Thursday, November 29, 2007

Guess My Kids Weren't That Bad

Two-year-old blows up kitchen

A two-year-old blew up his mum's kitchen when he put an aerosol can in the microwave.

Wiltshire firefighters tackled the blaze at the home in Essex Square, Harnham, near Salisbury at midday yesterday.

They managed to put the blaze out before it spread to the rest of the smoke-filled house. No one was hurt.

A fire service spokesman said: The fire was started by an aerosol can being placed in the microwave by a two-year-old and the microwave switched on. This caused an explosion. Fortunately no one was hurt in the fire and everyone had evacuated the property before the fire service arrived.

Boy feeds worms to sister in 'Bushtucker trial'

Sure makes a cake sandwich seem appetizing.

It is one thing watching a bushtucker trial on TV but one mischievous five-year-old simply ignored the warnings not to try it at home.

Matthew Hepburn fed lugworms to his little sister after enjoying ITV1's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.

He was caught laughing as Hannah, 20 months, tried to swallow handfuls of the fishing bait in their garden.



Mother Nicola said: 'Matthew was screaming encouragement as Hannah tried to eat all these worms.

'He was looking like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth while Hannah had worms pouring out of hers. And she actually looked like she did not mind eating them. He must have got the idea from watching I'm A Celebrity.'

Now Mrs Hepburn, of Fareham, Hampshire, is making sure he is in bed when the show is on in future. 'Otherwise he could try to feed Hannah spiders or lock her in somewhere with a couple of rats.'

Arbroath

The Strongest Beer in the US

Samuel Adams UtopiasHow much would you pay for an exceptional brew? $10 a six-pack? $20 a six-pack? How about $5 an ounce?

That's the minimum going rate for Boston Beer's Samuel Adams Utopias, which retails starting at $120 per 24-ounce bottle.

The country's most expensive beer is also the strongest. The 2007 edition of the vintage-dated biennial release clocks in at 27 percent alcohol by volume, more than five times the proof of the average American golden lager.

The Utopias container, a ceramic bottle molded to resemble a brew kettle, is a collectible in and of itself. The copper-colored liquid inside hasn't a bubble of carbonation. The first sensations are a viscous mouth feel and a sweet sherrylike flavor with nuances of toffee and maple. There are notes of vanilla and plum and a hint of charred wood. A long, lingering alcohol burn, more reminiscent of a cognac or brandy than a beer, is followed by a sweet burned-caramel aftertaste.

Sun-Sentinel

Rugelach Pinwheels

rugelach pinwheels

From the Sweet On You Bakery via The Martha Stewart Show

Makes about 50 cookies

Dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups sifted bleached all-purpose flour

Filling
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup golden raisins, chopped
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup apricots preserves, heated and cooled slightly

Topping
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and continue processing until fully incorporated. Add flour and pulse just until dough comes together. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, make filling. In a medium bowl, mix together granulated and brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts; set aside.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Spread a thin layer of preserves over dough; sprinkle with filling mixture. Roll dough into a log beginning with one of the long sides; wrap in plastic wrap. Transfer dough log baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining piece of dough. Place dough logs in refrigerator; let chill at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping; set aside.

5. Slice chilled dough logs crosswise, about 1/4 inch thick. Toss each cookie in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place cookies 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes. Lift parchment paper from baking sheets and transfer to a wire cooling rack; let cool.

Can You Hear Me?



A Russian woman gave birth by the light of dozens of mobile phones after a power cut plunged a town into darkness.

Emergency generators kicked in to keep incubators going at the local maternity ward at Shelehov in northern Russia.

But the room where Rima Pivovarova, 22, was giving birth was plunged into darkness just as doctors started to try and sort out complications with the delivery.

Quick-thinking nurses borrowed mobile phones from colleagues and other patients and used their light as they delivered the baby.

Nurse Nadezhda Stempkovskaya, who helped deliver the baby, said both mother and son are doing well.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Laser-Guided Pool Cue


I guess this goes with the lighted billiard balls.

This is the first laser-guided regulation-sized pool cue. When activated, the harmless visible laser provides a precise guide for lining up the perfect shot with pinpoint accuracy. The touch sensor on/off switch features both manual and automatic shut-off to preserve battery life. The set includes a 58" two-piece cue with a secure microfiber grip and an aluminum joint and ferrule, in addition to two tip scuffers, two chalks, three replacement leather-tipped ferrules, and a zippered nylon carrying case with shoulder strap and accessory pocket. Requires three 1.5V batteries (six are included). 58" L. (3 lbs.)

$79.99

Glowing Billiard Balls

Is this what we need next?

Hammacher Schlemmer is now selling Lighted Billiard Balls.

The regulation-size and weight (5 1/4 oz.) billiard balls illuminate and flash for two seconds upon impact with the cue ball, other balls, or the rail, creating a streak of light. Each ball has four integrated LEDs that are powered by a battery that provides up to 50,000 flashes per ball.
After 50,000 flashes they transform into regular unlit billiard balls. The set costs $200 and ships at the end of November

Retire at 40

Retire at 40: Here's how.

