News

[Scheherazade]

Two police officers are suing Burger King after claiming they were served burgers which had been sprinkled with marijuana.

Mark Landavazo and Henry Gabalson were in uniform and riding in a marked patrol car when they bought food at a Burger King restaurant in Los Lunas, New Mexico.

They ate about half of their burgers before discovering marijuana on the meat.

They used a field test kit for confirmation of the substance and then went to a hospital for medical tests.

Three Burger King employees, Justin Armijo, 19, Robert Nuckols, 21, and manager Joseph Ledesma, 33, were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and aggravated battery on an officer.

The policemen's civil action seeks punitive and compensatory damages and they are alleging personal injury, negligence, battery and violation of fair practices.

Their lawyer Sam Bregman said: "It gives a whole new meaning to the word 'Whopper'.

"The idea that these hoodlums would put marijuana into a hamburger and therefore attempt to impair law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs is outrageous."

While the case is already the subject of jokes on US chat shows, Mr Bregman said it was "deadly serious".

He said: "God forbid these officers didn't realise their burgers were laced with pot and then were called to a violent situation where they'd have to draw their firearms.

"Their lives were placed in danger because of these idiots and Burger King."

The company has refused to comment as it has a policy against discussing pending court cases.


http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...550714,00.html

[kilted exile]

Huge 'hurricane' rages on Saturn

A hurricane-like storm, two-thirds the diameter of Earth, is raging at Saturn's south pole, new images from Nasa's Cassini space probe reveal.

Measuring 5,000 miles (8,000km) across, the storm is the first hurricane ever detected on a planet other than Earth.

Scientists say the storm has the eye and eye-wall clouds characteristic of a hurricane and its winds are swirling clockwise at 350mph (550km/h).

However, unlike Earth hurricanes it seems stuck at the pole, not drifting.

"It looks like a hurricane, but it doesn't behave like a hurricane," Dr Andrew Ingersoll, a member of Cassini's imaging team at the California Institute of Technology said. "Whatever it is, we're going to focus on the eye of this storm and find out why it's there."

Though Jupiter's Great Red Spot storm moves counter-clockwise, and is far bigger than the storm on Saturn, it does not have the eye and eye-wall that mark out a hurricane.


We've never seen anything like this before. It's a spectacular-looking storm
Michael Flasar, Nasa astrophysicist
An Earth hurricane's eye and eye-walls form when warm, moist air flows inwards across an ocean's surface and rapidly rises vertically, dropping heavy rain in a circular band around descending air in the eye.

But Saturn is a gaseous planet therefore this storm does not have an ocean at its base.

The Saturn storm is bigger not only in diameter than an Earth hurricane, but in height too, with a ring of huge clouds towering 20-45 miles (30-70km) above the well-developed eye - two to five times higher than in storms on Earth.

Unknown phenomenon

One Nasa scientist, Michael Flasar, told Reuters news agency that the storm looked just like water swirling down a bath plug hole, only on a colossal scale. "We've never seen anything like this before," Mr Flasar said. "It's a spectacular-looking storm."

Fourteen frames of the storm were captured by the Cassini spacecraft over the course of three hours on 11 October 2006.

Cassini was passing about 210,000 miles (340,000km) from the ringed planet as it continues its exploration of Saturn and its moons.

Cassini entered into orbit around Saturn on 1 July 2004. Later that year, it released the piggybacked Huygens probe towards the planet's largest moon, Titan.

Huygens touched down on Titan on 14 January 2005, sending back data on the moon's atmosphere, weather and its surface.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a co-operative project of the US space agency (Nasa), the European Space Agency (Esa) and the Italian Space Agency (Asi).

Link

[RobinHood3000]

The comic book geek in me tells me that we could be on the verge of a massive stellar event that will grant a chosen few Earthlings cosmically-based superpowers!! Fingers crossed...

[Scheherazade]

The Earth is wide open to alien attack, a former Government advisor has warned.

Nick Pope said the department that formally investigated UFO sightings had closed down, meaning unexplained phenomena were not being investigated.

Mr Pope, who ran the Ministry of Defence UFO project from 1991 to 1994, said there had been a series of "highly credible" alien sightings and landings in the UK.

"The consequences of getting this one wrong could be huge," he said.

"If you reported a UFO sighting now, I am absolutely sure that you would just get back a standard letter telling you not to worry.

