A 24-year-old man from eastern China has died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the first case in the country since June, bringing the death toll from the disease to 17.
The man, surnamed Lu, was taken to hospital in Jiangsu province on Tuesday with a fever and died on Sunday, Xinhua news agency said, adding he had had no contact with dead poultry and there had been no reported poultry outbreak in the province.
"The local government has adopted relative prevention and control measures. All of the 69 people who had close contact with Lu have been put under strict medical observation. So far, they have shown no signs of symptoms," the report said.
With the world's biggest poultry population and millions of backyard birds roaming free, China is at the centre of the fight against bird flu. The country has had 26 human cases.
Scientists fear the bird flu virus could mutate into a form that could pass easily from person to person, sparking a global pandemic.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Chinese authorities had informed them about the case and they were in touch with the Ministry of Health.
"It looks like MoH is doing the right thing in terms of follow-up action," WHO spokeswoman Joanna Brent said, referring to the surveillance of his close contacts.
"At this stage we don't have any more information about how he (Lu) would have contracted it," she said.
Showing posts with label people. Show all posts
Showing posts with label people. Show all posts
Monday, December 3, 2007
Deadly Salute
A 200-year-old cannon wheeled out by Indian villagers to greet a visiting minister exploded after being overstuffed with gunpowder, killing two men, a newspaper reported Thursday.
Residents of Badoli village in western India's Rajasthan state had planned the gun salute Tuesday evening to welcome Kirodi Lal Meena, a state minister, the Times of India reported.
The minister left immediately after the accident, which also injured six other people.
Residents of Badoli village in western India's Rajasthan state had planned the gun salute Tuesday evening to welcome Kirodi Lal Meena, a state minister, the Times of India reported.
The minister left immediately after the accident, which also injured six other people.
Girl Scout Awarded, After 69 Years
A Girl Scout who failed to receive a Golden Eaglet Award because she woke up with the mumps finally got the accolade — 69 years later.
Faith Iames Schremp, 86, joined Girl Scouts in 1938 and earned all the proficiency badges needed to win the award.
But the morning Schremp, of Wausau, was to leave for Girl Scout Camp, she woke up with the mumps. Attending camp was the final rite of passage in earning the award.
Schremp said she was heartbroken.
That is until Fran Raley, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Fox River Area, presented Schremp with her long-deserved award Saturday during the Girl Scouts' 2007 Holiday Folk Fair.
Receiving the Golden Eaglet Award, the predecessor to the Gold Award, is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.
Daughter-in-law Dee Schremp, of Appleton, a former Girl Scout leader, knew of the pins importance to Schremp. She worked with Raley to track down an Eaglet pin at Girl Scouts of the USA without success. They also were outbid on eBay for a discontinued pin, which fetched $800.
However, Raley remembered there was a pin embedded on an art project near the entryway to the scouting office.
An artist extracted the pin and had it repaired at a jewelry shop.
Faith Iames Schremp, 86, joined Girl Scouts in 1938 and earned all the proficiency badges needed to win the award.
But the morning Schremp, of Wausau, was to leave for Girl Scout Camp, she woke up with the mumps. Attending camp was the final rite of passage in earning the award.
Schremp said she was heartbroken.
That is until Fran Raley, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Fox River Area, presented Schremp with her long-deserved award Saturday during the Girl Scouts' 2007 Holiday Folk Fair.
Receiving the Golden Eaglet Award, the predecessor to the Gold Award, is the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.
Daughter-in-law Dee Schremp, of Appleton, a former Girl Scout leader, knew of the pins importance to Schremp. She worked with Raley to track down an Eaglet pin at Girl Scouts of the USA without success. They also were outbid on eBay for a discontinued pin, which fetched $800.
However, Raley remembered there was a pin embedded on an art project near the entryway to the scouting office.
An artist extracted the pin and had it repaired at a jewelry shop.
How Thais Prevent Vote Buying
From solemn Buddhist prayers and "black magic" rituals to stiffer fines and longer jail terms, Thailand is going to extraordinary lengths to ensure a clean election this month.
Few analysts believe it will make any difference in the Southeast Asia nation with a long history of patronage and rampant vote buying.
But Kasem Wattanatham, election chief in the northeast province of Buriram, hopes supernatural forces will prevail where more worldly efforts to fight vote fraud do not.
Kasem called in a 90-year-old faith healer to lead 200 officials and police in a "black magic" ceremony where they swore not to breach election laws.
"We are all Buddhist. We all believe in supernatural powers," he said before the faith healer led the group in prayers inviting spirits and gods to hear their oath.
"I will show no bias toward any party or politicians. If I show any bias then I deserve any karma that may come to myself and family," the group chanted.
