Nintendo cartridge sells for £10,000.

From the Daily Mail:

A gaming enthusiast has paid a whopping £10,800 on eBay for an extremely rare Nintendo cartridge.

Despite the astronomical cost the buyer, JJ Hendricks, was happy with his purchase saying the game was the 'Holy Grail of Gaming.'

The special cartridge was created for the Nintendo World Championships in 1990, and featured three mini games of Super Mario Bros, Rad Race and Tetris.

Eager competitors in the U.S had to score points within a time limit of six minutes and 21 seconds for each game.

The competition consisted of eight rounds, separated into three age groups and ended with a grand final at Universal Studios.

Only 116 special cartridges were made and 26 gold versions were given out to winners and runners-up in a Nintendo Power magazine contest.

Taxi driver decapitates himself in public.

Well, you don't see this everyday. From Daily Mail:

A taxi driver decapitated himself after tying a rope around his neck and a post before driving off at high speed.

The incident took place just metres from a 24-hour cafe.

The man, believed to be in his thirties, is said to have then driven off at full speed in the early hours of this morning, aiming straight at a pillar.

His head was found yards from his taxi in Great Suffolk Street in Southwark, London.

Indian guru claims you can yoga out the gay.

Just.... wow.

India's top television yoga expert has challenged a landmark court ruling legalising gay sex, claiming it is a "disease" that can be cured by yoga.

Swami Baba Ramdev filed the petition on the grounds that the Delhi High Court "erred" in decriminalising "unnatural sex acts" last week and that homosexuality was an illness which could be treated, according to the Indian Express newspaper.

"It can be treated like any other congenital defect. Such tendencies can be treated by yoga, pranayama (breathing exercises) and other meditation techniques," he said in the challenge filed in the Supreme Court.

Last week's judgment reversing a colonial-era ban on homosexuality has met with widespread opposition among many religious groups and conservatives who say same-sex relationships threaten the fabric of traditional Indian society.

In an interview with the Times of India, Swami Ramdev said homosexuality caused "mental bankruptcy" and was "against God and creation".

The influential guru has a wide following among millions of middle-class Hindus who regularly tune into his healthy living programs on television.

More here.

Coral reefs may perish by end of century.

From Reuters: (thanks JenK)

Increasingly acidic oceans and warming water temperatures due to carbon dioxide emissions could kill off the world's ocean reefs by the end of this century, scientists warned on Monday.

The experts told a meeting in London the predicted pace of emissions means a level of 450 parts per million of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere will be reached by 2050, putting corals on a path to extinction in the following decades.

The two dozen coral reef specialists and climate change exerts represented universities, government research offices and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

"The kitchen is on fire and it's spreading around the house," Alex Rogers of the Zoological Society of London and the International Program on the State of the Ocean, said in a statement.

"If we act quickly and decisively we may be able to put it out before the damage becomes irreversible."

Oceans absorb large amounts of CO2 emitted by the burning of fossil fuels. But scientists say the oceans are acidifying as they absorb more carbon, disrupting the process of calcification used by sea creatures to build shells as well as coral reefs.

Researchers around the world have been urging governments to take more account of such threats to the oceans in a new U.N. treaty on fighting global warming due to be agreed in Copenhagen in December.

Coral reefs -- delicate undersea structures resembling rocky gardens made by tiny animals called coral polyps -- are important nurseries and shelters for fish and other sea life.

They also protect coastlines, provide a critical source of food for millions of people, attract tourists and are potential storehouse of medicines for cancer and other diseases.

CIA admits it misleads Congress.

I have to admit, this just looks like grandstanding by Dems to protect Pelosi. Let's get back to work, folks.

CIA Director Leon Panetta told lawmakers in a recent briefing that the intelligence agency he heads misled Congress on "significant actions" for a "number of years," a group of Democrats revealed on Wednesday.

In a letter written to Panetta on June 26 by seven Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee, the CIA chief is urged to "publicly correct" an earlier statement he made in which he insisted that it was not agency policy to mislead Congress.

As the letter details, Panetta apparently acknowledged in an earlier briefing that this statement was not, in fact, true.

More here.

Drunk badger disrupts traffic in Germany.

