Friday, December 12, 2008
And in Britain: Kids Run Wild – Teacher Takes the Rap...
Concerned about out-of-control kids at inner-city schools in Leeds and London, British supply teacher Alex Dolan produced a documentary on unruly students for the U.K. ’s Channel 4. Kids were shown threatening teachers, spraying deodorant, and brandishing a fire extinguisher like a weapon. But...
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
And Everywhere: How Time Has Changed...
Over the years, humans have found increasingly efficient ways to ration the day into smaller – and more precise – units. 3500 through 1500 B.C. The Earliest Clocks. Mechanism: The sun’s movement across the sky, water dripping form a vessel, candles burning down through marked increments. Error:...
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Tuesday, December 9, 2008
And Almost Everywhere: Wanna Save Money? Lose those Cards and Spend it...
Forget about money burning a hole in your pocket: carrying cash rather than credit cards may help you spend less. Business researchers from New York University and the University of Maryland report that study subjects given cash to shop with spent less than those given credit. The team speculates...
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Monday, December 8, 2008
And Almost Everywhere: “Clay Pigeons” in Space...
113 x 10 14 is the amount of solar heat, in BTU, that hits the Earth’s surface every second. One plan for deflecting some of the heat: launching stacks of 800,000 reflective disks into orbit every 5 minutes for 10 years. The cost: 5 trillion (J. Jacquot, Discover, November 2008) Authorities decided...
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Sunday, December 7, 2008
And in Switzerland: Problems with the Ghadafis...
The landlocked nation, which imports 50 per cent of its oil from Lybia, braced for payback after Geneva police detained Moammar Ghadafi’s son Hannibal and his pregnant wife [its not clear which one] on charges of assulting their servants. The pair had checked into a luxury hotel, awaiting the birth...
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Saturday, December 6, 2008
And in Los Angeles: The Latest, and One Hopes Last Whacko Jacko Sighting...
Is there anything the former pop superstar hasn’t done? Last week it was reported he’d converted to Islam, changing his name to “Mikaeel.” Jackson, 50, is said to have undergone a shahada ceremony in Los Angeles home wearing a small hat. It was amore modest choice of garment after he walked around...
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Friday, December 5, 2008
And in Russia: Enema of the State...
In a bid to attract more tourism, Zheleznovodsk, a Russian town known for its spas, erected a 360 kilogram (792 lbs), $42,000 bronze statue of an enema, supported by three cherubic figures. (Maclean’s, Dec 15, 2008 ) Town council is still debating whether the three cherubic figures could be used to...
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Thursday, December 4, 2008
And in France: Bare Naked ‘Mullahs’ Fight Back...
Hardline nudists at Cap d’Agde, a naturist park, are under police investigation following a string of arson attacks on nightclubs frequented by echangistes, or wife-swappers. The old school nudists claim that the echangistes are taking over their recreation park and turning it into a sex playground...
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Wednesday, December 3, 2008
And in Thailand: Tough General to Dance Away his Anger...
Maj. – Gen. Khatiya Sawadiphol [you can just call him ‘Sir’] has been reassigned from his job of controlling anti-government protesters in Thailand because of incendiary comments. Khatiya had advised protesters to pre-book their funerals. His superiors have ordered him to head a ‘health club task...
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Tuesday, December 2, 2008
And in China: Singers Have to Stop Mouthing Off...
The Beijing government is outlawing miming and lip-synching. The measure is aimed only at professional musicians and will limit them to phoney singing and pretending to play instruments only once every two years. Performers will risk losing their licences if they break the law, which answers a...
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