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Curious Times No. 236
March 18, 2004THESE DAYS, EVEN VIRGINS HAVE SEX
An eight-year-long study of over 12,000 American teenagers has revealed that kids involved in abstinence programs (where they pledge to remain virgins until they are married) suffer from almost exactly the same rate of sexually transmitted diseases as other young people. The study also found that abstinence programs do not prevent early pregnancy, and only about 12 per cent of teens in these programs actually save themselves for marriage. Although the teens who have pledged to remain virgins begin having sex later and have fewer partners, their rates of disease and pregnancy are actually higher because they are less likely to use condoms, are less aware of sexually transmitted infections, and are less likely to seek treatment, and so more easily spread their infections to other people. (The Guardian)SHE’LL PROBABLY TRY TO BRIBE THE JUDGE
A woman in Georgia has been arrested for trying to spend a million dollar bill at her local Wal-Mart. Police have charged Alice Pike, 35, with forgery, after she pulled out the novelty $1,000,000 note and tried to pay for over a thousand dollars worth of clothes. Pike originally told officers that she received the bill from her husband, a coin collector, and she believed that it was real, but now that she’s sitting in a jail cell her story has changed a little bit, and she now claims that she was just joking around. Staff at the Wal-Mart deny that claim, saying that Pike not only tried to pass off the phony money as real, but she even demanded her change, a cool $998,328.45. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)WE’LL SOON BE NEEDING A FEW ASTRONAUT/GRAFFITI ARTISTS
Sorry to break the bad news to you, but giant billboards in space are yet another step closer. A Russian spacecraft designer has patented a device which would enable corporations to clog up the sky with more ugly advertisements. The technique would link together multiple satellites and employ sunlight reflectors to allow them to be seen from the Earth’s surface. “Space commercials could embrace huge areas and a colossal number of consumers,” bragged inventor Alexander Lavrynov. “This would literally be intercontinental coverage.” (Daily Telegraph)FUTURE SITE OF THE WORLD’S SPOOKIEST STARBUCKS
If you’re looking for a nice, creepy spot in the woods to go into business for yourself, here’s your answer. Maria Cooper, owner of the Oregon Vortex, is going into retirement and is selling her family’s roadside attraction for $2 million. The Oregon Vortex is now a legendary paranormal hotspot where balls seem to roll uphill, brooms stand on end, and walking from one spot to another seems to make you shrink or grow. According to skeptics, the shenanigans at the vortex are simple optical illusions, but according to Cooper, the vortex is a mysterious energy field which warps normal reality giving rise to may perceptual changes. The website also claims that the strange energy of the vortex was even known to Native Americans hundreds of years ago, who called the area “Forbidden Ground.” The vortex attracts thousands of visitors each year, who each pay eight bucks to see the spookiness, but Cooper adds that the site has much more profit-generating potential. “There is so much potential here,” she says, “there could be an espresso bar here. People are always asking about food. There could be a hotdog stand. There is nothing to the overhead. It’s all natural setting.” Make your offer at http://www.oregonvortex.com.GET THESE TWO TOGETHER FOR A NAIL SWALLOWING CONTEST
And now a couple of tales from the “drunk and stupid” department. The first comes out of Romania, where a friendly bar wager ended in emergency surgery after a Romanian man bragged that he could swallow more coins than a 63-year-old French man who claimed he once swallowed 350 coins weighing over 12 pounds. Gigi Florin, 27, took the bet, and managed to consume 120 coins before collapsing on the floor and being rushed to the emergency room. At first, doctors didn’t believe the tale, but after the X-rays Dr. Mircea Coada said “we found a large pile of coins in his stomach. I tried to count the money but I couldn’t as there was too much.” Meanwhile, down in Australia, a guy drinking with his friends and discussing industrial accidents tried to give his pals a few good laughs by pointing a nail gun at his head and pulling the trigger. Unfortunately, the gun was still loaded, and the man ended up in the hospital with a nail lodged in his brain. He told reporters that he had turned off the gun’s compressor and did not realize there would still be enough pressure in the gun to fire a nail. (Ananova / Herald Sun)HOW ABOUT THE SOUND OF YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ORGY?
Last week we learned of software which will someday allow you to show a different background on your video-enable cell phone so that you can make up lame lies to people who call you. Another software company, Simeda, has developed a similar gimmick which will generate fake background noise during your cell phone conversations. The software, called SoundCover, can add a variety of noises to the background of your call, including traffic and road works, a thunderstorm, a dentist’s drill, the circus, or the sound of another phone ringing so you can ditch the person you’re talking to. (New Scientist) http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994749 (www.kare11.com)DIETING IS DEPRESSING
Seems like the controversies surrounding the Atkins Diet just keep coming. The latest research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found that cutting out carbohydrates causes depression, tiredness and apathy. Dr. Judith Wurtmann, who led the study, concluded that carbs help the brain produce serotonin, a hormone which keeps control our moods. “Serotonin controls your appetite to stop you over-eating and it’s essential to keep your moods regulated,” said Dr. Wurtmann, “It makes us calm and serene and allows us to focus and concentrate.” The study compared the brains of two sets of volunteers, with one group on a high carb diet, the other on a high protein diet. The research found that the group who ate more carbs had higher levels of serotonin and were happier and more relaxed. The researchers also added that the problem is exacerbated in women, who naturally have lower levels of serotonin. (Mirror UK)
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