That's another month chopped

And the Bellend of the Month for June 2012 is Ogad Singh. He is a marble miner from Dungarji, a village in the Indian state of Rajasthan. He was upset by his daughter having affairs with men, and became enraged when she eloped with one of them early this month. So one day, he forced her to return home, and beheaded her the following day with a sword and then paraded the severed head through the village. That is just wrong and he should himself be beheaded. That is not the way to deal with this sort of thing, especially with an adult. I would've shown more restraint like a sensible person.

Did you know that I received the Medal of Honor?

Not really. But in America, you can now make up bogus stories like that because yesterday, the Supreme Court, which I must say has been quite busy over the last few days, struck down a federal law making it a crime to lie about receiving the Medal of Honor and other prized military awards, with justices branding such claims contemptible but nonetheless protected by the First Amendment. While protected speech, lying about receiving such medals goes against the doctrines of several religions, and it is also an insult to the soldiers who did receive them. So it's just best not to do it.

An abortion of an abortion of abortion

Mississippi's latest attempt to close its sole abortion clinic has been challenged as unconstitutional in an 11th hour legal challenge filed in a federal court yesterday. The challenge, by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), argues that the state law will threaten the health of women in Mississippi and deprive them of their constitutionally protected right to decide when and whether to have children. The law, which was passed in April and is due to come into effect on Sunday, requires doctors who perform the procedure to have admitting privileges at a local hospital in addition to being certified obstetricians and gynecologists. This would impose medically unjustified requirements on physicians, with the sole and unconstitutional purpose of causing fewer abortions, the CRR argues. I agree with the CRR. This is not really about safety. It is about politics, and the life of a woman is too important to play politics. Women in Mississippi who decide to have an abortion often have limited means, and they come from all parts of the state. Those women will have no option. In a medical emergency they will be hard pressed. It becomes dangerous. When women don't have access to abortion care, it creates desperate circumstances. They may have to accomplish their goals in ways that aren't safe. In other news, a lesbian mother who was ousted as a American boy scout leader because of her sexual orientation has slapped down 1980s action star Chuck Norris after he claimed gay people have no place in the scouting movement. Jennifer Tyrrell, the former leader of her son's boy scouts troop in Bridgeport, Ohio, accused Norris of being "out of touch" after he wrote a column that accused President Obama of encouraging attempts trying to impose a "pro-gay" stance on the Boy Scouts of America by stealth. Gays do deserve to be in the Scouts, but I'll just stay out of this one because Chuck Norris is so bad he makes onions cry. He can also win a game of Connect Four in just three moves. And lightning never strikes twice in one place because Chuck Norris is looking for it.

Whoa! Double ruling! All the way!

The Supreme Court issued two smart rulings on Monday: one striking down most of Arizona's constitutionally reckless immigration law, and the other prohibiting automatic sentences of life without parole for juveniles convicted of murder.

Regarding immigration, the court struck down part of the state's controversial law, and while it allowed the centerpiece to stand, it made clear that even that provision may be further litigated. In a 5-3 ruling, the justices rejected Arizona's bid to make it a state crime for illegal immigrants to fail to carry government registration papers or to solicit work. It also struck down a portion of the law giving police an ability to arrest illegal immigrants without a warrant.

In the other ruling, decided in a 5-4 vote - closer than it should have been - the court decided that it is cruel and unusual to impose automatic sentences of life without parole on murderers who were under 18 when they committed their crimes. State and federal courts generally have gone too far in removing discretion from judges. The Supreme Court struck down laws in 29 states that prohibited judges from considering mitigating circumstances. Juveniles convicted of murder can still be sentenced to life without parole, as long as the judge, who are called judges because they are after all supposed to judge, considers whatever relevant issues there may be before imposing a sentence.

