WTF Is It Now?!?

DECLINE OF CIVILIZATION
The world's loudest burper failed to smash his own ear-splitting record on Friday when a sore throat forced him to throw in the towel after three attempts. Solicitor's clerk Paul Hunn, 33, from London was hoping to better the 118.1 decibel mark -- a burp as loud as a pneumatic drill -- a sonic tour de force he set in 2000.

But after chugging back a carbonated drink and gulping mouthfuls of air to build up gas in his stomach, he could only manage 110.5 decibels on a Guinness World Record sound level meter.

"Sadly, he didn't break the record and had to stop after a few tries because his throat was getting too sore," said a spokeswoman at London's Science Museum, where Hunn was attempting his record burp. "But when he heals up he's determined to set a new record," she added.

The world-record attempt was part of the museum's current "Grossology" exhibition, a look at the good, bad and ugly ways the human body works.

Hunn said his training routine includes plenty of spicy food and exercises to force air into his stomach. - From Yahoo news.



DECLINE OF CIVILIZATION, Part II
Al-Qaida operatives may try to prove they still can do harm with a strike timed for the run-up to the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Senate Intelligence Committee's top Republican, Richard Shelby, says. Meanwhile, Squinty McGolfcart is off on the start of his month-long vacation.

Shelby said he had no information about any specific al-Qaida strike. One counterterror official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his colleagues have observed no particular spike in terror threats - the "chatter" - so far as Sept. 11 approaches. "Hell, Shelby's prolly just trying to scare the bejesus out of people, keep the damn poll numbers up. Fuckwad."