NZ Scrabble player sets word record

A New Zealand scrabble player created history overnight when he became the first player to hold the word game’s three most coveted titles.

Christchurch man Nigel “Tiger” Richards, 41, won the North American Open scrabble championship in Orlando, Florida, to go with the world title he won last November and the British title he won earlier this year.

Richards, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, became the first player to hold all three titles at once.

“In fact no one has ever held two of them (titles) let alone three. That feat qualifies him as the greatest player in the history of the game,” said Howard Warner, the New Zealand masters champion and the winner of four national titles.

He said Richards was already widely regarded as the world’s best player.

“His record in international play over the past decade is truly Tiger Woods-like - hence his nickname,” he said.

Richards will join Warner and three others, Jeff Grant from Hastings, Blue Thorogood of Christchurch and Sydney-based Joanne Craig, to represent New Zealand at the Causeway Challenge in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, in November.

The challenge is considered the longest, toughest and most prestigious teams event ever and would involve the top 10 scrabble-playing countries in the world, said Warner.

What a nice little story, some guy from the skid mark on the world map makes good, and good on him I say.

I lifted this story from Yahoo News, and I’m even going to excuse the little pun the sub editor mad in saying “word record”. But I would like to draw your attention to the image that went with this story, which I’ve included below:

Now out of all the scrabble images online (about 920,000 according to the 0.57 seconds google spent looking for it), they had to use one that included the word SEX.

I’m no prude, I’ll tell you that, but don’t try to say that this is not a deliberate attempt at good old “Sex Sells”. Sub editors will try anything they can to put a story out there, not for the sake of informing people of something, but to sell more crap. Here is an idea every, change over to the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) news for a week. Now sure they flog their ABC stuff, but there is no ads to flog some new kind of dish wash liquid, but what you will get is news that is informative. Failing that, I’ll have a chat with the bosses, and get them to go naked to get you to watch.

US teen decapitated by roller coaster

June 29, 2008, 10:35 am

A teenager was decapitated by a roller coaster after he hopped a pair of fences and entered a restricted area at a Georgia amusement park, authorities says.

Saturday at Six Flags Over Georgia officials are uncertain why the unidentified 17-year-old from Columbia, South Carolina, scaled two 1.8-metre fences and passed signs that said the restricted area was both off-limits and dangerous to visitors, spokeswoman Hela Sheth said in a news release.

Authorities were investigating reports from witnesses who said the teenager jumped the fences to retrieve a hat he lost while riding the Batman roller coaster, said Cobb County police Sergeant Dana Pierce. Three security guards were keeping visitors away from the ride on Saturday.

Police said the ride was going full-speed when the teenager was struck. The ride’s top speed is 80kph, according to the Six Flags website.

No one riding on the roller coaster was injured, Sheth said. The teenager’s friend also entered the restricted area but was not injured, Pierce said.

The teenager and his parents were at the park with a group from the Oakey Spring Baptist Church near Springfield, South Carolina, police said.

—–

Now here is what I am wondering:

• What convinced him to put his head between the rails?
• What about two fences didn’t he understand?
• Really, how important was it to get the hat back right there and then?
• I guess god wasn’t looking out for him.

Ok, so I know, not something to really rant about, but I like human stupidity, it’s funny.

Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard?
Because Cheetah is a qualified barber.

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?
Because it is easier than throwing the remote at the television.

Why do banks charge a fee on “insufficient funds” when they know there is not enough?
Why should people who have no money be treated differently to those who have money?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
It’s not a helmet, it is their underwear. w00t!!!!!

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is  wet?
Hang on, you know how to paint a star? Do tell.

Whose idea was it to put an “S” in the word  “lisp”?
The same person who decided abbreviation means shortening of a word.

What is the speed of darkness?
When you are black, you just cruise. Yo!

Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up every two hours?
Because they wake every two hours, worrying about their mortgage.

If the temperature is zero outside today and it’s going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?
Tomorrow it will also be zero. Come on, this is grade one stuff.

Do married people live longer than single ones or does it only seem longer?
When you are married, it’s not only Hell that lasts for eternity.

