Bonjour Planet Earth

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Ian Usher, the man who is auctioning off his life on eBay...

MY NAME IS IAN USHER, MY WHOLE LIFE IS FOR SALE!

Everything is included in the sale. Yes! absolutely EVERYTHING! Upon completion and settlement I will walk out of my home for the last time in just the clothes I am wearing, and carrying only my wallet and passport. Everything else is part of the auction and will be yours if you are the successful bidder.

Everything: Lifestyle. House. Car. Motorbike. Job. Friends. Everything that I own, and all of the things that I don't own, but that are still an important part of my life!

For further details on where I live, the life I lead, all of my possessions (including my house) as well as more information on friends, job, and much much more, read the description below and for even more details, go to the ALife4Sale.com website. My website has been live since March 2008 and contains extensive details about the auction (blog, listings, FAQ,videos, pictures, etc...) More...

And this: WTF! Jealous husband puts wife on sale on eBay!!!

La "tribu perdue" d'Amazonie n'était pas vraiment perdue...

Vous vous souvenez de cette photo? Associée aux articles (des centaines) qu'elle a illustrés ("découverte d'une tribu isolée du reste du monde"), elle est impressionnante, n'est-ce pas? Ces hommes affolés, peints en rouge et en noir, qui pointent leurs flèches vers le gros oiseau brillant qui vrombit au dessus de leur têtes. Mais la photo est tout de suite moins émouvante lorsqu'on apprend qu'elle a été accompagnée d'une petite intox destinée à attirer l'attention des médias: ce peuple là n'a pas été découvert cette année, il est répertorié depuis longtemps, 1910 exactement.

C'est ce que nous apprend "The Observer", le supplément hebdomadaire du Guardian. L'homme qui est à l'origine des photos, José Carlos Meirelles, un anthropologue de 61 ans travaillant pour l'agence brésilienne de protection des Indiens, a cherché à prendre cette photo. Il savait en gros où chercher. Son objectif était de démontrer qu'il existait encore des tribus isolées et menacées. Suite...

Voir aussi: Une tribu isolée découverte au Brésil...

Et ceci: Hakani : Les enfants enterrés vivants en Amazonie. Putain !

Brésil: Pelé agressé par une bande de jeunes...

Pelé, légende vivante du football brésilien, a été agressé par une bande de jeunes qui, sous la menace de leurs armes, lui ont dérobé un collier en or, un téléphone portable et une montre, ont rapporté dimanche les médias brésiliens.

L'agression, qui s'est produite le 13 juin près de Santos, dans l'Etat de Sao Paulo (est), n'avait jusqu'à présent pas été rendue publique. Le magazine "Veja" s'est chargé de le faire dimanche sur son site web.

Pelé, de son vrai nom Edson Arantes do Nascimento, se trouvait sur le siège passager d'une voiture quand le véhicule a été stoppé près d'une favela par une dizaine de jeunes armés d'armes de poing et de couteaux, précise "Veja", ajoutant que l'ancien footballeur et ex-ministre des Sports, âgé de 67 ans, n'a pas porté plainte auprès de la police.

Selon "Veja" et le quotidien "Estado de S. Paulo", qui citent un porte-parole non-identifié de la victime, Pelé a raconté l'incident à des amis lors du récent match Brésil-Argentine comptant pour les qualifications à la prochaine Coupe du monde.

De mêmes sources on indique que Pelé a baissé la fenêtre de sa portière pour parler aux jeunes et leur dire qui il était. Mais cette tentative de conciliation n'a pas empêché les assaillants de le délester de ses effets personnels.

L'ex-star du football, désignée "trésor national vivant" par le gouvernement brésilien et "athlète du siècle" par les comités nationaux olympiques en 1999, se rendait sur la côte, à sa résidence de Santos, ville qui fut son club pendant presque 20 ans.

nouvel Obs.com

Voir aussi: Les voleurs en moto arrachent le sac a main...

Et ceci: Don't-mess-with-me-Mom and thieving son...

Un but magnifique! A savourer...

What a goal! Enjoy!

Kota Bahru in Malaysia bans lipstick for Muslim women!!!

Authorities in a northern Malaysian city have forbidden Muslim women from wearing bright lipstick and noisy high-heeled shoes, saying the directive is intended to prevent sexual assaults and "illicit sex."

The national news agency, Bernama, said the directive was issued by the municipal council of Kota Baru and is aimed toward Muslim women working in restaurants and other businesses in the city. It said the ban will safeguard the morals and dignity of the women as well as thwart rape.

"It states that Muslim women are forbidden to wear thick make-up, like bright colored lipstick and high-heeled shoes that gave a tapping sound," the news agency said.

"For those who insist on wearing high heel shoes, they can do so but with rubber heels."

Kota Baru already has a directive calling for Muslim women to wear non-transparent headscarves that cover the chest, long-sleeved and loose blouses and socks.

Anyone not following the regulations can be fined up to 500 ringgit ($153), Bernama said.

Malaysia, a multi-racial society containing many ethnic groups, considers itself a moderate Muslim country. Muslims comprise about 60 percent of the population. Buddhists, Christians and Hindus who also make up the religious make up of the country do not face restrictions on clothing or practices.

The city of Kota Baru is the capital of of Kelantan state, which is ruled by the hard-line opposition party, Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).

At one time, the party advocated for an Islamic state, but has backed away from the stance in recent months.

PAS was part of a loose coalition of opposition parties that won control of five of the country's 13 states in national elections held in March 2008.
The coalition also won 82 of 222 parliamentary seats -- making it only the second time in the southeast Asian country's history that the ruling party has failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution.

CNN.com.asia

People of the world consider the U.S. as a bigger threat to world peace than Iran...

George Bush's six years in office have so damaged the image of the US that people worldwide see Washington as a bigger threat to world peace than Tehran, according to a global poll.
The Washington-based Pew Research Centre, in a poll of 17,000 people in 15 countries between March and May, found more people concerned about the US presence in Iraq than about Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions.

