Very important lesson for drug traffickers: Do not store your half-ton of weed in the backseat of your car. A Brazilian drug smuggler did just that, police say, and the man was killed when he crashed into a tree while being chased by police ... because the 1,100 pounds of weed came barreling forward and crushed him against the steering wheel.

Federal police started the chase when the man didn't stop at a road block, Jalopnik reports, citing local media. The chase went on for three miles before the as-yet-unidentified man lost control of his car; he was killed instantly.



| Newser#end.

It's quite the fanciful story: Nazis buried diamonds and 100 gold bars in a Bavarian town during World War II, in a spot whose location was encoded into an annotated piece of sheet music by Adolf Hitler's private secretary. That score, to Gottfried Federlein's "March Impromptu," was posted online in December by stumped Dutch journalist Karl Hammer, reports der Spiegel. Now, a 51-year-old fellow Dutchman who spent nine months poring over what NBC News describes as "letters, figures, and lyrics" added to the score thinks he has an answer—or, at least, a "very good theory."

Leon Giesen spotted a distinct capital "M," which seemed familiar to him: An image of a Berlin train station had contained the same letter. He now believes the "M" stands for Mittenwald, where Nazi barracks once stood, and that the phrase Enden der Tanz, or "end the dance," refers to one of the rail line's buffer stops, reports the Guardian. If you're doubtful, there's also this: Giesen thinks an added lyric (wo Matthias die Saiten streichelt, "where Matthew plucks strings") refers to 17th-century violin builder Matthias Klotz, who hailed from that same town. Giesen got the go-ahead to drill three holes in Mittenwald, and says his "geophysical survey" revealed an "anomaly" in the earth. Next up: Raise more money for a full excavation, which is no small task.

 "If there are boxes with valuable items below the surface they could be booby-trapped, so we need to bring in specialists and meet all safety requirements first."
| Newser #end.

At the top of the world's most valuable brands, Coke is no longer it. The soft drink giant has lost its crown to Apple and Google, falling from first place for the first time since consulting firm Interbrand started releasing lists of the world's 100 most powerful brands in 2000, the New York Times reports. Coca-Cola's value has actually gone up since last year, by 2% to $79.2 billion, but that rise was dwarfed by Apple's 28% surge to $98.3 billion, putting it in the top spot after being ranked second last year and eighth in 2011.

Coca-Cola is no slouch at marketing but the technology firms that dominate the top 10 have become the "poster child of the marketing community," Interbrand's chief executive explains. "Brands like Apple and Google and Samsung are changing our behavior: how we buy, how we communicate with each other, even whether we speak with each other," he says. "They have literally changed the way we live our lives."
| Newser #end.

The New York Times explains in its latest Snowden scoop:

The NSA "has been exploiting its huge collections of data to create sophisticated graphs of some Americans’ social connections that can identify their associates, their locations at certain times, their traveling companions and other personal information ..."

To make those "sophisticated graphs" as sophisticated as possible, the agency also culls data from Facebook profiles, voter registration rolls, property records, GPS data, tax information—you get the picture. An NSA spokesperson insists that any such analysis has a "foreign intelligence justification, period." But the story notes that a 2011 policy change allows the NSA to compile these records "without having to check foreignness" of all the email addresses or phone numbers involved.

The agency would not say how many US citizens had been scrutinized. Click for the full story.

| NYT #end.

Ukraine’s KSG Agro released a statement today, Sept. 24, denying reports that it had reached an agreement to sell 3 million hectares to a Chinese firm. Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post had reported a deal between KSG Agro and China’s Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, (XPCC) in which China would be able to farm the area for up to 50 years. The paper cited a statement from XPCC as the source of its report. Quartz and other media also reported on the story.

In its statement, the Warsaw-listed agricultural firm said that it is only working with its Chinese partners on a project to install drip-irrigation systems over an area of 3,000 hectares in Ukraine next year. “KSG Agro does not intend or have any right to sell land to foreigners, including the Chinese,” the statement posted on their website said. China’s XPCC could not be immediately reached for comment.