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why would you need wheels on your luggage when on the moon? Everything is lighter there.

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the  ground?
Some people want to feel better than others, but I can tell you, in my role as god, it gets boring at times.

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, “I think I’ll squeeze these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?”
His name was Bubba, he liked wearing latex and PVC, lived in a box, and enjoyed long walks on the beach.

Who  was the first person to say, “See that chicken there… I’m gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its bum.”
As above.

Why  do toasters always have a setting so high that could burn the toast to  a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
It is known as the “Bath Tub” setting.

Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
How often do you go to the freezer in the middle of the night, for a quick refreshing chicken to defrost?

Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but  don’t point to  their bum when they ask where the bathroom  is?
They use to, but then Mardi Gras started.

Why does your Obstetrician, Gynaecologist leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?
So he can go and put his hand in ice, before the F*&$ing Bastard starts poking around.

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours?  They’re both dogs!
Walt Disney was just proving he was on drugs.

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
Testimonials

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?
Orphans.

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Let them think it does, it saves them wondering what zippers are for.

Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
It’s not the same song, it is just an early example of “sampling”, all the top artists do it.

Stop singing and read on……. Yes, it caught me too!
Call it “singing” if you like, I’ll need some tissues either way.

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet  Soup?
No, but spaghetti is a fantastic novel. Five Stars.

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
That’s only because he can’t stand your choice in music.

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
No, but it fills in the time better than trying to answer these questions.

Yeah, you may call me slack, but I have been busy, and there hasn’t been interesting news going around.

Regarding AirSheepshaggers:

1. mike Says:
   May 26th, 2008 at 7:41 am editAs god is my witness, this is a damned hard topic to respond to. Jesus Christ, what were you thinking when you chose this theme? May Allah be with you.

Gee Mike, if I have to swallow any more puns from you, I’ll need some holy water to wash it down with.

1. Jacob Says:
   May 29th, 2008 at 10:40 am editStrangely enough we never hear from those pilots that pray in such circumstances but *do* crash. I wonder what they would say about the deal?

   Additionally, anyone who takes to the skies in a paper-aeroplane with a donk needs their head read, so appealing to a higher-entity is probably their normal first-line of defence in tricky situations…

Welcome to the road Jacob. Good comment, well opinionated. I look forward to reading more from you.

Regarding Teachers who have sex with their students for extra grades:

1. Abbadon Says:
   May 31st, 2008 at 7:47 pm editWell, there’s always been the double-standard of teen boys vs. teen girls in that with the former, sex with an older woman has been regarded as a desirable rite of passage but the latter has been grounds for a ball-cutting.

   Unfortunately I upheld said double standard in spades at the age of 17. I was banging a 35-year-old woman like a screen door. And at fifteen I was choking my chicken like a madman at the thought of having sex (not that much has changed in that regard with the passage of time).

   I think there is a distinct difference between males and females in this regard. Bottom line here is that it’s a teacher, and not the woman next door.

   But I guess the line has to be drawn somewhere and under 18 is exactly that, male or female.

Thanks for raising the old double standard there Abbadon. You are right with your bottom line. A limit has been set, and it is done for the best interest of everyone, over many years of study.

1. Andy B Says:
   June 1st, 2008 at 8:42 am editNot saying it’s right, but look at it from this perspective. You’re early 20’s, female, fresh out of uni in a teaching position. You’ve got a Yr 12 class of good looking guys. Most people are going to get turned on and want to fuck them. It’s natural. Just most tend to hold back and not actually do it.

I can understand your point here Andy, but the bitch abused a position of power, and as such has done the crime.

Ok, I’m really getting sick of seeing these headlines.

Friday May 30, 12:36 PM

Teacher wanted to be a sex slave: court

A Melbourne female teacher charged with sexually penetrating a 15-year-old student urged the boy to treat her like a sex slave, court documents show.

Nazira Rafei, 25, who is a teacher at a Melbourne high school, is charged with one count of sexually penetrating a child under 16 and four counts of an indecent act with a child under 16.

She is also charged with trying to conceal the relationship by making an unwarranted demand on the boy.

