tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45636536374044062132024-08-28T08:35:53.496-07:00Politics, satire, weirdness and more.Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-38850599992973804322007-10-17T11:53:00.000-07:002007-10-17T11:56:18.606-07:00

Cosimo Cavallaro, the artist behind last spring’s "Chocolate Jesus" controversy, will display the sculpture in a show at the Proposition Gallery in Chelsea timed to coincide with All Saints Day (Nov. 1).The life-sized sculpture of Jesus will be part of Cavallaro’s "Chocolate Saints...Sweet Jesus" show, in addition to eight chocolate sculptures of Catholic saints.Invitations to the art show

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-39697157002190353202007-10-11T10:46:00.000-07:002007-10-11T10:48:56.619-07:00

A new book features 300 letters to Hitler, ranging from the shockingly erotic ("I love you so much. Write me–please. Many greetings. Your Gina) to the downright evil ("Please erase the dishonorable, Jewish heritage of my wife, which is not her own fault...[by doing so] my wife’s and my offspring will become your loyal and enthusiastic followers.").Letters to Hitler was originally published in

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-76875763038316468572007-10-09T12:22:00.000-07:002007-10-09T12:24:47.151-07:00

A Lawton, Oklahoma, man’s attempt to auction off the body of Jesus ran into a snag when ebay removed the item from auction just minutes ago.The man saved a communion wafer from the last Catholic mass he had attended. "Instead of eating it right then and there, I decided to save it for a later time," he said.He also happened to watch Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ on the very same day he

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-54245750998977203752007-10-06T11:46:00.000-07:002007-10-06T11:48:33.010-07:00

Taiwanese inventor Kuo-Cheng Hsieh has been winning some dubious accolades for his prized invention, a "Net Trapping system to Catch a Bank Robber Immediately." Mr. Hsieh was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize (in absentia) last night at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre. Mr. Hsieh invented his signature net-trapping system in 1999 and received a United States patent (patent #6,219,959) for his device

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-85134974755680130622007-10-05T16:15:00.000-07:002007-10-05T16:16:33.175-07:00

Yesterday, Indonesian officials held a public ceremony in Jakarta during which 35,065 bottles of booze were destroyed by a steamroller.The alcohol had been confiscated from illegal vendors during the holy month of Ramadan, when practicing Muslims abstain from various activities (eating, drinking, smoking and sex) from dawn to dusk.

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-63469688303029780152007-10-05T12:26:00.000-07:002007-10-05T12:28:55.639-07:00

In the annals of bizarre warfare, the Anglo-Zanzibar War remains the shortest war in recorded history, spanning all of 38 minutes.The Anglo-Zanzibar War pitted the United Kingdom against Zanzibar on August 27, 1896 from 9:02 to 9:40am, according to a BBC chronology. Other sources have clocked the war at 40 to 45 minutes long. At any rate, the war was an exceedingly quick and decisive victory

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-79305062253250136912007-09-29T12:13:00.000-07:002007-09-29T12:15:58.092-07:00

The U.S, Navy announced this week that it will spend up to $600,000 to alter the appearance of a complex of swastika-shaped buildings at its Coronado base.The buildings, which serve as barracks for the Seabees, were built in 1967. According to the Navy, the shape of the buildings was not discovered until after they were built.Since the swastikas were only observable from the air, the Navy

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-47988309985501932922007-09-27T16:36:00.000-07:002007-09-27T16:41:11.606-07:00

Burma is one of the most Buddhist countries in the world, surpassed only by the hermit kingdom of Bhutan. Every adult male in Burma is required to spend several weeks or months in a monastery at least once in their lives. Burma experts estimate that the country contains between 400,000 to 800,000 Buddhist monks–compared with 400,000 soldiers. Superstition and spirituality are heavily ingrained

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-42347562598463277152007-09-25T12:38:00.000-07:002007-09-25T12:41:18.541-07:00

The following words are underused in conversation and underrepresented in dictionaries:Lamprophony - Loudness and clarity of voice.Tyrotoxism - Poisoning by cheese or other dairy product. Putin and his associates might want to study this technique.Zabernism - An obsolete term signifying "the abuse of military power or authority; unjustified aggression." The word originated from Zabern, the German

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-66504185878630944122007-09-24T12:24:00.000-07:002007-09-28T05:41:10.867-07:00

While older Japanese tend to frown upon the Western condiment, Japanese youth have adopted mayonnaise as a dietary staple and cultural icon, leading to the opening of bars and restaurants devoted to mayonnaise. Koji Nakamura’s Mayonnaise Kitchen restaurant in suburban Tokyo is a case in point. The Mayonnaise Kitchen serves a bizarre panoply of mayonnaise-drenched concoctions, from spaghetti to

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-5916722073393726662007-09-21T13:45:00.000-07:002007-09-21T16:53:29.202-07:00

Dresden lawyer Jens Lorek is a specialist in employment and social law. Bored with his work, Lorek recently decided to focus on representing the victims of alien encounters, promoting himself in the tabloid Bild as "Germany’s first lawyer for alien victims." Lorek, an amateur astronomer, has been inundated with new clients claiming harassment at the hands of strange beings. According to a

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-75594786708085449082007-09-19T13:19:00.000-07:002007-09-19T15:53:15.233-07:00

Russian buffoon and parliamentary leader Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky flew into a rage during a press conference today, blustering that Britain is a nation of "bandits and criminals."Zhirinovsky, leader of Russia’s inaptly named Liberal Democratic Party, stood next to wanted criminal Andrei Lugovoy, also a member of the LDP, throughout the press conference. Police in Britain consider Lugovoy,

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-18499391678058292952007-09-18T11:41:00.000-07:002007-09-19T06:11:55.893-07:00

I am an ordained minister. I practice my ministry under the auspices of the Universal Life Church (ULC). I was ordained eight years ago in an elaborate, coronation-style ceremony. I even have a "congregation," known as the Assembly of Truth, and am empowered by the state of California to officiate weddings. Founded by an illiterate Christian in 1959, the ULC has ordained more ministers than any

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-83113403217082090362007-09-17T13:18:00.000-07:002007-09-17T16:05:56.227-07:00

Actual quotation from O.J. Simpson:"What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas."

