Teacher-proof high-pitched ring tone latest buzz in US classrooms

A high-pitched sound developed in Britain to deter teen loitering and inaudible to most adults has invaded US classrooms where youngsters are using it in their cell phones to communicate without their teacher's knowledge.

The ring-tone, know as "Teen Buzz," allows students to surreptitiously exchange text messages unbeknownst to teachers whose older ears cannot detect the sound.

A security company in Wales developed the tone -- the Mosquito Teen Repeller -- to drive away teens loitering around shopping malls in Britain,

But US teens have created their own version of the piercing sound and are selling it on the Internet for 2.99 dollars.

Most adults are unable to hear the tone as with age people are less likely to hear high-frequency sounds.

At 17,000 Hertz, Teen Buzz falls within the highest of pitches noticeable to humans, who can hear as low as 40-50 Hz and as high as 20,000 Hz.

"Because the range of hearing varies greatly in individuals, it is possible that the teachers who do not hear this ring tone have never been able to hear up to the 17,000 range," said Stanton Jones, an audiologist at the St. Louis University School of Medicine. "Or age-related hearing loss may make the tone undetectable."

Children can hear high pitches. "Age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, begins around age 35 with the highest pitches being lost first," Jones said.

Britney goes Naked in Public

Pregnant pop princess Britney Spears is baring nearly all on the cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine. The singer of "... Baby, One More Time" posed in the buff for the cover of the August issue; there's also a photo spread inside.

On the cover, Spears, who is sitting, cups her breasts with her hands and crosses her legs while showing her protruding belly and smiling for the camera of lensman Alexi Lubomirski.

"Nothing to wear?" a cover headline asks. "487 Best new ideas inside."

Spears revealed to late-night talk show host David Letterman last month that she was pregnant, confirming media reports and ending much speculation.

Spears, 24, and her husband, Kevin Federline, have a son, Sean Preston, who was born last September.

The Poop

GHOST POOP: The kind where you feel the poopie come out, but there's no poopie in the toilet.

CLEAN POOP: The kind where you poopie it out, see it in the toilet, but there is nothing on the toilet paper.

WET POOP: The kind where you wipe your butt 50 times and it still feels unwiped, so you have to put some toilet paper between your butt and your underwear so you won't ruin them with stains.

SECOND WAVE POOP: This happens when you're done poopie-ing and you've pulled your pants up to your knees, and you realize that you have to poopie some more.

POP-A VEIN-IN-YOUR-FOREHEAD POOP: The kind where you strain so much to get it out, you practically have a stroke.

LINCOLN LOG POOP: The kind of poopie that is so huge you're afraid to flush without first breaking it into little pieces with the toilet brush.

GASSY POOP: It's so noisy, that everyone within earshot is giggling.

DRINKER'S POOP: The kind of poopie you have the morning after a long night of drinking. It's most noticeable trait are the skid marks on the bottom of the toilet.

CORN POOP: Self explanatory.

GEE-I-WISH-I-COULD-POOP POOP: The kind where you want to poopie but all you do is sit on the toilet and fart a few times.

SPINAL TAP POOP: That's where it hurts so badly coming out, you'd swear it was leaving you sideways.

WET CHEEKS POOP (The Power Dump): The kind that comes out so fast, your butt cheeks get splashed with water.

THE DANGLING POOP: This poopie refuses to drop in the toilet even though you are done poopie-ing it. You just hope that a shake or two will cut it loose.

THE SURPRISE POOP: You're not even at the toilet because you are sure you are about to fart, but *oops* --- a poop!

Strange Quotes From Homer Simpson

"English - Who needs that? I'm never going to England!"

"Here's to alcohol: the source of, and answer to, all of life's problems."

"Don't worry. Being eaten by a crocodile is just like going to sleep. In a giant blender."

"Bart, with $10,000, we'd be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like...love!"

"Remember as far as anyone knows, we're a nice normal family."

"Son, a woman is like a beer. They smell good, they look good, you'd step over your own mother just to get one! But you can't stop at one. You wanna drink another woman!"

"I like my beer cold…my TV loud…and my homosexuals flaming."

Pesticides may affect penis size

Zoologist Louis Guillette was drawn into London's pesticide-ban debate during a lecture stop at the University of Western Ontario yesterday. (Ken Wightman, LFP)

A renowned U.S. scientist who has documented fertility and sex changes -- including decreasing penis size -- due to environmental contamination says he wouldn't apply pesticides on his own lawn.

Delivering a special series of lectures this week at the University of Western Ontario, Louis Guillette has been drawn into London's lawn-care debate during question periods and talk-show interviews.

"The use of these compounds just for cosmetic reasons, just because you don't want to make dandelion wine from your yard or whatever, I think is inappropriate," Guillette, who is associate dean for research at the University of Florida, said in a lecture yesterday at UWO's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Based on his own scientific investigations, Guillette said there's enough evidence pesticides put children, wildlife and the ecosystem at risk.

"Just because you can go buy them at the local stores doesn't meant that is appropriate use," he said.

A zoologist, Guillette has spent the last decade studying the influence of environmental contaminants on fetal development and reproductive systems of wildlife and humans, including the differences between alligators living in contaminated Florida lakes and those in cleaner ones.

He found abnormalities in sex organs, dramatic differences in egg-hatching rates and hormone levels.

Penis size of the animals from the polluted lake was smaller than animals from the less-polluted lake.

"This is important because it is not just an alligator story. It is not just a lake story. We know there has been a dramatic increase in penile and genital abnormalities in baby boys," Guillette said.

A followup study by another scientist involving healthy couples with 5,000 healthy babies also found reduced penis size with higher contamination levels.

"Are (their penises) so small they are actually having problems? We don't know. These are baby boys," he said.

But rodent studies have indicated more difficulty with fertility and other aspects later on, he said.

The researchers also found the alligators from contaminated water had abnormal ovaries. Some of the abnormalities were traced to chemical compounds with estrogen, a sex hormone. Estrogenic-type compounds are found in some pesticides, including atrazine, mostly widely used in North America for weed control.

Guillette said he doesn't support a total pesticide ban, saying their use is proper for public health and probably in agriculture. But when people can reduce their exposure they should, he said.

