alicia27

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Rated Aug 26 2008 • 0 reviews • photography • imageshack.us

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The Business of Politics - Political Businesses -...

Rated Aug 17 2008 • 1 review • politics • entrepreneur.com

From the page: "For nearly three decades, voter turnout among young Americans steadily declined; it seemed that people under 30 just didn't care about elections or political issues. But the tide started turning in 2004, when voter turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds was higher than any year except 1992.

Current research shows the under-30 generation is paying more attention to politics and elections than ever before--and this politically savvy group isn't afraid to voice its opinions. Thanks to hot-button issues such as the war in Iraq, global warming and rising gas prices, young voters and activists are not only rocking the vote, they're rocking the businesses that allow them to display their stance on political issues.

"People have become more passionate and emotional about the outcome of the election, and they want to brand themselves as the type of person who supports 'XYZ,' " says Michal Ann Strahilevitz, a professor of marketing at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. "What you're seeing is a mixing of freedom of speech with buying stuff; the new trend is to brand yourself as someone who not only supports a side but is really passionate about the issue.""

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Lucky Alex weighs in right on time - Lancashire Evening...

Rated Aug 17 2008 • 1 review • bizarre • lep.co.uk

Lucky Alex weighs in right on time





You can guess what Alexzander Bridge's favourite number might be...

For the newborn entered the world at 12.47am yesterday - the eighth day of the eighth month 2008, weighing a healthy 8lb 8oz.

His
timely birth, three days late, marked the opening of the Olympics,
which started on the luckiest day in the Chinese calendar.

Not only did the infant make history with the date of his birth but for his family too.

He is the first grandson and great-grandson on mum Zara's side.

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Kidnapped gnome visits the world - Lancashire Evening Post

Rated Aug 17 2008 • 2 reviews • humor, bizarre • lep.co.uk

Kidnapped gnome visits the world









Murphy's family hope the gnome is home for good





A
kidnapped garden gnome was returned to her doorstep seven months after
he went missing - along with a photo album picturing him in the three
continents and 12 countries he visited with his abductor.

In
a replica of a scene from the French film Amelie, grandmother Eve
Stuart-Kelso was stunned to see her leprechaun Murphy standing wearily
outside her Gloucester home, carrying a note putting his world tour
down to "itchy feet".

The album of 48 photos from around the
globe shows Murphy abseiling down a mountain, standing in a shark's
mouth, swimming in the sea, and riding a motorbike.

Also with
him were immigration stamps for all the shores he had been taken to
visit - South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, New Zealand, Australia,
Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong and Laos.

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Parents to name children Abba and KFC - Lancashire...

Rated Aug 17 2008 • 2 reviews • bizarre • lep.co.uk

Parents to name children 'Abba' and 'KFC'






Parents can now name their children after Abba

Swedish
parents can now name their babies "KFC" or "Abba" if they want after
laws banning them from using fast food chains, rock bands or their
favourite brand of beer were relaxed.

A spokesman said: "There is nothing negative about a name like Coca-Cola or McDonald's today. In the 1970s, maybe it was."

However
officials still draw the line at swear words for names. And Swedes can
forget about naming their child God, Allah or Devil.

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Drug dealer can keep German job centre start-up business...

Rated Aug 17 2008 • 1 review • bizarre • thelocal.de

Drug dealer can keep German job centre start-up business grant



An enterprising unemployed man who was caught dealing in magic mushrooms has been told he does not have to pay the more than â,¬7,000 business start up money the German employment office gave him.


The 27-year-old man from Hürth near Cologne, set up a company to import the mushrooms from Holland, store them in his home and then deliver them to his customers by car, the Express newspaper reported at the weekend.

The man, named only as Marcel F., wrote up a business plan and submitted it to his case officer at the job centre, complete with details of his internet site with the name pilzkoepp.de â€" which means mushiehead.

The job centre accepted his plan and gave him a â,¬7,200 grant to start his company. Because the mushrooms are not plants, they were not covered by the narcotics laws.

It was not long before the police knocked on Marcelâ€s door and confiscated all his stock, before taking him for questioning and prosecution.

The law had been changed to include mushrooms, the Express said, and Marcelâ€s business was no longer legal.

He was given a suspended 18-month sentence â€" but the court ruled that he did not have to repay the job centre.

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Police News &Law Enforcement News - PoliceLink

Rated Aug 17 2008 • 0 reviews • crime • policelink.com

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PoliceLink : The Nations Law Enforcement Community

Rated Aug 17 2008 • 1 review • crime • policelink.com

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Michael Rodriguez's downfall began with an infatuation.


If he follows through with his plans to be held accountable, it ends Thursday evening in the Texas death chamber.


Rodriguez,
45, a key member of the "Texas 7" -- a group of seven fugitives who
broke out of a South Texas prison in one of the state's most notorious
escapes -- has dropped all his appeals and is volunteering for execution
for his part in the killing of a Dallas-area police officer almost
eight years ago.

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