Pointing out stories you may have missed. An unemployed London man has found work at last - as an Indian goddess believed to have the power to cure infertility. Indian pilgrims head to a remote temple in Gujarat to be blessed by Steve Cooper, 32, from the south west London suburb of Tooting. Does he miss the big smoke? Apparently not. ``I love being here,'' he said. ``I don't miss anything about Tooting.''
Pointing out stories you may have missed. There is much to enjoy in the latest Harry Potter update by James Adams on the website of Canada’s national paper, `The Globe And Mail’.
Some photographers in the prim-and-proper era of the 1890s bought deceptive-angle box cameras that made it appear as if they were shooting scenes in front of them. Instead, they were photographing much more interesting subjects 90 degrees to the side!
Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON
Ever had a drunken argument in a ski lodge? Of course you have. Ever argued about culinary skills? Perhaps not. Ever fought over the issue? No, I didn't think so. But Royal Canadian Mounted Police sources said that several males were a bit short on sobriety in the Canadian ski area of Redcliff, Alberta, when two of them argued about who was a better cook. One left but returned with several friends, who allegedly kicked and punched the second male's door and damaged his vehicle. He will now see what's cooking - in court.
It’s not often Denmark topples the US, but the European nation is ranked first in a worldwide study measuring the most effective use of technology. Sweden, Singapore and Finland were ranked second, third and fourth respectively while the US slipped from first spot to seventh place in the Global Information Technology Report 2006-2007, published by the World Economic Forum. Economic experts said Denmark, which finished third in the survey last year, had made continuous progress since 2003 and benefited from the country's excellent regulatory environment.Switzerland rose four places from ninth to fifth places this year, followed by the Netherlands, the US, Iceland, Britain, and Norway completing the top 10 rankings.
Pointing out stories you may have missed. Prominent blogger Kathy Sierra has called on fellow bloggers to combat online abuse. It follows a series of death threats which she says have forced her to suspend her blog and cancel a public appearance at the ETech conference in San Diego on Monday.
The late Frank Sinatra once said to reporters: ``If I had as many love affairs as you have given me credit for, I would now be speaking to you from a jar in the Harvard Medical School''.
Pointing out stories you may have missed. Amazing thought it may seem, a rare 1823 copy of the Declaration of Independence sold at auction for $477,650 by a man who found it last year in a Nashville thrift store for $2.48. Six bidders competed for the document, most by phone or on the internet, when bidding opened at $125,000. The identity of the winner was not disclosed. Michael Sparks found his bargain last March while browsing at Music City Thrift Shop. When he asked the price on a yellowed, rolled-up document, the clerk marked it at $2.48 plus tax. The document turned out to be an "official copy" of the Declaration of Independence - one of 200 commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1820 when he was secretary of state and printed by William Stone in 1823.
The term ``maverick'' is thought to have been derived from the name of Texas rancher Sam Maverick, who refused to brand his calves. It was given a new lease of life with the release of the film `Top Gun'. Yes, we all remember if was the call sign of the character played by Tom Cruise - but do you recall the name of the character he played? Just for the record, it was Pete Mitchell.
After the Popeye cartoon strip was launched in 1931, spinach sales in the United States rose by 33 per cent. However, there is no data available about the sale of olive oil!
Pointing out stories you might have missed. Gilbert Arenas has been admonished by the NBA for making $10 bets with fans during the Washington Wizards’ loss at Portland last week. “We spoke to Gilbert and explained the issue to him,” NBA spokesman John Acunto said. “And he assured us he wouldn’t do anything like this again.”
Pointing out stories you might have missed. Authorities in Taiwan are to close one lane of a major highway to protect more than a million butterflies, which cross the road on their seasonal migration. The purple milkweed butterfly, which winters in the south of the island, negotiates 600 metres of motorway to reach its breeding ground in the north.
About fifteen years ago, when the late Barry White (the gravel-voiced singer whose music earned a new generation of fans through the hit TV series `Ally McBeal') was touring Australia, he gave Doug Aiton a wonderful quote in an interview for `The Sunday Age'. The singer said his voice used to be as squeaky as Michael Jackson's, then when he hit puberty it altered overnight. It was so dramatic that his father used to take him to all the neighbours and tell him to talk so everyone could marvel at the change.
Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON
was married; b) Liverpool FC won the European Championship; c) Australia lost the Ashes and d) the Pope died. Two years later, India, the rank underdogs, defeated the reigning World Cup champions, the West Indies, in a group match - and then defended a paltry 183 in the final to beat them again (by 43 runs) and take the title, against all odds.
Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON
This is the fourth week of autumn, but the weather is still scorching, as if summer still has a magnetic grip on us. This time of year is normally marked by milder weather, but we've had no respite from the heat. It's 35 Celsius today, with a hot northerly blowing. The funny thing is, when I lived in India, a northerly was a cool breeze, but here it's got distinct desert qualities. In case you haven't guessed by now, I'm not a fan (pun unintentional) of hot weather.
In ancient Rome, it was quite common for citizens to pay their taxes in honey. Obviously, it would have given them quite a buzz, while the tax collectors would have been working in a hive of activity.
Microsoft has denied reports that its Xbox Live or Bungie.net online gaming services were hacked and assured users both the networks were safe. According to Simon Jones at NewsLocale.org, the company issued a statement saying, "Microsoft would like to reassure all of its 6 million Xbox LIVE members that despite some recent reports and speculation, the company has looked into the situation and found no evidence of any compromise of the security of Bungie.net or our LIVE network."
Pointing out stories you might have missed. A hapless German thief snapped his credit card in two while prying open a lock, inadvertently leaving behind his name and account details for police. ``He tried to copy what he'd seen them do on television, but the flat-owner woke up and the criminal ran away,'' a police spokesman said today. ``The victim called up and read us the details off the card. ``When we got round to the burglar's house, the other half was sitting on his kitchen table.'' The 29-year-old burglar was trying to open the door to his neighbour's flat in Moenchengladbach in western Germany, police said.
The fog this morning began to lift very gradually as the sun rose and the temperature climbed rapidly. I suddenly noticed the strong sunlight reflected off the Commonwealth Bank building, in the form of an extremely rare series of sharp diagonal rays. It was only as I shot the first frame that I realised the fog had enveloped one of the city skyscrapers. Exactly five minutes later the skyscraper had started to emerge as the fog burnt off, so I shot the second frame. As you know, I never shoot with filters, nor do I digitally enhance my photographs in any way. And if you think the quality of the images is not too shabby, let me give you the most pertinent piece of information. They were not taken in the open air, but through the plate glass window of an office building on the opposite side of the Yarra River!
Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON
It's pretty unusual to have fog at this time of year, especially when the weather is still much warmer than normal (31 Celsius today). The first frame was shot on Springvale Road at 5am, the second at Southbank, just before 8am. I just liked the tendrils of fog around the unusually-shaped building, which was across the river from where I stood. Just left of centre in that shot is not a smudge on the lens, it's a bird! In a few hours from now, I'll post a couple more shots that show just how easily the fog can conceal a skyscraper. Watch this space!
Igor Stravinsky, the versatile conductor and composer who was considered one of the most original creative musicians of the 20th century, once said: ``Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end''.
Pointing out stories you may have missed. We'll drink to this idea – with our coffee cups. Sir Paul McCartney has been named as the first signing to the music label of coffee house chain Starbucks. The company announced plans last week to sign established and new acts to Hear Music, which has previously released albums of licensed songs.
It is 26 years since former England Test cricketer Ken Barrington died during a Test series in the West Indies. But that's where the similarity ends. Barrington, the assistant manager of the touring England side, died of a heart attack.
It's the sort of disaster you can only conjure up in your worst nightmare. In Juneau, Alaska, things are back to normal now at the Department of Revenue, but we've just been told that a computer technician accidentally wiped out a hard drive last year. No just any old hard drive, mind you. It contained much of the relevant information on a $50 billion dollar account. While reformatting the disk drive during a routine maintenance check, the technician mistakenly reformatted the backup drive as well, dumping all the data. The lost data all 300 cardboard boxes of it - had to be rapidly re-scanned into the system. 
Pointing out stories you may have missed. Calls are growing in Poland for a ban on 'men in skirts' because drunken Scottish flashers have been upsetting locals. Poland has become a major destination for UK tourists, some of whom are thought to be mainly attracted by the cheap beer. Authorities in major towns like Warsaw and Krakow say the drunken Scots have added an extra dimension. In the city of Wroclaw, officials are exploring a kilt ban after being horrified by groups of drunk Scottish men who lifted their kilts to strangers. Local police, who have born the brunt of the complaints, say a kilt ban would not be possible, but have promised to crack down on the partying Scots and make sure they keep their kilts down at all times. 
