Brentwood International

The real Simpsons house

2009-11-20T19:39:21-06:00

America's first family has had a busy decade. The head of the household traveled with a freak show, orbited the Earth and entered the fourth dimension. Mom performed in a musical version of "A Streetcar Named Desire," flirted with high society and served time in prison. The kids gained (and lost) worldwide notoriety, hobnobbed with the rich and famous and became freaks of science on more than one occasion.

No, not the Kennedys.

"The Simpsons", the satirical, animated clan who put the phrases "Doh!" and "Eat my shorts" into the national vernacular, are celebrating their 10th year on television. And in true Simpson fashion, the producers of the show are doing the unexpected - recreating the family's two-story domicile right down to the throw rugs. Builder Kaufman & Broad has taken the 724 Evergreen Terrace address out of two dimensions and cast it in three, placing it smack dab in the middle of Henderson, Nev., in a housing development appropriately called "Springfield."

Can you name the most commonly used words in the English language?

2009-11-18T18:33:29-06:00

Enter a word in the box
Correctly named words will show up in the table
Answers do not have to be guessed in order

You have 12 minutes to guess after you click the button

Here's the link...

The quest for rare whisky in Antarctica

2009-11-18T18:20:08-06:00

A team of New Zealanders is preparing to drill in Antarctica in the New Year, and they hope to strike - whisky.

Among the supplies British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton abandoned on his unsuccessful 1909 expedition to the pole were two crates of the now extinct rare old brand of McKinlay and Co whisky.

Yoghurt drinks could beat bugs that pile the weight on

2009-11-11T19:50:46-06:00

Bugs that live in our stomachs could be causing us to get fat, research suggests. Scientists have shown that the type of bugs in our gut change depending on the food we eat. And bacteria that thrives on junk food may make it easier for us to pile on the pounds. The discovery, by U.S. scientists, suggests that bugs found in the digestive tract are helping fuel the obesity epidemic.

The research could also open the way to designing probiotic yoghurts similar to Yakult (pictured) to combat weight gain.

How the Maya lived

2009-11-11T19:42:40-06:00

Murals found on a buried Mexican pyramid reveal how the average Maya lived about 1,350 years ago - shedding light on aspects of Maya society that are "virtually unknown."

Almost all of the artifacts associated with the ancient Maya civilization have to do with the ruling class and religious life: the secrets of the Maya's ritual blue paint, or their monumental religious panels, or the arrangement of their temples, or even their controversial calendar.

Whoops! Mexican mayor announces death of his arch nemesis... hours BEFORE his body was found

2009-11-04T20:18:42-06:00

A Mexican mayor has sparked fury by announcing the death of a notorious drugs baron - hours before the body was found and two days before it was identified. Speculation has arisen that Mauricio Fernandez may have had something to do with the killing after he made the slip while being sworn in as mayor of San Pedro Garza Garcia, one of Mexico's most exclusive areas. Speaking during his re-election ceremony, he announced: 'Black Saldana, who apparently is the one who was asking for my head, was found dead today in Mexico City.' The problem was that the barefoot, blindfolded corpse of 'Black Saldana', whose real first name is Hector, was not found for another four hours, according to Mexico City prosecutors. His body was also not identified for another two days. When questioned about whether he knew anything about his opponent's death, Mr Fernandez said: 'Sometimes there are coincidences in life. It's better to look at it this way.'

Grumpy 'is good for you'

2009-11-04T19:52:31-06:00

An Australian psychology expert who has been studying emotions has found being grumpy makes us think more clearly. In contrast to those annoying happy types, miserable people are better at decision-making and less gullible, his experiments showed.

While cheerfulness fosters creativity, gloominess breeds attentiveness and careful thinking. A grumpy person can cope with more demanding situations than a happy one because of the way the brain "promotes information processing strategies".