If you were to take 20% of your annual income starting at age 20 and put it in a fund following the S&P 500 Index ($INX), that fund continued to grow at the long-term historical rate (12%) and you received a 4% raise each year, you could walk away from your job and live off the interest at age 41 matching your current salary -- or quit at 43 and be able to give yourself a 4% "raise" each year from the interest, which is probably the better plan because it combats inflation.

Scientists Create Mouse That Can't Get Cancer

MouseA mouse resistant to cancer, even highly-aggressive types, has been created by researchers at the University of Kentucky. The breakthrough stems from a discovery by UK College of Medicine professor of radiation medicine Vivek Rangnekar and a team of researchers who found a tumor-suppressor gene called "Par-4" in the prostate.

The researchers discovered that the Par-4 gene kills cancer cells, but not normal cells. There are very few molecules that specifically fight against cancer cells, giving it a potentially therapeutic application.

Rangnekar's study is unique in that mice born with this gene are not developing tumors. The mice grow normally and have no defects. In fact, the mice possessing Par-4 actually live a few months longer than the control animals, indicating that they have no toxic side effects.

ScienceDaily

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Another High End Gift

The Winesceptre is for the true wine connoisseur. Someone who takes great pains to store wine at just the right temperature. So, why stick that perfectly chilled wine into an ice bucket much colder than the ideal temperature? That’s where the winesceptre comes in.

Invented by a European Chef and recommended by top French Sommeliers, the Winesceptre® is designed to keep pre-chilled wines at the perfect serving temperature, while the wine is still in the bottle - even aerating the wine as it pours from the drip-less spout! Crafted from the highest grade of stainless steel, it is guaranteed to maintain serving temperature over long periods of time.

Pre-chill the winesceptre for about 3 hours. Then, after tasting your wine, stick the stopper in. It will keep your wine cold - and you can even pour with it on.

Also comes in a restaurant set. Around $250

Koenigsegg CCXR Special Edition

I'd really like a Prius but if I had to settle this would do.

koenigsegg-ccxr-special-edition.jpg

You wouldn't expect the second most powerful production car in the world to run on E85 ethanol fuel, but the Koenigsegg CCXR Special Edition ($2.3 million) does exactly that. Its twin-supercharged 4.7L V8 makes an ass-kicking 1018 horsepower, enough to propel the car and its carbon fiber body from 0-62 in 2.9 seconds, and up to a top speed of over 250 mph. Coupled with the its gorgeous looks, the Swedish supercar is sure to be on the Christmas list of corporate big-wigs everywhere. [via]

Unconventional Dance Moves

'Just Add Water' Instant Shelters

Emergency shelterAn emergency shelter which can be set up in 40 minutes as a solid concrete structure will be made in south Wales after winning worldwide interest.

The shelter is delivered in a bag, which is ripped open and water added.

The material soaks up the moisture, activating the concrete. But the cloth remains flexible and is inflated by a battery-operated pump.

After 12 hours, the shelter becomes completely solid, and can even withstand being shot at with handguns.

Will Crawford and Peter Brewin's design will go into production at their new plant near Pontypridd next summer.

BBC

Death by Booze

It would take 13 Cosmopolitans to kill me

How much alcohol would it take to kill you?

Find out how many of your favorite alcoholic beverages it would take to send you to a drunken grave. Look for your beverage of choice, enter your weight, select your gender, and see how much you have to drink before the alcohol kills you.

The Real Edward Scissorhands

A barber in China has set a world record by cutting a customer's hair with 10 pairs of scissors simultaneously.

Wang Zedong sets a world record /Ext

Wang Zedong, 41, of Jiujiang city, Jiangxi province, demonstrated his stunt in a television studio with hundreds of people, and Guinness officials, in the audience.

In less than three minutes, Wang cut the model's hair, reports Zhejiang Online.

Wang says he started practicing this stunt to try to cope with the number of customers coming to his barber's shop.

"At first, many customers had to wait more than an hour in my shop, so I had to find a way of cutting hair more efficiently," he said.

Instead of recruiting more staff, Wang trained himself to cut hair with more than one pair of scissors.

He says he can actually now cut hair with as many as 18 pairs of scissors simultaneously, and with his eyes covered.

"But the TV station designed a whole set of actions for me, to make a good visual impression. They required me to have flowing movements and a strong cutting rhythm," Wang said.

"In order to shoot the 10-minute program and meet their requirements, I had to rehearse for two days."

Ananova

Monday, November 26, 2007

cell listener!

Nixper Reflexology Slippers

Boy would Stuie love these.

Enjoy foot-soothing reflexology when you use these Nixper Reflexology Slippers as you walk, work or relax.

FDA-approved and remote-controlled, these rechargeable reflexology slippers rejuvenate tired feet using four wave modes and 12 intensity levels.

You can bring in the newspaper or make dinner during treatment.

• Safe, low-frequency electrowaves stimulate nerves and muscles throughout the reflex zone, benefitting the entire body

• Slippers help improve circulation, reduce swelling, muscle contractions, and numbness in the legs

• Reflexology also soothes aches and pains associated with arthritis

• Arch supports add an extra measure of comfort

• Includes recharger and 30-minute cycle timer

$299.

