Simple Browser: 9/1/07

Sep 30, 2007

Maid Kidnapped Madeleine?

A new clue? Police are now investigating a tip-off that Madeleine McCann was kidnapped by an ex-employee of the Mark Warner Ocean Club where the family were staying in Praia da Luz. The tip-off - which was sent to the Prince of Wales's website - claimed that the three-year-old was abducted by a former employee of the Mark Warner holiday complex in Portugal. According to the tip-off, it was a revenge abduction!

"There have been hundreds of Madeleine theories, sighting and tips sent in from members of the public. But this one is different. It's incredibly detailed and so far, from the inquiries being made in Portugal, it appears to be based on factual events. This could be very significant." - a police source told the News Of The World.

It is thought the maid is Portuguese and that she was sacked and left the complex on "bad terms".

The email, which is believed to have been prompted by the Prince's backing for Kate and Gerry McCann, was immediately reported to Scotland Yard who contacted Portuguese detectives working on the case. Link

read more “Maid Kidnapped Madeleine?”

Anti-Theft Stickers

A cool Anti-Theft device, without a guarantee! Take a look at the images. These rust and scratch stickers are designed to make your beautiful bike/car look rusted and scratched so that passing thieves assume it's not worth stealing due to its apparent shabbyness. It may work, but not always! What you think?

The Designers Note Says: This anti-theft device is not guaranteed to work in any way. However I have stuck them to my shiney new red bike and can confirm it hasn't been stolen yet. 13 days of not being stolen in London probably equates to 7 years of non-stealing in the friendly countryside. Link

Russia will construct new Island

After Dubai, Russia is going for big construction projects. The Russian government has presented the model of an artificial island that will be raised from the Black Sea waters near Sochi coast. They are targeting 2014 for completion of the project. The shape of the island resembles a miniature Russia. Take a look at the images. This new man-made island will be called 'The Federation'. Link

Library Fined a Dead Woman

Rules are rules. This is what the librarian thought, when imposing fine on a dead woman? Ethel Schaper passed away at the age of 87 after a huge stroke. Before death she borrowed a book from a library in Westchester County, New York. When her daughter, Elizabeth Schaper went to retun the books, the librarian charged 50-cent as fine for late return!

"I told him that maybe he didn't hear me right, that my mother had just died, otherwise I'm sure that she would have returned it on time," she said.
"His only reply was: 'That will be 50 cents.'

Elizabeth Schaper had only found the book, The Price of Silence by Camilla Trinchieri, a few days after her mother's death. Connie Perrotta, a secretary for the director of the Harrison Public Library, confirmed that the incident occurred but said the library would have no comment. Link

read more “Library Fined a Dead Woman”

Rihanna on Catwalk

The 19-year-old singer Rihanna hit the catwalks of Milan to give Naomi Campbell a run for her money. She did the catwalk for Italian fashion house Dsquared2. On September 9, 2007, Rihanna won the Monster Single of the Year at the MTV Music Video Awards for "Umbrella". She also won the Video of the Year for "Umbrella". Link

Man Stuck in Chimney for 12 hours

The Oktoberfest effect! A German man who had been drinking heavily at Munich's Oktoberfest beer festival, got stuck in a chimney for 12 hours while trying to climb into a friend's apartment. After finding his friend was not at home, the 27-year-old climbed on to the roof of a neighboring building at about 2 a.m. and headed for what he thought was a gap in the wall between the two houses.

Then, he found himself sliding almost 30 meters (98 feet) head first into a chimney! Next day, an 82-year-old janitor from the hotel next door heard the man's calls for help and he was rescued at around 2 p.m. by fire brigade officers. The man was taken by helicopter to the hospital, where he is being treated for hypothermia, they added. Link

"Miraculously, he was only slightly injured in the fall, sustaining just grazes and bruising," police said.

So, don't drink and climb......!

China Bans Push-up Bra Ads

After banning "sexually provocative sounds" on television, China has now stopped networks showing "saucy" advertisements for Push-up Bras and figure-hugging underwear.The order is the latest in a raft of measures which have included axing reality shows featuring sex changes and plastic surgery and banning talent contests during prime-time.