The Pew Centre said: "Despite growing concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the US presence in Iraq is cited at least as often as Iran - and in many countries much more often - as a danger to world peace."

The survey, carried out annually, shows a continued decline in support for the US since 1999. The US image for most of the 20th century has been relatively positive, being regularly identified with democracy, human rights and openness in spite of criticism from the left, which reached a height during the Vietnam war, and a residual suspicion in the Muslim world.

But even in the UK, Washington's closest ally, favourable ratings have slumped from 83% in 1999 to 56% this year. The pattern is similar in France, down from 62% to 39%, Germany 78% to 37%, and Spain 50% to 23%.

In Muslim countries with which the US has traditionally enjoyed a good relationship, such as Turkey - a member of Nato - and Indonesia, there have also been slumps. In Indonesia favourable ratings for the US have dropped from 75% to 30%, and in Turkey from 52% to 12%.

More...

And this: This guy could be the next president of the U.S.A...

And this: Bush: God told me to invade Iraq...

Some say that Obama is a Muslim, but others claim that he's a devotee of Hanuman, the monkey-god!!!

A group of Indians are planning to present a statue of the revered Indian monkey God, Hanuman, to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The group decided to order the idol after they read a magazine report saying that Mr Obama carried a good luck 'monkey king' charm.

They say that a Barack Obama victory would be good for India.

Hindus revere monkeys which they believe are descendents of the monkey God Hanuman.

The two-foot tall, 15kg gold-polished, brass idol has been made as a present for Mr Obama because "he will be good for India if he becomes the next president," according to Brij Mohan Bhama, leader of the group.

"We have heard that he carries a small monkey charm in his pocket. So he is a devotee of Hanuman. That's why we want to present him with this idol," he said. More...

And this: OMG! Even Bollywood is rooting for Obama!!

Former Soviet republics dumping Russian and turning to English...

It's been more than a century since a member of the Mebagishvili family of Tbilisi, Georgia, grew up not speaking Russian. Like educated families all over the Russian Empire, the Mebagishvilis viewed the language of Pushkin and Tolstoy as essential for anyone who wanted to get ahead—or to be considered fully civilized. But 20-year-old Helen Mebagishvili, a philosophy and social-science student at Tbilisi's Ilia Chavchavadze University, has chosen English, not Russian, as her first foreign language. She's studying another, too: French. "I do not feel any attachment towards Russia," she says as she packs the shelves of a new university library with Penguin editions of Mark Twain, James Joyce and Charles Dickens. "Once, Russia introduced European ideas to Georgia—but now we have direct access to European ideas." More...

And this: Bulgarian Idol sings "Ken Lee". Hilarious!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Simon and Garfunkel sing America...

"Let us be lovers we'll marry our fortunes together."

"I've got some real estate here in my bag."
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies
And we walked off to look for America

"Kathy," I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
"Michigan seems like a dream to me now"
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've gone to look for America

Laughing on the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said "Be careful his bowtie is really a camera"

"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat"
"We smoked the last one an hour ago"
So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field

"Kathy, I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping
I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all gone to look for America
All gone to look for America
All gone to look for America

Soccer legend Pele robbed by armed gang!!!

Former Brazilian football star Pele has been robbed by an armed gang while on his way to his seaside home.

As many as 10 people were reported to have been involved in the robbery, but Pele was unhurt in the incident.

He was on his way from the city of Sao Paulo to a house he owns on the coast when the robbery happened at the entrance of a tunnel.

The robbery took place earlier this month, but details have only just emerged.

Police say there is frequent traffic congestion in the area, and that gangs from a nearby favela (shanty town) often take advantage of this to stage robberies.

According to the newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo, Pele's car was surrounded by 10 armed men who took his gold necklace, a mobile phone and a watch.

Pele was in the passenger seat of his car. According to his spokesman, when the gang recognised the former player they gave the driver back some items they had taken from him.

The former Brazilian football star was not so lucky, as the gang then decided to flee on foot with his valuables.

Pele, who is said to have remained calm during the robbery, apparently believed the men were high on drugs.

The local police say they were not informed about the incident.

Robberies of cars stopped at traffic lights or in congestion are not uncommon in Brazil, and many wealthy families have resorted to buying bullet-proof cars as a form of protection.

BBC

Jesus in China: a new Chinese revolution?

Rev. Jin Mingri peered out from the pulpit and delivered an unusual appeal: "Please leave," the 39-year-old pastor commanded his followers, who were packed, standing-room-only on a Sunday afternoon, into a converted office space in China's capital. "We don't have enough seats for the others who want to come, so, please, only stay for one service a day."

A choir in hot-pink robes stood to his left, beside a guitarist and a drum set bristling with cymbals. Children in a playroom beside the sanctuary punctuated the service with squeals and tantrums. It was a busy day at a church that, on paper, does not exist.

Christianity — repressed, marginalized and, in many cases, illegal in China for more than half a century — is sweeping the country, overflowing churches and posing a sensitive challenge to the officially atheist Communist Party. More...

And this: Jesus loves me?

And this: The Pagan Christ and the Jesus that never existed...

Most Britons think that climate change is bull-shit...

is caused by humans - and many others believe scientists are exaggerating the problem, according to an exclusive poll for The Observer.

The results have shocked campaigners who hoped that doubts would have been silenced by a report last year by more than 2,500 scientists for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which found a 90 per cent chance that humans were the main cause of climate change and warned that drastic action was needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The findings come just before the release of the government's long-awaited renewable energy strategy, which aims to cut the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent over the next 12 years.

The poll, by Ipsos MORI, found widespread contradictions, with some people saying politicians were not doing enough to tackle the problem, even though they were cynical about government attempts to impose regulations or raise taxes. In a sign of the enormous task ahead for those pushing for drastic cuts to carbon emissions, many people said they did not want to restrict their lifestyles and only a small minority believe they need to make 'significant and radical' changes such as driving and flying less. More...

