Pythons arent poisonous tho are they? They usually feed by constricting their pray. And altho generally they'll leave humans alone they're not above eating pets or perhaps really small children.

Still snakes are ew.

No, they're not poisonous. A footnote to that article says:

Quote:

Fact file - scrub pythons

Scrub pythons [Morelia kinghorni] are Australia's largest snake, growing up to 24 ft long, although on average they are around 10ft.

Found in northern Queensland and New Guinea, they live in a variety of habitats, from rainforest to open savannah woodland, gorges, swamps and coral cays.

They are mainly nocturnal and good tree climbers They have an unpredictable temperament and because of their size can inflict a painful bite.

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7275506.stm wrote:

BBC News[/url]]

Iranian to pay 124,000-rose dowry

An Iranian court has ordered a man to give his wife the 124,000 roses that he promised in her dowry, after she filed a complaint to claim it, reports say.

The woman said she was claiming the dowry because her "very stingy husband" would not even pay for a cup of coffee, according to the E'temad newspaper.

The court has seized the man's flat until he produces all of the roses.

Under Iranian law, a woman can claim her dowry, or mahr, at any time during a marriage or when getting divorced.

The gift becomes the property of the wife to do whatever she likes with.

It is required in order for the marriage contract and the marriage itself to be valid.

[b]'Billionaire friends'[/b]

According to E'temad, the woman, identified as Hengameh, decided to claim her entire dowry of 124,000 red roses after 10 years of marriage to "punish her very stingy husband".

"Shortly after marriage, I realised that Shahin was very cheap," she told the newspaper. "He even refused to pay for my coffee if we went to a cafe or restaurant."

Shahin told the court he could only afford to give her five roses a day and complained that it was his wife's "billionaire friends who had put such ideas in her head".

But the judge rejected Shahin's pleas and ordered his $64,000 (£33,000) flat to be confiscated until he has bought them all.

A long-stemmed rose costs about $2 (£1.09) in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

It is common in Iran to offer gold coins or property as mahr. An Iranian man can end up in jail for dowry debts.

[b]Missing girl Shannon found alive[/b]

Quote:

Missing nine-year-old schoolgirl Shannon Matthews has been found alive, three weeks after she disappeared.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed she was found hidden in the base of a divan bed in a house in Lidgate Gardens in Batley Carr, about a mile from her home.

Neighbours said police smashed their way in and emerged carrying Shannon who was last seen leaving Westmoor Junior School in Dewsbury on 19 February.

A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of abduction.

'Very happy'

West Yorkshire Police said medical checks had been carried out on the girl and the force would "now begin the process of interviewing Shannon".

A spokesman said: "This may be a long process but throughout this enquiry our main focus has been and continues to be Shannon's welfare."

He said Shannon had been made subject of an Emergency Police Protection Order, and would remain in police care until detectives had "had time to establish the full facts of what happened in the time since her disappearance".

Neighbours said the girl looked "quite calm" as she was taken from the house and officers confirmed that she was OK.

Shannon's father Leon Rose said he was "over the moon".

During a search of the house, officers located Shannon Matthews who was found concealed in the base of a divan bed
West Yorkshire Police

"They just told me she was alive and she was well, and that's all I know at the moment, but that's good enough for the moment for me because I'm just over the moon at the minute," he said.

"Believe it or not, where she's been found, I'd actually been in that area a number of times and probably just walked straight past the house that she was in."

Shannon's uncle, Neil Hyett, said Shannon and her mother, Karen Matthews, had been reunited at Dewsbury police station.

He thanked everyone who had passed information on to the police and said the family had "never given up hope".

He added: "I can't wait to just get her home and give her a cuddle."

Earlier, a West Yorkshire Police statement said: "As part of ongoing investigations, detectives and specialist search officers attended a house at Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, Dewsbury, at 1230 GMT this afternoon.

Map of where Shannon was found

"During a search of the house, officers located Shannon Matthews who was found concealed in the base of a divan bed.

"A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of abduction at the address and is currently in custody at a West Yorkshire police station. Shannon is currently in the care of West Yorkshire Police. Investigations are ongoing."