Original (September 23): China has inked a deal to farm three million hectares (paywall), or about 11, 583 square miles of Ukrainian land over the span of half a century—which means the eastern European country will give up about 5% of its total land, or 9% of its arable farmland to feed China’s burgeoning population.

Under the deal between China’s Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, or XPCC, and KSG Agro, an Ukrainian agricultural company, crops and pigs raised in the eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk will be sold at preferential rates to two Chinese state-owned grain firms. The project will launch with 100,000 hectares and eventually expand to three million. Here’s some context on what that looks like:




| Qz / Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi #end.

The car parks, walking distance from the terminals, are meant for stays of three days or less. You pay dearly for convenient location, air conditioned walkways and covered car bays. That is, if you actually came back to collect your ride. Instead of costly convenience for frequent fliers, the parking lots at the Abu Dhabi airport are evolving into drop sites for unwanted wheels. Flat tires and sand-caked windows prove many have been there for months. These aren’t clunkers. Right now there’s a Jaguar XK8, a Camaro S5, and a convoy of BMWs and a mess of Mercedes.

“I’ve seen a few cars here that are covered with dust,” M.T. Hassan, a Sudanese public relations officer told The National. “Maybe some of the owners will return, while others may have already left the country. We really don’t know.”

Ramesh Menon, an Abu Dhabi government worker, suspects the latter. He visited the airport in mid-July. Returning weeks later, the same cars remained parked. “If the owner parked there by mistake, he or she will claim it,” said Menon. “If it’s deliberate, the car should be auctioned off to the public.”

Flat tires are a giveaway. “Abu Dhabi airport has tight security. I don’t think someone will go and puncture tires. The authorities should consider removing them to allow other cars to park,” Menon said. “These cars eat up a lot of space and it gives the city a bad image.”

Car dumping is happening all over the Emirates

Abandoned cars line streets and car parks in Dubai, too. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was badly bruised by the 2008 financial crisis. Projects folded, investments shrank, and jobs evaporated under the UAE sun. Many debt-ridden expatriates cut their losses and abandoned their cars en route to flights home.

A check on some of the plates revealed that most of the cars had racked up steep fines for traffic violations, unpaid parking fees and car payments and Salik fees and fines (Dubai’s electronic road toll system).

According to Dubai Municipality, 3,040 cars were deserted across the emirate this year, some found with keys in the ignition. Dubai International Airport is also haunted by these luxury ghosts.

Once a car is suspected of being abandoned, municipal inspectors slap on a warning notice. Fifteen days on, if the owner doesn’t respond, the vehicle is confiscated and taken to a scrap yard where it can be reclaimed for about $200. Most are never reclaimed.

Last year Abu Dhabi auctioned off 400 abandoned vehicles. To date, Dubai hasn’t gone the public auction route.

The splashiest derelict to date, a limited edition Enzo Ferrari, was dropped in a car park when it’s debt-ridden British owner fled Dubai in 2010. The red hot rod, one of only 399 in the world and one of the fastest cars ever made, was impounded last year. It’s thought the owner was being chased for unpaid traffic fines. The car, not quite as pricey as Abu Dhabi’s solid gold Mercedes, was valued at $1.6 Million.

Being in debt in Dubai is a crime

The United Arab Emeriates has no bankruptcy law to protect debtors. Post-dated checks are frequently used as a guarantee by UAE businesses, banks and individuals for everything from apartment rentals to multi-billion dollar business deals. Bouncing a check is a criminal offense in the UAE, punishable by fines or jail terms.

Last May, five expats jailed in Dubai went on hunger strike to protest against lengthy prison sentences handed down for rubber checks. The men, mostly real estate developers and businessmen working during Dubai’s boom years, fell into debt when the emirate’s property bubble burst.

I’ve found no follow-on news as to the outcome of that strike, nor was it reported if these guys bailed on their cars. But you see a probable motivation for ditching luxury cars.

But don’t pin the trend on expats only: a recent batch of Abu Dhabi pound cars included ten belonging to Emiratis, seven to Europeans, one to a Russian expatriate and the remainder were owned by local companies.

