As most of you have probably heard, the space shuttle Columbia was lost during the final minutes of its 16-day mission, taking with it seven crew members on board. To those of us old enough to remember the loss of the Challenger, the fiery streak across the sky brings back uncanny images of the smoky “Y” across the blue sky. Another tragedy added to an ever-growing list of events for everyone to cope with.
However, before the debris even had time to settle, the finger pointing has already begun as causes of the disaster are being investigated. The greed and hate that seems to be such an entwined part of the modern society rears its ugly head: the first couple stories below further justify this observation.
* Radical Muslim Cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri claims that the Columbia disaster was “a punishment from God” because the space shuttle’s mission was “a trinity of evil against Islam.” I cannot understand how someone that preaches the work of god can, with the same breath, utter words filled with so much hate. Are people not people if they think and act different? [Yahoo! News]
* Within minutes of the disaster, “entrepreneurs” were hacking supposed pieces of the space shuttle debris on eBay. eBay promptly yanked the auctions, declaring it “grotesque memorabilia.” Now, I know the United States is the home of capitalism, but there is just something sick and wrong about profiting from someone else’s misfortune. Maybe they will one day sell their own mother’s ashes.
* Raymond Poore of Winchester, Va. Apparently tried to kill his Shar-Pei with his shotgun, by holding the weapon by the barrel. The shotgun discharged and Poore shot himself in the stomach. When the police arrive, Poore was lying in a pool of his own blood, dead. The dog was still alive but so badly injured that it had to be destroyed. [WashingtonPost.com]
* Tony Martin, a British farmer who was jailed for shooting a teenage burglar dead has been denied parole, because his probation reported branded martin “a danger to burglars.” Seems like criminals have more rights that law-abiding citizens… [Guardian Unlimited, UK]
* Griffith University, a fairly prestigious college in Australia, began offering an unorthodox degree, a bachelor of sexual art. This degree teaches stripping, lap dancing, pole dancing, “bump-and-grind,” marking, finance & investing, consumer relations, costume selection, hair and makeup, and bartending. According to Professor Jean Floogle, who teaches the courses, in an interview with Guardian Unlimited, “Colleges teach courses in all those other creative subjects, so I figured, why not stripping.” I agree! I just wonder when Skyline will start offering these classes and when their recitals will be.
* On the tradition of boobs (aside from man-boobs and donations for boos which I’ve talked about), how about cow boob implants? Heifers are injected with “foamies” to make them look more attractive in shows to win trophies. In this case, bigger is better because the size reflects how much milk she can produce and farmers can then demand more money for their offspring. Apparently this has been going on for a long time, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Well, not anymore, because veterinarians at University of Wisconsin have developed a way to detect such things with ultrasound. And yes, these scientist want to use the similar technology to “clean up” the Miss America contest. Hugh Hefner, I think they are gunning for you next…. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
* While we are on the topic of milk, Ng Lai Ping of Hong Kong was told to stop breastfeeding her son in the Central Library. Not because of indecency, but because the library has a “No Eating or Drinking” policy. She was even given a leaflet on the library’s rules and regulations. Now I know Chinese people have always had a negative stereotype of being “strict” attached to them… but what the…! [Ananova.com]
