Weird Science (28 December 2003)

• Belgian researchers have created the unusual phenomenon of 'anti-bubbles', the rare, reverse form of normal bubbles, by forming them in beer. Regular bubbles are thin films of liquid enclosing pockets of air, while anti-bubbles are thin films of air which enclose pockets of liquid.
• Scientists at Texas A&M University have produced what they believe is the first cloned deer, a fawn named 'Dewey'.
• A team of scientists from Purdue and Harvard universities has isolated the gene in lice that controls the conversion of human blood into energy. Now if they can just alter that gene, they may be able to rid us of the pesky little critters forever.
• University of London researchers have found that getting married may be good for women's health but bad for men's. It seems that men who get hitched are more likely to suffer mental health problems than those who simply live with their partners. The opposite is true for women - but they do best without any relationship at all. And single men? They're most likely to suffer from depression.

It'll Even Hump Your Leg (28 December 2003)

The 3rd generation of the 4-year-old 'Aibo' robotic dog from Sony Electronics is more responsive to voice and touch commands and features improved infrared sensors, enabling it to better avoid obstacles and edges. The new 'Aibo ERS-7' also features a faster CPU, a higher-resolution camera and twice as much memory as its predecessors. It can now understand nearly 180 voice commands and automatically finds its energy station to recharge itself when the battery runs low. Bottom line - $1,599.

Birds Don't Do It (23 December 2003)

Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has launched a campaign to improve - the sex life of turkeys. Their scientists claim the male birds are now bred to have breasts that are so large they can't get close enough to hens to mate. In fact, any attempt could seriously injure a female. The RSPCA is calling for new legislation to protect turkeys from a life in which they are 'denied the opportunity to express natural behavior'.

Wide World Of News (23 December 2003)

• The Dublin-based 'National Center for Liturgy', which monitors Catholic church rituals, is furious over risque behavior at Irish funerals. One recent service featured mourners downing pints of beer around the coffin while draping women's panties around the body. Priests will now not only crack down on funeral partying but also ban dirty jokes and cursing in eulogies, no matter how bawdy a character the deceased was.
• Add this one to the list of embarrassing ways to die: A man has been killed at a recycling plant near Norwich, England after apparently falling into - a paper shredder.
• The German city of Cologne is slapping a new 'sex tax' on brothels, sauna clubs and massage parlors that works out to 150 euros per bed per month.
• A nondenominational church will lease the building housing Atlanta's infamous strip parlor, The Gold Club, and hold its first services there early next year. The club was shut down after a sensational racketeering trial in 2001. Church members will start cleaning out the building this weekend.
• An 81-year-old Norwegian man in an electric wheelchair took a wrong turn in Oslo and ended up veering onto - a 3-lane highway. Cops pulled over the wheelchair as cars whizzed by at 75 mph, but say the old man seemed unfazed.

Guaranteed To Freak Out Drunks (20 December 2003)

New lampposts that bend on impact are being installed on British roads in order to reduce traffic accident deaths. Rigid metal lampposts can prove fatal if hit by a car, but the new flexible lampposts will actually bend underneath vehicles, causing far less damage. The material buckles because it has 90% less stiffness than steel.

Tamper Detector (20 December 2003)

The new credit card-sized 'Drink Spike Detector', launched this month, can tell you if your drink has been tampered with while you were away from your table. You just smear a drop or two on a pink spot and a green spot on the card. Each pair of spots identifies 2 popular illicit party drugs - ketamine and GHB, also known as the 'date rape drug'. If neither spot turns dark blue, the drink's been spiked. The kit, with 4 test cards, retails for about $8.

At Least She Had The Chain On (20 December 2003)

48-year-old Sharon Smith was happy to be elected mayor of Houston BC, and to celebrate she had her husband take pics of her wearing her new mayoral chain of office - and nothing else. Shortly afterward her kids threw a party and, lo and behold, the digital pictures suddenly appeared on the Internet!

Home Of The World's Best Thumbs (18 December 2003)

With 70% of households on high-speed Internet, South Korea may be the world's most wired country. That's fueled a craze for online gaming that's proved so popular for those in their late teens and early 20s that the country now has professional video game teams backed by corporate sponsors. The best players in the world's first pro video game league make more than $100,000 a year.

