Life and Thoughts of The One Ocean: December 2006

Just a few more clicks

and VIOLA ! - How to be THE PERFECT BOYFRIEND ! LOL - Yeah Right? LOL

How to be THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND !!!

VideoJug

Surprisingly enough I had done a search on "love" but ended up with this more than amusing video clip... Its amazing what Goggle will bring you to when happen to (be) "Feeling Lucky"

Santa's Little Helpers' Production : Educational Video !!! LOL

VideoJug

Smokers prescribed Viagra

13:16 Wednesday 13th December 2006

Smokers trying to quit in Glasgow have been mistakenly prescribed Viagra.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said the error was due to a computer error, reports the BBC.

When GPs selected anti-smoking pill Zyban, computers selected sildenafil - the name for Viagra.

An NHS spokeswoman said: "At no time was patient care affected by this as all prescriptions are subject to stringent double checking."

After all They're Only Women - Serbia's celebrity sulkers

11:04 Wednesday 13th December 2006

Two elderly women who are the only inhabitants of a remote Serbian village have become famous for not speaking to each other.

Ruzica Markovic and Ljubica Paunovic, from Serbia's smallest village of Grade, fell out after one insulted the other's cow three years ago.

Previously, they had lived in harmony in Grade, which has no electricity, running water, TV or access to radio, for decades.

But Paunovic stopped talking to Markovic after she overheard her make a rude comment about one of her cows.

Paunovic has since contacted local newspapers about the spat and the pair now have become cult figures in the press, trading daily insults.

Markovic said: "I am having the newspapers specially delivered to me every day just so I can find out what she's been saying about me."

Violent Christian video game shocks US

10:34 Wednesday 13th December 2006

A new computer game in which players must kill or convert non-Christians is causing controversy in the US.

Liberal and progressive Christian groups are calling for retail giant Wal-Mart to pull the game from its shelves.

The game - Left Behind: Eternal Forces - is based on the Book of Revelation when Jesus has taken his people to heaven and left nonbelievers behind to face the Antichrist.

The Campaign to Defend the Constitution and the Christian Alliance for Progress are urging Wal-Mart to take it off sale, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

Clark Stevens, co-director of the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, said: "It pushes a message of religious intolerance."

And Christian Alliance for Progress president, the Rev Tim Simpson, added: "So, under the Christmas tree this year for little Johnny is this allegedly Christian video game teaching Johnny to hate and kill?"

Left Behind Games' president Jeffrey Frichner insists the game is actually pacifist because players lose 'spirit points' every time they gun down nonbelievers instead of converting them.

"You are fighting a defensive battle in the game," he said. "You are a sort of a freedom fighter."

Wal-Mart has no plans to pull Left Behind: Eternal Forces from any of the 200 of its 3,800 stores that offer the game.

"We look at the community to see where it will sell," said spokeswoman Tara Raddohl. "We have customers who are buying it and really haven't received a lot of complaints about it from our customers at this time."

Singing sheep in demand

09:24 Wednesday 13th December 2006

A single featuring singing sheep is to be released for the second year in a row due to public demand.

The Baarmy Sheep's version of Jingle Bells appeared on the Cumbria Tourism website last year and received thousands of downloads.

This year, the website has been inundated with requests for the song from around the world.

A Cumbria Tourism spokesman told the BBC: "We really had no intention of releasing this single again and the plan had been to quietly retire the Baarmy Sheep for good.

"We have been amazed by the amount of people who have been in touch wanting to hear them, so we are making it available again absolutely free from our website.

"Clearly there is still an appetite for the Baarmy Sheep and if Slade can re-release Merry Christmas Everyone after 30 years we can do this."

Toilet roll finally runs out

08:45 Wednesday 13th December 2006

A Swedish police station has ordered toilet paper - for the first time in 20 years.

In 1986, an admin error meant the police station in Hagfors ended up with 20 years worth of paper.

A worker ticked the wrong box that meant they got sent 20 pallets of toilet roll instead of 20 packets, reports Metro.

Officials tried to return it, but they were told to do so would be time-consuming and expensive.

Lottery couple told to stop being generous

08:44 Wednesday 13th December 2006

A couple who won nearly £8m on the lottery have been told to stop giving away their money.

Ray and Barbara Wragg, from Sheffield, who won £7.6m on the lottery in 2000 have given away £6m of their fortune.

Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield and Sheffield Children's Hospital have been the main beneficiaries.

The couple have now been told by their financial advisor to stop giving away their cash.

According to the BBC, Mrs Wragg said: "We decided that £7.6m was too much for two people. If we could give more we would."

Huge willy seen from space

08:24 Wednesday 13th December 2006

Jokers drew a huge willy on the roof of a school that was so large it could be spotted from space.

However, the willy wasn't noticed until it was seen on Google Earth.

It is thought former pupils at Yarm School at Stockton on Tees carried out the prank.

According to the Sun one former pupil said: "A couple of ex-students hopped over the school fence on a weekend and went unnoticed by guards.

"They managed to get on the roof of the Friary building and somehow mark on the willy. They also burnt a manhood into the grass."

Although the willy on the roof has been removed the outline can still be seen on Google.

A spokesman for Google said: "If users spot something offensive we would consider having it removed."

Burial grounds of the Ipswich Serial Killer discovered ???

Police fear worst over body finds

Detectives hunting the serial killer of three prostitutes now "fear the worst" as specialists continue to comb the bleak woodland where two more bodies were found.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has pledged full support for officers working on the case, as the News of the World offered an "historic" £250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

A Home Office pathologist is examining the body of one of the two women, which detectives said had been removed from woods at Levington, Suffolk, to allow Dr Nat Cary to carry out post-mortem tests.

Suffolk police said the second body - found about 150 yards away - would be moved on Thursday. Officers said they were still unable to confirm that the dead women were missing prostitutes Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29.

The women were the fourth and fifth found dead near Ipswich in a 10-day period. Fellow Ipswich prostitutes Gemma Adams, 25, Tania Nicol, 19, and Anneli Alderton, 24, were found dead in nearby villages.

The two naked bodies were discovered close to the A14 dual carriageway which runs south of Ipswich and links the port of Felixstowe with the Midlands.

Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull said detectives are sure that none of the five women died where they were found. "We have not found what appear to be murder scenes," he said.

"What we are dealing with appear to be deposition sites where the bodies have been dumped."

He said police chiefs were "emotionally overwhelmed" after learning five prostitutes had been found dead. He said there was "stunned silence" when a meeting of police commanders was given the news.

"These tragic events have clearly overwhelmed us... emotionally," said Mr Gull, who is leading the hunt for the serial killer targeting women in the Ipswich red light area.

William and Harry briefed over Princess Diana inquiry

Prince William and Prince Harry have been informed of the results of the Metropolitan Police's investigation into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The royal brothers were briefed on the conclusions of the high profile inquiry, which has probed conspiracy theories that their mother was murdered.

Their briefing came the day before the report is being made public.

Clarence House refused to confirm that a meeting had taken place.

William, 24, and 22-year-old Harry are believed to be among the first to officially learn of the conclusions.

The Prince of Wales was interviewed last year as part of the investigation and apparently asked in a one-to-one meeting with Lord Stevens if he ever plotted to assassinate his ex-wife.

Charles is expected to have been told of the findings by his sons.

Diana, 36, and her 42-year-old lover Dodi Fayed, were killed when their Mercedes crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris in August 31, 1997.

Dodi's father Mohamed al Fayed is expected to be given the report on Thursday morning, his spokesman said.

