Graphic: U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world

Intuitively, you would think countries like China would have the highest rates of incarceration, however, the U.S.  takes the lead role in this race with a rate of 743 per 100,000 people. China's rate: 120. Even evil empire state Iran's rate is significantly lower at 222. The rates can be skewed with definitions of incarceration (people can be "detained") and medieval punishment practices, such as poking out eyes, cutting off hands and stoning, yet given Canada's rate of 117 per 100,000, you realize something is very seriously wrong. Have a look at this excellent graphic by GOOD.is

If you had bought 100 shares of Microsoft from their IPO 25 years ago ...

If you had the hindsight to have purchased 100 Microsoft shares at the $21 IPO price March 13, 1986,  and sat on the investment for 25 years, it would have ballooned into 28,800 shares after  nine stock splits and be worth about three quarters of a million dollars today. Then again had you sold on Dec. 1, 1999, when Microsoft's stock price reached its peak, you would have taken in $1.4 million. Could have, should have ..... Read more on Networkworld.

http://www.networkworld.com

Liverpool riots over the lad from Canada – Justin Bieber

Man, you would think this was all for the Beatles or someone real important. Turns out it's only Bieber-mania!

Dating site for the ugly

Maybe Lavalife didn't work out for you. Nor Match.com. Well, this dating site might be just the thing for you: theuglybugball.com From the site: "If you are one of the millions of people that don’t always like what they see in the mirror, then this is the place for you!" This may be the ugly truth, but the site actually scares me a little. As an veteran of online dating I can tell you first-hand that you don't always get what you see online, but I think I would rather take that risk than using a site where you know what you're getting is, well, too real!

Spider Man comic sells for staggering $1.1 million

A comic book collector has paid an amazing $1.1 million for a near-mint quality copy of "Amazing Fantasy" No. 15 which features the debut of Spider Man. The issue was published in 1962 and sold for 10¢. Despite the high price, this is not the record for a comic book sale. That  honour goes to "Action Comics" No. 1 with Superman on the cover, which sold for a cool $1.5 million. Read more here in the Huffington Post.

 

Colour 3-D photos of San Francisco after 1906 earthquake

These may well be the first colour photographs of San Francisco, but amazingly they are 3-D as well. They were created by photographer Frederick Eugene Ives. Ives was an inventor, best known for inventing the half-tone printing process, but spent most us his life unsuccessfully trying to develop a commercial colour printing process. Anthony Brooks, a volunteer at the National Museum of American History discovered the images and wrote about them in his blog post.

Photos: How twenty celebrities have changed with age

We all age (except for Dick Clarke). It's especially interesting how the faces we see on TV and in the movies change with time. Unreality.com has put together this great combo package of celebs now and as kids. Here's a few of the pics, click here to see the rest.

Mansion that inspired "the Great Gatsby" to be demolished

A 25 room mansion which some scholars believe inspired the classic novel "The Great Gatsby" is being torn down to make way for a subdivision. The legendary house will be replaced by five houses overlooking Long Island Sound, worth $10 million each.

Many F. Scott Fitzgerald experts believe the author used the sprawling property as a model for the home of character Daisy Buchanan, but current owner David Brodsky said the link between the home and novel has been overstated. The house was built in 1902.

The Brodsky family bought the home in 2004, which is said to be in poor condition.

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How to survive a grizzly bear attack

Image via Wikipedia

Bear attacks are on the rise. Yellowstone National Park saw human-bear conflicts spike in 2008 and 2010  and experts warning 2011 could be even worse. This is a situation you never want to face. It's you and a big MF grizzly bear. Here is what you do. From the Mother Nature Network:

• Always carry bear spray. This is a must-have in grizzly country, preferably in a holster or front pocket since you'll just have a few seconds to fire. (Bear spray can actually be more useful than a gun for grizzlies, since one or two bullets may not stop a full-grown adult quickly enough.)
• Don't be stealthy. If you think bears are in the area, talk, sing or make other noises to let them know you're there, too — without surprising them. If you see a bear that doesn't see you, don't disturb it.
• Don't be a tease. Unattended food and trash are surefire bear magnets, even if they're tied up. Try to produce minimal waste when camping or hiking, and secure all food and trash carefully. Bears are also sometimes lured by dogs, so it may be wise to leave pets at home.
• Don't run. If you do meet a grizzly, stand tall, stay calm and slowly reach for your bear spray. Don't worry if the bear stands up — that usually just means it's curious. Back away slowly if you can, still ready to spray. If the bear follows you, stop and stand your ground.
• Aim and spray. The best distance to spray a charging bear is about 40 to 50 feet. The idea is to create a wall of pepper spray between you and the bear.
• Hit the dirt. If the bear keeps charging, fall down and lace your fingers over the back of your neck to protect it. Guard your stomach by lying flat on the ground or by assuming a fetal position, with knees tucked under your chin. Don't move.
• Play dead. Even if the bear starts to attack, it's likely trying to neutralize you as a threat. And since you'll never outrun or overpower it, faking death is your best bet at this point. Even if it walks away, don't get up. Grizzlies are known to linger and make sure you're dead, so stay down for at least 20 minutes.
• Box its nose or eyes. This could feasibly thwart a grizzly attack, but only fight back as a last resort. Playing dead is the preferred strategy with grizzlies. If you can get free, though, back away slowly; still don't run. 

Commit this to memory! Remember do not tease the grizzly bears! Read more about how to survive attacks from  black bears and polar bears here.

Former porn actress forced to leave teaching job – again

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Who's searching for Lady Gaga? The answer is in this infographic

Thanks  to  EgoTV

Maryland has highest household income in U.S. – Interactive map

Want to see who the have and the have nots are? Maryland ($69,000) and New Jersey ($68,000) have the highest  household incomes of the states, with Mississippi ($36,000) and West Virginia ($37,000) at the bottom. The Brookings Institute has this amazing interactive graphic with and incredible amount of demographic information about U.S. It's well worth spending a few minutes checking this out. Go to the interactive site here.

