Kryptonite is no longer just the stuff of fiction feared by caped superheroes. A new mineral matching its unique chemistry - as described in the film Superman Returns - has been identified in a mine in Serbia. According to movie and comic-book storylines, kryptonite is supposed to sap Superman's powers whenever he is exposed to its large green crystals. The real mineral is white and harmless, says Dr Chris Stanley, a mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum. "I'm afraid it's not green and it doesn't glow either - although it will react to ultraviolet light by fluorescing a pinkish-orange," he told BBC News.

Researchers from mining group Rio Tinto discovered the unusual mineral and enlisted the help of Dr Stanley when they could not match it with anything known previously to science. Once the London expert had unravelled the mineral's chemical make-up, he was shocked to discover this formula was already referenced in literature - albeit fictional literature. "Towards the end of my research I searched the web using the mineral's chemical formula - sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide - and was amazed to discover that same scientific name, written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luthor from a museum in the film Superman Returns.

"The new mineral does not contain fluorine (which it does in the film) and is white rather than green but, in all other respects, the chemistry matches that for the rock containing kryptonite." The mineral is relatively hard but is very small grained. Each individual crystal is less than five microns (millionths of a metre) across.

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"'Knowing a material's crystal structure means scientists can calculate other physical properties of the material, such as its elasticity or thermochemical properties," explained Dr Le Page. "Being able to analyse all the properties of a mineral, both chemical and physical, brings us closer to confirming that it is indeed unique."

Finding out that the chemical composition of a material was an exact match to an invented formula for the fictitious kryptonite "was the coincidence of a lifetime," he added.

The mineral cannot be called kryptonite under international nomenclature rules because it has nothing to do with krypton - a real element in the Periodic Table that takes the form of a gas. Instead, it will be formally named Jadarite when it is described in the European Journal of Mineralogy later this year. Jadar is the name of the place where the Serbian mine is located.

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Sheryl Crow Doesn't Want You To Use Toilet Paper

We support Sheryl Crow and her efforts to save the environment. But her latest idea is just loopy. She wants a strict limit on how many squares of toilet paper each person can use in one sitting.

Crow has suggested using "only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required". The 45-year-old, who made the comments on her website, has just toured the US on a biodiesel-powered bus to raise awareness about climate change. She teamed up with environmental activist Laurie David for the shows. The pair targeted 11 university campuses to persuade students to help combat the world's environmental problems. I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting

"I have spent the better part of this tour trying to come up with easy ways for us all to become a part of the solution to global warming," Crow wrote. "Although my ideas are in the earliest stages of development, they are, in my mind, worth investigating. "I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting."

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Crow has also commented on her website about how she thinks paper napkins "represent the height of wastefulness". She has designed a clothing line with what she calls a "dining sleeve". The sleeve is detachable and can be replaced with another "dining sleeve" after the diner has used it to wipe his or her mouth.

A dining sleeve? That's just ridiculous. Surely this is some kind of joke and she really didn't say this? There are plenty of cloth napkins available for home or restaurant use -- there's no need to resort to wiping one's mouth with one's sleeve after dining. Although it's sure to impress if you're on a first date.

Posted on April 23, 2007
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Schwarzenegger Pimps His Ride

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the cigar-smoking, Humvee-driving governor of California lately has been embracing his inner Greenie. For Earth Day, Arnie will appear on MTV's Pimp My Ride to showcase a new environmentally-friendly car.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is headed to MTV to promote Earth Day with an 800-horsepower car that runs on renewable biodiesel fuel. The governor's appearance on a special Earth Day episode of the popular show "Pimp My Ride" set for Sunday is the latest environmentally themed event for Schwarzenegger, who drew international attention for signing a global warming law last year.

For the show, videotaped earlier, mechanics installed the powerful engine in a converted 1965 Chevy Impala, producing a vehicle that accelerates from zero to 60 mph in three seconds. The governor said the converted car's emissions of greenhouse gases will be 50 percent lower than a comparable gas-powered car. And biodiesel fuel can be made from recycled products such as vegetable oil.

"We take this cool show and they did something, and added something that was environmentally hip," Schwarzenegger recently told a student crowd at Georgetown University. When Schwarzenegger ran for governor in 2003, he was criticized for popularizing gas-guzzling Hummers. He has since reduced his personal Hummer fleet to four, two of which he says have since been converted to run on alternative fuels.

We're glad that Arnie has seen the light on environmental issues. Hummers that run on alternative fuels are actually kind of a hilarious idea, now that we think about it. Do you smoke clove cigars when you ride in them? And are the seats made of hemp? Only in California...

Posted on April 21, 2007
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A New DUI Record

A woman reportedly had a .47 blood alcohol level when she crashed into two cars in Washington state. Officials think she's broken the record for the highest blood alcohol level ever recorded in the state.

A woman arrested following two car crashes last week registered a .47 blood-alcohol content on a breath test - nearly six times the legal intoxication threshold and possibly a state record. Deana F. Jarrett, 54, was taken to Evergreen Hospital as a precaution following her arrest April 11, the Washington State Patrol said Wednesday. No one was injured in the accidents.

Jarrett blew the .47 on a portable breath tester after she collided with two other vehicles in quick succession, the patrol said. A check of all 356,000 breath tests administered since 1998 in Washington turned up only 35 above .40 - and none of those was higher than .45.

The legal intoxication threshold in Washington is .08. Jarrett did not appear to have a listed phone number, and it was not clear if she had obtained a lawyer.

Ms. Jarrett needs a doctor at this point before she needs a lawyer, in our opinion. Her test showed that her blood was almost 50% alcohol. How is that even possible? How is she even alive? We think she needs some kind of major medical intervention immediately. Oh yea, and no more driving.

Posted on April 19, 2007
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Daily Show and Colbert Viewers are the Most Informed

A new Pew study concludes that the most well-informed Americans watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

A new survey of 1,502 adults released Sunday by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that despite the mass appeal of the Internet and cable news since a previous poll in 1989, Americans' knowledge of national affairs has slipped a little. For example, only 69% know that Dick Cheney is vice president, while 74% could identify Dan Quayle in that post in 1989.

Other details are equally eye-opening. Pew judged the levels of knowledgeability (correct answers) among those surveyed and found that those who scored the highest were regular watchers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Colbert Report. They tied with regular readers of major newspapers in the top spot -- with 54% of them getting 2 out of 3 questions correct. Watchers of the Lehrer News Hour on PBS followed just behind.

Virtually bringing up the rear were regular watchers of Fox News. Only 1 in 3 could answer 2 out of 3 questions correctly. Fox topped only network morning show viewers. Told that Shia was one group of Muslims struggling in Iraq, only 32% of the total sample could name "Sunni" as the other key group.

The study also found that 9 in 10 people surveyed had heard about President Bush's troop surge in Iraq.

Posted on April 16, 2007
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Prince William Breaks Up With Girlfriend

Prince William is now a free man again. He has broken up with girlfriend Kate Middleton, shocking all those who were ready for a royal wedding.

The couple had been under intense media pressure since they met at St Andrews University, Fife, in 2001, BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said. The prince's move to an army camp in Dorset, and Miss Middleton continuing her life in London, are also said to have put a strain on the relationship. Clarence House has not commented on the split. There had been speculation about a possible engagement in recent months.

BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said: "It's a surprise, because it had seemed very stable and very steady." He said he thought the prince's move to Bovington Camp in Dorset had "a lot to do with the final stages" of the break-up. The Sun reported that the couple had seen each other no more than once a week since then. "One must suspect, though I don't know that this is absolutely certain, that it is more his decision than hers," said Nicholas Witchell.

"He has said in the past that he is too young to get married. "But I am led to believe that there is no-one else involved and that it is a decision they have come to mutually."

So, Kate won't be a princess. Unless, of course, he has a change of heart. But his calendar is pretty well booked for the next few years with his military duties. And there will be plenty of young women who are more than ready to fill Kate's shoes.

Posted on April 14, 2007
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Easter Horror at the Movies

Some families got a nasty surprise on Easter weekend. When they took their kids to see a screening of The Last Mimzy they instead were shown graphic scenes from The Hills Have Eyes 2, a horror film with lots of violence and mutants.

The story starts in Holtsville, New York, at the Island 16 theatre. According to National Amusements, the owner of the theater on Long Island, The Hills Have Eyes 2 was scheduled to be shown at 10:25pm in the same theater as The Last Mimzy, which was scheduled for 8pm. Someone jumped the gun and put The Hills Have Eyes 2 in early, causing havoc. If you haven't seen The Hills Have Eyes 2 (and consider yourself lucky), the film opens with a graphic birth of a mutant by a battered woman who is then killed. It's hideous and immediately disturbing - the kind of thing that many adults are unlikely to forget, much less their toddler children.

In a case of really bad timing, Frank Doll, a resident of Mastic, was in the audience with his 3 year-old son and pregnant wife. Doll told Newsday, "My wife is eight months pregnant and he's been asking, 'Is that what mommy's going to have?'" Doll said. 'We've been trying to explain that all day.'"

The Associated Press spoke to Anthony Rasco, another man who was in the audience for The Last Mimzy and he said, "There were kids that were crying, there were people trying to cover the kids' eyes, they were caught off guard."

The theater apologized, but that's one Easter weekend that no one will soon forget.

Posted on April 12, 2007
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Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite

Bedbugs are making a comeback.

Nearly eradicated in the United States 50 years ago, resistant strains of "super" bedbugs are infesting mattresses at an alarming rate. In what's being touted as the biggest mystery in entomology, all 50 states are reporting outbreaks of the blood-sucking nocturnal critters. Pest control companies nationwide reported a 71 percent increase in bedbug calls between 2000 and 2005. Left alone, a few bedbugs can create a colony of thousands within weeks.

"We never treated bedbugs until 2002. Now we have a dedicated bedbug crew working on this every day," said Luis Agurto, president of Pestec in San Francisco. Agurto's arsenal includes a vacuum, steam heat to cook the bedbug eggs and targeted spraying of insecticides. It takes three, eight-hour visits and about $500 to $750 to exterminate one room. A whole house would cost closer to $5,000.

The bulk of Agurto's clients live in low-income hotels and shelters in the Tenderloin, but he's been called to five-star hotels and suburban homes in Walnut Creek. Bedbugs have been found in moving vans, public transit seat cushions, airplanes, college dorms and even a Bay Area meditation retreat. They spread by hitching a ride on your clothes or in your luggage and crawling off to infest your home or apartment building.

Nearly 300 bedbug infestations were reported to San Francisco health officials in 2006, more than double the number in 2004. Most of the cases involved travelers discovering bedbugs in upscale hotels.

The size and shape of a lentil, bedbugs lay eggs during the day and hide in your bed, clothing and light sockets. At night, they suck your blood, leaving itchy bumps on your skin and little bloody excretions on your sheets. They don't pass diseases, but they are incredibly difficult to exterminate, even following their blood hosts who move to new apartments trying to get away.

You can share your bedbug horror stories and get tips for eradicating the horrid pests at BedBugger.com.

Posted on April 9, 2007
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Judges Gone Wild

Girls Gone Wild producer Joe Francis says it's a case of "Judges Gone Wild" in Florida after a judge ordered Francis to jail for failing to reach a settlement quickly enough in a civil suit. Seven young women sued Francis for filming them in sexually explicit situations. Francis is refusing to surrender himself to the court.

Francis told the Associated Press late Thursday that Smoak "had lost his mind." "This judge has gone as far as to call me the devil and an evildoer," he said. "It is a case of a judge gone wild." The court order followed a last-minute collapse in settlement talks between Francis' legal team and lawyers for the women, who were filmed on a Florida beach in 2003. The plaintiffs allege that they were "victimized" by Francis' crew by being put in explicit scenes.

"It is not the judge's role to compel a settlement with the threat of putting one of the parties in jail," said Francis lawyer Jan L. Handzlik, who is appealing the judge's order. Plaintiffs' attorney Larry Selander declined to comment. Smoak originally found Francis, 34, in contempt last week after plaintiffs' lawyers complained that Francis had shouted obscenities at their clients in a March 21 outburst during the settlement negotiations. Smoak ordered Francis jailed if an accord had not been reached in the case by Saturday, but he suspended that order when it appeared that a deal had been struck. At an emergency hearing Wednesday, a lawyer for the plaintiffs told the judge that he thought the case was resolved but then learned Francis had altered the offer, making it unacceptable to his clients.

A mediator said Francis insisted on a payment plan that would stretch several years. "He may have snookered us and gotten out Saturday, but he's coming back," Smoak said. The judge reinstated his civil contempt order, which means Francis could be jailed until a formal mediation session is set up and he participates in a "meaningful" way.

Hmmm...we're not sure how smart it is to enrage a federal court judge and call him names. Judges really do have the power to throw you in jail, but maybe not for refusing to settle. Joe Francis may find himself with a lot of new friends soon. Perhaps he could film a new documentary called "Prison Buddies Gone Wild."

Posted on April 7, 2007
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The Monks and the Fire Ants

The BBC reports that some buddhist monks in Malaysia have a fire ant problem. Harming any living creature is forbidden by Buddhism so the monks have had trouble with the fire ants that deliver painful bites to the monks.

So the monks are looking for a creative and non-violent solution to deal with the insects, which are biting worshippers.

The monks at the Ang Hock Si Temple, also known as the Hong Hock See temple, in Georgetown on Penang Island have had to learn to live with nature.

Some years ago they shared their temple compound with a cobra.

The chief monk, the Venerable Boon Keng, told the BBC that they had become used to meditating alongside the snake but eventually decided to catch it and take it away to a nearby forest.

Now he says the cobra's place has been taken by a colony of fire ants.

The ants are dropping on the monks and biting the monks when they pray under a special tree. The monks have to practice a special meditation to try and ignore the pain all the while not getting angry and hurting the fire ants.

But the ants are dropping from the temple's sacred bodhi tree onto people meditating below - and when they bite it causes painful swelling.

The Venerable Boon Keng practises what he calls "letting go" meditation - so he "lets go" of the pain.

But out of consideration for worshippers less far along the path to enlightenment the monks are looking for ways to persuade the ants to go.

The BBC says they tried to use a vaccuum cleaner to remove the ants but it didn't work so now the chief monk is hoping someone will come along and fix the problem.

They cannot encourage anyone to harm the ants, but the chief monk says that if someone turns up unbidden and deals with them without the monks' involvement then that is the will of the universe.

The will of the universe is a good thing if it means no more fire ants.

Posted on April 3, 2007
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Trump Wins Battle of the Billionaires

Donald Trump won't have to go bald, after all. He won his bet against WWE founder Vince McMahon and it was McMahon that had to shave his head.

Donald Trump told PEOPLE last week he wasn't afraid to shave his head – and luckily (for him, at least), he didn't have to. Trump "defeated" World Wrestling Entertainment owner Vince McMahon in the "Battle of the Billionaires" in Detroit on Sunday, thereby sparing his famous coif. Trump and McMahon didn't actually duke it out in the ring, but instead had WWE wrestlers battling on their behalf: Bobby Lashley for Trump, "The Samoan Bulldozer" Umaga for McMahon.

Still, at one point during the match, Trump jumped up and pummeled McMahon with punches, the Associated Press reports. After Lashley triumphed over Umaga, McMahon, as promised, had his head shaved in front of a live pay-per-view audience and more than 80,000 wrestling fans.

Trump himself gleefully took shears to McMahon's head, according to the AP. But Trump took some post-match licks of his own. While toasting his win with a beer, he was given a "Stunner" – a shoulder to the head – by special guest referee "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

So, the only question we have is this: Why was Vince McMahon so willing to shave his head for this promotion? Clearly, the whole thing was rigged because there is just no way the Donald would actually shave off that unruly mop of his. And Vince McMahon could easily pummel Trump into a paste, if he felt like it.

We wonder what the take was for the pay per view? It must have been big enough for McMahon to buy lots of new wigs. Or maybe he's feeling the whole bald wrestler vibe. Or, and this makes the most sense to us, Vince wants to be as famous to a mainstream audience as Trump is and being in a Battle of the Billionaires was a step in that direction. Yup, that has to be it.

Posted on April 2, 2007
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