Pope seeks to repair sex-abuse 'injustice'

Revelations of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church reached "an unimaginable dimension" in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said Monday to Vatican cardinals and bishops gathered for his traditional Christmas speech.

Benedict said the Catholic Church must reflect on what is wrong with its message — and with Christian life in general — that it allowed for the widespread sexual abuse of children by priests.

The church must train priests better to ensure that such abuses never occur again, he said.

It must also figure out how to help victims of sexual abuse heal, he said.

"We must ask ourselves what we can do to repair as much as possible the injustices that occurred," Benedict said. "We must ask ourselves what was wrong in our message, in our entire way of configuring the Christian being, that allowed such a thing to occur.

"We must find a new determination in faith and goodness."

The Christmas speech is an eagerly anticipated address that he uses to press key issues he wants the church hierarchy to reflect on.
Broader social context blamed

Benedict has previously acknowledged that the scandal was the result of sin within the church and that the church as a result must repent for it and make amends with victims.

But Monday's comments suggested that there might be some intrinsic problem with the way Christianity and its message is understood in the modern world that allowed for the abuse to fester unchecked.

The sex abuse scandal erupted on a global scale this year with revelations of thousands of victims in Europe and beyond, of bishops who covered up for pedophile priests and of Vatican officials who turned a blind eye to the crimes.

Questions were raised about how Benedict himself handled cases both as archbishop in Munich and as head of the Vatican office that handled abuse cases.

Recently, the Vatican released documentation showing that as early as 1988 then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sought to find quicker ways to permanently remove priests who raped and molested children in a bid to get around church law that made it exceedingly difficult to defrock priests against their will.

While Ratzinger was unsuccessful then, Vatican rules now allow for fast-track defrocking for abusers.

Victims advocates say the Vatican still has a long way to go in terms of requiring bishops to report sex crimes to police and release information and documentation about known pedophiles.
 
"We know of the particular gravity of this sin committed by priests and our corresponding responsibility," Benedict told the prelates gathered in the frescoed Sala Regia of the Vatican's apostolic palace.

But he said the crimes of the priests also had to be looked at in the broader social context, in which child pornography and sexual tourism is rampant and to some degree considered normal, and where as recently as the 1970s pedophilia wasn't considered the absolute evil that it is today.

"The psychological devastation of children, in which human beings are reduced to a marketplace article, is a terrifying sign of the times," Benedict said.

He called for a renewed sense of morality, stressing absolute good and evil, to guide the faithful.

Other News:

Kashmir freezes, Leh minus 15.2 degrees
Vatican clarifies pope's condom comments

Vatican clarifies Pope's condom comments

The Vatican sought to clarify the Pope's controversial comments about condoms and HIV, saying he by no means suggested their use could be condoned as a means of avoiding an unwanted pregnancy.
The Vatican's moral watchdog issued a statement Tuesday saying some commentators had misunderstood and misrepresented the Pope's remarks, which appeared in a book-length interview released last month entitled Light of the World.

The Vatican has been under pressure from conservative theologians to issue such a clarification. Many followers were left confused about what Pope Benedict XVI meant and whether he was breaking with church teaching.
In the book, Benedict said that condoms weren't the real or moral solution to battling HIV and AIDS. But he said that condom use in some cases, such as for male prostitutes, could be a first step in a more moral and responsible human sexuality.
The Vatican statement, issued by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, reaffirmed that the church considered prostitution "gravely immoral."
"However, those involved in prostitution who are HIV positive and who seek to diminish the risk of contagion by the use of a condom may be taking the first step in respecting the life of another even if the evil of prostitution remains in all its gravity," the statement said.
It stressed that his logic was "in full conformity with the moral theological tradition of the church."

Confusion fuelled by errors

The Pope's remarks have been mired in confusion ever since they were first published ahead of the official release date in an excerpt in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano on Nov. 20.
The official Italian translation of the original German published in L'Osservatore made two translation errors that fuelled the confusion: It used the word "justified" in the Pope's analysis and also used the feminine version of "prostitute" as opposed to the masculine — an important distinction given that condoms in heterosexual intercourse are a form of artificial contraception, which the church opposes.
The Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, added to the confusion when he said at the official book presentation on Nov. 23 that he had spoken to the pontiff and asked if it mattered whether the prostitute in question was male or female. Lombardi said the Pope told him no, and that it didn't matter if it was a man, woman or transsexual.
In the statement, the Vatican stuck closely to what the pontiff originally said in the interview and stressed that he was not talking about sex between husband and wife or condom use as a means of contraception.
"The idea that anyone could deduce from the words of Benedict XVI that it is somehow legitimate, in certain situations, to use condoms to avoid an unwanted pregnancy is completely arbitrary and is in no way justified either by his words or in his thought," the statement said.
 

Other news:

Kashmir freezes leh minus 15.2 degrees

Kashmir freezes, Leh minus 15.2 degrees

Srinagar: The Kashmir Valley and the Ladak region continued to freeze on Monday with Leh recording a minimum temperature of minus 15.3 degrees Celsius while Srinagar shivered at minus 6.6, the coldest so far this season.

"The minimum temperature recorded in Srinagar today (Monday) was minus 6.6 degrees. The lowest ever recorded in the month of December has been minus 12.6 degrees on Dec 13, 1964," said Sonam Lotus, director of the local weather office here.

