Two galaxies perform an intricate dance in this new Hubble Space Telescope image. The galaxies, containing a vast number of stars, swing past each other in a graceful performance choreographed by gravity. CLick on image for larger view.In addition to the bat mitzvah - which included performances by Aerosmith, 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Kenny G and the Eagles - prosecutors said David Brooks got the firm, DHB Industries, to pay for other goodies.
Among them were a face lift for his ex-wife; vitamins for his stable of 100 horses; pricey vacations; fancy jewels; an armored car; a $194,000 Bentley; and a $100,000 diamond-studded belt buckle.
The elaborate scheme exploded yesterday when federal prosecutors unsealed a 21-count indictment accusing Brooks, 53, of securities fraud, insider trading, tax evasion and obstruction of justice. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
A competitive eater who has already triumphed at a famous hot dog eating contest swallowed 103 small hamburgers in 8 minutes Sunday to take home $10,000.
Joey Chestnut, 23, of San Jose, Calif., surpassed the previous record of 97 Krystal burgers — 2 1/2 inches square — held by Japan's Takeru Kobayashi, set at last year's Krystal Square Off.
"We never thought we'd see someone anywhere near, let alone past, the century mark when we started the Krystal Square Off in 2004," said Brad Wahl, vice president of marketing for The Krystal Co.
Chestnut beat 12 other contestants. Kobayashi, who won all previous Krystal Hamburger Eating Championships, didn't compete this year because of lingering jaw pain from having a wisdom tooth extracted in June.
The 29-year-old Kobayashi received chiropractic treatment before losing his hot-dog-eating belt in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July tussle in New York.
Using Sony’s proprietary algorithm, this innovative intelligent auto shutter system responds actively to smiling faces. To start, just choose Smile Shutter from Scene Selection, then press the shutter fully on the subject to be taken; the camera automatically detects the smiling face and closes the shutter. To detect the different degrees of smiles by your subject, you can set Smile Level sensitivity to “high” (to detect a faint smile), “medium” (for a normal smile), or “low” (for a hearty laugh). If there are several subjects in the frame, you can use the Touch Screen to specify the smiling face you want to take as the main subject — or let the Smile Shutter choose the main subject and take the picture.
via SonyStyle
There’s a louse that consumes a fish’s tongue and replaces it with itself. Cymothoa exigua was discovered inside the mouth of a red snapper bought from a London market. It enters through the fish’s gills and uses claws to attach itself to the base of the snapper’s tongue and survives by drinking blood from an artery. Once the tongue has been gotten rid of, it attaches itself as a new tongue, and manipulates the fish’s food and consumes the free food particles as the fish eats.
Okuri-OKAMI - Japanese: literally a "see-you-home-wolf". A man who feigns thoughtfulness by offering to see a girl home only to try to molest her once he gets in the door.
Jayus - Indonesian: someone who tells a joke so unfunny you can't help laughing.
Spesenritter - German: a person who shows off by paying the bill on the firm's money, literally "an expense knight".
Kamaki - Greek: the young local guys strolling up and down beaches hunting for female tourists, literally "harpoons".
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On the Ozone Hole Watch web site you can check on the latest status of the ozone layer over the South Pole. Satellite instruments monitor the ozone layer, and that data is used to create the images that depict the amount of ozone.
Major wildfires are burning throughout San Diego County. This map is updated as information comes in. Burn and evacuation areas are estimated.
Linda lives in Vista which is east of San Diego.
This sculpture of a gorilla is created by David Mach and it is actually made from coat hangers. Click on it for a larger view.
At the touch of a button the Transition from Terrafugia four-wheeled car extends a pair of wings either side of its main body.
Chief operating officer, Anna Mracek Dietrich, said: "It will take just a few seconds to transform and will be fully automated after the command is given in the cockpit. We're currently sold out for at least the first year, approaching the first two of production".
The Transition will use low-cost electronics and feature GPS and auto-pilot weather radar.
The prototype, which runs on super unleaded petrol, cruises at 120mph and lands at 65mph.
The estimated hourly fuel burn of four gallons equates to 30mpg in flight.
How about a little rat hair with your peanut butter? A fly head with your macaroni and cheese? Though it may sound disgusting, these things and other gross filth the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calls "natural contaminants" are indeed allowed and present in your food.
| Gross but true: A certain number of rodent hairs are allowed in the food you eat. (A whole mouse, however, is not.) |
In fact, so common are these contaminants that the FDA has published a booklet detailing the so-called "Food Defect Action Levels," which were needed, according to the FDA, " ... because it is economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects."
