http://www.smashingames.com/games/spaceinvaders.html (Space Invaders)

Obesity Ages Men By 10 Years

A new study examining the links between obesity and testosterone has
discovered that men who gained just 30 pounds (13.6kg) lost as much
testosterone as if they'd aged 10 years, Reuters reported this week.

Scientists from the New England Research Institute tracked 1,667 men
during their study and published their findings as Australian doctors
warned that exploding obesity levels are creating an epidemic of teenagers
with man-boobs, prompting increasing numbers of Australian boys to seek
reduction surgery.

"We are getting a lot more requests for surgery for young people, and
we are refusing to do it in some cases," said Dr Rod Cooter, spokesman
for the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons Adelaide.

"Some of the expectations are unrealistic, some think they can go out
and eat whatever they like, and we'll fix it," he added (Adelaide
Advertiser).

http://www.springfrog.com/games/asteroids (Classic asteroids)

http://www.flashteroids.com (Flash asteroids)


http://samvak.tripod.com/abuse8.html (Identifying abusers: "Haughty"
body language – The abuser adopts a physical posture which implies and
exudes an air of superiority, seniority, hidden powers, mysteriousness,
amused indifference, etc. Though the abuser usually maintains sustained
and piercing eye contact, he often refrains from physical proximity (he
maintains his personal territory) . .)

http://www.bemyastrologer.com/body_language_plus.html (Limp-Wrist
Shake: 'A person who extends only the fingers or whose hand feels like a
west fish when you grasp it is saying, "I don't want to touch you; I don't
like intimacy." It's also a sign of submission and weakness. When a man
uses this handshake in a business setting, he may be indicating that he
intends to secretly manipulate the situation . . .')

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles (Spot the
fake smile)


http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/vanish.htm ('How to disappear in America
without a trace:' Always over-estimate the resolve of those seeking to
find you yet keep your estimations reasonable. Greatly over-estimating
your opposition can cause you to behave in predictable, patterned ways,
however. It is the predictability of your actions based upon your
opposition's controlled stimulus which can get you caught . . .')

http://www.bushrag.com (Camouflage Tips)

http://www.divine-interventions.com/baby.php (Baby Jesus buttplugs:
'Slap him on the dashboard, Use him as the ultimate pacifier or make Baby
Jesus the centrepiece of your magnificent Dildo Creche . . .')

http://www.blowfish.com/catalog/toys/symbolic_dildos.html
('high-quality silicone dildos in the shapes of religious figures. Perfect gifts for
the iconoclasts in your life . . .')

http://users.frii.com/gosplow/cgsa.html (A Christian's Guide to Small
Arms: 'The Lord Jesus Christ gave very clear instruction to His
disciples in the upper room after the Last Supper. They were to be sent on a
mission, and were to take with them certain things - moneybag, knapsack,
and sword . . .')



New York's Limelight Sold For Shops

New York nightlife received another brutal blow this week, with the
announcement that seminal superclub venue the Limelight is to be turned
into a shopping mall.

In recent years the 6th Avenue converted Episcopal church traded as
Avalon though remained best known for being the centre of Michael Alig's
club kid scene of the 90s. The club also continued to be targeted by
local police who most recently closed it down during a Halloween Party
over licensing technicalities.

The 1am raid prompted a despairing response from the venue's last chief
Ricky Mercado, who told the Village Voice' It's just like they are
saying, 'Nightclubs—get the f**k out of New York City', a prediction that
appears justified with Limelight's future.

"The landlord has decided that he doesn't want to go forward with
another nightclub," financial broker Frank Terzulli, of Winnick Realty Group
told the New York Post this week.

"He's going to cut it up for retail tenants and a restaurant with patio
seating."

Eddie Dean from rival superclub Pacha was sympathetic, telling Skrufff
'Whew, what a shame. Limelight will always be part of New York City
nightclub history'.

"I'm not quite sure what happened, but what little I've heard is the
overhead of being located on 6th Avenue was tremendous," Eddie continued.

"The costs of operating a club in New York City have been steadily
rising and the cost of being actually on 6th Avenue had to have made things
very difficult. Avalon has had great success in other cities, but
clearly New York is different," he said.

Some encouraging news for all the smart women out there.(Although I suppose there is a version of this that might apply to men as well)

- http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2007/02/18/the_romantic_life_of_brainiacs/?page=1

The Romantic Life of Brainiacs
College-educated, highly successful women have long had a reputation for marrying less (and having lousier sex). But in a historic reversal of past trends, these women now triumph in matrimony. A marriage historian explains.



By STEPHANIE COONTZ | February 18, 2007

Pity the overschooled old maid and the lonely career woman. Highly educated or high-achieving women are less likely to marry and have children than other women. If they do marry, they are more likely to divorce. Even if they don't divorce, their marriages will be less happy. And, oh, yes, they'll be sexually frustrated, too.

These maxims, widely accepted for at least two centuries, are bad news for a state so focused on brainy pursuits. Thirty-five percent of Massachusetts women 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or more, a level of educational attainment almost 10 points higher than the national average. So perhaps it follows that 28 percent of women in the state have never been married. Massachusetts's proportion of never-married females is the third highest in the nation, topped only by the District of Columbia and the state of New York. But are these women really educating themselves out of the marriage market? If a woman reads Proust or computes calculus, is she unable to attract a mate?

