tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36331593537370641352012-01-31T14:16:31.095+08:00Its Not Usually found in our everyday lives. Subject that relates to abnormal, amazing, astonishing, atypical, awesome, bizarre, curious, different, exceptional, extraordinary, inconceivable, incredible, memorable, noteworthy, odd, outstanding, phenomenal, prominent, rare, refreshing, remarkable, significant, singular, something else, special, strange, surprising, uncommon, unconventional, unexpected, unfamiliar, unique and unparalleled.GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.comBlogger3961100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-11095107645778576152010-07-09T16:44:00.000+08:002010-07-09T16:45:48.335+08:00<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 5px; WIDTH: 400px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" class="caption-box"><img style="WIDTH: 400px" src="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/07/09/paul.jpg" /> <div class="img-caption">Paul predicts Spain’s victory against Germany, at the Sea Life Aquarium in Oberhausen July 6, 2010. — Reuters pic</div></div><br /><p>In a World Cup of droning vuvuzelas, dodgy balls and substandard favourites, nothing has fascinated the public as much as the octopus named Paul.</p><p>So far, the seemingly precognitive Paul has correctly predicted the results of all German matches during the tournament, even their losses to Serbia and Spain.</p><p>Tomorrow, according to his handlers, Paul will predict the winner of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. If he is not tired.</p><p>Residing in the Oberhausen Sea Life Aquarium in Germany, the two-year-old cephalopod “predicts” the results of matches by picking one of two clear boxes bearing the flags of the competing countries. The boxes are arranged according to Fifa’s arrangement of flags for each match, and filled with food like mussels or oysters.</p><p>Previously, he has correctly predicted five out of six results from Germany’s campaign in Euro 2008.</p><p>After predicting Germany’s exit at the hands of Spain in the semi-final, Paul has since received death threats from many Germans who wish to see him served on their dinner tables.</p><p>Some punters and booking agencies have made money from following his advice, while animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is urging for his release from his “imprisonment”.</p><p>Paul might be the first octopus to have done so, but he is surely not the first animal to tell fortunes or read minds. In 1927, a horse in Virginia, US named Lady Wonder was claimed to possess psychic powers and extra-sensory perception (ESP), and communicated by pushing toy letter blocks.</p><p>For the price of a dollar, one could ask the horse three questions, and over 150,000 people had taken up the offer. The horse also supposedly predicted the result of a boxing match, discovered oil, and solved a missing person case.</p><p>Another horse in 1900 in Germany, Clever Hans, was shown as having the ability to solve arithmetical and intellectual problems. Having a multi-talented owner who was a mathematics teacher, amateur horse trainer and phrenologist bestowed Hans with various abilities such as telling time, differentiating musical tones and understanding German.</p><p>In the 1980s, a dog called Harass II was purported by its handler, John Prestons, to be psychic. Harass II could supposedly find cold trails and human scent — even months or years later. He could also track underwater and after hurricanes, using his psychic powers.</p><p>Historically, humans have relied on observing animals for divination since thousands of years ago. Alectryomancy, practised by Etruscans in ancient Italy 2,400 years ago, enables people to tell fortunes by seeing roosters pecking at scattered grains.</p><p>The ancient Romans practised augury, divination by studying the flight of birds: whether any noise was made, whether they flew alone, their directions, etc. These duties were held by a special order of priests whose role was interpreting the gods’ messages.</p><p>This divination by observation extends to various other animals such as cats (felidomancy), horse (hippomancy), fish (ichthyomancy), spider and snakes (ophiomancy).</p><p>In the cases of Lady Wonder, Clever Hans and Harass II, it has been proven that the animals were unconsciously or unintentionally cued by their owners. In fact, this observer effect has been called the “Clever Hans Effect” and has been used to debunk many “intelligent” or “talented” pets over the years.</p><p>As for Paul, it is still not proven if he reacts to his trainer Oliver Walenciak’s cues or the expectant German fans. Although he has predicted 11 out of 12 matches correctly so far, it is noted that Paul chose Germany nine times out of 12. Considering Germany was the favourites in those nine matches, Paul had consequently better odds to be correct.</p><p>Being a common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), it has also been suggested that Paul has a preference for flags with bright horizontal stripes like Germany and Spain, instead of England or Argentina, despite not being able to see in colour.</p><p>The species is naturally found in shallow tropical and semi-tropical seas around the world and can grow up to 25cm, with tentacles up to a metre.</p><p>Common octopi are well-known for being highly intelligent and responsive. They have been observed to unscrew bottle caps and manipulating other tools.</p><p>Whether Paul really possesses supernatural abilities or is just extremely lucky, there is no doubt that he or his owners should capitalise on his popularity quick.</p><p>Even if he does not end up in furious Germans’ tummies, Paul is nearing the end of his life —his species has a life expectancy of just two years.</p><p sizset="73" sizcache="0">For now, Paul has been immortalised in the minds of many World Cup watchers, even garnering two Twitter accounts for himself, which you can find <a href="http://twitter.com/PsychicOctopus" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/PPsychicOctopus" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/features/article/tentacled-prophet-and-four-legged-oracles">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1109510764577857615?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-84497165322436758002010-05-17T17:24:00.001+08:002010-05-17T17:28:01.385+08:00Italy is holding its first divorce fair, offering services such as life coaching and beauty advice to a booming number of separating couples in the Catholic country.<br /><br />The organizers said the fair (www.puntoeacapo.it), which will be held in Milan on May 8-9, aims to help divorcing people start a new, happier life.<br /><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>"Smiling is key to this fair, which also offers serious, practical advice for often dramatic situations," Franco Zanetti, who created the event, told Reuters.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The services include divorce planning, anti-stalking help, and "new look" tips, the organizers said.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Echoing similar initiatives in the United States and elsewhere in Europe, visitors will also be able to subscribe to divorce gift lists at department stores in Milan.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>A growing number of Italian couples file for divorce every year, according to Italy's statistics agency ISTAT.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>More than 130,000 couples split or got divorced in Italy in 2007, up more than 3 percent from the previous year, ISTAT said.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>On the other side, the number of marriages nearly halved since 1972 to around 246,000 in 2008.</p><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64455520100505">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-8449716532243675800?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-11962395028972468932010-05-17T17:23:00.000+08:002010-05-17T17:24:36.680+08:00<div class="relatedPhoto landscape" id="articleImage"><img title="" alt="Lingerie is displayed in the new Playboy store in central London September 19, 2007. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100429&amp;t=2&amp;i=99550514&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-04-29T181749Z_01_BTRE63S1ETS00_RTROPTP_0_BRITAIN-PLAYBOY" border="0" /> <div class="rolloverCaption" id="captionContent" style="DISPLAY: none"><div class="rolloverBg"><div class="captionText"> </div><div class="captionText"></div><span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph"><span class="articleLocation">LONDON </span>(Reuters) - Sales of sultry lingerie among older women are booming in Britain thanks </div></div></div></span></span><br />Sales of sultry lingerie among older women are booming in Britain thanks to the glamorous 40-somethings of "Sex and the City 2" and "Cougar Town," retail chain Debenhams reported on Thursday.<br /><br /><p>The hit TV show, and forthcoming movie, featuring the bedroom antics of women in their 40s and 50s and their much younger partners, is being credited with a rise in demand for lingerie from women of the same age, Debenhams said.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>The department store said a nationwide analysis of the most popular lingerie styles from October 2009 to April 2010, revealed that women over 40 have given the more seductive side of the lingerie industry a big boost.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>"Positive female role models in this age group such as the women in the Sex and the City movies and Courteney Cox in TV's Cougar Town are giving the women confidence to splash out on themselves," Debenhams head lingerie buyer Annette Warburton said in a statement.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Women over 40 were rediscovering their figures, often after having children or getting divorced.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Previously, the store said, the main purchasers of cleavage-enhancing bras, basques, thongs, stockings and suspenders, have been women in their early 20s.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>"With women's 40s being touted as the new 20s, and lingerie designers stepping up to the mark to feed this demand, it's a market we expect to see grow further in the future," Warburton said.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63S4EH20100429">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1196239502897246893?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-80866858248645564322010-05-17T17:16:00.000+08:002010-05-17T17:18:04.060+08:00<div class="image-container" id="ic0"><img id="image0" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100517&amp;t=2&amp;i=108460919&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIL00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN" /></div><div class="yui-sldshw-next yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><div class="image-container" id="ic1"><img id="image1" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100517&amp;t=2&amp;i=108460921&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIM00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN" /></div></div><div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade"><div class="image-container" id="ic2"><img id="image2" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100517&amp;t=2&amp;i=108460925&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIN00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN" /></div></div><div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade"><div class="image-container" id="ic3"><img id="image3" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100517&amp;t=2&amp;i=108460922&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIO00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN" /></div></div><div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade"><div class="image-container" id="ic4"><img id="image4" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100517&amp;t=2&amp;i=108460923&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIP00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN" /></div></div><script type="text/javascript"><br /> <br /> <br /> var USTRE64G0J820100517 = new YAHOO.reuters.slideshow("displayFrame", 1, {"idNum": "USTRE64G0J820100517", "slideshow":{"title":"''I do'' goes high-tech with Japan robot priest",<br /> "slides": [<br /> <br /> <br /> {"image" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460919&w=460&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIL00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "thumbnail" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460919&w=50&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIL00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "caption" : "<p>Satoko Inoue (R) puts on a wedding ring for Tomohiro Shibata in front of a humanoid robot named \"I-Fairy\" during their wedding ceremony in Tokyo May 16, 2010. \"The couple decided to use the robot, which conducted the ceremony with its audio functions, from Inoue's company to perform the witness' duties as they first met due to common work interest related to robots. REUTERS\/Yuriko Nakao<\/p>"}<br /> <br /> ,{"image" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460921&w=460&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIM00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "thumbnail" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460921&w=50&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIM00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "caption" : "<p>A humanoid robot named \"I-Fairy\" (C) acts as a witness at the wedding ceremony between Tomohiro Shibata (L) and Satoko Inoue in Tokyo May 16, 2010. The couple decided to use the robot, which conducted the ceremony with its audio functions, from Inoue's company to perform the witness' duties as they first met due to common work interest related to robots. REUTERS\/Yuriko Nakao<\/p>"}<br /> <br /> ,{"image" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460925&w=460&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIN00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "thumbnail" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460925&w=50&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIN00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "caption" : "<p>A humanoid robot named \"I-Fairy\" (C) acts as a witness at the wedding ceremony between Tomohiro Shibata (L) and Satoko Inoue in Tokyo May 16, 2010. The couple decided to use the robot, which conducted the ceremony with its audio functions, from Inoue's company to perform the witness' duties as they first met due to common work interest related to robots. REUTERS\/Yuriko Nakao<\/p>"}<br /> <br /> ,{"image" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460922&w=460&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIO00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "thumbnail" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460922&w=50&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIO00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "caption" : "<p>A humanoid robot named \"I-Fairy\" (C) acts as a witness at the wedding ceremony between Tomohiro Shibata (L) and Satoko Inoue in Tokyo May 16, 2010. The couple decided to use the robot, which conducted the ceremony with its audio functions, from Inoue's company to perform the witness' duties as they first met due to common work interest related to robots. REUTERS\/Yuriko Nakao<\/p>"}<br /> <br /> ,{"image" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460923&w=460&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIP00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "thumbnail" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100517&t=2&i=108460923&w=50&r=2010-05-17T074416Z_01_BTRE64G0DIP00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN',<br /> "caption" : "<p>A humanoid robot named \"I-Fairy\" (C) acts as a witness at the wedding ceremony between Tomohiro Shibata (L) and Satoko Inoue in Tokyo May 16, 2010. The couple decided to use the robot, which conducted the ceremony with its audio functions, from Inoue's company to perform the witness' duties as they first met due to common work interest related to robots. REUTERS\/Yuriko Nakao<\/p>"}<br /> <br /> ] }});<br /> <br /> </script><span id="articleText"><span id="midArticle_start"></span><span class="focusParagraph"><p>The groom looked dashing, his bride resplendent in white, but all eyes in this Japanese wedding were on the priest, a four-foot tall robot with colorful, flashing eyes called i-Fairy.</p><p>The robot is usually used in museum and exhibitions to direct visitors, but with the help of a flower headpiece, and a new programme, it pronounced Satoko Inoue and Tomohiro Shibata man and wife at a Sunday ceremony.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>The event is being billed as the first ever wedding presided over by a robot, a fitting marriage for the couple who met through the machines.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The bride, Inoue, works for the company that makes the i-Fairy, and her husband, Shibata, is a client.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>"It's true that robots are what caused us to first begin going out, and as suggested by my wife, we decided that we wanted to try this sort of wedding," Shibata said after making his vows.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>After saying "I do," the bride said that she wanted to use her wedding to show people that robots can easily fit into their daily lives.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>"I always felt that robots would become more integrated into people's everyday lives. This cute robot is part of my company, I decided that I would love to have it at my ceremony," Inoue said.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>Makers of the robot, Kokoro Ltd, said that while they are still selling the i-Fairy with the stated purpose of helping visitors, they're happy for the machine to help weddings cross the digital divide.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>Japan is home to almost half the world's 800,000 industrial robots and expects the industry to expand to $10 billion.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>It is also one of the world's fastest aging societies and experts say robots can help care for the growing number of elderly, and fill in for the lack of young people willing to take on jobs as chefs, cleaners or caretakers.</p><p> </p></span></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64G0J820100517">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-8086685824864556432?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-43292579708925341882010-05-14T17:14:00.000+08:002010-05-14T17:15:15.810+08:00<div class="caption-box" style="MARGIN-TOP: 5px; FLOAT: left; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; WIDTH: 400px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 10px" sizset="10" sizcache="70"><img style="WIDTH: 400px" src="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/2010/05/14/gold-may14.jpg" /> <div class="img-caption">Customers use a ATM at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi to buy pure gold. — Reuters pic</div></div>It’s the ultimate hole-in-the-wall — a money machine that dispenses pure gold. <p></p><p>But installed beneath the gold-coated ceilings of Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace hotel, where royalty and billionaires come for cappuccinos topped with gold flakes, the machine almost seems part of the furniture.</p><p>“The reason we chose Emirates Palace is because it really fits with the surroundings here,” said German entrepreneur Thomas Geissler, creator of the “Gold to Go” brand and chief executive of Ex Oriente Lux.</p><p>The exterior of the machine is coated with a thin layer of gold and offers customers 320 items to choose from, ranging from gold bars that can weigh up to 10 grams, to customised gold coins.</p><p>“All the gold is imported from Germany, and soon we will have a customised gold bar with a print of the Emirates Palace logo, which will be a nice souvenir for guests to take home,” said Geissler.</p><p>Through a computer system, the ATM gold machine updates the gold price every 10 minutes to match international markets.</p><p>For now, it takes notes of the local dirham currency, but the option of using credit cards will soon be introduced.</p><p>The cash-for-gold machines were first tested in Germany in 2009, but Geissler chose Abu Dhabi for the official launch of his invention because of the region’s high demand for gold.</p><p>“On the first night we had a lot of demand,” he said. “One customer even bought one item of every product we have.”</p><p>Geissler’s timing is spot-on, as investors flock to gold as a safe haven from economic turbulence.</p><p>Yesterday, gold priced in sterling and euros reached record highs, while that priced in the more usual dollar denomination was quoted at US$1,236 an ounce, with dealers expecting it to reach fresh highs over coming days.</p><br /><br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/features/article/gulf-hotel-installs-gold-dispensing-machine/#When:08:29:56Z">TMI</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4329257970892534188?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-77943592867431702002010-04-27T14:47:00.000+08:002010-04-27T14:48:11.936+08:00<div class="yui-sldshw-displayer" id="displayFrame"><div class="yui-sldshw-active yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade"><div class="image-container" id="ic0"><img id="image0" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100426&amp;t=2&amp;i=97880373&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-04-26T183902Z_01_BTRE63P1FT700_RTROPTP_0_APPLE-PIRATES" /></div></div><div class="yui-sldshw-next yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><div class="image-container" id="ic1"><img id="image1" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100426&amp;t=2&amp;i=97880372&amp;w=390&amp;r=2010-04-26T183902Z_01_BTRE63P1FT800_RTROPTP_0_APPLE-PIRATES" /></div></div></div><script type="text/javascript"><br /> <br /> <br /> var USTRE63P0B620100426 = new YAHOO.reuters.slideshow("displayFrame", 1, {"idNum": "USTRE63P0B620100426", "slideshow":{"title":"Pirates rewrite script for Apple's China iPad launch",<br /> "slides": [<br /> <br /> <br /> {"image" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100426&t=2&i=97880373&w=460&r=2010-04-26T183902Z_01_BTRE63P1FT700_RTROPTP_0_APPLE-PIRATES',<br /> "thumbnail" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100426&t=2&i=97880373&w=50&r=2010-04-26T183902Z_01_BTRE63P1FT700_RTROPTP_0_APPLE-PIRATES',<br /> "caption" : "<p>A sample of a \"shanzhai\" or imitated reproduction of iPad running Microsoft Windows is seen inside a computer shopping mall in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen April 21, 2010. 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REUTERS\/Bobby Yip<\/p>"}<br /> <br /> ] }});<br /> <br /> </script><span id="articleText"><span id="midArticle_start"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><span class="focusParagraph"><p><span class="articleLocation">SHENZHEN/SHANGHAI </span>(Reuters) - Just three weeks after the global launch, bootleg versions of Apple Inc's hot-selling <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a> tablet PCs have begun showing up on the shelves of online and real-world shops in piracy-prone China.</span></p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>Apple recently delayed the <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a>'s international launch after huge demand in the United States caught the maker of trendy iPhones and MacBooks off guard. But Chinese consumers looking for knock-offs of the company's latest must-have product need look no further than this teeming electronics mall in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese boomtown near the border with Hong Kong.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>Here, tiny shops are stuffed with pirated versions of everything: from Microsoft's newest Windows 7 operating system, a steal at $2 each, to a range of Apple products, from iPhones to MacBooks and the lightweight MacBook Air.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>After extensive queries with multiple shopkeepers, one surnamed Lin offered the sought-after item in a dark backroom on the market's fifth floor away from the hustle and bustle.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Hefty and thickset with three USB ports and a more rectangular shape than the original, this knock-off with <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a> aspirations, which runs a Windows operating system, looks more like a giant iPhone. It costs 2,800 yuan ($410), making it slightly cheaper than the iPad's $499-$699 price tag.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>"This is just the first rough version," says Lin a crew-cut agent speaking in bursts of quick-fire Cantonese.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>"While the shape isn't quite the same, the external appearance is very similar to the <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a>, so we don't think it will affect our sales that much," he added, explaining the difference was due to the difficulty sourcing matching parts because of the quick two-month turnaround time for the first version's development.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>Hard-working Chinese bootleggers are rushing to fill a vacuum that won't last for long, created by unexpectedly strong demand for the <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a> in its first weeks on the market.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>The 10-inch entertainment device, on which one can read books, play music and videos and surf the Internet, sold more than 500,000 in its first week alone, and continued strong U.S. demand has led Apple to delay the product's international launch to the end of April.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p>Chinese counterfeiters have rushed to fill the <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a> gap.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span><p>Taobao, China's largest online marketplace, contains hundreds of listings for the coveted product, many real but some dubiously labeled as "China goods," with claims to have even better features than the real deal.</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span><p>Like the models in the Shenzhen market, these fake <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a>s also retail for around 2800 yuan each, compared with 4,000-6,000 yuan for those marketed as real.</p><span id="midArticle_12"></span><p>Analysts and gadget fanatics expect the <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a> to do well in Asia given Apple's strong branding and the rising number of affluent middle class consumers. But few are surprised by the quick appearance of a counterfeit version in a country where pirated movies often appear in markets in the same week of their theatrical release.</p><span id="midArticle_13"></span><p>"China is basically a market that has the ability to clone everything, so it's really not surprising," said Edward Yu, chief executive of Beijing-based researcher Analysys International.</p><span id="midArticle_14"></span><p>"I don't think piracy is a bad thing for the <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a> given that China has a huge population, maybe the clone iPads will give more of the potential users a look and feel."</p><span id="midArticle_15"></span><p>Back in Shenzhen, Lin said factories around China's Pearl River Delta -- the country's biggest export manufacturing hub -- were working hard on an updated version of the pirated <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a>s to feed strong demand.</p><span id="midArticle_16"></span><p>"This is just the first rough version," Lin said. "Eventually, the factories will be able to make a much better copy."</p></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63P0B620100426">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7794359286743170200?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-10036698696468006052010-04-27T14:44:00.000+08:002010-04-27T14:46:39.925+08:00<p>Forget about getting a job as a police officer in Indonesia's Papua if you have had your penis enlarged. You won't get it, according to local media reports citing the Papua police chief.</p><p class="relatedTopics">An applicant "will be asked whether or not his vital organ has been enlarged," said Papua police chief Bekto Suprapto, quoted on local website Kompas.com.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>"If he has, he will be considered unfit to join the police or the military."</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The ban was applied since the unnatural size causes "hindrance during training," said police spokesman Zainuri Lubis in Jakarta, quoted by news portal Detik.com.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Indonesia's remote easternmost province is home to Papuan tribes, many of whom are known for wearing penis gourds.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>A low-level separatist insurgency has waged in the resources-rich part of Indonesia for decades and there is a heavy police and military presence there.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>Papuans use a local technique to achieve the enlargement, according to a sexologist quoted by local newspaper Jakarta Globe, wrapping the penis with leaves from the "gatal-gatal" (itchy) tree so that it swells up "like it has been stung by a bee," the expert said.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63M3LF20100423">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1003669869646800605?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-43070410163502123402010-04-27T14:38:00.001+08:002010-04-27T14:38:52.121+08:00Brazilians can fight off chronic illness by engaging regularly in physical exercise, and particularly in sexual intercourse, the country's health minister said.<br /><br />"People need to be active. A weekend football game must not be the only physical activity for a Brazilian. Adults need to do exercise: walk, dance and have safe sex," said Jose Gomes Temporao. <p>The minister gave the advice as he launched a campaign to prevent high blood pressure, which afflicts a quarter of Brazil's 190-million strong population.</p><p>After making his unusual comments, Mr Temporao defended his promotion of sexual intercourse to journalists, according to the G1 news website.</p><p>"It's not a joke. It's serious. Having regular physical exercises also means sex, always with protection of course," he said.</p><p>"Dancing, having sex, keeping weight under control, changing dietary habits, doing physical exercise" all help keep blood pressure down, he said.</p><p>He added that he believed there was a health "time bomb" ticking in Brazil, which within 20 years could see a "gigantic percentage" of the population suffering chronic illnesses, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. </p><p> </p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/7637074/Brazilians-told-to-have-more-sexual-intercourse-to-avoid-illness.html">Source</a><br /><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4307041016350212340?