How to Use Chopsticks

clipped from www.fourhourworkweek.com

use photoshop to change color of a car

clipped from homephotog.com Using Photoshop Quick Mask Photoshop to make changes to their cars, be it colors one way to change the color of a car photo.

miniature of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

clipped from flickr2.netbits.co.uk

where rainbows end

clipped from photography.nationalgeographic.com

sex and stupidity

clipped from www.just-whatever.com In Stuttgart, Germany, a court judge must decide on a case of honorable intentions in a situation where a man hired his neighbour to get his wife pregnant, Soupolos piad Maus $2,500 for the job and for three evenings a week for the next six months, Maus tried desperately, a total of 72 different times, to impregnant Traute. This is excellent. Where can one apply for a job like this? Oh yeah… they’re all fucking morons too

donate to a sperm bank--and a handjob for your trouble

clipped from slamxhype.com if you are healthy kind-hearted man who like to contribute to the Shanghai Sperm Bank, the girls will go that extra mile to give you a hand! First you need to go for a health check, then 4 days prior your visit to the “free-hand-job-then-get-paid-paradise” you must abstain from sex and masturbation. You can go 4-5 times a month, and each time you will get maximum 3 hand jobs. You will also get paid RMB200 ( US$30 ) at the end of each session for your kindness. Address for whoever wants to give it a go: No 145 Shan Dong Zhong Lu, Ren Ji Hospital, Building 1, 7th FL, near Fu Zhou Lu, Shanghai, China.

my favourite restaurants: Blackwater

just around the corner with a wonderful view..got tipsy lots of times and walked home after a good meal

clipped from www.quickercarrentals.com

Top 10 Social News Mashup Sites

clipped from seo2.0.onreact.com Popurls, the classic overview, quite popular ViralBabble, simple but effective daybox, advanced mash-up, split up based on different media THEWEBLIST, nice design, Popurls functionality detabilizer.org, great collection of daily news, videos, pics xmlhttprequest.com, programming oriented news Original Signal, best of Web 2.0 SEOmash, the only SEO news source you need ;-) Qoogle, japanese Popurls version, I love to click stuff where I have no clue what it is (similar to StumbleUpon in a way) fichey, incredible service that simplifies your online experience by showing every link in a linear way, can’t explain it, you have to try it yourself

Free Websites to find out about Anything and Everything

clipped from c4lpt.co.uk 5min Life Videopedia - instructional and how-to videos Alison - free global learning experience About.com - Guidance, not guesswork. 750 experts to help you About.U - Courses by email Academic Earth - Thousands of video lectures from the world's top scholars AllExperts - Ask any question! Allexperts.com is the oldest & largest free Q&A service on the Internet Answerbag - Ask questions and share your knowledge with the world Anything - Learn.Anything.Network BBC Learning - a range of online-based courses that you can work through at your own pace BrainHoney - a social learning environment where anyone can teach a lesson on any subject. Users can rank lessons and collaborate as they learn from each other.

photography 101

clipped from lifehacker.com Teach yourself all kinds of photography Sites like Photojojo and Digital Photography School let the uber-technical shooters run wild in forums and discussion groups, but focus the majority of their front-page posts on things that beginning DSLR shooters and moderate consumer-cam photographers can grasp and mix into their daily camera work Scott Feldstein's guide to mastering your DSLR camera (Part 1 and Part 2), and our compilation of David Pogue's best photography tricks, plus ours. Then there's the simple pleasures of posting on Flickr, seeking out Photo by Marcin Wichary

supercoach: rewarding the good players round 1 2009

gary ablett: can he play bad? nope...boosted his DT by 40 (162)
brad ottens: did what he liked...boosted his DT score by a whopping = 50 (175)
brad sewell: saving grace for hawks...88DT to 115
marc murphy: regular 122 in Dream team but with 12 contested posses and no clangers=150
chris judd: regular 101 increases to 136 on the back of 12 contest poss
luke power: 133 on DT but with 20 cont poss and minor clangers lookout!=172
mick rischitelli: 93 on DT but with 6 cont poss and a minor clang= 111
dean cox:the saving grace for Perth, up 29 to SC = 128 on the back of 13 cont poss
nick dal santo: who would have thought = skyrockets 46 to 161 on 14 cont poss (2 clangers!!!)...tough at it and useful.
sam gilbert: gifted back man, didn;t waste much = zooms 44! from DT to 134
even Kochitzke and farren ray increased SC scores 25+
leon davis: gets some SC gravy of 26 = 122 as does team mate..
Hertier O"brien: 71 DT pumps to 97 with 7 cont poss and some good hard at it stuff
nathan bock: is the saving crow (SC= 109..up 24) as everybody else wastes chances (including DT vince 131 drops to 92)

football: it's all about the team names

Sans Souci Teams Ages	Sans Souci Team Grades	Strathfield
Age 6	Dolphins 1	White Tigers
	Dolphins 2	Golden Tigers
	Dolphins 3	Grey Rhinos
	Dolphins 4	Black Rhinos
	Dolphins 5	White Stallions
	Possums1	Black Stallions
	Possums2	Polar Bears
	Possums3	Grizzly Bears
	Possums4	Grizzly Bears
Age 7	Goannas 1	Freshwater Croc's
	Goannas 2	Saltwater Croc's
	Goannas 3	Red Roo's
	Goannas 4	Grey Roo's
	Koalas 1	Manta Rays
	Koalas 2	Stingrays
	Koalas 3	Black Scorpians
	Koalas 4	Desert Scorpians
	Koalas 5	White Hawks
	Goannas 5	Black Hawks

Mont Saint Michel

clipped from www.ot-montsaintmichel.com forms a tower in the heart of an immense bay invaded by the highest tides in Europe. clipped from www.pitt.edu clipped from www.pitt.edu clipped from www.ot-montsaintmichel.com Aubert, Bishop of Avranches built and consecrated a small church on the 16th October 709. In 966 a community of Benedictines settled on the rock at the request of the Duke of Normandy and the pre-Romanesque church was built before the year one thousand. In the 11th century, the Romanesque abbey church was founded over a set of crypts where the rock comes to an apex, and the first monastery buildings were built up against its north wall. In the 14th century, the Hundred Years War made it necessary to protect the abbey behind a set of military constructions, enabling it to hold out against a siege lasting 30 years. The Abbey was turned into a prison during the days of the French Revolution and Empire, and needed to be restored before the end of the 19th century. UNESCO has classed the Mont Saint-Michel as a world heritage in 1979 and this mecca of tourism welcomes more than three million visitors a year.

the beautiful Mont St. Michel

On an isolated tidal rock sits one of the world's wonders

clipped from goeurope.about.com clipped from www.skyscrapercity.com clipped from upload.wikimedia.org clipped from www.tyeliorn-bretagne.net clipped from goeurope.about.com Mont St. Michel On an isolated tidal rock in the gulf of Saint-Malo on the Normandy coast of France sits one of the world's wonders, the Mont St. Michel. Reached by causeway, the lower towers and medieval sea wall protect a small village, capped magnificently by the abbey dedicated to the Archangel Michael. By Train: From Paris you can take the TGV to Rennes, about 55 km south of Mont St. Michel. The Les Couriers Bretons bus makes the 75-minute transfer to Mont-St-Michel several times a day. clipped from goeurope.about.com clipped from goeurope.about.com clipped from goeurope.about.com clipped from goeurope.about.com clipped from goeurope.about.com clipped from goeurope.about.com

Tips on Upgrading a Motherboard

clipped from www.extremetech.com March 24, 2009 -By Joel Durham Jr. 30 Tips on Upgrading a Motherboard Discuss this now (13 posts) it comes time to pull a motherboard out of a working system and replace it with something different. when you think you're all done, you still have to coax Windows through the trauma of waking up with new hardware. share our very best hints on swapping out a motherboard Now, remember—this is a series of tips, not a step by step how-to. Don't expect a full-on motherboard installation manual; instead, use the manual that comes with your motherboard, and use our tips to make the job even easier. Preparing Windows for the Inevitable Freak-out The first step in motherboard replacement is to prepare the operating system, and since most of the world runs on Windows, we'll concentrate on that. Before you even think about pulling the board out of the case:

Anti-cancer benefits of fruit and veg

clipped from www.independent.co.uk Fruit and vegetables are known to have high levels of salicylates, which are also the active anti-inflammatory ingredient of aspirin. Vegetarians meanwhile are known to have low rates of cancer, as well as having higher levels of salicylates in their bodies. many herbs and spices are also especially rich in salicylates. This could explain international differences in cancer rates Salicylates, first identified in strawberries at the beginning of the 20th century, have been found to occur naturally in a wide range of plants. Most medical authorities have said for 20 years that it is the antioxidants in fruit and vegetables that account for their protective effects. It leads us to wonder if the beneficial effects of fruit and vegetables are because of the salicylates they contain

‘Man caves' a sanctuary for the manly man

‘Man caves' a sanctuary for the testosterone set - Catholic Online

Before setting foot in a so-called "man cave," it's always best to be aware of the cave-dweller's rules. Just ask "Chicago" Joe Hofman.

Advertisement
The San Ramon, Calif., resident maintains a stringent decorum in his special room _ one brimming with movie posters and sports memorabilia, neon signage, a teeth-rattling 1,200-watt sound system, two arcade games and a hideous mounted fish.

It's essential, Hofman insists, that visitors be prepared to chill out and leave "life's B.S." at the door, and, at all times, respect the sanctity of the man cave.

