9.3.05

US troops get training to avoid friendly-fire attacks on British - World - Times Online

US troops get training to avoid friendly-fire attacks on British - World - Times OnlineAMERICAN soldiers in Iraq are being given “anti-fratricide” training to reduce the number of friendly fire attacks against British and other coalition troops, The Times has learnt.

Thirty-two “blue-on-blue” attacks on British and other coalition vehicles have been logged in the past twelve months in southern Iraq, Britain’s area of responsibility.

13WHAM-TV ROCHESTER || NEWS

13WHAM-TV ROCHESTER || NEWS: "A former U.S. Marine who participated in capturing ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said the public version of his capture was fabricated.

Ex-Sgt. Nadim Abou Rabeh, of Lebanese descent, was quoted in the Saudi daily al-Medina Wednesday as saying Saddam was actually captured Friday, Dec. 12, 2003, and not the day after, as announced by the U.S. Army."

Sympatico / MSN Health & Fitness : News : Laughter is Healthy: Blood flow increases when folks watch funny movies

Sympatico / MSN Health & Fitness : News : Laughter is Healthy: Blood flow increases when folks watch funny movies: "'I think it would be reasonable for everybody to loosen up, and spend about 15 to 20 minutes a day laughing,' said lead researcher Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center."

8.3.05

Ex-Korn Guitarist Baptized in Jordan River

RedNova News - Oddities - Ex-Korn Guitarist Baptized in Jordan River: "KIBBUTZ KINNERET, Israel -- Former Korn guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch was baptized Saturday in the Jordan River, just weeks after quitting his band, drug habits and rock-and-roll lifestyle for religion.

Welch, a founding member of the multi-platinum band, and about 20 other white-robed Christian pilgrims from a Bakersfield, Calif., church were immersed by their pastor, Ron Vietti.

Welch said the ritual baptism had washed away his anger. 'You know when you get angry and it builds up? I felt like hurting someone before, now I feel like hugging people,' he said."

WFTV.com - News - Stun Gun Used On Handcuffed, 65-Pound, 13-Year-Old Girl

WFTV.com - News - Stun Gun Used On Handcuffed, 65-Pound, 13-Year-Old Girl: "JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- State Attorney Harry Shorstein said Wednesday that excessive force may have been used by police officers who used a stun gun on a 13-year-old girl who was being uncooperative after they took her into custody for fighting with her mother.

The 65-pound girl was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car Feb. 7 when she was shocked twice with a 50,000-volt Taser, according to a Sheriff's Office report. Police departments in Florida and nationwide have been criticized for their use of Taser guns, which some say have caused deaths."

4.3.05

Townsville Bulletin: 'Da Vinci Code' threats [ 04mar05 ]

Townsville Bulletin: 'Da Vinci Code' threats [ 04mar05 ]: "AN extortionist who threatened to kill building workers unless a $50 million ransom was received from construction giant Multiplex used a 400-year-old code to communicate with the company.

The Vigenere Code - made famous recently by best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code - was invented in 1586 and not broken until 1860.

The Daily Telegraph yesterday cracked a version of the code the blackmailer used in his threats to the company.

The extortionist has been communicating with Multiplex via newspaper ads."

3.3.05

Yahoo! News - All members of primitive tribe survived tsunami

Yahoo! News - All members of primitive tribe survived tsunami: "HUT BAY, India - When the water in the creek suddenly ran out to sea on the morning of Dec. 26, the aboriginal Onge tribe knew the evil spirits were up to no good. They scattered pig and turtle skulls around their settlement and hurled stones toward the ocean. Hurriedly gathering their baskets, bows and arrows, they then fled into the jungle, bearing amulets of ancestral bones for protection.

Minutes later, the tsunami that left nearly 300,000 people dead or missing in the Indian Ocean region slammed into their tribal reserve in India's remote Andaman islands. All 96 Onge survived, even as residents of the nearby town of Hut Bay perished."

Guardian Unlimited | Life | German discovers longest prime number

Guardian Unlimited | Life | German discovers longest prime number: "
A German eye specialist with a keen amateur interest in mathematics has discovered the world's largest prime number after a 50-day search using his personal computer.

Dr Martin Nowak, who has his own practice in the south German town of Michelfeld, stumbled upon the number last week, breaking the previous record for a prime number by half a million digits."

America No. 1?

City Pages - No. 1?: "No concept lies more firmly embedded in our national character than the notion that the USA is 'No. 1,' 'the greatest.' Our broadcast media are, in essence, continuous advertisements for the brand name 'America Is No. 1.' Any office seeker saying otherwise would be committing political suicide. In fact, anyone saying otherwise will be labeled 'un-American.' We're an 'empire,' ain't we? Sure we are. An empire without a manufacturing base. An empire that must borrow $2 billion a day from its competitors in order to function. Yet the delusion is ineradicable."