Know Any Germaphobes?


For germaphobes: The Germiest Places In America.

  1. Your kitchen sink
  2. Airplane bathrooms
  3. A load of wet laundry
  4. Public drinking fountains
  5. Shopping cart handles
  6. ATM buttons
  7. Your handbag
  8. Playgrounds
  9. Mats and machines at health clubs
  10. Your bathtub
  11. Your office phone
  12. Hotel room remote
Health.com

Teenager Survives Metal Pole Through The Head

Manish RajpurohitA teenager in India has miraculously survived being skewered through the head by a metal pole in a bus crash.

The four foot long safety rail cracked through 18-year-old Manish Rajpurohit's forehead and came out through the base of his skull, missing his spine by millimetres.

The accident, which left the teenager pinned to his seat, happened when a lorry crashed into the bus he was travelling in the Indian state of Andrha Pradesh. He said: "It struck my head and embedded me into the seat. "I was stuck there crying 'Help me!’ as loud as I could."

Manish, a student, was forced to slide his head along the rod to give enough room for rescuers to cut him free from the seat. He then had to walk along the bus with the pole still sticking through his head, before enduing an hour-long trip to hospital in a three-wheeled rickshaw.

He finally arrived at the nearest hospital, only to be told that doctors there could not help him.

He was then taken by ambulance to a private hospital in Bangalore, three hours away, where surgeons were able to carefully remove the rod.

Dr Sharan Patil said: "The first thing he said to me was 'Get this bloody thing out of my head'. "It's remarkable. It missed every vital part of his brain."

After surviving the initial injury in February this year, Manish suffered a near-fatal brain infection, but has now fully recovered.

Telegraph

Giant Israeli Flag Breaks World Record

Largest flagAn Aerial view of a large Israeli flag after it was laid on the ground at the Masada airfield near the Dead Sea, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007.The huge blue and white Israeli flag, 660 meters (2,165 feet) long and 100 meters (330 feet) wide and weighing 5.2 metric tons, breaks the record for the world's largest.

Iht & Yahoo News

Why Aren't More Politicans Like Stephen Colbert?


From MSNBC:
''When Colbert announced last month that he was running for president, the Charleston native and host of Comedy Central's 'The Colbert Report' also asked viewers to give to DonorsChoose.org, which helps fulfill teacher wish lists for books, globes or other classroom materials in schools in the United States.

''The brief comment by the 43-year-old talk-show host -- who has since dropped his bid for the White House -- raised $59,000 in 10 days and reached 13,000 public school students in South Carolina, said Peter Bloom, the group's national chairman.

'''If anyone gets the chance to thank Stephen Colbert, please do so, because he made a big difference in this state with that simple announcement,' Bloom said Thursday at a National Philanthropy Day luncheon in Charleston.''

Oh No!

What is happening to my beloved Food Network? First Sara Moulton, then Mario Batali and now this. From Mediabistro.com:

Bam! Emeril Leaves Food Network

1126emeril2.jpg

Emeril Lagasse is out at the Food Network. Contract negotiations between Emeril and parent corporation Scripps have broken down. Lagasse is leaving the Food Network as a result and the last day of production for Emeril Live will be on December 11.

Reruns of both Emeril Live will continue to appear on the channel and Lagasse will "continue to be a part of the Food Network family", according to Carrie Welch of the Food Network. Lagasse's defection follows Mario Batali's exit back in September.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Free E-Books


Wowio
is a new kind of online bookstore that enables readers to download ebooks for free, using commercial sponsorships to compensate authors and publishers. Readers get free ebooks. Sponsors get a powerful new channel to communicate their message to precisely the people they want to reach.

Readers have access to a wide range of offerings, including works of classic literature, college textbooks, comic books, and popular fiction and non-fiction titles. You have to create an account to download the ebooks for free.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thanksgiving Facts

Thanksgiving Day
Nov. 22, 2007

In the fall of 1621, the religious separatist Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest, an event many regard as the nation’s first Thanksgiving. It eventually became a national holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping, never on the occasional fifth Thursday.

272 million

The preliminary estimate of turkeys raised in the United States in 2007. That’s up 4 percent from 2006. The turkeys produced in 2005 together weighed 7.2 billion pounds and were valued at $3.2 billion.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://www.nass.usda.gov/>

Weighing in With a Menu of Culinary Delights

46 million
The preliminary estimate of turkeys Minnesota expects to raise in 2007. The Gopher State is tops in turkey production. It is followed by North Carolina (39 million), Arkansas (31 million), Virginia (21.5 million), Missouri (21 million) and California (16.8 million). These six states together will probably account for about two-thirds of U.S. turkeys produced in 2007.

690 million pounds
The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2007, essentially unchanged from 2006 and 11 percent more than 2005. Wisconsin is expected to lead all states in the production of cranberries, with 390 million pounds, followed by Massachusetts (180 million). New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are also expected to have substantial production, ranging from 18 million to 52 million pounds.

