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US school rebuked for ibuprofen strip search
Suspecting that a student had violated a policy against prescription or over-the-counter drugs without permission, public school officials in Safford, Arizona, ordered a search of Savana Redding.
A school nurse had her remove her clothes, including her bra, and shake her underwear to see if Ms Redding was hiding anything.
The 2003 search, prompted by a tip from another girl, did not find ibuprofen, which is found in common medications like Advil and Motrin to treat pain like cramps and headaches. Higher doses require a prescription.
Previous court decisions ruled the school did not violate the US Constitution's Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures because officials have a legitimate interest in protecting students from prescription drugs.
The 6-5 ruling by a panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday overturned an earlier decision, setting out its reasoning in an extensive 75-page ruling with many details on the complications of eighth grade life. Suspecting that a student had violated a policy against prescription or over-the-counter drugs without permission, public school offic... more -
Fairytales Stamped With Safety Warnings
TEACHERS are being urged to give children safety messages after reading them fairytales warning not to copy characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and Hansel and Gretel.
A new child protection curriculum being implemented by the Education Department also requires teachers to refer to children's "sexual parts" and use their correct anatomical names with children as young as three. TEACHERS are being urged to give children safety messages after reading them fairytales warning not to copy characters such as Little ... more -
Porn Accidentally Broadcast on Family TV
Families watching Prime TV this afternoon got a shock when the Grass Roots Rugby show they were watching was suddenly replaced by hardcore porn.
Parents were outraged at the programming blunder, one father told 3 News his 8-year-old son's innocence had been ruined.
Within minutes of the images going on air, 3 News was flooded with calls from distressed viewers.
Prime would not comment when contacted by 3 News.
The company did later release a statement admitting that at 2:58pm, three minutes and 50 seconds of 'inappropriate material' from one of Sky's adult channels went to air.
Prime said the problem was caused by a distribution fault and that the company had taken steps to ensure it did not happen again. Prime also apologised for any offence the mistake may have caused. Families watching Prime TV this afternoon got a shock when the Grass Roots Rugby show they were watching was suddenly replaced by hard... more -
Orgasms make you smarter! Hooray!
This gives new meaning to sleeping your way to the top of your (academic) profession and / or jerking off to a new (non-needed) PhD topic: according to Hamburg sex researcher Werner Habermehl, more sex increases one’s intelligence.
Yippee! Seriously now, and this applies to couples and DIYers (in either case, it helps if you’re good with your hands): during lovemaking and/ or sexual stimulation, the hormones adrenalin and cortisol stimulate the brain. Bingo: more stimulation, more pathways, and so on. You know the drill, right?
Sex is also associative: the experiences you collect during sex help you out in other, not necessarily related, life-experiences. Sailing, for example: it’s always a good thing to know how to tie knots. Or HR (believed by some to refer to Human Resources, but in reality referring to Human Remains): who wouldn’t benefit from having sexual experience when negotiating with a prick of a boss?
So, assume the position. This gives new meaning to sleeping your way to the top of your (academic) profession and / or jerking off to a new (non-needed) PhD to... more -
Liquor ad features Lindsay Lohan's mugshot
Lindsay Lohan is not exactly toasting her latest public appearance.
A mugshot of the 21-year-old actress, who has been in and out of rehab after two arrests last year on drunken driving and cocaine charges, was prominently featured Friday in an advertisement attacking legislation for devices that measure a driver's blood alcohol level before their vehicle can start.
The full-page black-and-white ad appeared in USA Today on Friday and was paid for by the American Beverage Institute, a trade group that supports the interests of the alcohol industry. The ad reads "Ignition interlocks are a good idea for" above Lohan's mug shot from her July 24, 2007 arrest and "But a bad idea for us" above smaller photos of people drinking. Lindsay Lohan is not exactly toasting her latest public appearance. ... more -
Breakthroughs in tissue regrowth give hope to war wounded
It's science fiction turning into fact.
A new Defense Department program to make U.S. soldiers whole again is developing cutting-edge medical technology that's regrowing human tissue, in some cases, on the backs of mice.
The Pentagon recently launched the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine or AFIRM, a five-year $250 million initiative in cooperation with researchers at Wake Forest and Rutgers that uses soldiers' own stem cells to grow skin, muscles, tendons and even bone.
Army Surgeon General Lt Gen Eric Schoomaker said like a salamander regenerating a lost tail -researchers want to take amphibian technology and use the same concept for humans.
Based human body's natural ability to self-heal, they attach cells to scaffolding, say in the shape of a nose, and re-grow tissue. It's science fiction turning into fact. ... more -
Hope to blind with successful 'bionic eye' operations
Surgeons have carried out the first operations in Britain using a pioneering “bionic eye” that could in future help to restore blind people’s sight.