"The minimum temperature was minus 15.2 in Leh and in Kargil it was minus 11 degrees."

"In Pahalgam hill station, the minimum dropped to minus 7 degrees. Gulmarg also recorded a minimum temperature of minus 7 degrees," the official added.

Most Srinagar residents preferred to stay indoors and the roads and markets looked deserted in the morning.

The Dal Lake has remained frozen for the last four days and Monday's record sub-zero temperature is likely to intensify the freeze.

"My shikara (boat) could simply not move in the morning. It would damage the boat if I tried any harder to fight the freeze. Probably by midday it might be possible to make some movement in the lake," said Shaban, a 34-year-old Shikara owner.

The weather office has forecast clear night skies in the coming days that could see a further drop in the minimum temperature.

"A western disturbance at present passing over Iran is likely to arrive here by December 29 evening.

"We are expecting rain or snow between December 29 and December 31," said MS Wani, assistant meteorologist at the weather office here.

The biting cold has forced authorities to consider shutting down winter schooling, which was started to make up for classes lost due to the unrest in the valley in the summer months.

Kardashian gifts toys and Aguilera her son

Aguilera gifts coffee-maker to two-year-old son

When many would have expected her to gift toys to her two-year-old son for Christmas, pop star Christina Aguilera has bought a coffee-maker for him instead.

The "Genie in a Bottle" hitmaker says there couldn't have been a better gift for her child, Max.

"He loves pretending to make mummy's coffee. It's very cute! So for Christmas I'm getting him this children's coffeemaker," Aguilera has been quoted as saying by contactmusic.com.

Max is her child with estranged husband Jordan Bratman.

Kardashian distributes toys for Christmas

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian gave away hundreds of toys to children at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital.

"Heading to LA Children's Hospital to give out toys! Thank u Hobby Tron for the amazing donation! 500 toys! Wow!" femalefirst.co.uk quoted her post.

Elizabeth Hurley blames Indian media for running fictitious stories

LONDON: Elizabeth Hurley's split from Arun Nayar and her fledging romance with Australian cricketer Shane Warne might have first hit headlines in the UK but it is Indian media that has earned her wrath for making up stories about her.

Hurley recently took to twitter to announce her separation with Nayar after allegations in the British media that she cheated on her Indian husband with Australian cricketer Shane Warne.

But the 45-year-old, who tweeted that she separated from Nayar "few months ago", is reportedly trying to save her marriage after realising that Warne was two-timing her with another woman, whom he flooded with racy messages.

Obviously, stories in India media that Nayar wants a quickie divorce with Hurley and has been spotted with a brunette has not gone down well with the actress.

"The Indian press has to take top marks for fiction," a livid Hurley wrote on her twitter page.

"Sorry to rain on your parade Gossip Press, but Arun's 'mystery brunette' is his brother's wife. Snigger (sic)," the former model said.

Earlier, miffed with speculation regarding her marital status post revelations, Hurley wrote: "Bored now of silly speculations: no one is divorcing anyone yet, no one is fighting over money and I have no plans to go to Australia. Enough!"

Hurley, who has eight-year-old son Damion from a previous relationship, wed Nayar in an extravagant ceremony in India in 2007 and sold the pictures to magazines for millions.

The actress had also praised Nayar for being a great father to Damion days after announcing her split.

"Painful, sad days. Arun & I separated for private reasons but FTR he has been a great father to our son Damian & will always be in his life.(sic)," Hurley had tweeted.

Cancer-causing chemical found in tap water of 31 US cities

Hexavalent chromium, an industrial chemical and a major health risk highlighted in the movie “Erin Brockovich” in 2000, continues to haunt Americans. A national survey has found that the drinking water in 31 US cities is contaminated with the substance.

The award-winning film recounts the legal battle waged by residents of Hinkley, California who blamed exposure to the chemical for high rates of cancer and other diseases.

The Environmental Working Group, which released the findings Monday, found highest concentrations of hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium 6, in the drinking water in Norman, Okla., Honolulu and Riverside, California. The levels ranged from 12.9 parts per billion in Norman to 0.03 ppb in Cincinnati and Boston, the Christian Science Monitor reported.

Scientific and legal debate has raged over the risk posed by hexavalent chromium in drinking water since the 1990s, when the then-obscure legal file clerk Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts in the film, unearthed evidence that the substance had leaked from a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) natural-gas plant into the groundwater in Hinkley.

Residents sued, and in 1996 PG&E paid a $333 million settlement to about 600 people who blamed exposure to the chromium 6 for high rates of cancer and other diseases.

The average contamination in the cities surveyed was .18 ppb. That’s three times the ideal standard under consideration by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

Rebecca Sutton, who oversaw the survey, acknowledges that there have been periodic alarms and lawsuits across the country over chromium 6 contamination.

“What this report indicates is that this problem may be more widespread, just at lower levels of concentration,” Sutton was quoted byt the Monitor as saying. “These are chronic exposures we’re concerned with. A little bit every day can involve increased risk.”

Some researchers have claimed that the risks are negligible when the substance is ingested. Still, in 2009, National Toxicology Program scientists reported that their research “clearly demonstrates” that the compound is a carcinogen, substance responsible for cancer, in drinking water.

Sam Delson, a spokesman for California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, says his agency considers that finding conclusive.

Sutton hopes the survey will prompt more widespread checks for hexavalent chromium contamination, and new federal regulation.