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-31360791932018847602010-04-10T11:34:00.001+08:002010-04-10T11:36:07.803+08:00The case of a teenager in Massachusetts who killed herself after a relentless, months-long bullying campaign shows how the common schoolyard behavior is evolving in dangerous new ways online.<br /><p>Six students face felony charges in the death of Phoebe Prince, 15, who hanged herself in January after being subjected to verbal assault and threats of physical harm. Some harassment occurred online on Facebook, in text messages and in other high-tech forms, a contemporary development in the age-old practice, experts said.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The bullying of Prince "far exceeded the limits of normal teenage relationship-related quarrels," said Elizabeth Scheibel, prosecutor in the South Hadley, Massachusetts, case.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Prince was targeted with such insults as "whore" after she dated a popular high school football player, who had also dated one of the accused girls. Prince was a newcomer from County Clare, Ireland, and had attended boarding school in Limerick.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>The accused girls have come under online attack since Prince's death with fake websites set up under their names linked to media accounts of the case. The sites attracted reams of anonymous comments and threats.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>Allegations that school officials knew of the bullying but failed to intervene have sparked outrage.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>"The actions -- or inactions -- of some adults at the school are troublesome," Scheibel said.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>"A LOT OF PEOPLE KNEW"</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>But no adults have been charged in the case. Scheibel said their failure to help did not amount to criminal behavior.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p>"The school knew something," said Judith Vessey, a professor at the Connell School of Nursing at Boston College who has done extensive research on bullying. "The mother knew something. Friends and bystanders knew something.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span><p>"A lot of people knew what was happening and could have intervened."</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span><p>Intervention by bystanders is crucial to stopping the downward spiral in bullying cases, she said.</p><span id="midArticle_12"></span><p>"You would like to think that people would examine their own role and what they could do to make it not happen again, said Scott Seider, professor at Boston University's School of Education.</p><span id="midArticle_13"></span><p>Three girls were arraigned and pleaded not guilty in Prince's case this week to a variety of civil rights violations and stalking charges. A fourth girl and two boys face similar charges. The boys, both of whom briefly dated Prince, also are charged with statutory rape.</p><span id="midArticle_14"></span><p>Bullying is pervasive in U.S. schools. A U.S. Department of Education report in 2005 found 14 percent of students aged 12 through 18 said they were bullied in the previous six months.</p><span id="midArticle_15"></span><p>The typical concept of bullying -- intimidation of a child perceived as weak by another -- is too simple, Vessey said.</p><span id="midArticle_0"></span><p>"Especially in girls, bullying can be about social toxicity," she said, describing "eye rolls, the exclusions, the whole 'mean girls' thing."</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>"One of the things that puts kids at risk is the notion of difference," she said. "This young woman had those risk factors."</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>On the day she hanged herself from a stairwell, Prince was verbally harassed in the school library, in the hallways and while walking home from school, prosecutors said.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>ATTEMPTING SUICIDE</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Bullying may play a bigger role than is commonly understood in teen suicide, experts also said. The annual suicide rate among Americans 15 to 19 years old is about seven per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Teenage boys are more likely to commit suicide than are girls.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>A CDC study also showed 14.5 percent of U.S. high school students reported seriously considering suicide during the year preceding the survey, and 6.9 percent said they had attempted suicide once or more in the same period.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>Massachusetts lawmakers in March approved a bill that would ban bullying, including cyber-bullying, but versions of the bill must be reconciled by lawmakers before it can become law.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>The legislation came in response to the Prince case and the suicide of an 11-year-old boy in Springfield, Massachusetts, last year. Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover had been subject to relentless anti-gay taunts before killing himself.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>Having a statute may do little to stop bullying and could make children more wary of reporting incidents and setting themselves up for retribution, Vessey said.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p>"When you have a zero-tolerance program, kids won't tell on one another," she said.</p><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63847420100409?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=technologyNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Technology%29">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-3136079193201884760?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-89125046604455575052010-04-09T10:32:00.002+08:002010-04-09T10:37:41.261+08:00<a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/267112/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457961091374843618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 209px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ac5hBNpTuww/S76SsfFNBuI/AAAAAAAAACQ/VP5w9JHEQjA/s320/u+have+0+friends.jpg" border="0" /></a> <br /> <br />An episode of the animated American sitcom, South Park, is spreading virally across the web as viewers take pleasure in the show’s bitingly truthful depiction of the “more annoying” side of social networking site Facebook. <p></p> <br /><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 1em; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 7px 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.25; PADDING-TOP: 0px">The episode called “<a style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: rgb(27,87,177); TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/267112/" target="_blank">You’ve Got 0 Friends</a>”, which aired on American TV on April 7, shows how social networks are infiltrating our everyday lives — influencing our reactions to social situations and changing how we relate with other people in our lives after having (or not having) an online relationship with them.</p> <br /><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 1em; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 7px 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.25; PADDING-TOP: 0px">The South Park episode aired in light of Facebook’s recently proposed privacy changes — changes that would enable the social network site to share (what most users consider) private information with third-party sites.</p> <br /><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 1em; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 7px 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.25; PADDING-TOP: 0px">According to a recent survey conducted by security firm Sophos, around 95 per cent of Facebook users are opposed to the changes.</p> <br /><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 1em; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 7px 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.25; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Media blog Gawker has put together a video recap of the episode online showing “every ridiculous thing about what the social network has become.”</p></span></span> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tmi/news/allnews/~3/MdMSniaAwt8/59268-child-marriage-fair-in-islam-foul-by-law">Source </a> <br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>] <br /> <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-8912504660445557505?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-48815495008472792902010-04-09T10:00:00.000+08:002010-04-09T10:01:57.985+08:00<p><div class="img_caption left" style="WIDTH: 365px"><img class="caption" title="Anti-government " style="FLOAT: left" height="263" src="http://media.themalaysianinsider.com/images/2010/04/09/0904_bkk.jpg" width="350" included="null" /> <p class="img_caption">Anti-government </p></div><br /><br />Tens of thousands of Thai anti-government protesters prepared for mass marches on secret locations today in defiance of an emergency decree imposed to quell nearly a month of protests demanding new elections.<br /><p></p><p>Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva imposed a state of emergency on Wednesday and authorities have since blocked websites and shut down an influential opposition television station, sparking scuffles between riot police and the red-shirted protesters and raising questions about what happens next.</p><p>Bangkok is calm, life goes on as normal, but the protesters are defiant.</p><p>“We will tear up all laws,” Nattawut Saikua, a “red shirt” leader, told tens of thousands of the mostly rural and working class protesters who have ignored orders to leave Bangkok’s main shopping district since Saturday.</p><p>He called for marches to 10 undisclosed locations across Bangkok and urged any red shirts who have private vehicles to bring them along, billing the protest as the biggest in nearly four weeks of sporadic anti-government street rallies.</p><p>“We will move out to 10 locations at the same time,” he said. “We don’t want to call it the final day, but if we can score a knockout, we definitely will,” he said. “This is all for Abhisit to dissolve parliament.”</p><p>The risk of confrontation has raised concern of fallout on Thailand’s economy, Southeast Asia’s second biggest. Central bank officials and the country’s finance minister have said it could affect monetary policy, possibly delaying an expected rate rise.</p><p>Thailand’s stock market, which had surged about 80 per cent over the past 12 months as Asia’s third-best performer, fell 3.5 per cent yesterday to its lowest since Oct 15.</p><p>Foreigners, who bought US$1.8 billion (RM6.12 billion) in Thai stocks in since Feb 22, turned net sellers for the first time in more than six weeks after a buying spree spurred by cheap valuations and Thailand’s rebounding, export-driven economy.</p><p>Thousands of the supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and now lives in self-imposed exile, had gathered in the shopping district by morning. Many had slept there on cardboard boxes.</p><p>Authorities have issued arrest warrants for 10 red shirt leaders, the army said, raising the possibility of swift arrests.</p><p>But some experts say such arrests may only embolden the protest movement and sharpen its message of double standards after no convictions were made when their archrival protesters known as the yellow shirts blockaded Bangkok’s international airport for a week in 2008 until a court ousted the government.</p><p>Kasit Piromya, a vocal yellow-shirt leader in the airport blockade that stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers, went on to become foreign minister in the current government.</p><p>“This is obviously another case of double standards,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.</p><p>“In a way, the red shirts might be willing to let their leaders get arrested to boost morale,” he said. “They can say ‘the yellow shirts did it two years ago. These people still walk freely on the street. But with the red shirts, look at what the government does. It arrests them’.”</p><p>Abhisit faces pressure to either compromise and call an election he could easily lose, or launch a crackdown on tens of thousands of protesters that could stir up even more trouble.</p><p>Most analysts doubt the authorities will use force to remove the protesters from the shopping area — a politically risky decision for Abhisit as his 16-month-old coalition government struggles to build support outside Bangkok.</p><p>By yesterday, authorities had blocked most websites associated with the protesters and taken several opposition TV channels off air. Military checkpoints had gone up outside Bangkok to stop more from entering the sprawling city of 15 million people.</p><p>“We will go on the offensive,” a protest leader, Weng Tojirakarn, told Reuters.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/59266-thai-red-shirt-protesters-prepare-for-mass-marches">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4881549500847279290?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-43337874396793764682010-04-09T09:32:00.001+08:002010-04-09T09:36:45.502+08:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: medium 'Times New Roman'; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 20px; LINE-HEIGHT: 30px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans">Tens of millions of Mexicans could find their cellphones disconnected this weekend if the government goes ahead with a new law meant to fight crime by forcing people to register their identities.</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: medium 'Times New Roman'; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 20px; LINE-HEIGHT: 30px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans"></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: medium 'Times New Roman'; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 20px; LINE-HEIGHT: 30px; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: medium 'Times New Roman'; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans"><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Advertisements on government radio and television have been urging Mexicans for weeks to register their cellphones by sending their personal details as a text message, but on Thursday 30 million lines remained unregistered as the Saturday deadline neared.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Analysts said that any related losses for Mexico's largest wireless operator, America Movil, would be tiny relative to the company's overall sales.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Still, America Movil, controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, is urging senators to extend the deadline for implementing the law, passed a year ago to try to stop criminals from using cellphones for extortion and to negotiate ransoms in kidnappings.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">"Close to 30 million people will be affected ... many of whom depend on mobile phones as their only means of communication," America Movil's head of institutional relations, Guillermo Ferrer, said in emailed comments.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Most of Mexico's 84 million mobile phones are prepaid handsets with a limited number of minutes of use that can be easily bought in stores. The phones can be topped up with more minutes through street corner vendors.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">America Movil has 71 percent of Mexico's wireless market, along with operations in Brazil, Chile and other countries in the region. Most of the rest of Mexico's cellphone market is in the hands of Spain's Telefonica.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">MOBILE EXTORTION</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Mexico is plagued by organized crime, from drug trafficking to express-kidnappings of taxi passengers to force them to make cash withdrawals from automatic teller machines. Increased media reports of kidnappings in 2008 led to calls for the cellphone registry.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Critics have said the law would be ineffective because criminals can easily register phones under other people's identities.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">But telecommunications watchdog head Hector Osuna said in a radio interview on Thursday authorities planned to check the legitimacy of data people submit.</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">This week, senators refused requests from telephone companies to extend the deadline for a year, but discussions were ongoing and a last-minute vote could not be ruled out.</p><span id="midArticle_12"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">The Reforma newspaper reported that a judge refused to give Telcel an injunction to stop the deadline.</p><span id="midArticle_13"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Based on average spending habits, America Movil stands to lose around $10 million in revenue per day if the 30 million unregistered lines are cut.</p><span id="midArticle_14"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">"We think that disconnected users would look to register their line in the short term, though there could be an inevitable loss of revenues by the mobile companies," BBVA analyst Andres Coello wrote in a note to clients.</p><span id="midArticle_15"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Itau Securities analyst Martin Lara estimated that it would take a week, on average, to reactivate lines that were cut or to acquire new lines. That would cost America Movil 0.2 percent of projected sales for 2010.</p><span id="midArticle_0"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">If people who depend heavily on their wireless phones for work have already registered their lines, there could be less of an effect on America Movil's revenue.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 14px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.6; PADDING-TOP: 0px">America Movil's ADRs were down 1.26 percent, or 64 cents, at $50.34 in late trading on the New York Stock Exchange.</p></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/technologyNews/~3/4ojzOoN8EMg/idUSTRE6375DT20100408">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4333787439679376468?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-20245791373979484102010-04-09T09:31:00.000+08:002010-04-09T09:32:23.916+08:00<div class="yui-sldshw-displayer" id="displayFrame"><div class="yui-sldshw-active yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade"><div class="image-container" id="ic0"><img id="image0" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100408&amp;t=2&amp;i=88817448&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-04-08T173856Z_01_BTRE6371D1200_RTROPTP_0_APPLE" /></div></div><div class="yui-sldshw-next yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><div class="image-container" id="ic1"><img id="image1" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100408&amp;t=2&amp;i=88822284&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-04-08T175430Z_01_BTRE6371DR000_RTROPTP_0_APPLE" /></div></div><div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade"><div class="image-container" id="ic2"><img id="image2" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100408&amp;t=2&amp;i=88822783&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-04-08T175430Z_01_BTRE6371DR100_RTROPTP_0_APPLE" /></div></div><div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade"><div class="image-container" id="ic3"><img id="image3" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100408&amp;t=2&amp;i=88822784&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-04-08T175430Z_01_BTRE6371DR200_RTROPTP_0_APPLE" /></div></div><div class="yui-sldshw-cached yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade"><div class="image-container" id="ic4"><img id="image4" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100408&amp;t=2&amp;i=88822785&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-04-08T175430Z_01_BTRE6371DR300_RTROPTP_0_APPLE" /></div></div></div><script type="text/javascript"><br /> <br /> <br /> var USTRE6374H820100408 = new YAHOO.reuters.slideshow("displayFrame", 1, {"idNum": "USTRE6374H820100408", "slideshow":{"title":"Apple's iPad sets strong sales pace, iAds unveiled",<br /> "slides": [<br /> <br /> <br /> {"image" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100408&t=2&i=88817448&w=460&r=2010-04-08T173856Z_01_BTRE6371D1200_RTROPTP_0_APPLE',<br /> "thumbnail" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100408&t=2&i=88817448&w=50&r=2010-04-08T173856Z_01_BTRE6371D1200_RTROPTP_0_APPLE',<br /> "caption" : "<p>Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs speaks about an application for the iPad at a special event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California April 8, 2010. REUTERS\/Robert Galbraith<\/p>"}<br /> <br /> ,{"image" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100408&t=2&i=88822284&w=460&r=2010-04-08T175430Z_01_BTRE6371DR000_RTROPTP_0_APPLE',<br /> "thumbnail" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100408&t=2&i=88822284&w=50&r=2010-04-08T175430Z_01_BTRE6371DR000_RTROPTP_0_APPLE',<br /> "caption" : "<p>Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs speaks about the iPhone OS4 at a special event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California April 8, 2010. REUTERS\/Robert Galbraith<\/p>"}<br /> <br /> ,{"image" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100408&t=2&i=88822783&w=460&r=2010-04-08T175430Z_01_BTRE6371DR100_RTROPTP_0_APPLE',<br /> "thumbnail" : '/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100408&t=2&i=88822783&w=50&r=2010-04-08T175430Z_01_BTRE6371DR100_RTROPTP_0_APPLE',<br /> "caption" : "<p>Apple Inc. 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CEO Steve Jobs speaks about the number of books downloaded for the iPad at a special event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California April 8, 2010. REUTERS\/Robert Galbraith<\/p>"}<br /> <br /> ] }});<br /> <br /> </script><span id="articleText"><span id="midArticle_start"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><span class="focusParagraph"><p>Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs on Thursday revealed stronger-than-expected sales of 450,000 for the <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a> since its much-hyped debut, and touted a phone operating system with a new advertising platform to compete with rival Google Inc's.</p></span></span><br /><p>Analysts expect sales of 1 million units or more for the device -- touted as a new class of gadget that will bridge laptops and smartphones -- in the current quarter ending June, and roughly 5 million in 2010, though estimates vary widely.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The electronics giant has staked its reputation on the 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet. It is helping foster a market for tablet computers that is expected to grow to as many as 50 million units by 2014, according to analysts.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Despite being deemed to have no clear-cut case for use other than pure media consumption, analysts expect Hewlett-Packard, Dell and others to trot out competing devices of their own this year.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Since going on sale on April 3, users have downloaded 600,000 digital books and 3.5 million applications for the <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a>, Jobs said.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>At a media event at the company's Cupertino, California, headquarters, Jobs said Apple had so far sold more than 50 million iPhones, the smartphone that competes with Research in Motion's Blackberry and Palm's Pre.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>Apple is expected to launch the fourth generation model of its iPhone, which was first introduced in January 2007, later this year.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>Job, looking thin but energetic, said the forthcoming iPhone 4.0 operating system -- also available on <a title="Full coverage of the Apple iPad" onclick="Reuters.article.trackInlineLink(2)" href="http://www.reuters.com/subjects/ipad">iPad</a>s this fall -- will carry its new "iAd" mobile advertising platform, marking the company's foray into a small but burgeoning market.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>iAds will allow applications developers to sell advertisements pocketing 60 percent of the revenue.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p>Apple's entry into the mobile ad arena had been widely expected. This year, it paid $270 million for Quattro Wireless, an advertising network that spans both mobile websites and smartphone applications.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span><p>Google, which already sells advertising on smartphones, agreed to buy mobile ad firm AdMob late in 2009, U.S. regulators are examining the deal's antitrust implications.</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span><p>Research group Gartner expects the mobile advertising market to grow 78 percent to $1.6 billion in 2010.</p><span id="midArticle_12"></span><p>Jobs also said the new operating system will include support for multitasking -- addressing a perennial consumer complaint -- allowing users to switch between several programs running simultaneously.</p><span id="midArticle_13"></span><p>Shares of Apple turned positive briefly after Jobs' announcement before quickly dipping back into negative territory. They were 0.3 percent lower at $239.94 in afternoon trade on the Nasdaq.</p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6374H820100408?type=technologyNews&amp;feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=technologyNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Technology%29">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-2024579137397948410?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-8927820895250723072010-04-09T09:28:00.001+08:002010-04-09T09:31:13.792+08:00<p><div class="img_caption left" style="WIDTH: 345px"><img class="caption" title="The new series will be called “Oprah’s Next Chapter”. — Reuters pic" style="FLOAT: left" height="220" src="http://media.themalaysianinsider.com/images/stories/2008_may/0402/00004_oprah.jpg" width="330" included="null" /> <p class="img_caption">The new series will be called “Oprah’s Next Chapter”. — Reuters pic</p></div><br /><br />Oprah Winfrey will try to recreate her daytime success in the evening with a new show she will host from around the world next year after ending her reign as daytime talk-show queen after 25 years, her network said yesterday.<br /><p></p><p>The new series will be called “Oprah’s Next Chapter” and will take Winfrey to India, China and elsewhere, said the Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN, the Los Angeles-based cable TV venture she formed with Discovery Communications Inc.</p><p>Scheduling and details for the new prime-time series have not been finalized, a network spokeswoman said, but the show likely will air two to three times a week and debut in late 2011. Winfrey will interview a range of people from celebrities to politicians to newsmakers in other countries.</p><p>The show was one of five new series announced by OWN. Others included a reality show about country singer Shania Twain, a one-hour series hosted by Winfrey’s best friend, Gayle King, and an arts series that will spotlight among others singer Lady Gaga and director James Cameron.</p><p>The 24-hour network is set to be seen in 70 million <span class="adv_class" id="adv_hiliteText">home</span><innity></innity>s and will start in January.</p><p>The US talk show host announced in November on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that she would end her popular daytime show because it “feels right.” The top-rated daytime show is broadcast from Chicago on ABC stations across the United States and in more than 140 countries.</p><p>It became one of TV industry’s biggest money-makers and helped Winfrey, 56, amass a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at US$2.3 billion (RM7.6 billion).</p><p> </p><a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/showbiz/59250-oprah-to-host-new-global-evening-show">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-892782089525072307?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-83792159496507895002010-04-08T16:23:00.002+08:002010-04-08T16:24:52.786+08:00. <p>AT least 20 men are queuing up to marry two millionaires who had advertised in <i>Lianhe Wanbao</i>, a Singapore-based Chinese newspaper looking for husbands, <i>Sin Chew Daily </i>reported.</p><p>The two women are Thai Rao Gui Zhen and Chinese national Wang Xu from Dalian. Both are 46.</p><p>Rao, who earns more than RM100,000 a month, is the bigger hit among her suitors, judging from the number of telephone inquiries since her advertisement appeared on Monday.</p><p>Some of the men even went to the extent of sending their photographs to the daily in their “applications” to woo these two women.</p><p>Rao’s sister Gui Fen, 44, was quoted as saying that she would be assisting her sister to short-list the candidates and the “finalists” would have to travel to Thailand to meet her.</p><p>The applicants include a part-time actor, contractor, driver, divorcee, a bankrupt and a company di&shy;&shy;rector.</p><p>The daily reported that the other candidate, Wang, earned as much as RM500,000 year.</p><p>A 52-year-old company director, Lee Chao Ri, said he was interested in both the women.</p><p>Lee, who owns some property in China and had worked in Australia earlier, said his children were currently studying in university and he had been divorced for many years.</p><p>Part-time actor Liang Jie Ming said he was still a bachelor and his parents had passed away.</p><p>“I am willing to go to Thailand and work hard with Rao in her business,” he said.</p><p>Contractor Tan Hock Seng said he could speak Thai and was willing to accompany Rao in her business.</p><p>Another reader called up the hotline to say that his friend went bankrupt recently and intended to marry the woman to save his future.</p><p>> The daily also reported that a Singapore entertainment outlet is hiring a recruitment agency to find employees whose job is only to play mahjong.</p><p>SK Recruitment Services spokesperson said the monthly salary is RM4,140 with accommodation and meals provided.</p><p>As an incentive, the employee will also get to keep 20% of his winnings while the remaining 80% would go to the employer.</p><p>The daily also said that a similar arrangement would be used if the employee lost in the mahjong game.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/8/nation/6009590&amp;sec=nation">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-8379215949650789500?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-60743238402959372762010-04-08T16:23:00.001+08:002010-04-08T16:23:52.589+08:00<div class="slideimgdiv"><img src="http://im.rediff.com/money/2010/apr/08solar1.jpg" width="370" onload="" />370)this.width=370"></div><div class="relative alignR"> </div><p><span style="font-size:6;">S</span>olar Impulse, a prototype of an airplane designed to fly around the world using only solar power, made its first real flight on Wednesday.</p><p>Powered by 12,000 solar cells, the aircraft, flew for 87 minutes to an altitude of nearly 4,000 feet above the Swiss countryside.