Mixed Feelings
No need to go into too much detail about the main events that have happened recently. Suffice it to say, that both congratulations (for winning the bid to host the 2012 olympics) and condolences (for the terrorist bombing of 3 tube trains and a bus) are in order for London, and with that, England.
For those of you who believe that the ability of your female partner to enjoy herself is down to you, here's some scientific news claiming that it's all in fact down to her genes (I knew clothing was important to a woman, but not this much !).
With the blows going to and fro between the French leaders and the British ones, here's an interesting articles about the various rules that govern these battles.
An education charity has stated that having US-style "yellow buses" would reduce accidents and help congestion. I can't really say that I believe that painting the double deckers in london would create fewer accidents, nor that they could help to relieve stomach pains after eating too much, but hey, that's science...
The Metropolitan Police has produced a special report claiming that african boys are being brought into the UK for the sole purpose of human sacrifice. It's unbelieveable what still goes on, and right under our noses too, and has only just been brought into the limelight. Let's hope that measures to combat this come into force soon.
Those of you who have seen the film Mississippi Burning (if not see it now, definitely worth it) would be interested to hear that at last a man is being tried for the killing of the three boys, and it has just been revealed that he was in fact a member of the Klu Klux Klan, despite earlier protests to the contrary. Sometimes stories just carry on outside of the cinemas...
A bottle of whisky was sold to a businessman for an incredible 32 thousand pounds. And what better way to celebrate this achievement, than to drink the bottle in one night with your closest friends. That's the way to do it in style, none of this keeping the bottle in the cellar until it's too old to drink...
Scientists in the Netherlands have been able to show that women switch off their brains during sex. Yes (no light-bulb jokes here please) apparently you can now see if your partner is doing a Harry met Sally just by keeping a brain scanner close to hand...
Now a shock development in the US legal process (ok, the shock facter really isn't there any more) has seen journalists who used their First Amendment right to keep their sources identity secret go to jail. Yes, the Supreme Court, which is supposed to be a medium between the government and the people, has decided the people no longer have any rights when it isn't in the government's interest.
Never mind cloning, the thing to watch out for is battlefield resurrections. After scientists have found that they could bring back to life a dog who was medically dead, by just administering 100% oxygen, and using electric shocks whilst reintroducing it's blood. Of course they say they haven't tried it on humans yet, but it could explain a lot of strange happenings...
After NASA managed to smash a probe into Tempel-1 (operation Deep Impact) a russian is suing the space agency for mental trauma, citing that any change to a comet's orbit will definitely affect her own fate. The fact that she is an astrologer might of course make her correct, but mental trauma? Let's wait and see what the judge says.
And finally, ever wanted to understand what your body has been trying to tell you? Well, now you can with this Body Language site, including the extremely useful "does your urine smell of maple syrup?" question.
Sleep Safe
Monday, July 11, 2005
Sunday, June 05, 2005
One-track Mind
Well, the hot weather has come to an end, and we now have to put up with the thunderstorms instead. What better way than to catch up on the news...
For those lovers of social websites along the lines of finding your links with other people through your common friends, might be interested to know about a new service that has started up to find your links with other people through common sleeping partners. Yes, that one night stand in the back of the kebab van has now linked you with a sheep named fred...
Now for those lonely people out there who want to raise money for the San Franciscan Center for Sex and Culture (what they have to do with each other I don't know - what was wrong with learning greetings from other cultures?) a certain marathon activity took place. To read more I suggest you follow this link...
GPS has been used for many useful things, from finding lost people to helping you find your way to that highly recommended pub. Now it's gone one step further and has been integrated into female underwear. It's being marketed as a way to find out if your wife has been cheating on you, but it has much more potential. Just think of those times you've come back from a party drunk without any underwear on, and don't know where you left them. Now you just fire up your receiver and you can follow the signal back to where they are. Of course, you may not want to remember with whom you were that forgotten night, so maybe it's worth leaving them be...
Something serious now. Ever wondered what happened to those so-called epidemics that were about to happen but now don't appear in the news any more? Does it mean it's safe now? On the contrary (my dear watson), as this article shows.
So, back to the real world, and let's just hope that the crazy frog song is no longer number 1 in the UK charts...
Well, the hot weather has come to an end, and we now have to put up with the thunderstorms instead. What better way than to catch up on the news...
For those lovers of social websites along the lines of finding your links with other people through your common friends, might be interested to know about a new service that has started up to find your links with other people through common sleeping partners. Yes, that one night stand in the back of the kebab van has now linked you with a sheep named fred...
Now for those lonely people out there who want to raise money for the San Franciscan Center for Sex and Culture (what they have to do with each other I don't know - what was wrong with learning greetings from other cultures?) a certain marathon activity took place. To read more I suggest you follow this link...
GPS has been used for many useful things, from finding lost people to helping you find your way to that highly recommended pub. Now it's gone one step further and has been integrated into female underwear. It's being marketed as a way to find out if your wife has been cheating on you, but it has much more potential. Just think of those times you've come back from a party drunk without any underwear on, and don't know where you left them. Now you just fire up your receiver and you can follow the signal back to where they are. Of course, you may not want to remember with whom you were that forgotten night, so maybe it's worth leaving them be...
Something serious now. Ever wondered what happened to those so-called epidemics that were about to happen but now don't appear in the news any more? Does it mean it's safe now? On the contrary (my dear watson), as this article shows.
So, back to the real world, and let's just hope that the crazy frog song is no longer number 1 in the UK charts...
Sunday, May 29, 2005
A Resounding "Non"
Well, as was to be expected, France voted against the european constitution. Around 55 percent of the voters put their mark in the "non" box, and sowith have scuppered the chances of the consitution going ahead, as all 25 states have to pass it.
The UK has been debating whether to call off their public debate if the french said no, as there is no way for it to go ahead now. On wednesday the population of the Netherlands are also going to the polls and are expected to vote against it as well.
Watching the news here in Germany has shown politicians saying that they believe that letting the people vote is wrong, as they aren't capable of making such a decision. Furthermore, they think it's a pity if it's only France (and maybe the Netherlands) that are nullifying the contitution, when 9 other states have voted for it.
Let's have a look at those comments shall we. States which have decided that the people that voted them into parliament are incapable of voting properly, and that those countries who make their decisions democratically are ruining Europe, when they themselves refuse to let their own population decide.
Next up a bit of football. After the shock win by Liverpool against Milan, and the water sprinklers automatically turning themselves on on the pitch of the german final Bayern Munich vs Schalke 04, there is more in store for those of Mainz 05. There is a chance that they'll be playing in the EUFA cup next season.
Now for those of you who aren't satisfied with the size of your regular burgers, try the ones that Paris Hilton has been advertising...follow the links and see why people are claiming that the advert (video only works in internet explorer) is a bit too graphic for a children's restaurant (and check out the size of that burger!).
After 198 convicts in the state of New York (including men that have molested children as young as 2) have been found to have received viagra free of charge from the state, changes are afoot to not allow them to be given it free any more. Nice to know that those who have done wrong get all the necessaries in life...
Three sisters in the UK have all given birth to a child soon after another. Nothing special about that, but these sisters are of ages 12, 14 and 16. I say no more.
According to the Royal National Institute for the Blind, over 200 thousand people in the UK have gone blind needlessly because they did not go to get their eyes checked frequently enough. Make your appointment now.
And now that Lobelto has gone on to Glasgow from his brief visit from Hamburg to our humble Mainz we're stuck here with the 38 degrees without a breeze in sight, and even less chance of getting any working air conditioning in this city...
