Ashton Kutchner Becomes Top Tweet

Actor Ashton Kutchner has become the first person to achieve one million followers on Twitter. Kutcher triumphed over CNN in their much ballyhooed race to be the first to reach a million followers on the micro blogging Web site. Kutchner surpassed that benchmark in the early morning hours Friday [17th], narrowly edging out the breaking news feed from the Time Warner Inc-owned network.

We have shown the world that the new wave is here. It is present and it is ready to explode. You guys are all of it because I can't follow me.

Those are the words of Kutchner, a proud revolutionary, the new savior of our planet, spoken in a live webcast.

Britney Spears is close behind and a new-comer to the scene, Oprah Winfrey has started strong and already passed the 100,000 mark.

Tweet is sweet, explosion is imminent, the new wave has come.

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Attempts to Silence Holy Father

France, Germany, the United Nations' AIDS-fighting agency, and the British medical journal The Lancet called the pope's remark that condoms are not the answer to Africa's AIDS epidemic irresponsible and dangerous. The Belgian Parliament passed a resolution calling them "unacceptable" and demanded that Belgium's government officially protest. The Roman Catholic Church opposes the use of condoms as part of its overall teaching against contraception.

The Vatican deplored "the fact that a parliamentary assembly should have thought it appropriate to criticize the Holy Father on the basis of an isolated extract from an interview, separated from its context." A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said: "We are making it clear that the pope and the church won't be intimidated by these criticisms or by media campaigns and will continue to staunchly support Catholic positions on moral issues."

Some unidentified sources have found it surprising that celibates have a say in issues related to sex.

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Thousand-Hand Guan Yin

I have watched various versions of the Thousand-Hand Guan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion but none has touched me like this one by China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe. All of its performers are deaf. The last thing that these dancers deserve is the word disabled in their titles.

Imagine the challenge when they try to synchronize their every move without hearing the music. It is a living monument dedicated to human will, a compass that points to hard work, integrity and the desire to succeed. An indisputable proof that we as mankind will survive. I know I am a little bit lost for words but you will forgive me after watching the video.



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Have a Cup of Coffee While Reading This

According to a research by two Yale psychologists, John A. Bargh and Lawrence E. Williams, encountering warmth or cold lights up the insula — a walnut-sized section of the brain — and the insula is the same part of the brain engaged when we evaluate who we can trust in economic transactions. The physical sensation of warmth encourages emotional warmth, while a chilly drink in hand serves as a brake on rash decisions. Barth argues that,

One person's perceptions of another's "warmth" is a powerful determining factor in social relationships. Judging someone to be either "warm" or "cold" is a primary consideration, even trumping evidence that a "cold" person may be more competent. Much of this is rooted in very early childhood experience, when infants' conceptual sense of the world around them is shaped by physical sensations, particularly warmth and coldness.

The practical advice Bargh takes away from the study is that important decisions are best taken with a cold drink in hand, because that part of the brain that triggers caution in economic and trust decisions is stimulated by cold sensation. Conversely, if you are planning on introducing your fiancee to mom and dad, pass on the icy martinis in that air-conditioned, glass and steel restaurant; do it over a mug of hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire.

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Do not Sing and Dance at Karaoke Bars

Otherwise, you may be inclined to use drugs like ecstasy pills. At least, this is the reasoning behind The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, that wants to ban dancing in karaoke bars of Vietnam.

The ministry posted the proposed ban on its website and invited public comment on the move, its latest attempt to clamp down on illegal behavior at the popular singing clubs. Le Anh Tuyen, head of the ministry's legal department has said:

The function of karaoke bars is for singing, not for dancing. The ban for dancing in karaoke bar is to limit the use of ecstasy pills. Any dance in a karaoke bar would violate the proposed ban but "behavior with less danger to society," such as simply moving to the beat of a song without using ecstasy, would not be fined.

Discussion continues as to who will monitor and decide what is dancing or what is "moving to the beat" all around the country.

