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Scots Eye Keith Richards Smoking Onstage

GLASGOW, Scotland -- Keith Richards may have violated Scotland's smoking ban by lighting up during a Rolling Stones concert.

The Glasgow City Council said Sunday it heard from journalists that the 62-year-old guitarist was smoking during a Friday night performance.

"It's been brought to our attention that he was smoking, and we'll be looking into it," a council spokesman said on condition of anonymity, in keeping with city policy. "We do take our responsibilities for enforcement very seriously."

Scotland's ban on smoking in enclosed public places, including theaters and sports venues, took effect in March. Violators can be fined up to $95.

The spokesman did not know whether the journalists who spoke to the council had been at the concert, part of the band's "A Bigger Bang" tour.

No one answered the phone Sunday at the offices of Richards' publicists, LD Communications in London.

In the Scottish capital, officials warned during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival earlier this month that they would close down a theater if actor Mel Smith lit a cigar during his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the play "Allegiance." Smith eventually agreed to keep the cigar unlit.

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Can you imagine FZ getting fined for smoking on stage?

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"When you hear music, after it's over, it's gone in the air. You can never capture it again." -- Eric Dolphy

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CNN says sorry for live mic gaffe

US broadcaster CNN has apologised after an anchorwoman's chat with a colleague was accidentally broadcast live during a speech by President George W Bush.

The conversation between Kyra Phillips and another woman was clearly heard as Mr Bush talked in New Orleans to mark the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

During the chat, Ms Phillips talked about her husband and called her sister-in-law a "control freak".

CNN apologised to viewers and the president, citing "audio difficulties".

'Handsome and loving'

The gaffe happened when Ms Phillips' microphone remained on during a brief break from the set of the daily news programme Live From.

The programme was broadcasting Mr Bush's speech live from New Orleans, but viewers also heard about 90 seconds of the anchorwoman's conversation during what has been described as a bathroom or hair and make-up break.

Her comments, which were at first muffled but then became clearer, started with an apparent expletive, before turning to praise of her husband in a conversation about men.

"Yeah, I'm very lucky in that regard with my husband. My husband is handsome and he is genuinely a loving, you know, no ego... you know what I'm saying," she was heard telling the other woman, whose identity is not known.

"Just a really passionate, compassionate, great, great human being. And they exist. They do exist. They're hard to find... But they are out there."

'Protective'

Shortly afterwards she was heard laughing, before talking about her brother.

"I've got to be protective of him," she said. "He's married, three kids and his wife is just a control freak."

At that point, another woman's voice is heard cutting in, telling Ms Phillips to turn off her microphone as her conversation had been on the air, and the broadcast chat ends.

CNN issued a statement apologising for the error, and also apologised to the White House, Reuters news agency reported.

"CNN experienced audio difficulties during the president's speech today in New Orleans," the statement said.

"We apologise to our viewers and the president for the disruption."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5297958.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Canada pilot in toilet trip drama

Passengers on a Canadian plane had an unsettling in-flight experience after the pilot found himself locked out of the cockpit after a trip to the toilet.

Instead of slipping back inside, the Air Canada Jazz pilot was seen banging on the door and talking to his first officer on an internal phone.

Crew members were forced to take the door off its hinges to let him back in.

An airline spokeswoman said the first officer could have landed the flight by himself, and there had been no danger.

'Rare occurrence'

The incident happened on an internal flight from the Canadian capital Ottawa to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The pilot went to use the toilet at the back of the Bombardier CRJ-100 plane, which carries about 50 passengers, with about 30 minutes of the flight left to go.

On his return, he found the door jammed, and it eventually had to be removed to let him back in. The plane landed safely.

Air Canada Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stuart said the first officer had remained on the flight deck throughout, and that the plane had not started its descent when the incident occurred.

The door malfunction was a "rare occurrence", she said in a statement. "To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time we've encountered this problem in flight.

"We investigated this matter and found that the crew followed our standard operational procedures, which are in full compliance with the security regulations governed by Transport Canada.

"The safety and security of our passengers was never compromised."

She added that passengers had remained calm during the incident, the AFP news agency reported.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5301172.stm?ls

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Is this lack of important news or what?

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'Goat-free roads made me speed'

A Swiss man caught speeding on a Canadian highway has blamed his actions on the absence of goats on the roads.


Police said goats had not been reported on eastern Ontario's roads

The man was caught driving at 161 km/h (100mph) in a 100 km/h (60mph) zone.

