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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Ringo Starr's bizarre online video message
Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has told his fans in a bizarre online video message to stop sending him fan mail as he is too busy to sign or read it, and it will only be "tossed".
"This is a serious message to everybody watching my update right now. Peace and love, peace and love".
"I want to tell you please - after the 20th of October do not send fan mail to any address that you have. Nothing will be signed after the 20th of October. If that has the date on the envelope it's going to be tossed.
"I'm warning you with peace and love I have too much to do. So no more fan mail, thank you, thank you, and no objects to be signed. Nothing."
"This is a serious message to everybody watching my update right now. Peace and love, peace and love".
"I want to tell you please - after the 20th of October do not send fan mail to any address that you have. Nothing will be signed after the 20th of October. If that has the date on the envelope it's going to be tossed.
"I'm warning you with peace and love I have too much to do. So no more fan mail, thank you, thank you, and no objects to be signed. Nothing."
A newspaper that goes back to the future
Copies of this unique four-page newspaper entitled The Manual were distributed to London commuters at several stations yesterday morning. Unique? Yes, because every word and every image - every mark of any kind - was drawn by hand. The printing was also by hand, silk screened.
Only 150 numbered copies were given away in this one-off non-profit project, organised by Shakeup Media, the business run by former Daily Express editor Richard Addis.
He and his team of volunteers were making a point about the future of print, seeking to show that handmade qualities can transform newspapers from 'junk' to collectable. They also wanted to demonstrate the power of ink-on-paper print as a medium.
Their dream? That they can find a sponsor prepared to fund the regular production of their back-to-the-future newspaper.
The Manual: Creating a handmade newspaper.
Only 150 numbered copies were given away in this one-off non-profit project, organised by Shakeup Media, the business run by former Daily Express editor Richard Addis.
He and his team of volunteers were making a point about the future of print, seeking to show that handmade qualities can transform newspapers from 'junk' to collectable. They also wanted to demonstrate the power of ink-on-paper print as a medium.
Their dream? That they can find a sponsor prepared to fund the regular production of their back-to-the-future newspaper.
The Manual: Creating a handmade newspaper.
Woman changes name to a URL to protest at dissections
You can call her CutoutDissection.com, Cutout for short, but just don't call her Jennifer.
The former Jennifer Thornburg — whose driver's license now reads Dissection.com, Cutout — wanted to do something to protest animal dissections in schools.
The 19-year-old's new name is also the Web address for an anti-dissection page of the site for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, where she is interning.
"I normally do have to repeat my name several times when I am introducing myself to someone new," she said. "Once they find out what my name is, they want to know more about what the Web site is about."
Despite her legally changing the name, she said most of her family members still call her Jennifer.
"It will take me a while," said her dad, Duane Thornburg, who lives in Daytona Beach, Fla. "She's still Jennifer to me. I understand why she's done it. Believe it or not, I totally respect it."
The former Jennifer Thornburg — whose driver's license now reads Dissection.com, Cutout — wanted to do something to protest animal dissections in schools.
The 19-year-old's new name is also the Web address for an anti-dissection page of the site for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, where she is interning.
"I normally do have to repeat my name several times when I am introducing myself to someone new," she said. "Once they find out what my name is, they want to know more about what the Web site is about."
Despite her legally changing the name, she said most of her family members still call her Jennifer.
"It will take me a while," said her dad, Duane Thornburg, who lives in Daytona Beach, Fla. "She's still Jennifer to me. I understand why she's done it. Believe it or not, I totally respect it."
Flaming rat blamed for house fire
A pet rat, a piece of twine and some questionable judgment ended with a Brevard County home in flames. David Stanifer and two friends were inside the home on Friars Court in Brevard County when the fire started early on Monday morning. Stanifer and two other people were chasing the rat, named Amelia Earhart, around the house.
"They told us they were playing with their pet mouse or rat and they tied a ribbon to it and they were cutting a ribbon with the lighter," said Lt. Teresa Uzel of the Brevard County Fire Rescue.
"She was getting adventurous and we wanted to let her walk around on the ground and we didn't want her running off too far, so we grabbed some twine and some jingle bells so she didn't get too far," Stanifer said.
Stanifer said he didn't have any scissors to cut the twine, so he tried to use a lighter to burn through it. The rat started to run around the garage, starting small fires.
"This is a first time. It's a believable story because things happen, but this is a first with a rat," Uzel said.
