Anpanman sets record for most characters.

I love Anpanman and have a few of the toys! From Japan Times:

The TV program "Anpanman" has been recognized by Guinness World Records as having the most characters in an animated series, Nippon TV said.

As of March, the weekly program had featured 1,768 different characters, according to an official Guinness registration in June, NTV spokeswoman Shigeko Chino said Thursday.

The television version of "Anpanman" began airing on Oct. 3, 1988. Long popular with children, the titular hero's head is a bun filled with sweet bean paste, hence the name, which means Red-Bean-Bread Man in English.

Most of the other characters are related to food, including Shokupanman (Loaf-of-Bread Man), Jamu-Ojisan (Jam-Middle-Aged Man) and Omusubiman (Rice-Ball Man.)

The "anime" teaches children to wash their hands and brush their teeth by showing Anpanman always defeating his archrival, Baikinman (Germ Man).

"We received this honor because we have kept airing the program for 21 years. Those who were children then have become adults and are watching it with their own children," NTV producer Toshio Nakatani said in a statement.

In addition to the TV series, there have been 20 "Anpanman" movies.

"The 'Anpanman' series has had more than 2,000 characters and the figure is increasing, but the Guinness registration is very strict and they recognized only 1,768," said Takashi Yanase, the series' creator.

Anti-gay, pro-abstinence state senator has affair with young intern.

Wait... Paul Stanley?? From Raw Story:

A Republican state senator from Tennessee–who is married and the father of two– has admitted to police that he had sex with a 22 year old intern after her boyfriend allegedly demanded money from the legislator to not make public a video of the legislator and intern having sex.

State Sen. Paul Stanley only recently sponsored legislation designed to prohibit gay couples in his home state from ever adopting children. He has also opposed family planning services, explaining that his “faith and church” require him to “promote abstinence.” And Stanley has run as a “pro-family” candidate in his campaigns for the Tennessee State Senate.

On Thursday, Stanley resigned his chairmanship of the Tennessee State Senate’s Commerce committee.

Stanley himself admitted to police that he had had a “sexual relationship” with the intern and had taken nude pictures of her in “provocative poses,” according to a sworn affidavit police made public yesterday. The couple also filmed a video of themselves having sex together.

Scientists build mice out of skin cells.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Two teams of Chinese researchers working separately have reprogrammed mature skin cells of mice to an embryonic-like state and used the resulting cells to create live mouse offspring.

The reprogramming may bring scientists one step closer to creating medically useful stem-cell lines for treating human disease without having to resort to controversial laboratory techniques. However, the advance poses fresh ethical challenges because the results could make it easier to create human clones and babies with specific genetic traits.

The latest findings are a bit of a surprise, given that Chinese scientists' contribution to lab-based stem-cell research has been modest over the years. However, Chinese scientists have been publishing more basic-research findings than in the past. The country is more known for its growing trade in unproven stem-cell therapies that have attracted patients from around the world. Reports suggest that China's health authorities have moved to regulate such activities.

Makers of corpse-eating robot try to calm public.

Hilarious press release from the company that makes the EATR robot, which frightened us so last week. Thanks to Kaiser for this update!

POMPANO BEACH, Fla.– In response to rumors circulating the internet on sites such as FoxNews.com, FastCompany.com and CNET News about a “flesh eating” robot project, Cyclone Power Technologies Inc. (Pink Sheets:CYPW) and Robotic Technology Inc. (RTI) would like to set the record straight: This robot is strictly vegetarian.

On July 7, Cyclone announced that it had completed the first stage of development for a beta biomass engine system used to power RTI’s Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR™), a Phase II SBIR project sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Sciences Office. RTI’s EATR is an autonomous robotic platform able to perform long-range, long-endurance missions without the need for manual or conventional re-fueling.

RTI’s patent pending robotic system will be able to find, ingest and extract energy from biomass in the environment. Despite the far-reaching reports that this includes “human bodies,” the public can be assured that the engine Cyclone has developed to power the EATR runs on fuel no scarier than twigs, grass clippings and wood chips – small, plant-based items for which RTI’s robotic technology is designed to forage. Desecration of the dead is a war crime under Article 15 of the Geneva Conventions, and is certainly not something sanctioned by DARPA, Cyclone or RTI.