And in other news, a celebrity boxing promoter is hoping to capitalise on an alleged nightclub brawl between singer Chris Brown and rapper Drake by offering them a million dollars each to take their beef to the ring. The promoter also says he is asking Rihanna, who both men have dated, to be a ring girl at the bout, but acknowledged that the Barbadian songstress will likely pass (I wouldn't blame her, because Brown did beat up on her). And while Drake tweeted about his dry cleaning, and Brown about a helpful stewardess, neither made mention of the offer on their Twitter pages. Meanwhile, the NYPD continue their investigation into the bottle-throwing melee allegedly between Drake and Brown and their entourages that took place at the New York City club W.i.P on the 14th. But I hope nobody gets seriously hurt should they take this ugly incident to the ring.

They got swastika eyes

Beachgoers at the Jersey shore looked to the sky and found an unpleasant sight on Saturday afternoon - but it wasn't seagulls circling or dark storm clouds breaking the sun-soaked summer day. It was two swastikas - one inside a Star of David - flown on a plane-led banner above the beach like an ad for a bar's karaoke night or a restaurant's seafood special. "First I was like, ‘Did I just see what I thought I saw fly by?'? " said Kim Silverman, a Philadelphia woman who was enjoying the waves at Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island around 3 p.m. when she looked up to see the symbol, long associated with the horrors of Nazi Germany, traveling across the blue sky. But the swastika, it turns out, wasn't meant to offend - although it did, as police and Don Pripstein, president of the Jewish Community Center of LBI, received several complaints about it. It was part of the third annual Swastika Rehabilitation Day, a worldwide event sponsored by the International Raelian Movement, a cult religious group that, according to its website, believes that a Creator reveals itself via UFOs. Swastika Rehabilitation Day aims to educate people about the true meaning of the swastika, but they should be careful where they display it because many Jews are offended by that symbol, which is sacred in some religions, and stood for luck at one point in time. Some people believe it's totally offensive, but I don't believe that because that's just like saying Christians can't use the cross anymore just because the KKK use it as a symbol of intimidation. Furthermore, Christians hijacked the Torah and reinterpreted it for the Church's own ends, and they used it to help justify all those violent acts throughout history. But the Jewish people never let Christianity change the Torah in the eyes of the Jews. Also, nobody ever stopped using the word "dictation" just because Jonah Takalua is into a rather immature play on said word.

WEEKLY GROSS-OUT: ACTA

MEPs on a key European parliamentary committee voted last week to reject the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) by 19 votes to 12. Many regard it as the deathblow for the controversial treaty because the trade committee formally recommends how to vote to the wider parliament. The European Parliament vote is due to take place next week. The treaty aims to tighten rules on both online and offline piracy but has attracted many critics. One of its harshest detractors has been UK MEP David Martin, the lead member of the committee. Speaking after the vote, he said: "This was not an anti-intellectual property vote. This group believes Europe does have to protect its intellectual property, but ACTA was too vague a document." He said that it left many questions unanswered, including the role of ISPs in policing the internet. He also said that many on the committee felt that the sanctions for breaches of copyright, which include possible imprisonment and fines, were disproportionate. In the end, the committee vote came down to a vote on intellectual property or civil liberties, and civil liberties won over like it should always do. Critics argue that the embattled treaty will stifle freedom of expression on the internet, and it has been likened to the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that they tried in America. I hope the European Parliament vote no on this abomination.

Retina rules the roost

Apple has trumped the PC guys again. This time in a laptop category that HP or Dell should own. So, why does the world obsess about the newest MacBook Pro and not competing laptops from Hewlett-Packard or Dell? Let's just say that Apple has an innate sense about good design. And you can bet Microsoft has uttered this sentiment behind closed doors more than a few times - thus, the Microsoft-designed Surface tablet announcement this week. But let's focus on the Retina MacBook Pro for now. That's a design that any PC maker could have feasibly done. But Macs are way better because they can't get most PC viruses. Windows is just the worst operating system one could consider putting on their computer, and if I were to ever buy one of those Retina MacBook Pros, then I would leave the original system on it. I would only recommend the competition to a cheapskate who doesn't care about quality.

