[Tsundoku]

Gotta admire this guys nerve. If nothing else.

-----------------------------------------------

http://www.news.com....r-1226017409462

Sex gift wasn't a bribe, says officer

* By Vikki Campion
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* March 08, 2011 12:00AM

Mr Karkowski told the inquiry he did not see the free sex as a bribe or reward for special favours in not reporting the illegal brothel but "as a gesture of thank you". Picture: Justin Lloyd Source: The Daily Telegraph

A COUNCIL building inspector received sexual services as a gift from developers - and claimed overtime for the pleasure.

But far from viewing it as a bribe, Willoughby Council's Edward Karkowski told an inquiry into his behaviour that it was a "gesture of thank you", The Daily Telegraph reported.

Karkowski, who handles large commercial developments in the Chatswood CBD, appeared before the Independent Commission Against Corruption facing allegations of living a life of lunching on expensive meals, drinking $80 bottles of wine and receiving sexual favours from a raft of women working at brothels, gifted to him by developers whose projects he was assessing.

Counsel assisting Kate Williams told the inquiry Mr Karkowski agreed not to report the Oriana Bath House for illegally offering sexual services after he accepted free sex and massages.

It was revealed in November that Oriana was operating as an illegal brothel and promoting "happy ending" massages.

He said he was having a relationship with a girl called Tina at the bath house in July last year but said if Tina was not working, he would have sex with other women. A phone tap revealed he had walked out of the brothel, boasting to a friend he "had my usual, Tina".

Mr Karkowski described the experience as: "Just a bit of pressure relief off the valve".

He told the inquiry he did not see the free sex as a bribe or reward for special favours in not reporting the illegal brothel but "as a gesture of thank you".

After the phone tap was played, he admitted he claimed overtime for when he was at massage parlours.

Developer Sam Koura, due to give evidence this week, paid for Mr Karkowski to have long lunches, followed by massage services, the inquiry heard.

Mr Karkowski admitted going to lunch and to a massage parlour that offered sexual services, , leaving at 11am and not returning to council offices until after 2pm.

"It was harmless in terms of what he asked me, I don't think he got any major benefits from it," Mr Karkowski said.

Phone taps revealed he gave confidential council documents to Mr Koura, backdated documents to protect other developers from fines and told them to underestimate construction costs to pay lower council fees.

Ms Williams said a great deal of trust had been given to Mr Karkowski, who was working with minimal supervision. Commissioner David Ipp said Mr Karkowski had demonstrated he was "quite prepared to bend the rules and lie" to help developers.

The hearing continues.

----------------------------------

I wonder if the legal brothel association needs a quality assurance officer?

[rhulad]

That sounds like something I could get into...

[Tsundoku]

Every geek's dream. Well, one of mine, anyway.

------------------------------------------

http://www.news.com....9-1226026147841

GT Academy winner Lucas Ordonez rises from couch potato to podium sitter

* By Peter Farquhar, Technology Editor
* From: news.com.au
* March 22, 2011 2:55PM

IT'S every Gran Turismo gun's dream - the right to race wheel-to-wheel against real opponents, in real cars.

There's just a couple of things standing in the way. Cash, for one. Age might be another.

There's also the whole danger thing. Remember kids, it's just like the Matrix - you die at Le Mans, you die in real life.

But if your name's Lucas Ordonez, that's all small beer, because last weekend, the 25-year-old Spaniard showed he had the stones to make a world-first transition from couch potato to podium sitter.

Yep, while the rest of you were munching cheeseballs, Ordonez was pushing 300km/h in his Nissan LMP over 12 hours at the famous Sebring circuit in Floirida.

And doing a great job of it, too.

Along with teammates Soheil Ayari and Franck Mailleux, Ordonez finished second in his class for Team Signatech after several slightly ironic software glitches kept sending him to the pits.

"It's unbelievable," he told the media of his dream ride to the top.

"My objective when I entered the competition was to become a racing driver, but not at this level."

Ordonez's journey began when he finished top of the class at the inaugural GT Academy in 2008, run by Sony PlayStation and Nissan.

