Armando Lucero: the Argentine Fritzl

After the British, Italian, Colombian and Malaysian Fritzls, the Argentine Fritzl has been uncovered in the shape of unemployed Armando “Monster of Mendoza” Lucero, 65 (some reports say 67) of Mendoza, Argentina.

On 27th May 2009 it was reported that DNA testing has confirmed that he fathered SEVEN children with one of his daughters, now 35.

The children are now between the ages of 2 and 19. That means when she first gave birth, she was merely 16.

He is also accused of raping 2 other daughters, one of whom, aged 40 said she was raped since the age of 8: 32 years of rape.

All 3 cases went on over 20 years.

Newsreport (in Spanish)


Original Video – More videos at TinyPic

Lucero has been imprisoned since 11th May 2009.

The daughter who bore him 7 children finally fled from home because her father threatened to rape one of her daughters, who is, in effect, his granddaughter.

Amazingly, unlike the other Fritzl-like cases, she was not imprisoned at home, in fact she lived in the same house as his second wife and his stepmother.

Lucero already had 7 children by his (first wife) and another 8 from a previous marriage. Therefore, he has fathered a total of 7+8+7 = 22 children.

Source
The Telegraph (UK), 27 May 2009

… would there be any insurance company willing to approve for him a disability insurance policy now?

Popularity: 1% [?]

The first goalkeeper to score a hat-trick in the history of football / soccer

José Luis Chilavert (born 27th July 1965) of Paraguay is one of the world’s greatest goalkeepers and often took penalties.

In 1999, he became the first goalkeeper to score a 3 goals (hat-trick) in a match in the history of football.

While playing for Vélez Sarsfield against Ferro Carril Oeste, he scored all three goals through penalties.

I don’t have a video for that, but watch this incredible goal from him off a free kick from the halfway line, in match against River Plate:

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Popularity: 1% [?]

Primer (2004): the best movie ever made about time travel

CowboyCaleb mentioned that Primer is “possibly the best, most mentally challenging and brilliant movie ever made about Time Travel.”

It is a 2004 independent film written, directed, produced by and starring Shane Carruth. A “sci-fi puzzle thriller”, it explores the effects of an accidental invention on its two creators.

It “only” got 6.9/10 on IMDB but eminent movie reviewer Roger Ebert gave it an outstanding 3.5/4.

Somebody even commented that it’s way better than Memento (2000).

The movie:

Popularity: 1% [?]

The most unbelieveable sentence ever published in the New York Times

On the 13th of February 1994, Bruce Handy wrote in the venerable newspaper that:

One Wisconsin man who lost his [penis] in a 1989 lawn-mower accident had it grafted onto his forearm as a kind of stopgap measure until it could be returned to its rightful place.

Whoa, what do you think of that?

I can’t find any other reference to that man anywhere else; could this be real?

The sense of disbelief is succintly put into words by Mocking Words when he wrote recently:

Holycrapholycrapholycrap!!! WHAT?!?!

Grafted to his forearm?? Lawnmower accident?! How in the hell does one have a lawnmower accident that involves one’s penis? That is not an approved ‘manscaping’ method, I’m fairly certain of that! And the guy had it grafted (which, until it’s un-grafted is rather permanent) to his forearm?! Not his upper-arm, where it would be easy to conceal! Oh, no! No, they had to stick it directly on the forearm so it would be incredibly hard to miss! Might as just as well have put it on his forehead! What year was this 1687? What?! 1989?? Clearly a bad year to have your schlong shlopped off. I’ve heard of scientists growing things like ears on the backs of mice, which is also quite strange, I’m not trying to imply that it isn’t! But having your groin-age on your forearm is just beyond my ability to comprehend. That’s mainly because a) I don’t even have one and b) even if I did, I couldn’t imagine having it attached to my arm. And since guys love the thing so much, that would be the epitome of wearing one’s heart on one’s sleeve, wouldn’t it? I think it would.

Source
The New York Times, 13 Feb 1994

… what if the word mesothelioma appeared in that sentence?

Popularity: 1% [?]

The oldest U.S. soldier to die in Iraq was a Vietnam War veteran

Major Steven Hutchison, 60 survived the Vietnam War, but not the war in Iraq. Joining the army in 1966, he served two one-year tours in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 as a member of the famed 101st Airborne Division and won a Bronze Star and a Meritorious Service Medal.

After being in the army for 22 years, he retired in 1988. Along the way, he earned a PhD in psychology. After retirement, he became a college professor and became a researcher for a health care company.

He was killed by a roadside bomb on the 10th of May 2009, which exploded near his vehicle in Basra.

He is the oldest member of any branch of the US military to die in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The previous oldest soldier to die in Iraq was Staff Sgt. William Chaney, who died of a post-surgical blood clot in 2004 when he was 59.

Major Hutchison signed up in July 2007 through a military Retiree Recall program that lets experienced soldiers return to action, but only after his wife died the year before. He originally wanted to re-enlist right after 9/11 at the age of 51, but his wife did not agree to it.

He served in Afghanistan for a year before being deployed to Iraq in October 2008.

The US military can reinstate retirees up to the age of 64 for general officers, 62 for warrant officers and 60 for all others. For new soldiers, the age limit is 42. About 700 officers are currently on active duty through the Retiree Recall program. They must pass fitness tests every six months, doing push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run.

Source
Yahoo! News, 14th May 2009

… definitely, Iraq is no Outer Banks rentals

Popularity: 1% [?]

