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Impotent ex-husband must pay damages |
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Topic: Miscellaneous |
5:59 pm EDT, May 12, 2005 |
Wow... talk about adding insult to injury.. ROME (Reuters) - An impotent Italian man who kept his problem a secret from his wife until after their wedding must pay her damages for 'eroding' her right to have a family, Italy's Supreme Court has ruled. The woman, identified by the Italian media as Cristina S., was quick to get her marriage annulled in the 1990s after learning to her horror that her husband could not consummate it. She then demanded damages, saying she had been robbed of her "right to sexuality" and the promise of a family. Despite losing legal battles in lower courts, she kept appealing, and finally the Supreme Court found in her favor. "Her fundamental right (was) eroded to fully realize a family, as a woman and a wife, and eventually as a mother," according to excerpts from the court ruling published in Italian newspapers Thursday. The amount of damages will be settled by a lower court in Sicily, where the unhappy couple were married. Impotent ex-husband must pay damages |
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Study: Traffic Jams Just Keep Spreading |
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Topic: Miscellaneous |
7:33 pm EDT, May 9, 2005 |
Nashville's (TDOT) federally funded ITS aka inteligent traffic system has made dealing with traffic / construction situations much easier by providing you with relevant overhead sign info (trouble ahead) or online traffic webcams to check before you leave. Despite our ongoing road construction woes, this use of technology has made daily use of the interstate system a much better experience. Kudos. Maybe someday, we will finally look at an effective mass transit system. Overall in 2003, there were 3.7 billion hours of travel delay and 2.3 billion gallons of wasted fuel for a total cost of more than $63 billion. "Urban areas are not adding enough capacity, improving operations or managing demand well enough to keep congestion from growing," the report concluded. ... Take fast-growing Austin, Texas, for example. In 1982, the average peak-hour traveler was delayed by 11 hours a year. That delay increased to 51 hours in 2003, the report said. "Austin didn't add transportation capacity in the '80s or '90s," Lomax said. "The 'If you don't build it, they won't come' philosophy didn't work." Congestion can also be reduced by managing traffic better. The report said such techniques as coordinating traffic signals, smoothing traffic flow on major roads and creating teams to respond quickly to accidents reduced delay by 336 million hours in 2003. Study: Traffic Jams Just Keep Spreading |
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Ford won't seek re-election, says Memphis weekly |
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Topic: Local Information |
11:43 am EDT, May 7, 2005 |
Well, it looked good until they used the word Washington. $%(*(]#@! State Sen. John Ford, whose ethics problems continue to dominate Capitol Hill, has told a Memphis publication that he does not plan to seek re-election next year. If that's the case, it does not surprise one of the Memphis Democrat's closest friends in the General Assembly. ... As for his future plans: ''You never can tell. I might run for mayor. I might run for county commissioner. I don't know. I might even try to go to Washington.'' Ford won't seek re-election, says Memphis weekly |
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Topic: Miscellaneous |
7:11 am EDT, May 6, 2005 |
Ya gotta love engrish.. I only wonder how a name like AirPie made it thru the focus groups.. Perhaps the Bearded Clamp bluetooth headset will be their next product :-p Well, can't argue about the coolness of brand names, but "AirPie" seems to have a certain jazzy funk written all over it. This young company (sub-division of Tech Business Land, so it seems) is introducing its TH-11 MP3 player. Weird little device, this black bubbly box. It comes with a 65k color OLED, a basic memory of 256, 512MB or 1GB plus an SD-card slot for memory expansion purposes. Air Pie mp3 player |
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Coffee or password--which would you choose? |
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Topic: Tech Industry |
9:34 pm EDT, May 5, 2005 |
Security vendor VeriSign found 66 percent would choose to give up their passwords for a Starbucks coffee, during an informal on-the-street survey conducted Thursday in San Francisco. In an era of increased security concerns over protecting personal and corporate data, it's surprising to see that a cup of java can go a long way WTF? If they threw in a biscotti.. that'd be another thing entirely :-x Coffee or password--which would you choose? |
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Wired: Smart Car Seeks Small Niche |