India successfully test-fired Prithvi-II missile

Balasore: India Wednesday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed and nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile, which has a striking range of 350 km, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the Orissa coast.

"The missile mounted on a mobile launcher was test-fired from the launch complex-3 in the ITR at around 0815 hours", defence sources said.

The test-firing of the missile, which has already been inducted into the armed forces, was successful, the sources said, adding it was a routine trial conducted by the personnel of strategic force command (SFC).

"The entire trajectory of today's trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, electro-optic telemetry stations and ships launched in the down range impact point area in the Bay for the post-launch analyses," the sources said.

During the last user trial from the same launch complex on September 24, 2010, the missile, had failed to perform due to some technical problems.

"Prithvi-II missile had proved its robustness and accuracy repeatedly during many trials earlier," a Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) official said.

With a maximum striking range of 350 km, Prithvi-II is capable of carrying a pay-load of 500-1000 kg warhead.

"Taken from routine production lot during earlier user trials by Indian Army, the missile had achieved single digit accuracy reaching close to zero circular error probability (CEP)," the sources said.

The missile, which has the features to deceive any anti-ballistic missile, had demonstrated flight duration of 483 seconds reaching a peak altitude of 43.5 kms during user’s trial in 2008.

Similarly, as part of operational exercises by the Armed forces, two numbers of Prithvi-11 missiles, aimed at two different targets at 350 km from launch point of ITR, at Chandipur were successfully launched within minutes of each other on 12 October, 2009 and all the mission objectives were met, the sources said.

Prithvi, the first ballistic missile developed under the country's prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), is propelled by liquid propulsion twin engine.

With a length of nine meter and one meter diameter, Prithvi-II uses an advanced inertial navigation system with manoeuvring trajectory.

The sleek surface-to-surface missile had proved its accuracy when the user tried it in a salvo mode on March 27 and June 18, 2010 from ITR, Chandipur. It was the fourth successful Prithvi-II flight within a period of eight months.

Sachin beats Sir Don in a poll conducted by Aussie newspaper

Melbourne, Dec 21 (PTI): Iconic Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who on Sunday became the only cricketer in history to have scored 50 Test tons, emerged runaway winner over Don Bradman in a poll commissioned by an Australian newspaper on who is the best batsman of all time.

In an online poll conducted by the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' asking readers to vote for ''The greatest batsman ever: Bradman or Tendulkar?'',Tendulkar secured 67 per cent of the votes as against Bradman''s 33 per cent. 20768 cricket fans voted.

Tendulkar seemed to have got votes from those who took into account that he played in three formats of the game and against 10 countries while Bradman played in only Test matches and primarily in Australia and England only.

"Tendulkar is better than Bradman. Tendulkar has played three forms of the game to Bradman''s one. Tendulkar has played around in many different pitches, against a variety of bowlers, and is the highest run getter in Tests and one dayers. Undisputedly, the BEST EVER," one comment said.

"Bradman scored a total of 7000 runs of which 5000 plus were against one country. He played only against four countries in an era where not many matches were played in a year. He did not face too many world class bowlers, with the fastest being Larwood who bowled supposedly at 95 mph," another post said.

"I am Australian. I love Don Bradman .... But my unbias thought is Sachin is Greater. Sachin has more than 30,000 Runs. He is playing in an era where every ball is analyzed and taken note of. Yet 12 nations have not found the way to stop this man.

"When Bradman played cricket .. . it was not analyzed as we do it today. Bradman only played Test and that to only in ENG and AUS. This 30,000 runs, 50 Test hundreds, 45 ODI hundreds, 200 runs in ODI stands out for Sachin and that''s why he is greater," another fan said.

Those who consider Bradman better than Tendulkar felt the Australian legend played on uncovered pitches at a time when there was no helmet and yet he had a near hundred average.

"Bradman - no helmet, uncovered pitches, higher average, no advantage of a modern bat, more centuries per innings - enough said really. Tendulkar is the best in the modern game, but Bradman is hands down the greatest," one cricket fan commented.

"No brainer in my view, but no doubt that both were legends of their era. There are two many variables to make an accurate comparison across eras. Conditions, equipment, frequency of matches, quality of opposition. 99.94 is the stand out for me," another comment said.

But some felt the comparison was futile as the two legends played in different eras.
"Sounds foolish to compare players from two different eras. Numbers don''t count much when the conditions are so different. Same debate has been on comparing Pele and Maradona," a comment said.

How criminals use Facebook to commit crime

London, Dec 20 (ANI): Think giving out basic personal information on Facebook is harmless? You might need to rethink, as a reformed burglar has given details on how a criminal can use your user account as a tool for committing a crime.

"The information people give out on Facebook, when linked up with other information freely available on the internet, is an absolute -goldmine for criminals," the Daily Mail quoted Michael Fraser, a reformed burglar who presents the BBC's 'Beat The Burglar' programme, as saying.

"One year, you might have a party and give out your address. A while later, you might tell everyone that it is your 30th birthday.

"So, if you've accepted me as a friend of a friend, I know your name, your address and your birth date.
"From that, I can go to 192.com and on there I can find out what you do for a living, how much your home is worth - and whether you're likely to be worth burgling.

"I might have already made up my mind because you've posted party -pictures on Facebook and I can see what kind of valuables you have in the house - and which rooms they're in. Then you go and tell your Facebook friends how much you're looking forward to going on holiday next Tuesday.

