KiwiCoromandel

World's dumbest monkey carries on.... nice one koop...very nice... :bigsmile:

Major turn in Jackson court drama Mar 29, 2005 The judge in Michael Jackson's child sex trial on Tuesday dealt a major blow to the defence by allowing prosecutors to tell jurors of five previous cases of alleged abuse by the star. In a potentially devastating blow to the faded "King of Pop's" defence, Judge Rodney Melville granted a hotly fought prosecution motion to tell jurors of prior accusations against Jackson that never made it to court. "The decision I have reached is: I will now admit the testimony with regard to the sexual offences and the alleged pattern of grooming," the judge said, making his crucial and long-awaited ruling on the issue. Prosecutors had asked to be allowed to tell of seven prior allegations of child sex abuse against Jackson that never made it to court in order to show jurors an alleged pattern of child molestation. But only one of the five alleged victims of prior abuse by the 46-year-old superstar will testify at trial, with the others allegations to be recounted by other witnesses, the court in California was told. Two of the five cases that jurors will be told about were resolved in out-of-court settlements, but the judge barred prosecutors from telling jurors the amounts of the payments. Jackson paid more than $US20 million to settle 1993 allegations of abuse by a 13-year-old boy, according to leaked documents, while he reportedly paid $US2 million to resolve another case. But the uncle of the alleged victim in the 1993 case said yesterday his now 25-year-old nephew would not testify at Jackson's trial. Jackson's camp had bitterly fought the effort to present potentially damaging testimony, saying such unproved allegations could poison jurors against the embattled superstar. Legal analysts say the admission of such explosive testimony could deal a serious blow to the defence by lending credence to the accusations in the current case that experts said was not very strong in its own right.

McDonald's is hoping to lure US hip hop artists to name drop the Big Mac into lyrics, it has been reported. The fast-food chain will not pay money upfront but will instead offer rappers up to $US2.80 every time their song is played on the radio, according to the Advertising Age magazine. Its goal is to have the signature sandwich featured in several songs by June, the US magazine said. McDonald's has reportedly hired marketing firm Maven Strategies to help encourage rappers artists to integrate the Big Mac into new tracks. Tony Rome, Maven president, said his aim was to identify artists whose style would identify with the brand. "The main thing is to allow the artists to do what they do best," he told the magazine. "We're letting them creatively bring to life the product in their song." Rome said McDonald's would have final approval of the lyrics, but would ultimately allow artists to decide how the sandwich is integrated into songs. Douglas Freeland, director of brand entertainment strategy at McDonald's, said hip hop stars had already become brands. "This partnership reflects our appreciation and respect for the most dominant youth culture in the world," he told the magazine. Hip hop artists are no stranger to dropping brand names into their lyrics. Bentley, Porsche, Gucci and Dom Perignon have all been referenced by rap stars Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg. And Maven was able to integrate Seagram's gin into five rap songs last year.

there is nothing wrong in participating in the political process of your country........that is your right.....if you niggle at them (the politicians) enough, sometimes they do sit up and take notice..especially in an election year... :read this: :)

quite a good article..... :)

Jobless Germans a political threat Mar 29, 2005 Wolfgang Tigges hasn't given up hope of finding a job some two years and hundreds of applications after he was laid off, but the 56-year-old has given up on German Chancellor Gerhard and his Social Democrats. The former purchasing manager had been faithful to the SPD for the last four decades, helping the leftists hold power in the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia for 39 years. But Tigges blames Schroeder and the SPD for not having a job. In North Rhine-Westphalia 1 million people are without work. There are 5.2 million unemployed throughout Germany. Tigges wants to see the SPD punished for that in a May 22 election. "They're responsible for this mess," he said after another fruitless search for vacancies at the Bochum labour office. "The SPD has abandoned us. They only talk about job creation. They're not doing enough and they're going to pay for it at the election. I'll never vote for the SPD again." The mood is tense in Germany's most populous state, where voter surveys project the SPD will lose power on May 22. Anger and frustration have spread over the SPD's inability to stop the jobs haemorrhage. A sharp jump in unemployment has turned the election into a pivotal battle that could shake Schroeder's own government in Berlin. Although Schroeder warned that statistical changes making the data more transparent would add to the jobless figures, voters in North Rhine-Westphalia were stunned when the state figure soared over 1 million in January -- its highest level since the 1930s. "Someone has to take the blame and the SPD is as good a target as there is," said Kerstin Doreen, a 24-year-old biology student in Bochum, a grimy Ruhr river valley city of 400,000 that lies 500 km west of Berlin. She said most people were aware that the January unemployment rise was due to the statistical changes and the counting of those welfare recipients able to work, but added that it didn't matter because the party in power is still responsible. "It was a shock to see the unemployment numbers up so drastically," said Doreen, who has usually voted SPD in the past. "People are just fed up with the SPD and tired of Schroeder." Read more........ http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_sk...1%3fformat=html

