miércoles, 28 de noviembre de 2007

Unlucky Winner Of $1M Lottery Scratch Ticket

Winning a lottery sure is a matter of luck! But this unlucky winner might not get his winning amount all because he was a convicted bank robber who wasn't supposed to be gambling.
Decision on weather Timothy Elliott, 55, violated his probation when he bought the $10 ticket for the "$800 Million Spectacular" game at a Hyannis supermarket or not will be made on a hearing on Dec. 7 in Barnstable Superior Court.

Elliott already has collected the first of 20 annual $50,000 checks from Massachusetts' lottery commission. A picture of Elliott, holding his first check, was even posted on the lottery's Web site Monday, though it was removed by Wednesday.
Elliott was placed on five years probation after pleading guilty in October 2006 to unarmed robbery for a January 2006 heist at a bank on Cape Cod. (CBC)
The terms of his probation states that he "may not gamble, purchase lottery tickets or visit an establishment where gaming is conducted, including restaurants where Keno may be played." It is told that he was also put under the care of the state Department of Mental Health and sent to Taunton State Hospital for treatment.

Lottery spokesman Dan Rosenfeld said the lottery routinely cross references the names of winners with the state Revenue Department to see if they owe back taxes or child support. In those cases, winnings go straight to the Revenue Department.
But in this case, it will be up to the court to determine what will happen with Elliott's winnings.

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Rooster crows too early - owner to blame?

Do you get woken-up early in the morning by a cock crowing in your neighbor's house? If that is the case, you might also be able to impose a fine to the owner, as it was done in Italy.

Funny laws and funny complaints! A rooster crowing at the break of dawn has earned his owner a 200 euro ($295) fine in an Italian court after neighbors complained it was waking them up too early.

It is another story though the rooster's owner in Bolzano province would appeal the sentence, supported by the local Farmers' Association, on the grounds that he needs at least one rooster to breed chickens. (Reuters)

cock crowing

martes, 27 de noviembre de 2007

Parking Chief Sacked for Parking in No Parking Zone

Rome's mayor sacked the city's traffic and parking chief on Sunday after a newspaper reported he parked his car in a no parking zone. That's not all, he is also accused of displayed a handicapped permit that belonged to an 86-year old woman.
Giovanni Catanzaro parked his red Alfa Romeo Brera in a tow away zone near the Spanish Steps in central Rome before heading off to a restaurant on Friday night, Roman daily Il Messaggero reported on Sunday, complete with pictures from the scene.
I can't read Italian, but this news article mentions the name Giobanni and also features a photo of a car, so I suppose this must be the news about the parking chief and his car.
His car displayed a permit for disabled drivers that was no longer valid and initially issued to a senior citizen, the paper said, noting that officials almost never tow away a disabled person's vehicle no matter where it is parked.

A spokesman for Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said Catanzaro had been removed from his post as head of the city's municipal police force that oversees traffic and parking violations after the newspaper report.

Rome has a series of restrictions on driving and parking along many of its narrow, cobblestoned streets, though parking illegally -- often on sidewalks and crosswalks -- is a common sight across the city. (Reuters)

domingo, 25 de noviembre de 2007

Geekiest Tattoo on the Neck

Well, does the tattoo in left sound familiar ?

What do you think: Is he obsessed with tattoos or web designing!

Computer language and computer are the fastest changing subjects in the world. It still feel like yesterday that I was amazed on learning what an internet was. HTML is computer language to talk between client's computer and internet server. Who knows , HTML might be replaced by some other language and won't be there tomorrow. But tattoo in other hand is engraved forever. (I wish the photo in left side is not real tattoo but a photoshoped photograph!)

Let's expect tattoo removal thing will be even more easier thing by then.

Well, here are other funny tattoos... I can go on posting huge number of tattoo symbols on different parts of body and different subjects. But let me post some I like. Here are some bar codes on head and hand.


One more geek tattoo to finish with ...

Link | Via

viernes, 23 de noviembre de 2007

Tough Toddler - Survived a 20 Feet Fall

What would happen if you fall 20 feet, out of a third-floor window?

Well, this toddler who crawled out a third-floor window during his family's Thanksgiving festivities and fell onto a store roof not only survived _ he didn't even break a bone.
Brandon Priebe said his 14-month-old son, Bradley, tumbled from a bedroom window in his aunt's Brooklyn apartment on Thursday. His relatives said they thought the window was closed. (CBS)
Bradley fell about 20 feet onto the roof of a music store next door, police said. Priebe told police that his son wasn't seriously injured in the fall. The boy was in stable condition later Thursday at a local hospital, where no update on his condition was available early Friday.