Gimme A Side Of Beef, Hold The Bun (18 December 2003)

It's estimated about 1 in 4 of us have at least tried out a low-carb diet such as the Atkins Diet or something similar. That's led 2 hamburger chains, Hardee's and Carl's Jr, to introduce the fast food world's first 'low-carb burgers' - giant burgers wrapped in large iceberg lettuce leaves instead of a bun. Hardee's 1/3-lb version will be called the 'Low Carb Thickburger'. The 1/2-lb Carl's Jr will be bubbed the 'Low Carb Six Dollar Burger', even though it will only cost $3.95.

Old Helmets On Tour (18 December 2003)

The world's oldest condoms have left Britain to go on exhibit in the Netherlands. The collection of 5 contraceptives, dating back to the mid-17th century, was excavated from a medieval toilet found in the UK's Dudley Castle in 1985.

Web Goodie (18 December 2003)

Just in time for "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" - discover your Tolkien name with this cool 'Middle-Earth Name Generator'. Why not find Middle-Earth names for the whole morning crew to use today?
For more info check out the Barrow Downs website.
And here's a name generator where you can pick from dwarf, elven, hobbit, wizard or human names.
For more info check out the My Precious website.

Hate your name? (17 December 2003)

Hate your name? Rename yourself with this 'Random Name Generator' that takes into account your main personality trait. A new moniker full of pizzaz is just a click away!
For more info check out the Baby Names website.

A Word To The Wise (17 December 2003)

The editors of "The Oxford English Dictionary" are considering several new words and phrases for the next edition including ...

• 'Baby Momma' - A young unwed mother. ("She's having trouble finishing high school, her being a baby momma and all.")
• 'Fembot' - An emotionless woman. ("No point asking the new manager for a day off when your kid's home sick from school - she's a real fembot!")
• 'Wand' - To wave a hand-held metal detector over someone's body. ("Please leave your baggage on the conveyor belt and allow the security guard to wand you.")

Get The Handcart Ready (17 December 2003)

The global ski industry is in for a slide as climate change reduces average snowfall and melts glaciers, says a new study done for the UN Environmental Program. Snowfall at low-altitude ski resorts will become increasingly unreliable and unpredictable in coming years, according to by researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

Style Statement (17 December 2003)

Upscale designers such as Dolce & Gabbana and Prada are now featuring French-cuff shirts for women, a trend that's led to a rush on a new ladies' fashion accessory - cuff links. But forget about passing along your old disused ones, guys. Cuff links for women are designed to be more stylish, more feminine and, of course, more costly - well over $100 a pair!

News That's Hard To Believe (17 December 2003)

• 49-year-old George Duncan of NYC has been fired from his job as a corrections officer. Why? He had taken a total of 744 sick days, about one sick day each and every week - for 15 years!
• Commuters on-the-go at a new train station in Edinburgh, Scotland can't 'go', because the new $7-million facility was designed and built - without a single restroom.
• 3 German teenagers in the town of Limburg are being investigated for fraud after spending a whack of money they didn't have during a 2-hour Internet shopping spree. $160 million-worth, in fact! They say they were 'bored'.
• Shoppers in a Grimsby UK supermarket were stunned when odd sounds came over the PA system - a woman groaning "Oh yes! Oh yes!" just before yelling out "Ohhhhhh, God!". The store's management says no hidden mikes were found and the sounds may have come from an outside signal interfering with the store's satellite Muzak station.

Kid Commentator (15 December 2003)

10-year-old Brazilian Gabriela Ferreira has become the new soccer commentator for one of Brazil's biggest radio stations. Her appointment by Sao Paulo station 'Itu' came about because she's able to visualize the game and easily analyze it. Her amazing abilities first came to light when she gave her amateur soccer coach father strategic tips for his failing team 6 minutes before the end of a match, which they went on to win.

Flying High (15 December 2003)

A new airline called Backpackers Xpress will feature karaoke, dance contests, personal DVD service, plus beer & pizza at an in-flight pub. The world's first low-cost, long-haul budget airline is the brainchild of Australian Glenn Millen, who's having 2 chartered 747s outfitted with pubs in preparation for a June 2004 launch.

