has had his sentence for drug trafficking reduced because the provincial jail where he's incarcerated can't deal with his 430-pound weight.

Michel Lapointe has already served 20 months behind bars awaiting sentencing in what his lawyer described in court as hellish conditions.

"For the first eight months he didn't have a bed adjusted to his size," defence lawyer Clemente Monterosso said in an interview Thursday.

"He never got a chair adjusted to his size. The chair and the tables were too tight and he could not sit down. In jail, the chairs are bolted to the ground and you cannot adjust them."

Monterosso said jail officials refused to provide a chair with a back to accommodate Lapointe's tattooed bulk - jail chairs are more like stools - saying they feared it could be broken and used as a weapon.

The poor prison diet has added more than 50 lbs to the Lapointe's pre-arrest weight of 375 pounds.

Where the shaven-headed convict consumed six pills of medication upon arrival in jail, he now must take 23. It was also hard for Lapointe to take a shower.

"He's only 37 years old but now his health situation has deteriorated to the point that now he has to walk with a cane," Monterosso said. "He's been asking for a better diet but of course they refused that to him, telling him he's in jail, he's not in a hotel and there's only one menu."

Lapointe was arrested during police raids on Sept. 20, 2006, that netted 24 others. He pleaded guilty in February to charges of conspiracy, drug trafficking and gangsterism.

He was sentenced to five years in jail Wednesday but under the formula used to calculate actual time behind bars, Lapointe will be out in about 14 months. Quebec court Judge Marc Bisson also showed clemency in his case because of Lapointe's weight problems.

He also ordered the prison to get Lapointe a proper bed and chair.

Claire Lapointe, Big Mike's mother, says her son has always had weight problems but they were exacerbated by his time behind bars and his health suffered.

"I think it's a terrible situation," she said in an interview. "Happily, the judge's decision yesterday was good, thanks for that, and I hope it will bear fruit.

"I hope it will serve to help other people who have the same health problems who unfortunately have to spend time behind walls."

The mother said earlier attempts to better her son's situation in detention were ignored by officials.

Monterosso said the problem accommodating special-needs convicts is particular to Quebec provincial jails and Lapointe would get better treatment in a federal prison.

Monterosso cited several other cases in seeking compassion for Lapointe before the court.

They included the case of an anglophone biker from Ontario who was locked up in a majority francophone environment, far from his family.

Other cases involved a convicted police officer in Alberta who faced potential harm by being in close contact with people he had helped put in jail.

Clemency has been granted in the past because of overcrowding in Toronto-area jails and the lack of a vegan diet for a British Columbia.

10 funny flirting facts

Measure Seeks to Muffle Calif. Roosters

The Associated Press

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Rooster owners in this Southern California city may be about to get their feathers ruffled.

Measure A on Tuesday's ballot seeks to muffle incessant cock-a-doodle-dooing and crack down on illegal cockfighting by limiting the number of roosters residents can own in rural areas within the city limits.

"It just goes from about 3 o'clock in the morning to 8 or 9 o'clock at night," said Lee Scheffers, who said his neighbors had up to 200 roosters at one time. "There's just a lot of crowing going on. Every one is more macho than the other one."

After he complained to the City Council, code enforcement officers took action , but not until Scheffers had lost a lot of sleep.

The current law allows 50 birds, but the measure would only allow seven and require the birds be confined to an "acoustical structure" at least 100 feet from neighbors from sunrise to sunset.

If the measure passes, those with too many roosters would have to trim their flocks.
Riverside County has strict laws limiting rooster ownership, which had driven illegal cockfighting operations inside the city limits, particularly in rural areas of citrus groves, nurseries and ranches where local law mandates no more than one house per five-acre lot.
"It's a real quality of life issue, but it's also an animal cruelty issue," said Councilman Chris Mac Arthur, adding that the measure is also aimed at stopping cockfighting.

Mac Arthur, a Riverside native, said he favors the measure although it won't directly affect him. The measure needs a simple majority to pass.

"I've lived in this area most of my life, but I do not have any crowing fowl , or any fowl to speak of," he said.

A Long, Strange Trip to Orgasm

Regina Lynn

Three rare conditions coincided recently. I had time alone in the San Francisco apartment where I rent a room part time. I had my new sex gadgets and all of their parts with me, including lube and an extra wing nut. And I had an entire day free of deadlines, deliverables and dinner plans.

One of those sex gadgets was the Je Joue, the iPodesque sensual massager. Another was the Jack Hammer Johnson shipped to me by its inventor after I called it a ridiculous, expensive and gimmicky device while promising to "give it a whirl" if they sent me one.

