MATHIMORTICIAN

BitTorrent Piracy Doesn’t Affect US Box Office Returns, Study Finds

2012-02-12T22:58:00.001-07:00

With their unconditional support for SOPA, PIPA and ACTA, Hollywood is pressing hard for new legislation to curb piracy. The studios want 'rogue' websites to be censored and are calling on Google and Internet providers to take responsibility.

However, a new study reveals that movie industry itself has the key to decreasing piracy, without passing any news laws.

In a paper titled 'Reel Piracy: The Effect of Online Film Piracy on International Box Office Sales' researchers from the University of Minnesota and Wellesley College examine the link between BitTorrent piracy and box office returns. As hypothesized, they find that international movie piracy losses are directly linked to the delay between US and foreign premieres.

In other words, the longer it takes before a movie is released internationally, the more box office revenues are impacted through piracy.

"We find that longer release windows are associated with decreased box office returns, even after controlling for film and country fixed effects. This relationship is much stronger in contexts where piracy is more prevalent: after BitTorrent's adoption and in heavily pirated genres," they write.

"Our findings indicate that, as a lower bound, international box office returns in our sample were at least 7% lower than they would have been in the absence of pre-release piracy."

Aside from their conclusion that a lack of availability is fueling piracy, the researchers report a perhaps even more interesting result. Contrary to what the MPAA and other lobby groups claim, the study doesn't find a negative effect of BitTorrent piracy on US box office revenues.

"We do not see evidence of elevated sales displacement in US box office revenue following the adoption of BitTorrent, and we suggest that delayed legal availability of the content abroad may drive the losses to piracy," the researchers write.

The above means that movie pirates in the US wouldn't have bought a ticket at the box office if file-sharing was nonexistent. Only international box office sales see a piracy related decline in revenue, which is attributed to long release windows, something the industry itself can address.

Yet, the movie industry lobbyists keep hammering on about eliminating pirate sites, while ignoring the fact that the industry itself can make important steps to decrease international piracy as well. Governments around the world are not blind to this double standard, as both the Netherlands and Switzerland chose to keep unauthorized movie downloading legal until the industry improves the availability of legitimate content.

Of course the study is far from perfect as there are many more factors that influence box office returns. However, the findings clearly suggest that the movie industry itself can take the biggest step towards eliminating piracy "losses," not lawmakers.

Source: BitTorrent Piracy Doesn't Affect US Box Office Returns, Study Finds

-James

Pop Legend Whitney Houston Dies at 48 — Twitter Reacts

2012-02-12T22:47:00.001-07:00

Whitney Houston, pop music icon and the singer of such songs as "I Will Always Love You" and "The Greatest Love of All," has died at the age of 48.

Houston's death, which comes on the eve of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, was first reported by the Associated Press. The cause of death is unknown at this time.

Houston, whose music career spanned nearly 30 years, sold more than 55 million records in the U.S. alone. Although her career peaked in the mid-1990s, Houston's legacy as one of the great female vocalists of all time was never in question.

Already, tributes and messages praising Whitney are taking over Twitter and Facebook streams.

For Spotify users, enjoy Houston's greatest hits album, available via this playlist.

Leave your Whitney Houston memories in the comments.

@MariahCarey

Click here to view this gallery.

Image courtesy of RCA/Arista Records

More About: celebrities, death, trending, whitney houston

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-James

Woman believed she was possessed, critically hurts her baby

2012-02-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

Woman believed she was possessed, critically hurts her baby:

Missouri woman accused of slashing baby’s throat.

A Missouri woman accused of slashing her baby’s throat allegedly told a pastor months ago that she thought she was possessed and might hurt the child.

KYTV reported Tuesday that 39-year-old Bradie Simpson of Camden County has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

Simpson’s 9-month-old daughter was hospitalized in critical condition. Simpson also was hospitalized with a cut to the throat.

In October, Simpson drove to First Baptist Church of Camdenton and ran through the front door “yelling `Take my baby, Take my baby!’” pastor Bob AuBuchon told KYTV.

“She more or less just tossed her baby into my arms and said, `Tie me down! Tie me up!’ and said, `Possession! Possession!’” AuBuchon said.