VP Cheney takes a nap during President Hu's White House Visit

Vice President Dick Cheney says he was looking at his notes, not sleeping, during a briefing by President Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao in Hu's first Oval Office visit. I believe I used to call it "resting my eyes" when I would DO THE SAME THING ...you moron, you were sleeping...

Candle Lighting Ceremony

See it HERE.

Is George Micheal in your DEADPOOL?, because he should BE.

USB teddy bear holds data, scares children

Generally, when someone makes a teddy bear-themed gadget, his/her intention is to overwhelm bystanders with cuteness. But whoever created this little guy, whose head has to be removed in order to access the internal USB drive, must have watched one too many Tim Burton movies. No word on how much it holds or if there are any plans to make these available for purchase, but with your own bear, a thumb drive, some thread and a closet full of skeletons, you can probably make your own without too much effort.

Weird Statues in Childrens Parks

What were they thinking when they put this in a children's park?, well this isn't even as bad as it gets. see more HERE.

Flameosapien: IT'S ABOUT TIME...

It's nice to have a walking, talking robot with a gastro-intestinal disorder and all, but the one thing Robosapien V2 has always lacked is the ability to rage mayhem like his pet. No more! Some firestarter, twisted firestarter has hacked a "flame thrower" onto the unsuspecting robot who seems a tad perplexed by his new powers of destruction. No details yet on how to apply the hack, but you can check the sneak peak video for the results. Hey Flameosapien, why not use your powers for good (like, say, cooking) instead of acting on your nature to oppress mankind, hmm?

A Photo Gallery of Cats that look like Hitler

You won't believe the amount of time and subject matter some people have on their hands, see it all right HERE.

Nestlé set to purchase diet firm Jenny Craig

Nestlé, the Swiss food giant, was planning to announce Monday that it had agreed to pay about $600 million for Jenny Craig, the weight-loss company that has had a surprise turnaround in recent years as a result of an irreverent advertising campaign chronicling the slimming waistline of Kirstie Alley, of "Cheers" and "Fat Actress" fame.

The deal is a bold gamble for Nestlé, which has never before ventured into the $50 billion weight loss industry but is betting that consumers, in search of health and vanity, will continue their age-old battle to lose weight through prepackaged meals and motivational workshops, especially as America is fighting an escalating obesity epidemic.

places to go people to read...

