How much spam you get may depend on the first letter in your e-mail address.


The analysis was carried out by University of Cambridge computer scientist Dr Richard Clayton, in a bid to understand the widely noted discrepancies in the amounts of junk mail or spam that different people receive.

Dr Clayton took as his dataset the 550 million e-mail messages sent to customers of net service Demon between 1 February and 27 March 2008.

Looking at the mix of messages landing in inboxes, Dr Clayton found a wide discrepancy in the amounts of junk that different addresses received which seemed to hinge on their initial letters.

The most popular letters for spammers were "A", "M", "S", "R" and "P". about 40% of all the messages arriving in the e-mail inboxes of accounts with addresses that had one of those characters as their first letter were junk. Much less popular were "Q", "Z" and "Y". For these cases, spam was running at about 20% or less.

The reason for the difference could be partly explained, said Dr Clayton, by the way that spammers generate e-mail addresses to which they then send junk messages.

A piglet scared of wallowing in mud has overcome its fears with the help of some Wellington boots.

Six-week-old Cinders appears to suffer from mysophobia, a fear of dirt, after refusing to join her siblings as they splashed around in the mud.

Owner Andrew Keeble from Thirsk, North Yorks, said his daughter Ellie, 12, suggested kitting her out in the tiny footwear which had been on a key ring.

Mr Keeble and wife Debbie, both 42, run a sausage company and keep about 200 pigs on their 1,000-acre farm.

But the father-of-four said there was no chance that Cinders would be slaughtered.

President-elect Barack Obama and his family returned to Chicago early Friday morning from their 12-day holiday in Hawaii and prepared to fly onward to Washington in the coming days.

Obama's chartered plane landed in his hometown. Earlier in the day, he said goodbye to residents on the island where his family vacationed.

While on vacation, Obama took advantage of his last break before he takes office on Jan. 20 and a rented $9 million beach-front home. He had few public events, other than small talk with residents who followed his every move.

He played golf three times — and bemoaned his performance each time — and basketball at his alma mater, the private Punahou School. He also made the quick motorcade to the nearby Marine Corps base for workouts.

An Israeli warplane dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the home of one of Hamas' top five decision-makers Thursday, instantly killing him and 18 others.

The airstrike on Nizar Rayan was the first that succeeded in killing a member of Hamas' highest echelon since Israel began its offensive Saturday. The 49-year-old professor of Islamic law was known for personally participating in clashes with Israeli forces and for sending one of his sons on a 2001 suicide mission that killed two Israelis.

Eighteen other people, including all four of Rayan's wives and nine of his 12 children, also were killed, Palestinian health officials said.

Israel has targeted Hamas leaders many times in the past, and the current leadership went into hiding at the start of the offensive. Rayan, however, was known for openly defying Israel and in the past had led crowds to the homes of wanted Hamas figures — as if daring Israel to strike and risk the lives of civilians.

More than 400 Gazans had been killed and some 1,700 wounded since Israel embarked on its aerial campaign, Gaza health officials said. The United Nations has said the death toll includes more than 60 civilians, 34 of them children.

Since Saturday, three Israeli civilians and one soldier have also died in rocket attacks that have reached deeper into Israel than ever before, bringing more than a tenth of Israel's population of 7 million within rocket range.

I've always dreamed of celebrating New Year's Eve abroad, like in New York or London. I've always dreamed of watching those fireworks (ow, how I wish...), because we don't have such tremendous fireworks here where I live (I live in a small town). But I believe someday, I'll be there on New Year's Eve :) That's why I want to share the news to you guys, so if you don't have the chance like me, you still can enjoy the reading and imagine like you were there :)

NEW YORK
Almost a million people packed a freezing Times Square as the famous Waterford crystal ball descended to cheers at midnight.

COLORADO
New Year's Eve celebrations were cancelled in Colorado's famed ski resort, Aspen, after suspicious packages were found at two banks.

LONDON
Some 400,000 people braved freezing temperatures in London for a fireworks display beside the Thames.

ARAB NATIONS
Egypt, Jordan and Syria - cancelled their planned celebrations in solidarity with Palestinians in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip after a fifth day of Israeli air-strikes on the coastal enclave.

CHRISTMAS ISLAND
Kiritimati, or Christmas Island, in the Pacific Ocean became the first inhabited place on Earth to celebrate the new year at 1000 GMT.

NEW ZEALAND
Residents in Auckland, New Zealand, watched a dramatic fireworks display from the city's Sky Tower.

AUSTRALIA (see pic above)
Huge crowds turned out to watch multi-million dollar fireworks displays in Sydney and Melbourne. In Sydney, a record crowd of up to 1.5 million people watched fireworks explode over the iconic Harbour Bridge. The display, featuring thunder, rain and lightning effects, was the largest ever staged in the city. About 5,000kg of fireworks were used.

MALAYSIA
The government is not sponsoring any new year events because of the economic downturn.

INDIA
Celebrations were also muted in the Indian city of Mumbai, following November's deadly attacks on the city. Tight security was planned, with special measures in place along the city's waterfront - where the militants involved in the attacks slipped ashore.

TAIWAN
Fireworks shot from the 101-storey Taipei Tower as midnight struck in Taiwan.

SINGAPORE
More than 250,000 people attended a display in Marina Bay.

HONG KONG
Half a million people watched - some on the shore, some from boats - as fireworks shot into the sky from 10 skyscrapers surrounding Victoria Harbour.

GREECE
Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration near an outdoor concert in Athens during New Year celebrations, chanting slogans and burning Israeli, US and EU flags.

I always like green tea - green tea ice cream, green tea cake, you name it. So, I want to share with you all the benefits of it. I guess it's green tea time! :)

Green tea isn’t just a delicious and healthful drink; it can also be used as an at-home health and beauty remedy. Read on to find out 7 surprising things you didn’t know about green tea.

1. It can reduce puffy peepers: Stayed out too late last night? Soaking a cotton pad in green tea and placing it over eyes for 10 minutes can reduce the puffiness of tired eyes, making you look revitalized and refreshed.

2. It can soothe skin: Spent a little too much time in the sun? Use the naturally calming properties of green tea to soothe sunburned skin. Place green tea in a spray bottle and mist on sunburned areas for all-natural relief. Because it has anti-bacterial qualities, green tea can also be used as an antiseptic to spray on skin blemishes or irritations.

3. It’s great for teeth: Green tea has fluoride in it, making it a superstar for keeping gums and teeth healthy. Green tea can even be used as a mouthwash to maintain breath.

4. It can soothe sore throats: The anti-viral effects of green tea make it an excellent remedy to help prevent the effects of a cold or flu. In fact, you can gargle with green tea to soothe a sore throat.

5. It’s good for the bones: Naturally high in minerals, green tea aids in strong bone density, which is important for maintaining good posture.

6. It’s a room deodorizer: Green tea leaves have traditionally been used to naturally absorb odors in a room. Place tea leaves in a bowl to help absorb unpleasant odors or leave some in the fridge in place of baking soda.

7. It’s good for the feet: Soaking tired feet in green tea can prevent unpleasant fungal infections.

Hey guys, think you know everything there is to know about having sex with women? That erotic encyclopedia you carry around in your head may contain a lot of basic errors and omissions about women's sexuality -- errors that can lead to sex mistakes.

Guys tend to take a lot of cues from adult movies, and we all know how true-to-life those are. Experience may help, but many women can be shy when talking about what they like.

Here's the six mistakes you need to know:

No.1: You Know What She Wants
Men often make assumptions about what a woman wants based upon what they've done with other women. But women aren't all the same.

No. 2: You Have All She Needs
Some women can't have an orgasm with less than 3,000 rpm. No human tongue or fingers can generate that kind of vibration. But men typically think something is wrong if a woman needs a vibrator. Think of a vibrator as your assistant, not your substitute. Many couples use vibrators together.

No. 3: Sex Feels the Same for Men and Women
When a man has intercourse with a woman, and his penis goes into her body, that sensation is so off the charts for most men, they cannot imagine that it isn't feeling the same way for her. The inside of the vagina is probably less sensitive than the outer parts for most women. Also, deep thrusting may not feel so nice on the receiving end. If the penis is too long.

No. 4: You Know Your Way Around a Woman's Anatomy
Most guys know generally what a clitoris is and where to find it. That's not to say that they really understand it. Men also lack information about how to touch it and how sensitive it is. How can you find out how she likes to be touched? Try asking her.

No. 5: Wet = Turned On
Some women tend to get wetter than others, and how much natural lubrication a woman has can change from day to day. It varies by the phase of her menstrual cycle, and it's subject to influences like stress and medications.

No. 6: Silence Is Golden
A lot of guys think they should be silent during sex, but unless you speak up, your partner has to guess what's doing it for you and what isn't. If you're respectful about it, a woman who wants to please you will probably appreciate some directions.