"If I perform my duties righteously, then may my family and I (will) be happy and prosperous."
Academics estimate up to 20 billion baht ($600 million) will be spent on handouts, gifts and bribes to voters in the December 23 election held more than a year after the bloodless coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The coup leaders who promised to clean up Thai politics after ousting the former billionaire telecoms tycoon have made eradicating vote buying a top priority.
Last month, in a ceremony organized by election officials at Bangkok's most sacred Buddhist temple, representatives from 11 political parties took an oath pledging to refrain from vote buying.
Few analysts believe it will make any difference in the Southeast Asia nation with a long history of patronage and rampant vote buying.
But Kasem Wattanatham, election chief in the northeast province of Buriram, hopes supernatural forces will prevail where more worldly efforts to fight vote fraud do not.
Kasem called in a 90-year-old faith healer to lead 200 officials and police in a "black magic" ceremony where they swore not to breach election laws.
"We are all Buddhist. We all believe in supernatural powers," he said before the faith healer led the group in prayers inviting spirits and gods to hear their oath.
"I will show no bias toward any party or politicians. If I show any bias then I deserve any karma that may come to myself and family," the group chanted.
"If I perform my duties righteously, then may my family and I (will) be happy and prosperous."
Academics estimate up to 20 billion baht ($600 million) will be spent on handouts, gifts and bribes to voters in the December 23 election held more than a year after the bloodless coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The coup leaders who promised to clean up Thai politics after ousting the former billionaire telecoms tycoon have made eradicating vote buying a top priority.
Last month, in a ceremony organized by election officials at Bangkok's most sacred Buddhist temple, representatives from 11 political parties took an oath pledging to refrain from vote buying.
Voting, Siberian Style
For some Siberian voters, election day began with a dip in an ice-cold river.
"Cold water invigorates. We are making our choice with a healthy body and healthy mind," Alexander Zelyenetsky, leader of the "Polar Bears" swimming club in the Siberian region of Altai, said after emerging through a hole in the ice of a local river.
His choice, like that of many others in Russia, is Vladimir Putin. The 55-year-old president is by far Russia's most popular politician after presiding over eight years of an economic boom.
Pollsters say Putin's United Russia party -- which also boasts a polar bear as its logo -- will win an overwhelming victory in Sunday's parliamentary election.
Lyudmila Pistsova, a 28-year-old accountant in the Altai regional capital Barnaul, also cast her vote for the party that has put Putin top of its list of candidates.
"It seems like the only party that can really help our region," she said.
The ballot is seen as a referendum on Putin, who aims to retain influence after stepping down as president in early 2008 and says a strong mandate from voters will give him that right.
Voters in Altai, a region nested between the Kazakh steppe and the mountains after which it is named, arrived early. They ate cheap pastries sold at polling stations and enjoyed a 10 percent discount offered by tailors and cobblers nearby.
"Cold water invigorates. We are making our choice with a healthy body and healthy mind," Alexander Zelyenetsky, leader of the "Polar Bears" swimming club in the Siberian region of Altai, said after emerging through a hole in the ice of a local river.
His choice, like that of many others in Russia, is Vladimir Putin. The 55-year-old president is by far Russia's most popular politician after presiding over eight years of an economic boom.
Pollsters say Putin's United Russia party -- which also boasts a polar bear as its logo -- will win an overwhelming victory in Sunday's parliamentary election.
Lyudmila Pistsova, a 28-year-old accountant in the Altai regional capital Barnaul, also cast her vote for the party that has put Putin top of its list of candidates.
"It seems like the only party that can really help our region," she said.
The ballot is seen as a referendum on Putin, who aims to retain influence after stepping down as president in early 2008 and says a strong mandate from voters will give him that right.
Voters in Altai, a region nested between the Kazakh steppe and the mountains after which it is named, arrived early. They ate cheap pastries sold at polling stations and enjoyed a 10 percent discount offered by tailors and cobblers nearby.
98 Year Old Geisha
Pictures of Kokin graced newspapers across Japan after her 98th birthday this year.
But Kokin wasn't too thrilled with the festivities focused on her age, for she is a geisha, elegant entertainers of traditional music and dance usually feted for their grace and pretty looks.
"I was given a red blanket and cushion, but I've put them away somewhere," Kokin told Reuters in an interview, referring to the gifts traditionally given to the elderly.
"It was mortifying," added Kokin, her small frame wrapped in an olive-green kimono with a pink sash and her hair styled.
Her hands wrinkled and her hearing faltering, Kokin nonetheless takes pride in being Japan's oldest practicing geisha, preserving a tradition which is fast losing its popularity in the modern age of hostess clubs and karaoke.
