| Username |
Post |
| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 12:40 PM
Woman takes 57 years to complete bachelor's degree
Canadian Press
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) - Bernice Strickland started college in 1945. She finished Tuesday. Strickland, 76, was the oldest of 202 graduates receiving bachelor's or master's degrees from the University of South Florida during commencement exercises Tuesday night. Strickland majored in English and American Literature.
"I taught her five times, and she never missed a class," said literature professor Susan Harrington. "That was remarkable."
Strickland, a retired kindergarten teacher, left the Florida State College for Women - now known as Florida State University - in 1947, and didn't resume taking classes until 1995, when she enrolled at Indian River Community College in Stuart.
She had no computer skills and had never read a William Shakespeare play. Now she's a literature graduate, one who got mostly A's at USF.
Strickland said she always had wanted to complete her degree and decided to make those plans a reality after her husband, Lantis, died.
"When he passed away, I wanted something to do to pass the time," she said. "I decided then it was time to go back."
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 12:41 PM
Russia investigates Harry Potter
December 26, 2002
Advertisement
MOSCOW--Prosecutors have opened an investigation into whether the Harry Potter series of children's books incites religious hatred, an official said Wednesday.
The investigation was started at the request of a Moscow woman who was upset by the novels, said Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman for the Moscow city prosecutor's office.
Petrenko gave no further details on the complaint. The Interfax news agency reported that the woman who sought the investigation believes the second volume in the series contains occult propaganda.
Petrenko said the investigation is required under law when a request is filed. Once the investigation is completed, prosecutors will determine if any criminal charges will be filed, she said.
The Potter books have drawn complaints in the United States by parents who feel they promote wizardry as a religion.
The books by J. K. Rowling are popular in Russia and have inspired a highly similar local version with a hero named Tanya Grotter, prompting Potter's publishers to threaten a lawsuit for plagiarism.
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 12:46 PM
Thursday, 26 December, 2002, 07:33 GMT
Humans on Mars 'by 2025'
Europe may go back to the Moon
By Helen Briggs
BBC News Online science reporter
Europe is considering sending humans to the Moon, Mars and beyond within the next few decades.
Under proposals being discussed by member states, a robotic outpost could be set up on the Red Planet to pave the way for a human landing.
The European Space Agency (Esa) believes that by 2025, the technology will exist to send humans to Mars.
It is considering two flagship missions to find a suitable landing site for astronauts and to bring back the first sample of Martian soil.
It is feasible that perhaps by 2025 Europe would have the expertise to send a human to Mars and bring them back
A decision on whether to send humans to Mars could be taken as early as 2015.
The plans are part of Esa's Aurora human space exploration programme.
It will define a European strategy for the exploration of the Solar System over the next 30 years, which could include human expeditions to the Moon, Mars, asteroids and even beyond.
David Hall, director of science at the British National Space Centre (BNSC) in London, is the UK's representative on the panel.
He told BBC News Online: "I think it is feasible to think that perhaps by 2025 Europe would have the expertise to send a human to Mars and bring them back."
The cost of sending astronauts to Mars or beyond is likely to be exorbitant and a global commitment may be the only way to achieve it.
Europe is planning an individual programme with an eye to collaboration with the likes of the US, Russia, Japan and perhaps China.
Britain hopes to build on robotic projects like Beagle 2
The International Space Station has paved the way for such a venture but its progress has been marred by political squabbles.
Politics will prove a formidable barrier for many countries, including Britain.
Under current policy, Britain is firmly against committing resources to human exploration.
Its interest in Aurora focuses on the robotic phase of the mission, where Britain has some expertise.
Politicians will have to decide in the next year or two whether to stay in the full programme.
"Clearly, the UK's reason for going to space is to use space for certain purposes - technology, innovation and for pure science studies," said Hall.
"There is always the argument that humans will have to go to space to do the science. At the moment, the UK would not be very convinced by that argument."
The UK's priorities in space were brought into sharp relief recently by the visit of Piers Sellers to the International Space Station.
The government does not support human space flight and will not fund UK citizens to go through the official European astronaut training programme.
Sellers was born in East Sussex but had to become an American to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut.
According to David Hall, the idea of a true British astronaut would be a major cultural shift.
"The UK tends to say: 'do it for science, do it for commerce' - but the UK has always hesitated at doing it for cultural reasons or political reasons outside science," he said.
The BNSC will publish its draft space plan in spring 2003, followed by a consultation period.
This will allow the public to have their say on whether the UK should cooperate with Europe's plans for human exploration of the Solar System.
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 12:49 PM
Who's Sorry Now?
