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Jobs Before They Were Famous!!
We're bombarded with images of today's celebs, but did you ever wonder what they were doing before their faces were splashed across the tabloids, television and Internet?
Whether just trying to pay the bills or taking that first step on the ladder of success, these celebrities all had modest starts - a far cry from the uber-celebrity, paparazzi bait they are today. Here are some of the jobs your favourite celebrities held long before super-stardom. We're bombarded with images of today's celebs, but did you ever wonder what they were doing before their faces were splashed... more -
Healthy Living Can Add Up to 14 Years Of Life
Taking exercise, not drinking too much alcohol, eating enough fruit and vegetables and not smoking can add up to 14 years to your life, a study says.
Research involving 20,000 people over a decade found those who failed on all criteria were four times more likely to have died than those who succeeded.
The findings held true regardless of how overweight or poor they were.
The Public Library of Science Medicine study suggests many could increase their lifespan through simple changes.
The research was carried out by the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council in the English county of Norfolk between 1993 and 2006.
Participants were aged between 45 and 79. They were socially mixed although overwhelmingly white, and as far as they were aware at the time, did not have cancer or any heart problems. Taking exercise, not drinking too much alcohol, eating enough fruit and vegetables and not smoking can add up to 14 years to your life... more -
Pig-farm killer conviction appeal
Canadian prosecutors are to appeal the second-degree murder convictions of serial killer Robert Pickton.
He was given life last month for the second-degree murder of six Vancouver prostitutes whose bodies he fed to pigs on his farm.
British Columbia's attorney general said the murders were premeditated and Pickton should face the more serious charge of first-degree murder.
Pickton still faces murder charges over the deaths of 20 other women.
Attorney General Wally Oppal said on Monday that he wanted the British Colombia Court of Appeal to order a new trial on all 26 counts of first-degree murder. Canadian prosecutors are to appeal the second-degree murder convictions of serial killer Robert Pickton. ... more -
Yahoo chief opens the mobile web
Yahoo chief Jerry Yang has revealed the firm's future ambitions for an open and mobile web.
Central to the company's aims is allowing third party software developers to create small applications which can run in Yahoo portals.
The first Yahoo platform to allow these widgets, as they are known, will be Go 3.0, developed for mobile phones.
The search firm showed off applications that allow people to check MySpace, eBay and MTV on the go. Yahoo chief Jerry Yang has revealed the firm's future ambitions for an open and mobile web. ... more -
Intel Quits Effort to Get Computers to Children
A frail partnership between Intel and the One Laptop Per Child educational computing group was undone last month in part by an Intel saleswoman: She tried to persuade a Peruvian official to drop the country?s commitment to buy a quarter-million of the organization?s laptops in favor of Intel PCs.
Intel and the group had a rocky relationship from the start in their short-lived effort to get inexpensive laptops into the hands of the world?s poorest children.
But the saleswoman?s tactic was the final straw for Nicholas Negroponte, the former Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer researcher and founder of the nonprofit effort.
He demanded that Intel stop what he saw as efforts to undermine the group?s sales, which meant ceasing to sell the rival computer. Intel chose instead to withdraw its support from One Laptop this week. A frail partnership between Intel and the One Laptop Per Child educational computing group was undone last month in part by an Intel s... more -
Netflix Partners With LG to Bring Movies Straight to TV
Netflix, the DVD-by-mail company with more than seven million customers, has a new strategy that may one day make those red envelopes obsolete.
The company wants to strike deals with electronics companies that will let it send movies straight to TV screens over the Internet. Its first partnership, announced Wednesday night, is with the South Korean manufacturer LG Electronics to stream movies and other programming to LG?s high-definition televisions.
The partnership will extend a novel feature from Netflix, announced a year ago, that allows paying subscribers to watch any of 6,000 movies and television shows on its Web site free. But that service can be accessed only with a personal computer. Netflix, the DVD-by-mail company with more than seven million customers, has a new strategy that may one day make those red envelopes ... more -
Britney Stretchered Out of Home!
Britney Spears has been carried out of her home on a stretcher and taken into custody after police were called in a dispute involving her children.
"While officers were at Britney's home they found that Britney appeared under the influence of an unknown substance," officer Jason Lee told the BBC.
