World Oldest And Largest Egg up for Sale

    Its mother has long since departed the scene. As, indeed, has its entire species.

    But this giant egg is a great survivor. It was laid around 400 years ago by one of the great elephant birds of Madagascar.

    Before becoming extinct in the 17th century, the flightless creature was the world's largest bird, standing 10ft tall and weighing half a ton.
    World
    Duncan Phillips holds a Giant Elephant Bird of Madagascar egg, which went on sale in London today

    The egg, which is more than 3ft in circumference, was discovered by Victorian explorers and has since been held in private collections.

    Its current owner is antiques dealer John Shepherd, of Ashford in Kent, who bought the egg after seeing David Attenborough discover one while filming in Madagascar.

    Mr Shepherd, a trained palaeontologist, has decided to sell the egg, which is on display at the Chelsea Antiques Fair, which runs until Sunday.

    World
    The egg is larger than a rugby ball and measures more than 3ft in diameter

    It is expected to fetch at least £5,000. He said: 'The egg is a talking point. It's very eye-catching and it has a wonderful simplicity about it. It stands on its own.

    'It has a great social history. The Madagascan elephant bird was the only giant bird to exist with man and man caused its extinction.

    'It's nice to be able to show children today about environmental issues that have been going on for hundreds of years.'
    World
    Great elephant birds became extinct after being hunted by the natives of Madagascar.

    Even though the bird weighed about half a ton, it also suffered at the hands of other predators such as pigs who ate their chicks and destroyed their eggs.

    The flightless bird, the largest to have ever lived, resembled a heavily-built ostrich. It had long legs, talons and stood at more than 10ft tall.

    But despite its fearsome appearance, it was a herbivore.
    World Largest Egg

    The bird as it would have looked 400 years ago, and right its skeleton reveals how much larger it was compared to its giant eggs

world's oldest champagne bottled in 1825

    One tasted white truffles, another gingerbread. But the esteemed wine critics that gathered to taste the world's oldest Champagne were at least agreed on one thing: that they were enjoying the opportunity of a lifetime.

    12 of the wine industry's top tasters had been given the rare chance to give their verdict on the world's oldest bottle of Champagne.

    Only two bottles now remain of the Perrier-Jouët 1825 Vintage, recognised by The Guinness Book of Records as the oldest remaining Champagne in the world.
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    The world's oldest champagne, bottled in 1825

    The tasters, which included Serena Sutcliffe, Head of the International Wine Department at Sotheby's, and Michel Bettane, France’s most celebrated wine critic, also sampled 20 other vintages from the Champagne house - though the 184-year-old vintage was undoubtedly the highlight.

    'It is virtually impossible to assign a value to the 1825 vintage - we've never seen anything like it on the market,' said Ms Sutcliffe, who co-hosted the event. 'This was, quite simply, the opportunity of a lifetime tasting such exceptional, historic vintages.'

    The occasion, to celebrate the launch of the Champagne house's first vintage of the 21st century, has been coined 'liquid history'.

    The privileged group is said to have applauded as the Cellar Master Hervé Deschamps removed the cork from the bottle.

    'It was very stressful,' he said. 'I was worried that the cork would break because it had never been changed. And I was afraid the Champagne would be undrinkable. But luckily, it was drinkable.'

    In fact, it was more than drinkable. Mr Bettane deemed the Champagne 'unbelievable'.
    'There were flavours of mushrooms, woods and a bit of honey,' he said.

    In turn, Bernard Burtschy, wine critic for French newspaper Le Figaro tasted notes of gingerbread, lemon confit, 'and of the dead leaves which are the grey hairs of a wine which has aged,' he added.

    Meanwhile Olivier Cavil, Director of Communications at Perrier-Jouët tasted white truffles and chocolate. 'Although there was only a hint of bubbles left it was perfectly fresh, the colour was fine and it resembled a very great chablis.'

    The difference in opinions did not surprise Mr Cavil however. 'It is very difficult to be objective when you are submerged in emotions and this was a very emotional occasion indeed,' he said.