Born Kayo Kaburaki on September 24, 1909, Kokin became an apprentice geisha as a young teenager in Tokyo and almost quit not long into her career at the time of World War Two.
"When I became a geisha, the war intensified. I thought of quitting and marrying someone, but he was sent to Sumatra.
"He never came back."
Since then she has worked hard, training in music and dance during the day and livening up dinner parties at night.
Contrary to perceptions that geishas are prostitutes, they are entertainers trained in classical arts who also pamper the elite by pouring sake and engaging in witty conversation.
Long ago, she recalls, geishas were the object of constant affection among men with the aesthetic ideal of "iki", which included playfulness, who hired the entertainers by the time it took for an incense stick to burn out.
"I would be cooling myself on a bench in the summer with nothing to do, and someone would ask me if I was free and offer to pay for one incense stick.
"People would ask for me, even if it was just for an hour."
But Kokin wasn't too thrilled with the festivities focused on her age, for she is a geisha, elegant entertainers of traditional music and dance usually feted for their grace and pretty looks.
"I was given a red blanket and cushion, but I've put them away somewhere," Kokin told Reuters in an interview, referring to the gifts traditionally given to the elderly.
"It was mortifying," added Kokin, her small frame wrapped in an olive-green kimono with a pink sash and her hair styled.
Her hands wrinkled and her hearing faltering, Kokin nonetheless takes pride in being Japan's oldest practicing geisha, preserving a tradition which is fast losing its popularity in the modern age of hostess clubs and karaoke.
Born Kayo Kaburaki on September 24, 1909, Kokin became an apprentice geisha as a young teenager in Tokyo and almost quit not long into her career at the time of World War Two.
"When I became a geisha, the war intensified. I thought of quitting and marrying someone, but he was sent to Sumatra.
"He never came back."
Since then she has worked hard, training in music and dance during the day and livening up dinner parties at night.
Contrary to perceptions that geishas are prostitutes, they are entertainers trained in classical arts who also pamper the elite by pouring sake and engaging in witty conversation.
Long ago, she recalls, geishas were the object of constant affection among men with the aesthetic ideal of "iki", which included playfulness, who hired the entertainers by the time it took for an incense stick to burn out.
"I would be cooling myself on a bench in the summer with nothing to do, and someone would ask me if I was free and offer to pay for one incense stick.
"People would ask for me, even if it was just for an hour."
The Sporting Year 2007
Sports fans have a high threshold for misdeeds. However, 2007 featured several buzzworthy stories that could turn off some fans forever. Memorable scandals drove searches all summer long, culminating in August when Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick was sacked for his involvement in a dogfighting ring.
Around the same time, basketball ref Tim Donaghy fouled up the NBA's buzz, which was coming off LeBron James' playoff heroics and an influx of new talent via the draft. Donaghy's role in a gambling ring damaged the integrity of a league already waist-deep in image problems. And just when we thought heralded rookie Greg Oden would jump in and build some positive buzz, he went out for the season with a bum knee.
Speaking of bums, baseball's steroid problem caused pinpoint search spikes throughout the year. As player names surfaced in various investigations, searches would surge. One notable exception was Barry Bonds, the center of the steroid storm. We weren't surprised that fans ignored baseball's new home run king, and the dearth of Bonds searches spoke volumes.
But amidst the scandals, there were a few sports stories that warmed the hearts of searchers. The Indianapolis Colts' triumph in Super Bowl XLI spurred interest in Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, and of course, the commercials. And let's not forget everyone's favorite Super Bowl flop-searches on "rex grossman sucks" still linger in Buzz.
Always lacking in sports searches is soccer. Sure, we saw spikes for UEFA, Euro 2008, and Copa America, but nothing that indicated feverish interest from American shores. Well, that changed this summer when ultra-famous footballer David Beckham came to America. Becks' on-field accomplishments weren't so hot, but he did manage to warm a few casual sports fans to the joys of soccer.
In a final ode to joy, the Boston Red Sox capped the year with a fantastic finish to the baseball season. They fought the New York Yankees all year long for searches. At season's end, the Yankees built buzz over their stunning collapse and messy management bickering. But in the end, the Red Sox triumphed over their hated foes in Search, thanks to their stellar on-field accomplishments.
So where do we go from here? Will UFC continue to destroy the last vestiges of boxing's buzz? Will NASCAR keep motoring along on a comfy plateau? What scandals and surprises await us in 2008? Those are just a few of the questions that will play a part in next year's always-evolving buzz riddle...
