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Slide 2: Engineers Give U.S. Infrastructure a 'D', Seek $2.2 Trillion in Stimulus: ASCE 2009 Infrastructure Report Card January 28, 2009 The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has just released a summary of its 2009 Infrastructure Report Card, and the news is bad. With the best grades at C+, the worst at D–, and an overall performance of D, the same as last year’s total, this is one report card that isn’t going up on the fridge. The new report claims that improvements were deferred since the 2005 report, and so the costs rose–the new estimate is $2.2 trillion over five years ($600 billion added in four years). Here is a look at the report and what are the most pressing projects for the current administration to tackle. Popular Mechanics
Slide 3: New Law Would Muffle Biker Noise New Hampshire Riders Against Plan January 22, 2009 CONCORD, N.H. – The state wants to muffle loud motorcycles, but riders said the bill will cause them hardship. State Rep. Judith Day of North Hampton said she sponsored the bill after 1,000 voters in her town signed a petition asking for further limits on motorcycle noise. Current law said motorcycles can produce up to 106 decibels, but the new law would limit the noise coming from the tailpipes to 99 decibels. The fines would also increase from a maximum of $300 to $1,000. About 120 people showed up to the bill's public hearing on Wednesday, most of them against the change. Opponents said the new limits would cost bikers and dealers money to change their motorcycle tailpipes and could hurt Laconia's annual motorcycle week, a major economic event for the Lakes Region.   The Associated Press.
Slide 4: 'Flying car' goes to market Company behind the vehicle prefers the term 'roadable aircraft' Jan. 22, 2009 The aptly named Transition takes a stab at bridging the gap between automobiles and airplanes. Some people call it a flying car. The company designing and selling the vehicle prefers the term "roadable aircraft." Either way, it boils down to this: You sit down behind the steering wheel, drive to the runway, unfold two wings and take off. You can fly 500 miles on a tank of gas — regular unleaded —and when you land, you simply fold up the wings and drive where you want to go. At the end of the day, you fly back, drive home and park inside your garage. The vehicles sell for $194,000. © 2009 Discovery Channel
Slide 5: All the water and air on earth gathered into spheres and compared to the Earth Left: All the water in the world (1.4087 billion cubic kilometres of it) including sea water, ice, lakes, rivers, ground water, clouds, etc. Right: All the air in the atmosphere (5140 trillion tonnes of it) gathered into a ball at sea-level density. Shown on the same scale as the Earth. From Science Photo Library: Conceptual computer artwork of the total volume of water on Earth (left) and of air in the Earth's atmosphere (right) shown as spheres (blue and pink). The spheres show how finite water and air supplies are. The water sphere measures 1390 kilometres across and has a volume of 1.4 billion cubic kilometres. This includes all the water in the oceans, seas, ice caps, lakes and rivers as well as ground water, and that in the atmosphere. The air sphere measures 1999 kilometres across and weighs 5140 trillion tonnes. As the atmosphere extends from Earth it becomes less dense. Half of the air lies within the first 5 kilometres of the atmosphere.
Slide 6: House cleaner gets scolding, no jail for having sex with several teens January 22, 2009 Houma Courier HOUMA – A district judge scolded a 47-year-old house cleaner Tuesday morning who pleaded guilty to having sex with a group of teen boys – two as young as 13 – in her Ashland trailer. Maureen Lirette, 444 Ashland Drive, must serve five years of probation and register as a sex offender to comply with a plea deal she took. She was charged with three counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and could have received 10 years in prison for each count. The boys’ families requested that Lirette get no jail time, said Juan Pickett, a Terrebonne assistant district attorney. Terrebonne sheriff’s deputies arrested Lirette just before 3 a.m. May 29 after one of the boy’s mothers called police. The boys had bragged about their encounter, authorities said. After a late-night card game on May 21, Lirette brought the boys, along with four 18-year-olds, in her bedroom and had sex with each while the others watched, police said. Pickett explained the charges in court Tuesday to Judge Timothy Ellender, who reacted with disgust. “So this was a gang bang?” Ellender said. “Are you pleased with yourself? Can’t you get yourself a man?” Lirette did not respond to Ellender. “There’s a double standard,” he told Lirette. “Some people think you did a 13-year-old boy a favor. I certainly don’t.”