"Every television advertisement management bureau and television station must strengthen their political consciousness and responsibility toward society," Tian Jin, deputy head of the regulator, was quoted as saying. Link

read more “China Bans Push-up Bra Ads”

40 Questions for McCanns

The Portuguese detectives will send a legal letter to their British counterparts outlining some 40 questions, they insist the parents of Madeleine McCann must answer. The new interrogation will be based on those 40 + questions Kate McCann refused to answer before police in Portimao on September 7. It will focus on two "missing" hours on a trip the McCanns made to the Spanish city of Huelva on August 3 when the McCanns reportedly 'evaporated' from the view of accompanying journalists.

Detectives are suspecting that Madeleine died in the holiday apartment at Praia da Luz and that her parents hid the body and moved it three months later on the trip to Spain.

But the McCann's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, told yesterday that they have a full account of their visit to Huelva. He said the couple were never alone during the trip and were always in the company of PR adviser Jon Corner and a cameraman. There is even a video of the trip on YouTube, showing the McCanns handing out leaflets as part of their drive to find their daughter.

But, Spanish authorities said: "There is no investigation involving Madeleine's parents in the province of Huelva." Forensic tests from the McCanns' Renault Scenic hire car are expected back within two weeks. Police believe the results will give a "fresh breath" to the investigation. Link

read more “40 Questions for McCanns”

Woman with 15-inch Waist

This is Cathie Jung, a 70-years-old from Conneticut, U.S.A. She has worn tight-fitting corsets for years to become the woman with the world's smallest waist. Now, she has a tiny waist which measures just 15in (38cm). Look at the picture. She is also known as 'The Queen of Corsets'. The new edition of the Guinness Book of World Records have her name. as the woman with the world's smallest waist. Link

read more “Woman with 15-inch Waist”

Man Steals 1500 pairs of Girls' Shoes

A man pleaded guilty to stealing more than 1,500 pairs of girls' shoes from schools in Wisconsin, US, yesterday. Erik D Heinrich, 26, of Kenosha, was arrested on 24 May after being caught on CCTV entering and leaving North High School with some items on 20 May. He told police that he stole the shoes for sexual gratification.

According to police, Heinrich worked for a cable company and collected keys to the schools. He used the keys to burgle three public high schools and one middle school in Waukesha, Wisconsin, six times during the past two years. Several female students reported that the locks on their lockers had been cut and their shoes stolen after police discovered the break-in at North High School.

In 2005, Heinrich had a previous shoe-stealing conviction that was dismissed at the request of the prosecutor after he'd completed a year of probation, counselling and 50 hours of community service. Link

Sep 28, 2007

Gamers Spend $170 million on Halo 3

This is called "Halo Effect". Gamers in the United States spend about $170 million on copies of "Halo 3", within 24 hours after the Xbox 360 game went on sale. The game, which was developed by Microsoft-owned Bungie Studios, completes the saga of helmet-clad Master Chief and his quest to save humankind from aliens. "'Halo 3' has become a pop-culture phenomenon," Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, said in a statement.

Fans pre-ordered more than 1.7 million copies of the game, and more than 10,000 stores opened at midnight Monday to start selling, according to Microsoft. The much-anticipated launch was marred only slightly by reports that limited-edition packaging left scratches on game disks. Link

Now, Firefox Pencils!

After the Firefox Car, what is next? A fan of Mozilla Firefox Browser made some Firefox Pencils! Look at the images. These are common pencils, custom built with Firefox logo. A nice accessory for your office, if you are a fan of Firefox browser. Everyone can use pencils, not everyone can install software. So, it will suit anyone! Thanks to the great fan of firefox. Link

Transparent Frog

This Frog is Transparent! A research team led by professor Masayuki Sumida at Hiroshima University’s Institute for Amphibian Biology has created a type of transparent frog whose internal organs are visible through its skin. The researchers say the see-through frogs can help in the study of diseases and in the development of medical treatments by allowing laboratory scientists to check the status of internal organs and blood vessels while the frogs are alive and without having to dissect them.

