And so Christmas and New Year are over once again and I can hear a collective sigh of relief.

A quick sweep of CNN’s website confirms (as if that would be required) that 2008 is starting the same way as 2007 did and every year before that. Yes, I do hate the news but lets just summarize CNN’s version shall we? Here it is…..

• Source: Bhutto had vote-rig report
• Minister quits over sex video
• 36 die as funeral bombed
• Gunman kills U.S. diplomat in Sudan
• Blast rocks Sri Lankan capital

A strange thought occurred to me today - what if Hillary is simply Bill in drag? I mean, what a way to get around the two-term limit and far better than Putin's strategy of becoming Prime Minister (since the US has no such thing).

I mean it wasn't so long ago that Hillary looked radically different. She had long straight hair, big teeth, incredibly thick spectacles and was frankly a bit of a mess. Here is a picture to prove it...

Hillary THEN



Suddenly, Hillary is transformed, as if by a miracle, into this....

Hillary NOW

So what the hell is wrong with you all? I know you visit because I can see it in my web stats but no one ever comments - why? Is the site not working? Is there a problem? Can't stand my sense of humor? Well - then LET ME KNOW!!!

Lets have some comments on this site please - pretty please....

Even better, why not actually send a rant. Yes - thats right, just feeling like you need to get something off of your chest well now is your chance. Just go here.

What are you waiting for?

WHEN your name's Nicole Kidman or Gwyneth Paltrow, everyone wants to hear what you have to say.

But before holding forth on their favourite remedy, celebrities should get their facts straight, experts say.

The two Hollywood actresses, along with fashion designer Stella McCartney, are singled out by a charity founded to increase the public's understanding of scientific issues.

Sense About Science warned: "A small group of people in the public eye promote pseudo-science without embarrassment and cannot be dissuaded from it."

Oh how far has the mighty greenback fallen. Today, a Dollar gets you 99 Canadian Cents, 51 British Pence, just 0.68 of a Euro and 1.11 Swiss Francs. But you know the fall of the Dollar isn't over - there is more yet to come as interest rates most likely continue to be adjusted downwards in the US. Yes, a Dollar now buys just one third of a US Gallon of gasoline.

There was a time when other nations coveted the US Dollar. Now they can't dump it in world currency markets fast enough in favor of the Euro or the UK Pound.

Today my PC got a virus - a version of Smitfraud. How I hate all who perpetrate such fraud and have the audacity to load my PC with a virus/bug that directs me to their websites advertising their virus checkers. These people are the lowest of the low - total filth - and if I could find out who is responsible.....

So three hours and many adware/virus remover runs later, my PC still has a life of its own and someone owes me 3 hours of my time wasted trying to kill this little blood sucking surprise.

Am I mad - You bet I am.

What is the latest food 'fashion' in France? Snail eggs. Yes, you read that correctly - snail eggs - also known as snail caviar. According to an article I found on snail eggs, they are 'small, cream-coloured pearls that burst on the palate to reveal what the producers describe as subtle autumn flavours with woody notes.'. Really? Snail eggs are taking off and cost only $115 per 50g according to the article. In fact, the article goes on to make the statement "Chefs are very interested by the colour, the texture and the subtle flavour. It's a real creative challenge for them." I'll bet!

Warning - The reviewed site has erotic content

Blogging is fun especially if you like to write - and I do. Today, I stumbled upon a blog site that defies description however. The blogger apparently has created an entire blog automatically and each entry is nonsense except for the post title....

Looking deeper into the site, one realizes that the blog is a creation with one thing in mind... to promote the blogger's videos. Blog post titles such as Has Kim Kardashian Gained Weight? or Kim Kardashian Free Clip for example contain automatically generated script that is total nonsense.

Sometimes looking around the internet, one finds the most bizarre websites. Recently, I found a site called Project Camelot and it truly is bizarre. The owners of this website are obsessed with the 2012 date (the end of the Mayan Calendar) and have come up with an all encompassing theory that ties together the Roswell UFO incident, global warming and other off the wall concepts to come up with the ultimate doomsday theory. Yes - folks, they want to warn you all of the coming holocaust in 2012 - which is not that far away....

