| July 30th 2009 Aliens Abducted Cubans After numerous UFO sightings over Cuba, officials are investigating a rash of terrifying alien abductions! "My cousin Pedro was working in the fields when he disappeared," says 74-year-old farmer Juan Famosa. "Weeks later, a heavy fog descended on my land and Pedro came stumbling out of the mist." He told me a spaceship swooped down and two scary creatures jumped out and grabbed him." Doctors are analyzing scars Pedro Famosa says he received during a series of painful tests aboard the alien craft before he was returned home. |
| July 29th 2009 Alien Neighbors Don't look now, but your friendly next-door neighbor just might be an alien! This mind-boggling news is the result of recent research by Dr. Clarence Ford and Dr. Stanley Otter, two renowned astrobiologists who've spent their lives studying the origin of mankind. "Our research has proven that primitive microbial life forms arrived on Earth from outer space about 4 billion years ago," Ford explains. "This would have been during the time of the Archaean bombardment - a horrific period in Earth's history when the planet was struck with a hail of meteors and gigantic asteroids." "Once the destructive assault ended and things quieted down, the microbes co-existed with our ancient ancestors until some of these alien cells were actually absorbed into the genetic makeup of some human beings." Research shows that the actual creation of life on other planets that are similar to Earth is not only possible but highly probable. Ford and Otter maintain that the development of the alien micro-organisms right alongside humans is totally logical. "I think it's a distinct possibility there are aliens living amongst us," Otter declares. "The DNA of the microbes has evolved through different stages, just as man's development did." "But just because these organisms came from another solar system doesn't mean they're a threat." "In fact, there's nothing to fear from our alien brothers and sisters because turning on us would mean their own destruction." |
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July 27th 2009 |
| POLL RESULTS Do You Prefer Fame Or Respect? Selection Votes Fame 52% 16 Respect 48% 15 31 votes total Are You Prouder Of Your Accomplishments Or Your Character? Selection Votes Accomplishments 43% 12 Character 57% 16 28 votes total Would You Prefer Infamy Or Anonymity? Selection Votes Infamy 52% 14 Anonymity 48% 13 27 votes total Would You Prefer To Be Recognized In Your Lifetime Or By Posterity? Selection Votes Lifetime 38% 10 Posterity 62% 16 26 votes total |
| July 54th 2009 The Magicians Hall Of Fame Museum To visit the museum housing some of Houdini's historic props and stage secrets, you'd need to be an escape artist yourself - because the building's been deemed a death trap! The Magicians Hall of Fame Museum is located in the basement floor of a Washington Mutual Bank building in Los Angeles. In 2004, a power transformer exploded in an underground vault, filling the building with toxic chemicals. The EPA ordered the building decontaminated, and environmental hazard crews spent a month cleaning the whole building - except the basement. A few months ago, the bank settled a lawsuit with the power company to recoup their losses. But the magicians can't afford to foot the $1 million bill to clean up their basement area, and the bank refuses to spend an extra dime. For now, if you want to see any of the relics from the world's greatest escapist, you'll have to find your own way past the locked doors into the sealed chamber. And you'll have to wear a hazmat suit! |
| July 24th 2009 Unleash Your ESP! You can awaken your sleeping sixth sense, interpret omens, contact deceased loved ones and glimpse future events, says a renowned psychic. Jeffrey A. Wands, who earns his living as a professional intuitive, shares his lifetime of experience in his new blockbuster book, The Psychic in You (Pocket Books). "Years ago, I was subject to a blistering attack by a skeptical radio talk show host named Candy Jones, who questioned whether everyone has a psychic ability," Wands recalls. "My answer is a question: How can you say it doesn't exist unless you try to experience it yourself?" "Don't decide it before you try it!" Wands says everyone can develop special insights, as long as they remain calm and maintain respect for their own psychic energy. Here's how. Pay Attention To Everything: Every object, from childhood toys to department store cash registers, has its own psychic energy. Touch the object, close your eyes and focus on it energies. Then try to interpret those energies by guessing who owns the object or where it comes from. As you progress, your guesses will become more and more accurate. Practice Makes Perfect: Use your psychic side every day,. Learn to rely on what your sixth sense is telling you - because it's always the truth! Meditate Regularly: Wands recommends sitting in a quiet, comfortable place where you can concentrate on your breathing - inhale through the nose, pull air down to your belly, then exhale. "Pray to God to take you to a peaceful place," he explains. "Close your eyes and imagine a peaceful scene." Challenge Yourself: In the morning, write down a series of questions, then try to answer them. Try to predict things, like what next year's most popular TV show will be, or what color shirt a particular person will wear to work that day. Don't expect to get all the answers right at first. It takes time for psychic skills to develop. |