YouTube.com
The ultimate source for viral videos, from dancing babies to Brokeback spoofs and beyond.
Pandora.com
An original interactive system that suggests new music based on visitors' preexiting tastes.
Woxy.com
Internet radio station featuring rising artists such as Thee Emergency.
Last.fm
Connecting users with others who share the same music interests.
AllMusic.com
A reliable music database of albums and songs by artists ranging from Gnarls Barkley to Shakira.
FameTracker.com
The self-proclaimed ''Farmer's Almanac of Celebrity Worth'' keeps tabs on famous folks.
Fluxblog.org
A blog for MP3 fans, spanning a wide variety of music, from pop to funk.
Penny-arcade.com
A hilarious and smart webcomic for gamers.
Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)
The unofficial bible of the entertainment world, and also the best way to cheat at the Kevin Bacon game.
National Public Radio (npr.org)
'The radio station that's always erudite but with a sense of whimsy.
EmpireOnline.com
The veddy British fanboy's movie magazine.
HollywoodWiretap.com
Nuggets of industry news and dirt from Tinseltown.
Metacritic.com
Think of it as a one-stop resource for summaries of film, DVD, television, book, game, and music reviews from various outlets.
TheFutonCritic.com
A TV site with a boggling amount of news items.
DustedMagazine.com
A consistently well-written music-review site.
GameSpot.com
One of the top videogame websites featuring an array of timely previews, reviews, and expo news.
Tvtattle.com
A blog of TV news and criticism, plus postings on development deals and eulogies of shows like the late, lamented ''Everwood.''
Idol Chatter (beliefnet.com/blogs/idolchatter)
Nothing to do with the Fox show -- rather, a blog about religious aspects of TV and movies.
PopJustice.com
Pop-music commentary from a British perspective.
CollisionDetection.net
Pop culture with a scientific and tech bent.
Defamer.com
Nobody does snarky Hollywood gossip like these bloggers, who recently influenced the artwork for ''Snakes on a Plane.''
Rosie O'Donnell's Blog (rosie.com)
Hopefully, Rosie will continue to blog from the couch on 'The View.'
BrettRatner.com
The definitive source for photos of the 'X-Men: The Last Stand' director.
Celebrities-Eating.com
Just pictures of celebrities eating. That's it. Really.
MaudNewton.com
Smart literary observations, anecdotes, and occasional excerpts (''The Missionary Position,'' Laila Lalami's essay on Muslim women).
No Rock & Roll Fun (xrrf.blogspot.com) A site skewers ''insufferable'' music personalities from Hanson to Bono.
NumberOneHitSong.com
An anonymous blogger's biting rants on music, etc.
PitchforkMedia.com
It's either a collection of insightful music criticism or mean-spirited reviews, but either way, the Chicago-based site is a tastemaker.
Cinemarati.org
A hub for film critics that challenges the notion that Internet-based cultural criticism is amateurish.
Discogs.com
A user-generated database deconstructing the world of music genres.
Wonderland (crystaltips.typepad.com)
An insightful gaming blog from BBC's Alice Taylor.
Newsarama.com
This comics news site reports and reviews the latest releases, movie tie-ins, and industry happenings.
Comics101
A walking encyclopedia about comics.
WDWMagic.com
For hardcore Disney fans, a site that covers the Florida theme parks 24/7.
JKCinema.com
''Urban Legend'' episodes -- including videos, photos, and paintings of purported supernatural phenomena -- that stand up to repeat viewings.
People.com
Tired of unsubstantiated celeb gossip? PEOPLE's website broke the news of Suri Cruise's birth and posted the first pics of Brangelina's spawn, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt.
Pollstar.com
The best source of national concert listings, broken down by venue.
Bobdylan.com
The greatest performer of the rock era is taken seriously on this site.
Wesmirch.com
A solid aggregator of celebrity news.
TheOnion.com
The veteran humor mag.
The reMARKable Site (marklowry.com)
A longtime comic's official website, with regularly updated ''ramblings.''
T. Herman Zweibel Memorial Historical Archive
Onion publisher emeritus Zweibel's whimsy.
America's CryptoKids
On the National Security Agency's site, educational games featuring cartoon code-breaking animals.
GoFugYourself.com
Saucy attacks on celeb fashion foibles with annotations of red-carpet pics of Lindsay Lohan, etc.
Snarkfest (snarkfest.9.forumer.com
A popular forum for rants against celebrities.
The Dregulator (cintrawilson.com/dregs)
The master of literate smackdowns, Cintra Wilson scours the tabloids and skewers stars.
Laineygossip.com
Bright, barbed writing, plus juicy blind items.
Ain't It Cool News (aintitcool.com)
An unabashedly geeky source for movie news that recently made Brett Ratner fret by criticizing ''X-Men: The Last Stand'' from a fanboy perspective.
BoxOfficeMojo.com
The best online tracker of box office tallies, both foreign and domestic.
Film-Releases.com
Studios' release schedules for the next two years.
MySpace.com
Social networking, plus a home for tunes by rising bands like the Submarines.
TelevisionWithoutPity.com
Get the lowdown on fave shows, from ''24'' to ''Desperate Housewives,'' in witty recaps.
Blog of a Bookslut
Guide to lit-world scandals.
Pop Culture Junk Mail (pcjm.blogspot.com)
The blog of a ''Facts of Life''-obsessed entertainment editor at MSNBC.
Beware of the Blog (blog.wfmu.org)
New Jersey's cult free-form radio station kicks it.
Stereogum.com
For all those ''indie yuppies'' keeping tabs on hot bands, upcoming concerts, and the occasional movie star.
TMZ.com
When Paris Hilton does something stupid, TMZ is there.
Elbo.ws
Links to hundreds of thousands of blog postings about MP3s.
The Hype Machine (hype.non-standard.net)
A site listing the most recently discussed MP3 tracks on various blogs.
HomestarRunner.com
A collection of cartoon shorts, e-mails, and inane games starring the animated antics of Strong Bad and Homestar.
Channel101.com
Hate the glut of online entertainment? Users not only submit videos, but vote off the clunkers.
Robschrab.com
Schrab makes cooler F/X with cardboard than Industrial Light & Magic, and posts it for free.
Keithschofield.com
Schofield's inventive music videos have edge.
AOL Music (music.aol.com)
A giant music site and Mac-friendly destination for music videos, including exclusive scenes from Bruce Springsteen's tour.
PauseandPlay.com
The best source for album release dates.
Internet Archive (archive.org)
Defunct websites like Mr Showbiz.com live on here.
Pink Is the New Blog (trent.blogspot.com)
It's not about the celeb pics, but the commentary.
TVgasm.com
The TV-obsessed site, which boasts ''expanded coverage'' of shows like ''Real World'' and ''American Idol,'' broke one of the first souped-up videos of Tom Cruise on ''Oprah.''
RealityBlurred.com
Always a great source for reality-TV gossip.
BestWeekEver.tv
VH1's hilarious pop-culture show has an equally impressive blog.
RottenTomatoes.com
One of the best ways to check out film reviews.
DigitalBits.com
This DVD-centric site posts release dates, reviews discs, and details bonus and promo materials.
AdultSwim.com
Engage with other fans of Cartoon Network's late-night programming by playing games and posting on message boards.
Comics.com
Missed today's ''Dilbert'' or ''Get Fuzzy''? Catch up on the latest comic strips here.
AreasofMyExpertise.com
''Daily Show'' regular John Hodgman's very strange body of work is online.
Joystiq.com
This constantly updating blog for hardcore videogamers offers the latest buzz on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.
Wikipedia.com
How is an encyclopedia an entertainment site? Consider the 2,000-word entry on the videogame ''Legend of Zelda.''
GamePolitics.com
For truly avid gamers, gaming legislation is a serious concern.
GameVideos.com
Consider this the videogame version of YouTube.
Whatevs.org
A Detroit-based guy blogs about sports, movies, music, and TV with zing (''So dark the con of Vanegas'') and raunchy slang (''douchebagalows'').
GoldenFiddle.com
Celebrity snark from Atlanta can be just as juicy as bicoastal gossip.
RockInsider.com
A young woman enthuses over new bands.
Baseball Card Blog (baseballcardblog.blogspot.com)
Go ahead, indulge your inner fifth grader.
JoBlo.com
Up-to-the-minute postings of recent movie trailers and exclusive clips (like ''Nacho Libre'') and a convivial tone.
DarkHorizons.com
This movie fansite goes the extra mile with trailers, interviews (''Cars''' Paul Newman), and more.
RogerEbert.com
Everything you wanted to know about the venerable Chicago critic.
SimplyScripts.com
The ultimate site for finding movie screenplays.
Slate.com
Witty pop-culture coverage, from critiques of Beyonce's iTunes picks to ''why Tom Cruise should disappear for a year.''
About Last Night
Terry Teachout's erudite theater and arts blog.
JamesWolcott.com
A Vanity Fair editor's pop-culture analysis.
Arts & Letters Daily
Catalogs every piece of high-brow culture criticism.
Broadway.com
Theater hub with news, photos, and interviews with stars.
Internet Broadway Database
Find out which movie hunk made his musical debut in 1971 beside Peter Allen (Richard Gere).
''La Dolce Musto'' on villagevoice.com
Michael Musto's weekly column chews on the latest New York gossip.
BroadwayStars.com
One-stop shopping for theater news and features.
PerezHilton.com
The raunchy blog by the ''queen of all media'' was one of the first to dish about Ashlee Simpson's alleged ''new face,'' complete with before-and-after comparisons.
PageSix.com
Despite recent scandals, the New York Post's gossip column is a must-read.
Friendster.com
''It looks prettier than MySpace,'' Hilton maintains. ''Plus, there are fewer fake celebrities!''
UsMagazine.com
Even big mags blog now.

