Weird News

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

We did a little resettling too.

Orphan Trains

I've never heard of it. Thanks.

[ZenGum]

Murders linked to cosmetics fat trade
Posted November 20, 2009 09:17:00

Four people have been arrested in Peru on suspicion of killing some 60 people to sell their fat and other human tissue to Italian co-conspirators for cosmetic use in Europe, authorities say.

The suspects were arrested in central Peru this month and a search is underway for seven others - including two Italian citizens whose names were not revealed - lead prosecutor Jorge Sans Quiroz said.

The fat was purchased "to be commercialised in European [cosmetology] laboratories," he said.

The prosecutor's indictment said the gang allegedly targeted farmers and indigenous people on remote Andean roads, tricking them by offering them jobs before killing them.

One reported killing took place in mid-September to remove human tissue for trafficking.

The trafficking network could be linked to 60 individual disappearances in the central Andean region, although the ties could not be confirmed.

Police began arrests after discovering early this month a container with human fat that was being shipped to Lima from the Andean city of Huanuco, some 400 kilometres north-east of Lima.

Signs of "an international network trafficking human fat" first surfaced about two months ago, according to General Felix Burga, head of the police criminal division.

Peruvian press cited him as saying the fat can be sold for $US15,000 ($16,325) per gallon in European countries.

The alleged plot revived the Andean legend of the Pishtacos, white foreigners who were said to suck the fat out of people travelling on lonely roads at night, making fine soaps, lubricants, healing salves and beauty creams out of the tissue.

$15,000 a gallon???!!! America, your economic salvation is right in front of you! And some of you are indeed sitting on a goldmine!

[Pie]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

$15,000 a gallon???!!!

Ummm.. why? Wouldn't any one of a variety of animal fats work as well, and be cheaper & legal and not require murder???

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

I've never heard of it. Thanks.

I read an article many years ago, in Smithsonian magazine, but haven't seen anything about it since. I had to Google it, to find the story to link to. Just one of those things that happened in history, with mixed opinions and mixed results. Would probably make a good Ken Burns, PBS special.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I read an article many years ago, in Smithsonian magazine, but haven't seen anything about it since. I had to Google it, to find the story to link to. Just one of those things that happened in history, with mixed opinions and mixed results. Would probably make a good Ken Burns, PBS special.

Phil Cody has a good song about the orphan trains. That was the first I heard of it. I think I included it on one of the CMEPs.

[monster]

Regular Rides for Pussy

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8176971.stm

[Shawnee123]

Defender of constitution.

Mortensen told reporters that he'll fight until the bitter end for what he roughly supposes the Constitution to be. He acknowledged, however, that it might already be too late to win the battle.
"The freedoms our Founding Fathers spilled their blood for are vanishing before our eyes," Mortensen said. "In under a year, a fascist, socialist regime has turned a proud democracy into a totalitarian state that will soon control every facet of American life."
"Don't just take my word for it," Mortensen added. "Try reading a newspaper or watching the news sometime."

[jinx]

Mmm... I love fishtacos.

[Crimson Ghost]

The alleged plot revived the Andean legend of the Pishtacos, white foreigners who were said to suck the fat out of people travelling on lonely roads at night, making fine soaps, lubricants, healing salves and beauty creams out of the tissue.

Project Mayhem is a go, Mr. Durden.

[Queen of the Ryche]

The first rule of Soap Club.........

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Pie

Ummm.. why? Wouldn't any one of a variety of animal fats work as well, and be cheaper & legal and not require murder???

I would guess it's a question of scale. Most animals don't tend to get grotesquely overweight. If they do, it's because a human takes the time to keep them and habitually overfeed them, something which takes effort and money. But there's no shortage of humans that will habitually overfeed themselves, and then they conveniently go wandering in dark alleyways...

[ZenGum]

Given the demand for organ donations, just what is the break-up value of a human body, if it is in reasonably good condition?

I'm just wondering. No particular reason.

[Crimson Ghost]

MadSci Network:
General Biology Query: Re: What is the monetary value of the human body?

Date: Wed Jan 26 06:08:17 2000
Posted By: Eric Maass, MadSci Admin
Area of science: General Biology
ID: 945925110.Gb Message:

In 1985, Arthur Porges science fiction story "1.98" was published in the "Best Fantasy Stories from Fantasy and Science Fiction
Magazine" (edited by Edward L. Ferman, Octopus Books Limited); this book included a comment that the monetary value of the
human body was $1.98. If we allow for inflation, that would put the current monetary value at about $4.00

However, the value of minerals and other chemicals does not necessarily increase, and not necessarily at the rate of inflation.
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives...8889.Gb.r.html

--------------------------------------------------------

How much is my body worth? You're worth more than you think!
A great number of people have spent a great deal of human and financial resources calculating the composition of, prior to the decomposition of, and the worth, or worthlessness of, the human body.
When we total the monetary value of the elements in our bodies and the value of the average person's skin, we arrive at a net worth of $4.50!
This value is, however, subject to change, due to stock market fluctuations. Since the studies leading to this conclusion were conducted by the U.S. and by Japan respectively, it might be wise to consult the New York Stock Exchange and the Nikkei Index before deciding when to sell!
The U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils invested many a hard-earned tax dollar in calculating the chemical and mineral composition of the human body, which breaks down as follows:

65% Oxygen
18% Carbon
10% Hydrogen
3% Nitrogen
1.5% Calcium
1% Phosphorous
0.35% Potassium
0.25% Sulfur
0.15% Sodium
0.15% Chlorine
0.05% Magnesium
0.0004% Iron
0.00004% Iodine

Additionally, it was discovered that our bodies contain trace quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic. Together, all of the above amounts to less than one dollar!
Our most valuable asset is our skin, which the Japanese invested their time and money in measuring. The method the Imperial State Institute for Nutrition at Tokyo developed for measuring the amount of a person's skin is to take a naked person, and to apply a strong, thin paper to every surface of his body. After the paper dries, they carefully remove it, cut it into small pieces, and painstakingly total the person's measurements. Cut and dried, the average person is the proud owner of fourteen to eighteen square feet of skin, with the variables in this figure being height, weight, and breast size. Basing the skin's value on the selling price of cowhide, which is approximately $.25 per square foot, the value of an average person's skin is about $3.50.
http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/worth.asp

[ZenGum]

That is if you break it down into its component atoms. That's just poor business practice. A single functioning kidney can fetch 5 to 50 thousand; a heart-lung set should be much more (everyone wants matching decor); eyes, blood, pancreas, skin .... and all that delicious fat.

Anything less than $100,000 is a rip off.

[Cicero]

Sure and what of the alcohol and caffeine content? Oh wait that's just me....