Thursday, July 31, 2008

Monster of Montauk: what the hell is this?


Yesterday, Gawker ran what appeared to be a photo of a bloated, leathery animal corpse — only it was like no animal anyone had seen before. A stout, hairless creature with a beak, claws, and the almond-shaped eyes familiar from renderings of space aliens, it looked, in short, like a monster. Hence the headline: "Dead Monster Washes Ashore in Montauk." The photo had come over e-mail to Anna Holmes, the managing editor at Jezebel, from an employee at Evolutionary Media Group, in Los Angeles; Holmes passed it on to Gawker. Because it came from a marketing company, Gawker surmised, "our guess is that it's viral marketing for something." They later pointed to a Cartoon Network show, Cryptids Are Real, which features similar-looking chubby monsters. We called Evolutionary, where a woman named Alanna Navitski, who claimed to be responsible for the tip, swore it was not a viral-marketing campaign. "This is what happened," she said. More...

See also: Pruthviraj Patil, India's Werewolf Boy, longs for a cure...

And this: Strange creature found in Russia...

Funny butt-sniffing dog!! Hilarious!!

Music fans and way-out lyrics... Hilarious!

MUSIC fans struggle to sing along to songs because they can no longer read the lyrics. 

Today’s iPod generation admit they are often clueless when it comes to knowing what artists are actually singing about.

The correct words to millions of tracks are widely available online, yet a poll has revealed that half of music fans reckon lyrics are less easy to find now than they were five years ago. 

They also blame a decline in lyrics appearing on CD booklets. 

So it is no wonder an internet site is being blitzed with hilariously misheard versions of lines from songs.

Website kissthisguy.com is itself named in honour of a mis-heard line from Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze: “’Scuse me while I kiss the sky.”  More...

See also: Benny Lava rules!!

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


Homeless man, with a laptop, cell-phone and full-time job, lives in a tent...

Tom Sepa would rather not be called homeless.

"That word is loaded," he said. "I prefer 'urban outdoorsman.' "

It is true that Sepa has a lot of things that aren't generally associated with the stereotypical San Francisco homeless person - like a full-time job.

A telemarketer, Sepa hits the phones at 7 a.m., working out of Zephyr Cafe in the Richmond District. He uses his laptop and a cell phone headset to make over 100 cold calls each morning. Currently, he's trying to get companies to take a meeting with a software firm he's representing. 

He gets paid via his PayPal account, and owns an iPod and a guitar. When he says he is going to take you out to see "my version of a shopping cart," he means a late model Chevy.

What he doesn't have is four walls and a roof. Instead, he's been living in a tent deep on the back trails of Golden Gate Park for three months. More...

See also: More than 100 homeless people live at Heathrow...

And this: Homeless women in Moscow...

And this: Vagabonds in America...


Who is responsible for the murder of Private LaVena Johnson?


LaVena Johnson, a private in the Army was brutally raped, beaten and killed in 2005. Her teeth were knocked in, her nose broken, she had teeth marks on her body and there was corrosive liquid poured into her vagina, most likely to destroy evidence. Then she was shot and her body set on fire. After all this, the military called it ... a suicide.
Who are they kidding? What is the real reason they are covering up this murder? A trail of blood from the private's body led into the tent of a military contractor from Kellogg, Brown & Root (a subsidiary of Halliburton at the time). I don't want to make any conclusions now about who might have done this and why it was covered up, but one thing that is exceedingly clear from the evidence is that she was murdered and there needs to be an investigation into who did it. More + video...

See also: India: When all else fails, why not try the "truth serum?"
And this: Sordid sex-murder affair in Malaysia: who killed Altantuya Shaariibuu?
And this: 22,000 calls at suicide hot line for war veterans...

Indianised Bible heading for success with Indian Christians...


Lakhs of Christians in India have been following the teachings of the Bible for generations. But now for the first time, the holy book has made an appearance in an Indian avatar. All this in an attempt to help Indian Christians understand the Bible better. 

A prayer service in Marathi at a chapel in Vasai outside Mumbai in an area that has a majority of Christian fisherfolk or 'kolis' comes across as a surprise for some, and a routine for others.

These villagers, who converted to Christianity generations ago, are now happy their culture is finding a resonance in the scripture. 

"The latest edition of the Bible in India now has a distinctly Indian flavour. The Virgin Mary clad in a sari, or even the flight to Egypt depicted in pictures with clear Indian imprint," says Cardinal Oswald Gracious, the Archbishop of Mumbai.

There are 27 such typical Indian sketches besides footnotes that refer to the Indian scriptures for easy understanding. 

It's a work that took 18 years to accomplish and has been inspired by similar attempts in countries like the Phillipines.

"All our prayer services are in Marathi. Now that Virgin Mary's picture is also depicted in our clothes, that makes us feel nice," says Janu Peter Patil, a fisherwoman from Vasai.

Another resident of Vasai, Marisina Jonathan Patil, adds: "We already read the Bible the Marathi, now its like our scriptures are coming closer to us."

The new edition has sold 30,000 copies in its first week and gone in for a reprint.

The Bishop of Vasai, Thomas Dabre, says, "In today's materialistic world, its not possible to follow the true Christian way of life. The Church here cannot ignore the cultural similarities. This edition is an affirmation of that.

Orthodox Christians are not impressed, though. They feel the Bible should remain untouched.
But for villagers like them, efforts like these only reaffirm a way of life they've been following for generations.

Source

See also: World's oldest Bible, Codex Sinaiticus, to go online...

And this: Jesus loves me?

Une Lamborghini fait 10.500 km en avion pour une révision à Londres!!!


Une Lamborghini a effectué plus de 10.000 km en avion entre le Qatar et le Royaume-Uni pour une simple révision dans un garage londonien, déclenchant la colère des défenseurs de l'environnement, a rapporté jeudi un quotidien britannique.

La révision du véhicule noir et or, qui appartiendrait à un riche cheikh, aurait coûté 3.552 livres (4.514 euros), et le vol aller-retour sur une ligne régulière de la compagnie Qatar Airways aux environs de 20.000 livres (25.419 euros), écrit le tabloïde The Sun, dont l'histoire fait la Une.

La Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 --la Batmobile dans le dernier gros succès du box-office américain "Batman, Le chevalier noir" sorti récemment-- coûte près de 190.000 livres (241.000 euros), poursuit le journal.

"La pollution produite par une Lamborghini est déjà suffisamment élevée, mais en faire voler une sur des milliers de kilomètres pour une révision, c'est atteindre un nouveau sommet en matière de nuisance au climat", a relevé Tony Bosworth, de l'association de protection de l'environnement Les amis de la Terre.

Une porte-parole de la marque italienne au Royaume-Uni a expliqué au Sun que la marque disposait de concessionnaires dans un certain nombre de pays pour entretenir ces bolides de luxe, mais que "ce genre de cas n'était pas inédit".

Source (en anglais)

Voir aussi: Pour en finir avec le pétrole…

Et ceci: La Voiture qui marche à l'eau...

Germans and Poles fight over nudist beach!!!


The Usedom beach on the German-Polish border has become the unlikely place for a fresh battle between the countries - a nudist war! 

On the one side white bottoms burn in the sun. On the other side conservative swimming trunk-wearers turn up their noses at the naked beachgoers.

Now a heated argument has broken out between the exhibitionist Germans and the prudish Poles. 

For the last fifty years sun-loving Germans have been preserving their naturist traditions from Ahlbeck (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) to Swinemünde. 

But following the Schengen agreement in December 2007 the fence separating the German and Polish parts of the beach was removed. 

Now German nudists are battling the Poles for their freedom to prance around naked in the sun. 

"It's ridiculous" said Swinemündes minister Edward Zajac. And Anja (28) from Poland, who clearly think the German nudists are real swines, said: "It's horrible. We would never bathe naked - we are Catholic."

But the happy-go-naked Germans are not amused. Elke Bernholz (44) said: "It's a nudist beach. It's terrible, that the Poles come over dressed and stare."

Ines Müller (46) is also shocked by the Polish behaviour: "You feel like an ape in a zoo. The Poles come with their binoculars, stare and swear."

The priest in Swinemünde, who called the nudists 'sinners', did however call for calm. 

Kazimierz Sajadeusz (68) said: "From a Catholic point of view the nudists are sinners. But in Germany the people are brought up freer. I understand, that they go bathing naked. My fellow people are sometimes a little bit sensitive."

Authorities are hoping to stop the war by putting up signs in both languages to divide the beach into a nudist area and a clothed bathing area again.

Source

See also: Italy: carry on sun-bathing, even with two corpses lying nearby?

And this: Nine British chicks arrested for taking part in oral sex competition in Zakynthos!!!

Fatboy Slim and Weapon of Choice...


Unrealeased Beatles tape discovered...

A previously unreleased tape of music recorded by The Beatles has been found in a Liverpool attic.

The tape, which has not been played since the 1960s, was found by a man who was cleaning out the loft of his elderly father's home.

A reel-to-reel Philips tape, the recording is roughly 30 minutes long. 

It includes a number of unreleased versions of The Beatles' hits including 'I Feel Fine' and 'I'm A Loser'[b/].

At one point, the band can be heard bursting into fits of laughter during an aborted take of [b]'I'll Follow The Sun'.

Beatles blog Wogew reports that the material was most likely recorded for the BBC TV programme 'Top Gear' in 1964.

The tape is being auctioned this August by Cameo Auctioneers, and is expected to reach a price between £8,000 and £12,000.

Source

See also: Beatles Paul and Ringo block "Let It Be" release...

And this: The Beatles and Norwegian Wood...

Got milk? No, wait! Got breastmilk? Hilarious...


WASILLA -- Got breast milk?

If so, don't brag about it.

The California Milk Processor Board might put you on notice too.

Talkeetna batik artist Barbara Holmes heard from the group behind the "got milk?" brand this month. 

Holmes made the mistake of advertising T-shirts and "onesies" -- those snappable one-piece underclothes for babies -- hand-lettered with the words "got breastmilk?" 

She whipped up 10 of the little things from her downtown Talkeetna home with an outhouse and no running water. She sold six at a holiday fair in the senior center two years ago, then moved on to other projects.

The letter from the board's Sacramento law firm showed up a few weeks ago. More...

See also: 90-year-old grandma gives corporate giants the finger!!!

And this: Breast-milk, nature's wonder drug...

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

Arabie saoudite - Les chats et chiens de compagnie interdits!!!


La police religieuse d’Arabie saoudite a annoncé une interdiction de vendre des chats et des chiens comme animaux de compagnie, ou de les promener en public dans la capitale saoudienne, parce que des hommes s’en servent pour faire des avances aux femmes, a déclaré un officiel mercredi.

Othman Al-Othman, chef de la Commission pour la promotion de la vertu et la prévention du vice à Riyad, connue sous le nom de Muttawa, a déclaré au quotidien Al-Hayat que la Commission a entrepris de mettre à exécution un ancien décret religieux.

Il dit que la Commission applique une décision prise il y a un mois par le gouverneur de la capitale, le Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz, basée sur un vieux décret émis par le Conseil suprême des savants saoudiens.

La raison du renforcement du décret est la tendance nouvelle chez certains hommes d’utiliser des animaux de compagnie en public « pour faire des avances aux femmes et perturber les familles » a-t-il dit, sans plus de détails.

Othman dit que la Commission a demandé à ses bureaux de la capitale « de dire aux animaleries d’arrêter la vente de chats et de chiens ».

Source

Voir aussi: Arabie saoudite - Il risque la prison pour un café avec une dame...

Et ceci: Il brûle son chien! Quel cinglé!

Saudi religious police ban pet cats and dogs!!!

Saudi Arabia's religious police have announced a ban on selling cats and dogs as pets, or walking them in public in the Saudi capital, because of men using them as a means of making passes at women, an official said on Wednesday.

Othman al-Othman, head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Riyadh, known as the Muttawa, told the Saudi edition of al-Hayat daily that the commission has started enforcing an old religious edict.

He said the commission was implementing a decision taken a month ago by the acting governor of the capital, Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz, adding that it follows an old edict issued by the supreme council of Saudi scholars.

The reason behind reinforcing the edict now was a rising fashion among some men using pets in public "to make passes on women and disturb families," he said, without giving more details.