Ordonez won the GT5 Prologue time trial series against 25,000 other hopefuls.

Since then, another 37,000 Facebook fans have followed his three-year journey from console to car, culminating in the astonishing effort at Sebring with Signatech Nissan.

Basically, if you have a drivers' licence and you're pretty handy at Gran Turismo 5, you're a chance.

Oh, and you have to live in Europe.

Given Ordonez's next big race will be the classic 24-hours of Le Mans in June, that's probably not the worst move you could make if you suddenly find yourself among the best of the best online.

Sony is now accepting entries for the 2011 GT Academy.

This year it promises the top 24 drivers a chance to prove their skills in real race situations at the UK's Silverstone circuit, with the chance to qualify for an in ternational race licence and a spot on the grid at the Dubai 24-hour race in January.

If you think you're slick enough - and you live in Europe - check it out at www.facebook.com/GTAcademy.

---------------------------------

How ridiculously cool is this?

[Dag]

Yes, sex can kill you

[Shiara]

Japanese Women Increasingly Curvaceous?

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology compiles a yearly report on the health of schoolchildren, based on data collected from health checks conducted regularly at all Japanese schools. The first report was issued in 1900, and so although the war created a gap in data collection, the reports now represent a 100-year record of the physical development of school-age Japanese children.

According to the latest report, the average height of 17 year-olds for the year 2000 was 170.8 centimeters for males, and 158.1 centimeters for females. The same figures for 1900 were 157.9 and 147 centimeters, which means that in the space of 100 years, the height of Japanese teenage boys has risen by 12.9 centimeters, and of Japanese girls, by 11.1 centimeters. This is a remarkable increase when one considers that the height of Japanese of the Jomon and Yayoi periods increased by only five to eight centimeters over the space of some 10,000 years.

Mind you, this increase is not limited to Japan. In the developed countries of Europe, America and elsewhere too, average height rose by about one centimeter a decade throughout the 20th century. Holland in particular is renowned for the height of its population, the average for 18 year-old male youths being about 180 centimeters, or a 10 centimeters taller than their Japanese peers.

Body height is only one of the noticeable changes that the Japanese physique has undergone in recent decades. Let us look at another, fairly interesting change.

Most of you have no doubt seen a "dress form" —life-size models of the human torso on a stand that are used by apparel designers and dress makers, which can often be seen in clothes shops. Japan's National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) recently employed Human Form 3D Shape Averaging technology in a joint project with the Bunka Fashion College to develop a new dress form for women's apparel. The researchers arrived at the shape for the dress form by collating and averaging three-dimensional shape data for various parts of the female form according to the Institute's proprietary methodology and creating an actual dress form based on the figure that emerged.

The new dress form is strikingly different from previous models used in Japan. The bust is fuller, the waist more slender, and the lower abdomen slightly rounder. One gets the overall impression from the new form that the figures of Japanese women have come a long way towards resembling those of their Western counterparts.

The Institute's Dr. Makiko Kouchi, creator of the new dress form, says "We measured the shape of various parts of the bodies of about 100 women to create it. However, since it was developed to serve as a dress form for designing outerwear, the women were measured in their underwear, and so the larger bust is at least in part an effect of brassieres."

Dr. Kouchi and her colleagues are endeavoring to develop techniques that will enable the utilization of detailed data regarding the shape of human bodies in three-dimensional design, with the aim of facilitating the creation of better-fitting clothing, shoes, glasses and anything else that is worn by humans. The key to achieving such an aim is to measure not only linear dimensions of various parts of the human body, but also their exact shape.