Police collected nearly $3 million in the last five auctions for cars and motorbikes. Seems some crime pays out after all. | DailyMail / greenprophet#end.

Think your daily dose of public transit is commuter hell? Try taking a double-decker bus for a Sunday drive in the Australian Outback, Jack! You don’t have to be Crocodile Dundee to know that’s one trip that WILL end in tears and WON’T end back at your starting point. It’s been tried, as this mellow, yellow, slowly rusting relic of 1950s Sydney now standing out back in the sands of the Outback so beautifully illustrates.

Bus Da Move… NOT

Permanently parked in Australia’s inhospitable Strzelecki desert, just off the road near Cameron Corner stands one of the most incongruous objects you’ll ever see: a cheery though weary yellow 1952 Leyland double-decker bus – or to be precise, the abandoned remnants thereof.
Time hasn’t been kind to this former commuter-carrier that, in a previous life decades ago, trundled through the peaceful, tree-lined streets of Sydney and Newcastle along with dozens of its ilk. Then again, time works in strange ways out in the outback, preserving some things well beyond what might be expected while accelerating disintegration in others.
But back to the busted bus… how did a veddy-British “London Bus” end up all alone at the end of the Earth, antipodean-style? The answer lies entombed in Australia’s history and that of Sydney in particular. According to the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, “about 2,000 mechanically powered double deck buses have operated in Australia since 1905.” The last one was withdrawn from service in May of 1986 as new, more-reliable, articulated “bendy” buses were introduced.
New South Wales is world’s apart from the blistering deserted desert of Australia’s “Red Center” but if one wishes to get away from Sydney’s rat race, the only choices are into the Outback or out to the ocean. Obviously, inland is the way to go but getting there is half the fun and by “half the fun” we mean “all the fun”: when the bus eventually, inevitably stops, so does the fun.

Outback Mistake House

You’d think there’d only be one dummy dumb enough to drive a double-decker bus into the hotter, dryer, ever more isolated Australian Outback but that would give down-under dummies too much credit. Indeed, there’s an identical, yellow, abandoned double-decker bus moldering away behind the Betoota Hotel between Windorah and Birdsville.
Yet another abandoned double-decker bus stands within shouting distance of the main (OK, only) road from Karratha to Port Hedland near the northwest Australian coast. This ragged survivor of the transit wars now fights a losing battle between gritty desert winds and salty sea breezes yet still proudly bears patches of pale blue paint and the number 2159.
One abandoned double-decker bus to an article, however, and we’re focusing on the bare beauty beached in the shifting sands of Cameron Corner. The “corner” refers to the junction of the Australian states of Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales. It’s located about 1,400 km (870 mi) west of Brisbane and approximately the same distance west-northwest of Sydney. That a clapped-out double-decker bus whose best days were long past could have managed to travel that far over mainly miserable roads is a miracle in itself.

Gimme Bus Shelter

Miracle or not, there it stands amidst a copse of struggling trees just off a much-beaten path (actually the Lyndon Station track). It’s not certain which came first, the bus or the trees, but word has it the bus was used as a temporary out-camp for cattle workers who called it “Jack Camp”. Anything to get out of the blazing Outback sun, son!

The bus is better known as the living space and home base of Australian artist Joshua Yeldham. Born in 1970, Yeldham set out one day in the early 1990s in his VW Combi van, searching for inspiration along the sprawling Dingo Fence. By chance, his van happened to break down near Cameron Corner and as a Kombi doesn’t offer much living space, Yeldham co-opted the empty bus: he ended up staying there 6 years.
Alone with the ghosts of bus-riders past and emboldened by the spirit of Eliza Kennedy, whose grave lies nearby, Yeldham enjoyed one of his richest artistic periods. A book of his paintings entitled“Solitude’s Bride,” possibly after Eliza, was published after Yeldham and his career moved on. The epitaph on Eliza’s tombstone reads “Her charity covereth a multitude of sins,”which certainly says much in just a few words.
The abandoned bus also attracts artists of a different sort: photographers. Australian native Dirk Spennemann is one of many who’ve been entranced by the Cameron Corner double-decker but one of only a few who’ve creatively captured its essence for the ages on film.