Badgerbadgerbadgerbadger MUSHROOM MUSHROOM! From Yahoo! News:

A badger in Germany got so drunk on over-ripe cherries it staggered into the middle of a road and refused to budge, police said Wednesday. A motorist called police near the central town of Goslar to report a dead badger on a road -- only for officers to turn up and discover the animal alive and well, but drunk.

Police discovered the nocturnal beast had eaten cherries from a nearby tree which had turned to alcohol and given the badger diarrhoea. Having failed to scare the animal away, officers eventually chased it from the road with a broom.

Murdoch tabloid hacked into cell phones of politicians, celebrities.

From Huffington Post:

The tricks of the trade of Britain's rambunctious tabloid press came under scrutiny Thursday, after a newspaper reported that a tabloid owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch had illegally hacked into the mobile phones of hundreds of celebrities and politicians.

But in the end police said they would not reopen an investigation into the claims against Murdoch's News of the World, accused by The Guardian newspaper of paying private investigators to obtain voice mail messages, bank statements and other information about public figures, including Gwyneth Paltrow, George Michael and senior British politicians.

The News of the World's royal editor, Clive Goodman, was jailed in January 2007 for hacking into the phones of palace officials, and The Guardian claimed the practice was widespread at the newspaper at the time.

Canada fueling Mexican drug war.

Freakin' Canada, man. From CNN:

Authorities in Vancouver, just 30 miles from the border, are struggling to deal with the boom in the drug trade between the United States and Canada, along with the violence that has come with it.

Cocaine from Mexico -- and many of the guns that fuel the violence -- come north via the United States. Canadian smugglers then bring south high-quality marijuana known as "BC Bud" and synthetic drugs like methamphetamine. A recent U.N. drug report named Canada as the "primary" supplier of Ecstasy to the United States.

The gang killings are blamed in part over who will control which areas of this estimated $6 billion-a-year narcotics trade.

Just another day in NYC...

From the NYPD Blotter:

A foul-mouthed, dopey pedestrian was arrested after taking a swing at a cop in Woodside, authorities said yesterday.

Dae Kang, 50, stepped in front of an approaching police car on Queens Boulevard near 58th Lane at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, sources said.

The cop hit the brakes and honked his horn, and Kang allegedly spewed, "What the f---? I'm f---ing walking here!"

The officer got out and Kang threw a punch at him, sparking a struggle that ended in Kang's arrest, said a spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown.

Climate change to make the world lazier.

Thanks JenK!

A new study finds that global warming will cause workers everywhere from Delhi to Vietnam to be less productive--by a staggering 30% in some cases. So how is climate change going to make workers around the world lazy?

Well, it's unlikely to have much immediate effect on your performance in the workplace if you're, say, a reclusive blogger glued to his computer screen in some dank basement. But if you have a job that's already gruelingly hard work done outdoors--a tea picker in India, or a coffee harvester in Vietnam, or a farmer in Mexico--especially if you live in the tropics, rising temperatures are going to make your work day a lot tougher.

According to an Oxfam study detailed by Bloomberg, "Temperatures that surpass 35 degrees Celsius, or 95 degrees Fahrenheit, stress manual laborers, affect productivity and ultimately their income." The impact will be especially powerful if temperatures rise more than 10 degrees Celsius--and temperatures are rising fastest in tropical regions.

More here.

Gun sales skyrocket 50% on Long Island.

As if Wrong Island wasn't scary already. From Newsday:

Local politicians and activists expressed concern Tuesday about reports that handgun sales and permit applications have increased in recent months.

Officials and gun sellers offer a variety of reasons, but police and state figures show that so far this year, pistol applications on Long Island are up 50 percent over last year.

One reason cited is the fear that a Democratic president and Congress could legislatively snatch away access to guns, local gun shop owners said. Another is that a poor economy is driving some fearful people to arm themselves for protection.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) called the latter reason mainly a product of hysteria, fomented by pro-gun groups.

"It's kind of scary," she said. "And I think we're seeing more and more of that because of the Internet. It's unfortunate that people out there believe that stuff."

NY senators want to get paid for doing nothing.

Not only should they not get paid, they should be fined for every day they refuse to work. We elected them to work for us, can we now fire them all?

Senators, can you spare a dime?

