NAZZY'S RANDOM STUFF (12-01-09)

A GUY IN NEW ZEALAND LET HIS SON DROWN SO HE COULD SAVE HIS WIFE'S LIFE:

If your wife and your kid were both drowning, but you could only save ONE of them . . . which one would you choose? The reason I ask is because recently, a guy from New Zealand named Stacy Horton was faced with that exact decision. And he chose to save his wife, 35-year-old Vanessa, instead of their son, 13-year-old Silva. So what happened?

On Saturday night, Vanessa was driving with Silva and his friend when she lost control of the car, and plunged into a river. --Stacy, who was following behind them, showed up at the crash scene about two minutes later. That's when he heard Vanessa calling for help, and saw the car sinking with Silva trapped inside. So Stacy ran down to the river and dove in.

He says, quote, "I tried to get down and get him but I couldn't. It was just too deep. And Vanessa was going under. I made a call to pull my wife to safety. I looked back and I could see the taillights but it was too far and I couldn't get him . . .

"Instead of going down and risking my life as well as my wife and son's, I chose to take Vanessa back and sat on the shore praying. It was all I could do." --That's right . . . Stacy let his son die in order to save his wife. On Sunday, divers recovered Silva's body from the bottom of the river. (AOL News)


HERE ARE SEVEN WAYS TO SPEND LESS ON GAS:

You could probably use a little extra cash for the holidays, right? Well, here are seven ways to save money on something you use every day: Gas.

#1.) DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Go to FuelEconomy.gov. It helps you find the cheapest gas in your area. Just make sure it's not too far out of the way. If you have to drive ten miles to get there, obviously it's not worth it.

#2.) DON'T BUY NAME BRAND. Some gas stations claim to have higher quality gas than others. And that USED to be true. Gas that has additives and detergents IS better for your car. But now ALL gas has to have detergents in it. It's required by law.

Name brand gas has MORE detergents it, but it doesn't make much of a difference.

#3.) GO LOW-OCTANE. High-octane gas costs twenty cents more, and most cars don't need it. If you have an SUV or a sports car, you MIGHT need more octane, but most cars don't. To know for sure, check your owner's manual.

#4.) TURN THE NOZZLE UPSIDE DOWN. You don't actually get all the gas you pay for. Some of it runs back down the hose unless you turn the nozzle upside down after the pump stops. It might only be a few ounces, but hey . . . you paid for it.

#5.) CHECK YOUR TIRE PRESSURE. If it's too low or too high, it affects your gas mileage. So check your tire pressure every few weeks, and make sure it's right on.

#6.) GO THE SPEED LIMIT. Your engine has to work harder if you speed, which wastes gas. Plus, people who speed have to have their brakes replaced more often.

#7.) CLEAN OUT YOUR TRUNK. Any extra weight in your car reduces your mileage. So if you're hauling your golf clubs around, it's costing you money. (AskMen.com)


NINE TIPS FOR MEETING SOMEONE ON FACEBOOK:

If you want to widen your dating pool, but you don't feel like signing up for an online dating service, you should consider meeting someone through Facebook. Here are 10 tips to help you do just that:

#1.) HAVE A GOOD PROFILE PICTURE. That means no photos of you doing a keg stand, any photo where you're visibly drunk, or a picture of you surrounded by Hooters girls.

Your ideal photo should be casual and spontaneous, instead of something posed. And it's okay for you to change your default picture fairly frequently.

#2.) SHAPE YOUR IMAGE. On Facebook, your profile is your first impression. Keep things simple and uncluttered by not posting tons of silly quizzes, boxes, or games.

Also, consider removing anything from your page that could be considered offensive, or make you look like a tool. If your buddies write rude or stupid comments all over your wall, potential dates are going to be immediately turned off.

#3.) BE INTERESTING. People who constantly update their Facebook profile are annoying. But a strategically-timed status message or photo album can help your cause if it makes you seem more interesting . . . like if you're going somewhere cool for a vacation.

