Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Robot

You pay, computer will pray

Christensen
Live Science
Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:03 UTC
Information Age Prayer is a site that charges you a monthly fee to say prayers for you. A typical charge is $4.95 per month to say three prayers specified by you each day.

"We use state of the art text to speech synthesizers to voice each prayer at a volume and speed equivalent to typical person praying," the company states. "Each prayer is voiced individually, with the name of the subscriber displayed on screen."

Prices, however, are dictated by the length of the prayer. As noted in the Information Age Prayer FAQ, "A discounted prayer will cost less than other prayers of similar length."

I'm fascinated by the intersection between religion and technology, as are some well-known science fiction writers. For example, if a machine can say a prayer for you, why not have a fully robotic pope and clergy?
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Life Preserver

Saudi women to spurn lingerie shops over salesmen

Donna Abu-Nasr
Associated Press
Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:56 UTC
Before her wedding last year, Huda Batterjee went abroad to buy her bridal lingerie - she just couldn't bear the humiliation of discussing her most intimate apparel with a man. She had little choice: there are almost no saleswomen in Saudi Arabia. Now a group of Saudi women - sick of having to deal with male sales staff when buying bras or panties, not to mention frilly negligees or thongs - have launched a campaign this week to boycott lingerie stores until they employ women.

It's an irony of the kingdom's strict segregation of the sexes. Only men are employed as sales staff to keep women from having to deal with male customers or work around men.

But in lingerie stores, that means men are talking to women about bras or thongs, looking them up and down to determine their cup sizes, even rubbing the underwear to show how stains can be washed out.

The result is mortifying for everyone involved - shoppers, salesmen, even the male relatives who accompany the women.
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Meteor

When the Mayan calendar ends 2012, what will happen to us?

Thane Burnett
Sun Media
Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:53 UTC
Did someone mention Doomsday?

For those who miss the good old days of the easy going 20th Century, a shrill reminder of Y2K is back.

At least the mounting fear that an upcoming date could be the death of us all - or at least a very bad day for some.

Late last week, Professor John Beddington, the UK government's chief scientist, warned a sustainable development conference that a "perfect storm" of food shortages, scarce water and insufficient energy resources would land on the world's doorstep in 2030.

But for those souls who can't wait that long to panic, then mark 2012 on your Armageddon-out-of-here calendar. A growing number of books and blogs revolve around Dec. 21, 2012, when the 5,125-year long count cycle of the Mayans' calendar draws to an abrupt close.
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Magic Hat

'Spider-Man' rescues autistic Thai boy


Sydney Morning Herald
Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:37 UTC
A Thai fireman turned superhero when he dressed up as comic-book character Spider-Man to coax a frightened eight-year-old from a balcony, police said on Tuesday.

Teachers at a special needs school in Bangkok alerted authorities on Monday when an autistic pupil, scared of attending his first day at school, sat out on the third-floor ledge and refused to come inside, a police sergeant told American Free Press.
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Smiley

Oops: Colbert Wins NASA Space Station Name Contest


Yahoo News
Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:08 UTC
Image
© AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, Stephen Colbert poses in New York.
Washington D.C.- NASA's online contest to name a new room at the international space station went awry. Comedian Stephen Colbert won.

The name "Colbert" beat out NASA's four suggested options in the space agency's effort to have the public help name the addition. The new room will be launched later this year.
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Black Cat

'Deathbed confession' man charged


BBC News
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:40 UTC
A US man who thought he was dying and confessed to having killed a neighbour in 1977 has been charged with murder after making a recovery, US media say.
James Brewer_01
Mr Brewer moved state and adopted an assumed name after the killing

James Brewer could now face the death penalty over the unsolved killing in Tennessee 32 years ago, reports say.

Convinced he was dying after a stroke, Mr Brewer reportedly admitted to police he shot dead 20-year-old Jimmy Carroll.

The 58-year-old, who had fled Tennessee after the killing, was arrested after his condition improved, reports say.
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Cheeseburger

Cape Town to fine baboon feeders


BBC News
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:24 UTC
Photo-opportunity hunting tourists caught offering food to baboons will face fines, authorities in the South African city of Cape Town have warned.
Baboons - Cape Town
There are estimated to be about 350 baboons in and around Cape Town

The monkeys have become increasingly audacious in pursuit of snacks, even snatching bags from passers-by in popular tourist spots.

Officials say offenders could face a fine of up to 1,500 rand ($150; £104) or even six months in jail.

There are estimated to be about 350 Chacma baboons in and around Cape Town.

In a statement on Monday, the city of Cape Town said some tour operators were apparently deliberately baiting the baboons, so tourists can take photos.
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Cow

Non-Kosher Hot Dog Incites Rage At Jewish Eatery

Christine Sloan
Columbia Broadcasting Service
Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:58 UTC
Restaurant Owner Brandished Electric Knife To Fend Off Enraged Customers

New York-It was an all-out frankfurter frenzy this week at a popular Jewish restaurant in Brooklyn, as a certain hot dog caused a near-riot.

It's not what you would expect: a worker in a NYC eatery caught on tape fending off a group of Jewish patrons with an electric knife.

"I was petrified - stuff was going through my mind," a patron who didn't want his name used said. "I want to live. I don't want to get stabbed for a hot dog."

The long-time patron says the chaos broke out when he and a rabbi noticed the frankfurters on the grill were non-Kosher, in a restaurant that's supposed to be dishing out the Kosher variety.
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Mr. Potato

Sweden on the brink of Eurovision war


The Local
Sun, 22 Mar 2009 01:10 UTC
Everybody panic! The Local has inadvertently sparked what the Swedish press is referring to as the 'Tingeling Crisis'.

Now as crises go, it's hardly Cuba or the Berlin Blockade. But in a land such as Sweden, gripped with Eurovision fever, revelations that the Russians were less than pleased with an interval song and dance number at the Melodifestivalen final have quickly spread far and wide.
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Smiley

YouTube 'spammed by US Congressmen'

Mark Coleman
The Telegraph
Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:54 UTC
YouTube, the internet hosting site, is being flooded with cringe worthy video messages from US politicians, it has been claimed.

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