A traffic officer's notes said the Swiss driver had said he was taking advantage "of the ability to go faster without risking hitting a goat".

Canadian police spokesman Joel Doiron said he had never found a goat on the highways of eastern Ontario in his 20 years of service.

"Nobody's ever used the lack of goats here as an excuse for speeding," Mr Doiron told the AFP news agency.

"I've never been to Switzerland, but I guess there must be a lot of goats there," he said.

The driver was ordered to pay a fine of C$360 ($330; £175) for speeding.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5322302.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Priest admits Madonna bomb hoax

A 63-year-old Dutch priest has confessed to making a hoax bomb threat in an attempt to stop a concert by US pop star Madonna, prosecutors say.

Her mock re-enactment of the crucifixion in one of the scenes offended some Christians during earlier shows in Italy and Germany.

But the concerts in Amsterdam went ahead as planned on Sunday and Monday.

A city official said the priest was arrested soon after making the call because he used his home phone.

Emergency services quickly traced the number.

The official, prosecutor's office spokesman Robert Meulenbroek, said that as this was probably the priest's first such offence, he was likely to receive a light sentence.

He has been released from custody pending a verdict.

"We take bomb threats seriously, but in this case it was clear very quickly that it was not real," Mr Meulenbroek told the Associated Press news agency.

Madonna has since gone on to do two concerts in Prague, and will play her final European date in Moscow next week.

Russian Orthodox Christians have also expressed concerns about the use of religious imagery in her show.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5329258.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

This one should be put into the News about Stupid People Thread:

Irwin fans 'in revenge attacks'

Dead stingrays with their tails cut off have been found in Australia, sparking concern that fans of naturalist Steve Irwin may be avenging his death.

Mr Irwin, a TV personality known as the "Crocodile Hunter", was killed while diving in Queensland when a stingray's barb stabbed him in the chest.

Since then, 10 stingrays have been found mutilated on Queensland beaches.

Government officials said they were investigating the deaths and there could be prosecutions.

Two stingrays were found at a beach north of Brisbane with their tails cut off, while eight were found on another beach on Monday, The Australian reported.

Wayne Sumpton of the state fisheries department said it was not clear if the incidents were connected to Mr Irwin's death.

He said fishermen who inadvertently caught stingrays sometimes cut off their tails to avoid being stung, but such a practice was uncommon.

'Protect wildlife'

Michael Hornby, a friend of the late naturalist and executive director of Mr Irwin's Wildlife Warrior fund, condemned any revenge killings.

"We just want to make it very clear that we will not accept and not stand for anyone who's taken a form of retribution. That's the last thing Steve would want," he said.

"I hope everyone understands we have to protect wildlife now more than ever. This is what Steve was all about."

Stingrays are normally placid, but when they feel under threat, a sharp, poisonous spine in their tail flicks up.

A public memorial service for Mr Irwin will be held next week.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5338118.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Body washes up on CSI: Miami set

The set of CSI: Miami became a real-life police investigation scene when a body washed up during filming.

An off-duty police officer working on the set was alerted to a body floating in Bicentennial Park.

An autopsy will be carried out but police are not treating the death as suspicious at this time.

Earlier in the week a mummified body was found inside a building in Los Angeles where spin-off drama CSI: New York was being filmed.

The cast and crew of CSI: Miami were filming offshore to get aerial shots from a helicopter when the body was spotted.

"Unfortunately, it's not unusual during certain times of the year that people who have fallen in the bay, either homeless people or people who were asleep or in some cases boaters who had a mishap, fall into the bay and turn up days later," said Detective Delrish Moss.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5353704.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Caught on tape: Infamous gaffes

To someone constantly in the spotlight, there is a constant danger that one's private opinions sneak into the public domain.

The Hungarian prime minister's candid admission that his government had accomplished "nothing" and had been lying for "the last year and a half to two years" has infuriated the public, sparking riots in the capital Budapest.

Ferenc Gyurcsany's opponents are calling for his resignation, but the PM is not the first public figure to find himself in trouble after his unguarded comments were broadcast, or to have regretted an embarrassing gaffe.

The Republican Party leader in the United States Senate, Trent Lott, was forced to step down in 2002 after expressing the view that the US would have been better off if a candidate for president in 1948, running on a platform of racial segregation, had been elected.

Vice-President Dan Quayle was widely regarded to have scuppered his presidential hopes when a series of gaffes culminated in a clanger watched by millions on TV news broadcasts.

