Good Governance and CSR

1. Please click the link below.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/business/07/04/12/social-responsibility-helps-business-be-more-accountable

2. Please click the link below, read the article.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/10/13/08/doing-business-bottom-pyramid-ayala-group-experience

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Romance of the Three Kingdoms (summary)

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a very complicated story with hundreds of characters and many smaller stories inside the main one. People usually read it or told it in bits, not all at once. So this is just a summary of the main story.

At the very end of the Han Dynasty, the emperors were losing power. Soon the Empire fell apart into three independent kingdoms, which were always at war with each other. Each kingdom had its own king. Liu Bei was the king of one kingdom, Shu Han, in the south-west of China. He was related to the old Han emperors, so he thought he should rule all of China. Liu Bei had two friends who helped him: Guan Yu, who always tried to do the right thing, and Zhang Fei, a fierce warrior. They were known as the Three Brothers (even though they weren't really brothers). Liu Bei also had Zhuge Liang, a Taoist scholar who gave Liu Bei good advice and sometimes magical help (kindof like King Arthur's Merlin).

T'sao T'sao ruled Wei, the kingdom in the north. He was Liu Bei's worst enemy. T'sao T'sao was a general who was also very smart, and loved to write poetry.

In the south-east, Sun Quan was the king of the Wu kingdom. He was not as strong as Liu Bei and T'sao T'sao. Still, Liu Bei tried to get Sun Quan to help him fight T'sao T'sao. At first Sun Quan did help Liu Bei, and together they defeated T'sao T'sao at the Battle of the Red Cliffs.

But then Sun Quan was afraid that Liu Bei would take over Wu himself. So Sun Quan tried to kill Liu Bei through trickery. He promised to let Liu Bei marry his younger sister, to get him to come to Wu so Sun Quan could kill him. But when Liu Bei arrived, Sun Quan's mother, Lady Wu, decided that Liu Bei was a good guy and should not be killed, and she wouldn't let Sun Quan kill him. So Liu Bei got away home to Shu Han, and he got to marry Sun Quan's sister, too.

After a while T'sao T'sao died, and everybody began fighting again over T'sao T'sao's kingdom. Sun Quan switched sides and made an alliance with T'sao T'sao's son, T'sao Pi. Then Sun Quan attacked Liu Bei and killed his friend Guan Yu. But Sun Quan wasn't able to keep on fighting Liu Bei, because the treacherous Cao Pi took advantage of Sun Quan's being busy to attack him back in Wu.

Soon after this, Liu Bei died. His son Liu Shan became king of Shu Han, but Liu Shan was too young and weak to be a good ruler. Zhuge Liang, the Taoist, promised to help Liu Shan faithfully, and he was the real power of Shu Han. T'sao Pi tried to attack Liu Shan, seeing that he was weak, but four times he lost his battles. Sun Quan, seeing this, decided to get back on the side of Liu Shan. But Liu Shan and T'sao Pi, and their successors, kept fighting for many years, until finally a descendant of T'sao Pi, Sima Yan, from Wei, brought all of China together again under the Sui Dynasty.

For more info about the story please click this.

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More Smile with Joke Only

Sex is like mathematics:

Add the bed, minus the lights, subtract the clothes, bring down the panty, divide the legs, then find the decimal point and be ready to multiply....

***

At their honeymoon:
60-yr old Pastor to his young bride:
'Honey, before we do it, let's first pray for guidance.' Young bride:
'Darling, just pray for endurance, I'll take care of the guidance!'

***

Anak: Mommy, ang ganda ng bracelet mo. Bigay ba ni Daddy yan?
Mommy: Ay naku anak, kung sa Daddy mo lang ako aasa, baka pati ikaw wala sa mundong ito.

***

Ano sa Tagalog ang asawa? ('May bahay')
Ano naman ang kabit? ('May condo')

***

Sa seminario:
Madre: 'Father, pagsabihan mo naman yung mga seminarista. Umiihi sila sa pader!'
Father: 'Sister naman. Maliit na bagay, huwag mo nang pansinin!'
Madre: 'Naku, Father, malalaki po, Malaki!'

***

BARTENDER: Sir, napansin ko bawat inom ninyo tumitingin kayo sa bulsa ninyo.
MAN: Ahh, ito? Picture ng Misis ko ito.... pagmaganda na siya sa tingin ko, uuwi na ako.