Tip: @HuffpostWeird

Obviously, this woman is disturbed and needs help. She is interpreting her mental troubles as being possessed. It’s a sad story that the priest didn’t take action. There are not enough details to make assumptions about what really went on.

Facebook post causes man to shoot daughter’s computer: video

2012-02-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

Facebook post causes man to shoot daughter’s computer: video:

If you’re a teenager, you better be careful what you post on Facebook. That’s especially true if you have a father who works in IT. But there’s that one quirk about teenagers – no matter what common sense says, they think they know better. That is, until they’re taught a lesson they can never forget. Apparently this dad thought a bullet might teach that lesson. Better yet, nine bullets. He shot his daughter’s computer after finding a disparaging message on her Facebook wall.

And he documented it all on video so he could post it on YouTube for all to see. And so far it has received nearly 2.9 million views. In the video, the angry dad reveals he saw a ‘hidden’ wall post on her daughter’s Facebook account while he was upgrading her computer. “Since you want to hide it from everyone, I’m going to share it with everybody,” the dad, Tommy Jordan, said. He then goes on to read her tirade about how she dislikes her chores and all the other stuff most teenagers have to deal with.

Apparently this isn’t the first time she’s used Facebook to vent her frustrations with her life at home. “You don’t have that hard a life, but you’re about to. I warned you months ago about what would happen if you did something like this on Facebook again,” he continues. And then, the piece of resistance – he shoots his daughter’s laptop nine times. The video, as you would expect, has drawn reactions from both people who approve and disapprove. What do you think? Watch the video for yourself.

[via MSNBC]

Facebook post causes man to shoot daughter’s computer: video is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

MegaUpload’s takedown by the numbers

2012-02-09T14:17:00.001-07:00

Sent to you by Tank via Google Reader:

MegaUpload’s takedown by the numbers

via SlashGear by Chris Burns on 2/9/12

Believe it or not, it was and is possible to track the traffic that MegaUpload and the rest of the piracy-laden file-sharing groups out there have compared to the rest of the web. A series of studies have been conducted by a few sources we're checking out today and the results are staggering, depending on how you look at it, with the first giant being the one hour following the January 19th raid of MegaUpload. In that one hour, the entirety of the Internet lost between 2 and 3 precent of its total volume in traffic.

This first statistic comes from a report from DeepField Networks called File Sharing in the Post MegaUpload Era. This same study had MegaUpload downloads representing no less than 30-40% of all file sharing on the internet. As MegaUpload's own MegaVideo and the other biggest sharer of files after that, Filesonic, both shuttered their doors effectively on January 18th, their percentages (34.1% for Mega and 19.1% for Filesonic, if you'd like to know) were distributed amongst the rest of the next biggest hosts. According again to DeepField, "MegaUpload sprawled over more than 1000 servers and 25 petabytes of data in Carpathia facilities." That's an intense amount of copies of Skyrim, that's for sure.

On the 19th of January it was Putlocker up top with nearly 30% of all the file sharing on the web with several services next in line like MediaFire and NovaMov. Both the graphics you see above and below come from DeepField.

What we're seeing here is the spread of the wealth to many disparate sites rather than one titanic monster in MegaUpload. This hasn't been a pretty site though, as TorrentFreak reports not just a few sites shutting down in the wake of MegaUpload: Filesonic and Fileserve banned third party downloads, Uploadbox.com and X7.to have shut down entirely, VideoBB and VideoZer have changed their programs drastically.

According to Sandvine, Megaupload accounted for roughly 1% of total traffic to fixed access networks in North America, and that does not include the rest of the affiliate sites MegaVideo, MegaPix, MegaLive, and MegaBox. What's happening now instead of that massive bulk of traffic coming out of servers here in the USA, the shift is going towards groups like Putlocker, NovaMov and MediaFire, each of these with data based in Europe for the most part. So though file sharing may have taken a hit when MegaUpload was knocked out, the sharing remains – it's just coming from over the ocean.