"My wife knows the rules," he says. "There are certain things that we simply won't discuss in the man cave. It's like a shrine. It's like not talking in church."

For the uninitiated, a man cave _ aka man room, mantuary _ is a space specifically reserved for the male member of the family. Whether it's a loft, a basement, a converted garage or shed, it serves as a safe haven where he can escape the manly pressures of the world to engage in manly hobbies, store his manly collectibles and guzzle a manly beverage.

The man-cave dweller can go there either to be alone with his thoughts, or to hang with his buds, usually doing so without fear of female reprisal. Think of it as a grown-up version of the treehouse or fort.

"For me, it's mostly about control," says Robert Lee, whose suburban man cave in Fremont, Calif., is stocked with, among other things, John Wayne lobby cards, "Star Trek" action figures and a "Batman" graphic novel library. "You want to feel like you have control over at least one piece of your life. You want a place to call your own."

The concept apparently is growing in appeal. According to a survey by ServiceMagic.com, 40 percent of the respondents said there is a man cave in their home. Another 13 percent said their cave is in the planning or construction stages.

There's even a weekly television show on the DIY network called "Man Caves." Hosted by licensed contractor Jason Cameron and former NFL star Tony Siragusa, the program dispatches work crews into residences to create the "ultimate guy hangouts."

"The majority of our clients talk about how they feel that the house isn't really theirs," says Cameron. "They gave the OK and agreed to certain things (in the design and decor) just to cooperate and go along with their wives. Now they want their own space."

Cameron says that most of the projects on the show actually are initiated with calls from wives who "feel guilty" because they've taken over so much of the house.

"But some of them have a hard time removing themselves from the process," he says. "They want to pick the colors and to have input on the design. We have to tell them: No doilies. No scented candles."

On the other hand, officially sanctioned provisions are limited only by the imagination and budgetary concerns. At bare minimum, the typical list of manly must-haves contains a cushy recliner, a stereo, a cooler/refrigerator and, of course, man's best friend _ the awe-inspiring flat-screen television.

Man-cave themes can also vary widely. For example, Jeff Von Ward of Pinole Valley, Calif., set up his garage to resemble a classic arcade hall with 50 "old-school" games including Asteroids, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Music buff John Mulford of Concord, Calif., has a room he calls "the hole" filled with rock 'n' roll memorabilia, a huge vinyl record collection and vintage guitars.

But Dave Baker decided to stick with the ever-popular sports theme. When he and his wife, Marcy, moved into their Dublin, Calif., home a couple of years ago, Dave, a passionate Raiders fan, immediately claimed the garage as his own and had it painted silver and black. Then came the guy-centric decor: hordes of sports paraphernalia including several keepsakes from his youth-league days.

"It's like taking a trip down memory lane when I go in there," Dave says. "It's a comfortable place to be."

And sometimes a loud place. The Baker man cave has been the site of raucous Super Bowl and Cinco de Mayo blowouts, during which patrons (including women) are urged to dance, drink and sign a wall of multicolored graffiti. Notes Dave, "It's not uncommon for the man cave to be open for business until 3 a.m. on weekends."

Asked why it was so important for her husband to have such a lair, Marcy just smiles and shakes her head.

"I'm not sure. Maybe to show off to his friends, or to show them up," she says. "All I know is that we have a lot of guys who have been in there who are now starting to clean out their own garages."

Ah, yes, the humble garage. Remember when it was a place mostly used to keep your tools, store holiday decorations and occasionally park the car? Try telling that to Lafayette resident Terry Engel, who has turned his four-car, 900-square-foot garage into an eye-popping old-style saloon and casino.

It all started about two years ago when Engel, who along with his wife, Nancy, is an antiques buff, thought it would be cool to create a "fun little room" to serve as his special getaway.

That led to the acquisition of an 1890s-era bar. Later came a 1942 Wurlitzer jukebox. Then some antique slot machines, poker tables, a 1953 phone booth, a 1920s popcorn machine and much more.

About the only modern amenities in his retreat are two elevated high-definition TVs, usually tuned to ESPN, of course.

"I really had no plan when we started, but it just kept growing and growing," Engel says. "I never imagined it would get to this point."

Now, he presides over one of the glitziest garages you'll ever see. It's so tricked-out "" and so dazzling and inviting "" that Engel often goes through long evening stretches during which he rarely enters the actual house.

"Once in a while I might stroll into the kitchen to toss a dirty dish into the dishwasher," he says. "And sometimes that's about it."

Spoken like a man-cave dweller about to go into hibernation.

Firefox tweaks that will double your browser speed

A handful of Firefox tweaks that will double your browser speed

Firefox users take note: You need to do this. Now. As in, this instant. More savvy users are probably already familiar with editing Firefox’s configuration file but whether you’re a computer rookie or a seasoned veteran, Gnoted has issued a handful of tweaks that really get Firefox cooking. As much as we all love the fox, it can get a bit slow on occasion - especially if you’re like us and have 35 open tabs spread across four windows at any given time. By tweaking the way Firefox handles some caching functions, you can dramatically improve page load speed and even prevent Firefox from hogging your system resources while minimized. If you don’t currently have any experience playing with your configuration file, don’t be scared. Just follow the simple instructions, take your time and if you want a security blanket to squeeze, jot down each setting before you change it so you can always restore the default configuration if need be. So without further ado, hit the jump and get tweaking - just remember to restart Firefox when you’re done.
Reduce the amount of RAM Firefox uses for its cache feature

1. Type “about:config” (no quotes) in the adress bar in the browser.
2. Find “browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewer”
3. Set it’s value to “0“;(Zero)
Increase the Speed at Which Firefox loads pages

1. Type “about:config” into the address bar and hit Enter.
(Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.)

2. Alter the entries as follows:
Set “network.http.pipelining” to “true”
Set “network.http.proxy.pipelining” to “true”
Set “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” to some number like 10.

This means it will make 10 requests at once.

3. Lastly, right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” and set its value to “0“;.(Zero)

This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives. If you’re using a broadband connection you’ll load pages faster now.
Optionally (for even faster web browsing) here are some more options for your about:config (you might have to create some of these entries by Right Click –> New– > Interger or String

network.dns.disableIPv6: set “false”
“content.notify.backoffcount”: set “5“; (Five)
“plugin.expose_full_path”: set “true”.
“ui.submenuDelay”: set “0; (zero)
Reduce RAM usage to 10MB when Firefox is minimized:

This little hack will drop Firefox’s RAM usage down to 10 Mb when minimized:

1. Open Firefox and go to the Address Bar. Type in about:config and then press Enter.
2. Right Click in the page and select New -> Boolean.
3. In the box that pops up enter “config.trim_on_minimize”. Press Enter.
4. Now select True and then press Enter.
5. Restart Firefox.

Sculptures of Salvador Dali

"Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it." - Dali

clipped from dalisculptures.blogspot.com "Horse Saddled With Time " Opera Gallery, Singapore "Unicorn" Singapore River, Singapore "Perseus" Alameda Park, Marbella, Spain "The Vision Of The Angel" Dali Museum, Paris, France "Dali's Elephant" Gala Dalí Castle House-Museum, Púbol, Spain "Space Elephant" South Bank, London, UK "Persistence of Memory" South Bank, London, UK "Newton de Gala" Dalí Theater-Museum, Figueres, Spain "Surrealist Piano" Opera Gallery, Singapore "Saint George and the Dragon" Orchard Road, Opera Gallery, Singapore "Space Venus" Dali Musem, London, England, UK "Woman Aflame" Exchange Square, Hong Kong, China "The Rhino Dressed on Lace" Puerto José Banús, Marbella, Spain "Profile of Time" Kew Gardens, London, UK Statue of Salvador Dali at Cadaqués, Spain "Homage to Newton" UOB Plaza, Singapore "Nude ascending a staircase" Alameda Park, Marbella, Spain

Billboards We'll Never See

clipped from www.hogrockcafe.com

great street painting

clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au clipped from www.news.com.au

SuperCoach pre-season guide 2009

SuperCoach pre-season guide | Herald Sun

THE inside tips you need to take down your mates in SuperCoach are all here.
It's not too late to have a shot at $55,000 - sign up now.

ADELAIDE

HOT

Andy Otten (Mid) $134,600

Second-year player who averaged 85 points pre-season. A ball magnet at TAC Cup level and worth a spot in your midfield.

Taylor Walker (Fwd) $94,200

Averaged 93 points in his final two practice games, and with no true focal point at the Crows, he should get an early chance. Booted 56 goals in the SANFL last season.

Bernie Vince (Mid) $447,100

Experienced a breakout year in 2008, but the 23-year-old may still be underpriced in 2009 as he averaged 95 points pre-season.

BRISBANE LIONS

HOT

Daniel Rich (Mid) $144,200

Played all four pre-season games, scoring 52-76 points, and should be part of the Lions team from Round 1 as a back-up midfielder.

Scott Harding (Mid) $248,300

Has struggled for a regular spot, but that may change under Michael Voss. Averaged 75 points pre-season.

NOT

Justin Sherman (Mid) $350,200

It doesn’t look as if Sherman will ever recapture his form of 2006. He played three pre-season games, averaging 35 points. Avoid.

CARLTON

HOT

Sam Jacobs (Ruck) $83,400

Elevated to Carlton’s primary list after averaging 51 in four pre-season appearances. A valuable ruck back-up that you can trade once his price rises.

Bryce Gibbs (Mid) $500,400

He’s not cheap, but he averaged 85 points in three pre-season games, outscoring Nick Stevens and Chris Judd.