During a brief filing hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, her lawyer, Steve Pica, indicated Rafei would plead not guilty.

“This case is likely to attract a fair degree of media attention,” Mr Pica told the court.

“I do want to place on the record that my client has been fully cooperative with police and is pleading not guilty.”

Police charge sheets tendered to the court allege she had sexual intercourse with a child under her “care, supervision or authority”.

On another occasion, it is alleged, the teacher told the student to “treat her like a sex slave” as she lay on top of him pinching his nipples in the back seat of her car.

Another charge relates to the teacher allegedly kissing the student on his lips and touching his genitals through clothing.

The case was adjourned for committal mention on August 29 at the same court.

Is it just me, or are more and more teachers being busted for sexual abuse of children? What really pisses me off, is these people are meant to be pillars of society, not only entrusted with educating our children, but also with setting good examples as adults. Kids these days send on average more time with their teachers, than they do with their parents. What kind of example are they setting for society today if they see school asn their own pick up bar?

Now I know not all teachers are guilty of this, and I am not trying to tar them all with the same brush. I’m use to being tarred with the same brush as other people in my life, but that is done by small minded idiots. But the simple fact remains, there is a serious issue here, and I don’t believe it is being addressed by the Government, and the educational institutions at which these teachers are employed.

As far as I am concerned, it is about time the Courts took child abuse seriously. Next time one of these paedophiles is caught, throw away the key. Keep doing it, until they get the picture. Sex with children can not be tolerated at all. It is never the right thing to do.

Wednesday May 21, 03:48 PM

NZ pilots land on wing and a prayer

Two New Zealand men who turned to prayer when their aircraft’s engine died as they flew over steep hills were saved when they found a clearing next to a giant Jesus billboard.

Grant Stubbs and Owen Wilson were trying to clear a 1,500 metre hill in their microlight on a trip across the top of the South Island on Sunday when the engine cut out, the Marlborough Express newspaper said.

“When you’re in a microlight if you crash, you usually die. I turned to OB (Wilson) and he said we had no fuel,” Stubbs told the newspaper.

“I asked what we should do. He said: ‘You just pray, Grant’.”

He took Wilson’s advice as the sputtering microlight struggled to clear the ridge. The engine, which had run out of petrol, died altogether just as the plane cleared the hilltop.

Ahead they could see only steep hills and the sea, until they spotted a small grassy clearing in a tiny bay.

After gliding in to land safely, they looked across to see a six-metre high sign at the clearing’s edge reading: “Jesus is Lord - The Bible”, which had been put up at a lodge run by a Christian couple.

“When we saw that, we started laughing,” Stubbs said.

Now, imagine for a moment, this happened to two Muslims. The headlines would have screamed “Two suspected terrorists….” But because they prayed to god, suddenly it’s a good news story and not a propaganda piece.

So why am I having an issue with this? Well, personally I have no religious views. Even in my darkest hours I have not turned to any mythical being to save my life. Now don’t get me wrong, if you want to believe in something being out there, be it a god by any name, go for it. If that keeps you going in life, great, you have found your purpose and you run with it Sunshine.

As far as I am concerned, some may say “In god we trust”, but I prefer to say “In petrol tank we look before flying off over a fucking mountain, so we can gloat down the pub to our mates.”

In the last post these people wrote something. None of them have any bloody idea, so none of them get to wear underwear. I’ll still post some photos though.

1. Dale Says:
   May 10th, 2008 at 1:02 pm editEinasleigh at a guess.

Your guess is wrong Dale, but at least you are in the right State.

1. Andy B Says:
   May 10th, 2008 at 4:51 pm editI’m going to go with Frankston.

And I’m going to go with “You’re a tool”

1. mike Says:
   May 10th, 2008 at 10:58 pm editEveningedge?

Now Mike. Considering you are the person who drove me to that location, I thought you would have had an idea, but instead you just tried to make a silly reference to Morningside. Well I guess it is good you got the right State.

1. Lucy Says:
   May 11th, 2008 at 10:02 am editHello!!

Hi Lucy. No, it isn’t Hello!! But thanks for commenting, good to see you again.