And this: 31,000 scientists deny man-made global warming...

We'll miss you, George Carlin!

ET breaks the news that comedian George Carlin has died from heart failure. The man who made famous the "seven words you can never say on television" passed away at 5:55 p.m. Sunday at Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, his longtime publicist said. He was 71.

Monday morning, his daughter Kelly Carlin McCall had the following to say about her dad: "Most people know George Carlin as an icon of comedy and an advocate of free speech. I just know him as Dad ... And what a dad he was. He taught me the value of speaking the truth in a world that doesn't always want to hear it and gave me the gift of laughter. He was loved and revered by so many and will be missed beyond words -- but never forgotten. Our family wishes to thank everyone who has sent love and support our way. Your kind words and thoughts are bringing much comfort to us during such a difficult time."

Carlin, who has had several heart attacks and a history of cardiac issues, went into the hospital Sunday afternoon after complaining of heart problems.

HBO, which submitted the funny man's last special, "It's Bad for Ya" for Emmy consideration this year, issued the following statement: "Because HBO has had such a long and close relationship with George Carlin, his passing is like losing one of our own. George had been a part of HBO almost since its beginning, performing his first concert for us in 1977, and his 14th special just earlier this year. No performer was more important to helping our network define itself in its early years. And no performer was more committed to the ideal of freedom of speech, a principle he embodied for the 50 years he performed with his trademark wit. We will miss his humor and his righteous comic anger, and we will simply miss him."

Carlin has more than 20 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, numerous TV and movie roles, and three best-selling books to his credit. Last year, he celebrated his 50th year in show business.

He is survived by his wife, Sally Wade; daughter, Kelly Carlin McCall; and older brother, Patrick Carlin.

etonline

Vinton Cerf: Après la Terre, Internet va conquérir l'espace...

Internet, c'est lui. Le premier service commercial d'e-mail, c'est encore lui. Le lancement d'Internet dans l'espace, c'est toujours lui. Enfin, bientôt sans doute.

Alors forcément, lorsque Vinton Cerf tend sa carte de visite, on ouvre grand les yeux. Surtout lorsque l'on y lit «Chief Internet Evangelist». Depuis 2005, cet Américain de 65 ans œuvre au sein de Google pour y apporter sa vision - mais aussi pour expliquer au monde les positions de la firme.

Vinton Cerf, c'est surtout l'un des pères d'Internet. A la fin des années 1960 et au début des années 1970, il œuvre en Californie sur le projet Arpanet, premier réseau de transmission de données par paquets. Avec Robert Kahn, il imagine un moyen de relier différents réseaux. Le protocole TCP/IP, langage qui permet aux machines de communiquer, et qui est toujours à la base de l'Internet actuel, verra ainsi le jour. Vinton Cerf et Robert Kahn développent ce protocole au sein de l'Agence américaine pour les projets de recherche avancée de défense. Suite...

Voir aussi: La tentation d’un Internet « propre... »

Et ceci: Sarkozy : «Le problème d'Internet est considérable!»

The Shark and the Octopus...

La pieuvre et le requin...

George Carlin is dead!!! Rest in peace, brother...

Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television. Some People Are Stupid. Stuff. People I Can Do Without.

George Carlin, who died of heart failure Sunday at 71, leaves behind not only a series of memorable routines, but a legal legacy: His most celebrated monologue, a frantic, informed riff on those infamous seven words, led to a Supreme Court decision on broadcasting offensive language.

The counterculture hero’s jokes also targeted things such as misplaced shame, religious hypocrisy and linguistic quirks — why, he asked, do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon complaining of chest pain and died later that evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

“He was a genius and I will miss him dearly,” Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told The Associated Press. More...

Sunday, June 22, 2008

This grandma is one helluva rocker!!!

Indian astrologer, Bejan Daruwalla, has some advice for Roger Federer!!!

Even the heavens rejoice when the two gladiators of tennis, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, square up on a tennis court. If one of them is thunder then the other is lightning. Their’s is a crackling chemistry that few others can match. I have seen women jump from their seats, scream their lungs out and roll their eyes in wild frenzy as Nadal hits a crisp, left-handed cross-court forehand and it zooms past a fully stretched out Federer.

This particular picture the world has witnessed time and again. The latest was the recent French Open final when Nadal crushed Federer in straight sets. Chances are that they’d slug it out again in the Wimbledon final. And this time, the defending champion will probably not be the overwhelming favorite to retain his crown. Nadal is being tipped as a worthy successor to Federer and rightly so. With the kind of physique he possesses — the rippling muscles stand proof to that, the stroke power, the grunting and the snorting, it would be no surprise if he upsets the ‘king of grass’.

I have fallen in love with the drop shot of Federer. Also, I’m hugely impressed by the power and precision, a rare mix, in the service of Federer. It is this service which gives him an opening and a chance to move in for the kill. Here are a few useful tips for Federer.

He should come more often to the net, because he has the reach, the agility, and the dexterity to volley for an outright winner, or to make a strong opening for it, and with the next volley, finish it. The Sun and versatile Mercury in Leo, is the key to it.

DNA

The labourer, his 5-year-old daughter, the bear and the State...

Ram Singh Munda, a labourer, is under arrest and her young daughter alone at home for keeping a wild animal in their house. But the law maybe wrong in this case.

Munda, 35, found a three-day old bear cub abandoned in the forest and brought it to his home. Munda’s daughter five-year-old Golki was delighted. Father and daughter named the cub Rani and made her a part of their family. That was more than a year ago.

Munda landed in trouble when a local newspaper published a story on Rani and her human family. Forest Department authorities ordered Munda to leave the bear back in the jungle. Munda obeyed but Rani returned to his house the very next day.