NOT

Chris Yarran (Fwd) $149,200

The No.6 draft pick had a disappointing pre-season despite predictions he was a walk-up start. Injured early in his first game, he averaged 22 points a game.

COLLINGWOOD

HOT

Travis Cloke (Fwd) $416,800

The 2007 Copeland Trophy winner has averaged 76 points pre-season. Perfectly priced for the third or fourth forward spot in your side.

Dayne Beams (Mid) $94,200

Beams played three games pre-season and averaged 60 points. With Mick Malthouse often backing his youngsters, we could see Beams in the side from Round 1.

Marty Clarke (Def) $432,000

Was Collingwood’s third-highest points scorer during the pre-season, averaging 82 points, and he’s still just 21.

ESSENDON

HOT

Hayden Skipworth (Mid/Fwd) $219,700

Available as both a forward and a midfielder, the mature-age recruit looks a certain starter after averaging 79 points pre-season.

Andrew Lovett (Fwd/Mid) $416,100

Discipline and injury issues seem in the past. Averaged 95 points pre-season, the third most of
any Bomber.

David Hille (Ruck) $473,000

Averaged 83 points across the pre-season. He could rival Dean Cox as the best-scoring ruckman in the AFL and is $128,000 cheaper.

FREMANTLE

HOT

Byron Schammer (Mid) $419,900

Had two huge games to end the pre-season and a massive end to last season. He could be the Dockers’ No.1 midfielder.

Greg Broughton (Def) $83,400

A mature-aged rookie who has already been elevated. Averaged 74 points pre-season and his price of $83,400 is too good to ignore.

Stephen Hill (Def/Mid) $164,200

Has never been a big ball-winner but everything he does is quality. Played three games pre-season, averaging 64 points.

GEELONG

HOT

Gary Ablett (Mid) $712,100

Is $712,100 too much to spend on one player? Probably, but when that player averaged 132 points a game last season and 140 this pre-season, it is probably right on the mark.

Joel Selwood (Mid) $529,400

Nicely priced compared to Jimmy Bartel ($623,300) and Paul Chapman ($532,300). His 191 points in the NAB Cup grand final was no fluke.

Simon Hogan (Fwd) $94,200

Named as an emergency in four games last season, he averaged 59 in the pre-season and must be getting close to senior selection.

HAWTHORN

HOT

Travis Tuck (Mid) $327,100

There are spots up for grabs in the midfield and he looks ready to step straight in. Averaged 79.5 in four pre-season games.

Matthew Suckling (Def) $83,400

We know how much the Hawks love a beautiful left-foot kick in their side. Has been promoted off the rookie list and may take Grant Birchall’s spot on Friday after averaging 69 points in four pre-season games.

NOT

Jarryd Morton (Fwd/Mid) $361,400

Seems behind Tuck at this stage after averaging 44 points in the pre-season.

MELBOURNE

HOT

Brock McLean (Mid) $487,600

Averaged 91 points pre-season and could become a 100-plus scorer on a regular basis if he remains fit.

Kyle Cheney (Def) $94,200

Played all four pre-season games and is in the mix for senior selection. He could be a handy bench player. He averaged 60 points during the pre-season.

Jake Spencer (Ruck) $83,400

Your fourth ruckman should be as cheap as possible. Spencer played all four pre-season games and Melbourne’s ruck depth is nothing to brag about.

NORTH MELBOURNE

HOT

Liam Anthony (Mid) $94,200

His average of 81 points was the highest of any of the 2008 draftees who played more than one game during the pre-season.

Daniel Wells (Mid) $487,500

Had a sensational pre-season, averaging 131 points in three appearances, second only to Gary Ablett of the players to play more than one pre-season game.

Josh Smith (Fwd) $148,000

At 23, Smith should be ready to step up to the next level this season. He is nicely priced and averaged 77 points in three pre-season games.

PORT ADELAIDE

HOT

Nathan Krakouer (Fwd) $217,800

Starred in his new role as Port Adelaide’s playmaker from the defensive 50, scoring 80 or more points in his past three pre-season games.

Danyle Pearce (Mid) $433,300

Had four consistent games during the pre-season, averaging 81 points. He is a classy player who can impact the scoreboard.

Wade Thompson (Fwd) $96,400

An excitement machine who played all four games during the pre-season, averaging 62 points. Could earn you some cash early in the season.

RICHMOND

HOT

Alex Rance (Def) $94,200

Finding cheap defenders can be a nightmare. Rance might not get you big numbers but he will play some games. Averaged 51 points in three pre-season appearances.

Daniel Jackson (Mid) $375,400

Played a more attacking role in three pre-season games. He averaged 83 points and only needs to average 70 during the season for his price to rise.

Nathan Foley (Mid) $474,500
Played only one quarter of the final practice match, but before that he averaged 122 points a game.

ST KILDA

HOT

Farren Ray (Mid) $347,200

Looks invigorated at his new club and averaged 79 points in four pre-season appearances. Was the No.4 pick in the 2003 draft and could be ready for a breakout season.

Luke Ball (Mid) $534,500

Eased into the pre-season with a score of 69 then ramped it up to average 110 in the next three games.

Nick Dal Santo (Mid) $550,400

One of the few players who has averaged over 100 points in each of the past five years. Looks set to do it again after averaging 103 during the pre-season.

SYDNEY

HOT

Craig Bird (Mid) $340,200

Was one of the best debutants last year and could become a regular top-scorer this year after averaging 75 in four pre-season games.

Adam Goodes (Mid) $569,200

Averaged 101 points in four pre-season games. As a co-captain he should be on his best behaviour all season.

Jarrad McVeigh (Mid) $534,400

Emerged as an elite player last year and had a super consistent pre-season, scoring at least 90 points in all four games.

WEST COAST

HOT

Mitchell Brown (Fwd) $94,200

Has spent his pre-season playing out of defence, averaging 82 points. At basement price after missing the entire 2008 season with a knee injury.

Matthew Spangher (Def) $192,300
Played seven games last year and all four pre-season matches, moving between half-back and a wing. Averaged 57 points with a high of 114.

Sam Butler (Mid) $299,300

Has had a shocking run with injuries but if he’s fit he will play in the midfield. Averaged 71 points in the pre-season, improving his output in each game.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

HOT

Shaun Higgins (Mid/Fwd) $223,400

Massively under-valued considering he will spend more time in the midfield. Averaged 106 points in the pre-season, scoring at least 90 in each of his four games.

Josh Hill (Mid/Fwd) $409,900

One of the finds of 2008 and looks set to build on that form after averaging 72 points in four pre-season games.

Callan Ward (Mid) $179,500

Averaged 63 points in three pre-season games, a big jump from his 33-point average last season. A superb user of the ball who is suited to the SuperCoach scoring system.

Dinner with Darwin - questions you'd ask

Eurozine - Dinner with Darwin - Jerry Coyne, Steve Jones, James Randerson, John von Wyhe

Dinner with Darwin

On the eve of the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of On The Origin of Species, New Humanist editor Caspar Melville asks a selection of scientific commentators what they'd like to say to Darwin around the supper table.



The geneticist
NH: What would you tell him?

Steve Jones: I'd tell him that the thing that defeated him all his life, the mechanism of inheritance, had been solved and it didn't destroy his theory – as he had thought it might – but actually supported it. He was a very rare thing, an honest scientist. Scientists are often extremely unwilling to accept that some of their ideas might be wrong and will go to any lengths to deny that possibility. But when Darwin wrote On The Origin of Species he was written to by a Scottish engineer called Fleming Jenkins with what Darwin thought was an absolutely fatal enquiry. Darwin thought that heredity worked somehow by the mixing of the averaging of the blood of the parents. In that case, Jenkins asked, if you have an advantageous character in the blood, how could you ever get it back, wouldn't it just dilute away? Darwin immediately saw that that was fatal to his theory. He did six editions of Origin, each one worse than the one before, as he got more and more tangled up and less confident about the basic idea. But he was working with the wrong substance – blood. Inheritance is based not on liquids, as he thought, but on particles: genes. It's a digital not an analogue system. Genetics confirms Darwin. Of course this is Mendel's discovery, which Darwin was sent but never read.

I'd also tell him that we now understand the distribution of plants and animals across the continents, because of tectonic plate theory. He knew about the similarities but thought it was land bridges which linked continents. Now we know about Pangaea.

NH: What would you ask him?

SJ: I would ask him what he thought his illness was. There is endless argument about this. He never discusses what it is, though he talks endlessly about his symptoms.

The standard claim is that he had chaga's disease, which is transmitted by blood-sucking assassin bugs in South America. But if you look at his symptoms, vomiting, bloating and so on, it just doesn't fit. And it came up very suddenly, before he went on the Beagle. There then emerged this rather silly notion that it was a psychological conflict, which seems very unlikely. My theory, for what it's worth, is that he might have had an ulcer. Medicine wasn't up to diagnosing it then. We now know that ulcers are not stress or alcohol induced but bacteria, which are easily treatable. It's funny to think that he could have been cured with a pill and then there'd be no Origin of the Species because he would have been healthy and wouldn't have sat at Down House and ratiocinated for years.

NH: What would you bring him?

SJ: I'd bring him my extensive fruit fly collection, as the life-cycle of the fruit fly is a microcosm of the whole process of evolution.

NH: How would you describe the evening?

SJ: Decorous – after all, he was a Victorian gentleman.

NH: What book would you bring him?

SJ: Middlemarch. George Eliot dramatises the tension between the new doubting scientists and believers, exactly the world Darwin came from.