1.6 billion pounds
The total weight of sweet potatoes — another popular Thanksgiving side dish — produced by major sweet potato producing states in 2006. North Carolina (702 million pounds) produced more sweet potatoes than any other state. It was followed by California (381 million pounds). Mississippi and Louisiana also produced large amounts: at least 200 million pounds each.

1 billion pounds
Total pumpkin production of major pumpkin-producing states in 2006. Illinois led the country by producing 492 million pounds of the vined orange gourd. Pumpkin patches in California, Ohio and Pennsylvania also provided plenty of pumpkins: Each state produced at least 100 million pounds. The value of all the pumpkins produced by major pumpkin-producing states was $101 million.

U.S Census Press Releases


Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Soulja Boy Tellem - How to Crank That - INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO!

Please Tell Me Why They Are Teaching The Dance In A Empty Pool?? Thats The Funniest Thing About This Dance Video!

Wife sues husband for share of secret lottery winnings


A woman whose husband has kept about $600,000 in lottery winnings from her says she has a number for him: half. And Donna Campbell is suing her husband in her attempt to get it.

But American Airlines mechanic Arnim Ramdass disappeared after his wife confronted him about the secret, so process servers haven't been able to hand him the lawsuit papers yet, Campbell's attorney said.

"Here's a guy who for years has spent marital money on the lottery and at casinos, and he's always lost," Bruce Baldwin said. "And now he finally wins, and he's trying to keep it from his wife. That's pretty low."

Campbell, Ramdass' wife since 2005 and girlfriend for five years before that, said she suspected he was hiding something when he disconnected their phone and kept their television off.

A postcard offering congratulations on a new house purchase was her final clue.

"He lied to me so many times in that one week that I tried to resolve this at home," Campbell said. "He told me that the money will all come back to us, that he couldn't get it together right now."

So Campbell did an Internet search on "Ramdass" and "lotto" and saw a news release from the Florida Lottery about a pool of 17 airline mechanics who won the $19 million jackpot on June 20.

"I was shocked," she said. "I went on the Internet looking for the purchase of probably a new home, because I saw something came in the mail that he had purchased, a 'Congratulations on your new home.' And I saw the Ramdass name listed on the Florida Lottery site."

Campbell said Ramdass completely denied winning the lottery.

"I said, 'Do you have any news you want to share with me,"' Campbell recalled telling her husband. "He said, 'No. What are you talking about?' I said, 'The lottery."'

Ramdass told her he had bought the ticket for his daughter from another marriage, but Campbell didn't believe it.

"He had been buying those tickets for years, and he never, ever said one of them was for her," Campbell said.

Ramdass and his co-workers have for years pooled their money every Wednesday and Friday for Lotto tickets, Campbell said.

The group opted for the lump-sum payment of $10.2 million, so each got about $600,000 before taxes.

"It's fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud," Campbell's lawyer said.

An American Airlines official declined to comment on Ramdass' job status, citing employee privacy, but his co-workers said he has taken a leave of absence.

"Yes, I still love him," she said. "There are still feelings there, but I think that I need to do what's right, and I did tell him that. I'm not going to let him walk away with what he has done to me."

link

Tureky & T. Rex Cousins?



The modern-day turkey on American tables and the extinct Tyrannosaurus rex have one thing in common: their wishbone.

The one-piece wishbone, or furcula, is formed by the two collarbones fusing at the sternum, which is important for a bird's flight mechanics, LiveScience reported.

Scientists believe the furcula is a key component to the theory that modern birds descended from dinosaurs but once thought the wishbone was unique to birds, the journal said.

Now, however, paleontologists say the bone dates back more than 150 million years to two-legged, meat-eating, earth-bounds dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor, the New York science publication reported. Instead of being a flight aid, their wishbones likely supported the flesh-eating dinosaurs as they held their prey.

link

Scientist Links Migraines to Brain Change

BOSTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Migraine sufferers with heightened sensitivity to light, sound and pain, may have headache-related structural changes in their brains, U.S. researchers said.

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said they've discovered evidence of this sensitivity to sensory information in a certain area of the brain, Ivanhoe Newswire reported Wednesday. In their study, they found the somatosensory cortex was, on average, 21 percent thicker in people with migraines than in people without migraine. The somatosensory cortex is the main sensory receptive area for touch.

"Repeated migraine attacks may lead to, or be the result of, these structural changes in the brain," said study author Dr. Nouchine Hadjikhani. "Most of these people had been suffering from migraines since childhood, so the long-term over-stimulation of the sensory fields in the cortex could explain these changes. It's also possible that people who develop migraines are naturally more sensitive to stimulation."

Hadjikhani said people with migraine more likely suffer from other sensitivity conditions as well, such as jaw and back pain, and sensitive skin. The discovery, he said, could help explain why those conditions are common in people with the debilitating headaches.

The findings were published online in Neurology.

link

Ladybug Robot Cleans Toilets

Lady Bird toilet-cleaning robot -- On November 21, a group of small- to medium-sized venture companies based in western Japan unveiled an autonomous ladybug-shaped robot designed to clean public restrooms at highway rest areas.

