1988: The first known case of a bull attacking a jet plane was recorded when an Indian Airlines Boeing 737 was charged while landing at Baroda Airport, India. The bull was killed.

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1997: Seattle police arrested a man after he held up a bank, then walked outside and calmly passed our fistfuls of cash to people passing by.

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1998: The roof at the Saline County Library collapsed in Benton, Arkansas, from the weight of what apparently was years of accumulated pigeon dung.

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1990 - Some 250,000 people celebrated at the site where the Berlin Wall once stood in East Berlin. Included in the benefit concert was an all-star cast performing Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Artists who performed: The Band, The Scorpions, Ute Lemper, Thomas Dolby, Sinead O'Connor, Joni Mitchel, James Galway, Brian Adams, Jerry Hall, Van Morrison, Marianne Faithfull, Albert Finney. Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters (organizer of the concert) performed together with his group The Bleeding Heart Band. “Organizing this show was certainly a lot of hard work,” Waters said, “but it was excellent to work with Bryan Adams, Van Morrison, Cyndi Lauper and all the others.”

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2006: A new study by the Institute of Medicine said medication errors harmed 1.5 million people and kill several thousand annually in the U.S.. Additionally, such errors were said to cost the nation at least $3.5 billion a year.

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Q: You are hired to be part of a claque. Should you practice:

(a) applauding; (b) singing; or (c) running?

     Ans:  A claque is a group hired to applaud an act or a performer.

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     Q: Was inventor Thomas Edison afraid of:

(a) cats; (b) the dark; or (c) electricity?
 

   Ans: The dark.

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birthdays

1899 - Ernest (Miller) Hemingway
Pulitzer Prize [1953] & Nobel Prize-winning writer [1954]: The Old Man and the Sea, The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls; died July 2, 1961

1924 - Don Knotts
comedian, Emmy Award-winning actor: The Andy Griffith Show [1960-1961, 1961-1962, 1962-1963, 1965-1966, 1966-1967], Matlock, Three’s Company, The Don Knotts Show, The Steve Allen Show; died Feb 24, 2006

1951 - Robin Williams
Academy Award-winning actor: Good Will Hunting [1997]; comedian and/or actor: Mork and Mindy, Good Morning, Vietnam, Mrs. Doubtfire, Dead Poet’s Society, Popeye, The Fisher King, Hook, Comic Relief, Patch Adams, What Dreams May Come, Jumanji, Jakob the Liar

1978 - Josh Hartnett
actor: Pearl Harbor, Cracker, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, The Virgin Suicides

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Buses equipped with bricks

A Chinese bus company is equipping its vehicles with bricks for passengers to use to break windows in an emergency.

The bricks, painted yellow with "emergency use" written on both sides, are stored under the driver's seat and under a rear seat.

"It's easy for passengers to spot them, and use them to break the window if something happened," said a spokesman for the Harbin Public Transport Company.

The company had stopped providing passengers with safety hammers to break windows as they were always being stolen.

"We don't think anybody will be interested in stealing bricks," the spokesman added.

Bricks have so far been installed on several bus routes in a pilot scheme in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, reports Northeast Network.

But the company says it will equip all 700 of its buses with the bricks if feedback from passengers is positive

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World's first cloned sniffer dogs

Customs officers in South Korea have deployed the world's first cloned sniffer dogs to check for drugs at its main airport and border crossings.

Six puppies cloned from a Canadian-born sniffer dog in late 2007 have reported for duty after completing a 16-month training programme.

The clones are all called Toppy, a combination of "tomorrow" and "puppy", reports the BBC.

The customs agency says clones help to lower crime-fighting costs as it is difficult to find good sniffer dogs.

Only about 30% of naturally-born sniffer dogs make the grade, but South Korean scientists say that could rise to 90% using the cloning method.

The new recruits were cloned from a "superb" drug-sniffing Canadian Labrador retriever called Chase in 2007, officials said.

"They are the world's first cloned sniffer dogs deployed at work," said Park Jeong-Heon, a customs spokesman at Seoul's Incheon International Airport.

"They showed better performances in detecting illegal drugs during the training than other naturally-born sniffer dogs that we have."

The cloning work was conducted by a team of scientists at Seoul National University, who created the world's first cloned dog - an Afghan Hound named Snuppy.

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Teen posed as airline tycoon

A York teenager was questioned by police after tricking British aviation executives into believing he was an airline tycoon.

In a hoax echoing the Steven Spielberg movie, Catch Me If You Can, the 17-year-old posed as a businessman in his twenties for six months, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Under the pseudonym Adam Tait, he flew to Jersey to hold a meeting with the director of its airport to launch a cut-price Channel Islands airline.

His exploits mirror the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film Catch Me If You Can which was based on the real life escapades of Frank Abagnale Jr, who posed as an airline pilot from the age of 16 and 21.

Tait pulled off the ruse for six months until journalists at publication Airliner World became suspicious.

When he tried to charter a three-seater jet at Southend airport for a photoshoot for the magazine Essex police were waiting for him and the story unravelled.

The police will not be taking action against the teenager, who is reported to suffer from a form of autism. It is claimed he can recall the exact detail of every airline's flight schedules.

Tait, of York, insisted he had broken no laws while his father argued the youngster had great potential.

He said previously his son had come within two days of bringing the US cast of High School Muscial to a 300-seat theatre in Shropshire and had only been foiled when queries arose on booking the hotel.

"People like him are not criminals, they are just misguided," said his father. "They don't understand what they are doing.

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music news

The Beastie Boys' album and summer tour have been postponed after band member Adam Yauch disclosed that he is suffering from cancer.

In a posting on the band's website, Yauch reveals a cancerous tumour in his left salivary gland will need surgery. He is expected to fully recover.

"I just need a little time to get this in check and then we'll release the record and play some shows," he wrote.

Hot Sauce Committee Part I was due to be released on 15 September.

The band had been due to play a number of headlining slots at festivals across the US, including the Lollapalooza event.

One of the act's last live performances was at Tennessee's Bonnaroo music festival last month.

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Madonna visits collapse victims

Madonna has visited the family of a French technician killed in a stage collapse before her gig in Marseilles.

The singer went to the home of Charles Criscenzo in Aix-en-Provence, and also saw three injured workers who are being treated at two Marseilles hospitals.

City mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin praised the pop star for demonstrating "such human qualities".

Thursday's accident, which killed two people and injured eight, has prompted a manslaughter investigation.

Tearful tribute

Charles Prow, a 23-year-old from Headingley, near Leeds, died in hospital as a result of his injuries.

Technicians had been setting up the stage at Marseille's Velodrome stadium when the partially-built roof fell in, bringing down a crane.

Madonna first went to the home of Mr Criscenzo, where a cordon had been set up to keep the media at a distance.

She later went to the Conception hospital to visit a technician who suffered a broken hip.

The star went without an official escort and carried a large bouquet of white roses before going on to a second hospital.

But she was unable to visit the site of the stage collapse where an official investigation is now under way.

Madonna paid a tearful tribute to the accident victims at her concert in Udine, Italy, on Thursday.

Her next tour date is due to take place in Barcelona on Tuesday, while reimbursements for the cancelled Marseilles date are being made available, according to her publicist.

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Why raindrops come in many sizes

By Victoria Gill

We might never consider the size of the raindrops as we hurry for cover, but their variety has puzzled scientists for many years.

Now, by filming one falling raindrop, researchers in France have explained why the drops are an array of so many different sizes.