Think insect parts and rodent hairs are more of a rarity? Think again. A University of Ohio fact sheet estimates that we eat from one to two pounds of insects each year, and without knowing it.
CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR
Insect filth: Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments
Rodent filth: Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined OR any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs
CITRUS FRUIT JUICES, CANNED
Insects and insect eggs: 5 or more Drosophila and other fly eggs per 250 ml or 1 or more maggots per 250 ml
RED FISH AND OCEAN PERCH
Parasites: 3% of the fillets examined contain 1 or more parasites accompanied by pus pockets
MACARONI AND NOODLE PRODUCTS
Insect filth: Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples
Rodent filth: Average of 4.5 rodent hairs or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples
PEANUT BUTTER
Insect filth: Average of 30 or more insect fragments per 100 grams
Rodent filth: Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams
POPCORN
Rodent filth: 1 or more rodent excreta pellets are found in 1 or more subsamples, and 1 or more rodent hairs are found in 2 or more other subsamples OR 2 or more rodent hairs per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples OR 20 or more gnawed grains per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples
WHEAT FLOUR
Insect filth: Average of 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams
Rodent filth: Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams
Can these things be avoided? To avoid all unsavory food components, it seems, would be to stop eating all together. And perhaps we're just being too squeamish. After all, as Dr. Manfred Kroger, a professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, says, "Let's face it, much of our food comes from nature, and nature is not perfect."
A three-year-old boy who put a traffic cone on his head so he could look like Harry Potter had to be cut free by firemen.
Charlie Thomas was playing with his sisters and came across the cone.
He thought the traffic cone looked like Harry Potter's wizard hat and plonked it on his head.
When he showed parents Louisa and Martin they realised the cone was jammed tight, reports The Sun.
Louisa and Martin, of Cullompton, Devon tried to ease him free with soap but the cone wouldn't move.
She called the fire brigade who took half an hour to remove the cone with cutting tools and pliers.
Louisa said: "Charlie loves Harry and when he put the cone on he was so pleased with himself. But when we couldn't get it off, it was a bit scary.
"We shouldn't have laughed but he looked so comical, even though he was upset.
The firemen got him out by pouring water down the cone and cutting the rim.
via Ananova
The ghoul in question is cunningly concealed inside the seat of the chair. As soon as an unsuspecting person approaches, though, it will blast right through that seat, standing 6'3" tall and twice as ugly. This doesn't come cheap at $2895, but the expression on your victim's faces will be priceless. Just keep the old folks away from it - you don't want to get done for manslaughter.
via Gearlive
This Prius owner modded his car into a custom 10-seater Prius Limo, while still maintaining 50 mpg fuel efficiency. It took him 200 hours of fabrication at a cost of about $10,000.
And no, it’s not a photoshop job (if you read the whole thread, it started out as someone snapping a camera phone pic of the Prius Limo on the road, who got called a liar for photoshopping the picture, until the real owner of the car set the record straight).
Link
Ginza Tanaka Pure Gold 2008 Calendar was unveiled by Tanaka Kikinzoku Jewelry K.K. at its flagship store in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district. The calendar is 67 centimeters by 42 cm and weighs about 6 kilograms.
The jewelry dealer initially planned to put a 20.08 million yen price tag on the calendar, but soaring gold prices have forced it to raise the price.
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Rules And FAQ'sEngrish of the Day .... October 15, 2007
This Official 8' Beer Pong Table ($125) is regulation sized and extremely portable (2'x2') when folded up. The table sports a water-resistant black melamine surface and strong aluminum frame.
There really are regulations in Beer Pong?
Craig Paul Nowak's artwork uses everyday laundry detergent.
Under white light Craig's work is invisible; under blacklight you can see it.
The work will stay on the wall until it's painted over or washed off, but most of the time, nobody knows it's even there.
The top image, "Apt. 20", was done in Detroit. It's the first of several paintings Craig did using Tide laundry detergent on apartment walls of events that occurred during his stay at those apartments. It's meant to imply that what happens in a place stays in that place and becomes a part of its history forever.
Say goodbye to plastic cutlery and hello to SpudWare — cutlery made from 80% potato starch and 20% soy oil that’s just as heat resistant and every bit as strong as plastic cutlery. The kicker? It biodegrades in just 180 days! SpudWare can even be washed and reused, so you can eat your potatoes with potatoes for months to come.
The former vice president said he would donate his half of the $1.5 million prize to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a U.S. organization he founded that aims to persuade people to cut emissions and reduce global warming.
CNN
For centuries insincere humans have been said to cry crocodile tears—a nod to the famous tale that crocs weep with false remorse while devouring their prey.