Othman said that the commission has instructed its offices in the capital to tell pet shops "to stop selling cats and dogs".

The 5,000-strong religious police oversees the adherence to Wahabism -- a strict version of Sunni Islam, which also forces women to cover from head to toe when in public, and bans them from driving.

Source

See also: 60-year-old Saudi man "wins" 10-year-old child in a bet as bride...

And this: Mutegi, the cat that jumps, well, pretty high...

And this: The stray dogs of Moscow...

You worry about stuff? Well, here are 10 things that you can scratch from your worry list...

For most of the year, it is the duty of the press to scour the known universe looking for ways to ruin your day. The more fear, guilt or angst a news story induces, the better. But with August upon us, perhaps you’re in the mood for a break, so I’ve rounded up a list of 10 things not to worry about on your vacation.

Now, I can’t guarantee you that any of these worries is groundless, because I can’t guarantee you that anything is absolutely safe, including the act of reading a newspaper. With enough money, an enterprising researcher could surely identify a chemical in newsprint or keyboards that is dangerously carcinogenic for any rat that reads a trillion science columns every day.

What I can guarantee is that I wouldn’t spend a nanosecond of my vacation worrying about any of these 10 things.  More...

See also: Should we live for pleasure? We certainly should!!

And this: Bobby Mcferrin - Don't Worry, Be Happy...

42% des Français ne partiront pas en vacances cette année...

Un été 42...
Mais pourquoi 42 ?

Ce 42 est un pourcentage qui vient, en fait, d'un sondage publié ce jeudi 31 juillet, dans L'Humanité.

D'après une triste étude de l'IFOP, déjà reprise en "une" du site du Monde, cet été, c'est 42 % des Français qui ne partiront pas en vacances ; soit 10 % de plus qu'en 2005 !

Ce sont naturellement, logiquement, les ouvriers et les employés qui sont les plus nombreux à avoir renoncé : 41 % des ouvriers et 47 % des employés ne sont pas partis en juillet. Ils ne partiront pas davantage en août.

Les principales raisons sont, évidemment, la hausse des prix et la baisse du pouvoir d'achat.

Source

Voir aussi: Les français ne sont pas bienvenus chez nous…

Et ceci: La France:destination préférée des touristes en 2007...


Beatles Paul and Ringo block "Let It Be" release...


Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have stopped the release of Beatles film 'Let It Be'.  

The 1970 documentary reveals tensions between the Fab Four - Paul, Ringo and the late John Lennon and George Harrison - shortly before their break-up, and insiders at the band's record company, Apple, claim the two surviving members do not want it re-released. 

A source said: "There has been talk of 'Let It Be' finally being released but now there has been a change of heart. The Beatles are still a massive global brand and it's felt it won't be helped if the public sees the darker side of the story. 

Neither Paul nor Ringo would feel comfortable publicising a film showing The Beatles getting on each other's nerves." 

The film was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and shows the group recording the album of the same name, which eventually became their final studio release. 

The group's internal relations were at an all-time low during the making of the LP and recording sessions were fraught with internal squabbles. 

George Harrison took exception to Paul criticising his guitar playing, while John Lennon appeared disinterested during the entire process - preferring to spend his time with his wife Yoko Ono. 

Although the LP was their final release, the group were so disappointed with 'Let It Be' they recorded masterpiece 'Abbey Road' afterwards and released it before the much-maligned record. 

The source added to Britain's Daily Express newspaper: "People like to imagine The Beatles were a happy ship but the reality towards the end was very different as this film shows. There's all sorts of extra footage showing more squabbles but it's unlikely it will ever see the light of day in Paul and Ringo's lifetime."

Source

See also: The Beatles' "Two of Us" with upbeat tempo...

And this: Found: rare footage of the Beatles, to be called Mystery Tour Memories...

Sheikh flies Lamborghini 6,500 miles to Britain for oil change!!!

A rich Arab sent his Lamborghini on a 6,500-mile round trip to Britain for a service. 

The £190,000 supercar was put on a scheduled flight from Qatar to Heathrow – then flown BACK after the oil check. 

Money was no object as the flight would have cost the owner – thought to be a Sheikh – around £20,000. 

The move sparked fury from green campaigners. 

An airport worker said: “This car doesn’t have a carbon footprint – more of a crater.” 

The overall cost of sending the Lamborghini to London for the oil change would have cost more than £23,000. 

His black-and-gold supercar costs £3,552 to service at an approved dealer – on top of the £20,000 to freight from Qatar to Britain. 

The Murciélago LP640 – driven by Batman in movie The Dark Knight – arrived from the Middle Eastern country on Friday. 

It cleared customs and was trucked to specialist mechanics in London for the service. 

On Monday it was flown back 3,250 miles to the oil-rich state where it was collected by the owner. More...

See also: Can alcohol replace petrol as fuel? If so, why don't we know about it?

And this: Consumers are crying over oil prices, while oil executives laugh all the way to the bank...

And this: Airlines go on a diet to save fuel costs...

And this: Al Gore: do as I say, not as I do...


Leaked: Beijing 2008 Opening ceremony...

Beijing 2008 : répétition de la cérémonie d’ouverture filmée clandestinement…

Internet censuré lors des JO: la Chine assume...

La Chine a indiqué jeudi qu'elle ne reviendrait pas sur sa décision de censurer l'internet durant les jeux Olympiques, soulignant que les sites concernés enfreignaient les lois chinoises.

"Seuls quelques sites sont bloqués principalement parce qu'ils enfreignent les lois chinoises", a déclaré un porte-parole du comité d'organisation des jeux Olympiques, Sun Weide. "Nous espérons que les médias étrangers pourront respecter les lois et règlements de la Chine", a-t-il ajouté.

Mercredi, même le CIO a avoué que la Chine n'avait jamais envisagé de lever toutes les limitations imposées à la consultation d'internet par les journalistes.

Cette décision, prise mercredi matin, a suscité de nombreuses réactions: Suite...

Voir aussi: JO: Les chinois flippent complètement: de quoi ont-ils peur?

Ce ceci: JO de Pékin : ça va être épatant !

Manuel Uribe, world's heaviest man, is shrinking...


Losing 185kg (29 stones) in body weight might seem like an extreme way to get into the record books.

