Alexander BesantMarch 25, 2013 17:07

Literature is less emotional than in the past, study finds

A new study has shown that English literature has become less emotional than it used to be.

Researchers at the University of Bristol found that words describing emotional states were used much less frequently than earlier in the century.

The study authors said that difficult times in 20th century history tended to mean more negative emotionalwords in literature.

Alexander BesantMarch 24, 2013 11:03

Ford India ad stirs controversy after women depicted bound and gagged

A print advertisement for the Ford Figo in India has stirred controversy after depicting women bound and gagged in the trunk.

The ad also features the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi driving the vehicle with a smirk on his face.

See the picture here.

Presumably, the automaker was hoping to capitalize on anti-Italy sentiment in India while illustrating that the car has a lot of trunk space.

Alexander BesantMarch 22, 2013 20:06

Harvard teams stripped of Quiz bowl championship titles

Harvard has been stripped of its national Quiz Bowl championship titles after possible cheating was uncovered.

Teams from the Ivy League school won four titles between 2009 and 2011.

The National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT), which administers the quiz tournaments, said it had evidence of a student at Harvard cheating during the quizzes.

Alexander BesantMarch 21, 2013 16:03

Made in China fake bulletproof vests sold to Russian police

Russian police were sold fake bulletproof vests made in China said Russia's minister of interior.

A Russia-based company called Zachtchita won a contract in June for 12.5 million euros to produce bulletproof vests for Russian security forces.

Alexander BesantMarch 21, 2013 15:36

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad nearly shot by secret service during UN visit

Few knew how close the United States came to causing a major international incident that could have inflamed the Middle East.

Now a new book claims that the US Secret Service nearly killed Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accidentally on a visit to the United Nations in 2006.

Alexander BesantMarch 20, 2013 17:53

Indian students cheat by the hundreds in national exams

About 1600 students were expelled from exams in the northern Indian state of Bihar for cheating.

Along with the cheating students, about 100 parents were detained for helping them cheat.

The students were writing national examinations when the cheating occurred.

"The students were expelled on charges of adopting unfair means," said an official of Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), according to the BBC.

Alexander BesantMarch 19, 2013 20:12

Brazilian waxing leaves you vulnerable to STDs: study

It may have helped eradicate pubic lice (read here) but bikini waxing has been found to increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

A French dermatologist found that patients coming in with the Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) were more often than not cleanly waxed or shaved.

Alexander BesantMarch 19, 2013 13:31

Woman in China swallows tadpoles at airport

A South Korean woman at a Chinese airport drank a bottle of tadpoles.

Why would someone ever do something so repulsive?

She explained to authorities that her friend gave them to her and she didn't want to lose them to airport security, reported the Shanghaiist.

The incident went down recently at Guangzhou Airport in China.

Alexander BesantMarch 18, 2013 22:27

Racy photo of young figure skater stirs controversy at Canadian newspaper

A racy photo of a young figure skater published on the front page of one of Canada's most important newspapers has stirred controversy.

An upskirt photo of 17-year-old Canadian figure skater Kaetlyn Osmond prompted a note from the Globe and Mail newspaper's public editor saying the choice of image was "unacceptable."

The photo was taken of Osmond at the World Figure Skating Champion in London, Ont.

Alexander BesantMarch 14, 2013 18:36

Little league raffle features AR-15 assault rifle prize

A little league raffle fundraiser in an Illinois town features an AR-15 assault rifle as its top prize.

The Atwood-Hammond league is raffling the gun to purchase equipment for its twelve baseball teams.

The Daily News said the Atwood Armory donated the rifle, which is worth about $2000.

The hope was to surpass the $10 the league raised in the raffle last year.

So far they've sold $1600 in tickets.