"Frankly, we are wide open - if something does not behave like a conventional aircraft now, it will be ignored.

Mr Pope said those working for the MoD UFO project spend their time releasing formerly classified documents in answer to Freedom of Information requests from the media or members of the public.

The UFO expert resigned from his MoD post at the Directorate of Defence Security this week.

He said there was no evidence of UFO hostile intent - but it could not be ruled out.

"There has got to be the potential for that and one is left with the uneasy feeling that if it turned out to be so, there is very little we could do about it," he said.

"If you believe these things are extra terrestrial craft then you cannot rule out that what is happening is some kind of covert reconnaissance."

The MoD insisted that all UFO sightings were investigated for "evidence to suggest that UK airspace has been compromised by hostile or unauthorised air activity.

"Unless there is such evidence, the MoD doesn't attempt to positively identify what was seen."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...240382,00.html

[kilted exile]

Observe the Sabbath plea to MSPs

MSPs at Holyrood are to consider a petition calling for Sunday to be declared an official day of rest.

A church minister will argue that Scotland suffers spiritually, socially and economically by not observing the Sabbath.

Representing the Synod of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, the Reverend Hugh Cartwright will raise the issue with the petitions committee.

If the committee is persuaded, MSPs could take up the cause.

Mr Cartwright will say that historically, prohibiting Sunday working was not needed.

But now his church believes due regard is not being given to the Christian constitution of Scotland, with a secular society emerging by default.

He will also attempt to make an economic case for closing businesses on a Sunday.

The petition comes in the same week that a bid to ban large stores from opening on Christmas Day and New Year's Day was backed by some MSPs.


Link

[Scheherazade]

White mice are to take part in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing - their task to protect international athletes from food poisoning. The mice will be fed milk, alcohol, salad, rice, oil and seasonings, the city's health inspectors said.

Mice show adverse reactions within 17 hours, while laboratory tests take much longer, they said.

Poor hygiene in food handling and low standards in distribution have made food poisoning rife in China.

The move is part of the huge effort the Chinese are making to ensure the showpiece event passes off smoothly.

24-hour guard

All the food and ingredients to be prepared in Olympic kitchens will fed to the mice a day before they are served to athletes, state news agency Xinhua quoted Zhao Xinsheng of the Beijing Municipal Health Inspection Bureau as saying.

Infected food can then be traced and destroyed in time.

More than 10,000 competitors will be staying at the athletes' village during the Games.

The kitchens will also have 24-hour guards, storage will be constantly monitored and transportation will have global positioning systems.

Zhen Xiaozhen, of the Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, said the food served would be Western, complemented by Chinese dishes.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Beijing says nothing is being allowed to stand in the way of the perfect Olympics.

Stray cats and dogs will vanish from the streets, he says, and anti-aircraft guns, small planes and rockets will be used to disperse rain clouds, ensuring there will be blue skies over Beijing for the duration.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/6153382.stm

[Scheherazade]

A Doncaster pub has the country's youngest bartender - Chris Hardacre, who is just 12 years old. His father David is licensee of the Star but Chris has just passed all the exams to rival him.

The law now allows him to serve behind the bar - with adult supervision - but not to drink the profits.

He gained his National Licensees' licensing certificate after studying for only a few weeks and is now qualified to dispense the ales.

"I just like being around the pub," said Chris. "It's a good atmosphere and the people are nice.

"I thought it would be a good idea to study all about it."

His proud father said his son approached him with the idea, so they sent away for all the information.

"He studied the law and spent three weeks revising before the exam - and passed."

Regulars at the Star said they liked the father-and-son combination, though all said Chris was better-looking than his dad.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/s...re/6193924.stm

[AimusSage]

A Doncaster pub has the country's youngest bartender - Chris Hardacre, who is just 12 years old. His father David is licensee of the Star but Chris has just passed all the exams to rival him.

The law now allows him to serve behind the bar - with adult supervision - but not to drink the profits.

He gained his National Licensees' licensing certificate after studying for only a few weeks and is now qualified to dispense the ales.

"I just like being around the pub," said Chris. "It's a good atmosphere and the people are nice.

"I thought it would be a good idea to study all about it."

His proud father said his son approached him with the idea, so they sent away for all the information.

"He studied the law and spent three weeks revising before the exam - and passed."