NH: Assuming he had a DVD player and electricity, what film would you bring him?

SJ: David Attenborough's Life on Earth

NH: What would he think of the fact that his ideas and personality are under attack from Intelligent Design and creationism?

SJ: He would probably not be interested. At the time his theories were widely accepted – even by the church. What is surprising is the way they have been dis-accepted recently. He'd find the way people argue about him frightfully vulgar.
The historian
NH: What would you tell him?

John van Wyhe: Although he would have thought little about it, and perhaps cared even less, as an historian I would have to tell him about the way the story of his life has evolved over the years. Initially he was the great scientific saint who banished religion from the realms of science, then he was a Freudian puppet reacting to his supposedly tyrannical father (thus "killing God" with his theory of evolution was like patricide), then he was said to have discovered evolution on the Galapagos in a eureka moment when he observed the beaks of the finches, then he was said to have held back his theory for 20 years because he was terrified of the consequences of publishing. At every anniversary a new myth like this appears, none of which has any grounding in the evidence. So what new myth(s) will be invented about Darwin in 2009, the bicentenary of his birth?

NH: What would you ask him?

JvW: I would ask about his first coming to accept evolution. This is really the great question left to be fully answered and there is little to go on. Only one correspondent ever seems to have asked him if he believed in evolution during the Beagle voyage. Darwin said that as far as he could remember he still believed in the fixity of species but that vague doubts occasionally flitted across his mind. I would ask him to elaborate on these doubts. When exactly did he experience these? Which kinds of evidence most influenced this? Was he at all reluctant to consider evolution a possibility in those early days? Although Frank Sulloway showed some years ago that Darwin did not hit on his theory while on the Galapagos, Darwin wrote a letter home from there which was lost. What was in it? By now he would be very tired and I would be doomed to kicking myself for not managing to ask so many other important questions. Such as: in what year did he stop going to church?

NH: What would you bring him?

JvW: I would bring my laptop and show him Darwin Online, where we have made his entire life's work available. And a copy of one of his books for him to sign.

NH: How would you describe the evening?

JvW: Fun and fascinating. Everyone who knew Darwin said he was a charming, friendly person – with a good sense of humour and a penetrating intellect.

NH: What book would you bring him?

JvW: Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel. He would be fascinated by the reconstruction of the human past in such detail by synthesising the findings of so many fields over so many years.

NH: What film would you bring him?

JvW: David Attenborough's Life on Earth – Steve Jones had the same idea, so Mr Darwin would have two copies.

NH: What would he think of the fact that his ideas and personality are under attack from Intelligent Design and creationism?

JvW: I doubt he could tell us much we cannot already glean from his writings. He would have regarded people who are not scientific workers as unworthy of notice on questions of nature and how it works. But in a very limited sense Darwin believed in design. He believed that a creating intelligence might have set up the laws of nature that science can discover. As in his lifetime, he would not care what unscientific readers thought of his views
The biologist
NH: What would you tell him?

Jerry Coyne: So much to tell, and so little time! I'd tell him about all the amazing fossils that have been discovered since the Origin was published: transitional forms that link major groups such as reptiles with mammals, land animals with whales, fish with amphibians. These fossils constitute even more support for evolution – evidence that Darwin never had, although he predicted that transitional fossils would exist. He'd probably be most interested in the group of hominid fossils found in Africa dating back as far as six million years ago. These clearly show our ancestry from apes and completely confirm Darwin's guarded prediction, made in 1871, that "it is somewhat more probable that our early progenitors lived on the African continent".

Darwin didn't know how old the Earth was, but conjectured, based on scanty evidence, that it was millions of years old. He'd be astonished to learn that it is actually 4.6 billion years old, and that life began only a billion years after that. I'd tell him how scientists have determined this fact (radiometric dating), and he'd surely be pleased by the confirmation that there was ample time for all living species to have evolved in the way he suggested.

NH: What would you ask him?

JC: I'd take the opportunity to ask him a question that has preoccupied Darwin scholars for decades. As is well known, Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace presented the theory of evolution by natural selection at about the same time. Darwin found out about their parallel ideas when Wallace sent him a letter and essay from Indonesia, asking for his opinion. The material upset Darwin, who wanted to behave like a gentleman in the face of a simultaneous discovery, but also wanted credit for a theory that he'd been gestating for 20 years. Darwin's and Wallace's theories were read together before the Linnaean Society of London on 1 July 1858, and published back to back in their Proceedings. This is one of the most famous coincidences in the history of science, but there is a mystery about its timing.

Darwin wrote to his friend Charles Lyell on 18 June 1858, saying that he received Wallace's letter and essay that same day. These Wallace materials, however, have vanished from Darwin's correspondence. This is not so unusual, but scholars studying the timetables of mail ships have suggested, on good grounds, that Darwin actually received Wallace's material not in mid-June but in May. This means that Darwin may have had an entire month to mull over the coincidence and figure out what to do about it. Some historians have suggested darkly that Darwin used this time to steal Wallace's ideas, and that The Origin of Species, published in 1859, was not wholly original. This is almost certainly nonsense, but the issue of timing remains.

NH: What would you bring him?

JC: Fossils that document dramatic evolutionary change: a cast of Lucy's skeleton (Australopithecus afarensis) from 3.5 million years ago, showing its intermediacy between an apelike and modern humanlike condition. This would show him that we evolved erect postures before our big brains. And the cast of Tiktaalik, the amphibian-like fish recently discovered by my Chicago colleague Neil Shubin. This fossil clearly shows how fish living in shallow freshwater, with their flat heads, lungs and sturdy fins, were poised to clamber ashore.

NH: How would you describe the evening?

JC: Staid but surreal. I would be very deferential before the great man. It would be surreal because Darwin would doubtless have great trouble coming to terms with modern technology (like the digital camera I'd use to have my picture taken with him).

NH: What book would you bring him?

JC: At the risk of being self-aggrandising, I'd give him a copy of the book I wrote with Allen Orr, Speciation. It's a summary of everything we now know about the origin of species. I'd inscribe it to him: "with respect and affection. I hope you enjoy this book I wrote on the origin of species. It hasn't sold as well as yours."

NH: What film would you bring him?

JC: Sleeper by Woody Allen. Besides helping Darwin cope with having (as Vonnegut put it) "come unstuck in time", the film would acquaint him with a number of vital issues, including nuclear war, cloning and Jewish humour.

NH: What would he think of the fact that his ideas and personality are under attack from Intelligent Design and creationism?

JC: I doubt that he'd get terribly agitated about the persistence of creationism, but he might be frustrated that, after 150 years of accumulated evidence proving the truth of Darwinism, some religious people still refuse to accept it. Of the ID-style argument he famously said: "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science."
The science journalist
NH: What would you tell him?

James Randerson: Prof Jones will tell Darwin about genes; I'd like to go a stage further and tell him about DNA – its elegant helical structure, the way it copies itself and the code consisting of 3-letter DNA words that instructs protein manufacture. Most interesting for him, I think, will be the universality (with some tiny exceptions) of that DNA language throughout all kingdoms of life – from bacteria to elephants. That important piece of evidence supports his notion of a common origin for all life. I think he would be thrilled to see it. It is remarkable that Darwin succeeded with his theory despite not fully understanding the mechanism of genetic inheritance.

NH: What would you ask him?

JR: I would like to ask about his personal faith, or lack of it. Perhaps surprisingly for a man whose life's work did more to challenge religion than anything else in science, it is difficult to find out from his letters and writing what he actually thought about God. People regularly wrote to him asking where his theory left their faith. He always replied courteously and briefly without giving much away. One such reply in 1866 went. "My opinion is not worth more than any other man who has thought on the subject." One thing is sure. His science did nothing to cement a belief in a creator.

His wife Emma was deeply religious and wrote of a "painful void" that could open up between them because of his religious doubts. And in 1879 he wrote to his friend John Fordyce saying, "In my most extreme fluctuations I have never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God. I think that generally, and more and more so as I grow older – but not always – that an agnostic would be the more correct description of my state of mind."

NH: What would you bring him?

JR: The ruling from Judge John Jones in the Dover Area School District trial over the teaching of evolution in a school in Pennsylvania in 2005. He would enjoy Jones' 139-page demolition of the ID argument: "In making this determination, we have addressed the seminal question of whether ID is science. We have concluded that it is not, and moreover that ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents."

NH: How would you describe the evening?

JR: Terrifying. It is not often you get to meet a life-long hero.

NH: What book would you bring him?

JR: Narrow Roads of Gene Land by William Hamilton. To my mind, Hamilton is the greatest 20th-century evolutionary biologist for his elegant work on how selfishness at the genetic level can produce cooperation at the individual and group level.

NH: What film would you bring him?

JR: Star Wars. Even for a man of Darwin's intellect there is going to be a lot of new information to take in this evening. The great man's brain may need some downtime.

NH: What would he think of the fact that his ideas and personality are under attack from Intelligent Design and creationism?

JR: It would not surprise him much. He realised the difficulty his ideas presented for someone who believed in a personal god that created the universe. He would probably be amazed that so many people in the most technologically advanced and scientifically literate nation on Earth – the US – are so dismissive of his theory.

