XIAM007 - Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World: 07/29/11

Friday, 29 July 2011

Why the Debt Crisis Is Even Worse Than You Think -

There is a comforting story about the debt ceiling that goes like this: Back in the 1990s, the U.S. was shrinking its national debt at a rapid pace. Serious people actually worried about dislocations from having too little government debt. If it hadn’t been for two wars, the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, the housing meltdown, and the subsequent financial crisis and recession, the nation’s finances would be in fine condition today. And the only obstacle to getting there again, this narrative goes, is political dysfunction in Washington. If the Republicans and Democrats would just split their differences on spending and taxes and raise the debt ceiling, we could all get back to our real lives. Problem solved.

Except it’s not that way at all. For all our obsessing about it, the national debt is a singularly bad way of measuring the nation’s financial condition. It includes only a small portion of the nation’s total liabilities. And it’s focused on the past. An honest assessment of the country’s projected revenue and expenses over the next generation would show a reality different from the apocalyptic visions conjured by both Democrats and Republicans during the debt-ceiling debate. It would be much worse.

That’s why the posturing about whether and how Congress should increase the debt ceiling by Aug. 2 has been a hollow exercise. Failure to increase the borrowing limit would harm American prestige and the global financial system. But that’s nothing compared with the real threats to the U.S.’s long-term economic health, which will begin to strike with full force toward the end of this decade: Sharply rising per-capita health-care spending, coupled with the graying of the populace; a generation of workers turning into an outsize generation of beneficiaries. Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Michael J. Boskin, who was President George H.W. Bush’s chief economic adviser, says: “The word ‘unsustainable’ doesn’t convey the problem enough, in my opinion.”

World Population Predicted to Hit 7 Billion This Year - If this keeps up, things are going to get crowded -

If this keeps up, things are going to get crowded.

A new study shows that the earth's population will hit 7 billion in 2011, which is double what it was in the 1960s, according to Discovery News. What's more, researchers predict that another 2.3 billion people will be added to our planet over the next 39 years. In case you were wondering, that's a lot of people in not a lot of time.

Worryingly, the study adds:

"Over the next forty years, nearly all (97%) of the 2.3 billion projected increase will be in the less developed regions, with nearly half (49%) in Africa. By contrast, the populations of more developed countries will remain flat, but will age, with fewer working-age adults to support retirees living on social pensions."

Which means the coming population explosion will be bad news all across the globe, putting strains on space, labor and the environment. And, if estimates turn out to be true, things are going to get far, far worse: by the year 2100, the earth could be home to a staggering 15.8 billion people.

President Barack Obama takes debt battle to Twitter, loses more than 40,000 followers in one day -

President Obama brought his debt battle to Twitter and he lost – more than 40,000 Twitter followers.

Obama asked Americans Friday to call, email, and tweet Congressional leaders to “keep the pressure on” lawmakers in hopes of reaching a bipartisan deal to raise the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt limit ahead of an Aug. 2 deadline.

Obama’s campaign staff used the @BarackObama Twitter account to post the Twitter handles of tweeting GOP leaders – state by state, tweet by tweet.

“Tweet at your Republican legislators and urge them to support a bipartisan compromise to the debt crisis,” Obama’s campaign staff wrote on his account before launching the day-long Twitter campaign.

The campaign appears to have served its purpose: Republican Twitter accounts were flooded with pleas for compromise.

Not everyone is a fan of the presidential spam. By Friday evening, the President had lost more than 40,000 Twitter followers - and counting.

Many members of the Twitterati took to the social media platform to voice their annoyance over the barrage of partisan tweets. A search for “@BarackObama unfollow” turned up scores of irritated posts.

“Honestly, @BarackObama, I’m going to have to unfollow you if you don’t stop filing up my Twitter inbox soon,” tweeted Bostonian @melisthreadgill, a self-described “Progressive activist”.

“Can’t believe I had to unfollow @BarackObama for spamming Twitter. Really, really strange behavior,” wrote @Arevill inConnecticut.