Reporting in the journal Nature Physics, the team described how the drop deformed and burst as it fell.

Its fragments matched the size and distribution of drops in natural rain.

Scientists previously believed that the drops collided with each other as they descended, and that these interactions produced a variety of drop sizes.

But the lead author of this study, Emmanuel Villermaux from Aix-Marseille University, explained that there were always "shortcomings" in this idea.

"The drops are not likely to collide that often," he told BBC News. Real raindrops are so sparse, he said, that it is likely a drop would "fall on its own and never see its neighbours".

"So we said OK - let's look at what's happening on the scale of a single drop."

With a high-speed camera, Dr Villermaux and his colleagues filmed a single falling drop of water - about six millimetres in diameter.

They recorded how air resistance caused it to deform and eventually break up.

The large, round drop fell, gradually flattened out and, as it got wider, eventually "captured" the air in front of it to form the shape of an upturned bag.

This bag finally "inflated" and burst apart into many smaller droplets - all within six hundredths of a second.

This happened because drops were too large and heavy to remain intact.

Each large, heavy drop accelerates as it falls and "has to displace the air molecules" on its way down, explained Dr Villermaux. "This produces the air resistance or drag."

At a certain speed, the number of air molecules - and therefore the intensity of this drag - is greater than the surface tension holding the round drop together, so the drop starts to deform.

"When it bursts, the fragments match exactly what we find in raindrops," said Dr Villermaux. "This is a precise, quantitative explanation for their distribution and size."

Dr Ewan O'Connor, a scientist from the University of Reading, who studies clouds - taking measurements to improve weather modelling and forecasting - described this as a a very nice way of showing exactly what happens.

"But this is unlikely be what happens all of the time in the UK (for example), as we don't get raindrops of this size that often," he told BBC News.

"When raindrops get to a certain size... you will get this break-up. And this is likely to happen often in the tropics."

But, Dr O'Connor added, "this doesn't explain drizzle, where the droplets are much smaller, but there are many more of them."

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T.I. has unleashed a new digital single, "Remember Me (Feat. Mary J. Blige)." The track is on sale now via the Rapper's website and will be released at all digital outlets on July 28. Originally intended for T.I.’s album Paper Trail, "Remember Me (Feat. Mary J. Blige)" is the first in a series of new digital singles slated to appear in the coming months.

Slash tells Classic Rock magazine that Velvet Revolver is currently at a "standstill" and that he hasn't gotten "any amazing submissions from singers as of late… Y’know, Velvet when it finds the right guy will be amazing, but I’m in no rush. I’m not freaking out — because that’s how we got Scott [Weiland] in the first place. He was the first decent guy that came up." Slash adds that ex-VR frontman Weiland "to me is now like George Bush — y’know, I like him now that he’s not here."

Almost 44 years after The Beatles performed at The Mets' Shea Stadium, Paul McCartney returned to Queens on Friday night to rock The Mets' new home, Citi Field. McCartney offered a dose of new songs, a few Wings hits and a ton of Beatles classics, such as the unearthed “Day Tripper” and “A Day In The Life,” as well as “Lady Madonna,” “Yesterday,” “Get Back,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Hey Jude” and “Helter Skelter." During the first encore, McCartney brought out Billy Joel for a duet on “I Saw Her Standing There,” which sent the crowd into a frenzy. The night also included several touching tributes, as Macca dedicated George Harrison's "Something" to the late guitar player, "Here Today" to John Lennon and "My Love" to his late wife Linda. The only song played at both the 1965 and 2009 shows was “I’m Down,” according to Rolling Stone.

While on the American Idols Live tour, Adam Lambert told MTV News that his upcoming album is going to be "a fusion thing." "It's kind of taking the best parts of music from the '70s, like the classic-rock era, and trying to somehow fuse it with modern, dancier, electronic production," Lambert explained. He is working with producers such as RedOne (Lady Gaga), Greg Wells (Pink, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson) OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder and Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani).

After a portion of Madonna's stage collapsed in Marseille, France, killing two workers and injuring at least eight, Madonna visited the scene of the accident as well as the families of the victims. People reports that Madonna arrived in Marseille on Sunday and visited with the family of Charles Criscenzo, the French stage technician killed when a partially built roof at the venue collapsed. She also visited injured workers at two area hospitals. After canceling the Marseille show, Madonna will next return to the stage on Tuesday, July 21 when the Sticky & Sweet tour hits Barcelona, Spain.

Metallica

A September 11 date has been set for the previously announced benefit concert for the Marin History Museum in San Rafael, CA, which Metallica will headline. The event will raise funds for the institution's Marin Rocks exhibition, which is set to open next year and will highlight musicians from the area with displays and educational programs. The gig will be held in the 2,000-seat Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael, and tickets go on sale August 1. "We have made Marin County in Northern California our home for many years, so we were more than honored when the Marin History Museum asked us to participate in their benefit concert as they prepare to launch the exhibit Marin Rocks," said Metallica. "That's right, finally, a show in our own back yards... something that has NEVER happened!"

Tegan And Sara have titled their next album Sainthood. In a typically-jokey video posted online, the Quinn sisters teased that the new record would be Tunnel Of Love or Achtung Baby before announcing the real title. The album is expected out in October.

David Gray will release a new album, Draw The Line, on September 22, with a North American tour to follow. The trek begins October 23 in Boston with dates announced up to November 9 in Los Angeles.

John Fogerty will release The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again on September 1. On this album, Fogerty brings back the concept behind his solo debut, 1973's The Blue Ridge Rangers, as he dusts off a collection of his favorite classic songs, such as John Prine's "Paradise," Buck Owens' "I Don't Care" and John Denver's "Back Home Again." Fogerty comments, "The songs on The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again are mostly songs I have carried with me for a lifetime. They are songs that influenced me and helped form who I am as a musician and certainly as a songwriter. There is something very American about all these songs and the original arrangements and also their musical setting here, on this album. That musical place where these songs reside is where I go to create my own music."

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Top 10 Most Incredible Animal Journeys

Animals will make extraordinary and often mysterious expeditions to find a good meal, sexy mates, and the perfect place to raise a family. This month, billions of cicadas will burst out from their 17-year-old hiding places to complete one of the longer journeys in time, while moving only a few inches from burrow to daylight. Other migrations cover thousands of miles.

Humpback Whales

Humpback whales hold the world's record for longest mammalian voyage. One population spends the warmer months eating a literal ton of food a day in waters off the Arctic Peninsula. Come wintertime, they swim 5,000 miles away to balmy breeding grounds near Columbia and the Equator.

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Freshwater Eels

Freshwater eels are born prepared for the rough waters they face in life. After hatching in the salty Sargasso Sea, the eels swim to freshwater rivers in the United Kingdom and the East Coast of North America. On the way, their kidneys adapt to the change in salinity. When it's time to lay eggs, the eels and their kidneys will return to their beginnings.

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Whooping cranes

Recovery efforts of the whooping crane have included flight lessons for the endangered snowbirds. Ultralight aircraft and radio-controlled robots disguised as cranes have lead hand-reared birds south to winter in protected areas.

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Monarch butterfly

Migrating long distances is in a monarch's blood. Each fall, thousands of butterflies head west in California and Mexico. They summer 3,000 miles away, throughout the United States and Canada. But how they know when and where to go continues to puzzle scientists.