[via ITWorld]

MegaUpload's takedown by the numbers is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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Greenwashed: The Truth About 95% Of So-Called Green Products (Infographic)

2012-02-06T03:15:00.001-07:00

Seems like being eco-friendly is the way to go. We only have one planet, so why not try to do our best to preserve it? With more data compiling about global climate change, many companies have made an effort to "go green." Using labels such as "Post-Consumer Product" and "All Natural," companies appeal to environmental and health conscious consumers. The interpretation of the these labels may not be what is implied for some products. This interesting infographic created by the team at Marketing Degree exposes the truth behind green products. Here a few highlights:

Greenwash: The marketing tactic of misleading consumers about a product or service's environmental friendliness.
"All-natural" products can include arsenic, uranium or mercury.
51.8 percent of "green" electronics use fake or misleading labels.

Created by: Marketing Degree

-James

R&B Singer David Peaston Dies At Age 54

2012-02-06T03:04:00.003-07:00

Singer David Peaston, who had a string of R&B hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s, has died, his family said Thursday.

Peaston, 54, died Wednesday of complications from diabetes, his niece, Neuka Mitchell said.

Peaston was born into a St. Louis family with deep musical roots. His mother, gospel singer Martha Bass, was one of the Clara Ward Singers. His older sister, Fontella Bass, is a noted singer whose single "Rescue Me" reached No. 1 on R&B charts and No. 4 on pop single charts in 1965.

Peaston's highest charting song was "Two Wrongs (Don't Make It Right)," which reached No. 3 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1989. "Can I?" got to No. 14 R&B that year, and "We're All in This Together" reached No. 11 R&B and No. 45 on the dance charts in 1990. His first album, Introducing ... David Peaston, reached No. 7 on the Billboard R&B album chart in 1989. At the height of his career, he toured with Gladys Knight.

Peaston earned a degree in elementary education and taught in his hometown of St. Louis before moving to New York to pursue a career as a singer. He began doing session gospel and R&B work. His career got a big boost after winning several competitions on the "Showtime at the Apollo" television show in the late 1980s, winning over fans and the judges with his powerful rendition of "God Bless The Child."

Singer Cheryl Pepsii Riley recalled traveling with Peaston on several shows.

"I soooooooooo loved this man with the hearty laugh, great sense of humor, that incredible voice, and he was the most amazing friend!!!" she said in a statement to the website eurweb.com. "This hurts so much. He had a gift that commanded the room. David will be sorely missed."

Despite a rich tenor voice that awed fans, crossover success eluded Peaston.

"He's the greatest unsung artist ever," Mitchell said. "Fabulous. A great father, husband, uncle. A great man."

Peaston's Facebook page described him as a "joyful independent double amputee." Both of Peaston's legs were amputated below the knees due to diabetes.

Survivors include his wife of 24 years, his high school sweetheart Marilyn, and two sons. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

-James

Singer Leslie Carter Dies At 25 In New York

2012-02-06T03:04:00.001-07:00

Singer Leslie Carter, the sister of Aaron Carter and former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, has died in upstate New York. She was 25.

A publicist for the Carter family confirmed the death, but provided no details Wednesday on where or how she died.

A statement from the family says they're grieving for Carter and requested "the utmost privacy."

Carter's single "Like Wow" was on the soundtrack for "Shrek" in 2001. In 2006, she appeared in all eight episodes of the reality show "House of Carters."

-James

Why Is This Art?

2012-02-06T02:49:00.001-07:00

Click pic for more

Has everything worthwhile artistically been done and we've reached the point where if you make it and you call yourself an artist that makes it art? Especially if an 'art critic' says it is and someone with money is willing to buy it?

People differentiate between artist and non-artist based on degree of mastery in imitating nature, and further differentiate Realism from Hyperrealism based on skill in rendering details. Different motivations on the part of the artist can also be used to make distinctions such as Realism, Symbolism or perhaps other "isms."
[...]
I think artists really want to play god more than anything else, and will stop at nothing to construct a truth that validates the self. They first delude themselves, then maybe move on to people around them. I really wonder to what extent these self deceptions and constructed truths can strike a nerve in the knowing onlooker.