Happy 100th, Alan Turing

But enough about that. Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's 84-year old ousted dictator, has spent another night outside the prison cell where he's been sentenced to spend whatever remains of his life. A health scare that began as a stroke, according to state-controlled media, but ended up being attributed by his lawyer to a "slip in the bathroom", ensured that he was moved into the welcoming environs of a military hospital when that scumbag should be left to rot in jail where he belongs. Also in the news, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky will likely spend the rest of his life in jail after a jury convicted him on 45 of 48 counts related to sexual abuse of boys, ending a painful chapter for victims and the entire university. It's about time that bellend was dealt with, but the ordeal is not over, as one of Sandusky's attorney announced plans to appeal despite the mountain of convictions against his client.

Monogamy shall yet rule the border

Authorities in a pair of polygamous Utah-Arizona border towns have supported a campaign of intimidation against the unfaithful, denying them housing and municipal services and allowing members of the dominant religious sect to destroy their crops and property, the U.S. Justice Department said in a lawsuit. The federal civil rights case was filed yesterday against the towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, where most residents are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, run by the group's jailed leader Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence in Texas after convictions on child sex and bigamy charges, but is said to still maintain control of the communities from behind bars. According to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Arizona, city leaders and law enforcement in the two towns have for decades served at Jeffs' pleasure while ignoring the constitutional rights of residents who aren't FLDS followers. It's high time the Justice Department got involved in this because police shouldn't be acting on orders to walk all over people just because they're a minority. Society had had enough of that crap by the time Rosa Parks chose not to move to the back of the bus. If it weren't for her, black people in the South would still be sitting at the back of the bus to this day.

Egypt is ready for another revolution

He held power over his country for more than 30 years, and his ouster last year was seen as a sign that the Arab Spring could bring unlikely revolutions to the Middle East. But if Hosni Mubarak were to die soon, as some close to him suggest could happen, it would probably have little impact on the country's future. Speaking the day after a state news agency called Mubarak "clinically dead," and the nation's military rulers said he was instead in critical condition, analysts in Cairo said his death would probably not trigger widespread outpourings of grief, nor ripple effects on how the new government is shaped. There could, however, be a new round of angry protests if he received a military funeral. But the only sure thing if he dies will be that he will not be able to rule again. And they better start counting the votes from the recent election and handing over the presidency, or there could be a second revolution.

From crushers with love

A youth whose car was set to become the first in New Zealand to be crushed under tough new boy racer legislation has had a short reprieve. Another car will instead make history in the Hutt Valley tomorrow when it is crushed at scrap metal yard as punishment for its owner breaching the "three strikes" law aimed at stopping boy racer behaviour on the roads. I think taking such a hard line on this nonsense is just what we need to stop this stupidity once and for all. Other countries should adopt this measure because those speed freaks shouldn't even be on our roads to begin with. But now we can nip our boy racer problem in the bud.

Happy 34th birthday, Garfield

That's right, Garfield (first strip pictured) turns 34 today. Meanwhile, Western governments, including the United States, appear to be stepping up efforts to censor Internet search results and YouTube videos, according to a transparency report released by Google. It's alarming not only because free expression is at risk, but because some of these requests come from countries you might not suspect - in other words, Western democracies not typically associated with censorship. For example, in the second half of last year, Spanish regulators asked Google to remove 270 search results that linked to blogs and articles in newspapers referencing individuals and public figures, including mayors and public prosecutors. In Poland, Google received a request from a public institution to remove links to a site that criticised it. But, Google stuck to their guns and didn't comply with either of those requests. If they did, then they would just be letting those government types win. Free expression is already under threat as it is. In other news, German sports apparel maker Adidas withdrew its plans to sell a controversial sneaker featuring affixed rubber shackles after the company generated significant criticism when advertising the shoe on it's Facebook page. The high-top sneakers, dubbed the JS Roundhouse Mids, were expected to release in August, according to the Adidas Originals Facebook page. "Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?" a caption below a photo of the sneakers read. The June 14 post prompted plenty of criticism from around the web, with many of those commenting saying they felt the shackle invoked the painful image of slavery.