Russia's Teardrop" memorial for 9/11

clipped from www.truthorfiction.com The "Teardrop" memorial is real and is a 100-foot September 11th sculpture that was donated by the Russian people and is located in New Jersey. clipped from www.flickr.com clipped from www.truthorfiction.com The memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2006 in a ceremony attended by former President Bill Clinton.  Also in attendance were Michael Chertoff, the Bush Adminstration Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and family members of World Trade Center victims. Recording artist Leann Rimes sang the National Anthem and Amazing Grace at the dedication ceremony.   This It is the "TEAR DROP" made and installed by the Russians to honor those who died in 9 11 and a statement against terrorism. It is very impressive.. The tear drop is lined up with the Statue of Liberty... The walkway is made of stones. Names of the persons killed on 9 11 are inscribed on the base. The base like the Vietnam Memorial wall.

First home buyers told to keep spare cash

First home buyers told to keep spare cash | Property | News.com.au

GOVERNMENT grants and low interest rates are encouraging thousands of first home buyers to enter the property market, but experts warn impulsive decisions could come back to bite borrowers in the long term.

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show mortgage sales to first home buyers are at record highs as the June 30 deadline to access the Federal Government's boosted contribution approaches, with no guarantee of an extension despite entreaties from the property sector.

Mortgage sales to first home buyers rose to 26.5 per cent of all mortgages arranged in January, the highest proportion since the series commenced in 1991. This was up from 25.7 per cent in December and 23.6 per cent in November.

The rise is due partly to the Government's sweetened incentive -- a $14,000 grant for existing properties and $21,000 for newly constructed homes -- and partly to improved housing affordability because of lower interest rates and falling house prices.

Lisa Montgomery, head of consumer advocacy at mortgage lender Resi, says there is a real sense of urgency among first home buyers to secure a property before the grants expire, which can lead to risky, spur-of-the-moment purchases.
Related Coverage

* Toorak toffs do it tough tooHerald Sun, 21 Mar 2009
* Buyers home in on city lendersThe Australian, 5 Mar 2009
* Real estate listings on riseCourier Mail, 21 Feb 2009
* Investment properties make a returnThe Australian, 16 Feb 2009
* Reader's Comments: First home buyers rush to marketNEWS.com.au,

Canstar Cannex senior financial analyst Harry Senlitonga says falling property prices should be of particular concern to borrowers who have not saved a substantial deposit.

"A characteristic of first home buyers is they have a small or no deposit at all (and) with the small equity in the property to start with, there is the likelihood that they might be in a negative equity position if the property price falls further," he says.

"The risk is, even after you sell the property you have to come up with your own money to pay the debt."

The Government's $21,000 grant for a newly built home is 7 per cent of a $300,000 loan, which Senlitonga says may not provide alarge enough buffer in a falling property market.

The Real Estate Institute of Australia/Mortgage Choice Market Facts Report revealed property prices decreased by an average of 6.2 per cent between December 2007 and December 2008.

Perth property prices were the worst hit, plunging by an average of 12.2 per cent, followed by Melbourne with a drop of 9.8 per cent and Canberra with a fall of 8.9 per cent. Sydney house prices fell 3.9 per cent.

According to mortgage broker Australian Finance Group, loan to value ratios have risen steadily in the past 12 months and hit a new high of 72.5 per cent in January, up from 62.7 per cent in January 2008, as property prices fall and people incorporate expensive personal debt, such as credit card debt, into their loan.

Montgomery warns new borrowers that the higher their LVR, the more mortgage insurance they will be forced to pay, often adding thousands of dollars to the loan. Mortgage insurance protects the lender in the instance the borrower defaults on the loan, and is required on new mortgages with an LVR above 80 per cent.

A 20 per cent deposit therefore would allow borrowers to avoid having to pay the additional cost; but, for first home owners who want to purchase a property sooner, Montgomery says saving at least a 10 per cent deposit would be a prudent strategy. She also advises first home buyers to consider whether they can afford the loan repayments when interest rates inevitably rise.

Since September, the Reserve Bank has lowered the official cash rate by 4 percentage points to a 45-year low of 3.25 per cent, making the average mortgage holder with a 25-year loan of $300,000, $744 better off a month.

"(First home buyers) need to be factoring in whether they can repay that current loan at 2 to 3 per cent higher than what it is now. I would even go as far as saying 3 to 4 per cent (higher)," Montgomery says. While she says it is unlikely rates will climb to the 18 per cent highs of the 1990s, borrowers should be prepared for a return to the 5 to 9 per cent level.

"Rates are cyclical and we are coming to the end of that cycle, that downward trend, so it's best to prepare for what has most recently occurred," Montgomery says.

However, this raises the question whether now would be a good time to apply for a fixed rate loan.

According to Mortgage Choice, variable rate loans now account for 92per cent of all home loan approvals, a level not seen since the broker started recording the data in January 2003.

Fixed rate loans represent only 2.5 per cent of all home loan approvals. In November 2007, they peaked at 38 per cent.

Mortgage Choice senior corporate affairs manager Kristy Sheppard says the reduction in fixed rate loans suggests Australians are confident that interest rates will remain at historically low levels for the short term at least.

The experts say first home buyers should also consider rectifying any gaps in their insurance coverage, such as income protection or life insurance, and testing a budget before taking out the loan.

"A lot of the time when you buy a property, there are so many other things you need to consider," Montgomery says.

"Obviously house and contents insurance you need to obtain, but also you should be looking for protection for life and disability."

Tupicoffs financial adviser Neil Kendall says job security and the ability to repay the loan in the case of redundancy are also important considerations, especially as unemployment levels are on the rise.

"I am enormously concerned that (encouraging) first home buyers has a big sting in the tail because they are the people most likely to be losing their jobs, least able to afford it and often stretching themselves because of the deadline for the bonus first home owners grant," he says.

He urges first home buyers not to rush in without the safety net of a cash reserve.

"If someone was talking to me about buying one of these houses who was a first home buyer, I would be saying to them, 'Have you got six months worth of living expenses and mortgage repayments in reserve?'"

Buyer Beware

* A 10 per cent deposit helps protect against negative equity.
* A 20 per cent deposit will avoid mortgage insurance, which protects only the lender.
* Determine whether you can afford a 3 per cent to 4 per cent rise in interest rates.
* A fixed rate loan may beworthwhile.
* Six months worth of loan repayments in reserve is a good idea in case of unemployment.

Australian housing market holds sub-prime danger

Australian housing market holds sub-prime danger | Property | News.com.au

Australian housing market holds sub-prime danger

By Glenn Milne and Nick Gardner

The Sunday Telegraph

March 22, 2009 12:01am


* Australia copying US mistakes
* Bankruptcy risk driven by stimulus
* "First homebuyers most vulnerable"

AUSTRALIA is facing its own version of the US sub-prime housing crisis, with thousands of young homeowners risking bankruptcy as a result of Kevin Rudd's economic stimulus package.

That is the grim warning from the economic expert who first called the debt crisis that is driving the global financial meltdown.

Dubbing the looming crisis "Sub-Prime Lite," Professor Steve Keen told The Sunday Telegraph Australia was making the same mistakes as the US.

Professor Keen said in trying to avoid an economic crisis caused by too much borrowing, Australia was in effect encouraging the poorest in the community to take on even more debt.

"Yet these low-paid first homebuyers are the people who are most vulnerable to the economic downturn," he said.

The top end of capital cities housing market has been suffering for some time as mass redundancies within the financial sector have forced homeowners to sell.
Related Coverage


Meanwhile, the first-home buyer end of the market has been booming.

But economists fear this flurry of activity at the lower end has inflated prices to unsustainable levels.

In Sydney, the average property already costs nine times the average household income, while the UK and US reached a peak of only seven times average income before their markets crashed.

According to Professor Keen, the First Home Owner Grant has cost the government about $200million, but has inflated property prices by close to $3billion.

"This is all illusionary wealth that could disappear very quickly," he said.

"The additional $2.8billion or so has come from increased mortgage debt taken on by those most vulnerable to a serious economic downturn at a time when we can see very clearly that the global recession is coming our way."

The Government may well extend the first-homebuyer grant beyond its planned end-date of June 30, which Professor Keen says will end up pumping the market to even higher levels.

The University of Western Sydney professor said he had sold his Sydney house because he feared a property crash, but his gloomy view on the market has been backed by other experts.

Gerard Minack, chief economist at Morgan Stanley, said property prices were likely to fall by 20 per cent in some cities, while the value of houses on coastal strips such as the NSW mid-north coast and the Gold Coast could halve.

"People paid Hamptons prices for properties up there but it is not the Hamptons," he said.

"Traditionally what has hurt people has not been rising interest rates but rising unemployment. I don't care what rate you're paying, if you have a mortgage five times your income and you lose your job, you're toast."

Mr Minack said while he understood the motivation behind the grants, encouraging marginal buyers to enter the market at this stage of the cycle (just ahead of a sharp rise in unemployment and with interest rates so low), Australia risked "creating a sub-prime underbelly in our own housing market".

With unemployment currently at just over 5 per cent, many economists are forecasting it will peak at 8-9 per cent in 2010, which will lead to a "bloodbath" in the property market as thousands of mortgagors default on their loans.

Most buyers were also taking out low, variable-rate mortgages, which left them exposed to rapidly rising rates when the economy began to recover and this would also spell trouble for many buyers.

ADD: yes, the government has stepped in superficially boost the economy with the grant but has to be mindful of the inactivity at the top end of housing market and to encourage the vulnerable lower end to get in debt up to their necks is quite irresponsible. If unemployment is a key then the gov't would have done better for long term solution by putting the billions of dollars into job creation not short term salvation with distribution of monies (900 bucks for all to spend on LCD tv's??) for will nilly spending.