Dr. Kouchi, who has been measuring the dimensions and shapes of Japanese bodies for many years in the course of her research, has the following to say about the changes she has witnessed in the Japanese figure:
"The Japanese traditionally have long torsos and short legs, but in recent years, their legs have increased in length in proportion to the overall size of their bodies. However, the average weight of women has changed very little despite the increase in height. Another feature that is changing is head shape. Seen from above, Japanese heads are becoming much rounder. Feet are changing too. The feet of Japanese are generally wider than those of Caucasians, but the width of young people's feet at the base of the toes is becoming narrower. You find that when young people these days complain of badly fitting shoes, it is often not simply that the shoes are too tight, but rather that the feet, due to their narrowness, slide forward within the shoes, resulting in the toes being bunched up at the tip. Increased tallness is not just a Japanese phenomenon, but has happened in many countries throughout the world, and so the gap between the Japanese and Europeans has not closed noticeably. Nevertheless, the increase in height itself during the last hundred years is so astounding in its scale that you could almost call it a revolution of the body."

For more chapters of The Modern Body: Have You Noticed the Changes?, see http://www.sumitomo....cial/84_01.html

[Tsundoku]

Another malady I - and the vast majority of males on this site - will never suffer from.

------------------------------------------------------

http://www.news.com....c-1226031963818

Sick of jerking in bed? Try masturbating

By Peter Farquhar, Technology Editor
From: news.com.au
April 01, 2011 12:42PM

Dopamines relieve RLS
Ejaculation releases dopamines
Connect the dots

SOME say it makes you go blind. Others reply that hey, the lights are out anyway, and I need some sleep.

Yes, we're talking about masturbation. And later, about how doing it more often can be good for your health.

Particularly if you suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome - a condition that causes as much consternation in scientific circles as it does to those who claim to suffer from it.

Restless Leg Syndrome - RLS - is characterised by an irresistable urge in the limbs to move or spasm.

As the name suggests, it mainly affects the legs, and is at its most active when the sufferer is trying to sleep.

The tickling or burning sensation builds up until the affected limb spasms, then settles only to build up again.

It's not unusual for people who suffer RLS - which has a wide range of effects - to describe it as torturous.

The scientific community is not so easily convinced. The cause of any individual's RLS is difficult to diagnose and treatments can range from relaxation techniques to cutting down on coffee to increasing physical exercise.

Of particular concern is the potential for pharmaceutical companies to develop and promote drugs that "cure" RLS online and through backing RLS support groups.

Some of the drugs have been proven effective and are endorsed by government agencies. One such line of drugs includes dopamines.

Fortunately, the body can produce a ready supply of dopamine, something which Luis Martin and his colleagues at Sao Paulo's Federal University have decided to, er, investigate further.

Here's comes the bit about masturbation.

In this month's edition of Sleep Science, Prof Marin points to study results from the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, which shows ejaculation in men swamping their brains with dopamines.

"Manual penile stimulation was performed by the volunteer's female partner," the study says, with the end goal producing "a wide variety of rewarding behaviors".

"Parallels are drawn between ejaculation and heroin rush," it concludes.

Prof Luis says this seems like a simple way for men to reproduce the effects of RLS treatment drugs, without the cost and side effects of using dopamine agonists, one of which is, bizarrely, problem gambling.

So if you find yourself in bed jerking spasmodically and unable to get to sleep, why not go with the flow?

A quick hand shandy certainly never hurt anyone and, hey, it may even take your mind off the slots.

-----------------------------------------------

So if a quick bat can save you from RLS - what can a full on shag save you from? Besides loneliness, humiliation, becoming an obsessive geek etc ...
We need to be prescribed appropriate therapy: "But I have a note from the doctor honey/ma'am/officer ..."

[Tsundoku]

I've got it bad, got it bad, got it bad, I'm hot for teacher ...

-------------------------------------------

Every teacher's worst nightmare: Joanne Salley's topless pictures in pupils' hands

By Andrew Banks, staff writers at The Sun and wires
From: news.com.au
April 01, 2011 7:57AM

Joanne Salley, who was already a popular teacher at the boys' school, felt humiliated and fled her classroom in tears

Students find topless pictures of teacher
Pictures left on memory stick in photo lab
Embarrassed teacher leaves school in tears

A TEACHER fled a top private boys' schools in tears after discovering pupils there were sharing topless pictures of her on their mobile phones.

The risqué images of art teacher Joanne Salley, 32, in just a tight pair of jeans were discovered by a pupil at Harrow in London on a memory stick left in the school's photo lab.