Smile: Animals on candid camera

Scientists have long used "photo blinds" to photograph animals in their natural habitats. The cameras are hidden and are triggered by motion sensors, photographing whatever happens in front of them. Now the Smithsonian has brought together more than 202,000 wildlife photos from seven projects conducted by Smithsonian researchers and their colleagues into one searchable, and very cool,  website, siwild.si.edu. Be a voyeur and have a peek.

Medic sued for using chopped off foot to train dog

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This sick saga goes back over two years when Florida paramedic Cindy Economou was charged with stealing a disembodied foot from the scene of a car crash and using the foot to train her cadaver sniffing dog. Economou said at the time, "It was an unrecognizable mass of flesh. It wasn't a clean cut. You couldn't even recognize it as a foot. If I had thought it was somehow reattachable and usable, I would have gone to my commander." She served served six months of probation for her crime.

Now victim Kari Lambert is striking back. Lambert is suing Economou for unspecified damages related to the foot theft. Lambert said of the crime: "Utterly intolerable in civilized society." I suppose the shoe is on the other foot now.

Judge in robes and wig tackles escaping prisoner

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A British judge in full robes and wig, tackled an escaping sex offender, who was attempting to flee while on trial. Judge Douglas Marks Moore, 60, wrestled 34-year-old Paul Reid to the ground as he tried to escape from Woolwich Crown Court in London, by bolting and running through the judge's door.

"The jury were just leaving when the defendant jumped up and ran across the clerk's bench to get to the judge's door," said prosecutor Rupert Gregory.

"As he went through the door, his honor Judge Marks Moore grabbed him around the throat to try to bring him down.Together they went down three steps and then Mr Reid broke free and ran down the judge's corridor."

"The judge gave chase. Just as Mr Reid was about to open a push-handle fire door, Marks Moore rugby-tackled him around the throat and waist and brought him crashing to the ground, landing on top of him."

Justice well served.

Millionaire uses stolen credit card to buy pizza

This one leaves you scratching your head. A dentist finds a credit card and uses it to buy $40 worth of pizza, even though he has $250 in his wallet and has a net worth in the millions.

Richard Lewis Ludwig charged $40.64 for pizza on a credit card that he found in a shopping centre's parking lot in Florida. The 54-year-old dentist from Michigan, in town to  watch his son's baseball game, bragged to police about his net worth when he was arrested. Go dad!

Related articles

• Millionaire Allegedly Charges $40 to Stolen Card (foxnews.com)

Strange circle of death

These ants go round and round in circles until they die of exhaustion or starvation. They do it because they follow the scent of the ants in the lead, who have become disoriented and get locked into the circular travel route. It all ends in this circle of death. Read more on NPR.

$250 million sexual lawsuit against American Apparel CEO Dov Charney

Image by dovcharney via Flickr

Yet another sexual harassment lawsuit has been filed against Dov Charney, American Apparel CEO, famous for masturbating in front of a reporter among other things. This one is a humdinger. He is being sued for $250 million by a former employee who claims she was forced to perform sexual acts for Charney on her 18th birthday. The near-bankrupt company is reported to be worth $80 million.


According to her lawsuit, Dov answered the door in his underwear and "forced her to her knees so she could pleasure him. Then he dragged her to the bedroom, threw her on the bed, got on top of her and forced her to perform another act of fellatio, nearly suffocating her in the process," the suit alleges.
She was then essentially "held prisoner" in the apartment for several hours during which time he forced her to perform additional sexual acts, according to the lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court.

 American Apparel has shot back with this press release:

"We have been informed today that Irene Morales, a former employee of American Apparel who left the company without complaint and resigned with a letter of gratitude regarding her positive experience at the company, has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in New York against the company. Upon her resignation, Ms. Morales acknowledged in writing that she had no pending claims against the company and signed a severance agreement which included a full release of claims and an agreement to submit any future claims to confidential binding arbitration. All American Apparel's employees are subject to the same confidential arbitration agreement signed by Ms. Morales in order to protect the privacy interests of employees and former employees, and to prevent predatory plaintiffs and their attorneys from attempting to use the media to extort the company. Such an arbitration process was initiated by the company against Ms. Morales several weeks ago. The company intends to file a formal complaint with the NY state bar seeking disciplinary action against Ms. Morales' lawyers who we believe are engaged in an illegal conspiracy to extort money from American Apparel. We are very confident that Ms. Morales' claims will be promptly referred by the court to confidential binding arbitration where her claims and the company's counter-claims will be resolved, we believe fully in favor of the company."

Awesome mugshot – Mid-haircut man stabs victim with scissors

A man who was halfway through his haircut, stabbed another man in the back with a pair of scissors, according to police. David Davis, 20, was getting his hair done in a Stamford apartment when he attacked a his victim, who was not the barber. This is all an excuse to use this awesome mugshot from the Smoking Gun.

Mexico's youngest police chief seeks asylum in the U.S.

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Everyone thought she was crazy when she took the job. Marisol Valles Garcia, who was Mexico's youngest police chief, has now fled to the US after receiving death threats. No surprise here.
The 20-year-old criminology student was hailed as Mexico's bravest woman in October when she became head of public security in the border town of Praxedis G Guerrero. I just called her insane. The town is in in Chihuahua state, a virtual battleground for the drugs cartels. Praxedis is close to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's most violent city, where more than 3,000 people were killed in drug-related violence in 2010 alone.
Welcome to America Ms. Garcia.

Related articles

• Marisol Valles Garcia Fired after Not Showing up for Work (blippitt.com)