Conventional wisdom says the answer to both questions is yes. But a close look at the historical transformation of marriage in America suggests that educated women now have a surprising advantage when it comes to matrimony.

More here : - http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2007/02/18/the_romantic_life_of_brainiacs/?page=1

Better late than never - postcard arrives after 92 years :)

##################################

- http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2007/02/16/british_soldiers_postcard_92_years_late/

British soldier's postcard 92 years late

February 16, 2007

LONDON --A British soldier's postcard to his sweetheart has finally arrived -- 92 years after he sent it from the trenches of World War I.

Pvt. Walter Butler wrote to Amy Hicks in 1915 telling her he was alive and well -- but the army issued postcard never made it to her home in Wiltshire, 60 miles west of London. Butler survived the war, and the couple went on to marry.

The postcard turned up in a postal sorting office, which sent it along last week to the post office near Hicks' address. A local postman called the home of the couple's daughter, Joyce Hulbert, to announce the discovery.

Hulbert, 86, a grandmother of three, said her late parents rarely discussed the war, and that the relic of the past had little meaning for her. She wondered what the fuss was all about.

"I think it's rather excessive," Hulbert told The Associated Press. "There's lots more interesting things going on than a postcard arriving 92 years late."

What the fuss was all about?? Come on does she even have a heart?? Almost a century..

SNDY - Yeah, I know! :) Have you seen the 90's Brticom 'As Time Goes by"? This article kinda reminded me of it. It is about a post card from the war front that never arrives and causes two lovers to go their own ways thinking the other is not interested anymore. They then get reunited by happenstance after 38 years. It is a very funny and entertaining show.
##########################################

A piece of new from Frisco : watch out when you open your apartment door next time : P

Man returns from visit, trips on corpse

February 20, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO --A Haight-Ashbury man returning home from an extended vacation tripped and fell on a corpse in his bedroom after finding his apartment had been ransacked, police said.

Authorities have not released the name of the resident or the victim, identified only as a white male, but are treating the death as suspicious, said Sgt. Neville Gittens.

The resident had just come back from a two-week visit in Humboldt County when he made the grisly discovery Monday, Gittens said.

"That is really sad, just terrible," said Kiersten Frey, who has lived on the block for more than 10 years. "It's usually pretty mellow around here."

The resident's orange-and-white tabby cat seen prowling the investigation scene was taken away by animal control officials but was unharmed, said Animal Care and Control Lt. Le-Ellis Brown.

Source : - http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2007/02/20/man_returns_from_visit_trips_on_corpse/

Capt Saab, haven't watched "As time goes by"..seems interesting...

Read about the San Francisco man..it's really scary..

I'm sure most of us already know about this..

DAYLIGHT TIME WILL BE EARLY — GET SET
Individuals, businesses need to adjust calendars, clocks run by computers
Tom Abate, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

In 2005, Congress decided Americans needed a little more sunshine in their lives and ordered that daylight-saving time be extended four weeks beginning this year.

Now with clocks slated to spring forward three weeks earlier than usual, on March 11, high-tech pundits are wondering how big a headache this will cause for computer users -- and whether this will be a replay of the Y2K bug drama of 1999.

For instance, airlines could be thrown off schedule, creating havoc for travelers. People could miss meetings. Cell phone calls could be mistakenly billed during peak hours. All kinds of automatic orders and messages could be mistimed.

But John Pironti, who evaluates risks for the global computer consulting firm Getronics, said the smart money is betting that the change will cause annoyances, not catastrophes.

"It's not a doomsday scenario, it's a discomfort scenario,'' said Pironti, adding that while big companies have had time to prepare, small businesses and consumers might be unaware of the problem.

"Nobody knows about this," said Scott Hauge, who leads the 2,700-member nonprofit advocacy group Small Business California and also runs a 31-person insurance firm in San Francisco.

Microsoft Corp. has sought to minimize any time-change difficulties by issuing updates to the most current version of its Windows XP operating system, and it already has built the time change into Vista. But users of older operating systems, such as Windows 2000, might have to figure things out for themselves.

Apple has taken pretty much the same posture.

With the change still three Sundays away, it's an open guess as to how big or small a deal this will turn out to be. But an obvious question is: Why?

The change was one of many provisions that became law when President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act in August 2005. The act mandated that, starting in 2007, daylight saving should begin on the second Sunday in March -- instead of the first Sunday in April -- and end on the first Sunday in November rather than the last Sunday in October.

Energy savings was the reason given for the addition of four weeks. A California Energy Commission document said studies have generally found that longer daylight hours save money on electricity because people run fewer lights when the sun is shining.

The United States first began experimenting with daylight saving during World War I, and since then, the practice has taken hold. Today, roughly 70 nations and all 50 states except Arizona and Hawaii practice the ritual.

But that doesn't stop the arguments that seem to occur whenever the period is adjusted, as occurred temporarily during the Arab Oil Embargo of the 1970s and again in 1986 when President Ronald Reagan moved the start of daylight saving to the first Sunday in April from the last Sunday of that month.