The Forest Department then forcibly took Rani away and handed her over to the Nandankanan Zoo near Bhubaneswar. Ram was arrested and sent to Keonjhar jail for violating the Wildlife Protection Act, which forbids people from keeping wild animals.

Munda is worried for his daughter and wants the authorities to release him. "They have sent me to the jail. How will my daughter survive? I can not understand why I was punished for taking good care of a bear which was deserted in the forest and would have died had I not brought her," he said while being taken to prison.

Authorities say they understand Munda is not a law breaker but are helpless in taking action against him. "We cannot consider the emotional bondage between the man and the bear. Since he has violated the law we have to take action. Its now for the court to decide," said B P Acharya, Assistant Conservator of Forest, Keonjhar.

Wildlife activist Mike Pandey say the legal clause under which Munda has booked has at five years imprisonment as punishment but the law must consider that he tried to release the bear in the forest. “I hope the courts take a lenient view and find a best way out,” said Pandey.

The authorities have tried to help Golki—they gave her 10 kg of rice and expect her to fend for herself.

Ibn Live

And this: Burma: this regime is good at killing people, not at helping them...

Haro sur l'eau en bouteille. N'en buvez plus!!!

David Wilk est un héros. Ce libraire n'en pouvait plus de voir, trois fois par semaine, le terrain de football où jouaient ses enfants se transformer en un cimetière de bouteilles en plastique. Un jour, il est venu avec un gros réservoir empli d'eau du robinet. Et, depuis, les jeunes joueurs y remplissent à chaque match les bouteilles réutilisables qu'ils amènent avec eux. Wilk a rejoint une famille de plus en plus large: celle des Américains qui ont déclaré la guerre à l'eau en bouteille.

L'homme fait un rapide calcul: son geste a permis de «sauver» peut-être 1800 bouteilles par année. C'est un gain net: dans sa petite ville du Connecticut, le PET ne se recycle pas. «Je pars du principe qu'un petit changement de comportement peut avoir de grandes conséquences, explique-t-il au téléphone. Boire ou ne pas boire une bouteille d'eau, c'est une décision vraiment simple. D'autant que l'alternative l'est aussi: ouvrir le robinet!» Suite...

Voir aussi: De l'eau, vous en buvez beacoup? Et bien, ce n'est pas la peine...

Et ceci: (en anglais) Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap Water?

Not so long ago they were enemies!! Politics is bullshit!

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign announced Friday that he will campaign with former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton next week, a step toward unifying a fractured Democratic Party after a bruising primary fight.

Obama's campaign said in a brief e-mail that said the two senators and former opponents will campaign together for the first time on Friday, June 27, and more details would be forthcoming.

A day earlier, Obama and Clinton also plan to meet in Washington with some of her top contributors in an effort to calm donors who remain frustrated with Obama's presidential campaign. The former first lady will introduce Obama to her financial backers.

Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, suspended her campaign for the Democratic nomination earlier this month after Obama, an Illinois senator, secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination. More...

And this: Hillary Clinton "mis-spoke" about Bosnia...

The cost of the war in Iraq...

Mobile phone mast causes 14 cancer deaths...

Fourteen people living within a mile of a mobile phone mast that emits one of the highest levels of radiation in the country have died of cancer.

Four of the deaths have been in a cul-de-sac yards from the site.

A further 20 residents have developed tumours in the last seven years, although they have survived.

Those living in the shadow of the mast have begun a campaign for its removal, claiming that it has caused a cancer hotspot. The Health Protection Agency is investigating.

Worried parents are refusing to take their children to the playing fields where the mast is sited for fear of damaging their health.

The mast was erected in 1995 on a disused water tower on the High Acres estate in Kingswinford, near Dudley, West Midlands. More...

And this: What happens to a cell-phone in a micro-wave oven? Watch...

Le Cercle Bilderberg ou le bal des vampires ?

Gouvernement mondial occulte ou plutôt véritables décideurs de la marche du monde ?

Ces questions peuvent sembler relever du fantasme, ou de la théorie du complot ; pourtant, elles ne peuvent manquer de se poser, devant l’étonnant silence des médias entourant les réunions annuelles, depuis 1954, des quelques 120 à 150 milliardaires, banquiers, hommes politiques, industriels, universitaires, haut fonctionnaires, personnalités d’influence dans le monde du travail et de l’éducation et journalistes, pendant un week-end dans un hôtel. ou un centre de villégiature, quelque part en Amérique du Nord ou en Europe, afin de discuter en privé des affaires du monde.

Il faut dire que le lock-out est étonnament général !

La réunion de cette année s’est tenue, comme les autres, dans le plus grand silence médiatique, -le weekend du 6 au 9 juin- à l’hotel Westfields Marriott de Chantilly en Virginie, à une quinzaine de kilomètres de l’aéroport international de Washington Dulles. Suite...

Voir aussi: Le plus gros mensonge du XXIe siècle?

Et ceci: Il y a 40ans, Martin Luther King...

They are paid to watch porn all day...

It's 2008 and sex seems to be everywhere. So who holds the line between permissiveness and obscenity? What is obscene these days? And how do those people entrusted to make these calls cope with the harrowing work?

"People think 'what a great job - you sit and watch porn all day'," says Inspector Andy Shortland, who heads the Metropolitan Police's Obscene Publications Squad.

"I think to myself you really would not want to see this stuff. It's not top shelf magazine stuff or soft-core porn which you might hire at Blockbuster. This is really horrible stuff. And when I say that it usually stops them dead.

"But it's just human nature to laugh about it," he adds.
The squad, the only one of its type in the country, consists of 12 officers, including one woman. Its role is threefold - to monitor what is on sale at licensed sex shops, to target and convict pedlars of illegal pornography and to advise other law enforcement agencies. More...

And this: Underage girls and the modelling/porn industry...

And this: OMG! I have always wanted to watch a female-dominating-a-male porn movie...

Hakani: children buried alive in the Amazon. WTF!