But that is what Manuel Uribe from Monterrey, Northern Mexico, has done. 

Now the world's heaviest man is on track to become the planet's most successful slimmer. 

Put another way, his weight loss in one year is the equivalent of shedding two fully grown adult males from his body. 

Manuel is already in the latest edition of the Guinness World Records as the heaviest living person. 

That's because, not long ago he weighed 560kg (88 stones), or half a tonne.  More...

See also: Manuel Uribe, the world's fattest man, goes on a diet...

And this: Is Chinese food the answer to obesity?

And this: Australia now world's obesity champion...

And this: Air India grounds fat air hostessess...

Daily Life in Belarus...


Belarus is a country of 10 million citizens in the heart of Europe. Its president, Alexander Lukashenko, has been in power since 1994, and U.S. Presidential candidate John McCain recently described him as a "brutal dictator" and supports continued U.S. sanctions, imposed in reaction to rigged elections in 2006. This September, over 700 international observers will be on hand to monitor new parliamentary elections, and Lukashenko may be trying to warm up to the West. Here is a look at some recent scenes in and around Belarus. 

Click here for photos...

South Africa: boys often raped by adult women...

Two out of five male South African students say they have been raped, according to a study published yesterday suggesting sexual abuse of boys is endemic in the country's schools.

The survey published in BioMed Central's International Journal for Equity in Health showed that boys were most often assaulted by adult women, followed closely by other schoolchildren.

"This study uncovers endemic sexual abuse of male children that was suspected but hitherto only poorly documented," Neil Andersson and Ari Ho-Foster of the Centre for Tropical Disease Research in Johannesburg wrote.

The findings underscore the need to raise awareness about the rape of male children and they urged further efforts to prevent sexual violence in South Africa, the researchers said.

Another problem is that the prevalence of rape is hampering efforts to combat AIDS in a country at the epicentre of the global pandemic.

"There is increasing recognition of links between sexual abuse and high-risk attitudes to sexual violence and HIV risk," the researchers wrote. "Sexually abused children are also more likely to engage in HIV high-risk behaviour."

The survey carried out in 1,200 schools across the country asked 127,000 boys aged between 10 and 19 if they had ever been sexually abused and, if so, by whom.

Abuse by fellow males was more common in rural areas while attacks by women happened mainly in cities, the study found.

Source

See also: If you're being raped, use your mobile to record it, says Sri Lanka's police chief!!! WTF!

And this: Boys, aged 11, rape (sister) and record it on cell-phone...

Beware! Google SMS is watching you!!! Hilarious!

Swiss/Libya conflict cooling down...

The foreign ministry says bilateral talks are continuing on a diplomatic level to end a row with Libya.

On Tuesday two Swiss citizens jailed for alleged immigration violations were released on bail. But no Swiss nationals are allowed to leave Libya.

Foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Philippe Jeannerat said moves were underway to restore normal relations between the two countries. Tensions began when one of the sons of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi was temporarily arrested in Geneva earlier in July.

"Work done in the past few days is beginning to show results," said Jeannerat at a media briefing on Wednesday.

"We are in talks with Libyan diplomats. Both countries agree that there are still important problems to be resolved," he added.

Jeannerat said Swiss companies paid about SFr9,000 ($8,582) in bail each to secure the release of their employees.

The two men were told they could move freely within Libya, but are not allowed to leave the country. Both of them are under consular protection. The foreign ministry refused to give further details.  More...

See also: Two Swiss released from Libyan jail...

And this: Swiss press attack Gaddafi's "revenge" and criticize his regime...

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Toilet seat woman's boyfriend will not go to prison...



A man whose girlfriend sat on a toilet for so long that the seat adhered to her body will spend six months on probation. 

Kory McFarren pleaded no contest last month to a misdemeanor count of mistreatment of a dependent adult. A judge sentenced him Tuesday to six months in jail but granted the probation after the victim, Pam Babcock, asked for leniency.

"She didn't believe that her circumstances were his fault," Ness County Attorney Craig Crosswhite said. 

Babcock's plight became known in February when McFarren called the Ness County sheriff, expressing concern about his live-in girlfriend. When authorities arrived, they found Babcock physically stuck to the toilet. 

McFarren told police Babcock had refused to come out of the bathroom for two years. Medical personnel estimated she had been sitting on the toilet for at least a month and said the seat had adhered to sores on her body. 

She is now under the protection of a guardian who was appointed through the legal department at the hospital where she received treatment. 

Also Tuesday, McFarren was sentenced to six months in jail for an unrelated charge of lewd and lascivious behavior for exposing himself to a teenage neighbor in March.

Source

See also: Stuck to the toilet seat for ... 2 years?

And this: Flush so we don't blush! Taiwanese city residents to be potty trained!!!

90-year-old grandma gives corporate giants the finger!!!


 For decades, Isabelle Champagne was a thorn in the side of the owners of Yoken's restaurant. She single-handedly put a halt to a massive supermarket on the other side of her fence blocking the view of Route 1. And, at the age of 90, she's prepared to keep fighting.

When she was a child, the land that was on the market last fall for $7 million was considered the "boonies," according to Champagne. Her family owned dozens of acres of farm land dating back to the early 19th century.

Over the years, it's dwindled down to the tiny less-than-an-acre parcel and the quaint home at 721 Peverly Hill Road, built by her late husband of 58 years, Andrew. Though her mother sold the Yoken's land for a measly $10,000, Champagne has resisted corporate attempts to buy the last bit of land she has. She's also resisted the generous offers that have included money, land elsewhere or space in an upscale Cape Cod retirement home.

This is her land, the land she grew up on and raised her family on. No matter how much the area surrounding her changes, it is still her home.

"I've lived here all my life," said Champagne, who still drives, shops, walks and uses her deer hunting license. "I don't want to go any place else." More...

See also: 78-year-old grandmother chases and catches thief! Bravo, grandma!

And this: This grandma is one helluva rocker!!!

And this: 94-year-old grandma being abused by a fat bitch...

Too intelligent to be a police officer!!!

A US man has been rejected in his bid to become a police officer for scoring too high on an intelligence test.