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/apr/08/slide-show-1-solar-airplane-completes-maiden-flight.htm">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6074323840295937276?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-51958828040408365212010-04-08T16:12:00.003+08:002010-04-08T16:14:32.520+08:00<div class="image-container" id="ic0"><img id="image0" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100407&amp;t=2&amp;i=88247893&amp;w=390&amp;r=2010-04-07T171103Z_01_BTRE636076Y00_RTROPTP_0_TELEVISION-PLAYBOY" /></div><div class="yui-sldshw-next yui-sldshw-frame" id="frame_fd1fade" style="FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><div class="image-container"><img id="image1" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100407&amp;t=2&amp;i=88247892&amp;w=390&amp;r=2010-04-07T171103Z_01_BTRE636076Z00_RTROPTP_0_TELEVISION-PLAYBOY" /></div><div class="image-container"> </div><div class="image-container"><span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph">They thought it would be all fun and glamour, but when 10 photographers recently gathered for a new reality TV show, they learned there was more to taking pictures of naked women than a good camera lens.</span></span></div><span><span class="focusParagraph"></span></span></div><span><span class="focusParagraph"></span></span><br /><span><span class="focusParagraph"><p>"Playboy Shootout," which premiered this past Saturday on cable television's subscriber-only Playboy Channel puts the photographers together in tandem with 10 models and each group -- shooters and models -- compete to have their work featured in the legendary men's magazine founded by Hugh Hefner.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>While perhaps many a young man has dreamed of shooting a nude centerfold for Playboy, only few ever make the grade.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Playboy editorial director Jimmy Jellinek said the magazine annually gets "thousands and thousands" of submissions from photographers, but it is the rare exception who gets picked.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Stephen Wayda, a longtime Playboy photographer and judge on "Shootout," said he tried unsuccessfully for years before finally making it into the magazine's pages and onto a stellar career as a celebrity photographer.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>"People think it's all fun, sex and glamour. They don't realize when you're doing nudes there's a lot more to it. You see all the body. You see the wrinkles in the waist when (models) turn. You see how the body is built, and you have to make it look good," Wayda said.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>For "Shootout," Playboy gathered the photographers from around the United States and put them together in Los Angeles. The first episode had them assigned to take pictures of the models in a different area of a luxurious mansion, and they were given a time limit to devise a theme, set lighting, pick a costume and put the models through hair and makeup.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p><u>A MAN'S WORLD?</u></p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>A major feature is that the models are competing to be in the magazine, too, and because they are looking for the best pictures possible, they sometimes conflict with the shooters.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p>"I've gained confidence in myself after doing the show, and I realized that having (many) crew members around me didn't distract me," said photographer Eric LaCour.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span><p>Kate Romero, one of two women among the photographers, said she believed being the same gender as the models helped her because she might be able to say things to calm their fears about posing naked in front of a large crew.</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span><p>"It is a guys' world, definitely," said Romero. "(but) I love that kind of challenge."</p><span id="midArticle_12"></span><p>Wayda said all the photographers came into the show with strong portfolios of past work, and for many the biggest problem was tailoring their own work to match Playboy's pages.</p><span id="midArticle_13"></span><p>Under Hefner, the magazine' has always tried to feature models with a homespun, girl-next-door look.</p><span id="midArticle_14"></span><p>"Some came in and said, 'I want to do something completely different,'" Wayda said. "Well, that's great, so go open up your own magazine."</p><span id="midArticle_15"></span><p>The series, which ends on June 5, is produced by "America's Next Top Model" director Claudia Frank and hosted by "The Celebrity Apprentice 2" contender and Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick. A new episode airs every week on Saturdays as part of what Playboy is calling its "Date Night" lineup of shows.</p></span></span><p><span><span class="focusParagraph"></span></span> </p><div class="image-container" style="FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63602Z20100407?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FoddlyEnoughNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough%29">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5195882804040836521?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-56598152799259726482010-04-08T16:12:00.001+08:002010-04-08T16:12:51.920+08:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: medium 'Times New Roman'; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">Two women were arrested at a British airport on suspicion of trying to smuggle a dead relative onto a flight bound for Germany, police said on Tuesday.</span> <br /> <br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: medium 'Times New Roman'; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px">The 91-year-old deceased man was pushed in a wheelchair through Liverpool's John Lennon airport wearing sunglasses before check-in staff became suspicious and he was prevented from boarding the plane. <br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: medium 'Times New Roman'; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>He was believed to have been driven about 35 miles to the airport by taxi from Oldham, Greater Manchester, police added.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The women were arrested on suspicion of failing to give notification of a death and were released on bail.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>"At 11 a.m. on Saturday 3 April 2010, police at Liverpool John Lennon airport were alerted to the death of a 91-year-old man in the terminal building," police said in a statement.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>"Two women aged 41 and 66 were arrested on suspicion of failing to give notification of death."</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>The cause of death is not known.</p></span> <br /></span> <br /> <br /><a href="http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/oddlyEnoughNews/~3/3UyodNKtphg/idUSTRE63544E20100406">Source</a> <br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>] <br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5659815279925972648?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-69366143229109528102010-04-08T16:02:00.000+08:002010-04-08T16:03:10.279+08:00<p><img style="FLOAT: left" height="263" src="http://media.themalaysianinsider.com/images/2010/04/08/0408aliens.jpg" width="350" />Aliens exist and they live in our midst disguised as humans — at least, that’s what 20 per cent of people polled in a global survey believe.</p><p>The Reuters Ipsos poll of 23,000 adults in 22 countries showed that more than 40 per cent of people from India and China believe that aliens walk among us disguised as humans, while those least likely to believe in this are from Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands (8 per cent each).</p><p>However, the majority of people polled, or 80 per cent, don’t believe aliens in our midst.</p><p>“It would appear that that there’s a modest correlation between the most populated countries and those more likely to indicate there may be aliens disguised amongst them compared with those countries with the smaller populations,” said John Wright, Senior Vice President of market research firm Ipsos.</p><p>“Maybe it’s a simple case that in a less populated country you are more likely to know your next door neighbour better,” he said.</p><p>More men than women — 22 percent versus 17 percent — believe that alien beings are on earth.</p><p>Most of those believers are under the age of 35, and across all income classes, the survey showed. Of those who do not believe, most are women.</p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/59149-global-survey-1-in-5-believe-in-aliens-">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6936614322910952810?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-50131766121789578352010-04-06T15:57:00.000+08:002010-04-06T15:59:18.810+08:00A Dubai court Sunday upheld a one-month jail sentence given to a British pair for kissing in public, media reports said.<br /><br /><p>The British man living in Dubai and a female friend were arrested in November on charges of kissing intimately in public and consuming alcohol. An Emirati mother had complained her child had seen their indiscretion.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>The case is the third time in under two years that Britons have fallen foul of indecency laws in Dubai, a Muslim emirate popular with sun-seeking Western tourists and expatriates.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The defendants are consulting their lawyer on whether to appeal Sunday's ruling before a cassation court, the website of the daily Gulf News reported.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>The pair, who had been free on bail, are also to pay a fine of 1,000 dirhams ($272) for illegal consumption of alcohol and will be deported after serving their jail term, the website said.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Dubai's foreign population expanded rapidly in recent years as expatriates flocked to the Gulf Arab trade and tourism hub for its tax-free earnings and year-round sunshine.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>The changes have challenged the Emirati population, now vastly outnumbered by foreigners, raising concerns that the rapid pace of growth is a threat to their social and religious identity in what remains a deeply conservative region.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>In 2008, a British couple narrowly escaped jail after a court found them guilty of engaging in drunken sexual activity out of wedlock and in public on a beach in the emirate.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>They were sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation, but had their jail terms overturned on appeal.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>In another case this year, a British couple who shared a hotel room managed to escape trial in Dubai for having sex out of wedlock by producing a marriage certificate.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6342IN20100405">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5013176612178957835?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-79625204480686554152010-04-06T15:56:00.000+08:002010-04-06T15:57:51.597+08:00A man who claimed to have been sent by Jesus to punish sinners rammed his car into a parked plane at an airport in southeastern Nigeria , an aviation spokesman said Thursday.<br /><br />No one was hurt in the incident Wednesday and the spokesman said Nigeria had no problem with security.<br /><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The United States put Nigeria on a list of countries needing to improve security after Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was arrested on suspicion of trying to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner in December using explosives hidden in his underwear.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>"There is no problem at all at our airports, no cause for alarm, as we have the necessary security on the ground," said Akin Olukunle, spokesman for the Federal Airport Authority.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>He said the driver had broken through two security gates at Calabar international airport and rammed his car into the Arik Air plane before soldiers arrested him.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>The suspect was heard yelling that all Nigerians were sinners and must repent or perish, a reporter who was at the airport said. The man, who is from Nigeria's southeastern state of Akwa Ibom, said he had been sent by Jesus Christ.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>Authorities were questioning him in Calabar.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>The crew of the plane, which had arrived from Lagos and was on its way to the capital Abuja, were not injured and no passengers were on board at the time.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>"Our men rushed to the scene and evacuated crew members on board," Olukunle said. "We have beefed up security."</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p>A bomb squad found no explosives in the car and flights continued despite the incident.</p><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6302DT20100401">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7962520448068655415?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-30842148794976399812010-04-06T15:55:00.000+08:002010-04-06T15:56:47.422+08:00<img title="" alt="Actors perform in a re-enactment of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ on Good Friday in San Ignacio, Misiones province, March 21, 2008. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100323&amp;t=2&amp;i=80603537&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-03-23T170151Z_01_BTRE62M1BB700_RTROPTP_0_PARAGUAY" border="0" /> <div class="rolloverCaption" id="captionContent" style="DISPLAY: block"><div class="rolloverBg"><div class="captionText"> </div></div></div><br />We've been overeating our way through ever-larger portions over the past 1,000 years, a U.S. study revealed after studying more than 50 paintings of the Biblical Last Supper.<br /><br /><p>The study, by a Cornell University professor and his brother who is a Presbyterian minister and a religious studies professor, showed that the sizes of the portions and plates in the artworks, which were painted over the past millennium, have gradually grown by between 23 and 69 percent.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>This finding suggests that the phenomenon of serving bigger portions on bigger plates, which pushes people to overeat, has also occurred gradually over the same time period, said Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>"The last thousand years have witnessed dramatic increases in the production, availability, safety, abundance and affordability of food," Wansink, author of "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think," said in a statement.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>"We think that as art imitates life, these changes have been reflected in paintings of history's most famous dinner."</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>The researchers analyzed 52 paintings depicting the Last Supper which were featured in the 2000 book "Last Supper" by Phaidon Press, and used computer-aided design technology to analyze the size of the main meals, or entrees, bread and the plates relative to the average size of the disciples' heads.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>The study found that, over the past 1,000 years, the size of the main meal has progressively grown 69 percent; plate size has increased 66 percent and bread size by about 23 percent.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>The research, conducted with Wansink's brother, Craig Wansink, a professor of religious studies at Virginia Wesleyan College, was published in the April edition of The International Journal of Obesity.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62M35U20100323">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-3084214879497639981?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-17570263675184647712010-04-06T15:52:00.000+08:002010-04-06T15:55:45.994+08:00A Russian couple having sex in a car parked in a tiny garage have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday.<br /><p>"A man and a woman retreated to their Volkswagen to have sex... Most likely the lovers turned on the engine to get warm," Interfax reported, citing a source in the Moscow police force. During a moment of "intimate closeness," the pair, in southern Moscow, inhaled the gas and died, the source added.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>Many Russians keep their cars in box-like iron garages near their homes, which snugly encase their cars.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62G2I320100317">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1757026367518464771?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-79563212038894198872010-03-10T16:00:00.001+08:002010-03-10T16:01:51.616+08:00<p><div class="img_caption left" style="WIDTH: 265px"><img class="caption" title="US First Lady Michelle Obama (right) touches her 2009 inaugural gown as the designer of her inaugural dress, Jason Wu, looks on during a ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, yesterday. — AFP photo/Jewel Samad" style="FLOAT: left" height="262" src="http://media.themalaysianinsider.com/images/2010/03/10/0310obamadress.jpg" width="250" included="null" /> <p class="img_caption">US First Lady Michelle Obama (right) touches her 2009 inaugural gown as the designer of her inaugural dress, Jason Wu, looks on during a ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, yesterday. — AFP photo/Jewel Samad</p></div><br /><br /><br />First Lady Michelle Obama bowed to tradition yesterday and donated the dazzling ball gown she wore for her husband’s presidential inauguration last January to the Smithsonian museum institution.<br /><p></p><p>The flowing, white, one-shouldered Jason Wu gown studded with applique embroidery, along with peep-toe white Jimmy Choo high heels, a huge ring, thin diamond bracelets and dangling earrings joined the Museum of American History’s collection of first ladies’ dresses.</p><p>“I’m also a little embarrassed by all the fuss being made over my dress. Like many of you, I’m not used to people wanting to put things I’ve worn on display,” Obama said to laughter.</p><p>“All of this is a little odd, so forgive me,” she added, accompanied by Taiwan-born Wu, 27, at a ceremony unveiling the dress.</p><p>Wu, who shot to fame after Obama wore his floor-length ivory silk chiffon gown, both glamorous and revealing with its single-shoulder design studded with white organza flowers and Swarovski crystals, put his hands over his heart as the first lady spoke.</p><p>“To say she has changed my life is really an understatement,” the young Manhattan-based designer said.</p><p>“I was inspired by Michelle’s poise, race and intelligence. I was inspired by the fact that I’ve been able to come to the US for fulfill my dream.”</p><p>Wu, who only opened his first store four years ago, studied in Paris and later worked with US designer Narciso Rodriguez, another favorite Obama couturier.</p><p>“This gown is a masterpiece,” an enthusiastic Obama said. “It is simple, it’s elegant and it comes from this brilliant young mind, someone who is living the American dream.”</p><p>The gown is part of a total of 24 dresses, including 11 gowns worn by first ladies since President Dwight Eisenhower’s wife Mamie in the 1950s for the museum’s “First Ladies at the Smithsonian” exhibition. All first ladies since 1912 have contributed to the collection.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/showbiz/55825-michelle-obamas-ball-gown-makes-museum-debut">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7956321203889419887?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-89733997712442546232010-03-04T11:05:00.000+08:002010-03-04T11:07:16.945+08:00The Israeli military called off a raid in Palestinian territory after a soldier posted details, including the time and place, on social networking website Facebook, Israel's Army Radio reported Wednesday.<br /><p>The soldier - since relieved of combat duty -- described in a status update how his unit planned a "clean-up" arrest raid in a West Bank area, the radio station said. Facebook friends then reported him to military authorities.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>The Israeli military spokesman's office had no immediate comment.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>Israel says raids in the West Bank are aimed at detaining militants suspected of planning attacks on Israelis. Palestinian officials say the incursions undermine efforts by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority to enforce law and order in the territory.</p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6223S220100303?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FoddlyEnoughNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough%29">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-8973399771244254623?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-70753904006415181112010-03-04T11:04:00.001+08:002010-03-04T11:05:46.524+08:00<div class="image-container" id="ic0"><img id="image0" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100301&amp;t=2&amp;i=68751839&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-03-01T161102Z_01_BTRE62018YI00_RTROPTP_0_AUSTRALIA" /></div><div class="yui-sldshw-frame yui-sldshw-next" id="frame_fd1fade" style="FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><div class="image-container" id="ic1"><img id="image1" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100301&amp;t=2&amp;i=68751841&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-03-01T161102Z_01_BTRE62018YJ00_RTROPTP_0_AUSTRALIA" /></div></div><div class="yui-sldshw-frame yui-sldshw-cached" id="frame_fd1fade" style="FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><div class="image-container" id="ic2"><img id="image2" alt="Main Image" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100301&amp;t=2&amp;i=68751840&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-03-01T161102Z_01_BTRE62018YK00_RTROPTP_0_AUSTRALIA" /></div></div><br /><br />Some 5,200 Australians posed naked in front of the Sydney Opera House on Monday for a photo shoot by New York-based artist Spencer Tunick for another signature installation of nudes against urban backdrops.<br /><p>On a chilly, overcast, first day of autumn, the mass nude photo shoot was titled "Mardi Gras: The Base" and meant to celebrate Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras last weekend.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>As the sun rose, Tunick instructed participants to do a number of poses, from standing up, lying down, and even embracing cheek to cheek, for over an hour.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>"I want all couples to embrace and kiss, all friends to kiss and all strangers to do whatever they want," Tunick said as he directed the crowd.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Some participants were surprised at how asexual, and leveling, the event was.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>"I thought it could be a bit awkward, but it's funny because when you're naked and everybody else is naked, you feel like you're dressed, because everybody looks the same," said Steven Anglier, who wore a wig so he could stand out in the photo.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>"It's really a weird experience because you think there could be something sexual behind, but there's not."</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>Tunick has produced almost 100 installations around the world, and says his work is not about exhibitionism or eroticism but instead reveals the vulnerability of life in a rough city landscape.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>But that argument has not impressed authorities at home in the United States, where Tunick has been arrested seven times.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>His largest installation was in Mexico on May 6, 2007, where he photographed 18,000 people In Mexico city's Zocalo Square. </p><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6203AL20100301?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FoddlyEnoughNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough%29">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7075390400641518111?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-75677487849858993112010-02-25T19:13:00.001+08:002010-02-25T19:14:25.677+08:00<div class="relatedPhoto landscape" id="articleImage"><img title="" alt="A cubicle is seen at the Oxford Circus lavatories in London, May 20, 2005. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100224&amp;t=2&amp;i=66191611&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-02-24T182617Z_01_BTRE61N1F7X00_RTROPTP_0_BRITAIN" border="0" /> <div class="rolloverCaption" id="captionContent" style="DISPLAY: none"><div class="rolloverBg"><div class="captionText"><p></p></div><span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph">emale-only. <p></p></div></div></div></span></span><br />Women flying Japan's All Nippon Airways will have a toilet all to themselves from next month, with the airline designating one restroom on most international routes as female-only.<br /><br /><p>The airline said in a statement it was responding to "numerous requests for this service," adding that the toilet would be located in the rear of the plane and be available to women passengers from all classes.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>An airline official told Kyodo news agency that ANA decided to designate women-only lavatories based on a 2007 online survey in which 90 percent of the women polled said they found the idea attractive.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The official also said women do not like using shared toilets as men sometimes leave the seat up. She said demand for women-only toilets was especially high among passengers taking long flights.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Men would be allowed to use the lavatory only in emergencies or when there were very few female passengers on the flight, the ANA statement said.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>South Korea's Korean Air has been offering similar facilities and ANA rival Japan Airlines designates lavatories for priority use by women, the ANA official told Kyodo.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>Toilet etiquette appears to be an important part of ANA's policy -- the airline had previously asked passengers to use the lavatories before they board flights so as to reduce the overall weight of the plane, which would ultimately be better for the environment as it would mean less fuel usage.</p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61N58C20100224?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FoddlyEnoughNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough%29">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7567748784985899311?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-55975403392994477452010-02-25T19:11:00.000+08:002010-02-25T19:12:22.441+08:00<div class="relatedPhoto landscape" id="articleImage"><img title="" alt="Visitors looks up as fish swim in the aquarium tunnel in Dubai Mall, which covers the area of 50 soccer pitches, November 4, 2008. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&amp;d=20100225&amp;t=2&amp;i=66564077&amp;w=460&amp;r=2010-02-25T101637Z_01_BTRE61O0SJU00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES" border="0" /> <div class="rolloverCaption" id="captionContent" style="DISPLAY: none"><div class="rolloverBg"><div class="captionText"><p class="credit"></p></div>The aquarium at Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest and a symbol of Dubai's grandeur, is leaking and part of the mall has been evacuated, a police official said on Thursday. <p></p></div></div></div><br />"There was a small problem, a simple crack, and the water leaked," the official said, declining to be identified.<br /><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>One of the largest tanks in the world, the aquarium features the world's largest viewing panel at 32.8 meters (107 ft 7 in) wide and 8.3 meters high.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>Dubai Aquarium has been planned to have more than 33,000 living animals, representing more than 85 species including over 400 sharks and rays combined, according to Dubai Mall's website.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>A Reuters witness said the mall had been partly evacuated and dozens of emergency vehicles were outside the mall, billed as one of the world's largest and operated by Emaar Properties.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>An Emaar spokeswoman confirmed it was investigating an incident at the mall.</p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61O28120100225?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=topNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5597540339299447745?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-55621397864540441332010-02-24T10:23:00.001+08:002010-02-24T10:25:00.692+08:00A Bollywood filmmaker has issued a lucrative challenge to horror movie fans: a $10,000 reward for anyone who can watch his latest supernatural thriller, alone, in a cinema until the closing credits.<br /><br /><p>Ram Gopal Varma's "Phoonk 2," a sequel to his 2008 film of the same name, is about an evil spirit that traumatizes a family. "Anyone who says the movie cannot scare him is going to be put in a theater by himself," Varma told reporters in Mumbai at an event to promote the movie.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>Varma said the film fan who steps up to the challenge will be wired up to a heart monitoring machine as well as a camera that ensures they keep their eyes open during the whole movie.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>Readings from the machines will be shown live on a screen outside the cinema, Varma said, and if the contestant succeeds, they will win 500,000 rupees (approximately $10,850).</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>Varma issued a similar challenge ahead of the release of the original "Phoonk" but the promotional contest was withdrawn after allegations the selection process was rigged.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Varma said the contest winner ran out 30 minutes after the film started, but newspaper reports said a film fan in the southern Indian city of Bangalore booked an entire cinema to prove the director wrong and watched the film alone with a doctor on call and security personnel stationed outside.</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NtuRvFWmGuU&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NtuRvFWmGuU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M3W420100223?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FoddlyEnoughNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough%29">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5562139786454044133?