Hakani : Les enfants enterrés vivants en Amazonie. Putain !

Don't miss:

Photographer Trevor Paglen Documents Secret Satellites — All 189 of Them

For most people, photographing something that isn't there might be tough. Not so for Trevor Paglen.

His shots of 189 secret spy satellites are the subject of a new exhibit -- despite the fact that, officially speaking, the satellites don't exist. The Other Night Sky, on display at the University of California at Berkeley Art Museum through September 14, is only a small selection from the 1,500 astrophotographs Paglen has taken thus far.

In taking these photos, Paglen is trying to draw a metaphorical connection between modern government secrecy and the doctrine of the Catholic Church in Galileo's time.

"What would it mean to find these secret moons in orbit around the earth in the same way that Galileo found these moons that shouldn't exist in orbit around Jupiter?" Paglen says.

Satellites are just the latest in Paglen's photography of supposedly nonexistent subjects. To date, he's snapped haunting images of various military sites in the Nevada deserts, "torture taxis" (private planes that whisk people off to secret prisons without judicial oversight) and uniform patches from various top-secret military programs. More...

And this: Insect spies? Jesus! This is scary, folks!

The music industry abuses us and we're to blame...

Many people have celebrated Apple's announcement that it has sold 5 billion songs on iTunes and it's the world's largest music retailer. Almost everyone in the world is calling this a major victory for Apple and one that we should all recognize as a milestone that deserves our praise.

But I don't.

To me, Apple's success with iTunes and its ability to sell 5 billion songs since its launch is an awful event. In fact, it's probably one of the worst stories I've read all year.

As just one of the millions across the globe who's being treated poorly by the music industry, why should I embrace this news and try so desperately to put a smile on my face?

Try as it might to do things the right way, iTunes is the result of countless negotiations with the record labels that continue to dislike everything we stand for and do everything they can to ensure that we're paying too much for a track that's locked down worse than anything we have ever witnessed in this business.

Why hasn't anyone realized that Apple's success with iTunes is the very reason we're being abused by the music industry in the first place? More...

And this: The Game Is Up

10 Ways Musicians Piss Off Their Fans...

We've all come in contact with that drunken guy at the party (hell, perhaps you've been that drunken guy) who corners you and makes you listen to a song that's "changed his life." Because music has this ability to really affect its listeners, the creators of said music are often worshipped or idolized. This fan worship can often go straight to the musicians' heads, and can cause them to do things that are considered to be very schmuck-like by their fans. Frankly, these things have the ability to piss us right off and, to put it politely, can make us think uncharitable thoughts. Very uncharitable. Such as the recent incident at the Bonnaroo Music Festival where Kanye West didn't play his set until 4:45 in the morning, making fans wait 2+ hours! Mmhmm - schmuck-like, indeed.

If there's one thing Metallica knows how to do really well, it's raising the ire of their fans and of music lovers everywhere. Metallica is considered to be mostly responsible for the shutdown of the beloved Napster, and in fact printed out a 60,000 page document of all users sharing their songs. Lars Ulrich became the spokesperson for the RIAA, and frankly, annoyed the crap out of people everywhere. Metallica now plans to sell some of their music on the internet, but it's not really receiving a very positive response as people have long memories. When it came down to MP3s or Metallica, most people chose MP3s, and they haven't forgotten that it was Metallica that made them make that choice. Full story...

And this: The 25 Best "Best of" albums of all time?

Hip-Hop with violins? Wow!

WTF!Rapist father demands leniency because he used a condom!!!

A Malaysian of Indian origin, who was sentenced to 36 years in jail four years ago for repeatedly raping his minor daughter, wants his jail term reduced because he used a condom while committing the crime.

The rapist's lawyer SI Rajah told a court of appeals here that the sentence imposed by the lower court was excessive and the father was remorseful. "Justice should be tempered with mercy," the lawyer said.

Rajah told the court the sentence should be reduced since "the accused used a condom every time he committed the offence", the New Straits Times reported Saturday.

The three-member bench of the appellate court refused to overturn the lower court's judgement since it held that a strong message should be sent that such an act must not be condoned.

"You mean it is okay to rape using a condom?" a judge asked in anger.

Four years ago, the sessions court in Petaling Jaya sentenced the accused to a total of 36 years in jail on four counts of rape. The rapist, now 49, appealed against the sentence because he was a first-time offender.

The man raped his 11-year-old daughter between May 2003 and August 2004 when the child's mother used to be away at work.

Deputy public prosecutor Aslina Joned told the court that the accused, a father of five, had betrayed the trust of his daughter.

Aslina said the father would give the victim five ringgit ($1.5) as a reward every time he raped her. A class teacher noticed the girl was in a state of depression and questioned her.
The man was arrested Aug 12, 2004, after his daughter told her teacher about his crime. He pleaded guilty to the charges in the sessions court a week later.

On the first three counts, then Sessions Court judge Nurmala Salim sentenced him to 18 years in jail. The sentences were to run concurrently. He was sentenced to a further 18 years of imprisonment for the fourth count.

Ibn live

And this: WTF! Rape victim takes 5 exams in a day!

And this: Josef Fritzl: I'm no monster; where's the credit due to me?

Le "non" à Lisbonne l'emporterait à 53% en France, selon l'Ifop...

Le "non" l'emporterait à nouveau en France si un référendum était organisé sur le traité européen de Lisbonne, selon un sondage Ifop pour Sud Ouest Dimanche, rendu public samedi.

Si les Français étaient appelés à se prononcer par référendum, comme en 2005, 53% des personnes interrogées voteraient contre le traité qui remplace la Constitution européenne et 47% l'approuveraient.

Au total, un tiers des sondés (33%) disent qu'ils s'abstiendraient.

En mai 2005, la Constitution européenne avait été rejetée par près de 55% des Français lors d'un référendum. Quelques jours plus tard, les électeurs néerlandais avaient également voté contre le texte.