Thirty-one days into their stalemate, do-nothing warring state senators are having their salaries withheld Wednesday - for the first time since the infamous June 8 Republican-led coup.

State Controller Thomas DiNapoli last week ordered the biweekly paychecks of all 62 senators held until the Senate wraps up its fight.

Wednesday is the first payday since the order. Payroll for 62 senators amounts to some $190,000 - or $3,049 per senator, every two weeks.

"The controller didn't want to interject his office in what's an internal dispute, but he just felt he couldn't continue to process payroll as if everything was normal," DiNapoli spokesman Dennis Tompkins said.

DiNapoli is moving ahead even though a court has yet to rule on his question about whether he has the authority.

The controller's office also continues to withhold payments for expense vouchers submitted by the Senate. A spokesman said 557 vouchers have been withheld, totaling $1.5 million.

Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. - one of the coup's two turncoat Democrats - said he expects DiNapoli's action "to be litigated."

"The continued punitive actions are ... illegal," Espada said.

Latest Trend: Lying face down in weird places.

Back in my day, we listened to heavy rock music and set fire to things. Damn kids today with their quiet, passive immobility! From the Daily Mail (with a number of pics).

They lie rigidly face-down on rooftops, postboxes, luggage racks and even in the engine of a jumbo jet.

It's the latest and perhaps the most bizarre internet phenomenon yet to sweep the globe.

Several Facebook groups set up in honour of 'the Lying Down Game' display thousands of photographs of people lying face-down in progressively odder locations.

It seems no location is out of bounds, with people lying down roofs, in the middle of the road, in front of tanks, across bars in pubs and on table football games.

Participants are told there are two aims to the challenge; that the lying down should be as public as possible and that as many people as possible should be involved.

Players are told they must have their palms flat against their sides with the tips of their toes touching the ground.

Google to launch its own operating system.

It's on. From Raw Story:

Google has plans for its own personal computer operating system, it announced on its blog, setting up another clash between the Internet search giant and PC software supremo Microsoft.

“We’re announcing a new project,” said the Mountain View, California-based company, revealing the system would be based on its nine-month-old Chrome browser and would be an open source operating system initially targeted at netbooks.

The move is “our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be,” Google said in a statement posted late Tuesday.

The search engine giant said it would open-source the code for “Chrome OS” for user input and that netbooks running the system would be available by the middle of next year.

“Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds,” the company said.

Calls grow within G8 to expel Italy.

That's-a spicy reneging on international aid commitments! From the Guardian:

Preparations for Wednesday's G8 summit in the Italian mountain town of L'Aquila have been so chaotic there is growing pressure from other member states to have Italy expelled from the group, according to senior western officials.

In the last few weeks before the summit, and in the absence of any substantive initiatives on the agenda, the US has taken control. Washington has organised "sherpa calls" (conference calls among senior officials) in a last-ditch bid to inject purpose into the meeting.

"For another country to organise the sherpa calls is just unprecedented. It's a nuclear option," said one senior G8 member state official. "The Italians have been just awful. There have been no processes and no planning."

"The G8 is a club, and clubs have membership dues. Italy has not been paying them," said a European official involved in the summit preparations.

The behind-the-scenes grumbling has gone as far as suggestions that Italy could be pushed out of the G8 or any successor group. One possibility being floated in European capitals is that Spain, which has higher per capita national income and gives a greater percentage of GDP in aid, would take Italy's place.

The Italian foreign ministry did not reply yesterday to a request to comment on the criticisms.

Michael Jackson to be buried without his brain.

I'm pretty sure this is how Thriller starts. From the Guardian:

Michael Jackson will be buried without his brain today after doctors retained it following an autopsy to help determine the cause of death.

The King of Pop will be saluted in grand fashion at the Staples Centre memorial ceremony, and reportedly laid to rest at Los Angeles's Forest Lawn cemetery. However, the LA coroner's office has still not completed its tests on Jackson's brain, and the singer's family have been advised that unless they wish to wait, he must be buried without it.

Jackson died from an apparent cardiac arrest on 25 June. Though his body was released the next day to relatives, his brain was not. The pop star's inert brain must "harden" for at least two weeks before doctors can conduct their neuropathology tests.