Charlotte Thornton, a friend of Amanda Hyett, said: "I've just got a text message from Amanda. She's saying they've found her alive.

"I was one of the ones who went out and looked for her on the first night. I'm very happy they've found her."

Neighbour Christopher Heaps witnessed Shannon being brought out of the house by police.

He said: "First thing I heard was police breaking the door down and I went out to see what was going off because of the noise and then when I went out I saw the policemen carrying the young girl in their arms. "I was stood by him and I said 'is that Shannon?' He said 'yes'.

"I saw the man being taken away and dragged down the steps and handcuffed and put into the van.

"Then the little girl was put into a car and taken away with a plain clothes policeman. She was very calm and didn't look upset."

Children returning from school to houses in Shannon's road were crying and hugging each other after hearing she had been found.

Party on estate

Callie Brown, aged eight, who is in Shannon's class, said: "We all had to go into the hall for assembly. I was crying my eyes out. I have missed her loads."

Mayor of Kirklees Jean Calvert said she was "delighted" Shannon had been found.

"It's an immense relief for the family, relatives and friends of Shannon and those who've supported the efforts to find her and have shown so much concern over what's been a very traumatic few weeks for them and the local community," she said. About 100 local residents have been holding a celebratory party on the estate.

Earlier this week mother-of-seven Mrs Matthews, 32, said she believed Shannon had been abducted.

More than 200 officers and 60 detectives have been involved in the search, which police said amounted to 10% of West Yorkshire Police's operational strength.

The force said the operation was the biggest missing person's case it had undertaken since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.

Officers have searched nearly 3,000 residential and commercial premises in the hunt for the schoolgirl.

The police hunt for Shannon had always focused on the local community.

source: BBC News

She's probably been to hell and back. Anyway this is great news.

"[url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/14/wmiracle... wrote:

The Telegraph[/url]"][b]Indian woman gives birth to 'miracle' child[/b]

An Indian woman has given birth to baby girl with four eyes and two faces, just two years after the world was captivated by the story of Lakshmi Tatma, the "twin" girl born with four arms and four legs.

The four-day old baby girl, born to Vinod Singh and his partner Sushma, is already being hailed as a reincarnation of the Indian God Ganesha.

[url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/14/wmiracle...

[list][img]http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2856/dancingganeshabp5.gif[/img][/list]

[b]GMP guilty of race bias[/b]

Quote:

AN ASIAN police officer who was turned down for a job at Greater Manchester Police 12 times has been awarded almost £10,000 after the force was found guilty of race discrimination.

And GMP has been asked to improve the way it monitors the number of minority recruits.

An employment tribunal heard how Sangram Singh-Bhacker, 41, had 16 years service with a number of forces across the country.

But Pc Singh-Bhacker, from Fallowfield in Manchester, wanted to work for GMP so he could be near his family, especially his terminally ill mother who died last year.

He was awarded £5,000 for `injury to feelings' and £4,000 in `aggravated damages', plus £400 for money he spent commuting to West Yorkshire after being denied a job at GMP.

The aggravated damages - which had not originally been sought by Pc Singh-Bhacker - were awarded because the tribunal judge Val Cook ruled that the officer's `honesty and integrity' had been `attacked' by those representing the force without the documentation to prove what they were saying.

She also ruled the force was `deliberately evasive in responding to questions in the Race Relations Act questionnaire'.

And she said that despite the force accepting the tribunal's ruling, Pc Singh-Bhacker had not been offered an apology.

The tribunal judge said the damages had been granted in relation to the last rejection, which had been given to Mr Singh-Bhacker by letter in January 2007. The letter said he would not be considered for a transfer to Greater Manchester Police, `now or in the future'.

Ms Cook said the force had not been clear on why he had been rejected and said GMP's Assistant Chief Officer for human resources Andrew Marston had confirmed the application had not been judged on its merits.

GMP was told to formally withdraw the letter within two weeks and ensure that within the next eight weeks statistics on ethnic minority recruits should be collected alongside the numbers who applied.