at 59 dutchonline is the oldest member at beatking...not kiwi.....happy birthday mate..... :bigsmile:

Schiavo and the religious Right George W.Bush and the Republican Party are using Terri Schiavo as a political tool, writes Andrew Sullivan March 29, 2005 IT is impossible to look without grief at the images of Terri Schiavo starving slowly to death in a Florida hospice. It has, alas, become impossible in America to look at such a tragic set of circumstances without hysteria. Those of us who have worried that unleashing religious fundamentalism into the bloodstream of US politics would lead to disaster can feel only that our fears have now come true. Fifteen years ago, Ms Schiavo suffered a heart stoppage caused by her bulimia. Her brain was temporarily starved of oxygen and scans showed that her cerebral cortex had stopped functioning. A scan shows her brain has since shrunk massively. She is not brain dead, but she has no ability to think, feel or communicate. She has been kept alive by a feeding tube. In the first years that she was in this state, her husband Michael Schiavo did all he could to find a treatment. Ms Schiavo was sent to California to have platinum electrodes implanted to get her brain going again. Michael slept next to her for five weeks. At the time, he and Terri's parents were united in doing all they could for what was left of his wife. Eventually, the husband acquiesced to near-universal medical opinion and came to terms with the fact that his wife would never revive. He said that when she was cognisant she had once told him that she did not want to be kept alive artificially for an indefinite period of time. The Miami Herald reported: "She suffered from bile stones and kidney stones, according to court papers, and had to have her gall bladder removed. She has 'drop foot', where her foot twists downward, and the ensuing pressure resulted in the amputation of her left little toe. She frequently developed urinary tract infections, diarrhoea and vaginitis." Michael Schiavo decided to let her die with dignity. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, for understandable reasons, differed and fought him in the Florida courts. The parents, who had at first encouraged Michael to date other women, then used his second relationship as a weapon against him. However, court after court acknowledged the overwhelming medical data and the fact that Terri's legal guardian was her husband. Then members of the political religious Right heard what was going on, took up the case and cast it as an example of what the Pope has called the "culture of death". They demonised Michael Schiavo. Their clout was such that they got the Florida legislature to pass a bill to protect Terri, a law overruled by the courts in Florida. Then they got Congress to pass a law to delay the process of death, pending new Federal Court challenges. President George W.Bush rushed back to Washington to sign the bill in the middle of the night. You want proof that the religious Right runs the Republican Party? Federal courts then examined the long course of the case and came to the conclusion that Florida's courts had acted within the law. The parents appealed to the US Supreme Court, which again refused to hear the case. But if limited government means anything it means leaving decisions like this as close to the individual as possible. But that is not what US Republicanism now thinks. It has a religious drive that puts theological certitude before prudential or legal reasoning and a growing contempt for an independent judiciary. That is how Bill Bennett, a leading conservative activist, could write that Jeb Bush, the Florida governor, should simply overrule the courts, break the law and send armed guards to insert the feeding tube by force. This attack on the basis of constitutional liberty in the name of religion is usually called theocracy. The President himself, who said last week that "it is wise to always err on the side of life", did not seem so concerned when he signed countless death warrants as governor of Texas, with the most cursory of legal reviews. He also signed a Texas law that gave next of kin discretion to remove life support from a terminally ill patient in the absence of a living will. Last week, an eight-year-old boy died in Texas after his tube was removed because his parents could not afford treatment, but the religious Right seemed uninterested. Culture of life? The Schiavo case is a battle to win over the religious Right voters who will determine the next Republican nominee. The Republican leadership is gambling that the intensity of its religious base will outweigh the more general public's disdain for this exercise in government over-reach. The broader public, they calculate, will forget. The zealots will always remember. If Schiavo dies they will have a martyr as well. They will use her death as a symbol in the campaigns to come.