“We completely understand the public’s concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission,” stated Harry Schoell, Cyclone’s CEO. “We are focused on demonstrating that our engines can create usable, green power from plentiful, renewable plant matter. The commercial applications alone for this earth-friendly energy solution are enormous.” (emphasis in the original)

French chipmunks carrying fatal diseases are invading England.

Finally, chipmunks succeed where Napoleon did not.

Thousands of chipmunks carrying potentially fatal diseases have been spreading west across Europe and have reached Paris.

Many carry ticks infected with the Borrelia bacterium that causes Lyme disease, a nerve illness that can disable and even kills victims if not treated early enough.

French experts warn that the animals, which can also carry rabies, could soon reach Calais and sneak aboard vehicles and vessels heading to Britain.

Officials have also warned tourists not to smuggle them into the UK as pets.

Some unscrupulous French pet shops are offering chipmunks for less than £10 each, despite repeated warnings of the danger.

More here.

UK losing 52 pubs a week.

From BBC:

UK pubs closed at a rate of 52 per week in the first half of the year - a third more than the same period in 2008 - the British Beer & Pub Association said.

Local pubs were the most vulnerable as communities were hit by the fallout of the economic downturn, it added.

The research suggested businesses that provided food were far more resilient to the recession.

And branded pubs and cafe-style bars were opening at a rate of two a week, according to the report.

"Pubs are already diversifying, but unfortunately if you are a community pub, you can't transform yourself into a trendy town-centre bar," said an association spokesman.

"The biggest impact is the recession. There are fewer people out and fewer people spending money in pubs and bars, regardless of where they are," he said.

Cannibal looking for love.

Ladies - he's single! From News.com.au:

An Indonesian cannibal is seeking love, promising his people-eating days are over.

Sumanto, currently residing in rural Central Java, was jailed after he dug up an old woman's body for a "cheap and tasty meal".

"She was delicious," he told AFP from his room at a Muslim mental rehabilitation centre in rural Central Java.

"I love meat... all types of meat as long as it's cooked. But I don't eat people anymore."

But after a lengthy stint in prison, the former farmer now longs for the taste of love.

"What is love? How can I describe it when I've never experienced it, never tasted it?"

Sumanto said his cannibal days are over and that spinach was all he ate nowadays in a bid to be accepted back into normal village life.

"I'm sad. People said so many bad things about me. I will strive to get the villagers to open their hearts and accept me again," he said.

King of Kong director to helm King Dork.

Cool news as I'm a huge fan of both King of Kong and anything Dr. Frank does! From SlashFilm:

Seth Gordon, director of The King of Kong, is in talks to direct a big screen adaptation of Frank Portman’s young King Dork. The high school dramedy is about a teenage misfit who seeks refuge in music, and tries to uncover the truth about his father’s death.

The novel was published in 2006 and was quickly optioned to be a feature film by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Originally set-up at Paramount Vantage, the project has now moved to Sony Pictures. This project seems a lot better a fit for Gordon than the Reese Witherspoon/Vince Vaughn comedy Four Christmases, which was released last year and earned $163 million worldwide.

Gordon has a bunch of projects setup: A Bottle Rocket like Hiest comedy Suicide Squad, Mr. Romance - a romantic comedy about a “a cynical guy who is forced to enter the Mr. Romance competition to win back the love of his life”, and a feature adaptation of King of Kong which I doubt will ever happen. It is unclear which project will go into production first, both Suicide Squad and King Dork sound like great options.

GOP putting NRA lunacy into defense bill.

This is nuts. From ABC News:

A vote is expected today on a proposal that would allow certain gunowners to bring their weapons across state lines.

The amendment would let people with concealed weapons permits carry their guns into other states as long as they follow that state's laws about where concealed weapons are permissible.

Just two states would not be part of the plan: Illinois and Wisconsin do not issue any conceal and carry permits so the amendment wouldn't affect them.