"I can go on to Google Street View and see actual photographs of your home. I can see if you have a burglar alarm, or whether there are any bushes in the garden to hide in. And I can see all the alleyways I can escape down. And, of course, I know you won't be at home.

"Burglars only burgle homes if they think they can get away with it. All of this information is likely to leave them feeling much more confident that they can," added Fraser.

Co-operative Insurance company revealed that 36 per cent of users regularly make use of them to broadcast their whereabouts when they are away from home.

"Once you accept a stranger into your Facebook account, they can begin what we call social -engineering - -delicately asking questions to build up information about you,' said Jason Hart, -senior vice -president of -CRYPTOCard Network Security.

"And that can cause havoc. Let's say they got your email address, then they could go to your email account pretending to be you and saying you have -forgotten your password.
"The account will then ask a security question - something like your favourite food or your first pet. Over the following weeks and months, it isn't hard for them to work -conversations round to subjects like that on Facebook.
"Once they have that secret -information, the email account will let them in. And once they are in there, they can find lots of sensitive information, such as your Amazon and eBay account history.

"They can then go to those sites pretending to be you and saying you have lost your passwords, and guess what happens then?

"Those sites send the passwords to your email account - the one that they have already conned their way into.
"Crooks who do this usually use the credit card details you have stored there to buy online gift vouchers that can be traded on the internet. It is a form of instant -currency.

"Even worse, if you have a PayPal account and have credit in it, your so-called friend could clean it out.
"Effectively, they have become an electronic version of you, they can change all your passwords and begin stealing from you.

"The message is simple: you wouldn't invite a perfect stranger into your house simply because they knocked on your door and said they wanted a look around. So why do it on Facebook?," Hart added. (ANI)

Dubai Internet City to hold 'Yoga Fest 2010'

Dubai: Dubai Internet City (DIC), a member of TECOM Investments, today announced it will host Yoga Fest 2010, one of the first free eco-friendly community events in the region, to mark the unique combination of 'Winter Solstice', the shortest day of the year, and a full moon day on 21 December. The next Winter Solstice on a full moon day will recur only after 84 years.

The first ever ‘Yogafest’ in the UAE, offering day-long free yoga and meditation classes for working professionals, will begin here tomorrow, a newspaper report has said.

The yoga classes for novice and experienced practitioners will be held in succession at Dubai Internet City’s outdoor amphitheatre and the organisers hope it will draw some of the thousands of people who work in surrounding office buildings out into the fresh air, The National report said.

“People spend their days hunched over their laptops, and don’t breath enough to fill their lungs with air, or stretch to release tensions from their shoulders,” said Elaine Kelly, the organiser and yoga instructor.

Kelly, who is an employee at Microsoft, said she wanted to host the event somewhere green, but also accessible.

Organisers hope to attract up to 2,000 people. Volunteer instructors from eight studios will teach 11 different styles of yoga, including a full-moon yoga class, bikram, yoga dance and budokan, which mixes martial arts and yoga, the report said.

The idea was inspired by the US Yogafest in June, when thousands of people gathered in Times Square in New York to do yoga throughout the day and celebrate the summer solstice.

Kelly wanted to bring the idea to Dubai, where the shortest day of the year, winter solstice, is during the nicest weather. The full moon is a welcome coincidence.

“The symbols are all there for the circle of life, the sun and the moon,” she said. “It’s about being in the fresh air, enjoying people and learning about yoga,” she added. All participants will be given a free pass to attend a class at one of the several fitness clubs.

A total of 11 different types of yoga will be presented with one session every hour by key yoga and fitness club experts. Interested participants can register at http://dic.ae/yogafest/.

More News :

Harry Potter limited first edition book stolen

Anonymous thief pays for stolen hammer  

India Targets Chess World Record With Anand

"Whatever" voted most irritating word in U.S. poll 

Sachin scores 50th Test Century Against South Africa 

Harry Potter limited first edition book stolen

A limited first edition of a Harry Potter book worth over $9,500 has been stolen from an art gallery.
The rare copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was pinched from a display box in the Creative Art Gallery in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, reports thesun.co.uk.

The book, which was for sale, was being displayed as part of an exhibition. It was stolen while a gallery employee was dealing with a group of people.

Since she was distracted, a man who was not a part of the group took the book from under an unsecured display box, while a woman acted ignorant.

Thames Valley police released CCTV images of two people who they would like to interrogate regarding the theft.

'I believe this was an opportunist crime and the offenders took advantage of the gallery assistant being occupied by a group of people. There were only between 300 and 500 copies of this limited edition ever published, so it is very rare,' said police officer Geoffrey Allen.

Anonymous thief pays for stolen hammer

An anonymous thief sent an envelope of cash to a family-owned supply store in western Pennsylvania to pay for a hammer stolen decades ago, one of the store owners said on Monday.
 
The cash arrived at Central Contractors Supply Co. in Johnstown, Pa., with a handwritten note saying the hammer was stolen 25 to 30 years ago, said Lynne Gramling, who owns the store with her father.

“I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway. Enclosed is $45 to cover the hammer plus a little extra for interest,” said the unsigned letter dated December 6. “I’m sorry I stole it, but have changed my ways.”
While plenty of merchandise has disappeared since the family bought the store some 50 years ago, this is the first time anyone has paid for a stolen item, Gramling said.

