The worst computer viruses of all time

If you haven't experienced a computer virus yet, just wait -- you probably will.
Fortunately, you missed the real heyday of computer viruses when anti-virus software wasn't very widely used, and virus attacks caused millions of dollars in damages overnight. Today's viruses can still be nightmarish, but for the average user, cleanup is considerably easier than it was just a few years ago, when the only solution in many cases was reformatting your hard drive and starting from scratch (and even that didn't do the trick sometimes).
So join me on a trip down memory lane as we revisit some of the worst viruses of all time and count our blessings that our computers are still up and running despite it all. (Though, please note, "worst" is a matter of considerable debate in the security industry, as the number of infected machines and amount of financial loss is always estimated. If you think another virus was worse than these, please post it in the comments to remind us!)

The worst viruses of all time

Brain, 1986
It all started here: Brain was the first "real" virus ever discovered, back in 1986. Brain didn't really hurt your PC, but it launched the malware industry with a bang and gave bad ideas to over 100,000 virus creators for the next 2 decades.

Michelangelo, 1991
The worst MS-DOS virus ever, Michelangelo attacked the boot sector of your hard drive and any floppy drive inserted into the computer, which caused the virus to spread rapidly. After spreading quietly for months, the virus "activated" on March 6, and promptly started destroying data on tens of thousands of computers.

Melissa, 1999
Technically a worm, Melissa (named after a stripper) collapsed entire email systems by causing computers to send mountains of messages to each other. The author of the virus was eventually caught and sentenced to 20 months in prison.

ILOVEYOU, 2000
This was notable for being one of the first viruses to trick users into opening a file, which in this case claimed to be a love letter sent to the recipient. In reality, the file was a VBS script that sent mountains of junk mail and deleted thousands of files. The results were terribly devastating- one estimate holds that 10 percent of all computers were affected, to a cost of $5.5 billion. It remains perhaps the worst worm of all time.

Code Red, 2001
An early "blended threat" attack, Code Red targeted Web servers instead of user machines, defacing websites and later launching denial-of-service attacks on a host of IP addresses, including those of the White House.

Nimda, 2001
Built on Code Red's attack system of finding multiple avenues into machines (email, websites, network connections, and others), Nimda infected both Web servers and user machines. It found paths into computers so effectively that, 22 minutes after it was released, it became the Internet's most widespread virus at the time.

Klez, 2001
An email virus, Klez pioneered spoofing the "From" field in email messages it sent, making it impossible to tell if Bill Gates did or did not really send you that information about getting free money.

Slammer, 2003
Another fast spreader, this worm infected about 75,000 systems in just 10 minutes, slowing the Internet to a crawl (much like Code Red) and shutting down thousands of websites.

MyDoom, 2004
Notable as the fastest-spreading email virus of all time, MyDoom infected computers so they would, in turn, send even more junk mail. In a strange twist, MyDoom was also used to attack the website of SCO Group, a very unpopular company that was suing other companies over its code being used in Linux distributions.

Storm, 2007
The worst recent virus, Storm spread via email spam with a fake attachment and ultimately infected up to 10 million computers, causing them to join its zombie botnet.

Force-Feeding Classical Music Does Not Make A Child Genius

In 2007, the German research ministry finally commissioned a crack team of neuroscientists, psychologists, educationalists and philosophers to investigate all the research done on the phenomenon.Their conclusion: even if listening to Mozart does boost spatial-temporal reasoning (and not all studies have shown this), the effect lasts no more than 20 minutes.A misreading of science, coupled with soaring expectations, also fuels many doomed attempts to teach foreign languages to infants. Research in the Nineties showing that babies possess a unique ability to learn any tongue sent parents scampering off to buy Berlitz tapes in the hope of turning their newborns into mini-polyglots. It didn't work.Why? Because babies tune into a language only when it is spoken to them regularly by a real person. In more recent experiments, infants exposed only to foreign language DVDs or audiotapes or bilingual toys absorbed nothing at all - not one word or phrase, not one single sound.