Anna Priebe the boy's mother believes it is a miracle!

miércoles, 21 de noviembre de 2007

Top 10 British Stupid Laws - Thou Shalt Not Die

I talked about some strange and funny American laws, one reader commented with some stupid laws from Canada. I am yet to get comment on stupid British laws!

I believe every country has its own share of stupidity in creating laws. :)

Well, UKTV Gold thought of testing what people think about the stupid law in UK. Their survey gave the following Top Ten stupid Laws in UK:

It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)
It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)
In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)
Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)
In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)
A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (four percent)
The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)
It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)
It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour (three percent)
In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)

If you come across similar stupid laws from other countries please share them in the comment section.

Thanks.

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lunes, 19 de noviembre de 2007

Qarters thief ... stole nearly 6000 quarters

A former employee, Scott Schmitz, is accused of stealing stealing 5,619 quarters worth $1,400 and $1,000 worth in bills from cash machines of a local car wash.
Well, that was more than 71 pounds of quarters!

In searching Schmitz's home and car, police confiscated two containers filled with quarters, totaling over $100; several clear plastic bags; twist ties; and a broken lock, according the report. In investigating the crime, police learned Schmitz was drinking at a home near the area of the burglary that night. A beer can ? the same brand he was drinking that night ? was found at the scene, according to the report. (fldreporter)
It is also mentioned in the news that in the week following the burglary, Schmitz, who didn't have a job, bought a car and was seen purchasing items using only quarters.

quarters.jpg

domingo, 18 de noviembre de 2007

Porsche was green 100 years ago

Porsche is going show off an electric car from 1900 designed by founder Ferdinand Porsche at the 2007 Los Angles Auto Show later this month. The car will be positioned next to its new Porsche Cayenne Hybrid SUV. This is the predecessor of what Porsche Cars claims was the world's first hybrid car, which followed this one by just a few years.

Even Porsche's initial all-electric design was revolutionary, despite the fact that electric cars were fairly common (insofar as any automobile was common) at the turn of the last century. Porsche's electric car was named "most innovative invention" at the Paris World's fair in 1900, notoriety that resulted in the sale of over 300 of the cars. (cnn)
All of the five hybrid cars produced in 1901 were equipped with Mercedes-Benz engines and were bought by Emil Jellinek. It is told that after further development, the Porsche-Lohner hybrids reached top speeds of 56 miles per hour. Visit the above link for more details.

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sábado, 17 de noviembre de 2007

Out of Control Monkeys - stealing mobile phones, sipping cokes

In north India, monkeys are creating havocs and forced the state government to form a panel to study the problem according to Assam's wildlife minister, Rockybul Hussain.
"Monkeys are wreaking havoc in my constituency by taking away mobile phones, toothpastes, sipping coke after opening the refrigerators," Hiren Das told Assam state's assembly. He said the primates were "even slapping women who try to chase them."

"It is a cause of serious concern in my area, with more than 1,000 such simians turning aggressive by the day," fumed Goneswar Das, another legislator representing Raha in eastern Assam. (Yahoo news)
In the news report it is told that the deputy mayor of Delhi died when he fell from his balcony after being attacked by monkeys last month. In another incident last week, around two dozen people were hurt after monkeys rampaged through a New Delhi neighbourhood.
Efforts to drive out the animals is complicated by the fact that devout Hindus view them as an incarnation of Hanuman, the monkey god who symbolises strength.
The photo shows monkeys cross the road in front of the Presidential Palace and government buildings in New Delhi, India (Phot0 - Times). Read more here.

india-monkey.jpg

viernes, 16 de noviembre de 2007

How green is this blog?

Based on the the total electricity usage of the readers' computers as they spend time on the site CO2Stats Project calculates the carbon dioxide emission statistics.

It claims that the internet is responsible for more than 100 billion pounds of CO2 emissions per year. It sure is alarming how we are unknowingly helping in increasing CO2 emission.
Founded by Ph.D. students at Harvard and Yale, The CO2Stats Project has the ambitious goal of making the entire Web carbon neutral!
I don't believe you can make it carbon neutral but we sure can help in reducing it though.
Here is my widget....

jueves, 15 de noviembre de 2007

Swiss official think a 70 year old German Guy doesn't know German

According to a Swiss newspaper a native German guy of 70-years seeking Swiss citizenship was told to go back to school to learn his own native tongue despite being proficient in German.

The Swiss town of Dielsdorf ordered Ulrich Kring -- who lived in Switzerland his entire life but is only now applying for citizenship -- to take a German language course to the tune of 250 Swiss francs ($222.6), the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper said. (Reuters)
It is told that the German class is obligatory for all foreigners seeking a Swiss passport. Kring however is challenging the decision and had lodged an appeal for which he is yet to receive a reply.
About two-thirds of Switzerland's 7.5 million inhabitants are German speakers although the dialect is a bit different from the German language in Germany.
There is a hot debate about immigration in Switzerland, where some 20 percent of the population are foreigners, and some newspapers have criticized the big influx of immigrants from neighboring Germany.