"Law-abiding South Dakotans should be able to exercise the right to bear arms in states with similar regulations on concealed firearms," the amendment's author, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said in a statement released Monday. "My legislation enables citizens to protect themselves while respecting individual state firearms laws."

And an editorial from Newsday:

An amendment that would allow the legislatures of other states to dictate who can carry concealed weapons here in New York is a deadly bit of mischief that the U.S. Senate should reject. If it becomes law, states would be required to honor concealed carry permits issued by any other state.

That would be one-size-fits-all at its worst, making the most lax state gun laws in the nation the de facto national standard. New York has tough carry laws and rigorously screens applicants. But in Alaska, for instance, even people guilty of misdemeanor sex offenses against children aren't disqualified, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. And under the amendment sponsored by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a permit from Alaska would be enough to legally carry loaded, concealed weapons in New York.

Illegal gun dealers must be salivating. With a permit from an indulgent state and a stash of handguns bought someplace where few questions are asked, an ambitious criminal could come to New York, walk the streets with dozens of loaded guns and run afoul of the law only if caught in the act of selling one.

The Thune amendment has been attached to the defense authorization bill, so anyone who votes against it can be accused of not supporting the troops. Senators shouldn't be intimidated. But if this lunacy survives in the Senate, it should be shot down in the House.

Man sniffing gasoline bursts into flames after cop Tasers him.

From Daily Mail:

A man whose relatives say had been sniffing gasoline burst into flames after a police officer Tasered him as he ran at officials carrying a container of fuel, police said today.

The man, identified by his family as 36-year-old Ronald Mitchell, was in critical condition at a Perth hospital Western Australia following the incident yesterday in Warburton, an Aboriginal community northeast of Perth.

When police arrived at his mother's house to respond to a complaint, Mr Mitchell is said to have charged at them while holding a can of petrol and a cigarette lighter.

An officer fired the Taser and the darts struck Mr Mitchell on the bridge of his nose - and he burst into flames.

Police doused the fire, which had engulfed his head, and he was later flown to Perth for treatment to third-degree burns on 20 per cent of his body.

Pending solar eclipse harbinger of doom.

From Yahoo! News:

Indian astrologers are predicting violence and turmoil across the world as a result of this week's total solar eclipse, which the superstitious and religious view as a sign of potential doom.

But astronomers, scientists and secularists are trying to play down claims of evil portent in connection with Wednesday's natural spectacle, when the moon will come between the Earth and the sun, completely obscuring the sun.

In Hindu mythology, the two demons Rahu and Ketu are said to "swallow" the sun during eclipses, snuffing out its life-giving light and causing food to become inedible and water undrinkable.

Pregnant women are advised to stay indoors to prevent their babies developing birth defects, while prayers, fasting and ritual bathing, particularly in holy rivers, are encouraged.

Airport travelators actually slow passengers down.

I never use them. From New Scientist:

Your flight leaves in 10 minutes and you've only just made it through security. As you run to your gate you come to a corridor with a moving walkway. Should you hop on?

Maybe not. People on travelators actually tend to slow their pace, making time-savings minimal, and a new study helps to explain why.

Manoj Srinivasan, a locomotion researcher at Princeton University, created two mathematical models of how people travel on such walkways. In the first, he assumed people walk in a way that minimises the energy they expend, a standard theory in locomotion research. In the second, he assumed people walk in a way that best makes sense of the signals relayed from their eyes and legs.

Srinivasan's models predict that when a person steps onto a moving walkway, they slow their foot speed by about half the speed of the walkway. This suggests that our desires to conserve energy and to resolve the conflict between visual cues and leg muscle signals - your eyes tell you that you are going faster than your legs are taking you - slow us down so that our total speed is only slightly greater than it would have been on regular ground.

This may save energy, but even under ideal conditions of no congestion and no baggage a walkway only makes a small difference in travel time - about 11 seconds for a 100-metre stretch.

Woman teaches dog to read.

Meanwhile, my cat likes to lick paper. From Ananova:

New York animal trainer Lyssa Rosenberg has taught her terrier to obey simple written commands.