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Turn Your PC into a DVD Ripping Monster

Once upon a time, the four to eight gigabyte footprint of a DVD on your hard drive was prohibitively large. But since the price of a gigabyte has plummeted, ripping your entire DVD collection to your computer is not just possible, it's prudent, and it's easy. Let's take a look at the best ways to back up and play any DVD rip on your home computer

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U.S.man Claims to be Pregnant

BEND, Ore. AP -- An Oregon man is five months pregnant, according to a national magazine. Thomas Beatie, who used to be a woman, appeared in the most recent issue of The Advocate, a magazine for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender readers. Beatie wrote the article and it included a picture of him while he was 22 weeks pregnant. According to the story, he went through a sex change, but decided only to have chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy. Beatie was able to keep the reproductive organs he was born with. The article said he stopped getting the injections and was able to get pregnant.

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BOXING BE BANNED IN THE PHILIPPINES?

MANILA, Philippines -- An independent lawmaker has filed a bill banning boxing tournaments and exhibitions in the country "in line with the policy of the State to promote sports for the development of a healthy and alert citizenry."Nueva Ecija Representative Eduardo Nonato Joson, whose other bills include those banning gun ownership among civilians and calling for the holding of a snap presidential elections this May, filed his boxing ban measure days after Filipino world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao won over Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez early this month.If Joson had his way, boxers who participate in a bout for money or any other consideration shall be imprisoned for six months to six years and fined P200 to P6,000. If a boxer dies, the surviving pugilist shall be meted six years to 12 years in prison."Banning boxing contests and/or exhibitions as a form of public entertainment can put an end to needless deaths, injuries and most of all, put a death to the culture of violence prevailing in our society," Joson said in his explanatory note.

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British man auctions entire life on eBay

Ian Usher loves his life in Perth, Australia. But since his wife, Laura, was part of that life and the couple have split up, he has decided to offer it, lock, stock and barrel to the highest bidder. Mr Usher, 44, originally from Darlington, County Durham, has put his entire life up for grabs on the online auction site eBay...

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Diaz vs Montano rd 9

diaz vs Montano rd 7

Diaz vs Montano rd 1-6

Diaz vs Montano final rd

James Bond: Quantum of Solace

The 22nd Bond film in the franchise is a direct continuation of the events set in motion by 'Casino Royale,' with 007 out for revenge on a mission that takes him to Austria, Italy and South America.

'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' star MATHIEU AMALRIC is the new Bond villain, while sultry OLGA KURYLENKO and GEMMA ARTERTON step in as the new Bond Girls. Oscar winner JUDI DENCH also returns as Bond's boss, M, with JEFFREY WRIGHT and GIANCARLO GIANNINI reprising their roles as Bond's allies Felix Leiter and Mathis from 'Casino Royale.'

Producers behind James Bond's 22nd mission, 'Quantum of Solace,' said on Friday that they've nixed plans to shoot at the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu due to inclement weather, according to Reuters.
Cameras were supposed to have started rolling in Cuzco, a city close to the ruins, earlier this month -- but the film's producers decided to shoot elsewhere upon learning that the locale's rains were as unpredictable as 'Goldfinger''s Odd Job, a source close to the production told the news service.
As we previously reported, 'Quantum' takes place after the events of 'Casino Royale' and finds 007 traveling the globe for some good old-fashioned super-agent revenge.

source: ET
http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/02/58932/index.html

GABI vs MARES rd 3

GABI vs MARES rd 2

GABI vs MARES rd 1

Pacman vs JMM II round 12b

round 12a

round 11

round 10

round 9

round 8

round 7

round 6

round 5

round 4

round 3

round 1

round 2

3rd round wins it for Pacquiao

By Ed PicsonPhilBoxing.comMon, 17 Mar 2008

Manny Pacquiao is world champion again. The last time he wore a crown was in the Super Bantamweight Division (IBF). He is now the WBC Super Featherweight King. He was also WBC Flyweight title-holder in his early years.

With his split decision win yesterday (Saturday in Las Vegas ), the colorful Filipino boxing icon emerges as the first Filipino, nay, the first Asian to hold boxing championships in three different weight classes. He is also the fourth Filipino to annex the 130 lb. crown after the great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Rene Barrientos and his town mate Rolando Navarrete.