Cette année, l'Irlande était le seul pays de l'Union européenne à organiser un référendum sur le traité de Lisbonne, qui a été rejeté par 53% des électeurs mi-juin.

Le sondage a été réalisé les 19 et 20 juin par téléphone ou au domicile de 960 personnes.

Reuters

Voir aussi: L'Europe en crise, selon la presse suisse...

Et ceci: L'Irlande vers un "non" à l'Europe...

Friday, June 20, 2008

94-year-old grandma being abused by a...

Une vieille dame de 94 ans abusée par une ...

Mangosteen fever hits Japan!!!

Japan's growing legions of lard-laden lads may be in line to get some assistance in shrinking their stomachs from the Land of Smiles, according to Sunday Mainichi (6/22).

The key to combating "metabolic syndrome," the latest health-related buzzword used to describe a string of obesity-related diseases, may lie in the Thai national fruit, the mangosteen.

"Mangosteens are sometimes called the Queen of Fruits," Koichi Okabe, a dessert company president who deals with a variety of different Thai foods, tells Sunday Mainichi. "Mangosteen juice, made by crushing the fruit, skin and seeds, not only tastes great, it has wonderful health benefits. It was only developed last year in Thailand, but American buyers are swarming to get it."

Mangosteens contain over 100 different beneficial substances; most notably xanthones, said to help fight the effects of allergies, cancer and lifestyle diseases, as improve blood pressure and the immune system, and restore youthfulness to the body's cells.

In Thailand, mangosteens have long been used to prevent skin inflammations and infections, as well as to combat indigestion.

"Thailand is called the Land of Smiles and there are lots of people there who live happy, relaxed lives," Okabe tells Sunday Mainichi, a current affairs weekly produced by the Mainichi Newspapers. "There aren't many fatties in Thailand, which is also called a fruit superpower. It's clear the Thai have a very healthy eating lifestyle."

Mainichi Daily News

And this: Giving up milk and dairy products results in better health...

The art of censoring nudes. Hilarious!

See also:

WTF! Boy caged, skinned and eaten by family! WTF!

A MOTHER is accused of partially skinning her caged son and feeding it to relatives.

Kalra Mauerova, 31, of Brno in the Czech Republic, wept in court as she admitted torturing her son Ondrej, and his ten-year-old brother, Jakub, The Sun reported.

Ms Mauerova, a member of the Grail Movement cult, caged Ondrej for months while relatives, also members of the cult, ate his raw flesh, a judge heard yesterday.

The court in Brno heard the family sexually abused the boys and made them cut themselves with knives.

The boys said they were kept in cages or handcuffed to tables and made to stand for days in their own urine.

The abuse was discovered when a man living nearby installed a TV monitor to keep watch on his newborn baby.

Instead of pictures of his newborn he was confronted by live images of Ondrej naked in the cellar — beaten and chained, The Sun reporrted.

Ms Mauerova is understood to have installed the monitor so she could watch her victims suffering from her kitchen.

Police were called, and the boy and his brother, as well as what appeared to be a 13-year-old girl, were freed.

The teenage girl later turned out to be 34 — and one of the torturers.

Ms Mauerova accused the woman — fellow cult member Barbora Skrlova — of brainwashing her.

"Terrible things have happened. I realise it and can’t understand how I could have allowed it," Ms Mauerova was reported as saying.

The court heard the abuse of Ondrej and Jakub was co-ordinated via text messages sent by a leader of the Grail Movement cult — who was known only as the "Doctor".

The trial of Ms Mauerova, another relative and their bogus sister Skrlova — who fled and was later found posing as a boy in Norway — continues.

news.com.au

And this: Michel and Monique Fourniret, the couple who "hunted virgins..."

"Halihalo" nargue le village de Schötz!!

Un paysage idyllique de la campagne lucernoise. Les 3333 âmes de Schötz vivaient jusqu'à tout récemment dans une commune paradisiaque. Et puis la colère et l'incompréhension ont perturbé la paisible vie villageoise. Objet de ce bouleversement? Un inconnu qui se fait appeler "halihalo" a photographié "il y a six mois presque toutes les maisons avec son appareil photo numérique", raconte le "Blick" dans son édition de vendredi. Et de préciser que l'inconnu légendait ses images en incluant le nom des habitants et d'autres données "qui lui paraissaient relevantes". Ensuite, poursuit en substance le quotidien alémanique, il a chargé ses quelque 400 photos sur le site de partage d'images Panoramio, lui-même relié au monstre Google Earth.

On peut se dire qu'on a affaire là à un passionné de Schötz et de son histoire, quelqu'un qui réalise un inventaire utile du patrimoine local... Las. A se pencher de plus près sur les commentaires des images, le choc: "Maison de Yougos" par là, "Famille à la peau foncée" ici, ou encore "Le chaos chez Frey & Egli" pour dénoncer l'état déplorable d'un chantier.

La traque à "halihalo" a commencé, car "il s'agit forcément de l'un des nôtres", assure un habitant. Les autorités de Shötz ont engagé une procédure judiciaire contre inconnu, relève le "Blick". Car selon les dires de la syndique Ruth Iseli-Buob rapportés par le "Willisauer Boten", c'est incroyable ce que la diffusion de telles informations peut nuire à l'image. De son côté, Google a indiqué via son porte-parole Matthias Graf, qu'il allait retirer "ce matériel" de son site. "Une bonne nouvelle pour Schötz" qui ne sera plus bafoué dans le monde entier, conclut le "Blick".

Tribune de Genève

Voir aussi: La tragédie de Vevey: «un accident qui a mal tourné» ...

Baby TV a convaincu les Britanniques. Dommage!