The 1-meter (39-inch) tall, 1.35-meter (53-inch) long prototype robot — named “Lady Bird” — is equipped with water tanks, brushes and other tools needed for heavy-duty scrubbing. Obstacle detection sensors allow the robot to safely perform its duties without running into people.

In addition to cleaning, Lady Bird can engage in simple conversation with restroom users, thanks to microphones in its “antennae,” speech recognition capabilities and a voice synthesizer. The robot has access to the latest information about traffic conditions on nearby roads, which it can relay to anyone comfortable enough to ask.

The developers, who are building Lady Bird for West Nippon Expressway Company Limited (NEXCO), aim to complete the machine by March 2009, and they hope to one day see it cleaning toilets at hotels and other institutions. Lady Bird robots are expected to sell for about 3.5 million yen ($3,000) each.

Yomiuri and Pink Tentacle




Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Ring the bell


ipod Hoodies

Just what your iPod was missing? A hoodie.
You want something unique to cover your ipod?
Hoodies are a youth icon, widely recognizable by people, despite their style. There are alot of other cases for Mp3 players which are all similar and uninteresting.

ipod hoodies were created by a small home grown company in the U.K. The aim was to keep your Mp3 player protected in something unique and eye catching. Hoodies will transform your ipod into something more individual!

link



You Know You Love Your French Fried Onions


This is a delicate operation. Crumbs lurk around every corner. The ideal FFO is a nice round O, or at least a crunchy strip. That's what they're after, here in the lab, where they perfect the recipe that is mass-produced and lands, in 2.8- and 6-ounce containers, in supermarkets from coast to coast (with biggest sales in the Midwest, of course). You can buy Imported Crispy Onions (all natural, from Denmark) from Whole Foods Market. You can update the recipe with a batch of homemade leek chips. But if you want authenticity, you will go for French's, which has cornered the FFO market since absorbing Durkee in 1985.

There's really only one shot for the plant to get its production right. French's mustard and its GourMayo sells all year long, but its onions? Sixty percent of the company's FFO sales come between October and December, say French's officials, or 30 million units of canned onion aroma.

To ask why we eat FFOs is an attempt to get at the root of Thanksgiving gluttony itself. There is no reason except that we are Americans and it is our God-given right.

So these are the ingredients that make the FFOs that produce the casseroles that were invented in 1955 that feed Americans on Thanksgiving Day:

Flour, water, salt and an annual allotment of 8 million pounds of palm oil and 17 million pounds of yellow onions from Upstate New York. The onions are hand-selected for the perfect level of beige-y-ness; digital color samples guide onion selectors away from those that are too green. They are sliced thin, coated in batter and placed on a 125-foot-long conveyor-belt fryer that's filled with palm oil heated to 400 degrees. When they come out of the fryer, they are dried for three hours, salted and then chemically analyzed to make sure they haven't been salted too much.

It's all about the process and consistency. It's all about opening a can of onions that tastes like every other can of onions you've ever opened. It's all about not fiddling with the product. It's all about showcasing the legacy attributes.

The thing to remember about French Fried Onions and the holidays is this, "When you put FFOs in the mix, it's a different experience. I mean you can make a lot of variations on this casserole. Cream of celery soup instead of mushroom, broccoli instead of green beans. But you cannot take away the onions."

Washington Post

Hungry tigers eat another tiger at Chinese zoo

Tigers at a zoo in northern China have become so hungry that they have started eating each other.

Recent cold weather has meant fewer visitors to the Bingchuan Wildlife Park in the city of Shenyang.



Meagre government subsidies of just 1,000 yuan (£65) per month have not been enough and keepers and doesn't have enough money to feed the animals.

At the weekend there was a fight between a group of tigers, with one male ending up being killed and eaten by four others.

Another Missed Opportunity

From Ananova:

Teen breaks blindfolded texting record

A New Zealand teenager has broken the world blindfolded texting record by sending a 160-character message in just 45 seconds.

Elliot Nicholls, 17, broke the previous record of 83 seconds twice, by sending the message in 51 seconds on his second attempt and then 45 seconds on his fourth attempt.

"I've been practising about 20 minutes every day for the past week, I knew I could do it, I just had to get the phrase into my brain," he said.

The teenager has worn out the keypads on four mobile phones already. He says he sends around 50 text messages a day.

His father says he gives Elliot a copy of the Guinness Book of Records each Christmas, so he wasn't surprised his son was "attempting something quirky".

The text he had to send was "the razor toothed piranhas of the genera serrasal musand pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world, in reality they rarely attack a human".

Elliot's own text message had to match it exactly, including spaces, punctuation and spelling with no mistakes.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Chuck Norris Roundhouse Kicks Separation Of Church And State

Bowling Pin Boys c. 1910



Photo: Lewis Wickes Hine (1910) - larger pic at Library of Congress

Bowling is an ancient sport - archaeologists have discovered primitive bowling balls and pins in an Egyptian tomb dating to 5200 BC.