-James

5 Norteno Musicians, 4 Others Killed In Mexico

2012-02-06T02:45:00.001-07:00

A masked man opened fire on a band playing popular norteno music Saturday in a Chihuahua city dance hall, killing five musicians, four customers and injuring 10 others.

Chihuahua prosecutors spokesman Carlos Gonzalez said the attack appeared to target members of the La Quinta Banda group but the motive behind the early morning shooting wasn't clear. The suspect, a short man wearing a gray sweatshirt, fired about 40 times with a high-caliber weapon in the Far West disco.

Among the dead was an off-duty police officer, Gonzalez said.

Norteno singers in Mexico have been targeted before, apparently for getting involved with drug cartels, which pay them to compose narcocorridos, or ballads that glorify drug lords.

In 2010, popular norteno singer Sergio Vega was shot dead as he road in his red Cadillac in Sinaloa, a state that has produced many of Mexico's most notorious drug kingpins. Another Norteno singer killed was Valentin Elizalde, "El Gallo de Oro," who was shot to death along with his manager and driver in 2006 following a performance in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas.

La Quinta Banda was well-known in the city of Chihuahua, but not nearly as popular as Elizalde or Vega.

Its MySpace account showcases songs mostly about love and parties.

Photos from local newspapers showed the bloody bodies of the band members lying next to their instruments on stage. Four people were killed in another shooting at the same dance hall in August 2009.

People who answered cell phones listed for La Quinta Banda identified themselves as relatives of the musicians but didn't want to give their names.

The band had reduced its workload, while sometimes playing at extravagant parties in ranches, because of increased drug violence in the northern state.

Also on Saturday, federal police announced the capture of a leader of one armed gang hired by the world's most powerful drug lord Joaquin Guzman, also known as El Chapo.

Jose Antonio Torres Marrufo, 33, is the suspected leader of Gente Nueva, an armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel mainly based in the border city of Ciudad Juarez. Federal police agents arrested Torres with his bodyguard Friday in the central Mexican city of Leon.

Federal police anti-drug chief Ramon Pequeno said Torres is accused of being the mastermind behind a September 2009 massacre at a rehab center where 18 people were killed.

Torres has an arrest warrant in El Paso, Texas, on drug trafficking charges, Pequeno said.

-James

Article: Missing Woman Susan Powell's Husband Kills Kids, Himself, in House Explosion

2012-02-06T02:36:00.001-07:00

Missing Woman Susan Powell's Husband Kills Kids, Himself, in House Explosion
http://abcnews.go.com/US/josh-powell-missing-woman-susan-powells-husband-kills/story?id=15518478

(Sent from Flipboard)

-James

Infographic: Return on Social Media Investment

2012-02-04T15:13:00.001-07:00

In November, Wildfire surveyed over 700 marketers from all around the World on the topic of getting a return on investment for their social media efforts. Wildfire and Column Five compiled the results into an easy to read infographic.

Social media is no longer a stop-and-go investment, but rather a long term strategic channel that, when integrated with other marketing efforts, allows brands to connect with users over time. Results of a recent survey we conducted find social media efforts valuable in their ability to grow brand awareness and increase dialogue with customers. In addition to spending more time thinking about how to engage audiences, marketers will soon begin to measure social media's impact on the business through a more traditional ROI definition: attributable sales and costs. From the Wildfire blog

Wildfire is a powerful, easy-to-use social marketing platform to grow, engage and monetize your audience across social networks. Sign up for a Free Trial.

-James

Where did Google Make Their Money in 2011? [Infographic]

2012-01-27T00:55:00.001-07:00

View a Slightly Larger Version

Who Buys All Those Google Ads? An Infographic Breakdown [via Abhijeet Mukherjee (@abhijeetmk)]

How To Extend Your Wireless Network with Tomato-Powered Routers

Stupid Geek Tricks: Change Your IP Address From the Command Prompt

Stupid Photoshop Tricks: Create An Optical Illusion Double Portrait

-James

Home Invasion Robberies Linked to Medical Marijuana

2011-12-24T03:20:00.001-07:00

The city of Kennewick, tucked in the corner of southeastern Washington, has been rated by Forbes magazine as #2 in all the U.S. for job growth as recently as 2009. But an unsettling pair of home-invasion robberies the weekend before Christmas, both involving card-carrying medical marijuana patients, has cast a pall on the town that lies on the shores of the majestic Columbia River. On December 16 three male suspects, one openly brandishing a handgun, barged into a Kennewick …More

Ed Roman, Renowned Guitar Builder, Dies at 61

2011-12-24T02:49:00.001-07:00

As a guitar-maker for the stars, Ed Roman found a platform for fierce opinions about his commercially manufactured competition, exhorting musicians to drop what he called "misdirected ignorant brand loyalty."