Following the hearing, Mr Singh-Bhacker, who now works for the British Transport Police, said he had been grateful for the support of colleagues from his new force. He said: "I am pleased justice has been done and I hope this incident doesn't put anyone else off, especially Sikh people in the community.

"Greater Manchester Police have shown their arrogance by not giving me an apology or admitting their fault when the judgement was made. It is a shame it had to come to this."

A GMP spokesman said the force was disappointed at the decision over compensation, but accepted it. He said: "We regret any distress caused to Mr Singh-Bhacker. We actively encourage applications from minority ethnic communities as we recognise that a force with such a diverse population as Greater Manchester should represent the communities we serve. We regularly accept transfers of officers from other forces if they meet the rigorous standards we require. These officers, who are proud to serve the people of Greater Manchester, are drawn from many different communities, including the Asian community."

Russell Bernstein, deputy chief executive of Greater Manchester Police Authority, said: "We will want to ensure that lessons are learnt and all the judge's comments and recommendations will be taken on board."

[url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/26/wpreg126...
'Pregnant' man stuns medical profession[/url]

That's kind of erm... disgusting.

I am guessing "his" "wife" is not the "father"?

Naz wrote:

[url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/26/wpreg126...
'Pregnant' man stuns medical profession[/url]

It's nothing very new, I saw it on the Cosby show once.

[url=http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cricket/story/0,,2270047,00.html][b]Shoaib vows to fight five-year ban and save his career[/b][/url]

He was the only decent player they had. They might as well call it a day coz without him they dont stand a chance.

Good riddance. he was not as good as he was made out to be. Supporting him has probably cost the team a lot. Both in monetary terms, and people.

There may be a short term loss, but longer term they may get a better team.

He is the fastest bowler in the world (i think). He did manage to get alot of ppl out with his fast spins. The current team does have some good players. The captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is a really good batsman. Wasim Akram and Shahid Alfridi are also quite good. The one they want to get rid of is Abdur Razzaq, the guy cant bowl or bat.

Erm i think you need an update pakistan dont have Inzi anymore or wasim akram both retired. Abdur razak was banned for playing in the renegade Indian cricket league and shoaib akhtar is rubbish. Pakistan reached the final of the twenty20 world cup without him, however they seemed to have hit a slump but the its sad that teams like australia are scared to come to pakistan because of bomb threats. The empty calendar means that pakistan fall lower in the icc rankings but coming back to the original point we dont need players like Shoaib akhtar who think they run the show when quite obviously dont.

I am a journalist a member of 3 journalists' unions and people come to me with stories.

That is how I find them clearly it's created debate and in a free world debate whether you agree or not with the story is good
alley

I can't honestly see what's open to debate about a woman in love with her own father, it seems more like perverse entertainment than useful information (hence "off-beat news") but by all means do your job. Thanks for coming on here and answering the question.

ahah!!! I had been wondering what that comment was about.

About [url=/node/25?page=29#comment-8716]this post[/url]:

Quote:

Julie is madly in love — with her own father.

Last year 32-year-old Julie Symonds* received an email from her mother, who had left her in care since she was six. Trying to make up for the years of neglect, her mum announced she had a surprise — she suspected she knew who Julie's real father was.

and [url=/node/25?page=29#comment-8717]this post[/url]:

Joie de Vivre wrote:

How vile!
How vile!... How the hell does Alley Einstein find stories like this?

Makes much more sense now. (maybe we should stopp having these massive meta topics?)

And to answer Joie's question, Google led me to what I will assume is her website with the following text on the contact page:

Alley Einstein's site wrote:

BE A MAGAZINE STAR -TELL YOUR REAL LIFE STORY OR HELP A FRIEND TELL THEIRS.

(I assume it is her's because it is called.. http://www.alleyeinstein.co.uk . bit of a giveaway really... I dare you lot (those that don't know) to find my personal site. Much more of a challenge!)

I guess in the modern age, many people will like to "talk" about whatever.

No offence to Alley Einstein, but I think that type of shocking, sensationalist 'real-life horror shows' is absolutely disgusting. You're paying people "between £200-£5000" to humiliate themselves in public.