Farewell to the clown prince, the happiest, saddest man in pop music March 29, 2005 When it came to Paul Hester, there was very bright light and there was very dark shade. "We all knew him as an effervescent, vivacious fireball of talent," recalled the soul singer Renee Geyer, who lived not far from the former Crowded House drummer in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood. "As with anyone that effervescent, there's always a dark side, but he lit up people's lives when he was in the room with them." After a long battle with depression, Hester has taken his life by hanging himself from a tree in a park near his home. He was 46, and leaves behind his two daughters, aged 5 and 10, and his ex-partner, photographer Mardi Somerfeld. Hester took his two dogs for a walk late on Friday night, and was found dead in the park about 1pm on Saturday. Ambulance officers tried but failed to resuscitate him. In a statement yesterday, Hester's father Mike, sister Caroline, and Ms Somerfeld and her daughters said: "We would like Paul to be remembered as the loving father he was and for the way in which he celebrated life." Though Hester could sink into emotional troughs, he could bounce back with greater zest. He played in several Melbourne bands before joining Split Enz with Neil Finn in 1983. The pair left and formed Crowded House with bassist Nick Seymour in 1985. In Crowded House, Hester was the clown prince: the drummer and singer prepared to cartwheel across the stage or strip off his clothes for a bet - whatever was necessary to entertain. Last night, Neil Finn and his brother, Tim, decided not to cancel performances at London's Royal Albert Hall. Instead, they decided to turn them into tribute concerts for Hester - and Seymour flew from Ireland, unscheduled, to join them on stage. "I am deeply saddened by the loss of a close friend," Neil Finn said. In a house in West Melbourne last night, friends and old band mates of Hester gathered for their own farewell concert. They performed some of his favourite songs and sought answers to the sudden tragedy. Some said he had been feeling down all week and didn't want to bring everyone else down, so had decided not to show up to play at a mate's 40th birthday on Saturday night. John Clifforth, who had known Hester for 30 years and played with him in the bands Checks and Deckchairs Overboard, said: "He would make people feel like they were the only one in the room. He had a gift to make people feel better about themselves." Another Elwood neighbour, the singer Stephen Cummings, met Hester in the late 1970s when Cummings was leading the nationally successful band, the Sports. "He was naturally extremely funny but he was extreme and could get right down, too. He would get big enthusiasms about things." Read more...... http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/03/28/1111862327689.html

Several killed by quake but no tsunami yet 29 March 2005 UPDATED REPORT - 8.30am JAKARTA: A massive 8.7 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's Sumatra island this morning and killed perhaps dozens of people, but there were no immediate reports of a tsunami, residents and officials said. The epicentre, off the coast, was very close to that of the December 26 quake which triggered a tsunami that left nearly 300,000 people dead or missing across Asia. Monday's late night earthquake spread panic across western Indonesia, Sri Lanka and coastal parts of Malaysia and Thailand, the areas devastated by the Boxing Day tsunami. Sirens wailed and tens of thousands of people were evacuated after tsunami warnings while others drove or ran from the coast to higher ground. There were no signs of a tsunami up to three and a half hours after the 4.09am (NZT) quake, but it killed dozens of people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Gunungsitoli, the main town on Indonesia's Nias island, a local official told Metro TV. "I can guarantee that dozens have died," Agus Mendrofa, the deputy mayor of the town, said by telephone. "Gunungsitoli is now like a dead town. The situation here is in extreme panic." A senior police officer told Reuters he had seen three dead bodies and that many others were trapped in damaged buildings. "The earthquake was massive, it's still shaking now," said A. Nainggolan, the deputy police chief in Gunungsitoli. Nias, off the western coast of Sumatra and about 1400km north-west of Jakarta, is a remote and rugged island famed as a surfing paradise. The Pacific tsunami warning centre said the quake had the potential to cause a "widely destructive tsunami" and authorities should take "immediate action," including evacuating coastlines within 1000km of the epicentre. Read more........ http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3230887a10,00.html