Spennemann’s strikingly ethereal images, several of which are showcased above, do justice while paying homage to the rare set of circumstances that have taken this bus where no bus has gone before.

The Outback Waits, Dreaming

As for the Cameron Corner bus, its remains remain in situ long after the cattlemen and creative types have come and gone. Passersby do occasionally leaves their marks, however, though the practice is frowned upon. Take Ken Duncan, a defender of culture who “prepares to wage war on a growing threat to the pristine nature of our precious outback icons: idiots with spray cans.”
“Talk about the last bus stop,” relates Duncan. “When I first saw it, there was no graffiti – but over the years dipsticks have felt the need to add their names. While standing there recently, ready to take a new photo of the bus, I was pondering the worst of the fresh graffiti, a scrawled name: “Wishbone”. I was thinking, “What would possess someone to do that?””

“And guess what? I got my answer. At that very moment, a guy pulled up in his Ute with the big aerials, driving lights, bull bar and fluffy dice on the rear-view mirror, and jumped out with his girlfriend. He headed over to the bus and said proudly, “Look, darling, there’s my name. Wishbone. I did that – isn’t it great?” His girlfriend just giggled nervously, not really knowing what to say. They were both right near me and I overheard this profound dialogue. I couldn’t believe I had actually now met the owner of the graffiti.”
“Wishbone looked over at me, clearly so proud of his ability to spell his name, and announced once more, “That’s me,” awaiting my approval. I like to be as friendly as I can, but I just looked at him and said: “If you did that, then you are a dipstick. Why did you do it?” The poor fellow just looked at me with a vacant stare – obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed.”
Sixty years after it rolled off the factory production line, chrome gleaming and exuding the aroma of New Bus Smell, this solitary people-mover now silently observes the overhead transit of sun, moon and stars. As a man-made consumer product its life has been unusually long and curiously eventful but the spirits of the Outback simply smile and wait their due. Weathered by the elements and vandalized by the Wishbones of the world, the bus is doomed to deteriorate into rust and become part of the Outback’s relentlessly scouring red sands. Sic transit gloria indeed. | WebUrbanist #end.

What’s more fun than deer crossing signs? Monster crossing signs. Deer with wings. Dinosaurs. Take your pick, and some artist out there has had fun tweaking this old favorite into something a bit more exciting.

These are some of the most creative sign changes around. With tons of creativity, and equal skill, these signs will force anyone into a doubletake.

There have been an increasing number of news stories about electronic construction signs being hacked by mischievous hoodlums. While it may not be in the best interest for the state, it certainly makes the highway trek a bit more interesting.

One of the dangers of putting up street signs with simple text, is that they can be manipulated. “Stop war” seems to be a favorite, but some culture jammers have a bit more creativity, and a love of wizards.

It’s easy to bring one’s favorite childhood stories to life by adding a few elements to signs that would otherwise go unnoticed. Extra points for making the sign seem like it was always meant to be that way.

Anything can be adjusted! Adding one’s own spin to street signs, or “finishing” road paint jobs that could use an update is a public service. Culture jamming is fun for the whole family.

Who knew “do not enter” signs had such potential for awesomeness? Some people saw it, as these signs are covered with excellent graffiti.

| DailyMail #end.

These 13 parties are some of the craziest in the world with millions coming together to indulge in strange culinary delights, engage in exhibitionism and forget about real life for a while.

Rio Carnival

Louisiana Mudfest

(images via: LouisianaMudfest.com)

La Tomatina Tomato-Throwing Party

(images via: WebEcoist)

Burning Man Festival

(images via: Declan McCullagh)

Holi Festival

(images via: Newshopper)

Flash Mob Pillow Fights

(images via: Piccadilly Wilson)

The Love Parade

(images via: Berlin-life.com, Wayfaring.info)

Hadaka Matsuri

(images via: WeirdAsianNews)

Bugfest

(image via: Raleigh2)

Cheese Rolling Festival

(images via: BBC News)

Kanamara (Big Metal Phallus) Festival

(images via: NowPublic)

Spamarama

(images via: Photolulu)

Eye Gazing Parties

(images via EyeGazingParties.com)

| Weburbanist #end.