#4.) JOIN FAN PAGES AND INTEREST GROUPS. Joining a couple fan and group pages will help expand your dating pool . . . and it increases your chance of finding someone who actually enjoys your favorite teams, movies or comedians.

An added bonus to joining groups is that they might organize events where you can meet people, and maybe even ask someone out in person.

#5.) BROWSE YOUR FRIENDS' FRIENDS. A Harvard study recently found that 70% of time spent on Facebook involves looking at other people's profiles. So scroll through your friends' friend lists and see if anyone catches your eye.

#6.) LOOK FOR RELATIONSHIP STATUSES. Most people include a relationship status in their profile. As a general rule, you should avoid anyone who DOESN'T list their status.

Anyone who has "it's complicated" or doesn't list a status might have baggage . . . or a crazy ex. At the same time, you've got to follow this rule in your own profile and list yourself as single, and looking for a date or relationship.

#7.) ASK ABOUT THEIR STATUS UPDATES. If the person you're interested in posts a status update saying they had a bad day, consider sending them a private message and asking what's up.

Or, if they post a cool link, tell them it was interesting. Just don't do it too often . . . you'll seem like a stalker checking on their every move.

#8.) POST ON THEIR PAGE INFREQUENTLY. You obviously want to show interest, but most people can sense desperation from a mile away. An occasional post on their wall in fine, but the less you post on their page, the better, since you want them to know you have a life outside of Facebook. It'll also show that they're special enough to communicate with privately, and not on their page for everyone to see.

#9.) USE THE CHAT FEATURE. If you want to get more one-on-one with someone, instant message them when they're online. That way, you get an immediate response instead of waiting for them to reply to a message that may take days to open. (Ask Men)


ONE IN EVERY FIVE MARRIAGES WORLDWIDE IS BETWEEN FIRST COUSINS:

For some reason, the "New York Times" ran an article last week about FIRST COUSIN MARRIAGE. Personally, I suspect it was intended to make your Thanksgiving dinner even more awkward than it usually is. At least that's what it did for me. But I digress . . .

Anyway, the article mentioned a website called CousinCouples.com, which is full of stats and other "useful" information for anyone thinking about marrying a blood relative.

Here are some statistical gems that we found particularly entertaining: --It's LEGAL to marry your first cousin in Canada, Mexico and every European country . . . plus 26 U.S. states. --Studies have found that children of non-related couples have a 2% to 3% risk of birth defects. For children of first cousins, the risk is higher at 4% to 6%. --It's estimated that ONE in every 1,000 marriages in the U.S. is between cousins. That sounds like a lot until you consider that worldwide, it's estimated ONE in every FIVE marriages is between first cousins.

ALBERT EINSTEIN and CHARLES DARWIN both married their first cousins. And FRANKLIN and ELEANOR ROOSEVELT were also cousins, though distantly. --And if you ever marry your cousin, it's hip to refer to the guy as your "cusband." Or so I've read. (???) (New York Times) (--You can get more information about cousin marriage here. . .) http://cousincouples.com/


THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SPENT TWO YEARS AND $411,000 TO DETERMINE THAT BOWLING IS DANGEROUS:

Sometimes, it feels as though our elected officials have cornered the market on wasteful government spending. But it turns out European officials are just as skilled at flushing money down the toilet as OUR lawmakers. Here's what I'm talking about . . .

After spending two years and $411,000, a study by Britain's Health and Safety Executive has concluded that BOWLING ALLEYS can be "very dangerous" for families. How so?

#1.) It's too easy for kids and teens to run down lanes, which could cause them to get trapped inside the machinery that sets up the pins. And . . .

#2.) The noise created by the ball hitting the pins can cause bowling alley employees to suffer hearing loss.

In other words, the British government spent nearly half a million dollars to "discover" that bowling alleys are loud, and there are no safety features in place to prevent people from running down the lanes. (Daily Mail)