Former Met Police chief Lord Stevens will unveil his conclusions at a press conference on Thursday in central London. He is widely expected to say the Princess and lover Dodi Fayed died as a result of a tragic accident, caused by drunk chauffeur Henri Paul.

Mothers lose Iraq war inquiry bid

An attempt to force the Government to order a public inquiry into Britain's involvement in the Iraq conflict has been rejected by the Court of Appeal.

The mothers of two British soldiers killed in Iraq had challenged the Government's refusal to hold an independent inquiry.

But the court dismissed their claim that the Government was under an implied obligation to hold an independent inquiry under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the "right to life".

Three appeal judges, in a combined judgment, said: "We have every sympathy for the applicants. The deaths of their sons must be unbearable.

"However, the deaths will be investigated in detail. The only question which will not be investigated is the invasion question, namely whether the Government took reasonable steps to be satisfied that the invasion of Iraq was lawful under the principles of international law."

The case was brought by Beverley Clarke, mother of Trooper David Jeffrey Clarke, and Rose Gentle, mother of Fusilier Gordon Gentle.

Trooper Clarke, 19, from Littleworth, Staffordshire, was one of two soldiers who died in March 2003 in a "friendly fire" incident west of Basra.

Fusilier Gentle, 19, from Glasgow, of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, died in June 2004 in an improvised explosive device attack on British vehicles in Basra.

The two mothers are now likely to petition the Law Lords for permission to appeal to the House of Lords.

After Tuesday's judgment, Chris Nineham, a spokesman for Military Families Against the War, said: "Once more the possibility of a serious inquiry into what led us to war has been closed down. The implication of the ruling is that in matters of war the Government is above the law and is not accountable to the people in any way."

FOLLOW UP - Save The Small Penises !! (No wonder STD's are quite high in India, They cant find the condoms that Fit!!! )

Condoms too big for Indians

Doctors are calling for smaller condoms to be made for India after a survey revealed existing ones are too big.

More than 1,200 volunteers from all over the country had their penises measured precisely, down to the last millimetre.

About 60% had penises three to five centimetres shorter than international standards, making condoms more likely to slip off.

Doctor Chander Puri, of the Indian Council of Medical Research, said there was a need in India for custom-made condoms.

Mr Puri said there should be vending machines dispensing different size condoms all around the country.

"There is anxiety talking about the issue. And normally one feels shy to go to a chemist's shop and ask for a smaller size condom," he told the BBC.

Sunil Mehra, former editor of the Indian version of the men's magazine Maxim, said Indian men should not feel embarrassed.

"It's not size, it's what you do with it that matters," he said. "From our population, the evidence is Indians are doing pretty well."

Burglars gave money to victim

09:43 Tuesday 12th December 2006

Romanian police are looking for two burglars who broke into an woman's apartment - and left her some money.

Filofteia Stefan, 86, from Constanta, told police two young men, wearing masks, trashed her apartment.

She said they rummaged for money or valuables but found only her wallet with the equivalent of 50p inside.

The burglars then gave the woman all of their loose change - and left without taking anything.

The victim handed the money - more than £1 - to the police for fingerprint analysis.

X-rated Christmas decorations

10:57 Tuesday 12th December 2006

A gift shop is in trouble for selling x-rated Christmas decorations.

The decorations depict characters such as a reindeer and a snowman couple in a variety of sexual poses.

The 'Pornaments' are being sold by Spencer's Gift stores in the US.

A local church group In Jacksonville, in Florida, has picketed one of the stores, with protesters reportedly chanting: "We want to save our generation from Pornaments."

White Xmas up for grabs on eBay

08:51 Tuesday 12th December 2006

A British company is offering a white Christmas on eBay to raise money for charity.

The winner of the auction will receive a 10-tonne lorry load of snow on Christmas Eve.

The offer also includes a decorated Christmas tree, a front door wreath and Christmas lights, reports the Mirror.

The SNO!zone company, which runs three indoor ski slopes, is behind the auction.

It promises to deliver the snow in refrigerated trucks to any property in England and Wales with reasonable access and enough outdoor space.

It will be placed outside the buyer's home by "trained staff", the eBay listing says.

The eBay listing warns: "There is no guarantee attached to how long the snow will last and there is no provision for the snow to be removed."

Proceeds from the auction will go to the NSPCC children's charity.

The online auction ends on December 18.

Phallic Xmas tree upsets neighbours

08:31 Tuesday 12th December 2006

A South Yorkshire man upset his neighbours - with his willy-shape outdoor Christmas tree.

Alan Parkin, 47, from Penistone, trimmed his 10ft conifer into a phallic shape and decorated it with red and white lights.

But his prank upset his neighbours who complained to police, reports the Daily Mirror.

One said: "It's rather rude. There are children and teenagers about and I don't think it's good for them to see." Another added: "It's just obscene. We shouldn't have to put up with it."

Officers visited his home and asked him to remove the lights to make the tree less suggestive.

But Mr Parkin has agreed to go all the way - and give the tree the snip.

He said: "It was just a laugh. If it offended anybody, then the shape will be altered.

"I was amazed when police called around. They said they had received a complaint and would I mind removing the lights so it didn't look offensive."

But not all neighbours were outraged. Constance Barnard, a widow in her 60s, said: "It doesn't bother me.

"I didn't know we had anyone around here so pious as to complain to police. I'm a churchgoer but I don't think about it. I'm a live-and-let-live lady."

Naomi's gobbledygook wins award

08:27 Tuesday 12th December 2006

Naomi Campbell has won an award - for talking nonsense.

Naomi, 36, won the Plain English Campaign's Foot in Mouth award, reports the Sun.

The award was for saying she adores traditional English food, then adding: "There's nothing I like more than a lovely bowl of pasta."

Germaine Greer, 67, scooped a Golden Bull award for a column in the Guardian newspaper.

She wrote: "The first attribute of the art object is that it creates a discontinuity between itself and the unsynthesised manifold."

Other winners included councils and firms. A job ad from recruitment consultant Wheale Thomas Hodgins said: "Our client is a pan-European start-up leveraging current cutting edge IP (already specified) with an outstanding product/value solutions set."

Stress caused woman to believe she was French

08:15 Tuesday 12th December 2006

A Bath woman convinced herself she was French after she developed a rare disorder.

Louise Clarke, 30, a recruitment consultant, babbled away in French for weeks, according to the Sun.

She demanded croissants, rang her pals to tell them she was living in Paris and even invited them over.

Louise said: "It might sound funny to others, but suddenly thinking you are French is terrifying."

She had been in France four years before becoming one of only four people in Britain, and 200 in the world, to be diagnosed with Susac's syndrome.

The brain disorder, which can be brought on by stress, is thought to affect blood vessels leading to the brain, ears and eyes and can scramble memories.

Louise is now controlling it with steroids and other medication and has been told it can last up to five years.

She said: "It was a really tough time for my family. At one point my sister discovered I had phoned all my friends and told them to come and visit me in Paris. She had to ring them all back to explain what had happened."

Winning syndicate's numbers not entered

10:53 Monday 11th December 2006

A Belgian lottery syndicate who thought they had won 27 million euros were devastated when they found the wrong numbers had been entered.

The group of 30 from Mouscron, south-west of Brussels, had been using the same numbers to enter the EuroMillions jackpot for weeks.

Members of the syndicate started to celebrate when their numbers came up in Friday's draw, reports the BBC.

However, the person in charge of buying the ticket had allowed the machine to choose random numbers instead.

Local cafe owner Christiane Farvacque said: "One of us came into the cafe after the draw on Friday and said we had won 27m euros. We were all celebrating. Everyone was calling family and friends."