I think he had it in the mail that very afternoon.

I hate assembling things and vowed years ago I would never again buy anything at Ikea, but even I am competent enough to put the JHJ together. As I secured the dildo in its holder, I wondered if I would take this much effort for a penetration toy if I weren't doing it for work.
Masturbation is rarely a big event for me. It's more like the 15-minute yoga practice I do a few mornings a week. I feel better for having done it, it lifts my mood and relaxes my muscles, but it's not overwhelming with sensation or a source of intense pleasure.

Women who are willing to talk about their solo explorations will tell you they've tried hairbrushes, shampoo bottles, vegetables, broom handles. My first improvised dildo was a super absorbency tampon still in its cardboard tube, when I was about 12.

Modern sex-tech is new only in its sophistication, not in its application.

Just about anything cucumber-shaped that's small enough and easy to clean has been put in a vagina. And yet, penetration by itself rarely induces orgasm for most women.

Even if you don't deliberately touch other areas of the vulva during sex with a partner, your labia and clitoris still receive friction from the joining of your bodies. Not to mention any emotional connection that might be feeding the flames!

Although most of the JHJ demonstration videos show a woman using the device by itself, I knew right away that would be pointless for me. I certainly wouldn't be open enough to insert it without some sort of foreplay. That gave me an idea -- why not combine all the goodies in my duffel bag and try to set up a whole simulated sexual experience, without the internet?

So I donned nipple huggers (NSFW), put the Je Joue, the Jack Hammer Johnson and lube within easy reach, and lay back on the floor with my feet on the wall. I figured that would give me some stability as I tried to manage everything at once.

I also tried to think of the experiment as a sensual ritual, something worth my time and focus, rather than a quickie orgasm.

Unfortunately, it's hard to feel sacred when you're trying to guide a dildo you can't see, attached to a pogo stick that keeps bonking you in the chin, into your vagina, all without dropping your vibrator or knocking yourself out.

Man Views Porn on Nun's Computer
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Associated Press

(01-31) 20:57 PST HAMILTON, N.J. (AP) --
A civilian State Police employee was accused of sneaking into a church to look at pornography on a nun's computer. Police arrested Thomas G. Findler Wednesday and charged him with burglary and theft.

Authorities said Findler had been sneaking into Grace St. Paul Episcopal Church in the night over the last three weeks to look at pornography.

Wednesday morning, a church custodian found Findler, who worships at the church, on a nun's computer.

The custodian chased him out, right into a police officer who happened to be nearby.
Findler works in a local office for the state police.

Reached Thursday morning, Findler's father said his son was not home.

Cow Hit by Woman’s Car Lands in Back Seat

It was surprise enough when Tanya Coccia’s car accidentally hit two cows that had wandered on to the road.

It was an even bigger surprise when Coccia and her 14-year-old daughter realized one of the cows had landed in her back seat.
When emergency crews arrived they found the cow in the car shaking after falling through the back window, according to MyFOXBoston.com.

Dedicated Teacher Forced Students to Undress at Knifepoint

A dedicated teacher, from Tokyo, Japan, seems to have lost his way as he wandered into a playground and took a group of boys hostage.

Eight boys, aged 12 to 13, playing in their school playground were approached and forced to remove their trousers and underwear at knifepoint. Two boys were lucky enough to run an get help, but the others were not so lucky with one boy actually receiving minor cuts from the knife.

The teacher, not having done enough, then stole one boy’s cell phone and prank called the kid’s home.

No explanation has been given as to why this teacher decided to attack these boys and all the principal from the teachers school could say was that he was a dedicated teacher.

LOST AFTER A LOVERS' TIFF IN 1941. FOUND IN 2008


When Violet Booth lost her engagement ring in a field almost 70 years ago, she never dreamed she ever had a chance of getting it back.

Following a "silly tiff" with her fiance, Samuel, in 1941, just months before they were due to wed, she threw the diamond ring into a field in Gilmorton, where they were out walking.

After a frantic search, the childhood sweethearts resigned themselves to thinking it was gone for good, and bought another ring before their November wedding.

So when Violet's grandson Leighton Boyes decided to search with a metal detector at the weekend, the 88-year-old tried not to get her hopes up.

However, after two hours, she got the phone call she had been hoping for - he had found the ring in perfect condition.

Violet, who lives in Thurmaston, could not hold back the tears as she put the ring back on for the first time, and says it is the perfect way to remember her husband, who sadly died 15 years ago.
She said: "I was in such a state when we couldn't find it. Samuel didn't tell me off, he wasn't like that. We got a new one but it's not the same, is it?