WEEKLY GROSS-OUT: Something I can't think up a good name for

A Montreal teacher was fired for showing his 10th grade students the killing and dismemberment video allegedly filmed by Canadian gay porn actor Luka Magnotta. The unacceptable character of this action taken by the teacher commanded an unequivocal measure, and the commission's investigation took into account the gravity of the teacher's actions, the effect on the students, and standards mandated by the teachers' collective agreement. The video contained offensive and inappropriate material, and he should never have showed it. That is one of the most irresponsible things I have ever heard of a teacher doing, and he deserved to be fired for doing it.

Here comes bridge number two

The Canadian government and the Michigan governor’s office have secured a deal to build a second bridge between Windsor and Detroit - a historic accord aimed at unclogging North America’s most important trade artery after decades of setbacks. Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Windsor and Detroit on Friday to unveil the agreement alongside Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. The bridge deal creates an authority to oversee the construction, operation, and financing of the project, which is forecast to cost as much as $4-billion and take up to five years to build. The new bridge, currently known as the Detroit River International Crossing or the New International Trade Crossing, will offer an alternative route for trucks at Canada’s busiest commercial border conduit – one that carries one-quarter of the goods traded between Canada and the United States each year. The agreement requires Canada and the United States to compromise on a hot-button subject: the rules stipulating where the material to build the bridge and associated U.S. infrastructure must come from. Canada would have preferred a no-restrictions approach to steel and other materials, while Michigan had favoured a “buy American” rule. The tradeoff is that all iron and steel for any component of the bridge, or the approaches and customs plaza on the U.S. side, must originate from Canada or the United States. The measure is an attempt to reassure Michiganders who were warned by bridge opponents that the steel might come from cheaper overseas suppliers in China or South Korea. Personally, I don't care which country the iron or steel used comes from as long as it's of a good enough quality. But here's an even cheaper idea: they could always just widen the existing crossings if that turns out to be a better solution. That way, they won't even need to worry about any new iron or steel.

Looks like another illicit drug has medicinal potential

A decade after methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as MDMA or ecstasy, was hailed for its ability to enhance treatment of Parkinson's disease, an Australian scientist has managed to modify the drug, eliminating its harmful effects. This development means the illicit drug could after all be used to reduce the side-effects of the most common treatment, levodopa. Levodopa restores movement in Parkinson's patients but also causes the involuntary jerky movements commonly associated with Parkinson's. At the beginning of the century, a former professional stuntman proved that ecstasy could improve his treatment, but doctors warned it had no therapeutic value because it affected users' moods and killed brain cells. But by changing the structure of the drug, they now have a new compound which is structurally related to ecstasy, but not the other effects of ecstasy that are the reason why it's abused. The new compound is called UWA-101 and trials on rats have shown it is unlikely to be psychoactive or toxic to brain cells. So no more of that "but it affects users' moods and kills brain cells" rubbish.

All spiked up and no place to go

The makers of the popular television series Game of Thrones have apologised for putting a model of former president George W Bush's head on a spike in one of its episodes. The head, which looks very similar to the 43rd President of the United States, was used in an episode which was first shown last year. On the DVD commentary, the show's creators acknowledged the likeness and said, "George Bush's head appears in a couple of beheading scenes. It's not a choice, it's not a political statement. We just had to use whatever head we had around." No matter what reasons they had, they were well within their rights to do so. They use a lot of prosthetic body parts on the show. They can't afford to have them all made from scratch, especially in scenes where they need a lot of them, so they rent these parts in bulk. And besides, Bush wasn't always Mr. Popularity during his eight years in office. He started a war which killed thousands of innocent civilians all in the name of fighting terrorism. And also, he was president in the early stages of the current economic recession. He had all those assassination attempts coming, and he should be lucky to have survived each and every one, especially as he was first elected in a year ending in 0. But it's a shame those scenes, which could have been classed as protected speech under the First Amendment, won't be in future DVD releases.