Filipinos should be delirious with glee. Alas, there were some grumblings overheard after the decision was announced. In a cursory inquiry, a good number thought that perhaps Juan Manuel Marquez may have done enough to keep his title.

Pacquiao decked Marquez with a vicious left hook in the third round even as the Mexican seemed to have started better in the fight. There was a thunderous roar among Filipino fans who thought that the fight was going to come to an early end as memories of the third Pacquiao-Morales (Erik) encounter came to mind.

However, Marquez again displayed the kind of tenacity, determination and excellent conditioning to get up and engage Pacquiao in another episode of steamy boxing action. In their first face-off in 2004, Marquez rose from three knock downs in the first round to salvage a draw.

While Pacquiao searched in vain for another opportunity to send his foe crashing to the canvass, Marquez, the methodical fighter that he is, stayed out of harm’s way (most of the time) and whenever Manny came in to attack, exploded with some very effective counter-punches.

Both fighters had their moments and the judges score cards are a testament to the fact. Judge Jerry Roth favored Marquez 115-112; Duane Ford saw it for Pacquiao 115-112 while Tom Miller’s 114-113 card tilted the decision in the Filipino’s favor.

Most boxing observers agree that Pacquiao is one of the most exciting boxers ever to lace up boxing gloves. And therein possibly lies the reasons why some Filipino fans were disappointed with Pacquiao’s performance.

While happy for their compatriot, there are those who feel that they did not see the kind of Manny Pacquiao moves that defined his previous conquests. Manny is supposed to annihilate the opposition or get annihilated himself.

There are to be no two ways about it, he has to over-whelm the opposition to live up to the standards that his fans have gotten used to, or go down trying. The reality is, Marquez-Pacquiao II was as close as close can be. And given the realities of boxing and the subjective manner that it is scored, there is bound to be disparity in the appreciation of the efforts of both fighters.

Computer stats reveal that Marquez landed more power punches while Pacquiao had the edge in the jabs department. But one of the power punches the GenSan Bomber threw dropped Marquez in the third, his feet pointed up to the heavens as he landed heavily on the seat of his pants. There were at least a couple more haymakers that saw Marquez’s knees buckle, the last in the early going of the 10th round.

On the other hand Marquez’s bombs, although more accurate and plentiful, did not have the same devastating nor dramatic effect. To be sure, there were several that landed flush on Pacquiao’s face, a couple causing cuts on the bemoustached Filipino. But none were as powerful or destructive as the that which the Pacman unloaded in the third.

That said, the fight was still as tight as could be, and again the score cards will bear this out. They went twelve grueling rounds which also highlighted the fact that both men had gotten into the best shape possible for the encounter.

And in a brawl that close, there would be as many disappointments as there would be approvals. There will be those who see the situation in a different light; and those who saw it from different angles; and those who saw or missed several punches.

But looking at the decision, it seems the defining moment that may have tilted the decision towards Manny was the 3rd round knock down. While Judges Roth’s and Ford’s similar 3-point margins would not be affected if the knock down did not occur, Tom Miller’s 114-113 would have been 114-114.

In which case, it would have been a split draw just like the first time around. But, the knockdown in round 3 did happen.

And Manny Pacquiao is world champion again.

Pacquiao-Marquez round-by-round

LAS VEGAS—Round-by-round coverage of Manny Pacquiao’s WBC super featherweight championship victory over Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao won on a split decision, with official scores of 115-112 and 114-113 Pacquiao and 115-1

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FHM model, 3 others murdered

A police officer assigned to the Traffic Management Group (TMG) in Camp Crame in Quezon City will be questioned in connection with the killing of four people, including a model for a male magazine, in Olongapo City Thursday.

Investigators said the identification card of Senior Police Officer 1 Leopoldo Vitug Jr. of the TMG was recovered inside the Toyota Vios car (ZAJ 203) owned by one of the victims, FHM magazine model Scarlet Garcia.

Authorities said they also discovered a police jacket with the TMG patch and insignia, which, they believed, belongs to the suspect. Ten spent shells from .45 pistol and 9mm handguns, lighter, used needle, and butane can were also gathered by forensics investigators inside the victims’ rented apartment at 52-B Acacia St., Barangay Gordon Heights.