According to Sumida, the transparent frog is the result of breeding two specimens of Japanese brown frog (Rana japonica) that had a genetic mutation giving them pale skin. By selectively breeding their offspring, the researchers were able to create a frog that remains transparent for its entire life cycle. Most of the world’s known transparent creatures live underwater, and transparent four-legged animals are extremely rare.

Professor Sumida says, “Transparent frogs will prove useful as laboratory animals because they make it easier and cheaper to observe the development and progress of cancer, the growth and aging of internal organs, and the effects of chemicals on organs.” Link

Photographer Gunned Down in Burma

Look at these photographs. The 50-year-old Japanese journalist, Kenji Nagai was killed by troops and police in Burma, who intensified their crackdown on protesters marching through the nation's towns and cities for days. In the first one, the photographer is lying on his back, his arms raised in what may be a gesture of surrender - or pleading. Seconds later, the slipper clad soldier who had been standing over him with a sub machine-gun has moved on, and the photographer is lying motionless. Link

So, the soldier killed him. What was his fault? Is this humanity? They also killed 8 other innocent people. This is the future of Burma, where slipper clad (!) soldiers can kill anyone.

Shilpa Shetty Interrogated at Airport

The Big Brother winner, Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty has reportedly been detained in India over her infamous kiss with Richard Gere. The Celebrity shed tears after being stopped at Mumbai Airport, according to reports, on her way to the opening of the Miss Bollywood musical in Berlin. Shetty was held at Mumbai Airport by immigration officials who had no record of a Supreme Court ruling which overturned a ban on her leaving the country. They said she was still wanted for obscenity charges over the kiss.

Hollywood star Gere, 58, caused an outcry when he grabbed Shetty, 32, swept her backwards, and kissed her several times on the cheek at an Aids-awareness event earlier this year. Conservative hard-line Hindus claimed that the pair violated the country's anti-obscenity laws.

After the April incident, a regional court in India issued an arrest warrant against Gere, star of films like Pretty Woman and Chicago, and barred Shilpa from travelling abroad. But its ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court.Link

The star was only allowed today to join the dance troupe performing with her at the Miss Bollywood musical after prolonged questioning.

Shetty said: "I can understand something like this if I'd committed a criminal offence. But what was my offence, when I'm just an actor, going to perform a musical on foreign land."

Sep 27, 2007

Sukhoi SuperJet 100

Today, Russia rolled out its first new passenger jet - 'Sukhoi Superjet 100', since the collapse of the Soviet Union, marking a milestone in President Vladimir Putin's drive to revive an aircraft industry that was once one of the world's most prolific. OAO Sukhoi Aviation Holding Co.'s 95-seat SuperJet was unveiled before more than 1,000 foreign and domestic officials and executives in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, eight hours east of Moscow.

Sukhoi, better known for warplanes, Tuesday doubled its sales forecast for the $28 million SuperJet to 1,800 over 20 years and said it will build a larger version to compete with Airbus and The Boeing Co. The bigger variant will hold 120 passengers.

"This marks Russia's re-entry into the global pool of commercial aircraft makers," Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said at the SuperJet plant in Komsomolsk.

Russia is spending $1.4 billion on the SuperJet in an effort to make its aviation industry internationally competitive. Sukhoi and Italian partner Finmeccanica SpA have received 73 firm orders, plus 39 options, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said at the factory Wednesday. Link

Man Completes 10000 km Journey on Horseback

Following the footsteps of the Mongolian leader Genghis Khan, Tim Cope from Australia has completed a three-year-long journey, covering 10,000 km (6,200 mile). Throughout the trek he travelled on horseback and relied on the hospitality of local people, including nomads. He travelled with three horses at any time, one to carry him and two to carry feed and supplies and briefly, whilst in Kazakhstan, also used a camel. He needed 13 horses in total to complete the marathon journey, though two of them - Taskonir and Ogonyok - have been with him since October 2004 when he was in Kazakhstan.