Ms Salley, a former model who used to date England rugby star Matt Dawson, was humiliated when she found out that pupils had been sharing them on their mobile phones.

The pictures had been shot by the school's head of photography, professional photographer Fiona Corthine.

In one Ms Salley is draped over a bookcase. In another she stares straight at the camera.

The pictures are believed to have been taken in the school's art rooms.

They circulated so fast that nearly all 825 students saw them.

"They went around like wildfire. Everyone was texting or bluetoothing them. She must be the most popular teacher in Harrow's history," said one pupil

Barnaby Leon, head teacher at the £30,000-a-year ($46,570) school, said: "The pictures were stolen without the agreement of the photographer, who holds the copyright.

"Joanna was understandably very upset."

Pupils were told to delete the pictures from their phones and told they would be suspended if they were caught with them again. Embarrassingly for Ms Salley, the pictures have since made their way onto the internet.

----------------------------------------

She was probably already in plenty of lad's spank banks, now she's in a lot more ... and in better detail!

[Tapper]

Quote

Swedish couple have honeymoon from hell
A newly-wed couple on a four-month honeymoon were hit by six natural disasters, including the Australian floods, Christchurch earthquake and Japanese tsunami.

Stefan and Erika Svanstrom said the marriage was still going strong
By Our Foreign Staff 4:13PM BST 06 Apr 2011
Stefan and Erika Svanstrom left Stockholm, Sweden, on December 6 and were immediately stranded in Munich, Germany, due to one of Europe's worst snowstorms.
Travelling with their baby daughter, they flew on to Cairns in Australia which was then struck by one of the most ferocious cyclones in the nation's history.
From there, the couple, in their 20s, were forced to shelter for 24 hours on the cement floor of a shopping centre with 2500 others.
"Trees were being knocked over and big branches were scattered across the streets," Mr Svanstrom told Sweden's Expressen newspaper. "We escaped by the skin of our teeth."
They then headed south to Brisbane but the city was experiencing massive flooding, so they crossed the country to Perth where they narrowly escaped raging bush fires.
RELATED ARTICLES
Massive earthquake hits Japan: tsunami warnings across Pacific 11 Mar 2011
Christchurch earthquake: victims may be buried in mass grave 31 Mar 2011
The couple then flew to Christchurch, New Zealand, arriving just after a massive magnitude 6.3 earthquake devastated the city on February 22.
Mrs Svanstrom said: "When we got there the whole town was a war zone.
"We could not visit the city since it was completely blocked off, so instead we travelled around before going to Japan."
But days after the Svanstroms arrived, Tokyo was rocked by Japan's largest earthquake since records began.
"The trembling was horrible and we saw roof tiles fly off the buildings," Mr Svantrom said. "It was like the buildings were swaying back and forth."
The family returned to Stockholm on March 29 after a much calmer visit to their last destination China.
But Mr Svanstrom – who also survived the devastating Boxing Day tsunami that hit southeast Asia in 2004 – said the marriage was still going strong.
He added: "I know marriages have to endure some trials, but I think we have been through most of them.
"We've certainly experienced more than our fair share of catastrophes, but the most important thing is that we're together and happy.
Mrs Svanstrom added: "To say we were unlucky with the weather doesn't really cover it! It's so absurd that now we can only laugh."

They're the cause of it all!!

[snake0026]

Quote

Armed 'zombie' arrest
By PHILIP MESSING


A self-described "zombie enthusiast" was busted at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in possession of swords, knives, burglar tools, night-vision goggles and hand-drawn blueprints, The Post has learned.

Christopher Rodger, 25, first drew the attention of two PA cops Tuesday when he was spotted wearing a trench coat on a warm night, and had an "empty" look in his eyes, sources said.

PA Officers Thomas Kemble and Leonard Trubia grew even more suspicious when they spotted the long camouflage bag Rodger had slung over his shoulder.

When the cops questioned him, Rodger blurted that he was carrying a gas-powered pellet gun. That prompted a search which also turned up five samurai swords, three daggers and other knives, police said.