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Ruby-throated hummingbird

Before its 500-mile trip to Central America, the ruby-throated hummingbird bulks up on nectar, insects, and tree sap. The tiny bird gains 2 grams of fat, almost doubling its weight, to make the nonstop flight from eastern North America across the Gulf of Mexico.

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Salmon

After spending years swimming in the ocean, salmon follow their noses and return to the freshwater streams they were born in to spawn and eventually die. They'll swim upstream against strong currents for hundreds of miles to make the perfect homecoming, even if it means arriving in shoddy condition.

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Green turtle

Motherly instinct compels female green turtles to return to their birthplace to start their own families. The pregnant turtles swim more than a thousand miles from their coastal feeding grounds in Brazil into the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean to Ascension Island. On the tiny nursery's sandy beach, the expectant mothers carve out nests and lay their eggs before heading back home.

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Wildebeests

Greener pastures drive 1.5 million of these herbivores in circles. Serengeti wildebeest travel more than a thousand miles in spectacularly huge herds, along with thousands of zebra and gazelle, to avoid the dry seasons in Tanzania and Kenya.

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Lemmings

In the Arctic tundra, over-population and a scarcity of food sends lemmings on mass migrations at high speeds. Researchers clocked one trek of the petite mammals at almost 10 miles a day. For the weak, the pace of the journey is just too much and they are left behind to die.

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Cicadas

Billions of chubby, buzzing cicadas will surface from their underground bunkers this month to gather together, sing, and mate. The insects will have spent 17 years fattening up underground, growing through five stages of development. Their synchronized appearance overwhelms predators, leaving most of the reveling cicadas carefree to party for their five weeks of adult life.

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Even Cockroaches Get Fat on Bad Food

Cockroaches may be tiny enough to slip through the smallest of cracks, but just like humans, these eternal pests can get fat on an unhealthy diet.

As part of a decade's worth of research on cockroaches, Patricia Moore of the University of Exeter studied how female cockroaches change their mating behavior in response to their diet, specifically what they eat when they are young.

"We already knew that what they eat as adults influences reproductive decisions," Moore said. But just how the food they consumed early in life shaped these decisions wasn't known.

To find out, Moore and her colleagues picked young female cockroach nymphs and divided them into two dietary groups. Half were fed a good-quality balanced diet of protein-rich fish food and high-carbohydrate oatmeal, while the rest were raised on fish food only.

Both groups were allowed to eat as much as they wanted. The difference in diets "was not quantity but variety," Moore said.

After the last molt, when the nymphs became adults, the team switched the diets of some animals. Half of the cockroaches raised with good quality diet lost their oatmeal, while half of the bugs fed poorly were promoted to a good-quality diet.

Eighteen days after the switch, the diet control ended and some of the surviving cockroaches were dissected. The rest were allowed to live on and reproduce.

The results: While the lifespan of the members of both groups was about the same, the cockroaches on the poor diet were fatter and took longer to mature.

Moore suggests that the poorly fed bugs were storing up excess fat at the expense of their growth in case their dietary options got even worse.

"This was a surprising result," Moore said, "but it shows the importance of a balanced diet for healthy development."

The effects of unbalanced meals continued throughout the cockroaches' lives, even for the few that were switched to good-quality food.

Females that ate a poor-quality diet were less willing to mate and less likely to produce offspring. They were also more picky and spent more time considering possible mates.

The findings, detailed in the June 24 issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found, that "poor diets [during early life] have an effect on the way cockroaches respond to their environment and cannot be reset later on," Moore said.

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.

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Story Of The Day:
Joke signs banning naked hiking have been ordered for real by Swiss officials. Designer Dan Walter originally created the design as a prank and sent it in to the government for a laugh. But he was astonished when orders started to flood in and the signs are now going up around the country. Switzerland's mountain footpaths have been plagued by a craze for naked nature trails that has shocked more traditional walkers.

****

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A joke scarecrow in Brancaster, Norfolk, UK, dressed as a policeman with a fake speed radar gun was arrested by a real officer. The 7ft tall scarecrow was put on the roadside to promote a village scarecrow festival while also encouraging motorists to slow down. However, a passing policewoman thought it "inappropriate" and took it away in her patrol car within four hours of it being put up.

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thought to ponder:
Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which you need most.

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Early Morning Chuckle:

There was a hound dog laying in the yard. An old man in overalls was sitting on the porch.

"Excuse me, Sir, but does your dog bite?", the visiting salesman asked.

The old man replied, "Nope."

So the salesman stepped out of his car. The dog ran over snarling and growling and bit him on his arms and legs.

As the dog was dragging him away, the salesman was flailing around in the dust and yelled, "I thought you said your dog didn’t bite!"

The old man replied, "Ain’t my dog."

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thought to ponder:
A man is incomplete until he is married...then he is finished.

THANKS RICH
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Pool got my daughter pregnant'

A Polish mum is suing an Egyptian hotel after claiming her daughter got pregnant using their mixed swimming pool.

The bizarre claim surfaced as Magdalena Kwiatkowska demanded compensation after her 13-year-old daughter came back from the family holiday expecting a baby.

Tourist authorities in Warsaw confirmed they had received the complaint which states that the girl conceived because of stray sperm in the pool.

"The mother is adamant that her daughter didn't meet any boys while she was there and is determined to go ahead with the case," said one travel industry source.

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Girl called Chicken Dung changes her name

A Chinese girl who was named 'Chicken Dung' has had it legally changed now that she is an adult.

Zhu Xiansheng, the father of the girl, gave her the name on the advice of a doctor after she was ill as a baby and chicken manure was used to treat her.

She was named Ji Shi, which means Chicken Dung, but always hated the name, reports the Southwest Morning Post.

However, she was stuck with it until she was 18, the legal age for name changing in China, when she changed it to Yingzi.

"At last, she is no longer afraid to show anybody her ID card," said her father, of Lindong village, Fujian province.

"She had a serious illness when she was one, and she was sick for two to three months.

"We didn't think she would survive, but a local medical practitioner advised us to paste her with chicken dung while taking medications he prescribed," added Xiansheng.

The girl made a miraculous recovery and her parents formally named her Chicken Dung in tribute to her treatment.

But she hated the name and pleaded with her parents to change it from age of five when she would throw tantrums whenever anybody called her name.

"I always felt embarrassed when filling in forms or signing my name," said Yingzi

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Bride pans her own gold for wedding rings

A Leeds student has told how she turned gold panned from British rivers into wedding rings for herself and her new husband.

Daisy Thurkettle-Roper, 25, has been panning for gold in Britain since she was a toddler, reports the Daily Telegraph.

"I've kept all the gold I have ever found and there seemed to be nothing more perfect and romantic than using it for our wedding rings."

Mrs Thurkettle-Roper, a student at Leeds University, has spent years exploring the rivers of Scotland and Wales with her dad Vince Thurkettle.

"There is a point I always remember when your back is aching and you have been in the river for five hours and you are covered in mosquito bites," she said.

"Then you get to the bottom of the pan and see a flake of gold and it gleams and sparkles and you soon forget you are cold and wet."

She collected the final flakes for the wedding bands together with her husband, Martyn Roper, 28, during a trip to Wales.

"My husband had never prospected before and it was really romantic to be able to spend the weekend looking for the gold for our wedding rings together," she said.

Daisy's gold collection was then taken to a jeweller, who crafted it into two special wedding rings worth £600 each.