Around the same time, basketball ref Tim Donaghy fouled up the NBA's buzz, which was coming off LeBron James' playoff heroics and an influx of new talent via the draft. Donaghy's role in a gambling ring damaged the integrity of a league already waist-deep in image problems. And just when we thought heralded rookie Greg Oden would jump in and build some positive buzz, he went out for the season with a bum knee.
Speaking of bums, baseball's steroid problem caused pinpoint search spikes throughout the year. As player names surfaced in various investigations, searches would surge. One notable exception was Barry Bonds, the center of the steroid storm. We weren't surprised that fans ignored baseball's new home run king, and the dearth of Bonds searches spoke volumes.
But amidst the scandals, there were a few sports stories that warmed the hearts of searchers. The Indianapolis Colts' triumph in Super Bowl XLI spurred interest in Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, and of course, the commercials. And let's not forget everyone's favorite Super Bowl flop-searches on "rex grossman sucks" still linger in Buzz.
Always lacking in sports searches is soccer. Sure, we saw spikes for UEFA, Euro 2008, and Copa America, but nothing that indicated feverish interest from American shores. Well, that changed this summer when ultra-famous footballer David Beckham came to America. Becks' on-field accomplishments weren't so hot, but he did manage to warm a few casual sports fans to the joys of soccer.
In a final ode to joy, the Boston Red Sox capped the year with a fantastic finish to the baseball season. They fought the New York Yankees all year long for searches. At season's end, the Yankees built buzz over their stunning collapse and messy management bickering. But in the end, the Red Sox triumphed over their hated foes in Search, thanks to their stellar on-field accomplishments.
So where do we go from here? Will UFC continue to destroy the last vestiges of boxing's buzz? Will NASCAR keep motoring along on a comfy plateau? What scandals and surprises await us in 2008? Those are just a few of the questions that will play a part in next year's always-evolving buzz riddle...
Ozzy's Stuff Raises $800,000
Heavy metal fans aren't usually seen making bids at high-end auctions, but they turned out in numbers to snatch up a coat with embroidered bats, sneakers with skulls on them and other items put up for sale by Ozzy Osbourne.
"We had Ozzy fans bidding against these sophisticated fine art buyers, which you don't see every day," said Darren Julien, whose company, Julien's Auctions, ran the charity sale Friday and Saturday. "For the most part the metalheads were outbidding the art crowd."
Bidders came from as far as Germany to try to buy belongings from the Beverly Hills mansion formerly owned by the rocker and former star of "The Osbournes" reality show.
Items featured on Osbourne's hit MTV show were the most popular, Julien said. The bat coat sold for $3,300, the skull sneakers brought in $2,625 and a pair of the rocker's trademark round glasses went for $5,250.
Julien said the "Ozzy factor" made ordinary items command big-ticket prices. An oversized coffee cup that Osbourne often clutched while the cameras rolled sold for $1,625.
A dog bed given to Osbourne's wife, Sharon, by Elton John brought in $2,375.
Fine art buyers were interested in items such as a sculpture by French artist Edouard Drouot ($10,500) and a painting by Gabriel Joseph Marie Augustin Ferrier ($5,312).
Julien said Osbourne almost did not want to part with his prized pool table because he cherished the memories of playing with his kids as they were growing up. The table eventually ended up on the auction block and it brought in $11,250.
The auction brought in $800,000 -- more than twice the amount Julien predicted. All proceeds from the sale go to The Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
"For a celebrity garage sale, it was pretty spectacular," Julien said.
"We had Ozzy fans bidding against these sophisticated fine art buyers, which you don't see every day," said Darren Julien, whose company, Julien's Auctions, ran the charity sale Friday and Saturday. "For the most part the metalheads were outbidding the art crowd."
Bidders came from as far as Germany to try to buy belongings from the Beverly Hills mansion formerly owned by the rocker and former star of "The Osbournes" reality show.
Items featured on Osbourne's hit MTV show were the most popular, Julien said. The bat coat sold for $3,300, the skull sneakers brought in $2,625 and a pair of the rocker's trademark round glasses went for $5,250.
Julien said the "Ozzy factor" made ordinary items command big-ticket prices. An oversized coffee cup that Osbourne often clutched while the cameras rolled sold for $1,625.
A dog bed given to Osbourne's wife, Sharon, by Elton John brought in $2,375.
Fine art buyers were interested in items such as a sculpture by French artist Edouard Drouot ($10,500) and a painting by Gabriel Joseph Marie Augustin Ferrier ($5,312).
Julien said Osbourne almost did not want to part with his prized pool table because he cherished the memories of playing with his kids as they were growing up. The table eventually ended up on the auction block and it brought in $11,250.