The residents tried putting the fire out, but were unsuccessful. More than a dozen firefighters responded to help fight the blaze. Fire investigators said the damage to the home will cost nearly $30,000 to repair. The rat was unharmed.
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"They told us they were playing with their pet mouse or rat and they tied a ribbon to it and they were cutting a ribbon with the lighter," said Lt. Teresa Uzel of the Brevard County Fire Rescue.
"She was getting adventurous and we wanted to let her walk around on the ground and we didn't want her running off too far, so we grabbed some twine and some jingle bells so she didn't get too far," Stanifer said.
Stanifer said he didn't have any scissors to cut the twine, so he tried to use a lighter to burn through it. The rat started to run around the garage, starting small fires.
"This is a first time. It's a believable story because things happen, but this is a first with a rat," Uzel said.
The residents tried putting the fire out, but were unsuccessful. More than a dozen firefighters responded to help fight the blaze. Fire investigators said the damage to the home will cost nearly $30,000 to repair. The rat was unharmed.
With news videos.
Police test horse for alcohol
Traffic police in Romania tested a horse for alcohol after the cart it was pulling hit a man who was sitting on a bench.
The officers, from Lelesti in Gorj county, asked a vet to take a blood test which turned out positive. Witnesses told police that the horse "looked out of control" despite its owners desperate efforts to control it.
Ion Dragan, 56, told police he had just bought the horse from a fair and was going home.
Police now suspect the horse might have been given alcohol to make it look stronger and healthier before it was sold.
Ion Iliuta, head of the local veterinary authority, said he was amazed when police asked him to establish the alcohol concentration in the horse's blood. "We never had such a request before. Maybe to see what kind of blood it is yes, but to find out if the animal was drunk, never."
The 86-year-old victim, who was sitting on a bench outside of his home, died from his injuries.
Original Romanian article.
The officers, from Lelesti in Gorj county, asked a vet to take a blood test which turned out positive. Witnesses told police that the horse "looked out of control" despite its owners desperate efforts to control it.
Ion Dragan, 56, told police he had just bought the horse from a fair and was going home.
Police now suspect the horse might have been given alcohol to make it look stronger and healthier before it was sold.
Ion Iliuta, head of the local veterinary authority, said he was amazed when police asked him to establish the alcohol concentration in the horse's blood. "We never had such a request before. Maybe to see what kind of blood it is yes, but to find out if the animal was drunk, never."
The 86-year-old victim, who was sitting on a bench outside of his home, died from his injuries.
Original Romanian article.
Genetic test can forecast bald facts about each man’s future
One man in seven has a genetic profile that will raise dramatically his chances of going bald at a young age, according to research that could lead to new ways of predicting and preventing hair loss.
Men who inherit two particular genetic variants are seven times more likely to develop male pattern baldness by their forties than those who carry neither, a British-led team has found.
The discovery, from the first study to trawl the human genome for passages of DNA linked to baldness, will allow young men to discover with much greater accuracy whether and when they are likely to lose their hair.
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Some may then wish to try drugs such as finasteride (marketed as Propecia), which can delay, stop or even reverse baldness, while they still possess luxuriant locks.
The research should also assist the development of new treatments. Professor Tim Spector, of King’s College London, who led the study, said: “Early prediction before hair loss starts may lead to some interesting therapies that are more effective than treating late-stage hair loss. It will encourage pharmaceutical companies to produce preventive lotions that might stimulate hair follicles before it’s too late.”
Brent Richards, of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who contributed to the research, said: “We’ve only identified a cause. Treating male pattern baldness will require more research. But, of course, the first step in finding a way to treat most conditions is to identify the cause.”
Men who inherit two particular genetic variants are seven times more likely to develop male pattern baldness by their forties than those who carry neither, a British-led team has found.
The discovery, from the first study to trawl the human genome for passages of DNA linked to baldness, will allow young men to discover with much greater accuracy whether and when they are likely to lose their hair.
Click for bigger.
Some may then wish to try drugs such as finasteride (marketed as Propecia), which can delay, stop or even reverse baldness, while they still possess luxuriant locks.
The research should also assist the development of new treatments. Professor Tim Spector, of King’s College London, who led the study, said: “Early prediction before hair loss starts may lead to some interesting therapies that are more effective than treating late-stage hair loss. It will encourage pharmaceutical companies to produce preventive lotions that might stimulate hair follicles before it’s too late.”
Brent Richards, of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who contributed to the research, said: “We’ve only identified a cause. Treating male pattern baldness will require more research. But, of course, the first step in finding a way to treat most conditions is to identify the cause.”
