The most weird or stupid news story you heard today.

[christiangirl]

^^Thumbs up. Gov't shouldn't pay Madame Cleo's salary. The same goes for the cruise ships and tattoo parlors.

[KKGCaroline]

I found a funny today, I do feel very sorry that the women would have suffered some humiliation, but I couln't help think of The Simpsons episode where Homer gets stuck on the Water Flume :

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/ar...ter-slide.html

[shadokat]

http://www.nationalturk.com/en/2-yea...augh-245624562

[FHwku]

AP) – 2 days ago

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (AP) — A central Kentucky man says he was forced to eat his beard after an argument about a lawn mower got out of control. Harvey Westmoreland of Lawrenceburg told WLEX-TV that two men cut off his beard, stuffed it into his mouth and forced him to eat it.

Westmoreland said two former friends got angry as they tried to negotiate a price for a lawn mower they wanted to buy from Westmoreland. He said "one thing led to another, and before I knew it, there were knives and guns and everything just went haywire."

The two men pleaded guilty to charges related to the incident and will be sentenced next week.

Information from: WLEX-TV, http://www.wlextv.com

that is some hardcore redneck shit.

[nittanygirl]

Originally Posted by KKGCaroline

I found a funny today, I do feel very sorry that the women would have suffered some humiliation, but I couln't help think of The Simpsons episode where Homer gets stuck on the Water Flume :

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/ar...ter-slide.html

I'm not large by any means, but I have a serious fear of this. I WILL NOT go into a water slide that is in an enclosed tube without panicking A LOT first if I go in at all.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by nittanygirl

I'm not large by any means, but I have a serious fear of this. I WILL NOT go into a water slide that is in an enclosed tube without panicking A LOT first if I go in at all.

One of my friends on another board is with the CDC. He always says that he'd rather his kids play in the commode rather than a water slide. I haven't been able to look at one since.

[IrishLake]

http://www.wlwt.com/health/25749910/detail.html

WTF? Since when do vegans get to tell people what's good for them to eat, and what restaurants can have on their menu's? If this passes (and I don't think it will), the backlash will be insane. Restaurants will just close on Mondays. I can't wait to get out of this region.

[FHwku]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40162366/

AP Strange NewsBrief at 3:10 p.m. EST (2 days ago)

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by FHwku

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40162366/

AP Strange NewsBrief at 3:10 p.m. EST (2 days ago)

LOL about the KY man being forced to eat his beard. Lawrenceberg is about 35-40 minutes west of Lexington.

[LucyKKG]

Oh, wasn't this posted on here? I read something about San Francisco talking about banning circumcision. Ummm...what?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/1..._n_783191.html

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by LucyKKG

Oh, wasn't this posted on here? I read something about San Francisco talking about banning circumcision. Ummm...what?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/1..._n_783191.html

They'll try. The Happy Meal ban was vetoed btw.

Circumcision is a tricky topic. On one hand it's fairly small, has low complications, and some very small medical benefits and much stronger cultural or religious benefits. On the other hand it's elective surgery done on an infant without his ability to consent, frequently with little/no anesthetic if procedures haven't changed much over the years, and it has long lasting effects throughout his adult life.

*All because Americans think foreskin is squicky? :-/

*Religious circumcisions exempted from the last comment, however they still have to deal with the first paragraph.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Circumcision is a tricky topic. On one hand it's fairly small, has low complications, and some very small medical benefits and much stronger cultural or religious benefits. On the other hand it's elective surgery done on an infant without his ability to consent, frequently with little/no anesthetic if procedures haven't changed much over the years, and it has long lasting effects throughout his adult life.

*All because Americans think foreskin is squicky? :-/

*Religious circumcisions exempted from the last comment, however they still have to deal with the first paragraph.

It should be up to the parents, not the government. AFAIK parents are asked if they want their son circumcised, the hospital won't do it if the parents don't want it done. Not everyone practices good hygiene and I've heard of uncircumcised guys getting urinary tract infections from not keeping their junk clean.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

It should be up to the parents, not the government. AFAIK parents are asked if they want their son circumcised, the hospital won't do it if the parents don't want it done. Not everyone practices good hygiene and I've heard of uncircumcised guys getting urinary tract infections from not keeping their junk clean.

Yep. Parents make all kinds of serious and sometimes life altering medical choices on behalf of their children. And it might be elective (aside from those who want it removed for religious reasons), but where is the line drawn? Parents can choose whether or not to vaccinate their children, so surely they have a choice here.

And yes, some people find it icky. I do, I can't help it. Possibly because I have dated an uncircumcised guy that was sometimes pretty nonchalant about his hygiene.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

Yep. Parents make all kinds of serious and sometimes life altering medical choices on behalf of their children. And it might be elective (aside from those who want it removed for religious reasons), but where is the line drawn? Parents can choose whether or not to vaccinate their children, so surely they have a choice here.

And yes, some people find it icky. I do, I can't help it. Possibly because I have dated an uncircumcised guy that was sometimes pretty nonchalant about his hygiene.

Vaccination - saves lives, prevents illness. People who don't vaccinate their children without physician approval and oversight - for legit medical complications - are irresponsible and putting many people at risk.

Circumcision for the vast majority of American families is an elective procedure that is entirely too concerned about what their son's penis looks like when he's a grown up. Anecdotal evidence aside, there's nothing less clean about a guy with foreskin, there's only guys who can't be bothered to wash thoroughly.

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

It should be up to the parents, not the government. AFAIK parents are asked if they want their son circumcised, the hospital won't do it if the parents don't want it done. Not everyone practices good hygiene and I've heard of uncircumcised guys getting urinary tract infections from not keeping their junk clean.

The only reason people are ok with voluntary circumcision in the US is because it is done so commonly here. Everyone does it so many people don't think twice about it. I don't believe Europe has higher incidences of UTIs than America so maybe it's more that American families don't teach their uncircumcised sons how to wash. We're kind of an aberration in this particular elective surgical field and not acknowledging that serves no one well.

We would think poorly of parents who did pretty much any other type of elective surgery on every single fe/male child, right? So why is circumcision the exception to that? No reasons other than culture.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Vaccination - saves lives, prevents illness. People who don't vaccinate their children without physician approval and oversight - for legit medical complications - are irresponsible and putting many people at risk.

Circumcision for the vast majority of American families is an elective procedure that is entirely too concerned about what their son's penis looks like when he's a grown up. Anecdotal evidence aside, there's nothing less clean about a guy with foreskin, there's only guys who can't be bothered to wash thoroughly.


The only reason people are ok with voluntary circumcision in the US is because it is done so commonly here. Everyone does it so many people don't think twice about it. I don't believe Europe has higher incidences of UTIs than America so maybe it's more that American families don't teach their uncircumcised sons how to wash. We're kind of an aberration in this particular elective surgical field and not acknowledging that serves no one well.

We would think poorly of parents who did pretty much any other type of elective surgery on every single fe/male child, right? So why is circumcision the exception to that? No reasons other than culture.

But what is the risk, here? How many of these procedures have mishaps, out of the who knows how many performed every day? I guess my take is, is it really that big of a deal? Were there an equivalent surgery for females (that basically everyone in the country has done, is safe) I don't think I'd feel any differently.