| July 23rd 2009 Naked Cowboy v.s. M&M New York's famous "naked cowboy" has become a major tourist attraction, parading around Times Square with his guitar dressed in nothing but white underpants, a white Stetson and white boot. The cowboy - real name Robert Burck - has also parlayed his schtick into a big-money international advertising symbol, and he's going to court to protect his image. In the other corner of the legal square-off is the giant Mars candy company, which has erected a billboard featuring a guitar-playing M&M dressed in - you guessed it - a white hat, white boots and white undies outside their Times Square store. In a lawsuit, Burck claims they've infringed on his trademark to promote their product. Mars acknowledges Burck's right to trademark the name "Naked Cowboy," but challenges his claim to the getup, arguing that tightie whities should be up for grabs. Burck's lawyer, Kevin Mulhearn, counters that the M&M is a clear-cut copycat. "It's pretty obvious that it was copied from the Naked Cowboy's trademark and persona," he says. |
| July 22nd 2009 Haunted Bandini Mansion An eerie, ethereal image of a woman dressed in a filmy white gown literally emerged from the floorboards during the restoration of a historic home in San Diego, California. Workers ripping out the floors, walls and ceilings of the Bandini house have seen the ghostly apparition walk through sealed windows and thick wooden doors as she wanders aimlessly through the stately mansion. "I have seen a woman in a translucent, vintage white dress walk through the thick adobe walls, simply breeze past other people and then simply disappear into thin air," says Ben Marcus, a 68-year-old retired stock broker from Chicago, who has toured the site. Dozens of others have reported similar experiences since the renovations began. The 14-room house was built by Peruvian-born aristocrat Don Juan Bandini in 1829. He sold it after he ran into financial difficulties and it became the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Since then, it has been a pickle factory, a general store, a motel and the Bandini Restaurant. Now, it's being refurbished to be the home of an updated version of the Cosmopolitan Hotel. During all this time, there were periodic reports of lights going on and off by themselves and other spooky happenings. Larry Felton, the project's archaeologist, discovered numerous secret passageways and hidden chambers, where the spirit presumably was hiding until she was disturbed by the construction crews. No one has been able to identify the well-dressed ghost with certainty, but some speculate it is one of Bandini's daughters, who were known to take great pride in making their own clothes. "The house has gone through many changes over the years, and the ghost has always remained," says parapsychologist Annette Bush. "She has a strong emotional attachment to this place and I expect she'll be around for a long time to come." |
| July 21st 2009 72-Year-Old Mother!!! A senior citizen has become the oldest mom in the world after giving birth to twins at age 72 - a feat that's ignited a worldwide ethical and medical debate about fertility treatments. Omkari Panwar, who delivered a boy and a girl by Caesarian section, finally fulfilled her husband's dream of a male heir. "I'm very happy," says Charam Singh, 75, who's also a grandfather of five. "The yearning for a male child has always been there, but God didn't bless us with a boy until now." "We're very grateful to God, who has answered our prayers." But not everyone is thrilled with the use of in vitro fertilization to impregnate such an elderly woman. "There's no doubt that breakthroughs in treating infertility have led to many joyful births," says Houston obstetrician Dr. Sharon Smith. "But there's a big difference between motherhood at 42 and 72. The child could become an orphan while still in diapers!" Smith believes a fetus developing in an elderly womb is at higher risk for genetic disorders. Panwar and Singh's neighbors and friends in rural India have also shown strong disapproval of the unorthodox birth. But the desire for a son proved stronger than any obstacles. The couple spent their entire life savings and took out a bank loan to pay the sky-high medical expenses. Hindus believe death rites must be performed by the closest male relative, making the need for a boy particularly important. Now, with his newborn son in arms, Singh says he and his wife finally have their heart's desire. "It's a miracle," says the retired farmer. "My wife is very happy." The birth of the twins knocks Romanian mom Adriana Iliescu, previously the world's oldest mother at age 67, out of the top spot in the Guinness World Records. |
