Monday, March 28, 2011

Unusual animal skills used to save humans

They aren't built for speed, but some snails provide an early alert system for pollution.

In one Minnesota town, drivers with muddy tires can be fined up to $2,000.

You know the basic traffic laws — stop at a red light, obey the speed limit, don’t drink and drive.

But this is America, land of the free and home of the make-it-up-as-you-go-along, so in addition to the standard traffic laws, there are some weird and wacky ones out there.

Some of them are specific to activities common in that town or state, and some of them make you wonder why someone had to tell you it’s illegal to do that.

10. Screeeeeeeeeeeech!

In Kansas, it is illegal to screech your tires. That's a state law, but there are also local ordinances to back it up.

In Derby, Kansas, for example, it's part of a standard traffic ordinance that any act which causes or creates "unnecessary rapid acceleration, unnecessary tire squeal, skid, smoke or slide upon acceleration or stopping including the casting of tread, gravel, dirt or other road surface materials from the tires" is illegal. Also any acts that "simulate a temporary race."

The penalty is a fine up to $500 and/or imprisonment up to 30 days.

9. Eureka! Wake Up.

In Eureka, California, it is unlawful and an infraction to sleep in any public space. That might make you think park bench, but they go so far as to add that you are not to sleep on any sidewalk, alley or STREET. That’s right, they have to tell you not to sleep in the street.

The offense, should you live to be penalized for it, is classified as a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine up to $1,000 and/or up to six months in jail.

Cobra on the loose at N.Y. zoo ignites buzz

A lethal species made famous by Indiana Jones triggers an urgent hunt in the Bronx.

Missing Cobra

Quick training programs can help launch you in one of six rewarding careers.

Quick-Start Careers That Pay

Start getting paid fast with these hot jobs you can train for in 1-2 years.

By Jennifer Berry
Are you feeling stuck in a job you hate? Floundering in a job search that isn't going anywhere?
Don't despair: a quick training program could provide the jolt you need to find the right career.
There is no time like the present to explore your options for going back to school. With many schools offering rolling admissions and even online instruction, it's never been easier to get started.
[Search for career training programs now]
With the right training, you could be prepared for a new career in just one to two years. That's a small investment in time that could reap big rewards over the length of your career.
Check out these six solid careers - and learn how you can train for them.

How Jay-Z built his $450 million empire

The music mogul earned more than nearly all the CEOs of public companies last year

Jay-Z’s $450 million Business Empire

This is a superstar economy, in which A-listers live large while minor leaguers struggle. Hedge fund managers like John Paulson may rack up big returns, CEOs like Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman, Sachs bag huge compensation packages, and all-star baseball players like Alex Rodriguez ink nine-figure contracts. But few of them can match the combination of fame, public acclaim and monetary value that Shawn Corey Carter has racked up.

A mysterious weekend getaway stirs up frenzied speculation but leaves tabloids in the lurch.

William outfoxes press with secret bachelor bash

AP Photo/Paul Crock

LONDON — Score that Prince William 1, the British tabloid press zilch.
Far from the cameras of the U.K.'s voracious press, the prince bid his single life goodbye in a bachelor party reportedly held in eastern England over the weekend.
Palace officials confirmed Monday only that the stag party — reportedly thrown by his brother and best man, Prince Harry — had taken place.
"It has happened," a spokeswoman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with palace policy. "We are not giving any details."

[ Related: Prince Harry going on North Pole expedition ]

Those details have been the subject of intense speculation since William announced his engagement to 29-year-old Kate Middleton in November. The pair will wed April 29 at London's Westminster Abbey.
Would the party be held in Scotland or South Africa? Would there be good old-fashioned British boozing? And would Harry, William's sometimes wayward younger brother, organize some spectacularly off-color prank?
The world may never know. The Daily Telegraph, which broke the news, said the prince and about 20 friends attended a weekend party thrown by Harry, possibly at an estate in Norfolk owned by the father of one of the guests.
The paper said the guests had been sworn to silence, quoting Thomas van Straubenzee, one of the likely partygoers, as saying: "I'm very sorry but I have got to keep it a secret. I hope you understand."
The party — thrown just before Harry was due to leave for a fundraising expedition to the Arctic — will have disappointed the paparazzi. The princes' social lives have filled hundreds of pages of tabloid print and British media in particular have made a mint off of Harry's penchant for partying.

[ Photos: The princes when they were very, very young ]

A 2008 royal bachelor bash thrown in honor of Peter Phillips, William's cousin, was tabloid gold dust, yielding tales of drunken escapades across England's Isle of Wight and even — it is alleged — a grainy picture of an exposed royal posterior.
The British media has also speculated often about Middleton's bachelorette party plans, with one tabloid reporting that her sister Pippa will be throwing a "Dirty Dancing"-themed hen party bash at the family home in the wealthy English village of Bucklebury.
While the world's media may have missed out on William's stag do, innumerable other festivities — from pub promotions to house parties — are planned to coincide with the royal wedding itself. Even Prime Minister David Cameron is getting in on the act.
City officials said his office has asked for permission to host an open-air party in Downing Street, where he lives.

News Source: Yahoo

The most unlikely NCAA Final Four ever?

March Madness is exactly that, as no No. 1 or 2 seeds are still alive for the first time in tourney history.

Two crazy weeks produce a Final Four full of surprises

March Madness lived up to its name this spring, delivering an upset-heavy tournament and a Final Four hardly anyone predicted when filling out their brackets two weeks ago.
For the first time in NCAA tournament history, not a single No. 1 or 2 seed managed to advance to the Final Four.

Pages