Slide 7: H2Oh No! Cops: Wyoming man twice befouled female co-worker's water bottle NOVEMBER 20--Meet Brandon Raz. The Wyoming municipal employee pleaded not guilty today to charges that he twice ejaculated in the water bottle of a female co-worker. Raz, 38, was charged this month with misdemeanor battery, stalking, and attempted battery counts after investigators matched his DNA with semen samples taken from the victim's water bottle. According to a Jackson Police Department affidavit, a copy of which you'll find here, the woman told cops that her "personal water bottle" was first befouled in mid-September. After drinking from the bottle, which had been on her desk, "the water smelled and tasted as if it had been contaminated by seminal fluid.“ But the woman did not contact police until October 6, when she again believed that her water had been contaminated. On that morning, she "began to take a drink" and "smelled the contents and discovered once again that it smelled of what she believed to be semen." After preliminary tests matched Raz's DNA with samples taken from the woman's water bottle, he admitted to a detective that he masturbated and ejaculated "into the water bottle belonging to Jane Doe on two occasions," according to the police affidavit. Raz is pictured below in a mug shot taken today by the Teton County Sheriff's Office. Raz, a Town of Jackson worker, entered his not guilty plea this afternoon during an appearance in Circuit Court. Each of the misdemeanor counts carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $750 fine.
Slide 8: Man Accused of Dissolving 300 Bodies TIJUANA, Mexico (Jan. 24) - Relatives of 100 missing people want to show photos of their loved ones to a man arrested in Tijuana for allegedly helping a druglord dispose of his slain enemies by dissolving their bodies in acid, a victims' group said Saturday. Santiago Meza Lopez, known as the "Pozole Maker" after a local stew, is accused by Mexico's military of disposing of 300 bodies for Teodoro Garcia Simental, a suspected former lieutenant of the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix drug cartel. The relatives have asked authorities for permission to meet face-to-face with the 45-year-old Meza, said Cristina Palacios, president of Citizens United Against Impunity, a group that represents families of missing people in Tijuana. Meza was arrested Thursday and paraded by soldiers and federal police in front of reporters on Friday at a cement-block shack where he allegedly got rid of many of the bodies over several years. The security officers had Meza tell reporters how he did it: first dumping the corpses in large plastic bins filled with acid, then burying any remains. Surrounded by soldiers, Meza told reporters he helped get rid of 300 bodies. Meza has not been charged. Investigators have not identified any of Meza's alleged victims or provided evidence to back up the 300 victims claim. "We are here because this arrest has given us a ray of hope," Palacios said after meeting with Baja California state authorities. State Attorney General Rommel Moreno said Meza would be shown the photos to see if he recognized any as among his victims, and authorities were considering allowing the relatives to meet with him. The relatives did not say whether they believed their missing loved ones were involved in drug trafficking. But Fernando Ocegueda, whose son disappeared in February 2007, said most of the 100 people vanished in eastern Tijuana, which is believed to be Garcia's stronghold.
Slide 9: Shelby Has Fastest Electric Car In The World Posted on Jan 21, 09 07:28 PM PDT Shelby Supercars has taken to the stage with its Ultimate Aero EV at the Abu Dhabi International Motor Show which holds the title of the fastest electric car in the world. Apparently, the powertrain found in the Ultimate Aero EV relies on a lithium ion battery pack that can be juiced up to its maximum from a 110 volt AC outlet within 10 minutes. The powertrain is highly scalable, ranging from 200 up to 500 horsepower depending on your needs, all courtesy of a unique, dual-motor configuration which is able to churn out a whopping 1,200 horsepower. Shelby also touts a 200 mile range which will definitely revolutionize the way electric cars are seen in the eyes of many people assuming Shelby is able to meet those lofty specificaitons. We will probably see the final fruit of Shelby's hard work before the year is over, and here's hoping that they succeed.