| July 20th 2009 Live To 120 With New Drug A miracle drug that can help you live to be 120 could soon be available at the corner drugstore! Researchers at CereMedix pharmaceutical company say the pill is packed with ependymin, a protein found in fruits and vegetables that stimulates the brain into producing disease-fighting antioxidants. A daily dose of the new drug is the equivalent of eating 30 pounds of fresh produce and will slow the signs of aging by boosting the body's immune system. Scientists now testing ependymin in clinical trials believe it will lengthen the average lifespan from 75 years to 120, while having a dramatic effect on lung illnesses, Alzheimer's and strokes. "Everyone taking the pill will be better and have more energy," declares Steve Parkinson, president of CereMedix. "Instead of pumping the patient full of chemicals, we will be giving them a more natural drug." |
| July 19th 2009 The Dinosaur/Chicken Connection Researchers are planning to bring the science fiction dinosaurs of Jurassic Park stomping back to life - with a little help from the humble chicken. "Of course we can bring them back to life," insists paleontologist Jack Horner, of Montana State University. "Their ancestral DNA is still present. The science is there." "I don't think there are any barriers, other than the philosophical." In Steven Spielberg's blockbuster movie, scientists bring dinosaurs back to life by using DNA found in the guts of mosquitoes preserved in amber for millions of years. But real researchers were only able to extract DNA from the preserved insects themselves, not from whatever animals they'd been feasting on. Instead, as reported in ThePapNews in 2008, researcher Mary Schweitzer, of North Carolina State University, discovered soft tissue inside a thigh bone taken from Tyrannosaurus rex. Experts had assumed that everything inside a fossilized bone had been converted to stone. "Out popped the blood vessels, and I said, 'I don't believe it - that's not possible,'" Schweitzer explains. "It was one of those goose bump moments." The tissue went to Harvard Medical School for analysis, which found the protein inside was nearly identical to modern chickens. "It's the molecular evidence of this link between birds and dinosaurs," explains study leader John Asara. "These DNA sequences are closer to birds or chickens than anything else." Since then, more scientists have been experimenting with well-known birds, attempting to "switch on" the long-dormant genes inherited from the dinosaurs. Last November, Hans Larsson, a paleontologist from McGill University in Montreal, manipulated genes inside a chicken embryo, coaxing the bird to grow a reptilian tail. Developmental biologists Matt Harris and John Fallon, of the University of Wisconsin, have successfully turned on another gene that allows chickens to grow teeth - with the same curved shape as the fangs of flesh-eating dinosaurs! Harris and Fallon have also isolated the gene that converts feathers into reptilian scales. "Everything we need to recreate living dinosaurs is already right there in the laboratory," explains geneticist John Males, of a private biotech firm in Singapore. "This isn't theoretical - it's already being done, piece by piece. "Within the next 12 months, we'll have put it all together and brought the first dinosaurs back to life." "After that, it's only a matter of time before we can recreate giants like T rex. The only question is where we can keep them once they're here." |
| July 18th 2009 The Genesis Project Ship Welcome to the next generation of luxury ocean liners - starring a mammoth vessel that'll be the largest cruise ship ever built! Royal Caribbean has announced the production of a $1.2 billion ocean-going colossus dubbed the Genesis Project. She's 154 feet wide, 1,180 feet long and weighs 220,000 tons. The ship is so big, she can't sail through the Panama Canal. Ports in Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico and Jamaica are spending millions building new facilities large enough to serve the floating city. But her 6,400 passengers - so many people it'll take them four fours to de-board - shouldn't notice any limits on ports of call. The Genesis Project will have its own tree-lined boulevards and a public green called Central Park. "This is a revolutionary design in which the center of the ship opens to the sky and features lush, tropical grounds," says a cruise line representative. "Central Park will offer an exquisite public gathering place featuring serene pathways, seasonal flower gardens and canopy trees." Gardeners will maintain groves of painted and golden bamboo and cherry, black olive and Cuban laurel trees, as well as sculpture gardens surrounded by lush rabbit-foot ferns, red ginger and giant elephant ears. Six stories of special half-balcony rooms will overlook the super ship's Central Park, just like the luxury apartments on New York City's Park Avenue. The first Genesis Project ship should set sail in November 2009. |