Regulars at the Star said they liked the father-and-son combination, though all said Chris was better-looking than his dad.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/s...re/6193924.stm

I honestly don't want to know what his dad looks like

[Nightshade]

hey hey dont be nasty meanie!
What I want to know is WHEN did they change the law???

[Scheherazade]

In Germany plans have been suggested to build a new playground - not for children, but for elderly people.

The authorities in the city of Nuremberg are hoping to get enough funding for a playground tailored to suit the needs of the elderly.

They would incorporate activities to keep fit and stimulate the mind. If it proves a success, the idea could be adopted across the country.

If children can go to a playground, then why not pensioners as well.

This is the argument put forward by Horst Foerther, the deputy mayor of Nuremberg, who is planning to build the playground.

It will have giant chess boards, areas for card-playing and, for the more adventurous, it will have a running track and even a badminton court.

But there will be no swings or slides - the aim is to help elderly people keep fit and stop them getting bored.

Germany has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe - with an ever growing number of pensioners, experts have often warned that a demographic crisis is looming in the not too distant future.

"This country in two decades in the future will be a country of old people, a country of less innovative potential in the economy, a people living from the social systems and a country which is not compared to that what Germany was in the past," says Professor Klaus Bade, a researcher at Osnabrueck University.

The deputy mayor of Nuremberg, Horst Foerther, said he got the idea of a playground for the elderly after travelling to Hong Kong.

He said he saw many pensioners practising Tai Chi outside in parks and realised that elderly people in Germany could benefit from more social activities.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6204292.stm

[Scheherazade]

Britain's teenagers risk becoming a nation of "Vicky Pollards" held back by poor verbal skills, research suggests. And like the Little Britain character the top 20 words used, including yeah, no, but and like, account for around a third of all words, the study says.

Lancaster University's Professor Tony McEnery who conducted the research said vocabulary size was defined early on.

His study of blogs, questionnaires and speech found teenagers used half the words of average 25 to 34-year-olds.

His study of a database of teenage speech suggested teenagers had vocabulary of just over 12,600 words compared with the nearly 21,400 words that the average person aged 25 to 34 uses.

Prof McEnery said in his study: "Of note when examining the word 'no' is the frequency with which the word is accompanied by the word 'but'.

"These words occur in the sequence 'but no' or 'no but' almost twice as frequently in teenage speech as it does in young adult or middle aged speech."

The sequence is particularly reminiscent of Vicky Pollard's trademark "Yeah but, no but".

"I think it was extremely well observed as most comedy often is.

"When things are funny it is because they ring true with people," said Prof McEnery who conducted the research conducted by Tesco Internet phone.

Verbal skills

But he says there is a serious point to the research, which is to highlight what he sees as the neglect of verbal communication skills in schools.

"While the school curriculum shows a strong focus on literacy, speech has been relatively neglected in the curriculum," he said.

Employers often complained that new employees were unable to answer the telephone in the formal way required of them for work and that they were also intimidated by speaking formally in meetings, the professor added.

He put this down to a lack of training and the overuse of technologies such as computer games and MP3 players.

"This trend, known as technology isolation syndrome, could lead to problems in the classroom and then later in life.

"Employers are already complaining that first jobbers are lacking basic verbal communication and it seems things could be set to get worse.

"Kids need to get talking and develop their vocabulary."

Tesco, which commissioned the report, said it was responding by launching a scheme which allows all UK comprehensive schools to interact and communicate with other schools around the country using its internet phone technology.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6173441.stm

[Scheherazade]

More than 100 passengers on a Saudi plane were left panic-stricken by the unexpected appearance of furry fellow flyers - dozens of mice. The small rodents - about 80 in total, according to a local newspaper - escaped from the bag of a man travelling on the domestic flight.

An airline official said the aircraft was at 28,000 feet (8,500m) when mice began scurrying around the cabin.

Some of the mice fell on passengers' heads, Al-Hayat newspaper reports.

The incident occurred on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from the capital, Riyadh, to north-eastern town of Tabuk.

The flight landed safely and the bag's owner was detained by police investigating how he managed to get the mice onto the plane.

No explanation was given for the man's live cargo.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/6183587.stm

[Scheherazade]

A Japanese woman trying on a pair of jeans in a shop got a shock when she was stung by a scorpion hidden inside. The woman, on the southern island of Okinawa, ended up in hospital for five days as a result of the sting, which was not life-threatening.