Stay Cool
Well, as was to be expected, France voted against the european constitution. Around 55 percent of the voters put their mark in the "non" box, and sowith have scuppered the chances of the consitution going ahead, as all 25 states have to pass it.
The UK has been debating whether to call off their public debate if the french said no, as there is no way for it to go ahead now. On wednesday the population of the Netherlands are also going to the polls and are expected to vote against it as well.
Watching the news here in Germany has shown politicians saying that they believe that letting the people vote is wrong, as they aren't capable of making such a decision. Furthermore, they think it's a pity if it's only France (and maybe the Netherlands) that are nullifying the contitution, when 9 other states have voted for it.
Let's have a look at those comments shall we. States which have decided that the people that voted them into parliament are incapable of voting properly, and that those countries who make their decisions democratically are ruining Europe, when they themselves refuse to let their own population decide.
Next up a bit of football. After the shock win by Liverpool against Milan, and the water sprinklers automatically turning themselves on on the pitch of the german final Bayern Munich vs Schalke 04, there is more in store for those of Mainz 05. There is a chance that they'll be playing in the EUFA cup next season.
Now for those of you who aren't satisfied with the size of your regular burgers, try the ones that Paris Hilton has been advertising...follow the links and see why people are claiming that the advert (video only works in internet explorer) is a bit too graphic for a children's restaurant (and check out the size of that burger!).
After 198 convicts in the state of New York (including men that have molested children as young as 2) have been found to have received viagra free of charge from the state, changes are afoot to not allow them to be given it free any more. Nice to know that those who have done wrong get all the necessaries in life...
Three sisters in the UK have all given birth to a child soon after another. Nothing special about that, but these sisters are of ages 12, 14 and 16. I say no more.
According to the Royal National Institute for the Blind, over 200 thousand people in the UK have gone blind needlessly because they did not go to get their eyes checked frequently enough. Make your appointment now.
And now that Lobelto has gone on to Glasgow from his brief visit from Hamburg to our humble Mainz we're stuck here with the 38 degrees without a breeze in sight, and even less chance of getting any working air conditioning in this city...
Stay Cool
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Germany 4 points
Yes, another Eurovision song contest has passed by, but this time with a bit of a shock. The original 'european' countries were there at the bottom of the table, whilst Greece took the show with it's number one place.
Birthday wishes this week go to Elena (C) who celebrated on the 18th.
Australian mothers can feel safer today, as a sniffer dog has been found to no longer find drugs but talcum powder, so no worries about your kid going missing now...
Onto corporate makeovers. Well, this time a university logo change. Yes, the University of Birmingham has decided to make it's logo look like some food packaging. Of course the students have started up a petition...
Ever thought of the consequences of gossiping? Well, the mayor of a small colombian town has, and so has made it illegal to spread unfounded rumours. It might sound stupid, but it does make sense if you think of all the people who get affected by things that were purely made up (just take a look at how many people died after Business Week printed an article claiming that US soldiers had flushed a copy of the koran down the toilet).
Now for those of you looking for a bit of excitement whilst doing your daily chores, beware. After a lady got so aroused whilst out shopping, she lost consciousness and the paramedics were called, where they found her underwear still vibrating...
Stay sound
Yes, another Eurovision song contest has passed by, but this time with a bit of a shock. The original 'european' countries were there at the bottom of the table, whilst Greece took the show with it's number one place.
Birthday wishes this week go to Elena (C) who celebrated on the 18th.
Australian mothers can feel safer today, as a sniffer dog has been found to no longer find drugs but talcum powder, so no worries about your kid going missing now...
Onto corporate makeovers. Well, this time a university logo change. Yes, the University of Birmingham has decided to make it's logo look like some food packaging. Of course the students have started up a petition...
Ever thought of the consequences of gossiping? Well, the mayor of a small colombian town has, and so has made it illegal to spread unfounded rumours. It might sound stupid, but it does make sense if you think of all the people who get affected by things that were purely made up (just take a look at how many people died after Business Week printed an article claiming that US soldiers had flushed a copy of the koran down the toilet).
Now for those of you looking for a bit of excitement whilst doing your daily chores, beware. After a lady got so aroused whilst out shopping, she lost consciousness and the paramedics were called, where they found her underwear still vibrating...
Stay sound
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Mapping with google, and free dutch research
For those of you looking for a bit of fun on the web (no, not that type Jordi!) get on down to google maps and try searching for your local brothel, corrupt politician or whatever takes your fancy. The accuracy of the results is astounding :)
Ever wanted to read through a load of research papers from the Netherlands. Well, now you can, after scientists from all the major research institutions got together and released the info on the web for free. Another step toward Total Information Freedom...
Well, not much else happening around here at the moment. Lobelto is back from Hamburg but went straight off to Spain (can't blame him). And with the weather doing what it does best here, there's no point even going out any more. I think I'll just resign to the fact that there will be no summer in Mainz this year...
For those of you looking for a bit of fun on the web (no, not that type Jordi!) get on down to google maps and try searching for your local brothel, corrupt politician or whatever takes your fancy. The accuracy of the results is astounding :)
Ever wanted to read through a load of research papers from the Netherlands. Well, now you can, after scientists from all the major research institutions got together and released the info on the web for free. Another step toward Total Information Freedom...
Well, not much else happening around here at the moment. Lobelto is back from Hamburg but went straight off to Spain (can't blame him). And with the weather doing what it does best here, there's no point even going out any more. I think I'll just resign to the fact that there will be no summer in Mainz this year...
Friday, May 06, 2005
What a month !
No sooner had Gema left to go back to Valencia, than the following week I arrived on those sacred shores. A week of sun, sand and friends that was definitely worth waiting for.
Big news like the new german pope and Blair being elected as prime minister for a third time (can't believe it) won't have gone amiss, but a few other titbits will now be mentioned.
The Pope's old car has just been auctioned off on ebay for a sum of 250 thousand dollars. For a '99 VW Golf, that's a pretty good sell :)
For those of you fed up with cheap flights, and wanting something different, try cheap cruises. Going along the french and italian coasts at knock-down prices has never been better with Easycruise (from the same man who brought you Easyjet).
In Texas, cheerleaders better be careful what they sing and wear and how they dance after a new law has been passed to ban "sexually suggestive" cheerleading in schools. "Give me an R, give me an 18"...
On the eve of the elections in the UK, a bomb blast occurs outside it's embassy in New York. Nobody was hurt, but questions are being raised as to who it was...
Everybody knows that google has some great tools out there. In fact, their intentions to digitise all library books has brought with it a lot of controversy in France where they like to keep their information free from america's grasp. Well, proof of Bush's plans for europe have now been revealed on google maps. try maps.google.co.uk and zoom out as far as you can, and you'll see the UK, US and...nothing else.
Ever wondered what the latest secret weapon would be? Well, in Germany people are starting to wonder if terrorists are researching with wildlife, after finding a disease that causes toads to grow to over 3 times their normal size and then explode. So think again before you next crush a snail - it might have a nasty surprise for you.
Well, after the great wedding of Pili in Valencia (and the dancing that went on until 5am) as well as the birthday party of Olga last saturday (birthday on thursday) and the combined leaving party for Bill and flatwarming party of Magda and Manu on thursday, let's hope we get some rest in order to prepare for the coming week...(you can always try this game to help relax)
Work hard...
No sooner had Gema left to go back to Valencia, than the following week I arrived on those sacred shores. A week of sun, sand and friends that was definitely worth waiting for.
Big news like the new german pope and Blair being elected as prime minister for a third time (can't believe it) won't have gone amiss, but a few other titbits will now be mentioned.