Read more: http://www.nypost.co...I#ixzz1JAansZ7k

[Adjutant Stormy~]

Sombra, on 01 April 2011 - 06:56 AM, said:

Sick of jerking in bed? Try masturbating

Well that's oxymoronic...

Sombra, on 01 April 2011 - 07:04 AM, said:

I've got it bad, got it bad, got it bad, I'm hot for teacher ...

-------------------------------------------

Every teacher's worst nightmare: Joanne Salley's topless pictures in pupils' hands

----------------------------------------

She was probably already in plenty of lad's spank banks, now she's in a lot more ... and in better detail!

I've seen the pictures. She's alright.

[Tapper]

Better readable version here

Quote

All Apologies
I've just offended Jews, Catholics, women, Arab-Americans, and the entire gay and lesbian community. Who should I call?
By Elizabeth Weingarten and Chris Wilson
Posted Friday, April 15, 2011, at 3:12 PM ET

Who you gonna call?
Public officials and celebrities say offensive things every day. Whether you're Kobe Bryant, Rahm Emanuel, or Don Imus, there's only one way to get out of hot water: apologize. You don't just have to say you're sorry, though—you have to say sorry to the right person. So who should you put on speed dial just in case you say the wrong thing about African-Americans or the mentally disabled? Slate has the answers. Consult our apology cheat sheet below and you'll never have to hunt down the Anti-Defamation League's number again.


Group offended: gays and lesbians
Sample offense: After receiving a technical foul in a game against the Spurs on Tuesday night, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant accused the referee in question of being a "fucking faggot." The Human Rights Campaign quickly condemned the act.
Sample apology: Bryant issued a statement and appeared on ESPN Radio the next day to apologize, blaming the slur on "the heat of the game." He also called Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese to express his regrets—a conversation Solmonese said was "very sincere."
How to apologize: Call the Human Rights Campaign at 202-628-4160 and ask for Solmonese. For extra points, you can also call contact Jarrett Barrios, the president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. His email address is barrios@glaad.org.
What to say: As a role model, you must lead the fight against gay slurs.

Group offended: the mentally disabled
Sample offense: In a 2009 strategy session with liberal groups, then White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel called a plan to air attack ads against conservative Democrats "fucking retarded."
Sample apology: Emanuel called Special Olympics CEO Tim Shriver to offer a mea culpa. Shriver accepted. President Obama similarly apologized after referring to his own bowling skills as "like the Special Olympics or something."
How to apologize: Call Shriver's assistant Donna Maxwell at 202-824-0263.
What to say: Offer to join Shriver's campaign against the "R-word."

Group offended: Jews
Sample offense: In 2010, director Oliver Stone blamed Jewish control of the media for preventing an open discussion of the Holocaust and stated that "Israel has fucked up United States foreign policy for years."
Sample apology: Stone had to make two attempts before the Anti-Defamation League was satisfied by his contrition. The first apology, in which he refuted the notion that Jews control any American industry, was deemed insufficient by ADL president Abraham Foxman for not addressing Israel's role in foreign policy. Stone touched on that point in his addendum, which Foxman accepted.
How to apologize: E-mail Foxman at adlnationaldirector@adl.org.
What to say: The Jews control nothing whatsoever.
Advertisement

Group offended: women
Sample offense: While running for governor of California in 2010, Democrat Jerry Brown accidentally left an extended voice mail for the Los Angeles police union in which an aide could be heard referring to Brown's opponent Meg Whitman as a "whore."
Sample apology: Brown publically apologized to Whitman in a debate. In response, NOW president Terry O'Neill absolved his campaign.
How to apologize: You can reach O'Neill through NOW communications director Lisa Bennett. Her phone number is 202-628-8669, ext. 123.
What to say: Hate speech against women is absolutely unacceptable.

Group offended: African-Americans
Sample offense: In 2007, radio host Don Imus referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos."
Sample apology: Imus went on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show, Keepin' It Real, to make an extended apology for the remarks.
How to apologize: Contact Sharpton at 646-380-2000. You can also reach his representative Rachel Noerdlinger at rachel@noerdlingermedia.com.
What to say: There is no excuse for your racism.