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Topic: Miscellaneous |
10:19 pm EDT, May 3, 2005 |
I have wanted one a Smart ForTwo as a daily driver for a while. Now with gas over $2/gal and 17mpg, I really want one. The Zap is 8 feet 2 inches long, or slightly more than half the length of the Prius, and at 1,588 pounds, it is nearly 40 percent lighter than the Mini Cooper. Campbell said the three-cylinder car appeals to urban dwellers who need to squeeze into small parking spaces and like the stylish colors. The customizable car will be sold with door panels in a variety of colors that can be switched "within the time it takes to drink a latte," Campbell said. The European version of the car, which is manufactured by Smart, a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, is rated to get 60 miles per gallon. However, Campbell said that after being modified by G&K Automotive Conversions to meet the tougher U.S. emissions standards, the car received an initial Environmental Protection Agency rating of just 37 mpg. He said the company's internal tests indicate that the modified car should get at least 50 mpg, so it has asked the EPA for a retest. Wired: Smart Car Seeks Small Niche |
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Sex makes women sprinters faster, says German coach |
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Topic: Health and Wellness |
7:20 pm EDT, May 2, 2005 |
BERLIN: Women sprinters who have sex before competing generally perform better but men should avoid amorous exploits before taking to the track, the trainer of Germanys mens sprinting team said on Friday. With women, its not true that sex before competitions has negative effects. On the contrary, we have scientific evidence that women who have sex shortly before competing run better. It boosts performance, Uwe Hakus told Germanys Fit for Fun magazine. With women the testosterone levels rise when they have sex. But, unfortunately, male testosterone levels fall after orgasm. And their muscles are less able to contract, Hakus said. However, Hakus warned that sexual intercourse before running could hit any athletes concentration. Reuters Sex makes women sprinters faster, says German coach |
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Bollywood 'Oscars' honor David Hasselhoff |
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Topic: Horror |
6:06 am EDT, May 1, 2005 |
Uhhhhhh. wtf? ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (Reuters) -- India's version of the Oscars were handed out at the glittering Bollywood movie award ceremony on Saturday that saw a veteran director sweep the top honors and U.S. actor David Hasselhoff named international star of the year. ... Hasselhoff received the award for best international star because his successful television series are among the most popular on Indian television. Bollywood 'Oscars' honor David Hasselhoff |
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Topic: Miscellaneous |
2:26 pm EDT, Apr 30, 2005 |
You've seen all the Livestrong yellow bracelets, now we have Pimpstrong too. Too funny... The Pimpstrong Wristband About Pimpstrong The Pimpstrong was created so that true players could express themselves without being all in your face. In a world awash with awareness wristbands and bracelets isnt it time you wore something you really cared about. Yourself! The Pimpstrong wristband, for pimps. Shows that you plan to not only livestrong, but that you will pimpstrong as well! Keep it Pimpin People! Pimp Strong ! |
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Standing Room Only at New Cemetery |
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Topic: Miscellaneous |
8:14 am EDT, Apr 30, 2005 |
GREAT IDEA - About freakin time... Rest in peace, not granite. I personally loathe ornate and fancy mausoleums. CANBERRA (Reuters) - It will be standing room only for those being buried at a new Australian cemetery that aims to provide cheap, environmentally friendly burials. Australia's Victoria state government has approved plans for the cemetery at Darlington, 200 km (125 miles) southwest of the Victorian capital Melbourne, where corpses will be buried vertically in body bags -- instead of caskets -- on grazing land. "When you die, you are returned to the earth with a minimum of fuss and with no paraphernalia that would affect the environment," a spokesman for Palacom, which will establish the cemetery, told Australian Associated Press on Thursday. "You're not burning 90 kg of gas in a crematorium and there's no ongoing maintenance costs." He said burials would cost about A$1,000 ($781), with bodies held in a morgue in Melbourne and transported to the cemetery in batches of up to 15 in a bid to reduce costs. Animals would be allowed to graze on the land again once it was stable. Standing Room Only at New Cemetery |
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