What's in the News

Takes the interest out of those nippy, winter mornings!!

But in the process, won't the ladies get a.... TAN? 

Giant Pythons Invade Florida
AFP 
 

 May 16, 2008 -- Giant pythons capable of swallowing a dog and even an alligator are rapidly making south Florida their home, potentially threatening other southeastern states, a study said.

"Pythons are likely to colonize anywhere alligators live, including north Florida, Georgia and Louisiana," said Frank Mazzotti, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor, in his two-year study.

The pythons thriving in Florida are mostly Burmese pythons from Myanmar that were brought over as pets and then turned loose in the wild.

From 2002-2005, 201 of the beasts were caught by state authorities, but in the last two years the number has more than doubled to 418, Mazzotti said in his study published on the university Web site.

The largest python caught so far in Florida measured 16.4 feet and weighed 154 pounds.

Mazzotti said the serpents, despite their awesome size, are not poisonous, but are excellent swimmers and able to cover great distances in little time. Some, trapped and released with radio transmitters, swam 37 miles in a few hours.

Highly adaptable, pythons prey on cats, dogs, hares, foxes, squirrels, raccoons and even alligators, allowing them to thrive in a variety of environments.

After populating the Florida Everglades -- a vast marshland -- where it is estimated they number 30,000, the giant python is now spreading across the rest of the peninsula.

"Females may store sperm, so they can produce fertile clutches for years. And a 100-something pound snake can easily be producing 60, 80 eggs a year," said Mazzotti, adding that the reptile could eventually populate the entire southern United States.

Double amputee Pistorius wins Olympic appeal

South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius has won an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that has given him an Olympic Games lifeline.

The disabled 21-year-old sprinter runs on specially adapted carbon fibre blades after having his legs amputated below the knee.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had banned the 400 metres runner from all competitions involving able-bodied athletes because of claims that the artificial legs he uses give him an unfair advantage.

However, CAS ruled against the IAAF decision.

"As you can imagine I have been struggling to hide my smile for the past half an hour," Pistorius told a news conference.

"Now I can definitely say the truth has come out. I have the opportunity once again to chase my dream of the Olympics if not 2008, in 2012."

After CAS's ruling, Pistorius' participation in the able-bodied events in Beijing will depend on him achieving the minimum Olympic qualifying time of 45.95 seconds, or 45.55 if another South African runs less than 45.95.

Pistorius' personal record is 46.46.

At last, we can solve the giant alligator problem with giant snakes. 

And now we have geckos in chicken eggs.

Gecko in egg 'must have crawled up cloaca'



The Egg Corporation says this gecko must have entered the chicken's cloaca. (ABC News: Jack Kerr)

The Australian Egg Corporation has expressed surprise at the discovery of a gecko inside a chicken egg.

Darwin doctor Peter Beaumont was cooking dinner when he cracked open the egg and found the dead gecko inside the shell.

Health authorities say the discovery is nothing to be alarmed about and it is being examined at a laboratory.

The research and development program manager with the Egg Corporation, David Witcombe, says he has never heard of such a case before.

"Certainly the gecko wouldn't have been ingested by the bird. It would be physically impossible for it to make its way from the digestive tract into the area where the egg's formed.

"So it's a case of the gecko actually making its way through the cloaca of the bird and onto the developing egg."

Tags: offbeat, science-and-technology, animals

Baggy green replaced by VB blue
By WWOS Staff
12:00 AEST Sun May 18 2008

Cricket Australia has been accused of selling out on the famous baggy green after Australian players wore a sponsors cap in a tour match against Jamaica.

Former Australian player Greg Matthews has told News Limited publications that he would never have abandoned the traditional baggy green cap in favour of a sponosors cap.

"Money talks," Matthews said. "You're selling your pride, selling the baggy green. It just cheapens things.

"If someone said to me I had to wear a VB hat, I'd tell them to piss off," he continued emotionally.

Cricket Australia's public affairs manager, Philip Pope, said that the decision was made for the sake of uniformity, with commercial considerations not coming into it.

Players receive a baggy green cap when making their Test debut, so not all tourists have one. Brad Haddin was the only player in the side facing Jamaica who hasn't made his Test debut.

Greg Matthews replied that every player on tour should be entitled to wear the traditional headwear.

"They're making someone feel not as important because, what, they haven't played Test cricket?" he said.

"They're saying you're not an equal to the bloke you're sharing a dressing room with, an aeroplane with, that you're going out to bat with, that you're walking on the field with."

Former Australian Test captain Kim Hughes said he couldn't recall a precedent.

"The only alternative was the floppy wide-brimmed hat, always with our coat of arms on it," he said.

Keith Stackpole said he was disappointed.

"There are certain things that should be sacred," he said. "You are representing Australia, not VB."

Totally disgusting!! ....although I played for Australia wearing the VB Tee-shirts provided for the team!

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had banned the 400 metres runner from all competitions involving able-bodied athletes because of claims that the artificial legs he uses give him an unfair advantage.

Well, does it?

Obviously the IAAF thinks it does, although it seems they were rather narrow-minded in their examination of the evidence. The CAS oveturned the ban, so they weren't persuaded by the arguments the IAAF made. I'm not an engineer, but if I had to guess, I'd say that if artificial legs give Pistorius an unfair advantage, we should make all runners go barefoot. And swimmers swim naked. 
Raoul, I didn't know you were such a fan of Greco-Roman wrestling.

His best times aren't qualifiers yet - so he has to actually reach the standard first.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23742593-28737,00.html

VERY interesting article - but too long to copy.  Looks at public response to the earthquake, but also gives an interesting view of NGO's here and a touch of very interesting T't information.

According to CNN, Sharon Stone, whom we all know is famous for her highly intellectual movies, stated in Cannes that this recent earthquake in China was the result of bad karma, primarily gotten by China's stance on The Roof of the World.
Yeppers, Mrs. Stone, bad karma, that was it. Indeed. What an intelligent and astute observation.

My brother made a similar comment a couple of weeks ago.  I slapped him down right quick.  Told him it was the minority people not the han that got the brunt of the losses.  My bro, like some others can be so bigoted.  However, if two people said it, others probably did too.  Not good!!!

I've got Google Alerts working for me. 

They are reporting that China will relax their One Child policy for Sichuan Province, and will not put any limits on the number of orphans who can be adopted by families.

There are also therapists heading inland to help the survivors through PTS (Post Traumatic Stress) Disorder.