Daily Rotten Archives January 9, 2006 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 Blazing mouse sets fire to house BBC | Submitted by: chris cooper "A US man threw a mouse he had found in his home onto a pile of burning leaves - only to see it run away and burn his house down." ... Quote: "I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire, and the mouse was on fire and ran back at the house." ... Update: Flaming Mouse Story Found To Be False Read article... and This article... Comments (106) Books bound in human skin Boston Globe | Submitted by: anonymous "Brown University's library boasts an unusual anatomy book. Tanned and polished to a smooth golden brown, its cover looks and feels no different from any other fine leather. But here's its secret: the book is bound in human skin. A number of prestigious libraries -- including Harvard University's -- have such books in their collections. While the idea of making leather from human skin seems bizarre and cruel today, it was not uncommon in centuries past." Read article... Comments (92) AIDS BOMB Sunday Mirror | Submitted by: DarkStarfish "AL-QAEDA is recruiting suicide bombers who are infected with the AIDS virus, according to documents revealed to the Sunday Mirror. Terror chiefs are also targeting fanatics who suffer other lethal blood diseases such as hepatitis and dengue fever in order to increase their "kill rate" from an explosion. The chilling new threat is revealed in papers distributed to British military camps in Iraq and across Europe." Read article... Comments (93) Father of LSD turns 100 New York Times | Submitted by: pillager "It's very, very dangerous to lose contact with living nature," he said, listing to the right in a green armchair that looked out over frost-dusted fields and snow-laced trees. A glass pitcher held a bouquet of roses on the coffee table before him. "In the big cities, there are people who have never seen living nature, all things are products of humans," he said. "The bigger the town, the less they see and understand nature." And, yes, he said, LSD, which he calls his "problem child," could help reconnect people to the universe. [Albert Hofmann makes for an excellent deadpool pick...] Read article... Comments (53) Sharks Fatally Attack Girl (Jets Vow Revenge) BBC | Submitted by: Schwag of Tulsa "An Australian woman from Brisbane has been killed in a shark attack at a popular beach near the city. Ambulance workers said the 21-year-old suffered extensive injuries, losing both arms below the elbow and sustaining deep wounds to her leg." ... "The attack happened at Amity Point, which shares a name with the fictional setting for the film Jaws. Police believe three bull sharks could have attacked the young woman, and have launched a large-scale hunt in local waters." Read article... Comments (43) Anyone for a pint? Canadian Broadcasting | Submitted by: Mikeisgreen "Britain's alcohol-related death rate is soaring compared to other European countries, says a recent study. The death toll from cirrhosis of the liver among men in Scotland more than doubled between the periods of 1987-1991 and 1997-2001. In England and Wales, the mortality rate increased by more than two-thirds." ... "Excessive drinking kills 22,000 Britons each year." Read article... Comments (50) Puckhead burns up his beard MSNBC | Submitted by: Pelronir "A mascot at a minor league hockey game was burned when his fake beard and jersey ignited during a botched fire-breathing stunt." Read article... Comments (30) Teachers put on leave for classroom sex show Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | Submitted by: Crime Dawg "McKeesport officials have hired a lawyer to investigate whether the school district should fire two fourth-grade teachers who had sex in a classroom several years ago while other teachers stood watch at the door, officials said Thursday." ... Meanwhile: Teacher's New Year Starts With Bust Read article... and This article... Comments (37) Mother's Bus Attack Caught on Tape WFTV-TV 9 Orlando | Submitted by: anonymous "A mother accused of attacking a student on a Brevard County school bus now faces charges. Video cameras on the Sable Elementary school bus captured the entire incident." ... "State attorneys said there's indisputable evidence the woman in the video broke the law. The video shows Coni Staton putting her arms and hands on a 6-year-old's neck." Read article... Comments (59) A Registered Sex Offender Lives Here KSAT-TV 12 San Antonio | Submitted by: Poontang "Some registered sex offenders in Cuero might have to post signs at their home declaring their status under an ordinance that received preliminary approval from the Cuero City Council." ... "The ordinance requires white signs measuring at least 2-feet-by-2-feet that read, A Registered Sex Offender Lives Here in black letters. Signs must be visible from the closest roadway and placed within 20 feet of the front entrance of a sex offender's residence." ... Also: 60 Days For Rape Read article... and This article... Comments (45) Making Abortion Illegal in Indiana Indianapolis Star | Submitted by: Space Jew "Abortion would be illegal for most women in Indiana, including victims of rape and incest, under a bill filed this week in the Indiana House." ... "In Indiana, 11,458 abortions were performed in 2003, the most recent year for which the Indiana State Department of Health has data. That's down from 12,109 in 1999." Read article... Comments (105) War Games Toronto Star | Submitted by: Mary The United States government has hired a bunch of poor souls who lost their arms and legs in accidents and has rigged them up with bags of fake blood so they can play wounded civilians in war games down at Fort Polk, La. Not only that but Cubic, the defence contractor that produces these games, has also hired 250 Arabic-speaking immigrants at $220 a day (all figures U.S.) as "Cultural Role Players" in the war games. They've also hired hundreds of local Louisianans to play random Arab civilians, plus "dozens of scriptwriters" to come up with realistic scenarios for the war games. Read article... Comments (52)