"It's absolutely amazing to think we found the tiny flakes of gold in bits of dirt and now they have all been put together into rings which fit our fingers perfectly. It was a wonderful idea and will make our wedding day special for us forever

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Women spend a year deciding what to wear

Women spend almost a year of their lives deciding what to wear, according to a new study.

Choosing outfits for work, nights out, dinner parties, holidays and other activities means the average female will spend 287 days rifling through their wardrobe.

Clothes retailer Matalan compiled the results after polling 2,491 women, reports the Daily Telegraph.

A spokesman said: "What you wear has a direct impact on how you feel about yourself and it is important a woman feels exceptional in her outfit.

"Whatever the occasion your clothes portray an image and we understand this is fundamentally important to women."

The study, which was based on the adult years from the age of 16 to 60, found most women spend around 20 minutes deciding what to wear before hitting the town on a weekend night.

Week nights out can take up to 20 minutes a time too. Deciding on what clothes to take on holiday uses up to 52 minutes each time.

While on holiday, ten minutes a morning will be taken up trying to find an acceptable outfit with another ten minutes spent picking evening clothes.

On top of that dinner parties, Christmas parties and black tie events - at around 36 minutes a time six times a year - adds up to three and a half days.

The study also found on average women will try on two outfits each morning before coming to a final decision. And one in two women spend 15 minutes the night before work working out what to wear

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Rollerskating babies

A mineral water advert featuring roller-skating babies has become an internet sensation.

The special effects video of infants in nappies performing skating stunts has notched up four million hits on YouTube in a week.

The daredevil 'roller-babies' leap over park fences and railings as well as each other in a city park, reports the Daily Mail.

After pressing play on a giant ghetto blaster, they execute all manner of flips and somersaults.

The troupe of 96 special-effects roller-babies groove to a remix of the Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight in a city park.

The 60-second film was shot at London's Pinewood Studios as part of Evian's Live Young international TV and web video campaign.

The Evian babies were last screened 11 years ago performing an underwater ballet.

Evian's worldwide director of brand Michael Aidan said that the firm was trying to sell drinkers a 'dream'.

He said: "In the majority of countries in recent years, our communication has been very fact-based.

"But consumers expect more from a big brand emotion, dream. This is what we want to achieve - hence this breakaway and back to roots campaign."

traxxfm wake up show has roller babies

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Spears Critics Silenced By Untouched Candie's Photo

Representatives for Britney Spears have hit back at criticisms of the superstar's seemingly airbrushed ad campaign for Candie's by releasing an original "untouched" snap.

The Barbie-style photo shoot for the clothing company's latest collection, which shows the "Toxic" hitmaker looking impossibly perfect and coiffed, stunned fans.

Internet gossip Perez Hilton lashed out at the images, insisting the photos were "practically paintings."

But a representative for Spears has tried to quash rumors the pictures were completely overhauled by sending out a very similar snap to Hilton's Web site insisting Spears looked almost identical pre-airbrushing. (See the 'untouched' photo here)

The re-touched version shows the only differences in the two images are that the singer's tan has been deepened and her dark roots have been lightened.

PerezHilton.com says :

We eat our own words!

A rep for Britney Spears has told us that the pop star's new Candie's campaign is not as heavily Photoshopped as we previously speculated.

To prove the point, an exclusive image of the singer was released to PerezHilton.com (top pic).

We're told the picture is "raw" and unretouched.

Hmmm….inneresting.

If you compare the two photos (untouched above, retouched below), we're pretty sure you can spot at least a couple differences.

Can ya???

What are they???

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Reports: Madonna And Guy Reconnect?

Madonna and Guy Ritchie are heading for a romantic reconciliation, according to astonishing new U.S. tabloid reports.

The pair confirmed months of speculation by splitting late in 2008 after almost eight years of marriage. Since their quickie divorce, Madonna has enjoyed reported romances with baseball star Alex Rodriguez and model Jesus Luz.

However, Star magazine alleges the former couple has reconnected after Ritchie publicly praised his ex during her bid to adopt Malawian baby Mercy and that they have been meeting in secret to establish if they want to reunite.

A source tells Star, "She was touched by Guy's gesture. It made her start to fall for him all over again.

"For now they are seeing what happens. She's just really happy to have him back in her life."

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Jackson Asked Shields To Marry Him

Brooke Shields turned down countless marriage proposals from late pal Michael Jackson, the actress has revealed in a new magazine tribute.

Shields fought back tears as she honored her "little prince" at the King of Pop's memorial in Los Angeles on Tuesday, recalling how much fun the pair had as teenage friends, and now she's revealing more about her relationship with the late pop superstar.

She tells the upcoming Jackson tribute issue of Rolling Stone, "There were times when he would ask me to marry him, and I would say, 'You have me for the rest of your life, you don't need to marry me, I'm going to go on and do my own life and have my own marriage and my own kids, and you'll always have me.'

"I think it made him relax. He didn't want to lose things that meant something to him."

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Theron Hospitalized After Health Scare?

Hollywood actress Charlize Theron spent four nights in a Los Angeles hospital last week after contracting a painful stomach virus, according to a tabloid report.

The star is alleged to have suffered severe abdominal pains, which she attributed to food poisoning.

But when the sharp stomach pangs failed to go away, her boyfriend Stuart Townsend took her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to seek treatment.

According to the National Enquirer, doctors ran a series of tests on Theron and diagnosed her with a serious virus, which may have been contracted during her travels overseas.

And Townsend was left shaken by Theron's health scare, reportedly telling pals, "I was scared to death. I had no idea what was happening to her, but this is a woman who never complains, so I knew it had to be serious."

The publication claims the actress was discharged from hospital after being given a series of antibiotics and is now back to full health.

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Watson Flashes Underwear At Potter Premiere

Actress Emma Watson suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction at the latest "Harry Potter" movie premiere on Tuesday when the daring split in her designer dress opened to reveal her underwear.

The 19-year -old braved the heavy rain to hit the red carpet in London with her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint for the world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

But, as Watson gathered up the flowing skirt of her long dress to avoid stepping on the hem, she was snapped accidentally flashing her panties to the throng of fans and paparazzi.

ooooooopppppppsssssssss.....................................

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'No rush' for new Jackson songs

 

New music recorded by Michael Jackson before his death is likely to be released - but not yet, the president of his record label Epic has said.

"We just want to pay our respects to Michael," Amanda Ghost said: "We don't want to be seen to be jumping on any bandwagon associated with his death."

Jackson had been working on new music for several years with hip-hop and R&B stars like Will.i.am, Ne-Yo and Akon.

"The appetite is definitely there" for new material, Ghost told BBC 6 Music.

"If we do release anything of unreleased material, it has to be fantastic and it can't damage in any way his legacy or his legend and I won't let that happen at Epic.

"I have no idea when it's coming out, but it will come out on Sony/Epic. We haven't made any decisions because we just want to be respectful for his memory and not be seen in any way as trying to cash in."

The release of new music is also likely to be delayed as legal negotiations over his estate.

Earlier this week, a Los Angeles judge gave control to his lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain, rejecting a claim by Jackson's mother Katherine.

Instrumental album

Bruce Swedien, a producer and engineer who worked on Off The Wall and Thriller, has said he believed Jackson was working on instrumental music as well as a pop album.

Ghost, best known for her work as a producer and writer with the likes of Beyonce, Shakira and James Blunt, is the first recording artist to be appointed head of a major label.