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-48177304934409444262010-02-24T10:20:00.001+08:002010-02-24T10:23:22.682+08:00Digital dumping is on the rise, according to a survey, with growing numbers of people preferring to use email and social networking Web sites to break up with their partners.<br /><br />Over one third of 2,000 people polled (34 percent) said they had ended a relationship by email, 13 percent had changed their status on Facebook without telling their partners and six percent had released the news unilaterally on Twitter.<br /><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>By contrast, only two percent had broken up via a mobile phone text.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The rest had split up the old-fashioned way by face-to-face conversation (38 percent) and by telephone (eight percent).</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>"Digital Dumping will soon take over when it comes to ending a relationship," said Sean Wood, Marketing Manager for DateTheUk dating service for whom the survey was carried out.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>"It's often easier, quicker and avoids any misunderstandings."</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M3V920100223?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FoddlyEnoughNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough%29">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4817730493440944426?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-81455993991713219092010-02-24T10:19:00.000+08:002010-02-24T10:20:26.865+08:00An online survey of 895 Web users and experts found more than three-quarters believe the Internet will make people smarter in the next 10 years, according to results released on Friday.<br /><br /><p>Most of the respondents also said the Internet would improve reading and writing by 2020, according to the study, conducted by the Imagining the Internet Center at Elon University in North Carolina and the Pew Internet and American Life project.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>"Three out of four experts said our use of the Internet enhances and augments human intelligence, and two-thirds said use of the Internet has improved reading, writing and the rendering of knowledge," said study co-author Janna Anderson, director of the Imagining the Internet Center.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p>But 21 percent said the Internet would have the opposite effect and could even lower the IQs of some who use it a lot.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>"There are still many people ... who are critics of the impact of Google, Wikipedia and other online tools," she said.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>The Web-based survey gathered opinions from scientists, business leaders, consultants, writers and technology developers, along with Internet users screened by the authors. Of the 895 people surveyed, 371 were considered "experts."</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p>It was prompted in part by an August 2008 cover story in the Atlantic Monthly by technology writer Nicholas Carr headlined: "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p>Carr suggested in the article that heavy use of the Web was chipping away at users' capacity for concentration and deep thinking. Carr, who participated in the survey, told the authors he still agreed with the piece.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p>"What the 'Net does is shift the emphasis of our intelligence away from what might be called a meditative or contemplative intelligence and more toward what might be called a utilitarian intelligence," Carr said in a release accompanying the study. "The price of zipping among lots of bits of information is a loss of depth in our thinking."</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p>But Craigslist founder Craig Newmark said, "People are already using Google as an adjunct to their own memory.</p><span id="midArticle_10"></span><p>"For example, I have a hunch about something, need facts to support and Google comes through for me," he said in the release.</p><span id="midArticle_11"></span><p>The survey also found that 42 percent of experts believed that anonymous online activity would be "sharply curtailed" by 2020, thanks to tighter security and identification systems, while 55 percent thought it would still be relatively easy to browse the Internet anonymously in 10 years.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61I5CW20100219?type=technologyNews%3FfeedType%3DRSS&amp;feedName=technologyNews&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Technology%29">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-8145599399171321909?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-43673476086705045422010-02-23T10:41:00.000+08:002010-02-23T10:42:47.921+08:00<p><div class="img_caption left" style="WIDTH: 345px"><img class="caption" title="Even teddy bears need vacations nowadays. — Reuters pic" style="FLOAT: left" height="256" src="http://media.themalaysianinsider.com/images/stories/2008_may/0212/0002_bear.jpg" width="330" included="null" /> <p class="img_caption">Even teddy bears need vacations nowadays. — Reuters pic</p></div><br /><br /><br />A newly formed Czech travel agency is offering escorted trips for pampered toys.<br /><p></p><p>Send them your favourite animal and they will whisk it around the sights of Prague, taking photographs of it against backgrounds like Prague Castle or the Charles Bridge.</p><p>The Toy Traveling agency was pitched to a panel of local businessmen for a TV reality show “Den D” by 22-year old decorator Marek Hlavka last week.</p><p>The concept was inspired by the 2001 film “Amelie from Montmartre” in which the heroine has pictures of her father’s garden gnome posed in front of various world landmarks sent to him to convince him to fulfil his dream of touring the world.</p><p>“As we start, we’re focussing on north American and Japanese markets, where there is a huge amount of people owning stuffed animals,” said Tomio Okamura, one of the businessmen who have decided to invest in the idea.</p><p>He and former Czech minister of information technology Dana Berova have agreed to invest an initial 150,000 crowns (RM28,000) each in the project.</p><p>In the past week, the venture’s website sendyourdarling.com has logged over 15,000 visitors.</p><p>“We are very surprised with such a massive interest from clients both from here and from abroad — we really did not expect that,” Hlavka said in an email.</p><p>One recurrent request has come from Japan where several toy owners are anxious to have snaps taken at a Bayern Munich match.</p><p>Others have been asking for pictures of their stuffed animals enjoying a picnic or a massage.</p><p>The cost ranges from €90 (RM450) to €150.</p><p>“The most expensive package includes a massage, which takes place on a special rug laid out at a place with the view of the Charles Bridge. We light candles and incense sticks, lay down the plush toy on its back and Mr. Hlavka starts the massage,” Okamura said.</p><p>The dearest package also includes a cushion and a duvet to provide a comfortable journey for the stuffed client to Prague and then back to its owner.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/54089-new-travel-agency-offers-the-bear-necessities">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4367347608670504542?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-8899684165159628562010-02-23T10:40:00.000+08:002010-02-23T10:41:35.688+08:00<p><img class="caption" title="A rare copy of Action Comics #1 is seen in a handout photo from Metropolis Comics. - Reuters pic" style="FLOAT: left" height="250" src="http://media.themalaysianinsider.com/images/stories/2010feb10/0223_superman.jpg" width="155" />A very rare, first edition Superman comic book in top condition sold today for a record US$1 million (RM3.4 million) in a public sale held by website ComicConnect.com.</p><p>Owners of the website said the book, Action Comics #1, was first published in June 1938 and introduced the crime-fighting superhero to fans, describing how he was born on a different planet and came to Earth. It also introduces his alter ego Clark Kent’s love interest, Lois Lane.</p><p>Stephen Fishler, ComicConnect.com founder, said the comic is one of only around 100 in existence and that a scant two or three are in a similar unrestored, high-grade condition.</p><p>“If not this book, it may be 10 or 20 years before another one like it would be offered,” Fishler said.</p><p>Fishler said the book was last on the market 15 years ago when it fetched US$150,000. The current buyer remained anonymous.</p><p>The US$1 million is more than three times the previous record of US$317,000 that ComicConnect fetched for a lower-grade Action Comics #1 book last year.</p><p>Back in 1938, the comic sold for US10 cents. </p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/showbiz/54077-superman-comic-fetches-record-us1-million">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-889968416515962856?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>GInfotechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16138904378816249412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-64353585894664603002010-02-17T16:21:00.000+08:002010-02-17T16:21:17.275+08:00British church leaders are encouraging people to give up their iPods for Lent, instead of more traditional vices such as chocolate, to help save the planet.<br /><br /><br />The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, and the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, are among those calling for a carbon fast for Lent -- a period ahead of Easter which Christians traditionally consider a time of penance and reflection -- which begins on Wednesday.<br /><br /><span id="midArticle_1"></span>As well as spending a day without using technology such as mobile phones or iPods, the 46 daily suggestions also include eating by candlelight, cutting meat and vegetables thinner so they cook faster and flushing the toilet less often.<br /><span id="midArticle_2"></span><br />"Instead of giving up chocolate for Lent, why not fast for justice ... to help those suffering from the effects of climate change," said Jones.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61F1J220100216">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6435358589466460300?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>snshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15956510971037463416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-90364868728674429852010-02-17T15:47:00.002+08:002010-02-17T15:47:53.302+08:00eBay Inc will pay about US$316,500 (RM1.08mil) to Louis Vuitton Malletier for legal costs and damages, as well as stop using Internet search terms the luxury goods maker protested, following a ruling on Thursday by the Paris District Court. <br /><br />The online auction site was found liable for harming the reputation of Louis Vuitton trademarks, the company name and domain name — all held by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. <br /><br />eBay spokesman Alina Piacentino said the company will appeal the decision. <br /><br />The auction site had been buying keywords such as “Viton,” “Vitton” and “Wuiton” so that online shoppers using these misspellings in a search engine — along with anyone using the brand’s correct spelling — would be directed to links promoting eBay, a Louis Vuitton spokesman said. <br /><br />The court, which called eBay’s actions “parasitic,” ordered the company to stop using the keywords. The court said the practice harmed Louis Vuitton’s brand. <br /><br />The online auction house must pay Louis Vuitton euro 200,000 (RM1mil) in damages plus euro 30,000 (RM150,000) in legal costs. <br /><br />In a prepared statement, eBay said it was disappointed but noted that Louis Vuitton was awarded less than the euro 1.2mil (RM6mil) it sought. <br /><br />In the case of any future violations, eBay must pay Louis Vuitton euro 1,000 (RM5,000) according to an LVMH spokesman. <br /><br />eBay also said the ruling “flies in the face” of a legal victory against Ralph Lauren in an appeal of a similar case in Belgium.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2010/2/12/technology/20100212100120&amp;sec=technology">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-9036486872867442985?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>snshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15956510971037463416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-22666341533260874782007-05-11T10:28:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:47.638+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RkPVEfq129I/AAAAAAAACXY/vo8-_wdoQ9w/s1600-h/Lorry+In+My+House.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063124679291952082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RkPVEfq129I/AAAAAAAACXY/vo8-_wdoQ9w/s320/Lorry+In+My+House.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div align="center"><strong>What a shock! Imagine a 21-tonne truck carrying sand in your living room!</strong> <!--start pix2 & pix3--><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div><!--end pix2 & pix3-->M. Balakrishnan, a 70-year-old pensioner, and his wife, P. Saraswathy, escaped death when the truck rammed into the living room of their house along Jalan Maarof in Bangsar here yesterday.<br /><br />Saraswathy said she had just entered the kitchen to prepare lunch when she heard a loud explosion that shook her two-storey corner lot house about 10am.<br /><br />"I came into the living room to check and was shocked to see a huge truck there. I screamed and cried," said the former school teacher.<br /><br />"I am lucky to be alive. If I had been watching television, I would have lost my life," said Saraswathy, who was still shaken over the incident.<br /><br />Balakrishnan was also thankful that he had gone for a Rakan IJN Association meeting at the the National Heart Institute.<br /><br />"If not for the meeting, I will be doing my daily routine of reading the newspaper in the living room," said Balakrishnan, who is the secretary of the association.<br /><br />Balakrishan, City Hall’s former senior public health assistant, said he was unsure what to do now.<br /><br />"My 35-year-old son stays with us. We have so many important things here and cannot leave the house," he said.<br /><br />Alam Flora garbage truck driver R. Arumugam, 49, who witnessed the incident, said the truck may have developed brake failure.<br /><br />"I had stopped at the traffic lights when I heard a loud screeching sound from behind and saw the truck coming fast from the Bangsar Shopping Centre direction.<br /><br />"It avoided us by just a few metres and swerved into the road on our left before it rammed the house’s brick wall."<br /></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/20070511075909/Article/index_html">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-2266634153326087478?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-70941318022293584532007-05-10T19:03:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:47.783+08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RkL8Cfq128I/AAAAAAAACXQ/_caVFtr5p3g/s1600-h/Stuck+in+Drain.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062886050908986306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RkL8Cfq128I/AAAAAAAACXQ/_caVFtr5p3g/s320/Stuck+in+Drain.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div>It was more embarrassing than painful. This teenager missed her footing and her right leg went through the steel grating of a drain in Section Two, Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, last night. </div><div> </div><div>The 18-year-old student was kept company by several passers-by, who for more than 30 minutes tried in vain to free her. In the end, firemen used a hydraulic pump to force the steel bars apart. She escaped serious injuries.</div><br /><div></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.nst.com.my/">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7094131802229358453?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-64134604565314925782007-05-09T13:37:00.000+08:002007-05-10T19:04:29.168+08:00<p align="center"><img src="http://thumbnails.thestar.com.my/thumbnail_dir/2007/05/04/edwin.jpg" /></p><div align="center">How did the car end up there? </div><div align="center">That was the first question people asked when they saw the car in Taman Silibin, Ipoh.</div><br /><br /><a href="http://thumbnails.thestar.com.my/view.asp?id=1078">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6413460456531492578?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-71686905246256655622007-05-09T13:31:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:47.799+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RkFc6fq125I/AAAAAAAACW4/mA3tL6Pj2MM/s1600-h/shrek.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062429616144505746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RkFc6fq125I/AAAAAAAACW4/mA3tL6Pj2MM/s320/shrek.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>McDonald's Corp. is putting the pot-bellied green star of "Shrek" movies on a diet in a new campaign that features the restaurant chain's apple slices and salads rather than its burgers and fries. </div><br /><div><p>On Tuesday, McDonald's and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the studio behind the upcoming "Shrek the Third" movie, unveiled a promotion in which Shrek, Donkey and other characters from the animated film will be used to sell Happy Meals and other McDonald's food.</p><p>But unlike previous movie tie-ins, McDonald's will use Shrek to feature its salads, milk, apple slices and other products introduced in the last 3 years as the No. 1 restaurant company faced mounting criticism its food was not only unhealthy, but also contributing to the increase in overweight kids in the United States.</p><p>A Happy Meal with Apple Dippers, all-white-meat chicken McNuggets, and low-fat milk will be featured in television commercials and on posters in McDonald's restaurants. Shrek will also appear on packaging for the milk and apples.</p><p>While the apples, milk, salads and other featured products have been on McDonald's menu for more than a year, Chief Marketing Officer Mary Dillon said the company still had "opportunities to drive awareness both with parents and kids about these offerings."</p><p>McDonald's will also use Shrek to promote physical activity through games on its Web sites that require both online and offline play, Dillon said.</p><p>The company would not disclose how many Happy Meals it sells with apple slices versus those with French fries.</p><p>The decision to limit the Shrek characters to healthier products was taken by both corporations, DreamWorks spokesman Bob Feldman said.</p><p>Shrek also appears in a series of public service announcements by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that encourage kids to be physically active.</p><p>The department has come under fire from The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which opposes marketing to children, for using Shrek at the same time he is to appear on products such as Happy Meals, M&amp;M's chocolates and Kellogg Co. cereals such as Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes.</p><p>DreamWorks' Feldman said candy is a treat and how much a child eats is a matter of parental responsibility.</p><p>McDonald's Shrek promotion begins May 11 in the United States and will last about four weeks. "Shrek the Third" opens in the United States on May 18.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070508/film_nm/mcdonalds_dreamworks_dc;_ylt=AiKDmnlIpBzbpb2FHxVRjNZxFb8C">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7168690524625665562?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-17832872036512614712007-05-09T13:27:00.000+08:002007-05-09T13:29:14.409+08:00A British man who went on a wild spending spree after doctors said he only had a short time to live wants compensation because the diagnosis was wrong and he is now healthy -- but broke.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span> <p>John Brandrick, 62, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago and told that he would probably die within a year.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>He quit his job, sold or gave away nearly all his possessions, stopped paying his mortgage and spent his savings dining out and going on holiday.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>Brandrick was left with little more than the black suit, white shirt and red tie that he had planned to be buried in when it emerged a year later that his suspected "tumor" was no more than a non-life threatening inflammation of the pancreas.</p><br /><p>"When they tell you you've got a limited time and everything, you do enjoy life," Brandrick, from Cornwall in the west of England, told Sky television.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>"I'm really pleased that I've got a second chance in life... but if you haven't got no money after all this, which is my fault -- I spent it all -- they should pay something back."</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>If he can't get compensation, he is considering selling his house or suing the hospital that diagnosed him. The hospital has said that while it sympathizes with Brandrick, a review of his case showed no different diagnosis would have been made.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL0727013220070507">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1783287203651261471?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-59639027874586379722007-05-09T13:26:00.000+08:002007-05-09T13:27:22.076+08:00More than two dozen Israeli motorists maneuvered around the dead body of a road accident victim lying in the middle of a busy intersection, failing to stop to help in an incident captured by a traffic camera.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span> <p>In footage broadcast by Israeli television stations on Monday and in a series of photographs on newspaper front pages, motorcyclist Moshe Yisraeli was seen trying to squeeze between two trucks at a junction on a highway near Tel Aviv Sunday.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>He never made it. The camera captured his body lying near the centre of the four-way intersection, his motorcycle meters away on its side.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>Some 30 cars and trucks slowed down and then carefully drove around the prone motorcylist in a stream of traffic that continued for nearly two minutes before a driver stopped his vehicle and approached the body.</p><br /><p>An ambulance crew later pronounced Yisraeli, 63, dead at the scene.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p>Israelis have a reputation for rushing to the scene of accidents or Palestinian bombings to help victims, and the apparent apathy shown in Yisraeli's case touched off a public debate over whether Israeli society has become uncaring.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p>"It's hard for me to think that no one helped him. I prefer to believe that people were in shock and didn't understand what had happened," Yisraeli's daughter, Tali, told reporters.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL0731759620070508">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5963902787458637972?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-68260148633671815462007-05-09T13:25:00.000+08:002007-05-09T13:26:25.482+08:00A German man failed his driving test after attempting the examination while three times over the legal alcohol limit, police said Tuesday.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span> <p>When the man arrived for the test Tuesday morning, both his driving instructor and the examiner detected the smell of alcohol on him, though the 27-year-old assured them he had not been drinking, police in the western town of Bendorf said.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>"But his driving was rather bad, so the examiner directed him to toward the police station without him noticing," the spokesman said. "Once there, he had to get out and take an alcohol test, which revealed he was well over the limit."</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The man will now have to wait "a long time" before he can take another driving test, the spokesman said.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL0812938420070508">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6826014863367181546?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-91379833786182555772007-05-09T07:44:00.000+08:002007-05-09T07:47:50.279+08:00<div align="center"><em><strong>Wished they implemented this years ago, then I won't have to be stressed out over examinations in my early life!! :)</strong></em></div><br /><br />The Malaysian Examinations Syndicate (MES) has proposed the abolishment of two major public examinations – the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) in Year Six and the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) in Form Three. <p>Its director Datuk Dr Adi Badiozaman Tuah said there would be no public examination at the primary and lower secondary levels following the proposed introduction of school-based assessment. <p>“If this is approved, the UPSR will be conducted for the last time in 2012 and the PMR in 2015,” he said. <p>The MES has proposed five forms of assessment for students in the national education system. These will be piloted in the 30 pioneer cluster schools next year. They are: <p>- <strong>SCHOOL assessment</strong> – planned, developed, conducted, examined and reported by teachers in schools. <p>- <strong>CENTRAL assessment</strong> – involving standards, instruments, data analyses and guidelines provided by the MES. <p><strong>- l CENTRAL examination</strong> – fully conducted by the MES. <p><strong>l PSYCHOMETRIC tests</strong> – used to measure students’ innate abilities. <p><strong>- l PHYSICAL activity assessment</strong> – used to evaluate and measure students’ performance and involvement in extra-curricular activities. <p>The MES has recommended that only the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia for Form Five students be retained as a public, central examination at the upper secondary level. <p>Under the proposed move, Dr Adi said, various methods would be used to gather data about students’ growth and development, performance and achievement. <p>“We will empower teachers to conduct school-based assessment and give them the tools and training to carry it out effectively. <p>“School assessment will be given due recognition and acknowledgement,” he said after delivering the keynote address at a forum on educational assessment here yesterday. <p>According to Dr Adi, the ultimate aim is to reduce over-reliance and over-dependence on data obtained through centralised public examinations for information about students. <p>MES is devising psychometric tests which will be introduced in schools to help teachers gather data on their students – including their innate abilities, strengths, weaknesses, talents, aptitudes, attitudes, personalities and interests – to understand them better, <p>“There has been too much attention given to public examinations. School is now looked upon as a process of preparing students for public examinations. School assessment has lost significance and the outcome is not taken into account in students’ final grade,” said Dr Adi. <p>He added that the current assessment used was not holistic enough. <p>“The focus should not only be on academic aspects. We should also assess students’ personal and character development and involvement in extra-curricular activities.” </p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/5/9/nation/17668399&amp;sec=nation">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-9137983378618255577?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-53079032498065723712007-05-08T21:07:00.000+08:002007-05-08T21:12:42.568+08:00<p><p><span class="story_byline"></span></p>Two robbers were left disappointed after they only escaped with a plastic bag filled with a newspaper and a water bottle. <p></p><p>The victim, a money changer, was about to open his shop in Taman Sentosa here at about 9am when he was approached by two men armed with guns. <p>The robbers snatched the plastic bag the victim was carrying before escaping in a blue Proton Wira. <p>The 50-year-old victim was relieved that the bag only contained his bank account book, a newspaper and a water bottle. <p>He was not harmed and has lodged a police report at Central police station. </p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/5/8/nation/20070508161755&amp;sec=nation">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5307903249806572371?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-89525081624274041592007-05-07T22:26:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:48.142+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rj83i_q120I/AAAAAAAACWQ/DvLhO6fTKhU/s1600-h/spiderman3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061825580533930818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rj83i_q120I/AAAAAAAACWQ/DvLhO6fTKhU/s320/spiderman3.jpg" border="0" /></a>Spider-Man caught just about everyone in his web. The superhero's latest adventure, "Spider-Man 3," smashed box-office records with $148 million in its first three days, according to studio estimates Sunday.<br /><div><br /><p>That put it ahead of the previous record debut of $135.6 million set last summer by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."</p><p>With $59.3 million on opening day Friday, Sony's "Spider-Man 3" broke the single-day box-office record, also held by "Dead Man's Chest" with $55.8 million in its first day.</p><br /><p>Since it began rolling out overseas on Tuesday, "Spider-Man 3" has taken in $227 million in foreign markets, bringing the film's worldwide total to $375 million. In just days, the movie has grossed $117 million more than its whopping $258 million production budget.</p><br /><p>In just two days, it also nearly matched the $114.8 million opening weekend of 2002's "Spider-Man," which had held the debut record until "Dead Man's Chest" opened.</p><br /><p>"Spider-Man 3" reunites director <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Sam Raimi" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Sam+Raimi"><span style="color:#003399;">Sam Raimi</span></a></span>, who also made the previous two installments, and stars <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Tobey Maguire" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Tobey+Maguire"><span style="color:#003399;">Tobey Maguire</span></a></span> and <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Kirsten Dunst" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Kirsten+Dunst"><span style="color:#003399;">Kirsten Dunst</span></a></span>. </p><p></p><p>"Sam Raimi is a genius," said Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures co-chairman. "I could have never envisioned this. What I was hoping was we would just break the `Spider-Man 1' record. This is beyond my wildest dream."</p><p>The overall box office soared from "Spider-Man 3," with the top-12 movies taking in $176.6 million, up 77 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "Mission: Impossible III" opened with $47.7 million.</p><p>"Spider-Man 3" outdid that movie by $100 million and grossed more in each of its first two days than "Mission: Impossible III" did over the full weekend.</p><p>Also among the records smashed by "Spider-Man 3" was a $4.8 million domestic gross at huge-screen IMAX theaters, topping the previous best of $3.6 million set by "300" in March.