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Can Catholics support the RH bill? Yes!

Can one be a Catholic and still support the Reproductive Health bill?

Growing numbers of professional and educated lay Filipino Catholics believe they can. Increasingly uneasy that the unshakeable position of the Church contradicts directly their own understandings of Philippine realities, many are actually reading the bill to see for themselves – and emerging as its supporters.

Catholic NGO workers, social workers, and social science researchers working in poor rural and urban communities overflowing with malnourished, out-of-school children and youth have particular problems with the Church position. They find it difficult to accept that poor mothers and fathers who want to avoid a fourth or fifth pregnancy or wait a few years before the next one, should be condemned for choosing reliable, contraceptive family planning methods.

One urban poor woman was asked what the Church might say about her practice of saving part of her meager earnings to buy birth control pills every month. Her reply: "Ang simbahan ba ang magpapakain sa mga anak namin?(Will the Church feed my children?)"

Then there is the deafening silence of the Church on how to respond to the thousands of poor women who undergo clandestine, unsafe abortions for lack of access to modern family planning. In 2000, 473,000 women had induced abortions, 79,000 of them winding up in hospitals from complications, and 800 leaving as corpses.

The World Health Organization estimates that this already alarming 2000 statistic may by 2008 be as high as 800,000! Yet the Church remains in denial. Its spokespersons claim that their calculations yield "only 200,000" induced abortions.

Meanwhile, desperate women eking out a meager living for four to eight children and possibly supporting an unemployed or chronically drunk husband as well, consider the prospect of another child to be unthinkable - and go for an abortion.

Safe and effective choices

The bill recognizes this reality by offering poor women safer and more effective choices for preventing unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. Because it enables women to reject the unsafe abortion route, the bill can legitimately be called anti-abortion. The Church's position, on the other hand, poses the ultimate irony. By opposing contraceptive options for women but offering no other viable alternatives, it is in effect contributing to those 473,000 abortions.

The low priority given to women's needs results in their appalling health status. Ten die each day, or 3,650 per year, from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes. One Filipina out of 140 faces the risk of maternal death in her lifetime. Contrast this with one in 500 for Thai women, and one in 560 for Malaysian women.

Maternal mortality rates in the Philippines are unacceptably high at 162 per 100,000 live births . The corresponding ratio for Thailand is 110 and for Malaysia 62. Skilled attendants are present at birth for 60% of Filipinas, while the comparable figures for Thai women reach 97% and Malaysian women 98 %. Buddhists and Muslims seem to do better by their women than Catholics.

Moreover, when a mother dies in labor because she has not gone for prenatal check-ups, her baby is also likely to die in the first year if not the first month of life. Surviving toddlers are similarly at risk. An estimated 10 million Filipino women incur post-partum disabilities every year owing to poor obstetric care. Class disparities come starkly to the fore as fully 96% of women with higher education receive post-natal care from a health professional, compared with only 33% of women with no education.

Comprehensive family planning services

Catholics who support the bill appreciate the accountability it demands of government in mandating as national poli cy specific benefits to women and families, "more particularly to the poor and needy." Examples include mobile health care services in every Congressional district, and one emergency obstetric hospital per 500,000 population.

Midwives and skilled birth attendants must be available in every city and municipality to attend to women during childbirth in a ratio of one per 150 deliveries per year. Maternal death reviews will be conducted locally in coordination with the Department of Health and Popcom. Hospitals will handle more complex family planning procedures.

Given these and other benefits, educated Catholics feel vindicated in supporting a bill that offers women and families comprehensive health and family planning services as a matter of right and choice. Church proclamations alleging that House Bill 5043 is "anti-poor," "anti-women, " "pro-abortion, " and "immoral" ring hollow in the fa ce of empirical evidence to the contrary. The bill reads exactly the opposite as pro-poor, pro-women, anti-abortion, and respectful of human life.

Moreover, its provisions satisfy Catholic consciences as being compatible with the Church's social teachings, including the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person, the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, integral human development, and the primacy of conscience. In this light they urge that the Church listen to them as responsible Catholic laity who offer their Church the advantage of evidenced-based approaches to the evolving needs of 21st century Philippine society.