Gramling took the money to a nearby shopping mall, where her father was volunteering as a Salvation Army bell ringer.

“I went up and dropped the money in his kettle,” she said, adding that the money was “really a lot more than a hammer would cost.”

“He was very generous,” she said.

India Targets Chess World Record With Anand

New Delhi: World Chess champion Viswanathan Anand will egg on 20,000 chess players as they take on each other in what will be the world’s largest such congregation to eclipse the current world record for simultaneous chess that had been created four years ago.

As many as 13,446 players had played in a chess exhibition in Mexico City in 2006. The ‘Swarnim Chess Mahotsav’ that will be played on December 24 in Ahmedabad seeks to break that record.

The state government, in partnership with the Gujarat State Chess Association and NIIT, has organised the chess carnival to popularise chess in the state of Gujarat.

In run-up to the event, Chess Clubs were set up by NIIT MindChampions Academy in 1,575 computerised schools to facilitate maximum participation. And on December 24, the giant 29,000 square metres of the Gujarat University Grounds of Ahmedabad – venue of the event – will wear the look of a chessboard with 64 alternating black and white squares.

"Whatever" voted most irritating word in U.S. poll

New York: For the second consecutive year "whatever' topped a Marist poll as the most annoying word or phrase in the English language.

Nearly 39 percent of 1,020 Americans questioned in the survey deemed it the most irritating word, followed by "like" with 28 percent and the phrase "you know what I mean' at 15 percent.

"Perhaps these words are introduced through popular culture, for example movies ... so they catch on," said Mary Azzoli, of Marist. "It has a lot to do with how accepted and how popular they become in every day speech."

Azzoli said words like "whatever" can be quite dismissive depending on how they are used.

"It's the way they are delivered and inherent in that delivery is a meaning.

The phrase "to tell you the truth" and "actually" were also unnerving to many people. But for younger Americans, aged 18 to 29, "like" was the word that annoyed them most.

Sachin scores 50th Test Century Against South Africa

Tendulkar became the first player to score 50 Test centuries as India reached 454-8 in its second innings when play was halted because of strong winds at the SuperSport Park ground and an approaching thunderstorm.

Tendulkar (103 not out) and captain MS Dhoni (90) led a gritty fightback for India with a 172-run partnership after the top-ranked Test team had slipped to 277-6, chasing the home team’s first innings total of 620-4 declared. 

But Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh were out within five balls to put South Africa on the brink of victory, with India still 30 runs behind when play ended.

The moment Sachin found a gap through the extra-cover region to push a Dale Steyn delivery for a single, the entire stadium stood up to salute one of the true legends of the game. It is Sachin’s 175th Test match —most by any player in the history of the game. It took him four Test matches to reach the milestone after having scored his 49th against Australia in October this year.

Seven kids burnt in face for chatting in class

Beijing, Dec 18 : Seven kids were burnt in the face using an iron by a teacher because they didn't listen to her and chatted during class at a kindergarten in east China's Jiangsu province, a media report said.

The teacher, a single woman surnamed Yi, would have hurt more children Dec 14 in Xinghua city if she were not stopped by another teacher who was passing by the classroom and heard the children's cries, the China Daily reported Friday.

Yi also threatened the children not to tell their parents and made up the excuse that the kids' scars were caused by "falling down in the toilet".

When Cheng Sixia, mother of one of the victims, Cui, saw the big scar on her 6-year-old son's face, she asked a classmate of her son if he knew what happened to her son.

The boy said Cui was burnt by the teacher with "the thing used to iron clothes".

The city government said Thursday that the kindergarten was privately owned and Yi, who wanted to scare the kids, thought the iron, used for ironing shoe-pads, was not hot after she pulled the plug out.

US wanted India to send Bollywood stars to Afghanistan to stabilise country: Wikileaks

New Delhi, Dec 17 (ANI): US diplomats had suggested that India should send Bollywood stars to Afghanistan to help international efforts to stabilise the war-ravaged country, according to a March 2007 cable released by the whistleblower website 'Wikileaks'.
The cable revealed that in 2007, when the US asked for "specific, concrete ideas for opportunities for India to use soft power in helping Afghanistan's reconstruction", officials said Bollywood was an area that "seems ripe".
"We understand Bollywood movies are wildly popular in Afghanistan, so willing Indian celebrities could be asked to travel to Afghanistan to help bring attention to social issues there," The Guardian quoted the cable, as saying.
The idea, which was never accomplished, reveals the constant efforts of diplomats at the embassy in New Delhi to exploit Indian resources and goodwill to aid the international effort in Afghanistan.
"India has significant aid to offer," the cable notes, adding that a key challenge would be "to overcome Pakistani objection[s] ... if India is to expand its role".
India's attempts to build its influence in Kabul and among Afghans through indirect aid and reconstruction assistance have often been seen by Pakistan as evidence of a strategy of encirclement by its historic enemy, the paper said. (ANI)

Computers show how wind could have parted Red Sea

New computer simulations have shown how the parting of the Red Sea, as described in the Bible, could have been a phenomenon caused by strong winds.

The account in the Book of Exodus describes how the waters of the sea parted, allowing the Israelites to flee their Egyptian pursuers. Simulations by US scientists show how the movement of wind could have opened up a land bridge at one location. This would have enabled people to walk across exposed mud flats to safety. The results are published in the open-access journal Plos One.