Their theory is outlined here.

TYLER, Texas (AP) -- A man killed his girlfriend, then filleted and cooked parts of her body before calling police to tell them what he was doing, authorities said Sunday.

Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, called 911 on Saturday and told an emergency dispatcher he had killed Jana Shearer, 21, and was boiling her body parts at his mother's home, said Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith.

When authorities arrived at the home, they found Shearer's mutilated body, one ear boiling in a pot of water on the stove and a fork sticking out of some human flesh sitting on a plate on the kitchen table.

Authorities said it was unclear whether McCuin consumed any part of Shearer's body.

TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has lost money after publishing his bank details in his newspaper column.

The Top Gear host revealed his account numbers after rubbishing the furore over the loss of 25 million people's personal details on two computer discs.

He wanted to prove the story was a fuss about nothing.

But Clarkson admitted he was "wrong" after he discovered a reader had used the details to create a £500 direct debit to the charity Diabetes UK.

Clarkson published details of his Barclays account in the Sun newspaper, including his account number and sort code. He even told people how to find out his address.

"All you'll be able to do with them is put money into my account. Not take it out. Honestly, I've never known such a palaver about nothing," he told readers.

A new and improved massage technique - shown below - is gaining popularity amongst masochists. However, experts in this form of massage are in short supply owing to the required physical characteristics. Needless to say, those fully trained in the technique can charge a premium fee.

THEY were once outlawed for being used as seditious weapons of war. Now, bagpipes have been blasted as an environmental menace.
Over-intensive logging means that the African wood used to make Scotland's national instrument faces being wiped out.

Conservation groups are letting out skirls of protest, urging musicians and instrument manufacturers to make sure their pipes come from eco-friendly sources.

As part of the campaign, Scots are being asked to fund the planting of "bagpipe trees" in a bid to atone for the environmental damage.

Traditionally the chanter on the bottom of Highland pipes, which is used to create the melody, was made from native woods such as bog oak.

I have added a comedy video page here. And here is a sample of what you can find there....

I guess it's no surprise that a politician would dream up new taxes and that their attention would be directed at use of the Internet. After all, they once taxed windows in England and I am suspicious that the intention behind both was to keep us all in the dark.

France's president is possibly simply tired with bloggers speculating about his love life with a younger model and this his way of getting even. But seriously, taxing the Internet? I think this goes too far and it smacks to me of censorship.

Sarkozy sounds a lot like the old Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK who tried to tax cell phones labeling them in his budget speech 'the bane of modern life'. How long did that last?

A New York window cleaner who survived a 47-storey fall from a skyscraper last month is making a gradual recovery - in what doctors say is a "miracle".

Alcides Moreno, 37, tumbled some 500ft (150m) to the ground in a scaffolding accident that killed his brother.

Mr Moreno suffered severe brain, spine and abdomen injuries and both his legs, his right arm and ribs were broken.

But after undergoing a series of surgeries he is now awake, able to talk and is expected to walk again.

"If you are a believer in miracles, this would be one," Dr Philip Barie, a surgeon at New York's Presbyterian Hospital where Mr Moreno is being treated, was quoted as saying by the New York Times newspaper.

Websites like Digg are often touted as a masterful way to increase traffic to a blog site like this one. In reality, like pretty much everything else in life, these sites are in reality cliques and to get an article or post any exposure at all its down to who you know and not what you write. Let me explain...

Look around at the world and open your eyes. The world is full of mediocrity. Why is that? It's because the world works on the basis of who, not what, you know. You can have the greatest talent in the world, the best brains, be the best at your job but unless you brown nose the right people, you'll never gain the recognition that you deserve.

Detective Travis Rapp has seen his share of corpses, but this was new: two men wheeling a rigid, pale body down a Manhattan street in a red office chair, drawing a crowd of suspicious onlookers.