But before the mechanical pinsetter was invented by Gottfried Schmidt in 1936, how did bowling alleys reset the pins? Why, with pin boys, of course!

The photo above is from the Library of Congress, captioned: 1:00 A.M. Pin boys working in Subway Bowling Alleys, 65 South St., B’klyn, N.Y. every night. 3 smaller boys were kept out of the photo by Boss. And you think you got it tought when you were young!

The Gettysburg Address, Reimagined

150_lincolnPresident Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 (144 years ago today). But what if President Lincoln were a modern CEO? Then his Gettysburg Address would be given as a Powerpoint presentation. Peter Norvig shows us what it might have looked like.

Link

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Proven by Science: Messy Beds Are Actually Healthier!


Attention slobs! Tired of getting hassled by your parents/spouse/roommate for not making up your bed in the morning? Well, tell them that science has proven that messy beds are actually healthier:

Research suggests that while an unmade bed may look scruffy it is also unappealing to house dust mites thought to cause asthma and other allergies. A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed. […]

Researcher Dr Stephen Pretlove said: "We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body.

"Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die."

Link

An Innovative Idea


File this one under ingenious devices you've always needed but no one was crazy enough to invent--until now. For all those with chronic sweaty feet resulting in dank shoes accompanied by a less-than-pleasant odor, L.I.D. (Life In Detail) now offers the Eco Shoes Dryer. They look like common shoe trees but actually contain silica gel drying material powered by an internal battery.

When all the moisture has been absorbed from your shoes a tiny indicator window turns from pink to blue. When not in use, you can recharge the dryers by plugging them directly into any normal electrical wall socket. You can obtain your slice of dry foot heaven for just 2,980 yen ($26.85) here.

SciFi.com Via Life In Detail


Seven Habits of Hightly Innovative People

1. Persistence - Innovation involves more than just great ideas. We need faith, hard work and a laser sharp focus for the end result to keep persisting for our vision in the face of roadblocks.

2. Remove Self-Limiting Inhibitions - Under the spell of inhibition, we feel limited and stuck. We need to free ourselves from these mind-created constraints by removing assumptions and restrictions. This is what we refer to when we say “think outside the box”.

3. Take Risks, Make Mistakes - Part of the reason why we create self-imposed inhibition is due to our fear of failure. Expect that some ideas will fail in the process of learning. Build prototypes often, test them out on people, gather feedback, and make incremental changes.

4. Escape - Our environment can and does effect how we feel. The more relaxed and calm we are internally, the more receptive we are to tap into our flowing creativity. This is why ideas sometimes come to us in the shower or while we’re alone.

5. Writing Things Down - Many innovators and creative people keep a journal to jot down ideas and thoughts. Some keep a sketch book, scrap book, post-it notes, loose paper. They all have a method to capture their thoughts, to think on paper, to drop their inhibitions and start the creative process.

6. Find Patterns & Create Combinations - Ideas come from other ideas.

7. Curiosity - Many innovators are just curious people who are inquisitive, and like to solve problems. Practice seeing things differently.

link

Friday, November 16, 2007

Versovino Decanter

A wonderful gift for the wine lover. Debbie uses this at all her wine tastings.




Versovino decanter


A revolution in wine service, this decanter is as innovative as it is beautiful, and makes an ideal gift for wine enthusiasts. Replace any standard wine bottle cork with the hand-blown Italian glass decanter, which pours a single serving. Aerating wine softens harsh tannins and separates the sediment from older wines, producing optimum flavor in every pour.
  • each pour measures 100ml
  • handmade in Italy

Thursday, November 15, 2007

The Vote is over

The vote is over. The pool table has been ordered from everyone's favorite store, Costco. David decided on this table and will be cleaning the basement to prepare for its arrival.

Governor’s Prayer Works

After the prayers, the rain.

When his hour-long prayer vigil for rain ended with the sun shining through Tuesday, Gov. Sonny Perdue made a bold proclamation. "God can make it rain tomorrow," he said.

Just like Perdue - and the National Weather Service - said, it was a rainy night in Georgia on Wednesday. The rain was triggered by a cold front coming through, and it was expected to last until the early hours of Thursday morning.

A Great Gift for Edy & Bert


You’ve come “across” the perfect pajamas to have any couple enjoying some quality “down” time. Perfect for Sunday morning, or any morning, classic 2-pc. pajamas with button-up tops and full-length pants are made of comfy cotton jersey with a fun crossword puzzle pattern and accents of red piping. Pants have side seam pockets and elastic, drawstring waists; His with a button fly.

$ 59.95 per pair

Gold Pills


When you have too much money and too little self-worth.

Indulge your 'inner' self with these 24k gold leaf capsules. Digest to increase self-worth.

Designer: Tobias Wong
Price: US$429.00Co-designed with Ju$t Another Rich Kid.

link

Dinosaur found with vacuum-cleaner mouth

This new dinosaur is the cousin of the Diplodicus not the Brontosaurus. Which a boy genius correctly identified some years back.

WASHINGTON - Perhaps it was one of those eureka moments, when the scientists realized they had discovered a new dinosaur with mouth parts designed to vacuum up food.