Common Denominator of Facebook Users

According to a new study by doctoral candidate Aryn Karpinski of Ohio State University and her co-author Adam Duberstein of Ohio Dominican University, college students who use Facebook, the 200-million-member social network, have one common denominator: they have significantly lower grade point averages (GPA) than those who do not.

The study found that the GPAs of Facebook users typically ranged a full grade lower than those of nonusers — 3.0 to 3.5 for users versus 3.5 to 4.0 for their non-networking peers.

Karpinski says she isn't surprised by her findings, but notes that the study does not suggest Facebook directly causes lower grades, merely that there's some relationship between the two factors. "Maybe Facebook users are just prone to distraction. Maybe they are just procrastinators," Karpinski told.

In February, Oxford University neuroscientist Susan Greenfield cautioned Britain's House of Lords that social networks like Facebook and Bebo were "infantilizing the brain into the state of small children," by shortening attention span and providing constant instant gratification.

New evidence by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a researcher at USC, shows the digital torrent of information from networking sites could have long-term damaging effects on the emotional development of young people's brains. Sites like Facebook and Twitter may blunt people's sense of morality and users could become "indifferent to human suffering" because they never get time to reflect and fully experience emotions about other people's feelings.

Some experts dismiss all studies of Internet use as flawed, since there is no reasonable way to control for the myriad variables that may affect such research.

Facebook also issued a statement and pointed to another study showing that personal Internet use at work can help focus workers' concentration and increase productivity.

Parents and employers are confused.

Egg Yolk Color Demystified

"Egg yolk color depends on the hen's feed," said Pauline Chan, a dietitian and the managing director of The Nutrition Place, Singapore. "A diet of wheat and white corn meal would produce an almost colorless yolk. If the hen is fed a diet that includes yellow corn meal, marigolds or carotene, the egg yolk would have a deep yellow color."

Brown eggs are produced by hens with red ear lobes and feathers while white eggs are produced by hens with white ear lobes and feathers. There is no significant link between shell color and the nutritional value of an egg.

June Liew, a dietitian at the department of dietetics and nutrition services at Singapore General Hospital added that some people claim that eggs promote soft and healthy hair by nourishing the hair follicles with essential proteins, sulphur content and its wide array of vitamins and minerals. For these reasons, eggs are used to make shampoos and conditioners despite the fact that more studies are needed to prove the efficacy of eggs on skin and hair health.

Porn Production Hit Hard

"Filming is beginning to slowly move to Eastern European countries where girls are willing to do the work for less money," says Michael, a British expatriate who used to work at a publication specialising in the porn film industry.

One of the best known figures in the industry, director and producer Istvan "Kovi" Kovacs disagrees, "Due to the recession and to the free content available on the Internet, the industry is suffering losses in Hungary and everywhere else."

A bulky man in his fifties, "Kovi" has made over 70 X-rated films and won two AVN Adult Movie Awards, also known as the "Oscars of porn", with his production company LUXx Video, which he started in the 1990s.

"Nowadays, Internet users stop at the gates of paid content," says Kovi, sitting in his office in an outer district of Budapest, surrounded by shelves of awards; "Consumers are tightening their belts and with widespread DVD piracy, good times seem to be over for the adult film industry."

Former Coup Leader Appointed PM in Fiji

Karl Marx once said "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce," or if we have to quote George Bernard Shaw, "If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience."

President of Fiji Ratu Josefa Iloilo apparently heard neither as he has seen no harm in appointing the former coup leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama to head the politically unstable South Pacific nation's government on Saturday, less than two days after a court ruled his 2006 coup illegal.

Bainimarama came to power in a bloodless coup in 2006. On Thursday, in a case brought by former prime minister Laisenia Qarase, the Court of Appeal overturned an earlier judgment that the military chief's government was legal, and called for a new government led by neither man pending fresh elections.