Undersea eruptions near Tonga

clipped from www.boston.com An undersea volcano erupts off the coast of Tonga, sending plumes of steam, ash and smoke up to 100 meters into the air, on March 18, 2009, off the coast of Nuku'Alofa, Tonga The eruption was at sea about 10 kilometers from the southwest coast of the main island of Tongatapu, an area where up to 36 undersea volcanoes are clustered. The plume of an erupting undersea volcano is seen off the coast of Nuku'Alofa, Tonga

photos - its all about the angle!

clipped from www.hongkiat.com

20 Stunning Infrared Pictures

clipped from abduzeedo.com Infrared photography has been around for a long time, but capturing these stunning pictures on film required true perseverance. Digital imaging has changed all of that. Shooting infrared photos has never been easier or more fun. When you shoot infrared, you're actually dealing with a spectrum of light that's outside our normal range of perception. - Andrew Logan

afl snapshot: Carlton

Summer snapshot: Carlton - AFL.com.au

Arrivals
Onfield: Exchange period - Robert Warnock (Fremantle), Rookie elevation - Michael Jamison, NAB AFL Draft - Rhys O'Keefe (North Adelaide), Mitch Robinson (Tassie Mariners), Caleb Tiller (Murray Bushrangers), Chris Yarran (Swan Districts), NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft - Chris Johnson (Melbourne), NAB AFL Rookie Draft - Greg Bentley (Port Adelaide), Jeff Garlett (Swan Districts), Lachie Hill (Carlton), Sam Jacobs (Carlton), Darren Pfeiffer (Carlton), Luke Stanton (Northern Knights).

Off-field: Darren Harris (director of development), Robert Harvey (development coach), enough assorted medical and fitness staff to fill a small gymnasium.

Departures
Onfield: Retired - Jason Saddington, Delisted - Cain Ackland, Clint Benjamin, Luke Blackwell, Ryan Jackson, Aisake O'hAilpin, Darren Pfeiffer, Lachie Hill (rookie), Sam Jacobs (rookie), Michael Shields (rookie)

Off field: Gavin Crosisca (assistant coach)

Pre-season training started: Tuesday, October 23

Pre-season training resumes: Monday, January 5 at Visy Park

Medical room
Fitness advisor Noel McCarthy gives us an insight

Brad Fisher (dislocated elbow): It was a bit of a setback for Brad, but his rehab is going well at the moment. He'll be in a brace for about three weeks and then we'll get him back into it. He can still do the running so it is a setback, but not a disastrous one.

Richard Hadley (groin): Hads is going really well. We've snuck him back into a bit of skills work, so he'll be into full training after Christmas.

Robbie Warnock (shoulder): Robbie's made some significant steps forward in the last couple of weeks. He's started to run and we expect to get him into full training early in the new year. We're focusing on getting some weight on him at the moment, so he's working closely with our dietitian and he's already made significant gains.

Joe Anderson (shoulder): Will resume full training after Christmas.

Matthew Kruezer (hip): Will resume full training after Christmas.

Who's burning?
I've been pretty impressed with most of the list actually. The boys really looked after themselves during the break which makes it a lot easier for the fitness staff to put some work into them. I think a lot of the younger guys are really going to put some pressure on some of the older blokes for a spot in the team next season.

Mark Austin, Bryce Gibbs, Shaun Grigg, Adam Hartlett, Lachie Hill and Shaun Hampson are a few of the younger blokes who have really taken significant steps in terms of their training and physique.

afl snapshot: Collingwood

Summer snapshot: Collingwood - AFL.com.au

With another healthy turnover of players and a fresh influx of young talent, the talented young Pies will fancy their chances of another finals tilt next season.

Arrivals
On field: Anthony Corrie (trade - Brisbane Lions), Dayne Beams, Jarrad Blight, Leigh Brown, Luke Rounds, Steele Sidebottom (NAB AFL Draft), Johnny Bennell, Jaryd Blair, Tristan Francis, Scott Reed (NAB AFL Rookie Draft).
Off field: Paul Hudson (assistant coach), Luke Beveridge (development manager).

Departures
On field: Rhyce Shaw (Traded - Sydney Swans), Scott Burns, Shane Wakelin, Ryan Lonie (retired), Brodie Holland, Sam Iles, Chris Egan, Luke Casey-Leigh (delisted).
Off field: Guy McKenna (assistant coach), Alan Richardson (development manager).

Pre-season training started: Monday, November 3.

Pre-season training resumes: Monday, January 5.

Post-Christmas training venue: The Magpies have the luxury of being based at the Lexus Centre, where they have state-of-the-art facilities at their fingertips. While they share the use of the first-class gym at the Victorian Institute of Sport, most of their ball work and training will continue to be done at Gosch's Paddock – just a few drop punts from the Lexus Centre.

Medical room
Anthony Rocca (ankle): Training strongly, likely to resume full training by late January.

Sean Rusling (shoulder): Training well, likely to resume full training by mid January.

Kevin Dyas (hamstring): Modified program

Head of conditioning David Buttifant:
"Everyone's training really well. Rocca's on a slightly modified program, Rusling's on a slightly modified program.

"Brad Dick's coming back from a knee reco but he's probably more advanced than the other two; he's nearly into full training now.

"But we're in a pretty good position, everyone should be available by round one, bar Dyas."

Who's burning?
Chris Dawes, finally free of the leg troubles that have plagued him throughout his first years at Collingwood, is reaping enormous benefit from his first-ever full pre-season at AFL level.

The club is also thrilled with the progress of Ben Johnson and Alan Didak, both of whom have impressed with their work ethic and attitude on the track.

Meanwhile, Magpie fans will be thrilled to know exciting young guns Scott Pendlebury and Dale Thomas are also firing this summer, with fitness staff reporting the pair has gone to new levels with their fitness during the off-season.

Pre-season training camps
Plans for a trip to South Africa appear unlikely after the Magpies' NAB Cup match there was scrapped. Collingwood did enjoy a two-week high-altitude stint in Arizona in mid-November, the getaway enabling the young squad not only to work on their fitness and athletic program but further bond.

Pre-season training overview
"We have very much a holistic approach to the pre-season; everything goes to support Mick's game plan, so it all revolves around that and it's all got to transfer and enhance that.

"We have got a very young list and we've been very mindful of that. Rome wasn't built in a day and while you'd like to be able to get more [work] into them both technically and physically, they just don't have the foundations to tolerate that load.

"Subsequently they are vulnerable to break down, and given we have got a young list and we have to aware that they're not as mature and experienced as some of the other teams going around,

afl snapshot: Brisbane

Summer  Lions - AFL.com.au

Arrivals
On-field: Rookie elevation: Scott Clouston
NAB AFL Draft: Todd Banfield, Todd Cornelius, Kieran King, Bart McCulloch, Jack Redden, Daniel Rich
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft: Tom Rockliff
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Daniel Dzufer, Daniel Murray, Adam Spackman, Joel Tippett

Off-field: Michael Voss (coach); Wayne Brittain (assistant coach); Daniel Collins (high performance manager).

Departures
On-field: Nigel Lappin (retired); Colm Begley (St Kilda); Anthony Corrie (Collingwood); Robert Copeland (delisted); Matthew Moody (delisted); Wayde Mills (delisted); Chris Schmidt (delisted).

Off-field: Leigh Matthews (coach); Paul Hudson (assistant coach).

Pre-season training started: Monday October 27.

Medical room
No major concerns at the Lions although small forward Rhan Hooper is still serving a 28-day suspension from the club for repeated breaches of his playing contract during pre-season. The suspension concludes in the first week of January.

Who's burning?
Jed Adcock was slightly down last season on the standards he set in his stellar 2007. But the newly appointed vice-captain is turning heads at training and with a midfield maestro like Voss in charge, watch for Adcock to return to the AFL's elite midfield brigade in 2009. Rebounding defender Josh Drummond has also put an injury-plagued run behind him and is setting personal bests in most training indicators early in the pre-season.

Pre-season training camps
The Lions headed to Couran Cove on Stradbroke Island from November 25-28. The camp covered everything from player and coaching staff meetings to some tough physical examinations on the sand with both running and tackling drills.

Pre-season training overview
"There's a few different things this year. Vossy has upped the skills load a lot more so we've managed how much running we've been doing. We've cranked up the strength, particularly for the first- to third-year players and made some significant improvements. They've been working four to five times a week and guys like Troy Selwood and Tom Collier have added five, six or seven kilos.

"We've analysed everyone on the playing list and identified what they need to improve to fit into Vossy's game-plan; for example, guys like Selwood and Collier have improved their strength and Albert Proud has worked hard on his endurance.

afl preview: Adelaide

Summer snapshot: Adelaide - AFL.com.au

Skipper Simon Goodwin heads into his second season in charge with the Crows


Arrivals
On field: Phil Davis, Shaun McKernan, Rory Sloane, Tom Lee, Will Young, Ricky Henderson (rookie), Chris Schmidt (rookie) and Brian Donnelly (International rookie).

Off field: Todd Viney (assistant coach) and Mark Bickley (assistant coach).

Departures
On field: Nathan Bassett (retired), Rhett Biglands (retired), Ken McGregor (retired), Kris Massie (delisted), Luke Jericho (delisted), Bryce Campbell (delisted) and rookie Ed Curnow (delisted).

Off field: Paul Hamilton (assistant coach at Essendon)

Pre-season training started: Thursday, November 13

Medical room
Andrew McLeod: had surgery on his troublesome knee during the off-season, but is on track to play a pre-season game or two in preparation for round one, 2009.