The auction brought in $800,000 -- more than twice the amount Julien predicted. All proceeds from the sale go to The Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
"For a celebrity garage sale, it was pretty spectacular," Julien said.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Santa Gets Pie on the Face
A college student accused of shoving a pumpkin pie into the face of a shopping-mall Santa Claus has been charged with misdemeanor assault.
Clint Westwood, 22, said he "lightly smooshed" the pie into the man's face Wednesday and shouted, "What do you think of that, Santa?"
Westwood, a drama student at the University of Montana, was charged Friday. He said he videotaped the encounter and plans to include the clip in an upcoming film.
He said that after the pie ruckus, he expected to approach Santa for a signature on a film-release form, but police arrived first.
"It's a good thing he didn't wait around, because I think Santa would have laid him out," said Sgt. Travis Welsh of the Missoula Police Department.
Westwood said he and companions had waited for a girl about 15 years old to finish sitting on Santa's lap before the pie hit his face, "but then we just decided it would be funnier if she was still sitting there."
Clint Westwood, 22, said he "lightly smooshed" the pie into the man's face Wednesday and shouted, "What do you think of that, Santa?"
Westwood, a drama student at the University of Montana, was charged Friday. He said he videotaped the encounter and plans to include the clip in an upcoming film.
He said that after the pie ruckus, he expected to approach Santa for a signature on a film-release form, but police arrived first.
"It's a good thing he didn't wait around, because I think Santa would have laid him out," said Sgt. Travis Welsh of the Missoula Police Department.
Westwood said he and companions had waited for a girl about 15 years old to finish sitting on Santa's lap before the pie hit his face, "but then we just decided it would be funnier if she was still sitting there."
Jessica Simpson Lips
A representative for Jessica Simpson has denied reports that the singer has had lip injections, after a photo surfaced this week of Simpson sporting plumped-up lips.
The photo, taken by paparazzi at Los Angeles airport (LAX), caught Simpson smiling, and sent the gossip sites and tabloids into a flurry over what type of surgery or injection the 27-year-old has had done.
"Jessica did not have anything done to her lips," her representative told People.com.
"She tried Restylane some time ago and did not like the way it looked or felt, so she has not had anything done since."
In an interview with Glamour magazine in October 2006, Simpson confirmed trying lip enhancing products, saying, "I had that Restylane stuff. It looked fake to me. I didn't like that... It went away in, like, four months. My lips are back to what they were. Thank god!"
The photo, taken by paparazzi at Los Angeles airport (LAX), caught Simpson smiling, and sent the gossip sites and tabloids into a flurry over what type of surgery or injection the 27-year-old has had done.
"Jessica did not have anything done to her lips," her representative told People.com.
"She tried Restylane some time ago and did not like the way it looked or felt, so she has not had anything done since."
In an interview with Glamour magazine in October 2006, Simpson confirmed trying lip enhancing products, saying, "I had that Restylane stuff. It looked fake to me. I didn't like that... It went away in, like, four months. My lips are back to what they were. Thank god!"
Chiken Pox Might Affect Spice Girls Tour
The Spice Girls' tour has been put in jeopardy after Geri Halliwell's daughter contracted chicken pox.
Geri's 18-month-old daughter Bluebell has been flown back to the UK because Geri is terrified she and the rest of the band — Victoria Beckham, Mel C, Emma Bunton and Mel B — might catch the highly-contagious disease before their world tour starts on Sunday.
A source close to the singer told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Chicken pox is very contagious and when Geri noticed the spots on Bluebell she panicked and warned the rest of the girls. Older people who get chicken pox sometimes develop shingles, which could wipe the band out for weeks.
"And it's not only them who are at risk. Bluebell has played a lot with Victoria's sons Cruz and Romeo lately. Mel B's baby Angel could get the bug too, and she is only eight months old."
Geri — who is busy rehearsing for the 'Return of the Spice Girls' tour which kicks off in Vancouver, Canada — has revealed the group's children are always playing together.
She said: "Bluebell loves hanging with the Beckham boys. Cruz and Bluebell have play dates, and Romeo — well, he is just gorgeous with her."
Geri's 18-month-old daughter Bluebell has been flown back to the UK because Geri is terrified she and the rest of the band — Victoria Beckham, Mel C, Emma Bunton and Mel B — might catch the highly-contagious disease before their world tour starts on Sunday.
A source close to the singer told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Chicken pox is very contagious and when Geri noticed the spots on Bluebell she panicked and warned the rest of the girls. Older people who get chicken pox sometimes develop shingles, which could wipe the band out for weeks.
"And it's not only them who are at risk. Bluebell has played a lot with Victoria's sons Cruz and Romeo lately. Mel B's baby Angel could get the bug too, and she is only eight months old."