One of the arguments against such changes has been that they disrupt sleep patterns, but in today's computer-dependent world, the bigger worries might be tech-related. In January, the Gartner market research firm warned that "few information technology organizations have any formalized risk assessment and remediation program" to figure out how big a glitch the time changes could cause and how to fix any such problems in advance.

But in the same report, the company suggested that in three recent time shifts -- in Australia, the United Kingdom and the state of Indiana -- there were relatively few problems in big, central systems but "significant problems at the application level."

Translation: Corporate America could be just fine, but Mr. and Ms. Consumer might miss a few meetings until they figure out why their automated calendars are amiss.

Don Rhodes, a technology expert with the American Bankers Association, said he is confident that financial institutions large and small -- having headed off possible Y2K aggravations by extensive planning -- have taken steps to make the time shift painless.

"Invariably, somebody's not going to correct something, but they'll notice within a day or two,'' he said.

Sarah Bulgatz, spokeswoman for Charles Schwab & Co., said a lot of people in her firm's technology division have been working since September to make sure the switch doesn't affect their time-sensitive business.

"We don't feel there's going to be any client impact," she said.

But Pironti, the Getronics expert, said many smaller businesses, including law firms and companies with just-in-time inventory systems, could be stung. For instance law firms time-stamp all correspondence, and he suggested that if wrong times ended up on notes or e-mails, it could lead to evidence being disqualified. Firms that run lean inventories could be shocked when orders they placed automatically are rejected because they were placed at the wrong time.

And what of the millions of ordinary computer users who hit the on-switch every day -- and say silent prayers of thanks when their machines boot up as expected?

Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler said his firm has built the time changes into the Vista operating system and its 2007 Office systems, which were finalized after the Energy Act took effect. Starting last Tuesday, Microsoft also began sending out automatic updates to users of its Windows XP SP2 operating system. So XP users who have logged onto the Internet since then, and who allow automatic updates to their operating system, have had the problem fixed.

Apple started sending out similar updates to its current operating system in January.

But customers who use older operating systems might have to do more homework to patch their own computers. Peter O'Leary is chief executive of the San Francisco software consulting firm, Summit TCD Corp. But back in the 1990s, he worked with what was then Lotus Development Corp. on calendar software. O'Leary said he uses a Windows 2000 computer and had to hunt around for clues on how to fix his date issue.

"I'm surprised we haven't read more about it,'' he said. "It's clearly going to affect anyone who isn't aware of it."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daylight time
Congress has extended daylight-saving time to save energy. This year it will start March 11 and will end Nov. 4.

Protect your computer

The change will affect the clock and calendar functions in computer operating systems. Here are some places to learn how to make sure your system shows the right time:

Microsoft Windows

microsoft.com/dst2007

Apple

docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305056

Source: Chronicle research

http://www.seethru.co.uk/games/quiz/crazy.htm (Are You crazy?)

-http://similarminds.com/personality_disorder.html (do you have a personality disorder?)

-http://www.psychics.co.uk/psychictests/psychiciq.html (Are you psychic?)

-http://tag-der-arbeit.extrajetzt.de (Berlin dodge cops game: break windows, destroy, escape (in German) )

-http://www.mindcontrolforums.com ('Totally Anonymous, Untraceable Questionnaire for Mind Control/Electronic Harassment PERPETRATORS. . .')


-http://www.StopCovertWar.com (Are you a target of multiple stalkers? Are you being followed, harassed, or threatened? Is your phone tapped? If so... YOU may be a Target of... Covert War!)

-http://www.greatdreams.com/mind_control.htm (The following symptoms are of the harassment typical of electronic mind weapon targets: '1. You find that all of your family, friendship, and business relationships are going sour and you have done nothing to cause this/ You find that you are coming suddenly awake at precisely the SAME TIME, middle of every night . . .')

-http://www.technetguru.net/host/104 (online slaps game)

-http://rockylegends.ubi.com (Rocky punching game)

-http://www.utdallas.edu/~aria/dance/etiquette.html (Dancing etiquette: 'When asking for a dance, one cannot go wrong with traditional phrases: eg: May I have this dance?'' . . . Dance etiquette requires that one should avoid declining a dance under almost all circumstances . . .')

-http://www.debretts.co.uk/etiquette/etiquette_faq.html (High society etiquette: 'Debrett is frequently asked to advise on matters of etiquette and on correct forms of address for letters and invitations. Following are the answers to the some of the most commonly asked questions . . .')

-http://www.smokingwithstyle.com ('the rules of marijuana etiquette, building pipes and bongs, rolling joints, pot circles and cooking with pot!')


Serbia's Exit Festival Announces Dates For 2007

Organisers of next year's Exit Festival have confirmed it will be
happening between the 12th and 15th of July next year, at the usual idyllic
location of the Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad.

The massively popular three night music festival attracts tens of
thousands of revellers from former Yugoslavia countries Croatia, Bosnia and
Slovenia as well as increasing numbers from everywhere else, with over
3,000 Brits attending in 2006 (numbers were actually limited).