Robert Jordan, a 49-year-old college graduate, took an exam to join the New London police, in Connecticut, in 1996 and scored 33 points, the equivalent of an IQ of 125.

But New London police interviewed only candidates who scored 20 to 27, on the theory that those who scored too high could get bored with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training.

Mr Jordan launched a federal lawsuit against the city, but lost.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court's decision that the city did not discriminate against Mr Jordan because the same standards were applied to everyone who took the test.

He said: "This kind of puts an official face on discrimination in America against people of a certain class. I maintain you have no more control over your basic intelligence than your eye color or your gender or anything else."

He said he does not plan to take any further legal action and has worked as a prison guard since he took the test.

The average score nationally for police officers is 21 to 22, the equivalent of an IQ of 104, or just a little above average.

Source

See also: NYPD cop assaults cyclist...

And this: Toronto cops disrupt street musicians...

And this: The Cop, Culture, and People Power (Must see)

Sex tests at Beijing Olympics: no more Santhi Soundarajan humiliations...


Suspicious-looking woman athletes participating in next month's Olympic Games in Beijing will be forced to take a gender test, the Chinese authorities have announced. 

To ensure that girls will be girls, officials have set up a sex-determination laboratory where they say that tests will be conducted with the utmost delicacy by four experts from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. 

The hospital has spent more than a year designing the facility to ensure the minimum of embarrassment for those athletes who may be asked to prove their credentials. 

China wants to avoid any disruption of the kind that marred the 2006 Asia Games in Doha when Santhi Soundarajan, the Indian middle-distance runner, was stripped of the silver medal she won in the 800 metres track event after failing a sex-determination test. More...

See also: When terrorist attacks lead to sex change...

And this: Kangsadarn Wongdusadeekul, Thailand's most beautiful transvestite!


The fertility tourists flock to India...

At the end of last year, Ekaterina Aleksandrova boarded a plane in London and flew to Mumbai. It wasn't her first trip there - she is a management consultant and often goes abroad on business. But this time she went to have five embryos implanted in her womb. A couple of days later she flew back to Europe. While on business in Hong Kong in January, she discovered she was pregnant with just one embryo.

For Aleksandrova, 42, this was the culmination of a six-year struggle to become a mother. She divorced at 29, and hadn't been in a serious relationship since she was 34. "I always wanted to have a child but the men kept saying, 'Why don't we travel?'" she says. "It wasn't that I was obsessed with my career, I just couldn't get men to be a father." 

First, she tried to adopt in Germany, where she holds citizenship, but that didn't work out. Then, in 2004, she moved to the UK to take advantage of this country's more liberal attitude to single women who need IVF. She spent £18,000 in less than three years, trying and failing to conceive at a private Harley Street clinic. When she finally conceived in India, Aleksandrova was in a state of "shock and disbelief". More...

See also: World's first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born 30 years ago...

And this: Desiring a son, 70-year old Indian woman gives birth to twins...

Berlin pubs force U-turn on smoking ban...

Anti-smoking laws have been dramatically watered down in Berlin in an attempt to protect smaller bars and pubs from being driven out of business, opening the prospect of the law being challenged throughout Germany. 

In a ruling which smoking campaigners hope will set a precedent, the German Constitutional Court has ordered the government to re-draft a law which expelled smokers from bars and restaurants, or herded them into separate rooms. 

After hearing complaints by small bar owners that the ban was wrecking their trade, the judges ruled that any single-room bar or pub smaller than 75 square metres should be allowed to waive the anti-smoking legislation on condition that under-18s are not admitted and no food is prepared. 

So far, the ruling applies only to Berlin and the south-western state of Baden Wuerttemberg. However, it is expected to become the model for Germany as a whole, and many smokers hope it will start a European roll-back.  More...

See also: "Newport Nude" goes on display again after 60 years ... and is now being condemned for smoking!!!

And this: 10 cigars a day and a shot of whisky, and he's 100 years old!!!

And this: Smoking banned in German bars? No worries! Said bars are now reborn as private clubs!!!


NYPD cop assaults cyclist...

Un policier du NYPD malmène un cycliste…

China: teacher held for publishing quake photos...

A Chinese teacher has been detained for posting images on the internet of schools that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake, a rights group has said. 

Human Rights in China said Liu Shaokun had been ordered to serve a year of "re-education through labour". 

Mr Liu was detained for "disseminating rumours and destroying social order", the group said. 

The 12 May quake killed nearly 70,000 people. Many of those who died were children whose schools collapsed. 

The poor condition of the school buildings has become a sensitive political issue for the government, and grieving parents have staged numerous protests demanding an inquiry. 

Many have accused local officials of colluding with builders to allow them to get away with cheap and unsafe practices. 

"Instead of investigating and pursuing accountability for shoddy and dangerous school buildings, the authorities are resorting to re-education through labour to silence and lock up concerned citizens like teacher Liu Shaokun and others," said Human Rights in China Executive Director Sharon Hom. 

According to Human Rights in China, Mr Liu's wife was informed by police last week that the teacher, from Guanghan Middle School in Deyang city, had been sent to a labour camp. 

The "re-education through labour" system allows police to incarcerate a crime suspect for up to four years without the need for a criminal trial or a formal charge. 

The system, in place since 1957, has been widely criticised by the UN and other organisations. 

Source

See also: China quake: Chinese police harass grieving parents...

And this: Chinese official begs on his knees to prevent protests!!

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

Two Swiss released from Libyan jail...

Two Swiss citizens caught up in a diplomatic row over the arrest of Moammar Gaddafi's son have been released from custody, the foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.

The men were granted bail by a judge in Tripoli earlier in the day and are presently at the Swiss embassy and are described to be in good health.

They were detained on July 19 on alleged immigration violations and have not yet been allowed to leave Libya, the Swiss foreign ministry said.

It said in a statement that "talks between Switzerland and Libya are continuing at a diplomatic level to resolve the tensions in the bilateral relationship".

Tensions have been high since the July 15 arrest of Hannibal Gaddafi and his pregnant wife in a Geneva hotel on charges will ill-treatment of two domestic employees. The couple, which deny the allegations, were released on SFr500,000 ($478,300) bail and have since left Switzerland.