The year's top 10 celebrity excuses -- You think YOU had a tough 2002. Here are Hollywood's best performances in a defending role
SLEEP AID Mariah claims she only needed a few zzz's to Carey on
2002 was the year that the celebrity mea culpa became an art form. In fact, Whitney Houston's recent interview with Diane Sawyer provided enough classic excuses to fill a top-10 list all by itself. However, we didn't want to shortchange the creativity, ingenuity, and chutzpah of the many worthy stars who spent so much of the year explaining away their misdeeds. So, in that giving spirit, EW.com offers the 10 best celebrity excuses of the year:
10) ''I've killed enough of the world's trees.''
-- Stephen King, on his planned retirement from publishing
9) ''People think it's s---.''
-- Guy Ritchie, telling Oxford students why his ''Swept Away,'' starring wife Madonna, is going straight to video in England
8) ''Tom Sizemore is a popular and nice guy. An individual became unruly when asked to leave and was escorted out of Mr. Sizemore's house. Subsequently, the individual asked me, Mr. Sizemore's attorney, for money. This is a shakedown and we are confident that it will go away.''
-- Robert Barta, attorney for Tom Sizemore, on the actor's misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly assaulting a woman claiming to be his fiancée
7) ''All I needed was, like, five hours' sleep.''
-- Mariah Carey, on her hospitalization for ''exhaustion'' last year
6) ''All I know is, I woke up and I am covered in cream.''
-- R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, testifying that he couldn't remember an alleged air-rage incident in which he was accused of overturning a breakfast cart, because of a blackout he blamed on a drink and a sleeping pill taken on an empty stomach; he was ultimately acquitted
5) ''Sometimes when I'm sleeping, you know, it's, like, in the middle of the night I'm not, like, totally clear. I'm thinking I'm sleeping with my wife.... I'm not even attracted to you! I am 150 to 200 percent happy with the wife that I have.''
-- ''Survivor: Thailand'' castaway Ted Rogers Jr., apologizing to tribemate Ghandia Johnson, in response to her accusation that he was ''grinding'' against her in her sleep
4) ''It was the goal of these people to eliminate me. This business would have worked except for these five or six guys. They wanted to kill Michael Ovitz. If they could have taken my wife and kids, they would have.''
-- Former Hollywood power broker Michael Ovitz, blaming his fall from grace on what he called the industry's ''gay mafia''
3) ''Crack is cheap. I make too much money to use crack. Crack is wack.''
-- Whitney Houston, on why crack was absent from the otherwise lengthy list of drugs she admitted to having used
2) ''I made a terrible mistake. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children.''
-- Michael Jackson, apologizing for dangling his baby outside a Berlin hotel window, several stories above a crowd of fans on the street
1) ''I was told that I should shoplift. The director said I should try it out.''
-- Saks Fifth Avenue guard Colleen Rainey, testifying during Winona Ryder's trial, quoting the actress' explanation that she was preparing for a movie role
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 12:51 PM
Now broke, gambler sues Ind. casino
The Associated Press
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - A man who gambled away his life savings at a riverboat casino is suing its owners, arguing that they should compensate him for his losses because they knew he was a compulsive gambler.
David N. Williams, 53, accuses Casino Aztar of targeting him as a compulsive gambler even after learning he was depressed and suicidal.
Mr. Williams, who is a retired Evansville accountant, filed his lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Evansville last year.
His lawyers, Doug Briody and Terry Noffsinger of Evansville, are seeking $175,000 for Mr. Williams' gambling losses and punitive damages.
Aztar has denied the allegations and is awaiting a ruling on its request for summary judgment. A trial is set for April 14, 2003.
"We believe the facts in this case have been grossly misrepresented," Jim Brown, Aztar's general manager, told the Courier-Journal of Louisville.
The case is being watched because it raises a key legal question: What responsibility, if any, does a casino have to stop a compulsive gambler from gambling?
Courts traditionally have dismissed lawsuits brought by gamblers on grounds that they accepted risk when they decided to bet.
But some legal authorities now question whether casinos - by banning patrons deemed as problem gamblers - are opening themselves up to lawsuits if they fail to stop those individuals from returning.
Mr. Williams was banned from the casino after a worried friend asked riverboat executives to intervene, according to court records.
Aztar executives persuaded Mr. Williams to leave and sent him a letter barring him from the casino until he could prove future visits wouldn't pose a threat to his well-being.
Mr. Williams has alleged that Aztar was guilty of breach of contract by not stopping him when he returned to the casino in February 1999 and began gambling again after controlling his habit for an 11-month period, according to a sworn statement for his lawsuit.