The researchers show that a strong east wind, blowing overnight, could have pushed water back at a bend where an ancient river is believed to have merged with a coastal lagoon. With the water pushed back into both waterways, a land bridge would have opened at the bend, enabling people to walk across exposed mud flats to safety.

As soon as the wind died down, the waters would have rushed back in.

Detailed Information Here

Appy ever after: smartphone users find virtual girlfriend

SEOUL (AFP) – Lonesome South Koreans who have trouble finding true love can now get video calls from a beautiful and cute girlfriend -- if they download a smartphone application.
Nabix, a South Korean apps developer, launched one called "Honey, it's me!" on November 30 for iPhone users. It achieved 80,000 downloads a day during an initial free launch period.

There are a number of apps on the market that can make single men feel a little less lonesome, including a night time app that plays the sound of a female sleeping peacefully on the next pillow.
But the "Honey, it's me!" app appears to be the first to make video-calls from a virtual model. Mina, 22, video-calls smartphone users three to four times a day for some sweet talk.
Her messages range from "Are you still sleeping? Time for breakfast!" to "Good night, sweet dreams".
A Korean model posed for the video calls and recorded more than 100 comments to melt the hearts of single men.
"I've developed this application to console people for their loneliness," Kim Yoon-Kak, head of Nabix, told AFP.
Kim said usage had declined since the app went on sale for 1.99 dollars, but he planned to allow free downloads again from this week.

Early reaction to Mina has been enthusiastic. "It's a blessing for all single men," praised one of the users on Twitter.
"Mina called me while I was working overtime. This is just great," said another.
Nabix now plans new versions with more messages in English, Chinese and Japanese, both for free and with a charge for longer comments. An Android version will also be launched.

Woman bites off husband's tongue !!

A 57-year-old Wisconsin woman bit off half of her 79-year-old husband’s tongue during a kiss in Milwaukee and has been arrested, authorities said Tuesday.
The severed piece of tongue was recovered, and the man was taken to a hospital where doctors were trying to reattach it, Sheboygan, Wisconsin police said.
The woman was singing Christmas carols and blowing a New Year’s horn when police detained her after the incident on Monday.
The man said his wife had been acting strangely in recent days, the police in Sheboygan, north of Milwaukee, said.

Mrs Lueders was arrested on domestic violence charges and is being held in lieu of bail..
She was also ordered to undergo a mental evaluation.
In a written statement, her husband said the incident began when he went into the bathroom while his wife was on the toilet.
When he leaned over to kiss her, she went into a 'manic state,' grabbing his genitals and biting off his tongue.
Mr Lueders said his wife had been behaving oddly in the preceding days, speaking very fast and talking about spiritual things.
The criminal complaint said Karen Lueders was 'still carrying a New Year’s horn in her hand and singing Christmas carols' outside her house as officers arrived on scene, according to The Sheboygan Press.
She blew the horn in an officer’s ear when they asked what had happened and threw a cup of coffee at police.
The Sheboygan Press also reports that while Lueders did not speak during her court appearance, she leaned over to a reporter as she was escorted out and said, 'I love you, it's too bad you don't listen.'
As she left the courtroom she continuted in a 'singsong voice' saying, "I love you. Karen Lueders.'
She is being held in jail and an administrator said precautions are taken for inmates with potential mental health concerns.

Tree Man who grew 'roots' offered hope of new life by doctor

An Indonesian fisherman who is "half man half tree" has been offered new hope of recovery by an American doctor - and Vitamin A.

32-year-old Dede, who lives in a remote village in Indonesia with his two children, feared that he would be killed by the tree-like growths that cover his body.

Known locally as 'Tree Man' his condition has baffled local doctors for 20 years.

He has root like structures growing out of his body - branches that can grow up to 5cm a year and which protrude from his hands and feet, and welts covering his whole body.


In an attempt to earn a living to support his family, he is part of a circus troupe, displaying his Tree Man limbs along with others afflicted with skin deformities in 'freak' shows.

The former fisherman was the subject of a documentary "Half Man Half Tree", part of the "My Shocking Story" series on Discovery Channel TV.

Dede's story began when wart-like "roots" started growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident. The medical world was completely baffled.

The welts spread rapidly across his body and soon he was not able to carry out ordinary household tasks.

Dede was sacked from his job and deserted by his wife. He has been raising two children, now in their late teens, in poverty. He is resigned to the fact that local doctors have no cure for his condition.

To try to support his family he even joined a local "freak show", parading in front of a paying audience along with victims of other peculiar diseases.

While he has the support of his extended family, he has frequently been a target of ridicule and abuse in rural fishing village where he lives.

But now new hope has emerged for Dede after an American dermatology expert flew out to his home village south of the capital Jakarta.

Dr. Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland claims to have identified Dede's condition, and has proposed a treatment that could completely change his life.

Following the testing of samples of the lesions and Dede's blood, Dr. Gaspari says his condition is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This is a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers.

Dede's problem is that he has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system. This means his body is unable to contain the warts.

According to Dr. Gaspari, the virus was able to "hijack the cellular machinery of his skin cells", instructing them to produce huge amounts of the substance that caused the tree-like growths known as "cutaneous horns" on both his hands and feet.

The doctor became involved in the case through the Discovery Channel documentary, and he is convinced that Dede's condition can be largely cleared up by a daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which has been demonstrated to stop the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV.

Dr. Gaspari said that Dede's warts should reduce in size to the point where he can use his hands. He said he had never seen anything like this in his entire career.

Jesus is coming again on May 21, 2011!

Based on analysis of Scripture and biblical genealogy a Christian group has proclaimed that Jesus will return to earth on May 21, 2011. 

That''s according to organizers of a billboard campaign slated to hit metro Atlanta next week. 

Allison Warden of Raleigh, N.C.-based WeCanKnow.com said the Christian Web site plans to place 50 billboards during Christmas in the metro area proclaiming the rapture and Jesus'' imminent return, reports Atlanta Journal Constitution. 

"The Bible teaches that Christ is returning on May 21 and we want to encourage people to go to Scripture and investigate for themselves," said Warden, who insists the Christmas-timed campaign is not a gimmick. 

"All information in the Bible points to this date. God is going to be saving people right up until the last moment."
The billboards, which are up already in places like Nashville, Detroit and Omaha, Neb., show three wise men on camels and the star of Bethlehem with the message, "He is coming again."

Great-grandmom of Jesus identified

WASHINGTON: A historian has identified the great-grandmother of Jesus.

According to Florentine medieval manuscripts analyzed by a historian , the great-grandmother of Jesus was a woman named Saint Ismeria. Saint Ismeria likely served as a role model for older women during the 14th and 15th centuries.

The legend of Saint Ismeria sheds light on both the Biblical Virgin Mary's family and also on religious and cultural values of 14thcentury Florence. "I don't think any other woman is mentioned" as Mary's grandmother in the Bible, Catherine Lawless, author of the paper said. "Mary's patrilineal lineage is the only one given," Discovery News quoted Lawless as saying.

"Mary herself is mentioned very little in the Bible," added Lawless, a lecturer in history at the University of Limerick. "The huge Marian cult that has evolved over centuries has very few scriptural sources," she said.

Lawless studied the Saint Ismeria story, which she said has been "ignored by scholars," in two manuscripts : the 14th century "MS Panciatichiano 40" of Florence's National Central Library and the 15th century "MS 1052" of the Riccardiana Library, also in Florence.

The legend of Saint Ismeria has been published in the current Journal of Medieval History.

Hundreds of Santas Swarm Through London

Hundreds of people dressed as Santa Claus have descended on London, startling commuters and tourists with a tide of seasonal cheer.

Red-suited Santas poured through busy Liverpool Street railway station on Saturday before walking across the city to Trafalgar Square. Others converged on the central square from the west and south.

People posted photos on Twitter of scores of Santas marching through the city and clambering onto the lion statues at the foot of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.

Organisers of the annual "Santacon" festive flash mob say it is "a nonprofit, nonpolitical, nonreligious and nonsensical celebration of Christmas cheer, goodwill, and fun."

Similar events are taking place in New York and Beijing.

Biting dog diverts flight

According to passengers on the plane, a small dog, a Manchester terrier weighing less than 15 pounds, was aboard the flight. Apparently, the dog became agitated when its sedative, which was supposed to last for the entire flight, began wearing off soon after take-off. The owner, an 89-year old woman from New Jersey, tried to calm the dog, and eventually opened the door of its portable cage. It should be noted that US Airways policy strictly forbids opening cages after boarding.

A small dog jumped out of its cage and bit a passenger and a flight attendant on a Phoenix-bound US Airways plane on Monday, forcing the captain to make an emergency landing in Pittsburgh.

The dog's owner opened the cage despite being told not to, said Valerie Wunder, a spokeswoman for US Airways.

The captain of Flight 522 from Newark to Phoenix, carrying 122 passengers, decided to divert the plane because he "wanted to make sure everybody was OK," Wunder said, adding she did not know whether charges would be filed against the dog's owner.

Some passengers questioned the decision to divert the flight after the dog was captured. The pilot and airline said that the decision was made so that the bitten passenger and flight attendant could be examined and the dog and its owner could be given alternative transport. The elderly owner and her furry companion were eventually put aboard a different flight after being questioned by transportation officials in Pittsburgh.

Woman in New York Fined $100 for Throwing Newspaper in Trash

An elderly Manhattan woman living on Social Security was slapped with a $100 ticket -- for throwing away a newspaper in a city trash can.

The woman says she'll fight a $100 summons for tossing a newspaper into a city litter basket.

Delia Gluckin told The New York Post that she got the ticket from a Sanitation Department agent on Sunday.

The Manhattan resident said she offered to take the paper out but the agent wrote out the summons for putting "improper refuse in a city litter basket."

In a statement, the department said that many city residents use corner litter baskets as "their personal household dumping site." But it conceded that "being fined for tossing a newspaper into a basket is odd."

The 80-year-old Gluckin says she's on a fixed income and will fight the fine.

City litter baskets have signs that read: "litter only" and "no household trash."

The senior, who lives on a fixed income, said she'll fight the fine, and has been inundated with offers to help pay it.

"I think the city is being horrendous. I was never in trouble with anybody," said Gluckin. She has 10 days to pay up, or the fine jumps to $300.

10 year old gives birth!!

A 10 year old gives birth in southern Spain – quite shocking news, but according to the mother, it’s not uncommon in their home country of Romania. Officials are evaluating whether to let her and her family retain custody of the baby, an official said Tuesday. Officials also investigated the home of the Romanian girl who gave birth last week to ensure the baby is being cared for.