World's oldest monkey dies 29.03.05 5.20am A monkey believed to be the world's oldest has died at the age of 53 in Japan, with her keepers saying a friendly nature and late-life love affair with a younger monkey were the secrets of her longevity. With her affable personality, Buenos the black spider monkey was one of the most popular monkeys at Japan Monkey Centre in Aichi. She died of heart trouble on Saturday. "Just as we were preparing to apply for the Guinness Book, she passed away peacefully. She was so fond of people. While lying on a bed, she always wanted to hold our hands," said the centre's manager Akira Kato. On the secrets of her longevity, Kato said: "Her calm and kind personality greatly helped. It made her life stress-free. Also she started living with a young male monkey 10 years ago, which might have excited her." Kato said black spider monkeys have an average life span of 30 to 33 years.

Dozy UK cat trapped in house fed via letter box 29.03.05 LONDON - The owners of a cat trapped for a week in the home of a holidaying neighbour have been pushing ice-cubes and cat food through the letter box to keep their pet -- named Lucky -- alive. The Daily Express newspaper on Monday said the black-and-white cat was spotted fast asleep in the neighbour's house after she went missing from her home near Bristol, southwest England. "I just hope our neighbour has gone away for a week and not for months," owner Tracey Venables, 31, told the newspaper. Venables said it was likely Lucky had slipped into the neighbour's house unnoticed before the man headed off on holiday ahead of the Easter weekend. Police have told Venables they are powerless to release her errant cat. "It's absolutely infuriating because she is so close but we cannot get to her," said the mother-of-two, who added she would break in should Lucky show any signs of ill health. "I don't care if I get arrested."

Prisoner in bid to prevent Australian woman's execution 29.03.05 BALI - An Australian beauty student caught at an Indonesian airport with 4kg of marijuana in her boogie-board bag is relying on the testimony of an alleged rapist today to save her from a firing squad. The case of accused drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has captivated Australia since she was arrested in October at Denpasar airport. Now, an Australian prison inmate who has been called her best chance of escaping the death penalty, has been flown into Bali to give evidence on her behalf. Victorian remand inmate John Patrick Ford will testify that Corby was an unwitting courier used by a ring of Australian drug traffickers - a move that puts his own life at risk. In an 11th-hour move, Ford arrived in Bali in handcuffs and under tight security and will be held at Denpasar police headquarters until he takes the stand today. In order to avoid a gangland hit on their star witness, Corby's lawyers said they would seek a court order for Ford's evidence to be heard in secret. In what could potentially be a lifeline for Corby, Ford signed a statement for her lawyers and told police he overheard a conversation among other prisoners that Corby was the victim of a domestic drug smuggling operation gone wrong. Ford told Corby's lawyers he could not live with himself if he failed to testify in the case. Read more...... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10117556

these people are living in a 1950`s dream world...ozzie & harriet...come on down......

r.i.p.

pigheaded....