Tim Cope is a 28 year old from Gippsland, Victoria (Australia), who is pursuing a life of adventure, writing, and film. Tim, who speaks fluent Russian, and has guided in Antarctica, has spent around five years travelling in regions of Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine by bicycle, row boat, skis, horse, camel and many other means. Most of all Tim enjoys coming to know people in their home environments by traveling in traditional and local ways. Link 1, 2

Woman Gives Birth to 17-pound Baby

A Siberian woman gave birth to a massive 7.75 kg (17.1 lb) child. The baby (Nadia) was delivered by caesarean section in the local maternity hospital in the Altai region on September 17. The weight of Nadia is shocking for many. Take a look at the picture. According to World Health Organisation, the average weight for most healthy newborn babies is around 3.2 kg (7.06 lb).

"I ate everything, we don't have the money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes," she told the reporter, adding that all her previous babies had weighed more than 5 kg. Link

The Guinness World Records lists a 10.2 kg baby boy born in Italy in 1955, and a 10.8 kg baby boy who was born in the United States in 1879 but died 11 hours later.

Michael Jackson Married Again?

The famous American singer Michael Jackson has secretly married his children's nanny. Details of his new martial status were obtained by the National Enquirer who printed copies of the singer's real estate documents. Insiders close to the star are backing the claims saying the freaky singer wed long-time staff member, Grace Rwaramba.

The source said: 'Grace... is one of his dearest friends. She is one of the few people who stood by his side through all of his problems - including the child molestation trial in 2005.' Link

If this is true, then this one his third marriage! Michael Jackson's first marriage was with Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie. It was in 1994. The pair divorced two years later and remain friends. Then, Jackson married his dermatology nurse, Deborah Rowe. From her side, he had two of his three children, Prince and Paris. They split in 1999.

Last Research Paper of Steve Irwin

Can you think about study of Crocodiles without Steve Irwin? We don't think so. Steve Irwin died, but his works will always tell us about him. He was a good researcher. Many people don't know about it. The last research paper of Steve Irwin was on Long distance Coastal travel and Homing of Translocated Estuarine Crocodiles. Yesterday only, PLoS ONE published this valuable research paper. Mark A. Read, Gordon C. Grigg, Steve R. Irwin, Danielle Shanahan and Craig E. Franklin were the researchers. And we are sure that it was just impossible to do satellite tracking of crocodiles, without Irwin.

Crocodilians have a wide distribution, often in remote areas, are cryptic, secretive and are easily disturbed by human presence. Their capacity for large scale movements is poorly known. Here, we report the first study of post-release movement patterns in translocated adult crocodiles, and the first application of satellite telemetry to a crocodilian. Three large male Crocodylus porosus (3.1–4.5 m) were captured in northern Australia and translocated by helicopter for 56, 99 and 411 km of coastline, the last across Cape York Peninsula from the west coast to the east coast. All crocodiles spent time around their release site before returning rapidly and apparently purposefully to their capture locations. The animal that circumnavigated Cape York Peninsula to return to its capture site, travelled more than 400 km in 20 days, which is the longest homeward travel yet reported for a crocodilian. From the ResearchPaper

Star Wars Jedi Slippers

Need something new, something offbeat for your feet? You can try these Star Wars Slippers! Slide your aching feet into some slippers of pure Jedi comfort. If your toes have white hair and are green and gnarled, perhaps the Yoda Slippers should be your choice. Or, if your toes are robotic and evil, maybe the Darth Vader Slippers are best for you. Of course, you could decide to have one foot on the path of evil and one foot on the path of good (that is, buy one of each and mix and match) - that's purely up to you. Regardless, your feet will be cozy and everyone who sees you will be jealous. Because that's what it really means to be a Jedi. Link

Footprint of Yeti Sold for £3,500

This photograph is regarded as one of the best evidence of the Yeti's existence. It shows the footprint of Yeti or Snowman. Yesterday, it was sold for £3,500 at an auction in London. This mysterious footprint was photographed in the Nepal- Tibet border region of the Himalayas in 1951 by a team of mountaineers heading for the Mt. Everest.