Switzerland has warned its citizens to keep away from travelling to Libya. The Libyan foreign ministry has reciprocated, cautioning its people to avoid "arbitrary measures, lack of respect and humiliation" at the hands of Swiss authorities.

Last week, Tripoli said it had halted oil shipments to Switzerland and had suspended the issuing of visas to Swiss nationals.

Source

See also: The Swiss/Libyan crisis, and a look at the Gaddafi brothers...

And this: The crisis between Libya and Switzerland worsens....

Bunch of morons kick a man unconsciousness and then steal his money...


Sickening images released by police lay bare a horrific attack by a teenage gang who kicked a man unconscious on the ground as a woman rifled through his pockets for money.

The graphic images of the town centre attack show the group kicking and punching the 27-year-old repeatedly before Gemma Stafford, 18, is seen stealing cash and cigarettes.

CCTV captured the drunken gang laying into their victim. One of the assailants is filmed delivering a horrific running kick to his head as he lay motionless.

Full story here and video...

JO: Les chinois flippent complètement: de quoi ont-ils peur?

Comme les 253 millions d'internautes chinois, les journalistes étrangers, accrédités pour les JO de Pékin, n'auront qu'une version censurée de l'internet, contrairement aux promesses des autorités. 

Cette décision, confirmée mercredi à seulement dix jours de l'événement (8-24 août), a déclenché une polémique.

Journalistes et responsables olympiques se sont indignés que l'engagement d'assouplir le contrôle de la Toile pendant les Jeux ne soit pas tenu. 

Les pages et sites concernant le mouvement spirituel Falungong, interdit en Chine, et d'autres sites non précisés, resteront verrouillés pour les plus de 5.000 journalistes travaillant au principal centre de presse des JO à Pékin (MPC, Main press center), a indiqué à l'AFP le porte-parole du comité d'organisation, Sun Weide. 

Depuis le MPC, l'AFP a pu constater l'impossibilité d'accéder à des sites dissidents, pro-tibétains ou ceux d'organisation de défense des droits de l'Homme, comme Amnesty International ou Reporters sans frontières. 

Lors d'un entretien exclusif avec l'AFP il y a deux semaines, le président du CIO Jacques Rogge s'était pourtant félicité de la liberté accordé à la presse étrangère. Suite...

Voir aussi: JO de Pékin : ça va être épatant !

Et ceci: Mystérieuse disparition du dissident Huang Qi..

Is Microsoft going to replace Windows with Midori?

With the Internet increasingly taking on the role of the PC operating system and the growing prevalence of virtualization technologies, there will be a day when the Microsoft Windows client OS as it's been developed for the past 20-odd years becomes obsolete.

Microsoft seems to be preparing for that day with an incubation project code-named Midori, which seeks to create a componentized, non-Windows OS that will take advantage of technologies not available when Windows first was conceived, according to published reports.

Although Microsoft won't comment publicly on what Midori is, the company has confirmed that it exists. Several reports -- the most comprehensive to date published on Tuesday by Software Development Times -- have gone much further than that. 

That report paints Midori as an Internet-centric OS, based on the idea of connected systems, that largely eliminates the dependencies between local applications and the hardware they run on that exist with a typical OS today. More...

See also: Microsoft to stop selling Windows XP...

And this: Windows 7 to be released next year?

Sex Pistols 1976 "live" interview most sought-after clip...

A snippet of the Sex Pistols swearing during a live broadcast in 1976 has become a television archive's most requested clip. 

The incident, which happened during an interview with Bill Grundy, topped requests received by FremantleMedia, which owns the Thames TV catalogue. 

Clips of former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson running along the beach came second in the list. 

Talent show winners Paul Potts, Leona Lewis and Will Young also featured. 

Opera singer Potts, who won TV variety show Britain's Got Talent in 2007, comes third in the top ten with requests for his first performance on the programme. 

Fourth most popular are Jack Regan's catchphrases "shut it" and "you're nicked" from police drama The Sweeney. More...

Watch the video here...

Is your hotel room clean? How to find out...

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

What happens when you don't turn on the TV for a week?

“What could you accomplish if you stopped watching TV? What would you do with all the extra time?” My wife asked me these questions two weeks ago. After a short discussion, we decided to find out for ourselves. We completely eliminated television from our lives last week. It turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience. We now have a plan to drastically reduce our future viewing habits.

Here are 40 positive effects from our week without television.

Wrote 4 blog posts. – I usually only have time to write 2 articles a week.

Made it to the gym 5 times. – I went Monday through Friday for about 45 minutes, hitting every major muscle group.

Increased household communication. – TV kills the flow of household communication. We both noticed that we had a lot more time to talk.

Read a novel cover to cover. – I read the short novel “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse. It’s a powerful story about the importance of life experiences as they relate to approaching an understanding of reality and attaining enlightenment. I highly recommend it.  More...

See also: Simon's cat TV dinner...

And this: Indian jailbird Dara Singh goes on hunger strike to have cable TV in his cell!!!

Thierry Henry to play for ... Manchester United??!!


SIR ALEX FERGUSON is weighing up a shock £15m swoop to sign Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

The Manchester United boss has been forced to look at other strikers after being blocked so far in his attempts to sign Dimitar Berbatov. 

And ex-Arsenal star Henry is one of those near the top of his list. Ferguson believes the Barcelona forward could do a similar job to Berbatov, leading the line at Old Trafford in a role which would release Wayne Rooney from his shackles. 

The United boss has also run the rule over Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz and Ajax’s highly-rated Klass Jan Huntelaar. 

But it is the emergence of Henry as one player in the frame that will come as a huge shock to Premier League supporters – particularly Gunners fans. 

The thought of seeing their hero line up in a United shirt will fill Arsenal followers with dread – but such a prospect is not out of the question. 

Ferguson is desperate to bring in another forward, but with Spurs playing hardball and seeking to find other buyers for £30m Berbatov, the Scot has been forced to cast his net further afield. 

There are few players in Europe with the pedigree to fulfil the role, which has led Ferguson to check out Henry’s situation at the Nou Camp. 

Though new boss Pep Guardiola has indicated he wants Henry, 30, to stay, the fact Samuel Eto’o is still at the club means the Frenchman could be available. 

