Oddly Enough…

Man spends 18 hours next to "Girlfriend Wanted" sign. Gets 93 phone numbers
A man who set up a stall on a busy high street to advertise for a girlfriend says his faith in human nature has been restored by the experience. Self-confessed cynic Jeremy Butler, 32, did not get a negative comment during his 18 hours.
He says he was congratulated on his courage by members of both sexes. Mr Butler got a whopping 93 phone numbers, and has already gone out on a date with one woman.
The 32-year-old has not had a serious girlfriend since moving to London four years ago and said he found people in the city unapproachable. So he decided to take a more direct approach, handing out fliers and standing next to a 3m-tall banner reading: "Girlfriend wanted, apply here".
He told BBC News: "I had got to the point, not just with women, where I was so disappointed with people's reactions when I spoke to them but the experience just shattered them. People went out of their way to talk to me, and seemed genuinely interested in it. It really has changed my outlook on life." news.bbc.co.uk
Son who doesn't pay bill blames electric company for death of his oxygen machinedependent dad
An 86-year-old man died minutes after officials cut off electricity to his son's home, shutting down his oxygen machine.
One day after Richard Howerton brought his terminally ill father John home from a nursing home, officials cut off the power to his home because he was late paying his bill. "What they did was cruel and inhumane," Joyce Howerton said of her father-in-law's death. "It was despicable."
Utility workers didn't know a sick, elderly man was inside the home when the power was cut off. When the power was cut, the oxygen machine stopped and he died shortly after. Records show that Richard and Joyce Howerton were chronically behind on their bills. heraldtribune.com
British ships carried nukes into battle in the 1982 Falklands War with Argentina, simply "because there wasn't time to unload them before setting off"
British ships carried nuclear weapons to the Falkland Islands during the 1982 war with Argentina because there wasn't time to unload them before setting off, according to an official history of the conflict published recently. The government confirmed two years ago that the nuclear depth charges had been carried by the task force.
Britain had no intention of using the weapons, but it proved impossible to remove them as the ships were hastily dispatched after Argentina invaded the islands.
"A number of ships had come from exercises off Gibraltar and had the normal number of nuclear depth charges that British ships took with them at the time, and they didn't really have a good way of taking them off," a professor writing a book on the war said. cbc.ca
Only the best and the brightest are teaching US children chemistry, arson
A chemistry teacher who was at least three months behind on her car payments gave passing grades to two failing students who stole and burned her car so she could collect insurance money.
High School teacher Tramesha Lashon Fox, 32, was charged with insurance fraud and arson, and the two students were charged with arson.
Roger Luna, 18, and Darwin Arias, 17, had been failing Fox's class up to their final exam. But Arias received a 90 and Luna an 80, grades high enough for them to pass the semester. The teens initially thought her scheme was a joke, but Fox continued to pursue them. On the last day of school, the students took the unlocked car from a shopping mall, drove it to a wooded area and set it on fire. cnn.com
All these news and thousands more at Fark.com

Compiled by Ahmed Ashiful Haque

Harry Potter rumours! 3rd edition

"It's very intense, but there are also a lot of lighter moments. There's a lot of heart in this book." This is how Arthur Levine, Vice President of Scholastic books chooses to describe the latest instalment of the Harry Potter series.
Fans of the series, yours truly included, are waiting with bated breath to see what Rowling can come up with this time in a book that has been entitled " Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." As usual there are numerous rumours doing the round, one more atrocious than the other. Lets look at the best of them and thereby continue our age-old tradition in the RS. Two have tried
There is a school of though that happens to think that Viktor Krum could become the next "informant" in Voldemort's circle of Death Eaters. Think about it, he went to a Dark Wizarding School, his head master, the one he was so close to, was a death eater, and no one has really kept in touch with him, save for Hermione, who would normally be the only one who could see him for what he really is, but, since she has a "thing" for him, her judgement may be clouded.
Will Harry fall for another girl in book six, or will he be too busy for romance?" When asked this very important question J.K Rowling says: "He'll be busy, but what's life without a little romance?" And the object of Harry's affection seems to be more likely than not Ginny Weasely. Most people reckon that something is going to happen between Dean Thomas and Ginny that is going to make Harry jealous... and wake him up a bit. They believe that as his confidence grows as a wizard, it will also grow as a young man, and Harry will stop being so mamby about girls. Just in time to get Ginny, because she, like most girls, has become tired of waiting around
On a much more sombre note, J.K Rowling's 'butchering' of characters looks set to continue. After Sirius's heart wrenching albeit all to sudden demise in "Order of the Phoenix" the next likely candidates looks to be … The Weasely twins. Yeah, that's right the Weasley twins- much as it hurts myself to say it. Many are of the opinion that one of the twins -Fred or George- is going to die. This would affect the readers a lot, and would add a lot more plot to the next book
Finally one of the more outrageous rumours doing the round states that Hemione will die in some way, because the name Hermione, was taken from the queen in Shakespeare's 'A Winter's Tale' and in that play/story the queen, Hermione, dies then is brought back to life at the end...
Anyway, that's all the rumours for the week and I am sure that your appetite has been duly whet! Till next time and maybe with a different author since this column seems to be be catapulted about at will!! Well heres to hoping I see you again next week!

