Get ready to e-mail this one to your friends...

LONDON (Reuters) - The word "fail" should be banned from use in British classrooms and replaced with the phrase "deferred success" to avoid demoralizing pupils, a group of teachers has proposed.

Members of the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) argue that telling pupils they have failed can put them off learning for life.

A spokesman for the group said it wanted to avoid labeling children. "We recognize that children do not necessarily achieve success first time," he said.

"But I recognize that we can't just strike a word from the dictionary," he said.

Police send nude shopper home with warning

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police let a nearly naked shopper go home after she told them she was getting groceries in the nude because she lost a spin the bottle contest, a police spokesman in Cologne said Wednesday.

"We're a tolerant city that is open to the world," said spokesman Burkard Jahn. "She could have been arrested for disturbing the peace, but we decided to let her go home with a verbal warning to dress appropriately next time."

Primus veterans reunite for new album

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Primus' classic lineup of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander will hit the studio later this year to record its first album together since 1995's "Tales From the Punchbowl."

It will be Primus' first new studio album since 1999's "Antipop," which featured Claypool, LaLonde and drummer Brain. It is unknown if the new set will be released by Claypool's Prawn Song imprint or via another label.

Claypool, LaLonde and Alexander regrouped in the fall of 2003 for a North American tour and the Interscope release of a DVD/CD, "Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People."

Top 10 retirement ideas for Lance Armstrong

10. Clone self for all future ESPY appearances.

9. Take time to really enjoy French culture by smoking, eating a croissant, overpaying for Levi's and watching a Jerry Lewis movie.

8. Join a spin class just to make the trophy wives cry.

7. Let self go and balloon up to 130 pounds.

6. Begin taking retirement-enhancing drugs. Like pot.

5. Better assimilate into celebrity culture by sleeping with Jude Law and marrying Tommy Lee.

4. Relish no longer being obligated to wear spandex and anything yellow.

3. Pretend Sheryl Crow's musical canon is anything other than "white girl doing Lenny Kravitz."

2. Begin training for pay-per-view prize fight with Kendall Gill.

1. Legally change name to more porn-tastic "Pants Charmstrong."

Yoda survey

1) Do you own any tuitional DVDs/videos? no

2) If yes, do you find them helpful? Which ones are they? If yes, why?

3) If no, do you think you would find this kind of medium helpful? not really

4) What kind of content do you think should be covered on a tuition DVD/video? chords, exercises, stretches

5) What kind of content do you think should NOT be covered by a tuition DVD/video? how to play a concert (advanced things), fast tempo items.

6) Ideally, how long do you think a tuition DVD/video should last?

since a lot of information (extras) can be added to a DVD, fill it fully

7) Ideally, how much do you think a tuition DVD/video should cost (approximate GBP if possible please)?

20-25 US (sorry - cannot convert)

8) Do you think there are enough quality tuition DVDs/videos currently available? no

anyone thirsty?

Tequila an intoxicating success for Mexico

TEQUILA, Mexico (AFP) - Once considered a low class hooch, tequila has undergone a huge image change over the past two decades to become the toast of Mexican high society, giving a heady euphoria to the country's drinks industry.

Made from the hearts of blue agave plants in the Tequila region of Jalisco state, production is this year expected to hit a record 210 million liters (55.4 million US gallons), according to Ramon Gonzalez Figueroa, director general of the Tequila Regulatory Council.

Normally, 40 percent of the drink made is exported, last year bringing in about 400 million dollars.

The regulatory council, created in 1994, zealously controls production, like the industry committees that police whisky in Scotland and champagne in France.

When the fields turn blue in Tequila, the village which has been making the clear alcohol for more than two centuries, then the growers know the plant is ripe. It can take seven years but it could take up to 12.

The agave is about as big as a pineapple but it is a long wait for a production that takes about eight days.

The leaves are chopped away from the core by a labourer known as a "jimador", whose main job is to assess whether the plant is ripe so it has enough sugar content.

The cores, which are called "pinas", are cut in half with a long knife called a "coa" in the final traditional touch before ultra-modern production processes take over.

The pinas are roasted, shredded and the juice pressed out and put in fomenting tanks. While a handful of traditional makers still use stone wheels to press the juice, most now use industrial presses in modern factories with steel pipes heading in every direction.

Tequila's boom started in the 1990s when it became fashionable to sip in the United States and other countries. In 1999, production reached 190.6 million litres (50.3 million US gallons) but then slumped because the agave crop fell.

Now there are 112 distilleries against 35 ten years ago, and 643 different brands against about 200, Figueroa said.

Tequila fever has also attracted foreign investors with nearly all of the international drinks giants now owners of a top name.

Allied Domecq, the British firm recently taken over by Pernod Ricard of France, owns Sauza, the oldest of the major producers. The French firm also owns Viuda de Romera, maker of 'sangrita', the spicy tomato juice which is often drunk with tequila.