By ceasing its attacks on the bill, allowing it to pass, and concentrating instead on monitoring implementation, the Church will convey an important point to its uneasy, increasingly critical lay members – that despite its hierarchical structure and celibate, all-male leadership, it can still respond meaningfully to the needs and aspirations of poor women and their families. At the very least, let us hope the Church resists the temptation to "shoot the messengers" who dare to articulate alternative but realistic Catholic views. (Mary Racelis is a sociologist with INCITEGov, Pasig City)

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Huwag Kunin-- Mga "Souvenirs"

Think twice about taking 'souvenirs' from airplanes, especially on international flights.
A judge here Wednesday fined two Filipinos HK$2,000 (P10,700) each for taking with them life jackets from their Cathay Pacific flight from Dubai .

Tsuen Wan Principal Magistrate Andrew Ma imposed the fines on Edwin S. Antolin, 52, and Crisanto R. Ramos, 29, after they pleaded guilty to the charge of theft. The life jackets cost only HK$400 each.

'Do you know each other?' asked the judge, who got curious why the two
would take life jackets from their flight. He apparently did not know
that many Filipinos had a proclivity of taking with them 'souvenirs'
from hotels, airplanes and other places they visited.

Both Filipinos denied knowing each other. They were seated on different
rows when they arrived here a t around 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday for a
connecting flight to Manila .

Ramos occupied Seat No.. 35B while Antolin was in No. 47B, but they
apparently had the same urge to take the life jackets under their seats.


Antolin put the jacket in his blue traveling bag, while Ramos hid his in
a red shopping bag. They did not foresee that they would be arrested and
charged in court for taking 'souvenirs.'

When they got to the passenger terminal building of the Chek Lap Kok
International Airport , their belongings had to go through an X-ray
machine before they take their connecting flight.

Airport security officers later told investigators that they noticed
'suspicious objects' in the Filipinos' bags. The passengers were
searched and the life jackets were found. Ramos supposedly even wrapped
his jacket with a blanket.

The security officers reported the incident to the police and Cathay
Pacific staff members, who co nfirmed that the life jackets were missing.


During police interrogation, the Filipinos denied any wrongdoing but
they later pleaded guilty upon the advice of lawyers after they were
brought to court.


KABAYAN... PLEASE... BUMABABA NA ANG DOLLAR...

WAG NA NATIN SADYAING BUMABA DIN PATI ANG ATING DANGAL...

ISAULI NYO PO ANG KUMOT, UNAN, KUTSARA, TINIDOR, KITCHEN KNIFE, PLATITO,
CUP AT PERFUME OR LOTION SA CR.... DI PO KASAMA YAN SA BINAYAD SA
PASAHE.

PATI ANG EARPHONE... HINDI NYO PO MAGAGAMIT YAN KASI PANG-EROPLANO LANG
YAN, MAY EROPLANO BA KAYO SA BAHAY NYO???
____________________________

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The Monk and The Baby

Once there was a monk who lived in a village. One day a young village girl became pregnant and was unmarried. She did not want to expose her boyfriend. Out of fear when her parents asked her who is responsible, she pointed her finger to that monk.

Her parents were infuriated. The next day, the whole village turned up to blame the him. "How could you?" "You dirty old man!" "You are a disgrace!" "Get out of our village, you hypocrite!" Some villagers even threaten the his life.

After listening to all the accusations, what he said was "Is that so?" and went back to meditate. Months went by; the young girl gave birth to a baby. The parents of the young girl were forced to find a father for the child.

The parents and the villagers went up to approach him saying "You are responsible for this baby; therefore you should bring up the baby!" Once again, he said "Is that so?" He took the young baby in his arms and went back.

By this time the he has lost his reputation but it did not trouble him. He took very good care for this baby and he manages to obtain milk and everything the child needed from his neighbors.

After a year, he young girl felt ashamed and guilty and wanted to see her baby. She finally told the real story to her parents. When all the villagers came to know the truth, they all felt ashamed of having wrong him.

So all of them gathered and went to the monk asking for forgiveness. Once again, after listening to them said "Is that so?" He handed the baby back to the young girl.

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Connery launches book at festival

Scottish acting legend Sir Sean Connery has celebrated his 78th birthday by launching his memoirs at a sell-out event in Edinburgh.

Sir Sean launched Being A Scot in front of a 300-strong crowd, which included First Minister Alex Salmond, at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The actor backed calls by the SNP for a separate Scottish Olympic team.

