Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S


Wine

Carla Bruni 'hurt' by critics of new album

Emma Charlton
Agence France Presse
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:00 UTC
Paris - France's first lady Carla Bruni said Friday she was "hurt" by frosty reactions to her new album from critics of her husband President Nicolas Sarkozy, as the much-hyped record went on sale across Europe.

Half a million people logged on to the web to listen to the third album by the supermodel-turned-chanteuse, "Comme Si De Rien N'Etait" (Simply), ahead of its official release, according to figures from her record label Naive.

But the '60s-flavored album has sparked some mocking reviews and an outpouring of vitriol on the Internet by French voters hostile to the right-wing leader.

"Of course it hurts me, but I also find it quite natural," Bruni said in an interview on RTL radio Friday.
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Pumpkin

Directionally Challenged Go Looking For God - End Up Devil Worshippers By Mistake

Chris Garrett
The Spoof
Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:19 UTC
A group of American directionally challenged (DC) people from Mississippi, who went looking for God, became devil worshippers by mistake.

bloggerheads.com
©bloggerheads.com
Santa or Satan?
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Recycle

What Is Greatest British Invention?


Sky News
Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:49 UTC
The research for Kronenbourg 1664 and lager can widget Dynamo Systemè found that 33% of people judged the flushing toilet to be the greatest ever British invention.

The first such toilet, called 'The Ajax', was invented in1596 by Sir John Harington for Elizabeth I.

The survey of 1,414 people put the television in second place in the British invention list, with 31% of votes, followed by the telephone at 20%.
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Coffee

Dog meat off the menu for Beijing Olympics


Xinhua
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:16 UTC
Gourmets with a special predilection for dog meat will be disappointed if they come to the Chinese capital in the coming two months, according to a Beijing Tourism Bureau official on Friday.

Xiong Yumei, the bureau's vice director, said if a customer ordered dog meat restaurant staff should "patiently" suggest another entree.

"Conflicts should be avoided," she stressed.
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Recycle

It pays to use an Indian public toilet

Bappa Majumdar
Reuters
Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:16 UTC
Last month, authorities in a southern Indian state fined people caught urinating in public view for a few days.

This week, officials in a remote town started offering people money for using public urinals.

Quite amused reading these news items, I wonder whether we are witnessing the winds of change finally in India or are we just watching another piece of local image-building exercise before elections?

In India, a drive to ensure cleanliness in streets for a week or so is a common exercise, but people often forget such drives in a hurry and the street corners are suddenly smelling again and people using handkerchiefs and sometimes masks to cover their nose.
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Bulb

'Annoying' protest T-shirts banned? No problem: use German

Shalailah Medhora
SBS
Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:03 UTC


Image
©Unknown
No to Pope protesters rally against expanded police powers for World Youth Day in front of NSW Parliament on July 9.

The T-shirt protest which has marred World Youth Day preparations has gone bilingual.

One South Australian man of German heritage has decided to write T-shirt slogans, banners and posters in his native tongue to attract the attention of the German-speaking media.
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Magic Wand

Dutch cat suckles abandoned panda


BBC
Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:20 UTC
A Dutch tabby cat has adopted a red panda cub, which was abandoned by its mother at a zoo in the Netherlands.

The adult panda, Gladys, rejected two cubs after they were born on 30 June. The Artis zoo in Amsterdam initially kept them both on an incubator.

But the zookeeper's cat had just given birth to four kittens, and allowed the pandas to join the litter. One of the cubs died last week.

Image
©AP
The panda cub was rejected by its mother
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Coffee

Japanese mother overcomes thief with tea and sympathy


The Telegraph
Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:13 UTC
A Japanese woman and her six-month-old daughter escaped unharmed from an armed robber after the mother calmed him with a cup of tea and a chat.

A middle-aged man allegedly pulled a knife and demanded money from the 30-year-old woman as she was walking along a corridor in her Tokyo apartment building with her baby, a Tokyo police official said.

When the housewife told him she had no money, the man followed her home and barged into her flat.

But rather than screaming, the woman calmly made the would-be robber a cup of tea and sat down with him for a chat, whereupon he put his knife away and began a 20-minute monologue about his troubled life, detailing his financial woes.
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Penis Pump

US: Nevada brothel offers customers gas rebate


Reuters
Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:48 UTC
A Nevada brothel is trying to stimulate business by offering free gasoline.

Clients of the Shady Lady Ranch will get a $50 gas voucher if they fork out $300 -- worth about one hour's worth of services -- at the brothel in Beatty, Nevada, 130 miles (209 km) northwest of Las Vegas.

Owner James Davis said he already has had to order another $1,000 set of gas vouchers because the first $1,000 were spent in one week.
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Bizarro Earth

Germany: Woman calls police on chatty pal


Ananova
Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:23 UTC
A desperate housewife called police in Germany after a friend chatted to her for 30 hours - non-stop.

Ingrid Schuettler, 48, told police she'd invited her friend round for a cup of tea and a chat.

But once they started talking, her pal "would not shut up" and kept it up all through the night and the next day.
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