Garcia, her partner George Castor Jr., Rachel Estacio and Von Mark Fondejas were found dead inside the apartment by authorities responding to a fire alarm before dawn Thursday. Their bodies bore bullet wounds to the head.

The bodies of Castor and Fondejas were found lying face down on the second floor receiving room while Garcia and Estacio were discovered inside the toilet on the third floor of the apartment building. The assailants also set the apartment on fire.

Residents reported that they saw smoke coming from the apartment around 3 a.m. Witnesses said two unidentified persons were seen rushing out of the apartment minutes after they heard shots.

Investigators said one of the suspects looted Garcia’s vehicle before fleeing on board a dark blue car.Police are looking into love triangle, business rivalry, robbery and vengeance as among the motives in the killing. Olongapo police, meanwhile, created Task Force Scarlet to be headed by Senior Superintendent Abelardo Villacorta, city police chief, to swiftly solve the case.

Garcia was also a member of sexy singing group Viva Hot Babes.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=112184

Woman sits on boyfriend's toilet for 2 years

I've heard so many stories of people who are stuck in some other odd places.-- Yes people can be stuck on a traffic, on a line; on your car, whatever...I myself experienced being stranded on an airline because I missed my flight but this story is very unlikely among all other incident of being standed or stuck...


Girlfriend was physically stuck to the seat — her skin had grown around it

NESS CITY, Kan. - Deputies said a woman in western Kansas sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years, and they're investigating whether she was mistreated.
Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said a man called his office last month to report that something was wrong with his girlfriend.
Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman’s skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23595533/#storyContinued

Travel Myths

• If you use your cellphone, the plane will crash.• Cruise ships are all-inclusive. • If you rent a car with a credit card, you don’t need additional insurance. • Taking the train in Europe is cheaper than flying. • Recirculated cabin air on planes will make you sick.• X-ray machines at airport security checkpoints can erase your computer’s hard drive. • Your hotel card key can be used to steal your identity.These are just some of the things many travelers believe to be true. And, in fact, with a couple of qualifications, they are nothing more than the latest batch of travel myths.

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Fastest Internet Connection in the US

I really thought i had the better internet connection here yet I was blown away when I heard about how fast Internet connection in Fairfield,IA is -- At 100 Mbps that's that's a blazing speed! Here's the story I just found out.

Fairfield leading the U.S. in technology advances

FAIRFIELD, IOWA -- Residents and businesses in Fairfield, Iowa are reaping benefits from the fastest internet connection available in the U.S.
Local communication provider, LISCO, is creating an optical-fiber network across town.
According to LISCO officials, Fairfield is the only city in the U.S. that can provide speeds of 100 megabytes per second for all of its residents.
To put that into perspective, typical high-speed internet runs from one to about ten megabytes, so fiber internet is ten times faster.
Right now, all businesses on the square have the capability to use the technology.
"Optical fiber is the way you carry all of the phone calls and all of the communications from one continent to another over optical fiber cable. We're putting those kinds of cables in right now so each house will have that technology, that same capability," LISCO Vice President of Marketing, Michael Porter, said.
Porter also told KTVO that only places like Japan and Korea have services like the new system in Fairfield.
The high speeds are also attracting new companies. In fact, one high-tech company has already settled in Fairfield because of the lack of this type of technology in any big cities.


source: KTVO
http://www.ktvo.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=108004

Leaving it all behind, to bike around the world

In 2002, at the ages of 62 and 48, Pat and Catherine Patterson decided to leave it all behind. They sold their real-estate business and their cars, gave their furniture to their children, and put their home up for rent. Strapping their remaining possessions to two bicycles, the couple set off to bike around the world.Fifty-seven countries, four continents and almost four years later, the Pattersons look back on their journey as something no less than life-changing.In 1985, Pat Patterson got his first taste of freedom behind the handlebars of a bicycle when he went on a short tour through China. The trip changed his perspective. "I was beginning to see things differently," he says.