Ethics expert calls for hallucinogenic drugs to 'enhance' death
It might be termed the hallucinogenic way of death. Psychoactive drugs such as "magic mushrooms" could be used to enhance the experience of dying, according to an expert in medical ethics.
Robin Mackenzie, director of medical law and ethics at the University of Kent, is to call today for people to be given more choice over how they die at a workshop in London organised by Exit International, an Australian organisation advocating voluntary euthanasia.
Studies are underway into the effect of drugs including ecstasy and psilocybin in terminal cancer patients to ease the process of dying and encourage closer family bonding in the final hours. But there is widespread resistance to the use of psychedelic drugs.
Ms Mackenzie said: "We have the technology to enhance the experience of dying. With neuroimaging [brain scans] we can measure the impact of different practices, such as meditation or drugs, which would allow us to orchestrate our dying, just as we choose the form of a funeral service."
Interest in ecstasy has centred on its "empathogenic" effects, fostering a sense of well-being and warmth towards family and friends. It and psilocybin are also being investigated for their effect on anxiety in terminal conditions. A study at the University of Los Angeles is due to complete in December and research is also ongoing in Spain.
Dr Mackenzie said: "My research into the demedicalisation of dying suggests that there is a groundswell of people wanting to exercise choices in dying beyond euthanasia and palliative care options."
Robin Mackenzie, director of medical law and ethics at the University of Kent, is to call today for people to be given more choice over how they die at a workshop in London organised by Exit International, an Australian organisation advocating voluntary euthanasia.
Studies are underway into the effect of drugs including ecstasy and psilocybin in terminal cancer patients to ease the process of dying and encourage closer family bonding in the final hours. But there is widespread resistance to the use of psychedelic drugs.
Ms Mackenzie said: "We have the technology to enhance the experience of dying. With neuroimaging [brain scans] we can measure the impact of different practices, such as meditation or drugs, which would allow us to orchestrate our dying, just as we choose the form of a funeral service."
Interest in ecstasy has centred on its "empathogenic" effects, fostering a sense of well-being and warmth towards family and friends. It and psilocybin are also being investigated for their effect on anxiety in terminal conditions. A study at the University of Los Angeles is due to complete in December and research is also ongoing in Spain.
Dr Mackenzie said: "My research into the demedicalisation of dying suggests that there is a groundswell of people wanting to exercise choices in dying beyond euthanasia and palliative care options."
Talking doll accused of promoting Islam
A talking Fisher-Price doll that sounds like it is saying "Islam is the Light" has been described as inappropriate by parents.
The Fisher-Price Little Mommy Cuddle 'n Coo is meant to make realistic baby sounds and occasionally cry out for its "mama".
But some parents claim that one of its noises sounds just like "Islam is the Light", and have complained to Mattel, which owns Fisher-Price.
Some shops in the US have removed the doll from shelves after complaints from customers, according to reports. It is available in Britain for £19.99.
A spokesman for Fisher-Price insisted that the doll was not pushing pro-Islamic messages, adding that the sound some parents were hearing was caused by an accidental distortion of the doll's soundtrack.
Earlier, Mattel released a statement saying that "the power of suggestion" was the reason why parents were mis-hearing the doll.
The Fisher-Price Little Mommy Cuddle 'n Coo is meant to make realistic baby sounds and occasionally cry out for its "mama".
But some parents claim that one of its noises sounds just like "Islam is the Light", and have complained to Mattel, which owns Fisher-Price.
Some shops in the US have removed the doll from shelves after complaints from customers, according to reports. It is available in Britain for £19.99.
A spokesman for Fisher-Price insisted that the doll was not pushing pro-Islamic messages, adding that the sound some parents were hearing was caused by an accidental distortion of the doll's soundtrack.
Earlier, Mattel released a statement saying that "the power of suggestion" was the reason why parents were mis-hearing the doll.
School bans sugar in tea
Children at a secondary school have been told they cannot have sugar in their tea because of concern about healthy eating.
Sixth-formers at the 1,180-pupil Tonypandy Community College, in Rhondda, South Wales, have protested that their freedom of choice is being taken away from them.
"We should have a right to choose what we eat," said Emma-Jayne Morgan 16, chairman of the student council.
"I was amazed to be told I could not have any sugar in my tea. If you were told that at a local cafe you would walk out in disgust."
The school said the sugar and sweeteners ban was a result of new guidelines from the Welsh Assembly to promote health eating.