Group offended: Indian-Americans
Sample offense: In 2006, former Sen. George Allen referred to an Indian-American student working for his opponent as a macaca—an obscure North African ethnic slur.
Sample apology: As part of his apology tour, Allen sat down with a coalition of Indian American leaders. Sanjay Puri, the chairman of the political action committee USINPAC, called Allen's apology "very heartfelt."
How to apologize: Call Sanjay Puri at 202-276-7946 or email him at spuri@usinpac.com.
What to say: You never meant any harm to the Indian-American community.

Group offended: Mormons
Sample offense: While running for the Republican presidential nomination against Mormon Mitt Romney in 2007, Mike Huckabee wondered aloud whether Mormons believed that Jesus and the devil are brothers.
Sample apology: Huckabee told Romney he was sorry in person after a debate. Romney accepted.
How to apologize: Unless you've directed your comments to Romney personally, it's best to go straight to the Church of Latter-day Saints. You can reach Thomas Monson, president of the church, through Kim Farah, the church's media manager. Farah can be reached at 801-240-1977 or via email at farahke@ldschurch.org.
What to say: Mormons are just like regular Christians.

Group offended: the blind
Sample offense: In 2009, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said that then New York Gov. David Paterson was "blind and can't read Braille, and doesn't know what's going on."
Sample apology: Murdoch apologized to Paterson, who said the conversation was "cordial."
How to apologize: Contact Dr. Marc Maurer, the president of the National Federation of the Blind, via the NFB's director of public relations Chris Danielsen. His number is 410-659-9314, ext. 2330.
What to say: Blind people are just as capable as people with perfect vision.

Group offended: the obese
Sample offense: In a blog post about the sitcom Mike and Molly, Marie Claire writer Maura Kelly wrote that the obese lead actors made her uncomfortable. "I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other," she explained.
Sample apology: Kelly wrote a follow-up post apologizing for her insensitivity and confessing to her own history of eating disorders.
How to apologize: Email Joseph Nadglowski, Jr., president and CEO of the Obesity Action Coaltion, jnadglowski@obesityaction.org.
What to say: Overweight people are people, too.

Group offended: Arab-Americans
Sample offense: Benjamin Emanuel, Rahm's father, told an Israeli newspaper in 2008 that his son would influence President Obama to take pro-Israeli positions. "Why wouldn't he? What is he, an Arab?" the elder Emanuel asked. "He's not going to be mopping floors at the White House."
Sample apology: At the request of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Rahm Emanuel apologized for his father's remarks. Mary Rose Oakar, the president of ADC at the time, found his apology "humble and very sincere."
How to apologize: Sara Najjar-Wilson, the current ADC president, can be reached at president@adc.org. If one apology won't suffice, you can also try Arab-American Institute President James J. Zogby at jzogby@aaiusa.org.
What to say: You'd be happy to meet with Arab-American leaders to prove that your contrition is genuine.

Group offended: Catholics
Sample offense: When a woman emailed Wal-Mart in 2005 to complain that the phrase "Happy Holidays" had replaced "Merry Christmas," a customer-service representative responded, in part, that Christmas "is an ancient tradition that has its roots in Siberian shamanism." Catholic League president Bill Donohue announced a boycott of the discount chain.
Sample apology: Wal-Mart fired the customer-service rep, apologized for offending Christians, and changed its website so that the search term "Christmas" was not rerouted to "Holidays." Donohue called off the dogs.
How to apologize: Call the Catholic League at 212-371-3191.
What to say: Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

[Tapper]

Contains alcohol. Consume with care and read the prescription.... And go at it like rabbits.