George Bush : The Resume

George W. Bush
The White House, USA

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

LAW ENFORCEMENT:
I was arrested in Kennebunkport , Maine , in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days.
My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

MILITARY:
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL.
I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use.
By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam .
COLLEGE:
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:
I ran for U.S. Congress and lost.
I began my career in the oil business in Midland , Texas , in 1975.
I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas . The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.
I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money.
With the help of my father and our right-wing friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas .

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS :
I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union .
During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America .
I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.
I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.
With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida , and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:
I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.
I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.
I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.
I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.
I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.
I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.
I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market. In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs

I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history.
My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Ric e , has a Chevron oil tanker named after her. I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President.
I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.
My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay , presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History, Enron.
My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.
More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.
I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.
I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.
I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.
I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.
I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.
I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.
I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.
I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.
I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.
I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).
I set the record for fewest number of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.
I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period.
After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.
I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.
I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.
I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.
I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families -- in war time.
In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq , then blamed the lies on our British friends.
I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.
I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD.
I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.
All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

PLEASE CONSIDER MY EXPERIENCE AND MY PARTY WHEN VOTING IN 2006

Screech Gets Screwed

Hello there and welcome to getDshirts.com

I'm Dustin Diamond and you probably remember me from the hit TV show Saved By The Bell. After the show ended I decided to leave Sunny Cailfornia for the midwest. My shitty credit meant that getting a loan for a house would be tough. I began looking and finally purchsed one on a land contract. I was thrilled! Now I call Wisconsin my home.

During the past years the land around me has developed for the better and my property value went way up. Now that the house is worth a lot more they want it back. Knowing my credit is bad, getting a straight mortgage would take some time. I received a letter stating that I had 30 days to pay $250,000.00 or get out. I was not thrilled.

Calling an old friend with lots of connections, I was finally referred to a man named Arthur Giraldo who works for New York Capital Exchange. "If he can't do it, it can't be done." Arthur was said to be an expert in land contracts and a guru when it came to getting difficult loans done. Indeed Arthur sold himself highly and away we went to save my house. I was told not to worry, that it wouldn't be a problem and that everything would be done quickly, as was needed.

I sent everything he asked for and signed all the papers that were sent to me. The closing date was to be set and he would have a lawyer who was in Wisconsin come to the closing with me. Arthur even said he was going to fly out himself and be there for the closing. The days went by and I never heard from him. I called and left message after message but never got a call back. I finally called from another number from the road (I travel the U.S. doing stand up comedy) and he picked up. As if we had all the time in the world, he brushed it off and said again not to worry. Everything was moving ahead and all is well. He set yet another closing date, but that came and went.

Meanwhile, all was not well and they still want the house. As days crept by and still no calls from Arthur, I was forced to threaten calling every day, all day long, every hour on the hour til I got a call back. Alas, I get a call back. "Don't worry. Everything's moving ahead and all is well." Less than thrilled.

This avoidance goes on and on for some time until...

"You got Served"

That's right, yours truly gets served with a notice to foreclose. They're gonna take my house! I'm gonna be homeless! Dustin Diamond homeless in Wisconsin. BULLSHIT! Time to call up New York Capital Exchange and set them straight! My message went something like this...

"Tell Arthur Giraldo that I just got served and was told that he hadn't contacted the holder of the land contract for over a month, never sent any papers over and as such, I am losing my house. If he doesn't call me back I'll go to Howard Stern and tell the world (New York especially) how he does business. Let's face it, if he can't find the time to work on a mortgage for a famous celebrity, how will he handle the average person?"

In more words than one I was told basically... "Go f... yourself!"

One phone call later I was telling the Stern show what had happened.
Time to pay the piper Arthur. You shouldn't have f...ed with the Dman.

At this point I have less than 40 days to save my house and I'm calling out to anyone who will listen.

1. I want Arthur to lose his cushy job at NYCE where he screws over the working man then laughs at their expense.

2. I ask you to join my fight against injustice by helping to save my house.

I've designed a T-shirt for all of you to wear to show your support. All monies go towards Saving My House!

1. A $15.00 donation will get you a comfortable and stylish cotton T-Shirt telling the world you helped save my house.

2. A $20.00 donation will get you that same T-Shirt signed by me with my special message "Fuck Giraldo".

First we rallied to Free Wynona. The next time we Voted For Pedro. This time we'll Save Screeech's House!

Please rally behind me and together we can end the feeble handling of peoples futures by Arthur Giraldo and at the same time SAVE MY HOUSE!

~ Dustin Diamond

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE HERE.

Giant Panda robots: extinction solved

Ahh Giant Pandas... cute and cuddly until they rip out your jugular with a swipe from those massive thumbed paws. What better avatar to lull us into complacency while cleansing the fields of our human scourge? Ok, ok, only the head can actually be considered robotic with 14 servo motors used to create realistic panda expressions like confusion: "has anyone seen my bamboo?" or anger: "I am not a teddy bear!" The rest is just some guy in a fancy monkey suit drunk on Billy Beer. Now isn't it about time we forget about all this endangered species crap since man clearly possesses the power to preserve these giant bears raccoons automatons forever in some kind of It's a Small World freak show?

BLUEMAN TOYS COMING SOON

We're HUGE fans of over-enthusiastic men in face paint, and it's about TIME, the first of the Blue Man Group's new toy range is coming.

They are all rocking with the same PVC tubing meets Apple G5 meets Fisher Price styling, and feature "new proximity sensor technology, pre-programmed songs [and] interchangeable instrument sounds" to "enable kids to mix and layer music with a simple wave of their hands." This is the 'Percussion Tubes' model; the little green drawer on the right is for your iPod, which can play out of the speakers so you can "jam along with your favourite tracks." There's also a keyboard version, and a more interesting sounding Drum Suit and Air Pole. Can't wait until the circuit benders get their hands on these, which they surely will, the Percussion Tubes being $69, and the Keyboard being $79 -- available in July.

iPod City: Apple criticized for factory conditions

If you are fortunate enough to live in the UK, you may have seen an interesting piece in the Mail on Sunday this past weekend. The Mail sent some reporters to Longhua, China (twenty minutes from Hong Kong) and Suzhou, which borders Shanghai to visit two factories which bring forth the iPods, Nanos, and Shuffles that are "designed in California" and tremendously popular around the world. There they found conditions that to our Western ears sound positively Dickensian.