“I want to unfollow @BarackObama but his desperation is too entertaining,” tweeted @rdpatrick of Lavonia, Georgia.

While his follower number appears to have taken its biggest dive in recent memory, Obama’s Twitter account still had a whopping 9,362,880 followers at 7:30pm Friday night, down from 9,402,898 Friday morning - and he's still the third-most followed person on the planet.

Are Internet Explorer users dumb? - IE users scored lower than average, while Chrome, Firefox and Safari above average -

Are users of other Web browsers smarter than the people who use Microsoft's Internet Explorer?
A new survey doesn't quite say so. But it sure as heck suggests it.
The survey by AptiQuant, a Vancouver-based Web consulting company, gave more than 100,000 participants an IQ test, while monitoring which browser they used to take the test.
The result? Internet Explorer users scored lower than average, while Chrome, Firefox and Safari users were slightly above average.
And users of the more obscure Camino and Opera browsers, as well as those using Explorer with Chrome Frame (a plug-in designed to let users view emerging HTML5 content), had what AptiQuaint called "exceptionally higher" IQ levels.
Those numbers, it should be noted, probably aren't very scientific. The field of test-takers was self-selecting -- people who chose, on their own, to take an IQ test instead of a scientifically selected study group. They found the test through Web searches or ads the company placed online.
The report suggests that people using Explorer, the built-in, default browser for Windows-based computers, may be more resistant to change. A similar study in 2006 showed users on the then-current IE browser scored above average.
Internet Explorer is the world's most popular browser, with about a 43% share, according to StatCounter. Firefox has just under 30%, and Google's Chrome has 19%, according to a report from May.
Users of Internet Explorer 6, released in 2001, scored the lowest on the tests, at just over 80. Users of Opera, the Norway-based browser, scored the highest at well over 120. (What AptiQuant called its complete results included a bar graph showing the scores, but didn't appear to have text giving the exact numbers.)
IQ scores have a "population mean" of 100.
If this all smacks of a little good, old-fashioned Microsoft hate, the language the company uses in its report doesn't do much to downplay that.
"It is common knowledge that Internet Explorer Versions 6.0 to 8.0 are highly incompatible with modern web standards. In order to make websites work properly on these browsers, web developers have to spend a lot of unnecessary effort ...," said the report from AptiQuant, which offers online tools for employers to measure employee, and potential employee, aptitude.
"Now that we have a statistical pattern on the continuous usage of incompatible browsers, better steps can be taken to eradicate this nuisance."
What do you think? Cheap shot or telling results? Let us know in the comments.

Read more -
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/07/29/internet.explorer.dumb/index.html?hpt=hp_p1&iref=NS1

Apple now has more cash than the U.S. government - Maybe the cash-strapped U.S. government should start selling iPads -

Maybe the cash-strapped U.S. government should start selling iPads.
According to the latest statement from the U.S. Treasury, the government had an operating cash balance Wednesday of $73.8 billion. That's still a lot of money, but it's less than what Steve Jobs has lying around.
Tech juggernaut Apple had a whopping $76.2 billion in cash and marketable securities at the end of June, according to its last earnings report. Unlike the U.S. government, which is scrambling to avoid defaulting on its debt, Apple takes in more money than it spends.
This symbolic feat -- the world's most highly valued tech company surpassing the fiscal strength of the world's most powerful nation -- is just the latest pinnacle for Apple, which has been on an unprecedented roll.
U.S. debt: How did we get here?
Its Macs, iPhones and iPads remain hot sellers, its stock has surged past $400 a share and Apple just became the world's largest smartphone vendor by volume.
There's been a lot of speculation about what Apple might buy with its piles of cash -- Facebook and Sony being two of the more high-profile examples -- but the company doesn't seem to be in any hurry to make a move.

"We don't let the cash burn a hole in the pocket or make stupid acquisitions," CEO Jobs said last fall. "We'd like to continue to keep our powder dry because we think there are one or more strategic opportunities in the future."
Offering Uncle Sam a short-term loan is probably not one of them.

