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Obama’s Berlin Speech: This is the Moment to Stand as One
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama arrived in Berlin on Thursday, kicking off the European leg of his overseas trip amid high expectations. Huge crowds of Berliners eagerly looked forward to Obama’s speech in front of the Tiergarten’s 226-foot high Victory Column, which previously has been a backdrop for various mass events.
For many Germans, Obama is the embodiment of the American dream and the ideal of a land of opportunity where everyone can make it to the top, regardless of race or social background. At a moment when anti-American sentiments have reached unprecedented heights in Germany, Obama is seen by many Germans as a symbol of hope and change for the good.
This detailed article presents a number of photographs and three videos, including the live video of Obama's full speech that was given at Berlin's Victory Column. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama arrived in Berlin on Thursday, kicking off the European leg of his overseas trip amid hig... more -
Obama Rallies Up Troops
In an one of a kind journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, Presidential candidate Barack Obama has made an extreme effort to rally up Europens to join the fight against terror.
In front of the largest crowd his campaign has seen so far, Obama has "summoned Europeans and Americans together to defeat terror and dry up the extremism that supports it." The Presidential hopefully also discussed plans on creating a world that is nuclear weapons free again, and also building international bridges that contain more support and strength to fight against the terror.
With his efforts to promote and gather up more support for his campaign, will Barack Obama be able to gather and rally up "troops" here in the United States? Will his strength overseas develop enough momentum for his depute and possible monumental victory in the Presidential Elections this November? In an one of a kind journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, Presidential candidate Barack Obama has made an extreme effort to ral... more -
Give us Asians, Hispanics, and Latinos some love!
the unseen minorities
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With no frills or tuition, a college draws notice - NYTimes.com
If only there were more colleges in the US like Berea that don't charge tuition and target low-income families.
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Why do poor people play the lottery?
A Carnegie Mellon University study has finally shed some light on this difficult question. In their study they found that poor people buy twice as many lottery tickets than more affluent people. They buy these tickets despite knowing that their chance of winning is very slim.
Why?
The study discovered that they buy these tickets because they hope to win and not be poor anymore.
Another addition to our "no duh" files. A Carnegie Mellon University study has finally shed some light on this difficult question. In their study they found that poor people... more -
Survey: Olympics will be a great success
According to a new survey conducted by a US group called PEW, up to 93% of Chinese people believe that the Olympic games will be a big success and 'help China's image' in the world. This and similar statistics point to an enormous gulf between Chinese and Western perceptions of China, which has widened in the aftermath of the Tibet riots and Olympic torch relay. Interestingly, in a climate where the West is becoming increasingly critical of China, China's own country satisfaction rating also soared to 86 per cent from 48 per cent in 2002.
This disparity highlights the lack of understanding between the West and China, both due to China's own strict censorship laws but also (more often overlooked in the West) the Western media's tendency for bias and sensationalism against China. According to a new survey conducted by a US group called PEW, up to 93% of Chinese people believe that the Olympic games will be a big... more -
Intrusive ads are annoying.. really??
In another no-brainer stating the plain-bleeding-obvious-type survey, it has been found that irritating advertising has caused 84% of 25-34 year-olds to leave their favourite websites. Also, “70% of 25-34 year olds have stopped visiting a website altogether because of intrusive or irrelevant advertising." Of course, the ads still keep being produced, despite the fact at least a percentage of their makers must also be irritated by their own ads.
Makes no sense, eh?
In another no-brainer stating the plain-bleeding-obvious-type survey, it has been found that irritating advertising has caused 84% of ... more -
Are mobile phones the new cigarettes?
Dr. Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute has warned his faculty and staff to limit their and their families' mobile phone use due to a possible risks of cancer. Haberman based his warning, the first of such from a major academic institution, on unpublished data saying the risks are too high to wait for a definitive answer from science.
Again, the opposing opinions are either that there's not enough proof that they do harm, or that they are definitely harmful.
What should we believe?? Dr. Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute has warned his faculty and staff to limit their and th... more -
Pete Doherty Pleads Guilty
Babyshambles' shambling star Pete Doherty has pleaded guilty to smashing a photographer's camera when she tried to take pictures of him and his then-girlfriend last year. The star originally failed to turn up to an earlier hearing, but since his guilty plea is paying £918.27 to the reporter in compensation, as well as £100 in legal costs.
Just over £1,000? That's nothing to him right..? Babyshambles' shambling star Pete Doherty has pleaded guilty to smashing a photographer's camera when she tried to take pictures of hi... more -
'Olympic Security English': What lousy luck...