Doctors will examine Jackson's brain to help determine the cause of death, suspected of being linked to painkillers. Such examinations can also reveal unknown diseases, evidence of alcohol abuse or whether Jackson has suffered overdoses in the past.

Removing the brain is the "only way to carry out the tests" according to a source for the Mirror. "The tissue has to be examined. I can't tell you how long that is going to take."

Federal cyber crime computers knocked out by cyber attack.

From FOX News:

A widespread and unusually resilient computer attack that began July 4 knocked out the Web sites of several government agencies, including some that are responsible for fighting cyber crime, The Associated Press has learned.

The Treasury Department, Secret Service, Federal Trade Commission and Transportation Department Web sites were all down at varying points over the holiday weekend and into this week, according to officials inside and outside the government.

Some of the sites were still experiencing problems Tuesday evening. Cyber attacks on South Korea government and private sites also may be linked, officials there said.

Oldest known Bible doesn't mention Jesus resurrection.

Does this mean there's really no Easter Bunny? From CNN:

The world's oldest known Christian Bible goes online Monday -- but the 1,600-year-old text doesn't match the one you'll find in churches today.

Discovered in a monastery in the Sinai desert in Egypt more than 160 years ago, the handwritten Codex Sinaiticus includes two books that are not part of the official New Testament and at least seven books that are not in the Old Testament.

The New Testament books are in a different order, and include numerous handwritten corrections -- some made as much as 800 years after the texts were written, according to scholars who worked on the project of putting the Bible online. The changes range from the alteration of a single letter to the insertion of whole sentences.

And some familiar -- very important -- passages are missing, including verses dealing with the resurrection of Jesus, they said.

Juan Garces, the British Library project curator, said it should be no surprise that the ancient text is not quite the same as the modern one, since the Bible has developed and changed over the years.

Scientists create artificial sperm.

Can they artificially flavor it? From Daily Mail:

In a world first, British scientists have grown human sperm in the laboratory.

The breakthrough in stem cell science offers a potential cure for male infertility and could be used in IVF clinics in as little as five years.

It would allow thousands of men to father children that are genetically their own, possibly from just a sliver of their skin.

But the cutting-edge work is fraught with medical and ethical problems.

It raises the possibility of babies being born entirely through artificial means, and even the macabre scenario of long-dead men 'fathering' children from beyond the grave.

Robot developed that navigates like a human.

Now there is nowhere to run or hide. From Technology Review:

European researchers have developed a robot capable of moving autonomously using humanlike visual processing. The robot is helping the researchers explore how the brain responds to its environment while the body is in motion. What they discover could lead to machines that are better able to navigate through cluttered environments.

The robot consists of a wheeled platform with a robotic "head" that uses two cameras to capture stereoscopic vision. The robot can turn its head and shift its gaze up and down or sideways to gauge its surroundings, and can quickly measure its own speed relative to its environment.

The machine is controlled by algorithms designed to mimic different parts of the human visual system. Rather than capturing and mapping its surroundings over and over in order to plan its route--the way most robots do--the European machine uses a simulated neural network to update its position relative to the environment, continually adjusting to each new input. This mimics human visual processing and movement planning.

Ginormous jellyfish may destroy Japan's fishing industry.

From Pink Tentacle:

Japanese researchers monitoring the activity of giant jellyfish in Chinese waters are warning of a potentially historic and catastrophic invasion this year.

Marine surveys conducted in late June have revealed alarming numbers of Nomura’s jellyfish — massive creatures that grow up to 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) in diameter and weigh as much as to 220 kilograms (about 450 lbs) — lurking in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. The researchers warn that ocean currents may bring swarms of the monster jellies to Japan, which has been plagued by similar invasions in recent years.

Based on what they have seen so far, the researchers warn this year’s onslaught of Nomura’s jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai, or Echizen kurage in Japanese) could deliver a massive blow to Japan’s fishing industry, rivaling even the devastating 2005 deluge that caused tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) in damage nationwide.

Game show looks to convert atheists.

No swamis, no swamis, no swamis STOP! From Yahoo! News:

What happens when you put a Muslim imam, a Christian priest, a rabbi and a Buddhist monk in a room with 10 atheists?

Turkish television station Kanal T hopes the answer is a ratings success as it prepares to launch a gameshow where spiritual guides from the four faiths will seek to convert a group of non-believers.

