The ever impressive brilliance of criminals

A co-worker of mine often comments that in general, criminals are not very bright. This story from Madrid gives one sample of the not-so-bright portion of the criminal population.

A Basque separatist prisoner on trial for threatening to kill a judge on Thursday told the presiding judge that he would shoot him and “skin him alive,” risking yet another jail sentence.

Ignacio Javier Bilbao Goikoetxea, a convicted murderer and member of armed separatist group ETA, kicked the dock’s bullet-proof screen and launched a torrent of abuse at judge Alfonso Guevara and Baltasar Garzon, the judge he had threatened at a previous trial who was appearing as a witness.

“If you’re a man, come here … I’m going to skin you alive. Come here if you’ve got the balls… I look forward to shooting you seven times when I get my hands on you,” the shaven-headed Bilbao Goikoetxea told Guevara in the Madrid courtroom.

You would almost feel sorry for someone who is that stupid, if it weren’t for your realization that their stupidity is what helps keep you safe.

[tags]Dumb crook news, The lower realms of criminal brilliance[/tags]

Hogwarts made from matchsticks

(via Neatorama)

This is just incredible. I’m always amazed at the work done by folks with the skill, determination, patience, and vision to do things like this. I’d get bored or frustrated way before you could identify any actual buildings. Someone, though, has the determination needed to reconstruct Hogwarts (based on what is seen in the Harry Potter movies) out of matchsticks.

matchstick-hogwarts01.jpgMatchstick Marvels will be taking you on an enchanted trip to J. K. Rowling’s world of Harry Potter this year. Acton will be displaying his matchstick version of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the Matchstick Marvels museum in Gladbrook, IA. The model is based on Hollywood’s version of Hogwarts seen in the Harry Potter blockbuster movies. When finished in December of this year, it will contain over a half-million matchsticks held together with 15 gallons of carpenter’s wood glue.

Check back at the site periodically for updates on the building. All construction is expected to be finished by December 2006.

[tags]Hogwarts rebuilt with matchsticks[/tags]

Gitmo inmate “art” in Disneyland

(via the whole damn web – Neatorama is one resource)

An artist out in California managed to sneak into Disneyland this past holiday one night and set up a Guantanamo Bay inmate inside the Rocky Mountain Railroad ride. The inflatable doll was dressed in prisoner orange with shackles on his arms and legs. I’m sure Disney executives didn’t find this funny, but I see the humor in it.

Families visiting Disneyland on their holiday this week saw a life-size Guantanamo bay inmate standing inside the Rocky Mountain Railroad ride at Disneyland in Anaheim California.

disney-guantanamo-bay-inmate-statue.jpg

The sculpture, consisting of an inflatable doll dressed in an orange jumpsuit with its hands and feet manacled remained in place for one and a half hours before Disneyland’s security staff shut down the ride and removed it amid fears over public safety.

[tags]Disneyland Guantanamo Bay prisoner art[/tags]