He told the audience: "Scotland should always be a stand-alone nation at whatever, I believe."

The former James Bond actor also revealed his enthusiasm for US tycoon Donald Trump's controversial plans for a £1bn golf resort in north east Scotland.

'Local repercussions'

He told how he met the tycoon in New York soon after the proposals were announced.

Connery told the audience: "I said 'Well, I think it's terrific'.

"But I had no idea what local repercussions would be.

"My first response was I couldn't see anything but benefits for that part of Scotland because it's pretty neglected, apart from the oil fields."

Sir Sean joked with the audience about the stick he now faces from Celtic fans since switching his football allegiance to Old Firm rivals Rangers.

He said he had been a Celtic supporter when he was younger, after being introduced to the club by his father.

He was even involved in a benefit match for their legendary former manager Jock Stein.

"Then I changed my allegiance later with (Rangers owner) David Murray," he said.

"I met him when I got the freedom of the city here and immediately, we had chemistry.

"We enjoyed each other's company - he's an amazing chap and we've stayed very, very good friends since."

He added, to laughter from the crowd: "And I get spat on if I go to Parkhead."

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Bartering sex for stuff or services

While she was studying in Brazil during college, the one thing Stephanie Gerson longed to do before leaving was spend time in the thick of the Amazon rain forest. Unfortunately, she couldn't find a tour that would take her past the forest's edge.

So, when a college-aged busboy at a resort she was visiting began flirting with her, she asked him if he thought a tourist could survive alone in the jungle.

"He laughed and told me I was nuts," says Gerson, 27, who works part-time in online marketing for a chocolate company in San Francisco.

Then he told her that he'd grown up in the jungle in a nearby indigenous community. That was all Gerson needed to hear. Although she wasn't attracted to the guy, Gerson flirted right back in the hopes that he would be her jungle tour guide. It worked. The busboy wormed his way out of work, and the two headed into the rain forest.

"It was amazing," Gerson says of her adventure in 2000. "We built our homes out of palm leaves, I saw animals I'd never seen before, he taught me the medicinal properties of all the plants, we picked fruit off the trees, we swam with and ate piranhas. And, of course, we had sex ... for almost two weeks."

Body currency system

Gerson never felt sleazy or uncomfortable with her unspoken arrangement with the busboy.

"It was a good barter both ways," she says. "I got to stay in the jungle, and he got to have sex with a cute, young American girl."

Such trades aren't so unusual. Throughout history, humans have used their bodies to get what they want -- from ancient Egyptian ruler Cleopatra, who cemented her power through liaisons with Roman rulers Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, to the man and woman who were arrested at a Fort Wright, Kentucky, motel in late June for allegedly swapping sex for gasoline. Regardless of our motivation, scientists say we're hardwired to use our bodies as a bargaining chip.

A recent study of 475 University of Michigan undergraduates ages 17 to 26 found that 27 percent of the men and 14 percent of the women who weren't in a committed relationship had offered someone favors or gifts -- help prepping for a test, laundry washing, tickets to a college football game -- in exchange for sex. On the flip side, 5 percent of the men surveyed and 9 percent of the women said they'd attempted to trade sex for such freebies.

And although they weren't hard up for resources, the students surveyed "recognized the value of this socioeconomic currency system," says Daniel Kruger, research scientist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, who published his findings in the April issue of "Evolutionary Psychology."

"It's more about getting what you want than getting what you need," he says. "Unless you think everyone needs a $200 Louis Vuitton bag."

The handyman hookup

But unattached coeds aren't the only ones who barter with their bodies. Some professionals will attest that their skills are, well, sexy.

"Women are turned on just by the simple idea of their guy getting off his ass and doing something for them," says Rocky Fino, author of "Will Cook for Sex: A Guy's Guide to Cooking."

It works both ways, he adds.

"Give it to me first thing in the morning, and I'll play [handyman] all day," says Fino, a 39-year-old father of two and part-time construction worker.

Ben Corbett, a 39-year-old contractor from Boulder, Colorado, credits his tool belt with prompting the barrage of come-ons he fields from female clients -- most of them married -- on a regular basis.

"It starts with the flirting, and it just progresses," says Corbett, who has run a construction and remodeling business for 20 years. "They'll touch my hand, and there's all this physical contact. Or they'll run around in their pajamas."