By Quazi Zulquarnain Islam

Shout out

Hey people!
We were so busy with shouts over the past year that we almost missed Shout Out's own first birthday. That's right! The column is a little more than a year old now and it wouldn't have been here if it weren't for you...so give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done. Shout would like to thank all the people who often surprised us with their support even after it disappeared for weeks on end. We were especially touched when readers mailed in their concerns throughout May, while we were away sweating inside our exam centers.

As part of celebrations, Shout Out will give its readers a chance at something they've wanted for a long time; something the team of RS has enthusiastically supported: the opportunity to tell people how much you dislike them. Dear readers, the time has come to send in some serious Howlers. Tell a friend how her recently dyed hair reminds you of a broom or comment on your neighbors' vocal chords by comparing them to a strangled cat, by shouting it right in their face. If you are seriously disappointed, disgusted or disgruntled Shout will be only too happy to print your grievances in a special 'I loathe...' issue. Be brave and send in your messages, vexations and complaints to shout13@gmail.com.

To Janu
Friendship is vast like the universe, deep like the ocean, high like sky, strong like iron, cute like HUM and sweet like TUM. Looking for....
From RONY, TONAY
Stamford University

Dear Boro Mama,
Happy Birthday! (6th July)
We miss you a lot. Hope you will enjoy your day.
East or West,
Boro Mama is the best!
Best wishes,
Taba and Razin

Ariba Apu
Happy 18th birthday... you're finally an adult! Hope you still don't like Barbies!
Lotsa love
Atish!

There is a charity concert at the national museum on the 7th of July called "Live Now." The concert is featuring bands like Artcell, Cryptic Fate, The Watson Brothers, dNA, Birodh, FBR, Nemesis, Bivishika, Delude, Baahsz'nought!, CCCP and CNG. Tickets costing Tk. 150 will be available at the venue. All proceeds going to the Shabab Murshid Foundation!! The show starts at 1:00 p.m. sharp so make sure you are there! For more information on Shabab, visit http://shababmurshid.blogspot.com. Thank you!
Shabab Murshid Foundation

By the Hitch-hiker
[ATTENTION: This column is NOT responsible for negative (or otherwise) outcome of the messages printed in it. Please do NOT abuse the column by using it to play pranks etc. Also, all personal information including email addresses and telephone numbers will be printed at the sender's expense and we do NOT take ANY responsibility for any inconvenience to anyone]

Prize Giving Ceremony of 'Letter to Ma' Contest held at ETC Dhanmondi

To celebrate the International Mother's Day on 8th May 2005, ETC the newest lifestyle departmental store in town, organized a contest titled 'Letter to Ma' for school kids aged between 5 years to 12 years. The kids were invited to write 10 lines starting "Dear Ma, You are the Best Mother in the world because…"
More than 700 children participated in the contest and ETC finally selected a winner from each age group. Inkeyad Mushfiq Hamid from age group 5 years to 8 years and Sanah Enamul Haque from age group 9 years to 12 years won a free trip to Fantasy Kingdom with their families.
Naimul Aziz Sheesh received a special consolation prize. Letters by all these three kids will be published in the newspapers. Also, the rest of the letters are being displayed both ETC outlets in Gulshan and Dhanmondi. All other participants who attended the program also got token prizes as an appreciation for their participation.
The prize giving ceremony was held on 28th June at the ETC Dhanmondi outlet. Syed Maher Murshed, Managing Director of ETC handed over the prizes to the participants.