Local health officials captured the 5cm (2 inch) scorpion, which was believed to be a Chinese bark scorpion.

It is thought to have travelled inside the jeans from China, where they were made.

Officials told the Mainichi Daily News that the woman, who was not named, felt a sudden pain in her right knee as she tried the trousers on.

When she rubbed the area with her hand, the scorpion then stung her right index finger.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/6192373.stm

[kilted exile]

BBC moves to file-sharing sites
Red Dwarf
Zudeo users will be able to download copies of Red Dwarf
Hundreds of episodes of BBC programmes will be made available on a file-sharing network for the first time, the corporation has announced.

The move follows a deal between the commercial arm of the organisation, BBC Worldwide, and technology firm Azureus.

The agreement means that users of Azureus' Zudeo software in the US can download titles such as Little Britain.

Until now, most BBC programmes found on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks have been illegal copies.

Beth Clearfield, vice president of program management and digital media at BBC Worldwide, said that the agreement was part of a drive to reach the largest audience possible.

"We are very excited to partner with Azureus and make our content available through this revolutionary distribution model," she said.

High definition

Azureus is best known for developing a BitTorrent client, or program, that allows large media files to be easily shared over the internet. The program has been downloaded more than 130 million times.


Once you have watched a show, you can rate it, comment on it and recommend it to a friend
Gilles BianRosa, Azureus

Earlier this month the company launched a video sharing site similar to YouTube, codenamed Zudeo. The site allows users to upload and view content.

However, in contrast to most video sharing sites, Zudeo offers high definition videos. Users must also download a program to access and upload content.

The new deal means that users of the software will be able to download high-quality versions of BBC programmes, including Red Dwarf, Doctor Who and the League of Gentleman. Classic series such as Fawlty Towers will also be available through a BBC "channel".

The titles will be protected by digital rights management software to prevent the programmes being traded illegally on the internet.

"This will be a very different experience from traditional file-sharing networks," said Gilles BianRosa, CEO of Azureus.

Users will also be able to link to programmes from blogs, social networks and fansites.

"If you have Zudeo running it will take you to that programme; and if you don't, it will suggest you install it, like the first time you download a flash movie," said Mr BianRosa.

"Once you have watched a show, you can rate it, comment on it and recommend it to a friend."

Mr BianRosa believes the cult status of many BBC programmes will make these features appealing to Zudeo users.

Legal services

File-sharing is often associated with illegal distribution of copyrighted content. But in recent months a number of networks have tried to shake off this old image.

BitTorrent, the company behind the original file-sharing software of the same name, has recently signed a number of deals with content providers, such as 20th Century Fox, in a bid to become a legitimate download service.

Earlier this year, Sharman Networks, the owners of Kazaa, did similar deals. Kazaa uses advertising to provide content for free.

No pricing structure for the BBC content on Zudeo has been revealed.

Azureus is expected to announce other partnerships in the New Year.

link

[Scheherazade]

Fossils found in Spain belong to what was probably Europe's biggest ever dinosaur, according to scientists.

Turiasaurus would have been 30 to 37 metres long, and would have weighed between 40 and 48 tonnes.

Writing in the journal Science, researchers say the beast is probably the only member so far discovered of a European group of Jurassic reptiles.

The world's biggest recorded dinosaur is Argentinosaurus, a South American reptile twice as heavy.

Like the rest of the giant long-necked sauropods, Turiasaurus riodevensis was a herbivore, despite the fierce appearance of its teeth.

Big-boned

Fossils came to light in 2004 at Teruel in eastern Spain, and the scientists responsible, from the Fundacion Conjunto Paleontologico de Teruel-Dinopolis, have just published a formal analysis.

Although languishing some way behind Argentinosaurus, Turiasaurus was a substantial specimen.

At 1.79m long, its humerus (upper arm bone) is one of the largest ever recorded, while one of its claws is comparable with a rugby ball or American football.
The discovery site also contains teeth from theropod dinosaurs, Stegosaurus remnants, and fragments from fish and turtles.

By comparing its features with other European dinosaurs, the scientists deduce that it belongs to a previously unknown clade, or grouping, which evolved in the Jurassic period (200 to 145 million years ago).

Teeth excavated in France, Portugal and the UK are similar, indicating that Turiasaurus, or more likely its close relatives, ranged across the continent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6201251.stm