There is an episode of South Park that deals with something similar to this; the kids get jealous that people with rare deformities get paraded on a TV show and then are 'rewarded' by being given a trip to Disney Land or whatever. So one of the boys sticks a pair of testicles on his nose so he can be put on the show and get a prize too.

Alley Einstein, I think you're choice of career is pretty sick, no matter how many unions you are a member of.

Ya'qub wrote:

You're paying people "between £200-£5000" to humiliate themselves in public.

I think that article (or someone talking about that article) mentioned that there was no money exchange involved...

I don't think there is anything wrong "per se" against the involvement of money to get a news story (unless it is a "get some hobos to fight for money" type of thing).

You wrote:

(unless it is a "get some hobos to fight for money" type of thing).

For me it is one and the same.

It is cheap voyeurism, I can't see two ways about it.

[url=http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/article.html?in_article_id=144612&in_p... battle 'Allah' ban[/b]

Quote:

A Catholic newspaper has gone to court to challenge a ban on using the word "Allah" as a translation for God.

Dear All
This is Alley Einstein and I was asked to write stories about GSA (consensual incest). The people were not paid. However other people do want to tell their stories about 'real life experiences' and yes we do pay fees for them. Their time is money. NO one forces them to tell their story. If you are offended by real life stories and people 'selling their stories' I respect that so don't buy the magazines. However there is a demand out there and no one forces people to contact me. I always treat people who contact me with respect and if I feel them telling their story would be negative on their lives then I refuse.
Real Life is a big magazine subject in the UK. I try to tell people's stories so others may learn or understand or be warned or educated. As a member of various journalists unions I adhere to my code of ethics.
I respect everyones opinions and yes incest stories do offend but what do we do ignore tha fact it occurs? Or be aware it occurs and educate people and perhaps help warn others. The GSA couples I interviewed were not brought up together so what happens when adopted kids are re-united - what if they have these 'sexual feelings' perhaps we should consider these pieces warning pieces.
Again I respect everyones opionion and positive debate is a positive thing. I have worked as a journalist for more than 15 years and in a number of countries. If telling someones stories offends then don't read the piece.
I respect your opinions and welcome debate because debate and inio is healthy.

kindest and with respect to all on this forum.

ALLEY EINSTEIN

Tuberculosis scare at Manchester Metropolitan University

Force racism row tribunal suspended

Ive been racking my brain out all day thinking where have i heard the name Tarique Ghaffur then it suddenly clicked to me he was at my graduation ceremony :shock:

MMU honours UK's top Muslim policeman

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7489457.stm

These meta-topics are hard to search etc, so can we please just start a new topic for each news item?

(I really want to lock this topic..)

You wrote:

These meta-topics are hard to search etc, so can we please just start a new topic for each news item?

(I really want to lock this topic..)

So pin a link to a tab, or pin the link on the home page.

Facebook friends could be Nigerian princes
The latest plan from the Nigerian scammers is to compromise a person's Facebook account, then send messages out to the friend list asking for cash.

These emails, dubbed the Nigerian 419 fraud, are commonly found in inboxes the world over, with bad spelling and grammar from a person claiming to be a Nigerian prince contacting their father's close business contact.

Well, apparently that's not working, so hacking into a person's Facebook account, pretending to be stranded somewhere without a phone and in urgent need of cash is the new way of doing things.

...

Facebook account details have become hot property on the black market for this very reason, as receiving a message from someone via the 'Book is as good as a phone call to some people.

Programs that harvest the details are downloaded from a bogus Facebook message, often asking you to go to a video site to see a movie of yourself, and when asked to 'upgrade' the video player, malware is downloaded instead.
http://tech.uk.msn.com/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=10862007&ocid=today

Singh was attempting to break the Guinness World Record for beard length. His beard was eventually measured at a hefty 1.895 metres.

Man with long beard

If you pay close attention to the picture the dude is actually standing on a stool which makes me wonder if hes walking wont his beard be draggin on the floor? Hmmm

Yeah but its still gonna drag and make it all dirty. What he trips over it? Maybe he wraps it around like a scarf.

or wraps it up?