Main Page                                                 Archives

BOTTOMLINES

 

It takes just three minutes to identify your Valentine (Go To Top)

     Washington: If you think that 'love at first sight' is just not possible, then you must change your opinion, as a new study by the University of Pennsylvania researchers has revealed that the heart can figure it out fairy quickly what it wants. The researchers studied dating data from 10,526 anonymous participants of HurryDate, a company that organizes 'speed dating' sessions, and found that people genuinely act in dating situations. They understand their own worth on the dating market and so are able to judge each other's potential compatibility within moments of meeting. "Some people say they're looking for one kind of person, then choose another. Other people say that don't even know what they are looking for. But our data suggest that, however it happens, people know it quickly when they see it," said Robert Kurzban, an assistant professor in Penn Department of Psychology. At each 'speed dating' session, 25 men and 25 women interact with each other for three minutes at a time. At the end of the session, each participant indicates which of the people he or she met would be of interest for the future. "Although they had three minutes, most participants made their decision based on the information that they probably got in the first three seconds," Kurzban said. The research showed that when people meet face-to-face, things like smoking preferences and bank accounts don't seem to loom large in intricate complexities of attraction. Even factors like religion, education and income, played very little role in people's choices. "The actual behavior of people is worth more to us than their stated beliefs. In this case, because participants might suffer the consequences of a bad date with someone who might look compatible on paper, they had more incentive to follow their hearts and desires. Behavior, more than self-reports, give us an important window into the underlying psychology of mating," Kurzban concluded.

Man tries to steal dog's dinner out of jealousy (Go To Top)

     London: It seems Shakespeare's green-eyed monster of jealousy is still alive, as a man in China reportedly tried to steal his neighbour's dog dinner because he was jealous the dog ate better than him. According to the Kuaibao Daily, the man, surnamed Lu, spotted his neighbour's black dog enjoying its rich meal and attacked it while trying to snatch away the meat. But the dog fought back to protect its meal and bit Lu's right hand. Neighbours, who heard the uproar, came to Lu's rescue and sent him to the local hospital for treatment. They told the paper that Lu, who was drunk, was jealous of the dog, which used to have pork shank, while his meal was to be a small plate of fried peanuts.

Spielberg's 'War of the Worlds' is a tribute to HG Wells (Go To Top)

     Washington: Steven Spielberg, acclaimed for making movies on science fiction is currently filming "War of the Worlds" starring Tom Cruise. According to Zap2it, Spielberg revealed in an interview that the film's aliens would stay true to author H.G. Wells' vision by Štravelling around in large mechanical tripods. "I've read on the Internet that everybody assumes there'll be tripods anyway. That's one of my homages, certainly my respect to the forward-thinking H.G. Wells," he was quoted as saying.

Prince Charles sets up 10 million pound fund for Camilla (Go To Top)

     London: Prince Charles seems to be really in love with Camilla Parker Bowles for he is believed to be setting up a 10 million pound trust fund to financially safeguard her future. According to The Mirror, the trust would earn her around 400,000 pounds annually and provide for her if Charles should die or they divorce. "He does not want her (Camilla) to have to rely on the Royal Family or the taxpayer to provide for her. Once Camilla passes away, the fund will probably revert to Charles's estate and sons," an insider was quoted as saying. Charles is already believed to be footing bills totalling around 300,000 pounds a year for Camilla, including a personal allowance of 130,000 pounds.

Britney Spears denies rumours of split (Go To Top)

    London: Britney Spears and new beau Kevin Federline might be speculated to be going through a tough time in keeping their marriage together, but Spears has denied such reports. According to Daily Mail, the couple said that they will be together forever and are planning to launch a clothing line together later this year. "We're going to be together forever. We know that, and that's the only thing that matters," Spears was quoted as saying.

Is Brad having a secret romance (Go To Top)

     New York: Brad Pitt might have been rumoured to be involved romantically after his split with wife Jennifer Aniston but his representatives have denied any such thing. According to New York Daily News, Pitt is supposed to be having a secret romance with model April Florio if a In Touch magazine report is to be believed. But both have denied it. Pitt's representative has added that the girl photographed at a Venice, California ice cream stand was Pitt's assistant.

Kate to present the Oscars (Go To Top)

     London: 'Titanic' star Kate Winslet, who has been nominated for this year's Best Actress category, will also hand out Oscars statuettes at the 77 Academy Award Ceremony to be held this month. According to the Female First, the function will be telecast live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, Feb 27.