Random News Stories

[Marcel Birgelen]

I've flown Ryanair before that incident quite a few times without any major incident, but around that incident, I was mostly done with them because of the many shenanigans, like charging absurd amounts of overage for a few pounds extra luggage or charging you like 5 to 10 times the cost of the actual ticket for making changes to a booking. I decided that Ryanair wasn't really suitable for business travel and if you counted for all those little extra costs and frustrations, there was already little motivation to do business with them.

I guess ever since, many other airlines adopted similar practices in order to compete with the low cost carriers. Still. of all the low cost carriers around here in Europe, they're probably the most customer hostile and are seemingly proud of it and customers are still "digging it" as long as it's "cheap"...

[Jim Cassedy]

Not sure what this was all about... There must be more to the story...

YES, Mark- - there IS more to the story.
That old news clip only showed the first paragraph.
Now, (to quote the late Paul Harvey) "Here's the rest of the story" :
ProjectionistArrest.jpg

I can't seem to pin down the exact date of the news clip, but there's circumstantial evidence
that places it in the 1969-1971 time frame. The "New Follies Theater" on 16th St @ Valencia,
was under construction and partially collapsed during the 1906 SF Earthquake. It eventually
opened in late 1907 as "The 16th St Theater". It was initially a vaudeville house, but after a
change of management and the addition of film shows around 1913, the name was changed
to "The Victoria Theater" and it operated under that name for many years, showing mainly
2nd & 3rd run movies, until 1964 when it changed to a policy of 'burlesque & girlie shows'.
and became "The New Follies" theater that's mentioned in the newspaper story;

An Undated Photo From Some Time In The 1960's
Victoria_1.jpg

The Valencia Side Of The Building - When It Was Still The New Follies
Victoria_2.jpg

The Building Still Stands, And Has Changed Its' Name Back To "The Victoria Theater" It's Been
Mostly Restored (Even Those Old Ads Painted On the Building Have Been Re-Done & Saved!)
In Fact, This Entire Block Looks Almost Exactly The Same Now, As It Did In The Late 1900's .
I Used To Pass This Place Ofen On My Way To Work At Dolby's Screening Room Nearby On Potrero St
Victoria_3.jpg

It operated as a soft-core porno flick & "girlie show" venue until 1976. It was almost demolished before before
being saved & restored by a couple of investors and re-opening in 1978. It's currently a "rental house' that hosts
a variety of live local stage & film events. (although I've heard the projection facilities there are somewhat
lacking. Last month they were hosting a film festival & had some sort of a major break-down, causing them to
move several of the programs to other theaters, including one I work at : "The New Mission" (built 1916) )

[ Photos from SF Public Library Online Collection / Historical Info from various sources, many of them
quoting material provided by SF Theater History Expert Jack Tillmany. ]

> Bonus Trivia: The Victoria was one of several San Francisco Theaters that held special performances
for the benefit of widows & orphans of The Titanic disaster in 1912. (I wonder if "Titanic" ever played here?)

[Jim Cassedy]

☞ Accidental Post- Moderator Please Delete !
("sometimes the mouse is quicker than the mind")

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Wow! Thanks Jim for all the info on that... Very interesting stuff and the complete article too. The investigating Sargent's last name fits the scheme of things perfectly!

[Leo Enticknap]

I bet the porno flick Ms. Duffany was busted for playing didn't include this (from the Daily Wail - where else?!):

Doctors pull out a WATER BOTTLE from constipated Iranian man's bum after 50-year-old's clueless wife took him to hospital

An Iranian man needed a seven-and-half inch (19cm) water bottle yanked out of his anus.

The constipated 50-year-old, who wasn't named, was so scared of his wife's reaction he delayed seeking help for three days.

She had taken him to hospital because she was concerned about his lack of eating, abdominal pain and inability to go to the toilet.

But the man didn't tell doctors that it was because he had a 250ml bottle inside him. It was only spotted when he was sent for a CT scan.

Writing in the journal Clinical Case Reports, they said he didn't want to reveal he had inserted the object inside himself due to 'embarrassment and fear of his wife'.

He had pushed the bottom of the bottle in first, so he would be able to pull it out by gripping the top.

But he was unable to extract the item, leaving the plastic bottle lodged deep inside his large intestine.

Medics at the Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari did not say if the man explained why he had shoved the bottle inside him.

Although, they noted sexual gratification was usually behind such insertions.

The man, who had a history of depression, was immediately rushed for surgery and given anaesthesia to knock him out and relax his sphincter.

Surgeons then 'carefully and slowly' dragged the bottle back out of his anus. There was no rupture or bleeding.