Jason Porplyzia: had a shoulder reconstruction following the Elimination Final loss to Collingwood. He is back running, but will have to sit out of competitive drills until after Christmas. The club is optimistic the classy forward will be right for round one.

Brett Burton: underwent a full-knee reconstruction in July this year and is expected to miss up to 12 months of football. Burton has resumed running laterally and, from all reports, is on or ahead of schedule.

Who's burning?
There's no one Crows fans would like to see succeed more than unlucky forward Trent Hentschel. Hentschel, who hasn't played since wrecking his knee in round 21, 2006, worked tirelessly to earn his SANFL recall last season and was on the verge of an AFL comeback before a series of hamstring strains thwarted his efforts.

But the popular 25-year-old has since discarded the knee brace that once guarded his severely damaged knee and is running freely with his teammates. Hentschel has showed no signs of soft tissue strains and has his sights on a round one berth.

Pre-season training camps
Adelaide ventured to Strathalbyn last week for three days of hikes, bikes, beach runs and general sleep deprivation. The Crows will venture to Darwin on February 7 to tackle the Indigenous All-Stars and are likely to put their Telstra Community Camp on hold until later in the year.

Pre-season training overview
"We try and get the guys to do most of the endurance stuff on their own. That way when we come back to start pre-season training we can start the footy work and we're not doing that base stuff that's traditionally done in pre-season.

"The ability of our guys to train on their own over the break is second to none. A lot of athletes in AFL still need to have a fitness guy or someone showing them what to do, but we have a fair bit of trust in our group that they can go away and train on their own.

"It means that we don't have to spend as much time focusing on conditioning during the pre-season which traditionally has been done in most football clubs. We can spend more time on football related stuff, and that will be the focus again doing a lot of football work."

afl preview: West Coast

Season preview: West Coast - AFL.com.au

As the best ruck in the League, Dean Cox is integral to the Eagles' chances in 2009


ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES
Arrivals
Rookie elevation: Beau Wilkes
NAB AFL Draft: Jordan Jones (Geelong Falcons), Nicholas Naitanui (Swan Districts), Luke Shuey (Oakleigh Chargers), Ashley Smith (Dandenong Stingrays), Tom Swift (Claremont)
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Liam Bedford (Geelong), Adam Cockie (Subiaco)

Departures
Retired: Michael Braun (veteran – outside list), Jaymie Graham
Delisted: Steven Armstrong, Chad Jones, James Thomson

FIXTURE
The Eagles get the longest road trip out of the way early, taking on the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in round one.

West Coast’s two derby matches against Fremantle are in round six and 17, while Carlton’s Chris Judd takes on his former side under the Friday night lights at Docklands in round 10.

Of the 2008 finalists only the Hawks, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs play the Eagles twice.

INJURY LIST
Adam Hunter (shoulder soreness) – may be available round one
Patrick McGinnity (broken jaw) – will resume training by round one
Adam Selwood (knee) – should play round one
Luke Shuey (groin) – playing by round five or six
Beau Waters (elbow) – will resume modified training in May

MATT BURGAN’S PLAYER RATINGS
5 – Dean Cox, Darren Glass, Daniel Kerr (3 players -- 15 points)
There is no disputing Cox, Glass and Kerr are elite and remain integral to the club's cause. Cox is the best ruckman in the league and Kerr a dynamo in the midfield. Glass, despite a hip injury troubling him in 2008, is still in the top echelon of full backs.

4 – Andrew Embley, Brett Jones, Mark LeCras, Quinten Lynch, Chris Masten, Ben McKinley, Mark Nicoski, Matt Priddis, Adam Selwood, David Wirrpanda (10 – 40 points)
Nicoski and Embley have had injury troubles but remain keys. Jones and Selwood are vastly underrated outside of their footy club. McKinley was one of the top mid-sized forwards last season and LeCras should continue to blossom as a fine small forward. Expect young-gun Masten to step-up considerably this year. Wirrpanda will keep on keeping on.

3 – Mitchell Brown, Sam Butler, Brad Ebert, Chad Fletcher, Ashley Hansen, Tim Houlihan, Adam Hunter, Shannon Hurn, Josh Kennedy, Eric Mackenzie, Jamie McNamara, Matt Rosa, Will Schofield, Mark Seaby, Scott Selwood, Brent Staker, Tyson Stenglein, Matt Spangher, Tom Swift, Beau Wilkes, Adam Cockie (rookie), Ryan Davis (rookie) (22 players – 66 points)
Butler, Rosa, Brown, Ebert and Hurn and more than capable of pushing up, given injury-free runs. Ditto Hansen and Kennedy. Veterans Stenglein and Fletcher will still make contributions. Swift is a first-year young-gun who could surprise; rookies Cockie and Davis will feature. Spangher, Mackenzie and Wilkes should continue to develop; Scott Selwood will progress. Hunter has shoulder concerns.

2 – Patrick McGinnity, Nick Naitanui, Tony Notte, Beau Waters, Callum Wilson (rookie) (5 players – 10 points)
The highly-talked about Naitanui will be a beauty, but a pre-season knee injury has halted his preparation. Waters would normally be higher, but he will miss much of 2009 with an elbow injury. Notte is very promising, but needs further development; McGinnity should play this year, despite fracturing his jaw. Mature rookie Wilson could gain a taste.

1 – Luke Shuey, Ashley Smith, Ashley Arrowsmith (rookie), Liam Bedford (rookie), Jordan Jones (rookie), Lewis Stevenson (rookie), Will Sullivan (rookie) (7 players – 7 points)
West Coast has a quality rookie list, but it does have seven on it, meaning it might be hard for some youngsters to debut in 2009. Still, a host of injuries could leave the door ajar for Arrowsmith, Sullivan and Bedford to debut. Shuey and Smith are fine talents, but time and development is likely to be given to both youngsters in 2009.

Total team rating: 138 (9 of 16, league-wide)

THE YEAR AHEAD
West Coast simply needs to be competitive in 2009 to call the year a success. But in Dean Cox and Daniel Kerr, the club has a star pair in which to build a competitive side around.

The club  looks set to invest heavily in prized draft picks Chris Masten and Brad Ebert this year.

The return of established players Matt Rosa, Sam Butler and Brett Jones – and improvement from Mark LeCras and Matt Spangher – should see the Eagles compete consistently this season and notch some surprising wins.

Brazilian City Eliminates Hunger

For only 2% of its budget

clipped from www.treehugger.com Brazilian City Makes Food A Basic Right And Ends Hunger Restaurant Popular (People's Restaurant) by Bruno Spada/MDS Back in 1993, the newly elected city government of Belo Horizonte, Brazil declared that food was a right of citizenship. At that time, the city of 2.5 million had 275,000 people living in absolute poverty, and close to 20 percent of its children were going hungry. Since the declaration the city has all but wiped out hunger and only spends 2% of the city budget to do so. Article continues: Brazilian City Makes Food A Basic Right And Ends Hunger

art of the fork

every piece of this fork art is constructed
from stainless steel forks

clipped from damncoolpics.blogspot.com

famous sex quotes

Bisexuality immediately doubles your chances for a date on Saturday night.----
Rodney Dangerfield

clipped from www.2spare.com You know "that look" women get when they want sex? Me neither. Steve Martin Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand. Woody Allen Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet. Robin Williams Women need a reason to have sex Men just need a place. Billy Crystal There's very little advice in men's magazines, because men think, I know what I'm doing. Just show me somebody naked. Jerry Seinfeld See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time. Robin Williams An intellectual is a person who has discovered something more interesting than sex. Aldous Huxley Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake whole relationships Sharon Stone My girlfriend always laughs during sex --no matter what she's reading. Steve Jobs Don't knock masturbation — it's sex with someone I love. Woody Allen

Men are so Simple and Women are sooo complicated [PIC] Funny

This is soooooooo true.

clipped from www.wikimaniacs.com Men are so simple..cheerz! clipped from www.wikimaniacs.com

Tea tastes better from your favourite cup

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk Tea and coffee really do taste better from a favourite cup or mug, research has found. Dr Tom Stafford, psychologist from Sheffield University, says a person's brain is trained to believe the daily ritual of making coffee or tea should be done in a certain way in order to derive maximum enjoyment. He said: "Drinking tea and coffee is very ritualistic and people become very addictive to the way they want their brew made. "Caffeine is very much a drug of reward and like any addict, people develop passions on how the drug is delivered. "Where ever there is drug use then rituals will always develop. "The long association with the delivery of a morning cup of coffee or tea people genuinely think it tastes better out of a particular cup. "It might be irrational or arbitrary but it's absolutely true. Your daily brew tastes better from your favourite mug. According to research, 65 percent of Brits have a favourite cup or mug they use for their morning cuppa.

where does DIGG get it's content

clipped from soshable.com Despite tens of thousands of submissions every week, the last seven days have shown that 46.6% of the Digg front page comes from 50 websites, according to data accumulated on di66.net.