Read more -
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/07/29/apple.cash.government/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Entire Town in S.D. on Sale for Astonishing Price - $799,000 - 12-acre town includes a saloon, dance hall, museum... -

Those who say money doesn't go as far as it used to should take a look at this CNN story, pointed out by Yahoo News.

The town of Scenic, South Dakota is now on sale for $799,000.

The 12-acre town, established in 1906, includes a saloon, dance hall, museum, bunkhouse, two stores, a train depot, and two jails, though only one is functional. The town's population is less than ten.

ABC News reports that the current owner of the land, Twila Merrill, has been diagnosed with cancer and has decided it's time to sell:

"It's bittersweet," Merrill's daughter Lee Ann Keester told ABC. "I have to take care of my mom. Family always comes first… But it's just time, everything comes with time… [My mom] would love to do it until she's 100, but her health won't permit her."

Forbes reports that the town didn't garner much buyer interest until the Rapid City Journal wrote a story about the listing. National news noticed the story and now there are offers from both Australia and England on the table.

CNBC's Cindy Perman speculates about a potential buyer:

Of course, it would make a perfect gift for that lady who has everything. Imagine the day-after anniversary conversation: He bought me a whole town!

Part Human/Part Animal Hybrid Monsters Are Being Created By Scientists All Over The Planet -

Crazed scientists all over the globe are "playing god" with the very building blocks of life. Today, thanks to extraordinary advances in the field of genetic modification, scientists are now able to do things that were once unthinkable. Part human/part animal hybrid monsters are being created by scientists all over the planet and it is all perfectly legal. Scientists justify mixing the DNA of humans and animals by claiming that it will help them "cure diseases" and "feed the world", but the reality is that all of this genetic modification is a tremendous threat to the human race. It is only a matter of time before humans start allowing themselves to be genetically-modified in order to "fight illness" or to "enhance" their abilities. The temptation to insert the genes of animals or plants into people in order to create "super soldiers" or a "superior race" will certainly prove to be much too tempting. Unless something is done to hold all of this back, it seems almost certain that genetic hell will be unleashed on the human race. Once genetically-modified humans start breeding with normal humans there will be no putting the genie back into the bottle. Eventually, we could get to the point where there are very few "100% humans" left.
Most Americans have heard about genetic modification, but most of them don't know a whole lot about it.
Today, the vast majority of the corn and the vast majority of the soy that you eat have been genetically-modified.
In fact, there are thousands upon thousands of food products on store shelves today that contain genetically-modified material.
But modifying plants is one thing. What is even more frightening is when scientists use genetic modification to mix humans with animals.
Recently, a Daily Mail article discussed a new report in the UK that noted that over 150 "human-animal hybrid embryos" have been created in British labs. The following is a brief excerpt from that article....

Scientists have created more than 150 human-animal hybrid embryos in British laboratories.
The hybrids have been produced secretively over the past three years by researchers looking into possible cures for a wide range of diseases.
The revelation comes just a day after a committee of scientists warned of a nightmare ‘Planet of the Apes’ scenario in which work on human-animal creations goes too far.

So who is going to tell scientists when they have gone too far?
Most countries around the globe allow scientists to do pretty much whatever they want when it comes to genetic modification.
The mixing of humans and animals is even going on inside the United States.
The following is from an article posted on MSNBC a few years ago entitled "Scientists Create Animals That Are Part-Human"....

On a farm about six miles outside this gambling town, Jason Chamberlain looks over a flock of about 50 smelly sheep, many of them possessing partially human livers, hearts, brains and other organs.

What do you think most Americans would say if you told them that creatures that are part human/part sheep are being grown inside the United States?
Do you think that they would believe you?
Well, it turns out that our scientists are creating all kinds of monsters that are part human. Just check out what that same MSNBC article said is currently going on....

In the past two years, scientists have created pigs with human blood, fused rabbit eggs with human DNA and injected human stem cells to make paralyzed mice walk.