linky to brewers site

Quote

Royal Virility Performance
AVAILABLE IN:
330ml bottle Royal Virility Show £10.00

*Note - this beer will be shipped on the 28th of April*
We only have 1,000 bottles available.
A limited-edition beer containing Viagra to mark the forthcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29th. Brewed using various well known aphrodisiacs, the limited edition artisanal beer will only be available to buy from the BrewDog.com website.
According to the specially commissioned label, the Royal Virility Performance contains Viagra, chocolate, Horny Goat Weed and ‘a healthy dose of sarcasm’. The beer is a 7.5% ABV India Pale Ale and has been brewed at BrewDog’s brewery in Fraserburgh.
With this beer we want to take the wheels off the royal wedding bandwagon being jumped on by dozens of breweries; The Royal Virility Performance is the perfect antidote to all the hype. A beer should be brewed with a purpose, not just because some toffs are getting married, so we created something at our brewery that will undermine those special edition beers and other assorted seaside tat, whilst at the same time actually give the happy couple something extra on their big day.
James Watt, Head of Stuff at BrewDog commented:
“We put a bottle in a jiffy bag marked ‘Prince Willy, Buckingham Palace’. We sent it by Royal Mail as we presume they are most likely to know where he lives. As the bottle says, this is about consummation, not commemoration, so we hope he gets it.”

[Shinrei]

I just liked the headline for this one:

Quote

Beer fundraiser helps disaster-hit kids

"Now kids, here is some advice you can turn to during your lives. Sometimes when life gets rough, you can turn to drink.



(serious article of course, just bad headline)
http://search.japant...20110421f1.html

[Tapper]

No more drunken beatings?

Quote

PARIS, April 21 (UPI) -- Officials with France's CRS riot police said officers will no longer be able to drink wine or beer with their lunches while on duty.

Hubert Weigel, head of the CRS, said officers will no longer be entitled to the "beer or a quarter liter (about 1 cup) of wine" with lunch promised to them by a 1989 directive, France 24 reported Thursday.

Didier Mangione, a representative of the CRS trade union, said the new rules were based on an "exaggeration."

He said recently released pictures of officers drinking while having lunch on duty had "upset the management of the CRS far more than public opinion."

"Decisions like these should be based on studies of the actual negative effects (of a small amount of alcohol). There are none," Mangione said. "This ban should be withdrawn, especially if the drink is being consumed with a meal away from the public eye."

Read more: http://www.upi.com/O.../#ixzz1KFfSl6gq

[Tsundoku]

Good news for Gothos.

--------------------------------

http://www.news.com....9-1226043427987

Scientist plays World of Warcraft for 250 days, develops mad social skillz

By staff writers and NewsCore
From: NewsCore
April 22, 2011 4:33PM

A Swedish scientist spent 250 hours - what he says is the equivalent of three years' work - to bring you this news.

Scientists spends 250 hours on WoW
"I slayed dragons and collected herbs"
Personas from game "leak" into real life

COMPUTER games have long been regarded as anti-social, but one of the world's most popular online games, World of Warcraft, has been credited by a Swedish academic with boosting gamers' social skills.

Peter Stenberg, from Umea University in Sweden, spent 250 days online playing the game in order to study the game and has released a thesis exposing the social benefits of the game, news website The Local reported.

Ethnologist Stenberg found that the social relations and the persona players develop within the game often has an impact on real life.

“The core of online role-playing games lies in the players' mundane, often repetitive, work-like everyday life," he wrote in the introduction to his thesis 'The serious game. On World of Warcraft and the leakage’.

The "leakage" refers to what Mr Stenberg claims is World of Warcraft's ability to break down the previously rigid divide between reality and cyberspace.

"I slayed dragons, traded goods and attended parties; I made friends, joined guilds and collected herbs and minerals.

"I took part in rituals and learned written as well as unwritten social norms.”

All this, Mr Stenberg told Sveriges Radio, pointed to the central issue that World of Warcraft players formed a collective society.

"That challenges the rather persistent view of the computer game enthusiast as a lone figure with only a flickering screen for company;" he said.

World of Warcraft is played by over 12 million users. Sweden's Youth Care Foundation has described it as "the cocaine of computer games".