Slide 10: Sat Jan 24,11:05 PM ET Miss Indiana Katie R. Stam competes in the swimsuit competition during the Miss America Pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada January 24, 2009. She was later crowned Miss America 2009
Slide 11: Toothy raccoon bit off manhood By STAFF REPORTER Published: Today A FIESTY raccoon has bitten off a pervert’s PENIS as he was trying to rape the animal. Alexander Kirilov, 44, was on a drunken weekend with pals when he leapt on the terrified – but toothy – fur ball. “When I saw the raccoon I thought I’d have some fun,” he told stunned casualty surgeons in Moscow. Now Russian plastic surgeons are trying to restore his mangled manhood. “He’s been told they can get things working again but they can’t sew back on what the raccoon bit off," said a pal. “That’s gone forever so there isn’t going to be much for them to work with." The Sun
Slide 12: 3D porn to revolutionise industry 25/01/2009 3:47:00 PM. | Hong Kong film makers are preparing to leave filmgoers goggle-eyed by releasing the world's first pornographic movie in 3D, a news report said on Sunday. Shooting on the Chinese-language film 3D Sex And Zen, budgeted at 4 million US dollars, is scheduled for April with producers promising some of the most realistic close-up sex scenes ever. "Just imagine that you'll be watching it as if you were sitting beside the bed," Stephen Shiu Jnr told the Sunday Morning Post. "There will be many close-ups. It will look as if the actresses are only a few centimetres from the audience." Twenty five to 30 per cent of the movie, an update of one of Hong Kong's best known erotic films Sex And Zen, will be sex scenes, Shiu told the newspaper. A Hong Kong-based special effects company that has worked on major blockbusters including The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D will help produce the 3D images for the sex movie.
Slide 13: Cash crop now accounts for two-thirds of Mendocino County economy CNBC Jan. 22, 2009 MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. - Two hours from San Francisco, Northern California’s Mendocino County is a world away from the urban bustle. At first glance, it’s a picture postcard of the far West. But beneath its beauty lies a controversial, profitable and increasingly violent criminal enterprise. The marijuana trade is an exploding underground industry. Marijuana is being grown in homes, backyards, even in our national parks. Since the 1960s, the so-called Emerald Triangle — Northern California's Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties — has increasingly become the haven for people looking to make a living growing marijuana. “This is ground zero for marijuana. Nobody produces any better marijuana than we do right here,” said Dan Offield, a helicopter pilot and agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, as he examines the area from a bird’s-eye view. Perhaps no one knows that better than Ukiah Morrison, a Mendocino pot grower. In most places, he would be considered an outlaw, but not in this neck of the woods. “This is as natural as growing corn to me,” he said. “This is the lifeblood of the county. And it has been for more than 30 years.” Morrison walks a fine line. He grows as much marijuana as he can without triggering a legal crackdown. He can do that because authorities here are overwhelmed by the sheer number of growers. They’re also hampered by conflicting state, federal and county laws governing marijuana. Marijuana is the major cash crop here. A county-commissioned study reports pot accounts for up to two-thirds of the local economy. “I don’t think there’s anything more important in this economy. To take this out would be a major blow,” said Morrison. Though reliable numbers are hard to come by, marijuana growers in Mendocino County generate an estimated $1 billion a year. That makes the area home to a sizable chunk of a national market for marijuana believed to be in the tens of billions of dollars. Mendocino local Eric Sligh took CNBC on a tour of one backyard garden. “These marijuana plants in Mendocino County can sometimes reach 14, 15, 20 feet,” he said. A plant that yields about two pounds would be worth about $5,000, said Sligh; his crop of 20 plants is potentially worth $100,000.