Tequila an intoxicating success for Mexico

Part II

Among the big tequila makers, only Herradura, which also makes Jimador, is still a family concern. It claims to be the biggest seller in Mexico.

At the Herradura headquarters at Amatipan, about 10 kilometers (six miles) from Tequila, a modern new factory now produces 600 small cans of New Mix -- a cocktail of Jimador tequila, grapefruit, sangrita or peach juice -- per minute. With an alcoholic content of about 5.6 percent it is aimed at the young market.

It also has a research centre aiming to speed up the growing of ripe agaves.

The regulatory council also concentrates on protecting the tequila name by making sure nobody from outside the production region tries to illegally use the name.

There are two qualities of tequila: one is 100 percent agave and the other is at least 51 percent.

Tequila 100 percent agave must be made with only blue agave juices and must be bottled at the distillery in Mexico. It can be clear Blanco, which is bottled immediately after distillation, the pale coloured Reposado, which is kept in casks for between two months and a year, or the amber Anejo which must be at least one year old.

It can only be made in Jalisco or in a few districts in the neighbouring states of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit and Tamaulipas.

But tequila is widely pirated. Some experts say that for each litre of tequila produced in the region, another is put on the market illegally.

WE NOW KNOW WHERE EITHER JAZZY OR DO THE STU IS !!!

Florida Police Search for Naked Tickler

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. - Police are on the lookout for the naked tickler. Investigators said they believe one man could be responsible for a series of bizarre break-ins in which a naked man enters victims' rooms while they are sleeping and tries to tickle their feet.

The naked tickler struck again in New Smyrna Beach over the weekend.

Investigators have been working on five similar, unsolved cases since 2001. Most of the victims are women over age 60, said police Cmdr. Wade Kirby.

Kirby said no arrests have yet been made because they don't have a lot to go on.

People who lose weight may gain wealth

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Overweight people who trim down substantially may improve both their health and their wealth, if new research is correct.

The study, based on 15 years' worth of data from a large U.S. survey, found that both weight and weight changes were related to people's net worth -- their assets minus their debts.

In general, people with a normal body mass index (BMI) had the highest net worth, and heavy people who lost a significant amount of weight tended to see their wealth increase. Minor weight changes, on the other hand, showed little financial effect.

The pattern was not neat, however. In particular, obese black men had a greater net worth than slimmer black men, and overall, there was no clear association between BMI and wealth among African-American males.

In contrast, being thin helped white women's bottom lines the most, according to findings published online by the journal Economics and Human Biology. A white woman's net worth peaked when her BMI was just above the threshold for "normal," while that of white men and black women was greatest when their BMI was at the higher end of normal.

White women also lost the most in terms of absolute dollars as BMI increased.

Similarly, women and white men tended to gain wealth after losing a large amount of weight. For example, a typical white male who trimmed 10 points from his BMI -- equivalent to a 6-foot-tall male going from 250 to 175 pounds -- had a wealth increase of $12,720. But again, black men differed in that their net worth dipped slightly with such a drastic weight change.

The reasons for the racial and gender discrepancy are not clear -- nor is there an easy explanation for the relationship between weight and wealth, according to study author Jay Zagorsky, a researcher at Ohio State University's Center for Human Resource Research in Columbus.

A person's body size does not seem to affect measures of wealth like capital gains made from stocks, he told Reuters Health, and so it would appear that weight affects income specifically.

Other researchers, according to Zagorsky, have speculated that heavy people may face discrimination in the workplace, which could lower their incomes. Obesity might also raise a person's spending, on food or treatments for obesity-related health conditions, for example.

The study drew on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a large nationally representative survey of Americans born between 1957 and 1964. Zagorsky based his findings on data collected between 1985, when respondents were at least 20 years old, and 2000.

The results indicate only an association between weight and wealth, and not a definite cause-and-effect relationship. However, Zagorsky pointed to some evidence that it's weight that affects wealth, rather than the other way around.

A subanalysis of survey respondents whose wealth was suddenly boosted with an inheritance found that these individuals had no significant changes in BMI in the following years.

Random Thoughts

-- These are my summer clothes. Summer paid for, summer not.

-- Summarize: To recapitulate the salient facts of summer

-- Did you hear about the book "Sitting Outside in Ireland," by Paddy O'Furniture?

-- Sign at a nudist camp: Sorry - Clothed for Winter.

Why is a Laundromat a really bad place to pick up a woman?

Who wouldn't fall for such a clever trick?

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian couple stole 50,000 euros from a woman in the Sicilian city of Palermo after convincing her they were vampires who would impregnate her with the son of the Anti-Christ if she did not pay them.

The man, a cabaret singer, and his girlfriend took the money from their victim over four years by selling her pills at 3,000 euros each that they said would abort the Anti-Christ's son.