She first met Jackson in February this year when presenting him with an award for being the label's biggest selling artist.

"I walked up to him and said 'Hi, I'm the president of Epic,' and he said 'Wow, things have changed since I was there,'" Ghost said.

"He knew my work and he thought it was fantastic that a creative had been put in charge."

US music sales tracker Nielsen SoundScan has revealed that 800,000 copies of Jackson's albums were bought last week - almost double sales for the previous week.

.

.

Jackson's public memorial strikes a spiritual note

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson was eulogized in words and song Tuesday by an all-star list of musicians, athletes and other celebrities during a mournful ceremony in downtown Los Angeles, with the most poignant moment delivered by his sobbing 11-year-old daughter.

"I just want to say ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much," Paris-Michael Jackson said before almost collapsing in the arms of her aunt Janet Jackson.

Watched by millions around the world, the memorial struck a tone more spiritual than spectacular Tuesday, opening with a church choir serenading his golden casket and continuing with somber speeches and gospel-infused musical performances.

The Rev. Lucious W. Smith of the Friendship Baptist Church in Pasadena gave the greeting on the same stage where Jackson had been rehearsing for a concert series in the days before his June 25 death at age 50. Then Mariah CareyJackson 5 ballad "I'll Be There," a duet with Trey Lorenz. sang the opening performance with a sweet rendition of the

"We come together and we remember the time," said Smith, riffing on one of Jackson's lyrics. "As long as we remember him, he will always be there to comfort us."

Millions of fans around the world gathered at odd hours to watch the ceremony, which was broadcast by the major TV networks and cable channels from Tokyo to Paris to New York and streamed everywhere online in one of the biggest celebrity send-offs ever seen.

Among those who saluted Jackson were Motown music mogul Berry Gordy Jr., Brooke Shields, the Rev. Al Sharpton and basketball greats Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. Jennifer Hudson sang Jackson's hit "Will You Be There" and John Mayer played guitar on a whisper-light rendition of "Human Nature."

"This is a moment that I wished I didn't live to see," Stevie Wonder said before his performance. Usher broke down in tears after singing "Gone Too Soon."

Although the event was billed as a celebration, some speakers took the occasion to come to the defense of Jackson, whose life was marked as much by criticism and scorn as scintillating talent.

Gordy said that despite what he called "some sad times and maybe some questionable decisions on his part," the title King of Pop wasn't good enough for Jackson. "I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived," Gordy said.

Emotions rose when Sharpton delivered a fiery eulogy highlighting all the barriers Jackson broke and the troubles he faced. "Every time he got knocked down, he got back up," Sharpton said, and the applauding crowd jumped to its feet.

Sharpton rode the moment, building to a crescendo. "There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy," he said later, addressing Jackson's three children in the front row. "It was strange what your daddy had to deal with!" After he left the stage, chants of "Mi-chael! Mi-chael!" filled the arena.

The ceremony wrapped up with group performances of "We Are the World" and "Heal the World" sung by Lionel Richie, Hudson and Jackson family members — including his children — before a backdrop of symbols of religions from around the world. They were joined onstage by children in white and several other people who had participated in the ceremony. Then members of Jackson's family took the stage to thank the crowd and share their own thoughts, barely able to hide their emotion as they hugged in the ceremony's final moments.

An estimated 20,000 people were in the Staples Center as Jackson's flower-draped casket was brought to the venue in a motorcade under law enforcement escort. Those who gathered constituted a visual representation of Jackson's life: black, white and everything in between, wearing fedoras and African headdresses, sequins and surgical masks.

Fans with a ticket wore gold wristbands and picked up a metallic gold program guide on their way in. Acting as pallbearers, Jackson's brothers each wore a gold necktie and, in a touch borrowed from their brother, a single spangly white glove and sunglasses.

Brother Jermaine Jackson took the stage and sang the standard "Smile" as he fought back tears.

Jackson's hearse had been part of a motorcade that smoothly whisked his body 10 miles across closed freeways from a private service at a Hollywood Hills cemetery to his public memorial and awaiting fans.

The traffic snarls and logistical nightmares that had been feared by police and city officials did not materialize. Traffic was actually considered by police to be lighter than normal.

"I think people got the message to stay home," said California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Luevano.

Deputy Police Chief Sergio Diaz, operations chief for the event, said authorities had expected a crowd of 250,000. Besides reporters and those with tickets to the memorial service, the crowd around the Staples Center perimeter numbered only about 1,000, he said.

Outside the Staples Center, Claudia Hernandez, 29, said she loved Jackson's music as a girl growing up in Mexico. Now a day-care teaching assistant in Los Angeles, Hernandez said she cried watching TV coverage of his death.

"I'm trying to hold in my emotions," said Hernandez, wearing a wristband to allow her admittance to the service and holding a framed photograph of Jackson. "I know right now he's teaching the angels to dance."

More than 1.6 million people registered for the lottery for free tickets to Jackson's memorial. A total of 8,750 were chosen to receive two tickets each.

"There are certain people in our popular culture that just capture people's imaginations. And in death, they become even larger," President Barack Obama told CBS while in Moscow. "Now, I have to admit that it's also fed by a 24/7 media that is insatiable."

The city of Los Angeles set up a Web site Tuesday to allow fans to contribute money to help the city pay for his Staples Center memorial service. Mayoral spokesman Matt Szabo estimated the service will cost $1.5 million to $4 million.

It was not clear what will happen to Jackson's body. The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery is the final resting place for such stars as Bette Davis, Andy Gibb, Freddie Prinze, Liberace and recently deceased David Carradine and Ed McMahon.

Jermaine Jackson has expressed a desire to have him buried someday at Neverland, his estate in Southern California.

Midway during the memorial service, police Officer April Harding told the media gathered at the gates of Forest Lawn
to disperse. Asked if Jackson's body was going to be returned to the cemetery after the memorial, she replied: "His body is not going to be returned here." She did not say where it would be taken.

==============================================================================

Comments on Michael Jackson on the day of his memorial service:

"I just wanted to say, ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine! I just wanted to say I love him so much." — Jackson's daughter, Paris, who broke down in tears.

___

"Michael, when you left us, a part of me went with you. ... I will treasure the good times, singing, dancing, laughing. ... We will never understand what he endured ... being judged, ridiculed. How much pain can one take? Maybe, now, Michael, they will leave you alone." — Marlon Jackson.

___

"Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date. ... We had a bond and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age. I used to tease him and say, `I started when I was 11 months old. You're a slacker. You were like 5?' Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. ... M.J.'s laugh was the sweetest and purest of anyone I've known." — Brooke Shields.

___

"He created a comfort level, where people that felt they were separate became interconnected with his music. ... Those young kids grew up from being teenage, comfortable fans of Michael's to being 40 years old and being comfortable to vote for a person of color to be the president of the United States of America. Michael did that. Michael made us love each other. Michael taught us to stand with each other." — The Rev. Al Sharpton.

___

"I'm here representing millions of fans around the world who grew up listening to Michael, being inspired and loving Michael from a distance. ... Somehow when Michael Jackson sang and when he danced ... we felt he was right there. ... He made you believe in yourself." — Queen Latifah.

___

"When he did his iconic moonwalk, I was shocked. It was magic. Michael Jackson went into orbit and never came down. Though it ended way too soon, Michael's life was beautiful." — Motown Records founder Berry Gordy.

___

"This is a moment that I wish that I didn't live to see come. But as much as I can say that and mean it, I do know that God is good and I do know that as much as we may feel — and we do — that we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more." — Stevie Wonder.