"Once," he says, "I was painting the hallway right outside a client's bedroom, and she was lying on her bed like a girl at a slumber party with her legs up and her arms crossed and her head resting on them, asking me if I had a girlfriend.

"It's all about the fantasy of being taken by the rough-hewn construction guy," muses Corbett, who, despite the temptation, has avoided getting sexually involved with his clientele for fear of jeopardizing his business.

It's the biology, stupid

Call it crass, sexist or gender stereotyping all you want, but there are thousands of years of biological programming at work here, says Dr. Chris Fariello, director of the Institute for Sex Therapy at the Council for Relationships, a nonprofit relationship-counseling group based in Philadelphia.

Plain and simple, a partner who provides more resources -- wealth, shelter, home repairs -- is seen as more attractive and stands to reap more sexual rewards.

Or, as Fariello puts it, "I don't get anybody in my office who says, 'My husband sits on the couch all day and eats bonbons, and I want to have sex with him all the time.'"

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Visualise your Goal

The Catalina Island is twenty-one miles away from the coast of California, and many people have taken the challenge to swim across it.

On July 4th 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped into the water off Catalina Island to swim across to the California coast. She started well and on course, but later fatigue set in, and the weather became cold.

She persisted, but fifteen hours later, numb and cold, she asked to be taken out of the water.
After she recovered, she was told that she had been pulled out only half a mile away from the coast. She commented that she could have made it, if the fog had not affected her vision and she would have just seen the land.

She promised that this would be the only time that she would ever quit.

She went back to her rigorous training. And two months later she swam that same channel. The same thing happened. The fatigue set in, and the fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with faith and vision of the land in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind the fog was land.

She succeeded and became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. She even broke the men's record by two hours.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

When you set your goal, keep pressing on even when you are tired, physically and mentally, and even though there are many challenges ahead.

Keep the vision of your goal crystal clear before you and never, never, never… give up!

See the reaching, commit to it, and you will surely see your goal realized.

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Should I get a dog?

Should I get a Dog OR....



.....have children?









What do you think?

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Science Exam

If you need a good laugh, try reading through these children's science exam answers. Some of them are hysterical.

Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? (brilliant, love this!)
A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? ( e.g., abdomen)
A: The body is consisted into three parts -- the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels A, E, I, O, and U.

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: What does 'varicose' mean? (I do love this one...)
A: Nearby.

Q: Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarian Section.'
A: The Caesarian Section is a district in Rome

Q: What does the word 'benign' mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.

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Beijing Olympics: 'Ethnic' children exposed as fakes in opening ceremony

The children accompanied the soldiers carrying in the national flag at the most solemn moment of the ceremony.

They were dressed in costumes associated with the country's ethnic minorities, including those from troubled areas such as Tibet and the muslim province of Xinjiang. Such displays of "national unity" are a compulsory part of any major state occasion.

But the children were all from the Han Chinese majority, which makes up more than 90 per cent of the population and is culturally and politically dominant, according to an official with the cultural troupe from which they were selected.

"I assume they think the kids were very natural looking and nice," Yuan Zhifeng, deputy director of the Galaxy Children's Art Troupe said.

The official guide to the opening ceremony said that the children did not just represent but "came from" China's ethnic groups.

"Fifty-six children from 56 Chinese ethnic groups cluster around the Chinese national flag, representing the 56 ethnic groups," it said.

This point was put to Wang Wei, executive vice-president of the Beijing organising committee at a press conference today.

"I think you are being very meticulous," he said. He said it was "traditional" to use dancers from other ethnic groups in this way.

"I would argue it is normal for dancers, performers, to be dressed in other races' clothes," he said. "I don't know exactly where these performers are from."

The initial triumph of the opening ceremony has already been clouded by revelations that the little girl who sand "Hymn to the Motherland", a patriotic Chinese anthem, was lip-synching to the pre-recorded voice of another girl who had been told she was not pretty enough to appear. The "footprint fireworks" shown on television were also pre-recorded and digitally enhanced.

The discovery that the children representing ethnic groups as diverse as Mongolians and members of the Li group from the south-western mountains were all in fact Han will hardly be noticed in China, where such practices are normal.

Nevertheless it is a sign of how sensitive ethnic relations in China are. At national Communist Party and state congresses, while the Han Chinese delegates all wear suits, carefully chosen members of ethnic minorities are told to wear traditional costume.

