Topic: NEWS english - on September 7, 2004 at 9:05:00 AM CEST
Cat naps at work can help boost productivity: British study
British companies should help employees doze off by installing beds in the workplace in a bid to increase productivity, a study published in The Guardian daily showed. While only 10 percent of the 1,000 people surveyed said they came up with new ideas at their desk, more than 30 percent said it was when they were drifting off to sleep that literally dreamed up their best ideas.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 6, 2004 at 8:52:00 AM CEST
No snaking across border
A travelling reptile showman was fined $50 last week, after trying to smuggle two pythons into Canada by hiding them in a bag of tortilla chips.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 5, 2004 at 10:58:00 PM CEST
Election Tie? Get Out Pingpong Balls
If Hong Kong political candidates finish in a dead heat, the election will be decided by the luck of the draw — from a bag of numbered pingpong balls.
It may sound more like bingo than politics, but under Hong Kong electoral rules, the tied candidates must each pick a ball at random. Whoever pulls out the highest number takes office.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 5, 2004 at 10:56:00 PM CEST
Swede Puzzled by British Parking Ticket
A Swedish mechanic said Sunday he won't pay a parking ticket that claims his snowmobile was illegally parked in Britain this summer.
Krister Nylander said he received a ticket Thursday from a British company ordering him to pay a 1,211 kronor (US$160,euro133) fine for an alleged parking violation in Warwick in central England.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 5, 2004 at 10:55:00 PM CEST
'Intoxicated' Thailand losing billions to lottery
Thailand's state-run lottery has "intoxicated" the public and caused billions of dollars in lost productivity by people hoping to strike it rich, according to a study. Academics at a Bangkok seminar released results of a study showing that the kingdom loses about 184 billion baht (4.4 billion dollars) annually due to reduced work performance on days of lottery draws on the first and 16th of each month, the Nation newspaper reported.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 5, 2004 at 2:47:00 PM CEST
A $6 G-string under Miss Universe's $15,000 dress
Australian Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins might have worn an expensive designer $15,000 tailor-made gown at her infamous "wardrobe malfunction" event, but what lay beneath was an every-girl Bonds hipster G-string worth $6.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 5, 2004 at 2:01:00 PM CEST
Bikers battle grizzly bear
A mountain biker on Togwotee Pass fought off repeated charges by a grizzly bear Sunday until a companion drove the animal off with pepper spray.
Kirk Speckhals escaped his encounter with the grizzly without a scratch; he had only four dirt marks from the bear's claws on his forearm, a punctured bicycle tire and bent rim. He said he hopes others learn from the mistakes he made during his ride around Pinnacle Buttes and past Kissinger Lakes including not making enough noise to warn bears, not riding together and not carrying pepper spray.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 5, 2004 at 1:57:00 PM CEST
Tennesee Man's 5-Day Dive Sets World Record
A Tennessee man beat his own record for staying underwater with scuba gear after five days in a lake - complete with recliner, a checkerboard, music and good friends to keep him company.
Then Jerry Hall cheerfully signed a pledge to his wife never to do it again.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 4, 2004 at 11:49:00 AM CEST
Woman gets parking ticket in traffic jam
Renathe Opedal was hopelessly stuck in traffic during rush hour when an overeager attendant slapped her with a $73 parking ticket.
Opedal, 32, couldn't believe it. So she took the case to court -- and got the ticket anulled, plus an award of $585 for costs.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 4, 2004 at 11:46:00 AM CEST
Forget the bedsheets, just buy a plasma TV, say modern British newlyweds
Whereas once they might have been delighted with a cotton pillowcase or humble cutlery, modern British couples about to get married now ask wedding guests for luxuries such as plasma-screen televisions.
The findings come in a study of half a century of wedding lists, collections of suggested gifts for guests to buy those tying the knot, deposited with leading British department store John Lewis.
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 3, 2004 at 11:48:00 AM CEST
Aussie Miss Universe bares assets in catwalk "wardrobe malfunction"
Pictures Video
A "wardrobe malfunction" of Janet Jackson proportions left 2004 Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins wearing little more than a red G-string after half her gold dress dropped to the floor during a Sydney fashion show.
The 20-year-old former rugby cheerleader was modelling the seven-kilogram (15-pound) metallic lace dress at a fashion show for Westfield's shopping centers Thursday when the bottom half snagged on her high heels and fell to the catwalk.
afp webindia123 ioldailytimes japantoday photogallery VIDEO VIDEO 2 VIDEO 3 [avi] more "wardrobe malfunction" Pictures
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Topic: NEWS english - on September 2, 2004 at 7:18:00 PM CEST
Kenya Has Problem With Stolen Babies
Investigators are focusing on Kenya's main maternity hospital, police said Wednesday, following allegations that some parents were told their newborns had died but the babies were really stolen by an international child trafficking ring.
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