At a school spelling contest, Mr Quayle "corrected" a child's spelling of the word potato by adding an "e" to the end.

Jokes based on the mistake were to dog him for the rest of his public life.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has got himself into trouble several times, most recently by speculating that a congresswoman's hot temper was down to her mixture of black and Latino blood.

He was forced to apologise for the comment, which was caught on tape.

Italy's ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has made numerous comments considered beyond the pale by his critics - though many have been apparently misjudged public comments rather than private ones.

In perhaps his most infamous, he told a German member of the European Parliament, with whom he disagreed: "I know that in Italy there is a man producing a film on Nazi concentration camps - I shall put you forward for the role of Kapo [guard chosen from among the prisoners] - you would be perfect."

Yo, gaffe!

One of the most famous examples of a gaffe caught on tape was former US President Ronald Reagan's warm-up joke before a radio broadcast.

During the sound check he announced: "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

The tape was running and the announcement was leaked to the press, sparking an international furore.

Britain's former Prime Minister John Major was caught on tape describing un-named members of his cabinet as "bastards", in a comment that revealed how deep the splits in his Conservative Party ran.

The ministers were rebelling against his attempts to introduce the Maastricht treaty, which led to the creation of the European Union.

Mr Major was speaking casually after an interview with ITN, but was recorded by a BBC crew in the same room.

A more recent example involved the current US and British leaders.

Tony Blair and George W Bush were caught by a microphone during a break at the G8 conference in Russia.

Mr Bush greeted his ally with the words "Yo, Blair", and opined that they needed to get "Hezbollah to stop doing this shit".

Throwing spears

Mr Blair's deputy, John Prescott, is renowned as a straight-talker, and has been accused at various times of making ill-advised comments or gestures.

At one point he compared a crab in a jar to his party rival Peter Mandelson, joking: "You know what his name is? He's called Peter."

Some US politicians have also lived to regret putting their foot in it.

In Britain the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth's husband, is notorious for making jokes that might offend the recipient and make bystanders cringe - many of them based on old-fashioned racial stereotypes.

His comments have included: "It looks as if it was put in by an Indian," when being shown an old-fashioned fuse box; "Still throwing spears?" to an Australian Aborigine; and, to a Scottish driving instructor, "How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them through the test?"

His son, Prince Charles, let some of his opinions of the press slip out at a press call in 2005.

Asked a question by the BBC's Nicholas Witchell, he whispered under his breath to his sons, who were standing next to him: "These bloody people. I can't bear that man. I mean, he's so awful, he really is."

It is not only politicians and royalty who have to watch their words, though.

The US Marine Corps last year had to publicly upbraid Lt Gen James Mattis after he cheerfully admitted on a panel discussion that he enjoyed war.

Caught on tape, he said: "Actually, it's quite a lot of fun to fight; you know, it's a hell of a hoot. I like brawling; it's fun to shoot some people."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5360412.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Man bites panda after zoo attack

A drunken Chinese tourist says he bit a panda who attacked him after he jumped into a zoo enclosure to "hug" the bear.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5364058.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Film-maker knocks out his critics

A German film-maker repeatedly panned for making bad films has been - quite literally - hitting back at his critics in a boxing ring in the Canadian city of Vancouver.

Director Uwe Boll took on four of his critics in a boxing match, after he became so annoyed at the barrage of abuse he received from them.

One critic said the horror movie-making Mr Boll was one of the "most inept film-makers ever".

But it was the director, now dubbed "Raging Boll", who emerged victorious from a boxing ring in Vancouver, watched by a crowd of 600 people.

After knocking his detractors out in the ring, Mr Boll accused them of judging his films unfairly.

"If you make a zombie movie like House of the Dead, what are they expecting? Schindler's List?" he asked.

Critic Jeff Sneider of Ain't It Cool News did fight back, but not in the ring.

He said Mr Boll had told him the match would be a publicity stunt.

"I think he's a jerk," said Mr Sneider after the fight. "This might be PR, but I don't want to keep getting punched in the head."

Another critic said he did manage to punch Mr Boll in the face a couple of times, calling it revenge for Boll's latest film, BloodRayne, a vampire flick starring Ben Kingsley.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5376574.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Marijuana fighters fox Canadians

Taleban fighters using giant Afghan marijuana forests for cover are proving a tough foe to smoke out, the head of Canada's armed forces has revealed.



