Some Weird News

Singapore is ranked 144 out of 173 nations. The bigger the number the less press freedom in your country.

Asean countries with a worst ranking than Singapore include Burma [170], Vietnam [168] and Laos [164].  For a country that prides itself as an international city, no other modern metropolis is ranked so far below. http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29031

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WHEN EVEN YOUR ENEMIES KNOW YOU'RE GOOD FOR THEM

October 22, 2008: Al-Qaeda is watching the U.S. stock market's downward slide with something akin to jubilation, with its leaders hailing the financial crisis as a vindication of its strategy of crippling America's economy through endless, costly foreign wars against Islamist insurgents.

And at least some of its supporters think Sen. John McCain is the presidential candidate best suited to continue that trend.

"Al-Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election," said a commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah, which is closely linked to the terrorist group. It said the Arizona Republican would continue the "failing march of his predecessor," President Bush. - Washington Post

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LOST PAUL'S HEAD

A wax figure of Paul McCartney's head was accidentally left on a London train this week. Auctioneer Joby Carter was travelling from Ealing Broadway to Maidenhead in Berkshire and left the head in a box under his seat. Now it is missing.

The wax figure was made in the '60s for the Louis Tussard museum. It could be worth up to £10,000. A £2,000 reward is being offered for its return. - Punmaster's MusicWire http://www.punmaster.com

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YUSUF ISLAM TAKES A POKE AT U.S. SECURITY

Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, has a new song called "Boots and Sand" that was inspired by the singer's 2004 run-in with the no-fly list. Four years ago, Stevens was flying from London to a Nashville recording studio when a name similar to his came up on the no-fly list, causing the pilot to divert the plane to Maine where Cat was detained by the FBI then deported.

In the song, Stevens, who converted to Islam in the late '70s, sings about traveling to "the birth land of rock n roll" and getting stopped by seven sheriffs telling him he's "on our no-song list."  Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Gunnar Nelson and others all lend their voices to the recording of the song, which will come out early next year. Meanwhile, according to USA Today, these days the singer is no longer on the no-fly list and sails through airport security. - Punmaster's MusicWire http://www.punmaster.com

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EAT FAST, GET FAT

The old adage "slow and steady wins the race" appears to apply to weight gain as well. Osaka University scientists looking at the eating habits of 3,000 people found that those who ate faster tended to put on weight. The findings are in the British Medical Journal.

The latest study looked at the relationship between eating speed, feelings of "fullness" and being overweight. Just under half of the 3,000 volunteers told researchers they tended to eat quickly. Compared with those who did not eat quickly, fast-eating men were 84 per cent more likely to be overweight, and women were just over twice as likely.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7681458.stm

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THE LAST WORD ON HELPING SHEEPLE

"The government is already thinking about what it can do to help businesses and ordinary Singaporeans."

- Goh Chok Tong, former Singaporean prime minister, Oct 20, 2008.

This is how they helped Singaporeans the last time.

Please see the nation-builder press, November 14, 2006.

The rationale for raising GST then was to use the extra $5 BILLION raised to help the poor. Although most experts calculated that the people most affected by a rise in GST were the poor. Click on the banner above to see how the PAP government has been "helping" Singaporeans.

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A Singapore mobile phone ad aimed at youngsters in Sheep city.

IS YOUR SPERM DAMAGED?

According to Australian scientists Oct 20 2008, men who have long talks over the cell phone lower their chances of becoming a biological father. Researchers made an experiment which revealed DNA damage after 16 hours of exposure to radiation that is similar to the one a cell phone emits.

The results of the study were presented at a fertility conference held in Brisbane. The study supports a research performed by American scientists showing that men who often use their cell phones have up to 40 per cent lower sperm counts.

In order to study the effect of radiation emitted by the cell phones on sperm, scientists at the University of Newcastle developed a device that can irradiate sperm at a radio frequency similar to the frequency of cell phone calls.

According to the director of Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology, John Aitken, exposure to 16 hours of radiation showed proof of DNA damage. Researchers linked DNA damage in spermatozoa with reduced fertility, high level of risk of miscarriage and a number of diseases in children, including cancer and several neurological disorders, including autism and spontaneous schizophrenia. - NEWS.com.au

http://www.infoniac.com/health-fitness/heavy-use-of-cell-phones-leads-to-sperm-dna-damage.html