___

"Michael was a personal love of mine. A treasured part of my world ... " — Smokey Robinson, reading a note from longtime Jackson friend Diana Ross at Tuesday's memorial service in Los Angeles.

___

"You don't think you'll live to see them gone. ... He is going to live forever and ever and ever and ever." — Smokey Robinson.

___

"We miss you, Michael." — Mariah Carey, after singing "I'll Be There" at Jackson's memorial service.

___

"There are certain people in our popular culture that just capture people's imaginations. And in death, they become even larger. Now, I have to admit that it's also fed by a 24/7 media that is insatiable." — President Barack Obama, who was asked about the outpouring of emotion related to Michael Jackson's death during an interview with CBS while he was in Moscow.

___

"They're holding up well in part because they're a strong family ... a big family, religiously devout family. Therefore, they have a sense of insulation of their faith." — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, on how Michael Jackson's family is coping.

___

"He was a true gift and there are very few that have come to the magnitude of influence that he had on the world." — Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

====================================================

Jacksons 'plan private ceremony'

Pop star Michael Jackson's family is to hold a "private function" at a Los Angeles cemetery on Tuesday, the BBC has learned.

Police confirmed the event would be taking place at the Forest Lawn Cemetery, but it has not been confirmed if the singer would be buried there.

A memorial service for the singer is due to take place a few hours later.

A total of 8,750 fans were chosen at random to receive tickets to attend the ceremony at the Staples Center.

More than 1.6 million people applied for one of the 11,000 passes issued for the event, with an additional 6,500 issued for a screening at the nearby Nokia Theatre.

On Monday the family announced a preliminary list of those taking part in the service, who include Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and the Britain's Got Talent finalist Shaheen Jafargholi.

Fans have begun collecting the tickets and wristbands they need to enter the memorial from the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Deka Motanya of San Francisco, one of the fans to win a ticket, said: "I'm in shock that it's happened. It's surreal."

Stanford University student Dave Gobaud did not believe the e-mail telling him he was a winner was genuine at first.

"It's Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musical stars of all time," he said.

'Stay at home'

City officials are preparing for massive crowds and have urged people to stay at home and watch the memorial on TV amid estimates up to 700,000 people may flood the area trying to reach the arena.

Streets around the Staples Centre are being closed off, and Los Angeles Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell warned ticketless fans they would be "standing in the hot sun on a city street with a lot of other people... but not within eyeshot of Staples".

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles judge has ruled that Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, should be replaced as temporary administrator of his estate.

Superior court judge Mitchell Beckloff said the estate should be administered by Jackson's lawyer, John Branca, and music executive John McClain in accordance with the singer's will.

The judge last week gave temporary control to Mrs Jackson before the 2002 will surfaced. Her lawyer had expressed concerns about Mr McClain and Mr Branca's financial leadership.

The will says the $500m (£303m) estate will be left to a trust benefiting the singer's three children, his mother and charities.

The full preliminary list of those taking part in the memorial service comprises: Ron Boyd, family friend; Kobe Bryant; Mariah Carey; the Andrae Crouch Choir; Berry Gordy; Jennifer Hudson; Shaheen Jafargholi, finalist on Britain's Got Talent; Magic Johnson; Martin Luther King III; Bernice A King; John Mayer; Lionel Richie; Smokey Robinson; Rev Al Sharpton; Brooke Shields; Pastor Lucious Smith, family friend; Usher; and Stevie Wonder.

=====================================================================================

Dad turns old toys into art

A father got so fed up of discarding his children's unwanted toys that he is now turning them into giant sculptures instead.

Robert Bradford has become a celebrated 'toy artist', selling his creations for up to £12,000 each, reports the Daily Telegraph.

"I was staring into my children's cast off toy boxes one day and thought they looked really beautiful," said Robert who trained in painting and film but also worked part-time as an adult psychotherapist.

"The toys made a great combination of colours, shapes and textures all jumbled up and it gave me the idea to glue, stick and screw them together into a new 'being' or species."

Mr Bradford's first piece was an Alsatian dog, made four years ago entirely from his children's toys.

"It was an experiment and I don't like it much now," said Mr Bradford who lives with his family in Ladock, near Truro, Cornwall. "But I loved the process so I started making more and more of them."

Robert has now created dozens of large-scale sculptures that use up to 3,000 toys each. He began with plastic figures and branched out to cuddly toys and household objects like nail brushes and Brillo pads.

His largest works 'The Toy Soldier' and 'The Toy Angel' took almost two months to make and are layers of thousands of models, figures and game parts meticulously chosen from car boot sales and thrift shops.

He said: "The Toy Soldier was built during the Iraq war so it is as macho as possible loaded with an aircraft carrier planes, multiple pistols, walkie talkies and of course his faithful Kalashnikov softened only a little by a Barbie camera."

To see more of his work visit www.robertbradford.co.uk

===============================================================================

Teen tried to sell nude pictures of his mum

A New Zealand teenager tried to sell sexy photos of his mother in her underwear online.

The 18-year-old Auckland student, named only as Michael, twice listing nude and semi-clothed images of his mother Jennifer, 44.

The first time he auctioned "five naked photos of my mum'' to annoy her after the pair had an argument, reports the New Zealand Herald.

When auction site TradeMe removed the listing the following day, he relisted a second series of 'glamour photos'' with her permission.

Michael, who did not want his full name used, said he did it for the extra cash: "We're not rich or anything,'' he said.

Jennifer said she was "pretty annoyed'' by the first listing, calling her son a "cheeky little git'', but liked the second lot because they were "quite artistic''.

"There's nothing dodgy about them. They were taken by a family friend about eight years ago,'' Jennifer told the newspaper.

"I wanted 50 per cent of the sale but more than that, I miss the nice comments.''

The photos were viewed 11,000 times before they were pulled by the website's management, citing "inappropriateness''.

"We don't really want to be the place where people list photos of their mums in their underwear,'' TradeMe spokesman Jon Macdonald said

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Police arrest dog for chewing owner's money

A Kenyan man persuaded police to arrest his pet dog after it ate his rent money.

Robert Njeru, 25, of Nakuru town, took his dog to the local police station after it chewed up almost 3,000 Kenyan shillings (£20).

The farmer had left his rent money for the month on his bed in the morning when he went to work.

When he returned that night, all that remained were a few shreds of banknotes on the floor.

The furious Mr Njeru marched his dog down to the police station and demanded that officers lock up the animal.

Police reportedly refused him until he paid them 50 shillings to make it worth their while.

However on hearing about the story, the district police boss fired the police officer for accepting a bribe and released the dog back to its owner.

Local police spokesman Steven Karungu said: "It was a really stupid thing for the police to lock up a dog after being given a bribe. It degrades the police force in this area.

"It is true the dog ate his master's money, but it was because of his own carelessness, and he should deal with his problems by himself, and not involve the police."

Mr Njeru has still not forgiven his dog and has put it up for sale for 20 shillings, the equivalent of 10p.

====================================================================================

Rabbit addicted to TV soaps

A pet rabbit in China loves South Korean soap operas so much she attacks her owners if they change the channel.

Jiang Chunlei of Xiamen, Fujian province, admit he and his wife spoil the rabbit, Jia Xiaoyu, which they treat as their daughter.

Every night at 10pm, the rabbit climbs between the couple to watch their favourite South Korean TV dramas, reports the Xiamen Evening Post.

