Tuesday, March 16, 2010
And in Detroit: School Board Pres. Can’t Compose English Sentence...
In the most illiterate city in America, [the] school board president can't write. The president of the Detroit school board, Otis Mathis, is waging a legal battle to steer the academic future of 90,000 children, in the nation's lowest-achieving big city district. He also acknowledges he has...
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Monday, March 15, 2010
And in New Jersey: A Sexy Snowwoman Causes Uproar…
Rahway, N.J. resident Elisa Gonzalez and her kids spent hours sculpting a snowy homage to the Venus de Milo. When the nude snowlady was finished, neighbours gathered to offer praise. But apparently no everyone enjoyed ogling the snowy masterpiece. After police received a tip about “a naked...
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Saturday, March 13, 2010
And Everywhere: Evolution Leads to Heavier and Shorter Women…
What might your granddaughter’s granddaughter’s granddaughter’s granddaughter’s granddaughter look like? Shorter and stouter, says a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. If current trends continue, its authors predict, then by 2409 descendants of the women in the study will...
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Friday, March 12, 2010
And at PETA: After 30 years, they're finally getting around to it…
You wouldn’t think the starry universe could possibly cause problems, yet you hear bizarre complaints. For example, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) wants astronomy’s official institution, the IAU, to ban Sirius’ nickname, the Dog Star. “We believe it’s degrading to Dachshunds,...
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
And in Japan: Man Marries His Pillow…
Lee Jin-gyu fell for his 'dakimakura' - a kind of large, huggable pillow from Japan, often with a picture of a popular anime character printed on the side. In Lee's case, his beloved pillow has an image of Fate Testarossa, from the 'magical girl' anime series Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha. Now the...
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Tuesday, March 9, 2010
And in Switzerland: A New Dawn for Chickens and Goldfish…
There is no better place than Switzerland to be a chicken. Or a hamster. Or even – though the jury is still out on this – a goldfish. The reason is that the country has an extraordinary set of animal protection laws that closely define the obligations of pet owners and farmers. Now it is about to go...
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Sunday, March 7, 2010
And in Britain : Deep Breathing not Compatible with Christianity…
An English rector evicted a tai chi class from his church hall after deciding the exercise routines were not compatible with Christianity, authorities said. The Rev. Jonathan Frais of St. Marks Church in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, served the class, led by Richard Odell, with less than a month's...
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Saturday, March 6, 2010
And on CNN: Two of Today’s Headlines…
1.Anti-piracy strategies proving effective, U.N. says 2.Pirates hijack Saudi tanker (CNN, March 6, 2010) Attempts to reach the UN Headquarters in New York for comment found the following recorded message: “If you can hear this message, it’s by accident, since our telephone system is down due to...
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Thursday, March 4, 2010
And in the former USSR: Top Official Pays for Olympic Failure…
The head of the Russian Olympic Committee resigned on Wednesday in the wake of the nation’s worst performance at the Winter Games, news agencies said, citing the committee’s spokesman. When contacted by the Associated press, however, the spokesman said only “that information is not confirmed,”...
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010
And in Britain: Wanna Move Your Chair? Gotta Call the Movers…
At the headquarters of Britain ’s Health and Safety Executive…staff are forbidden to move chairs due to the risk of injuring themselves. Instead, if you’re minded to move the chair by the pot plant over to the umbrella stand you have to book a porter 48 hours in advance and he will reposition the...
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