Marmite and tomato ketchup have been banned by other schools in Wales as part of the same drive.
Sixth-formers at the 1,180-pupil Tonypandy Community College, in Rhondda, South Wales, have protested that their freedom of choice is being taken away from them.
"We should have a right to choose what we eat," said Emma-Jayne Morgan 16, chairman of the student council.
"I was amazed to be told I could not have any sugar in my tea. If you were told that at a local cafe you would walk out in disgust."
The school said the sugar and sweeteners ban was a result of new guidelines from the Welsh Assembly to promote health eating.
Marmite and tomato ketchup have been banned by other schools in Wales as part of the same drive.
Man wins half marathon dressed as a rabbit
A runner dressed as a white rabbit caught 12,000 runners on the hop - by winning a half marathon in London.
But the man behind the mask in the London Royal Parks Foundation inaugural half-marathon wasn't a charity fun runner.
It was Kenyan middle distance ace John Muriithi who is also hoping for a gold medal at London 2012.
A slightly bemused John was signed up for the event by his agent after winning the Reykjavik half-marathon in August.
He said: “I liked the cheering and the course and enjoyed being a rabbit.”
But the man behind the mask in the London Royal Parks Foundation inaugural half-marathon wasn't a charity fun runner.
It was Kenyan middle distance ace John Muriithi who is also hoping for a gold medal at London 2012.
A slightly bemused John was signed up for the event by his agent after winning the Reykjavik half-marathon in August.
He said: “I liked the cheering and the course and enjoyed being a rabbit.”
Lazy dog walker earns Great North Bum title
A father has been named one of the laziest men in Britain for walking his pet dog while sitting in his car.
Kevin Pyle, 35, gets his son to drive him slowly around the block and, with his arm stretched out of the window, holds a lead attached to his bull mastiff Bruce, who walks alongside.
He claims to cover around four miles a week but never does any walking himself. He said: "It sounds terrible that I take Bruce for a walk like that, but it saves me from getting wet when it's raining. He really enjoys it and it saves my legs."
Photo from here.
Now he's won the title of being the region's Great North Bum.
Mr Pyle, of Fenham, Newcastle, was nominated for the competition by his 18-year-old son Karl. Karl heard the competition to find the Great North Bum on Century Radio and nominated his dad without hesitation.
Competition bosses say he won by a landslide.
Kevin Pyle, 35, gets his son to drive him slowly around the block and, with his arm stretched out of the window, holds a lead attached to his bull mastiff Bruce, who walks alongside.
He claims to cover around four miles a week but never does any walking himself. He said: "It sounds terrible that I take Bruce for a walk like that, but it saves me from getting wet when it's raining. He really enjoys it and it saves my legs."
Photo from here.
Now he's won the title of being the region's Great North Bum.
Mr Pyle, of Fenham, Newcastle, was nominated for the competition by his 18-year-old son Karl. Karl heard the competition to find the Great North Bum on Century Radio and nominated his dad without hesitation.
Competition bosses say he won by a landslide.
Nine out of 10 overweight people 'are called names'
Half of people admit to calling fat people rude names such as "thunder thighs" or "porker", according to a survey.
The report discloses that 46 per cent of respondents had referred to or thought of an overweight person by a derogatory name.
The top four most hateful names were "fatty", "fat", "lard arse" and "fat b*****d", while other common jibes included "porker", "thunder thighs", "Mr Blobby" and "Ten Ton Tess".
Researchers found that despite the rise of political correctness, such weight-related name-calling was most widespread among the young.
The numbers calling names fell the older people were, from more than half of 16 to 24-year-olds surveyed (56 per cent) to just over a third (35 per cent) of 55 to 64-year-olds.
Dr Ian W Campbell, of the charity Weight Concern, said: "These findings are very concerning. People who have a weight problem need support and encouragement, not ridicule."
The report discloses that 46 per cent of respondents had referred to or thought of an overweight person by a derogatory name.
The top four most hateful names were "fatty", "fat", "lard arse" and "fat b*****d", while other common jibes included "porker", "thunder thighs", "Mr Blobby" and "Ten Ton Tess".
Researchers found that despite the rise of political correctness, such weight-related name-calling was most widespread among the young.
The numbers calling names fell the older people were, from more than half of 16 to 24-year-olds surveyed (56 per cent) to just over a third (35 per cent) of 55 to 64-year-olds.
Dr Ian W Campbell, of the charity Weight Concern, said: "These findings are very concerning. People who have a weight problem need support and encouragement, not ridicule."
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