Mr. Williams, who is single and now retired, was an Indiana Department of Revenue auditor when he first visited Aztar in 1996, after receiving a $20 coupon in the mail for free tokens.
On a second trip, in early 1997, he lost $800, but soon became hooked on the rush he felt playing the slots.
"I'd almost run to get down the corridors," Mr. Williams said.
He signed on for the casino's Fun Card, which tracks a patron's play and is used to award tokens and complimentary meals and hotel stays.
He also authorized the riverboat to draw on a money-market account when it issued credit to him. During 1997 and early 1998, Mr. Williams lost all of the $125,000 he had in cash and mutual funds. He also racked up a credit card debt of about $80,000.
After he returned to the casino following his 11-month break from gambling, Mr. Williams began receiving mailings from Aztar, reminding him of slots tournaments and other special events for "our very best players."
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 12:55 PM
Christmas present for NY cop
Homeless people in New York have collected a $5,000 Christmas present for a police officer who refused to arrest one of them last month.
The BBC's Doreen Walton reports, the officer was given a 30-day suspension without pay after defying orders to arrest the man found in a Manhattan garage, saying he had nowhere else to go.
Edwardo del La Cruz faced a month with no pay in the run up to Christmas after being suspended for refusing to obey a sergeant's order to arrest a homeless man found sleeping in a garage.
In gratitude for his stand New York's rough sleepers got together to help.
Organisations for the homeless put together a fund for the officer and his family of six.
Homeless people contributed money scrounged from passers-by and earned by selling cans and bottles for recycling.
Some even gave from their own welfare cheques.
The number of homeless people in New York is continuing to rise and there is a growing debate about the police department's response.
In November, a campaign group, Picture the Homeless, filed a lawsuit alleging that the department is singling out homeless people for arrest.
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 12:58 PM
December 24, 2002 - Wireless Flash
Aaliyah's Ghost: `R. Kelly Rigged My Death'
HAMMOND, Ind. (Wireless Flash) -- It just keeps getting worse for R. Kelly. Not only has he been arrested on charges he violated child porn laws, now the ghost of his former wife Aaliyah is accusing him of causing her death in a plane crash last August.
An Indiana psychic known as "The Amazing Gigi" claims she recently spoke with the singer's spirit about Kelly, whom Aaliyah married when she was 15.
Gigi claims Aaliyah told her Kelly rigged the plane crash that took her life because she was going to testify against him about his underage sex antics.
So far, American courts do not allow the testimony of spooks, so Aaliyah's apparition won't be able to testify against Kelly. However, the ghost believes spilling the beans about her death will inspire a particular member of Kelly's staff to become a witness for the prosecution.
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 01:38 PM
1. OWN BLANKET
A guy's going on a business trip and he has to take his secretary with him, and she's really crazy about him. The first night on the Amtrak, she's in the top bunk and he's in the bottom bunk. She says, "Mr. Forsythe! Mr. Forsythe! I'm chilly! I think I need a blanket!" He says, "Miss Schmitt, how'd you like to pretend you're *Mrs.* Forsythe for a little while? She says, "Oh, I'd like that." He says, "Then get you own damn blanket."
2.SCARE ME?
A guy's on the electric chair. The warden's just about to pull the switch when the guy gets the hiccups. The warden says, "Do you have any last requests?" The guy says, "(hic) Yeah... (hic) could you please do (hic) could you please do something to scare me?"
3. CLAMDIGGER
A young kid's in a shipwreck and he winds up stranded on a tropical island. For twenty years he never sees another human being. Then one day a beautiful girl with long blond hair, her clothes half-ripped off, washes up on a piece of driftwood. He explains to her how he existed for twenty years, digging for clams, and eating fruits and berries. She says, "Well, what did you do for love?" He says, "Love? What's that?" She says, "I'll show you." She shows him. Then she shows him again. Then she shows him one more time. When they're finally done, she says, "Well, how do you like love?" He says, "It's great. But look what you did to my clam digger."
4. HIS ASHES
A guy goes to a girl's house for the first time, and she shows him into the living room. She excuses herself to go to the kitchen to make them a few drinks, and as he's standing there alone, he notices a cute little vase on the mantel. He picks it up, and as he's looking at it, she walks back in. He says "What's this?" She says, "Oh, my father's ashes are in there." He goes, "Jeez...oooh....I..." She says, "Yeah, he's too lazy to go to the kitchen to get an ashtray."