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viernes, 9 de noviembre de 2007

Cellphones to provide traffic maps

In a down-to-the-earth approach, Canadian in near future will be able to access traffic jams information from the Cellphones of motorists.
It is told that by February 2008 a new service called LiveTraffic will be launched to provide realtime data for traffic flow of highways and major streets.
A traffic information firm, IntelliOne, based in Atlanta and Toronto, announced that it has reached an agreement with Rogers Wireless to use the company's data on the location of the cellphones in its network to create a real-time map of traffic congestion across Canada. Unlike the GPS technology, this system will be able to analyze the constant stream of cell phone information travelling through the Rogers network.
Looks like if Telus people organize a motor rally it won't create a traffic jam in the LiveTraffic system. :) I hope they will get data from all the other providers so that the information obtained will be more reliable.
News source

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miércoles, 7 de noviembre de 2007

Two decades of raised hand!

?Life is just one, long high-five: Hindu holy man Baba Hath Khada ? last seen at the Ardh Kumbh mela in Allahabad, India ? has kept one arm raised over his head for nearly two decades. Why we don?t know.?
Well, keeping your hand above your head for an hour might be difficult for most of us but this hermit is keeping his hand like this for about a couple of decades.

The fingers look so weird... may be it is because of uncut and curled nails.

I wonder how he can do everything with a single hand when workable hand is hanging above his head all the time. I don't know what he gets by doing all this (except a photo feature and articles like this)!

Don't you think it would have been better if he donated his hand to those who don't have one and desperately need it! (AP photo in flickr)

martes, 6 de noviembre de 2007

righthand4-hathkhada.jpg

Carving to give trees a second life

Dan Pierce gives dead trees a second life! He carves the tree stumps and logs to turn them into a piece of art.

In the adjacent photo, Dan Pierce is seen carving an indian out of a stump at the home of Jerry Clapp in Edgewood. Pierce stays busy with carving projects and festivals from spring through fall. Pierce charges between $200 and $2,000 per piece and he told that the Indian was a ?midrange price.?

He has setup a website and promotes his work through the Web site spiritwoodcarving.com

Here are a couple of his artworks from his website.


Read further in HeraldBulletin
Photo - Don Knight of Hearald Bulletin and spiritwoodcarving.com

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lunes, 5 de noviembre de 2007

Granny got birthday present - A Blog

"Today it's my birthday and my grandson, who is very stingy, gave me a blog."
That was the first post in Web-blogger Maria Amelia Lopez's blog and in the picture below she is showing the home page of her blog on a laptop screen in Sanxenxo October 5, 2007. At the age of 95 (yes 90 and 5 years!) Lopez has surprised herself by a sudden conversion from Web-illiterate to cybercelebrity.


With 60,000 regular readers so far, Lopez's homely mix of memory and chat, available at amis95.blogspot.com/, attracts regular readers from around the world and has put her back in touch with the younger generation in a way she had never imagined.

Today's post in the blog contains the news cover screen-shots of Reuters and The New York Times.

Who says blogging is for younger people? See her clutching the laptop!

I wish I could read and understand her blog without help of Google!
Somebody in the younger lot free enough to translate the writings? Please!

grannygotbirthdaypresent2.jpg

grannygotbirthdaypresent.jpg

Can you find C?

One good friend of mine sent this email and I though it might be good for your brain excercise. It sure is fun if you have some time to spare.

Can you find the C? (Good exercise for the eyes!)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Once you've found the C..........

Find the 6!

9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999699999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999

Once you've found the 6...

Find the N! (it seems hard - but it is not that hard though)

MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMNMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
Once you've found the N...
make a wish!

OK, now that you've made a wish, it will come true.....all you have to do is send this on saying, "Can you find the C?"
You sure can share good stuffs even if it might not make your wish come true! :-)

domingo, 4 de noviembre de 2007

"Miracle" child's brother named after granddad

In a tragic plane crash last week, an Edmonton businessman and pilot Allen Dale Williams and his colleague Steven Sutton, were killed near Golden B.C. However the 3 year old grandkid, Kate, survived the accident with minor injuries. I wrote about the miracle child in my previous post.

When the family gathered for a private funeral Friday night, Kate's mother, Allen's daughter-in-law gave birth to a son, who was named after him.

"He's one of the great stars at this moment," said Sheldon Williams, father of newborn Allen and three-year-old Kate, the "miracle" child. (EdmontonSun)

kate-allen-dale.jpg

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