| July 17th 2009 6-Year-Old's Credit Card A preschooler got a $600 license to spend when he got his very own credit card - even though he's only 6! Amy Christiansen, a public defender in Aurora, Illinois, was amused when her son Bennett started getting credit card applications in the mail last year. She helped him fill one out just to see what would happen - and was stunned when Bank of America responded by sending Bennett a credit card! "How can somebody who's an adult with a job get a credit card denial, and a child who has no income and no assets get a card?" Christiansen asks. "They should, at the very minimum, look at the income and the birth date of the people applying and use some sort of common sense!" Bank of America spokeswoman Betty Reiss had no comment on the case, but says the bank has a policy of not offering cards to minors. |
| July 16th 2009 The HMS Ontario A 300-year-old warship described as the holy grail of shipwrecks has been discovered at the bottom of Lake Ontario in eerily good condition. "To have a Revolutionary War vessel that's practically intact is unbelievable - it's an archaeological miracle," exclaims Arthur Britton Smith, the author who wrote the definitive history of the HMS Ontario, a ship that sank without a trace in 1780, devastating the British defenses. A sudden gale sent the 80-foot sloop of war and all 130 souls aboard - 60 British soldiers, a crew of 40 Canadians and 30 American prisoners - to a watery grave 500 feet below the surface. Underwater explorers Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville discovered the HMS Ontario's resting place using side-scanning sonar and an unmanned submarine. "Usually when ships go down in big storms, they get beat up quite a bit," explains Scoville. "This went down in a huge storm and it still managed to stay intact." "It's a beautiful ship." Experts say the severe cold, minimal sunlight and lack of oxygen at such an extreme depth kept the HMS Ontario in near-perfect condtion. Kennard and Scoville say they intend to treat the wreck as a war grave and refuse to disturb it or its contents. |
| July 15th 2009 Angry About Your Neighbors? Is the guy next door driving you nuts with his window-rattling rock music? Or are you steamed because the dog down the street repeatedly does his business in your yard? Now there's an outlet for your outrage - the internet web site http://www.rottenneighbor.com/ - where you can anonymously post grievances about those nasty so-and-sos on your block. The site also shows the homes of the bad guys, which are colored red for rotten, on aerial maps. Brant Walker, 27, of San Diego, California, created the site after moving into an apartment, only to discover foul fumes from his neighbor's place were stinking up his new pad. And with an average of several hundred thousand hits a day, he's obviously struck a nerve. "It's a good resource because it tells you things that a real estate agent won't tell you," Walker says. David Adams, of Magnolia, Mississippi, says he couldn't get a wink of sleep due to the howling hounds next door. Even going t ocourt, alleging a noise violation, didn't stop the yapping, he adds. Then he discovered RottenNeighbors. "Nothing seemed to work, and I couldn't get any help from the city," Adams explains. "So I figured, let's try public humiliation." Shortly after he posted a video of the barking pooches, other people added their gripes and offered helpful solutions. Another frequent online visitor says clicking on RottenNeighbors is a guilty pleasure. "It's kind of like watching a train wreck," explains Maegan Polak, 51, of Flossmoor, Illinois. "You know you shouldn't be enjoying it, but you are." |
| July 14th 2009 Giraffe Zoo Escape A zoo was the scene of a four-footed jailbreak after a giraffe kicked a hole in a cage big enough to allow 15 camels, two zebras and an unknown number of llamas and pot-bellied pigs to escape. The animals-on-the-lam marauded through a neighborhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for hours after their 5:30 a.m. break for freedom. Police, with the help of herding dogs, rounded up the gang and returned them to the zoo. |
| July 13th 2009 Rocket Man Billionaires are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a take-no-prisoners battle to be the first to send well-heeled tourists into space, but a humble former toothpaste technician claims he can beat his moneybags rivals by hard work, experience and just plain moxie. "It's not what you spend, it's how you spend it," says Steve Bennett, who has managed to scare up about $8 million in pursuit of his high-flying dream. He figure she needs about $14 million more. By contrast, Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Airlines, has sunk $200 million into his space tourism project. Bennett has unveiled Nova 2, the largest rocket ever built in Britain. It can reach an altitude of 120,000 feet in just 3 minutes. The 57-foot spacecraft weighs a little more than a ton and it had its first test flight last September. Although he brims with confidence, Bennett isn't taking any chances in case his lofty scheme blows up in his face. He's building a launch pad on a deserted bay in Lancashire, England. "The tide comes in twice a day, so if something burns, the water will put it out," he says. Two potential passengers have faith in Bennett, who insists his business will be flying high by 2013. They've already plunked down $500,000 each for seats on the first flight. Bennett himself will be at the controls. It will be a no-frills trip. "We will go straight up and straight down," Bennett says. "It will be like a roller coaster ride, except a little bit more powerful. We're looking at about 4 minutes of weightlessness." |