    When the historic Champagne was bottled, George IV was on the British throne. The last King of France, Charles X, was crowned in 1825 at Reims Cathedral.
    world

    Fizz: Some of the ancient vintages on offer at the historic tasting

Man eats 22 live scorpions in Saudi

     Man eats 22 live scorpions
    Man eats 22 live scorpions in Saudi
    Look at how the scorpions crawl in his mouth as he chews on them gently. Yucks!! This is absolutely disgusting BUT impressive

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

     Man eats 22 live scorpions

    Man eats 22 live scorpions in Saudi Video

Top 10 Greatest Women in History

    The women I have selected have been great leaders, warriors, visionaries, or humanitarians. It has been incredibly difficult to rank this list (with the exception of position 1) so you should not consider it to be absolute

    1. Catherine II, Empress of Russia 1729 - 1796
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History
    Catherine II (the Great) reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years, from June 28, 1762 until her death. She exemplifies the enlightened despot of her era. During her reign Catherine extended the borders of the Russian Empire southward and westward to absorb New Russia, Crimea, Right-Bank Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Courland at the expense of two powers — the Ottoman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Catherine made Russia the dominant power in south-eastern Europe after her first Russo–Turkish War against the Ottoman Empire (1768–1774), which saw some of the greatest defeats in Turkish history, including the Battle of Chesma (5 July - 7 July 1770) and the Battle of Kagul (21 July 1770). Catherine’s patronage furthered the evolution of the arts in Russia more than that of any Russian sovereign before or after her. She subscribed to the ideals of the Enlightenment and considered herself a “philosopher on the throne”. She showed great awareness of her image abroad, and ever desired that Europe should perceive her as a civilized and enlightened monarch, despite the fact that in Russia she often played the part of the tyrant.

    2. Florence Nightingale 1820 - 1910
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History
    Florence Nightingale who came to be known as “The Lady with the Lamp”, was a pioneer of modern nursing, a writer and a noted statistician. Her lasting contribution has been her role in founding the modern nursing profession. She set a shining example for nurses everywhere of compassion, commitment to patient care, and diligent and thoughtful hospital administration. The work of the Nightingale School of Nursing continues today. The Nightingale building in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Southampton is named after her. International Nurses Day is celebrated on her birthday each year. Florence Nightingale’s most famous contribution came during the Crimean War, which became her central focus when reports began to filter back to Britain about the horrific conditions for the wounded. Florence and her compatriots began by thoroughly cleaning the hospital and equipment and reorganizing patient care. Nightingale believed the high death rates in the hospitals were due to poor nutrition and supplies and overworking of the soldiers. Consequently, she reduced deaths in the Army during peacetime and turned attention to the sanitary design of hospitals.
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History


    3. Saint Joan of Arc 1412 - 1431
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History

    Saint Joan of Arc was a 15th century national heroine of France. She was tried and executed for heresy when she was only 19 years old. The judgment was declared invalid by the Pope and she was declared innocent and a martyr 24 years later. She was beatified in 1909 and canonized as a saint in 1920. Joan asserted that she had visions from God which told her to recover her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years’ War. The uncrowned King Charles VII sent her to the siege at Orléans as part of a relief mission. She gained prominence when she overcame the dismissive attitude of veteran commanders and lifted the siege in only nine days. Several more swift victories led to Charles VII’s coronation at Reims and settled the disputed succession to the throne. She remained astute to the end of her life and rehabilitation trial testimony frequently marvels at her astuteness. Her subtle replies under interrogation even forced the court to stop holding public sessions.