The 110 million-year-old plant eater, discovered in the Sahara Desert, was to be unveiled Thursday by the National Geographic Society.

Discoverer Paul Sereno named the elephant-sized animal Nigersaurus taqueti, an acknowledgment of the African country Niger and a French paleontologist, Philippe Taquet.

Sereno, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence and paleontologist at the University of Chicago, said the first evidence of Nigersaurus was found in the 1990s and now researchers have been able to reconstruct its skull and skeleton.

While Nigersaurus' mouth is shaped like the wide intake slot of a vacuum, it has something lacking in most cleaners — hundreds of tiny, sharp teeth to grind up its food.

The 30-foot-long Nigersaurus had a feather-light skull held close to the ground to graze like an ancient cow. Sereno described it as a younger cousin of the North American dinosaur Diplodicus.

Its broad muzzle contained more than 50 columns of teeth lined up tightly along the front edge of tis jaw. Behind each tooth more were lined up as replacements when one broke off.

Using CT scans the researchers were able study the inside of the animal's skull where the orientation of canals in the organ that helps keep balance disclosed the habitual low pose of the head, they reported.

Nigersaurus also had a backbone consisting of more air than bone.

"The vertebrae are so paper-thin that it is difficult to imagine them coping with the stresses of everyday use — but we know they did it, and they did it well," Jeffrey Wilson, assistant professor at the University of Michigan and an expedition team member, said in a statement.

The dinosaur's anatomy and lifestyle were to be detailed in the Nov. 21 issue of journal PLoS ONE, the online journal from the Public Library of Science, and in the December of National Geographic magazine.

The first bones of Nigersaurus were picked up in the 1950s by French paleontologists, but the species was not named at that time. Sereno and his team honored this early work by naming the species after Taquet.

The research was partly funded by National Geographic.

WWII Plane Washes Up In Wales after 65 Years

WWII PlaneSixty five years after it crash-landed on a beach in Wales, an American P-38 fighter plane has emerged from the surf and sand where it lay buried - a World War II relic long forgotten by the US government and unknown to the British public.

The Lockheed "Lightning" fighter, with its distinctive twin-boom design, has suddenly reappeared due to unusual conditions which caused the sands to shift and erode.

It was first spotted by a family enjoying a day at the beach on July 31 and a team of US specialists were informed and flew over to survey the site.

Since the survey in October, the sands have again buried the plane and "whether and when it will reappear is anybody's guess."

Based on its serial number and other records, "the fighter is arguably the oldest P-38 in existence, and the oldest surviving 8th Air Force combat aircraft of any type. In that respect it's a major find, of exceptional interest to British and American aviation historians," Mr Gillespie said.

Telegraph

Ohio high schools to include personal finance courses

Evan,

Looks like Ohio will be implementing your idea.

From WTOL-TV:

BOWLING GREEN -- The three R's of education are reading writing and arithmetic. But another course is about to be added to the list here in Ohio, reports News 11's Dick Berry.

It's a fact of life for many students at Bowling Green State University and other schools. They're in debt.

Last year alone, BGSU students borrowed $129 million to attend school. Their debt worries don't end here. Many are piling up bills they can't pay on credit cards.

The solution: mandatory personal finance classes in high school. That's going to happen in 2010, the result of a bill sponsored by Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray.

"Every one of us knows we don't know as much as we'd like to know about managing our finances. If we don't make good financial decisions, we're in trouble all of our lives," Cordray says.

Cordray is the keynote speaker at a Smart Money workshop for high school educators learning about the personal finance mandate. The need is there.

BGSU even has a Student Money Management Services office. Students get advice on how to develop a budget, something educators believe should start in high school.

"I personally don't see a problem with starting financial education at the youngest age possible. The more they learn, the better role model they have at a young age. Better off financially they'll be down the road," says Duane Whitmire, with BGSU Student Money Management Services.

Mike Guilfoyle has been teaching a personal finance course for 15 years at Solon High School high, where it's an elective course.

Teen arrested for virtual theft

Dutch police have arrested a teenager who stole £2,500 worth of virtual furniture from an online hotel.

Authorities said in what was the first case of its kind the 17-year-old was arrested after playing Habbo Hotel - an international game and online community with an estimated seven million members.

Habbo Hotel an online community with an estimated seven million members /Ext

The game, which has individual communities in 31 countries and a yearly turnover of £3 million, allows players to create virtual characters, or Habbos. These characters can take their own rooms in the hotel, which they can then decorate with their own furniture.

The furniture is purchased with special Habbo credits but the credits are paid for with real money.

The teenager had hacked into the accounts of other Habbo community members and taken their furniture and put it in his own room.

The 17-year-old has been charged with hacking and burglary.

A spokesman for Sulake, the company that operates Habbo Hotel, said: "The accused lured victims into handing over their Habbo passwords by creating fake Habbo websites.

"In Habbo, as in many other virtual worlds, scamming for other people's personal information such as user names has been problematic for quite a while.