| July 12th 2009 Super Fruits Exotic fruits from around the world are now available at your local supermarket, and research shows these tasty treats can fight cancer, lower blood pressure, improve memory, lull you to sleep and slow the aging process. Here's a list of seven unique super fruits guaranteed to fill you with vim and vigor: Goji Berry - A handful of these tart red berries, grown in the Himalayas, are filled with more iron, vitamin C and betacarotene than servings of beef, oranges and carrots. The fruit also contains zeaxanthin, an antioxidant that studies suggest can prevent eye disease caused by aging. Pomegranate - Turn back the hands of time by drinking this rejuvenating juice. It's filled with bioflavonoids that slow the aging process. Pomegranates also contain an anti-cancer compound called ellagic acid, which scientists have successfully used to shrink tumors. Mangosteen - This tropical fruit from Southeast Asia contains xanthones, the active ingredient in the herbal remedy St. John's wort, which fights depression. Either as a juice or in dried form, mangosteens also increase the feel-good chemical serotonin in your brain while producing tryptophan to help you sleep. Boysenberry - Eating jelly or syrup made from this purplish-blue berry will improve your memory while slowing down the ravages of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Scientists believe the fruit's high levels of the antioxidant anthocyanin is what protects the brain against age-related impairment. Passion Fruit - If you're having trouble getting a good night's sleep, this delectable fruit is loaded with vitamins and minerals to relax your nervous system and lead to blissful slumber. One glass of passion fruit juice will also lower your blood pressure while providing a large dose of vitamins A and C. Kumquat - This is the perfect fruit to add to your diet when you're trying to drop unwanted pounds. About the size of a grape tomato, kumquats are only 16 calories each and naturally increase your metabolism. Their skin also contains pectin, a fiber that makes your tummy feel fuller, longer. Acai Berry - This tiny gem from Brazil is considered the most nutritious food on Earth, packing more cancer-fighting antioxidants than blueberries and more protein than eggs. University of Florida researchers also discovered that acai berry extract causes leukemia cells to destroy themselves! |
| July 11th 2009 House That Bleeds Investigators are baffled by a house that has started dripping blood. The small, nondescript building on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is home to a retired elderly couple who have asked not to be identified. All they want is to know why blood has been squirting and oozing from the floors of their bedroom, living room and one of their bathrooms, splashing the walls at a height of nearly a foot. "In a preliminary analysis, we thought the liquid could be paint," explains police investigator Marco Antonio Ferreira. "But it is blood." "I visited the house and I've seen that everything was fine. There's nothing wrong there." Except, of course, that most homes don't ooze human blood! "We did the analysis more than once and there's no doubt that it was human blood, and fresh, from the same day in which we collected it," says Wilson Pereira, head of the forensic science unit. Other residents in the suitably-named Jardim Bizarro neighborhood - Portuguese for "Bizarre Garden" - say the couple are above suspicion. "I've known them for years," says a neighbor named Angela. "They've lived here for 38 years and nothing like that has ever happened." "Everything around here has always been peaceful. But a week ago, a young man was murdered, another was thrown from a train and now, blood is dripping from nowhere." "We are scared." "They say the fact that our village has 'bizarre' in the name attracts bad luck. It may well be." The couple, who are devout Catholics, called their priest for help, and a group of 20 ladies from the local church have visited the house to help clean the mess and pray. But no one has come close to solving the mystery. There are no missing persons and no signs of a crime other than the fresh blood. Investigators have taken blood samples from the couple and their daughter for comparison with the splashes on the floor and walls, and are awaiting results. |
| July 10th 2009 Pig In Boots The problem of a picky piglet terrified of mud was solved when her owners covered her hooves with toy boots. Pig farmers Debbie and Andrew Keeble were baffled by the fastidious female porker's refusal to join her brothers and sisters as they blissfully wallowed in the farmyard. But ever since the swine they named Cinders was fitted with tiny footwear taken from a couple of teddy bears, she trots around happy as a pig in ... well ... you know. Now, the only problem the Keebles foresee is finding larger boots for Cinders as she grows. |