"We have to work too hard and I am always tired. It's like being in the army. They make us stand still for hours. If we move, we are punished by being made to stand still for longer…We have to work overtime if we are told to and can only go back to the dormitories when our boss gives us permission…If they ask for overtime we must do it. After working 15 hours until 11:30pm, we feel so tired."

The first facility, run by Taiwanese company Foxconn, is described as "the original and largest plant to be built in mainland China. It's a sprawling place where 200,000 people work and sleep." Many are already questioning this figure as being an error of some sort, as that would basically be a city the size of Tallahassee, Florida. It is worth noting, however, that the Foxconn facility produces electronics equipment for a variety of IT companies besides Apple, and the Longhua facility holds one-fifth of their "million-strong workforce." iPod Nanos are produced in a five-story factory at the facility, stationed with police officers who check everyone who enters and leaves to "thwart rivals intent on industrial espionage." For 15 hour workdays, pay at this facility is approximately US$50 per month.
The Mail on Sunday's pictures of "iPod City"
Image source: The Mail on Sunday (click for enlargement).

The second facility visited benefited from its proximity to Shanghai. Dormitories are outside the plant, work is only 12 hours of the day, and pay is almost US$100 per month (the security guards who watch over the workers earn up to US$150), of which up to half is paid back to the company for housing and food. The remainder is typically sent home to families, many of which are struggling to bring in that kind of money farming.

Given that the iPod nano components cost approximately US$75 but have around 400 parts, cheap labor becomes very important at keeping the price competitive. One guard at one of the facilities visited understood this:

"Payment is lower because the boss wants to reduce our costs," he says. "Prices need to be competitive to get orders from abroad."

What results is an unpleasant catch-22. Overseas companies need to keep their costs down so first-world consumers can afford their products and they can stay in business. In places like China, the low wages and shocking conditions present an opportunity not unlike what came of the Industrial Revolution.

James Kynge, author of China Shakes The World, argues that despite Westerners' perceptions about working conditions in factories, the wages are a godsend that are transforming rural China. "The money sent back to farming families from the workers now exceeds the amount made from agriculture," he says.

Further, China has no unions, which allows subcontractors like Foxconn to keep wages artificially low.

Workers will be lucky if they make two percent of the profit from an iPod. Foxconn will make less than ten percent. Far more money is spent by Apple on marketing the product than making it.

That's not to say something can't or shouldn't be done. A recent BusinessWeek article profiles a Hewlett-Packard manager whose job is specifically to fight for "Supply Chain Social & Environmental Responsibility." Bonny Nixon-Gardiner not only travels to facilities like the Foxconn Longhua plant to ensure the working conditions are decent, but she has also worked with other companies such as Dell, IBM, and Intel to create the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct, setting out basic labor and environmental standards for IT contractors.

It's not an easy job. Grover Thurman of Foxconn describes working with Nixon-Gardiner as "like being kissed and slapped at the same time. It can make you psychotic—but it needs to be done."

We can only hope that Apple, who puts at least a little of that marketing budget into trying to promote themselves as a socially responsible company, can get on board with the movement towards technology manufacturing ethics.

Of course, Apple isn't alone in its use of labor in Asia, including that which has been profiled here. We hope that all such companies keep the improvement of workers' conditions at the top of their "must have" feature list for the future.

Beach Weddings really are the BEST !!!

The Hawkmisters World Tour

"If this piece of shit wheel chair had rear view mirrors I could stare at the nurses boobs all day long"... thought up in a lucid moment by Steve Hawking

Assaulted Nut

HEAD MAGGOT REMOVAL

Check out the video HERE.

I've got you GAS right HERE...

Heather Mills-McCartney - THE PHOTOS

The UK SUN posted this photos on its website yeaterday, They show the then Heather Mills in a German book called "The Joys of Love"

Angelina Goes On and On ... Brad Just Listens

In a video interview from Namibia, Angelina Jolie talks at some length about her incredible experience having a baby in Africa -- Brad, not so much.

You can see it all right HERE.

Jolie-Pitt Baby photo leaked before publication hits news stands...

Special forces to use strap-on 'stealth wings'

Elite special forces troops being dropped behind enemy lines on covert missions are to ditch their traditional parachutes in favour of strap-on stealth wings.

The lightweight carbon fibre mono-wings will allow them to jump from high altitudes and then glide 120 miles or more before landing - making them almost impossible to spot, as their aircraft can avoid flying anywhere near the target.

The technology was demonstrated in spectacular fashion three years ago when Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner - a pioneer of freefall gliding - famously 'flew' across the English Channel, leaping out of an aircraft 30,000ft above Dover and landing safely near Calais 12 minutes later.

Wearing an aerodynamic suit, and with a 6ft wide wing strapped to his back, he soared across the sea at 220mph, moving six feet forward through the air for every one foot he fell vertically - and opened his parachute 1,000ft above the ground before landing safely.

'Massive potential'

Now military scientists have realised the massive potential for secret military missions.

Currently special forces such as the SAS rely on a variety of parachute techniques to land behind enemy lines - or else they must be dropped by helicopter.

Existing steerable square parachutes can be used - opened at high altitude of 27,000 ft - but jumpers then have to struggle to control them for long periods, often in high winds and extreme cold, while breathing from an oxygen tank to stay alive.

Alternatively they can freefall from high altitude, opening their parachutes at the last possible minute, but that limits the distance they can 'glide' forward from the drop point to just a few miles.

Now German company ESG has developed the strap-on rigid wing specifically for special forces use.

Resembling a 6ft-wide pair of aircraft wings, the devices should allow a parachutist to glide up to 120miles, carrying 200lb of equipment, the manufacturers claim.

Fitted with oxygen supply, stabilisation and navigation aides, troops wearing the wings will jump from a high-altitude transport aircraft which can stay far away from enemy territory - or on secret peacetime missions could avoid detection or suspicion by staying close to commercial airliner flight paths.

