Suicide at San Quentin

San Quentin State Prison is California’s oldest prison. It was opened in 1852 after being built by the same prisoners who were going to populate it. Hundreds of inmates have had their necks broken by hanging or, worse, painfully killed in a Hyrdogen Cyanide gas chamber. Inmates on death row would try to commit suicide but all of them failed, thwarted by the all-knowing surveillance systems in place, except one, William Kogut.

William Kogut was brought to San Quentin State prison for the murder of Mayme Guthrie, a lady who ran a rooming house/gaming house/brothel. The motivation for the murder is not known but it was speculated that he killed her because of her alleged immoral ways. He mostly kept to himself and guards would notice him occasionally playing solitaire with a deck of cards that was provided to him by the prison. Nothing seemed amiss or strange about an inmate playing cards. After all, what was he going to do? Get a paper cut?

The guards remained confident that nothing was amiss until October 9th, 1930, when a large explosion was heard in Kogut’s cell. The guards ran over to his cell and found only Kogut’s dead body sprawled on the floor and a note,

“Do not blame my death on anyone, because I fixed everything myself. I never give up as long as I am living and have a chance, but this is the end.”

After further investigation, It turned out that Kogut was never playing solitaire with his pack of cards. He was secretly cutting out the red hearts and diamond shapes and hiding them. He would then take those shapes to his room. Back in the 1930s, the red dye used on the pack of cards was made from nitrocellulose, an explosive chemical made from nitrate and cellulose. Kogut took off a hollow leg from his bed and stuffed all the hearts and diamonds cut outs into the bottom. Next he filled the hollow leg up with water from cell’s sink or toilet. Nitrocellulose reacts with water to create explosive energy. He then clogged up both ends of the make shift pipebomb and left it sitting there by the heating vents to speed up the reaction. After a little while, the bomb, the cell and Kogut all exploded, thus, ending his prison and death sentence.

Some believe that Kogut acted out of remorse for his murderous act. Others believe that he was merely trying to die on his own terms and was too arrogant to let any one else kill him. Whatever his reasons, he definitely chose a very clever and unique way to get the results that he was looking for.

Maybe he was an ancestor of MacGyver?

Popularity: 100% [?]

Popularity: 100% [?]

The Incorruptibles

An Incorruptible is a person whose body is supernaturally being protected by a paranormal force usually after death. Incorruptible bodies have been found mostly by the Catholic Church but they also exist in Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim religions.

Here is a list of some famous incorruptibles:

1. St. Bernadette Soubirous
   At the age of fourteen, Bernadette was out collecting firewood when she had a vision of a young lady. The stranger informed Bernadette about an underground spring that had miraculous healing powers. Apparently, Bernadette tasted the water from the spring but it had no apparent special effect on her. She told the Bishop and the bishop spread the news that Bernadette had talked to the Holy Virgin Mary. While the hidden spring became a famous pilgrimage location, Bernadette could not bring her self to believe that the spring had any magical powers. Bernadette died at the age of thirty-five in the year 1879 after many years of service to the convent of St. Gildard in Nevers. This is a photograph taken on the day she was buried:

   

   And this is what she looks like today:

   

   She appears to be in the exact condition that she was on the day that she died even after being buried in a damp grave for over 100 years. She was originally exhumed in 1909 because she had become eligible for sainthood. Despite not being embalmed, she remains in near perfect condition. Elaborate hoax? Natural preservation? Miracle Water? or Divine Intervention?

   Unfortunately, the church has not allowed for any independent tests to prove the authenticity of the body. Skeptics have noticed a wax layer on the body and face and this could show that her decomposed features may have been “repaired”. However, a Doctor Comte was asked to examine the body in 1925 and he stated,

   “What struck me during this examination, of course, was the state of perfect preservation of the skeleton, the fibrous tissues of the muscles (still supple and firm), of the ligaments, and of the skin, and above all the totally unexpected state of the liver after 46 years. One would have thought that this organ, which is basically soft and inclined to crumble, would have decomposed very rapidly or would have hardened to a chalky consistency. Yet, when it was cut it was soft and almost normal in consistency. I pointed this out to those present, remarking that this did not seem to be a natural phenomenon.”

2. Hambo Lama Itigelov Dashi-Dhorzho Itigilov was a Buddhist Lama who lived in Russia. Well versed in medicine and philosophy, he set out to help people in need by setting up hospitals, tending to the sick and taking part in many charitable undertakings. When he turned 75, he told his students to meditate with him because he was to die soon. He gave them specific instructions to bury him in a cedar box while he was still sitting in the lotus position. He also told him to exhume him after many years. He died soon after and his disciples did what they were told. He was buried in 1927.

   

   In 2002, members of his monastery exhumed Itigelov’s body and were surprised to find that he was remarkably preserved. Some Buddhists believe that he asked to be exhumed because he knew that his body would have been preserved. Now the body sits in his original monastery and still shows no sign of decomposing.

   

   Although Itigilov’s body was never embalmed or mummified, it is said that his corpse still bleeds if punctured. The Buddhist monks approach him as a living person and shake hands with him. Some devotees even claim that Itigilov is still alive, only immersed in a hibernation- or nirvana-like state. “Buddhists say that only the most advanced masters can fall into some particular condition before death and purify themselves so that his dead body could not decay” [2]. Some scientists explain the state of Itigilov’s body by abnormal quantities of bromine discovered in tissues and muscles.