"I suppose I just stopped thinking about it after a while. I didn't ever think I would see it again. I couldn't believe it when Leighton brought it back. It's amazing.

"I was very emotional and I shed a few tears. It's certainly brought back a few memories. It's something to remember Samuel by - he was a very nice man.

"It's just unbelievable that I've got it back. I can't stop looking at it. It means a lot to me."
Leighton, who lives in Mowmacre Hill, Leicester, says it only took two hours to unearth the ring after he started his search on Sunday.

The 33-year-old said: "It's pretty bizarre. I do metal detecting as a hobby, so I just suggested having a look to find it, although, truthfully, I thought the chances were really very slim.
"I went round to my nana's with some maps and she managed to pinpoint the field. I got permission from the landowner and went out.

"I never expected to find it. The farmer said other people had used metal detectors in the field, plus, with modern-day ploughing, I wasn't expecting anything.

"I dug up a whole load of things before I found it. It was only buried about three to four inches down. It wasn't damaged either - I just gave it a wipe, and that was it.

"My nan was in absolute bits when I gave it to her. It was lovely - she's so chuffed."

Violet is keeping the ring safe in a box, but says it fits her little finger now.

Her son, Andrew, who lives with her, says he is only sorry that his dad did not live to see the ring again.

He said: "I remember hearing all about the tale of this ring, and I remember going with my mum and dad to the spot when I was younger.

"I can't believe it's okay, but I suppose with it being gold, it doesn't tarnish. It just makes you think about all the things that have happened while it has been lying there.

"It's wonderful, although I suppose there is some sadness to the story. We all wish dad could have been here to see it as well."


BY GEMMA PEPLOW
26 January 2008


Source: leicester shire

A victim of horrific facial disfigurement - known as "the man with no face" - has been given new hope by the advancement of medical science.

Jose Mestre, from Lisbon, Portugal, has been losing his face to a huge growth for the past 35 years, distorting it out of all recognition - and it's still growing.

The tumor on 51-year-old Jose's face is a collection of blood vessels that have expanded, producing a raised red area on the skin.

Jose was born with a strawberry-coloured birthmark on his upper lip. At puberty it began growing, eventually smothering his lips, nose and one of his eyes. Now it is 33cm long and weighs 3kg.

But Jose's religious faith - as a Jehovah's Witness he refuses to accept a blood transfusion - has prevented him from having surgery to remove the growth.

Jose's rare condition was the subject of a Discovery Channel TV documentary 'The Man With No Face', part of the 'My Shocking Story' series.

It reveals how top medical experts in London have now held out hope of helping Jose, a well-known figure around the streets of Lisbon.

A leading British surgeon has offered to treat Jose using ultrasound waves to coagulate the blood before the operation.

This should remove the risk of heavy bleeding - satisfying his religious beliefs about blood transfusions in the process.

Dr Iain Hutchison, of St Bartholomew's in London, is confident an operation with a harmonic scalpel could make him look a lot more normal.


Discovery Channel said: "Surrounded by a loving family, it seems incredible that he has not been treated and his face was allowed to grow so big. However, through years of medical misinformation, some misdiagnosis, lack of finances, and reluctance to undergo treatment due to religious beliefs, the growth has continued to obliterate his face."

My Shocking Story follows Jose on a journey through Europe to seek medical advice for one last chance to stop his face from suffocating him.

In this journey of a lifetime he travels by train, via Paris, to Britain, to meet the top experts in London. He goes through a series of tests, consultations, and meets other patients with a similar affliction. In London he also spends time with his sister Guida and the rest of his family, enjoys being a tourist in London, while making the biggest decision of his life.

Jose's dream is to live a long and normal life. Following the showing of the Discovery documentary he continues to adhere to his 'no blood transfusion' religious principles. But he has agreed to go back to the London hospital in 2008, when doctors hope to carry out specialist surgery to begin removing parts of his tumor, without the need for blood transfusions.

- December 24, 2007.

Source: AFP Google

TOKYO (AFP) — A letter that a young girl in Japan sent into the sky in a balloon some 15 years ago has been found on a fish hauled from 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) below the Pacific.

A fisherman found the still legible piece of paper sitting on a sticky flatfish in his catch on Thursday, along with a torn-off string and the fragment of a red balloon.

He opened the folded paper, discovering it was a handwritten letter from a six-year-old girl at an elementary school in Kawasaki, 150 kilometres (93 miles) away from where the fish was caught off Choshi port.

The sender, Natsumi Shirahige, and her friends released letters as part of events to mark the school's 120th anniversary, which was in 1993.

"Our school is 120 years old... If you pick up this letter, please write to me," the letter reads, listing the school's address.