Canada rejects US deserter AFP March 26, 2005 TORONTO: Canada has denied refugee status to a US paratrooper who deserted from the 82nd Airborne Division to dodge combat in Iraq, in a decision that will dismay scores of other US deserters. Jeremy Hinzman, 26, had filed for refugee protection, arguing he would face persecution over his political beliefs or cruel or unusual punishment if returned to the US. But Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board found that Hinzman, his Laotian-born wife and young son, would benefit from fair and independent justice in the US. Hinzman, a veteran of the Afghan war, denied conscientious objector status in the US, will now take his battle to stay in Canada to the Federal Court. "I am not going to kill people just so the US can build a big gas station in the Middle East," Hinzman said after the verdict. Read more........ http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/commo...5E31477,00.html

Wave of sadness after Hester hangs himsel March 28, 2005 - 4:30PM Australia's entertainment industry was in mourning today for former Crowded House drummer Paul Hester who hanged himself in a Melbourne park. The 46-year-old father-of-two was found dead at Elsternwick Park in Brighton on Saturday afternoon, after last being seen walking his two dogs on Friday evening. Neil Finn, who formed Crowded House with Hester after they played together in Split Enz, today spoke of his grief at losing one of his best friends. Finn and his brother Tim have reportedly cancelled performances at London's Royal Albert Hall to travel to Melbourne to be with friends. "I am deeply saddened by the loss of a close friend," the former Crowded House frontman said from London. Hester played in several Melbourne bands before Finn gave him his big break with Split Enz in 1983. The pair formed Crowded House with bassist Nick Seymour in the mid-1980s and went on to notch up a string of hits in Australia and overseas, including Don't Dream It's Over and Something So Strong. Music historian Glenn A Baker today said Hester was a born entertainer. "He was just one of those guys who filled a stage," Baker said. "He was an active musician. He was much admired. He was well liked and will be very, very sorely missed." Read more....... http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/03/28/1111862285896.html

i haven`t touched alcohol since the beginning of 1999...i did use to like this particular absinthe -type drink at one stage......it was called " green chartreuse "......very drunk people would line up a whole lot of shot glasses of " green chartreuse " : and set alight to them (purely in the interests of science of course)and then drink them while they were still aflame.....a line of burning glasses of alcohol in a pub full of drunks is quite a sight.... :bigsmile: ...Chartreuse is an herbal liqueur made by the Carthusian Monks near Grenoble, France. According to the tale, the formula for chartruese was invented by a 16th century alchemist as an attempt to create aqua vitae (the waters of life.) Aqua vitae was believed to restore youth to the aged, endow animation to the dead, and be a key ingredient in the creation of the philosophers stone. Though this attempt at its creation seems to fall somewhat short of the legendary effects, it was promoted as a heal-all tonic by the descendant of the alchemist, and was bequeathed to the Carthusian Order upon his death. This formula of 130 herbs has been secret for nearly 400 years. Today, only three brothers of that monestary know how to make chartreuse. Charteuse is made in three varieties; yellow chartreuse, green chartreuse, and VEP elixir chartreuse. Yellow chartreuse is a pale golden color, extremely sweet, and tastes roughly like plum wine with a touch of honey, or perhaps a delicate version of Benedictine (which is probably related.) Green chartreuse is fiery; the shade of green actually named for this liquor denotes an intense herbal taste vaguely reminiscent of absinthe. Also like absinthe, it has an extremely high alcohol content. VEP elixir chartreuse, the rarest and most expensive kind, sacrifices a small amount of green's intensity for all of the sweetness of the yellow. Only 100 bottles of VEP elixir are produced each year, and it is the variant closest to the original alchemical formula. It is also, supposedly, the most difficult to create. Though the precise herbs in chartreuse are not publically known, there is a small quantity of thujone, the active chemical in wormwood (and consequently, absinthe.) This considered, it is no surprise that the intoxication caused by chartruese is both stronger than it's alcohol content (110 proof) would otherwise indicate, and slightly different because of thujone's psychoactive qualities. Green chartreuse is particularly loved in the goth scene because of it's efficiency; a very small quantity can maintain a buzz for most of an evening, and a larger quantity can take the sharp edges off of everything. For many, it is the poor man's absinthe; it has a smidgen of its psychotropic effects because of the thujone, and it has an herbal taste and a sharp kick reminiscent of absinthe experience. A few shots of green chartreuse, and you're completely wasted. http://www.chartreuse.fr/pa_history_uk.htm

hiccup......burn baby burn.... :bigsmile: :Here's to you:

" exile on main street " is one of their best..i think that and " let it bleed " are my two stones favourites........ :)

ritchie blackmore?......... :)

Hester hanged himself March 28, 2005 - 10:29AM Former Crowded House and Split Enz drummer Paul Hester hanged himself in a Melbourne park, authorities have confirmed. Hester, 46, the father of two girls, was found dead at Elsternwick Park in Brighton on Saturday afternoon. He was last seen walking his two dogs on Friday night. Victorian police would not release Hester's name, but a spokeswoman said a body had been found in the park and the death was not suspicious. Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokeswoman Liraje Memishi told AAP ambulance officers arrived at the scene about 1.55pm (AEDT) and reported that Hester had "attempted suicide" and suffered "strangulation". Officers declared him dead more than 20 minutes later, Ms Memishi said. "They attempted resuscitation but he was dead when they arrived. There was nothing they could do," she said. Although Ms Memishi would not publicly confirm where the body was found, reports have suggested Hester was found hanging from a tree. Fan website frenz.com reported Hester had committed suicide. ``Frenz.com deeply regrets to inform you that Paul Hester of Split Enz, Crowded House, Largest Living Things, and many other great projects, has taken his own life,'' the website said. ``It is not a hoax or a rumour. At this point, it has been confirmed though we have no other details at this time.'' Hester played in several Melbourne bands before joining New Zealand band Split Enz in 1983. He and Neil Finn formed Crowded House with bassist Nick Seymour in 1985. Finn, along with brother Tim, is in the United Kingdom for four dates at the Royal Albert Hall in London, but may postpone the performances to fly to Melbourne today. ``I am deeply saddened by the loss of a close friend,'' Finn said. Read more........ http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/03/28/1111862285896.html

Swiss face sober future after legalising absinthe 25 March 2005 MOTIER: Absinthe, the drink banned almost a century ago as "madness in a bottle" is making a comeback. The Swiss, who invented absinthe, legalised it this month, hoping to boost a sluggish regional economy and drag a generation of bootleg distillers into the 21st century. Known in France as the "Green Fairy" because of its colour, absinthe was banned in much of Europe in the early 20th century, when heavy consumption of the bitter aniseed-flavoured tipple was linked to hallucinations, violence and depression. The Dutch painter Van Gogh is reputed to have sliced off his ear while under the influence. Fellow artists Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec were also devotees, as were the writers Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde. But the Swiss, who outlawed it in 1910, laud the high-alcohol drink as a folk remedy and aperitif, and boast that they have never stopped drinking it despite the ban. On March 1, the day the ban was lifted, local distillers gathered in the village of Motier in the Val-de-Travers where absinthe is distilled for a festival celebrating the local brew. One of the valley's notorious bootleggers, Claude-Alain Bugnon, who markets an absinthe called "La Clandestine" for 40 Swiss francs ($NZ49) a bottle, stood chatting with his former tormenter, Dominique Schmid, head of the criminal division of the Swiss Federal Alcohol Administration. "Now that you're not producing in secret and are doing it legally, we are good friends," Schmid told Bugnon. Bootleg distillers enjoy a status as living legends having evaded the authorities to produce home-made absinthe for local consumption. Some even did mail-orders on the side. Read more....... http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3227848a7773,00.html

Wolfowitz says he won't preach Paul Wolfowitz, Washington's controversial pick to head the World Bank, has pledged to be an "international civil servant" if confirmed in the job and said he would not to use it as a platform to preach democracy. The former ambassador to Indonesia and a key figure in the US-led invasion of Iraq said in an interview published in the Jakarta Post newspaper on Monday he would concentrate on poverty reduction with a special focus on Africa. "If I am confirmed I will be an international civil servant. I will be president of a multilateral organisation with 184 member nations," Wolfowitz said in the interview in Indonesia's leading English-language daily. "I am very aware that I am accountable to a different group of people than I am in my current job...The job of the president of the bank is to pull together the most effective possible consensus." Read more....... http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_sk...3%3fformat=html