Mr Jiang said: "Her favorite show is called Ms Mermaid. If we accidentally switched to another channel, she would be very angry, biting the pillow and attacking us.

"She wouldn't stop and be quiet until we turned back the channel."

The couple said Xiaoyu is so stubborn that she wouldn’t watch the TV from any other place other than sitting in between them.

"If we tried to move her to the other side, she would jump in between us again, very stubborn," added Mr Jiang.

The couple are also concerned their rabbit 'daughter' is overweight at 6kg, and are now thinking of ways to put her on a diet.

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183rd day of 2009 - 182 remaining

Thursday, July 2, 2009

  • Today is Halfway Point of 2009. At noon today, the first half of 2009 (182½ days) will be gone. Optimists will quickly realize they have 182½ days left.

      •  Today is UFO Day, marking the Roswell Incident on this date In 1947. A rancher near Roswell, New Mexico, found debris from a flying saucer. The Air Force claimed the debris came from weather balloons, but other observers reported seeing alien bodies. The Roswell Incident is the most famous of UFO "sightings." (Roswell UFO Museum)

====================================================================

It's been revealed that a late billionaire in Hong Kong gifted
millions to her feng shui master. He got more than $300 million; she
was hoping he could help her live longer.
 

===============================================================

1982: Larry Walters flew a lawn chair to 16,000 feet over San Pedro, California. He had tied 42 helium-filled weather balloons to the chair. He even made it back down safely.

1985: General Motors announced it was installing electronic road maps as an option on some of its higher priced cars. The system used a dashboard computer and maps stored on cassette tapes. Almost nobody was interested.

1988: Rick Krause became the world champion cherry pit spitter in Eau Claire, Michigan, with a record spit of 72 feet 7.5 inches.

=================================================================

2004:  Legendary film and stage actor Marlon Brando died in Los Angeles at age 80.

=================================================================

now this in ....

Hollywood actor Karl Malden dies

US actor Karl Malden, best known for his roles in films such as A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, has died at the age of 97.

He was also famous for playing Lt Mike Stone in the long-running TV series, The Streets of San Francisco.

Malden won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1951, for his performance in A Streetcar Named Desire, and was nominated again in 1954.

Malden, who died at home, had been in poor health for several years.

His family said he had died of natural causes.

Early on in his career, Malden said he realised that his average looks and distinctive nose - twice broken on the sports field - were unlikely to make him a leading man.

Many of his more memorable performances came in supporting roles.

Homicide detective

His film career flourished in the 1950s and '60s, with parts in movies such as Birdman of Alcatraz, How the West Was Won, Gypsy, The Cincinnati Kid and Patton.

He avoided moving into television for many years, but succumbed to the role of the gruff homicide detective Mike Stone in The Streets of San Francisco, which ran from 1972 to 1977.

His young on-screen police partner, Insp Steve Keller, was played by Michael Douglas.

Malden was nominated four consecutive times for an Emmy for The Streets of San Francisco. He finally won one in 1984, for the mini-series "Fatal Vision".

He was married to actress Mona Graham for more than 70 years, one of the longest partnerships in Hollywood history.

=========================================================================

2006: Tata, believed to be the world's oldest crow, died in Bearsville, New York, at age 59. Tata was injured when a storm blew him out of his nest in 1947. Never able to fly, Tata was blinded by cataracts the last five years, but his owner said he was a "good pet and an incredible old bird." In the wild, the oldest crows live to be only 29 or 30 years old.

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Brit starts world's best job

A British man has started "the best job in the world" - a six-month contract as caretaker of an island on the Great Barrier Reef.

Ben Southall beat more than 35,000 applicants from around the world to the post, which involves exploring hundreds of tropical islands off the coast of Queensland.

His most arduous duty is writing a blog with photos and video updates to attract visitors to the area, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The 34-year-old, from Petersfield in Hampshire, fought off competition from 15 other finalists to win the £70,000 role.

He was chosen by officials from Tourism Queensland on May 6 after a four-day selection process on Hamilton, Daydream and Hayman Islands.

Mr Southall, whose new home is a rent-free three-bedroom ocean-front villa on Hamilton Island, said "excited" could not begin to describe how he felt about starting his new job.

"It seems a lifetime ago when I sat down in January to plan and film my 60 second video application for the 'best job in the world'," he said.

"At times I still can't believe I was successful in being offered what has to be the most sought-after job in the world - the chance to spend six months exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef - one of the world's most amazing destinations."

The job is part of a campaign to attract visitors to the Great Barrier Reef, and tourism chiefs claim it already has generated £98 million in publicity.

It became an internet hit, spreading across the world via YouTube and social networking sites such as Facebook

==================================================================================

Prey turns predator

A toad has been caught on camera eating a snake in China in a direct reversal of their normal roles.

The picture of a mountain toad eating a Jerdon's pit viper was taken by a tourist at Qingcheng Mountain park in Sichuan, central China.

Ran Longzhong, from Chongqing, told IC Media that he had been unable to believe his eyes and was happy he had his camera with him.

"I was wandering on the mountain road, and suddenly I spotted a toad that was eating down a snake, which was still struggling," he said.

"The toad ate down the whole snake in around five minutes. It's hard to believe that a predator can be hunted by its prey."

A local zoologist said it was the first time he had ever heard of a snake being eaten by a toad.

===================================================================

Cyber bullying case sentence due

 

Sentencing will take place this week in the first federal cyber bullying case in the US which was brought to trial after a teenage girl took her own life.

Lori Drew, 50, pretended to be a boy on the MySpace website to befriend Megan Meier, who hanged herself after the virtual friendship ended.

A California judge postponed sentencing until 2 July to review testimony from two witnesses.

Ms Drew's landmark case concerning internet law made worldwide headlines.

Megan, a neighbour of Ms Drew's in St Louis, Missouri, and a former friend of her daughter, took her own life in October 2006.

The court was told that Megan killed herself after receiving several cruel messages from a fictitious 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans.

One post said the world would be better off without her.

Prosecutors said that Ms Drew and several others created the fake online page on MySpace, the social networking site, to find out what Megan was saying about her daughter after they had fallen out.

"Bad law"

Ms Drew was charged under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which is normally used against computer hackers. Prosecutors were unable to find any existing laws within the state of Missouri under which she could be tried.

They had alleged that Ms Drew had violated MySpace's terms of service by using false information to set up an account so she and others could "harass, abuse or harm" Megan Meier.

The case was tried in California where MySpace is headquartered.

Last November a jury found Ms Drew guilty of three minor counts of violating MySpace's terms of use, but cleared her of the more serious charges that carried a maximum of 20 years in jail.

"There is a saying in the law that hard cases make bad law and that compelling facts lead courts and prosecutors to pursue cases that are ill advised and that's what we have seen right here with this case," said Andrew Grossman, who is a senior legal analyst with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy research institute.

"What happened to Megan is truly a tragedy and no one wishes to downplay that. Ms Drew didn't do anything that was against the law. She did some things that were unkind, that were rude and not becoming of an adult but not against the law.

"The messages she sent were not criminal had she said them face to face or on the phone. She did not threaten harm or violence. The prosecutors have twisted the law and that should concern everyone who uses the internet," Mr Grossman told BBC News.

"Serious crime"

In the aftermath of the Megan Meier case a number of states and communities drew up cyber bullying laws.