When she phoned lottery organisers, she was told there had been no winning entry.

She added: "We knew something was wrong. We spent all night trying to find out what had happened."

After tracking down the person who bought the ticket - the local bookshop owner, they realised their normal numbers had not been entered.

She said: "We were all bitterly disappointed. You think you are the only winners in Europe, but you end up with nothing."

Mrs Farvacque said she cannot forgive her friend for the mistake: "Even in 20 years' time, my hair will stand up on end whenever I see her."

Santa fights crime

10:36 Monday 11th December 2006

A German Santa turned crimefighter when he leapt into action to chase two shoplifters.

Santa Claus Dieter Thurn, 52, was in his grotto in a department store in Bremen when he saw the crooks, aged 20 and 23, filling their rucksacks with expensive cosmetics.

Thurn flew after the pair and managed to hold them down until the police arrived.

Daniel Ingeborg, six, who was visiting the store with his mother, told local press: "Santa's so cool. He gives presents and fights crime. He's like Superman but better."

If You are a Teacher and DARE to Teach children the Truth : BEWARE You Might find yourself Unemployed !!!

'No Santa' teacher sacked

A teacher has been sacked for telling children there is no Santa.

Parents were furious when their kids returned home telling them they had also been taught elves and fairies did not exist either.

The supply teacher, in her 30s, had her contract terminated after complaints to the head.

According to the Sun, mum Amanda Piovesana, 30, said: "It's taken away the magic."

Another mother of a pupil at Boldmere Junior School in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, said: "Everyone is disgusted."

Head Diane Thomas-Wood confirmed: "We have followed up the matter with the agency."

The "Romeo & Juliet" Balcony Scene, Re-Enacted By Contemporary College Students

Posted 3 days ago

(Romeo approaches Juliet’s sorority house balcony and gazes upward.)

Romeo: What’s with all the light breaking through that window, hasn’t this broad heard of blinds? Man, take a look at those legs. I wish I was an Ugg boot upon that foot, so I could be near those legs.

Juliet: What up?

Romeo: Whoa, hey. I was just –

Juliet: Why are you on my lawn?

Romeo: Listen, you’re definitely one of the hottest girls in Flugel’s psych class, or whatever. I’m Romeo.

Juliet: Romeo, Romeo, what kind of a name is Romeo? Why don’t you change it to something less awkward, like “Blake.” I know a couple of cool “Blake”s.

Romeo: (aside) What’s with this bitch?

Juliet: What’s in a name, anyway? You can call Justin Timberlake’s latest album “Potato Salad” if you want – it’ll still get a party bumpin’.

Romeo: I don’t understand why you’d want to call his album “Potato Salad.”

Juliet: That’s not the point, Blake.

Romeo: My name is still Romeo.

Juliet: Exactly.

Romeo: You know what, I’m just gonna go watch SportsCenter.

Juliet: No wait, hold up. How do I know you?

Romeo: We played Flip Cup last Thursday at the TKE party, so I Facebook’d you. I know maybe that’s kind of –

Juliet: Listen, if Campus Safety sees you, you’re fucked.

Romeo: Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye
Than twenty of their swords!

Juliet: They have swords? You need to peace.

Romeo: Never mind.

Juliet: Look, you’re cute. But how do I know you love me?

Romeo: (singing) I swear… by the moon and the stars in the sky…

Romeo & Juliet: (singing) I’ll be there… I love you with every beat of my –

Juliet: No. This isn’t right.

Romeo: But we love each other.

Juliet: No, the lyrics. The next line is “I swear like the shadow that’s by your side.” I have to go. Goodnight.

Romeo: Let’s talk blue balls.

Juliet: Excuse me?

Romeo: I said let’s have a frank and honest conversation about the blue balls you’re about to give me.

(Juliet’s cell phone rings.)

Juliet: It’s my retarded brother, Ernie. I have to go, sometimes he eats wood. (She leaves.)

Romeo: Was this all a dream?

Juliet: (re-enters) Seriously though, text me.

Romeo: I don’t have your number.

(Juliet’s phone rings.)

Juliet: I have to go, it’s Ernie. Sometimes he throws cats.

Romeo: But I don’t –

Juliet: ’Nighters times a thousand.

(Juliet leaves and re-enters.)

Juliet: All right, let’s hang out tomorrow. Do you like skee ball?

Romeo: Do I ever.

Juliet: How’s 8?

Romeo: Can we do 9? I want to catch “My Name Is Earl.”

Juliet: Sounds good.

Romeo: Later babe.

Oprah Gives Audience Members Debit Cards

CHICAGO (AP) - Oprah Winfrey has famously given members of her audience new cars, paid off their debts and fulfilled their wildest dreams. Now she's given them what she calls the "gift of giving back."

On a show that aired Monday, Winfrey gave more than 300 audience members $1,000 debit cards sponsored by the Bank of America to donate to a charitable cause.

Winfrey called the show her "favorite giveaway ever."

"I can honestly say that every gift I've ever given has brought at least as much happiness to me as it has to the person I've given it to," the 52-year-old talk-show host said. "That's the feeling I want to pass on to you."

People can give the entire sum to one person - relatives aren't eligible - or they can split it among charitable causes. Audience members also received a DVD recorder to tape their stories for a future show.

"You're going to open your hearts, you're going to be really creative, and you're going to spend it all at once on one stranger or spend a dollar on every person," Winfrey said. "Imagine the love and kindness you can spread with $1,000."

---

On the Net:

The Oprah Winfrey Show: http://www2.oprah.com/index.jhtml

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061030/D8L33HD80.html

Mom Is Accused of Giving Baby Cocaine

Mom Is Accused of Giving Baby Cocaine
Oct 30 1:24 PM US/Eastern

A woman whose year-old daughter died of a drug overdose was charged with murder after police found traces of cocaine in the baby's bottle, police said Monday.
Daniela Toledo do Prado, 21, brought her daughter Vitoria to the hospital on Saturday night, complaining that the child was suffering from convulsions caused by drinking spoiled milk.

The child vomited repeatedly and died of heart failure early Sunday, police investigator Paulo Roberto Rodrigues said.

Doctors found a suspicious white powder on the girl's tongue. The mother claimed the powder was milk but it tested positive for cocaine, Rodrigues said.

Police searched the mother's house and found a hypodermic needle and a bottle hidden behind a shelf in a baby supply bag. The bottle and the needle had traces of cocaine.

"In my 26 years in the profession, I have never seen a mother trying to poison her own child," said Rodrigues.

Rodrigues said Prado did not remember whether she had put cocaine in the bottle.

Prado was charged with homicide and could face between 12 and 30 years in prison if convicted.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/30/D8L3472G0.html

Police: Man Beat Hotel Clerk Who Refused Sex

MIRAMAR, Fla. -- A man was arrested Tuesday morning after he allegedly attacked a woman at the hotel at which he was staying.

According to Miramar police, Juan Alberto Salmeron was staying overnight at the Windgate Inn, 4600 S.W. 148th Ave., when he approached a 19-year-old hotel clerk and offered her $100 to have sex with him. She declined, but he returned later and offered her $100 if he could take naked pictures of her, police said.

When she refused again, police said, Salmeron came back a third time and said he wanted to use the computer room to access the Internet. When she opened the room for him, he hit the woman in the face, broke her jaw and knocked out her teeth, police said.

Miramar police spokesman Bill Robertson said she was so severely beaten "to the point where she's covered in blood."

"She's pleading with this guy to stop, and the only reason he stopped is she agrees to have sex with him," Robertson said.

Police said when Salmeron pulled her dress up and tried to rape her, she fought back.