</p><p>Playing in a record 4,252 locations domestically, "Spider-Man 3" averaged a whopping $34,807 a theater.</p><p>Domestically, "Spider-Man 3" could enter its second weekend Friday with $200 million already in the bank. The film has the market largely to itself for the next week and a half, with no major competition arriving until DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third" arrives May 18.</p><p>With "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and an onslaught of other potential blockbusters following, studio executives predict this could be a record summer for modern Hollywood.</p><p>"Spider-Man 3" packed in enormous crowds that were captive audiences viewing trailers for those upcoming flicks.</p><p>"If you could imagine the best kickoff to what could be the biggest summer of all time, this is the scenario," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "This will have a ripple effect on audiences exposed to the marketing for all the other summer films."</p><p>The gap between "Spider-Man 3" and the No. 2 movie — DreamWorks and Paramount's "Disturbia" at $5.7 million — was larger than any other movie's debut. "Disturbia," which had been No. 1 for three-straight weekends, raised its total to $59.9 million.</p></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><p>Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.<br /><p>1. "Spider-Man 3," $148 million.<br /><p>2. "Disturbia," $5.7 million.<br /><p>3. "Fracture," $3.4 million.<br /><p>4. "The Invisible," $3.1 million.<br /><p>5. "Next," $2.8 million.<br /><p>6. "Lucky You," $2.5 million.<br /><p>7. "Meet the Robinsons," $2.46 million.<br /><p>8. "Blades of Glory," $2.3 million.<br /><p>9. "Hot Fuzz," $2.1 million.<br /><p>10. "Are We Done Yet?", $1.7 million. </p></div><br /><div></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070507/ap_en_mo/box_office">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-8952508162427404159?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-13406504975865543402007-05-04T18:42:00.002+08:002008-12-11T21:08:48.352+08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjsOkPq12iI/AAAAAAAACUA/6iFki-7WS1M/s1600-h/crockcoach.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060654622125185570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjsOkPq12iI/AAAAAAAACUA/6iFki-7WS1M/s320/crockcoach.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A Houston museum is offering 25 cents per cockroach to fill an exhibit about the wonders of insects that eat decomposing things.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>The Houston Museum of Natural Science wants 1,000 American cockroaches, which grow to 2 inches long, can fly and thrive in the city's sub-tropical climate, said museum entomologist Laurie Pierrel on Wednesday.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><p>They will be part of an exhibit polishing the image of bugs that feed off decaying organic matter and in so doing add to the general cleanliness.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><br /><p>"They're decomposers, a bit like a trash disposal," Pierrel said. "If we didn't have cockroaches, there'd be so much more trash around."</p></div><br /><div><br /><p>Roaches are widely believed to be dirty, disease-carrying creatures, but that is unfair, she said.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><br /><p>"They are very clean like a cat," Pierrel said. "They clean themselves all day."</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><br /><p>There is the matter that they often enter houses through the sewer system, and that troublesome organic matter from there can stick on their feet, but only until they clean it off, she said.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><br /><p>The Houston Chronicle on Wednesday had a frontpage illustration of a homemade roach trap to capture the bugs without touching them.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><br /><p>Pierrel said she will be outside the museum the next three Saturdays with a bucket for the bugs and money for the sellers.</p></div><br /><div><br /><p>What will the museum roaches eat? Pretty much what they would get scavenging in the average home.</p><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>"We usually throw in a box of cake mix, some pieces of apple, some pieces of orange, cat food, dog food -- our insects eat well," Pierrel said.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0234946220070503">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1340650497586554340?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-89610774001343443832007-05-04T18:42:00.001+08:002008-12-11T21:08:48.543+08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjsRvPq12mI/AAAAAAAACUg/JqGB8czd1CA/s1600-h/fire.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060658109638629986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjsRvPq12mI/AAAAAAAACUg/JqGB8czd1CA/s320/fire.jpg" border="0" /></a>An elderly Indian husband and wife were burnt to death after villagers accused them of practicing black magic, tied them together on a pyre and set them on fire, police said Thursday.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><div><p>"The aged couple died screaming for help," said police superintendent P.V. Sunil Kumar.</p><p>Sayanna, 70, and his 61-year-old wife, Pochamma, were set ablaze after being doused with kerosene.</p><p>Both were farm laborers near the southern city of Hyderabad who also practiced traditional medicine. Police have arrested six villagers for the incident.</p><p>Belief in black magic is common in some parts of rural India, despite the country's robust economic growth and cutting-edge high-technology industries.</p><p>Dozens of women are murdered each year after being accused of witchcraft.</p><p>Last year, a barber in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh killed his four-year-old son by slitting his throat with a razor after the man started seeing visions of the Hindu goddess Kali demanding a sacrifice.</p><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSDEL13090920070503">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-8961077400134344383?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-19588548220905504312007-05-04T18:39:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:48.707+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjsRcfq12lI/AAAAAAAACUY/Tow3GowHJ84/s1600-h/diaper+adult.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060657787516082770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjsRcfq12lI/AAAAAAAACUY/Tow3GowHJ84/s320/diaper+adult.jpg" border="0" /></a>Cashiers at Chile's Santa Isabel supermarket chain say their employer is so stingy with their work breaks that they have had to resort to wearing diapers to make it through shifts without getting fired.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><div><p>The union at Santa Isabel, owned by Cencosud, one of Chile's largest chain retailers, said cashiers are not allowed to leave their work stations during their shifts, which last eight hours or longer.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><p>"They are not given permission to go to the bathroom and they can't last for so many hours; that's why some have started using diapers or sanitary pads," Marianela Fernandez, president of the Santa Isabel Supermarket workers union, told Reuters.</p><p>Cencosud said any such incidents would have been isolated.</p><p>"It is possible that there may have been isolated cases that were not in compliance with the norms and procedures of Santa Isabel," Cencosud said in a statement. "In these instances company policy has been to immediately adopt the appropriate corrective measures."</p><p>The complaint has been taken up by Chile's largest labor organization, the Central Workers Union, or CUT, which has requested government action in the case.</p><br /><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0237031620070503">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1958854822090550431?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-31597540271605300342007-05-04T18:37:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:48.910+08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjsS1Pq12nI/AAAAAAAACUo/xn5wFmxz2NA/s1600-h/exercise+bike.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060659312229472882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjsS1Pq12nI/AAAAAAAACUo/xn5wFmxz2NA/s320/exercise+bike.jpg" border="0" /></a>A gang stripped a South African man before supergluing him to an exercise bicycle while they ransacked his house, according to a report Thursday.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><br /><div><div><br /><p>SAPA news agency said the attackers, dressed in suits, hijacked a man in his 50s and forced him at gunpoint to take them to his home in Johannesburg.</p><p>"The victim was then forced to strip, after which he was superglued to the seat of an exercise bicycle, his hands were superglued, as were his feet and then his mouth was superglued shut," SAPA quoted Mark Stokoe, a spokesman for emergency services Netcare 911, as saying.</p><br /><p>The man was rescued about three hours later when his partner arrived home, SAPA said.</p></div><div><p>South Africa is battling one of the world's highest crime rates which has prompted concerns that violence might mar the 2010 soccer World Cup, which the country is due to host.</p><p>A police spokesman could not immediately comment on the report. No one at Netcare 911 could be reached.</p></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL0333042020070503">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-3159754027160530034?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-11146277473863867232007-05-04T14:27:00.000+08:002007-05-04T14:28:38.387+08:00<p>A WOMAN had to give birth in front of her house with the help of her husband and two police personnel after having waited two hours for an ambulance , Harian Metro reported. <p>Rossdiana Faddly, 28, gave birth to a 2.31kg baby girl in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, at about 6.30am last week. <p>Shahril Daud, 30, said he called a private hospital when his wife suffered labour pains at about 4.30am but was told to contact another hospital as his house was too far from the hospital. <p>“The second private hospital also rejected my request saying that their ambulances were not in service at that moment,” he said, adding that he then called Hospital Kuala Lumpur. <p>The hospital agreed to send an ambulance as soon as possible. <p>At 6.30am, a desperate Shahril called the Wangsa Maju police station and two police personnel Constables Mohd Zahri Ramzan and Dzulaiha Mohd Nahapiah were sent to the scene before a call was made to the Defence Department for an ambulance. <p>The report said the HKL ambulance showed up two hours after Shahril had called the hospital. </p><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/5/4/nation/17625106&amp;sec=nation">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1114627747386386723?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-73640081944548475562007-05-04T08:30:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:49.030+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rjp-7vq12fI/AAAAAAAACTo/Xc-jUl6sCzY/s1600-h/Paris+Hilton.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060496696177711602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rjp-7vq12fI/AAAAAAAACTo/Xc-jUl6sCzY/s320/Paris+Hilton.jpg" border="0" /></a>Paris Hilton will have a very unglamorous new address if prosecutors get their way: the Los Angeles County jail. The city attorney's office filed documents in Superior Court recommending the hotel heiress and TV star be jailed for 45 days for violating terms of her probation for an alcohol-related reckless driving conviction.<br /><div></div><br /><div><p>Prosecutors also want Hilton to stay away from alcohol for 90 days and wear a monitoring device that will chart whether she complies. And they are seeking to have her license suspended for an additional four months.</p><p>The recommendation will be reviewed by a judge when Hilton appears for a probation violation hearing on Friday. The judge can accept it or impose a different penalty. The maximum penalty is 90 days in jail.</p><p>City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said Hilton is being treated the same as anyone else.</p><p>"Anyone who would have conducted themselves in a way that resulted in this set of facts, we would have made the same recommendation of 45 days in county jail, regardless of whether they were a celebrity or not," he said Thursday.</p><p>Delgadillo said he is requesting Hilton serve her time in the county jail, but where she is incarcerated is up to the judge. He said Hilton could request to be housed in a jail of her choice but if the judge grants that she would be required to pay the costs of her incarceration.</p><p>Hilton, 26, pleaded no contest in January to reckless driving stemming from a Sept. 7 arrest in Hollywood. Police said she appeared intoxicated and failed a field sobriety test. She had a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent, the level at which an adult driver is in violation of the law.</p><p>Hilton said she had only a single margarita at a charity event that evening but may have been "speeding a little bit" while on her way to get a hamburger.</p><p>A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is equivalent to a guilty plea for determining sentencing. She was sentenced to 36 months probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.</p><p>Two other traffic stops are what landed Hilton back in court.</p><p>On Jan. 15 she was pulled over by California Highway Patrol. Officers informed Hilton she was driving on a suspended license and she signed a document acknowledging she was not to drive, according to court papers.</p><p>She then was stopped by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies on Feb. 27 and charged with violating her probation. Police said she was pulled over at about 11 p.m. after authorities saw the car speeding with its headlights off.</p><p>Hilton's spokesman, Elliot Mintz, said at the time she wasn't aware her license was suspended. A call Thursday to Mintz was not immediately returned.</p><p>Prosecutors say by signing the document after the first incident Hilton knew she was not to drive. They also note that as of April 17 she had yet to enroll in the required alcohol education program.</p><p>Hilton, heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, first gained notoriety for her hard partying as a teen. She attracted worldwide attention when a sex tape she made with a boyfriend was released on the Internet.</p><p>She stars in the E! reality-TV series, "The Simple Life," now in its fifth season, with <span class="yqlink"><br /></p><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Nicole Richie" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Nicole+Richie"><span style="color:#003399;">Nicole Richie</span></a></span>. She appeared in the 2005 film, "House of Wax" and recently finished filming "The Hottie and the Nottie." She also is a handbag designer and has a namesake perfume. <p> </p></div><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070503/ap_en_tv/paris_hilton">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7364008194454847556?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-37210174153903794602007-05-03T08:59:00.000+08:002007-05-03T09:00:50.748+08:00Malaysia's first Islamic space travellers will be given guidelines allowing flexibility in praying in zero gravity and eating meals in space.<br /><br />The government-prepared advice is for a Malaysian joining a Russian scientific mission on the International Space Station in October.<br /><br />Malaysia's two finalists for the voyage are now training in Moscow. They were selected from more than 10,000 candidates.<br /><br />Malaysia believes Muslim space travellers could face problems, such as pinpointing the holy city of Mecca for prayers.<br /><br />Those in space during the holy fasting month of Ramadan — when Muslims are required to go without food or water from sunrise to sunset — can choose to fast at that time or to make up for it when they return, the booklet says.<br /><br />The first space journey by a Malaysian is likely to overlap with Ramadan, which starts in mid-September this year.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1117928.php?mpnlog=1">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-3721017415390379460?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-7759590627402367122007-05-02T19:14:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:49.291+08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rjhyw_q12cI/AAAAAAAACTQ/D7OAnaCltF8/s1600-h/Britney+Spears.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059920367401163202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rjhyw_q12cI/AAAAAAAACTQ/D7OAnaCltF8/s320/Britney+Spears.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div>Britney Spears strutted her way back to center stage with a short, sexy set at the House of Blues believed to be her first public concert appearance in nearly three years. </div><br /><div><p>The erstwhile pop star, more recently derided as a pop tart for her highly public forays into midnight carousing, appeared to be back in top form.</p><p>The 25-year-old mother of two went onstage late Tuesday wearing nothing more than knee-high go-go boots with a short white skirt and a sparkly pink bra top that showed off her belly button ring — and no evidence of the weight gain that landed her on celebrity tabloid covers last year. A long brown wig completed the outfit, covering the head she shaved in February.</p><p>She launched a short set with her classic "Baby One More Time," using a cafe chair as a burlesque prop while she pranced around the small club stage backed up by four dancers.</p><p>"She's so good!" yelled San Diego hairstylist Ally Murray, 29, as Spears showed off her aerobic choreography.</p><p>Spears sped through the songs — all standards from her earlier albums — wrapping up after less than 15 minutes. She gave a shy goodbye before an old Madonna song came on over the sound system. "Thanks everyone for coming," she told the packed club.</p><p>The comeback didn't hit a high note for everyone, some of whom paid upward of $125 a ticket.</p><p>"It looked like she lip-synched her way through the whole thing," said a disappointed Morgan Segall, 20, who flew in from San Francisco for the night.</p><p>The performance, under heavy club security, was shrouded in mystery. The club marquee advertised a show by "The M&Ms," and it wasn't until an hour after the doors opened that a disc jockey mentioned Spears' name, prompting shrieks from girls jammed in front of the stage.</p><p>Rumors of a Spears show had spread on the Internet and via local radio stations late last week, prompting a run on tickets by die-hard fans.</p><p>Spears' last concert tour ended in summer 2004. Earlier this year, she told fans she hoped for career comeback.</p><p>"I look forward to coming back this year bigger and better than ever," Spears wrote on her Web site in January, also noting she'd "been far from perfect."</p><p>"Whatever, we love her," said Raul Flores, 22, who waved a foam placard of his favorite pop star at the club exit. "She's amazing."</p><p>In March, Spears completed a stint at a luxury Malibu rehabilitation treatment facility after a series of run-ins with the paparazzi that included a stop at a San Fernando Valley hair salon, where she was caught on video shearing her own locks. Other photographs splashed across the Internet appeared to reveal Spears went out partying wearing nothing underneath her short skirts.</p><p>She was seen going out with <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Paris Hilton" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Paris+Hilton"><span style="color:#003399;">Paris Hilton</span></a></span> and <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Lindsay Lohan" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Lindsay+Lohan"><span style="color:#003399;">Lindsay Lohan</span></a></span> after filing for divorce from aspiring rapper Kevin Federline last November, just two months after giving birth to their second child, Jayden James. The pair also have an older son, Sean Preston, now 20 months. </p><p></p><p>The two reached a divorce settlement in March.</p><p>At one point in the show, Spears and her posse played at taunting a male dancer who, dressed in a natty gray suit, looked vaguely like Federline.</p><p>"The M&amp;Ms" had two other concerts scheduled at House of Blues venues in Southern California — one in Anaheim on Wednesday and the other Thursday in West Hollywood — according to the club's Web site.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070502/ap_en_mu/britney_spears">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-775959062740236712?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-59726996727688716782007-05-01T23:47:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:49.468+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjdhPfq12bI/AAAAAAAACTI/9cSKWwta-UA/s1600-h/church.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059619625201162674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjdhPfq12bI/AAAAAAAACTI/9cSKWwta-UA/s320/church.jpg" border="0" /></a>A Scottish church which featured in the best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" has revealed another mystery hidden in secret code for almost 600 years.<span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><div><p>A father and son who became fascinated by symbols carved into the chapel's arches say they have deciphered a musical score encrypted in them.</p><p>Thomas Mitchell, a 75-year-old musician and ex-Royal Air Force code breaker, and his composer and pianist son Stuart, described the piece as "frozen music."</p></div><div><p>"The music has been frozen in time by symbolism," Mitchell said on his Web site (<a href="http://www.tjmitchell.com/stuart/rosslyn.html">www.tjmitchell.com/stuart/rosslyn.html</a>), which details the 27-year project to crack the chapel's code.</p><p>"It was only a matter of time before the symbolism began to thaw out and begin to make sense to scientific and musical perception."</p><p>The 15th Century Rosslyn Chapel, about seven miles south of the Scottish capital Edinburgh, featured in the last part of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" -- one of the most successful novels of all time which has been turned into a Hollywood film.</p><p>Stuart Mitchell said he and his father were intrigued by 13 intricately carved angel musicians on the arches of the chapel and by 213 carved cubes depicting geometric-type patterns.</p><p>"They are of such exquisite detail and so beautiful that we thought there must be a message here," he told Reuters.</p></div><div><p>Years of research led the Mitchells to an ancient musical system called cymatics, or Chladni patterns, which are formed by sound waves at specific pitches.</p><p>The two men matched each of the patterns on the carved cubes to a Chladni pitch, and were able finally to unlock the melody.</p><p>The Mitchells have called the piece The Rosslyn Motet and added words from a contemporary hymn to complete it.</p><p>They have also scheduled a world premiere at a concert in the chapel on May 18, when four singers will be accompanied by eight musicians playing the piece on medieval instruments.</p></div><div><p>Simon Beattie of the Rosslyn Chapel Trust said he was delighted to have the mystery finally solved, and was intrigued by the music itself.</p><p>"It's not something you would want to put on in the car and listen to, but it's certainly an interesting piece of music," he said. "It's got a good medieval sound to it."</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSKUA15349820070501">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5972699672768871678?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-10100476636510137472007-05-01T23:43:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:49.631+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rjdg0_q12aI/AAAAAAAACTA/6YA40FHFqGw/s1600-h/Ducks.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059619169934629282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rjdg0_q12aI/AAAAAAAACTA/6YA40FHFqGw/s320/Ducks.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Several species of ducks have evolved complicated genitals in what appears to be an "arms race" between the sexes, researchers reported on Tuesday.<span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><p>And females may be coming out ahead, said the team of biologists at Yale University in Connecticut and the University of Sheffield in Britain.</p><p>Their findings not only open a window into a little-studied area of biology, but could help shed light on how evolution works to help both males and females control their own breeding, the researchers said.</p></div><div><p>Patricia Brennan of both Yale and Sheffield was trying to figure out why some species of birds have penises and some do not.</p><p>"Birds are the only group where it mostly has been lost -- 97 percent of birds do not have phalluses at all," Brennan said in a telephone interview.</p><p>"So if it is such a handy tool, why don't they have them any more?" Brennan asked.</p><p>Instead, they mate using what biologists call a "cloacal kiss" -- a brief touch of the single opening that birds of both sexes have for disposing of waste and that both eggs and sperm come out of.</p><p>Brennan noted that in many species, females choose a mate after he puts on an elaborate courtship display, and breeding pairs are often monogamous.</p></div><div><p>An exception is ducks -- especially mallards. Although mallards pair off to mate, females are often raped by stray males.</p><p>Yet studies show that these rapes do not pay off for the males. "Even in a species where 40 percent of the copulations are forced copulations, the ducklings still are mostly sired by the mates," Brennan said.</p><p>"That implies the females may have some kind of mechanism that allows them to keep control of the paternity."</p><p>So Brennan's team looked at a lot of duck bottoms.</p></div><div><p>What they found surprised them -- corkscrew-shaped oviducts, with plenty of potential dead-ends.</p><p>"Interestingly, the male phallus is also a spiral, but it twists in the opposite, counterclockwise, direction," said Yale ornithologist Richard Prum in a statement.</p><p>"So, the twists in the oviduct appear designed to exclude the opposing twists of the male phallus. It's an exquisite anti-lock-and-key system."</p><p>Brennan believes females evolved convoluted oviducts to foil the male rapists.</p><p>"You can envision an evolutionary scenario that, as the male phallus increases in size, the female creates more barriers. You get this evolutionary arms race," Brennan said.</p></div><div><p>Only if the female is relaxed and cooperative can the male's sperm get anywhere near the unfertilized eggs, the researchers suggest.</p><p>"What I think is really cool is this does speak a lot about the ability of the female to have these cryptic mechanisms of choice," Brennan said.</p><p>And it may mean something for people. "We can expect that these types of antagonistic traits are probably widespread and are likely part of the reproductive interactions of all sorts of animals, including humans," Brennan said.</p></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN3046442120070501">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1010047663651013747?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-60088088140855457202007-05-01T14:27:00.000+08:002007-05-01T14:30:08.067+08:00An employer in eastern India beheaded one of his workers for failing to milk his cows, police said on Saturday.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span> <p>Neighbors watched in horror as Upendra Yadav was dragged out of his house in Jharkhand state on Friday by his angry employer.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>The employer's father and brother held Yadav down before he was beheaded with a sword, police said.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>The employer has been charged with murder.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSSP13434620070430">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6008808814085545720?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-647503620672954402007-05-01T14:25:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:49.839+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rjbd4Pq12WI/AAAAAAAACSg/VRz6FCI7U9E/s1600-h/rubiks+cube.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059475189745965410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rjbd4Pq12WI/AAAAAAAACSg/VRz6FCI7U9E/s320/rubiks+cube.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>There's an old game in town that is creating a new class of celebrities: "speed cubers" who can solve the Rubik's Cube puzzle blindfolded, one-handed or even with their feet.<span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><p>Tyson Mao, perhaps the biggest name in speed cubing, taught actor Will Smith how to solve the brightly colored cube for the film "The Pursuit of Happyness." Shotaro Makisumi is a math prodigy so dexterous he can juggle seven balls at once. And Leyan Lo, a senior at California Institute of Technology, was featured on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><br /><p>"Those three guys are among the biggest names in the business," said Chris Hardwick, 23, who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. He holds the record for speed solving the Rubik's Revenge Cube and the Professor's Cube, two advanced models, while blindfolded.</p></div><br /><div><br /><p>The original Rubik's Cube -- which won "toy of the year" in Britain in 1980 -- is plastic, with nine colored squares on each face. The object is to move the pieces around until each side of the cube is a solid color.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><br /><p>Mao, Makisumi and Lo insist speed cubing is not as hard as it looks. In fact, they say they are surprised people admire them so much for something they say simply takes a lot of practice.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><br /><p>Since Rubik's Cube's comeback in the late 1990s, people have competed in the United States, Europe and Asia to break records -- or at least beat the 20-second benchmark.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><br /><p>Some cubers lubricate their cubes with silicone spray. Others loosen the screws to make them faster.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><br /><p>The first Rubik's world championship was held in 1982 in Budapest, Hungary, where the winner solved the cube in 22.95 seconds. The current record is 10.36 seconds, and the record for solving the puzzle using only the feet is 51.13 seconds.</p></div><br /><div><br /><p>"ONLINE TUTORIALS"</p><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>Pat Riso, a spokeswoman for Hasbro Inc , which distributes the toys, attributes the increased interest to the Internet. "There are so many tutorials online," Riso said. "It opens up the door for more cubers to find out how to solve it and have fun with it."</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><p>It also opens the door to bigger sales. Nearly 300 million cubes have been sold since they were introduced in 1980.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><br /><p>Mao solves the cube blindfolded by memorizing the locations of certain squares and assigning numbers to them. Then, the San Francisco resident says, he follows the numbers in sequence in his head. Blindfolded, his record is 1 minute 42 seconds.