The Public Security Bureau in China has distributed a pamphlet to all security forces working during the upcoming Olympic games detailing key words and phrases, and likely dialogue scenarios, a policeman might encounter with English-speaking tourists...
Example exchanges include:
Police: Do you have your ticket for the boxing match?
Foreigner: No. I thought I could buy it when I got to the Gymnasium.
Police: Since you have neither passport nor other identification, you'll have to come along with us to the police station.
Foreigner: What lousy luck!
Have the interpreters been reading too much P.G. Wodehouse again? The Public Security Bureau in China has distributed a pamphlet to all security forces working during the upcoming Olympic games detail... more -
Girl called 'Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii' ordered to change name
The parents of a New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii have been ordered to change her name because it risks making her the target of abuse and ridicule, the Telegraph reports.
A judge ruled that the nine-year-old girl, who is the subject of a custody fight, should be placed in the guardianship of the court until she is renamed.
A lawyer acting for the girl claimed she was so embarrassed by her name that she had kept it from her friends, insisting she should be known as "K" instead. She also feared that if it became public she would be mocked and teased.
The lawyer claimed the girl fully understood the absurdity of her name, unlike her parents who had not considered the implications when they named her.
Justice Robert Murfitt said the name clearly presented a social hurdle for the child.
"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap," he said.
He also voiced concern over other names given to New Zealand children, such as Violence, Midnight Chardonnay and Number 16 Bus Shelter.
A set of twins was named Benson and Hedges, after the cigarette brand and some children had been named after six-cylinder Ford cars. There has ever been a case of a child being named after the entire All Blacks side.
"Recently, for the first time in my experience as a Family Court judge, the name of a child described in text language has emerged," Mr Murfitt said.
In that case, a girl was named O.crnia, but in negotiations with the mother over a parenting order, the name was adjusted to Oceania.
New Zealand officials said they did have the power to block outlandish names.
Brian Clarke, the registrar general of Births, Deaths and Marriages, told the New Zealand Herald that the law did not allow names that would cause offence to a reasonable person, that are more than 100 characters or that include titles, military ranks, punctuation or numerals.
Names rejected by the office include Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Twisty Poi, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit.
Why oh why would you do that to a child? Sex fruit? Sex fruit!? Is it funny to lumber your kid with a name that'll forever bring them ridicule, or just plain cruel? Does hardship indeed make a child stronger, or just a bit damaged? Do you have any horrific family names to own up to? Are you planning to name your kids something you think is funny, but they'll think is horrific? And should the state be able to intervene if you pick something like 'Stallion' for your sprog?
The parents of a New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii have been ordered to change her name because it risks making ... more -
Men grow happier with age while women grow miserable, says new report
Middle-aged women are unhappier than their male peers, even though they start adult life more content, a study suggests.
Researchers looked at data spanning several decades, and concluded that after the age of 48, men are generally happier than women.
Men are most miserable in their 20s, but grow more satisfied as they get older, marry and earn more money, they found.
Women on the other hand are happier than men in early adulthood, but the glow wears off with time.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge and University of Southern California looked specifically at the role of unfulfilled desires in a person's sense of well-being.
They found that overall happiness is most heavily linked to the stability of a person's family and finances.
Both sexes have fairly similar life goals when it comes to love, the study reveals. Nine out of 10 people reach adult life wanting a happy marriage.
The saddest period of the average man's life – his 20s – is also the period when he is most likely to be single.
Young men are also more dissatisfied than young women with their financial situations, not because they are worse off, but because they want more and therefore experience a greater "shortfall," the researchers said.
But age alters many things, including men's money woes and lacklustre love lives.
After the age of 34, men are more likely to be married than women, and the gap only widens with age, mirroring men's growing satisfaction with family life.
Ms Plagnol said: "In later life men come closer to fulfilling their aspirations, are more satisfied with their family lives and financial situations, and are the happier of the two."
Men also become more satisfied with their financial situations over time, as reflected in their increased spending power. The researchers found that men tend to covet big-ticket items that might not be within reach until later in life, such as a car or holiday home.