His own guitars found their way into the hands of everyone from Ted Nugent to British rockers Eric Burdon of The Animals and John Entwistle of The Who. Roman, sometimes likened to a Viking for his red hair, was unafraid to unleash self-described politically incorrect opinions about foreign-made products, chain stores and corporate guitar manufacturers.

But his daughter remembers a soft side to his big, brash personality. She remembers him taking care of her pet hamster, letting the critter roll around in a plastic ball amid an office brimming with expensive guitars.

"He had a very kind, gentle heart," Lindsey Star Roman said.

Roman died Dec. 14 at his home following an illness, his daughter said. He was 61.

"He's going to be remembered with a smile. He made everyone laugh," she told the Associated Press Thursday. "And he's certainly going to be immortalized through his guitars."

Roman, whose critiques found an outlet on the voluminous "Guitar Rants" section of his personal website, started playing the instrument as a youth in Stamford, Conn. His inspiration was Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Ventures, a prolific instrumental combo most active in the 1960s.

Roman worked on motorcycles before turning to guitar building in 1976, because "he always wanted to make something better," his daughter said.

"He was fortunate to meet most of his heroes," she said.

Roman, tired of East Coast winters and observing that "everyone eventually comes to Vegas," moved to Las Vegas in 2000 and opened a large shop there in 2001, according to his daughter.

His time in Sin City brought him – and his wide range of custom guitars – close to other famous musicians, including Marie Osmond and country musician Keith Urban.

Also a singer and a bassist, Roman was in the process of recording albums of his own before his unexpected death last week.

Roman's Las Vegas store remains open. In lieu of a funeral, a memorial concert is planned for Roman's birthday, Feb. 24.

Mexican government disbands Veracruz police force

2011-12-24T02:30:00.001-07:00

Mexican Marine on guard outside a Veracruz police station
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission

An entire municipal police force in Mexico has been disbanded as part of a campaign to root out corruption and improve security in the face of drug-related violence.

More than 900 officers in Veracruz-Boca del Rio are losing their jobs. The Mexican navy is taking over responsibility for law enforcement.

The move comes three months after 35 bodies were found dumped on a main road in the municipality, which includes part of the city of Veracruz…

Veracruz state governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa said the decision to disband the force was part of a national programme to reform the police.

"All those who belong to the now defunct Veracruz-Boca del Rio force can join the police again once they have past the tests of trustworthiness demanded by the national system of public security," he said.

He did not say how long the navy would be in charge of policing the municipality, which is home to around 600,000 people and includes wealthy residential districts and popular tourist areas…

Corruption and infiltration of the police by criminals are among the biggest challenges Mexico faces in its fight against the cartels, says the BBC's Ignacio de los Reyes in Mexico City.

As well as using troops to confront the gangs militarily, President Felipe Calderon has stressed the need to reform the police and judiciary as part of his strategy to restore public security.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since December 2006, when Mr Calderon began deploying the military to fight the gangs.

So, uh, anyone plan on spending the holidays in Mexico.

Police Get Warrant In Atlanta Rapper Killing

2011-12-24T02:00:00.001-07:00

Atlanta police say they have an arrest warrant for a man in the killing of rapper Slim Dunkin, who was gunned down in a city music studio as he was preparing to record a video.

Police identified the man they're seeking as 28-year-old Vinson Hardimon, a rapper known as Young Vito.

Police Maj. Keith Meadows said the 24-year-old Slim Dunkin, whose real name was Mario Hamilton, was shot to death in the chest Friday after getting into an argument with another person that evening. He was taken to a city hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police are urging Hardimon to turn himself in because they have reason to believe he may be in danger.