Slide 14: Humvee with frikkin laser on it takes out killer robot 27th January 2009 11:10 GMT US aerospace leviathan Boeing was delighted yesterday to announce that its Humvee-mounted "Laser Avenger" deathray weapon had shot down a small drone aircraft. Laser Avenger achieved its principal test objectives by using its advanced targeting system to acquire and track three small UAVs [Unmanned Air Vehicles] flying against a complex background of mountains and desert. The laser system also shot down one of the UAVs from an operationally relevant range. These tests mark the first time a combat vehicle has used a laser to shoot down a UAV. The Laser Avenger, in which a laser weapon is added to Boeing's existing Avenger gun'n'missile anti-aircraft system, had previously suffered from a reputation for being a bit feeble. The best it had done to date was to cook off improvised bombs and unexploded shells lying stationary on the ground. But Boeing say the Laser Avenger now kicks coherent-light arse. "We doubled the laser power, added sophisticated acquisition, tracking and pointing capability, and simplified and ruggedized the design," says Lee Gutheinz, Boeing program director for rayguns. "Boeing developed and integrated these upgrades in less than a year, underscoring our ability to rapidly respond to warfighters' needs." As to just what need America's warfighters* have for a Humvee blaster-ray, Boeing veep Gary Fitzmire says they're absolutely crying out for one. "Small UAVs armed with explosives or equipped with surveillance sensors are a growing threat on the battlefield," he insists. "Laser Avenger, unlike a conventional weapon, can fire its laser beam without creating missile exhaust or gun flashes that would reveal its position. As a result, Laser Avenger can neutralize these UAV threats while keeping our troops safe."
Slide 15: Jan 29, 10:59 AM EST Swiss police spy marijuana field with Google Earth ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- Swiss police said Thursday they stumbled across a large marijuana plantation while using Google Earth, the search engine company's satellite mapping software. Police said the find was part of a bigger investigation that led to the arrest of 16 people and seizure of 1.2 tons (1.1 metric tons) of marijuana as well as cash and valuables worth 900,000 Swiss francs ($780,000). Officers discovered the hemp field in the northeastern canton (state) of Thurgau last year while investigating an alleged drug ring, said the head of Zurich police's specialist narcotics unit Norbert Klossner. The plantation, measuring almost two acres (7,500 square meters), was hidden inside a field of corn. But officers using Google Earth to locate the address of two farmers suspected of involvement in the drug operation quickly spotted the illegal crop. "It was an interesting chance discovery," said Klossner. Prosecutor Gabi Alkalay told reporters in Zurich that she plans to complete her criminal investigation in February, after which she will formally charge the 16 suspects and ask for prison sentences for all of them. The gang is alleged to have sold up to 7 tons (7.7 US tons) of hashish and marijuana between 2004 and 2008, with an annual turnover of 3-10 million francs a year, officials said.
Slide 16: Amy Fisher looks forward to porn career Philadelphia Daily News Jan. 29, 2009 AMY FISHER wants people to know that she's not the same girl who shot her lover's wife in the face 16 years ago. She's 34 now, still with a thing for older men - she's married to her 56-year-old agent, Lou Bellera - and mother of three, ages 3 months to 8 years. Amy also has a new career: Porn actress and stripper.
Slide 17: 2009 Honda DN-01 Exclusive Test Ride: Radical Half-Cruiser, Half-Scooter Returns Easy Riding—and 44 MPG LOS ANGELES—Honda is known for quite a number of breakthrough motorcycle designs—icons like the original CB750, the CBX (a groundbreaking six-cylinder) and, of course, the Goldwing. Clearly, the company isn't afraid to spearhead new directions in motorcycling. And the radical new DN-01 is certainly a unique direction.
