So apparently Cooks Source thinks they can copy someone’s article, “edit” it, and then post it in their FOR PAY magazine without anyone noticing. And they’ve done it myriad times before, too (by their own admission).

All Monica asked was for them to take down the article, and make a donation to a college for their theft.

Their response?

“…honestly Monica, the web is considered ‘public domain’ and you should be happy we just didn’t ‘lift’ your whole article and put someone else’s name on it!… If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally. Now it will work well for your portfolio. For that reason, I have a bit of a difficult time with your requests for monetary gain… We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me!”

Doesn’t that just bolster your faith in humanity?

Seems that Grandma Marge’s favorite flower was a violet. After her death, some of her ashes were planted into a violet in honor of her.

And a few days ago, she was sold at a yard sale.

Read the whole story.

‘Cheryl Whiteley, who moved to the neighborhood two years ago, said it usually is quiet. “This is the most activity I’ve ever seen here,” she said. “I just wish they would tell us what’s going on.”‘

Another neighbor, Raymond Heller

‘who has lived nearby since 1985, said he first realized something was amiss when he looked up from painting his deck to see a TV helicopter hovering overhead.’

The neighborhood was barricaded for hours Monday while hazmat teams responded to the situation.

A toxic red sludge spill from an alumina plant in western Hungary reached the Danube river on Thursday and crews were trying to dilute it to protect the major European waterway.

Tibor Dobson, a spokesman for Hungarian disaster crews, said there were no reports of fish death in the Raba and Mosoni-Danube rivers affected by the spill earlier, but all fish had died in the smaller Marcal River, which was hit first.

Crews were working to reduce the alkalinity of the spill, which poured from the containment reservoir of an alumina plant on Monday and tore through local villages, killing four people and injuring over 150. Three people were still reported missing.

Apparently, the dam didn’t show signs of fatigue… and yet it still dumped their millions of gallons of crud into a local town, and now into a major waterway. Whoever the inspector on that job was, I’m sure now is looking for new employment. Maybe as a demolitions expert.

“This tragedy was not the fault of the South Fulton Fire Department or the City of South Fulton, but rather the fault was the failure of the Cranick family to not pay that subscription,” said Hornbeak Fire Chief Bob Reavis.

Todd Cranick, the son of the homeowners, came to the press conference to share his outrage, “[They] took an oath. Every chief took an oath. To serve. To do they best they can.”

Reavis said the problem is the subscription system. Obion County does not have fire protection. So, County residents who want it can subscribe to the nearby city’s fire department.

Both Reavis and Cranick agree the system doesn’t work. Reavis says budgets don’t allow them to respond to fires at homes with unpaid subscriptions.

“People need to understand that houses are going to burn. It’s not what I want. It’s not what they want,” he says.

A furious Cranick responded, “Are you aware that my neighbor was standing there with an open check book and told them to put it out no matter what it cost. My dad with an open check book, it’s not like the money wasn’t there. 75 dollars versus 10 thousand which would you rather have?”

Cranick points out this was not a matter of simply not responding, the firemen were already there putting out the fire that had spread to the next door neighbors, who were paid up.

“This country has gone to crap. There are no morals anymore. People don’t look after their neighbor like they should,” he said.

The pumpkins had been picked and were waiting to be shipped when storms hit the area during the weekend. Estimated the total loss at 100,000 pumpkins.

About 4,000 made it at least 25 miles downstream, where they washed up on a beach near the Wilder Dam, just north of White River Junction.

“Two tornadoes touched down in northern Arizona early Wednesday, derailing 28 cars of a parked freight train, blowing semis off the highway and smashing out the windows of dozens of homes.”

Fortunately, the two crew members onboard were uninjured.

Source: FailBlog

One black dress sock ended up costing Greenwood Village resident Kevin Koritza $2,500, a very sick dog and a chance to claim the inaugural Veterinary Pet Insurance Hambone Award.

Becca, Koritza’s young Labrador retriever, ate her master’s dress sock last year. As a result, Becca grew increasingly sicker and was “splashing liquids out of both ends” five days after eating the $2 sock. When Koritza was going to the pet store to buy a different kind of dog food for Becca in hopes of curing her then-undiagnosed ailment, Koritza’s dad called saying the dog had puked out a sock and was going to be just fine.

But Kortiza’s dad didn’t pick up the sock. And by the time Koritza got home, Becca ate the vomit-soaked clothing accessory back up again.

Seriously? Eating a sock twice is bad enough, but the same sock? $2500 to learn to pick up your clothes is definitely what I’d call a bad day.

Source: Fark

Lee Redmond, of Salt Lake City, Utah, had grown her nails for 30 years when the accident happened in February this year.

[...]

The 68-year-old great-grandmother had nurtured her nails to a combined length of 8.65 metres (28ft 4in). She currently has 11.5cm (4.5in) of nails and said she has no intention of growing them back to their former glory.

Source: Fark