Memphis Man Accused Of Raping His Own Mother

2011-10-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

Memphis Man Accused Of Raping His Own Mother:

A 37-year-old Memphis, Tenn. man is in police custody after he allegedly sexually assaulted his 57-year-old mother. According to court documents, the suspect asked his mother for help changing a light bulb, but instead he grabbed his mother from behind and raped her.

Click Magnet Internet Marketing–Tucson Arizona

2011-10-12T00:34:00.001-07:00

Click Magnet Internet Marketing–Tucson, AZ 2011

'Austin Powers' actor suspected in prison death - US news

2011-10-11T20:37:00.001-07:00

SACRAMENTO, California ^[1] — A bit actor who appeared in the first "Austin Powers" movie is suspected in the death of his cellmate at the California prison where he is serving a life sentence, corrections officials said Tuesday.

Joseph Son , 40, wore a bowler hat and played one of Dr. Evil's henchmen, named Random Task, in 1997's "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." He also was a mixed martial arts fighter who appeared in several other movies or videos in the 1990s, according to his Hollywood biography.

He arrived at Wasco State Prison in the state's Central Valley on Sept. 16 after he was sentenced in Orange County for the 1990 gang rape of a Southern California woman.

The dead inmate was a parole violator serving a new two-year sentence from San Luis Obispo County for failing to register as a sex offender. He was found dead Monday in the cell he shared with Son.

The death was being treated as a homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.

Thornton and Wasco State Prison spokesman Henry Cervantez couldn't say how the inmate died or why the death was considered suspicious. The cellmate, age 50, wasn't immediately identified because relatives had not been notified.

The Kern County District Attorney's Office, which is assisting the investigation, didn't immediately comment. A spokesman for the sheriff-coroner's office, Ray Pruitt, said an autopsy would likely be performed Wednesday.

Both men were in the reception unit for new inmates at the 20-year-old prison, which houses about 5,800 inmates. The cellmate had arrived on June 23.

Son was convicted of one count of torture in August after his DNA linked him to the abduction of a then-19-year-old victim as she walked her dog near her apartment on Christmas Eve.

Son and a co-defendant, Santiago Lopez Gaitan, 40, drove the woman to Huntington Beach at gunpoint, where they raped and sodomized her in the back of the car. They repeatedly threatened to kill her, hitting her with the pistol and telling her she was going to die.

The badly injured woman begged for her life, prosecutors said, and the two men released her naked and blindfolded with her own pants.

Police collected DNA evidence, but couldn't match it to her attackers until Son was required to provide a DNA sample after he pleaded guilty to felony vandalism in 2008 and violated probation.

Son's co-defendant was sentenced to 17 years and four months in state prison after he pleaded guilty in January to five felonies, including kidnapping and sodomy by force in concert.

Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh dies

2011-10-10T06:43:00.005-07:00

Renowned ghazal singer Jagjit Singh passes away

NEW DELHI: Renowned

ghazal

singer Jagjit Singh, 70, passed away at 8.10 am in Lilavati Hospital on Monday morning.

Jagjit Singh was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital on September 23 after he suffered brain haemorrhage in suburban Bandra where a life-saving surgery was performed on him.
"Jagjit Singh passed away at 8.10 am after having a terrible haemorrhage," Dr Sudhir Nandgaonkar, hospital spokesperson, told PTI.
He is survived by his wife Chitra Singh.
Jagjit Singh was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. He had four sisters and two brothers and he is known as Jeet by his family.
Popularly known as "The Ghazal King", he gained acclaim together with his wife in the 1970s and 1980s, as the first ever successful duo act (husband-wife) in the history of recorded Indian music.
Recipient of Padma Bhushan award, he has sung in several languages including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Nepali.
His popular ghazals include, Meri zindagi kisi aur ki, mere naam ka koi aur hai, Apni marzi se kahan apne safar ke hum hain, Wo jo hum mein tumme qaraar tha, Patta-patta boota-boota haal hamaara jaane hai, Hoshwalo ko khabar, etc.
Jagjjit Singh has also sung for popular movies like Arth, Prem Geet, Sarfarosh and Tarqeeb

Weatherman Tangled in Bizarre Sex Death

2011-09-08T22:33:00.001-07:00

Weatherman Tangled in Bizarre Sex Death:

If I had to think of the top five ways that I’d NOT want to be found dead, I’d say that “naked, wearing a dog collar, in a hot tub” would probably be #2, just barely above “with heroin in my butt” but definitely under “on the toilet covered in poop.”