Willow plays dead when she sees the word 'bang', stretches a paw in the air when she sees 'wave' and gets up on her back feet to beg when she sees the words 'sit up'.

"She's an unbelievably quick learner," said Ms Rosenberg, who has trained other dogs to appear in TV adverts and pose on photo shoots.

"She can do 250 different things and I used to joke that I would teach her how to pour me a martini. Then for a bet I told a friend I would teach her to read. He promised me a free trip to Mexico if I could do it.

"It took her just six weeks to recognise words and respond to them. And it isn't just my handwriting she understands. My friend printed the words Willow learned off the computer and she reacted to them.

"Well I won the bet and Willow came with me to Mexico."

Willow has her own pet passport and regularly flies transatlantic to visit Ms Rosenberg's husband Gareth Howells, in Guildford, Surrey.

Willow was also the second witness at the couple's wedding at New York City Hall in March - signing the marriage certificate with an inky paw print.

Soccer manager shot dead in front of players.

Sad. More here.

A football manager was shot dead in front of horrified children after being ambushed by a masked gunman.

Ryan Musgrove, 36, was blasted six times by his attacker, who hid in bushes waiting for him at playing fields on Thursday night as children played nearby.

The killer, wearing a white mask and skiing goggles, fled on a mountain bike leaving his victim in a pool of blood.
Teammates chased the gunman but he disappeared into nearby fields at West Wickham, north Kent.

Mr Musgrove, a divorced electrician with a teenage son and daughter, died at the scene before medics arrived, despite frantic attempts to save him.

Last night forensic experts searched woodland as police investigated if there was any link to gang violence.

Detective Chief Inspector John McFarlane said: 'It was obviously a planned, callous attack. The victim was a family man, he was a father and an innocent victim.'

Wienermobile crashes into house.

Here's some news you might relish:

One southern Wisconsin homeowner is probably not in love with the Oscar Mayer wiener. The famed hot dog's Wienermobile crashed Friday into the deck and garage of a home in Mount Pleasant, about 35 miles south of Milwaukee.

Police said the driver was trying to turn the Wienermobile around in the driveway and thought she was moving in reverse. But she instead went forward and hit the home. It sat in the driveway as if it were stuck in the garage Friday afternoon.

No one was home and no one was injured. No citations were immediately issued.

Both the home and vehicle suffered moderate damage, which Oscar Mayer spokeswoman Sydney Lindner says insurance will cover.

More here.

Giant jellyfish attacking Scotland.

They're everywhere!! From Daily Mail:

Jellyfish up to half a metre long have been appearing on beaches in Scotland following a rise in sea temperature.

Holidaymakers playing on the sands around Banff in the Moray Firth north of Aberdeen have been warned to beware giant stinging jellyfish which have been washed up in their thousands this summer.

'It's very rare to see 40cm plus common jellyfish but the waters have been full of them over the last few weeks,' said Dr Kevin Robertson, of the Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit.

'The temperatures are very much higher in the coastal waters this year. Normally at this time of year we measure maximum temperatures of about 14 or maybe 15 degrees, but we are well into higher figures at the moment - around 17 degrees at least.

'It's created ideal conditions for a jellyfish boom and we are seeing much larger specimens than usual as they fulfil their full growth potential.'

Swarms of carnivorous, giant, flying squid terrorize San Diego coast.

The children of Cthulhu have risen! (Thanks Louie D!) More here:

Jumbo flying squid have invaded the shallow waters off San Diego, California, spooking scuba divers and beachgoers after washing up dead on the beaches.

The carnivorous cephalopods, which weigh up to 45kg (100lb), came up from the depths last week, with swarms of them roughing up unsuspecting divers. Some reported tentacles enveloping their masks and yanking at their cameras and gear.

Stories of close encounters with the squid have chased many divers out of the water and created a whirlwind of excitement among those torn between their personal safety and the once-in-a-lifetime chance to swim with the deep-sea giants.

The so-called Humboldt squid, named after the current in the eastern Pacific, have been known to attack humans and are nicknamed "red devils" for their rust-red colouring and mean streak. Divers wanting to observe the creatures often bait the water, use a metal viewing cage or wear chainmail to avoid being lashed by the creature's tentacles.