| July 9th 2009 67 Years Later Watch Returns Teddy Bacon was a World War II naval officer when his expensive gold watch slipped from his wrist and sank into the harbor at Gibraltar. Divers who searched for it failed to find it back in 1941, so imagine Bacon's shock to him after 67 years! "To say I was stunned would be a major understatement," says the 90-year-old widower. "It truly was a miracle to be reunited with that watch after a lifetime." Bacon vividly recalls the day aboard the HMS Repulse when he lost his prized possession. "I was showing one of the sailors how to throw a line to shore and I remember, as clear as day, seeing the watch sail off my wrist and disappear into the water," he says. Bacon left a full description of the Bulova Automatic with the harbormaster, whose log entry revealed his name as the owner if the watch workmen scooped up while recently dredging the harbor. "Now I wear it every day and it keeps perfect time, even after all those years in the water," Bacon decalres. "It's absolutely excellent and I consider it a long-lost friend." |
| July 8th 2009 Space Wedding In the market for a wedding that's really out of this world? Make your reservations now to tie the knot in space! The Japanese company First Advantage has partnered with the U.S. firm Rocket Plane to offer happy couples the chance to take the plunge aboard a small space vessel. From a private airport in Oklahoma, the wedding shuttle will blast 60 miles into the sky - high enough for passengers to see the curving outline of Earth far beneath them. The bride, groom and up to three guests will spend enough time in zero gravity to exchange vows while weightless. "The couple would perform most of the ceremony before takeoff, so they can say their vows and look out the window," explains company spokesman Taro Katsura. The high-flying marriage ceremonies are the latest trend in space tourism, an industry that's been booming since 2001, when American millionaire Dennis Tito paid a whopping $20 million to ride a Russian rocket. The space weddings will be downright cheap by comparison - a mere $2.4 million! |
| July 7th 2009 Farmland Hero Bill Gross earns his living at the controls of high-flying 747 jet transport planes, but his soul is in the soil of the American heartland. Since 2006, the 41-year-old UPS pilot has put 5,000 hours and $20,000 of his own money into Farm Rescue, an organization he founded to help farmers in times of trouble. So far, he's aided 59 farmers plant and harvest their crops when they've been laid low by illness, injury or natural disaster. His goal is to help out 100 by the end of next year. Richard Olson was mangled by a piece of machinery on his farm in Ellendale, North Dakota. He faced ruin when doctors told him he'd probably never walk again. Gross and Farm Rescue saved Olson's land, planting 2,500 acres of corn and soybeans. Gross, who grew up on a farm, respects the fiercely proud and independent character of the American farmer. Don't mention the word "charity" - there are no cash handouts, just a neighborly helping hand. "Years ago, when there was an accident or an injury, neighbors would usually come and help each other," Gross says. "Nowadays, there are fewer family farms, and it's just not easy for neighbors to help one another anymore." Olson, who has experienced Gross' willingness to pitch in first hand, adds: "We're all proud of the independence we have, and we want to do our own thing, but we can't always do our own thing." |
| July 6th 2009 N'kisi The Bird A talkative African grey parrot has a vocabulary of 950 words - and he can even make up jokes. Unlike other parrots, who merely mimic the sounds of human speech, N'kisi speaks just like a human, creating brand-new sentences from scratch. N'kisi stunned famed ape expert Jane Goodall when they met. He recognized her from photographs with chimpanzees and asked her: "Got a chimp?" When he saw another parrot hanging upside down from its perch, he quipped: "You gotta put this bird on camera!" N'kisi's talents don't end with the spoken word - he's psychic! His owner, New York artist Aimee Morgana, claims her pet can read her thoughts. Once, when she was looking at a picture of two people embracing, N'kisi asked: "Can I give you a hug?" |
| July 5th 2009 LS9's Fuel Of The Future If you're reeling from the soaring price of gasoline - and who isn't? - take heart. A tiny bug that feasts on agricultural waste products can poop out enough gas to keep us up and running forever! That's right! A San Francisco biotechnology company has genetically modified the little critter, which is about a billionth the size of a ant, to excrete crude oil after it eats things like wood chips or wheat straw. The company, called LS9, Inc., claims the bugs can produce unlimited amounts of gasoline at a price of about $1.25 a gallon - and protect the environment at the same time. "All of us are aware of the urgency," says LS9 senior director Greg Pal. "I have two children, and climate change is something they are going to face." "We have a collective responsibility to do this." Pal and his associates have proved the bug can perform in the labratory. All they have to do now is scale the project up to satisfy our demand for gasoline we can afford. |