The prize for converts will be a pilgrimage to a holy site of their chosen religion -- Mecca for Muslims, the Vatican for Christians, Jerusalem for Jews and Tibet for Buddhists.

But religious authorities in Muslim but secular Turkey are not amused by the twist on the popular reality game show format and the Religious Affairs Directorate is refusing to provide an imam for the show.

"Doing something like this for the sake of ratings is disrespectful to all religions. Religion should not be a subject for entertainment programs," High Board of Religious Affairs Chairman Hamza Aktan told state news agency Anatolian after news of the planned program emerged.

The makers of "Penitents Compete" are unrepentant and reject claims that the show, scheduled to begin broadcasting in September, will cheapen religion.

"We are giving the biggest prize in the world, the gift of belief in God," Kanal T chief executive Seyhan Soylu told Reuters.

"We don't approve of anyone being an atheist. God is great and it doesn't matter which religion you believe in. The important thing is to believe," Soylu said.

Japanese to pop American cherries.

From Fresh Plaza:

A new agreement has been reached with the Japanese government. Growers are now able to immediately export their cherries to Japan.

There's been a change in protocol when it comes to shipping cherries to Japan. Now the cherries can be shipped sooner, meaning fresher cherries and better sales over seas.

Under the old restrictions Washington cherries had to be fumigated for bugs before they could be sent to Japan. This treatment could delay the shipment by two-weeks and it cost growers lots of money. Now the cherries only need to be inspected before being shipped out. This means the cherries will be shipped fresher and farmers will pay less in the process.

Coozer-Bits.

RUW: Panasonic creates robot that dispenses drugs.

Yipes: Super prickly cacti spreading in Australia. One prick can puncture a truck tire!

Sports: Yankees fan wins suit after being thrown out for pee break during "God Bless America."

Health: Nutrition labeling systems becoming more confusing, meaningless.

Misc: Britain launches full-scale review of its armed forces.

Dorky: Outer space gets its own internet. Uranus porn!

Aww: Dogs communicate where to find tasty treats through sniffing breath.

Yipes: Japan scientists to breed "super tuna"!

Politics: Half TRILLION dollar transportation bill mostly bipartisan earmarks and corruption.

Goldblum: Behind the fake report of The Goldblum's impossible demise.

Misc: Al Gore talks about something other than Sarah Palin or Michael Jackson. I guess it's not important.

Dorky: 15 science fiction film sequels that don't utterly suck.

Duh: Costa Rica is the world's happiest place.

Yipes: Top-class restaurant opens up inside of prison.

Science: Why were dinosaurs so big anyway?

Aww: Study: Self-help programs just make you feel worse.

Mountain lays eggs.

From Ananova:

Tourism chiefs in China are trying to attract visitors by claiming that a mountain lays eggs.

Officials at Gulu village, Guizhou province, claim a cliff of Gandeng Mountain has laid more than 100 eggs, reports Guizhou Metropolis News.

They claim the eggs, as big as car tyres, appear in 'sockets' in the cliff around every two years.

Yang Shengjia, director of the local tourism bureau, said: "Another mountain egg is expected to be laid soon.

"If people, like visitors, can have long enough patience, they may view the astonishing scene of the mountain laying an egg."

Robots invade ramen noodle shops.

Robots in charge of our noodles?! When will humankind learn? From CNET:

Just when you thought your noodle waterslide was the height of Japanese food gadgetry, a ramen shop in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi, Japan, is gaining popularity for its robot chef.

Technically the robot doesn't make the noodles, instead assembling the bowl, including the customized flavor options. Customers place orders on a computer, customizing aspects such as the levels of soy sauce and salt, and richness of the soup. Shop owner Yoshihara Uchida says there are 40 million different flavor permutations.

[...] The robot was completed in December 2008 after five years of trial and error, including computer crashes caused by spilled soup. Uchida wants to mass produce the robot in the future and "leave my mark out there," which means one day you too can have a ramen robot.

Thief tries to rob man at fork point.

From the NYPD's daily blotter (no link):

Stick a fork in this guy.

A sloshed thief tried to rob a man at forkpoint at a New Dorp train station, sources said.