There's an asteroid flying by Earth soon

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Falkland Islands are to hold a referendum on their "political status" - hoping to bring an end to the continuing dispute with Argentina over the islands' sovereignty, their government said on Tuesday. Britain and Argentina went to war over the South Atlantic islands in 1982, and 30 years later, tensions have now escalated between the two nations. Cristina Fernandez, Argentina's president, has asserted her country's claims to the islands - known in Spanish as Las Malvinas – and has asked for negotiations with Britain to end their “colonial” control from London. But this is an issue better left to the people of the Falkland Islands to decide, and I hope they choose the option they feel is best for them. In other news, Egypt's deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak was in a coma on Monday, eight days after having been sent to prison to start a life sentence. Mubarak, who is incarcerated at Torah prison hospital, had been on a respirator since Sunday and on a machine to regulate his heartbeat. Doctors had to use a defibrillator twice on 84-year-old Mubarak, but they did not say whether Mubarak's heart had stopped or whether he suffered from irregular heartbeats. But they said that Mubarak has slipped in and out of consciousness three times so far on Monday. He was also reported to be slipping in and out of consciousness on Sunday. But at least that corrupt scumbag is now behind bars where his evil behind belongs.

Three words: Om. Nom. Nom.

Burger King wants to lure customers this summer with a barbecue party — and a bacon sundae. So tomorrow, the world's second biggest hamburger chain is launching several pork, beef, and chicken sandwiches as limited time offers. And for a sweet ending, the company is also offering a bacon sundae — vanilla soft serve with fudge, caramel, bacon crumbles, and a piece of bacon — that started in Nashville earlier this year. The salty-sweet dessert clocks in at 510 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 61 grams of sugar, and should definitely be introduced to New Zealand because it looks delicious. This product is one that I would like to try if I got the chance to do so. In other news, a Christchurch nanny who murdered a toddler she was babysitting has been refused parole after more than 14 years in jail. The Parole Board released its decision on Monday to decline former Barnardos caregiver Elizabeth Mary Healy's latest bid for freedom because her proposed accommodation in Christchurch was too close to the victim's family. Healy, then 29, was sentenced to life in jail after a jury found her guilty in May 1998 of murdering Shae Hammond, injuring another toddler she was looking after, and poisoning a third. Shae died aged 17 months on January 5, 1997, after her life support was switched off.

Don't swear by the moon and stars in the sky

Residents in Middleborough, Massachusetts have voted to make the foul-mouthed among them pay fines for swearing in public. At a town meeting last night, residents voted 183-50 to approve a proposal from the police chief to impose a $20 fine on public profanity. Officials insist the proposal was not intended to censor casual or private conversations, but instead to crack down on loud, profanity-laden language used by teens and other young people in the downtown area and public parks. "I'm really happy about it," Mimi Duphily, a store owner and former town selectwoman, said after the vote. "I'm sure there's going to be some fallout, but I think what we did was necessary." The main concerns here are whether the law is compatible with the First Amendment. The measure could raise questions about First Amendment rights, but state law does allow towns to enforce local laws that give police the power to arrest anyone who "addresses another person with profane or obscene language" in a public place. But the law might be incompatible with a Supreme Court ruling which states that the government cannot prohibit public speech just because it contains profanity. I hope the residents of Middleborough have prepared for a constitutional backlash because the bylaw may well be struck down in the Supreme Court.

WEEKLY GROSS-OUT: Going off the trail

The National Park Service says an 18-year-old woman died on Thursday after falling 120 metres in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The Park Service says she was a Yellowstone concession employee on her first day in the park. She was hiking a canyon trail with three other acquaintances when she ventured onto an off-trail promontory at a spot called Inspiration Point. As she explored the loose rock headland, it quickly gave way underneath her. This is why I don't take such stupid risks around nature. The trail was there for a reason, and she did a very stupid thing by not sticking to it. If I were her, I wouldn't have gone off trail, or at the very least, made sure the ground was safe. Maybe now people will be a lot more careful around nature.