Looking out the window of the restaurant where he was having lunch, Rapp initially assumed "it was a mannequin or a dummy," he said. "I thought it was a joke, honestly."

A closer inspection showed that it wasn't. The man was dead, and two of his friends had hauled his corpse to a store to cash his $355 Social Security check, police said. They were arrested before they could get the money.

NEW DELHI (CNN) -- An Indian car manufacturer unveiled its much-anticipated $2,500 "people's car" on Thursday -- a four-wheel passenger vehicle which it hopes will provide a much-needed transportation option for the poor.

Tata Motors is billing the Nano as the world's least expensive four-wheel vehicle, with the first batch to hit the Indian market in the second half of this financial year.

Skeptics have questioned whether the car meets safety and emissions standards.

Others are concerned that the ultra-cheap vehicle could dramatically tax India's already poor infrastructure and contribute to the country's existing urban gridlock.

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who left office last June, has taken up a part-job with a Wall Street bank on an estimated $1 million salary.

Blair will work with JP Morgan Chase, a firm with assets of $1.5 trillion and operations in more than 50 countries. He will advise the bank on global political and strategic issues, a company statement said.

"We operate our business all over the world, and Tony Blair will bring our leaders and clients a unique and invaluable global perspective that is especially critical in turbulent times like these," said Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of the company, in the statement.

2008 is a leap year.

That means one extra day this year to enjoy.

But wait, February 29th is a Friday... so that means one extra day to work! Doesn't seem too onerous but lets see now - that's 28 800 seconds more time at work assuming an 8-hour work day (OK - you French work less I know). Of course, if in the US add on another 3 600 seconds because no one works just 8 hours there do they?

Wouldn't it be nice to actually have a job blogging? Some top bloggers are actually able to do that. The rest of us live in hope that perhaps one day we can give up our day job and blog away knowing that the bills are paid and more.

But there are a few ways to make some money from your blog even if its not listed in Alexas Top 100,000 websites.

Women wield extraordinary power when it comes to elections and this is a fact that is well know by candidates. By virtue of being a woman (although see Is Hillary Really Bill in Drag which might cast some doubts on that fact), she ought to have an advantage in capturing the woman's vote in the Presidential race. But as Mrs. Thatcher learned in the UK, being a woman doesn't get you that woman's vote if you act, well, manly...

Here in Brno in the Czech Republic, everyone is puzzled by the case of the perpetual teenager. Initially, local police discovered an 8-year old boy bound and naked in a broom cupboard. Ondrej, who is hearing impaired, was being abused by his mother.

But then the case took an unexpected turn when it was discovered that Ondrej's adopted 13-year old sister was in fact 34-years old! Anna, or Anicka as she's called here, went missing shortly after she, Ondrej, and their brother Jakub were taken into care at a children's home.

DNA test results however showed that Anicka is in fact a 34-year-old woman named Barbora Skrlova who worked for Ondrej's aunt at the children's home.

The plan for a virtual red light district through the creation of a .xxx net domain name has hit delays after concern from government officials.

An official from President George Bush's administration has asked for the brakes be put on the planned domain name until its impact is studied more.

The domain was given the go-ahead by Icann (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) in June.

But some are concerned that it would encourage more porn on the net.

The domain name was expected to get final approval by the net's supervisory body, Icann (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), on Tuesday.

According to the BBC, the proposed .xxx for porn domain name has been delayed while the US Government takes a closer look at the implications. I got to admit, I'm a bit lost by all of this. I mean the Internet is dominated by porn and porn searchers so why not give it its own 'box' and make it go there? That way, the rest of what's left of the Internet can be put to better use not to mention that parents would be able to finally filter out porn sites when their kids use the Internet (always assuming the porn industry complied and moved to the .xxx domain name).

An 88-year-old man is set to star in his first ballet show after taking up dance at the age of 79.

Grandfather to 11, John Lowe, of Witchford, Cambs, took up dancing having watched his daughter Alison become a professional dancer.

The retired teacher said: "It's a wonderful thing to do and I can't understand why more men don't do it."