The manufacturers claim the ESG wing is '100 per cent silent' and 'extremely difficult' to track using radar.

Once close to their target landing zone, the troops pull their parachute rip cord to open their canopy and then land normally.

Weapons, ammunition, food and water can all be stowed inside the wing, although concealing the 6ft wings after landing could prove harder than burying a traditional parachute.

ESG claims the next stage of development will be fitting 'small turbo-jet drives' to the wings to extend range even further.

According to SAS insiders, very few operational parachute jumps have taken place in recent years, with teams tending to rely more on helicopters or other means of transport.

Supporters of the new mono-wing technology hope it will give a new lease of life to parachute tactics in the special forces world.

The Ministry of Defence would not comment on any equipment used by special forces, but is expected to evaluate the new system for use by UK special forces.

Fifth Beatle' Billy Preston dies at 59

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Billy Preston, the exuberant keyboardist who landed dream gigs with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and enjoyed his own series of hit singles, including "Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing," died Tuesday at 59.

Preston's longtime manager, Joyce Moore, said Preston had been in a coma since November in a care facility and was taken to a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, Saturday after his condition deteriorated.

"He had a very, very beautiful last few hours and a really beautiful passing," Moore said by telephone from Germany. "He went home good."

Preston had battled chronic kidney failure, and he received a kidney transplant in 2002. But the kidney failed and he has been on dialysis ever since, Moore said earlier this year.

Known for his big smile and towering Afro, Preston was a teen prodigy on the piano and organ, and lent his gospel-tinged touch to classics such as the Beatles' "Get Back" and the Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?"

He broke out as a solo artist in the 1970s, winning a best instrumental Grammy in 1973 for "Outta Space," and scoring other hits with "Will It Go 'Round In Circles," "Nothing From Nothing" and "With You I'm Born Again," a duet with Syreeta Wright.

He also wrote Joe Cocker's weeper, "You Are So Beautiful," and co-wrote with Quincy Jones the score for 1970 movie "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs." Other achievements included being a musical guest on the 1975 debut of "Saturday Night Live," and having a song named after him by Miles Davis. Among his film credits: "Blues Brothers 2000" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

Preston's partnership with the Beatles began in early 1969 when friend George Harrison recruited him to play on "Let It Be," a back-to-basics film and record project that nearly broke down because of feuding among band members. Harrison himself quit at one point, walking out on camera after arguing with Paul McCartney.

Preston not only inspired the Beatles to get along -- Harrison likened his effect to a feuding family staying on its best behavior in front of a guest -- but contributed a light, bluesy solo to "Get Back," performing the song with the band on its legendary "roof top" concert, the last time the Beatles played live. He was one of many sometimes labeled "The Fifth Beatle."

Preston remained close to Harrison and performed at Harrison's all-star charity event, "The Concert for Bangladesh" and at the "Concert for George," a tribute to Harrison, who died of cancer in 2001. He played on solo records by Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.

Preston also toured and recorded extensively with the Rolling Stones, playing on such classic albums as "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile on Main Street." In the mid-'70s, he parted from the Stones, reportedly unhappy over not getting proper credit for "Melody" and other songs. He reunited with the band in 1997 on its "Bridges to Babylon" record.

His sessions credits included Aretha Franklin's "Young, Gifted and Black," Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" and Sly and Family Stone's "There's a Riot Goin' On," three of the most acclaimed albums of the past 35 years.

The Houston native earned his performance chops at age 10 playing the keyboard for gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, and at 12 portraying a young W. C. Handy in the 1958 biopic "St. Louis Blues."

He toured with mentors and fellow piano greats Ray Charles and Little Richard in the early 1960s, first encountering the Beatles while on the road in Germany.

Preston had numerous personal troubles in recent years. In 1992, he was given a suspended jail sentence, but ordered incarcerated for nine months at a drug rehabilitation center for his no-contest pleas to cocaine and assault charges.

Five years later, he was sentenced to three years in prison for violating probation. In 1998, he pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and agreed to testify against other defendants in an alleged scam that netted about $1 million.

A piece of first amendment HELL...

Nothing like having a vision thats exactly the opposite of rational thinking...well you can see it all right HERE.

I'd look fast before they get HIT with a DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACK, cause its really only a matter of time before an overzealous hacker takes down the site...

Thank god for free speech, it keeps the nuts in full view....

Meat Loaf Claims 'Bat Out of Hell' Rights

Someone else might have written the "Bat Out of Hell" song, but Meat Loaf claims he should be the only one to use the phrase in connection with music. In a federal lawsuit dated May 26, the rocker, whose real name is Michael Aday, said the expression had been publicly associated with him since the 1977 release of his "Bat Out of Hell" album.

The suit claims defendant Jim Steinman, who wrote the original song of the same name, wrongly claims ownership of the phrase.

The album and its 1993 follow-up, "Bat Out of Hell II," sold 48 million copies worldwide, according to the suit.

The suit seeks damages of more than $50 million.

Steinman and Meat Loaf's manager, defendant David Sonenberg, have been trying to disrupt the October release of the third "Bat Out of Hell" album by telling the singer's distributors that Aday had no right to use the phrase, according to the suit.

"This contention is blackmail and a holdup," said the complaint, which claimed Steinman and Sonenberg have infringed Aday's trademark rights in the phrase, and are interfering with distribution contracts.

Steinman wrote and produced the second album, and would have produced the third, but he and Aday had a falling out, according the suit. Todd Rundgren produced the first one.

Attempts to reach Steinman and Sonenberg for comment after business hours Monday were unsuccessful.

Duck X-Ray Reveals 'Alien Head'

The International Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia plans to raise funds with an unusual duck X-ray. The bird came in with a broken wing, but when Marie Travers, assistant manager of the center, radiographed the duck, she was stunned to see a very clear image of what appeared to be the face, or head, of an extraterrestrial alien in the bird's stomach.

``Marie looked at it and all she could say was 'unbelievable,''' said Karen Benzel, public affairs director for the rescue center, which has been rescuing sick and injured birds for more than three decades.

Unfortunately, the duck died quickly and quietly of its injuries.