A rapist with no balls (for now)

South Korea is set to carry out the chemical castration of a serial rapist later this week, implementing recent legislation for the first time. The drug treatment is intended to suppress sexual impulses and does not require the convict's consent. The sex offender, identified only by his surname of Park, will be required to undergo the treatment every three months, wear an electronic anklet, and remain under scrutiny for three years. Park has been convicted of four counts of rape or attempted rape on young girls since the 1980s, according to the Ministry of Justice. This is just sick and it's about time the offenders got what was coming to them. There needs to be strengthened measures against paedophiles who are likely to repeat their actions, and if disabling their junk (or next step up: cutting the balls off) is the only way to prevent reoffending, then so be it.

Virus power to the people!

Viruses consist of a small amount of genetic code encased in a protein shell, and have been manipulated to provide missing genes in gene therapy, which is the use of DNA as a pharmaceutical agent to treat disease. But there is some more good those misunderstood creatures have been found to be capable of doing: scientists at the Energy Department’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory say they have created a virus that generates electricity. The research is described as a first step toward using genetically engineered viruses to build devices that convert the body’s motion into electricity. Such personal power generators — compact, wafer-thin devices attached to clothing or inserted in shoes — could produce enough electricity to power cellphones or other small electronic gadgets. Piezoelectric generators are nothing new, but this is the first time that a biological material has been used for piezo generators, according to the researchers, who add that a virus offers several advantages over the inorganic, ceramic materials regularly used today. Ceramic materials can be difficult to work with and create toxic byproducts during their manufacture and use. By contrast, virus-based piezoelectric materials potentially offer a simple and environmentally friendly approach to piezoelectric energy generation. This looks promising, and it could soon be used to power a house if it ever gets that far.

Here's some text against texters

42 percent of Massachusetts high school students who drive admit they text while behind the wheel, according to a state survey to be released today. The report, from the state’s Department of Public Health, also finds that texting while driving is most common among high school seniors, with 61 percent of drivers admitting to the behaviour, more than three times the percentage for sophomore (tenth grade) drivers. A national survey released yesterday also found high rates of texting while driving. This is why teenagers shouldn't even be driving in the first place. The driver should be focused on the road and not on a tiny screen which should also be switched off at the cinema and on a plane. If you need to send or read a text, just pull over and do it.

Looks like Apple could win this one

In the wake of reports that Apple plans to drop Google's Maps software by year-end in favor of a home grown solution, Google announced a slew of updates to its popular mapping software yesterday. "We're trying to create magic here," the company said during a special event held in San Francisco, part of a "never ending quest for the perfect map." At the event, at which Google promised "the next dimension of Google maps," the search giant unveiled a revamped Google Earth mobile app, which now sports 3D models for entire cities, among other updates such as a new Street View Trekker - a backpack-based system to allow the company to map on foot locations such as the Grand Canyon. In a few weeks, Android users will also have an “offline” mode for Google Maps. But it might still take a love potion to stop this breakup. There’s lots of effort, technical expertise, and money behind Google’s mapping efforts, and the breakup could turn out to be an expensive one for Google as the ongoing war for mobile supremacy continues. Apple have been successful time and time again with their other products and I'm sure their replacement for Google Maps will be just as successful.

Girl babies need love too

Last Thursday, Congress rejected a measure that sought to impose fines and prison terms on doctors who perform abortions on women who are trying to select the gender of their offspring — a practice known as sex-selective abortion. The legislation, which required two-thirds support to win passage under the fast-track procedure used to bring it to the floor, fell short on a vote of 246 to 168. Republicans did not anticipate that the legislation would pass, but saw it as an opportunity to force Democrats to vote on an issue with appeal among conservatives. The vote is a stunning declaration by supporters of abortion that they oppose any restrictions on abortion, but I don't oppose every single restriction. Sex-selective abortion is already prevalent in China and India, and in both countries, millions of girl babies are aborted every year just because they have a vagina where the parents believe a penis should be. It, along with China's one-child policy, is a leading cause of the gender imbalance that is plaguing the world's two most populous countries, and it cannot be allowed to spread to the United States. In other political news, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has survived a recall vote. He is the first governor in the country to survive a recall election.