"Minority dances" are a regular part of state-sponsored entertainments, with performers coming from all over the country without having to belong to the relevant group.

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Proof or Hoax? Bigfoot Said Found in Georgia

Two Georgia men claim to have found in the northern woods of that state something that has been often reported but never proven to exist: a Bigfoot.

They say they have a body, photos of the body, and DNA evidence — some or all of which will be revealed this Friday, Aug. 15, at a press conference in Palo Alto, Calif.

If the group does have a Bigfoot carcass (and if they actually show the body, instead merely displaying photographs of a supposed body), then perhaps scientists will take note. Still, it's not clear how, exactly, the group will prove that what they have is a Bigfoot. Because there is no comparison specimen, there is no DNA analysis that can definitively identify Bigfoot tissue.

Readers may recall the much-hyped press conference held on May 30, where a man claimed he would provide "definitive proof" of alien visitation. His "proof" turned out to be a short fuzzy video clip of what he said was an alien head outside his window trying to ogle his teen daughters. Needless to say, top scientists were not awestruck by his evidence.

History repeats?

This is not the first time a Bigfoot body has been claimed to have been found. A man named Tom Biscardi, founder of something called the Great American Bigfoot Research Organization, once claimed he had captured a Bigfoot. On Aug. 19, 2005, Biscardi appeared on the radio show "Coast to Coast with George Noory." Biscardi claimed his group had captured a Bigfoot a week earlier, a male beast that weighed over 400 pounds and stood 8-feet tall. He said he would be presenting photos of it several days later. It turned out to be a hoax.

Interestingly, Biscardi is also involved in the new Bigfoot body discovery.

Speaking on behalf of the Georgia men this week, Biscardi said, "Extensive scientific studies will be done on the body by a team of scientists including a molecular biologist, an anthropologist, a paleontologist and other scientists over the next few months at an undisclosed location" under armed guard.

If it all sounds very cloak-and-dagger, it is. Unnamed experts? Undisclosed location? Sounds more like "The X-Files" than real science.

Marketing scheme?

In 2005, Biscardi promoted a pay-per-view cable TV show in which he offered viewers the chance to see a Bigfoot captured on live television for only $59.95. That never happened, but Biscardi did recently direct and produce a film called "Bigfoot Lives."

Surely the publicity from this press conference might boost his film's sales...

Bigfoot researcher Loren Coleman, while stopping short of authenticating the claims, wrote on the Web site Cryptomundo.com, "I feel, in all honesty, this, indeed, may be the real deal, and I say this carefully after reviewing information that has been shared privately with me."

So has a Bigfoot finally been found, after all these years? Or is this just the latest hoax to embarrass Bigfoot believers and bring further ridicule to a field sorely in need of science?

Apparently we will see.

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How to buy a new car and not get screwed

In this six-minute video from Ignite Seattle, Rob Gruhl offers advice on getting a good deal when shopping for a new car.

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This Guy Is So Dead

Chinese Olympian Zhang Liang showed up ready to compete in the third heat of the singles rowing event on Saturday. Problem was, he was scheduled to be in the second heat, which had already taken place. He was disqualified, which is probably cool with the Chinese government, considering how laid-back they've been about this whole Olympics thing.

Oh, so he cost his country TWO shots at a medal. Well, I know China can be a little harsh with its ignorance of human rights and maybe a bit too controlling with its Olympic image, but I'm sure Zhang is fine. As long as he slipped over the border under cover of darkness and has done nothing but put distance between himself and his former home country, which he will never see again if he wants to live. I love happy endings.

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Check out the Cleanest Car in Beijing

Getting attention in Beijing is tough these days if you aren't an Olympian wearing gold or a protester unfurling a Tibetan flag, but Mini's managed to do it with a rickshaw made from the back half of the Mini Clubman.

According to China Car Times, Mini had the body shipped from Germany to Hong Kong, where it was made into rickshaws to publicize the company's decision to sell the Clubman in China. The work is said to be top-notch, with a moon roof, leather seats and gold dragons. No word on what the rickMini weighs, but the guy pedaling the one in the pic might've given Samuel Sanchez a run for the gold.

Mini isn't the only automaker hoping to make a buck on the Games. At least nine cars sold in China have special "Olympics packages" offering various levels of extras, from hotter engines to gift bags full of goodies.

More pics at China Car Times HERE.