Wine-To-Go (12 December 2003)

Thanks to a government crackdown on drunk driving, restaurants in France have begun offering diners a 'doggy bag' (un 'sac de chien'?) for unfinished wine. Some 500 restaurants across the country now offer to repackage leftover wine by re-corking the bottle and using a special pump to extract air. The bottle is then slipped into a discrete bag for transport.

Geeks Rule! (12 December 2003)

A new Italian study shows that young people who regularly train and compete in sports are more than twice as likely to experience sudden death than non-athletes. It's not that sport endangers athletes' lives, say University of Padua researchers, but it can trigger heart conditions that were previously undetected.

The Devil's Games (11 December 2003)

The independent, nonprofit group 'National Institute on Media & the Family' is warning that so-called 'killographic' scenes are featured in several video games that can be accessed by children. 'Killographic' is defined as 'graphic depiction of brutal violence'. In its 8th annual 'MediaWise Video Game Report Card', the group lists the games parents should help their kids avoid, led by "Manhunt".

Mother Goose Is Dangerous (11 December 2003)

Forget video games, what about the violence in ... nursery rhymes? In this week's issue of the "Canadian Medical Association Journal", a pair of Halifax researchers argue that classic nursery rhymes such as "Jack and Jill" and "10 Little Monkeys" could leave children with a seriously warped view about the consequences of head injuries. In fact, nursery rhymes seem to be full of accidents ...

• "It's raining its pouring, the old man is snoring. He bumped his head on the end of the bed and he couldn't get up in the morning ..."
• "... When the bough breaks the cradle will fall, down will come baby, cradle and all."
• "... Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horse and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again."

Scientists Say (11 December 2003)

A compendium of recent 'discoveries' -

• Scientists say ... that one reason women live longer than men is because they shop. A recent study suggests that shopping is not only good exercise for the body and brain, but helps to foster a positive self-image.
• Scientists say ... that short people may be more susceptible to hearing loss. Swedish researchers found that short guys in noisy work environments lose hearing twice as often as men of average height. They suggest a low level of growth hormone before birth could be to blame.
• Scientists say ... that executives who place an equal amount of importance on personal life as they do work are more apt to be successful on the job and less stressed than those who are workaholics. A worldwide study shows that 34% of women and 21% of men have been smart enough to downsize their career aspirations for the sake of their families and personal lives.
• Scientists say ... that seniors who do crossword puzzles have a much lower risk of dementia than those who don't.
• Scientists say ... that most farts are created from the air taken in while eating. Much of the gas that builds up in the bowels is odorless, such as nitrogen and hydrogen. But Japanese researchers have found that if there's a prominent presence of cholesterol in the large intestine, the digestive process gives off vile smelling gasses like hydrogen sulfate and ammonia.

Train For Sale (9 December 2003)

Isaac Tigrett, founder of Hard Rock Café and House of Blues, has put one of his prized possessions on eBay to finance his next venture, a series of supper clubs. For a mere $1.8 million, you can own his refurbished 1928 private railroad car, which boasts sleeping quarters for 8, a grand dining room, gourmet kitchen, 3 baths, and open-air observation platform. Tigrett, who's traveled all over by hooking the car to passenger trains, says it's one of the most 'peaceful places on the planet'.

Ring Around The Planet (9 December 2003)

By New Years Eve, Saturn will be closer to Earth than at any time since December 1973. All-month-long skywatchers can enjoy Saturn at its finest. On December 31st, it will be opposite the Sun in relation to Earth, meaning Saturn will rise as the Sun sets, reaching its highest point in the southern sky at midnight. Astronomers call this 'opposition'. The ringed planet will be just 748.3 million miles (1.2 billion km) from Earth. It won't come this close again until January 2034.

Acting Proper (9 December 2003)

Just in time for holiday parties comes the new book, "Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It and Why" by Peter Post, the great-grandson of famous etiquette proponent Emily Post. Here's a few ...
Handy Holiday Hints For Guys:

• If you are the host of a dinner party, you should invite the guests to start eating as soon as 3 are served.
• You are not 'wearing a tuxedo'. You are 'wearing black tie'.
• You should precede a woman through a revolving door.
• You should follow a woman up a stairway but precede her down a stairway.
• You precede the woman toward your table in a restaurant, unless the maitre d' is leading you, in which case you should follow the woman.
• A cell phone should not be brought to a formal ball.
• If you are sharing an umbrella with a woman, and the woman is taller, the woman should hold the umbrella.
• Avoid wing-tip collars unless the dress is 'white tie'.
• And - do I have to keep telling you? - put the toilet seat down when you leave!