Slide 18: Drop that Sock! Masturbation May Cause Cancer New study links ejaculation frequencies to rates of prostate cancer; but the jury's still out 01.26.2009 The hairy palms don’t sound so bad, and the blindness seems manageable. But cancer! It’s bad news for both Don Juans and subscribers to Swank Magazine, as a new paper in the British Journal  of Urology International (BJU) reports a statistically significant correlation between the frequency of sex and masturbation to the early onset of prostate cancer. But doctors disagree over the link between sexual activity and prostate cancer. While a 2002 paper in the journal Epidemiology backs the BJU study, a 2004 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and a 2003 paper from the Australian Cancer Council Victoria claim that frequent masturbation and intercourse actually decreases the risk of prostate cancer. The BJU study, conducted by a team from the University of Nottingham in England, looked at one group of 431 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 60, and 409 men who did not have the disease. Of the 431 men with cancer, 40 percent of the men reported masturbating or engaging in sexual activity more than 20 times a month during their 20’s. Additionally, the cancer group also had a larger percentage of men who reported having more than six female partners in their life. And the men in the cancer group were also more likely to report having once had a sexually transmitted disease. However, in the JAMA paper from five years ago, men who reported ejaculating more than 20 times a month showed a 33 percent lower lifetime risk for prostate cancer than men who reported only ejaculating between four and seven times a month. In contrast to the BJU study, which only looked at heterosexual sex and masturbation in 840 men, the JAMA study looked at all ejaculation for 29,342 men. Similarly, the Australian study compared 1,079 prostate cancer patients and 1,259 healthy men, and found that the men who ejaculated at least once a day during their 20’s were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer. With evidence on both sides of the debate, doctors seem to be hedging their bets. Michael Leitzmann, a doctor at the National Cancer Institute and the lead author of the JAMA study told Reuters that he didn’t believe his study should lead to men altering their sexual behavior, a position reiterated by the Mayo Clinic. Since the jury’s still out on the effects of ejaculation on cancer risk, it might be premature to either hoard Viagra or to cancel the Playboy subscription. Of course, all you reading this online should still probably get at least your eyesight checked out. After all, we know what you really use the Internet for. Popular Science
Slide 19: Men spend nine hours of their life in a state of orgasm 28.01.2009 Pravda.Ru German sexologist Rolf Degen conducted an extensive research to find out the average duration of orgasm in humans. The average female orgasm lasts for 1.7 seconds. The average male orgasm lasts for 12.4 seconds. It just so happens that a woman spends 1 hour and 24 second in the state of bliss during her entire life, whereas a man enjoys 9 hours and 18 seconds of orgasm in total. The German research contradicts to the general opinion according to which the female orgasm is longer than the male orgasm. Forty-one percent of Russian men, who answered the questionnaire of Playboy Russia, said that they like to orgasm at the moment when they receive oral sex. A woman is more likely to experience orgasm if she has warm feet – chances increase by 30 percent, Dutch scientists from the University of Groningen believe. The comfortable psychological environment is very important too. Therefore, sex is socks is not the prerogative of men only. Eighty-six percent of men acknowledged that they enjoy sex most if their partner is intellectually inferior to them. Women said that they were more likely to reach orgasm if they had sex with a man who was intellectually superior to them. Sperm is capable of covering the distance of up to 1.5 meters as it flies out at the speed of 45 kilometers per hours. A man usually ejaculates three or four portions of sperm during orgasm. Those women who reach orgasm on a regular basis laugh and smile 2.5 times more often than those who do not, French scientists said. The frequently-orgasming women have a lower level of anxiety, they sleep better and have a more extensive word stock (for some reason). 62 percent of women with higher education have difficulties with reaching orgasm, whereas this number is lower – 38 percent – with those women having secondary education only. The worse education a woman has, the better orgasms she has, Canadian and German scientists said. The scientists determined that 55 percent of university diploma holders hardly ever experience orgasms, while 70 percent of women, who never studied at high schools, did not have any complaints. About 17 percent of women are capable of experiencing multiple orgasms that last for 20 or 30 seconds. US psychologists were observing the lives of 300 women who cured themselves of anorgasmy for ten years. Their biographies were compared to the biographies of other women who had similar problems with orgasm, but who interrupted the course of treatment. The number of divorces considerably increased in the group of women who refused to continue the treatment.
Slide 20: Super Bowl XIX Tampa crackdown already nets 19 women on prostitution charges JANUARY 28--Since it is Super Bowl week in Tampa, the local cops are cracking down on hookers working from area hotels, street corners, private residences, and massage parlors. As is customary in the days before football's championship game, police have been rounding up women on prostitution charges, lest they supposedly cash in on the influx of out-of-town pigskin fans. As seen on the following slides, 18 suspects-aged 19 to 53--have been nabbed since Monday, with each arrestee posing for a mug shot at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office…………………….. Smoking Gun