Geri — who is busy rehearsing for the 'Return of the Spice Girls' tour which kicks off in Vancouver, Canada — has revealed the group's children are always playing together.
She said: "Bluebell loves hanging with the Beckham boys. Cruz and Bluebell have play dates, and Romeo — well, he is just gorgeous with her."
Busted Sports Hunter
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Director Bruce Thompson was charged with hunting deer on private land without permission and illegal possession of a deer in connection with a Nov. 17 incident in which he allegedly killed a deer on private land without permission.
Investigators determined based on evidence and witness accounts that both misdemeanors were committed unintentionally. However, New Mexico law does not make allowances for lack of intent. If convicted, Thompson faces $400 fines and up to 6 months in jail for each offense. He also could face a civil penalty of $250 to reimburse the state for the deer.
"I have cooperated with the investigation and I will accept the consequences of my honest mistake," Director Thompson said. "I apparently used an incorrect entry in my GPS unit while conducting my hunt, but that is no excuse, and I expect to be treated like any other hunter who unintentionally violates wildlife regulations."
According to investigating conservation officers, Thompson allegedly killed a buck deer the afternoon of Nov. 17 on the Diamond T Ranch west of Roswell in Lincoln County.
Investigators determined based on evidence and witness accounts that both misdemeanors were committed unintentionally. However, New Mexico law does not make allowances for lack of intent. If convicted, Thompson faces $400 fines and up to 6 months in jail for each offense. He also could face a civil penalty of $250 to reimburse the state for the deer.
"I have cooperated with the investigation and I will accept the consequences of my honest mistake," Director Thompson said. "I apparently used an incorrect entry in my GPS unit while conducting my hunt, but that is no excuse, and I expect to be treated like any other hunter who unintentionally violates wildlife regulations."
According to investigating conservation officers, Thompson allegedly killed a buck deer the afternoon of Nov. 17 on the Diamond T Ranch west of Roswell in Lincoln County.
Arm Wrestling Competition
More than a hundred contestants have been gathering in Warsaw for the arm wrestling World Cup.
It's the eighth edition of the Nemiroff World Cup and contestants compete in seven weight categories from sixty three kilograms to more than ninety five. One of the stars of this year's event is John Brzenk, the Guinness Book of Records' World's strongest man.
Gatorade Inventor Dies at 80
Dr. J. Robert Cade, who invented the sports drink Gatorade and launched a multibillion-dollar industry that the beverage continues to dominate, died of kidney failure. He was 80.
His death was announced by the University of Florida, where he and other researchers created Gatorade in 1965 to help the school's football players replace carbohydrates and electrolytes lost through sweat while playing in swamp-like heat.
"Today with his passing, the University of Florida lost a legend, lost one of its best friends and lost a creative genius," said Dr. Edward Block, chairman of the department of medicine in the College of Medicine. "Losing any one of those is huge. When you lose all three in one person, it's something you cannot recoup."
His death was announced by the University of Florida, where he and other researchers created Gatorade in 1965 to help the school's football players replace carbohydrates and electrolytes lost through sweat while playing in swamp-like heat.
"Today with his passing, the University of Florida lost a legend, lost one of its best friends and lost a creative genius," said Dr. Edward Block, chairman of the department of medicine in the College of Medicine. "Losing any one of those is huge. When you lose all three in one person, it's something you cannot recoup."
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Drinking Binge
Two out of three Australian women binge drink, with some knocking back more than 11 alcoholic beverages in a single sitting, according to a survey.
The online survey of 2,000 women, by the Australian Women's Health magazine, found that two-thirds of respondents admitted to downing more than five standard units of alcohol while out with friends, the definition of bingeing.
Fourteen percent of respondents admitted to drinking between 16 to 20 drinks in a single night while about seven per cent said they had knocked back more than 20 drinks in a sitting.
The survey results were published in Australian media.
Australia, producer of world-renowned beers and wines, has a strong drinking culture, where not buying a "shout" or a round of drinks when out with friends is socially unacceptable.
According to the Alcohol Education Rehabilitation Foundation alcohol misuse and abuse in Australia costs the economy more than $7.6 billion a year.
"We are seeing signs of increased numbers of women admitted to hospital after binge drinking and we are paying for the cost through the burden on the health system," said Australian Drug Foundation director Geoff Munro.
"It's another sign that Australians are very tolerant of unsafe drinking."
The online survey of 2,000 women, by the Australian Women's Health magazine, found that two-thirds of respondents admitted to downing more than five standard units of alcohol while out with friends, the definition of bingeing.
Fourteen percent of respondents admitted to drinking between 16 to 20 drinks in a single night while about seven per cent said they had knocked back more than 20 drinks in a sitting.