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How Coffee Affects our Body

Coffee can make us feel more alert, boost our metabolism, make our heart race, affect our digestive system and more. And though most of us are aware of the brief caffeine high that coffee offers, most of us don't really know how coffee truly affects our body.

To learn more about the effects of coffee, both immediate and long-term, keep reading.

Coffee as a Stimulant

Coffee and caffeine are stimulants. You know that when you drink coffee you feel more awake, but you also know that too much coffee can give you the jitters or cause irritability.

Because coffee is a stimulant, it can also wreak havoc on your sleeping schedule. If you have trouble falling asleep at night, try cutting back on your coffee consumption or opting for water or decaf after noon.

Coffee on the Digestive System

Coffee actually has fairly high acid levels, particularly with beans like Kenyan or Ethiopian roasts. This is why when you drink too much coffee on an empty stomach, you'll often experience "coffee tummy" or "coffee gut," a basic discomfort in your digestive system.

The caffeine and acid in coffee can also be problematic for people suffering from ulcers. So, if you're having trouble with coffee, try switching to water, herbal teas or drinking milk with your coffee.

Coffee and Antioxidants

Coffee is actually the primary source of antioxidants for most North Americans. Antioxidants are, essentially, any compounds that fight or neutralize free radicals, which cause cells to break down and are cancer causing agents.
Studies have shown that coffee consumption can reduce the risk of developing liver cancer, throat cancer, Type 2 Diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's disease and cancer of the esophagus.

Coffee and Physical and Mental Performance

Coffee isn't just a study aid because it helps you stay awake - regular coffee consumption can actually improve your cognitive ability. A recent study showed that participants who regularly consumed at least one to two coffees a day scored higher on short term memory recall, spatial ability, logic tests and general IQ testing.

Coffee and Weight Loss

Coffee is a stimulant, meaning with every sip of caffeine, your metabolism will get a kick start. You'll also have more energy. For example, if you read the ingredients list for most pill-form dietary or weight-loss aids, you'll see one of the main ingredients is often caffeine.

Coffee and Your Teeth

While coffee can actually reduce cavities thanks to its acidity, it can also cause major teeth staining. To keep your teeth white, follow a cup of coffee with a bottle of water and brush your teeth at least two to three times a day.

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Bush + Olympics + Stunning Bikini Babe = Best Image EVER

Check out Bush + Olympics + Stunning Bikini Babe = Best Image EVER

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Miley Cyrus - 7 Things (Parody)

Check out the parody of Miley Cyrus' Song 7 Things

Download the song HERE

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16 Year Old Boy Figures Out How To Rip Off Sex Offenders, Get Rich

A teenage boy in Sweden has it all figured out: he can make a quick killing ripping off online perverts utilizing the same methods cops use to bust predators: posing as a gateway to underage girls.

Except sometimes dumb people actually report him to the police...

1) The boy advertised the services of young women, who would pose for paying customers on webcams should the customers fork over their bank accounts and, for no apparent reason, their access codes. Unsurprisingly, there were plenty of idiots who actually agreed.

2) Here's the best part: the unnamed boy then decided to double-punk their punk asses, writing from a separate account that he was a police investigator and that there had been some suspicious, sex offense-related activity on each customer's account. The customer was then asked to once again hand over his (or her?) bank info-- again, with the access code-- so the "investigator" could check for nefarious activity. Why anyone at this point would not have learned to not hand over their info, we'll never understand. Why ever would anyone give someone they think is a cop, who e-mails them, their bank info so a cop can go and confirm that, yes, they have paid for underage girls to strip for them... well, that's just beyond us. (Perhaps they thought the girls were really 18? Even so: idiots.)

3) The boy makes off, this time, with about ten grand U.S. from his devoted fanbase.

4) We're not sure how it happened, but somebody must have tipped the police off, again risking their own arrest ("Hello, headquarters? Yeah, you're gonna love this... got a guy here who says he was trying to buy a subscription to a website that claims to have underage girls doing live peep shows. His money was taken by some kid who's laughing his ass off with me now. What do you wanna do with him? No, not that kid... the guy who got caught trying to watch underage strip shows?")

5) Anyway, the kid got 80 hours of community service even though he was convicted on ten counts of fraud. We're guessing the judge secretly wanted to just pat him on the back and turn him loose...

Via The Local.

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