Be careful what you tweet for

Gwyneth Paltrow has been criticised for tweeting a rather offensive word, even though she was referencing a song title and didn't pen the quote herself. The Shallow Hal actress busied herself on the social networking site last Friday, using the N-word while cheering on her famous friends Jay-Z and Kanye West during their co-headline show in Paris. Dancing with the superstars during a guest-appearance onstage at their Watch The Throne tour, the mother-of-two then tweeted a photograph with the caption 'N***as in paris for real'. Gwyneth, who was wearing thigh-skimming shorts for the occasion, then defended herself, saying: 'Hold up. It's the title of the song!' But that's still no reason to use a racist slur. There are people that get offended by that word, and because Gwyneth Paltrow was so careless as to use that word, she is now to be considered a racist. According to Wikipedia, she is of Barbadian, German, Russian, Russian-Jewish, Polish-Jewish, and Pennsylvania Dutch descent, and that would make her one of the last people I'd think of as such a racist.

WEEKLY GROSS-OUT: Chinese government censorship

Today is the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, and disappointingly, Chinese authorities have blocked internet access to search terms related to the 23rd anniversary of the 1989 crackdown against protesters at Beijing's Tiananmen Square. When typed in Chinese search engines, terms such as "six four", "23", "candle", and "never forget" do not return any information about the event. The demonstrations have never been publicly marked in China, and the government has never said how many were killed. Therefore, it is time for those commie jerks to provide a full public account of those killed, detained, and missing.

Court beats cult

A four-year-old cancer patient's parents will be forced to allow her to receive a blood transfusion despite their religious objections. Supreme Court Justice Richard White ordered on Friday that the girl receive this life-saving treatment for her leukaemia, even though the South Australian girl's parents are strict Jehovah's Witnesses and had objected to the blood transfusion. I would've done the same thing for her in that situation because religion has nothing to do with a child being in need of a life-saving treatment. And besides, the Jehovah's Witnesses are basically not much more than a cult. But I hope the poor wee girl gets better. In other medical news, New Zealand scientists have helped develop an injector without a needle that may spell the end of the dreaded jab. The injector, which looks like something from Star Trek, is a step up from existing injectors without needles. It can deliver controlled doses at different levels of force in a jet about the same width as a mosquito's proboscis of 0.1mm, without needing a needle to pierce the skin.

Dog food on special? Yeah right.

The Commerce Commission launched the investigation after complaints that Countdown supermarkets may be misleading shoppers with specials tags which might not represent a saving. Chief Executive of Consumer New Zealand Sue Chetwin says the organisation received dozens of responses to details posted on its Facebook page of a Countdown special on Purina dog food which turned out to be the normal price. She says Countdown says it was a simple error, and it better be otherwise this could be considered fraud and the supermarket could be fined for it. In other news, Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak has been sentenced to life in prison after a court convicted him on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during last year's uprising that forced him from power.

Two spies that have no Seoul

A New Zealand citizen has been arrested in South Korea accused of spying for North Korea. Seoul based Yonhap news agency reports the man, named only as Kim and aged 56, was arrested along with a 74-year-old earlier this month on charges of collecting military intelligence. He is accused of taking instructions from a man believed to be a North Korean agent in Dandong, a Chinese city along the North Korean border, in July last year, South Korean police said in a statement. Those two are a threat to South Korea and they need to be put in their place. They have been playing with very hot fire indeed and they'd better start praying to their god or gods because espionage can carry a maximum penalty of death in South Korea. In other news, a junior football coach who allegedly threatened to kill a volunteer referee has been banned from coaching for the rest of the season. Jan Chmielewski allegedly launched the verbal attack after tensions boiled over during a game featuring 10 and 11-year-olds, between Island Bay United and Waterside Karori at Wellington's Sinclair Park on May 12. Children were left crying and the ref, David Adams, abandoned the game because he feared for his safety.