Iloio was quick to respond: he annulled the Constitution, enacted emergency powers for the country's military and police, and finally issued a decree giving himself the power to appoint a prime minister by decree.

After this tactical mistake, we shall soon see how two dancers on a single rope can manage in this troubled heaven.

Haunted House Clause a Relief

Are you insured against your worst possible nightmares? Or what if your house that you wasted your years to buy it was haunted? Excepting the extremely unlikely case of selling its movie rights, its value would no doubt depreciate overnight. Worry no more.

Recession-hit economy has triggered an unsurpassed torrent of creativity among businesses small or big, but especially the insurance companies which took the hardest blow:

InPro Insurance Group unveils its specialty haunted house insurance, theatre insurance, and special events insurance policies, designed specifically for the unique property and equipment needs of the themed attraction, special event and performing arts industry. After setting new standards within the insurance industry with affordable General Liability policies for haunted attractions and special events InPro now offers these additional insurance coverage policies.

Thornton Aims High in Politics

Billy Bob Thornton, the Oscar-winning screenwriter-actor-director and singer-songwriter-drummer is apparently aiming a career in politics. In a recent interview hosted by Jian Ghomeshi about his band "The Boxmasters", his elaborate technique of evasion and creating confusion must have been noted by some figures in Washington, DC no doubt, especially the Republicans who might want to seek a second Reagan for 2012 presidential elections. I especially liked the following part where he played with Ghomeshi:

Ghomeshi: Billy Bob, you guys formed only in the last couple years, right?

Thornton: I don't know what you're talking about.

Ghomeshi: How so?

Thornton: I don't know what you mean by that.

Ghomeshi: When did the band form?

Thornton: I'm not sure what that means.

You can even spot a gradual change in his choice of outfits. Watch him closely.

Obama's Nice Gesture Returned

All signs suggest that President Obama's visit to Turkey has taken the relations to an unprecedented level the international analysts have said.

During the welcome ceremony, Obama's choice of a red tie -attributed to the red of Turkish flag- has been duely returned by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who put on an American blue tie.

Their suits also have been noted by experts. "A difference of only a few shades of gray is a clear indicator of how close both countries' policies actually are," said a well known but hardly remembered commentator. "I am positive we will see a realignment of both parties' future actions in the Middle East after these significant but sublime steps."

Shoe Throwing as a Hobby Spreads

A journalist threw a shoe at the Indian home minister, apparently in anger over his Congress party fielding a leader who had been accused of leading anti-Sikh riots in New Delhi in the aftermath of the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984.

"Let not emotional action of one person hijack the entire press conference," Chidambaram remarked after the incident.

The journalist refused to comment when asked about brand of the shoe. Yet, unidentified sources confirm that several US shoe manufacturers are on the verge of pushing their new "throw enhanced" designs in the market. An unknown spokesperson said, "We believe this trend will increasingly continue and we are confident that shoe throwers will like our nano-technologically modified products."

Monthly Review of the World Economy

US May Remove Bank Executives

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says he is prepared to oust executives and directors at banks that require "exceptional" government assistance. That's strange! I can not see why government should step in and interfere with private firms.

According to Geithner this might be necessary to protect US taxpayers' interests, although keeping the money in treasury or distributing it to the public would have had the same effect without additional conditions.

Spain Predicts Surge in Jobless

The Bank of Spain has predicted that the country's rate of unemployment will reach 17.1% in 2009 and 19.4% in 2010.

Oddly enough, I agree with the Bank. Believe it or not, I made the same prediction a day or two ago by just reading the headlines:

Eurozone unemployment rises again
Irish unemployment at fresh highs
Germany's unemployment rate rises
Euro manufacturing 'slides again'

It is somewhat unfortunate to name Monday after the Moon, don't you think?

Marijuana Good For Your Brain

I knew it! It was almost time somebody announced a controversial finding about something in this upside down inside out world of ours. It happened to be marijuana and I could not be happier even though this meant my fantasy of secretive gardening with my unique pottery collection has come to an end.