Two successful operations to implant the device into the eyes of two blind patients have been conducted at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
The device — the first of its kind — incorporates a video camera and transmitter mounted on a pair of glasses. This is linked to an artificial retina, which transmits moving images along the optic nerve to the brain and enables the patient to discriminate rudimentary images of motion, light and dark.
The operations were conducted as part of an international clinical trial of the technology, known as the Argus II retinal implant, which has already proved successful in restoring rudimentary vision to patients who have become blind because of common conditions such as age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. Surgeons have carried out the first operations in Britain using a pioneering “bionic eye” that could in future help to restore blind p... more -
'I infected 1500 girls with AIDS'
A SERIES of sickening videos have been posted on the internet showing a man who claims to have deliberately "infected" thousands of women with AIDS.
Calling himself 'Trashman' and speaking with an American accent, the masked man says he has infected between 1200 and 1500 unknowing victims with the devastating disease.
He can be seen reading the names and ages of some of the women he claims to have had unprotected sex with in the video clips on website YouTube. The videos - one of which has been viewed 195,000 times - also feature a web address to a "gangsta" portal filled with pornography and where Trashman has a profile. In the first video Trashman is filmed reading from a list of women he claims to have infected.
He gloats: "Today I’m doing a show about something that’s more important than killing rappers."
"This here (piece of paper) that I hold in my hand is a list of women who I actually infected with AIDS on purpose. So if I call your name and if you just happen to be on my 'I got the AIDS from that n***er’ list', then God bless you." A SERIES of sickening videos have been posted on the internet showing a man who claims to have deliberately "infected" thous... more -
Planet’s highest tower to be two miles high
As long as the world continues to watch the race of skyscrapers in United Arab Emirates, the most ambitious project of the highest building in the world is brewing in the United States. The building, dubbed as the Ultima Tower, will exceed the height of the world’s current highest building - Burj Dubai – five times.
It is not a new project at all. It appeared in 1991. The two-mile high building was designed by US-based company Tsui Design & Research. Its Director, Eugene Tsui (an American of Chinese origin) says that the Ultima Tower will leave all other highest buildings in the world far behind. It is going to reach the height of 3,219 kilometers with its 500 floors. A journey to the 500th floor will take 9 minutes and 40 seconds. As long as the world continues to watch the race of skyscrapers in United Arab Emirates, the most ambitious project of the highest bui... more -
The Milkshake Murderer
"Milkshake murderer" Nancy Kissel, serving a life sentence for bludgeoning her high-flying banker husband to death after lacing his milkshake with sedatives, will appeal against the verdict in Hong Kong on Monday.
The appeal will be heard in the city's High Court in front of a panel of three judges and is expected to last eight days, according to court documents.
The case is set to reinvigorate interest in the US couple's bizarre relationship, which included adultery, violence, private detectives, jealousy, and above-all, enormous wealth.
Kissel's trial for the murder of her husband Robert Kissel in November 2003 lifted the lid on the wealthy expatriate community in Hong Kong, gripping local and international media, and becoming the subject of a real-life crime book. "Milkshake murderer" Nancy Kissel, serving a life sentence for bludgeoning her high-flying banker husband to death after lac... more -
Dr. Phil show bails out a girl charged in YouTube attack.
Mercades Nichols, one of eight teens charged in the brutal attack which was captured on a YouTube video, was bailed out by a representative of the show on Friday night, according to a report from MyFOXTampaBay.com.
A judge on Friday set bails ranging from $30,000 to $37,000 for the teenagers.
The Dr. Phil representative was waiting by the jail's exit, and when Nichols walked out, he tried to block Tampa TV station camera people from getting video of Nichols and her family leaving jail.
In the statement on Saturday, the Dr. Phil show said that bailing the girl out of jail was a violation of the show’s rules, and that the show would no longer go forward with the girl’s story. Mercades Nichols, one of eight teens charged in the brutal attack which was captured on a YouTube video, was bailed out by a represent... more -
Weirdest Museums Around The World
Rather than taking in yet another "life of prehistoric man" tableau or exhibit on commemorative coin minting, wouldn't you like to visit a museum that's a little less ... conventional? If you're intrigued at the thought of checking out medieval torture devices, macabre medical curiosities or a display of chamber pots through the ages, read on! We here at IndependentTraveler.com believe there's no shame in bypassing the orthodox for the odd -- so we've compiled some of the world's weirdest museums, offering exhibits that are frightening, humorous, skin curdling or simply bizarre. Rather than taking in yet another "life of prehistoric man" tableau or exhibit on commemorative coin minting, wouldn't ... more
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Accidents at disease lab acknowledged
The only U.S. facility allowed to research the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease experienced several accidents with the feared virus, the Bush administration acknowledged Friday.
