Shocking News (and watch out for those energy drinks)

Some also noticed that Vega had been taking numerous power drinks that were loaded with caffeine.
"He'd had about six, and he said am I all right. My head is buzzing, am I all right? And right up to the last moments, before he ran off, he was asking for help," says Mawre.

Then, he went into K-Mart, grabbed a shotgun and shells, and blew his own brains out.
Watch out for those energy drinks.

Victorian authorities believe a man built up at least 30,000 volts of static electricity in his jacket simply by walking around the western Victorian city of Warrnambool yesterday.
The man left a trail of scorch marks and molten plastic behind him.

Then he melted carpet and got a shock that sounded like a firecracker. I don't know if I believe this story, but it is on ABC News Online.

The CFA has Mr Clewer's jacket and says it is continuing to give off voltage.

In more squirrel news, a Czech town spent about $12,000 to build a bridge for squirrels to cross the road.

A gold chain and crucifix melted around his neck when a lightning bolt struck Jason Crawford in the head while he and his brother were riding dirt bikes in Gunnison County.
The bolt melted part of his helmet, fractured his skull and left burn scars on his chest and left arm.

I guess lightning is just one more reason to wear your helmet while riding a bike.

Sellout?

Notice anything different about the blog? (maybe)

Am I a sellout? (maybe)

Do I care? (no)

Will I actually make any money? (probably not)

Today (and yesterday) in the news:

An Omaha man mowed a 30-foot expletive in his lawn in response to the city's request for him to mow. Check it out.
A woman informed the police that her hitman didn't get the job done. I think she wanted her money back or something, but instead she got jail time.
In happy news, a terrier (originally bred to be rodent killers) is nursing a baby squirrel (a rodent).

Rebuilding Nawlins

We have a hopefully interesting discussion on the subject here.

My thoughts, in sum:
It's too expensive to rebuild the whole damn thing, considering the possibility of another disaster.
The historic districts and the port are the only irreplaceable items, and so they should be the only things rebuilt and maintained, along with any necessary infrastructure/housing/etc. for the people who need to live there for those reasons.

Naked Guys: do you like them frosted or flambe?

Burglar smeared chocolate frosting all over his victim. Apparently they had met a few hours before. It sounds to me like a jilted lover claiming that the guy broke into his house, but whatever.

In a completely unrelated story, if you're naked and homeless, and you douse yourself with gasoline and light yourself on fire, rest assured people will probably douse the flames for you.

In other news, this has been a great news day.

Alternative Fuel Source

"Koch said around 20 dead cats added into the mix could help produce enough fuel to fill up a 50-litre (11 gallon) tank."
Read all about it. Turns out it costs about 30 cents a gallon to use dead cats as diesel fuel.
My question: did they really have to specify that it was cats? Is there something special about cats that they make better fuel than other organic matter? Wouldn't it have been less offensive to just say "roadkill" or something like that?

Samurai Diner Robbery

A man robbed a diner in Florida yesterday using a katana. Read all about it here.
Also, a soccer player from some German team had his penis ripped open. He got six stitches, and finished out the game. He actually scored, too.
In other news, residents of Lincoln, California received calls to support the proposed Wal-Mart in Lincoln, Nebraska. You can tell those Wal-Mart types really care about their jobs.

Today, a man balanced 439 eggs on end simultaneously. It took 15 hours.

Top 100 Metal Songs 70-61

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

In case you missed them . . .
Introduction, 100-91, 90-81, 80-71

#70: “The Unnamed Feeling” by Metallica
St. Anger (2003)

The best song of the latest album from the band that Sully of Godsmack called the “Gods of Heavy Metal.” As the last single it didn’t get a lot of attention, but the lyrics actually help this song rather than hurting it (“I’m frantic in your soothing arms, I cannot sleep in this down-filled world. Found safety in this loneliness but I cannot take it anymore.”) The vocal stylings also help this one stand out against the other songs on the album.

