Though Alex departs, world still strange

Man jailed for throwing prisoners from planes

A former Argentine naval officer who,… Man jailed for throwing prisoners from planes

A former Argentine naval officer who, according to The Guardian, “threw prisoners, drugged and naked, to their death from planes,” was convicted of crimes against humanity by a court in Spain earlier this week.

He was sentenced to 640 years in prison, but under Spanish law, he can serve a maximum of 30 years.

The killings were part of a “dirty war” against left-wing activists carried out by the Argentine government during the ’70s. Captain Adolfo Scilingo, 58, threw 30 prisoners out of airplanes at 13,000 feet above the Atlantic on two separate flights.

Wave going to hit, U.S. to collapse, says scholar

Palestinian scholar Ziad Silwadi has claimed the Quran reveals the United States will cease to exist in the year 2007, reports the Jerusalem Post.

Silwadi’s study is based upon in-depth analysis of different verses of the Quran, and has attracted great attention across the Muslim world.

The December 2004 tsunami was a prelude to future events, concluded the research.

“The tsunami waves are a minor rehearsal in comparison with what awaits the U.S. in 2007,” Silwadi wrote. “The Holy Quran warns against the Omnipotent Allah’s force. A great sin will cause a huge flood in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.”

“It was out of a sense of responsibility because what is about to happen is extremely shocking and frightening,” Silwadi said, explaining why he decided to publish his findings.

Did you make a huge toast mosaic or are you just happy to see me?

Earlier this month, a group of people in Northern England broke a world record by constructing the largest toast mosaic ever. With 400 loaves of bread, the team — made up of rotating groups of five volunteers — assembled the 7,000 slices into three logos that covered over 700 square feet.

The bread had been toasted a day earlier “to varying degrees from slightly golden to black,” reported the Associated Press. In a little less than 12 hours, the team completed the masterpiece.

“There was great jubilation and lots of cheering and everyone was very happy,” said Jane Harrad-Roberts, a spokeswoman for the mission.

Doctors pledge to climb, cycle

Mountaineering doctors from University College, London, have planned a trip to the top of Mount Everest in order to work on exercise bikes.

The Guardian described the feat as “the ultimate demonstration of British grit, ingenuity and downright eccentricity.”

The group, made up of seven doctors, said the experimentation on themselves would teach them how the human body deals with extreme conditions, especially when it “touches the void,” meaning it is on top of a mountain and in need of medical care.

When the plan was announced earlier this month, it was revealed that one team member, Dr Dhillon, would attempt the ascent without supplementary oxygen supply.

Man impersonates dead mother, withdraws pension

A man who “buried his dead mother in his basement and disguised himself as her to draw her retirement pension” was detained by the Turkish police in the capital Istanbul three weeks ago, reported the Anatolia news agency.

A photo of Serafettin Gencel, 47, released by Anatolia showed him dressed in a woman’s overcoat, wearing a headscarf and stockings and using a walking stick. Gencel’s mother had died of natural causes two years ago but had remained in his basement.

The Associated Press reported “a bank employee had become suspicious upon hearing Gencel’s male-sounding [voice]” after he came in to collect her pension.

What’s that bird saying?

Chinese state media reported earlier this month that the U.S.-made audio machines set up at Beijing’s international airport to frighten birds away from the runway have failed because of a “language barrier.”

The systems play the sounds of predatory birds in order to scare away birds that could be dangerous to aircraft, reported the Agence France-Presse news agency. The birds were undeterred by “foreign” sounds, and authorities are rushing to record the sounds of predatory birds native to region, according to the China Daily.

At last, recognition for old-school prank

New editions of Webster’s New World College Dictionary include terminology unique to the last decade, including Al-Qaeda, blog, cargo pants and partial-birth abortion.

The Associated Press reported one painful inclusion: the wedgie. The noun is defined as “a prank in which the victim’s undershorts are jerked upward so as to become wedged between the buttocks.”