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Woman Breaks World Record For Eating World's Hottest Chiles

For some spice lovers, jalapeno-laden hamburgers just won't do.

For some spice lovers, jalapeno-laden hamburgers just won't do. Take Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26-year-old woman from Assam, India, who set a Guinness world record last week when she consumed 51 of the world's hottest chile peppers in only two minutes. She also rubbed 24 of the same chile peppers in her eyes over the span of one minute.

Overseeing the feat with a watchful eye was none other than chef Gordon Ramsay, who was in India filming for a British TV program. The reality show host and restaurateur could only consume one of the peppers before screaming for water. Measuring in at 1 million Scoville heat units, the bhut jolokia is known to the be world's hottest known chile pepper (jalapenos, in comparison, contain roughly 2,500 to 8,000 Scovilles.)

A single seed from this pepper is known to cause puffy, watering eyes, a runny nose, and a burning sensation that may last for up to five hours. So how did she manage to defy the laws of nature? The mother of one explained:

I have been eating bhut jolokia since my childhood and never felt the hotness in my mouth. When I was five, I had a sore tongue and my mother applied a chili paste to cure the infection. Since then I developed a penchant for chiles. To be honest, I barely notice them now.

I'm shocked to hear that this record was humanly possible — especially considering the tragic death that occurred last year after a UK man consumed too much spicy sauce. What do you think of the stunt: is it amazing, or simply incredibly foolish?

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Pet Peeves: How Weird Can Presidents Get With Pets?

Sounds worse than it is!

Sounds worse than it is! But, seriously, people are crazy with their pets. Just the other day I saw a woman getting fro-yo for her dog because "he was feeling down." Anyway! Since the Obamas are getting their new Portuguese water dog tomorrow, we should prepare to see the first dog with his own Secret Service name like Rollick along with his own white house. See if you can sort the true crazy from the made-up crazy in my quiz.

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What's Your Online Resource For Paid, Digital Music?

That fallout was quick: Billboard reports that due to last week's raise in iTunes prices for popular songs to $1.29, many of those popular songs have dropped in download ranking (that's one way to get them back down to 99 cents!).

That fallout was quick: Billboard reports that due to last week's raise in iTunes prices for popular songs to $1.29, many of those popular songs have dropped in download ranking (that's one way to get them back down to 99 cents!).

Personally, the only time I download single songs from iTunes is for popular songs (you know, the ones you can't get out of your head and need to have now), but I'm annoyed by the price jump, so I may go somewhere else. Considering the majority of you said you bought music online the last time I asked, tell me, where do you go for your paid music downloads?

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Quick-Thinking Zookeepers Save Woman From Hungry Bears

Last Friday, a 32-year-old woman leaped a fence and scaled a wall to jump into a Berlin Zoo enclosure holding four polar bears (including Knut).

Last Friday, a 32-year-old woman leaped a fence and scaled a wall to jump into a Berlin Zoo enclosure holding four polar bears (including Knut). Six zookeepers attempted to distract the bears, but she was still bitten several times by one of the creatures. Even though it was their normal feeding time, she was able to be pulled out safely – minus those injuries – and was rushed to the hospital for surgery. Now after my initial shock, I flashbacked to a similar situation that so disturbed me as a child, that I instantly recalled that story when hearing this one. Learn what stuck in my head some 22 years later, when you read more

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Daily Tech: Is a Lime Green PSP-3000 in the Making?

A bright lime green SPS-3000 was spotted in the wild at a Sony factory in China.

  • A bright lime green SPS-3000 was spotted in the wild at a Sony factory in China. — Joystiq
  • Netflix is looking for an experienced engineer to lead the gaming platforms team, which means that Netflix might make its way to the Wii and PlayStation 3 . . . eventually. — CrunchGear
  • A new "solar city" is being planned near Charlotte County in Florida, and will include a 75-megawatt solar plant. — Switched
  • Planning on getting a new smartphone soon? You may just want to wait, because Palm, Apple, and RIM plan on releasing new phones by the end of June. — Silicon Alley Insider
  • Not everyone is happy with the second-gen Kindle screen. Many are taking to Amazon forums to talk about their Kindle font issues. — Wired
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Tea Parties Prove Conservatives Are Growing (Grass) Roots?