"We will be starting ticket sales within few weeks - definitely before
New Year's Eve," Production Director Ivan Milivojev confirmed. "At that
moment we'll be announcing the first big names and I must say that line
up will be better, as it's always better then the previous year and in
addition we'll be presenting a few massive events beforehand."

Next year's event is also being supported for the first time by
Serbia's Ministry of Finance, who announced last week they'll be contributing
30 million dinars (roughly 10% of the festival budget) in recognition
of Exit as a ''project of national importance, changing the image of
Serbia in the best way'.

Exit's general manager Bojan Boskovic said they're also expecting to
make a significant profit for the first time, which they're planning to
plough back into local services.

"Our intention is to create a Foundation that will distribute all
profits made from the festival for the benefit of society," Bojan explained,

"We started this festival to make Serbia better place for all of us and
we will continue in that direction. We are just now in the process of
founding the Exit Foundation."

-http://www.exitfest.org


-http://www.lightparty.com/Spirituality/LSD.html Stanislav Grof: 'What's most important, at least on a social level, is the need to recognize there is an extremely powerful drive in human nature for transcendence. The need for a transcendental experience is stronger than sex. If you study history, you find that every other culture, except the industrial
civilization, honoured it. . .')

-http://www.sawka.com/spiritwatch/lange.htm (Near-death experiences: 'The 15 (common) elements include; ineffability, hearing the news, feelings of peace and quiet, the noise, the dark tunnel, out of the body, meeting others, the being of light, the review, the borders of limit, coming back, telling others, effects on lives, new views of death, corroboration . . .')

-http://www.themystic.org/higher ('The higher states of awareness are gained through awakenings. You enter into your mystic nature by attuning your thoughts and feelings with it. Then, gradually you become conscious of its presence"; techniques)

-http://www.all-roads-lead.net/jvstin/npshapeshifting.html (Shape-shifting)

-http://www.witchway.net (The Inner Sanctum of Wicca and Witchcraft Notes)

-http://www.unmuseum.org/mummy.htm (The Curse of Tutankhamen: 'A few months after the tomb's opening tragedy struck. Lord Carnarvon, 57, was taken ill and rushed to Cairo. He died a few days later. The exact cause of death was not known, but it seemed to be from an infection started by an insect bite. Legend has it that when he died there was a short power failure and all the lights throughout Cairo went out. His son reported that back on his estate in England his favourite dog howled and
suddenly dropped dead . . .')

-http://nycma.org (NYCMA - Crystal Meth Anonymous New York)

-http://www.realizationcenter.net/index.html (Realization Center New York - A very good place to get sober)

-http://www.na-berlin.de/wer/eng_wer.htm (NA Berlin)

http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=787 (What kind of toilet paper are
you? Quiz)

http://www.2flashgames.com/f/f-760.htm (Toilet paper game)

http://www.damehygiene.co.uk/how_germs_spread.shtml ('Our hands are the
most significant agents in the transmission of infections. This is
especially true when bacteria are involved but virus infections are
commonly hand –spread. Infections can also spread via air, food and water .
. .')

Bathroom Coffee - Hombre! Good to see you around.

Found this in the Tribune. Having a hard time finding a wife? You may want to consider looking in Vietnam ! :P I cant believe people do such things but it's got a funny side to it I suppose.

- http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/21/news/brides.php

Marriage brokers in Vietnam cater to Korean bachelors

HANOI: It was midnight here in Hanoi, or already 2 a.m. back in Seoul. But after a five-hour flight on a recent Sunday, Kim Wan Su was driven straight from the airport to the Lucky Star karaoke bar, where 23 young Vietnamese women seeking Korean husbands sat waiting in two dimly lit rooms.

"Do I have to look at them and decide now?" Kim asked, as the marriage brokers gave a brief description of each of the women sitting around a U-shaped sofa.

Thus, Kim, a 39-year-old auto parts worker from a suburb of Seoul, began the mildly chaotic, two-hour process of choosing a spouse. In a day or two, if his five-day marriage tour went according to plan, he would be wed and enjoying his honeymoon at the famed Perfume Pagoda in the Huong Tich Mountain southwest of here.

More and more South Korean men are finding wives outside Korea, where a surplus of bachelors, a shortage of marriageable Korean women and their rising social status have combined to shrink the domestic market for the marriage-minded male. Bachelors in China, India and other Asian nations, where the traditional preference for sons has created a disproportionate number of men now fighting over a smaller pool of women, are also facing the same problem.

But a booming Korean marriage tourism industry is seizing on an increasingly globalized marriage market and sending comparatively affluent Korean bachelors to searching for brides in the poorer corners of China and Southeast and Central Asia. The marriage tours are fueling an the explosive growth in marriages to foreigners in Korea, a country whose ethnic homogeneity lies at the core of its self-identity.

More here ...

Why are they called marriage brokers if they are trying to fix marriages? :)

ha ha ... nice one (took me a while to get it) :P

Just saw it in Yahoo......

