by Rupe | Aug 21, 2009 | Fitness
Jamaican Usain Bolt is making his case for being the greatest sprinter of 
all-time at the World Athletics Championships in Germany. In addition to his enormous talent, there are many other facets to the young runner’s personality.
Who exactly is Usain Bolt? The facts are easy. He is from Jamaica, 1.96 meters tall, has a charismatic smile and celebrated his 23rd birthday Friday. And in his last five major finals going back to the Olympics, he has won five gold medals and set five world records.
On first impression, Bolt may seem to be a show-off. He smiles at the television cameras, sticks out his tongue with antic poses and hand gestures, strikes his “lightning bolt” pose, and tells reporters that he is on his way “to being a legend.”
He can take another step in that direction Saturday when the Jamaican four-by-100 relay team is expected to give Bolt a chance for his sixth straight gold. But then another side of Bolt becomes apparent. The team must qualify Friday, and despite being the favorites, Bolt told VOA Sports he respects all of his competitors and takes nothing for granted. Continue reading…
by Rupe | Aug 19, 2009 | Mad Musings
This is a shot of my bunk in my stateroom. Kinda hard to get a full appreciation of it, but imagine a coffin with a sideways entry and then a blue curtain for privacy. The EEBD box at the foot-end is the Emergency Egress Breathing Device; it is suppose to provide enough breathable air to take you to safety in case of a fire.
by Rupe | Aug 19, 2009 | Mad Musings
Many people do not realise drinking alcohol can disturb a good night’s sleep by interfering with the brain, a government-funded poll suggests.
Almost half of 2,000 drinkers surveyed reported fatigue the day after drinking more than the recommended daily limit.
But some 58% of those questioned were unaware that sleep problems could be caused by exceeding the limit.
The survey by YouGov was carried out for the Know Your Limits campaign, started three years ago.
Men are advised to drink no more than four units a day – the equivalent of two pints of regular-strength beer, and women no more than three units – the equivalent of a large, 250ml glass of wine. Continue reading….
by Rupe | Aug 19, 2009 | Mad Musings
A group of Facebook users filed a civil lawsuit Monday that alleges the social-networking site is violating California consumer privacy laws.The lawsuit, which was filed in California’s Orange County Superior Court on behalf of five users, seeks a jury trial, as well as damages and attorneys’ fees. The five plaintiffs are described as two children younger than 13, a user of the original Facebook, a professional photographer, and an actress and model.
The 40-page complaint accuses the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company of violating California privacy and online privacy laws by disseminating private information to third parties for commercial purposes.
“Plaintiffs and the general public desire and expect a level of privacy, which Facebook has failed to satisfy under its current policies, procedures, practices, and technology,” the complaint states. Continue reading…
Note: No issues with Facebook directly, but I think most folks don’t read the disclaimer and put way too much personal information online – not knowing that information can be garnered by aggregation.
by Rupe | Aug 18, 2009 | Mad Musings
An Afghan bill allowing a husband to starve his wife if she refuses to have sex has been published in the official gazette and become law.The original bill caused outrage earlier this year, forcing Afghan President Hamid Karzai to withdraw it.
But critics say the amended version of the law remains highly repressive.
They accuse Mr Karzai of selling out Afghan women for the sake of conservative Shia support at next week’s presidential election.
The law governs family life for Afghanistan’s Shia minority.
Sexual demands
The original version obliged Shia women to have sex with their husbands every four days at a minimum, and it effectively condoned rape by removing the need for consent to sex within marriage.
The original bill caused outrage within Afghanistan and around the world
Western leaders and Afghan women’s groups were united in condemning an apparent reversal of key freedoms won by women after the fall of the Taliban.
Now an amended version  of the same bill has passed quietly into law with the apparent approval of President Karzai.
Keep reading….