A revolution might be coming this Wednesday, April 15.

A revolution might be coming this Wednesday, April 15. Antitax protests, known as tea parties, have been brewing around the country, and they could boil over on tax day. T.E.A. stands for "taxed enough already."

On Wednesday, conservatives around the country will evoke the spirit of the American Revolution. Some of the transgressions of congress and the president to be protested include: voting for a $500 billion tax bill without even reading it; spending trillions of borrowed dollars; wanting government-controlled health care; trying to take wealth and redistribute it to others; and appointing a defender of child pornography to the number-two position in the Justice Department.

Basically there's a lot going on. Some sample slogans offered by TeaPartyDay.com? Party Like it's 1773. Obamanomics: Chains You Can Believe In. Commander and Thief. Your Mortgage Is Not My Problem. Liberty Is All the Stimulus We Need.

Economist Paul Krugman thinks the Tea Parties, which he calls AstroTurf — aka fake grass(roots) — should be mocked. To see why, read more

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Coming Soon: Top Chef-Branded Chardonnay and Carnations

Sounds like Iron Chef wines will need to make room for some company: Top Chef wines.

Sounds like Iron Chef wines will need to make room for some company: Top Chef wines. The New York Times reports that Bravo is moving beyond mere product placement on its shows, and is licensing its own line of products. Besides wine, the cable network's planning floral arrangements, cutlery, and cooking classes. In case your screen wasn't sufficiently overwhelmed with product plugs from Glad, Swanson, and Diet Dr Pepper, future Top Chef episodes will feature food-and-flora arrangements (such as a mix of daisies and brussels sprouts) in the background, with an onscreen graphic telling where to purchase the products.

Want to chop like a cheftestant? There'll also be branded knives from Master Cutlery and online cooking classes led by the contestants. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy the show while sipping on TC wines by Terlato Wines International, the group behind big labels like Santa Margherita and Rutherford Hill.

With waning advertising revenue, a number of media brands have turned to product licensing to bring in much-needed profits. In the past, Bravo charged a fee for featuring the likes of Glad and Swanson on Top Chef. But with its new licensing arrangements, the network will ring in even more money, receiving cuts from the sale of all its products sold online.

Do you think this will be a successful strategy for Bravo? Could you see yourself buying Top Chef-branded knives, wine, cooking classes, or flower arrangements?

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Travel

Obama to Lift Travel Restrictions on Cuban-Americans

The 1.5 million Americans with relatives in Cuba will soon be able to travel freely to Cuba and transfer money to their family members on the island.

The 1.5 million Americans with relatives in Cuba will soon be able to travel freely to Cuba and transfer money to their family members on the island. The Obama administration hopes that the ease in restrictions will help reduce Cuban dependence on the communist regime, eventually making way for political change.

Under Bush, Cuban-Americans were only allowed to travel to Cuba for two weeks every three years.

The administration will also allow US telecom companies to provide cell phone and television services to Cubans.

An official announcement will come later today. Do you think it sounds like a good plan? Should all Americans be able to travel freely to Cuba?

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News

Should NASA Name Space Station Room After Colbert?

I'm no rocket scientist, but I do know that if you start an open naming contest, fans of Stephen Colbert will quickly beam the comedian to first place.

I'm no rocket scientist, but I do know that if you start an open naming contest, fans of Stephen Colbert will quickly beam the comedian to first place. That's what happened to NASA when it decided to ask the public for suggestions on what to name a room in the space station, now called Node 3.

"Colbert" won the contest, but NASA still has the option to reject the write in winner. Tonight, a real-life scientist will go on the Colbert Report to share NASA's decision.

What does Stephen think NASA should do? He said: "Certainly I hope NASA does the right thing. Just kidding. I hope they name it after me."