The Pope's old car has just been auctioned off on ebay for a sum of 250 thousand dollars. For a '99 VW Golf, that's a pretty good sell :)
For those of you fed up with cheap flights, and wanting something different, try cheap cruises. Going along the french and italian coasts at knock-down prices has never been better with Easycruise (from the same man who brought you Easyjet).
In Texas, cheerleaders better be careful what they sing and wear and how they dance after a new law has been passed to ban "sexually suggestive" cheerleading in schools. "Give me an R, give me an 18"...
On the eve of the elections in the UK, a bomb blast occurs outside it's embassy in New York. Nobody was hurt, but questions are being raised as to who it was...
Everybody knows that google has some great tools out there. In fact, their intentions to digitise all library books has brought with it a lot of controversy in France where they like to keep their information free from america's grasp. Well, proof of Bush's plans for europe have now been revealed on google maps. try maps.google.co.uk and zoom out as far as you can, and you'll see the UK, US and...nothing else.
Ever wondered what the latest secret weapon would be? Well, in Germany people are starting to wonder if terrorists are researching with wildlife, after finding a disease that causes toads to grow to over 3 times their normal size and then explode. So think again before you next crush a snail - it might have a nasty surprise for you.
Well, after the great wedding of Pili in Valencia (and the dancing that went on until 5am) as well as the birthday party of Olga last saturday (birthday on thursday) and the combined leaving party for Bill and flatwarming party of Magda and Manu on thursday, let's hope we get some rest in order to prepare for the coming week...(you can always try this game to help relax)
Work hard...
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Back to Winter
I don't want to keep on having to talk about the weather, but what's up with it? No sooner had it started getting warmer, with jackets being left at home, than suddenly it gets back to temperatures around freezing like we had in November !
Anyway, it's not the weather that's the problem in Angola where the Marburg virus (of the Ebola family) has been spreading quickly and causing many deaths across the country. If anyone has read The Hot Zone by Richard Preston they should have an idea of how bad this virus really can be.
To show the real meaning of a 'bilateral agreement', the US has said that it will not extradite soldiers who are wanted in Colombia on drug-smuggling charges. Nice to know all men are made equal...
In a shock move, the European Treaty has been recalled in France to be pulped after the words 'incoherent text' were found at the bottom of a page. Well, at least they're honest about the booklet's contents...
For all those considering the new high-tech security for your car, maybe you should think again after car-jackers in Malaysia got impatient with the fingerprint system of a businessman's S-Class Merc and cut off his finger to allow later access without the owner. I suppose he should be thankful it wasn't an iris scan that the car required...
And for those that are into the 'home-movie' business, Google wants your videos to be put into it's database. No matter how dirty they are (apparently). Get that videocam out now...
Well, after the short visit from Marcela today, and Gemma coming over from Valencia tomorrow (which also happens to be Marilo's birthday), I suppose I should do some tidying up...
Bye for now
I don't want to keep on having to talk about the weather, but what's up with it? No sooner had it started getting warmer, with jackets being left at home, than suddenly it gets back to temperatures around freezing like we had in November !
Anyway, it's not the weather that's the problem in Angola where the Marburg virus (of the Ebola family) has been spreading quickly and causing many deaths across the country. If anyone has read The Hot Zone by Richard Preston they should have an idea of how bad this virus really can be.
To show the real meaning of a 'bilateral agreement', the US has said that it will not extradite soldiers who are wanted in Colombia on drug-smuggling charges. Nice to know all men are made equal...
In a shock move, the European Treaty has been recalled in France to be pulped after the words 'incoherent text' were found at the bottom of a page. Well, at least they're honest about the booklet's contents...
For all those considering the new high-tech security for your car, maybe you should think again after car-jackers in Malaysia got impatient with the fingerprint system of a businessman's S-Class Merc and cut off his finger to allow later access without the owner. I suppose he should be thankful it wasn't an iris scan that the car required...
And for those that are into the 'home-movie' business, Google wants your videos to be put into it's database. No matter how dirty they are (apparently). Get that videocam out now...
Well, after the short visit from Marcela today, and Gemma coming over from Valencia tomorrow (which also happens to be Marilo's birthday), I suppose I should do some tidying up...
Bye for now
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Spring
The weather's getting better, the Fallas have come and gone, the clocks have been put forward and april fools day has passed. This can only mean one thing, we're in spring !
Now onto the news.
Carrying on the important scientific research programme, sheep have been found to have best friends. Amongst them, however is unlikely to be the local butcher.
In a move which is bound to have ramifications for Ibiza tourists and Ann Summers saleswomen, California has prosecuted a wheelchair-bound 87 year old man for wanting to fly to the philipines to have sex with young girls. Authorites were alerted to his intentions when they found child pornography, sex aids, sexually explicit letters to the two girls and 45kg of chocolate in his bags. Obviously next time he should try not to go over the weight limit for his luggage with so much chocolate...
In an announcement that will produce a manifold of "I told you so" cries, a biotech company has apparently been selling non-approved genetically modifed seeds for the last four years. Makes you just feel safe, doesn't it...
Striking at the heart of those wife-swappers amongst you, police in Korea have arrested more than 150 people that apparently indulged in such activities. Partners were apparently graded on how much they participated in the group sex videos that they posted online (450 having signed up for "lifetime" membership)...
Following in the footsteps of Richard Branson, a young 18 year old from Oxford has opened up his own airline to fly people between Oxford and Cambridge. No longer do you have to arrive in a "normal" bus, you can arrive in style in your own light aircraft.
Next time you go out walking alone in London, be on the lookout for a great big cat, after a man was attacked by said animal. Zoo experts have been consulted...
After announcing his intention to stand for election in Peru, Fujimori has started his campaign trail by selling a cola drink named "Fuji-Cola" in order to earn enough money for the rest of his campaign. Well, at least there's hope that other big cola manufacturers could put him out of business before he gets too far...
Like a phoenix, from a pet-shop fire that killed 150 other animals, only one turtle survived. This creature, however has an evil side. On it's shell is burnt the image of satan. Just have a look at the picture. What use a turtle would be for world domination, I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out...
For those of you who remember Kylie before she sang, and have ever heard of Jason Donavon, would have the australian soap opera "Neighbours" to thank. Well, this series that every schoolkid in the UK can remember for the famous wedding of the aforementioned two people, has reached it's second decade. Yes, that's right, 20 years of it!! Of course, what's now happening in it I haven't got the foggiest (maybe Des and Daphne returned) but it just goes to show it's still as popular as ever.
Got a new phone? Has it got MMS? want to know what this technology gives you? Well, read this article about what these new fangled camera-phones are actually being used for...
Think the second world war is history? Well, apparently not. An ex-Nazi medic who set himself up in Chile has apparently being forcing women to wear aprons, men to wear lederhosen, the genders to be seperated, and sexually abusing young boys. And all that at the ripe old age of eighty-something. There's no stopping some people...
Being detained isn't the same as it used to be! 108 people in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan have now died. The battlefield within...
And to round up this week's news, it has been found that fish can use their bubbles to communicate. So next time you see a herring letting off a bit off gas, don't give it a hard time, just listen and learn :)
That's it for now
The weather's getting better, the Fallas have come and gone, the clocks have been put forward and april fools day has passed. This can only mean one thing, we're in spring !
Now onto the news.
Carrying on the important scientific research programme, sheep have been found to have best friends. Amongst them, however is unlikely to be the local butcher.