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Whale On the Plate

Japan steps up efforts to end the 19-year moratorium on commercial whaling imposed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), its seafood-loving citizens are less and less enthusiastic about tucking into the catch. As a result, trade inventories of the tough, gamy meat have climbed 1,000 tons since the late 1990s, to around 3,000 tons today--about as much as gets eaten annually. The average Japanese, who clearly prefers watching whales to eating them, ingests barely an ounce of the meat each year, compared with 13 lbs. of beef, 22 lbs. of chicken and 79 lbs. of fish.

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11 Greatest Basketball Commercials Ever Made

Be like Mike, Larry, Magic, Barkley and Yao (not to mention Mars Blackmon) -- at least just when watching these commercials.

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E-mail inventor: I didn't foresee spam - Times Online

at around 7pm one autumn evening in 1971, the first message using Mr Tomlinson's fledgling software, known then as the 'Send Message Program', travelled the short distance of a metre from one computer to a neighbouring machine, and electronic mail was born. Since its beginnings in a computer lab at the offices of a firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, e-mail has become one of the most important communications platforms the world has known, and from the various services available – Yahoo!, Hotmail, and the ubiquitous Outlook – Britons send an estimated three billion messages a day.

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the rock sample video

Recycle or go to Hell, warns Vatican

Failing to recycle plastic bags could find you spending eternity in Hell, the Vatican said after drawing up a list of seven deadly sins for our times.

Your view: What are the 'deadly sins' of our time?
Vatican sex guide urges Catholics to do 'it' more often
Climate change 'will spark global conflict'

The seven, which include polluting the environment, were announced by Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti, a close ally of the Pope and the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, one The seven, which include polluting the environment, were announced by Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti, a close ally of the Pope and the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, one of the Roman Curia's main court.

The "sins of yesteryear" - sloth, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, wrath and pride - have a "rather individualistic dimension", he told the Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper.

The new seven deadly, or mortal, sins are designed to make worshippers realise that their vices have an effect on others as well.

"The sins of today have a social resonance as well as an individual one," said Mgr Girotti. "In effect, it is more important than ever to pay attention to your sins.

"According to Roman Catholic doctrine, mortal sins are a "grave violation of God's law" and bring about "eternal death" if unrepented by the act of confession.

They are far more serious than venial sins, which impede a soul's progress in the exercise of virtue and moral good.

Cardinal becomes star of YouTube
Papal guidance by text for Italian believers
Vatican 'tampered' with body of Padre Pio

Mgr Girotti said genetic modification, carrying out experiments on humans, polluting the environment, causing social injustice, causing poverty, becoming obscenely wealthy and taking drugs were all mortal sins.

source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/03/10/eavatican110.xml

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How Doctors Tell Patients They're Dying

Putting a time stamp on someone's life,...is something that few doctors are willing to do. Instead, they employ much more methodical and caring techniques of breaking the news to terminally ill patients...."Shock or denial is a pretty universal first reaction. Patients say 'it's not me' or 'I'll go to a different doctor.'"

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10 Worst Countries for Women

Today March 8 is International Women's Day. In spite of real progress around the globe, the bedrock problems that have dogged women for centuries remain.

Putting power in women's hands is the biggest challenge for improving their lives in every country, advocates agree. Whether in the poorest countries of Africa, or the most repressive of the Middle East or Asia, lack of control over their own destinies blights women's lives from early childhood.

Here are 10 of the worst countries in the world to be a woman today:

Afghanistan
Democratic Republic of Congo
Iraq
Nepal
Sudan
Other countries in which women's lives are significantly worse than men's include Guatemala, where an impoverished female underclass faces domestic violence, rape and the second-highest rate of HIV/AIDS after sub-Saharan Africa. An epidemic of gruesome unsolved murders has left hundreds of women dead, some of their bodies left with hate messages.

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101 Year Old Man Runs 13 Mile Marathon & Stops for a Beer.

Martin says that in the last weekend, he's completed a 13-mile half marathon that took him a little more than five hours. It would have been faster, he says, but he says he stopped for a beer and a cigarette.