Mr Lowe is due to appear with the Lantern Dance Theatre Company, in Ely, on Sunday evening.

Pirouettes have been perfected in daily practice at home ahead of Mr Lowe's performance in Prokofiev's The Stone Flower at The Maltings.

'Incredibly fit'

"I went to a dance school in the high street in Ely and asked if I could do tap and ballet and they said 'well of course you can' and I've been doing it ever since," Mr Lowe said.

Recently, it seems that the nature of spam coming in to my email box has changed. A few years ago, it was all porn but that was gradually overtaken by spam for various medications such as Viagra and similar. Most recently, it seems a new wave of spam has overtaken even that - for online casinos. I guess the perception that online gambling has become a tidal wave might, in part, be related to my spam filter lagging behind the current trend but it does appear that online casinos and gambling is becoming hugely popular.

What I want to know is why? I have never been one to gamble. It appears to me to me a ludicrous and stupid thing to do with my hard earned cash. But I know that some folks love to gamble and I guess the internet is simply taking care of that pent up demand.

Proof positive that alcohol impairs the thinking ability of usually sane people, if it was needed, can be found in the photograph attached below.

I simply cannot believe that anyone could be this stupid. Would you like to take a dip in this pool?

Dog isn't this man's best friend. Josue Herrios-Coronilla, 18, drove his black Camaro on the wrong side of the road Wednesday and crashed into the yard of man who owns four dogs, police said.

Police found crushed bushes, a damaged fence, an inoperable car — and a fresh shoe print in a pile of dog feces.

Following an odoriferous trail down the street, Sgt. Dale Gunter noticed a white van driving toward him. When he asked the passenger to step out, he noticed the smell of alcohol on the man's breath and evidence all over his shoes.

Herrios-Coronilla was charged with driving while impaired and drinking underage and released on $1,500 bail. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

http://strange.blosker.com/link/dog-poop-shoe-prints-lead-to-arrest-2772...

Once upon a time, getting on the wrong side of the Mafia might have resulted in a knee capping. But today's kinder and gentler Mafia is different. Knee capping now apparently refers to the amount of garbage you will be standing in if you cross them!

Don't believe me? Just ask a resident of Naples, Italy.

Naples is knee deep in garbage and has been for sometime. The local mafia is heavily involved in waste collection and disposal there. However, all of the waste dumps are full and those that are not are refusing to accept more garbage. The result is weeks of uncollected garbage in the streets. It has become such a crisis that the Italian Government has appointed a 'trash Czar' to solve the problem.

STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) -- In this farming community where nightfall usually brings clear, starry skies, residents are abuzz over reported sightings of what many believe is a UFO.

Several dozen people -- including a pilot, county constable and business owners -- say they have seen a large silent object with bright lights flying low and fast. Some reported seeing fighter jets chasing it.

"People wonder what in the world it is because this is the Bible Belt, and everyone is afraid it's the end of times," said Steve Allen, a freight company owner and pilot who said the object he saw last week was a mile long and half a mile wide. "It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts."

Check this out... a very funny parody of a Nickleback song and soooo right... Lots more submissions by this dude on Youtube.

wiss butchers have raised the alarm over a shortage of the Brazilian cows' intestines used to wrap the nation's favourite sausage, the Cervelat.

The Swiss Meat Association says dwindling stocks may run out by the summer, when football fans descend for the Euro 2008 championship.

Although Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, it does accept import rules handed down by Brussels.

And BSE fears have led to curbs on the purchase of the intestines.

Around 160 million of the sausages are eaten in Switzerland every year.

They are made of beef, bacon and pork rind and then wrapped in intestine, and can be boiled, grilled or eaten raw.

The Golden Globes show was cancelled due to a strike and they had to do it as a press conference. I have to say that this was a distinct improvement over their usual celebrity laden, self congratulatory stupidity of a show.

For once, we got it straight from the horses mouth so to speak without having to listen to giggly crap spurting from the mouths of tipsy celebs and better still, having to listen to political opinions from people who probably don't have two brain cells to run together. Oh sheer bliss.