The survey results were published in Australian media.
Australia, producer of world-renowned beers and wines, has a strong drinking culture, where not buying a "shout" or a round of drinks when out with friends is socially unacceptable.
According to the Alcohol Education Rehabilitation Foundation alcohol misuse and abuse in Australia costs the economy more than $7.6 billion a year.
"We are seeing signs of increased numbers of women admitted to hospital after binge drinking and we are paying for the cost through the burden on the health system," said Australian Drug Foundation director Geoff Munro.
"It's another sign that Australians are very tolerant of unsafe drinking."
Cycling Ministers
Indonesia plans to make ministers from around the world use bicycles to get about at the U.N. talks on climate change in Bali to help offset the event's carbon emissions, an environment ministry official said on Friday.
Delegates from nearly 190 countries will gather on the resort island on Monday to launch a concentrated effort to hammer out a new deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, a pact to curb global warming that expires in 2012.
To help offset an estimated 47,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide expected to be emitted during the 12-day event, the government will clear the conference site of cars and lay on about 200 bikes instead to help people move around the area, Agus Purnomo said.
"We want people to leave their cars at the main gate and switch to bicycles," Purnomo, the meeting's executive chairman, told a news conference.
"To prevent people from melting in the sun, we will ask everyone to wear light clothes and short sleeves."
Purnomo said the estimated emissions figure included carbon dioxide emitted by flights to and from the island and by the use of electricity to power air conditioners.
More than 10,000 people including official delegates, activists and journalists are expected to show up at hundreds of sessions sprawled across the island's Nusa Dua area.
Delegates from nearly 190 countries will gather on the resort island on Monday to launch a concentrated effort to hammer out a new deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, a pact to curb global warming that expires in 2012.
To help offset an estimated 47,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide expected to be emitted during the 12-day event, the government will clear the conference site of cars and lay on about 200 bikes instead to help people move around the area, Agus Purnomo said.
"We want people to leave their cars at the main gate and switch to bicycles," Purnomo, the meeting's executive chairman, told a news conference.
"To prevent people from melting in the sun, we will ask everyone to wear light clothes and short sleeves."
Purnomo said the estimated emissions figure included carbon dioxide emitted by flights to and from the island and by the use of electricity to power air conditioners.
More than 10,000 people including official delegates, activists and journalists are expected to show up at hundreds of sessions sprawled across the island's Nusa Dua area.
Mafia Boss Arrested
Italian police burst into the room of a suspected Mafia mobster in Sicily and arrested him as he watched a television show about the arrest of a Mafia boss, investigators said Friday.
Police said Michele Catalano was watching the concluding chapter late Thursday of the TV mini-series "The Boss of Bosses," recounting the arrest in 1993 of real-life Cosa Nostra leader Salvatore "Toto" Riina, when he was detained.
They Catalano, 48, was suspected of being a senior commander serving under the latest "boss of bosses" Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who was arrested this month after nearly 25 years on the run.
Catalano faces charges of drug trafficking and extortion.
Lo Piccolo had taken over the reins of the Sicilian crime syndicate from Riina's successor Bernardo Provenzano, who was arrested last year after 40 years on the run. The arrests have seriously weakened the Mafia, police say.
Politicians and cultural figures criticized Channel 5's mini-series for portraying Riina as a hero and lobbied its owner Mediaset, belonging to former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, to take the final episode off the air. Mediaset declined.
Nicknamed "the Beast" for his brutality, Riina has been convicted on more than 100 counts of murder.
Police said Michele Catalano was watching the concluding chapter late Thursday of the TV mini-series "The Boss of Bosses," recounting the arrest in 1993 of real-life Cosa Nostra leader Salvatore "Toto" Riina, when he was detained.
They Catalano, 48, was suspected of being a senior commander serving under the latest "boss of bosses" Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who was arrested this month after nearly 25 years on the run.
Catalano faces charges of drug trafficking and extortion.
Lo Piccolo had taken over the reins of the Sicilian crime syndicate from Riina's successor Bernardo Provenzano, who was arrested last year after 40 years on the run. The arrests have seriously weakened the Mafia, police say.
Politicians and cultural figures criticized Channel 5's mini-series for portraying Riina as a hero and lobbied its owner Mediaset, belonging to former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, to take the final episode off the air. Mediaset declined.
Nicknamed "the Beast" for his brutality, Riina has been convicted on more than 100 counts of murder.
All Work and No Play Kills
A Toyota Motor Corp employee died of overwork after logging more than 106 hours of overtime in a month, a judge ruled Friday, reversing a ministry's earlier decision not to pay compensation to his widow.