2.3.05

Having sex results in babies? : HTTabloid.com

Having sex results in babies? : HTTabloid.com: "As many as 30 per cent of couples in the Philippines are unaware that having sex can result in babies, Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said on Tuesday.

'They do not know how pregnancy happens,' even though some of them have had numerous children already, Dayrit remarked."

24.2.05

Chocolate-fed women have better sex lives

Chocolate-fed women have better sex lives: "Is chocolate better than sex? While some may argue yes, it turns out you may not have to make the call. Chocolate may just be good -- both to eat and for sex, according to a recent study.

Italian researchers found that women who ate chocolate on a daily basis had higher libidos than those who didn't. They also found that chocolate-fed women had better sexual arousal and more sexual satisfaction. Their scientific conclusion: The craving of choice for many women has some real benefits for our sex lives."

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Fasting fakir flummoxes physicians

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Fasting fakir flummoxes physicians: "Doctors and experts are baffled by an Indian hermit who claims not to have eaten or drunk anything for several decades - but is still in perfect health.

Prahlad Jani, a holy man, or fakir, who is over 70 years old, has just spent 10 days under constant observation in Sterling Hospital, in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.

During that time, he did not consume anything and 'neither did he pass urine or stool', according to the hospital's deputy superintendent, Dr Dinesh Desai."

23.2.05

BBC NEWS | Health | Marijuana may block Alzheimer's

BBC NEWS | Health | Marijuana may block Alzheimer's: "The active ingredient in marijuana may stall decline from Alzheimer's disease, research suggests.

Scientists showed a synthetic version of the compound may reduce inflammation associated with Alzheimer's and thus help to prevent mental decline.

They hope the cannabinoid may be used to developed new drug therapies."

22.2.05

Navy signals for help to recruit gay sailors

Times Online - Sunday TimesTHE Royal Navy has turned to Stonewall, the gay lobby group, for advice on how to recruit and retain homosexual sailors.

Senior officers want to encourage more gay and lesbian sailors, estimated at 2,100, to “come out”, paving the way for the first openly gay admiral.

The partnership, to be announced tomorrow, will provide the template for a wider change in the culture of the armed forces. Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, said: “We hope that the RAF and the army will be following shortly.”

21.2.05

Top News Article | Reuters.co.uk

Top News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "MBABANE (Reuters) - Swaziland's King Mswati has barred photographers from taking pictures of his growing fleet of royal limousines amid criticism that the luxury car purchases are an embarrassment to one of Africa's poorest countries.

Mswati stirred up a storm in December when he bought a new $500,000 (264,000 pounds) DaimlerChrysler Maybach 62 -- one of the most expensive cars in the world -- and recently hit the headlines again when he splashed out for new BMWs for each of his 10 wives.

The royal edict barring photos of the cars came after Mswati appeared in an even newer and more expensive stretch Mercedes S600 limousine for the opening of parliament on Friday."

Times Online - World

Times Online - WorldSIX reputed mobsters from New York’s Gambino crime family have pleaded guilty to using internet porn sites and “free” sex lines to cheat users across the globe out of $650 million (£344 million) in one of the biggest consumer frauds in American history.

One of the charges involved an extortion attempt against the former porn publisher Richard Desmond, the proprietor of the Daily Express. One of his executives was beaten by the gang.

An alleged Gambino captain, a soldier and four associates admitted their involvement on Monday just before the start of their trial in Brooklyn. Prosecutors said that they advertised “free” phone numbers offering adult entertainment, horoscope readings and telephone dating and then billed callers $40 (£22) a month for “voice mail” — a practice known as phone “cramming”.

Telegraph | News | Russian scientists who invented hangover cure make pill that keeps you drunk

Telegraph | News | Russian scientists who invented hangover cure make pill that keeps you drunk: "The makers of RU-21, the 'miracle' hangover cure reputedly developed for Soviet spies, have developed a product to keep you drunk.

Spirit Sciences, which is based in California but has research facilities in Russia employing scientists who once worked on secret programmes for the Kremlin, have christened the new product RU-21 Red.

If you take a tablet you need less alcohol to stay drunk, they claim."

Politics News Article | Reuters.com

Politics News Article | Reuters.com: "President Bush indicated in interviews secretly taped by a friend before he became president that he had used marijuana but would not admit it for fear of setting a bad example for children.

Portions of the tapes, recorded from 1998 to 2000 by author Doug Wead without Bush's knowledge, were aired on ABC News on Sunday and published by The New York Times. Their authenticity was verified by the media outlets but has not been independently checked by Reuters.

'I wouldn't answer the marijuana question. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried,' Bush purportedly says on the tape.

He added: 'But you got to understand, I want to be president. I want to lead. I want to set -- Do you want your little kid say, 'Hey, Daddy, President Bush tried marijuana, I think I will?''"