Snips

Some people do make it a habit of getting into problems, and try to make a virtue of it.

Harry Kakavas, a compulsive gambler, probably a compulsive loser, had been banned from every casino in Australia in 2007. Despite the ban, he was allowed to enter Crown Casino in Melbourne and over a period of 14 months, he lost A$37 million. He seems to have gone there prepared to lose, and sue. For he has carried a concealed camera with which he recorded the managers of the casino allegedly lure him back to its baccarat tables. Kakavas in the court documents has charged that the managers of Crown Casino sent out emails with detailed plans that would get Kakavas back on its tables after they came to know that he had lost millions of dollars in Las Vegas! Kakavas is suing the Casino for A$50 millions as damages.

If you have to go without for two weeks, would you choose internet or sex?

According to a Intel Corp survey in US, 46% of women and 30% of men are willing to give up sex and keep connected over the net. Other things that lose out to internet are watching TV, dining out, shopping for clothes and gym memberships.

You would have seen the journalist in Iraq throw his shoes at George Bush. He wouldn't have dared do that to Saddam Hussein, would he, whatever his grievances? It shows that democracy is making progress in Iraq, despite the body count. Bush showed great alertness in ducking under the shoes, and graciously made the comment, "All I can report is it is a size 10". 37 days to go, and here is our inspirational Bush quote:

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." --George W. Bush in an interview with CBS News' Katie Couric.

Beatles should be history now, but Paul McCartney manages to keep them in current news. He has this to say about their political stance on Vietnam war:

"For instance, Vietnam. Just when we were getting to be well known, someone said to me: "Bertrand Russell is living not far from here in Chelsea, why don't you go and see him?" and so I just took a taxi down there and knocked on the door. "He was fabulous. He told me about the Vietnam war- most of us didn't know about it, it wasn't yet in the papers- and also that it was a very bad war. "I remember going back to the studio either that evening or the next day and telling the guys, particularly John (Lennon), about this meetin and saying what a bad war this was."

Is it so easy to get convinced and get into political activism? No wonder most of these high profile activists show no sense of responsibilty.



This is hard to believe, but apparently it is supported by sound scientific research.

Researchers at Glasgow scanned the brains of nine Glasgow Rangers fans, and have concluded that watching your team score a goal feels as good as sex. They showed the fans video of their team netting goals, and found that the brain's anterior cingulate cortex, the area associated with sexual arousal and intense pleasure, buzzed with high activity. John McLean, the lead researcher comments, that the reverse is not easy to verify: "Whether it is as powerful a stimulus as sex, I don't know; perhaps for some people. It might be difficult, however, to do a study with people having sex in a scanner", he is quoted to have said.

I am sure they would find a way around it.

"This team is capable of doing something special... they can do anything" - Gary Kirsten.

In what is an astonishing turn around, India has done the impossible, winning this test match with reasonable comfort. It looks as if India is set to gain the number one ranking.



This is great news for democracy- we are still questioning the use of Electronic Voting Machines, but Estonia is leading the world in technical solutions to voter apathy-

Estonians voted by internet last year, and in 2011, will be voting through their mobile phones. The voters will receive free, authorized chips for their phones that would enable them to cast secure votes.

Scary stats:

In the US today, an average of 8200 people are laid of every day- this means, every ten seconds, someone loses a job. The Panamanian termite is the quickest to bite: its jaws snap shut at an incredible speed of 70 miles per second. They usually fight in a narrow tunnel with no room for manoeuvre, so the victim stands no chance.

And finally, something to mull about:

"The most difficult thing in this world is to adopt the warrior spirit and attitude. It does not help at all to be sad, to complain, to feel a victim of injustice and to believe that someone is doing something to harm us. No one is doing anything (and far less to a warrior) "It matters not how we were brought up. What determines our way of acting is the manner in which we administrate our will. A man is the sum of all his wishes, which determine his way of living and dying." - Carlos Castaneda, quoted by Paulo Coelho (as translated by James Mulholland)