Follow-up tests found no evidence the bottle had caused him any internal injuries, or perforation to his lower intestine.

Objects inserted into the rectum can potentially perforate the bowel, which can be deadly if material from the digestive tract seeps out.

But after three more days in hospital the man was discharged and also referred to a psychiatric clinic.

One month after his ordeal, the man reportedly has suffered no further problems or had any trouble with his bowel movements.

Discussing the issue of rectal insertions generally, the medics noted that most cases where men get objects stuck inside their rectums are men between the ages of 30 and 40.

They added that items such as light bulbs, bottles, truncheons, body spray cans, and turkey basters had all been previously reported as being found lodged in patient's backsides.

NHS doctors are no stranger to dealing with similar incidents, with data analysis last year finding about 400 'foreign' objects are pulled from English anuses each year.

This was estimated to cost the taxpayer roughly £340,000 a year for things like drugs for performing procedures, and the manpower of NHS staff.

People most commonly shove objects into their rectum for sexual pleasure.

This is partly to do with the number of nerves in the anus making it highly sensitive, and for men it can also stimulate the prostate, an erogenous part of the male reproductive system.

For women it can also indirectly stimulate parts of the vagina.

With cases of objects getting stuck in rectum rising in Britain researchers have speculated increasing use of internet porn and access to sex toys, may be to blame.

The NHS advises that anyone exploring anal play do so safely and use an object with a flared base to prevent it from getting lost inside.

Other reasons for inserting objects into rectums, such as attempting to self-treat constipation or due to psychological disorders, have also been recorded.

[Randy Stankey]

With cases of objects getting stuck in rectum rising in Britain researchers have speculated increasing use of internet porn and access to sex toys, may be to blame.

The real cause is that people who live in places or in social groups that sexually repress people, they have no socially acceptable way of expressing themselves.

That causes people to do things in secret that they would never do, otherwise.

If that guy had been able to say something, to somebody he trusts:

"Hey, I hear that some people like it when..."

The other person might have been able to reply, "Yes, I heard that too but you'd better be careful or you'll end up in the hospital!"

This whole thing never would have happened. Instead you've got people running off and doing weird things in secret. Then, when something weird happens, it ends up in the newspapers and the person gets publicly shamed.

Yeah, we can watch movies and TV shows where dozens of people are mowed down by machine gun fire but video about a big-breasted woman in a leather bodysuit, shoving a dildo up a guys bum is taboo.

That's why stuff like this happens!

[Leo Enticknap]

So much so that the British government (in the form of its nationalized healthcare service) now offers official advice on how to stick a foreign object up your bum: "The NHS advises that anyone exploring anal play do so safely ... " !

They could do a public information film about that, on the lines of this one...

[Frank Cox]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/skittl...aims-1.5989678

Skittles are toxic, U.S. lawsuit claims

Mars Inc has been sued by a consumer who claims that Skittles candies are unfit to eat because they contain a known toxin that the company had pledged six years ago to phase out.

In a proposed class action filed on Thursday in the Oakland, California federal court, Jenile Thames accused Mars of endangering unsuspecting Skittles eaters by using "heightened levels" of titanium dioxide, or TiO2, as a food additive.

The lawsuit also said titanium dioxide will be banned in the European Union next month after a food safety regulator there deemed it unsafe because of "genotoxicity," or the ability to change DNA.

"A reasonable consumer would expect that can be safely purchased and consumed as marketed and sold," the complaint said. "However, the products are not safe."

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for fraud and violations of California consumer protection laws.

Mars did not immediately respond on Friday to requests for comment.

The McLean, Virginia-based company, which is private, had pledged in February 2016 to remove artificial colours from its food products over the next five years.

In October 2016, it confirmed that titanium dioxide was among the colourants being removed, according to the non-profit Center for Food Safety, citing an email from Mars.

According to the lawsuit, titanium dioxide is used in paint, adhesives, plastics and roofing materials, and can cause DNA, brain and organ damage, and well as injuries in the liver and kidneys.

Thames, of San Leandro, California, said he bought Skittles at a local QuikStop in April, and would not have done so had he known their contents.

He said checking the label would not have helped because the ingredients on Skittles' bright-red packages are hard to read.

The case is Thames v Mars Inc, U.S. district court, Northern District of California, No. 22-04145.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Apparently the existance or future of Netflix will be determined this coming week. I know I wouldn't miss them at all...