In a move which is bound to have ramifications for Ibiza tourists and Ann Summers saleswomen, California has prosecuted a wheelchair-bound 87 year old man for wanting to fly to the philipines to have sex with young girls. Authorites were alerted to his intentions when they found child pornography, sex aids, sexually explicit letters to the two girls and 45kg of chocolate in his bags. Obviously next time he should try not to go over the weight limit for his luggage with so much chocolate...
In an announcement that will produce a manifold of "I told you so" cries, a biotech company has apparently been selling non-approved genetically modifed seeds for the last four years. Makes you just feel safe, doesn't it...
Striking at the heart of those wife-swappers amongst you, police in Korea have arrested more than 150 people that apparently indulged in such activities. Partners were apparently graded on how much they participated in the group sex videos that they posted online (450 having signed up for "lifetime" membership)...
Following in the footsteps of Richard Branson, a young 18 year old from Oxford has opened up his own airline to fly people between Oxford and Cambridge. No longer do you have to arrive in a "normal" bus, you can arrive in style in your own light aircraft.
Next time you go out walking alone in London, be on the lookout for a great big cat, after a man was attacked by said animal. Zoo experts have been consulted...
After announcing his intention to stand for election in Peru, Fujimori has started his campaign trail by selling a cola drink named "Fuji-Cola" in order to earn enough money for the rest of his campaign. Well, at least there's hope that other big cola manufacturers could put him out of business before he gets too far...
Like a phoenix, from a pet-shop fire that killed 150 other animals, only one turtle survived. This creature, however has an evil side. On it's shell is burnt the image of satan. Just have a look at the picture. What use a turtle would be for world domination, I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out...
For those of you who remember Kylie before she sang, and have ever heard of Jason Donavon, would have the australian soap opera "Neighbours" to thank. Well, this series that every schoolkid in the UK can remember for the famous wedding of the aforementioned two people, has reached it's second decade. Yes, that's right, 20 years of it!! Of course, what's now happening in it I haven't got the foggiest (maybe Des and Daphne returned) but it just goes to show it's still as popular as ever.
Got a new phone? Has it got MMS? want to know what this technology gives you? Well, read this article about what these new fangled camera-phones are actually being used for...
Think the second world war is history? Well, apparently not. An ex-Nazi medic who set himself up in Chile has apparently being forcing women to wear aprons, men to wear lederhosen, the genders to be seperated, and sexually abusing young boys. And all that at the ripe old age of eighty-something. There's no stopping some people...
Being detained isn't the same as it used to be! 108 people in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan have now died. The battlefield within...
And to round up this week's news, it has been found that fish can use their bubbles to communicate. So next time you see a herring letting off a bit off gas, don't give it a hard time, just listen and learn :)
That's it for now
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Weather Watch
Those of you in and around Mainz today will have no doubt noticed that the weather's been behaving a bit strange. Strong wind and rain early this morning, followed by a bit of sunshine and blue sky at lunchtime, with an extra dose of a horizontal snowstorm from 2pm !! Seems like a scene out of Notting Hill (the film, not the place).
With so much news, I don't know where to start, so let's get on with something serious.
A Durham boy of 13 has been given life for raping a teacher after a lesson. Taking place at the age of 12, it just doesn't bear thinking what the youngsters of today are capable of (trying not to sound like an old man...).
For the sixth time in three months, a gang of bank robbers have got off with a cash machine, this time using a tractor to smash through the bank's wall. What happened to those horse raids like in the movies, I don't know.
Again a repeated event. For the third time in four months, a brazilian football star's mother has been kidnapped, probably hoping for a large ransom from her famous son. So I suppose one has to be careful what type of trade to go into nowadays.
In another major success against drugs, the colombian government has extradited the former leader of the Cali Cartel to the US to stand trial, after it was persuaded by the evidence collected by the DEA, that he continued his leadership from within prison after his capture (and thus negating his immunity from extradition). This comes soon after a similar case, whereby the Farc rebel 'Sonia' has also been extradited to the US to face drugs charges.
Police in Colombia have now freed (after three days in captivity) Pacho the donkey. He was arrested after apparently causing a traffic accident (not for aiding and abetting his friend 'danny the donkey' who strapped explosives to himself in an attempt to blow up the police, apparently).
How would you feel if whilst reading the morning paper one morning you were to find that the US had performed nuclear tests in your area? Well, that's what the sudanese government had to wake up to, when they saw that on the US Congress website. Fortunately, it was just a typing error. But Sudan is still conducting tests just to make sure.
A chemistry student from the US has managed to defeat the plethora of Microsoft lawyers that went after him when they saw him selling one copy of Windows XP and one copy of Office XP on eBay. Apparently, he bought the software with a large student discount, and when he decided he didn't want it, and Microsoft refused a refund, he put them up for auction on the site. When MS filed a suit against him for this act, he filed a counter-suit, involving the ineptitude of it's staff and decptive practices. Eventually they settled out of court.
If you judge how much people hate a program, by how many viruses have been written to infect it, Internet Explorer has to be one of the most hated out there. And so it would be of no surprise then, that even users of alternative browsers (such as the very good Mozilla Firefox) can now visit a malware site that infects IE. Yes that's right, you don't even have to be using it to get riddled with malware. Whatever next.
Forget all those researchers that found cows feel emotions, and sheep remember faces. This one takes the biscuit. A scientist from the Netherlands has found a duck who likes to get it on with another male duck. Fine, you might say, we've already found homosexual sheep, that's not new. The fact that the duck was already dead though, adds a new twist. Yes, we have a necrophilic gay duck.
Well, I'm sure you have enough to talk about now, whilst entertaining some friends at dinner, so I'll leave it there then.
Wrap up well
Those of you in and around Mainz today will have no doubt noticed that the weather's been behaving a bit strange. Strong wind and rain early this morning, followed by a bit of sunshine and blue sky at lunchtime, with an extra dose of a horizontal snowstorm from 2pm !! Seems like a scene out of Notting Hill (the film, not the place).
With so much news, I don't know where to start, so let's get on with something serious.
A Durham boy of 13 has been given life for raping a teacher after a lesson. Taking place at the age of 12, it just doesn't bear thinking what the youngsters of today are capable of (trying not to sound like an old man...).
For the sixth time in three months, a gang of bank robbers have got off with a cash machine, this time using a tractor to smash through the bank's wall. What happened to those horse raids like in the movies, I don't know.
Again a repeated event. For the third time in four months, a brazilian football star's mother has been kidnapped, probably hoping for a large ransom from her famous son. So I suppose one has to be careful what type of trade to go into nowadays.
In another major success against drugs, the colombian government has extradited the former leader of the Cali Cartel to the US to stand trial, after it was persuaded by the evidence collected by the DEA, that he continued his leadership from within prison after his capture (and thus negating his immunity from extradition). This comes soon after a similar case, whereby the Farc rebel 'Sonia' has also been extradited to the US to face drugs charges.
Police in Colombia have now freed (after three days in captivity) Pacho the donkey. He was arrested after apparently causing a traffic accident (not for aiding and abetting his friend 'danny the donkey' who strapped explosives to himself in an attempt to blow up the police, apparently).
How would you feel if whilst reading the morning paper one morning you were to find that the US had performed nuclear tests in your area? Well, that's what the sudanese government had to wake up to, when they saw that on the US Congress website. Fortunately, it was just a typing error. But Sudan is still conducting tests just to make sure.
A chemistry student from the US has managed to defeat the plethora of Microsoft lawyers that went after him when they saw him selling one copy of Windows XP and one copy of Office XP on eBay. Apparently, he bought the software with a large student discount, and when he decided he didn't want it, and Microsoft refused a refund, he put them up for auction on the site. When MS filed a suit against him for this act, he filed a counter-suit, involving the ineptitude of it's staff and decptive practices. Eventually they settled out of court.
