Okay… this might a be hoax letter from Durham University or maybe the students of the Durham University might have Photoshopped the letter, but I couldn’t resist myself sharing it with readers of BannedStuff.net. When I first read the letter I almost fell off my chair LOL!
Any student from Durham University (UK) reading this please confirm it with us 
The decision of the popular online auction site was announced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) recently. The senator earlier this week said she is “disturbed” that tickets for the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Barack Obama are being sold on the Internet for as much as $40,000 and that she is working on legislation that would criminalize selling tickets. The ban went into effect late Thursday on eBay and its subsidiary sites Kijiji and StubHub. Feinstein said in a statement Thursday night,
“I want to thank eBay/StubHub for not allowing the sale of inaugural swearing-in ceremony tickets on any of its websites. They have led the way and I hope other Internet companies will follow.”
About 240,000 tickets have been printed out by the JCIC, all of which will be distributed for FREE by members of the next Congress. Demand has overwhelmed officials, especially those who just won the election and will officially take office when the 111th Congress begins next year. The JCCIC released a statement two days after the election saying, “The public should also be aware that no website or other ticket outlet actually has inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, regardless of what they may claim.” Tickets will not be distributed to Congressional offices until Jan. 13, 2009, or a week before the event.
It was supposed to be a historic election night in the United States of America, with the election of the country’s first African-American president. But underneath the euphoria that all races, all sexes, etc are all equal is the sad news that the US electorate voted to ban same sex marriage again. Yes, again! It has been approved early this year that led to several gay and lesbian couples tying the knot — now, their unions are in legal limbo.
Known as Proposition 8 in California, the closely watched constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage was very much controversial. The amendment, now that it is approved, will reverse the California Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year that legalized gay marriage in the state. Other US states that banned same sex marriage include Arizona and Florida. Guess Americans are still not ready for gays and lesbians to have same legal rights as them when they ‘commit for life’.
BUT, smokers rejoice not! The ban is only waived for properly designated SMOKING ROOMS, haha! So yeah, you can smoke but shall be limited to allowed places. Otherwise, you’ll be arrested, fined, and maybe jailed if a repeat offender. Not really cool.. Here’s the report –
SAY WHAT??! Yeah, you read the title right — no mistakes there! It may sound funny but really, this bit of news is true. Recently, the Swiss Parliament asked a panel of philosophers, lawyers, geneticists and theologians to determine the meaning of dignity when it pertains to plants. Surprisingly, the team published a treatise on “the moral consideration of plants for their own sake.” It established that vegetation has innate value and that it is morally wrong to partake in activities such as the “decapitation of wildflowers at the roadside without rational reason.” YEAHHHHH.. Anyhoo, watch the video report about the banning of humiliating plants below for more info –
Fortunately, it will only be in Belleville, Illinois plus the ban is limited to older teens and up. Whew! Hehe! According to reports, the city has limited trick-or-treating to kids in eighth grade or below in this city near St. Louis. Mayor Mark W. Eckert signed the ordinance banning the tradition for older teens, saying homeowners complained about late-night door knocks on Halloween.
He says the city’s government also believes Halloween is for small children. Exceptions will be made for special-needs kids and teens accompanying younger siblings. Belleville Police Chief William Clay says he expects parents to enforce the new rules. He says officers will stop older trick-or-treaters and make them go home. If they don’t, their parents can be fined $25. Nasty!
First, what are fish pedicures? It’s not fishes having their fins undergoing pedicures (duhh) — its having humans soak their feet in a tank full of toothless fish that eat dead skin cells. The result? Rejuvenated, fresh feet! Sadly, fish pedicures have been banned by Washington state officials. An Associated Press story said the Peridot Nail Salon in Kent was the first salon in the Northwest to offer such a pedicure. Department of Licensing officials visited a salon that provided fish pedicures last week to see the operation firsthand, and after reviewing state laws, notified the owners to stop the service.
State law requires all tools and implements used in a pedicure to be sanitized or disposed of after each service to protect salon customers from the possibility of disease and infections. Since the salon cannot directly sanitize the fish and guarantee the practice doesn’t spread germs or diseases, fish pedicures do not meet state safety and sanitation laws. Health officials said they will notify all salons about the decision next week.