Luis Vasquez, 20, allegedly jumped off the westbound platform and crossed over both tracks to get to his victim at 1:30 a.m. July 4. He jumped up on the eastbound platform and allegedly began rifling through the victim's pockets.

When the victim started to squirm, the bandit whipped out the utensil and tried to stick him with it. He then punched him in the face and fled. Vasquez was charged with attempted robbery and criminal possession of a weapon, said a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

New evidence that vinegar fights fat.

We reported this a couple of months ago (and I've been putting apple cider vinegar on everything since, to no avail). From Science Daily:

Researchers in Japan are reporting new evidence that the ordinary vinegar — a staple in oil-and-vinegar salad dressings, pickles, and other foods — may live up to its age-old reputation in folk medicine as a health promoter. They are reporting new evidence that vinegar can help prevent accumulation of body fat and weight gain.

Tomoo Kondo and colleagues note in the new study that vinegar has also been used as a folk medicine since ancient times. People have used it for a range of ills. Modern scientific research suggests that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, may help control blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and fat accumulation.

Their new study showed that laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet and given acetic acid developed significantly less body fat (up to 10 percent less) than other mice.

Importantly, the new research adds evidence to the belief that acetic acid fights fat by turning on genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes. The genes churn out proteins involved in breaking down fats, thus suppressing body fat accumulation in the body.

90,000 seals to be clubbed to death.

You know, I always thought seal clubbing was funny, but that's because I didn't realize people actually did it. WTF, Namibia. From Huffington Post:

Namibia's annual commercial seal hunt will go on despite objections by animal welfare groups, a government official said Monday.

Frans Tsheehama of the Namibian fisheries and marine resources ministry said that the season started on July 1 and will run until Nov. 15.

Hunters are expected to club over 90,000 seals, including 85,000 pups.

The hunt was expected to begin last week, but there was confusion over whether the killings had begun after numerous media reports that a South African-based animal rights activist was in negotiations to halt them.

Namibia is one of only a few remaining countries with a commercial seal harvest. The government argues that the seal population needs to be controlled to protect fish stocks.

However, animal rights activists say the practice is inhumane and outdated.

Seals are hunted for skins, fur and meat, and seal genitals are sold as traditional medicines and aphrodisiacs in Asia.

Two strong coffees a day can reverse Alzheimer's.

From Daily Mail:

Drinking two strong cups of coffee a day could keep Alzheimer's disease at bay - and may even reverse some of its symptoms, a study suggests.

Researchers have uncovered evidence that caffeine not only helps to stave off dementia, but can also treat it.

Although the findings come from animal research, the scientists say they are some of the most promising experiments of their kind ever done.

Dr Gary Arendash, who led the study at the University of South Florida, said: 'The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable treatment for established Alzheimer's dis-ease, and not simply a protective strategy.

'That's important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people. It easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process.'

Chicago cabbie kidnaps woman, forces her to spit in his face.

I'd spit in his face. With a hammer. From Chicago Sun-Times and thanks to Christy.

A taxi driver from Evanston licked a 24-year-old customer's feet and forced her to spit in his face and rub his nipples during an attack in the back of his cab over the July 4th weekend, Cook County prosecutors said Monday.

The Rockford woman was lost late Friday and was trying to reconnect with her friend when she hailed Fred Batrony's cab at Clark and Fullerton, authorities said. During the ride the woman fell asleep. When she awoke, she found herself in a secluded "forest type area" and saw Batrony nestle up to her in the passenger seat, assistant state's attorney George Canellis said.

Batrony, 55, started talking "naughty" to the woman, asking her to spit on him and touch him, according to a police report. She eventually complied because she was afraid, Canellis said before Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered Batrony held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Batrony also licked the woman's toes and feet when he sexually abused her, Canellis said. Afterward, the Port-au-Prince, Haiti, native allegedly asked the victim where she needed to go, and he drove her to Clark and Diversey.

Ryanair to make passengers stand up during flights.

Honestly, it would probably be more comfortable to stand anyway. From Daily Mail:

Ryanair wants passengers to stand during its flights so the budget airline can squeeze more people onboard.

The Irish air carrier plans to cut costs by making fliers perch on stools with seatbelts around their waists.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary has already held talks with US plane manufacturer Boeing about designing an aircraft with standing room.