The Toyota Labor Standards Inspection office, a local branch of Japan's labor ministry, refused to pay the widow the usual compensation for a spouse's work-related death, saying the man had only logged 45 hours of overtime in the month before he died, Japanese media reported.
But the court ruled that the employee had worked far more than that, said Yomiuri Online, a Japanese news website. The Nagoya District Court in central Japan said the ruling overturned the labor ministry's decision.
"We want to think of how to respond to this ruling by discussing it with relevant agencies," an official at the Toyota Labor Standards Inspection Office told Reuters.
The employee, who was working at a Toyota factory in central Japan, died of irregular heartbeat in February 2002 after passing out in the factory around 4 a.m.
"(The employee) worked for extremely long hours and the relationship between his work and death is strong," Yomiuri Online quoted Judge Toshiro Tamiya as saying.
Overworking is a serious issue in Japan, where an average worker uses less than 50 percent of paid holidays, according to government data.
In fiscal year 2005-2006, the labor ministry received 315 requests for compensation from the bereaved families of workers who died of strokes and other illnesses seen as work-related.
Toyota said in a statement it would further improve the management of its employees' health.
The Toyota Labor Standards Inspection office, a local branch of Japan's labor ministry, refused to pay the widow the usual compensation for a spouse's work-related death, saying the man had only logged 45 hours of overtime in the month before he died, Japanese media reported.
But the court ruled that the employee had worked far more than that, said Yomiuri Online, a Japanese news website. The Nagoya District Court in central Japan said the ruling overturned the labor ministry's decision.
"We want to think of how to respond to this ruling by discussing it with relevant agencies," an official at the Toyota Labor Standards Inspection Office told Reuters.
The employee, who was working at a Toyota factory in central Japan, died of irregular heartbeat in February 2002 after passing out in the factory around 4 a.m.
"(The employee) worked for extremely long hours and the relationship between his work and death is strong," Yomiuri Online quoted Judge Toshiro Tamiya as saying.
Overworking is a serious issue in Japan, where an average worker uses less than 50 percent of paid holidays, according to government data.
In fiscal year 2005-2006, the labor ministry received 315 requests for compensation from the bereaved families of workers who died of strokes and other illnesses seen as work-related.
Toyota said in a statement it would further improve the management of its employees' health.
Olympic Ticketing Blunder
The director of the Beijing Olympic ticketing department has been sacked in the wake of the chaos surrounding the second round of ticket sales for the 2008 Games.
The sale of 1.85 million tickets on a first come, first served basis was abandoned after less than a day last month when overwhelming demand caused the ticketing system to collapse.
Rong Jun admitted organizers had underestimated demand but his apology to the Chinese people earlier this month was clearly not sufficient to save his job.
Zhu Yan was introduced as his successor at a news conference on Friday.
Zhu, who works for the city government as head of the "Digital Beijing" project, said Rong remained with the department in another role.
"Rong Jun is still my colleague working with us," he said.
"In the past year the department has done a lot of fundamental work but ticketing is a complicated job which involves the policy, public interests and concerns, and technological solutions."
The sale of 1.85 million tickets on a first come, first served basis was abandoned after less than a day last month when overwhelming demand caused the ticketing system to collapse.
Rong Jun admitted organizers had underestimated demand but his apology to the Chinese people earlier this month was clearly not sufficient to save his job.
Zhu Yan was introduced as his successor at a news conference on Friday.
Zhu, who works for the city government as head of the "Digital Beijing" project, said Rong remained with the department in another role.
"Rong Jun is still my colleague working with us," he said.
"In the past year the department has done a lot of fundamental work but ticketing is a complicated job which involves the policy, public interests and concerns, and technological solutions."
Jennifer Love Hewitt is Engaged
Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt is engaged to be married to her boyfriend, Scottish actor Ross McCall, 32, Usmagazine.com reported on Wednesday.
"They got engaged last week," Hewitt's representative told Us exclusively. The couple is vacationing in Hawaii.
McCall gave Hewitt an antique engagement ring that has been in his family for over 100 years, it said.
Hewitt, 29, star of the CBS drama "Ghost Whisperer," received critical acclaim in the title role of the ABC Original Movie, "The Audrey Hepburn Story," based on the life of the Academy Award-winning actress.
"They got engaged last week," Hewitt's representative told Us exclusively. The couple is vacationing in Hawaii.
McCall gave Hewitt an antique engagement ring that has been in his family for over 100 years, it said.
Hewitt, 29, star of the CBS drama "Ghost Whisperer," received critical acclaim in the title role of the ABC Original Movie, "The Audrey Hepburn Story," based on the life of the Academy Award-winning actress.
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