A 1978 release of the virus into cattle holding pens on Plum Island, N.Y., triggered new safety procedures. While that incident was previously known, the Homeland Security Department told a House committee there were other accidents inside the government's laboratory.
The accidents are significant because the administration is likely to move foot-and-mouth research from the remote island to one of five sites on the U.S. mainland near livestock herds. This has raised concerns about the risks of a catastrophic outbreak of the disease, which does not sicken humans but can devastate the livestock industry. The only U.S. facility allowed to research the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease experienced several accidents with the feared ... more -
Man jailed for fake Viagra sales
The general manager of a Shanghai chemical company was jailed for two years on Thursday for selling fake tablets of the male impotence drug Viagra on the Internet, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Yu Bohuai made a profit of over 60,000 yuan ($8,585) in 2006 and 2007 by selling 14,030 fake tablets to clients abroad and in Shanghai. He was arrested last July.
Viagra is marketed by Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it to treat impotence in 1998. The general manager of a Shanghai chemical company was jailed for two years on Thursday for selling fake tablets of the male impotence... more -
New Found Species
Also known as elephant shrews on account of their superficially shrew-like form and long trunk-like snout, sengis comprise an exclusively African order of mammals. Relatively small, forest-floor inhabitants, only 15 species were known until recently, when a 16th, and, in sengi terms, positively huge species was dramatically unveiled to science. Also known as elephant shrews on account of their superficially shrew-like form and long trunk-like snout, sengis comprise an exclusiv... more
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15 year old french fry sells on Ebay...
While we (sort of) understand why people pay a little more for a bottle of wine that's improved with age, we're not quite so sure about the speculative value of an aging French fry.
Still, there's a kind of earnest enthusiasm about this eBay ad for "the only known 1993 [McDonald's french] fry in existence," as though it is something that anyone will realize the innate value of.
Evidently, the owner was 15 years old when he originally spilled some fries in his father's new SUV. One of the fries was left under the seat on purpose to "christen" the car, and it remained there, untouched for the lifespan of the vehicle. Now that his father is buying a new car, the fry is being sold like the treasure it is, with 20 percent of the proceeds going to Ronald McDonald House. While we (sort of) understand why people pay a little more for a bottle of wine that's improved with age, we're not quite so... more -
Cocaine permeates two thirds of South Coast’s paper money
There is a good chance you're carrying cocaine.
A UMass Dartmouth chemistry professor's study detected trace amounts of cocaine in 67 percent of the dollar bills researchers collected in Southeastern Massachusetts during the past two years.
Professor Yuegang Zuo said the study, which he said will be published in Scientific Journals International, could provide forensic scientists with information on the origins of illicit drug use, as well as clues won how to differentiate money contaminated in general circulation from cash used directly in narcotics transactions.
"I hope this can give objective data so law enforcement can take the right measures to eliminate, or reduce, these kinds of problems and increase the community's security," Mr. Zuo said.
The UMass study is not the first research to determine that a significant percentage of U.S. currency is contaminated with cocaine residue. There is a good chance you're carrying cocaine. ... more -
Awkward signs from around the world... lost in translation
Ever been in a foreign hotel and seen a sign that directed you to "Slip carefully"?
We've been there. English is a tricky language, and translating it can be just about impossible.
We're all for being worldly, but we're also amazed and amused by the wonderful mistakes people around the world make with that verbal stew known as English.
Here are some of the best we found on the Web, but feel free to send us your own discoveries. Ever been in a foreign hotel and seen a sign that directed you to "Slip carefully"? ... more -
Fake crack sold to nursing home residents
A 22-year-old was arrested on Thursday after phony crack cocaine was sold to residents at a Jacksonville nursing home.
Police arrested Hillmon Arnold outside the Golden Retreat Shelter Care Center at Moncrief Road and Golfair Boulevard, according to his arrest report.
Police interviews showed that a man was selling small pieces of bread that looked like crack cocaine in Tylenol pill bottles to the clients at the center for $5, the report said.
The center was targeted because residents receive their checks the 10th of the month and he needed money to support his own drug habit, the report said. A 22-year-old was arrested on Thursday after phony crack cocaine was sold to residents at a Jacksonville nursing home. ... more -
Six Pirates Captured in Somalia Yacht Hijacking
French officials on Friday said six pirates have been captured in connection with a Somali hijacking.
The French president's office says the pirates are now being held on a French Navy vessel. The president's office made the announcement Friday.
Pirates earlier had freed 30 hostages held aboard a French tourist yacht off Somalia's coast for the past week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday.
In a statement, Sarkozy thanked the French army and other French agencies "that allowed a quick end" to the hostage-taking. The statement did not elaborate on the role of the French military, but said the hostages were freed "without incident." French officials on Friday said six pirates have been captured in connection with a Somali hijacking. ... more
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