So shouldn't we be getting upset about all of this?
Of course we should be.
But the mainstream media barely mentions the bizarre human/animal hybrids that are being created all over the country and so most Americans don't even realize that it is happening.
There is a lot of other sick stuff going on out there as well.
Did you know that in many areas it is perfectly legal to create human clones for scientific research purposes?
It's true.
For example, LifeNews.com recently reported that in the state of Minnesota it is now perfectly legal "to use taxpayer dollars to create cloned human embryos".
Scientists claim that this is perfectly acceptable because they only allow the clones to live for a few days.
Are you disturbed yet?
If not, you should be.
There is some really twisted stuff going on in the scientific community.
Scientists are now coming up with some very "unique" ways to expand the food supply.
In fact, many of us may soon be eating "human gelatin".
According to an article in Science Daily, scientists are excited about the potential of putting "human-derived gelatin" into marshmallows, candy and other desserts....

Scientists are reporting development of a new approach for producing large quantities of human-derived gelatin that could become a substitute for some of the 300,000 tons of animal-based gelatin produced annually for gelatin-type desserts, marshmallows, candy and innumerable other products.

Doesn't that just sound so yummy?
So exactly how would this "human gelatin" be made?
The following is how that same Science Daily article describes the process....

To get around these difficulties, the scientists developed and demonstrated a method where human gelatin genes are inserted into a strain of yeast, which can produce gelatin with controllable features.

Yuck.
Pretty soon we all may actually be eating "soylent green".
Look, if you don't know much about genetic modification you really need to get educated because it is one of the greatest threats our planet is facing today.
My recent article entitled "Genetic Modification Gone Wild: 10 Signs That Our World May Be Destined To Resemble A Really Bad Science Fiction Movie" is a great place to get started.
The following are a few examples of genetic modification involving human DNA that are noted in that article....
*In China, scientists have inserted human genes into the DNA of dairy cow embryos. At this point, approximately 200 hybrid cows have been successfully produced. These cows can produce milk that is virtually identical to human breast milk. The scientists hope to have huge herds of these cows producing an alternative to human breast milk soon, and they hope to have this "milk" sold in global supermarkets within 3 years.
*Scientists at Rockefeller University have injected human genes into mice. These "humanized mice" are being used to study the spread of the hepatitis C virus.
*In Missouri, entities that are part pig and part human are being grown with the goal of providing organs for human transplants.
Countries all over the world are doing this kind of research.
Unless people start objecting, this "research" is going to keep spreading and it is going to keep becoming even more bizarre.
Science is messing with the very building blocks of life. If we are not very careful, our children and our grandchildren will be living in a world where "man-made life" and "human/animal hybrid monsters" are running around all over the place.
Sometimes it is difficult to convey the true threat posed by genetic modification with only words. Please take a few moments to watch the video posted below. It is put out by Infowars.com and it is entitled "Genetic Armageddon: Humanity's Greatest Threat"....

Ex-Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards (83) Marries Prison Pen Pal Less Than Half His Age (32) -

Colorful former Gov. Edwin Edwards, who turns 84 next month, on Friday married a 32-year-old woman who befriended him during his federal prison sentence for bribery and extortion.
Edwards, a Democrat who served four terms as governor in the 1970s, `80s and `90s, did most of the talking after he and bride Trina Grimes Scott emerged from an elevator at the Monteleone Hotel in the French Quarter.

"People who don't know me don't know what a wonderful, pleasant, modest fellow I am," Edwards said when asked how a man his age managed to land a much-younger wife.
He also told reporters how Grimes, who started writing him letters while he was in prison, visited him there regularly on weekends and holidays in recent years.
"The prison was in love with her -- they used to watch her walk across the parking lot," Edwards said, laughing. "They made me the camp hero."
The two have not talked about what prompted her to choose him as a pen pal.
Edwards spent eight years in federal prison for his role in a bribery and extortion scheme to rig riverboat casino licenses during his fourth term in the early 1990s. In July, he completed six months of home detention and regular reporting to a Baton Rouge halfway house.
Grimes became Edwards' third wife in what the governor said was a small, private ceremony earlier Friday at the hotel, with a few friends and family in attendance.
"It's great, I'm very happy," the bride told reporters. She has posted wedding updates on her Facebook page, which does not list an occupation.
Edwards wore a blue suit, while his new wife wore a cream-colored, knee-length, strapless dress.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/29/ex-louisiana-gov-edwin-edwards-marries-prison-pen-pal-less-than-half-his-age/?test=latestnews

Cop pulling DARE trailer charged with DUI -

A police officer is facing drunk driving charges in Washington County, Indiana and the arresting officers say he was carrying a message about drug abuse education at the time.

On Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m. Scott and Tina Robbins were just about to go to sleep.

"It was so loud," said Mrs. Robbins. "I was out of the bed on the floor within a spilt second."

They heard a crash right outside their window. "I grabbed the phone and called 911," said Mr. Robbins. "The damage to the truck and the way it looked wrapped in the tree, he had to be traveling so fast."

Indiana State Police say 38-year-old John Newcomb, a Seymour Police Officer, was driving a pick up truck through Salem on Main Street.

"He side swiped a vehicle that was legally parked on the side of the roadway," said Sgt. Jerry Goodin, ISP. "After striking that vehicle, he went on and struck a tree."

It didn't take long for investigators to suspect alcohol was involved.

"He was sitting on the wall out of the vehicle, holding his head," said Mrs. Robbins. But that wasn't the only thing that stood out to the Robbins, it was the trailer Newcomb was pulling.

"It said DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and Seymour Police Department- which made me think he was a police officer," said Mr. Robbins.

Not only a police officer, but according to the Seymour Police Department website, he is the School Resource Officer, responsible for seven schools, acting as a mentor and providing students with a role model. It even states that he conducts lectures on narcotics and alcohol and their effects on driving.

"He's not setting a good example for kids that see this," said Mr. Robbins.

Newcomb, who refused medical treatment after the crash, is charged with operating while intoxicated and was booked in the Washington County Jail.

Newcomb had a dog in the truck with him. He told police the dog distracted him and that's what caused the crash. We are still waiting to hear back from Seymour Police about the current status of his job.

'KITLER': Kitten overlooked for adoption over Hitler mustache markings... -

The six-week-old cat - which was abandoned at the roadside - earned the moniker because of her distinctive black moustache.

Staff at Wood Green animal shelter in Godmanchester, Cambs., say they are struggling to find her a loving home because of her unusual markings.

Spokeswoman Tara Dundon said: ''Kitler is an adorable little girl who will make a wonderful addition to the right family. She is really playful and a typical sweet kitten.

''We rehome five and a half thousand animals every year but we cannot find a loving owner for Kitler. We think her unusual markings are putting people off.

''She is not a specific breed and we don't know where her black and white patches came from because we have no idea who her parents are.

Gallup Poll shocker: Obama job approval hits new low - has dropped to 40% in recent days -

As the economy sags, unemployment climbs and debt negotiators dawdle, President Obama's job approval rating has fallen to a new low.

A new Gallup Poll, just released, finds the Democrat's job approval rating has dropped to 40% in recent days, one point below his previous low from April and a full 10 points below the job approval he enjoyed as recently as June 7.

Gallup notes his job approval has hovered in the mid-40s for most of the last two months.

"However," the new survey says, "it has stumbled in the past few days, coinciding with intensification of the debt ceiling/budget battle in Washington."

No one is coming out of the negotiation stalemate with a high approval rating. But much of the attention in the media had focused on House Republicans and Speaker John Boehner's ongoing attempts to rein in rebellious "tea party" advocates.

Until now.

Not surprisingly, Gallup found Obama's job approval still low with Republicans, in the 12%-13% area.

But among the crucial independent voters who provided him the decisive margin of victory in 2008, Obama's approval has fallen from 41% to 34%.

Even more surprising is that the Democrat's job approval among Democrats has fallen from 79% to 72%. This confirms a poll earlier this week, showing crumbling within Obama's hard-core liberal African American base. Scroll down to Related items for that link.