"She struck the subject, knocked him away," Robertson said. "That's when she was able to get up and run throughout the hotel, floor to floor."

A hotel guest let her inside one of the rooms and called police.

Salmeron ran away afterward, but authorities found him at a nearby Chevron gas station about an hour later. Police said he had blood on his clothing.

The woman was taken to Memorial West Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.

Police said Salmeron, 25, of Seminole, Fla., confessed to attacking the woman. He is charged with one count each of sexual battery, aggravated battery and false imprisonment. Salmeron has previously been arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge.

http://www.local6.com/news/10200957/detail.html

Pledges In Apparent Hazing Ritual May Have Been Sexually Assaulted

ORLANDO, Fla. -- School officials investigating an apparent hazing ritual at a fraternity house on the University of Central Florida campus in which pledges were found in diapers, fairy wings and women's panties told Local 6 News that several of them may have been sexually assaulted.

The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at UCF was suspended by its national office and has become the subject of a police investigation after three students were recently found so drunk that they had be rushed to a hospital.

University police, acting on a tip, said they noticed loud, aggressive screaming and moaning coming from the SAE fraternity house.

"At first, students would not let police into the fraternity house because they said they were performing a ritual," Local 6's Louis Bolden said. "Apparently, that ritual included male students dressing up like women and drinking until they had to be hospitalized."

Friday, Local 6 News reported that a university official close to the investigation confirmed that a police investigation has been launched into whether the men were sexually assaulted.

"There were some things confiscated by police inside the SAE fraternity house that leads them to believe that they may have been sexually assaulted," Local 6's Samantha Knapp said.

An incident report indicated that a male in the fraternity was spotted wearing pink fairy wings and women's underwear and was not able to walk on his own.

The report also said the officers found a man wearing a pink tank top, women's underwear and a blond wig who was lying on the floor and vomited several times. Another male was sobbing on the floor wearing a rainbow-colored wig and a diaper, the report said.

Officers said the common area had a strong smell of urine and vomit.

"The University is looking into three possible concerns: misuse of alcohol, possible hazing and possible disorderly conduct," Director of UCF News and Information Linda Gray said. "The last thing in the world we want is for those kinds of things to happen."

Local 6 News reported that depending on the blood-alcohol levels of three students transported to a hospital, the senior members of the fraternity could face criminal charges.

Members of the fraternity will meet with school officials to discuss the allegations Friday.

Paris Hilton's Bikini Waxer Offers Insight

The one person who probably knows Paris Hilton the most intimately says it's okay for the heiress to flash herself because she looks like a little girl down below.

Paris' bikini waxer has spoken out about the hotel heiress's trend for flashing her bare private parts in public.

The 25-year-old socialite has made a habit of being photographed getting out of cars wearing short skirts and no underwear since August 2002 and has recently encouraged new friend BritBrit to do the same.

Cindy Barshop, owner of the Completely Bare Salon, in New York, believes Paris is comfortable flashing her privates because she is always so well groomed down below.

U.S. Imprisons More People Than Any Other Nation

By James Vicini, Reuters

WASHINGTON (Dec. 9) -- Tough sentencing laws, record numbers of drug offenders and high crime rates have contributed to the United States having the largest prison population and the highest rate of incarceration in the world, according to criminal justice experts.

A U.S. Justice Department report released on November 30 showed that a record 7 million people -- or one in every 32 American adults -- were behind bars, on probation or on parole at the end of last year. Of the total, 2.2 million were in prison or jail.

According to the International Center for Prison Studies at King's College in London, more people are behind bars in the United States than in any other country. China ranks second with 1.5 million prisoners, followed by Russia with 870,000.

The U.S. incarceration rate of 737 per 100,000 people in the highest, followed by 611 in Russia and 547 for St. Kitts and Nevis. In contrast, the incarceration rates in many Western industrial nations range around 100 per 100,000 people.

Groups advocating reform of U.S. sentencing laws seized on the latest U.S. prison population figures showing admissions of inmates have been rising even faster than the numbers of prisoners who have been released.

"The United States has 5 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of the world's incarcerated population. We rank first in the world in locking up our fellow citizens," said Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance, which supports alternatives in the war on drugs.

"We now imprison more people for drug law violations than all of western Europe, with a much larger population, incarcerates for all offenses."

Ryan King, a policy analyst at The Sentencing Project, a group advocating sentencing reform, said the United States has a more punitive criminal justice system than other countries.

More People to Prison

"We send more people to prison, for more different offenses, for longer periods of time than anybody else," he said.

Drug offenders account for about 2 million of the 7 million in prison, on probation or parole, King said, adding that other countries often stress treatment instead of incarceration.

Commenting on what the prison figures show about U.S. society, King said various social programs, including those dealing with education, poverty, urban development, health care and child care, have failed.

"There are a number of social programs we have failed to deliver. There are systemic failures going on," he said. "A lot of these people then end up in the criminal justice system."

Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in California, said the high prison numbers represented a proper response to the crime problem in the United States. Locking up more criminals has contributed to lower crime rates, he said.

"The hand-wringing over the incarceration rate is missing the mark," he said.

Scheidegger said the high prison population reflected cultural differences, with the United States having far higher crimes rates than European nations or Japan. "We have more crime. More crime gets you more prisoners."

Julie Stewart, president of the group Families Against Mandatory Minimums, cited the Justice Department report and said drug offenders are clogging the U.S. justice system.

"Why are so many people in prison? Blame mandatory sentencing laws and the record number of nonviolent drug offenders subject to them," she said.

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/us-imprisons-more-people-than-any-other/20061209111509990004?ncid=NWS00010000000001

One For The Ladies ;)

Once upon a time there was a female brain cell that by mistake happened
to end up in a man's head.
She looked around nervously but it was all empty and quiet.
"Hello?" she cried, but no answer.
"Is there anyone here?" she cried a little louder, but still no answer.
Now the female brain cell started to feel alone and scared and yelled:
"HELLO, IS THERE ANYONE HERE?"
Then she heard a voice from far, far away: .........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hello, we're down here..."

Men Are Just Happier People

What do you expect from such simple creatures?

-Your last name stays put.
-The garage is all yours.
-Wedding plans take care of themselves.
-Chocolate is just another snack.
-You can be President.
-You can never be pregnant.
-You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
-You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
-Car mechanics tell you the truth.
-The world is your urinal.
-You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
-You don’t have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
-Same work, more pay.
-Wrinkles add character.
-Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
-People never stare at your chest when you’re talking to them.
-The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
-New shoes don’t cut , blister, or mangle your feet.
-One mood all the time.
-Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
-You know stuff about tanks.
-A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
-You can open all your own jars.
-You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
-If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
-Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
-Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
-You almost never have strap problems in public.
-You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
-Everything on your face stays its original color.
-The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
-You only have to shave your face and neck.
-You can play with toys all your life.
-Your belly usually hides your big hips.
-One wallet and one pair of shoes — one color for all seasons.
-You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
-You can “do” your nails with a pocket knife.
-You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
-You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

Stephen Wiltshire: The Human Camera

A 45 minute helicopter ride around the city of ROME followed by a 3 day drawing/ sketching of the entire city, right down the exact number of windows and pillars of buildings !!

May 2005, Stephen Draws Tokyo ! After one single look at thousands of skyscrapers, buildings, houses, cars, buses, trees of Tokyo follwoing just a 30 minute helicopter ride! Taking him an astonishing 7 days to finish !

St Paul's tomb unearthed

Archaeologists have unearthed what they believe to be the tomb of St Paul the Apostle.

