Grilling With Rich

Maggie Gyllenhaal pregnant

2011-12-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

Vodka Eyeballing

2011-11-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

'Vodka eyeballing', as it is known in student circles, is the latest drinking craze to sweep through Britain's universities.

Those who do it claim that it induces feelings of drunkenness at break-neck speeds, providing an instant high.

But the devastating long-term damage it causes is becoming a major concern among doctors and university authorities who already worry that Britain's student drinking culture is out of control.

Vodka Eyeballing : Doing Vodka Shots Through Your Eyes

Melissa, who left university last summer and is now 22, believes they are right to be worried. Her constantly watering left eye has been left permanently scarred by her antics. More worryingly still, she has been warned that her eyesight may deteriorate further as she gets older.

'I'm in constant pain because of what I did,' she says. 'And I'm terrified that it will get worse. I wish I could turn the clock back and change things. But I can't.'

It would be easy, of course, to dismiss Melissa as nothing more than a silly 'ladette'. But it is hard to reconcile that stereotype with the young woman she is today, fresh out of university in London with a first-class English degree, the privately-educated daughter of financiers, and an aspiring writer.

In short she is not the kind of young woman who might naturally be associated with Britain's spiralling binge-drinking youth culture.

The question is then, why would an intelligent, seemingly sensible woman do something so foolhardy and so grotesque as 'vodka eyeballing'. And what can be learnt from her story?

It is a question she wrestles with every day.

Crazy Drinking Habits: Vodka Eyeballing

'I know people will say that their son or daughter wouldn't do anything so stupid, but really I don't think parents have any idea what goes on at university and what pressures their children will come under to do stupid things,' says Melissa, who shares a flat with friends in South London.

'The student drinking culture has got completely out of hand and I know because I saw it. I regarded myself as a normal, sensible teenager, but I got pulled into it myself.'

She hasn't yet told her parents about her eye. 'I've put off telling them about it before now because I didn't want to worry them,' she says simply, but it's not hard to imagine how distressed they will be. Leaving home for the first time and going to university plunged Melissa into a world of almost unchecked social high-jinks.

vodka eyeballing craze that started in the U.S. and has now spread to the university party scene in Britain

'Being at university is like being in a bubble,' she claims. 'You live for the moment. It's very carefree. You want to try new things and don't think about what will happen afterwards.'

Looking back, she can see how she put common sense to one side as she tried to fit in with the other students.

The social environment at university was, she says, 'bawdy and competitive'. For those who did sports, it was even more so.

When she joined the netball team, she had no idea that her drinking skills off the court would be as scrutinised as her agility on it. Overnight, she found herself swiftly drawn into the university drinking culture.

Young people 'drinking' neat vodka alcohol Shot in eyes to get drunk

Vodka eyeball shots a dangerous way to imbibe Pictures

'It's especially difficult if you do sports because the element of competition you see in your game is transferred to the bar,' she says. 'I felt very pressured at the beginning. When we were travelling back from a game on the coach, there was a tradition whereby you had to down lots of port.'

The weekly 'Athletics Union' nights held in the Students' Union bar were even more depraved.

'The rugby players were the worst,' she says. 'But because of feminism, you're expected, as a woman, to keep up with them. The guys set a precedent and you have to follow. That's what drives the whole ladette culture. Women believing they have to be equal in every single way.'

What made matters worse for Melissa was that, by her own admission, she has always been highly competitive. It is a trait that in other areas of her life, her schooling, exams, has served her well.

Under the influence of alcohol, it was disastrous. Challenged to undergo a 'vodka eyeball', she was determined to impress her friends.

'Vodka eyeballing' is believed to have emerged as a dangerous trend in the U.S., where it is a popular nightclub trick performed by waitresses for tips in resorts such as Las Vegas.

Critics have also blamed the 2000 film Kevin And Perry Go Large, starring Harry Enfield as 'Kevin the Teenager', for encouraging the practice. In the film, actor Rhys Ifans plays a character called DJ Eyeball Paul, who performs the stunt in nightclubs.

While medical experts say it is still a relatively new phenomenon, a quick glance at the internet reveals how rife it has become among young drinkers in Britain.

The website YouTube, for example, features more than 800 clips of young men and women pouring vodka into their eyes - usually in their own homes. And these are just the ones stupid enough to film themselves and post their clips online.