Should the idea get the go-ahead from the Irish Aviation Authority, the airline plans to either order new jets or refurbish its existing fleet.

Ryanair estimates it would be able to pack in 30 per cent more passengers while slashing costs by 20 per cent.

Spokesman Stephen McNamara said: 'It would be vertical seating more akin to a stool and the person would still be strapped in."

Coozer-Bits.

Lame: Georgia freemasons confused by black member.

Biz: 10 dumbest moments in business in 2009 (so far).

Creepy: Rabbit-obsessed woman sent back to jail after being caught in hotel room with... rabbits.

Film: Harry Potter actor has swine flu.

Eats: The truth behind Coke, Dr. Pepper, and KFC's secret recipes. (Hint: 10 of KFC's 11 secret herbs and spices is MSG.)

Awesome: Spanish police foil prison escape by zeppelin!

Booze: Australian wine now cheaper than water. (And about as flavorful.)

D'oh: Top spy's wife accidentally discloses everything on Facebook.

Booze: Drink beer, win a trip to outer space!

Daily sex makes for healthier sperm.

Damn, this sucks. Can I have the daily sex without the super potent sperm? From Yahoo! Canada:

Having sex every day improves the quality of men's sperm and is recommended for couples trying to conceive, according to new research.

Until now doctors have debated whether or not men should refrain from sex for a few days before attempting to conceive with their partner to improve the chance of pregnancy.

But a new study by Dr David Greening of Sydney IVF, an Australian center for infertility and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, suggests abstinence is not the right approach.

He studied 118 men with above-average sperm DNA damage and found the quality of their sperm increased significantly after they were told to ejaculate daily for seven days.

On average, their DNA fragmentation index -- a measure of sperm damage -- fell to 26 percent from 34 percent, Greening told the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam on Tuesday.

Frequent sex does decrease semen volume but for most men this is not a problem.

"It seems safe to conclude that couples with relatively normal semen parameters should have sex daily for up to a week before the ovulation date," he said in a statement.

Marion Barry charged with stalking.

From AP News:

Police say former Washington Mayor Marion Barry has been arrested and charged with stalking a woman.

The United States Park Police said Barry, a current D.C. Council member, was arrested Saturday in Washington after a woman flagged down an officer and complained that Barry was stalking her.

Barry was charged with misdemeanor stalking and released.

A message left seeking comment from a spokeswoman for Barry wasn't immediately returned early Sunday.

Barry served four terms as mayor. In his third, he was videotaped in 1990 in a hotel room smoking crack cocaine in an FBI sting. He served six months in prison and in 1994 regained the mayor's office.

Beer bellies caused by genetics, not beer!

Best news all weekend. From Daily Mail:

Beer lovers across Britain will be raising a glass to the latest research on drinking.

For scientists have discovered that the so-called 'beer belly' is not caused by consuming alcohol – but more to do with genetics.

A study of thousands of beer drinkers found that although people who drink regularly are more likely to put on weight, they do not necessarily accumulate fat around the abdomen.

Researchers monitored more than 20,000 people – 7,876 men and 12,749 women – over an average of eight-and-a-half years.

Men who were classed as the heaviest drinkers – regularly consuming two pints of beer a day – put on the most weight.

But when the researchers then measured hip-to-waist ratios to establish which drinkers developed a pot belly, the results were randomly spread across all drinking groups.

The scientists concluded that genetic factors dictating how people put on weight were more significant than drinking beer.

However, they insist that their findings do not mean that drinking should be encouraged, and recommend giving up alcohol completely to avoid gaining weight.

Monorail! Monorail!

From ABC:

Two monorail trains crashed early Sunday morning in the Magic Kingdom section of Walt Disney World, killing one train's operator, emergency officials said.

The transit system, which shuttles thousands of visitors around the sprawling resort each day, was shut down while authorities investigated the holiday weekend wreck.

The monorail operator died at the scene of the crash, which happened around 2 a.m., said Bo Jones, deputy chief for Reedy Creek Fire Department. The other train operator was not injured, but was taken to a hospital because he was emotionally shaken. Jones said five park guests were treated at the scene, though the Orange County Sheriff's office said six were treated.