Shocker! Throat-Cancer Survivor Michael Douglas Smoking Again -

A series of shocking photograhs show throat-cancer survivor Michael Douglas smoking again, just months after enduring grueling treatment for the disease. The photos appear in the new issue of Star magazine and were taken July 21, as Michael and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, traveled on a yacht to Porto Venere, Italy.
The legendary actor is clearly seen in photos — and more inside Star — puffing on something that appears to be hand-rolled. In one photograph inside the magazine smoke can be seen coming out of his mouth.

Douglas went through chemotherapy and radiation last year, bravely battling cancer, making these new photos even more stunning and raising the question: Why would he smoke?
Medical experts said even if Douglas was smoking medicinal marijuana — and it is not known if he was — it’s still a bad idea. One expert said if he needed medicinal marijuana, he’d be better off taking it in pill form.

Zeta Jones has also been seen smoking in recent weeks, raising eyebrows about Michael’s possible exposure to second-hand smoke.
But now these new photos are causing people to wonder why Douglas would indulge. The actor was a heavysmoker before being diagnosed with throat cancer.

Read more -
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/07/shocker-throat-cancer-survivor-michael-douglas-smoking-again

Toronto offers height-loving daredevils new thrills - no guard rail - no hand holds, just 1,168 feet beneath your feet -

Daredevils in red jumpsuits can teeter around the outside edge of Canada's tallest structure next month as the CN Tower opens a new attraction for thrill-seekers and those wanting to overcome fear.

Modeled on similar attractions in Auckland, New Zealand, and Macau,China, the C$3.5 million EdgeWalk is an adrenaline filled excursion around an open-mesh metal walkway almost a quarter of a mile above the ground.

There's no guard rail and no hand holds, just an uninterrupted view of the Toronto skyline and a through-the-mesh view of the ground, 1,168 feet (356 meters) beneath your feet.

Tourists are tethered to an overhead guide rail, but encouraged to tiptoe to the very edge of the platform, balance over its rim or peer through the mesh at the pinhead people below. On a clear day the view is stunning.

"We want to get every adventurous thrill-seeker, and then we want to get everybody who wants to overcome fears and dig down real deep and do something that they never thought in their wildest dreams that they would ever want to do," said Jack Robinson, the tower's chief operating officer.

Overcoming his own fears, Robinson has done the walk three times as the tower ramped up a visitor program that formally starts on August 1. "I'm not an adventure seeker," he said. "But each time it's different, and each time it's exhilarating."

The tour starts with ground-level tests for explosives and alcohol, followed by safety talks and quadruple checks on safety equipment.

There's no jewellery, no cameras, no open-toed shoes and a waiver that includes the disconcerting line that "the activities involve risks and dangers that may cause serious personal injury and even death."

The outside portion of the tour lasts 20 to 30 all-too-short minutes, from the moment that glass doors open and the tourists venture, tentatively at first, onto the platform.

So far nobody has chickened out of the tour, which costs C$175 a go.

The 1,815-foot (553.33 meter) CN Tower, built in 1976, already boasted a glass floor on part of its viewing platform, prompting a how-much-do-you-dare game among its millions of visitors.

The brave run to the centre of the glass and jump up and down as if to test its strength, while the timid venture cautiously on to the first few feet. The nervous never make it onto the glass at all, preferring a horizontal view of the skyline from floor-to-ceiling picture windows.

The tower expects to recoup the money it spent installing the EdgeWalk adventure within four years.

Millions in Somalia are hungry and the world is trying to help but Somalia's Al Shabaab rebels are having none of it -

Millions in Somalia are hungry and the world is trying to help but Somalia's Al Shabaab rebels are having none of it -
Somalia famine al shabaab 2011 7 28

Millions in Somalia are hungry and the world is trying to help but Somalia's Al Shabaab rebels are having none of it.

A famine has been declared in southern Somalia and the United Nations World Food Program is sending tons of food but the Islamic extremist insurgents of Al Shabaab are blocking the aid. The rebels have burned food and medicine and killed charity workers as part of their long-running campaign against international aid groups, according to a U.N. report.

The U.N. and the United States blamed Al Shabaab, which is allied to Al Qaeda, for worsening the food crisis in Somalia, where famine has been declared in two regions largely controlled by the militants.