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-24299090772223430122007-09-14T13:05:00.000-07:002007-09-14T13:08:47.158-07:00

Supporters of the English language stepped up their campaign against obvious signs and labels yesterday, including a Hertfordshire Police sign urging citizens "Don’t Commit Crime."The Plain English Campaign (PEC) was founded in London in 1979 with the public shredding of hundreds of official documents in Parliament Square. The movement, which advocates the effective use of English, now has over

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-21785664203490361012007-09-14T07:15:00.000-07:002007-09-14T12:02:48.269-07:00

Russian President Vladimir Putin has kept the experts baffled as to what his next move will be, accepting the resignation of his prime minister on Wednesday and immediately nominating the unknown Viktor A Zubkov to fill the post.Mr. Zubkov has wowed Mr. Putin and few others as the head of a financial crimes agency.The outgoing prime minister, Mikhail Fradkov, resigned on national television,

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-40748623572144129412007-09-12T20:27:00.001-07:002007-09-13T17:43:03.353-07:00

New medical research demonstrates that capsaicin, the substance that makes hot chiles taste spicy, helps protect the stomach from diseases like gastritis by controlling the bacterium helicobacter pylori. In a study headed by South Korean Prof. Lee Yong-chan of Yonsei University, stomach cells of patients with the bacterium were injected with a variety of dosages of capsaicin concentrate. The

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-61618513256257177262007-09-11T13:14:00.000-07:002007-09-11T13:50:49.288-07:00

On March 11, 1968, the K-129, a Soviet Golf-II class diesel-electric submarine carrying nuclear missiles, imploded and sank northwest of the island of Oahu. The cause of the maritime disaster is still debated by Russian and American officials. The incident is one of many enduring mysteries of the Cold War. Yesterday, U.S. military brass gave Russian authorities a videotape and archival documents

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-49895848279264595522007-09-07T16:34:00.000-07:002007-09-07T16:35:38.587-07:00

Fears of a chocolate shortage have swept Germany, after a bizarre confluence of stereotypes on the Autobahn.On Thursday evening, a truck hauling 13 tons of chocolate bars caught fire on the famed German roadway.The driver of the truck managed to separate the trailer and its flaming chocolate from the tractor portion of the truck near Ludwigsfelde, south of Berlin.The truck’s cargo formed a

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-68111592415838993962007-09-07T16:04:00.000-07:002007-09-07T16:08:13.236-07:00

The hideous visage of an unbearded Abraham Lincoln is oddly unsettling. The facial asymmetry of Lincoln was painful enough without this mock demi-beard: Lincoln was not the only famous world leader to drastically alter his appearance by modifying his facial hair. Did you know that young Adolf Hitler had a handlebar mustache? Who will remember the fetching stubble and wavy locks of the teenaged

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-79522349176683054992007-09-06T16:10:00.001-07:002007-09-06T16:16:15.542-07:00

Persistent floods have forced North Korea to cancel its epic Arirang festival, according to reports from the Yonhap news agency.The festival, named after the traditional Korean song "Arirang," combines spectacular, choreographed propaganda displays with gymnastics. It is held in Pyongyang’s massive, 150,000-seat May Day Stadium.Last week, heavy rains caused the cancellation of the event,

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-53099062501689229172007-09-04T12:56:00.000-07:002007-09-04T13:04:07.235-07:00

Taiwanese restaurateur Eric Wang dishes up steaming bowls of pork loin and curry in an eatery known more for its unusual serving vessels and "seats" than its cuisine.Wang’s Toilet Bowl restaurant, located in Taipei’s Hsinpu Metro Station, offers two specials. Special Number One is a pork loin in oyster sauce, and Special Number Two is Chicken Curry.Diners perch atop an eclectic assortment of

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-22327764106902073222007-09-03T17:56:00.000-07:002007-09-03T18:02:20.669-07:00

Animal rights activists expressed outrage yesterday following the sacrificial killing of the "world’s heaviest pig" in Taiwan. The annual Pig of God festival in Hsin Chu features a contest to determine the heaviest pig. The winning pig is slaughtered according to religious ritual and paraded before a large crowd of festival goers. This year’s "winner" had been force-fed sand and metal in order

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-8685504390846987972007-09-02T14:50:00.000-07:002007-09-02T15:26:07.083-07:00

Polish businessman and philanthropist Daniel Czapiewski has constructed an upside-down house to educate tourists about historical atrocities.The house, located in Szymbark, Poland, has attracted thousands of visitors, who frequently complain of nausea after brief periods inside the building."It’s just terrible here. I’m visiting for the second time. And it’s terrible! You would have to be

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563653637404406213.post-5665036637107553912007-09-02T13:21:00.000-07:002007-09-02T18:41:05.205-07:00

North Korean president Kim Jong Il was born in Siberia in 1941 while his father, Kim Il Sung, was in exile in the Soviet Union. Kim the Younger has ruled North Korea since the 1994 death of Kim Il Sung, amassing dictatorial power, primitive (albeit nuclear) weaponry and an unrivaled reputation for eccentric behavior. Kim Jong Il’s masterful talents are plainly too magnificent to be confined to

Bert J. Cattiverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05992899114158581958noreply@blogger.com0