5. SUCK CHOCOLATE
A guy goes to visit his grandmother and he brings his friends with him. While he's talking to his grandmother, his friend starts eating the peanuts on the coffee table, and finishes them off. As they're leaving, his friend says to his grandmother, "Thanks for the peanuts." She says, "Yeah, since I lost my dentures I can only suck the chocolate off 'em."
6. ANSWER IRON
A guy walks into work, and both of his ears are all bandaged up. The boss says, "What happened to your ears?" He says, "Yesterday I was ironing a shirt when the phone rang and (hold iron to ear) shhh! I accidentally answered the iron." The boss says, "Well, that explains one ear, but what happened to your other ear?" He says, "Well, jeez, I had to call the doctor!"
7. STEWED TOMATOES
A guy is going on an ocean cruise, and he tells his doctor that he's worried about getting seasick. The doctor says, "Just eat two pounds of stewed tomatoes before you leave the dock." The guy says, "Will that keep me from getting sick, Doc?" The doctor says, "No, but it'll look real pretty in the water."
8. FAT SLOB
A guy goes in to see a psychiatrist. He says, "Doc, I can't seem to make any friends. Can you help me, you fat slob?"
9. TWO EARS $25,000
A couple gets married and the wife puts a foot locker in the bedroom. She locks it, then puts the only key on a chain around her neck. For fifty years, her husband tries to figure out what's in there, but she always changes the subject, and avoids the issue. Finally, on the night of their fiftieth wedding anniversary, he says to her, "I've got to know what's in the trunk!" She takes the key, unlocks the foot locker, and inside there's two ears of corn and $25,000. The guy says, "What's with the two ears of corn?" She says, "Well, umm, in the fifty years, every time I broke our marriage vows, I put an ear of corn in the trunk." The guy figures, "Twice in fifty years, not so bad..." Then he says, "And what's the $25,000?" She says, "Well, everytime I got a bushel, I sold it."
10. QUALITY CONTROL
How about the stupid guy who got a job at the candy factory, working quality control, throwing away all the M&Ms that said "W"?
11. TOUGH TO PEEL
He doesn't eat M&Ms himself... He says they're too tough to peel.
12. FIRST CHILD
A guy calls the hospital. He says, "You gotta send help! My wife's going into labor!" The nurse says, "Calm down. Is this her first child?" He says, "No! This is her husband!"
13. HOLY WATER
You know how to make holy water? You take some regular water and you boil the hell out of it.
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 01:53 PM
14. GOT A DRIVER
Two bowling teams charter a double-decker bus; they're going to Atlantic City for the weekend. One team is in the bottom of the bus, and the other team is in the top of the bus. The team down below is whooping it up when one of them realizes he doesn't hear anything from the top. He walks up the stairs, and here are all the guys from the second team clutching the seats in front of them with white knuckles, scared ot death. He says, "What the heck's goin' on? We're down here havin' a grand old time." One of the guys from the second team says, "Yeah, but you guys've got a *driver.*"
15. HAPPY PIT BULL
What has four legs and one arm? A happy pit bull.
16. OUTRUN YOU
Two guys are out hiking. All of a sudden, a bear starts chasing them. They climb a tree, but the bear starts climbing up the tree after them. The first guy gets his sneakers out of his knapsack and starts putting them on. The second guy says, "What are you doing? He says, "I figure when the bear gets close to us, we'll jump down and make a run for it." The second guy says, "Are you crazy? You can't outrun a bear." The first guy says, "I don't have to outrun the *bear*... I only have to outrun *you.*"
17. SHELLFISH
Why don't lobsters share? They're shellfish.
18. ATE MY SOCKS
Jimmy and Kathy are newlyweds in the honeymoon suite on their wedding night, and Kathy's in the bathrom. As Jimmy's getting undressed he says to himself, "How am I going to tell her? How am I going to tell my new wife that I have the world's smelliest feet?" Then he throws his socks under the bed. Kathy walks out of the bathroom, and, too chicken to face her, Jimmy runs past her and *he* goes into the bathroom. Kathy sits on the edge of the bed and says to herself, How am I going to tell him? How am I going to tell my new husband that I have the world's worst breath? I've got to tell him." Just then Jimmy walks out of the bathroom. Kathy runs up to him, gives him a huge wet kiss, pulls back and says, "Honey, I've got to tell you something." Jimmy says, "Yeah, I know. You just ate my socks."
19. 50,40,30
A high school girls runs up to her father. She says, "Daddy, Daddy, I need fifty dollars." He says, "Forty dollars? What do you need thirty dollars for?"