EN GRANDE-BRETAGNE, un enfant sur trois a la télé dans sa chambre. On ne s'étonnera donc pas que Baby TV n'ait fait l'objet d'aucune plainte auprès de l'OFCOM, l'organisme régulateur de la télévision. L'OFCOM nous a confirmé avoir reçu - et prendre en compte - le dossier de son homologue français, le CSA, sur les inquiétudes des experts médicaux quand à l'effet de la télévision sur les moins de 3 ans.

Mais si cette chaîne est diffusée en France depuis la Grande-Bretagne, c'est en Israël qu'elle est née. Info ou intox, le couple qui l'a fondée, Liran et Maya Talit, en aurait eu l'idée durant une nuit blanche passée à essayer d'endormir leur bébé. Ils revendiquent ainsi la validité d'une chaîne diffusant aussi la nuit, bien que Baby TV recommande de limiter l'exposition des tout-petits à une demi-heure de programme par jour.

Diffusée dans 70 pays, Baby TV est désormais américaine, depuis que la Fox en est l'actionnaire majoritaire. En 2004, lorsqu'ils ont installé leur siège à Londres pour lancer Baby TV en Europe, les Talit auraient reçu un accueil très froid des autorités et partenaires commerciaux britanniques. Mais les parents, eux, l'ont clairement adoptée. Du coup, la BBC a lancé une concurrente, Cheebies, « pour les moins de 6 ans », inaugurée le 6 mai.

leParisien.fr

Voir aussi: Donna, le bébé vendu aux enchères sur Internet...

Et ceci: Pascal Pelloux, l'homme qui a violé un bébé de six mois...

Et ceci: En Inde on jette les bébés depuis les toits !!!

Breast-milk, nature's wonder drug...

Imagine if today, scientists discovered a drug that could save 13 per cent of all the babies who currently die. Now imagine that drug also made your baby cleverer – and dramatically slashed her chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, leukaemia, asthma or obesity as an adult. Oh: and imagine it was free.

The "drug" exists. It is called breast milk. Yet in the developed world, we often stigmatise women who give it to their babies as "creepy". In the developing world, we allow corporations to tug babies from their mother's nipple, and put them on to powders that bring more profit – and more death.

I come at this from a strange perspective. My mother breastfed me until I was nearly three; she only stopped the day I wrote her a note saying I expected to be breastfed that afternoon. Today, whenever I have a success, she clutches her breasts and exclaims: "It's thanks to these!" Whenever my bottle-fed brother and sister have a failing in life, she howls: "Think what you could have been if I'd given you the tit." (Whenever she gets a bit too self-congratulatory, I remind her she also smoked 40 cigarettes a day. "Ach," she says, "it's stressful having a little bastard suckin' at you all the time.") More...

And this: Indian woman breast-feeds an orphaned fawn...

And this: Does breast-feeding lead to increased intelligence?

And this: Ban breast-feeding???!!! WTF!

Aung San Suu Kyi is 63 today ... and has spent the last 18 years under house arrest.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced Daw Aung Sawn Sue Chee) is one of the world’s most renown freedom fighters and advocates of nonviolence, having served as the figurehead for Burma’s struggle for democracy since 1988. Born on June 19th, 1945 to Burma’s independence hero, Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi was educated in Burma, India, and the United Kingdom. Her father was assassinated when she was only two years old.

In 1988, while living in London, she returned to Burma to nurse her dying mother, and was plunged into the country’s nationwide uprising that had just begun. Joining the newly-forming National League for Democracy political party, Suu Kyi gave numerous speeches calling for freedom and democracy. The military regime responded to the uprising with brute force, shooting and otherwise killing up to 10,000 demonstrators — student, women, children, and others — in a mater of months. Unable to maintain its grip on power, the regime was forced to call for a general election in 1990. More...

And this: Burma: this regime is good at killing people, not at helping them...

And this: Burma: how the military junta "encourages" voting...

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The sixth severed foot in B.C. is a hoax!!!

A prankster is responsible for a sixth foot that washed on British Columbia shores, a hoax that raised fears among the families of missing persons and prompted the RCMP to launch a separate investigation.

The B.C. Coroner's Service announced Thursday that the foot found on a Vancouver Island beach the day before was not human, but in fact a skeletonized animal paw stuffed inside a sock and a running shoe.

“We have to say that this is a despicable act; we're not going to sit back and let this go,” said RCMP Const. Annie Linteau, who confirmed the prank. “We're now embarking on a whole new investigation, which could involve public mischief charges against the person or persons involved.”

She described the prank as “absolutely unbelievable” and urged people with information to contact police. More...

And this: Another human foot washes up on Canadian shore...

Complex crop circle discovered in Wiltshire...

The most complex, "mind-boggling" crop circle ever to be seen in Britain has been discovered in a barley field in Wiltshire.

The formation, measuring 150ft in diameter, is apparently a coded image representing the first 10 digits, 3.141592654, of pi.

It is has appeared in a field near Barbury Castle, an iron-age hill fort above Wroughton, Wilts, and has been described by astrophysicists as "mind-boggling".

Michael Reed, an astrophysicist, said: "The tenth digit has even been correctly rounded up. The little dot near the centre is the decimal point.

"The code is based on 10 angular segments with the radial jumps being the indicator of each segment.

"Starting at the centre and counting the number of one-tenth segments in each section contained by the change in radius clearly shows the values of the first 10 digits in the value of pi."

Lucy Pringle, a researcher of crop formations, said: "This is an astounding development - it is a seminal event."

Mathematics codes and geometric patterns have long been an important factor in crop circle formations. One of the best known formations showed the image of a highly complex set of shapes known as The Julia Set, 12 years ago.

Telegraph.co.uk

And this: Alien autopsy?

And this: They live, oh yeah, they really do...

France's “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” scheme goes after Internet downloaders...

Anyone who persists in illicit downloading of music or films will be barred from broadband access under a controversial new law that makes France a pioneer in combating internet piracy.

“There is no reason that the internet should be a lawless zone,” President Sarkozy told his Cabinet yesterday as it endorsed the “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” scheme that from next January will hit illegal downloaders where it hurts.