Thickets three metres (10ft) high readily absorb heat, making them hard to penetrate with thermal devices, said Gen Rick Hillier in a speech in Ottawa.

"You really have to be careful the Taleban don't dodge in and out of those marijuana forests," he added.

Burning them is not an option as they are laden with water, the general said.

He was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency that the crew of at least one armoured car had responded by camouflaging their vehicle with marijuana. (...)

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Not exactly weird, but funny, nevertheless:

Clown conference opens in Mexico

Hundreds of clowns from Latin American countries are meeting in Mexico for their annual conference.

The 11th convention of the Fraternity of Latin Clowns opened at a Mexico City theatre on Monday and continues throughout the week.

More than 400 clowns have gathered for four days of workshops, classes and competitions.

The clowns are mostly Mexican, but contingents have arrived from many Central American countries. (...)

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Haha, I know this guy. I've played football with him in former times. He played soccer like rugby. But nobody really told him the truth because everybody knew he was much better in boxing.

http://www.bollbashers.com/?page_id=138

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What's the ugliest part of your body ?

Tycoon holes dream Picasso deal

A US casino mogul has pulled out of a deal to sell his Picasso painting for a record $139m (£74m) after accidentally elbowing a hole in the middle.



Las Vegas magnate Steve Wynn was showing Le Reve (The Dream) to guests at his office in Las Vegas last month.

Mr Wynn, who has retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease affecting peripheral vision, tore a coin-sized hole.

He will now keep the painting, which he bought in 1997 for $48.4m, and repair it, his spokeswoman said.

'Terrible noise'

Mr Wynn had finalised the sale of the 1932 painting to art collector Steven Cohen.

The $139m price tag would have been $4m higher than the previous private-sale record - for Gustav Klimt's 1907 portrait, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, in July this year.

Picasso's Boy With a Pipe, which fetched $104.1m in 2004, holds the record for art sold at auction.

Mr Wynn, known for gesturing with hands while speaking, was showing the painting at his office at Wynn Las Vegas when he struck it with his right elbow, spokeswoman Denise Randazzo said.

Director and screenwriter Nora Ephron was at the incident and wrote about it on a blog site.

She said Mr Wynn raised his hand then "at that moment, his elbow crashed backward right through the canvas. There was a terrible noise".

"Smack in the middle... was a black hole the size of a silver dollar. 'Look what I've done' he said. 'Thank goodness it was me.'"

Mr Wynn, a high-profile art collector, developed The Mirage and Bellagio resorts in Las Vegas in the 1990s.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6061140.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Oh, shit! Well, I wonder where the hole is? Was it possibly in the dick she's dreaming about or the fingers she's using to diddle her pussy?

--Bat

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<------PhotoArtWerk by debutante_daisy http://www.facebook.com/BatchainTheMovie

Chilean taxi driver combats crime with cows

SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - A Chilean taxi driver has come up with a new way to fight assaults: make your vehicle so conspicuous that nobody would dare try to rob you.

After being robbed several times, Juan Geraldo upholstered and covered every square inch of his car's interior with black and white spotted cowhides, including the steering wheel and ceiling. He then decorated the interior with stuffed toy cows, and added a horn that moos.

The visual effect is even more impressive at night, when the black and white taxi interior is set off from floor to ceiling by a flood of neon light.

"The effect was immediate. They haven't robbed me since," said Geraldo, who said the special effects also brought in more clientele and allowed him to expand his cab fleet from one car to nine. (...)

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Row over Italian toilet artwork

A toilet which flushes to the sound of Italy's national anthem has been impounded by police in northern Italy, sparking great patriotic debate.



The offending loo was the creation of two local artists and was on display at the Bolzano Museum of Modern Art.

Prosecutors say the Fratelli d'Italia anthem is a national emblem which should be protected and should never be open to ridicule.

A judgement is expected to be made later this week.

Who owns the national anthem? And is it unpatriotic to play it in a context in which it could be ridiculed? Those are the questions for the court in Bolzano.

Flash in the pan?

Defence barristers for the museum argue that while the anthem does have patriotic and sentimental value, it is not a national symbol.

The prosecution on the other hand argue the symbolism of playing the anthem while flushing a toilet is an offence to the nation and they have put forward a robust case.

They point to a decree issued this year by the former government of Silvio Berlusconi which defined the national anthem as an emblem and the property of the state.