The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an apelike cryptid said to inhabit the Himalaya region of Nepal and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology. Nepalese have various names for Yeti like "Bonmanche" which means "wild man" or "Kanchanjunga rachyyas" which means "Kanchanjunga's demon." Wiki

Girl in Photo is not Madeleine

The mystery of photograph has been solved! The girl that was confused with missing Madeleine McCann, has been identified as an olive farmer's daughter living in a remote farm in the Rif mountains in northern Morocco. It was a bitter disappointment for McCanns, because they had desperately hoped the photograph taken last month by a tourist, would prove Madeleine was alive.

The child was identified as Bouchra Benaissa, a three-year-old living with her family in a remote area of Morocco. After getting the picture from Clara Torres, experts scrutinised the picture and tracked down the family in Morocco. The farmer's family knew nothing of Madeleine's disappearance. Father-of-four Mr Benaissa, 39, said he had not realised a tourist had even taken a picture of his family on the roadside near Zinat - when they were helping a relative take her possessions to the main road to catch a bus.

"It is sad she is missing - any family would be very sad to lose a child. Having seen the pictures of my Bouchra I can see why she may have been confused for this missing girl. I just hope that Madeleine is found." Benaissa said. Link

It is a disappointing news for all well-wishers. We, still hope that the cute, little Madeleine is alive.....

Sep 26, 2007

Hangover Cure could be Deadly

A new study published in the American Chemical Society's Chemical Research in Toxicology journal tells that taking a mix of Caffeine with Paracetamol for hangover cure, could be deadly. Taking Caffeine with Paracetamol is one of the most common hangover cure, used by millions of people. But, according to the new findings, it could lead to a damaged liver.

The study says, combining large quantities of coffee or energy drinks with several headache tablets can increase liver damage. Caffeine triples the amount of a toxic by-product created when paracetamol is broken down. The toxin is the same as the substance responsible for liver damage and liver failure when alcohol and paracetamol react together.

Experts have warned for years that drinking too much alcohol while taking Paracetamol can cause liver failure or even death. But this is the first time it has been suggested that combining caffeine and paracetamol could produce a similar effect.

Professor Sidney Nelson, who led the research, said: 'People should know about this potentially harmful interaction. You don't have to stop taking paracetamol or stop taking caffeine products, but you do need to monitor your intake more carefully when taking them together, especially if you drink alcohol.' Link

Floating Free in Space

How to float free in Space? Look at the picture from NASA, where astronaut McCandless can be seen floating free in space. He was about 100 meters away from the cargo bay of space shuttle Challenger. He was guided by a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). McCandless and fellow NASA astronaut Robert Stewart were the first to experience such an unusual space walk during Space Shuttle mission 41-B in 1984.

The MMU works by shooting jets of nitrogen and has since been used to help deploy and retrieve satellites. With a mass over 140 kilograms, an MMU is heavy on Earth, but, like everything, is weightless when drifting in orbit. The MMU was replaced with the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) backpack propulsion unit. Link

Sony Introduces VAIO NR

The recent decrease in prices of notebooks have finally touched Sony! When everyone is doing it, why not Sony? So, Sony has introduced a new entry-level VAIO notebook. Named as the NR series, these notebooks will be available for about $750. This attractive price tag will draw more buyers, besides the brand name.

The NR series will have a 15.4" screen, Core 2 Duo processors, integrated 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, pre-installed LocationFree software running under Windows Vista. The new notebooks also come in different colors, "Wenge", which Sony describes as "a rich brown with copper accents"; "silk - a bright white with a matte finish" as well as "and granite - a silver hue with natural tones". The surface of the chassis is "textured" and has a "fabric-like feel" to it, Sony said. Link

Burmese Police Attacks Monks

This is a battle between Burma's two most powerful institutions, the Military and the Buddhist Monks. Today Military jumped on the Monks, at Shwedagon Pagoda, leaving a number of monks and nuns covered in blood. It was a shock for all, as Monks were showing a peaceful protest against the military rule in Burma (Myanmar). This incident again proved that the military junta of Burma is not ready to change their mind. Only time will tell, what will happen with Burma....Link