Canada and Mexico squabbling over visas.

And of course, the US is caught in the middle (geographically). From Yahoo! Canada:

Mexico on Thursday retaliated against Canada for imposing new visa requirements on Mexicans wishing to visit Canada, saying Canadian officials and diplomats would now need visas to enter Mexico.

Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa announced the move at the State Department in Washington where she held talks with Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. She said Mexico would not force Canadian tourists - who number 1.3 million a year and are vital to the Mexican economy - to get visas to visit.

She and Cannon both said they were hopeful that a resolution to the diplomatic spat could be reached quickly. Canada on Tuesday began requiring visas from travellers from Mexico and the Czech Republic after Canadian authorities determined that the number of false refugee claims from those two countries was inordinantly high.

Ned's Atomic Dustbin reunited this year!

*tumbleweed*

Well, kinda cool I guess. More here.

British police who practice witchcraft to get 8 paid holidays.

This rules. I guarantee you they'll recognize the Jedi faith soon within 3-5 years. From Daily Mail:

Policemen who have admitted using witchcraft to gain promotions at work have persuaded the Home Office to allow them to set up a Pagan Police Association.

The officers are even given special dispensation to take eight pagan holidays a year, including Halloween and the summer solstice.

PC Andy Pardy, of Hertfordshire Police, met with Home Office chiefs this week to push for the creation of an officially sanctioned pagan support group for police officers around the UK.

Pagans worship nature and believe in many gods, and practices include witchcraft and druidism.

PC Pardy, who has been an officer for the past seven years, is a heathen - which means he worships Norse gods, including hammer-wielding Thor, the one-eyed Odin and the god of fertility, complete with huge phallus, Freyr.

New military robots could feed on corpses.

I don't even have words for this. I can only quiver in fear. From Raw Story:

Wonderful: your most horrible military-death-cyborg-synergy dreams come true.

A Maryland company under contract with the Pentagon is developing a robot that can burn organic material and use collected debris as fuel -- including, but not limited to, things like sticks, grass, debris -- and dead bodies. Fox News reports:

"Robotic Technology Inc.'s Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot — that's right, "EATR" — "can find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment (and other organically-based energy sources), as well as use conventional and alternative fuels (such as gasoline, heavy fuel, kerosene, diesel, propane, coal, cooking oil, and solar) when suitable," reads the company's Web site.

"That "biomass" and "other organically-based energy sources" wouldn't necessarily be limited to plant material — animal and human corpses contain plenty of energy, and they'd be plentiful in a war zone.

"EATR will be powered by the Waste Heat Engine developed by Cyclone Power Technology of Pompano Beach, Fla., which uses an "external combustion chamber" burning up fuel to heat up water in a closed loop, generating electricity.

"The advantages to the military are that the robot would be extremely flexible in fuel sources and could roam on its own for months, even years, without having to be refueled or serviced.

"Upon the EATR platform, the Pentagon could build all sorts of things — a transport, an ambulance, a communications center, even a mobile gunship."

The article notes that the Pentagon could use the EATR as the foundation for any number of battlefield vehicles, be they ambulances, transports or actual weapons-oriented machines.

Robotic Technology, Inc. provides more palatable details about their project -- which they describe as simply a foraging robot. Cadavers aren't mentioned.

Man charged $23 quadrillion for cigarettes.

That's about how much a pack costs in NYC... From FOX News:

A New Hampshire man says he swiped his debit card at a gas station to buy a pack of cigarettes and was charged over 23 quadrillion dollars.

Josh Muszynski checked his account online a few hours after the purchase and saw the 17-digit number — a stunning $23,148,855,308,184,500 (twenty-three quadrillion, one hundred forty-eight trillion, eight hundred fifty-five billion, three hundred eight million, one hundred eighty-four thousand, five hundred dollars).

Muszynski told WMUR-TV that he spent two hours on the phone with Bank of America trying to sort out the string of numbers — and the $15 overdraft fee.

The bank corrected the error the next day.