If you judge how much people hate a program, by how many viruses have been written to infect it, Internet Explorer has to be one of the most hated out there. And so it would be of no surprise then, that even users of alternative browsers (such as the very good Mozilla Firefox) can now visit a malware site that infects IE. Yes that's right, you don't even have to be using it to get riddled with malware. Whatever next.
Forget all those researchers that found cows feel emotions, and sheep remember faces. This one takes the biscuit. A scientist from the Netherlands has found a duck who likes to get it on with another male duck. Fine, you might say, we've already found homosexual sheep, that's not new. The fact that the duck was already dead though, adds a new twist. Yes, we have a necrophilic gay duck.
Well, I'm sure you have enough to talk about now, whilst entertaining some friends at dinner, so I'll leave it there then.
Wrap up well
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Stop Sending Me Unsolicited Messages
I am not one known for his emotional outbursts, nor do I normally detest something so much that I feel I have to write about it here. However, recent events have caused me to change my ways, which is what I wanted to talk about now.
It all started about a month ago when out of nowhere I received an invitation from a "friend" to join a mobile friends network. I thought nothing much of it, I had previously seen so-called "friends networks" and read reviews on them (which were generally positive, I might add).
However, I was sceptical about letting my details be published in a big database that other people could search, especially with the huge rise in identity theft (apparently 1 in 4 people know someone who has had their identity stolen - either for financial purposes, or for other criminal activities where the only lead goes back to you).
So I left it initially, deciding to deal with it at a later date. Well, a week later I received another email purporting to come from the same person, telling me to sign up. Suddenly I got bombarded by these emails, this time coming from different people I knew to varying degrees (some I hadn't seen for years). So before wanting to reply to any of these (and to tell the people to stop sending me them), I decided to do a bit of online investigation (which I find myself doing way too often).
So, I went to google (go on, try it yourself, read the customers views) and searched for the company sms.ac (where the emails were coming from) and it came up with over 102,000 sites. The first one naturally being for the official site itself, but ALL the others being negative reports of people having signed up, giving in their hotmail details (including passwords!!!) and then, without their knowledge, everybody in their address books gets sent an invitation email to join up to this "mobile friends network". And if the recipients don't reply, or even if they click on the link to reject further participation, they keep on receiving the invitations.
And that's not all. In giving your mobile number to them, "premium" SMSs can be sent to you, the cost of which being added to your phone bill. I have found reports from people in the UK, France, USA, South Africa in the googled sites, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are lots more countries to add to this list (I didn't want to spend the whole weekend reading the complaints from people who had signed up - depression isn't my thing).
So, what should you do? Firstly, I would send an email to the person who "invited" you (to their proper email address, not the one where the invitation comes from) asking them if they wanted to send you the invitation. Tell them what's happening, how many emails from them you have in your inbox, and let them decide if that's how they want to treat their friends (because everyone in their address book will have received the same).
If you have signed up, check your mobile bill straight away. Any premium texts on there? How much? Take this up with your network provider - I'm sure they'll be interested to know about companies that are using their networks to send unsolicitated messages, and charging for them.
Terminate your SMS.ac account. Make sure you delete any login information you have saved in your account area, and then close down the online service linked to your mobile number.
There are plenty of organisations around the world that are there to protect the consumer. Find out which one is relevant in your country and take the matter up with them. There are also many laws that protect you (European, US SPAM email and SMS laws). Use them.
As for me, I've now set my SPAM filter to block any more of these "invitations" to at least have some piece and quiet in my inbox again. I just hope my friends take this advice, because otherwise they will be going "mobile" somewhere else.
Surf Safe
I am not one known for his emotional outbursts, nor do I normally detest something so much that I feel I have to write about it here. However, recent events have caused me to change my ways, which is what I wanted to talk about now.
It all started about a month ago when out of nowhere I received an invitation from a "friend" to join a mobile friends network. I thought nothing much of it, I had previously seen so-called "friends networks" and read reviews on them (which were generally positive, I might add).
However, I was sceptical about letting my details be published in a big database that other people could search, especially with the huge rise in identity theft (apparently 1 in 4 people know someone who has had their identity stolen - either for financial purposes, or for other criminal activities where the only lead goes back to you).
So I left it initially, deciding to deal with it at a later date. Well, a week later I received another email purporting to come from the same person, telling me to sign up. Suddenly I got bombarded by these emails, this time coming from different people I knew to varying degrees (some I hadn't seen for years). So before wanting to reply to any of these (and to tell the people to stop sending me them), I decided to do a bit of online investigation (which I find myself doing way too often).
So, I went to google (go on, try it yourself, read the customers views) and searched for the company sms.ac (where the emails were coming from) and it came up with over 102,000 sites. The first one naturally being for the official site itself, but ALL the others being negative reports of people having signed up, giving in their hotmail details (including passwords!!!) and then, without their knowledge, everybody in their address books gets sent an invitation email to join up to this "mobile friends network". And if the recipients don't reply, or even if they click on the link to reject further participation, they keep on receiving the invitations.
And that's not all. In giving your mobile number to them, "premium" SMSs can be sent to you, the cost of which being added to your phone bill. I have found reports from people in the UK, France, USA, South Africa in the googled sites, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are lots more countries to add to this list (I didn't want to spend the whole weekend reading the complaints from people who had signed up - depression isn't my thing).
So, what should you do? Firstly, I would send an email to the person who "invited" you (to their proper email address, not the one where the invitation comes from) asking them if they wanted to send you the invitation. Tell them what's happening, how many emails from them you have in your inbox, and let them decide if that's how they want to treat their friends (because everyone in their address book will have received the same).
If you have signed up, check your mobile bill straight away. Any premium texts on there? How much? Take this up with your network provider - I'm sure they'll be interested to know about companies that are using their networks to send unsolicitated messages, and charging for them.
Terminate your SMS.ac account. Make sure you delete any login information you have saved in your account area, and then close down the online service linked to your mobile number.
There are plenty of organisations around the world that are there to protect the consumer. Find out which one is relevant in your country and take the matter up with them. There are also many laws that protect you (European, US SPAM email and SMS laws). Use them.
As for me, I've now set my SPAM filter to block any more of these "invitations" to at least have some piece and quiet in my inbox again. I just hope my friends take this advice, because otherwise they will be going "mobile" somewhere else.
Surf Safe
Friday, February 25, 2005
Belgian Birthday
Before getting on with this week's news roundup, time for some birthday wishes. Today they go to Jordi, who is presently residing in Belgium (for the biere blanche, I presume). So send him flowers, SMSs, or old copies of "el jueves".
Some children nowadays do have the imagination still. For instance, the suffolk teenager who decided to make napalm and bring it into his chemistry class. According to bomb-disposal experts, it wasn't actually napalm, but something else, but they were not willing to specify (found the US's Homosexual Biological weapon maybe?).
Now one for those lonely men out there (you know who you are) the next thing in virtual girlfriends is here. Yes, you can start chatting up Vivienne, going out with her and play with her emotions, but that's all. No hanky panky is allowed (that is, until someone hacks the program and allows everything people really want her to do).
Next barmy science research award is given to the italian, who claims that by measuring the size and shape of a woman's breasts, he can tell what type of personality she has. No prizes for using a similar "study" to guess what type of car this guy drives (or for wondering quite what he has with his fruit fetish)...
For those in the US using breast milk (ok, not a huge percentage of my readers, I admit) a worrying discovery, that the main ingredient of rocket fuel has been found in said product. Maybe this is the start of the baby-on-mars space program...