Under a cross-industry agreement, internet service providers (ISPs) must cut off access for up to a year for third-time offenders.

In a classical French approach the scheme will be enforced by a new £15 million a year state agency, to be called Hadopi (high authority for copyright protection and dissemination of works on the internet). More...

And this: WTF! Aussie cops downloading movies!!!

And this: What is peer-to-peer downloading all about?

WTF! Japanese invent robotic girlfriend for lonely men!!!

The Associated Press vs. the blogosphere...

There may be major trouble brewing in the blogosphere. If the Associated Press has their way, bloggers will have to purchase a license in order to quote as few as five words from an AP story. As you may or may not know, news blogging relies on the ability to cut and paste from other sources for quoting and reference. That’s just the way it works.

The controversy started at the Drudge Retort, where Rogers Cadenhead (the man behind the Drudge) received seven take down notices under the US’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) from the AP. Cadenhead went ahead and let slip the blogosphere’s worst kept secret:

Linking to news articles with short excerpts is common practice throughout the web, both on individual blogs and on social news sites

Attacking one site means that the AP would have to go after literally thousands of bloggers, both paid and un-paid. Cadenhead believes that all bloggers, though, are protected by fair use standards, that the information that the AP prints fits in those standards.

Since Cadenhead went public with his problem everybody has chimed in and the AP has had to back-track on their stance. They are no longer planning on suing Cadenhead and the other bloggers that were formerly in their sights.

They still don’t have a clear solution, but they’re working on it. Until then, bloggers be extra cautious posting anything that can be traced back to the Associated Press.

Blogger arrests hit record high...

More bloggers than ever face arrest for exposing human rights abuses or criticising governments, says a report.

Since 2003, 64 people have been arrested for publishing their views on a blog, says the University of Washington annual report.

In 2007 three times as many people were arrested for blogging about political issues than in 2006, it revealed.

More than half of all the arrests since 2003 have been made in China, Egypt and Iran, said the report.

Citizens have faced arrest and jail for blogging about many different topics, said the World Information Access (WIA) report.

Arrested bloggers exposed corruption in government, abuse of human rights or suppression of protests. They criticised public policies and took political figures to task.

The report said the rising number of arrests was testament to the "growing" political importance of blogging. It noted that arrests tended to increase during times of "political uncertainty", such as around general elections or during large scale protests.

Jail time followed arrest for many bloggers, said the report, which found that the average prison sentence for blogging was 15 months. The longest sentence found by the WIA was eight years.

It acknowledged that the true number of bloggers arrested could be far higher than the total it found as, in some cases, it proved hard to verify if an arrest had taken place and on what grounds.

For instance, it said the Committee to Protect Bloggers has published information about 344 people arrested in Burma - many of whom are thought to be be bloggers - but the WIA could not verify all the reports.

It also noted that many nations, perhaps as many as 30, imposed technological restrictions on what people can do online. In nations such as China this made it difficult for people to use a blog as a means of protest.

The report pointed out that it is not just governments in the Middle East and East Asia that have taken steps against those publishing their opinions online. In the last four years, British, French, Canadian and American bloggers have also been arrested.

The report predicted that the number of blogger arrests in 2008 would exceed the 36 seen in 2007 thanks to greater popularity of blogging as a medium, greater enforcement of net restrictions, and elections in China, Pakistan, Iran and the US.

BBC

And this: Malaysian blogger charged with sedition...

And this: The Chinese earthquake ... and Chinese bloggers...

Mon dieu! C'est la "Prêtres Academy!!!" Oh non!

China quake: Runner Fan explains why he abandonned his students...

In an act of moral foolhardiness, Fan Meizhong set out on a blog his guiding principle: in matters of life and death, it's every man for himself.

When the quake struck, rather than overseeing an orderly evacuation, he said he just shouted "Stay calm, it's an earthquake!" and ran for it without looking back to see if his pupils were following.

"I ran towards the stairs so fast that I stumbled and fell as I went. When I reached the centre of the football pitch, I found I was the first to escape. None of my pupils was with me," wrote the man now known across China as 'Runner Fan'.

When his pupils began to arrive, they asked: "Teacher, why didn't you bring us out?"

His explanation was simple. "I have a very strong sense of self-preservation," he said. "I have never been a brave man and I'm only really concerned about myself."

While newspapers have largely followed instructions to concentrate on uplifting tales of rescue work since the earthquake, the internet has seen a wild variety of tales emerge. More...

And this: China's earthquake: where are the children?

And this: China earthquake: once again, why did so many schools collapse while other buildings stood intact?

The Beatles and the Taxman...

Let me tell you how it will be,
There's one for you, nineteen for me,
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don't take it all,
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat,
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.
Taxman.
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
Don't ask me what I want it for
(Taxman Mister Wilson)
If you don't want to pay some more
(Taxman Mister Heath),
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
Now my advice for those who die,
Declare the pennies on your eyes,
'Cos I'm the Taxman,
Yeah, I'm the Taxman.
And you're working for no-one but me,
Taxman.

Scolari: Euro is World Cup without Brazil and Argentina...

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, a Brazilian, praised European football Wednesday, just hours before the great football classic between Brazil and Argentina. "The Euro is a World Cup without Brazil, Argentina and perhaps Paraguay. Because Paraguay has appeared very strong in several South American tournaments," Scolari noted.

Portugal were set to play Germany Thursday in the Euro quarter- finals, and Scolari made it clear that he sees no "easy teams" among his men's potential rivals at the tournament.

South American national teams, in turn, are immersed in the region's qualifying round towards the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Paraguay currently leads the qualifiers, followed by Argentina.

The Earth Times

And this: Oliver Kapo's gift to his boot-boy: a Mercedes!! Wow!

And this: Calling all men who don't like soccer: you will ... after watching this!!!

And this: If only soccer were this sexy...