Some age milestones:
41: Age at which men's financial satisfaction exceeds women's financial satisfaction
48: Age at which men's overall happiness exceeds women's overall happiness
64: Age at which men's satisfaction with family life exceeds women's satisfaction
Are you a woman growing ever unhappier, or a man getting more and more content? How does what you want now differ from what you wanted 5 or 10 years ago, and what you want 5 or 10 years in the future? Could the prevalent social idea that age is thought to diminish women's beauty and therefore her worth, whereas age makes a man more valuable and distinguished, have something to do with it? What changes do you notice in your male and female friends as you grow older, and which of the two sexes appear to be happiest? Or is it all a load of crap, with no differences between men and women at all?
Middle-aged women are unhappier than their male peers, even though they start adult life more content, a study suggests. ... more -
Photos of the Day: Just Hangin’ Out
"Photos of the Day: Just Hangin’ Out." Yes indeedy, remember those wonderful olden' days, when we could have those lazy dayz and do nothing but just be hangin' out? Well, these terrific, humorous photographs might just remind you of those blissful times, before our lives took on such a blistering, breakneck pace.
The photographs are presented in high-resolution color (and B&W) for you.
Take a little peek and have yourself a chuckle!! "Photos of the Day: Just Hangin’ Out." Yes indeedy, remember those wonderful olden' days, when we could have those lazy dayz and do n... more -
All Kids Have Rights
The United Nations' 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child was the first legally binding international law to incorporate the full range of human rights for children. It is said to have significantly increased the profile of children's rights worldwide.
Sadly, the United States is one of only two countries in the world which have refused to ratify The United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This article includes a number of very touching photographs, a memorable documentary video about children's rights and an emotionally moving photo-gallery.
Please have a look! The United Nations' 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child was the first legally binding international law to incorporate the full... more -
Carry your lardarse lady to safety! PlayStation launches "Fat Princess" game
Apparently responding to female gamers' calls for more and better representation of women, Titan Studios/Sony has launched a new PlayStation game called "Fat Princess." I'm not kidding.
According to PlayStation, "Frantic and fun, Fat Princess pits two hordes of players against each other in comic medieval battle royale. Your goal is to rescue your beloved princess from the enemy dungeon. There’s a catch though: your adversary has been stuffing her with food to fatten her up and it’s going to take most of your army working together to carry her back across the battlefield."
Wow. This isn't even a joke. Sony has certainly got the wheels of publicity spinning - online debate and bitchery have begun in earnest, and it's certainly intense.
Some gaming bloggers are pleased - and surprised - by just how good the game is:
"With the title and logo the way it is, it may be hard to think of Fat Princess as a real hardcore title, but that's exactly what it is. Fights always end in bloody messes. After a massive battle, you'll see body parts and blood soaking the entirety of the floor. With its unique art style, high concept, and fun presentation, we can't wait to play Fat Princess when it debuts exclusively on the PSN later this year."
And from one eloquent and angry female gamer, this gem:
"Anyway, congrats on your awesome new game, Sony. I'm positively thrilled to see such unyielding dedication to creating a new generation of fat-hating, heteronormative assholes. It's not often I have the opportunity to congratulate a cutting-edge tech company on such splendiferous retrofuck jackholery. Way to go! The Fat Princess of Shakes Manor salutes you."
A moment's pause please, for 'splendiferous retrofuck jackholery'. Mmm, delicious.
So, "Fat Princess" - a harmless joke, a justified reaction to developments in the real world (where of course everyone is piling on the pounds, if moral panics are to be believed), or a shocking example of sexism, fattism, and just plain wrong-ism? Let the games begin...
Apparently responding to female gamers' calls for more and better representation of women, Titan Studios/Sony has launched a new PlayS... more -
Child molester hasn't served single day of 43-year prison term
For nearly two years, a South Florida middle school art teacher forced a boy to have sex in a classroom supply closet. But Aaron Mohanlal, here in his sex offender registration photo, was allowed to stay out of prison on bond.
Sometimes, Mohanlal would call in sick to work, take the boy to his home for sex and drop the seventh-grader back off at school at the end of the day.
To keep the abuse secret, Mohanlal bought his 13-year-old victim a cell phone and created nicknames for their genitalia. When police arrested him, the teacher was caught on hidden video trying to destroy letters threatening the boy if he ever told.
Last summer, a Broward County jury convicted Mohanlal of 13 counts, including child abuse, molestation and lewd battery, and a judge sentenced him to 43 years.
But a year later, Mohanlal has yet to spend a day in prison.
"I can't understand why he isn't behind bars," said the victim, now 18.
"I want to move on with my life. I'm trying to graduate high school and forget about this," he said. "I try not to think about it, but it's hard, because all I can think about is, what if he's out there around other kids?"