MASTIC, New York (AP) -- A U.S. man was arrested Tuesday for walking on a highway with a 14-foot python wrapped around his body, police said.

Police in Long Island's Suffolk County say 35-year-old Curtis Dewberry of Wading River was spotted by an officer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals while out strolling Tuesday afternoon.

The officer called police because the python is considered a danger to the public.

Dewberry has been charged with animal cruelty and failure to protect the public against dangerous wildlife.

He was being held Tuesday and didn't have a lawyer.

Source:http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/01/16/highway.snake.ap/index.html

I just finished reading an astonishing book called 'Is There Life after Death?' by Anthony Peake. Peake looks at the evidence from Quantum Physics, Medicine, Psychology, Gnostic history and more besides to support his astonishing theory that when we die we drop out of time (time being a human creation) and then relive our lives over and over and over and over again....

Aghhhh!

Its not so bad, like in Groundhog Day, you can change your life as you go through a re-run. But his theory has real legs even from a scientific point of view.

Next time I re-live my life I have to remember to invest in Google and eBay early - oh and oil stocks....

You can get the book from Amazon - its really amazing...

Just when you thought that you had seen everything when it comes to advertising on the Internet audio ads make their appearance. I guess someone will always dream up a new way of targeting you with advertising but now might be a good time to turn off your PC speakers - especially if you like to browse the Internet while at work!

Audio ads are due to launch on February 1st and get this, they have signed up more than 8 million websites to play those ads to you. Furthermore the company behind the idea are sponsoring lots of articles on websites about their service (No - this isn't one of them!) in an effort to sign up more bloggers and websites prior to their launch. They were even mentioned in the Wall Street Journal.

(CNN) -- Scientists have discovered the remains of a rodent the size of a small car which used to forage the South American continent. The 1-ton creature is believed to have been about 3 meters in length and 1.5 meters tall.

The giant rat's skull, which measures an impressive 53 centimeters in diameter was found by Andrés Rinderknecht and Ernesto Blanco, two scientists from Montevideo, Uruguay.

The two paleontologists stumbled upon the fossilized remains in a broken boulder in San Jose along the coast of Uruguay.

By looking at the size ratios of the skulls and bodies of existing rodents, scientists determined the bodyweight of the rodent must have approached 1,000 kilograms or a ton, making it the world's largest rodent to have been discovered to date.

That is what it is being called in the Czech Republic. A security firm employee - Frantisek Prochazka - calmly walked away with 560 million Czech Crowns ($32.2 million) and simply disappeared. Apparently, Prochazka, who was a relatively new employee, found an opportunity to walk into the company's safe room, stuff the cash into bags (and that's a lot of notes because 5000 crowns is the biggest denomination in the Czech Republic) and had an accomplice transport the cash to whereabouts unknown.

I have seen photographs of all kinds of ways to get men to aim when peeing including football goals in the urinal, flies in the urinal and other such novelties. But... I never have seen anything like this in a Men's room - surely designed to make sure you wash those hands......

The nuances of a dog's barks, howls, yaps and growls can now apparently be discerned by a new computer programme developed by Hungarian scientists.

The software is said to distinguish the emotional reaction of 14 dogs of the Hungarian Mudi breed.

After analysing 6,000 barks, it aims to determine when a dog has seen a ball, when it is fighting, playing, meeting a stranger or when it wants a walk.

But the scientists admit the technology only just out-performs humans.

Rest of story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7193713.stm

An American behind a plot to illegally remove body parts from corpses and sell them for transplant is to admit guilt in a plea bargain, his lawyer has said.

One of the bodies plundered was that of famous BBC broadcaster Alistair Cooke, whose bones sold for $11,000 (£5,600).

Michael Mastromarino, 44, allegedly earned millions from the plot in New York and is expected to face a minimum of 18 years in prison.

Another 10 people have been charged in connection with the case.

Co-operation

Mr Mastromarino's lawyer, Mario Gallucci, said his client was "facing a daunting battle and he sees this as his best opportunity to accept responsibility and move on".