    4. Hatshepsut, King of Egypt Reign 1479 BC to 1458 BC
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History

    Hatshepsut is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful female pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an indigenous Egyptian dynasty. Although records of her reign are documented in diverse ancient sources, Hatshepsut was once described by early modern scholars as only having served as a co-regent from about 1479 to 1458 BC, during years seven to twenty-one of the reign previously identified as that of Thutmose III. It is now known that Hatshepsut assumed the position of pharaoh and her reign as king is usually given as twenty-two years since Manetho assigns her a reign of 21 years and 9 months. As Hatshepsut reestablished the trade networks that had been disrupted during the Hyksos occupation of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, thereby building a wealth of the Eighteenth Dynasty that has become so famous since the discovery of the burial of one of her descendants, Tutankhamun, began to be analysed. Hatshepsut was one of the most prolific builders in ancient Egypt, commissioning hundreds of construction projects throughout both Upper and Lower Egypt, that were grander and more numerous than those of any of her Middle Kingdom predecessors. Although many Egyptologists have claimed that her foreign policy was mainly peaceful, there is evidence that Hatshepsut led successful military campaigns in Nubia, the Levant, and Syria early in her career.
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History


    5. Tomyris 6th century BC
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History

    Tomyris (reigned c. 530 BC) was a queen of the Massagetae, an Iranian people of Central Asia east of the Caspian Sea. She was famous for defeating and killing the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great during his invasion and attempted conquest of her country. When Cyrus captured Tomyris’ son, she sent a letter to him denouncing his treachery and challenging him to honorable battle. In the fight that ensued, the Persians were defeated with high casualties, Cyrus himself was killed, and Tomyris had his corpse beheaded. She allegedly kept his head with her at all times and drank wine from it until her death. Persian and Central Asian folklore maintain a rich store of other tales about Tomyris. It is believed that the word Tomis present day Constanta comes from Tomyris.

    6. Rosa Parks 1913 - 2005
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History

    Rosa Parks was an African American civil rights activist whom the U.S. Congress later called “Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement”. On December 1, 1955, Parks became famous for refusing to obey bus driver James Blake’s order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. This action of civil disobedience started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which is one of the largest movements against racial segregation. In addition, this launched Martin Luther King, Jr., who was involved with the boycott, to prominence in the civil rights movement. She has had a lasting legacy worldwide. Rosa Parks resided in Detroit until she died at the age of ninety-two on October 24, 2005. City officials in Montgomery and Detroit announced on October 27, 2005 that the front seats of their city buses would be reserved with black ribbons in honor of Parks until her funeral. Her casket was transported to Washington, DC, and taken, aboard a bus similar to the one in which she made her protest, to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda (making her the first woman and second African American ever to receive this honor).
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History


    7. Eva Peron 1919 - 1952
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History

    Eva Peron (Evita) was First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. During her time as wife of President Juan Peron, she became powerful within the Pro-Peronist trade unions. Eventually, she founded the charitable Eva Perón Foundation, and the nation’s first large-scale female political party, the Female Peronist Party. Her charitable organization built homes for the poor and homeless, and also provided free health care to citizens. Eventually, Evita became the center of her own vast personality cult and her image and name soon appeared everywhere, with train stations, a city (”Ciudad Evita”), and even a star being named after her. Despite her dominance and political power, Evita was always careful to never undermine the important symbolic role of her husband. On August 22, 1951 the unions held a mass rally of two million people called “Cabildo Abierto” at which they begged Eva Peron to run for vice president. It has been claimed that “Cabildo Abierto” was the largest public display of support in history for a female political figure. She eventually declined to run and died the following year of Cancer.
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History


    8. Catherine of Siena 1347 - 1380
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History

    Saint Catherine of Siena (born 23rd of 25 children) was a scholastic philosopher and theologian. She received no education and at age seven decided to become a lay member of the Dominican religious order (against the wishes of her parents). She lived at home as an anchoress in order to be able to perform acts of self denial that would not have been permitted in a nunnery. Catherine dedicated her life to helping the ill and the poor, where she took care of them in hospitals or homes. She wrote letters to men and women in authority, especially begging for peace between the republics and principalities of Italy and for the return of the papacy from Avignon to Rome. She carried on a long correspondence with Pope Gregory XI, also asked him to reform the clergy and the administration of the Papal States. Incredibly, the Pope, inspired by her wisdom, did return the Papal administration to Rome. Catherine’s letters are considered one of the great works of early Tuscan literature. More than 300 letters have survived. Pope Pius II canonized Catherine in 1461 and she is now one of three female Doctors of the Church. She is also one of the patron saints of Europe.
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History