"We have had much of this scamming going on in many countries but this is the first case where the police have taken legal action."

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Mr. BUCKET

JENGA

Check out the eye piece on old man summers!

World's Greatest Crossfire Rendition

Crossfire

Just What You Need...Custom Beer Pong Balls

custom-beer-pong-balls.jpg

You're not a pro Beer Pong player until you roll up with your own customized balls from Adam's Balls. A perfect match for the Official Beer Pong Table, and the most intimidation money can buy, these Custom Beer Pong Balls (from $56 for 25 balls) let you put whatever you want in awesome full-color high resolution detail. And since the company uses international standard 40mm DoubleFish table tennis balls, lowly ping pong players can use the service too.

Uncrate



The Cirque Du Soleil is looking for new talent. Even their hiring page is an explosion of creativity and unique expression!

Even if you're not keen on learning the circus arts, pay a visit and see the full range of different talents they employ through animations that reveal the transformations of stage performers into carnival creations. The list of unique abilities seems endless as the site explores the roles of divers, aerial dancers, strip teasers, and skate boarders amongst the more traditional skills of tumblers, clown, and contortionists.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Unexplained Blue Cloud

A strange blue cloud seen floating and darting around customers, freezing for 30 minutes and then speeding from an Ohio gas station, remains unexplained even though it was caught on security cams.

Tree Man 'Who Grew Roots' May Be Cured

DedeAn Indonesian fisherman who feared that he would be killed by tree-like growths covering his body has been given hope of recovery by an American doctor - and Vitamin A.

Dede, now 35, baffled medical experts when warty "roots" began growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident. The welts spread across his body unchecked and soon he was left unable to carry out everyday household tasks.

But now an American dermatology expert who flew out to Dede's home village south of the capital Jakarta claims to have identified his condition, and proposed a treatment that could transform his life.

Dede
After testing samples of the lesions and Dede's blood, Dr Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland concluded that his affliction is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers.

Dede's problem is that he has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system, meaning his body is unable to contain the warts.

Dr Gaspari, who became involved in the case through a Discovery Channel documentary, believes that Dede's condition can be largely cleared up by a daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which has been shown to arrest the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV.

"He won't have a perfectly normal body but the warts should reduce in size to the point where he could use his hands," Dr Gaspari said.

Spluch , Telegraph

SpaCapsule

iPod Compatable SpaCapsule

Billed as having been invented and perfected by doctors and physicians, Simulated Environment Concepts’ SpaCapsule could quite possibly be the ultimate in rejuvenation and de-stressing gadgetry serving not only as a full body massage system but also as an enclosed aroma-therapy unit and an audio/video entertainment device – complete with iPod connectivity - that guarantees to ease away the stresses and strains of day to day living.

Measuring in at up to 279 cm in length and weighing in at up to 357 kg (depending on optional extras) the SpaCapsule comes with LightSource video programs pre-installed that are billed as helping the user achieve ‘creative meditation, trancework, restore and revitalize the senses, attain creative visualization, benefit from creative problem solving, enjoy brainstorming and much more’ courtesy of a rather trippy, kaleidoscopic light show – though whether this is beamed across the internal canopy or simply delivered via a display unit house within the canopy is impossible to ascertain.

SpaCapsule Detail

Working in conjunction with the audio/video stimulus the SpaCapsule will also deliver the scent of the essential oils of your choice via its computer controlled aroma diffuser whilst gently massaging your entire body using its ‘secret’ Pulse-Jet technology whilst you recline in up to 20gallons (70 liters) of water.

SpaCapsule Features:

  • No plumbing, drainage or water hook-up required
  • Compact / Ergonomic Award Winning Design
  • The User remains clothed and dry
  • Built-in Multilanguage, Touch-Screen Computer Control
  • Built-in Accounting and Usage Module
  • Custom Color Availability
  • Built-in Audio and Video System
  • Built-in Computer Controlled Aromatherapy Module
  • T-Max Compatible (100%)
  • Closed Water System
  • Choice of Voltage – from 100 v to 240 v
  • Can be Operated anywhere in the World
  • Invented and Tested by Doctors
  • Easy and Low Maintenance Requirements
  • Computer Diagnostic / Repair System
  • SpaCapsule® is built to UL Standards and easily passes the field testing by ETL and TUV America

Designed not only for home use but for installation in hotels and offices, the company behind the SpaCapsule, claims that they are also looking to place this device at locations on Wall Street and in accounting companies during tax year end to help stressed workers recharge their batteries.

Pricing appears to be provided on a contact basis only, so we suspect that the SpaCapsule, which is available in a range of color schemes, is far from cheap, but for those looking for a hi-tech single solution stress-busting device this could prove to be a blissful and somewhat indulgent antidote to the stains of modern living.

link

World Kindness Day

Today is World Kindness Day. The purpose of World Kindness Day is to look beyond ourselves, beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, our religion; and realize we are citizens of the world.

As world citizens we have a commonality, and must realize that if progress is to be made in human relations and endeavors, if we are to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence, we must focus on what we have in common.

Join people around the world on this day and commit random acts of kindness.