"He smokes, drinks, stays out late, which is probably why he is still alive," said Charlie Mullins, the managing director of the plumbing company where Martin cleans vans.
When not working three days a week for Mullins, Martin can be found in a nearby boxing gym working with a pair of trainers in preparation for April's run. He refuses to be impressed by the fact that he is still running.

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Save Money on Transportation

The average cost of owning and driving a car 15,000 miles a year is $7,830 according to AAA. SUVs are even more costly, at $9,990 per year. That includes all costs of ownership, such as gas, insurance, maintenance, registration, taxes depreciation, financing and more. Yikes.
No doubt getting around can be a huge budget buster. Here are ten tips to help cut your costs:

Buy a Used Car
Because cars lose most of their value in the first few years, buying used allows you to drive a vehicle you probably couldn't afford brand new.
More from Kiplinger's Personal Finance • The Best Cars for 2008 • 10 Best Used Car Deals Under $20,000 • Five Myths on Leasing a Car
Recent used models -- those that are less than five years old -- can be a real value because you get a nearly new car still in fine working order for a fraction of the new-car price. And you'll pay less for collision insurance and taxes, too.

Buy a Sipper, Not a Guzzler
You don't need a hybrid vehicle to save money on gas -- higher purchase prices can cancel out any savings. But a regular car with good gas mileage could save you hundreds of dollars a year on fuel.
Drive 1,200 miles per month in a car that averages 18 miles per gallon, and you'll spend $187 per month (at $2.80 per gallon).
Drive a car that averages 25 miles per gallon, and you'll spend $134 per month -- a savings of $53 per month, or $636 per year.

Re-Shop Your Car Insurance
Using a comparison site like InsWeb.com can help you determine if you've got the best deal. Rates vary widely from insurer to insurer. Your savings could equal hundreds of dollars.
Shopping around is especially important for young adults because their rates could drop as they approach age 25 or older, build a credit rating, start a career and get married. Insurers reward customers who are responsible.

Drop Collision & Comprehensive Coverage
If you drive a beater -- say, one worth less than $2,000 -- you'll probably pay more to insure it than you would ever collect on a claim. Dropping that part of your coverage can reduce your premium by one-third.

Raise Your Deductible
Upping your out-of-pocket outlay from $250 to $1,000 on any car can save you 15% or more on your car insurance.
But make sure you have enough cash in an emergency savings account to cover your deductible so you won't have to rely on costly credit cards to bail you out.

Join Policies
When shopping around for auto insurance, check first with the company that provides your renters or homeowners insurance. You could snag up to 15% off for a multiple-line policy.

Shop Around for Gas
Gas prices can vary as much as 20% within only a few blocks, according to GasBuddy.com, a price-monitoring site. So hop online to find the best deal in your neighborhood or along your commute route.
A 20-cent difference on 60 gallons of gas per month adds up to $12 per month or $144 per year.

Use a Gas Rebate Credit Card
If you frequent the pump, soften the financial sting with a credit card that'll give you cash back for filling up.
For example, the Discover Open Road card gives you 5% cash back on gas and auto maintenance charges. So if you spend $200 a month on gas and maintenance, you get $10 back -- or $120 each year.

Hop on the Bus, Gus
Public transportation can save you a bundle on commuting costs because you won't have to spend money on a parking space, gas and auto maintenance. Plus, you can probably get a lower insurance rate for driving less.
Ask if your employer will pick up part of the tab for your public transportation costs. If not, suggest the company look into the matter -- it could qualify for a tax break.

Car Pool
Two heads are better than one when it comes to commuting. Sharing the ride -- and expense -- with another person heading your way can cut your gas costs in half.
Check out carpooling opportunities at www.erideshare.com and carpoolconnect.com.

source: Yahoo

Pacman's worst nightmare not Marquez but Dick Flaherty

This cold very well be the nightmarish declaration Buffer reads to the thousands at Mandalay Bay and to the millions of Pinoys watching around the world along about 9 pm March 15.

It may have been completely unintentional but the WBC and the Nevada commision have allowed Flaherty, a former Boston cop, into the deciding what may be the most important boxing watch of 2008. They've thrown a wild card into the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez deck and they may regret it for a long time.