"She is being taken into custody for evaluation," he added.
The 26-year-old singer and ex-husband Kevin Federline are wrangling over custody of their two young sons. Britney Spears has been carried out of her home on a stretcher and taken into custody after police were called in a dispute involving ... more -
Looted Sculptures to be sent home
Two ancient sculptures of Greek goddesses dug up by looters in Sicily in 1978 are to be returned.
The statues were donated in 2002 to the University of Virginia which agreed to hand them back to Italy.
They were found outside the Sicilian city of Aidone, at the site of Morgantina, an ancient Greek settlement where they were displayed in a temple.
The sculptures are thought to represent Persephone and Demeter and date back to around 525BC. Two ancient sculptures of Greek goddesses dug up by looters in Sicily in 1978 are to be returned. ... more -
San Francisco Youth Votes 2008
My pod outlines the work of San Francisco Government TV and their website which advocates youth participation in voting, politics and the local mayoral election. Let me know what you think! My pod outlines the work of San Francisco Government TV and their website which advocates youth participation in voting, politics and ... more
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Man Shocked at $85,000 Phone Bill
A Canadian man has been shocked to receive a mobile phone bill for nearly $85,000 (£41,000).
Piotr Staniaszek thought he could use his new phone as a modem for his computer under his $10 unlimited mobile browser plan from Bell Mobility.
He downloaded high-definition movies and other large files unaware that this incurred massive extra charges.
Bell Mobility has since lowered the bill to $3,243, but Mr Staniaszek says he intends to fight the charges anyway. A Canadian man has been shocked to receive a mobile phone bill for nearly $85,000 (£41,000). ... more -
Mysterious mammal caught on film
An "extraordinary" desert creature has been caught on camera for what scientists believe is the first time.
The long-eared jerboa, a tiny nocturnal mammal that is dwarfed by its enormous ears, can be found in deserts in Mongolia and China.
Zoological Society of London (ZSL) scientist Jonathan Baillie said the footage was helping researchers to learn more about the mysterious animal.
The species is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red list.
The unusual animals were filmed in the Gobi desert during an expedition led by Dr Baillie.
Until now, the creatures had proven extremely difficult to study, thanks to their minuscule size, nocturnal nature and the harsh desert environment that they inhabit. An "extraordinary" desert creature has been caught on camera for what scientists believe is the first time. ... more -
Man Trapped in Toilet For Four Days
A man spent four days trapped in a toilet after the door handle broke.
David Leggat, 55, was unable to raise the alarm after becoming stuck in the toilets at Kittybrewster and Woodside Bowling Club in Aberdeen.
Mr Leggat had no mobile phone or food, and used tap water for refreshment and for heat.
He was only released when cleaner Cathy Scollay arrived and heard his cries for help. She told BBC Scotland: "He said 'I have been locked in for four days'."
Mrs Scollay added: "I went in to work as normal and a voice shouted out. I could not take it in.
"The handle had broken. He was a bit shaky, and was as white as a sheet."
Mr Leggat was said to be none the worse, despite his ordeal. A man spent four days trapped in a toilet after the door handle broke. ... more -
Olympics Tickets Being Sold Illegally!
Black market tickets for next year's Olympic Games in China are already being sold illegally on the internet.
Individuals who were initially allowed to buy 50 tickets each are cashing in by selling them for more than 10 times their face value.
Beijing's Olympic Committee (BOCOG) allows tickets to be transferred between users, but not for profit.
The second round of ticket sales has just been launched, and applicants will be randomly allocated seats.
A BOCOG spokesman said: "We will work with relevant departments to respond to the practise of reselling tickets for profit." Black market tickets for next year's Olympic Games in China are already being sold illegally on the internet. ... more -
Ancient kangaroo didn't hop, say scientists
A 25 MILLION-year-old fossil has revealed that a predecessor of Australia's hopping kangaroo once galloped on all fours, had dog-like fangs and possibly climbed trees, scientists have reported.
"This is really the great, great, great, great grandfather of modern kangaroos,'' a member of the Australian team that analysed the bones, La Trobe University paleontologist Ben Kear, told The Age newspaper.
The near-complete skeleton of the prehistoric kangaroo was found in Queensland state in the 1990s and represents a new species called nambaroo gillespieae, Dr Kear said.
