Interesting Current Events

[VinReaper]

Originally Posted by joy_division

this story is really hard to believe

German TV station to air Sitcom "'Allo 'allo"

A BBC spokesman said the show "had not been picked up in Germany until now due to the subject matter".

The show's 85 episodes, which poke fun at the Gestapo, French Resistance and the British, will be dubbed into German for its new audience.

That is very funny! I didn't think that they would be that uptight about the subject matter.

VR

[VinReaper]

Hey the Mods removed my Puppy Paws story! Oh well, I guess some are squeamish!

VR

[VinReaper]

Software "hiccup" undermines trip past Saturn moon

Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:31am EDT - By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A software malfunction prevented a key piece of equipment on the Cassini spacecraft from recording data as it flew through the plume from a geyser shooting off a moon of Saturn, NASA said late on Thursday.

NASA called the problem "an unexplained software hiccup" that came at a very bad time, preventing Cassini's Cosmic Dust Analyzer instrument from collecting data for about two hours as it flew over the surface of the moon Enceladus on Wednesday.

A key objective of the fly-by was to determine the density, size, composition and speed of particles erupting into space from the moon's south pole in a dramatic plume.

Bob Mitchell, Cassini program manager, said the problem meant that the instrument did not collect data as the craft flew through the plume -- a process lasting under a minute.

"When it went through the plume, it was not working properly," Mitchell said in a telephone interview, expressing disappointment. "We had tested that software very carefully. We don't know why it didn't work properly."

The Cassini spacecraft, studying the giant gaseous planet Saturn and its moons in a joint U.S.-European mission, flew as close as 30 miles over the surface of Enceladus (pronounced en-SELL-ah-dus) on Wednesday.

"During the fly-by, the instrument was switching between two versions of software programs. The new version was designed to increase the ability to count particle hits by several hundred hits per second," NASA said in a statement.

"The other four fields and particles instruments on the spacecraft, in addition to the ion and neutral mass spectrometer, did capture all of their data, which will complement the overall composition studies and elucidate the unique plume environment of Enceladus," NASA said.

The Cassini spacecraft, which first spotted the geysers in 2005, flew over the moon at 32,000 miles per hour (51,500 kph) in the first of four fly-bys of Enceladus scheduled this year.

One of about 60 moons of Saturn, Enceladus is considered among the most intriguing bodies in the solar system, owing to the geysers that spurt from fractures in the surface at the south pole and spew material about 500 miles into space at about 900 miles per hour (1,450 kph).

Enceladus, whose diameter is 310 miles, is one of the solar system's brightest objects. Encased in ice, it reflects almost all of the sunlight that strikes it.

Some scientists surmise hot water must exist under the surface to eject these plumes. The presence of liquid water raises the possibility Enceladus may boast conditions conducive to the development of life, perhaps in the form of microbes.

NASA said images taken by the spacecraft showed that the north polar region is much older and more pockmarked with craters of various sizes than much of the southern hemisphere, in particular the south pole.

The images show craters that were caused by impacts of objects onto the moon's icy surface in varying stages of alteration by tectonic activity and probably from past heating from below the surface, NASA said.

Enceladus is one of Saturn's innermost moons. The eruptions from its geysers seem to be continuous, generating an enormous halo of fine ice around the moon and supplying material to one of Saturn's famed rings.

VR

[VinReaper]

Honey, will you marry... Oh. Never mind...
Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:34pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - It is the one moment every man wants to get right -- and which London floor-fitter Lefkos Hajji could hardly have got more wrong.

The luckless 28 year-old's dreams of giving his sweetheart, Leanne, 26, the ultimate proposal have literally vanished into thin air.

Hajji, of Hackney, east London, had concealed a $12,000 engagement ring inside a helium balloon. The idea was that she would pop the balloon as he popped the question.

But as he left the shop, a gust of wind pulled the balloon from his hand and he watched the ring -- and quite possibly the affections of his girlfriend -- sailing away over the rooftops.

"I couldn't believe it," he told The Sun newspaper.

"I just watched as it went further and further into the air.

"I felt like such a plonker. It cost a fortune and I knew my girlfriend would kill me."

Hajji spent two hours in his car trying to chase and find the balloon, without success.

"I thought I would give Leanne a pin so I could literally pop the question," he said.

"But I had to tell her the story -- she went absolutely mad. Now she is refusing to speak to me until I get her a new ring."

He is hoping the ring will still turn up.

"It would be amazing if someone found it," he added.