   On 23 April 2003, the Buddhist conference recognized the body of Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov as one of the sacred Buddhist objects of Russia. At that time, they laid the foundation stone for a temple entitled Itigel Khambyn ordon and consecrated to Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov. As of 2005, Itigilov’s body was kept outdoors, in contact with other people, without preserving any temperature or humidity regimens.

3. Catherine of Bologna

   Catherine was both on September 8, 1413 and died March 9th, 1463. She was a talented artist and writer and claimed to have seen several visions of Mary, God and Satan. She was exhumed 18 days after her death after multiple reports of miracles around her grave. Her apparently unembalmed body is still on display in the chapel of Poor Clares in Bologna.

   

4. For more stories about Catholic Incorruptibles, you may wish to purchase the following book. The book is fairly one sided since it is written by a person who believes that there is irrefutable proof of the authenticity of all the Incorruptibles.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Popularity: 7% [?]

New Pilgrimage Location for Pastafarians

Holy baths (Kumbh Melas) aren’t just for Hindus any more. Pastafarians can now travel to HAKONE, Kanagawa, Japan to partake in their very own holy bath ritual.

HAKONE, Kanagawa — A “ramen bath” has been opened at Hakone Kowakien Yunessun, a local theme park and hot spa.

The bath, shaped like a ramen bowl, contains pepper-flavored water colored a light, milky brown, to like tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen soup. The special bath was created jointly by the theme park and a famous ramen shop, Nantsuttei in Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The bath was completed at the unveiling event, with the owner of Nantsuttei adding “noodles” made of bathwater additives into the tub.

The water contains collagen and garlic extracts, and theme park officials claim it can help produce beautiful skin and aid moisture retention.

Please try not to trample each other to death while racing to be the first one in (even though FSM said, “blessed is he that reaches the pool first and the last one in-eth is a rotten eggeth”

Credit: MSN Japan

Technorati Tags: FSM, Japan, Pastafarian

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tallest Person, Meet the Shortest Person

While Khagendra Thapa Magar may be the shortest person in the world (20 inches), he still is not registered in the Guinness Book of World Records because of his young age. That title is held by Madge Bester of South Africa (Shortest Female at 26 inches) and Lin Yih-Chih of Taiwan (Shortest male at 27 inches). Lin Yih-Chih is currently being challenged by He Pingping from Inner Mongolia. He may be in for a disappointment though because he is now 28.8 inches. He should, instead, complete in the World Limbo Contest. However, that doesn’t take anything away from the following photo session of Bao Xishun (world’s tallest man at 94.8 inches) and Mr Pingping.

The following meeting took place in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China

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Bao Xishun recently saved choking dolphin by using his long arm to pull out some plastic shards from their stomachs. He recently got married to Xia Shujuan on the 24th of March, 2007 [ Link to wedding Photo ].

The following is an image of Madge Bester (Shortest human in the world):

Madge Bester and Lin Yih-Chih met in 1998 to bring attention to the plight of the physically disabled. She is quoted as saying, “My message to you is to take charge of your life. Forget your disabilities and use your abilities,”

Popularity: 3% [?]

Popularity: 3% [?]

Human Numbers

So these gymnasts got together and created numbers by standing in some very uncomfortable poses.

Lots of them are believable like:

The Number 1:

Number 0:

But what about number 5?

How can that be possible with out breaking that girls back? That one is either photoshopped or that girl on top weighs like 50 lbs.

[ Link ]

via

Popularity: 2% [?]

Popularity: 2% [?]

Banana Phone

Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Banana Phone!

[ Create your own Banana phone. Link ]

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 1% [?]

Slow-mo Home Depot Visit

Here is a brilliant little video that a large bunch of people created. They all grouped up and went to Home Depot and shopped in slow motion. After a while all of them froze in place much to the surprise of Home Depot employees and customers.

Here is one of the videos:

Click on the link below to read about the whole thing. There are also more videos available there.

[ Link ]

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 1% [?]

Urinal Sculptures

hmm.. I guess these were inspired by Duchamp’s Fountain. If you can take a urinal and call it art then I’m sure you can take art and call it a urinal.

They even flush with pretty fountain like streams of water. o_O

[ Link ]

via OneLooker

Popularity: 2% [?]

Popularity: 2% [?]

Grossness Warning. Longest Finger Nails

Shridhar Chillal of Poona. India has finally been defeated. He no longer is the owner of the longest finger nails in the world. The title has been won by an American lady, Lee Redmond, who has been growing her finger nails since the last 27 years.  

Her nails, measuring a total of 24ft 7.8ins, don’t stop her doing everyday tasks such as vacuuming and washing up — plus she cares for her husband, who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Ewwwwww. Well at least the nails look cleaner than the previous record holder’s nails:

EWWWWWW

[ Link ]

Popularity: 13% [?]

Popularity: 13% [?]

Quick Chocolatey Death

Don’t dive in to a chocolate vat or you too will become the victim of a Quick Chocolatey Death. Fortunately for Darmin Garcia, there was a handy bucket of cocoa butter available that was used to thin the ton of chocolate in which he was submerged for two hours.

“It was in my hair, in my ears, my mouth, everywhere,” said Garcia, who has worked at the company for two years. “I felt like I weighed 900 pounds. I couldn’t move.”

Swimming in chocolate while being showered by cocoa butter… yikes,

[ Link ]

via

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 1% [?]