Flarherty, who is in his 70s, is one of the most inconsistent and irratic judges in the world. He is almost as bad as a referee but, in this particular case, he can affect only the fortunes no the health of these two great fighters.

I'm not saying this experienced official is the worst judge in his home state of Massachussettes but he is probably in a tie with four others for that unwated crown. I guess political hacks appoints other hacks to the Commonwealth's commission and then those hacks hire other hacks as judges and referees. Whenever the cause, the officiating in a Bay State is woeful.

Let me add that Flaherty is a nice guy, honest as can be and that my best friend from childhood days is close to him. So there is nothing personal in my diatribe here. In fact, this is a story I would prefer not write but too much is at stake here for Messers. Marquez and Pacquiao.

Want some examples of how Flaherty could easily miscall Pacman-Juan Ma? There is plenty of prior evidence.

Let's start with the controversial boutj between Sam Peter and James Toney. The only person in the free world who tabbed it 9-3 for the Nigerian was, you guessed it, Flaherty. This was a bout which produced a media postfight poll in which 28 of the 29 journalist said Toney won.

For more recent ineptitude, look to the stirring Jaidon Codrington-Sakio Bike "Contender" finale on ESPN. Codrington, who was stopped in the bout, was on the floor when Bika threw a punch at him. No warning, no penalty, no nothing by Flaherty.

Flaherty has been officiating poorly for a long while. Journalist Michael Woods wrote once about seeing a 1996 bout in Massaschusettes in which a local yokel was aggressive but not effectively againts an outsider. Flaherty, of course, had local yokel way in front at the finish.

This is the same Flaherty who, in speaking to fight writer and fellow ex-cop Bob Maldinich, answered critics of his ridiculous Peter-Toney ballot this way: " My record speaks for itself. Fact is I always give 110 percent. My eyes and my mind are totally focused on what is going on in the ring. I have treamendous ability to afficiate fairly and objectively."

Now, if Tom Kaczmareck says that, it's one thing but Dick Flaherty gasses himself?

I save what I think is the worst for last. On August 5, 2006, Kassim Ouma posted a 10-round decision over Sechew Powell in New York. I was at the fight Reliable judge Syteven Weisfeld saw 97-93 and Tony Paolillo called it 96-94. So you had two judge just four points apart in a
10-round bout.

Then came Flaherty's stunner.

In his wisdom, Flaherty called it a 100-90 shutout or 10-0 in round for Ouma. What means is that he and Weisfeld were an astonishing eight points apart after 10 rounds. In other words, Weisfeld tabbed it 6-4 for Ouma while incredibly Flaherty called a shutout.

Oh, I've got another eye opener on Flaherty. This once came during 2000 in New Orleans when Roy Jones turned back Eric Harding by decision. Judge Kenny Saintes favored RJJ by seven points while Barry Oregon had him in front by four points.

Sticking out like a sore thumb-again-weas Flaherty who barely gave it to Jones with a 96-94 tally. How could he and Saintes be five points apart in a 12-rounder? I don't recall any special controversy or disputes on that one which makes it all the more remarkable.

Flaherty seems to be out of sync with his peers quite often.

Manny Pacquiao, accept Dick Flaherty at your peril. If Team Pacquiao accepts this judge, then a robbery by pencil is likely to happen.

Beware the Ides of March, especially when Flaherty is giving official pen and paper.

I'd rather be judged by Pontius Pilate than by Flaherty.

He may be Pacman's worst professional nightmare.

On the other hand, he is capable of screwing it up for Marquez also.

An honest judge, yes. But erratic is as erractic does.

By Macheal Marley
http://www.boxingconfidential.com/articles.php?id=3996

Consumer Reports Releases Top American Auto Picks for 2008

It’s time again for the annual American Top Picks list. While we don’t consider country of origin as a factor in our Ratings for our primary Top Picks list, the piles of mail (snail and e-mail) we get leave us no doubt that many people factor “buying American” into their decision. So, for those folks, this list looks at what domestic-branded cars are the best choices out there. It would be a relatively simple matter to compile this list if Top Picks were merely the highest-scoring car in each group. But to be a Top Pick, a car has to have performed well in our testing, be relatively trouble-free to own, and safe, too. Here are the other criteria to determining a Top Pick: *We need to have reliability data for the car, and that data must show at least average or better reliability. *Stability control must be readily available. *If crash tested, the results have to be decent.