"The single greatest obstacle to humanitarian assistance in Somalia during the course of the mandate has consistently been the denial of access by armed opposition groups, principally by elements of Al Shabaab," stated the U.N. report, according to Reuters.

The report said some U.N. agencies working in Somalia suspected local organizations they funded and funnelled supplies through were paying money to Al Shabaab, which the group called "taxes."

The report details incidents in which Al Shabaab officers demanded bribes from U.N. and aid agency officials to allow them to work in rebel areas and, in some cases, the rebels burned food stocks and medicine when cash was not paid.

Al Shabaab surprised aid groups in the region this month when they pledged to reverse a ban on food aid that they imposed in 2010, but they later said embargoes against the U.N. food agency, WFP, and some major aid agencies would remain.

Political analysts in the region say that the famine declaration has put the rebels in a difficult position.

They may need to open their regions to food aid for fear of a public backlash if they do not, but some of Al Shabaab's most hardline leaders do not want to permit Western organizations to distribute food in their territory.

Somalia's famine is "very, very urgent" said famous Somali model, Iman, who urged that the international aid agency, Save the Children, be permitted to distribute food. Children are suffering severe malnutrition and need

Welcome to Iceland, home to the world’s most expansive penis museum - Wanderlust: "Yes, I collect penises" -

Three years ago when a local fisherman found a dead walrus on his property, he cut off its penis and called Sigurdur Hjartarson.

“I’ve taken it off. Do you want it?” he asked, figuring Hjartarson, the curator of the phallological museum located conveniently a few miles away, might be interested in the genitals of what he described as an extremely old, two ton walrus.

Hjartarson was thrilled. His Icelandic Phallological Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of penises and penile parts, had scored another valuable specimen.

To own the private parts of every male mammal living in Iceland, you see — a goal he set for himself years ago — Hjartarson needed a walrus, an animal that‘s becoming rarer every year.

“Collecting penises is like collecting anything. You can never stop, you can never catch up, you can always get a new one, a better one,” Hjartarson said as he reached into the museum's penis-shaped cash register to return some change to a customer, before picking up a phone of the same shape.

The interior of this Icelandic museum or “phalloteca,” as Hjartarson likes to call it, looks like a sinister setting for some morbid bachelorette party. Even the lampshades, which aren’t made to look like penises, are made from bull and lamb scrotum.

“You know, collectors. They can get a little obsessed,” Hjartarson explained.

[39 inches], penis bone 62 cm [24 inches] with both testicles. In formalin.”

What’s left of the walrus today lolls in the museum, pickled like a giant ginger root inside a glass cylinder that's been custom-made to accommodate the impressive piece. It bears the caption: “Member 100 cm

While the walrus is Hjartarson’s favorite piece, it’s not nearly the largest specimen in the phalloteca. That honor belongs to a sperm whale and its intimidating, six foot-long penis.

“This isn’t even the whole thing,” said Hjartarson, explaining that after a whale dies two-thirds of its penis leaks out. He estimates that a sperm whale penis in its entirety is 13 feet in length, and weighs nearly 800 pounds — impressive credentials for an animal who gets to use it once a year, at best.

But not all of the penis specimens on display in Husavik are so frightenly large. That's especially true for the organ filed under the code “D15b."

This one belonged to a human male, a renowned womanizer named Pall Arason who died in January at the age of 95 after claiming to have bedded 296 women (he kept a "gentlemen's scorecard," naturally).

In 1996, Arason agreed to have his penis donated to the museum after his death. He kept his word, although right before he passed away he regretted it had “shriveled embarrassingly” in the last years.

Today the specimen, hair and all, sits among the smaller mammal pieces — rats, rabbits and hamsters whose bits, humiliatingly enough, come with a magnifying glass — in the transparent case with the caption: “Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Member whole, with scrotum and both testicles. In formalin.”

Every year 11,000 visitors make the trek to the northeast of Iceland to this small fishing village about a 6-hour drive from Reykjavik, to see the museum's 276 penile pieces.