Have you ever wanted to rule your very own country? Bizarre as it sounds, a micronation is an area of land claimed by one or more persons to be independent from any major recognized nation in the world. Some of these have incredible histories of war, triumph and independence and still survive today, while others have long since been abandoned, annexed or destroyed.
Sealand was established in the 1960s an Englishman and his family took possession of an abandoned anti-aircraft platform off the coast of Britain and declared it to be the Principality of Sealand. In the1970s a coup attempt was made and the island was taken over by one citizen of Sealand with outside assistance. Sealand was retaken with armed forces and its overthrowers were held for a time as prisoners of war until negotiations with foreign nations secured their release. More recently, Sealand caught fire though no one was seriously injured. Sealand has since been of international news interest in relationship to its controversial status as a data haven.
Above: a brief and humorous interview with the president of Molossia

Molossia was founded in the 1970s on a small stretch of land in rural Nevada. The population of four claims to be an independent nation-state though it is completely encompassed by the United States of America. In theory, the country has a constitution. In practice, there has been “political unrest” which has given rise to a state of martial law in which the president (Kevin Baugh) has full authority. In Molossia, incandescent light bulbs, cat fish and tobacco have all been outlawed. Molossia was even host to the first ever intromicronational olympics.
Redonda was first claimed by Christopher Columbus in 1493, though many have claimed to be the king of this strange uninhabited rock ever since. With steep cliffs and just one square mile of land, Redonda is essentially empty save for some feral goats. Redonda’s biggest natural resource has historically been  bird excrement, which was mined at a rate of 7,000 tons per year around the turn of the 20th Century. More recently, a pub in England claimed to be an embassy from Redonda in an attempt to be exempted from the English smoking ban on workspace. They were denied such status.
Other micronations have not fared so well. The Republic of Rose Island, for instance, was a short-lived pursuit that was demolished by the Italian navy for not paying taxes. Another would-be micronation founder, Leicester Hemingway (brother of author Ernest Hemmingway) attempted to found his own such settlement known as New Atlantis only to be pillaged by Mexican fishermen. The island Republic of Minerva also did not last long, being quickly invaded and annexed by the neighboring Tonga. The bizarre Empire of Atlanteum, located in Sydney, Australia and founded with some interesting and bizarre ideals, still survives, though its international political and legal status is questionable.  | DailyMail #end.

While Cappadocia, Turkey may be best known for its incredible cave homes, there are other wonders hiding in the historic region. One of the quirkiest is the bizarre Avanos Hair Museum: a small cave containing hair samples, names and addresses from more than 16,000 women from all around the world.

The hair museum was founded by Chez Galip, a talented potter in Avanos. Although there are conflicting stories about where the idea came from, Galip’s own website states that the museum was simply meant as a promotion to increase enrollment in his pottery workshops. It seems much nicer to believe the legend: Galip’s friend was moving far away and left him a lock of hair to remind him of her, then subsequent visitors began leaving locks of hair to remind the potter of them as well.
Since the first lock of hair went up in 1979, women of every description and from every corner of the world have willingly snipped off pieces of hair to leave in Galip’s cave. Each one carefully inscribes her name and address on a piece of paper before taping the hair and paper to the cave ceiling or wall. The surfaces of the cave are covered in dangling hairs of all colors and many different lengths.
The purpose of the addresses is to give Galip a way to contact his former visitors. Once a year, ten of the hair samples are chosen at random. The women to whom they once belonged are invited to come back to Galip’s studio for a pottery workshop and a stay in his traditional guest house – all free of charge.

Visitors to the cave are not required to leave a sample of hair, but Galip provides all of the materials necessary for those who wish to leave a little piece of themselves behind. What reportedly began as a promotional stunt has evolved into a weirdly compelling display – whether that display is of generosity, a great sense of humor or something else entirely is up to the viewer to decide.
| mb #end.