Bank of America said the card issuer, Visa, could answer questions. Visa, in turn, referred questions to the bank.

Goldblum "touched" by death reports.

So philosophical and incapable of anger! The Goldblum is truly benevolent.

Jeff Goldblum says he was "touched" by false reports that he had died during a trip to New Zealand last month.

The rumours, which began spreading on June 26, suggested Goldblum had fallen to his death while filming in New Zealand.

"Reports that Jeff Goldblum has passed away are completely untrue. He is fine and in Los Angeles," Goldblum's publicist Evelyn Karamanos told Stuff.co.nz on the day the rumours started spreading.

The viral spread of the Goldblum story triggered a flood of calls to New Zealand police, and Inspector Kerry Watson issued a statement: "Police at Kerikeri are receiving phone calls regarding a person falling from a cliff at Kauri Cliff. There is no such incident and police have no information to provide''.

Goldblum said he wasn't angry about the rumours and he thought they were "touching".

"This was a rare opportunity to experience your own death," Contactmusic.com reported the Jurassic Park star as saying.

"(Fans) still run into me on the street (and say), 'Glad to see you're alive!' I reconnected with people I hadn't seen in a long time.

"I wasn't angry, I was touched."

More here.

300,000 Tamil civilians languishing in detainee camps.

This is terrible. From the Toronto Star:

CHEDDIKULAM, Sri Lanka – Hundreds of thousands of Tamils remain locked in camps almost entirely off-limits to journalists, human rights investigators and political leaders. The Sri Lankan government says that the people in the camps are a security risk because Tamil Tiger fighters are hiding among them.

But diplomats, analysts, aid workers and many Sri Lankans worry that the historic chance to finally bring to a close one of the world's most enduring ethnic conflicts is slipping away, as the government curtails the rights of Tamil civilians in its efforts to stamp out the last remnants of the Tigers.

"The government told these people it would look after them,'' said Veerasingham Anandasangaree, a prominent Tamil politician who has been a staunch supporter of the government's fight against the Tamil Tigers. "But instead they have locked them up like animals with no date certain of when they will be released. This is simply asking for another conflict later on down the road.''

The Sri Lankan government has portrayed its final battle against the 26-year insurgency by the Tamil Tigers, which ended in late May with the killing of the group's leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, as a rescue mission to liberate civilians held hostage by one of the world's richest and most ruthless armed groups, branded terrorists by governments across the globe.

Taller people earn more money.

From Science Daily:

Taller men are able to earn more money than their shorter counterparts simply because taller people are perceived to be more intelligent and powerful, this according to a study published in The Economic Record by Wiley-Blackwell.

The study entitled "Does Size Matter in Australia?" uses newly available data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to estimate the relationship between hourly wages and two aspects of body size: height and BMI.

It finds that taller people, particularly men, earn more money - with every five centimetres of height being worth about $950 per annum.

"Our estimates suggest that if the average man of about 178 centimetres gains an additional five centimetres in height, he would be able to earn an extra $950 per year - which is approximately equal to the wage gain from one extra year of labour market experience", explained co-author Professor Andrew Leigh.

Turtles have shells due to embryo origami.

This is neat! From National Geographic:

Turtles develop their upper shells thanks to a unique feat of "origami" with their muscles and bones that occurs while the reptiles are still in their eggs, a new study has found.

In most other animals with backbones, the shoulder blade lies outside the ribs, explained study team leader Shigeru Kuratani of Japan's RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology.

But in turtles, the ribs grow over the shoulder blades and fuse to form the upper shell.

To figure out when exactly turtles start to develop differently, Kuratani and his team examined various stages of embryos of Chinese soft-shelled turtles, chickens, and mice.

Initially, turtle embryos develop like the birds and mammals do, the team found.

But as turtles mature, their bodies undergo an unusual folding process during which certain portions of their skeletons and muscles tuck in on themselves.

This folding causes some bones and muscles to connect in ways that they don't in other animals.

Legions of Japanese robots are being laid off.

This may be how the Great Robot Uprising begins. Perhaps they won't be envious of our squishy flesh, but of our jobs. From the NY Times:

They may be the most efficient workers in the world. But in the global downturn, they are having a tough time finding jobs.