20. SHORT RUNWAY
Airhead Airlines, Flight 101, is coming in for a landing, and the pilot is freaking out. The sweat is jumping off his brow. (Planelanding and screeching to a halt.) RRRtttt! He turns to the co-pilot, and he says, "Man, that is the *shortest* runway I ever landed on." The co-pilot says, "Yeah, and so *wide*."
21. GOT A MATCH?
Three guys are convicted of a very serious crime, and they're all sentenced to twenty years in solitary confinement. They're each allowed one thing to bring into the cell with them. The first guy asks for a big stack of books. The second guy asks for his wife. And the third guy asks for two hundred cartons of cigarettes. At the end of the twenty years, they open up the first guy's cell. He comes out and says, "I studied so hard. I'm so bright now, I could be a lawyer. It was terrific." They open up the second guy's door. He comes out with his wife, and they've got five new kids. He says. "It was the greatest thing of my life. My wife and I have never been so close. I have a beautiuful new family. I love it." They open up the third guy's door, and he's slapping at his pockets, going "Anybody got a match?"
22. YOUR CAT, TOO
It's Christmas Eve. Kelly walks into a bar and orders beer and a shot of whiskey. The bartender gives him a beer and a shot of whiskey. Kelly drinks his beer and pours the shot of whiskey into his shirt pocket. Kelly orders another beer and another shot of whiskey. Kelly drinks the beer and pours the shot of whiskey into his pocket. The bartender says, "Look, Mac, it's Christmas Eve, and I know we're both depressed, and I certainly don't mean to bug you, but my curiosity is *killing* me. Why do you keep pouring the shots in your pocket?" Kelly says, "It's none of your damn business! And if you be givin' me a hard time, I'll be breakin yer face!" A mouse pops out of Kelly's shirt pocket and says, "And that goes for your stupid *cat* , too!"
23. THERMOS
A guy walks into Dunkin' Donuts. He says, "Excuse me, miss...how many cups of coffee do you think this thermos will hold?" She says, "I think it's a seven-cup thermos." He says, "All right...give me two black, three cream and sugar."
24. SPOT
What'd the really stupid guy name his pet zebra? "Spot."
25. WALK AROUND WORLD
Did you hear about the idiot who walked around the world? He drowned.
26. AIRPORT
Do you know how you can tell the really stupid guy at the airport? He's the one throwing bread to the planes.
27. PUT UP SCREENS
Two guys are in a submarine. The first guy says, "Man, what are all these fish doing in here?" The other guy says, "I don't know. Maybe we should put up some screens."
28. QUIET PLACE
What's the quietest place in the world? The complaint department at the parachute packing plant.
29. TRUE-FALSE
A little kid's in school, taking a true-false test and he's flipping a coin. At the end of the test he's flipping the coin again. The teacher says, "What are you doing?" He says, "Checking my answers."
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| jira |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 02:10 PM
hana ke timi chai eklai lay satak hana...chhakka bata start garera ek over nahundai 9 run
hani sakyow...yahi ho mawuka century hanney eklai lay.......David Boone korecor ni todey huncha sajha ko pitch ma....yai taal ho bhaney SAN awuncha hai balling garna..auni AA ko jastai LBW khanu parla.......
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 02:52 PM
My First Time
Rating: 4
The sky was dark
The moon was high
All alone just she and I.
Her hair was soft
Her eyes were blue
I knew just what she wanted to do.
Her skin so soft
Her legs so fine
I ran my fingers down her spine.
I didn't know how
But I tried my best
I started by placing my hands on her breast.
I remember my fear my fast beating heart
But slowly she spread her legs apart
And when I did it I felt no shame.
All at once the white stuff came
At last it's finished it's all over now
My first time ever at milking a cow.....
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| Koko |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 03:11 PM
The Perfect Man
The perfect man is gentle
Never cruel or mean
He has a beautiful smile
And keeps his face so clean.
The perfect man likes children
And will raise them by your side
He will be a good father
As well as a good husband to his bride.
The perfect man loves cooking
Cleaning and vacuuming too
He'll do anything in his power
To convey his feelings of love on you.
The perfect man is sweet
Writing poetry from your name
He's a best friend to your mother
And kisses away your pain.
He never has made you cry
Or hurt you In any way
Oh, fck this stupid poem
The perfect man is gay.
Hah
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| OneGirl_123 |
Posted
on 26-Dec-02 03:31 PM
I would say good for that old lady! She wasn't good with computers and never read a Shakespeare play?...but managed to get mostly A's and became a literature graduatee? wow! Good for her! U GO GIRL!
see anything is possible, when we keep our mind to it, as long as we have dreams and hopes! ............. and never give up!
:)
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