[Martin McCaffery]

I can't seem to pin down the exact date of the news clip, but there's circumstantial evidence
that places it in the 1969-1971 time frame.
San Francisco Examiner - October 20, 1971
SFExaminer_10_20_1971.jpg

[Bobby Henderson]

News is getting around a deer leapt through the windshield of a city bus here in Lawton. Spoiler alert: the deer was amazingly pretty much unharmed. The incident happened just a couple blocks from my workplace on the Southeast side of the city. The story has been picked up by national outlets today, simply because the surveillance video on the bus is pretty damned startling. I would have been shouting "holy shit" if I had been in the bus driver's position. Anyway, here is pretty good video from the City of Lawton about the incident. It includes more camera angles than what most networks are showing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHhqPslu7lM

[Frank Cox]

Not "Oh deer?"

[Bobby Henderson]

That would be like the Alan Ruck character in Speed where he's forwarding info over the phone from Keanu Reeves to his partner in the office (Jeff Daniels). Reeves sees the bomb wired to the bus undercarriage and says, "fuck me!" Ruck says over the phone, "oh darn."

[Allan Young]

News is getting around a deer leapt through the windshield of a city bus here in Lawton.

News sure travels slowly down there! This was on CNN weeks ago.

[Leo Enticknap]

From Fox News:

Hong Kong authorities to investigate after massive screen falls during concert, injures dancers

A large video screen fell during boy band Mirror's concert at the Hong Kong's Coliseum on Thursday night

Hong Kong officials said Friday they would open an investigation into a concert accident where a giant LED video screen fell down onto the stage and injured two dancers.

Video clips from the Cantopop group Mirror concert Thursday night show a massive LED screen suspended above the stage crashing down, directly landing on one dancer before toppling over onto another as audience members scream in horror.

The injured performers were immediately sent to the Queen Elizabeth hospital.

"One of the injured is staying in the intensive care unit in serious condition and underwent an operation [Friday]. Accompanied by his family, the other injured person in stable condition was discharged this afternoon," the Hospital Authority said in a statement.

Local media reported that Chang Tsz-fung, 29, was released from hospital, while Mo Lee Kai-yin, 27, remained in the hospital in serious condition.

Kai-yin dislocated the third and fourth sections of his cervical vertebrae, leaving him unable to move. Doctors were able to stabilize him after an overnight procedure and surgery.

Authorities found that one of the two metal cords holding up the screen had snapped during the concert. An investigation is currently underway as experts attempt to figure out what exactly caused the suspension wires to fail.

The concert’s various contractors, including Engineering Impact and Hip Hing Loong, will be participating in the investigation with authorities.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung told reporters Friday the government was "very concerned" about the incident and that an investigation would be conducted, likely over several weeks.

"We will do research to find out whether (the steel cable broke) due to an operational or material problem. It cannot currently be concluded at this stage," said Yeung, adding that the incident will affect "all future performances."

Authorities will also try to determine if any safety improvements are needed at other venues for upcoming performances to minimize the chances of such an incident occurring again, Yeung said.

Officers from the Labour Department have collected evidence from the venue and will work to determine who is responsible for the incident, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said.

He said all activity under the remaining suspended screens at the venue will be halted, and organizers will work with government officials to determine how best to remove the suspended screens safely.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said Friday that authorities will "comprehensively investigate the incident" and review safety requirements for future performances, according to a government statement.

He also said the government would help family members of one of the injured dancers be able to travel from Canada to Hong Kong to see him.

Concert organizer MakerVille said in a statement it was "deeply saddened" over the injuries of two performers and that it would work with authorities in the probe.

"If we find anything suspicious, or if any person or unit is involved in misconduct, we will immediately report it to the police," the statement read.

The concert on Thursday was the fourth of 12 scheduled concerts by Mirror, with tens of thousands of fans having bought tickets.

The remaining eight shows have been canceled, but concert organizers announced that they will issue refunds to the fans.

Mirror, the 12-member band, has skyrocketed in popularity in Hong Kong and been credited with the revival of Cantopop.

Yikes! Hoping for a full and speedy recovery for the performers who were injured, and thankful that there were no fatalities.

If LED videowalls do seriously eat into the market share of projectors and (conventional) screens for cinema, the weight-related safety issues they bring with them will be significant. I have been involved in two installations, the most recent being last month: floor loading, torquing and anchoring of the frame components, and of course, seismic protection measures, were at the forefront of the projects, and the counties involved checked and inspected them very carefully. And those weren't even suspended from above! Hanging a display that size from wires strikes me as inherently dodgy. Quite large LED videowalls hung from the ceiling are now quite a common site in airports, but all the ones I've seen have been attached to horizontal RSJs or vertical steel shafts anchored directly to the ceiling frame; not hung from wires.