The Simpsons has been translated into many languages, allowing as many viewers as possible to understand the series, but the latest episodes in Mexico might be a bit difficult to understand, as the speakers have gone on strike. Apparently, they wanted to use a non-certified "doh!" speaker...
At last, some of the German red-tape has been lifted, and this time in the theme of beer. Yes, at last a german beer doesn't have to taste the same as all the others to be called a "beer". Just wait til the chocolate and orange beers come...
Well, celebrate and be happy, I'm off to taste the new law...
Before getting on with this week's news roundup, time for some birthday wishes. Today they go to Jordi, who is presently residing in Belgium (for the biere blanche, I presume). So send him flowers, SMSs, or old copies of "el jueves".
Some children nowadays do have the imagination still. For instance, the suffolk teenager who decided to make napalm and bring it into his chemistry class. According to bomb-disposal experts, it wasn't actually napalm, but something else, but they were not willing to specify (found the US's Homosexual Biological weapon maybe?).
Now one for those lonely men out there (you know who you are) the next thing in virtual girlfriends is here. Yes, you can start chatting up Vivienne, going out with her and play with her emotions, but that's all. No hanky panky is allowed (that is, until someone hacks the program and allows everything people really want her to do).
Next barmy science research award is given to the italian, who claims that by measuring the size and shape of a woman's breasts, he can tell what type of personality she has. No prizes for using a similar "study" to guess what type of car this guy drives (or for wondering quite what he has with his fruit fetish)...
For those in the US using breast milk (ok, not a huge percentage of my readers, I admit) a worrying discovery, that the main ingredient of rocket fuel has been found in said product. Maybe this is the start of the baby-on-mars space program...
The Simpsons has been translated into many languages, allowing as many viewers as possible to understand the series, but the latest episodes in Mexico might be a bit difficult to understand, as the speakers have gone on strike. Apparently, they wanted to use a non-certified "doh!" speaker...
At last, some of the German red-tape has been lifted, and this time in the theme of beer. Yes, at last a german beer doesn't have to taste the same as all the others to be called a "beer". Just wait til the chocolate and orange beers come...
Well, celebrate and be happy, I'm off to taste the new law...
Saturday, February 19, 2005
The best way to recuperate
First up, the Berlin Film Festival awards have been given, and the winner was a south african version of Carmen. The amazing thing about this film, is that the lyrics have been translated into Xhosa whilst the location has been changed to a small township in said country.
Who ever thought that a city law banning total nudity in public could be gotten around so easily, by just selling visitors a pad and pencil to make their own sketches of the naked ladies performing for them. Maybe the law was sponsored by an art studio...
In a great move (in my opinion) an independent swedish television station released an advert contrasting itself with the italian leader's monopoly of media, and stating that it's content would not be politically tainted like that in Italy. Of course, said leader wasn't at all pleased with these facts, but hey, if he wants to claim his stations aren't biased towards himself, let him try to prove it...
In New Zealand, a man protesting at his right to travel about in public naked, turned up to his court appearance in nothing but his birthday suit. He did put on some clothes before seeing the judge, however.
In an effort to reduce the amount of cockroaches (of which, apparently, the german one is the worst), scientists have found a way of reproducing sex pheromones normally released by the female, which can attract males from far away to it. Combining this with a deadly virus or pathogen, they hope the disease will spread and kill off not only the males who were originally attracted to it.
Researchers at Stanford University have shown that Dracula was not just a guy with a weird biting fetish, but that taking young blood does actually help to liven up the old body. Expect to see fizzy cans of it on your shelves soon...
A teacher in Florida was recently visited by local police after it surfaced that he was teaching students how to make bombs in the chemistry class, which led to one boy detonating an explosion on a local golf course. Of course, the other teachers should be taking note, as to get students actively involved in class takes some doing. Also, one can't help wondering to think what his classes in physics and biology would have been like...
Now with the Bush visit coming closer, the number of demonstrations is increasing daily (see this site) and the problems his presence is going to cause becomes more apparent. Not only is most of the old town completely closed off to people (those living there also having to leave) but most of the centre is also closed (see this map), and anyone wishing to work on this day has to give a good reason (apparently it's not enough that it's a normal working day, you have to have a special reason why you can't take this day off as one of your holidays!!).
So if on this day I was to be interviewed, and asked if I had a question for the president, I would proffer the following: What does he feel about the fact that his visit will force me to walk home from hospital after a knee operation, as no connecting transport will be running? Taxis will also not be allowed throughout the city, and due to the number of protestors, it will be impossible to get past the main station.
Not enough that I have to walk back, but now I'm running the risk of catching rabies whilst I'm there, after an organ donee recently died after being infected with the disease from the transplanted organ. Now I will sleep well...
Think of me...
First up, the Berlin Film Festival awards have been given, and the winner was a south african version of Carmen. The amazing thing about this film, is that the lyrics have been translated into Xhosa whilst the location has been changed to a small township in said country.
Who ever thought that a city law banning total nudity in public could be gotten around so easily, by just selling visitors a pad and pencil to make their own sketches of the naked ladies performing for them. Maybe the law was sponsored by an art studio...
In a great move (in my opinion) an independent swedish television station released an advert contrasting itself with the italian leader's monopoly of media, and stating that it's content would not be politically tainted like that in Italy. Of course, said leader wasn't at all pleased with these facts, but hey, if he wants to claim his stations aren't biased towards himself, let him try to prove it...
In New Zealand, a man protesting at his right to travel about in public naked, turned up to his court appearance in nothing but his birthday suit. He did put on some clothes before seeing the judge, however.
In an effort to reduce the amount of cockroaches (of which, apparently, the german one is the worst), scientists have found a way of reproducing sex pheromones normally released by the female, which can attract males from far away to it. Combining this with a deadly virus or pathogen, they hope the disease will spread and kill off not only the males who were originally attracted to it.
Researchers at Stanford University have shown that Dracula was not just a guy with a weird biting fetish, but that taking young blood does actually help to liven up the old body. Expect to see fizzy cans of it on your shelves soon...
A teacher in Florida was recently visited by local police after it surfaced that he was teaching students how to make bombs in the chemistry class, which led to one boy detonating an explosion on a local golf course. Of course, the other teachers should be taking note, as to get students actively involved in class takes some doing. Also, one can't help wondering to think what his classes in physics and biology would have been like...
Now with the Bush visit coming closer, the number of demonstrations is increasing daily (see this site) and the problems his presence is going to cause becomes more apparent. Not only is most of the old town completely closed off to people (those living there also having to leave) but most of the centre is also closed (see this map), and anyone wishing to work on this day has to give a good reason (apparently it's not enough that it's a normal working day, you have to have a special reason why you can't take this day off as one of your holidays!!).
So if on this day I was to be interviewed, and asked if I had a question for the president, I would proffer the following: What does he feel about the fact that his visit will force me to walk home from hospital after a knee operation, as no connecting transport will be running? Taxis will also not be allowed throughout the city, and due to the number of protestors, it will be impossible to get past the main station.
Not enough that I have to walk back, but now I'm running the risk of catching rabies whilst I'm there, after an organ donee recently died after being infected with the disease from the transplanted organ. Now I will sleep well...
Think of me...
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Pancakes and Roosters
So who forgot it was pancake day on tuesday? Well, I did. Which is surprising, considering the willingness I show to cooking them with my special brandy butter filling. Never mind, I'll just have to celebrate a late pancake day sometime soon.