#69: “Something Told Me” by Coal Chamber
Dark Days (2002)

Fans of the band rate their last studio album lower than their others, although I maintain that it’s their best. The band keeps up their good, powerful rhythm and Dez’s unique vocal style on this song.

#68: “Hand of Doom” by Black Sabbath
Paranoid (1971)

From the album that put heavy metal on the map comes this song about self-destruction, later covered by many bands (including Slayer) and revisited thematically by every grunge and post-grunge hard rock band. “Push the needle in. Face that sickly grin. . . .”

#67: “Get Born Again” by Alice In Chains
Music Bank (1999)

I believe this is the last original track by the band that’s cited as a huge influence by everyone now that Layne Staley’s dead. Very compelling lyrically as well—a criticism of people who think that playing the role of the Christian and paying lip service to God will get them into heaven.

#66: “House of God” by King Diamond
House of God (2000)

He’s been called the best vocalist in death and black metal, and over twenty years in the business hasn’t seen any diminishing in his talent. This album combines a love story with a story about finding Christ’s body in the basement of a church in the woods. This particular song is some kind of demented and desperate love story with a compelling chorus that showcases King’s entire vocal range.

#65: “Happy?” by Mudvayne
Lost and Found (2005)

The highest-rated song of this year on the list! Mudvayne departs a bit from their quasi-math metal style on this album, but the bass is as compelling as ever and the vocals always improve. The title says it all—“Happy?”

#64: “Pig” by Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber (1997)

What can I say about a song that opens with the vocalist squealing like a pig? It has low-key verses and a powerful, fast chorus, and it’s found a place in the pig sty of my heart.

#63: “Wicked Pussycat” by Danzig
I Luciferi (2002)

I just realized that I placed two songs with animal sounds right next to each other in the list. On this one the guitar mews like a cat. The metaphor is great (“I like the way you lick your fur” and “I like the way you swing your tail”). One of the better songs on what is not one of his best albums (you’d have to look to his first four for that) but this song really stands out in the evil man’s collection.

#62: “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Everyone knows the all-time most-played song on the radio, so I only have to justify its presence on a list of heavy metal songs. The reason it’s here is that it follows (and likely originated) an oft-used heavy metal format, so in that sense it sounds like a heavy metal song. By that I mean that the song is mellow throughout, up until the end where it really rocks hard. For a few examples there’s Tool’s combined songs “Parabol” and “Parabola” (which are really just one song) as well as Pantera’s “Suicide Note” parts 1 and 2 (same thing), Evanescence’s “My Immortal” (although not the original album version), Mercyful Fate’s “Melissa,” Metallica’s “Fade to Black” and “Nothing Else Matters,” and probably countless others that I can’t think of.

#61: “Shake Your Blood” by Probot featuring Lemmy Kilmister
Probot (2004)

Dave Grohl’s labor of love for heavy metal finally paid off when the album was released last year. Every song on the album features a more or lesser-known vocalist who influenced Grohl musically, most notably Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly), King Diamond, and Lemmy of Motörhead fame. This song is the best of the bunch, and I highly recommend the video to anyone who is a fan of Lemmy or of scantily-clad women (I think you can find it on Launch).

Jump to . . .
60-51, 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, 20-11, and the Top Ten

UPDATE 1/5/2010: Check out my new list, The Top 50 Metal Albums of The Last Decade

Update

I've finally updated my web site after a long period of inactivity with the camera. It felt really good to go out and shoot again.
In other news, I've resurrected the Top 100 Metal Songs list, and will pick up where I left off either later today or some time tomorrow. However, I've expanded my horizons a bit and I can't help but feel that the list is too narrow. Bands that aren't on the list but perhaps should be include Iced Earth, DevilDriver (their 2005 album) and Swedish math-metal geniuses Meshuggah probably deserve a spot on the list, but I will leave it as it is.

Sunken Gardens & Swimmer

I went to the Sunken Gardens here in Lincoln yesterday with my camera. It's beautiful there. Enjoy.




Also yesterday Laura and I took Russell to Holmes Lake. He loves to fetch the stick.




All images © 2005 Kelly Hoffart