(Reporting by Peter Apps. Editing by Steve Addison)

VR

[VinReaper]

New ladies' vodka gives doctors a headache
Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:03pm EDT
By Dmitry Solovyov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Igor Volodin believes vodka is no more harmful than chocolate. He is proud to be the first Russian to produce the spirit in a special women's version, designed to be sipped with salad after a workout in the gym.

Touted as a glamour product for upwardly mobile women in booming Russia, Damskaya or "Ladies" vodka worries doctors, who fear a fresh wave of female alcoholics in a country already suffering one of the world's worst drink problems.

The Moscow Serbsky Institute for Social and Forensic Psychiatry says Russia has 2.5 million registered alcoholics, but adds the real figure is seven times higher -- more than 10 percent of Russia's population of 142 million.

Yuri Sorokin, a psychologist running a Moscow rehabilitation center for drug addicts and alcoholics, said 60 percent of those he treats for alcoholism are women, including the wives of Russian millionaires.

"I believe that female alcoholism is a huge problem in Russia. I believe it is as huge and hidden as the underwater part of an iceberg," he said.

Adverts for the new "Ladies" vodka show the elegant, violet-tinted bottle wearing a pleated white skirt which is blown upwards to reveal the label.

The images confront commuters on Moscow's metro, grab the eye on the street and leap from the pages of women's magazines.

"Between us, girls ..." runs the slogan on the adverts, which tout the product as an ideal tipple for hearty hen parties.

"Women need a drink of their own," said Volodin, sitting next to an array of his "Ladies" vodkas, which comes in lime, vanilla and almond flavors, or just straight for ****tails.

"In Moscow, there are pink taxis for ladies, there are light cigarettes," he said. "But there was no vodka, and we asked ourselves: 'Why?' ... More people suffer from diabetes in Russia than from alcoholism, but no one bans chocolate advertisements."

Sales on Russia's vodka market are estimated to be worth around $15 billion a year, with a total annual volume of some 2.2 billion liters, Volodin said.

Annual market growth in value is seen at 15 percent, he said, thanks to rising incomes and higher sales of premium vodkas like "Ladies."

HEADY BOOM, BITTER HANGOVER

Volodin heads the Deyros company, which has been selling strong spirits on the Russian market for more than 10 years.

"Ladies," launched in December, is produced at a distillery in Russia's second city of St Petersburg and retails at around 300 roubles ($12.5) in upmarket shops in big cities. Volodin is targeting successful, well-educated, married women with money.

"Of course, $12 per bottle is too expensive for a village woman," Volodin said, forecasting March sales of "Ladies" at 115,000 bottles and putting the 2008 full-year figure at over 2 million. "But we can't make bad vodka for women."

Volodin says his vodka is pure and free of by-products, like fusel oils, which can cause a heavy hangover. He says because of its mellow taste, it can be taken with salads and other light meals, even by those regularly working out in gyms.

Russia, buoyed by windfall revenues for oil, gas and metals exports, has enjoyed its biggest economic boom in a generation. Wages in the cash-laden economy have rocketed.

But high salaries and growing consumption of expensive alcohol have not led to moderation in drinking, said psychologist Sorokin.

The joblessness and despair of Russia's wild capitalism of the 1990s have now been replaced by the psychological vacuum of the newly-rich, he said.

Olga, a woman in her 20s, was buying a bottle of "Ladies" in an expensive supermarket in Moscow for a party with her friends.

"I saw the ad in the metro and decided to taste it," she said. "I just loved the design."

Sorokin said he expected an influx of new patients in about six months.

"When such strong marketing experts are involved, I will never be jobless," he sighed.

(Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Clar Ni Chonghaile)

VR

[VinReaper]

ABOUT SAINT PATRICK

Saint Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century, and is often confused with Palladius, a bishop who was sent by Pope Celestine in 431 to be the first bishop to the Irish believers in Christ.

Saint Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland. Most of what is known about him comes from his two works, the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish christians. Saint Patrick described himself as a "most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshipped idols and unclean things had become the people of God."

Saint Patrick is most known for driving the snakes from Ireland. It is true there are no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never have been - the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age. As in many old pagan religions, serpent symbols were common and often worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to that pagan practice. While not the first to bring christianity to Ireland, it is Patrick who is said to have encountered the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites. The story holds that he converted the warrior chiefs and princes, baptizing them and thousands of their subjects in the "Holy Wells" that still bear this name.