</p></div><br /><div><br /><p>In 2004, Mao, 22, co-founded the World Cube Association which organizes competitions. Last year, there were 33 competitions on three continents.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><br /><p>Mao says his talent has earned him a fan club.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><br /><p>"I get calls from girls telling me they love me," he said. "But they're all about the Rubik's Cube guy. I don't think they're interested in me. I'm just a curiosity for them."</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><br /><p>If dexterity is what makes a cuber a star, Makisumi can credit his lightning-quick hands.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><br /><p>Only 17 years old, he is an accomplished cuber and juggler who also enjoys math competitions and playing piano. He once held seven cubing records, including fastest one-handed solving. </p></div><br /><div><br /><p>Makisumi, of Arcadia, California, says he wants to finish high school and go to a good college, and he says he has turned down invitations to appear on television, including one from Oprah Winfrey.</p><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>Not all cubers are camera shy. Lo, 21, not only appeared on U.S. late-night television, but performed a speed solve on a special features documentary on "The Pursuit of Happyness"DVD.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><br /><p>At one time he held records for speed cubing and blindfold speed cubing. He plans to pursue a doctorate in physics at Stanford University in the fall.</p></div><br /><div><br /><p>Such fame has had its perks for Lo as well.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><br /><p>In his 2006 appearance on "The Tonight Show," after Lo was asked to speed solve a cube, host Jay Leno gave him another challenge -- unhooking the bras on five women.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><br /><p>The purpose was "to apply dexterity to real world situations," Lo said. "I got them all."</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2830634220070430">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-64750362067295440?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-15545559626346550872007-05-01T14:23:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:50.054+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjbdO_q12VI/AAAAAAAACSY/CeKAfka6jnw/s1600-h/snake.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059474481076361554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjbdO_q12VI/AAAAAAAACSY/CeKAfka6jnw/s320/snake.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Postal workers in a Brazilian border town knew there was something suspicious about the shipments from Argentina and were stunned to find scorpions and poisonous snakes in the express mail.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>The contraband animals, which also included iguanas, tortoises and lizards, were discovered when the workers had the boxes X-rayed.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><p>A spokesman for the federal police in Foz do Iguacu, the town on the border with Argentina and Paraguay where the incident occurred, said animals shipped into the country often end up in Europe "where they charge three, four, five times as much."</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><br /><p>Television stations broadcast images of brightly colored tropical snakes coiled and stuffed into plastic containers, the kind typically used for take-away orders at the deli counter.</p></div><br /><div><br /><p>The contraband animals had crossed the border from Argentina and were being express-mailed to Brazilian cities, police officer Emerson Rodrigues told TV Globo.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><br /><p>Animals are trafficked in from several countries and often cross into Brazil from Argentina or Paraguay in the tri-border region near Foz do Iguacu, authorities said.</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><br /><p>"Traffic also goes the other way, which is to say the animals come from Brazil and go to other countries, including to Europe," Rodrigues told Globo.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><br /><p>Police suspected the express mail case was linked to an international trafficking ring and were using the addresses on the boxes as leads.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><br /><p>Animal trafficking is common in South America, where the Amazon rain forest alone is estimated to hold some 15 percent of all plant and animal species on earth.</p></div><br /><div><br /><p>Foz do Iguacu is south of the Amazon at the edge of the Pantanal wetlands, which are famous for giant otters, alligators and various birds including storks and South America's endangered blue Hyacinth Macaw.</p><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>In Brazil, macaws and other parrots are among the most commonly trafficked animals. They are often found dead or dying in boxes and crates when trafficking rings are broken up.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2935828820070430">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1554555962634655087?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-38096323268788580332007-05-01T14:22:00.000+08:002007-05-01T14:23:26.639+08:00Villagers at a wedding in eastern India decided the groom had arrived too drunk to get married, and so the bride married the groom's more sober brother instead, police said Monday.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span> <p>"The groom was drunk and had reportedly misbehaved with guests when the bride's family and local villagers chased him away," Madho Singh, a senior police officer told Reuters after Sunday's marriage in a village in Bihar state's Arwal district.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>The younger brother readily agreed to take the groom's place beside the teenage bride at her family's invitation, witnesses said.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>"The groom apologized for his behavior, but has been crying that word will spread and he will never get a bride again," Singh said by phone.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSDEL12620520070430">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-3809632326878858033?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-18359186619577108872007-05-01T14:18:00.000+08:002007-05-01T14:19:14.556+08:00<p>It could have been a scene from the movie <i>Twister</i>. </p><p>Tiles and tables flew, roofs were ripped off and trees and street lamps uprooted when a massive thunderstorm hit parts of Malacca just before midnight on Sunday. <p>Hotel manager James Pang, 45, was among those who witnessed the storm's wrath. He said he was awakened by a very loud noise outside his Taman Aman house. <p><table cellpadding="7" width="334" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/5/1/nation/n_p18anthony.jpg" border="0" /> </td></tr><tr><td><div class="caption">Massive damage: Overee pointing to his house which is now without a ceiling after the storm in Malacca.</div></td></tr></tbody></table>“I looked out and saw the tiles from my porch being carried away by the wind. Then I saw a plastic table from one of the Portuguese restaurants 600m away fly into my compound,” he said. <p>Pang's four-wheel-drive vehicle, which was parked in his porch, was severely damaged by falling tiles. He estimated the total damage to his property at RM15,000. <p>Witnesses said it only took five minutes of the thunderstorm to tear off the roofs of more than 100 houses in Taman Aman, the Portuguese Settlement, Padang Temu, Bandar Hilir Garden and Seaview Garden. <p>This is the first time such an incident had happened in these areas. <p>At the Portuguese Settlement, huge trees were uprooted and the decorative street lamps atthe famous dining at the Portuguese Square were torn off and scattered everywhere. <p><table cellpadding="7" width="314" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/5/1/nation/n_p18storm.jpg" border="0" /> </td></tr><tr><td><div class="caption">Scattered mess: The decorative street lamps that usually lend a romantic ambience to the famous al fresco dining at the Portuguese Square lying on the street.</div></td></tr></tbody></table>Resident Anthony Overee, 49, said he was watching television with his wife when suddenly their entire ceiling gave way. <p>“Thank God we were not injured. My two daughters were sleeping in their rooms so I immediately woke them up and we went to the back of the house for shelter,” he said. <p>SMK Canossa Convent in the settlement, which is already in need of repair, was also badly hit. <p>Principal Chin Siok Hoon said three out of the four school blocks were badly hit and the damage could easily come up to RM50,000. <p>Kota Melaka MP Wong Nai Chee, who visited the area yesterday, said that of the 100 houses, about 10 were severely damaged, especially those located near the sea. <p>He said residents have been urged to file police reports and state their losses so they could get aid from the state government. <p>Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, who visited the area, said the state government, through the Welfare Department, would immediately hand out RM200 to each family as an emergency aid. </p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/5/1/nation/17595506&amp;sec=nation">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1835918661957710887?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-46238646423005645492007-04-26T21:23:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:50.256+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjCoLPq12TI/AAAAAAAACSI/5JquAO0Res8/s1600-h/spiderman.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057727292675316018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjCoLPq12TI/AAAAAAAACSI/5JquAO0Res8/s320/spiderman.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Beijing: Chinese counterfeiters, determined to cash in on the hype of "Spider-Man 3," have taken piracy one step further, releasing faked copies of different movies in Spider-Man sleeves. </div><br /><div><p>Sony Pictures Entertainment said on Tuesday DVDs in China reported to be pirated copies of widely anticipated "Spider-Man 3" were in fact copies of its predecessor, "Spider-Man 2."</p><p>On Thursday, street vendors were selling discs marked with "Spider-Man 3" packaging, featuring a picture of the hero crouching in a black spider suit, and crediting stars <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Tobey Maguire" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Tobey+Maguire"><span style="color:#003399;">Tobey Maguire</span></a></span> and <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Kirsten Dunst" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Kirsten+Dunst"><span style="color:#003399;">Kirsten Dunst</span></a></span> in Chinese.</p><p>A copy bought for 10 yuan -- a little over $1 -- came with the vendor's caveat that it was "not good quality."</p><p>When played in a DVD machine, the screen showed a 2001 television movie "Earth vs. The Spider" starring <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Dan Aykroyd" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Dan+Aykroyd"><span style="color:#003399;">Dan Aykroyd</span></a></span> as a detective investigating the case of a spider-like killer.</p><p>A copy obtained on Tuesday, with similar packaging and an anti-piracy warning on the back, would not play in a DVD machine.</p><p>Sony said in a statement that it had found no evidence of Spider-Man 3 DVDs on the streets in China or on the Internet, underscoring Hollywood's determination to fight Chinese counterfeiters, which they say costs them billions every year.</p><p>DVD shop vendors said it was still "too early" to obtain the fakes. The movie had its world premiere in Tokyo earlier this month, but will not be released in U.S. theatres until May 4.</p><p>"Wait a few days," said a worker at a DVD shop in Beijing's Sanlitun embassy district, who declined to leave her name.</p><p>"I'll have a good quality copy for you then," she said, before recommending a pirated copy of <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Martin Scorsese" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Martin+Scorsese"><span style="color:#003399;">Martin Scorsese</span></a></span>'s "The Departed."</p><p>China has hit back at U.S. complaints to the <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on World Trade&#10;Organization" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=World+Trade%0AOrganization"><span style="color:#003399;">World Trade Organization</span></a></span> that it is not doing enough to tackle piracy, and has conducted stage-managed events in which police have crushed millions of DVD, music and software fakes in recent weeks.</p><p>Several DVD vendors said they had noted a crackdown.</p><p>"Business has been slow recently," said a shop assistant, surnamed Hong. "There have been too many checks... Maybe there will only be legitimate copies soon," she said.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070426/film_nm/china_piracy_spiderman_dc;_ylt=AuRwarYj.RJNZm2ramUWw2JxFb8C">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4623864642300564549?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-19613102178075359762007-04-26T21:14:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:50.518+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjCmFfq12SI/AAAAAAAACSA/A0bnJF68m64/s1600-h/Hugh+Grant.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057724994867812642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjCmFfq12SI/AAAAAAAACSA/A0bnJF68m64/s320/Hugh+Grant.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><p><span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Hugh Grant" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Hugh+Grant"><span style="color:#003399;">Hugh Grant</span></a></span> has been arrested for allegedly throwing a container of baked beans at a photographer, London police said. </p></div><div>The Metropolitan Police don't identify suspects who haven't been charged, but said a 46-year-old man was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of assault and released on bail. No charges have been filed, police said.</div><br /><div><p>Grant's lawyers weren't immediately available for comment.</p><p>Photographer Ian Whittaker told the Daily Star tabloid that Grant had kicked him and shouted abuse before hurling the beans at him Tuesday morning.</p><p>The newspaper ran photos Wednesday showing the actor holding a plastic tub over his head.</p><p>Grant's screen credits include "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Notting Hill" and "About a Boy."</p></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070426/ap_en_mo/people_hugh_grant;_ylt=AosedQRldIAlOLBGiV5BRtRxFb8C">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1961310217807535976?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-49458217875629263212007-04-26T20:52:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:50.754+08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjCkQ_q12RI/AAAAAAAACR4/aAXAgEVMuCc/s1600-h/Richard+Gere+Shilpa+Shetty.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057722993413052690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjCkQ_q12RI/AAAAAAAACR4/aAXAgEVMuCc/s320/Richard+Gere+Shilpa+Shetty.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div>A court issued arrest warrants for Hollywood actor <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Richard Gere" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Richard+Gere"><span style="color:#003399;">Richard Gere</span></a></span> and Bollywood star <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Shilpa Shetty" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Shilpa+Shetty"><span style="color:#003399;">Shilpa Shetty</span></a></span> on Thursday for kissing at a public function, news reports said. </div><br /><div></div><div>Judge Dinesh Gupta issued the warrants in the northwestern city of Jaipur after a citizen there filed a complaint charging that the public display of affection — which he called an "an obscene act" — offended local sensibilities, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.</div><br /><div><p>Last week, Gupta subpoenaed television footage of the event.</p><p>Such cases against celebrities — often filed by publicity seekers — are common in conservative India. They add to a backlog of legal cases that has nearly crippled the country's judicial system.</p><p>Gere left India shortly after the kissing incident and it was not immediately clear how the warrant would affect him.</p><p>Gere is a frequent visitor to India, promoting health issues and the cause of Tibetan exiles. The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has his headquarters in the north Indian town of Dharmsala.</p><p>Under Indian law a person convicted of public obscenity faces up to three months in prison, a fine, or both.</p><p>Last week, crowds in several Indian cities burned effigies of the 57-year-old star of "An Officer and a Gentleman," "American Gigolo" and "Pretty Woman" after he embraced Shetty and kissed her several times on her cheeks during an <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on HIV" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=HIV"><span style="color:#003399;">HIV</span></a></span>/<span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on AIDS" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=AIDS"><span style="color:#003399;">AIDS</span></a></span> awareness event in the Indian capital.</p><p>Photographs of the clinch were then splashed across front pages in India — where public displays of affection are largely taboo.</p><p>The event's organizer, Parmeshwar Godrej, called the controversy a distraction from more important issues.</p><p>"It has detracted from and undermined the value and success of the event, which was concerned with creating AIDS awareness and promoting AIDS prevention among truck drivers," CNN-IBN quoted her as saying.</p><p>Shetty, 31, has said the embrace was not obscene and that the media should instead focus on HIV/AIDS awareness.</p><p>"I understand this is his culture, not ours. But this was not such a big thing or so obscene for people to overreact in such manner," she told PTI last week.</p><p>"I understand people's sentiments, but I don't want a foreigner to take bad memories from here," PTI quoted her as saying.</p><p>Shetty, already well-known in India, became an international star after her appearance on the British reality show "Celebrity Big Brother" — another controversial public appearance. A fellow contestant, Jade Goody, sparked international headlines by making allegedly racist comments to Shetty. Mobs took to the streets of India to denounce Goody, and Shetty went on to win the competition.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070426/ap_en_mo/people_gere;_ylt=ArSAX61exJCq2cRhZM15HQFxFb8C">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4945821787562926321?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-72454251474264469982007-04-26T14:39:00.000+08:002007-04-26T14:40:00.700+08:00<p align="center"><img src="http://thumbnails.thestar.com.my/thumbnail_dir/2007/04/26/changkokkoon.jpg" /></p><div align="center"> Which genius painted these directional arrows at Jalan Gurdwara in Ipoh?</div><br /><br /><a href="http://thumbnails.thestar.com.my/view.asp?id=1043">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7245425147426446998?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-9823154095231131742007-04-26T14:37:00.000+08:002007-04-26T14:39:03.527+08:00<p align="center"><img src="http://thumbnails.thestar.com.my/thumbnail_dir/2007/04/26/murali.jpg" /></p>The driver of the vehicle on the right lost control and crashed into a petrol pump at the Shell station in SS3 on Tuesday. One car happened to suffer some minor damage.<br /><br /><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://thumbnails.thestar.com.my/view.asp?id=1039">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-982315409523113174?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-7196106065335247172007-04-26T14:35:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:51.004+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjBIqPq12KI/AAAAAAAACRA/S9Ukr9kPD1s/s1600-h/kryptonite.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057622272134994082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjBIqPq12KI/AAAAAAAACRA/S9Ukr9kPD1s/s320/kryptonite.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Serb media responded on Wednesday with a sense of pride and patriotism that a new mineral had been found in Serbia closely resembling the makeup of fictional "kryptonite," which rendered Superman helpless.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>Reacting to the discovery of the real new mineral in western Serbia, they pointed out that "kryptonite" was created from the remains of Superman's home planet Krypton, destroyed in a fireball.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><p>"Superman is a Serb!" was the conclusion drawn in headlines favored by several newspapers. The daily Kurir said: "Finally we have scientific proof that we are God's own people!"</p><p>Even the staid pro-government daily Politika joined in the fun, speculating that the 'S' on the Man of Steel's blue costume really stood for 'Serbia'.</p><p>In the comics, Superman would do anything to avoid kryptonite, whose glowing green crystals sapped his powers.</p><p>The actual mineral found at a mine near Jadar does not glow, is not radioactive, has very tiny crystals and is white rather than green. It is to be named Jadarite.</p><p>While concluding an extensive examination of its unique chemistry, mineralogist Chris Stanley of London's Natural History Museum stumbled on a close match with 'kryptonite', as described in the movie 'Superman Returns'.</p><p>The museum quoted Stanley as saying he searched the Internet for the mineral's formula -- sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide -- and found the same scientific name written on a case containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luthor in the movie.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSKUA54862120070425">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-719610606533524717?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-16666753695439240102007-04-26T14:34:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:51.174+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjBIOvq12JI/AAAAAAAACQ4/KlKVR83DbRc/s1600-h/Horse+In+Bank.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057621799688591506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjBIOvq12JI/AAAAAAAACQ4/KlKVR83DbRc/s320/Horse+In+Bank.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A German man called on his bank for an unusual service when he was too tired and drunk to go home -- he bedded down there for the night with his horse.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>The man, identified as Wolfgang H. by German media, went to sleep next to cash machines in the local branch of the Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse in Wiesenburg southwest of Berlin after unsaddling his horse Sammy and closing the door.</p><p>A spokeswoman for the bank said that aside from an undesirable deposit made by his horse inside the building, the 40-year-old account holder had not breached any house rules.</p><p>"The horse was otherwise very well behaved and kept a good watch on his master," she said Wednesday. "Perhaps we should have a supply of oats and water on the premises in future."</p></div><div><p>Another customer discovered the horse and rider as he slept and informed police, who asked the man to leave.</p><p>A police spokesman said that since the horse's droppings had been removed, the matter was now closed.</p></div><div></div><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL255358020070425">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1666675369543924010?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-58659765134044727962007-04-26T14:32:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:51.319+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjBH6fq12II/AAAAAAAACQw/70afmpRmdlE/s1600-h/toilet+seat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057621451796240514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RjBH6fq12II/AAAAAAAACQw/70afmpRmdlE/s320/toilet+seat.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>British firefighters said on Wednesday they had come to a boy's rescue after he got a toilet seat stuck on his head.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>The toddler, aged two-and-a-half, and his mother walked into a fire station in Braintree, Essex, Tuesday saying the boy had put his head through a small trainer seat for the toilet and now could not remove it.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><p>"His mum had tried to get it over his head but couldn't budge it so she walked him down here and asked us to have a look at it and we went to work and we managed to get it off in no time," firefighter Chris Cox said.</p><p>"We simply put some dish washing liquid on his head and ears and it slid off nice as pie."</p></div><div>He said the boy had been "very brave" and "toddled away as happy as can be" after his ordeal ended.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL2510721720070425">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5865976513404472796?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-11510356179114102582007-04-24T08:35:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:51.566+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Ri1RUAzxq5I/AAAAAAAACP4/1POdAdhulXU/s1600-h/Russel+Simmons.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056787360863333266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Ri1RUAzxq5I/AAAAAAAACP4/1POdAdhulXU/s320/Russel+Simmons.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Prominent U.S. hip-hop executive Russell Simmons on Monday recommended eliminating the words "<strong><span style="font-size:130%;">bitch</span></strong>," "<strong><span style="font-size:130%;">ho</span></strong>" and "<strong><span style="font-size:130%;">nigger</span></strong>" from the recording industry, considering them "extreme curse words."<span id="midArticle_1"></span><br /><p>The call comes less than two weeks after radio personality Don Imus' nationally syndicated and televised radio show was canceled amid public outcry over Imus calling a women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos."</p><p>Simmons, co-founder of the Def Jam label and a driving force behind hip-hop's huge commercial success, called for voluntary restrictions on the words and setting up an industry watchdog to recommend guidelines for lyrical and visual standards.</p></div><div><p>"We recommend that the recording and broadcast industries voluntarily remove/bleep/delete the misogynistic words 'bitch' and 'ho' and the racially offensive word 'nigger'," Simmons and Benjamin Chavis, co-chairmen of the advocacy group Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, said in a statement.</p><p>"These three words should be considered with the same objections to obscenity as 'extreme curse words'," it said.</p><p><strong><em>Ho is slang for whore</em></strong> and commonly used in hip-hop music while nigger, a derogatory term for blacks, is among the most highly charged insults in American culture. The slur "nappy," used by Imus, describes the tightly curled hair of many African Americans.</p></div><div><p>Monday's statement changed course from another one by Simmons and Chavis dated April 13, a day after Imus' show was canceled, in which they said offensive references in hip-hop "may be uncomfortable for some to hear, but our job is not to silence or censor that expression."</p><p>The Imus controversy stoked a debate in the United States about how to deal with inflammatory words that are widely considered highly offensive but at the same time commonly and casually used in youth culture.</p><p>U.S. black leaders such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have led the charge to suppress offensive words while many artists have argued for freedom of expression. New York City declared a symbolic moratorium on the so-called N-word in February.</p><p>"Our internal discussions with industry leaders are not about censorship. Our discussions are about the corporate social responsibility of the industry to voluntarily show respect to African Americans and other people of color, African American women and to all women in lyrics and images," the statement from Simmons and Chavis said on Monday.</p></div><div>The network recommended the formation of a Coalition on Broadcast Standards that would consist of leading executives from music, radio and television.</div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN2330017120070423">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1151035617911410258?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-31217058747665338062007-04-24T08:32:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:51.811+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Ri1Qawzxq4I/AAAAAAAACPw/Kk6240I8In0/s1600-h/cow.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056786377315822466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Ri1Qawzxq4I/AAAAAAAACPw/Kk6240I8In0/s320/cow.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Indian teachers sprinkled cow urine on low-caste students to purify them and drive away evil, reports said on Saturday, in a country where millions of people remain oppressed at the bottom of the ancient Hindu caste system.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>Upper-caste headteacher Sharad Kaithade ordered the ritual after taking over from a lower-caste predecessor at a school in a remote village in the western state of Maharashtra earlier this month, the Times of India reported.</p><p>He told an upper-caste colleague to spray cow urine in a cleansing ceremony as the students were taking an examination, wetting their faces and their answer sheets, the newspaper said.</p><p>"She said you'll study well after getting purified," student Rajat Washnik was quoted as saying by the CNN-IBN news channel. Students said they felt humiliated.</p></div><div><p>Hinduism reveres the cow, and its dung is used in the countryside as both a disinfectant and as fuel. In 2001, Hindu nationalists promoted cow's urine as a cure for ailments ranging from liver disease to obesity and even cancer.</p><p>The newspaper said the two teachers were arrested after angry parents complained to police. They have been released on bail.</p><p>India's secular constitution bans caste discrimination, but Dalits -- those at the bottom of the caste system -- are still commonly beaten or killed for using a well or worshipping at a temple reserved for upper castes, especially in rural areas.</p><p>Dalits, once known as "untouchables," make up around 160 million of India's billion-plus population.</p><p>In February, the New York-based Human Rights Watch group said India is failing to protect its lower-caste citizens, who were condemned to a lifetime of abuse because of their social status.</p></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSSP32758320070423">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-3121705874766533806?