The United boss has a history of making surprise signings – the likes of Eric Cantona and Henrik Larsson all came out of left-field. 

And he has no qualms going in for a player with such a big Arsenal history as he proved two years ago by trying to tempt Patrick Vieira to Old Trafford. 

Much depends on whether Ferguson wants a player to make an immediate impact, or a signing to build for the future. 

Dutch striker Huntelaar represents a long-term plan but in Henry, Ferguson knows he would be getting a player already adept at the demands of Premier League and Champions League football.

Source

See also: Nigerians look to England for their soccer thrills...

And this: Manchester United to woo fans in India...

Woman abusing a puppy...

Une femme en train d'abuser un chiot...

Thieves break into shop and steal a ... shark???

British police were searching for a shark stolen from an aquatics shop over the weekend in southern England.

The female Australian marbled cat shark was one of a breeding pair kept in a converted garage in the back of a store owned by Peter Newman in Farnborough, about 20 miles west of London's Heathrow Airport, police said Tuesday.

The shark, two feet long and mottled brown, is rare in Britain, police said.

Newman, 68, said he realized the shark was missing Saturday morning when he found the door to the converted garage ajar and the lights on inside.

"I'm just very angry really," he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Whoever came in there clearly knew what they were after. They probably would have taken the pair, but the male's a bit harder to catch really."

The two sharks have produced seven pups, which are kept in an adjacent tank, Newman said. None of them were taken in the theft.

His wife, June Newman, said the pair might together be worth as much as $20,000 because of their rarity. She said her husband might have left a door unlocked.

She also said she was puzzled by the theft, explaining that it would have been difficult to snatch the shark because the top of the tank was around five feet off the ground.

"It's mind-boggling to me as to how this shark has been taken," she said.

Source

See also: Wily thief escapes by baring breasts!!!

And this: The Shark and the Octopus...

2008, the year Spain went on a winning streak...


A cheer rose from Madrid's Plaza de San Andrés on Sunday as cycling fans, gathered around televisions, watched native son Carlos Sastre coast around Paris's Arc de Triomphe to win the Tour de France. But the ovation was polite compared to the roar that greeted Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon victory two weeks earlier or the raucous all-night party ignited by Spain's soccer team when it claimed the European Cup on June 29. Spain, it seems, is getting accustomed to winning. 

With this impressive string of victories, Spain has emerged as an international sports powerhouse. Indeed, in 2007, Spanish athletes competing in Olympic Federation sports won 66 medals in international competitions and 114 in European ones, up from 21 and 22, respectively, in 2003. Spain is now readying for unprecedented performances at the Olympics. 

"In June and July we have had two months without comparison in our history," Jaime Lissavetzky, secretary of state for sports, said at a press conference Sunday. "It proves that there are many high-level athletes in this country, and it could be a good omen for the Olympics."  More...

See also: Fernando Torres pays tribute to Liverpool and snubs Chelsea...

And this: Spain are the 2008 Euro champions!!

And this: Soccer more popular than sex! Erotic festival can't compete with Euro 08!!!

And this: Wimbledon 2008: the best final ever?

La Suisse, pays de "mesures arbitraires" selon la Libye...

"Du fait des mesures arbitraires, du non-respect et de l'humiliation infligés par les autorités suisses aux citoyens arabes et libyens, (le ministère) déconseille aux citoyens de la Grande Jamahirya de se rendre en Suisse pour éviter de faire face à de telles mesures arbitraires", a indiqué le ministère sur son site internet.

Hannibal Kadhafi - le fils du dirigeant libyen Mouammar Kadhafi - et son épouse ont été arrêtés le 15 juillet dans un hôtel de Genève. Ils ont été inculpés de lésions corporelles simples, menaces et contraintes envers deux domestiques, une Tunisienne et un Marocain, qui ont déposé plainte contre eux. Le couple a pu regagner la Libye après avoir versé une caution de 500'000 francs.

En réaction à cette arrestation, les autorités de Tripoli ont arrêté deux ressortissants suisses qu'elles accusent de violation des disposition sur l'immigration et le séjour. Elles ont également pris des sanctions contre des entreprises suisses basées dans le pays.

En raison de l'interdiction de trafic décrétée par la Libye, Swiss a annulé six vols à destination de Tripoli depuis le 20 juillet. La compagnie aérienne a supprimé quatre liaisons en raison de l'interdiction de trafic décrétée par la Libye et a décidé d'annuler deux des vols autorisés.

Swiss a décidé de ne pas voler dimanche dernier "pour des raisons opérationnelles", a indiqué Jean-Claude Donzel, porte-parole de Swiss. Le vol du dimanche 20 juillet avait été supprimé pour les mêmes motifs.

Source

Voir aussi: La Libye et la Suisse: la crise s'intensifie...

Et ceci: L’affaire Hannibal Gaddafi : La Libye cesse de livrer du pétrole à la Suisse...

China: angry air travellers smash up airport!!

Scores of Chinese air passengers have smashed computers and desks and clashed with police after a night stranded at an airport without accommodation, state media said.

More than 170 passengers were due to leave Kunming, capital of south-western Yunnan province, on three flights operated by China Southern Airlines late on Monday, but the flights were cancelled due to bad weather, Xinhua news agency said.

"All the passengers had to spend the night on the planes or in the departure hall," Xinhua said. "No one came to tend to their food and board."

The passengers clashed with airport police this morning, smashing computers and desks, Xinhua said, blaming the melee on China Southern staff's "inappropriate working attitude".

Around 2:00am (local time), many of the passengers - including toddlers and people over 60 - took taxis to a hotel where China Southern said they could stay, only to be turned away once they arrived, Xinhua said.

Frustration at mysterious delays, diversions and cancellations have at times boiled over into violence at Chinese airports as passengers try to storm grounded aircraft and police are brought in to keep the peace.

There have also been cases in which passengers, after delayed arrivals, have refused to get off the planes in protest.

Source

See also: Checking travellers at airports: security or humiliation?

And this: WTF!Bush flies into Heathrow, pisses off 40,000 passengers!!!

Crazy dare-devils do crazy bike stunts!

Ce n'est pas le Tour de France mais des cyclists vraiment fous!!!


Barack Obama has a brother in China...