What Scares a Man?
Posted by David Zinczenko
on Thu, Feb 08, 2007, 12:02 pm PST Post a Comment

You probably think you know what frightens most men. A long-weekend at the in-laws' place. Antiquing. Running out of beer in the third quarter. But that's just the stuff he'll admit to being afraid of, which, by definition, means they're not his true deep fears. So how can you determine what those are? Easy: They're the ones he'll almost never talk about. But I will.

Let's count down through the Scary Fifteen:

#15 Hair in the drain. The first sign of male pattern baldness brings a man face-to-follicle with a skimpy aspect of his future. And it's always earlier than he expects or wants (which is, like, never). Logically, men know that baldness is as much of a part of life as Leno making Britney jokes. Logically, men know that being bald doesn't mean that they're any less smart, virile, or successful. Logically, men know that women don't care how much hair their men have. Logically, men know there are plenty of bald men who are comfortable in their skin--no matter how much of it they're showing. But when it first happens, it feels like stepping on a scale and being 20 pounds heavier or waking up in high school with a quarter-sized nose pimple. It's the inevitable and uncontrollable change in appearance that men try so desperately to protect. Maybe even more importantly, this moment when a man starts losing his hair says a lot about him-whether he's cool enough to handle it, or anxious enough to attempt to deny it with combovers, Rogaine, or faith healers.

#14 Getting caught noticing another woman. A man's instinctual response to visual stimulation very rarely has anything to do with his current relationship or how he feels about it. But his lizard brain reacts instantly, and before he knows he's doing it, he's looking at someone else. We hate having to explain behaviors that even we don't fully understand.

#13 Rejection. Doesn't matter whether it happens after a job interview, or at a bar, or on the basketball court. And remember, there's a difference between losing and being outright rejected. Men can handle losing a game or having a bar conversation disintegrate into nothing. But the proud creatures that men are, they hate having their shots blocked. Mainly, that's because it means that someone else has the upper hand-and is gloating about it.

#12 Super Nanny.

#11 Speedos.

#10 His dad's death. It's his most powerful moment of a reflection, as he thinks about his own mortality. Becoming the family patriarch is heavy stuff. For many men, it's a life-changing moment, because they think about what their fathers did for them and what they failed to do. The next step: Considering what they need to do to be better dads and better men themselves--which means they must confront their own failures, as well. That's a lot for a grief-stricken man to deal with. He should get some latitude to do that in his own way. For him, reaching out may be through what seem like misdirections--more chatter about fishing with friends, an extra set of tickets to the Phillies showdown with the Mets. But guys need a reason to get together; the talk will come during a slow point in the 6th inning, or in the car on the way home.

#9 Her tears. Men know it's natural, that women need to do it, and that it's a signal that they better provide something more than just a tissue-even though many men have no clue what that something might be. Men have been told that women cry for all kinds of reasons-to release some emotions, to get our attention, or just because dammit, The Bachelor rose ceremony is so stinkin' sad. Men want to do the right thing, but because men don't navigate those falling waters very often, they probably do the wrong thing more often than not. Which is another reason why they fear her emotional tsunami.

#8 Being a lousy lover. Of all the things that men want to happen in bed, pleasing their women ranks near the top of the list, according to a national Men, Love, and Sex survey by Harris Interactive. Men hate to think that women may be bored, unimpressed, or unsatisfied. Maybe it's an ego thing (okay, it is an ego thing), but men do very genuinely care about how much pleasure a woman is having in bed. That's why the faking thing drives men so crazy. To men, feigned pleasure is code for: You're so damn terrible at this, but there there, little fella, I'm gonna make you feel good about your inadequate self. Men want to know what women want, and they want to be successful in delivering it.

#7 Not being a god to his kids. There comes a time when men don't care much about what strangers, co-workers, friends, in-laws, or anybody else thinks about them. But when a kid articulates his father's flaws, it's the ultimate heart crumbler. Men know that sometimes they work too much or are too short-fused or simply fall short on the hero-dad meter, but deep down, they know it's the most important job that they're going to do. And if they don't do it right, they know there's a significant chink in their masculine armor.

#6 Living paycheck to paycheck. Even though men aren't the only hunters and providers anymore, they still feel a deep evolutionary pull to provide the backbone and protection for their tribe. When men lose money, can't make enough money, or are scrounging for money, it can be an emotional disaster-it makes them feel like they're losing control in their lives.

#5 Beautiful women. Few things intimidate men more than IRS audits and 12-foot birdie putts. A beautiful woman is one of them. A beautiful woman-whether spotted at work, in bookstores, driving in the next lane, anywhere-simply has the power to turn a man of steel into creamed corn. Men know this. Men try to resist this. Ultimately, it's a challenge. Beauty may be a short-lived form of power, but it is profound, and nearly all men cower before it. It can make them do really, really stupid things.

#4 Getting naked. Ladies shouldn't think that they're alone in fleshy hang-ups. Guys are just as concerned about what women will initially think about their body hair, muscles, guts, toes, and other parts. Men are deeply aware that they can be too fat, too skinny, too hairy, too smelly, and while men are eager to revel in a woman's body, they also share anxiety about revealing their own.

#3 Tofurky.

#2 Not seeing his kids grow up. Death, of course, scares everyone-not so much for the bad stuff that may happen to them, but for missing out on all the good stuff that will happen to their kids. Or, worse yet, not being around to protect them from the bad stuff.