The ancient animal is part of an extinct group of kangaroos known as the balbaridae, which is believed to have been replaced over time by the direct ancestors of modern kangaroos. A 25 MILLION-year-old fossil has revealed that a predecessor of Australia's hopping kangaroo once galloped on all fours, had dog-... more -
Tiffany predicts bright year-end
The upmarket jeweller Tiffany, which has recently opened a store on Wall Street, says it is "making plans for a strong holiday season".
Many retailers are bracing themselves for a tough Christmas, especially in the US, where the housing slump is expected to hit consumer spending.
But Tiffany has raised its sales forecast for the whole of 2007.
The jeweller has also announced a deal with Swatch Group, which will make all of its watches in future.
Tiffany watches currently make up between 2% and 3% of its total sales and it hopes that the partnership with the world's biggest watchmaker will help to boost that figure. The upmarket jeweller Tiffany, which has recently opened a store on Wall Street, says it is "making plans for a strong holiday se... more -
Gun Rampage--Teen Wanted Fame
A teenager who shot dead eight people in a US shopping centre before killing himself wrote in a suicide note that he wanted to be famous.
Robert Hawkins, 19, from Bellevue, Nebraska, opened fire at the Westroads Mall in Omaha on Wednesday.
A woman who took him in after he left home said he left a note saying he was sorry for everything and did not want to be a burden to anybody.
Police have confirmed the existence of the note, but not its contents. A teenager who shot dead eight people in a US shopping centre before killing himself wrote in a suicide note that he wanted to be famo... more -
Lion sculpture gets record price, $57 mil at auction
A tiny limestone figure of a lion from ancient Mesopotamia has sold at auction for $57m (£28m), almost double the previous record price for a sculpture.
The 8.3cm (3.25in) tall Guennol Lioness is thought to have been carved 5,000 years ago in what is now Iraq and Iran.
The lion, whose new owner has not been identified, had been on loan to the Brooklyn Museum of Art for 59 years.
The previous record for a sculpture was set last month when Pablo Picasso's Tete de Femme was sold for $29m.
A 2,000-year-old Roman bronze sold for $28m in June, the previous record price for an antiquity sold at auction. A tiny limestone figure of a lion from ancient Mesopotamia has sold at auction for $57m (£28m), almost double the previous record pric... more -
Prehistoric sea monster discovered
Remains of a bus-sized prehistoric "monster" reptile found on a remote Arctic island may be a new species never before recorded by science, researchers said Tuesday.
Initial excavation of a site on the Svalbard islands in August yielded the remains, teeth, skull fragments and vertebrae of a reptile estimated to measure nearly 40 feet long, said Joern Harald Hurum of the University of Oslo.
"It seems the monster is a new species," he told The Associated Press.
The reptile appears be the same species as another sea predator whose remains were found nearby on Svalbard last year. His team described those 150-million-year-old remains as belonging to a short-necked plesiosaur measuring more than 30 feet "as long as a bus ... with teeth larger than cucumbers." Remains of a bus-sized prehistoric "monster" reptile found on a remote Arctic island may be a new species never before recor... more -
Court orders Tweety and Mickey to take the stand
ROME - Your honor, I thought I saw a pussycat!
In what lawyers believe was a clerical error worthy of a Looney Tunes cartoon, a court in Naples included the cartoon characters Tweety Bird, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and his girlfriend, Daisy, in a summons, officials said.
In fact, it's a criminal trial of a Chinese man accused of counterfeiting products of Disney and Warner Bros ROME - Your honor, I thought I saw a pussycat! ... more -
Republicans hold YouTube debate
US Republican presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney clashed on immigration during a debate using questions submitted by the public.
After Mr Romney accused Mr Giuliani of being soft on illegal immigrants, Mr Giuliani suggested his rival had employed them at his mansion.
Eight candidates answered questions sent by people via video-sharing website YouTube and broadcast by CNN.
The clash came 35 days before the first votes are cast in the nominating races.
While Mr Giuliani leads in national polls at present, he trails Mr Romney in Iowa and in New Hampshire, which host respectively the first caucus and the first primary. US Republican presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney clashed on immigration during a debate using questions submitted b... more
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Kate Lemley
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Kate Lemley