Unfortunately for Brett Cummins (awesome last name, BTW), an Arkansas meteorologist, he was found passed out right next to that exact scene. According to the police report,

Cummins was found asleep in the hot tub next to 24-year-old Dexter Williams. Williams’ face was discolored, and he had a chain around his neck that appeared to resemble a dog collar. The owner of the hot tub claims that the three men had been drinking and doing drugs the night before, [and that] when Cummins awoke and found Williams unconscious, he screamed and threw up.

Yikes, how are you gonna explain THIS one to the guys at the office? Oh, no no no NO NO, guys, it’s not what you think. I was just hanging out in the hot tub with some buddies, and I was showing them the SUPER BAD ASS new dog collar that I bought for my DOG, my VERY TOUGH, MANLY dog, and we were so wasted that he must have fallen asleep with it on. Oh, yeah, the naked thing. I’m allergic to fabric?

According to the report, police do not suspect any foul play, but will continue the investigation until further autopsy results come to light. No word on weather Cummins will lose his job at the station.

Either way, I’m pretty sure at this point I think it’s time to leave Arkansas, bud.

Kurt Angle Arrested

2011-09-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

Photo via tmz.com

Name: Kurt Angle
Known For: Professional Wrestler (Total Nonstop Action)
Charge: Driving Under the Influence (DUI)
Story:

Total Nonstop Action wrestler Kurt Angle was arresetd early Sunday (September 4, 2011) morning in Front Royal, Virginia.

Angle was arrested after Virginia State Troopers responded to a call from a witness that saw Angle's vehicle swerving between lanes. Angle was later released after posting $2,000 bond.

Angle was arrested back in March 2011 after he was allegedly found drunk, sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Guy Calls 911 To Demand Hooker Refund

2011-09-03T13:09:00.001-07:00

Guy Calls 911 To Demand Hooker Refund:

That, my friends, is a picture of a man who has defied Darwin’s theory of ‘survival of the fittest.’ According to the Smoking Gun, Ahmed Hasnain of Kansas ordered a prostitute to his Motel 6 on Wednesday, presumably hoping for a fling with a Witchita hooker, which is the top of the totem pole of hookers, if you didn’t know.

However, he was shocked when not one, but TWO ladies of the night showed up to his hotel room, demanding $160 for their services. The article doesn’t say whether or not Hasnain even received any, um, services, but it does note that he was not pleased with the dealings. So, obviously, OF COURSE, he called 911 to lodge a complaint and demand a refund.

OF COURSE.

Needless to say, instead of getting a refund in 3 to 5 days, Hasnain was arrested and booked on patronizing a prostitute and headed to jail for the night. Although it’s not as dumb a crime as calling 911 from a house you’re robbing, I definitely classify this as a Class 1 dumb crime.

Poor guy, he even wore his best stripey polo for the event. What a jip.

Happy Friday before a long weekend, everyone! Make it count!

Teen Dies After Jerking Off 42 Times In One Night

2011-09-02T18:43:00.001-07:00

Teen Dies After Jerking Off 42 Times In One Night:

A 16-year-old boy died after masturbating 42 times without stopping in Rubiato town, in Goias region, Brazil.

His mother told a local newspaper that she already knew about his son’s addiction and that she planned to see the doctor, but the decision came too late.

The young man began to masturbate at midnight and spent the whole night to compulsively touch himself.

At school, his classmates commented on the boy’s problem and some said he asked them to connect to the webcam for being observed.

They further said that his attraction to women was extreme; he was attracted to all kind of women, regardless of texture physics, color and age.

In his room a great amount of pornography was found, including photographs and videos of nude women that were saved on his PC

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