BARACK Obama’s half-brother has been helping to promote cheap Chinese exports in a low-profile business career while the Democratic senator has been winning worldwide fame in his race for the White House. 

He has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid public attention and his family links remain unknown to most of his acquaintances in Shenzhen, a border boomtown in southern China where he has lived since 2002. 

Mark Ndesandjo is the son of Barack Obama’s late father and his third wife, an American woman named Ruth Nidesand who runs the up-market Maduri kindergarten in Nairobi. 

Obama, however, refers to him simply as “my brother” and says he was the only uncontested heir after their father, a Kenyan, died in a car crash in 1982. More...

See also: He ventured forth to bring light to the world!!!

And this: Obama City's Obama dancing girls!!!


Who is Haruki Murakami?


Haruki Murakami is quite possibly the most successful and influential cult author in the world today. The 59-year-old sells millions of books in Japan. His fifth novel, Norwegian Wood, sold more than 3.5m copies in its first year and his work has been translated into 40 languages, in which he sells almost as well. Last year’s novella, After Dark, shifted more than 100,000 copies in English in its first three months. His books are like Japanese food — a mix of the delicate, the deliberately bland and the curiously exotic. Dreams, memory and reality swap places, all leavened with dry humour. His translator, Professor Jay Rubin, says reading Murakami changes your brain. His world-view has inspired Sofia Coppola, the author David Mitchell and American bands such as the Flaming Lips. He is a recipient of the Franz Kafka prize, has honorary degrees from Princeton and Liège, and is tipped for the Nobel prize for literature. More...

See also:  Salman Rushdie wins Best of Booker prize...

And this:  Book burning? In the 21st. century?

Monday, July 28, 2008

Inde: Chhotu le chien devant le tribunal ... de nouveau!!!


Un chien a été traduit en justice dans l'État indien de Bihar. Nommé Chhotu, l'animal est accusé d'avoir troublé la paix en mordant plusieurs personnes.

Les policiers ont demandé qu'une action sévère soit prise contre lui. Ses propriétaires affirment pour leur part qu'il n'a attaqué que des cambrioleurs.

Ce n'est pas la première fois que Chhotu a des ennuis avec la justice. En 2003, un juge l'a condamné à mort pour les mêmes raisons. Des militants pour les droits des animaux ont cependant fait renverser la décision.

Chhotu sera de retour devant le tribunal le 5 août prochain.

Source

Voir aussi: Pit-bull mord garçon; garçon mord pit-bull!!!

Et ceci: Le chien le plus heureux au monde!!!

Et ceci: Heart-Kun, le chien qui a du coeur!!!

India:Chhotu the dog appears in court ... again!!!


A dog has appeared in court in the eastern Indian state of Bihar accused of breaching the peace. 

Police demanded severe action against the dog for biting people. Its owner says it has only attacked burglars. 

The dog, named Chhotu, has been in trouble with the law before. In 2003, a magistrate sentenced Chhotu to death. 

Neighbours complained he had gone mad and bitten several people. But animal rights activists managed to get the decision reversed.

Chhotu made his latest appearance in a crowded court on Thursday in the town of Purnea. 

"The court was compelled to issue a summons to the dog since the police found that it was a threat to peace and feared that it might create a law and order problem," district official Rajiv Ranjan said. 

In court Chhotu appeared to have been on best behaviour. More...

See also: Some jerk put a dog into a washing machine ... and turned it on...

And this: How to make a sculptured dog cake! Boy oh boy!!

And this: Heart-Kun - the Dog With a Heart-Shaped Mark

Otis Redding is sittin' on the dock of the bay...

St Tropez residents declare war on jet-set helicopters...

Jean-Claude Molho and his wife, Martine, have no need for an alarm clock. Their wake-up call comes almost every day at about 7.30am, when, out of the hills of Font Mourier, a helicopter thunders over their whitewashed villa and makes sleep an impossibility.

It is not the peace and quiet they expected from their retirement, and they are not happy. Along with thousands of other locals, they have begun to mobilise against the celebrities, businessmen and formula one racing drivers who treat private helicopters as a taxi service and have turned the airspace above St Tropez into one of the busiest in Europe. 

"It's hellish. They come over every five minutes," Molho said, his lavish grey eyebrows arching as rotor blades droned into earshot over his patio. "It starts in April and goes on until the end of August. At night you have to close all the windows and shutters because it starts when you're still in bed."

Things have got so bad that Molho, president of the pressure group Halte Hélico, handed in a petition this month to local authorities complaining that not enough was being done to protect long-term residents from the summertime pollution of a noisy minority. More than 4,000 people signed it, warning that if no action were taken by August 1, they would block the nearest official landing site, at Grimaud, and stop its well-heeled clientele from boarding their flights. More...

See also: Egyptian ferry verdict: the rich and the powerful need not fear the law...

And this: Welcome to the Poverty Tour...


England's pride of white lion cubs!! Pretty cute...


Fluffy, mewing and the purest of pale, these white lion cubs have become an instant hit.

The adorable infants – born to two different mothers – help form the world’s largest pride of this striking species in captivity.

The cubs, who made their public debut today, take the number of white lions at West Midland Safari Park in Worcestershire to 19.

Two male cubs, named Star and Haze, were born on April 6 to lioness Natasha, before another four cubs were born on May 2 to their mother Maryn.

The latest cubs - three male and one female - have been named Neptune, Ariel, Oberon and Ophelia.

Wendy Jackson, the park’s spokeswoman, said the first outing of the ‘very playful’ cubs from the lion house led to queues of people eager to see them.

She said: ‘They went out today for the first time and they are just like large kittens, padding about and getting braver and braver by the second.

‘They walk in a row and follow each other, which is really comical.’

Meanwhile, she said, the cubs’ mothers, who are rearing their young away from the rest of the pride, watch their every step.

The park’s white lion collection has grown from four animals who were introduced in 2004.

The lions are not albino but are a rare mutation of lion found in a 200-square-mile area called Timbavati, in South Africa’s bush country.

According to African folklore, once every hundred years, magical white lions will be born bringing joy to those who witness them.

Source

See also: Kevin Richardson, the lion whisperer of South Africa...

And this: The lion would not remember, they said...

And this: The lion sleeps tonight. Beautiful!