Brother al

michelle

Ruling Slams Shut Doors Spin-off Group

Megadeth Lead Singer Sues Former Bassist

LOS ANGELES - The lead singer of Megadeth sued the band's former bass player for allegedly using the name of the group without permission in an advertisement for musical equipment.

The suit filed Monday in Superior Court by David Mustaine claims he and David Ellefson entered into a settlement agreement in February that restricts the guitarist's use of the band name.

"Ellefson shall not use, or authorize anyone else to use, the work or mark 'Megadeth" to advertise, market or promote any person, band, company, organization, product or services without Megadeth's prior express written permission," according to the lawsuit.

Mustaine said an ad in this month's issue of "Bass Player" features Ellefson holding a pedal tuner for bass guitars and includes the names of several bands he is involved with — including Megadeth.

Mustaine is seeking unspecified compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages.

'Revenge of the Sith' DVD, game set for Nov. 1 release

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Force will return to retail stores Nov. 1 with a double whammy: "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" will be released on DVD, and "Star Wars Battlefront II" will be made available for all the top video game platforms.

"Sith" is the year's top-grossing movie, with domestic box office earnings of $373.9 million (and an additional $425 million overseas). The two-disc set will include a full-length documentary; two new featurettes, one exploring the prophecy of Anakin Skywalker as the Chosen One and the other on the movie's stunts; and a 15-part collection of "Web documentaries."

The five previous "Star Wars" movies have sold "well in excess" of 100 million units on DVD and VHS, said Steve Feldstein, senior vp marketing communications at 20th Century Fox, which is partnering on the release with "Star Wars" creator George Lucas' Lucasfilm production banner.

Lucas was personally involved in the creation of the "Sith" DVD and its bonus features, said Lucasfilm vp marketing and distribution Jim Ward.

"From the beginning of production, George wanted to be sure we chronicled everything that went into the making of 'Episode III' specifically to create an incredible DVD experience," Ward said. "This DVD has literally been three years in the making."

For video gamers, LucasArts' "Star Wars Battlefront II" will be available for Sony's PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, Microsoft's Xbox and Windows platforms. It is the sequel to the best-selling "Star Wars" video game of all time and adds all-new space combat, playable Jedi characters and never-before-seen environments from "Sith."

The game also offers a new single-player experience that takes the player through an epic saga centered on Darth Vader's elite 501st Legion of Stormtroopers. Every action the player takes has an impact on the battlefield and, ultimately, on the entire "Star Wars" galaxy.

Woman admits having sex parties for teen boys

Colorado mother wanted to be ‘cool mom,’ admits supplying drugs, alcohol

GOLDEN, Colo. - A woman who told police she wanted to be a “cool mom” pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges Monday for having sex with high school boys at parties where authorities said she supplied drugs and alcohol.

Silvia Johnson, 40, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of sexual assault and nine felony counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped two counts of distribution of methamphetamine.

“She described herself as a ‘cool mom,”’ Detective R.J. Vander Veen wrote in the affidavit. He said Johnson told investigators “she was never popular with classmates in high school and now began ‘feeling like one of the group.”’

Prosecutors did not recommend a sentence, but each sexual assault count carries up to two years in prison, and each count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor carries up to six years, district attorney’s spokeswoman Pam Russell said.

Johnson, who is free on bail, held parties for the boys almost weekly between October 2003 and October 2004, authorities said. She was accused of providing drugs and alcohol to eight boys and having sex with five of them.

Police said the investigation began after one of the boys told his mother about the encounters, and she reported it to authorities.

michelle

You are absolutely right, if this was a guy being the COOL DAD, there would be people claiming he was a molester and that his nuts should be ripped off. But if it is a teacher (hum . . . sounds familiar) and it is a lady teacher and a young boy - then it is not soooo bad (even if they have a child).

What do you suppose he thought would happen?

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas man was arrested on Monday after calling police to complain about the theft of his marijuana, authorities said.

Stephen Knight, 17, said three men had broken into his apartment, hogtied him with Christmas lights and stole some marijuana, along with a plasma screen television, police said.

Police are looking for the suspects. In the meantime, they arrested Knight after finding several marijuana plants growing under heat lamps in the apartment, four grams of harvested marijuana and a tablet of ecstasy, Officer Chad Ripley said.

WTF?

Farmer killed by falling cow

ZAGREB (Reuters) - A Croatian farmer was killed when a cow he was about to milk fell and crushed him, local media reported Tuesday.

The unfortunate 61-year-old farmer, from the village of Cadjavacki Lug in central Croatia, went into the stable where his family keeps nine cows, as he had every morning for the past 20 years, the Vecernji List newspaper reported.

"I think he slipped, grabbed the milking machine and knocked it over. That must have frightened the cow, which slipped and fell on top of him," his distraught daughter-in-law, who was in the stable with him, told the daily.

"It took me and the rest of the family almost three minutes to get the cow off him."