Japan’s legions of robots, the world’s largest fleet of mechanized workers, are being idled as the country suffers its deepest recession in more than a generation as consumers worldwide cut spending on cars and gadgets.

At a large Yaskawa Electric factory on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, where robots once churned out more robots, a lone robotic worker with steely arms twisted and turned, testing its motors for the day new orders return. Its immobile co-workers stood silent in rows, many with arms frozen in midair.

They could be out of work for a long time. Japanese industrial production has plummeted almost 40 percent and with it, the demand for robots.

California to shut down 80% of its state parks.

From The Guardian:

It is hard to envisage a no-entry sign tagged to a towering redwood tree. But the recession – writ on an epic scale in California's proposal to close 220 state parks – is forcing the American public to confront the closure of the great outdoors.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's governor, is trying to make up a $26bn (£16bn) budget shortfall, and has suggested that California can no longer afford to run its parks.

Conservationists are meanwhile arguing that California cannot afford not to. And this week the federal government appeared to partly agree, with the National Parks Service threatening to seize some of the sites if Schwarzenegger goes ahead with the closures.

The proposed shutdown of the parks would affect 80% of California's nature reserves, historic sites and recreation areas, and restrict access to 30% of the state's coastline. Affected areas would stretch from the mountains of the Sierra Nevadas to the beaches and wetlands of Big Sur, and to the deserts of San Diego, where some of the last peninsular bighorn sheep roam.

DC checkpoints ruled unconstitutional in civil rights victory.

Yeah, this was crazy. DC police wouldn't let people drive on their own streets. From the Partnership for Civil Justice:

In an unanimous and strongly worded ruling, a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has declared the District of Columbia’s so-called Neighborhood Safety Zone checkpoint program to be unconstitutional, reversing a lower court ruling in favor of the municipality.

The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund filed the lawsuit challenging the military style checkpoint program whereby police may surround a targeted neighborhood, interrogate people without suspicion, and prohibit entry to those persons who lack a police-defined “legitimate reason” for driving into the neighborhood.

"This decision constitutes a major victory for civil rights and civil liberties for people in the District of Columbia and throughout the country," stated Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, attorney and co-founder of the Partnership for Civil Justice, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of four D.C. residents. Verheyden-Hilliard continued: "We asserted in our lawsuit that the military-style checkpoints were blatantly unconstitutional and we sought a preliminary injunction in a U.S. federal district court. The lower court ruled in favor of the District of Columbia and the police, and determined that the checkpoint program was legal and constitutional. Today's U.S. Court of Appeals statement overturned the lower court decision. This decision is extremely significant because if the government had succeeded in establishing military-style checkpoints in D.C., it would have been a model used in urban areas around the country."

Pain in childbirth "a good thing."

Why am I not surprised that this expert opinion came from a guy?

The pain of childbirth may have benefits on which women who opt for painkilling epidurals miss out, a senior male midwife has said.

Dr Denis Walsh, associate professor in midwifery at Nottingham University, said pain was a "rite of passage" which often helped regulate childbirth.

He said it helped strengthen a mother's bond with her baby, and prepared her for the responsibility of motherhood.

But an obstetrician said epidurals were an important option for some women.

More here.

Sudanese women lashed for wearing pants.

From BBC:

Several Sudanese women have been flogged as a punishment for dressing "indecently", according to a local journalist who was arrested with them.

Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who says she is facing 40 lashes, said she and 12 other women wearing trousers were arrested in a restaurant in the capital, Khartoum.

She told the BBC several of the women had pleaded guilty to the charges and had 10 lashes immediately.

Khartoum, unlike South Sudan, is governed by Sharia law.

Several of those punished were from the mainly Christian and animist south, Ms Hussein said.

Non-Muslims are not supposed to be subject to Islamic law, even in Khartoum and other parts of the mainly Muslim north.

She said that a group of about 20 or 30 police officers entered the popular Khartoum restaurant and arrested all the women wearing trousers.