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Manmade flood roars through Grand Canyon

Federal officials have started a flood in the Grand Canyon in hopes of restoring its ecosystem.The torrent will flow for three days from the Glen Canyon Dam on the Arizona-Utah state line. It began Wednesday morning.

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TELEMARKETER SNOB

Have you been receiving unwanted calls lately? Prank calls. Calls like you really not expecting to rang on your phone every day. Calls that repeatedly keep coming even though you already say "we're not interested" but hey were you able to interrupt the conversation just before it's over? have you got the time to say it?

This so called "Telemarketer" that pops up like a spam on your email every day could sometime break your temper. Why? huh guess what. They really just can't stop bugging you evertime they have a new offer in the market. As if you are the immediate consumer on their list. This story might not be as significant to others but for me it does.

Some time last month; I happened to received another annoiying call but this time it was different. It's from a calling company to the Philippines ( i'll just disclosed the company's name, see how good i am? not to tell everyone who read this. If every someone might find this). I really thought it was a call from my wife who happened to be on call on in the hospital that day. I thought my wife would advice me that she could not come home early for some reason.

So i did answer the phone not knowing it was just another "telemarketer". It was almost midnight central time whe i got this call. Looking for me. The agent (could not even pronounce my name right) asked if i already tried their system to call Philippines. He continued that "he just badly needs to know if i use it or not so he could assist me if i don't". But what the heck, i've been telling this company not to bother me again, If i ever i will use it they will definitely know. Their system would register my call if their is.

They just could not get rid of me in their list. He further continue by asking me to please try calling someone even a fraction of a minute. I also explain to him that "I don't have someone to call at the time" he just could not understand. Perphaps he did but too subborn, he is.

I hang up the phone to end that nowhere to go conversation. The next 30 minutes past, I was half asleep, baby sitting your own child is not a big joke; then i received another call again it was midnight already. I thought it was from my wife. But it ain't, it was again from that calling company. Man can't they just call it a day! They not only interupted my precious sleep but also bothered me in the middle of the night. So they could have a comission if i will make that first call he badly want.

The same old stories asking me to make a fraction of minute call, I explained to him again that "i don't have someone to call with in the Philippine that time".

Ok he bought that story but instead asked me to call someone here at home because he says that I could still use it here. Hmm...he definitely have some persuation skills ehy! He must be crazy at past midnight he want me to call "anybody" i know just to facilitate his querries. He even suggested to call my wife and leave a message or something.

Would you be happy if somebody called you in the middle of the night just to say to them that "hey just wanna bother you because i'm trying this new cheap calls that i recently got" i bet your ears will hear a big slam. I didn't do that to the Agent. it ain't just me.

So to cut the conversation short i pretend to ask their 1-800 number so i can call. He gladly provided me the steps and guide me through it, little did he know that after he will hang up he won't here anything from me. He insisted to follow up the call after 10 minutes which he did but i never answered any fone calls again i just let the voice mail do that for me.

Philippines has a growing number of call centers probably next to India. I have even friends and relatives employed in a call center. They say it pays good income. But i can't help but wonder, Do they have a courtesy guide book on "when they have to call people?" or was this story an isolated incident.

My wife and l are so irritated receiving this unwanted call everyday. Occationally we answered our phone but most of the time we just let people to leave a message before we answer it. That's the best thing to do. Telemarketer usually don't leave message on voice mail right? They know they won't have a call back.

Have you experience any similar incident to my story? If you do well, i guess i'm not alone...
Thank you for having the interest to finish my story.

Wooing women gamers -- and game creators

More and more, husbands and boyfriends are playing second fiddle to computers and consoles as 38 percent of gamers are female, spending an average of 7.4 hours a week playing, according to the Entertainment Software Association."Women are out there in significant numbers playing MMOs, action games, first-person shooters," Dorrell explains. "What is lacking in the equation are women behind these games."

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