# 1 Public humiliation. Here's one that will make even the strongest men cave: Looking weak. Whether a man is extremely secure-or insanely insecure-about himself, he's worries that he'll look incompetent, idiotic, or both. Doesn't matter whether it's a zipper malfunction, an off-color joke he mistakenly slips in during a speech, a dismissive statement by a boss in a department meeting, fumbling the fly ball at a softball game, getting arrested for fighting after his kid's soccer game, whatever. It's one thing to make mistakes. But making the reputation-damaging ones in public is tough to take. That's because as much as men try to protect their homes, their families, their appearance, and their jobs, perhaps the most nerve-wracking job of all is protecting the thing they can't cure with money, with effort or with laser hair removal: their reputations.

What secretly scares you? Fess up and share it here.

Sands, I don't know about men, but for me # 2 is # 1..I'm scared to death that I won't see my son growing up..I just want to see my grandchildren..

Colombia clowns killed on stage
Two circus clowns have been shot dead during a performance in the eastern Colombian city of Cucuta, police say.
The attacker jumped into the arena and fired before fleeing, police chief Jose Humberto Henao told Efe news agency.

Local reports say the audience of about 20 people, mostly children, thought the shooting was part of the show before realising both men had been killed.

Last year, a prominent circus clown, known as Pepe, was also shot dead by a unknown assailant in Cucuta.

The motive for the latest killing remains unclear, police said. Local media reports suggest two attackers may have been involved.

One clown was shot in the head as he performed on stage, about an hour into the Circo del Sol's evening show.

The second, named as 18-year-old Franklin Leal, from Cucuta, was then shot as he stood by the ticket booth, according to the newspaper La Opinion.

The travelling circus had set up in a suburb of Cucuta, capital of Norte de Santander province near the Venezuelan border, about 10 days earlier, the paper says.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Interesting news there Bathroom Coffee - Colombians giving us some competition there, huh? :) Heh eh heh ... As hard as it might be for us to believe, I suppose there are worse places and people in the world besides Nepal

This from Ananova - one my favorite news sites these days

- http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2212503.html

Surgeons fight during operation

An operation in a Belgrade hospital was disrupted when two surgeons started fighting in the operating theatre.

The surgeons stormed out of the room and carried on fighting outside, reports the daily Politika newspaper.

Surgeon Spasoje Radulovic was operating when his colleague Dragan Vukanic entered and made a remark that started a quarrel, said the anaesthesiologist on duty.

"At one moment Vukanic pulled the ear of the operating doctor, slapped him in the face and walked out," she said.

Radulovic followed and an all-out fight ensued, resulting in bruises, a split lip, loose teeth and a fractured finger.

The operation was completed successfully by the attending assistant doctor.

Good-day Capn' someone's takin' their fear of Clowns to a whole new extreme I guess.... hehe
Both the Doc's names sound East European, guess they didn't have to go far for their cuts and bruises. he he woulda been funny if they were forced to tend to each others wound as a punishment. he he :-)

Ha ha ha Bathroom Coffee - that would have been funny and also a good way to completely eliminate the other I suppose (sneak in some arsenic or something :P)

This also from Ananova - an anonymous case of "Extreme Makeover" (the ABC show)? :P


- http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2210949.html?menu=news.quirkies

'Police? Someone's refurbished my flat!'

A German man returned from a weekend away to find his flat had been broken into and completely refurbished.

Astonished Gunther Hagler, 45, called the police after arriving home to find his flat in Frankfurt had been renovated.

Even his fridge had been replaced, the walls given a fresh coat of paint, windows cleaned and new furniture installed.

Yet nothing had been stolen, even the food from the old fridge had been placed in the new one.

Police solved the mystery when they called the landlord to find if anyone else had a key, and discovered he had ordered a complete renovation of the flat next door - but handed over the wrong key.

I wish my house was renovated too..that would be a pleasant surprise :)

I thought it was interesting..like Jon Caroll's columns

JON CARROLL
Jon Carroll

Thursday, February 22, 2007

It is, I understand, not fair to compare any president to Abraham Lincoln. He was smart, cagey, largehearted, intuitive; an amazing autodidact, an inspiring leader. The two Roosevelts come close, but they were both born into privilege. Washington, Jefferson and Madison were great men, but I'm not sure they were great presidents. And Harry Truman is sui generis, almost a separate category.

But it's worth looking at what Lincoln did as a president. I've been reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's remarkable "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," and I think every serious candidate should read it, despite its too-long-for-a-17-hour-flight length. I think it's too late for the current incumbent to take any lessons from Lincoln, but maybe the next person could learn, and the one after that. Obviously, times are different and blah blah, but they're not as different as we make them out to be. We are not that special, for all our fine toys.

Lincoln traveled with at most one bodyguard, except when he was on actual battlefields, when he was surrounded by soldiers. I'm talking here about battlefields where the battle was still going on, albeit not right near the president. I'm trying to think of the last president who went to an active battlefield. Flying into a huge Army base in the Iraq desert doesn't count.