Another woman I spoke to this week recalled seeing her former boss, a senior figure at a well-known advertising agency, 'drinking' vodka through his eye at an advertising party.

There are also pages on Facebook and other social networking sites set up by 'fans' of 'eyeballing', in which people seem to revel in the dramatic inebriation which seems to follow this dangerous practice.

In Scotland, concerns have been expressed by charities and campaign groups over a similar stunt using the highly alcoholic cinnamon-flavoured schnapps Aftershock instead of vodka.

Certainly, in recent years, ' eyeballing' has become a regular feature in university bars which are often run by students themselves and therefore difficult to police.

Melissa was partly reassured by the fact that many of her peers were doing it.

'I saw people I respected, intelligent students from normal, sensible backgrounds like me, behaving like this. I know it sounds stupid, but it made you feel it was OK. You felt that if other people were doing it with no serious side-effects, then somehow you were all right.

'I felt very buoyed up by everyone else. Your inhibitions have gone. It was exciting to push yourself.

'People will wonder why you'd do something so unpleasant to yourself, but it's almost a masochistic thing, a test of your endurance in front of your peers.' Not surprisingly, the pain was excruciating.

'It did sting. It was really painful. But bearing the pain is part of the competitiveness .'

Devotees claim that 'vodka eyeballing' induces drunkenness faster than drinking it can, because it passes easily through the mucous membrane and enters the bloodstream directly through veins at the back of the eye, although some experts are sceptical about the claims and believe that since those who do it are usually already drunk, they simply convince themselves that it's having such an effect.

Professor Robin Touquet, consultant in emergency medicine at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, says: 'At 40 per cent pure ethanol, vodka in the eye would create inflammation and thrombosis - clotting of the blood vessels - such that very little alcohol would be absorbed. Unlike the stomach, the eye does not have a gastro-intestinal lining to protect it and aid absorption.

'I am absolutely horrified that someone would even think of putting vodka in their eye. It's self-abuse.

'In the past, vodka has been used as a disinfectant. At 40 per cent proof, imagine what it can do to an area as sensitive as the eye? It is highly toxic.

'Poured into the eye over a period of time, it could cause serious damage to both the cornea and the sclera, the white of the eye.'

Not surprisingly then, the following morning after her first 'vodka eyeball', Melissa's eye was severely bloodshot and sore.

'The pain went on for a long time, but I thought it was partly due to my hangover.' Nevertheless, she underwent the process again and again. In the weeks that followed, it became her party trick.

'I was very competitive,' she admits. 'Some people might do it once or twice - I did it quite a lot. I don't think I did more than three shots in a night, but I've got so much alcohol-related amnesia that I have completely blank periods of memory.'

On one level, of course, it is hard to comprehend how an intelligent young woman could be so irresponsible. But what is clear too is that Melissa's story is by no means unique.

'Vodka eyeballing was quite mainstream really,' she says. 'It went on all the time. Men and women were doing it. It was mostly the men, but the more competitive girls were trying to keep up with them. There was a sense that it was harmless fun. And although it was going on in the students' union bar, it was mostly run by students.'

It took only a month for Melissa to realise that she had damaged her eye. 'It got more and more sore and bloodshot,' she says. 'It was as if I had conjunctivitis all the time. It was sore and weepy, very sensitive. I was really frightened.'

Not surprisingly, her doctor was stunned when she went to see him. Melissa, who previously had perfect eyesight, was referred to an ophthalmologist, who told her that she had permanent scarring on the cornea of her left eye.

'She'd heard about vodka eyeballing going on in America, but she'd never seen a case in Britain,' says Melissa.

'She said vodka was so corrosive that it had literally seared its way through the cornea. But there was nothing she could do. You can't repair the cornea. I've been told it could lead to complications and can cause blindness, which is terrifying.

'At the moment, my vision is blurred in that eye, but that's because it's watering all the time. It's really sore and weepy. I've got used to the pain now. I just have to bear it. I don't think people can tell looking at me, but it is more bloodshot than the other one. It's never a clear white colour. It's hard to wear eye make-up because if anything goes in it, it's really painful and starts watering.'

Alarmingly, some of her friends have also suffered after-effects.