Weeks after the trial, Broward Circuit Judge Marc Gold, who presided over the trial and sentenced Mohanlal, granted the teacher a rare bond that allows him to remain free while his case is tried on appeal, a process that could take years.
The judge gave Mohanlal the right to live, work, travel and attend church in South Florida, according to numerous interviews and documents CNN has obtained. The judge ordered Mohanlal to wear a GPS device, register as a sex offender and surrender his passport.
He stipulated that Mohanlal cannot contact the boy and his family but did not order him to stay away from children, according to a transcript of the July 2007 bond hearing.
Post-conviction bonds are rarely given in criminal trials, but judges occasionally grant them if there was a procedural error during trial that would make a conviction reversal at the appellate level likely, legal experts say.
But there were no procedural mistakes during Mohanlal's trial, both prosecutor Anita White and defense attorney Steve Rossi said.
Gold refused to talk on record about why he granted the bond. He would only give this statement: "The simple truth is that I had to rule based on what was presented to me during that hearing. And I took everything into consideration and felt a bond was appropriate."
"This was one of the most disturbing cases I've ever worked on, and there's no doubt in my mind that Aaron Mohanlal is a dangerous person," said Miramar Police Sgt. Jeff Armiento. "I don't see what would stop him from doing this to other kids."
"This guy has all the reason in the world to take off," said Florida state criminologist Tom Blomberg, who conducted a 2006 study of sex offenders who are monitored by wearable GPS devices. "He's looking at prison for the rest of his life, and child molesters are almost always victimized in prison. He has to know that.
"This is not effective monitoring. In fact, it's a little bit beyond imagination what's going on here," Blomberg said. "The [GPS] technology works; that's not the problem. Police can only do so much. The question is whether this guy should be out of prison.
"This seems like a system failure on down."
Should judges be able to make decisions like this, that affect a crime victim, their family and a community as a whole, without having to justify them? Should loopholes like this that allow convicted criminals to avoid jail if their cases are likely to be appealed even exist? Do you trust that GPS tagging systems do what they're supposed to?
For nearly two years, a South Florida middle school art teacher forced a boy to have sex in a classroom supply closet. But Aaron Mohan... more -
Disaboom offers 5 tips to live forward with disabilities
“I think most able-bodied people would say that they’d rather die because they have no point of reference. So the thought of disability is scary and intimidating,” said Whitney Sivill, a Disaboom blogger. “But if they were ever put in the situation, the majority would react like the rest of us - go through the grief process, adapt and thrive.” “I think most able-bodied people would say that they’d rather die because they have no point of reference. So the thought of disabili... more
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The mirrored never lie
Subjects tested in a room with a mirror have been found to work harder, to be more helpful and to be less likely to cheat, compared with control groups performing the same exercises in nonmirrored settings. Subjects tested in a room with a mirror have been found to work harder, to be more helpful and to be less likely to cheat, compared wi... more
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Brown rejects Bush's bomber jacket
The fur-lined aviator jacket, with a "Rt Hon Gordon Brown" name badge and Camp David seal on it, was presented to the formally-dressed former finance minister when he visited Bush at his presidential retreat in July last year. Official gifts worth over £140 are automatically 'held by the department', with the option for the receiver to buy them back, if they wish, though Brown has rejected this option for the bomber jacket in question.
In contrast, Blair used his option to buy all the gifts he received from May until his departure in June 2007, including a £500 painting from Bush, a £400 pewter tea set from Libya's Moamer Kadhafi, a £350 silver tray from a restoration project in Tripoli, and a porcelain figure from the German government, worth £250.
Other gifts detailed included, amusingly, "boxed perfumes" to former deputy prime minister John Prescott. It has also been retained by his department. The fur-lined aviator jacket, with a "Rt Hon Gordon Brown" name badge and Camp David seal on it, was presented to the formally-dressed... more -
Viagra for depressed women
Studies have found that Sildenafil, marketed as Viagra, could give a boost to women whose sex lives have been damaged by being on antidepressants. The pill is known to increase blood flow to the clitoris and has already been known to improve sexual performance in men on antidepressant medication, and now evidence suggests the same could be true for women. However, it is unlikely that doctors will be approved to give Viagra to women on antidepressants any time soon, New Scientist predicts.
More pills to combat the side-effects of other pills... *sigh* there must be other ways.. Studies have found that Sildenafil, marketed as Viagra, could give a boost to women whose sex lives have been damaged by being on anti... more
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