Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Che Guevara

Sign of the times! Irish parliament gates rammed by Anglo-Irish Bank protest truck

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© Kyran O'BrienA cement mixer rammed the gates of Irish government buildings yesterday in a warning to political leaders that the financial heist will not be accepted by the people

Serious

The front gates of Leinster House were blocked with a cement mixer truck today as members returned after their lengthy summer recess.

The words "Toxic Bank Anglo" were written in red letters along the barrel of the truck, which was driven up to the guarded gates on Kildare Street at 7.15am.

A 41-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is being detained at Pearse Street garda station.

No one was injured in the incident.

A garda spokesman said the suspect is being held under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. He can be held for 24 hours.

Gardai and a recovery crew were attempting to remove the truck, which was immobilised and was blocking one lane of Kildare Street.

Star

Colbert warns of Muslim vampire 'sleeper-in-coffin cells'

colbert
© NA

"Certainly we can live side-by-side," Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert said Tuesday night. "But can we be dead side-by-side?"

Folks planning to "March to Keep Fear Alive" with Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert on the day before Halloween -- Devil's Night -- may be "terrified that they don't know what to be scared of."

"Live Muslims" are an "oldie but goodie" to fear, Colbert joked, before discussing how one small town in upstate New York is more worked up about the "dead ones."

Smiley

Satire: Something About Tax Cuts Or Earnings Or Money Or Something In Recent Economic News

Onion Chart
© The Onion
Washington - Some sort of tax cut or earnings or money or something was reported in economic news this week in further evidence that a lot of financial- related things have been going on lately.

According to numerous articles and economics segments from major media outlets, experts on banks and such have become increasingly concerned over a new extension or rates or a proposal or compromise that could signal fewer investments, and dollars, and so on.

The experts confirmed that the stimulus has played a role.

"This is a clear sign of a changing cycle," some top guy at one of the big banks in New York said of purchasing power parity or possibly rate of return during a recent interview on CNN. "Which isn't to say that a sustained drop in wages couldn't still occur, even if the interest paid on reserves is lowered."

Magic Wand

Witless: The True Story of Christine O'Donnell & the Tea Party Women


Yoda

Canada: Woman Fends Off Bear Attack with a Large Zucchini

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© Robert J. Galbraith/Montreal GazetteA woman successfully fended off a bear attack in Montana with the only weapon she could find - a large zucchini, officials said Thursday.
A woman successfully fended off a bear attack in Montana with the only weapon she could find - a large zucchini also known as a courgette, officials said Thursday.

According to media reports, the woman was on her back porch at midnight Wednesday when a 90-kilogram black bear attacked one of her dogs.

In the ensuing attack, the bear bit the woman in the leg. That was when, local police officials say, the woman reached for the closest item - a large zucchini she had just harvested, sitting on the porch railing - and flung it at the bear.

The bear, struck by the vegetable, fled.

Magnet

France: Robbers Clean Up with Vacuum

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© The SunSuckers ... the thieves used a powerful vacuum
A gang of thieves armed with a powerful vacuum cleaner that sucks cash from supermarket safes has struck for the FIFTEENTH time in France.

The burglars broke into their latest store near Paris and drilled a hole in the "pneumatic tube" that siphons money from the checkout to the strong-room.

They then sucked rolls of cash totalling £60,000 from the safe without even having to break its lock.

Police said the gang - dubbed the Vacuum Burglars - always raid Monoprix supermarkets and have hit 15 of the stores branches around Paris in the past four years.

A spokesman added: "They spotted a weakness in the company's security system and have been exploiting it ever since.

Smiley

UN Comedy: International House of Handshakes

Israel doesn't show up for a speech about the Middle East peace process, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is mad at America for not saying hello.


Coffee

Bump in the trunk! Jews rushing to get caffeine suppositories

Not so fast!

Jews throughout Williamsburg snapped up caffeine suppositories today, hours before the start of the Yom Kippur fast that would deprive them of the jolt - and hunger suppression - that coffee typically provides.
Caffeine suppositories
© Community Newspaper GroupBum's rush: Many religious Jews in Williamsburg insert caffeine suppositories to skirt Yom Kippur restrictions on the intake of food. Here, Baruch Herzfeld, a coffee lover and religious Jew, shows off his supply.

Binoculars

"Elvis" Makes a Comeback as a Face in the Flames

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© Chris MurphyCould the 'face' be that of Elvis Presley...
Is it Elvis, rising Phoenix-like from the flames or former glam rock star Gary Glitter? Opinions were divided after Australian Air Force staff took this photograph of a fire during a training exercise at the RAAF's Tindal base, near Darwin.

Others thought it might be the face of Glitter's one time rival Alvin Stardust or even the Devil himself. Emma Branigan who received the picture from friends at the base said staff there agreed it was the face of something more sinister.

"It's pretty amazing. The men were taking photos around RAAF Base Tindal, Katherine near the city of Darwin, and one man happened to capture this one-off image.

"The men all thought that there was definitely something spooky about the unknown face among the flames," she said.

Smiley

4chan invades Tea Party website

hackedteapartywebsite
© BoingBoingHacked Tea Party website
Spiked

A website run by the conservative Tea Party movement was overrun by the denizens of 4chan on Tuesday.

Website vulnerabilities on the official teaparty.org website allowed pranksters to divert surfers landing on the photo section of the site to smut and shock sites. It's unclear what website security shortcomings were exploited in that attack and whether these are now closed. Boing Boing has screenshots from the attack in a short article here (NSFW).