Lincoln walked among the soldiers and answered their questions. No newspaper reporters went with him. He also visited the sick. He rode horses along ridgelines while talking tactics with his generals. At the beginning of the war, he realized he knew nothing about military matters, so he spent 18 months educating himself. Grant thought he was informed and able -- and Grant should know. (Grant: terrible president, but a great general.)

Of course, it's so different today. These are dangerous times, and the president could be a target of extremists. On the other hand, remember how Lincoln died. Lincoln held frequent Sunday gatherings at the White House, and y'all come. Anyone could walk through the door. There were many Confederate sympathizers in Washington, and there were no metal detectors, but Lincoln stood there for hours shaking every hand he could find. The wonder is not that he was assassinated; the wonder is that it took so long.

Why did he take the risk? Because he thought it was important to get a sense of what the people were thinking. He also thought it was important for the people to get a sense of what he was thinking. He believed in the words of the Declaration of Independence, and he took it as the text for his most famous speech. If the government was indeed of, by and for the people, then the people had a right to talk to its leaders and visit its public buildings.

He was not protected by his advisers; he was not protected from the news. Often he walked down to the telegraph office to get the war details as soon as they came in. When he thought something was important to talk about, he wrote his own speech. There were no talking points for Lincoln, just points.

For part of the Civil War, the battle was so close to Washington that people on the streets could hear the guns. When someone talks about how necessary it is to trash the Constitution and lock up anybody who might be bad, or might know someone who's bad, I think: Call me when al Qaeda has control of Virginia.

Goodwin's book is about Lincoln's Cabinet. He took the best men he could find, three of whom had been his competitors for the Republican nomination. He took men who were committed abolitionists and men who insisted that preserving the union, not slavery, was the real issue. He let the men of his Cabinet disagree with him, in public and private, without penalty. He listened, really listened, to what they had to say. Then he made the decision. He was the decider. Turns out one of the best ways to be the decider is not to say that you're the decider.

Lincoln read extensively and could quote vast swaths of Shakespeare from memory. He rarely left Washington, even in the oppressive heat of the summer, and never when the battle was nearby. The Civil War is still America's bloodiest war -- we lost more men in it than in all our other wars combined -- and he understood that, as the commander in chief, he had to have the courage to be near the carnage.

Toward the end of the war, when many of his fellow Republicans were talking about punishing the Southerners for their disloyalty, Lincoln delivered his Second Inaugural address, which promised to "bind up the wounds of the nation" with "malice toward none; with charity for all."

Charity and love. Think of it.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is good to remember that it's possible to be both powerful and humble. Of course, it takes a remarkable person, but isn't that the idea?
Ye haven't an arm, you haven't a leg, you're an armless, legless, chickenless egg, and you'll have to be put with jcarroll@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/02/22/DDGRJN7KRL1.DTL

Interesting stuffs, BC, Captain and Sndy ..
Here is one I came across..

Passengers refuse to use new airline because logo features 13 dots. 'Unlucky' airline logo grounded

A new Belgian carrier, Brussels Airlines, has been forced to change its logo following complaints from superstitious passengers. The 13 dots making up the stylised 'b' brought a flood of complaints about the "unlucky" design. The airline, which formally launches on 25 March, said it was taken aback by the strength of feeling and felt obliged to respond. It has now altered the design to incorporate an additional dot. Brussels Airlines was formed from the merger of SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express. Brussels Airlines spokesman Geert Sciot said: "They [passengers] said they were not pleased with an aircraft with a logo with 13 balls because they think it brings them bad luck. "We are never surprised by reactions - but that it was that bad? It really took us aback," he said.

SNDY - "malice toward none; with charity for all." - one of my favorite Lincoln quotes. Goodness, and we still cant seem to get that either here on Sajha or back home in Nepal. Sad, isn't it?

Interesting one Nepal ko choro. I always get a kick when I see elevators, here in the "ultra-modern" US of A , that don't have a button for the 13th floor.

PS: Did you know there is actually a term for the fear of the number 13? Triskaidekaphobia!

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triskaidekaphobia

Capt. saab, my thoughts exactly..

http://www.lucidity.com/NL11.DreamRecall.html (Remembering your dreams
is the starting place for learning to have lucid dreams.)

http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/mirror/classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/dreams.html
("On Dreams" by Aristotle)

http://www.greatdreams.com/walkin.htm ('You usually feel totally
different. It is usually quite a shock to the body especially if this has
happened due to a car accident, operation, or a very long illness. You
will feel somewhat estranged from everyone around you though you retain
the memories of your body's past history . .')

http://www.walk-ins.com (' walk-ins are beings who have attained
sufficient awareness of life so they can forego the process of birth and
childhood, incarnating directly into adult bodies. . .')

http://www.angelicinspirations.com/page188.htm ('Indications of a
walk-in are:1. Usually occur during a traumatic event in the host soul's
life such as a severe illness or a car accident. Many come in during a
near death experience . . .')


"The perfect woman is a curvy, brunette nurse from Sheffield, And the
ideal man is a Newcastle doctor with a good sense of humour and an eye
for a cashmere sweater." (Grazia magazine) A study of 4,000 Brits reveals that most fancy bland Northerners (and '97% of females find men's children from earlier relationships 'a huge turn-off'.)