A judgement will be made later this week. Arguments may then begin over whether this marks a precedent or whether it is just a flash in the pan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6122448.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

Schipholtunnel filled with fries after fire.


AMSTERDAM - The Schipholtunnel was filled with fries/chips Wednesday afternoon after a collision of 2 cars with a truck filled with chips. There are no injuries, police says.

The accident happened at around 15:00. One of the cars has gotten under the truck, which is lying over the full with of the tube. "Not a mouse can get through," a police spokesperson says. "The truck-driver was transporting boxes of fries. The trailer was torn open, causing the fries to be spread over the road. It's a miracle no-one got injured."

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That cab is full of BULL!!

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The WHITE ZONE is for loading and unloading only!!


HAIL AMNERIKA!!!

Staff at Groningen University fired by accident

Almost all 7000 employees at the Unversity of Groningen received an e-mail on Monday in which they could read their engagement was terminated and their e-mail-account ended.
According to a spokesperson of the UG an error had gotten into the mailing system. "One of the systems jammed, resulting in 7000 mails being sent."

Hundreds of employees replied to the sender. Some really thought they had been fired, but others realized there had been made a mistake.

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What a tit. So what if she is selling the items she claims she was given....U2 are worth millions....why are time and tax payers money being wasted in Court on a case like this?? Surely there are more important matters for his ego to attend to?

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"Listen to that noise! It's like Barry White eating wasps."

Robin Hood stunt sparks NY 'riot'

Three Britons dressed as Robin Hood and his Merry Men caused a small stampede in a park in New York after throwing $4,000 (£2,110) into the air.




The pranksters - from Sheffield in England - said they hoped their stunt would encourage New Yorkers to be more polite and "give something back".

However, the plan reportedly back-fired after passers-by pushed and pulled at each other to grab the free cash.

Once the notes had been dispensed the trio made their getaway in a taxi.

The three men, who called themselves the Modern Day Robin Hoods, entered Manhattan's Washington Square Park with a megaphone shouting: "What you are about to see will amaze you. We are mad Englishmen."

Daniel, a 6ft 6ins man dressed as Little John, who refused to give his surname, told the New York Post newspaper: "There's a real lack of courtesy in the world.

"The world would be a better place if people were more courteous, but the English are very sceptical, so we decided to come to New York."

Oliver, the group's founder, said: "I want people to have a little more common courtesy towards their fellow human beings. We hope this encourages people to give something back."

The men then threw the $4,000, made up of $1, $5,$10 and $20 notes, into the air, sparking the frenzy. Even children were reportedly stepped on, although no-one was seriously hurt.

"There were people pushing and people shoving," Sally Caraballo told the newspaper.

"I got a nasty little scrape and my butt hurts from getting pushed down. I had to fight for my free money. But I got it in the end," said the 38-year-old.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6164448.stm

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

"If you want it here it is, come and get it 'cause it's goin' fast
If you want it I can get it, but you'd better hurry 'cause it may not last"

--Badfinger (written P. McCartney) from "The Magic Christian"

--Bat

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<------PhotoArtWerk by debutante_daisy http://www.facebook.com/BatchainTheMovie

Currently the Big Brother finals are on! My cousin Monique was the last to be voted out the house last week, and and cousin Sabrina is still in the race! We're having a vote-in right now, so if you're in The Netherlands, SMS Sabrina to 1010 or phone 0909-0303! Mind you it costs a lot and Sab is in second place, the number one has twice as much votes.

Edit: It's over, and Sabby is in second place, winning zilch.

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Modern day paranoia news:

Flatulence leads US jet to divert

An American Airlines plane made an emergency landing in Nashville after passengers reported the smell of sulphur from burning matches.

The matches were found on the seat of a woman who had attempted to conceal the odour of flatulence with the matches, Nashville airport authorities said.

All 99 passengers and five crew left the plane while it was searched.

The woman was questioned by the FBI but released without charge and allowed to board another American Airlines flight.

"It was determined that she was trying to conceal body odour," said Lynne Lowrance of the Nashville Airport Authority.

She had "no malicious intent but had struck matches which is against [Transport Security Administration] rules," Ms Lowrance said.

The unidentified woman had an unspecified medical condition, Associated Press news agency said.

She was carrying safety matches, which the TSA allows in carry-on luggage.

The matches are not allowed to be struck, however.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6213644.stm

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If it was a muslin guy praying to Allah before the flight, he would probably be in Guantanamo by now

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein