A five-year study commissioned by America’s Roman Catholic bishops aimed at providing a definitive answer to what caused the church’s sexual abuse crisis has concluded that neither the all-male celibate priesthood nor homosexuality were to blame.
Elegant facial hair
German hairdresser Elmar Weisser has won the world’s best beard title at the World Beard and Moustache Championship in Trondheim, Norway, beating 160 contestants with his facial hair sculpture of a moose.
Kutcher to take over from Sheen
Ashton Kutcher, probably best known to the rest of the world as a prolific tweeter and the husband of Demi Moore, has been signed up to take over from Charlie Sheen in the hit comedy series Two and a Half men.
Each to their own
OMG. A now illegal form of enhancement surgery means that they continue to grow at the rate of one inch per month. OMG
Flood photos
One can always rely on Boston.com for great photo features, this one of the recent tragic flooding in Mississippi. Mississippi River Flooding
Samoan shuffle
The South Pacific island of Samoa has decided to hop forward over the international date line in order to boost its economy, 119 years after it decided to move the other way.
Is pampering a better idea?
A controversial approach to prisons in Norway appears to be working, resulting in the lowest re-offending rates in Europe. Norway, however, has a low crime rate to start with and a prison population of around 64 per 100,000 inhabitants whereas the USA, for example, has a prison population of around 715 per 100,000 inhabitants. Controversial Prison System.
Out with the old in New York
Nissan has won an exclusive 10-year contract to provide taxis to New York City in a deal worth more than $1 billion. There are around 13,200 cabs roaming the streets of the City That Never Sleeps.
Pass the coffee
One of the world’s most exclusive types of coffee comes from the hills and mountains of South East Asia and a bag of coffee beans can cost up to $800 per kilo in Japan or the US. Just a cup of this coffee will set you back $50 in coffee shops in New York and £40 in the UK. So, …