What Makes You Eat More Food

clipped from www.time.com Time of Day Through routine, we condition our bodies to expect breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time each day clipped from www.time.com Sight body anticipates when food is about to enter the system." And that's why your mouth starts watering clipped from www.time.com Variety Even after eating a large meal, we often "make room" for dessert, because a desire for sweets hasn't been satisfied all it takes is a bit of fruit to curb a sugar craving. clipped from www.time.com Smell Smell and sight alone activate insulin secretion that makes us think we're hungry clipped from www.time.com Alcohol too much beer, wine or liquor can impair judgment, causing us to eat more clipped from www.time.com Temperature The colder the temperature, the more people tend to eat, which is why restaurants often keep thermostats low. "Your metabolism drops when it's time to eat "Heat is a satiety signal." clipped from www.time.com Refined Carbs like white pasta, the body may crave food again within only a few hours. These foods cause blood sugar to drop more interested in food

A Doomsday' seed bank in the Arctic

clipped from www.boston.com Norway opened a frozen "doomsday" vault Tuesday deep within an Arctic mountain where millions of seeds will be stored to safeguard against wars or natural disasters wiping out food crops around the globe. seed deposits into the vault in the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. "This is a frozen Garden of Eden," clipped from www.michaeljohngrist.com clipped from www.boston.com Svalbard Global Seed Vault, just 620 miles from the North Pole, is designed to house as many as 4.5 million crop seeds from all over the world. It is built to withstand global warming, earthquakes and even nuclear strikes. The vault, built by the Norwegian government for $9.1 million, will operate like a bank box. Norway owns the bank, but the countries depositing seeds own them and can used them as needed free of charge. The vault will serve as a backup to the other 1,400 seed banks around the world, in case their deposits are lost. War wiped out seed banks in Iraq and Afghanistan, and another bank in the Philippines was flooded in the wake of a typhoon in 2006. clipped from www.michaeljohngrist.com

watch this mad kiwi catch a marlin fish

bloody incredible jump from a helicopter....

clipped from www.youtube.com

she makes figurines - look like stars

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk Liz Lomax, who calls herself "a three dimensional illustrator", creates figurines for record covers, magazines, billboards, adverts and just for fun of it clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk ....Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk a mini Michael Jackson dangling a baby as well as a bling wearing 50 Cent clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk After sketching out a plan on paper she will set to work building up a wire and aluminium foil frame onto which will be layered sculpting clay, all the while referencing photographs of her subject clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk The nimble-fingered creative also makes incredible wedding cake toppers which feature mini depictions of the happy couple clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk

Vitamin C a 'gout preventer'

BBC NEWS | Health | Vitamin C a 'gout preventer'

Vitamin C a 'gout preventer'
gout
Gout is a type of arthritis

Men who get plenty of vitamin C may boost their resilience to the painful joint disease gout, work suggests.

In the 20-year study of nearly 47,000 men, daily supplements of the vitamin found in sprouts, peppers and oranges appeared to cut gout risk.

The US researchers believe vitamin C has a dual action - easing inflammation and lowering uric acid levels in the body that go awry in gout.

The findings are published in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Experts warned that the news should not be taken to mean that it was fine to lead an unhealthy lifestyle and pop a vitamin pill to counteract this.

It would be unwise for people to think they can compensate for eating and drinking too much by taking vitamin C with their pint of beer
Rheumatologist Dr Michael Snaith

There are a number of risk factors for gout, including taking certain medications, drinking too much alcohol, being overweight and eating an unhealthy diet high in meat.

Although the condition is more associated with Victorian times, the numbers with gout have been increasing over the last 30 years and currently about 1.5% of the UK population has the condition.

In the study, 1,317 of the men, who were all health professionals, developed gout.

Compared with men who did not take vitamin C supplements, those who took 1,000mg to 1,499mg per day had a 34% lower risk of gout and those who took 1,500mg per day had a 45% lower risk.

This was irrespective of other gout risk factors such as diet and alcohol use.

Lead researcher Dr Hyon Choi, of Boston University School of Medicine, said there were good reasons to believe that vitamin C was having a beneficial effect on the men.

Protective

Vitamin C appears to reduce levels of uric acid in the blood - a build up of this naturally occurring compound can form crystal deposits in and around joints, leading to the pain and swelling associated with gout.

It does this by increasing the expulsion of uric acid from the body by the kidneys.

Dr Choi said: "Given the general safety profile associated with vitamin C intake, particularly in the generally consumed ranges as in the present study, vitamin C intake may provide a useful option in the prevention of gout."

Generally, people should be able to get all the vitamin C they need - 40mg a day - by eating a varied and balanced diet.

UK experts say taking 1,000 mg or less of vitamin C supplements a day is unlikely to cause any harm. Gastrointestinal effects such as diarrhoea have been reported with doses over 1000 mg/day.

Rheumatologist Dr Michael Snaith, also of the UK Gout Society, said: "Vitamin C may reduce the frequency of attacks and provide a degree of protection. But that does not mean to say that taking whacking great amounts of vitamin C is going to eliminate gout.

"It would be unwise for people to think they can compensate for eating and drinking too much by taking vitamin C with their pint of beer."

Great Music Add-Ons for Firefox

clipped from mashable.com There are numerous FirefoxFirefox reviews add-ons to help enhance your music listening experience. From those that enable you to control your online or desktop media player, to tools to help you fill in gaps in your album art collection, or tweet your current song to your TwitterTwitter reviews followers, here are 16 great Firefox music add-ons to get your groove on. Fire.fm - Fire.fm was the winner of the Extend Firefox 3 contest, and with good reason. It gives you full access to the Last.fm library from anywhere you may surf to.  Discover new artists, play favorite tracks, explore people with similar music tastes and more. GoMuzik - You can search the GoMuzik library of over 1 million songs and play those you like, make playlists and more. Play Them All - Play Them All scans all of the links on a page for ones that end in .mp3 and creates a M3U playlist from them so that you can easily play them.

Great band - The Doors

clipped from community.livejournal.com The Ultimate Band: Jim and The Doors.

AN ANOTOMICAL VIEW ON EMOTIONS

clipped from www.wackyarchives.com Ever wondered what goes on inside your body when you have an idea or feel excited? After many years of collecting anatomy books and drawings, Tom Giesler created a set of illustrations that combine dull anatomical schemes with a fun and personal view of the human emotions. Click on the images for a larger view or head to Tom’s website for more of his works — all with an anatomical thematic.

Waterspout - or water tornado

clipped from www.pbase.com Waterspout in the Peace River, photo by the Punta Gorda Police department

best cheapest new players for afl season 2009

Choose your cheapies wisely - AFL.com.au
Ziebell will be a beauty

Edit Your Photos Funny Effects Online

clipped from funphotobox.com Select an effect

Who, or what, was Jesus?

humour...

clipped from timescolumns.typepad.com There were three good arguments that Jesus was Black: 1. He called everyone brother 2. He liked Gospel 3. He didn't get a fair trial then there were three equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish: 1. He went into His Father's business 2. He lived at home until he was 33 3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his Mother was sure He was God then there were three equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian: 1.. He talked with His hands 2. He had wine with His meals 3... He used olive oil three equally good arguments that Jesus was a Californian: 1. He never cut His hair 2. He walked around barefoot all the time 3. He started a new religion most compelling evidence of all - three proofs that Jesus was a woman:   1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was virtually no food 2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it 3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was still work to do

Incredible!! A man survives collision between train and lorry

this is insane - i want him to buy my lottery ticket

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk In the dramatic footage, a train slammed into a flatbed lorry as it was crossing train tracks in the Mediterranean port city of Mersin on Feb 25. Propelled sideways, the lorry then swept over Cem Tokac, who was standing beside the tracks. incredibly the 32-year-old suffered only minor injuries. "I can't remember anything about the accident," Mr Tokac said. "Life is really beautiful," he said. after he survived a collision between a lorry and a train that was captured on CCTV.

Airline selling "penis" on flights

clipped from www.youtube.com clipped from www.news.com.au A US airline is now selling "penis" on flights, an anchorwoman has declared. The slip-up happened on CNN when anchorwoman Zain Verjee was reporting about Northwest Airlines now selling peanuts on flights. Ms Verjee mentioned the word “penis” three times instead of “peanuts”. Northwest began serving penis this month Georgia is the top penis producing state Perhaps the caption at the bottom of the screen distracted her – it declared “nuts on Northwest flights”.

“The World” Islands = Dubai

clipped from villageofjoy.com The World is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the shape of a world map. It can be also seen from space. The overall development cost of The World was estimated as 14 billion USD. The prices of individual islands range between 15 and 50 million USD. clipped from ursispaltenstein.ch clipped from www.realestatewebmasters.com 300 man made islands just off the coast of Dubai The majority of these islands have already been sold such as Ireland, England, Thailand; however, there are still a few available if several million dollars seems like a bargain.  The World Islands Dubai are expensive and this hefty price tag does not include any construction on the islands as this is the responsibility of the buyer clipped from villageofjoy.com The islands were created from sand dredged from the sea.

Religious imagery in everyday objects

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk grilled cheese sandwich that supposedly bore the image of the Virgin Mary clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk bathroom that was said to look like Jesus Christ clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk believed to be a sighting of the Virgin Mary clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk believed to be a vision of Christ on the fence of a local caravan park clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk An image of a crucified Jesus Christ was seen in the clouds clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk the Cone Nebula taken by the Hubble telescope in April 2002, many people claimed it was an image of Jesus clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk bonfire which locals believed resembled the silhouette of late Pope John Paul II says the picture was taken at 21.37:30, exactly the hour when the pope died clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk 'Nun Bun': a cinnamon bun that apparently bore the likeness of Mother Teresa, clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk an aubergine which sparked cries of 'miracle' in Daubhill, Bolton, in March 1996, after he cut it in half to discover the name 'Allah' inside clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk word 'Allah' clearly seen inside clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk The grandaddy of all holy apparitions is the Shroud of Turin, the 14-foot-long linen revered by some as the burial cloth of Jesus... clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk