Topic: - on February 21, 2003 at 5:30:52 PM CET
Refinery Catches Fire
An explosion rocked an oil refinery on the edge of Staten Island, sending black smoke and flames hundreds of feet into the air.
“We have a preliminary report that a tanker was transferring a product or was being fueled and somehow ignited,” Fire Department Chief William Van Wart said.
The explosion was reported at Port Mobil, near the Outerbridge Crossing in the southwestern part of Staten Island, said a spokeswoman for the Staten Island borough office. The fire started at 10:10 a.m., according to a spokeswoman for the New York Fire Department.
¬> Newsday... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: - on February 20, 2003 at 6:42:48 PM CET
Freaking banned
It's just too nasty, school officials say.
Students at Palo Alto High are about to learn that ``freaking'' -- a popular way of dancing that simulates sex -- will get them kicked out of school dances.
Principal Sandra Pearson plans to tell the school's 1,650 students today that she is banning sexually provocative dance moves in response to suggestions from some parents and students. Critics say the amorphous dance known as freaking is a ``demeaning'' activity that looks like something that would be seen in an X-rated movie rather than at a high school dance.
¬> The Mercury News ... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: - on February 18, 2003 at 10:34:34 AM CET
Czechs win battle over Bud name
The American beer giant Anheuser-Busch has lost a long-running legal battle over the use of its trademark "Bud" name in the UK.
A ruling by the House of Lords, Britain's highest court, allowed rival Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar to continue to use the trademark "Bud" name.
The UK is the only country where both Anheuser-Busch and Budvar can sell their beer products using the Budweiser brand.
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Topic: - on February 18, 2003 at 10:30:56 AM CET
Salon May Not Survive Beyond February
Online magazine publisher Salon Media Group Inc. warned that it may not survive beyond this month if it can't raise more money to pay its rent and other bills. Things are so bad, Salon said, it stopped paying rent for its San Francisco headquarters in December, prompting the landlord to issue a Jan. 29 demand for a $200,000 payment.
To raise money, the company said it may sell its rights to $5.6 million worth of advertising on a Cablevision Systems Corp. subsidiary for as little as $1 million.
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Topic: - on February 18, 2003 at 10:15:23 AM CET
Alien abductees show real symptoms
People who claim to have been kidnapped by aliens have a tendency to believe in fantasies and suffer disturbing experiences in their sleep, scientists have found.
But the researchers say "abductees" also believe in their experiences so deeply that they display real stress symptoms similar to those of traumatised battlefield veterans.
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Topic: - on February 17, 2003 at 12:57:27 PM CET
Weisheiten fürs Poesiealbum
KÜBLBÖCK MEETS KERNER
Und endlich lief Daniel Küblböck ins Studio, einer der letzten drei Kandidaten in der "RTL"-Supererfolgsshow "Deutschland sucht den Superstar". Er war tadellos gekleidet in braunem Anzug und T-Shirt, was darauf hindeutet, dass dieses Mal nicht die "Superstar"-Stylisten das Outfit ausgesucht hatten, sondern entweder Küblböck selbst oder das "Kerner"-Personal. Küblböck schüttelte zunächst allen Gästen artig die Hand, strahlte wie immer euphorisch und bat Kerner, ihn zu duzen - ein Angebot, das der Moderator mit den Worten "ich bin ein alter Sack" annahm.
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Topic: - on February 16, 2003 at 12:39:53 PM CET
Vernachlässigte Nachrichten: Kriege gibt es auf der ganzen Welt
Im Jahr 2002 gab es eine Fülle wichtiger Themen, über die in den Medien unzureichend berichtet wurde. Die Initiative Nachrichtenaufklärung und das Netzwerk Recherche haben am 15. Februar 2003 die Top Ten der vernachlässigten Themen 2002 vorgelegt. Die Untersuchung und Analyse der Themen wurde von Journalisten, Wissenschaftlern und Studierenden der Journalistik und der Medienwissenschaft vorgenommen. Auf Platz 1 der Liste setzte die Jury das Thema „Vergessene Kriege“. Auch über die Verabreichung von Psychopharmaka an Menschen in Altenheimen wurde nur ungenügend informiert. Nur sporadisch berichteten Medien über lebenslänglich Verurteilte, die hinter Gittern vergessen werden.
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Topic: - on February 16, 2003 at 12:17:47 PM CET
Mama mia! Italy losing mom-and-pop shops
Mom and pop are closing up shop, hanging up their prosciutto knives, bagging the last plump tomatoes and calling it a day. Or, rather, a lifetime, as they take off their white grocers' aprons for good.
In ancient city alleys as well as suburban malls across Italy, supermarkets are luring customers away from family-run neighborhood shops with lower prices and more convenient hours, defying skeptics who thought Italians would never abandon generations-old shopping habits.
¬> Cnn
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Topic: - on February 15, 2003 at 9:59:12 PM CET
Hot peppers, dark chocolate discounted as aphrodisiacs
They're known as the foods that get you in the mood. But experts say dark chocolate, chili peppers and raw oysters have no more power to arouse than a heap of cooked broccoli.
"There's no proof to it," said Cynthia Finley, a registered dietitian at the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center. "There hasn't been any conclusive evidence that any of these foods work as aphrodisiacs."
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Topic: - on February 13, 2003 at 1:32:57 PM CET
Brainy bra gives lift when you need it
Australian scientists have made a bra with a brain - it tightens its own straps if an energetic wearer needs extra support.
The "smart bra" is made of a fabric with a special coating that makes it contract when the strain on it passes a pre-set level.
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Topic: - on February 10, 2003 at 4:59:46 PM CET
Die lebenden Statuen
Nur wenige Ärzte kennen die extrem seltene Krankheit FOP: Wie in einem Alptraum verwandeln sich Muskeln in Knochen - und die darunter Leidenden versteinern. Mediziner sind dem Rätsel auf der Spur, was die Kranken zu Knochenmenschen werden lässt.
¬> Spiegel
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Topic: - on February 10, 2003 at 12:48:43 PM CET
L.A. Crew Rescues 8,000-Pound Elephant
An 8,000-pound elephant laid down in a pond at the Los Angeles Zoo and couldn't get up, and it took the fire department to get her back on her feet.
Handlers found Tara, who is in her 40s, in the shallow pond at the zoo Saturday morning and she appeared unable to get to her feet.
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