"I was wearing trousers and a blouse and the 10 girls who were lashed were wearing like me, there was no difference," she told the BBC's Arabic service.

Family sues genie.

From Ananova:

A family in Saudi Arabia is taking a genie to court for throwing stones at them and stealing their mobile phones.

The family say they have been forced to move out of their home of 15 years in Medina, reports the Al Watan newspaper.

A local court is investigating. In Islamic theology, genies are spirits that can harass or possess humans.

"We began to hear strange sounds," the head of the family told the Saudi daily. He did not want to be named.

"At first we did not take it seriously, but then stranger things started to happen and the children got particularly scared when the genie started throwing stones.

Shooting starts at party, continues at hospital.

From Newsday:

Shooters determined to kill a man they had shot at an already-deadly Canarsie house party Sunday morning followed him to a hospital, where they continued shooting as he pulled up to the emergency room, leaving him in critical condition with wounds to the groin and leg, police said.

Three people were shot, including a 17-year-old who was killed, when a party in the basement of 712 E. 93rd St. turned into a shootout following a dispute, NYPD said.

Police got calls of shots fired at 1:17 a.m. and found that two of the victims had been driven to nearby hospitals and a third had flagged down a responding ambulance.

Police said the 17-year-old, Linton Williams, was driven to Kings County Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead with gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

A 32-year-old, whose name has not been released, was driven to nearby Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, police said. As he was getting out of the vehicle, a car that had been following him drove by and an occupant fired several shots, striking him. An ambulance then took him to Kings County Hospital.

The third victim, a 22-year-old man who flagged down a passing ambulance, was taken to Brookdale, where he was listed in stable condition with a gunshot wound to the left leg.

Coozer-Bits.

Yipes: 9-year-old shoots 6-year-old with shotgun.

Creepy: Japanese salarymen driving demand for man bras.

D'oh: Random Act of Kindness backfires.

Duh: CIGNA executive admits Michael Moore's Sicko was right all along.

World: South Korea reports that Kim Jong Il has life-threatening cancer.

Hero: Mayor Daley's private security guard captures escaped convict.

Biz: Behind Amazon's Kindle price drop.

Yipes: Pentagon unleashes competing flying lasers.

Creepy: Researchers hunt mythic giant earthworm.

Lame: 50% of Israeli factories fail pollution check.

Duh: Swearing makes pain more tolerable.

Tech: Microsoft begins testing Office 2010. (Please fix mail merges!)

Lame: British soldiers forced Iraqi prisoners and civilians to dance like Michael Jackson, among other torture.

Plums beat blueberries in nutritional value.

More here.

Move over blueberries: scientists have found that plums have high levels of disease-fighting nutrients, too.

Investigators at Texas AgriLife Research evaluated the nutritional content and associated health benefits of more than 100 varieties of plums, nectarines, and peaches. The plum emerged superior to the other two stone fruits, and also matched or exceeded blueberries in nutritional value.

Britain's National Health Service encourages underage teens to have sex for their health.

From Daily Mail:

The National Health Service of Britain has sparked controversy with their controversial sex education campaign promoting an orgasm a day:

A National Health Service leaflet is advising school pupils that they have a "right" to an enjoyable sex life and that regular intercourse can be good for their cardiovascular health...

...Alongside the slogan "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away", it says: "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and veg a day and 30 minutes' physical activity three times a week. What about sex or masturbation twice a week?"

[...] But family groups condemned the guidance last night, saying it would encourage children to have underage sex and could lead to rising rates of sexually-transmitted diseases.

Texting teen falls into open manhole.

From the NY Daily News:

A Staten Island teen trying to text while walking fell into an open manhole - and city officials have launched an investigation.

Alexa Longueira, 15, was walking with a friend along Victory Blvd. on Wednesday when she suddenly dropped underground.

"She's all scraped up on her back, under her arms and her shoulders," her mother, Kim Longueira, said.

The schoolgirl had just been passed the phone by her friend and was opening it to send a text message when the ground beneath her feet disappeared.

The manhole had been opened by a Department of Environmental Protection team flushing a high-pressure sewer line, officials said.

DEP has said an investigation is underway.

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.