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-39317368853652013962007-04-24T08:01:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:53.167+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Ri1JJAzxq3I/AAAAAAAACPo/T0F9x1jEYm4/s1600-h/T+Rex+Chicken.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056778375791750002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Ri1JJAzxq3I/AAAAAAAACPo/T0F9x1jEYm4/s320/T+Rex+Chicken.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div><div class="news_teaser">Protein extracted from a 68-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex bone has provided further evidence of a direct evolutionary line between dinosaurs and birds.</div><br /><div class="news_txtt">The soft tissue was removed from a fossilised thigh bone belonging to one of the giant predator dinosaurs unearthed in the US state of Montana in 2003. It lay under more than 1,000 cubic metres of rock.<br /><br />Scientific analysis showed the tissue, which belongs to the elastic fibres known as collagens, was similar in structure to chicken protein, say scientists writing in the journal called Science.<br /><br />The tissue is thought to have survived because it did not come into contact with atmospheric or groundwater contamination.<br /><br />The same researchers hit the headlines two years ago with the discovery that the fossil seemed to contain soft tissues, including blood vessels. Both operations on the T. Rex bone were performed at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.<br /><br />Collagen is a fibrous, elastic protein that also helps to keep skin looking young. It also makes up most of the organic material in bone, which consists of both minerals and protein.<br /><br />The process of fossilisation takes place over millions of years when organic remains are replaced by minerals from water and rock.<br /><br />"For centuries it was believed that the process of fossilisation destroyed any original material, consequently no-one looked carefully at really old bones", said Dr Mary Schweitzer, who led the North Carolina team.<br /><br />Final confirmation came from the laboratory of Dr John Asra, director of a mass spectrometry facility at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston.<br /><br />Mass spectrometry is a sensitive technique that identifies chemicals by their atomic mass. It was able to show the T. rex material contained sequences of amino acids. These are the protein building blocks typical of collagen.<br /><br />The sequence pattern looked like that of chicken collagen, and there were also similarities with frog and newt protein. "The similarity to chicken is definitely what we would expect given the relationship between modern birds and dinosaurs," said Schweitzer.<br /><br />"This data will help us learn more about dinosaurs' evolutionary relationships, about how preservation happens, and about how molecules degrade over time, which could also have some important medical implications for treating disease", said Schweitzer. dpa mb pb ds<br /></div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://jurnalo.com/jurnalo/storyPage.do?story_id=30856">Source1</a> <a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/news/sci-tech/04_2007/todays-chickens-were-dinosaurs-once-39000.html">Source2 </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-3931736885365201396?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-9426795538603575752007-04-24T07:59:00.000+08:002007-04-24T08:00:25.771+08:00Six people suffer from strokes every hour in Malaysia, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said. <p>He said it was surprising that about 52,000 Malaysians suffered strokes in a year when it is the most preventable of all life-threatening health problems. <p>“In 2005, 17,909 stroke victims were admitted into government hospitals alone throughout the country. Of these, 3,245 of them were fatal. By 2020, this figure is expected to exceed 25,000 every year. <p>“Many of the risk factors for stroke can be controlled if people change their lifestyle and also exercise regu- <p>larly,” he said after launching a book entitled <i>Understanding Stroke</i> by the National Stroke Association of Malaysia (Nasam). <p>Dr Chua said the main reason for the increasing number of stroke cases was that many Malaysians leading an unhealthy lifestyle, including being obese, smoking and failure to control hypertension, high cholesterol level and diabetes. <p>“Hypertension, which is a major risk factor for stroke, is scarily becoming prevalent among Malaysians. <p>“According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey in 1986, hypertension was prevalent among 14.4% of adult Malaysians aged 30 years and above. “In 1996, the figure had jumped to 29.9%, which is equivalent to a 100% increase,” he said. <p>Dr Chua said one of the ministry’s strategies for health-related diseases such as stroke was to organise health-promotion activities. <p>“Some RM37mil has been allocated to the newly set-up Health Promotion Board to provide funding to health-related NGOs and professional health associations to act as catalysts to promote the culture of healthy living among Malaysians. <p>“I believe strongly that we should focus more on the prevention than the treatment of diseases.” he said. <p>Dr Chua commended Nasam for the publication of <i>Understanding Stroke</i> and educating the public on how to reduce the risks of stroke. <p>The book will be distributed widely to educate the public on stroke prevention and what to do in the event of a stroke. <p>Nasam chairman Janet Yeo said most of the time people thought they would not suffer a stroke. <p>“And, when it does happen, it is too late to regret not having done the right things to avoid it,” she said. </p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/24/nation/17524877&amp;sec=nation">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-942679553860357575?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-66943831368419187232007-04-23T14:37:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:53.447+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RixUTgzxq1I/AAAAAAAACPY/tXBbLskd70A/s1600-h/Magentic+Man.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056509175831571282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RixUTgzxq1I/AAAAAAAACPY/tXBbLskd70A/s320/Magentic+Man.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div><strong>Axes, knives and hammers are among the things which stuck naturally onto Liew Thow Lin’s bare chest and stomach yesterday.</strong></div><br /><div></div>Being a fundraiser requires a certain magnetism, and Liew Thow Lin has it in spades. Literally. A fork, a knife, an iron — they all stick to his chest as if they’ve been glued there. Even a hammer won’t dislodge them.<br /><br />The 77-year-old grandfather of eight amazed visiting Channel U hosts Vivian Lai and Jeremy Chan of Singapore MediaCorp with his unique "magnetic powers" at the Handicapped Children’s Welfare Home in Jalan Eusoff yesterday .<br /><br />"I don’t feel anything — neither hot nor cold," said Liew.<br /><br />He discovered his unusual ability at the age of 60, when he experimented with forks and knives after hearing of a person with similar traits. A decade later, he contacted journalists from a Chinese daily to publicise his ability.<br /><br />Liew has lifted buckets of bricks and pulled a bus using chains hooked to a metal sheet which he slaps onto his bare chest or stomach. The "attraction factor" works with all materials, including plastic and human flesh, he claims. All he has to do is make sure his skin is completely free of sweat.<br /><br />For yesterday’s challenge, he lifted 50kg of bricks and pulled a Mercedes Benz car, weighing easily over a tonne, for a distance of about eight metres.<br /><br />"Liew is a regular visitor and often talks to the people here," said chairman Cheong Kok Leong, adding that there are 76 children and adults at the home now. It costs RM40,000 a month to run the home, including its rent.<br /><br />Well-wishers can contact Cheong at 05-2436235 or 012-2038569.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/20070423074751/Article/index_html">Source</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6694383136841918723?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-7945368303623564682007-04-23T14:21:00.000+08:002007-04-23T14:22:21.200+08:00<p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Body of Woman found in Suitcase</span></strong></p><p>The body of a woman was found stuffed in a suitcase floating on a river in Segambut here on Saturday. </p><p>A passer-by who was walking at Kampung Sungai Segambut retrieved the bag at about 5.30pm. <p>Sentul OCPD Asst Comm K. Kumaran said the first thing the man saw when he opened the bag was the face of a dead woman. <p>“He immediately called the police. <p>“The woman was in a brown and white striped t-shirt and a pair of shorts,” he said at the Police and Society programme at Wangsa Maju here. <p>“Her legs were tied up with a rope,” he said, adding that the yet-to-be-identified woman had shoulder-length hair. <p>Forensics police, who arrived at the scene later, confirmed that she had been dead for at least 48 hours. <p>The woman, who had been smothered, had numerous injuries, including a broken backbone and swelling on her head and neck. <p>Police also found two pillows in the bag, one of which was believed to have been used to suffocate the woman. <p>Clothes believed to be the woman’s were also found in the green bag. <p>There was no indication that the woman, believed to be in her 30s, had been raped. </p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/23/nation/17520900&amp;sec=nation">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-794536830362356468?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-33704849150977239232007-04-23T14:19:00.000+08:002007-04-23T14:21:04.626+08:00<p>The train driver could only look on in horror as the fast-moving train ran over three teenage boys lying motionless on the track. </p><p>The driver, in his 30s, saw “three dark objects” at 3am near here and blared his horn but the victims did not move. <p>Segamat OCPD Supt Abdul Majid Mohd Ali said that the driver stopped at the next station and lodged a report at the Segamat police station at around 3.15am. <p>“Policemen found the mutilated bodies – two on the tracks and the third by the side of the track.” <p>He said the incident had been classified as sudden death but police had not ruled out foul play. <p>The victims have been identified as Mohd Faizul Adam, 16, from Jalan Buluh Kasap, Segamat; Mohd Zamri Idris, 17, from Kampung Lubut Selumur, Pagoh; and Mohd Zulfahmi Zulkifli, 17, from Jalan Pemuda, Segamat. <p>Supt Abdul Majid said that one of the boys had not gone home for the last three days while another was a school dropout. <p>He said police were still trying to find out if the victims were dead before the train hit them. <p>“We can’t be sure whether the victims were under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” he said. <p>Supt Abdul Majid urged those with information to contact the police hotline at 07-2212 999 or the nearest police station. </p><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/23/nation/17520959&amp;sec=nation">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-3370484915097723923?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-18690506242473492962007-04-21T12:39:00.000+08:002007-04-21T12:41:31.511+08:00<p align="center"><em><strong>What is Malaysia turning to?? Aiyoh!</strong></em></p><p> </p><p>A COUPLE caught having sex in a car tried to escape from the police but ended up being involved in a road accident in Johor.</p><p>The male driver, in his haste to outrun a police patrol car, lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the back of a bus at 10pm on Tuesday. <p>The man, who is said to be married, suffered head injuries. <p>The woman, in her 20s, was found squatting in the front passenger's seat after the accident. <p>The naked duo refused to budge until policemen threw them their clothes which had been placed in the back seat. <p>They were later escorted by two police patrol cars to the hospital where the man, from Malacca, sought treatment. </p><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/21/nation/17507677&amp;sec=nation">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1869050624247349296?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-50698782137818339042007-04-20T17:47:00.000+08:002007-04-20T17:48:01.118+08:00A Canadian man who admitted shoplifting C$106 in razor blades has been awarded C$12,000 ($10,645) for injuries he suffered when he was tackled by store security guards.<br /><p>A British Columbia Supreme Court judge said that just because Daniel Baines admitted the store had a right to arrest him in the 2004 incident, it did not mean he lacked credibility as a witness about being beaten while being apprehended.</p><p>"Listening to Mr Baines testify, I found him to be remarkably forthright. He did not minimize or deny circumstances that might seem embarrassing or harmful to his case," Justice William Ehrcke said in a ruling published this week.</p><p>Baines, who represented himself, said employees of the supermarket in a Vancouver suburb used unreasonable force when he struggled during his capture. Baines lost a tooth in the incident, and said he now has trouble speaking.</p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/shoplifter_odd_dc;_ylt=AnyI5DCIDQGHBQiUOalv1pPtiBIF">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5069878213781833904?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-45284384122406895392007-04-20T17:46:00.000+08:002007-04-20T17:47:14.053+08:00They may be uncle and nephew, but two newborns may feel more like brothers after being born just minutes apart.<br /><p>Theresa Crouse, 39, gave birth to a son at MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital at 11:20 a.m. Monday. At 11:27, her daughter, Carrie Gresh, had her own baby boy at the same hospital — and delivered by the same doctor.</p><p>Gresh, 21, said the two women suffered through morning sickness together and thought their babies would arrive hours apart.</p><p>Crouse said she went into induced labor because of a medical condition and her daughter's labor was induced at the same time.</p><p>Crouse called her little boy Caleb Izus Crouse a miracle. "I had been wanting to have a second child for more than 20 years," she said. "I was told I wouldn't be able to have any more children."</p><p>Gresh said it's going to be interesting watching new brother and her boy, Landin, grow up and go to school together. The extended family currently lives in the same duplex.</p><p>"I think this will be great," Crouse said. "They'll grow up like brothers."</p><br /><br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070420/ap_on_fe_st/mother_daughter_births;_ylt=AuoKLz2bJLWzylcnH79XAFHtiBIF">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4528438412240689539?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-74379556667444214472007-04-20T17:32:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:53.697+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RiiIyQzxq0I/AAAAAAAACPQ/t0WJWZ1QUfs/s1600-h/kiss.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055440978810350402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RiiIyQzxq0I/AAAAAAAACPQ/t0WJWZ1QUfs/s320/kiss.jpg" border="0" /></a>An Israeli woman accidentally bit off part of her boyfriend's tongue during a heated French kiss, an Israeli hospital that reattached the tongue said Thursday.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><div><p>Nahariya Hospital said in a statement the man, injured while "passionately kissing his girlfriend," was discharged after the operation and advised to sip iced drinks and "avoid wet kisses" until the stitched wound healed.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC94878520070419">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7437955666744421447?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-59597846509072836262007-04-13T08:49:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:53.875+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rh7TxxsRHHI/AAAAAAAACNo/6bdd60GJfS0/s1600-h/Bridal+Gowns.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052708684062334066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rh7TxxsRHHI/AAAAAAAACNo/6bdd60GJfS0/s320/Bridal+Gowns.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>U.S. border police found 1,000 wedding gowns stolen from a cancer charity and crammed into a truck trying to get into Mexico, federal authorities said on Tuesday. </div><br /><div></div><div><p>The donated dresses were on their way to Los Angeles to a fundraiser for the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation in November when they were stolen in Scottsdale, Arizona, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said.</p><p>Inspectors in southern Arizona recovered the dresses late last week when they inspected a tractor trailer that had been denied entry to Nogales, Mexico, by Mexican customs officials.</p><p>Police discovered the gowns, which have an estimated value of $3 million, and arrested the driver. It was not immediately clear if the driver was a U.S. or Mexican citizen.</p><p>Fran Hansen, co-founder and national director of the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, thanked the border inspectors for recovering the missing frocks.</p><p>"When the call came in, I felt blessed beyond my wildest dreams," Hansen said. "I'd been praying for that moment for the past several months."</p><p>The charity receives donated wedding gowns, which it then resells, using the proceeds to grant wishes of women diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.</p><br /><p>Wishes fulfilled by the charity include trips to Disneyland, ocean cruises, and funding reunions for separated family members, sources at the charity said.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070411/od_nm/gowns_dc;_ylt=AizAcR4HvwMnCdysgbLM8sDtiBIF">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5959784650907283626?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-9921327597728913022007-04-13T08:44:00.000+08:002007-04-13T08:45:46.052+08:00It was apparently a case of mistaken identity. But it has landed a principal in deep trouble. The principal allegedly caned a teacher thinking she was a student who was idling outside the classroom.<br /><br />And now the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) wants the Education Ministry to investigate.<br /><br />NUTP secretary-general Loke Yim Pheng said the 28-year-old teacher from Segamat had complained to the NUTP that she was caned on her buttocks in front of Form One students at 9.40am on Wednesday.<br /><br />"NUTP has always stressed that leadership in schools is very important.<br />"If true, the act of caning a teacher has gone too far.<br /><br />"The Education Ministry should investigate and take action," she said.<br /><br />The secondary school teacher when contacted by Bernama said the incident happened after a Co-Curriculum Day event, when clad in silat attire, she was instructing students to go back to their classrooms.<br /><br />"Suddenly and without asking questions, the female principal who was patrolling the area caned her on the buttocks and also caned several other students.<br /><br />"I was ashamed because all the students in Form One saw the incident," she added.<br /><br />She said the 53-year-old principal apologised to her because she thought the teacher was another student.<br /><br />"Although she did not know me because she was transferred to the school two weeks ago, there was no reason not to ask me."<br /><br />The teacher said she did not intend to tarnish the image of the school but did not want the incident to happen again.<br /><br />Johor Education Department deputy director Jamian Jaffar when contacted said the department would investigate the matter.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nst.com.my/NST/Article/vArt?did=20070413075423">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-992132759772891302?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-59031788398928431312007-04-07T12:34:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:54.174+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RhcfnbPNMJI/AAAAAAAACLI/jKeNZs21lDk/s1600-h/dentist.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050540269306196114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RhcfnbPNMJI/AAAAAAAACLI/jKeNZs21lDk/s320/dentist.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><p>A British dentist was found guilty Thursday of urinating in his surgery sink and using dental tools meant for patients to clean his fingernails and ears.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span></p><p>A medical tribunal said it was satisfied the evidence showed 51-year-old Alan Hutchinson, who routinely did not wear gloves or wash his hands, had risked the health of "himself, staff and patients" for more than 28 years.</p><p>A dental nurse who worked for Hutchinson for 16 years said she had caught him urinating in the sink more than once.</p><p>"He was tucking something into his trousers before zipping them up hastily. I walked over and I was behind him. He moved to the left and I could smell urine," the nurse told the tribunal.</p></div><div><p>The tribunal determined that the dentist's poor hygiene habits made him unfit to practice and struck him off the dental register, banning him from work.</p><p>"You urinated into a sink in your surgery following which you did not wash your hands and then proceeded to treat a patient. This behavior was clearly inappropriate and is completely unacceptable," the tribunal chairman said.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL0517923220070406">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5903178839892843131?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-50355315594494402792007-04-07T12:28:00.000+08:002007-04-07T12:30:02.183+08:00<div align="center"><img height="275" alt="Residents of the longhouse salvaging their belongings from the rubble." src="http://www.nst.com.my/Saturday/National/20070407073446/insidepix1" width="350" border="0" /><br />Residents of the longhouse salvaging their belongings from the rubble.</div><br /><br />One man’s urge to answer nature’s call saved 100 residents of Rumah Merikan ak Johnson from being buried alive in Banting Lingga, Sri Aman, on Thursday. Renjis Empati, 57, was walking to the toilet outside the longhouse at 2am when he saw his kitchen slowly collapsing. He then ran to the ruai (longhouse walkway) and shouted to warn residents of the 14-door longhouse and nine other homes.<br /><br />"I could feel the earth trembling and saw the longhouse collapse into a sinkhole."<br /><br />The farmer was left with the pair of shorts he was wearing and a shotgun he took from his house before the building collapsed.<br />"All my belongings, including jars passed down from my ancestors, are lost."<br /><br />Residents of the longhouse treat Renjis like a hero now.<br /><br />"If it were not for him, most of us would be dead by now," said Lada Rentap, 67.<br /><br />Lada could only save her Mykad when she fled from the longhouse.<br /><br />Another victim, Limah Buma, 70, said it was "horrifying".<br /><br />"I was dragged by my husband. I could not walk as the floor was wobbling and when we reached the stairs outside, it slowly sank one rung at a time into the earth," she said.<br /><br />Limah could not contain her emotions and burst into tears when she said all her hand-woven rattan mats, which she had collected since she was a 12-year-old girl, were lost in the incident.<br /><br />"I also lost seven jars, passed down from my ancestors. Those were priceless. Those jars were hundreds of years old," she said.<br /><br />There are five longhouses situated close to each other in the village, which was founded more than a century ago.<br /><br />Yesterday, the Sri Aman Community Welfare Department presented RM13,200 to the villagers.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nst.com.my/NST/Article/vArt?did=20070407073446">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-5035531559449440279?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-63652826217508224642007-04-07T12:27:00.000+08:002007-04-07T12:28:34.327+08:00<p>It was a Holy Friday for Malaysians as they headed for the churches, temples, shrines and mosques yesterday. </p><p>While Muslims converged at mosques for their Friday prayers, Christians attended Good Friday masses, devotees of Kuan Yin thronged temples while Hindus prayed to Lord Ganesha, the elephant-head God to remove all obstacles. <p>The scene was a colourful one at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling – Penang’s street of harmony – where a mosque, a Chinese temple, a Hindu temple and a church have stood near one another for over a century. <p>At the 189-year-old St George’s Church, more than 100 parishioners of South-East Asia’s oldest Anglican church attended the service of meditation at noon. <p><table cellpadding="7" width="289" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/4/7/nation/n_03cross.jpg" border="0" /> </td></tr><tr><td><div class="caption">Poignant reminder: Brother Go carrying the cross during the Way of the Cross procession around the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Cheras yesterday.</div></td></tr></tbody></table>Meanwhile, the Kuan Yin temple down the road was a hive of activity with stalls selling vegetarian food, prayer objects and birds, which devotees bought and set free from their cages. <p>Nearby, Lord Ganesha devotee N. Kalavathy said the<i> Sankatahara Chathurthi </i>was a special day to pray to Lord Ganesha to remove all obstacles. <p>She said she was “very happy” that different religious prayers were conducted on the same day. <p>In <b>Kuala Lumpur</b>, more than 300 parishioners braved the hot afternoon sun to attend a special mass at the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Cheras, here. <p>Father Valentine Gompok presided over the service while Brother Francis Go Sheau Peng carried the cross during the Way of the Cross procession around the church compound. <p>Catholics take part in the Way of the Cross procession by stopping and meditating at 14 stations that serve as a reminder of Jesus' suffering and sacrifices for humankind. <p><table cellpadding="7" width="296" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/4/7/nation/n_03shan.jpg" border="0" /> </td></tr><tr><td><div class="caption">Special prayers: Devotee R.S Shan, praying to Lord Ganesha at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling.</div></td></tr></tbody></table>In <b>Malacca</b>, thousands of devotees from all over Malaysia and Singapore, including many non-Christians, converged at St Peter's Church. <p>The service, laced with age-old Portuguese and Hispanic traditions, included a procession of the Statue of the Dead Lord on a wooden bier and a candlelight procession in the church compound in the evening. <p>Among the non-Christians who attended the service were Ipoh residents Mah Peng Kiong and his wife Lilian Teoh who have been coming to St Peter's for the past eight years. <p>The couple, staunch Buddhists who jointly run a daycare centre in Teluk Intan, offered 1.5m-long candles and thanksgiving prayers. <p><table cellpadding="7" width="314" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/4/7/nation/n_03kuanyin.jpg" border="0" /> </td></tr><tr><td><div class="caption">Birthday wishes: The Kuan Yin temple in Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling was filled to capacity with devotees to celebrate the goddess’ birthday yesterday.</div></td></tr></tbody></table>In <b>Sabah</b>, many Christians carried crosses up various hills in rural areas throughout the state during sunrise while churches were crowded with people for masses and special prayers for Good Friday, a public holiday here. <p>In Kg Maang, one of the many kampungs in Penampang near Kota Kinabalu, 17 people carried up crosses as a symbolic gesture of Jesus' suffering and death. </p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/7/nation/17375965&amp;sec=nation">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6365282621750822464?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-91074016920764194462007-04-05T15:53:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:54.338+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RhSrULPNMFI/AAAAAAAACKo/qo8QVJtMAe4/s1600-h/Apartment.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049849445291470930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RhSrULPNMFI/AAAAAAAACKo/qo8QVJtMAe4/s320/Apartment.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A Chinese woman survived a plunge from a sixth-floor balcony thanks to a convenient pile of excrement which broke her fall, local media said.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><span id="midArticle_0"></span><br /><p>The accident happened when the woman was hanging out laundry on Monday in Nanjing, capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu, the Kuaibao tabloid said on its Web site (www.kuaibao.net).</p><p>"Workers happened to be emptying the building's septic tank, which had not been tended for a long time and had regularly blocked sewage pipes," the newspaper said.</p><p>"She probably stretched out too far and fell ... right on to a 20 cm-thick heap of excrement."</p></div><div><p>The woman suffered only slight injuries, the newspaper said.</p><p>In March, a six-year-old girl broke only her left leg when she fell six floors on to a pile of snow in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.</p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN0434622720070404">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-9107401692076419446?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-65213076701186156952007-04-05T09:52:00.000+08:002007-04-05T09:53:08.554+08:00<p>Thousands of Penangites were caught in a massive evening jam when the Penang Bridge was closed for more than two hours after police received a call that there was a bomb on the bridge. </p><p>Many motorists heading towards the bridge after work were caught unaware and found themselves in a traffic bottleneck at the Bayan Lepas coastal road leading to the bridge on the island and Seberang Jaya on the mainland. <p>The bridge was closed to traffic at 4.30pm and only reopened at 7pm. <p>Traffic had to be diverted to the ferry terminals on both the island and Butterworth, causing George Town and Butterworth town to be choked with cars and motorcycles. <p><table cellpadding="7" width="254" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/4/5/nation/n_01penangbridge.jpg" border="0" /> </td></tr><tr><td><div class="caption">Hundreds of motorcyclists lining up at the ferry terminal in Penang after the Penang Bridge (inset) was closed following a bomb hoax on Wednesday. The bridge was closed for more than two hours, but the streets of George Town and Butterworth were choked with vehicles as road users turned to the ferry service. The bridge reopened only at 7pm after a bomb squad declared it safe. - K.T. GOH and CHRIS LIM / The Star</div></td></tr></tbody></table>Just hours earlier, a 10-wheel truck had broken down on the bridge before the middle span, causing a traffic crawl that stretched almost 15km to the Juru interchange near Auto City. The truck’s rear wheels had jammed and it took mechanics nearly five hours to get the vehicle moving again. <p>Around the same time the truck was removed, police at the state contingent headquarters operations room received a call saying that there was a bomb on the bridge. <p>George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid said police then alerted Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and he gave the green light for the police to close the bridge. <p>“A six-man bomb squad was sent to the bridge immediately. They found a 0.3m-long, 10cm-diameter steel pipe,” ACP Azman later told a press conference at the Northern Region marine police base. <p><table cellpadding="7" width="334" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/4/5/nation/n_04bridge.jpg" border="0" /> </td></tr><tr><td><div class="caption">Rare sight: The mid-span of Penang Bridge completely free of traffic. The bridge was closed for more than two hours after police received a call that there was a bomb.