The sarcophagus dates back to at least AD390 and was found in a crypt under a basilica in Rome.

Vatican archaeologists made the discovery during excavation work at St Paul's Outside the Walls, reports the BBC.

It had long been thought the cathedral crypt contained the tomb of St Paul hidden underneath the altar.

The sarcophagus will be on public view for the foreseeable future. The original inscription on the top reads: Paolo Apostolo Martyr - Latin for 'Paul Apostle Martyr'.

The holes through which the ancient pilgrims would have pushed pieces of cloth to touch the relic are clearly visible.

"What we can see at the moment through a grating, a new grating that's been put there, is the side of the sarcophagus of Paul which seems to be white marble-like material," said Father Edmund Power.

Excavations at the site began in 2002 and were completed last month.

St Paul travelled widely through Asia Minor, Greece and Rome in the 1st Century. He is said to have been beheaded in AD65 by the Roman Emperor Nero.

'Skinny women more likely to miscarry'

Women who are underweight are more likely to have a miscarriage.

Researchers found women with a low Body Mass Index increase the odds of losing their baby in the first three months by 72%.

However, women who take vitamin supplements and eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables can cut their risk of miscarriage significantly.

The team looked at 600 women who had miscarried and 6,000 whose pregnancies continued past 12 weeks, reports the Mirror.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that women with a BMI under 18.5 before becoming pregnant massively increased their danger.

Women who took supplements - especially daily folic acid, iron or multivitamins - could reduce the risk by around 50%.

Eating fruit and veg, as well as dairy products such as milk, cheese and chocolate, could also cut the odds.

Lead study author Noreen Maconochie said: "With one in five UK pregnancies ending in miscarriage, any advice on how women can improve their chances of a full term is welcome."

Researchers also foun that unmarried women, or those not living with a partner, were at higher risk.

Hawking: 'Humans must leave earth'

Stephen Hawking says humans will need to leave Earth and live in space to ensure the survival of the species.

The physicist said scientists had to find a way to send spaceships to colonise suitable planets orbiting other stars.

Professor Hawking also revealed he wants to journey into space himself - and asked Sir Richard Branson for help.

He told the BBC scientists may be within 20 years of reaching his prediction that we would one day "know the mind of God" by understanding all the laws which govern the universe.

Prof Hawking said matter/antimatter annihilation - similar to time warps - would enable huge distances to be covered quickly.

He said: "The long-term survival of the human race is at risk as long as it is confined to a single planet.

"Sooner or later, disasters such as an asteroid collision or nuclear war could wipe us all out. But once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe."

And he added: "My next goal is to go into space. Maybe Richard Branson will help me."

Prof Hawking, 64, was speaking before receiving the UK's top science award, the Royal Society's Copley Medal.

Paris And Britney Lesbian Lovers?

Paris Hilton and Britney Spears have whipped up a media frenzy since they started hanging out.

There's nothing more these two enjoy than a good old party... but it's prompted whispers of something more.

Earlier this month, The News Of The World ran pictures of Paris kissing Venezuelan MTV star Eglantina Zing during a modelling job.

They also hinted that the heiress and Britney had dabbled in sexual activities during a sleepover in Las Vegas on 19th November.

But Paris' rep Elliot Mintz has slammed the reports that Paris and Britney got intimate, saying: "That is just silly."

Newly single Britney has received a fair bit of criticism for her nights out on the town with bosom buddy Paris since her split from hubby Kevin Federline.

But Elliot added: "They are friends, and you will continue to see them together. Paris thinks the world of her."

Non-virgin brides face 'white dress fines'

A Romanian priest says he wants women to pay a 'white dress fine' if they are not virgins when they marry.

Father Petrica Bratu, 37, from Valea Sarii says he hopes the fines will stop couples living in sin.

The fines will range between £10 and £60. The average salary in Romania is £100 per month.

Father Bratu said: "The fine depends on how intimate a couple have been before they get married."

Couples who had only just moved in together would pay £10 but brides who were pregnant or had children would pay £60.

The priest asked: "What is the use of the white bridal dress if the bride went from one man to the next, or if she comes into church holding the hand of her child?

"White is a symbol of purity. I want this to stay unchanged. I do not want young people to think that there is no such thing as sacred matrimony."

But groom Plamen Baldescu, 27, complained: "Weddings are so expensive already - this is just too much.

"The priest heard sometimes I was allowed to stay over at my girlfriend's parents' house and suddenly he is demanding large amounts of money as my fiancee supposedly does not deserve to wear white."

Jealous hubby branded bride's bum

A jealous husband is in trouble after branding his initials on his young bride's buttocks on their wedding night.

Police want to question the 54-year-old after he forcibly used a cattle brander on his 22-year-old new wife.

He reportedly tried to justify the assault by saying he wanted to make sure other men knew she was 'his'.

Police called him in for questioning after his wife contacted a local women's rights organisation.

A police spokesman said: "We want him for questioning. He has some explaining to do."

Princess Diana driver was 'drunk at wheel'

Fresh DNA tests prove the driver of the car in which Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed, was drunk at the time of the crash, according to a BBC investigation.

The French authorities have carried out new checks on the blood taken from Henri Paul to prove his original samples could not have been switched, it was revealed.

Conspiracy theories have centred on claims that Paul's post-mortem samples were swapped at the morgue to frame him as a drunk as part of a cover-up of a secret service plot to murder the Princess.

There have also been suggestions his samples were inadvertently mixed up with another body.

Paul was killed in the 1997 Paris crash alongside the Princess and her lover Dodi Fayed.

A massive two-year investigation in France in 1999 concluded he caused the crash by driving too fast while drunk.

The BBC2 programme How Diana Died: The Conspiracy Files has discovered that further DNA tests have been carried out in France within the last year.

A profile taken from Paul's blood samples was compared to his parents' DNA and found to match, meaning they could not have been switched, a source told the BBC.

The original tests showed Paul to be three times over the French drink-drive limit.

The revelation comes as Lord Stevens prepares to publish his long-awaited police investigation next week into Diana's death - nearly a decade after she died. He is widely expected to say the crash was a tragic accident.

Head re-attached

Boy makes amazing crash recovery

A boy whose head was effectively severed from his neck in a racing car crash "which should have killed him" has made a miraculous recovery.
Chris Stewart, 12, suffered an internal decapitation, separating his skull and neck, when he hit a barrier at a track near Alton, Hampshire on 24 September.

His father told BBC News doctors had given Chris a 10% chance of survival.

But only two months later he was moved to a rehabilitation unit and is now planning to spend Christmas at home.

John Stewart, a 42-year-old carpenter from Fareham, said both he and his wife Debbie, 40, were watching the race when the 40mph (64km/h) crash happened at Tongham Motor Club.

A team from St John Ambulance and fire crews worked for 90 minutes to free the boy, who was 11 at the time, from the wreckage of his Mini.

Mr Stewart said he did not realised how serious his son's injuries were until the paramedics put him in the ambulance and took him to Southampton General Hospital with a police escort.

"They said he had broken his neck. [The impact of the crash] had actually taken the skull off his neck," he said.

Chris' tongue was also detached at the root, which has made speaking and eating difficult for him.

Mr Stewart said: "The doctors had never seen this kind of injury because, they said, when it happens, people die instantly.

"Apparently, only six people are known to have ever survived this and my son is the only one to have recovered [this well]."

Head re-attached

Chris underwent a six hour operation, known as a occipital-cervical fusion, which re-attached his head to his top vertebrae with metal plates and bone-grafts.

He has since made a miraculous recovery and can now swim, walk and exercise again.

