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Hunt Hogs Like a SEAL at Rich Redneck Fantasyland

Jeff Neumann · 08/19/11 05:42AM

Are you a Navy SEAL trapped in the body of a cubicle-bound insurance salesman? Do you watch commando documentaries and think to yourself, "shit, I could do that"? Maybe you even drive a Hummer. Well, Texas of all places has just the weekend activity for you: Hunting feral hogs with night vision goggles and assorted tactical military gear! You can play war with other grown-ups and and walk away with an actual body count.

This Is the Giant Dust Storm That Just Engulfed Phoenix

Matt Cherette · 08/19/11 03:40AM

Phoenix, Arizona was enveloped by a giant dust storm on Thursday afternoon, marking the third time a haboob has hit the city in two months. The wall of dust caused the city's sky to turn brown, its power lines to fall down, and its transportation systems to slow to a halt. But it also made possible this amazing time-lapse video of the storm's approach. [YouTube, AP]

Worst Babysitter Ever Takes Infant for a Ride in Bed of Pickup Truck

Matt Cherette · 08/19/11 03:31AM

For most babysitters, taking an infant for a ride in the stroller means securing the baby in one and then gently pushing the child down the sidewalk. For Florida resident Keyona Davis, it apparently means putting the baby and stroller into a truck bed and then taking the kid for a drive on some of Daytona Beach's busiest roadways. Davis was arrested and charged with child neglect on Wednesday. Video of her bad babysitting behavior is above. [WESH]

Dogs Can Smell Lung Cancer

Seth Abramovitch · 08/19/11 02:35AM

Lung cancer, a notoriously hard-to-diagnose and deadly disease, has a new enemy: dogs! German researchers have discovered that they can actually smell it on your breath.

Arizona Woman Hopes to be World's First Infinity-Sized Model

Seth Abramovitch · 08/19/11 01:58AM

From The Sun — the same people who brought us the hoax known as Botox Mom, so take this with a grain of salt (and 200 sticks of butter) — comes the story of Susanne Eman, an Arizona mother of two boys who is consuming 20,000 calories a day in an attempt to reach her goal of 1,600 pounds. (She weighs 728 now.) Why 1,600? Because it would make her the fattest human being in history, of course!

Urban Outfitters Sued Over New Line of Jailbait Casuals

Seth Abramovitch · 08/19/11 12:59AM

Here's a lawsuit that might leave you scratching your head: The parents of a 15-year-old model were apparently aware that photographer Jason Lee Parry was snapping her around L.A. in March 2010, in a shoot that required her to pose "in a blatantly salacious manner with her legs spread, without a bra, revealing portions of her breasts," according to the filing. Uh, okay. But now they're suing Urban Outfitters — as well as two other retailers, and Parry himself — for putting those images on T-shirts and other merchandise, and selling them in their stores. They're seeking $28 million in damages.

Jon Stewart Defends the Poor from Money-Grubbing Conservatives

Matt Cherette · 08/19/11 12:05AM

Although a proposed tax rate increase for top-level earners would reduce America's budget deficit by about $700 billion over 10 years, right-wing pundits on Fox News and elsewhere have decried it as "class warfare" that would only put a small dent in the national debt.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Treasury Secretary

Seth Abramovitch · 08/18/11 11:07PM

Well, this is somehow fitting. No 2,000-person parties. No Jennifer Hudsons singing "Happy Birthday." No staff cheeseburger outings. No, the other 50th birthday of note in the administration—that of bedraggled Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner—was observed with only a single cupcake, poised on a Starbucks cup, barely sturdy enough to support the "5" and "0" candles lodged into its modest crown of icing, sprinkles and crushed nuts. Hang in there, Franzy. [Flickr via Atlantic Wire]

Macaque vs. 8-Year-Old, Part 2: Monkey Struck First

Seth Abramovitch · 08/18/11 10:09PM

Yesterday we brought you the unfortunate story of 8-year-old Tayce Nickel, who was attacked by a macaque in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Springfield, Missouri. We cited a local news report which quoted the monkey's owner, who said that Tayce had entered their SUV and was then "scratched" by Charlie.

Teen Sexting Ring Rocks Vermont to Its Foundations

Seth Abramovitch · 08/18/11 09:52PM

Just in time for sexting's auspicious debut in the dictionary, comes a perfectly salacious item that will give your mother a reason to look it up: Police have busted a "teen sexting ring" (ed. note: LOL), implicating two dozen horny, Vermont high schoolers in an elaborate round of Dick Pic, Dick Pic, Goose.

Italian Monks Pray Thief Is Struck by 'Strong Bout of the Shits'

Seth Abramovitch · 08/18/11 09:20PM

A group of Franciscan monks are furious over two recent thefts of rare and expensive bibles from the lectern of their 15th century church in Florence, Italy. So they took action, pinning up a note for their congregation in which they expressed hope that the thief would see the error in his ways and return the bibles. Should he not, however, they added:

Portland Bomb Squad Detonates Suspicious Tennis Ball

Seth Abramovitch · 08/18/11 08:31PM

An air of excitement and danger swirled around Portland's Arbor Lodge Park this morning, as a bomb squad cordoned off the area and detonated a tennis ball suspected of being a homemade bomb.

'Have You Had Sex with Rick Perry?' Asks Ad

Maureen O'Connor · 08/18/11 07:10PM

Rogue Ron Paul supporter Robert Morrow took out a full-page ad in an Austin alt-weekly to ask a question: "Have you had sex with Rick Perry?" If you are a "stripper," "escort," or "young hottie" who has enjoyed a tall glass of that sweet Texas tea known as Gov. Rick Perry, then the Committee Against Sexual Hypocrisy (CASH) would like a word with you. "Is it a real group? No. It's just me," Morrow tells Salon.

The Continued Nakedness of Joe Manganiello

Richard Lawson · 08/18/11 05:40PM

Yes, ladies and germs, you might just be seeing a little more of Mr. Manganiello. Also today: bad news for Kat Von D, good news for Josh Groban, and this summer is going to save the movie industry.

It's Time to Freak Out Over Obama's Annual Vacation Again

Jim Newell · 08/18/11 04:39PM

President Obama is beginning his third consecutive annual family vacation to Martha's Vineyard, in August, when literally nothing happens anywhere. On a scale from 10 to 10, how furious does this pretend to make you? Because it makes some people very pretend unhappy!

Pay a Serial Killer to Murder Your Books

Ryan Tate · 08/18/11 04:27PM

It's hot in Japan, and finally coming to the U.S.: For $2 or $3 per title, you can have your book collection lovingly scanned, emailed, and ground into dust. You don't even have to dispose of the corpse. Progress!