</div></td></tr></tbody></table>The pipe, he said, was found wedged in the divider at the 3.9km point of the bridge on the Butterworth-bound side. <p>“It was suspected that the steel pipe contained explosives. Not taking any risk, the squad detonated it at 6.45pm at the site,” said ACP Azam. <p>He added that police had earlier informed RTM to announce on air that the bridge would be closed. Messages were later flashed on the electronic signboards advising motorists to use the ferry instead. <p>Arrangements were also made with the Penang Port authorities to increase the number of ferries to cater to the large number of vehicles heading for the ferry terminals. <p>Tempers flared on both ends of the bridge as traffic came to a standstill. Irate motorists voiced their frustrations after being stranded for nearly two hours. </p><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/5/nation/17357425&amp;sec=nation">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6521307670118615695?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-37265633519885231912007-04-03T12:42:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:54.530+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RhHbsj48_AI/AAAAAAAACJ4/ZcZJlpGx6iw/s1600-h/car+accident.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049058215853882370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RhHbsj48_AI/AAAAAAAACJ4/ZcZJlpGx6iw/s320/car+accident.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div align="center">The car behind did not stop in time while it was raining at Jalan Sentul Pasar.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://thumbnails.thestar.com.my/view.asp?id=927">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-3726563351988523191?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-9831914117920464982007-04-03T12:38:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:55.017+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RhHa9j48-_I/AAAAAAAACJw/LhlcNTqGhx4/s1600-h/Kylie.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049057408400030706" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RhHa9j48-_I/AAAAAAAACJw/LhlcNTqGhx4/s320/Kylie.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>SHE'S turned her hand to underwear, now Kylie Minogue is set to bring the great Aussie cossie to the world.</strong> <div> </div><div>The singer has taken on the role of bikini babe for European fast fashion giant H&M (Hennes &amp; Mauritz), putting the finishing stitches to a new swimwear line last week.<br /><br />Minogue has been spotted visiting the Swedish headquarters of the fashion giant.<br /><br />After jetting back from a two-week trip to Melbourne, Kylie was back to work on the 15-piece collection of costumes and kaftans.<br /><br />"It has been a great experience to work with H&M on creating this summer range," she said.<br /><br />"To me it is all about summer indulgence, effortless chic and lots of fun."<br /><br />While the range will not be retailed in Australia, it is expected to be hot property on internet auction sites, like the trend set by designer Stella McCartney's limited edition range for Target last month.<br /><br />H&amp;M set the pace with designer collaborations when McCartney first created a line for the chain two years ago.<br /><br />Since then, "cheap and chic" stock by Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld, Viktor & Rolf and most recently Madonna have set sales records for the label around the world.<br /><br />Model Kate Moss is the next celeb set to start her own fashion frenzy with a line for UK chainstore Top Shop next month.<br /><br />The limited H&amp;M Loves Kylie line will also go on sale in May, with Minogue to front the label's advertising campaign. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21488761-2902,00.html">Source1</a> <a href="http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/item/55404/254/260/3">Source2</a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-983191411792046498?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-71734425125938320802007-04-03T12:36:00.000+08:002007-04-03T12:38:30.261+08:00HYDERABAD, India - Unable to come to terms with the death of their pet dog, an elderly couple in southern India committed suicide by hanging themselves, police said on Monday.<span id="midArticle_byline"></span><br /><span id="midArticle_0"></span><p>The bodies of 67-year-old retired soldier C.N. Madanraj and his wife, Tarabai, 63, were found on Sunday in their home in a suburb of Hyderabad.</p><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p>Police said the childless couple had held a burial ceremony for their dog of 13 years, called "Puppy," and hosted a feast for friends before hanging themselves in their bedroom.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p>"The couple described the grief over their pet dog in the suicide note they left on March 29," said police inspector V. Anantaiah.</p><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSDEL15228520070403">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7173442512593832080?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-62989431386604731732007-04-01T14:16:00.000+08:002007-04-01T14:20:00.445+08:00Check out child genius Adora. She could read and write simple words at age two and a half; read her first chapter book at age three and half; started to write short stories at age four; started to type short stories at age 6; appeared on Good Morning America and met Peter Jennings at age 7, Published her first book at age 7.<br /><br /><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="693" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="200"><img height="227" src="http://www.adorasvitak.com/imgs/Main/adora-century.jpg" width="200" /><br /><span class="captions">Adora's favorite history book (<em>The Century for Young People</em>) a gift from the author, Peter Jennings. "It is the best history book I have ever read," says Adora. </span></td><td width="13"> </td><td valign="top" width="480"><div align="center"><p align="left">“Reading and writing is my life.” Adora says seriously. She hopes to use her own success to inspire other kids to take more of an interest in reading and writing. </p><p align="left">“Nowadays children are lacking in reading and writing skills, and they are saying things like ‘I don't like to read' or ‘ I don't want to write.' That hurts me very much.” </p><p align="left">Although Adora knows her stories are a way to reach out and inspire, she hopes this website will provide some insights of her success and a platform for visitors to access additional tool for their own reading and writing. </p><p align="left">Adora's love of books is evident both in the vast amount she reads a day (she gobbles down 2-3 books a day) and in the diversity of her own writing. </p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A self-proclaimed ‘amateur historian', Adora loves to read <strong><a href="http://www.adorasvitak.com/stories.html#historical">historical fiction</a></strong>, so perhaps it's not surprising that her stories range in setting from ancient Egypt to Elizabethan England. Well-researched and wonderfully vivid, Adora's historical fiction informs while following fast paced and spirited storylines. Adora's interest in non-fiction history was originally sparked by historical fiction, and she hopes that her own stories will serve as a similar inspiration for other kids. </p><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="25" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><em><img height="214" src="http://www.adorasvitak.com/imgs/Main/komo.jpg" width="280" align="baseline" /></em></td></tr><tr><td class="captions"> </td><td class="captions">On the site of Kobi (NBC) news with her collection of her stories </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Although historical fiction remains her first love and passion, she also writes <strong><a href="http://www.adorasvitak.com/stories.html#fantasy">fantasy adventure stories</a> </strong>and contemporary fiction. Adora's sense of humor comes through perhaps most in her <strong><a href="http://www.adorasvitak.com/stories.html#contemporary">contemporary stories</a></strong>, which deal with trials and tribulations that will probably seem familiar to most kids. <em>Journal</em>, a contemporary diary style portrait of a young girl, resonates with a fierce emotional tone. </p><p>She also delights in the fantastic, and often sets her stories in landscapes and cultures of her own invention. In <em>The Death of a Hag Lord </em>a young girl comes up with an ingenious plan to defend her town from the onslaught of a goblin hoard. Adora explores more humorous terrain in <em>The Cake of Brovdersvik</em>, the story of two archeologists on the trail of a villainous magic skunk. </p><p>Citing the Redwall series and the Narnia books as huge influences, Adora is currently working on <em>Amruin</em>, <strong><a href="http://www.adorasvitak.com/stories.html#animal">an animal tale</a></strong> of a bat who leads a rebellion against the forest's cruel overlord. </p><p>Adora is often disappointed by the way girls are portrayed in books and movies, and strives to create the kind of strong, intelligent, and sassy protagonists she herself would want to read about. <em>Jousting is Ladylike </em>features just such a character, and also illustrates Adora's penchant for mixing the down-to-earth with the fantastic.</p><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="680" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td width="340"><div align="center"><img height="225" src="http://www.adorasvitak.com/imgs/Main/adora-tv.jpg" width="300" /></div></td><td width="340"><div align="center"><img height="225" src="http://www.adorasvitak.com/imgs/Main/adora-reading.jpg" width="300" /></div></td></tr><tr class="captions"><td><p align="center">Adora getting ready for the TV Show</p></td><td><div align="center">Adora's favorite activity--Reading</div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.adorasvitak.com">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6298943138660473173?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-44284252405618757372007-04-01T00:10:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:55.344+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rg6ITT48-4I/AAAAAAAACI8/RR_H_ammPpQ/s1600-h/turtles.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048122097666947970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rg6ITT48-4I/AAAAAAAACI8/RR_H_ammPpQ/s320/turtles.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Malaysian marine police have seized a trawler carrying about 220 rare sea turtles and arrested 17 Chinese men for poaching, their second such seizure this week, a police chief said Thursday. </div><br /><div></div><div><p>In the two seizures, both involving chases through Malaysian waters, almost 300 turtles were recovered. Most were dead, caught for use in making Chinese medicines. Their shells and skins are also used to make fashion accessories.</p><p>"We chased them for about half an hour," said Assistant Commissioner Mohd Sueb, head of marine police for Sabah state, referring to the second seizure Wednesday.</p><p>"They refused to stop their engine so we were alongside and we jumped over and managed to stop the engine."</p><p>Armed police, acting on tip-offs, intercepted both trawlers in waters off Sabah, Borneo island, Mohd Sueb said by phone. The turtles were mostly green turtles and hawksbills, both listed as endangered by the Swiss-based World Conservation Union.</p><p>Only 20 of the roughly 220 seized Wednesday were still alive, Mohd Sueb said. Of the 78 turtles recovered in the first seizure Monday, only five were alive, a local newspaper said. All the turtles were handed over to Malaysia's fisheries department.</p><p>Nineteen men were arrested in Monday's seizure.</p><p>Under Malaysia's fisheries law, the skippers of the trawlers face a maximum fine of 1 million ringgit ($289,000) and the crew could each be fined up to 100,000 ringgit.</p><p>Asked if police suspected any more turtle poachers were still trawling waters off Sabah, Mohd Sueb said: "So far, no news. It depends on the intelligence that we get."</p></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070329/od_nm/malaysia_turtles_odd_dc;_ylt=Ao.DaB6gH1xZYy2X2pk8ECvtiBIF">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4428425240561875737?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-190789814433233372007-04-01T00:06:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:55.466+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rg6HeD48-3I/AAAAAAAACI0/BpLuEfiV7q0/s1600-h/Piano+Record.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048121182838913906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rg6HeD48-3I/AAAAAAAACI0/BpLuEfiV7q0/s320/Piano+Record.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Japanese musicians overcame fatigue and a major earthquake to set the record for the world's longest concert on Saturday, playing 184 hours non-stop in a program that ranged from The Beatles' classics to Japanese traditional harp music. </div><br /><div><br /><p>Over 900 musicians aged 6 to 89 took turns performing in the 9-day marathon — with breaks of no more than 5 minutes between acts — at a small railway station in Hikone city, western Japan, according to organizer Kuniko Teramura, 51.</p><br /><p>An official from the Guinness Book of World Records was on hand to certify the record at 10 a.m. Saturday, she said.</p><br /><p>"The longest concert by multiple artists was achieved by Kuniko Teramura and friends at Toriimoto Station ... from 23-31 March 2007," read a copy of the certificate obtained by The Associated Press.</p><br /><p>The previous record for longest concert was set in Canada five years ago and lasted 182 hours, according to the Guinness Web site.</p><br /><p>On Sunday, a magnitude 6.9 quake in northwestern Japan jolted the stage — but didn't stop a determined pianist from ploughing on with her tune, said Hiroshi Mizutani, 51, another organizer.</p><br /><p>A break in the performance would have ruined the challenge, because musicians were not allowed to stop playing less than two minutes into a song, said Mizutani, whose Oldies band played three times during the concert.</p><br /><p>"This pianist was amazing. The whole place was shaking quite badly but she went right on playing," Mizutani said. "Even an earthquake couldn't stop us."</p></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070331/ap_on_fe_st/longest_concert;_ylt=AkFNN83DWEI9Si7Gjj3GFnHtiBIF">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-19078981443323337?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-4076817862307057412007-03-31T23:52:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:55.897+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rg6GAT48-2I/AAAAAAAACIs/8r6WgjhnHUM/s1600-h/christ+chocolate2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048119572226177890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rg6GAT48-2I/AAAAAAAACIs/8r6WgjhnHUM/s320/christ+chocolate2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><p>A life-size sculpture of a naked Jesus made out of chocolate has angered Roman Catholic leaders, and a Manhattan art gallery is reconsidering whether to exhibit it during the Easter season.<br /><p>The sculpture "My Sweet Lord" by Cosimo Cavallaro was to be exhibited for two hours each day next week in a street-level window of the Roger Smith Lab Gallery in Midtown Manhattan. It was set to open on Monday, days ahead of Good Friday when Christians mark the crucifixion of Jesus.<br /><p>"We're considering our options," Matthew Semler, the gallery's artistic director, said on Friday. "We're still assessing the situation."<br /><p>The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called for a boycott of the affiliated Roger Smith Hotel, writing to 500 religious and secular organizations.<br /><p>"This is an assault on Christians during Holy Week," said Kiera McCaffrey, director of communications for the league, which describes itself as the largest U.S. Catholic civil-rights group.<br /><p>"They would never dare do something similar with a chocolate statue of the prophet Mohammad naked with his genitals exposed during Ramadan," she said.<br /><p>The archbishop of New York called it "scandalous" and a "sickening display."<br /><p>"The Catholic community is alerted to this offense of our faith and sensitivities. This is something we will not forget," Cardinal Edward Egan said in a statement.<br /><p>Semler said the hotel had no knowledge of what the gallery planned to show and was being unfairly targeted. Moreover, he said the work was not irreverent.<br /><p>"It's intended as a meditation on the Holy Week," Semler said of the sculpture, which depicts Jesus as if on the cross. Easter Sunday, this year April 8, is celebrated as the day of Jesus' resurrection.<br /><p>A photo of the piece on the artist's Web site (http://www.cosimocavallaro.com/) shows the work suspended in air.<br /><p>New York is familiar with clashes between art and religion.<br /><p>In 1999, then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani threatened to withdraw a grant from the Brooklyn Museum of Art for a painting depicting the Virgin Mary as a black woman splattered with elephant dung adorned with cut-outs from pornographic magazines.<br /><p>Current Mayor Michael Bloomberg is taking a different approach.<br /><p>"If you want to give the guy some publicity, talk more about it, make a big fuss," Bloomberg told WABC radio. "If you want to really hurt him, don't pay attention." </p></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/31/worldupdates/2007-03-30t233638z_01_nootr_rtrjonc_0_india-292755-1&amp;sec=worldupdates">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-407681786230705741?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-47023376412065990242007-03-31T23:05:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:56.021+08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rg56DT48-1I/AAAAAAAACIk/pqHX3orzUPQ/s1600-h/Ribena.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048106429626252114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rg56DT48-1I/AAAAAAAACIk/pqHX3orzUPQ/s320/Ribena.png" border="0" /></a><br /><div><p></p><p></p><p>You may have heard recently some Ribena drinks in Australia and New Zealand have been found to contain less Vitamin C than stated on pack. The case came about because the method we had used for testing Australian and New Zealand products was not sensitive enough to measure the natural break down in Vitamin C that occurs over time while this type of product is on shelf.</p><p>First things first: we wanted to reassure you this isn’t the case in the UK. Ribena contains the levels of Vitamin C as stated on our packaging and we’re still committed to producing the same quality refreshment that’s been enjoyed in the UK for the last 70 years. During that time we've worked with three generations of blackcurrant growers to create the unique Ribena taste we know our consumers love.</p><p>We also wanted to let you know that people who consume Ribena are obviously our number one concern. It was never our intention to mislead consumers in Australia and New Zealand and we're really sorry this has happened. We’ve moved to a new method of testing Vitamin C levels in those countries and we’re also developing a new recipe for our drinks in Australia and New Zealand to ensure Vitamin C levels are maintained over shelf life.</p><p>If you have any questions then give us a bell on 0800 096 3666.</p><br /><p><strong style="COLOR: #330099">The Ribena Consumer Careline Team (UK)</strong></p></div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Related Post</strong></div><br /><ul><br /><li><a href="http://notusually.blogspot.com/2007/03/ribena-exposed-contains-no-vitamin-c.html">Ribena Exposed - Contains No Vitamin C &amp; Sued $217,000</a> </li></ul><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.ribena.co.uk/newsflash/ribena.html">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-4702337641206599024?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-77322449432767850432007-03-30T14:39:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:56.196+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rgyw2T48-tI/AAAAAAAACHk/Q3sw9MmrD0g/s1600-h/britney+spears4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047603729474058962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rgyw2T48-tI/AAAAAAAACHk/Q3sw9MmrD0g/s320/britney+spears4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>LOS ANGELES - <span class="yqlink"><a class="yqimgins" title="Related information on Britney Spears" onclick="activateYQinl(this);return false;" href="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=Britney+Spears"><span style="color:#003399;">Britney Spears</span></a></span> and Kevin Federline reached a settlement in their divorce Thursday, a spokesman for Federline's attorney said. </div><div> </div><div>After a five-hour meeting with their attorneys present, Spears and Federline signed "a global settlement on all issues of their marriage," said Michael Sands, a spokesman for Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan. </div><br /><div></div><div><p>Sands declined to elaborate on terms of the settlement, saying only that it covers child custody and financial matters.</p><p>Spears' attorney, Laura Wasser, declined to comment.</p><p>The settlement came more than a week after Spears checked out of a luxurious rehab center. During her nearly one-month stay at Promises Malibu Alcohol and Drug Rehab Treatment Facility, Spears and Federline were under a temporary agreement that gave them joint custody of their two young sons.</p><p>When Spears filed for divorce on Nov. 7, the pop star cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for ending her two-year marriage to Federline. She sought custody of the children, with visitation rights for Federline.</p><p>Federline counter-filed court papers the following day seeking sole custody of their boys — 6-month-old Jayden James and 18-month-old Sean Preston — and for spousal support.</p></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070330/ap_en_ce/people_spears">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-7732244943276785043?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-13095104089941250102007-03-30T08:34:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:56.466+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RgxbHj48-sI/AAAAAAAACHc/Wjt4rJyPhv4/s1600-h/The+Ark.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047509467826813634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RgxbHj48-sI/AAAAAAAACHc/Wjt4rJyPhv4/s320/The+Ark.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><p><p>A huge structure, built by a cult that promised its followers smooth sailing into the hereafter, is headed for doom. </p><p>Purportedly the Noah’s Ark of modern times, followers of the late Sulaiman Mohd Said, who once predicted that the people of Klang would perish in a terrible flood, built the boat-like structure that is now close to ruin. </p><p></p><p>Sulaiman persuaded his followers, that when the floods came, they would be the chosen ones to sail away to safety with him in the “vessel.”<br /><p>The Selangor state government now wants to tear down the building.<br /><p>“Yes, the building will go. The order to demolish has been given to the Klang land office,” said state executive councillor in charge of religious affairs Datuk Abdul Rahman Palil.<br /><p>The state government made the decision in August last year, to wipe out any memory of the deviant <i>Ajaran Sulaiman</i> or <i>Ajaran Bahtera Noah</i>.<br /><p>Sources from the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) said Sulaiman did not know how to read the Quran nor did he have any formal religious education.<br /><p>Apart from claiming that his so-called Noah’s Ark would save mankind, he also claimed to be the Prophet Isa (Jesus).<br /><p>Jais sources said the movement had wanted its followers and their families to move into the vessel and make it their “mothership.”<br /><p>Jais had kept a close watch on the leaders since the cult surfaced and banned the movement in the early 1990s.<br /><p>The mammoth structure – which stretches like a row of terrace houses and includes a surau, two towering masts, portholes and Quranic verses on the wall – is located in a remote village in Meru Barat.<br /><p>A check by <i>The Star</i> showed the structure had long been abandoned, but the locked entrance was guarded by two hissing geese.<br /><p>Sulaiman purportedly set up the movement in 1989, by registering it as a business entity with a capital of RM2.5mil and is said to have envisioned a global Islamic enterprise. </p></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/30/nation/17286217&amp;sec=nation">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-1309510408994125010?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-83993205163491042742007-03-29T10:04:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:56.691+08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rgse7T48-oI/AAAAAAAACG8/FM3Q-jBEhgY/s1600-h/Manila+Hostage.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047161811699038850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/Rgse7T48-oI/AAAAAAAACG8/FM3Q-jBEhgY/s400/Manila+Hostage.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Children look out of a school bus in Manila today. Two armed men took over the school bus on Wednesday and were holding 32 children and two teachers hostage, police and television reports said.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.sun2surf.com/custom.cfm?name=sunPixAlbum.cfm&id=2102C224-1185-66FC-B9E8B296A413C30B&amp;amp;photoID=4&amp;slideshow=0">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-8399320516349104274?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-23869687848611797012007-03-29T08:02:00.000+08:002007-03-29T08:03:35.179+08:00A spurned doctor is believed to be behind the “gifts” of live snakes and dead human foetus to a 22-year-old undergraduate in Bayan Lepas here. <p>State CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Abdul Samah Mat said yesterday that police would be calling up the doctor, in his 30s, soon on the matter. <p>“Ten police reports ranging from intimidation, arson and child abandonment have been lodged against the doctor by the victim since February. <p>“We are now focusing on the doctor as it is not easy to obtain a human foetus. It would need someone with a medical background to do something like this,” he said when contacted. <p>SAC Abdul Samah said a post mortem showed that the male human foetus was between four and five months old but its race could not be determined. <p>On the numerous vulgar SMS messages allegedly received by the victim’s father, K. Krishnasamy, SAC Abdul Samah said police had identified the service provider and was now tracing the registered owner. <p>On Sunday, K. Puvaneswary received a dead foetus wrapped in a red plastic bag. The “gift” was placed on her elder sister’s car parked outside the house. </p><strong><blockquote><strong>On Valentine’s Day, she received two live snakes in a parcel, which had<br />a note wishing her “Happy Valentine From Someone Who Cares.”</strong> </blockquote></strong><p>Her elder sister, Dhanalakshmi, 27, said that in other previous incidents her car was badly scratched while her father’s was splashed with paint. Burning paper had also been thrown into her house, damaging the kitchen, she added. <p>“My family’s nightmare began about three months ago after Puvaneswary rejected the advances of a doctor who was married,” she said. </p><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/29/nation/17284512&amp;sec=nation">Source<br /></a>[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-2386968784861179701?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-65525658441522214012007-03-29T07:58:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:57.118+08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RgsBbj48-mI/AAAAAAAACGs/12czrBT8k8c/s1600-h/Bindi+Irwin.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047129380400986722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RgsBbj48-mI/AAAAAAAACGs/12czrBT8k8c/s320/Bindi+Irwin.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div>Bubbly 8-year-old Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, will make her debut this summer as a nature-loving TV host. </div><div></div><br /><div><p>"Bindi: The Jungle Girl," designed to help get more children interested in wildlife conservation, premieres June 9 on the Discovery Kids Channel.</p><p>Bindi will interact with a variety of animals, from koalas to elephants and snakes, while explaining how all animals — both cute and not-so-cute — need to be given respect and protection, the network said Tuesday.</p><p>She began filming with her father in early 2006.</p><p>Steve Irwin died last September after a stingray's poisonous barb pierced his chest while he was diving in the Great Barrier Reef. His wife, Terri, and Bindi, decided to finish filming the weekly series, the network said.</p><p>Steve Irwin will appear in scenes shot before his death and in other archival footage, Discovery publicist David Schaefer said Wednesday.</p><p>Bindi will also host "My Daddy the Croc Hunter," a one-hour special that will air June 8 on the Animal Planet. The special includes clips from Bindi's early childhood.</p></div><br /><div><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070328/ap_en_ot/people_bindi_irwin">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-6552565844152221401?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633159353737064135.post-27492347080749439092007-03-28T19:00:00.000+08:002008-12-11T21:08:57.225+08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RgpLDD48-iI/AAAAAAAACGM/egqH852yilY/s1600-h/Do+Not+Park+Here.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046928848377936418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8NF04N8sEmc/RgpLDD48-iI/AAAAAAAACGM/egqH852yilY/s320/Do+Not+Park+Here.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Vandals or a person with a score to settle sent the car owner an explicit message. The owner is going to have a very bad day.<br /><br /><div align="center">- Guess his Proton won't park there again. ... EVER!! -<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://thumbnails.thestar.com.my/view.asp?id=895">Source </a><br />[tags : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/unusual" rel="tag">unusual</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/wierd" rel="tag">wierd</a> <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bizzare" rel="tag">bizzare</a>]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3633159353737064135-2749234708074943909?l=notusually.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>delenoreply@blogger.com58