There are several accounts of Saint Patrick's death. One says that Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on March 17, 460 A.D. His jawbone was preserved in a silver shrine and was often requested in times of childbirth, epileptic fits, and as a preservative against the "evil eye." Another account says that St. Patrick ended his days at Glastonbury, England and was buried there. The Chapel of St. Patrick still exists as part of Glastonbury Abbey. Today, many Catholic places of worship all around the world are named after St. Patrick, including cathedrals in New York and Dublin city

Why Saint Patrick's Day?
Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.

So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins.

In American cities with a large Irish population, St. Patrick's Day is a very big deal. Big cities and small towns alike celebrate with parades, "wearing of the green," music and songs, Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green!

St. Patricks Day gift baskets are a great way to celebrate the holiday. Send gift baskets to your family and friends and surprise them with beer baskets to enjoy on the holiday. Celebrate St. Patrick and make this year a memorable one.


VR

[VinReaper]

Drug smuggler caught as swallowed capsules burst
Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:08pm EDT

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - An American in Costa Rica was caught smuggling nearly a pound of cocaine (0.4 kg) in his stomach after he went into convulsions on a plane bound for Miami, police said on Friday.

The 22-year-old man swallowed dozens of capsules stuffed with the drug before boarding a plane on Thursday in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose.

Police said he started to vomit and convulse before the plane took off and was rushed to a hospital where he was still recovering on Friday.

"They had to open him up too remove the capsules," said police spokeswoman Marielos Barbosa.

The man, identified only by his last name, Keller, was the second American arrested this month at the airport for smuggling cocaine in his stomach.

The Central American country works with U.S. authorities to try to stop drug shipments reaching the United States from producer countries in South America.

The Costa Rican Coast Guard has captured dozens of tons of cocaine being moved up the country's coast over the last few years.

(Reporting by John McPhaul; writing by Jason Lange, editing by Todd Eastham)

My thoughts: GOOD! What a DUMBA$$! And why waste critical healthcare on these guys. There are needy children that need it more. Let them perish and give it to the ones that deserve it. I know I am harsh, but so is life!

VR

[VinReaper]

Lloyd's insures winemaker's nose for $8 million
Tue Mar 18, 11:27 AM ET

The Lloyd's of London insurance market has insured the nose of a leading wine maker and taster for 5 million euros ($7.9 million), covering the Bordeaux producer against the loss of his nose and sense of smell.

Lloyd's is famous for creating policies for giant corporations but also for insuring celebrity limbs, from Fred Astaire's legs to the hands of Rolling Stones' Keith Richards.

It said on Tuesday that Ilja Gort, the Dutch owner of Chateau de la Garde in Bordeaux, producer of Tulipe Wines, said his nose could distinguish millions of different scents and was essential to guarantee the quality of his wines.

"The nose and sense of smell of a winemaker are as important as the fingers of a chef," Jonathan Thomas, lead underwriter at Watkins Syndicate who co-insured the policy.

Lloyds worked with Allianz Nederland and British reinsurance broker Benfield to create the policy, co-insured by Watkins.

Gort's will not be the first nose insured by Lloyd's, which famously insured U.S. comedian Jimmy Durante's trademark. It also insures the taste buds of restaurateur Egon Ronay.

(Reporting by Clara Ferreira-Marques)


VR

[pablocruze]

Doctor Uses Electric Drill to Remove Brain Tumor
Posted Mar 19th 2008 8:01PM by Tim Stevens



Think of brain surgery and you probably think of a room full of doctors and nurses each holding specialized equipment, surrounding a patient draped in sterilized blankets in a room of polished stainless steel and glass.

Imagine a guy holding a rechargeable handheld drill and using it on someone's head, though, and you'd probably think it was a scene from a horror movie and not a medical documentary. But in an upcoming documentary to be shown on the U.K's BBC, that's exactly what a British doctor uses for an emergency surgery on a woman in the Ukraine.

The woman, Marian Dolishny, was fully conscious when Dr. Henry Marsh used a 9.6 volt rechargeable drill from manufacturer Bosch to drill into her skull. Thankfully she was at least given a local anesthetic, but it must have been quite a sensation to have an off the shelf drill bit chewing into her noggin.

Dr. Marsh is a frequent visitor to Ukraine, where he charitably performs no-charge surgeries. On this particular occasion, he didn't have the official tools required for this sort of surgery, but, as he mentions in the documentary, his use of the electric drill "shows how with improvisation you can achieve a lot."

[VinReaper]

Holy smoke!! That has got to sting a little! And I am sure it left a mark!


VR