It's a Weird World (9 December 2003)

• Here's a true 'flaming redhead' - Albany, Georgia hairstylist Traci Marshall's own hairdo spontaneously caught fire while she was filling her car with gas. Her firefighter hubby suspects her hair rubbed against her clothes and caused static electricity, sparking the blaze. Wow, how much hairspray do you think she used?
• An eatery called 'Naked Lunch' has opened in downtown Key West, Florida, which is thought to be the first stand-alone 'clothing-optional' restaurant that's not located in a nudist camp.
• Local restaurants are reporting a shortage of one Hong Kong's most popular dishes - snake soup. Seems there's been a snake crisis ever since imports from mainland China were banned during the SARS scare.
• When the Nigerian dwarf act 'Aki & Paw Paw' didn't arrive for a show at the national stadium in Freetown, Sierra Leone, organizers scrambled to find a replacement. Apparently the crowd didn't like the substitute - 2 dwarf comedians. Thousands rioted and dozens were injured.

Festive Fatigue (5 December 2003)

The Austrian Trade Union Federation is demanding compensation for retail workers subjected to the 'psychological terror' of - piped-in Christmas music. The union claims a recent study shows that listening to endless hours of seasonal songs makes store employees 'aggressive and confrontational' and many lose their temper at just the mention of anything to do with Christmas.

Finding Nemo ... In The Dark (4 December 2003)

The 1st genetically-altered pet - a fish that glows in the dark - is set to begin appearing in stores next month. The so-called 'GloFish' was developed by scientists in Singapore who found they could turn the normally black-and-silver zebra fish a fluorescent green or red by inserting genes from jellyfish or a sea anemone. The tropical fish appear to glow under ultraviolet or black light.
For more info check out the Glo Fish website.

The Virtual Kindergartner (4 December 2003)

Japan's Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International is looking for government funding of half-a-billion bucks a year for the next 30 years to complete its so-called 'Atom Boy Project', the development of a humanoid robot that will move and think like a 5-year-old child.

Say G'bye To The Anal Probe (4 December 2003)

A new hi-tech 'camera pill' that's loaded with technology similar to a digital camera is being used at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics to diagnose intestinal problems. The 'M2A Capsule Endoscopy' is about the size of a multi-vitamin and is swallowed with a sip of water. It takes pictures which are transmitted on a radio frequency so that doctors can view images captured during the trip through the small intestine.

Stories From Around-The-World (2 December 2003)

• 28-year-old Fatma Saygi of Adiyaman, Turkey is about to give birth to triplets. Not noteworthy except that - it's her SIXTH set! She & husband Mehmet are already parents to 5 other sets of triplets and the family of 17, soon to be 20, manages to live in a dinky 2-room apartment.
• German police have arrested a shoplifter who aroused suspicion by waddling through a supermarket with - 177 packs of cigarettes in his pants. The thief, in his 20s, was helped by 3 accomplices who formed a protective shield by holding newspapers in front of his big bulge.
• Swedish cops are warning citizens to beware of drunken elk, after one attacked a woman in the city of Karlshamn. Experts say the elk become intoxicated after munching on the last of the summer berries, which have fermented into potent alcoholic fruit.
• A Welsh town wants to mark its 750th anniversary with a replica of the famous Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. But in homage to the town's name, the event in 'Cowbridge' would replace the bulls with - dairy cows.
• In an effort to make it easier for pets to travel with their owners in Europe, the European Commission is proposing to issue wallet-sized passports for dogs, cats and ferrets. Owners will be able to use a standardized blue booklet stamped with the European Union's circle of gold stars, listing vaccinations and certifying the pets are rabies-free.

Scientists Say (1 December 2003)

A compendium of recent 'discoveries' -

• Scientists say ... that music will someday be used to repair brain-damaged humans. Researchers exploring the neurobiology of music have discovered direct evidence that it stimulates and thereby benefits the brain.
• Scientists say ... that they have discovered what's responsible for our sense of humour. Researchers at Berkeley University claim they've isolated the specific chemical in the brain that's responsible.
• Scientists say ... that the brothers of men with prostate cancer have almost 3 times the risk of developing the disease as men with no family history of it.

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