    9. Boudica d. AD 60 or 61
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History

    Boudica was a queen of the Iceni people of Norfolk who lead an uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire. Her husband, Prasutagus had left his Kingdom jointly to his daughters and the Roman Emperor when he died. The Roman Empire allowed allied independence only for the lifetime of the current king, and inheritance though the male line only was permitted. As he had left his kingdom to his daughters, his will was ignored and his kingdom annexed as if it had been conquered. It is reported that Boudica was flogged and her daughters raped. She was later chosen as the leader of her people and their neighbors in an uprising against the Romans. Her army fell on the poorly defended city of Camulodunum (Colchester), and destroyed it, besieging the last defenders in the temple for two days before it fell. Archaeology shows the city was methodically demolished. Quintus Petillius Cerialis attempted to relieve the city, but his forces were routed. His infantry was wiped out: only the commander and some of his cavalry escaped. Tacitus says the Britons had no interest in taking or selling prisoners, only in slaughter by gibbet, fire, or cross. Dio’s account gives more prurient detail: that the noblest women were impaled on spikes and had their breasts cut off and sewn to their mouths, “to the accompaniment of sacrifices, banquets, and wanton behaviour” in sacred places, particularly the groves of Andraste. Ironically, the great anti-imperialist rebel is now identified with the head of the British Empire, and her statue stands guard over the city she razed to the ground.

    10. Emmeline Pankhurst 1858 - 1928
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History

    In 1889 Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women’s Franchise League, followed by the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1905. She was joined by her daughters Christabel and Sylvia among others in the fight for Women’s Suffrage. Pankhurst’s tactics for drawing attention to the movement led to her being imprisoned several times, and even experienced force-feeding after going on hunger strike several times. She was also instrumental in placing women in men’s jobs during World War 1. She received funding of several thousand pounds from the government to aid her in encouraging employers that women were in fact fit to undertake these jobs. Her efforts finally came to fruition in March 1918, when women over the age of 30 were given the right to vote. Later that same year, women over the age of 21 were given the right to become Members of Parliament, despite the fact they were still unable to vote. It wasn’t until 1928 that women were finally given the same voting rights as men in the United Kingdom.
    Top 10 Greatest Women in History

Ugliest cat in the world

    He goes by the name of Ugly Bat Boy - no prizes for guessing why.

    This follicly-challenged feline has become a tourist attraction because of his bizarre appearance.

    Eight-year-old Ugly, whose breed is not known, spends most of his time keeping warm by sitting on a computer at the Exeter Veterinary Hospital in New Hampshire.
    ugliest cat in the world
    Unlucky in looks: Ugly Bat Boy is bald except for an unkempt bib of hair around his neck

    Staff at the veterinary hospital have even been forced to put up fliers saying he's perfectly normal - just unattractive.

    They claim he makes up for his terrible looks by having inner beauty and a nice disposition.

    He's also turned into something of a tourist attraction in Exeter, New Hampshire, America.

    'People come in and take pictures of him on their cell phones,' staff member Christie Hartnett said.

    ugliest cat in the world

    Unusual: Staff have been forced to put up posters saying the cat is completely normal - just ugly

    'He's just great. The impression from clients that come in is he's not real because he just sits so still.

    'When he does move, he scares them, but they still think he's mesmerizing.'

    Ugly and his sister, who only survived a few weeks, were both born without fur.
    ugliest cat in the world

    Despite his looks, staff say he likes as much fuss as any ordinary cat

    And although he may not look like an ordinary cat, staff at the hospital say he behaves exactly like every other feline they've ever known.

    He loves attention and is very friendly.

    WATCH VIDEO OF UGLY BAT BOY BELOW

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