Initial reports from the center claimed the cause of the alien face was never determined, but Benzel said she was still awaiting results of a necropsy.

Either way, the center has come up with a way to turn its alien encounter into a fundraiser for the center. It will auction off the X-ray on eBay.

The one-of-a-kind image, which measures 17-by-14 inches, will be sold along with a certificate of authenticity. All proceeds will go toward funding the center's rehabilitation programs.

The auction begins Sunday.

Huck Botko: The Interview

There are two film makers who in my mind can do no wrong, Kevin Smith and Huck Botko, here is an interview with Huck for your enjoyment.

LATEST FILM:
Mail Order Wife

A documentarian funds a NYC doorman's Asian mail order bride in exchange for the right to film the experience.

FILMOGRAPHY:
Botko: "Mail Order Wife," "Broken Condom," "Gramaglia," "The Dessert-u-mentaries," "Until There Are None"
Gurland: "Mail Order Wife," "Broken Condom," "Gramaglia," "Cheats," "Frat House," "Screwed"

FIND OUT MORE:

Wife has been described as a "Dark Comedy." The term is getting a bit watered down, could you give a better blurb to describe your film?

Gurland: One critic called it a "simple minded circle jerk". I think that's our favorite.

You had some heavy-hitters like Doug Linman (The Bourne Supremacy, Swingers) produce the film. How did you hook up with him?

Gurland: Doug had seen a short film of ours "Julie" that featured me trying to give a lady a venereal disease.

Why the topic? Have either of you dabbled? Did you do much research?

Botko: There is a real life connection. After my real mom died my father married a woman from the Philippines. Although I don't care for her personality, she's young and beautiful and I often fantasize being with her.

What is the most expensive part of making a small-budget movie?

Gurland: That really depends on the movie. In the case of this film, getting it into the can was fairly inexpensive. Two-thirds of our budget was post.

Andrew, in the film you play a documentary filmmaker who is surprisingly unlikable. How dare you! Aren't all documentarians supposed to be sensitive and heroic?

Gurland: A lot of doc-makers think they're doing great things. Most of them are just annoying — especially the ones that put themselves in their own films. It's easy to make yourself look heroic, when you're the one with final cut.

Huck, you've been described as evil and horrifying and are infamous for poisoning family members in film in the most demonic fashion. Is there a soft, cuddly side to Huck Botko? Please give examples.

Botko: I'm definitely more sensitive now than I used to be. I decided to stop hurting my dog recently (kicking and what not). I thought he'd had enough.

I don't want to give anything away, but you have a timely cameo in the film from a very big and newsworthy star. Are his eyes as dreamy blue in real life or just colored contacts?

Gurland: Assuming we're talking about the same person, his eyes turn colors depending upon the race of the person he's talking to.

Please end the heated debate you started in Mail Order Wife. What's cuter, a puppy or a piglet?

Gurland: It is our position that engaging in intercourse with either pigs or dogs is in bad taste.

Huck Botko & Andrew Gurland

Together, you've written and directed films about exacting brutal revenge (Gramaglia) and badgering a pregnant woman (Broken Condom). Is there any chance of a romantic comedy for your next film?

Gurland: Some people have called MOW a romantic comedy. Some have called it a "no-mantic comedy". Others (most) have called it "shit."

Is it difficult having two people direct a film? How do you settle disputes?

Gurland: The magic eight ball really is magic.

Will you work together again?

Gurland: Will we work again period? That's the real question.

You are both NYU film school grads. Is there any overt competitiveness with West coast film school grads? Any trash talk?

Gurland: Haven't we learned anything from Biggie and Tupac?

Andrew, you made the controversial film Frat House with director Todd Phillips (Old School, Road Trip) back in 1998. Is it legally available? I keep searching for it online and I just get porn flicks with similar titles.

Gurland: The film is only available through illegal channels. But I feel that fact adds to its charm.

Huck, you've been to your fair share of film fests. What's the best and worst thing about hawking your movies at these ubiquitous events?

Botko: The best is the free booze. There is no bad part. Festivals really are the best part of being a filmmaker.

You become mega-famous and can choose any artist or band to do all the music in one of your films. Who would it be and why?

Botko: Someone else picks all the music for our movies. We're pretty much tone deaf.

Still mega-famous, which actors would you love to cast and put in extremely embarrassing roles?

Botko: We can't name the actress, but there's a horse-hair butt plug involved.

Do you have any advice to the old, angry, unsuccessful filmmakers out there?

Gurland: Kill (or fuck) somebody famous and film it.

Any people in the biz you'd like to give props (suck up to) or dis (our readers promise not to tell)?

Botko: Props: Andy Kaufman, Peter Sellers. Dis: Conchita Delgado. (She knows why.)

Gurland: Props: Andy Kaufman, Nick Broomfield, Ross McElwee

Favorite film made in the past 5 years?

Gurland: The best (and funniest) has to be "Capturing the Freidmans."

Botko: "Problem Child."

What's next for Andrew and Huck?

Botko: We're trying to raise money to make Smallie Biggs — It's the story of a black man with a small penis.

Grateful Dead's Last Keyboardist Dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Vince Welnick, the Grateful Dead's last keyboard player and a veteran of other bands, including the Tubes and Missing Man Formation, has died, the Grateful Dead's longtime publicist confirmed Saturday. He was 51.

Welnick died Friday, said Dennis McNally, who would not release the cause.

He lived in the northern California town of Forestville, but McNally said he didn't know whether he died at home or in a hospital.

"His service to and love for the Grateful Dead were heartfelt and essential. He had a loving soul and a joy in music that we were lucky to share," the group said in a statement on its Web site. "Our Grateful Dead prayer for the repose of his spirit: May the four winds blow him safely home."

Welnick was the last in a long line of Grateful Dead keyboardists, several of whom died prematurely, leading some of the group's fans to conclude that the position came with a curse.

Welnick had replaced Brent Mydland, who died of a drug overdose in 1990. Mydland succeeded Keith Godchaux, who died in a car crash shortly after leaving the band. And Godchaux had replaced the band's original keyboard player, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, who died at 27 in 1973.

