First '08 Baby of Polis Massa El Paso
In El Paso, Texas, the first baby of 2008 is also the first daughter of Star Wars-fanatical parents.

Born 11 seconds after the area's residents began celebrating the New Year, Abigail Leia Taber joined her older brothers Lucas and Anakin at home yesterday.

Leia, Lucas and Anakin. Seriously.

source: El Paso Times via Fark

Christmas Continues for Canada's CEOs
As of late-morning Wednesday, Canada's top 100 CEOs had already earned the average full-time worker's yearly pay, according to a left-leaning think tank.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) said that these corporate elites made $39,998 by 10:33 a.m. Wednesday. And they will continue to earn the average Canadian wage every nine hours and 33 minutes for the rest of the year.

The report was based on 2006 salaries of publicly traded companies.

Office Voodoo
A little something we failed to include in our 2007 Holiday Gift Guide:

If you REALLY want that promotion or corner office, or if you're just tired of his or her hovering over your fully competent shoulder, you could consider a bit of black magic. The Office Voodoo Kit, from Office Playground, Inc., comes not only with black pins for bad spells, but also with white pins for goods spells.
$12.95

Things We Didn't Know This Time Last Year (and Now Do)
From BBC News and The Tampa Tribune:

1) Cloudy apple juice is healthier than clear apple juice, containing almost double the antioxidants that protect against heart disease and cancer.

2) Scientists discovered particles of cocaine and marijuana, as well as caffeine and tobacco, in the air of Italy's capital. The concentration of drugs was heaviest in the air around Rome's Sapienza University, though officials warned against drawing conclusions about students' recreational habits.

3) Astronauts wear diapers during launch and re-entry because they can't stop what they're doing just because they need to use the restroom.

4) There is mobile phone reception from the summit of Mount Everest.

5) Kryptonite exists.

Cancer-Fighting Agent Found In Beer?
A key ingredient in beer may contain a cancer-fighting substance, according to a German study.

Studies have indicated that xanthohumol, found in hops, inhibits a family of enzymes that can trigger the cancer process, as well as help the body detoxify carcinogens, science newswire Ivanhoe (via UPI) reported earlier this week.

Preliminary studies at Oregon State University show that xanthohumol can kill breast, colon, ovarian and prostate cancers.

Currently, it would take 60 regular beers to equal the amount of xanthohumol German researchers are able to brew in their one super beer. Read more about it HERE.

Safety First
Otherwise known as "The World's Most Effective Speed Bump":

Cheers.