"Ladies, beware the condom he's carrying. Of course you two should use
protection, but know this: A condom will last about a month when stored
in a wallet; any longer and it's more likely to break." (MSN.co.nz) MSN sexpert Carly Milne urges caution when carrying condoms.


Love Rivals Usually Over-rated (But . . .)

A new study of dating habits in America has revealed that both men and
women 'consistently over-rate the attractiveness of competitors'
(Guardian) with women wrongly judging rivals as thinner and prettier and men
thinking others are more rugged.

Texas University psychologist Sarah Hill told the Guardian some women
were so alarmed they risked developing depression and anoxeria, though
her findings for men contradicted an earlier study examining fertility
and male rivalry.

Researchers at Liverpool University reported in July that men become
more aware of love rivals' potential threat when their women are in their
fertile phase, prompting psychology expert Dr George Fieldman from
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College to warn them to take their
intuitions seriously.

"Whether they consciously know it or not, women do tend to have affairs
with dominant males during their most fertile phase," Dr Feldman told
the BBC.

"That's independent of whether they want to get pregnant or not," he
added.

The picture appeared distinctly cloudier in India this week, with the
publication of another survey, which revealed that identifying dominant
males could be trickier than elsewhere.

The Indian Council of Medical Health carried out a nationwide survey of
1,000 men and discovered that 60% of Indian men are 'between three and
five centimetres shorter than international standards used in condom
manufacture', with alarming implications for pregnancy protection and
sexual infections.

"Smaller condoms are on sale in India. But there is a lack of awareness
that different sizes are available," Doctor Chander Puri from the
Indian Council of Medical Health told the BBC.

"There is anxiety talking about the issue. And normally one feels shy
to go to a chemist's shop and ask for a smaller size condom," he added.

http://www.glizzy.nl/media/de_poes_van_britney_spears.htm (Britney Spears no knickers shots- NOT GOOD FOR WORK!!!)

http://www.oxygen.com/specials/talksex/fetish (Fetish flip N match game)

http://www.bmezine.com/news/pubring/20061028.html (Michelle- the Pass around girl- sex addiction: NOT GOOD FOR WORK!!!)

How Can You Stop People Who Constantly Demand Favours?

"You just say no; but always do it with kindness and
compassion. Of course, saying no is one of the hardest things to do, so
perhaps the best way to learn to do it is practice with a willing
friend. Get them to keep asking you for various favours, keep refusing them
and eventually you'll become quite good at it.

People who keep hitting you up for small things know exactly what
they're doing - they're draining your energy, though also underlying this topic is a
deeper issue of not wanting to be seen to be mean - so perhaps it's
useful to remind yourself that saying no, hence honouring your boundaries,
doesn't make you mean, unless you do it in a mean way. Compassion
conquers all."

http://www.aip.org/history/heisenberg (Heisenberg's Uncertainty
Principle: 'The more precisely the POSITION is determined the less precisely
the MOMENTUM is known . . .')

http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Russell.html
Bertrand Russel's Paradox: 'The paradox arose in connection with the
set of all sets which are not members of themselves. Such a set, if it
exists, will be a member of itself if and only if it is not a member of
itself. The significance of the paradox follows since, in classical
logic, all sentences are entailed by a contradiction . . .')

http://www.basicincome.com/bp/logic.htm (Can logic be proved?)

http://www.hrfq.com (Japan's newest download site: )

http://www.instructables.com/ex/i/7DBB34EAEDFF1028A1FC001143E7E506/?ALLSTEPS
(LED graffti)

http://www.subwayoutlaws.com/Interviews/ale1.htm (Classic New York
train art)

http://www.gangwar.com/dynamics.htm#graffiti ('Urban street gang
graffiti is the most common way for gangs to communicate their message.
Organized graffiti is one of the first signs that street gangs are taking
hold in your neighbourhood and is also an excellent way to track gang
growth, affiliation, and sometimes even provides membership information.

The Madness Of George W

Connecticut psychologists who recently examined the political
affiliations of mentally ill voters in the States published their findings last
week and revealed that the more psychotic a voter is, the more likely
he or she is to vote for George Bush.

"Our study shows that psychotic patients prefer an authoritative
leader," said Christopher Lohse from Southern Connecticut State University.

"If your world is very mixed up, there's something very comforting
about someone telling you, 'This is how it's going to be'," he added (New
Haven Advocate).



Terrorist Links:

http://www.safetycentral.com/terrorism.html ('In a building explosion,
get out of the building as quickly and calmly as possible. If items are
falling off of bookshelves or from the ceiling, get under a sturdy
table or desk .If there is a fire. Stay low to the floor and exit the
building as quickly as possible. Cover nose and mouth with a wet cloth . .
.')

http://losangeles.fbi.gov/safety.htm (FBI Safety Tips: 'If you are in
the area of an explosion you should:1. Take cover behind a substantial
object to decrease the chance of being hit by flying debris. Make sure
to stay clear of glass windows which may be above you, since they could
become a source of dangerous secondary debris . . .')

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/49107 (Classic shoot terrorists
game)