interesting news...

its funnie how news published in the straits times became more interesting only when i left singapore... errrnnn... or could it be that i dont read the news so often? anyway... here are some of the more interesting stuff for today...

Vista dirt cheap on Latin American streets
"MEXICO CITY - Days after a beaming Bill Gates unveiled his much-vaunted Windows Vista software at a retail price of US$400 (S$612) for the premium version, Latin American street vendors are hawking pirate copies for under US$10.
At a sidewalk stall in Mexico City's grimy historic center, vendor Jose Luis offloaded cut-price copies of the software that cost Microsoft Corp US$6 billion to bring to market.
'Man, whatever it is, we get it damn quick here,' he said, taking two bootleg DVDs at 100 pesos (US$9) each out of a fake Puma backpack and slipping them into a plastic bag. "

Couple still hugging 5,000 years on **(talking about eternity)... this couple wins hands down...**
"ROME - Call it the eternal embrace. Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a couple buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, hugging each other.
'It's an extraordinary case,' said Ms Elena Menotti, who led the team on their dig near the northern city of Mantova.
'There has not been a double burial found in the Neolithic period, much less two people hugging - and they really are hugging,' she said.
Ms Menotti said she believed the two, almost certainly a man and a woman although that needs to be confirmed, died young because their teeth were mostly intact and not worn down. "

Kids who get less sleep weigh more
"WASHINGTON - Children who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight than those who get more, according to a study published on Wednesday that tracked more than 2,000 US kids for five years.
Researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, used detailed diaries kept by families to examine children's sleep behavior and its relationship with weight.
'Children who get less sleep tend to weigh more five years later,' lead researcher Emily Snell said. "

Astronaut charged with attempted first-degree murder
"ORLANDO - A NASA astronaut accused of trying to kidnap a romantic rival for a space shuttle pilot's affections was charged with attempted first-degree murder on Tuesday and will remained jailed.
'The intent was there to do serious bodily injury or death,' Orlando Police Sgt Barb Jones, referring to a new steel mallet, knife, rubber tubing and large garbage bags that police found in Lisa Marie Nowak's possession.
Nowak, a 43-year-old Navy captain and married mother of three, had already been charged with attempted kidnapping, attempted vehicle burglary with battery, destruction of evidence and battery.
Police said Nowak drove 1,450 kilometres, donned a disguise and was armed with a pellet gun and pepper spray when she confronted a woman she believed was a competitor for the affections of Navy Cmdr William Oefelein, an unmarried fellow astronaut. "

of course, there are the sick news too...

Father poisoned kids to sue Campbell Soup
"MIAMI - A man pleaded guilty to poisoning his children in an attempt to extort Campbell Soup Co, federal prosecutors in Atlanta said.
William Allen Cunningham, now 41, fed his then-three-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter Campbell's soup to which he added substances such as lighter fluid and tranquilisers, which led to the children being hospitalised."

Accused Canadian serial killer says he wished to murder 75
"NEW WESTMINSTER - An accused serial killer boasted to an undercover cop that he killed almost 50 women, in a videotape screened at a mass murder trial in western Canada on Tuesday.
Later in the bizarre, lengthy jail cell conversation, Robert 'Willy' Pickton added he had wanted to 'do another 25 new ones', and boasted to the police about disposing of bodies at a rendering plant. "

Conclusion: Never fall in love with an astronaut; buy your pirated software in mexico; dont ever drink campbell soup offered by your dad, and lastly, sleep more... it helps to lose weight...