Welnick was the last musician to join the group before the 1995 death of lead guitarist and unofficial leader Jerry Garcia, which McNally said hit Welnick particularly hard.

After struggling for several years after leaving the Tubes, Welnick had embraced the opportunity Garcia and the others gave him when they asked him to play keyboards in 1990.

"To lose it within five years hurt him, I think, maybe worse than anybody else in the band," McNally said.

Glow-in-the-Dark Creature to Provide View Inside Human Body

Tiny semiconductor crystals called quantum dots may soon light their own paths through the human body. Scientists are splicing modified proteins from a glow-in-the-dark ocean creature onto the microscopic semiconductors to make self-illuminated dots.

Quantum dots, which are 10 to 50 or so atoms wide, have been around for at least two decades. Although scientists have high hopes for the dots in fields such as super computing, most current applications cash in on the dots' optical characteristics. Because quantum dots light up, or fluoresce, when struck by narrow bands of light energy, they are especially useful for medical imaging.

Like other current biomedical imaging technologies that illuminate nanoparticles, such as gold flecks, most quantum dots light up only when an external energy source, such as laser, strikes and excites them. Relying on external light stimulation causes a couple of problems. Light from the source cannot reach very deep into tissue. And even in areas the source can penetrate, the light bounces off tissue, clouding the picture the way oncoming headlights diffuse on a rain-streaked windshield.

Nanoparticles that make their own light could skirt such issues and help medical technicians take clearer pictures from deeper inside the human body.

Help from a pansy

At Stanford University scientists have joined quantum dots to glowing proteins. The proteins themselves aren't imaged. Instead they release bioluminescent energy that excites the dots to glow red. Effectively, each dot carries its own energy source on board.

The original enzymes—specialized proteins that accelerate chemical reactions—are from the sea pansy, a mushroom-shaped colony of polyps with a large stem that anchors the colony in sand. When sea pansies are disturbed, they shine brightly.

"They have a light-emitting protein, a bioluminescent protein, amino luciferase," explains Jianghong Rao, an assistant professor in radiology at Stanford.

This protein is similar to those in other glowing creatures, such as jellyfish and fireflies, he says. In fact the scientists first tried firefly luciferase, but it proved too fragile.

Shining brightly

The scientists made a more stable, brighter protein that they based on the sea pansy luciferase. Then they chemically connect this modified protein to the dots. Mixing the modified quantum dots with a catalyst, coelenterazine, starts the glowing chemical reaction. Once the on-board energy source is triggered the dots shine for about 15 minutes, with their peak brightness coming after about five minutes, Rao says.

To compare the self-illuminating dots with conventional quantum dots, the researchers injected each type deep into the shoulders of mice, one type per shoulder. Next they injected coelenterazine into the tail. When the modified dots met the catalyst, they began to glow. The scientists then used fluorescence imaging devices to try to track both kinds of dots.

"We could see the bio-luminescence imaging from either side," Rao says. "But if we used the original fluorescence imaging, then we couldn't see them at all."

It's only a matter of time till the Obituary...

Our favorite rocker Pete was at it again on a flight to spain for a festival with the Babyshambles....

Rocker Pete Doherty detained on plane to Spain after syringe find

British singer Pete Doherty was detained on board a flight from London to Barcelona after a blood-filled syringe was found in the plane's toilet but was then released, airline easyJet said.

The captain of the plane, which was travelling from London Gatwick airport, radioed ahead to ask police to meet the flight at Barcelona's El Prat airport. Police then searched the plane as it sat on the runway.

In a statement, easyJet said cabin crew noticed that an unnamed passenger -- identified as Doherty by Britain's domestic Press Association news agency -- spent an "unusual length of time" in the toilet and became suspicious.

"Once the passenger had left the toilet, (they) immediately investigated and found a syringe with blood hidden in the bin.

"The passenger was questioned by cabin crew and became agitated. So we contacted the Spanish police to meet the aircraft on arrival."

The low-fares airline alleged that "he and his group also caused a security alert on the aircraft as there was some suspicion over what they had done with their hand baggage.

"As safety and security is our top priority a full security check of the aircraft was done, all passengers had to remain onboard whilst this took place.

"The group found this amusing and would not co-operate with the baggage ID check -- passing their bags between each other."

That caused a 30-minute delay, the company said.

"The police subsequently spoke to the group and they have been released," the statement added.

"It is possible to take syringes on aircraft, but it must be under strictly controlled circumstances and with medical certification and staff must be alerted in advance. None of this information was presented to easyJet."

The company said it had a zero tolerance policy towards unreasonable behaviour and would be banning Babyshambles from travelling with them in future.

Doherty has been arrested a number of times for possession of both hard and soft drugs since late last year. He is currently serving a court-imposed 12-month community service punishment and detoxification programme.

He has since been at the centre of allegations of drug taking again with fans in Germany and in Britain.

Doherty -- a one-time beau of supermodel Kate Moss -- and members of Babyshambles were travelling to Spain in a seven-strong party for the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona Thursday evening.

Woman Hit By Lightning While Praying

DAPHNE, Ala. -- Worried about the safety of her family during a stormy Memorial Day trip to the beach, Clara Jean Brown stood in her kitchen and prayed for their safe return as a strong thunderstorm rumbled through Baldwin County, Alabama.

But while she prayed, lightning suddenly exploded, blowing through the linoleum and leaving a blackened area on the concrete. Brown wound up on the floor, dazed and disoriented by the blast but otherwise uninjured.

She said 'Amen' and the room was engulfed in a huge ball of fire. The 65-year-old Brown said she is blessed to be alive.

Firefighters said its likely she was hit by a bolt of lightning that apparently struck outside and traveled into the house yesterday afternoon. She was found lying on the floor by her 14-year-old granddaughter.

Fire officials think the lightning likely struck across the street from the couple's home and traveled into the house through a water line. The lightning continued into the couple's backyard and ripped open a small trench.

A family member said he will no longer assume it is safe to be indoors during a lightning strike.

Dime-sized hail and wind gusts of up to 45 miles-per-hour moved across coastal Baldwin County. As much as three inches of rain fell in some areas in three hours.