"They told us it would be a year before he could walk but he was already walking after three weeks. The doctor was in tears when he saw him."

Mr Stewart said Chris is already spending his weekends at home and will be coming home for three weeks over Christmas.

But, he said, although Chris is expected to make a near to full recovery he would not be returning to the car racing track anytime soon.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/6217036.stm

Condoms 'TOO BIG' for Indian men

By Damian Grammaticus
BBC News, Delhi

A survey of more than 1,000 men in India has concluded that condoms made according to international sizes are too large for a majority of Indian men.

The study found that more than half of the men measured had penises that were shorter than international standards for condoms.

It has led to a call for condoms to be provided in smaller sizes designed for Indian men. The two-year study was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Over 1,200 volunteers from the length and breadth of the country had their penises measured precisely, down to the last millimetre.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6161691.stm

Camel gatecrashes Xmas party

A Christmas party in Ireland was ruined after a camel ate all the food and drank the beer.

Gus sneaked out of his stable while staff at his equestrian centre were getting changed for the big night, reports Metro.

Gus scoffed 200 mince pies and 150 sandwiches before downing seven cans of Guinness, which he reportedly cracked open with his teeth.

Staff at Mullinger Equestrian Centre in County Westmeath, Ireland, came back to find the place looking like a 'chimpanzee's tea party'.

Centre owner Robert Fagan said: "We're going to reschedule the Christmas party for next Tuesday but next time Gus is going to be properly locked up."

Bald Elvis all shook up

The world's only bald, Welsh-speaking, Elvis has been receiving death threats.

Geraint Benney said he'd been receiving threats from extreme Elvis fans who claim he's showing disrespect to 'The King'.

Benney, 34, from Aberdare, in south Wales, said one fan had even threatened to shoot him.

He said: "Some people think my act is disrespectful because I am bald, but being bald makes me stand out.

"If Elvis were alive today I am sure he would have a good old laugh. It's a great pity his fans cannot see that."

Benney, whose stage name is Elvis Preseli, said he had no plans to give up his show, which involves him cooking burgers on stage.

The show charts the music scene since Elvis' death and begins with Benney climbing out of a gold coffin.

He doesn't actually sing any Elvis songs, only songs by other artists which have come out since his death.

Benney added: "Anyway, he might even be bald himself now because he would be 71."

For Elvis Fans - Check out http://elvistheburgerking.blogspot.com/
For Some music by The Elvis Burger King - http://www.theburgerking.co.uk/page1.htm

Woman's farts ground plane

A plane had to make an emergency landing - after a passenger struck a match to cover up the smell of her flatulence.

The American Airlines flight from Washington to Dallas, Texas, landed in Nashville when travellers smelled burning.

All 99 passengers and five crew were led off the aircraft and luggage was unloaded.

The plane was searched burnt matches were found under a seat, reports the Sun.

The woman, who lives near Dallas, admitted she struck the matches because she was embarrassed by the smell she was making.

The woman, who has not been named, was released without charge but was not allowed back on the jet.

Boy arrested for opening present

A 12-year-old boy has been arrested for opening one of his Christmas presents early.

The boy, from Rock Hill, South Carolina, was taken to the local police station after unwrapping a Nintendo Game Boy Advance.

They charged him with petty theft and he now faces a court appearance reports the Sun.

The console had been wrapped by the boy’s gran and put under the Christmas tree with strict instructions not to touch it before December 25.

But the next day she found the gift had been opened and told her grandson’s mother - who called the police.

The mum said her son had a history of bad behaviour. She added: "I'm trying to get him some kind of help."

Dr Who fan exterminates students

A Doctor Who fanatic has made a Dalek to scare away drunken students from his street.

The Dalek, which Andrew Simpson can sit inside, comes complete with voicebox.

Andrew claims when he climbs inside he shouts at youths: "I don't like students. You will be exterminated!"

Andrew, from York, took eight months to make the Dalek at a cost of £1,000, reports Metro.

Explaining his actions, he said: "We live right by the university and there's loads of them here - but they're no match for the Dalek.

"The best bit is just sitting in it and waiting for someone to approach. When someone comes up to touch you shout 'Exterminate!' and they jump out of their skin."

Tots wrap up for outdoor winter lessons

A primary school has issued pupils with all-weather suits so they can have lessons outside when it's raining.

Pott Row First School, near King's Lynn, Norfolk, wants to provide half of all lessons outside within two years.

Headteacher Michelle Petzer told the BBC that all 49 pupils had been given the jumpsuits.

She said the move followed staff comments that the children were much happier and found it easier to concentrate out in the fresh air.

"We realised the children worked much better and were happier if they had been outside during the day," she said.

"If the children hadn't been outside, perhaps because it was raining, members of staff would say 'they are not listening because they have not had the chance to run around'.

"We realised that it is essential for the pupils to have the opportunity to play outdoors no matter what the weather conditions."

Mrs Petzer said staff and parents had been extremely supportive of the idea.

The school, which caters for children aged between four and eight, is now looking for a sponsor to help raise funds for a log cabin where the youngsters can enjoy lessons.

Yahoo Woos a Social Networking Site

By SAUL HANSELL
Published: September 22, 2006

Mark Zuckerberg is a member of the Google generation, one too young to remember all the ambitions dashed and fortunes lost when the last dot-com boom ended.

That may be one reason Mr. Zuckerberg, the 22-year-old founder of Facebook, a social networking Web site, has so far shied away from selling his company, rejecting offers that would have made him several hundred million dollars.

“We’re focused on building the company for the long term,” he said yesterday.

When Viacom offered $750 million for Facebook in January, he asked for $2 billion and was rebuffed, according to a person involved in the negotiations. Now, he remains undecided about the latest offer, made in the last few weeks by Yahoo. That offer, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, was confirmed yesterday by two industry executives, one briefed on the deal by Facebook and the other by Yahoo. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity because the negotiations are continuing.

To woo Mr. Zuckerberg, Yahoo has offered about $900 million for Facebook and says it will keep the company somewhat independent, with Mr. Zuckerberg in charge. This has been its model with other acquisitions like Flickr, a photo-sharing site, and Del.icio.us, a social bookmarking service that lets members share lists of their favorite Web sites.

“A lot of people say there are problems with having a 22-year-old C.E.O., but one thing that is good about it is that he doesn’t remember the boom and the bust that followed,” said an adviser to Facebook. “That has distorted the thinking of a lot of people. If they have a good product or service, they sell way too early and they don’t stick with it.”

The adviser spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of continuing negotiations.

Mr. Zuckerberg, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment on any potential acquisition offers.

Money, at least so far, does not seem to draw him. He lives in a barren apartment in Palo Alto, Calif., a short walk from Facebook’s office. He only bought a stereo recently at the request of his girlfriend.

“Mark is the kind of guy you worry needs to get other things in his life,” said David Sze, a partner with Greylock Partners, one of Facebook’s venture capital investors.

By all accounts, Mr. Zuckerberg is motivated by his passion for his invention, which he created less than three years ago as a Harvard undergraduate. The site quickly became an electronic bumblebee, pollinating many American colleges with gossip, flirtation and news of the next fraternity party.

He said the minimalist design sensibility of Google, and also Apple, influenced how Facebook should look.

“I can remember the time when Yahoo was the coolest company, but for me and a lot of people my age, that is how people feel about Google,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in an interview earlier this month.

He also modeled his management style as Facebook’s chief executive on that of Google’s founders — Larry Page and Sergey Brin — as well as Steve Jobs of Apple.

Mr. Zuckerberg keeps tight control over the company’s activities. He still writes some of the site’s program code, designs most of its features and represents the site in public.

