U.S. draws tough group in World Cup

Screw the online survey!...

---I havent got a single response from them (Global Test Market click_to_visit_site ) and its been well over a month. My best guess is that perhaps they werent interested in what i liked or i dont know. But, just if, they actually send me something i will report to you all!

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California Teen Wins Science Competition

By JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ Associated Press Writer

This handout photo provided by the Siemens Foundation shows Michael Viscardi, 16, of San Diego, Calif., second from left, the individual winner of the $100,000 Grand Prize in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science & Technology, Monday, Dec. 5, 2005 in Washington.Viscardi won for his innovative approach to an old math problem that could help in the design of airplane wings. From left are, Dr. Constance Atwell, lead judge; Viscardi; Bettina von Siemens, and Siemens Foundation President Jack D. Bergen. (AP Photo/Greg Kinch, Siemens Foundation, HO)

WASHINGTON Dec 6, 2005 — A 16-year-old California boy won a premier high school science competition Monday for his innovative approach to an old math problem that could help in the design of airplane wings.

Michael Viscardi, a senior from San Diego, won a $100,000 college scholarship, the top individual prize in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology.

Viscardi said he's been homeschooled since fifth grade, although he does take math classes at the University of California at San Diego three days a week. His father is a software engineer and his mother, who stays at home, has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, he said.

"It's unbelievable," Viscardi said of his win. "It's so incredible that I'm in shock right now."

Viscardi tackled a 19th century math problem known as the Dirichlet problem, formulated by the mathematician Lejeune Dirichlet. The theorem Viscardi created to solve it has potential applications in the fields of engineering and physics, including airplane wing design. He said he worked on it for about six months with a professor at UCSD.

"He is a super-duper mathematics student," said lead judge Constance Atwell, a consultant and former research director at the National Institutes of Health. "It was almost impossible for our judges to figure out the limits of his understanding during our questioning. And he's only 16 years old," she said.

Anne Lee, 17, a senior at Phoenix Country Day School in Paradise Valley, Ariz. and Albert Shieh, 16, a junior at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., shared the $100,000 top prize in the team category. They improved computer technology that could help locate the genetic roots of some inherited diseases like Alzheimer's, autism and bipolar disorder.

Lee and Shieh met at the gene research center at which they both have internships. They were assisted on their project by members of the institute.

"I would have been happy with anything," Shieh said.

Lee said dissecting a cow's eyeball early in her academic career inspired and encouraged her to study science.

Straight out nerds!

Do Online Surveys really pay?...

---I don't know but I'm about to find out. I just joined this survey site called Global Test Market ( click_to_visit_site ). According to them, for every survey that you take you accumulate points, points for which you can deposit to earn cash. But how do they pay the cash? Check? Directly to your bank? I'm not sure but I'm positive that it is specified somewhere in their site, I'm just a bit lazy right now to check.

---I'll come back later and tell you all if it worked. Maybe we can all join and earn some extra cash or not. Cross your fingers!

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 Sculpture sets contemporary auction record of 23.8 million dollars

NEW YORK (AFP) - A large-scale metal sculpture by American artist David Smith has become the most expensive work of contemporary art ever sold at auction, fetching 23.8 million dollars at Sotheby's in New York.

  Five bidders competed for Smith's "Cubi XXVII" which was the starting lot at a Wednesday evening sale of 54 contemporary works that brought in 114.5 million dollars.

  The 1965 sculpture was finally snapped up by Manhattan dealer Larry Gagosian at nearly twice its high estimate of 12 million dollars.

  Experts attributed the record price to the fact that most of Smith's works are in museums or permanent collections and therefore make extremely rare auction appearances.

  "This exceedingly rare work was the pinnacle of a four-decade career," said Tobias Meyer, Sotheby's worldwide head of contemporary art and the auctioneer for the evening.

  The second best price of the evening was the 9.2 million dollars paid for "Jackie Frieze," one of two works in which Andy Warhol assembled portraits of Jackie Kennedy in a frieze format.