1. Ms Rachy Says:
   May 14th, 2008 at 2:13 pm editIn front of a stationary train?

Yes Miss Rachy, I am in front of a stationary train. Pity I can’t place you in front of one that is moving though. Oh your sly dry wit has beaten me this time. Or were you being serious, heck now I am in a frazzle, you have bent me over and spanked me yet again.

1. Ando Says:
   May 16th, 2008 at 3:48 am editMaybe Mt. Surprise???

Good guess Ando, but you are about four hours too early for the location.

1. Stewed Hamm Says:
   May 16th, 2008 at 4:16 pm editDunno where you are, Rebecca, but unless you get your ass off the tracks, your next post will be answering a lot of people’s questions about the afterlife.

Ahhh, the joys of a zoom lense Stewed. The two tracks divide and I am in the middle of that divide, so no chance of being hit by the train.

Ok, so I was up in Queensland for a few days. So people are going to be very pissed off that here I was, of sunning myself up north, while they struggle away in Melbourne, but stuff them, I had to be there for some things, and this train ride was part of that. I rode on the Savannahlander from Almaden to Mount Surprise, before driving back to Cairns. So here are some photos.

Go on, have a guess. Winner gets to see more photos, and to wear their underpants on the outside. Losers get to see more photos, but no underwear.

Here is a follow up to my previously posted subject. This subject is a pet hate of mine, so I will regularly post about it. I do have another post I am thinking about doing, but will hold it off for a bit.

Saturday May 3, 12:42 PM

Calls to tighten sex offence laws

Child protection advocates have renewed calls for changes to laws keeping pedophiles locked up, amid fears a notorious sex offender may soon be released despite his own wish to remain in jail.

The state government is trying to keep 24-year-old Daniel Philip Sybenga jailed indefinitely as an unacceptable risk to society.

Sybenga allegedly targeted nine girls no older than five because they would be less likely to give a good description of him.

Politicians blame the courts for releasing serious sex offenders but judges say they simply have to abide by flawed laws.

Documents filed in the Supreme Court say that at one stage even Sybenga did not want to be released and pulled out of an education program, implying he wanted to be kept behind bars indefinitely, News Limited reported.

“He stated that he did not want to complete the program as he did not want to increase his chances of gaining release from prison,” News Ltd said.

It also stated Sybenga implied he wanted to be jailed indefinitely.

Child protection group Bravehearts chief executive Hetty Johnston has called for legislative changes to keep reoffending pedophiles behind bars.

“I think he’s absolutely unique in at least he’s honest and saying he can’t trust himself and so we shouldn’t trust him,” Ms Johnston told AAP.

“A psychiatrist can do as many reports as he likes but at the end of the day the offender himself is saying he can’t be trusted.”

Ms Johnston said even the judges think the current system is flawed and is calling for a two strikes and your out policy.

“A first time a person is convicted of a sexual offence they get all the help they possibly can because we do believe there are some offenders who with the right treatment and motivation may not reoffend,” she said.

“But for many that is not possible so when they are released after that treatment and reoffend again then it should be life and no parole with no second chances to destroy more young lives.”

Ms Johnston said the current system was simply not working and the community deserves more protection.

“The judges don’t like it, the community doesn’t like it, civil libertarians don’t like it and advocates like me don’t like it - we all know more needs to be done to protect children,” she said.

Ms Johnston dismissed concerns it was unfair to jail someone for a crime they had not yet committed.

“Maybe then we just need to make sure the sentences for the crimes they have done are much stronger and longer,” she said.

Ok, here is my issue with this article. This Ms Johnston, who is meant to be a child protection advocate wants a two strike and your out policy. What fucking drugs are you on Ms Johnston. What is wrong with one strike and your dead. Don’t give these bastards the chance to do this sick crime twice, once is bad enough and ruins a life, but you think it is fine for them to do it twice.

I’m also wondering if your view applies to the number of court convictions, or the number off offences. Why are you not out there pushing what is sick crime this is, and being at the forefront of pushing social change on this matter.