The 52-year-old fisherman said the letter was a nice surprise.

"I've been in fishing for a long time but this is unbelievable," the smiling man told the Asahi television network.

Shirahige, now a 21-year-old university student, said: "I can't get over the wonder of how the letter survived 15 years. I never expected I'd get a reply this way."

By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press Writer
Source: MiamiHerald

"She was mad," said Zabib, a 42-year-old limousine fleet manager in New York. "We had an argument. More than one."

They're not arguing now.

On a return trip to pick up the jeans and end the grief Friday morning, Zabib won nearly $800,000 playing a slot machine.

He got up at 5 a.m. and drove three hours to Atlantic City, arriving at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa before the boutique, Whim, opened at 10 a.m.

In his pocket was a photocopy of a picture of the jeans that his girlfriend printed out for him, just to make sure there would be no confusion.

With some time to kill, he sat down at a Brazil Slingo slot machine and started playing, betting $4 a spin for about an hour.

"I was just trying to kill time until the store opened so I could get her those jeans," he said. "Then the machine stopped working. I didn't know why, so I called security. They came over, took a look at it, and said, 'You won the jackpot!'"

He called his girlfriend, whom he identified only as Anna, and she started screaming.

"She wasn't mad anymore," he said with a laugh. "She's waiting for me at home now."

After receiving his payout from the casino, Zabib completed his mission, buying the pair of "7 For All Mankind" jeans - Dojo style - that Anna had wanted so badly.

"They're the hot brand right now," said Borgata spokesman Michael Facenda. "They go for $149 a pair."

Zabib doesn't know what else he'll do with his newfound riches.

"Maybe buy her some more jeans," Zabib said.

(This version corrects the name of the jeans to "7 For All Mankind" - Dojo style; not Dojo 7.)

By: SARAH SKIDMORE, Associated Press Writer
Source: SFGate.com

Portland, Ore. (AP) --

The wishes of a 12-year-old boy should be considered in a dispute between his divorced parents about whether he should be circumcised, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The father, James Boldt, converted to Judaism in 2004 and wants the boy to be circumcised as part of the faith. The mother, Lia Boldt, appealed to the high court, saying the operation could harm her son physically and psychologically.

The state Supreme Court ruled that earlier court decisions failed to determine whether the boy wanted the circumcision, as his father contended, or opposed it, as his mother alleged.

The Supreme Court sent the case back to the trial court to answer that question.

If the trial court finds the child agrees to be circumcised, the Supreme Court said, it should deny the mother's requests. But if the trial court finds the child opposes the circumcision, the court has to determine if it will affect the father's ability to care for the child.

The custody dispute began when the child was 4 and the circumcision issue began three years ago when he was 9.

James Boldt, a lawyer, is representing himself, had no comment, his office said. The attorney for both sides also declined to comment.

The case has drawn attention from Jewish groups concerned that the Oregon court might restrict the practice. A group called Doctors Opposing Circumcision backs the mother.

The courts have steered clear of religious or medical issues, focusing on the questions of custody and care of the child.

One constitutional law professor who has been following the case called it "a reasonable ruling."

"I think what may be delicate and tricky is ... how much we can trust what the 12-year-old says, given the circumstances," said Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond. "He likely feels some pressure from (his parents)."

More than a million U.S. infants are circumcised each year, but circumcising adults or teens remains relatively rare. A urologist who met with the boy submitted an affidavit that said the procedure would cause him minor discomfort for about three days but not interfere with his normal activities, the Supreme Court's decision said.

Source: SFGate.com

MOSCOW, Russia (AP) --

Returning home after an absence can mean unpleasant surprises — a leaky roof, a pet's mess, even a break-in. But a Russian woman got a nastier surprise when she returned from her country house: her home was gone, torn down mistakenly by construction workers clearing a site, according to a report Thursday on NTV television.

"There was nothing left, not even a log," Lyudmila Martemyanova said, bundled against the cold and standing on a snow-covered lot in the center of the Volga River city of Nizhny Novgorod.

A local prosecutor, Nikolai Govorkov, said a construction company tore down the wrong building — Martemyanova's, instead of one nearby that was marked for demolition.

Many Russians have faced what they say are unfair and inadequately compensated evictions from older housing being torn down amid the country's oil-revenue-fueled construction boom.

Martemyanova's case is extreme, however, and she has taken it to court. She refused the builder's offer of money, saying it wasn't enough even to get a room on the outskirts of the city, and has sued.

Court hearings started Thursday. Meanwhile, she's shuttling back and forth between her daughter's and her sister's, she told NTV.