And he has been able to keep an unusually high share of the stock in Facebook, giving him the dominant say in its fate.

For Yahoo, an acquisition of Facebook would solve many problems. Yahoo has been trying, with little success, to build its own social networking service called Yahoo 360. Its brand is not seen as relevant by younger people, something the company has been trying to fix. Most of all, its growth has been slowing, increasing the gap between Yahoo and Google, which has become the largest Internet company.

“Yahoo is losing its grip on the younger demographic,” said Jordan Rohan, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, who said he thought that Yahoo should buy Facebook, even at a high price. “It needs to buy its way out of this.”

Yahoo itself has been inconsistent about its pursuit of Facebook. It made an offer last summer, then withdrew it in July, the day after it announced disappointing second-quarter earnings. And Yahoo, which has prided itself on financial discipline, is still unsure exactly how much it wants to pay for such a small business. Facebook will have revenue of less than $50 million this year, according to two people briefed on the company’s finances, and hopes to take in more than $100 million next year. It has been profitable.

A similar problem faces many large companies these days, both traditional media companies that want to follow their audiences online and older Internet companies that want to reverse their slowing growth. They are interested in buying some of the new crop of Internet companies that have emerged in the last two years. Many of these, from YouTube, the user-contributed video site, to Digg, a news site, have attracted large audiences but little revenue.

In some cases, the larger companies are willing to gamble on growth — as eBay did when it bought the Skype chat service last year for $2.6 billion. But in other cases the asking prices of the entrepreneurs and the offers of their potential acquirers have failed to line up.

For Facebook the key question is whether it will be able to find ways to weave advertising into its site in a way that its audience will accept.

Its larger rival, MySpace, is on a track to do so, spurred on by the News Corporation, which bought it last year. Google recently agreed to pay MySpace at least $900 million over three years to sell text and banner advertisements on its site.

Facebook has recently made a similar but smaller deal with Microsoft. And it is working to create special sections, called groups, for advertisers. But Mr. Zuckerberg’s focus on uncluttered design, like that of Google, is keeping the advertising on each of the site’s main pages far smaller than on MySpace.

Much of Facebook’s hope for growth rests on a planned expansion beyond its core audience in the college market. Sometime soon, it will open up membership to anyone in the world, a change that may alienate its existing members, who have become used to its exclusive college-only atmosphere.

As students returned to campus this fall, Mr. Zuckerberg introduced a new feature meant to give users easer access to what they wanted most from the site. When they log on, they see an up-to-the-minute list of everything their friends have done on the site: made a new friend, posted new pictures, even declared their allegiance to a political cause.

For many users, this took the site, which was already tending toward voyeurism, to an unacceptable extreme. And by the hundreds of thousands, they used Facebook itself to organize a mass protest.

Two days after the changes were introduced, Mr. Zuckerberg came back to a hotel room after a day of press interviews, and at 1 in the morning, made final tweaks on hastily conceived changes to the new feature. The next afternoon, after just a few hours of sleep, Mr. Zuckerberg joined a live discussion with hundreds of Facebook members.

He read their comments while sprawled on a hotel bed, wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt, tapping on a computer while propped up on his elbows. Some members told him they liked the new features or appreciated the modifications, but many expressed their anger in the sort of sharp words the Internet fosters.

“Wow,” Mr. Zuckerberg muttered, as he read one particularly personal comment that began “Mark Zuckerberg is a pretentious Harvard” and ended with an expletive.

“Normally I talk to people, but not everybody at once,” he said. “It’s a bit overwhelming.”

Then after a pause, he added, “It’s neat.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/technology/22facebook.html?ex=1316577600&en=09f3d5e70aa0f977&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://www.facebook.com/

The Worst Knid Of Music

And if you thought the Music was Bad, wait till you see how they dance to it. They actually look as if they might be Enjoying it!

Metacafe

My Favourite Toy !!!

Metacafe
And I want One ! Only Bigger ... Much Bigger :-D :-D Big enough for me to Sit inside. LOL.

Planning on making love to your One & Only?

Just make sure you lock the door first!!!

People who say nothing in life comes for free have obviously never heard of free Cupcakes !

Meteorite may hold secret to life outside earth

Thu Nov 30, 11:21 AM

A meteorite that crashed in northwest Canada almost seven years ago might have been able to host the very earliest life forms, according to NASA researchers, which opens the door to the possibility that life could be present elsewhere in the universe.

Mike Zolensky, a cosmic minerologist at the NASA Space Centre in Texas, told CBC Radio the Tagish Lake meteorite is unlike any they have ever examined.

"We always knew it was a rare, very carbon- and water-rich meteorite - and they hardly ever fall on the Earth," said Zolensky. "But we've found since that it's even more unique than that. It's a totally unique meteorite."

Zolensky said tiny bubbles in the rock are organic globules where the universe's earliest life forms could have been able to live, an astonishing discovery from a meteorite thought to be 4.5 billion years old - older than the Earth.

"Perhaps these are like little condos arriving on earth and biology can move in later on," said Zolensky.

"They've survived somehow, intact on an asteroid for over four and a half billion years and where they come from, we don't know. But it's not from around here. It's from somewhere else."

Scientists have speculated life on earth began somewhere between 3.5 and 3.9 billion years ago.

The meteor first attracted attention when a dramatic fireball lit up the early morning skies of the Yukon, northern British Columbia, parts of Alaska, and the Northwest Territories on Jan. 18, 2000.

Fragments of the meteorite scattered across the Southern Lakes region of the Yukon. A week later, outdoorsman Jim Brook discovered a remnant on Tagish Lake between Atlin, B.C., and Carcross, Yukon.

Brook stored the meteorite in a freezer to keep it intact, a move that helped give researchers a chance to study it before it could be influenced by the environment on earth.

"This meteorite is unique because it was recovered frozen ... and some of these samples came to us still frozen," said Zolensky. "It's never happened before, may never happen again, and will always be a bonanza to science for that reason."

Hak hak hak hak hak hak hak

Well, We've all seen this one before but always makes me laugh .... So True So True !

Great Investment Opportunity for the Daring!

New homeowners could be shafted
08:34 Monday 4th December 2006

A three-bedroom semi-detached house is for sale for just £1,000 - but the new owners could lose it down a mine shaft.

The house is built on top of a thousand-foot deep shaft which threatens to open up at any time, reports The Sun.

Owners Martin and Susan Legg put it up for auction after a survey found the old tin workings under their feet.

The Leggs' Victorian house in Redruth, Cornwall, would normally sell for over £100,000.

Auctioneer Graham Barton said it was very rare for a good property to be put up for sale for such a small price.

He said: "It means the sellers want the house to go quickly. There are certain mining features causing issues in the area. When buying any house in Cornwall you are taking a chance as many areas are riddled with mines and tunnels."

Neighbour, Belinda Donoghue, 38, whose house is also at risk, said: "It's a living nightmare. Every day I come home thinking I'll find a great big hole with our house at the bottom of it."

There are 5,000 shafts around Redruth which have been capped with concrete - but many are still unstable.

Woman, 120, smokes pot every day

08:27 Monday 4th December 2006

A woman claims she has lived to be 120 - by smoking cannabis every day.

Fulla Nayak smokes cannabis cigars and drinks strong palm wine in her hut in India.

She lives with her 92-year-old daughter and grandson, 72.

According to the Sun, she said: "I don't know how I've survived so long. Many relatives much younger than me have died."

Boy, 4, attacks armed robber with toy sword

A four-year-old changed into his Power Ranger costume and attacked when his family were held up by an armed robber.