This includes Megan's home state of Missouri where it is now a crime punishable by a fine of up to $500 (£300) or 90 days in jail, to harass someone over the internet.

Efforts are also underway to pass a federal law. California Congresswoman Linda Sanchez is behind the Megan Meier Cyber bullying Prevention Act which has been referred to a judiciary committee for legal review.

This law aims to make it a crime punishable by a fine or up to two years of prison to communicate online with "the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person."

"We need to make new laws in response to these new crimes. Sexting and textual harassment are only a couple of new tactics used by bullies who don't think they'll get caught because there are no bystanders in cyberspace," said Ms Sanchez in an email to the BBC.

"What they need to know is that cyber bullying is a serious crime, and is no less harmful than in-person threats, stalking, and harassment.

"If federal law recognises this new form of bullying, police and prosecutors will be better equipped and educated to deal with this problem. Prosecutors, more importantly, will then have the ability to punish this behaviour in court," said Ms Sanchez.

Some legal experts worry about a law that specifically targets online behaviour.

"These types of matters are better decided in sober moments where they are not driven by a single set of facts," said Professor John Palfrey of the Berkman Centre for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

"One of the big questions we have to grapple with is whether or not bullying done online makes us feel any differently than bullying in the old fashioned way. If it doesn't then its not clear we need a new law in this context.

"Generally speaking it's a bad idea to make cyber specific laws. We don't need a cyber law for stealing, we have a law for theft. We don't need a cyber law for fraud, we have basic laws for that. And the question now should be do we want to outlaw bullying and not just cyber bullying?" questioned Professor Palfrey.

"Devastating"

The US National Crime Prevention Council in a report last year found that 43% of teens are exposed to cyber bullying in one form or another yet only one in 10 kids told their parents.

"Cyber bullying can have such a devastating effect on our young people from depression to falling grades and low self esteem. This case shows however that cyber bullying is not something that just young people commit but we as adults can also be at fault," said the council's Michelle Boykin.

"The issue of how you deal with cyber bullying from a legislative perspective is a tough one and we are glad people are looking at the issue seriously."

Cyber bullying was just one of the topics covered by the Internet Safety Technical Task Force, a group of 29 internet businesses, non-profit organisations, academics and technology companies.

The body was set up by the Attorneys General and chaired by Professor Palfrey.

He told the BBC he believed this is an "extremely important case" and that "one of the challenges with cyber bullying is that there has been a sharp increase over the years. The big question on the data is whether there is actually an increase of bullying across the board.

"The difference with cyber bullying over regular bullying is that its recorded and it's not just someone saying something on the playground."

Support website

15 year old Catherine 'Cati' Grant was a victim of cyber bullying from the age of twelve. The cause she said was a misunderstanding with a friend who accused Cati of stealing something.

"She sent me mean messages on MySpace and blamed me for things I didn't do. After a while I got really sad and worried about what people thought of me."

In the end Cati said the bullying stopped when the other girl went to the school principal. He told her to stay away from Cati or "suffer the consequences."

That experience, coupled with the death of Megan Meier, prompted Cati to take action.

She set up a website for teens to get help, support and advice and is planning a tour across America to raise awareness about internet safety and join one million teens together against cyber bullying.

"Megan's death was one of the reasons I set up my website. It was just so shocking and upsetting and I want to do what I can to prevent cyber bullying in general and help teenagers who feel they have no where to turn to," Ms Grant told BBC News.

======================================================================

Jackson leaves estate to family

Michael Jackson's will has been filed in a Los Angeles court, giving his entire estate to a family trust.

The document, dated 7 July 2002, also reveals the star "intentionally omitted" to provide for his former wife, Debbie Rowe.

Jackson's mother, Katherine, is named as a beneficiary of the trust and the guardian of the singer's three young children, who are named in the will.

It estimated Jackson's estate at that time to be more than $500m (£303m).

Custody rights

The Michael Jackson Family Trust would benefit his three children, his mother and unnamed charities, according to Reuters.

The news agency also reported that Jackson's five-page will said: "I have intentionally omitted to provide for my former wife, Deborah Rowe Jackson."

Rowe married Jackson in 1996 but filed for divorce in 1999. She gave up custody rights to the children but sought them again in 2003.

They agreed a settlement in 2006 but the terms were never disclosed.

She is the biological mother of Jackson's eldest children - Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, known as Prince Michael, 12, and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11.

The singer's youngest son - seven-year-old Prince Michael II - was born to a surrogate mother whose identity has never been revealed.

Long-time friend and singer Diana Ross is also named as guardian for Jackson's children in the event that his mother was unable to fulfil her duties.

Katherine Jackson was granted temporary guardianship of Jackson's three children on Monday.

'Remarkable legacy'

The will said Jackson's estate consisted almost entirely of "non-cash, non-liquid assets, including primarily an interest in a catalogue of music royalty rights which is currently being administered by Sony ATV, and the interests of various entities".

"The most important element of Michael's will is his unwavering desire that his mother, Katherine, become the legal guardian for his three children"

Executors John Branca and John McClain

That refers to the singer's share of the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalogue that includes rights to the songs of The Beatles.

The will names Jackson's lawyer John Branca and John McClain, a music executive and a family friend, as co-executors of the will.

In a statement, Mr Branca and Mr McClain said: "The most important element of Michael's will is his unwavering desire that his mother, Katherine, become the legal guardian for his three children.

"As we work to carry out Michael's instructions to safeguard both the future of his children as well as the remarkable legacy he left us as an artist, we ask that all matters involving his estate be handled with the dignity and the respect that Michael and his family deserve."

Meanwhile, the Jackson family issued a statement saying that no "public or private viewing" of the singer's body would be held at Neverland.

Speculation of a viewing had prompted fans and reporters to gather outside the property, but the family said they would announce plans "regarding a public memorial" shortly.

On the latest US Billboard chart, Jackson's music took a record nine of the 10 top spots in its Top Pop Catalog Album chart on Wednesday.

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All creatures great and small

A chihuahua has made an amazing recovery in Australia after being stepped on by her best mate - a 900kg Clydesdale horse.

Little Berry was happily playing with her friend Leroy when the giant horse accidentally trod on her head.

Owner Abbey Newton, of Geelong, near Melbourne, said: "Leroy stepped back, right on her head. There was just this little tiny bit of her nose sticking out. I thought she was dead.

"There was this horrible high-pitched screaming noise. It was terrible".

Berry was rushed to the vet who offered to put the little dog down but Abbey decided to take her home to die.

Anxiously she checked on Berry every hour throughout the night and, to her astonishment, in the morning she seemed to have made a complete recovery.

"In the morning she just got up and ate the other dog's breakfast," added Mrs Newton. "She's had nine lives and it's cost me every time."

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thought to ponder:
Computers are like air conditioners. They work fine until you start opening windows.

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Police said a Florida man charged with domestic battery allegedly sprayed his wife with a garden hose for smoking in the house. The police report of the incident said the victim arrived at her Jensen Beach home while smoking a cigarette. Her husband yelled at her about smoking in the house and sprayed her with a hose.

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Bozo criminal for today comes from Salt Lake City, Utah, where bozo Robert Baldwin was pulled over by the cops for driving erratically and not having his lights on. It was when the officer asked if he was having some sort of problem that he came up with the Bozo Excuse of the Month. He told the officer that he was from the planet Alpha Omega and he was just "getting his binge on." The officer didn't see the humor in his answer. He's been charged with driving under the influence.

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