Rest of the story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7192462.stm

I have always thought that this particular video is very clever and sooo funny. However, I have never ever seen men behave like this in a bathroom in my life..... and if I did, I would run fast....

Enjoy.

Recently, two couples who had babies at the same hospital on the same day, had a baby swap some 9-months after giving birth. It seems that the hospital made a mistake after their births and handed each couple the wrong baby. Now how did this come to light in the first place?

Well, one of the fathers grew increasingly suspicious that his child looked nothing like him and so, thinking the worst about his wife, ordered a DNA test. The results proved he wasn't the father and so he confronted his wife. She too then conducted a DNA test and discovered she wasn't the mother! It was at this point that their relationship was saved by the discovery that in fact their baby was alive and doing fine - but living with another couple.

Old age creeps up on us all - some faster than others it would often seem - but eventually it gets us all. If you are young - say less than 30 - you are probably thinking - "why the hell do I care?" but your parents, grand parents and others might be reaching an age where, well, life gets difficult. Aging relatives can be a handful too. It's a topic that actually is difficult to be humorous about.

In some societies, older folks are venerated for their acquired knowledge and wisdom but most of us live in societies where the old folks get forgotten or shoved out to some home - out of sight and out of mind.... Thats not a future I want many thanks.

Normally, if you or I drove drunk and got caught we'd lose our license, pay a fine and perhaps spend some time in Jail. Not so for spoiled Celeb Lindsay Lohan. Nope, she gets to work in a morgue..

I got sent this in an email recently and I have to say, there is no way that I would use this toilet - would you?

Yes - those Belgian blue folks - the Smurfs are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.... Can you believe that?

But boy do they appear to have aged, as you can see below....

A toilet which flushes to the sound of Italy's national anthem has been impounded by police in northern Italy, sparking great patriotic debate.

The offending loo was the creation of two artists and was on display at the Bolzano Museum of Modern Art.

Prosecutors say the Fratelli d'Italia anthem is a national emblem which should be protected and should never be open to ridicule.

A pair of twins who were adopted by separate families as babies got married without knowing they were brother and sister, a peer told the House of Lords.

A court annulled the British couple's union after they discovered their true relationship, Lord Alton said.

The peer - who heard of the case from a judge who was involved - said the twins felt an "inevitable attraction".

Whether concealed in lace or held firmly under wraps in no - nonsense Lycra, the fact that can no longer be hidden is that British breasts are getting bigger. In less than ten years the average bra size has grown from a 34B to 36C.

According to an article in the UK's Daily Mail newspaper, British Women are suffering from larger breast these days as the average bra size has gone from a 34B to 36C. Manufacturers are having to create bigger bras and have even brought onto the market a 'K' cup bra!

Everyone knows that Boris Yeltsin always fancied a tipple and that Bush senior occasionally threw up at State occasions but a quick search at YouTube on this terms throws up any number of other drunk Presidents (some obviously doctored for effect). But recently, the new French President has come under more scrutiny.

Here are a few funny stories from the blogosphere.

TherapyDoc presents The Perfect Friend posted at Everyone Needs Therapy.

Cloning is in the news again as the US approves cloned animal meat for human consumption. Not too sure that I want to eat cloned animals but I guess the know what they are doing...

So with cloning in mind, here is another comic photograph on the topic of cloning.....

A woman who ripped off her ex-boyfriend's testicle with her bare hands has been sent to prison.

Amanda Monti, 24, flew into a rage when Geoffrey Jones, 37, rejected her advances at the end of a house party, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

She pulled off his left testicle and tried to swallow it, before spitting it out. A friend handed it back to Mr Jones saying: "That's yours."

Milton Blahyi, a former feared rebel commander in Liberia's brutal civil war, has admitted to taking part in human sacrifices as part of traditional ceremonies intended to ensure victory in battle.

He said the sacrifices "included the killing of an innocent child and plucking out the heart, which was divided into pieces for us to ea