The greatest ever cover of Lefthanded’s “Tiada Lagi Kidungmu”

This video is now coming to 4 years old, but it never gets old; rather its visitor counter keeps turning and new comments get added almost every day until today.

It was taken 30th August 2005. The wildly popular Malaysian reality show Akademi Fantasia season 3 had just ended, with Felix Agus placing second. Felix sang Lefthanded’s 1987 classic slow rock number “Tiada Lagi Kidungmu” in one of the episodes, reigniting interest in the song.

The gentleman in the video is a hardcore fan of Felix and happened to like singing that song too. So he did, and what a scorcher it is, where he single-handedly rewrote textbooks on the art of singing:

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To compare, this is a video of Nash singing it, albeit at a lower key, apparently in 2007:

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Why lower key? 20 years later he can’t reach the high notes anymore? This is him singing the original version:

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And this is Felix singing it during Akademi Fantasia 3 [sometime 2005], with Nash himself in the audience:

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I have done a simple comparison of the keys at which they sang with my guitar just now. Doing an E-style chord fingering and noting the position of my index finger on the fretboard, I found that the gentleman sang on the 5th fret (hence an A key on my guitar), while Nash 2007 sang on a a lower key: 4th fret. Felix sang on the 6th fret, but Nash’s original, sung 20 years ago, was on the 8th fret!

Anyway, well, what do you think? Has Nash (the vocalist of Lefthanded) been well and truly defeated?

P.S. The songwriter of Tiada Lagi Kidungmu is Arie Wibowo. Is this the same Arie Wibowo who wrote the total Indonesian classics Singkong Dan Keju and Madu Dan Racun?

P.P.S. My personal favourite version of Tiada Lagi Kidungmu is that duet between Nash and Shanty Rein.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Triumph of the Will (1935): the best propaganda film of all time

Now this is a film which will make me drop that PS3.

Triumph of the Will (German: Triumph des Willens) was released 28th March 1935 and written and directed by Leni Riefenstahl. Adolf Hitler himself commissioned it.

The overriding theme is “the return of Germany as a great power, with Hitler as the True German Leader who will bring glory to the nation.”

Leni Riefenstahl:

Movie poster:

The documentary-style film glorifies Adolf Hitler and the 1934 Nazi Party Convention in Nuremberg, chronicling 4 days. It contains parts of speeches given by Nazi leaders at the Convention, including those made by Adolf Hitler and mixed with footage of many thousands of Nazi party members, of course with top Nazis like Himmler, Goebbels, Hess and Goering.

The film showcases Adolf Hitler’s unmatched oratory skills, a “unique and terrifying ability to entice crowds to his beliefs by the very power of his words.”

This is one of his speeches in the film (with English subtitles):

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This is his speech at the closing ceremony (no subtitles):

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One of the more unnerving scenes in the movie is the following exchange:

Konstantin Hierl: [Reich Labor Service Corp/Reicharbeitdienst chief presents his men to Hitler] My Führer! I report 52,000 Labor Services men for review.
Adolf Hitler: Hail, my Labor Service men!
Reich Labor Service Men: [All 52,000 men, in thundering unison] Hail, my Führer!

It is widely renowned as the greatest and most infamous propaganda film ever made.

After Germany’s defeat in World War II, she was arrested but never convicted of any crimes.

According to The Economist, this film “sealed her reputation as the greatest female filmmaker of the 20th century.”

It must be said though that Riefenstahl herself said that it was “only intended as a documentary.”

Here is the full movie, all 104 minutes of it:

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Popularity: 2% [?]

Enya’s Cursum Perficio: the perfect soundtrack for the Apocalypse / Armageddon / Second Coming

Being a rock music fan, where I would only ever listen to music with guitars in it, I still find it amazing that one of my favourite albums is Enya’s Watermark, and my favourite song there is arguably Cursum Perficio. It caught me the very first time I heard it, and never let go until today, 20 years later.

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Listening to it immediately brought to my mind tremendous, Biblical-scale events, so much so that I’ve called it the perfect soundtrack for the Apocalypse, Armageddon or the Second Coming.

If ever there was a song playing when the heavens opened up for the Second Coming, this would be very appropriate, dont u think so?

Youtube user mehmetazk added even more esotericly:

I agree with you. Back in 1998, when I first heard it and listened to it very thoroughly it reminded me of the Crusades, but then the first half of the song reminded me of Napoleon’s sad defeat at Waterloo. The second part reminded me of Marshal Grouchy’s refusal to appear at Waterloo (to Napoleon’s rescue) with his 33,000 despite being urged by his generals: Gerard, Vandamme and Exelmans, to do so, when they all heard the terrible sound of gufire from the fields of Waterloo.

Wow!

… I can almost feel my undermount sink shaking …

Popularity: 1% [?]

Only the world’s toughest men can do this

Calling all real men!

So you think you’re tough, brave, strong, or similar adjective?

Demonstrate that you are able to hang by your testicles first, then we can talk.

Gross? No, someone explains why this is a work of art:

A slender well formed male body looks rather graceful when hanging by the balls. The back and head stretch backward and downward with arms trailing, and the legs likewise in a parabolic arch that emphasizes the flaring of the male torso, mounted by the nips, into the shoulders, and the strong legs, growing from the slender pelvis and ending in the feet, all hanging languidly. The picture conveys grace and freedom, not pain, and distinctly male beauty.

Still, many people would find that disgusting, and that if one really wanted to do some “elongation”, other techniques to stretch one’s scrotum are available.

… if you’re overweight, it’s not recommended to do it, you might want to consider taking weight loss pills first …

Popularity: 8% [?]