| July 4th 2009 High-Powered Ray Gun The world's first solid-state laser ray gun has passed its final tests and is ready to be deployed on the battlefield. Designed by Boeing Missile Defense Systems the weapons can fire multiple bursts of 100-kilowatt power, destroying enemy personnel and equipment at the speed of light. It can be aimed so precisely that damage will be limited to the intended target without affecting the surrounding builings or people. The ray gun is assembled from lasers already in use in the auto industry, so it will be cheap to produce. It's capable of blasting planes out of the air and blowing up tanks and missile launchers on the ground. "Solid-state lasers will revolutionize the battlefield by giving the war fighter an ultra-precision capability that can dramatically reduce collateral damage," says Boeing vice president Scott Fancher. |
| July 3rd 2009 Probe To The Sun NASA has given the green light to send a probe deep into the Sun's corona to answer two of the most baffling mysteries of our solar system. The unique spacecraft called Solar Probe + will have to withstand temperatures in excess of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and survive radiation bombardments never before endured by any object made by human hands. Set for launch in 2015, the probe will make seven orbits close to the sun's seething atmosphere, measuring our star's violent nuclear activity. Scientists hope it will be able to radio back answers to two puzzles that have had astronomers scratching their heads for decades. Common sense says the sun should be hotter at its surface than anywhere else. Yet the surface temperature is about 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit, while in its outer atmosphere it's more than 1.8 million degrees. Why? The second question concerns the solar wind, a stream of charged particles that spew forth from the sun. Like the temperature, this wind gets stronger the further away it is from the sun's surface. "We are going to visit a living, breathing star for the first time," says NASA's Lika Guhathakurta. "This is an unexplored region of the solar system, and the possibilities for discovery are off the charts." |
| July 2nd 2009 Exorcism Of Anneliese Michel Villagers in a small Bavarian town are shuddering as throngs of strangers gather at the grave of a young woman who died during an infamous exorcism. The locals remember all too well the shocking events dramatized in the blockbuster film The Exorcism of Emily Rose, that are drawing crowds of pilgrims and curiosity seekers to the sleepy village of Klingenberg am Main. Every month, cemetery caretakers have to replace as much as five bucketfuls of soil taken as souvenirs from the grave of the real-life Emily Rose, a 16-year-old devout Catholic girl named Anneliese Michel. In 1968, she began shaking uncontrollably and losing control of her body. Neurologists diagnosed the teen with epilepsy and had her hospitalized, but her case soon took on supernatural elements. Anneliese began seeing demonic faces and hearing voices threatening her with eternal hellfire as she prayed. The visions grew more severe, until in 1973, Anneliese's parents asked for an exorcism. At first, the local bishop felt their request was unfounded and that the young woman's condition was simply due to mental illness. But over the next two years, she became less rational, screaming for hours on end, breaking cruicifixes and portraits of Jesus and mutilating herself. Finally, Bishop Josef Stangl of Wurzburg authorized two priests to perform "The Great Exorcism" to drive the demons from Anneliese's body. From September 1975 to July 1976, they conducted two rituals every week. The slender girl, who had to be chained down to keep her from attacking the priests, spoke in the voices of demons who possessed Judas Iscariot, Cain and Adolf Hitler. For several weeks, she stopped eating. On June 30, 1976, she was too weak to kneel by herself. By the next morning, she was dead. Medical examiners blamed starvation. Both priests who performed the exorcism and Anneliese's parents were convicted of negligent homicide. They recieved a six-month suspended sentence, three years of probation - and the haunting memories of losing their beloved Anneliese to the forces of darkness. |
| July 1st 2009 Happy Countries Ready to put on your happy face? Then head to Denmark, rated by researchers as the happiest country in the world! America, though it tops the planet in wealth, is only 16th on the happy list, while Zimbabwe, suffering under dictator Robert Mugabe, is the world's most miserable. "Denmark is prosperous - not the richest country in the world, but prosperous," explains study leader Robert Inglehart, of the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. "From a global perspective, the United States looks pretty good. It's not only prosperous, it ranks relatively high in gender diversity and has high levels of political freedom." Other top-ranking happy places include Colombia, Puerto Rico, Northern Ireland, Iceland and Switzerland. |