The father of the child is a 13-year-old boy who is still in Romania.

City officials said that they are investigating when the girl arrived in Spain, and why she did not see a doctor before going to the hospital to give birth.

The girl’s mother said that she doesn’t understand why so much attention is being paid to her daughter. According to her, they are Romanian Gypsies, or Roma, and that it was common for them to marry at very young ages. She is happy to have a granddaughter.

She said that amongst the Roma, girls have arranged marriages once they reach puberty, but that their marriages are not recognized by the state. Romania requires girls to be 16 and have parental consent before marrying.

Under Spanish law, having consensual sex with someone under age 13 is classified as child abuse, an official with the Spanish Justice Ministry in Madrid said. But this particular case is complicated by the fact that the father of the baby is also a minor and it is not clear if he could be charged, the official said.

Fact : The latest statistics show that 177 girls under the age of 15 gave birth in Spain in 2008.

Australian man marries his pet dog!!

Here is another piece of surprising and bizarre news.

20 years old Australian Joe Guiso has  married his 5-year-old pet, a golden labrodor, named "honey", who was dressed in a white cape, in an elaborate ceremony in his local park in the Queensland town of Toowoomba.

"This was just an event for my friends and I to get together," he said. "It really was fun. We all dressed up in suits and everything.

When it is told that  "But you can't actually marry a dog."

He said while he loves his dog, it is purely "platonic", adding that he hoped no one was offended by the unconventional union

He admitted however that it is not all going smoothly for the new couple.
"I think [Honey's] a bit angry about all the publicity; she's been giving me the silent treatment," he said.

We say "A marriage made in heaven". Is this too!!!

Men use tree branch to rob OC gas station

Suspects used a large branch as their weapon of choice to threaten a gas station employee during a robbery in Irvine.

Surveillance video shows the clerk talking with the first suspect, who pretended he wanted to buy tires from the Shell gas station on the night of November 22.


Soon after, a second suspect wielding a 3-foot-long tree limb demanded money from the clerk. The suspect threatened to hit the victim and swung the branch at him to get him to comply. The clerk, fearing he would be struck, complied and opened the drawer.


Police said the two got away with several hundred dollars in cash and several packs of cigarettes. They were seen leaving in a blue Ford minivan.


Police identified the suspect with the weapon as Herlin Mendezla, 28, of Buena Park. He was arrested after police responded to an anonymous tip and found the vehicle used in the getaway.


Police continued to search for the other suspect, described as a 6-foot tall Hispanic male, weighing 160 pounds and wearing gold wire-rimmed glasses, a black long sleeve shirt, black pants and black dress shoes.


Police call the method of using a tree limb to rob a store unusual, but still dangerous.

Ball lightning 'may explain UFOs'

Some UFO sightings could be explained by ball lightning and other atmospheric phenomena, claims Australian astrophysicist Stephen Hughes.

The scientist has made a detailed study of an unusual event in 2006 when large meteors were observed over Brisbane.

Large Meteros as seen over Brisbane

Their appearance occurred at the same time as a brilliant green object was seen to roll over nearby mountains.

Dr Hughes has put forward a theory linking the object - presumed to be ball lighting - to the fireballs.

His idea is that one of the fireballs may have momentarily triggered an electrical connection between the upper atmosphere and the ground, providing energy for the ball lightning to appear above the hills.

 Read More

Chinese workers build 15-story hotel in just six days

A construction crew in the south-central Chinese city of Changsha has completed a 15-story hotel in just six days.

Six days. That’s how long it took to build this level 9 Earthquake-resistant, sound-proofed, thermal-insulated 15-story hotel in Changsha, complete with everything, from the cabling to three-pane windows. The foundations were already built, but it’s just impressive.

Despite the frenetic pace of construction, no workers were injured — and thanks to the prefab nature of the process, the builders wasted very few construction materials.


 Watch video here

Spanish woman's claim over the sun as her property

A woman in Spain has claimed that she is the owner of the sun after she got it registered as her property. She now plans to charge people who benefit from the sun's energy, it was reported.

Fortynine-year-old Angeles Duran, a resident of Vigo in Spain's northwestern region of Galicia, applied for ownership of the sun after she learnt that similar claims had been made by a US national on the Moon, Mars and Venus, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 prevents any government from staking claim over celestial bodies, but it doesn't extend to private individuals and she was backed by her notary after consulting legal institutions in the country.

Duran was issued with a document that declares she is "the owner of the Sun, a star of spectral type G2, located in the centre of the solar system, at an averaged distance from Earth of around 149,600,000 kilometres".

"I know the law and backed my claim legally," she was quoted as saying.

"I did it but anyone else could have done it, it simply occurred to me first," she added.

Duran said that she plans to profit from her property and wants to charge those who derive a benefit from the sun's energy.

She claimed that she had met representatives from Spain's industry ministry to discuss levying a fee on photovoltaic plants for converting the sun's energy into electricity.

The woman said: "When you have a property, it makes sense to make use of it. Power companies profit from the rivers which belong to everyone so I hope to take advantage of the sun."

According to her plan, half of the proceeds will go to the government, 20 percent to the country's pension fund, 10 percent to help end world hunger and 10 percent on research. The last 10 percent of the earnings from the Sun will be kept for herself.

She said: "It is time to start doing things the right way, if there is an idea for how to generate income and improve the economy and people's wellbeing, then why not do it?"