------------------------------------

By the same logic, years of excessive masturbation leads to Mad Sex Skillz ... (I hope)

[Shinrei]

Oh Texas, you so crazy!

http://governor.stat...lamation/16038/

Quote

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

WHEREAS, the state of Texas is in the midst of an exceptional drought, with some parts of the state receiving no significant rainfall for almost three months, matching rainfall deficit records dating back to the 1930s; and

WHEREAS, a combination of higher than normal temperatures, low precipitation and low relative humidity has caused an extreme fire danger over most of the State, sparking more than 8,000 wildfires which have cost several lives, engulfed more than 1.8 million acres of land and destroyed almost 400 homes, causing me to issue an ongoing disaster declaration since December of last year; and

WHEREAS, these dire conditions have caused agricultural crops to fail, lake and reservoir levels to fall and cattle and livestock to struggle under intense stress, imposing a tremendous financial and emotional toll on our land and our people; and

WHEREAS, throughout our history, both as a state and as individuals, Texans have been strengthened, assured and lifted up through prayer; it seems right and fitting that the people of Texas should join together in prayer to humbly seek an end to this devastating drought and these dangerous wildfires;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim the three-day period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal way of life.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my Office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 21st day of April, 2011.

RICK PERRY
Governor of Texas

[Tapper]

If I were an Indian, I'd offer to do a pagan rain dance. In return for the land of my ancestors.

[Hetan]

Only in Canada.... this newscaster just made my morning

[Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...acific-13408156

Quote

Police in the Australian city of Brisbane say a man who fell to his death from a seventh floor balcony was taking part in the internet craze of "planking". The practice involves someone lying flat on their stomach in unusual or dangerous situations and then posting a photograph on social networking websites.

Nick Bryant reports.

There's a video clip on the linked page.

[Cyphon]

http://www.guardian....german-salesmen

Quote

A German insurance firm has admitted rewarding its 100 best salesmen with a prostitute-filled "sex party" in Budapest's most famous thermal baths.

Hamburg-Mannheimer International (HMI), now part of the huge Munich Re insurance conglomerate, rented out the historic Gellert Baths in the Hungarian capital and turned it into an "open-air brothel", where it let staff run riot.

At least 20 prostitutes were hired by HMI top brass for the so-called "incentive trip". According to those present, the women were colour-coded to indicate which men were allowed to have sex with them. Those wearing white ribbons were reserved for "the very best salespeople and executives", said one HMI employee.

After an investigation printed in the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Munich Re has admitted that the party – described in one German magazine as "Bunga-Bunga in Budapest" – did occur.

"It is true that in June 2007 an incentive trip took place in Budapest. Our research has discovered that during an evening event during this trip, around 20 prostitutes were present," said a spokesman for Ergo, a life insurance arm of Munich Re that took over HMI some time after the party took place.

The Handelsblatt newspaper has gathered sworn statements from a number of HMI employees who attended the party.

"At the entrance, I and other participants were searched, like at security controls at an airport," said one witness. The HMI boss told everyone it was "strictly forbidden" to take photos or video the event, he added.

According to a signed affidavit from another employee: "The ladies came up to us and showed us what they had. It was clear to everyone there that they were hookers."

"The women wore red and yellow ribbons," one guest told Handelsblatt. "Some were there just as hostesses; the others made clear with the colour of their ribbon that they weren't just there to chat."

Then there were women wearing white ribbons. They, allegedly, were reserved for the "best of the best" in the company.

Another guest said that beds had been set up around the baths where the salesmen could "do what they wanted". The women, he claimed, were then given an ink stamp on their forearms to show how popular they had been: some of the women ended up with more than a dozen stamps, it is alleged.

Astonishingly, the debauched trip was written up in the company newsletter, Profil, back in 2007. "There were things you couldn't believe," said the Profil report, according to Handelsblatt. "Or there were things that were so freaky, so unbelievable and indescribable that they shouldn't be allowed."

The incident was a "clear violation" of company policy, said Alexander Becker, a spokesman for the Ergo Versicherungsgruppe subsidiary. Those responsible for organising the event are no longer employed at Ergo, he said.

Munich Re, the world's biggest reinsurer, fully owns Düsseldorf-based Ergo, Germany's second-biggest primary insurer after Allianz SE. The Budapest party was hosted by an Ergo unit, then known as Hamburg-Mannheimer Versicherungs-AG.