Stevie Long sneaked out of the room while a robber was pointing a gun at his five-year-old sister Mary and mum Jennifer.

Minutes later, he leapt back into the room dressed as a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, reports the News and Observer.

"Get away from my family," he shouted, swinging his plastic sword and shouting "yah, yah."

The robber and his accomplice, who was waiting outside the apartment, fled with credit cards, jewellery, and cash.

"I scared the bad guys away," Stevie said later at the apartment in Durham, North Carolina.

Police say the two armed men had approached Jennifer Long's boyfriend and his son outside the apartment.

One of them pushed the son back into the apartment where he forced Jennifer, Stevie and Mary, a cousin and two other children to the floor at gunpoint.

Relatives said the robber abandoned plans to take Stevie's mother to a cashpoint to withdraw money when he saw Stevie.

Stevie's aunt, Heather Evans, said a counsellor had suggested Stevie needs to improve his distinction between fantasy and reality: "He fully believed he morphed," she added.

A little wave pushed Yusuf Islam, once Cat Stevens, to Islam

Sun Dec 3, 3:55 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Yusuf Islam, formerly the pop star Cat Stevens, said that a small wave literally washed him ashore and pushed him toward Islam, in an interview with CBS television.

Islam, who recently released his first commercial album in nearly three decades, "An Other Cup" said that he got caught in a current off Malibu beach in California in 1975 and prayed for help.

"Suddenly I was petrified. I thought this might be it," he said. "I said, 'God, if you save me, I'll work for you.'"

"And then a little wave, you know, came behind me," he said. "It wasn't very big. But it was that miraculous moment when suddenly the tide was going in my favor."

The singer, now 58, said he was already on a spiritual quest, but that the frightening swim gave him a push. He read a copy of the Koran given to him by his brother. Two years later he converted to Islam, changed his name and ended his career as a pop singer.

Islam made headlines in 2004 when a US-bound plane he was in was diverted due to post-September 11 security measures.

As Stevens, the singer had several hits in the 1970s, including "Wild World," "Moonshadow" and "Father and Son." But early reviews of his new album have not been enthusiastic.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061203/ennew_afp/afpentertainmentmusic

FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool

By Declan McCullagh and Anne Broache
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Published: December 1, 2006, 2:20 PM PST

The FBI appears to have begun using a novel form of electronic surveillance in criminal investigations: remotely activating a mobile phone's microphone and using it to eavesdrop on nearby conversations.

The technique is called a "roving bug," and was approved by top U.S. Department of Justice officials for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques such as tailing a suspect or wiretapping him.

Nextel cell phones owned by two alleged mobsters, John Ardito and his attorney Peter Peluso, were used by the FBI to listen in on nearby conversations. The FBI views Ardito as one of the most powerful men in the Genovese family, a major part of the national Mafia.

The surveillance technique came to light in an opinion published this week by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan. He ruled that the "roving bug" was legal because federal wiretapping law is broad enough to permit eavesdropping even of conversations that take place near a suspect's cell phone.

Kaplan's opinion said that the eavesdropping technique "functioned whether the phone was powered on or off." Some handsets can't be fully powered down without removing the battery; for instance, some Nokia models will wake up when turned off if an alarm is set.

While the Genovese crime family prosecution appears to be the first time a remote-eavesdropping mechanism has been used in a criminal case, the technique has been discussed in security circles for years.

The U.S. Commerce Department's security office warns that "a cellular telephone can be turned into a microphone and transmitter for the purpose of listening to conversations in the vicinity of the phone." An article in the Financial Times last year said mobile providers can "remotely install a piece of software on to any handset, without the owner's knowledge, which will activate the microphone even when its owner is not making a call."

Nextel and Samsung handsets and the Motorola Razr are especially vulnerable to software downloads that activate their microphones, said James Atkinson, a counter-surveillance consultant who has worked closely with government agencies. "They can be remotely accessed and made to transmit room audio all the time," he said. "You can do that without having physical access to the phone."

Because modern handsets are miniature computers, downloaded software could modify the usual interface that always displays when a call is in progress. The spyware could then place a call to the FBI and activate the microphone--all without the owner knowing it happened. (The FBI declined to comment on Friday.)

"If a phone has in fact been modified to act as a bug, the only way to counteract that is to either have a bugsweeper follow you around 24-7, which is not practical, or to peel the battery off the phone," Atkinson said. Security-conscious corporate executives routinely remove the batteries from their cell phones, he added.

FBI's physical bugs discovered

The FBI's Joint Organized Crime Task Force, which includes members of the New York police department, had little luck with conventional surveillance of the Genovese family. They did have a confidential source who reported the suspects met at restaurants including Brunello Trattoria in New Rochelle, N.Y., which the FBI then bugged.

But in July 2003, Ardito and his crew discovered bugs in three restaurants, and the FBI quietly removed the rest. Conversations recounted in FBI affidavits show the men were also highly suspicious of being tailed by police and avoided conversations on cell phones whenever possible.

That led the FBI to resort to "roving bugs," first of Ardito's Nextel handset and then of Peluso's. U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones approved them in a series of orders in 2003 and 2004, and said she expected to "be advised of the locations" of the suspects when their conversations were recorded.

Details of how the Nextel bugs worked are sketchy. Court documents, including an affidavit (p1) and (p2) prepared by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kolodner in September 2003, refer to them as a "listening device placed in the cellular telephone." That phrase could refer to software or hardware.

One private investigator interviewed by CNET News.com, Skipp Porteous of Sherlock Investigations in New York, said he believed the FBI planted a physical bug somewhere in the Nextel handset and did not remotely activate the microphone.

"They had to have physical possession of the phone to do it," Porteous said. "There are several ways that they could have gotten physical possession. Then they monitored the bug from fairly near by."

But other experts thought microphone activation is the more likely scenario, mostly because the battery in a tiny bug would not have lasted a year and because court documents say the bug works anywhere "within the United States"--in other words, outside the range of a nearby FBI agent armed with a radio receiver.

In addition, a paranoid Mafioso likely would be suspicious of any ploy to get him to hand over a cell phone so a bug could be planted. And Kolodner's affidavit seeking a court order lists Ardito's phone number, his 15-digit International Mobile Subscriber Identifier, and lists Nextel Communications as the service provider, all of which would be unnecessary if a physical bug were being planted.

A BBC article from 2004 reported that intelligence agencies routinely employ the remote-activiation method. "A mobile sitting on the desk of a politician or businessman can act as a powerful, undetectable bug," the article said, "enabling them to be activated at a later date to pick up sounds even when the receiver is down."

For its part, Nextel said through spokesman Travis Sowders: "We're not aware of this investigation, and we weren't asked to participate."

Other mobile providers were reluctant to talk about this kind of surveillance. Verizon Wireless said only that it "works closely with law enforcement and public safety officials. When presented with legally authorized orders, we assist law enforcement in every way possible."

A Motorola representative said that "your best source in this case would be the FBI itself." Cingular, T-Mobile, and the CTIA trade association did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool

Seal found miles from sea

A seal was found waddling down a country lane - four miles from the coast.

Animal experts are baffled after the exhausted common seal was discovered near Borwick, Lancs, reports the Mirror.

A couple saw it from their car. They managed to get it in the vehicle and took it home before calling the RSPCA.

Animal collection officer Nick Green said: "It's a mystery how it turned up in the middle of nowhere.

"It was about a mile from the River Lune and four miles from the sea."

There were no grazes on the seal's body to suggest it had crawled from the river.

Life and Thoughts of The One Ocean

Tuesday, December 19, 2006