Not a day before, Mainz found itself at fever pitch with the "carnival". Yes, whilst people danced to good rhythms with exotic costumes and lovely weather in Brazil and Barranquilla, here in Mainz everything took on a military/political apperance as soldiers marched through the streets to the sound of their drums. Along with all the drunkards lining the pavements, the mess of broken bottles and left over food, the transport system comes to a stop for 3 days during which it invariably snows and people start to realise that 5 hours standing outside at -5 degrees is probably not the healthiest of pastimes.
Following on from Ireland, New York and Italy's recent smoking bans, the home of the cigar, Cuba, also brought in powerful legislation banning the smoking in public places, and sale of tabacco near schools.
If you think the state of people's driving in Europe is getting worse, just lend a thought for those in the US. After a car was followed swerving all over the road, crashing into two different cars whilst trying to park in it's drive, and then reversing into the observing policeman's car, it was found that the driver of said vehicle was in fact a 4-year-old boy who had learnt to drive whilst sitting on his mother's lap...
Now for any of you who like to let it hang out in public (your underwear, I'm talking about) take care if going to the state of Virginia. After passing a new proposal (it still has to be ratified by the state senate) people who show too much in public will be fined around 50 dollars.
For all those men out there reading this (yes, this does even include you, Jordi :) take a look at this story about a woman who grabbed at her ex's pants, ripping them off, and with them one of his testicles. She then attemped to swallow it, choked and then spat it out on the floor. Makes you queasy just thinking about it...
Anybody hoping to be able to visit any of the 2006 world cup matches in Germany should better watch out, as all tickets are being fitted with RFID tags, and your identity will be checked with it's database on entering the stadium. If you are not the person who bought the ticket (eg someone gave it as a present, or was ill and passed it on to you to use) you wil not be allowed in. I suppose that's one way of reducing the number of people who will see Germany get knocked out after the first round...(biased, me?)
And finally, for those who went out and bought the much hyped MS Tablet PC, take heed of this new warning from the manufacturer, stating that it is advisable to reboot your machine every day...
Well, a happy new chinese rooster year to you all, may you find your gold (to do with the rooster, honest).
So who forgot it was pancake day on tuesday? Well, I did. Which is surprising, considering the willingness I show to cooking them with my special brandy butter filling. Never mind, I'll just have to celebrate a late pancake day sometime soon.
Not a day before, Mainz found itself at fever pitch with the "carnival". Yes, whilst people danced to good rhythms with exotic costumes and lovely weather in Brazil and Barranquilla, here in Mainz everything took on a military/political apperance as soldiers marched through the streets to the sound of their drums. Along with all the drunkards lining the pavements, the mess of broken bottles and left over food, the transport system comes to a stop for 3 days during which it invariably snows and people start to realise that 5 hours standing outside at -5 degrees is probably not the healthiest of pastimes.
Following on from Ireland, New York and Italy's recent smoking bans, the home of the cigar, Cuba, also brought in powerful legislation banning the smoking in public places, and sale of tabacco near schools.
If you think the state of people's driving in Europe is getting worse, just lend a thought for those in the US. After a car was followed swerving all over the road, crashing into two different cars whilst trying to park in it's drive, and then reversing into the observing policeman's car, it was found that the driver of said vehicle was in fact a 4-year-old boy who had learnt to drive whilst sitting on his mother's lap...
Now for any of you who like to let it hang out in public (your underwear, I'm talking about) take care if going to the state of Virginia. After passing a new proposal (it still has to be ratified by the state senate) people who show too much in public will be fined around 50 dollars.
For all those men out there reading this (yes, this does even include you, Jordi :) take a look at this story about a woman who grabbed at her ex's pants, ripping them off, and with them one of his testicles. She then attemped to swallow it, choked and then spat it out on the floor. Makes you queasy just thinking about it...
Anybody hoping to be able to visit any of the 2006 world cup matches in Germany should better watch out, as all tickets are being fitted with RFID tags, and your identity will be checked with it's database on entering the stadium. If you are not the person who bought the ticket (eg someone gave it as a present, or was ill and passed it on to you to use) you wil not be allowed in. I suppose that's one way of reducing the number of people who will see Germany get knocked out after the first round...(biased, me?)
And finally, for those who went out and bought the much hyped MS Tablet PC, take heed of this new warning from the manufacturer, stating that it is advisable to reboot your machine every day...
Well, a happy new chinese rooster year to you all, may you find your gold (to do with the rooster, honest).
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Beating around the Bush
So nothing really important ever happens in Mainz? Well, wait for February the 23rd, when Bush the younger comes here! Yes, realising he's not welcome in the capital Berlin - Germany (just in case...) he decided to go with the "cosy atmosphere" of this town.So that gives two good reasons to get out of here for next month (the other being the carnival). However, if you do end up having to stay, here's a site which will help you find interesting things to do. Of course, the security of this city, already increased after Mainz 05 started off the season in the first division, will have to be stepped up a notch again, which can already be seen to be taking effect, in that terrorists are being caught (yes, here).
Keeping on the US theme, a well respected journalist (he found out about the iraqi jail abuses), has reported that the US special forces are presently operating inside Iran and gathering intelligence for a possible invasion. I wonder if there's any oil to be found there...
In information recently released, the US had considered using chemical weapons in war - to make the enemy soldiers gay and sexually irresistable from each other. Of course, they couldn't ave tested it on their own soldiers first, as such behaviour is seen as reason for dismissal there.
One of the most famous cinema lines "I'll be back" may turn out to be more difficult than ever thought. After terminating (pardon the pun) a convicted killer in his state, the governer (Arnie) has gone against the principles of Austria, and in so doing, should be relinquished of his austrian nationality - says an austrian politician. Well, there goes the chances of Terminator 4 being shot in Europe...
In an act of -continuing- stupidness, the UK government has shown it's worth once again in the push for ID-cards to stop ID fraud, by hiring such a fraudster as an " asylum-seeker health policy adviser". Yes, some guy who didn't even have any credentials with his name on, was allowed to review over 1500 specific immigration cases as an expert witness. I really don't want to have to continue this list of mishaps every week, but I'm afrais they'll just keep on happening with the present labour government.
Just to show the record companies that many people do buy their music legally, even if it is online, the figures for legal download music sales have shown a jump of 900% in 2004 from 2003's count. So if we would like to take this into context now, how much does it cost to produce a CD-less copy of music? Surely not the amount that these services are presently charging (roughly the same as a CD version)!!
In a copycat tale of Shakespeare's famous love story, an italian man couldn't live with himself after his wife went into a coma, and he committed suicide, only to be missed be the aforementioned wife when she awoke and asked for him. This is when one needs one of life's "back-buttons".
In a new twist to phone-line scams, an adults-only number offering filipino girls was actually staffed by nottigham lasses, putting on exotic accents. Yes, next time you ring such a number (yes, I've seen your phone-bill) maybe you should take some reality checks, asking about their home town, local culture, and mother language.
And if you haven't had enough of those "becoming a better person" programmes doing the rounds on TV at the moment (otherwise know as "plastic surgery R US") the bounds have been crossed and animals now are also counted. And so Mischief wins the Pet Slimmer Of They Year award for losing 5kg in 9 months. My hero.
Now on a more serious note, a concert in Wales put on at 3 week's notice to raise money for the victims of the Tsunami, has raised 1.25 million pounds. This brings the total raised by the UK public to more than 200 million pounds (about 300 million euros). Congratulations.
And with that happy note, I will leave you to plan ahead for the following month.