Researchers of Complutense University, Madrid have discovered that main ingredient of marijuana, THC (tetrahydracanabinol) effectively killed cancerous tumors in mice. The therapy was also used in two patients with brain cancer and positive results were found. Details were published in April issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation:

Cannabinoid action induces autophagy-mediated cell death through stimulation of ER stress in human glioma cells

I can only get this much serious here, no more.

Alaska is a Cold State

Levi Johnston, Bristol Palin's ex-boyfriend and dad to their infant son Tripp thinks Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin knew he and Bristol having sex. Joined by her mother Sherry, and his sister, Mercede, he shares his valuable insights with us in the Tyra Banks (I think she was a former model) show.

Levi claims they shared the same room with Bristol Palin in their residence and practiced safe sex most of the time. He was pretty sure the Governor knew because moms are supposed to be smart. It is absurd to assume they shared the same bed to fight cold Alaska nights (and days) by cuddling each other, although it is the most logical thing to do and avoid hypothermia.

In cold weather, your body may lose heat faster than you can produce it. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature which could be fatal. Protecting the heat of your body is equally important as having safe sex. When traveling to Alaska, make sure you are prepared: don't sleep alone!

Google Car Chased by Property Conscious Villagers

I have always thought seeing your home in Google Maps is cool. The residents of Broughton, just north of London, UK, disagree, however. As one resident has pointed out:

"This is an affluent area. We've already had three burglaries locally in the past six weeks. If our houses are plastered all over Google it's an invitation for more criminals to strike. I was determined to make a stand, so I called the police."

So, Google's ambitious plan to offer a 3-D street level view of communities across three continents seems to have failed as far as Broughton is concerned. The Google camera car has been chased away and nobody including the thieves are aware that there are interesting targets in the village, even after the story hits every media outlet in the planet.

Britney Spears the Spy

Britney Spears, 27, the famous singer and pop star is on a distinguished road to being the next 007. In her effort to end his father's control, she devised one cunning plan after another, or something similar according to Sam Lutfi's younger sister Christina who testified in a Los Angeles court that she recently snuck a cell phone to the pop star at a Beverly Hills hotel – a plan allegedly hatched by Spears herself.

Apparently Spears wanted to hold of Sam, whose brother had once been a manager of hers, to ask him to find a lawyer. So she tried to get a prepaid cell phone because Jamie, her father was blackmailing her with visitation rights over her kids. She met with Cristina in a sauna, where her friend brought a phone from either Sam or ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib. Blair Berk, a lawyer for Jamie Spears said that Britney was in fear of Sam or someone else that we have not yet seen before or after. Whereas, Lutfi's attorney, Bryan Freedman, denied his client committed any wrongdoing in a rightful way.

To be continued...

Photo: INF

Lenin Unable to Laugh His Ass Off

The statue of Vladimir Lenin, who led the Bolshevik revolution that carried the Communists to power in 1917, has been bombed. The anonymous bomber who later called several news agencies reportedly claimed that he was afraid Lenin was going to laugh his ass off after recent economic downturn. "Being a thoroughbred capitalist, I could not let that happen," he said and continued:

"I was careful to blow a hole in only the most appropriate part of the statue in St. Petersburg (previously Leningrad). I am not an enemy of culture like those Taliban insurgents. Besides, I believe, my work has brought a fresh air to modern sculpture."

Image: AFP

Seeing a Doctor Could Save Your Life

As Roland Martin of CNN has clearly demonstrated in his recent article, paying a visit to your doctor seriously increases your chances of survival. Not only that, it could even help you get laid.

Gone are the days when men cured themselves after self diagnosis, Martin says, modern medicine has created wonders in the last few decades and "Men are harming their health by their reluctance to go to the doctor." He encourages that married women should say "no doctor's visit, no sex;" a warning that is certain to get men's attention!

So, why are you waiting? Hurry!

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