So nothing really important ever happens in Mainz? Well, wait for February the 23rd, when Bush the younger comes here! Yes, realising he's not welcome in the capital Berlin - Germany (just in case...) he decided to go with the "cosy atmosphere" of this town.So that gives two good reasons to get out of here for next month (the other being the carnival). However, if you do end up having to stay, here's a site which will help you find interesting things to do. Of course, the security of this city, already increased after Mainz 05 started off the season in the first division, will have to be stepped up a notch again, which can already be seen to be taking effect, in that terrorists are being caught (yes, here).
Keeping on the US theme, a well respected journalist (he found out about the iraqi jail abuses), has reported that the US special forces are presently operating inside Iran and gathering intelligence for a possible invasion. I wonder if there's any oil to be found there...
In information recently released, the US had considered using chemical weapons in war - to make the enemy soldiers gay and sexually irresistable from each other. Of course, they couldn't ave tested it on their own soldiers first, as such behaviour is seen as reason for dismissal there.
One of the most famous cinema lines "I'll be back" may turn out to be more difficult than ever thought. After terminating (pardon the pun) a convicted killer in his state, the governer (Arnie) has gone against the principles of Austria, and in so doing, should be relinquished of his austrian nationality - says an austrian politician. Well, there goes the chances of Terminator 4 being shot in Europe...
In an act of -continuing- stupidness, the UK government has shown it's worth once again in the push for ID-cards to stop ID fraud, by hiring such a fraudster as an " asylum-seeker health policy adviser". Yes, some guy who didn't even have any credentials with his name on, was allowed to review over 1500 specific immigration cases as an expert witness. I really don't want to have to continue this list of mishaps every week, but I'm afrais they'll just keep on happening with the present labour government.
Just to show the record companies that many people do buy their music legally, even if it is online, the figures for legal download music sales have shown a jump of 900% in 2004 from 2003's count. So if we would like to take this into context now, how much does it cost to produce a CD-less copy of music? Surely not the amount that these services are presently charging (roughly the same as a CD version)!!
In a copycat tale of Shakespeare's famous love story, an italian man couldn't live with himself after his wife went into a coma, and he committed suicide, only to be missed be the aforementioned wife when she awoke and asked for him. This is when one needs one of life's "back-buttons".
In a new twist to phone-line scams, an adults-only number offering filipino girls was actually staffed by nottigham lasses, putting on exotic accents. Yes, next time you ring such a number (yes, I've seen your phone-bill) maybe you should take some reality checks, asking about their home town, local culture, and mother language.
And if you haven't had enough of those "becoming a better person" programmes doing the rounds on TV at the moment (otherwise know as "plastic surgery R US") the bounds have been crossed and animals now are also counted. And so Mischief wins the Pet Slimmer Of They Year award for losing 5kg in 9 months. My hero.
Now on a more serious note, a concert in Wales put on at 3 week's notice to raise money for the victims of the Tsunami, has raised 1.25 million pounds. This brings the total raised by the UK public to more than 200 million pounds (about 300 million euros). Congratulations.
And with that happy note, I will leave you to plan ahead for the following month.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Skipping the usual new year's greetings and the "why haven't you written in so long" I would like to get straight to the news.
Now, there's nothing I can really say, that you probably haven't heard a hundred times on the local news programmes about the Tsunami in Indonesia, India and Thailand (amongst others), so I'll just leave it at that saying that of course our feelings are with all those families affected by this disaster.
So onto the slightly weird news stories. A baby hippo in Kenya has become friends with a 100-year old tortoise. They apparently go everywhere and do everything together. So I presume we'll be seeing some weird genetic mixes coming up in the not so distant future.
An idea taken from the Dutch (where else) is going to be implemented in London, whereby a road is left without any signs, lights or rules, and the drivers are expected to drive carefully just by the pschological impact of not having to. This "naked road" experiment of course could first be implemented in Paris as despite all the rules, none of the parisian cars actually follow them.
In another great political move, tea-bags are to be prohibited from being thrown onto the compost heaps, as they carry the possibility of foot-and-mouth infection. I wonder if the same applies to coffee leftovers?
Yet again, some politicians really know how to handle foreign relations. Take Mexico, whose government has just published a booklet explaining how their citizens can survive crossing the border with the US, despite it being illegal. Now maybe this will come in helpful for all those immigrants trying to enter the UK illegally.
Ever had things happen in your online Sims 2 game that couldn't quite be explained? Like after downloading that new dishwasher, your 14 year old daughter gets pregnant, and your wife no longer slaps you for having multiple lovers. Well, apparently the so-called "hacks" for changing how some elements of the game behave are spreading like viruses, and people are finding themselves with new "features" which they hadn't asked for.
Okay, we've all heard of the regular gaffes coming from the mouths of Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, or US spokesperson, sorry, president, Bush (junior - or was that baby?). Now another one from the house of MS, about ethical fair trade. I really can't do it justice by summarizing it, you'll just have to read the article. But I assure you, it's worth it.
Now for those of you with new computers for Christmas, here's a little story to help you understand what Spammers, Spyware and Bot-nets are, and why they help the russian mafia to get your credit card details. Read and learn !
And if you have a webcam connected to your PC, be especially aware, as some simple google searches are showing up webcam images from all over the world, which has now become a new hobby for some this year.
No news post would be complete without the latest virus warning. So, the windows media format has again been used for transferring viruses, this time through it's controversial Digital Rights Management feature. So that's two good reasons to leave this format alone.
Well, that was probably enough to chew on for the beginning of this year.
Stay tuned
Now, there's nothing I can really say, that you probably haven't heard a hundred times on the local news programmes about the Tsunami in Indonesia, India and Thailand (amongst others), so I'll just leave it at that saying that of course our feelings are with all those families affected by this disaster.
So onto the slightly weird news stories. A baby hippo in Kenya has become friends with a 100-year old tortoise. They apparently go everywhere and do everything together. So I presume we'll be seeing some weird genetic mixes coming up in the not so distant future.
An idea taken from the Dutch (where else) is going to be implemented in London, whereby a road is left without any signs, lights or rules, and the drivers are expected to drive carefully just by the pschological impact of not having to. This "naked road" experiment of course could first be implemented in Paris as despite all the rules, none of the parisian cars actually follow them.
In another great political move, tea-bags are to be prohibited from being thrown onto the compost heaps, as they carry the possibility of foot-and-mouth infection. I wonder if the same applies to coffee leftovers?
Yet again, some politicians really know how to handle foreign relations. Take Mexico, whose government has just published a booklet explaining how their citizens can survive crossing the border with the US, despite it being illegal. Now maybe this will come in helpful for all those immigrants trying to enter the UK illegally.
Ever had things happen in your online Sims 2 game that couldn't quite be explained? Like after downloading that new dishwasher, your 14 year old daughter gets pregnant, and your wife no longer slaps you for having multiple lovers. Well, apparently the so-called "hacks" for changing how some elements of the game behave are spreading like viruses, and people are finding themselves with new "features" which they hadn't asked for.
Okay, we've all heard of the regular gaffes coming from the mouths of Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, or US spokesperson, sorry, president, Bush (junior - or was that baby?). Now another one from the house of MS, about ethical fair trade. I really can't do it justice by summarizing it, you'll just have to read the article. But I assure you, it's worth it.
Now for those of you with new computers for Christmas, here's a little story to help you understand what Spammers, Spyware and Bot-nets are, and why they help the russian mafia to get your credit card details. Read and learn !
And if you have a webcam connected to your PC, be especially aware, as some simple google searches are showing up webcam images from all over the world, which has now become a new hobby for some this year.
No news post would be complete without the latest virus warning. So, the windows media format has again been used for transferring viruses, this time through it's controversial Digital Rights Management feature. So that's two good reasons to leave this format alone.
Well, that was probably enough to chew on for the beginning of this year.
Stay tuned
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