'I've told them to seek medical help, but they're too scared,' she says. Melissa is speaking out now because she wants to warn other students of the dangers and the pressures of the university drinking culture.

'The damage I've done to my eye is irrevocable. It's like someone damaging their liver. I really do want to get the message across,' she says.

She still drinks alcohol although never vodka, but keeps within the recommended NHS limits.

'I can't bear not feeling in control now,' she says. 'I hate the fact that there are nights out, periods of time that I simply can't remember.'

But there are also things that she can't forget.

And while most people are able to put their youthful misdemeanours behind them, Melissa is reminded of hers every day, with every blink of her eye.

Salar de Uyuni | Salt Hotel In Bolivia - Unusual & Unique Hotels Of The World

2011-10-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

At first glance, you could be forgiven for mistaking these images for a beach house, with the floors dusted in a layer of sand and walls made from stone.

But in fact everything in this incredible South American hotel is made from salt - including most of the furniture.

The Hotel de Sal, near Colchani, Bolivia, hosts guests who have come to visit the stunning salt flats where vast expanses of salt lakes give the surreal impression of the earth meeting the sky.

Salar de Uyuni | Salt Hotel In Bolivia

Tourists typically stay for a few days to see the natural wonders of Bolivia's most notorious attraction before moving on to the next stop of their journey.

For £84 a night, lodgers can rent a double room - complete with their own salt bed of course - and breakfast.

Tour guide Pedro Pablo Michel Rocha, of Hidalgo Tours, works with the hotel to provide trips in the south of the country.

He said: 'I love it when visitors come to this place for the first time.

'They can't get over the fact that everything is made out of salt and I've even seen a few people lick the furniture to make sure!

Salt Hotel

Luxury Accommodation Hotel In Bolivia

'It is a wonderful experience to come somewhere like this where they've used the natural materials available to create something like a hotel.'

The infamous salt flats in Salar de Uyuni were formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes.

The plains are covered by a few feet of salt crust which has an unusual flatness and covers a pool of brine which is exceptionally rich in lithium.

Unusual & Unique Hotels Of The World

Although tourists have long been visiting the area, it wasn't until around five years ago that interest grew in extracting the 5.4m tons of lithium which is found just below the surface of the salt.

The lithium in the area makes up half the world's supply and is used in batteries for mobile phones and computers, as well as being a key element in electric cars.

Frog Juice In Peruvian

2011-10-05T03:52:00.000-07:00

Frog Juice

Peru has been selling fresh frog juice for the last 15 years, and some locals drink it every day because they say it gives them strength.

There’s nothing like a glass of fresh juice in the morning, right? Peruvian restaurant owner Carmen Gonzales would agree with this 100%, only she has a different kind of juice in mind – frog juice, For the last 15 years she and various other juice stand owners have been serving her Jugo de Rana to locals and tourists brave enough to try it, and business is better than ever. She sells about 80 frog-based drinks every day, and some of her clients have them as breakfast drinks, early in the morning, because it gives them energy for the entire day.

The frogs, which come from the famous Lake Titicaca, located at a high elevation in southern Peru, are taken out of a small aquarium, killed by banging them against tiles, skinned and dropped into a blender along with 20 other ingredients including white bean broth, honey, raw aloe vera, malt, maca (an Andean root also believed to boost stamina and sex drive) and sometimes even wine. This so-called “Peruvian Viagra” costs around $2, but fans of the drink say it’s worth every penny for its tonic effect on the human body.

Grilling With Rich

2011-09-26T03:41:00.001-07:00

Grilling With Rich

Boo Dog - Cutest Dog In The World

2011-09-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Boo Dog - Cutest Dog In The World

Boo Dog - He has nearly two million fans in Facebook and a book deal. But Boo isn't a reality TV star, actor or a pop singer - he's a pet dog.

The five-year-old Pomeranian has the fame most celebrities dream of after amassing 1.79million fans on social networking site Facebook.

And Boo is also a hit with the ladies. He attracted the attention of Hollywood stars including Khloe Kardashian, who posted a picture of the dog on her blog last year and singer Ke$ha, who Tweeted that Boo was 'her new boyfriend.'

Since then, Boo's Facebook page, launched in 2009, has gone viral, receiving thousands of new fans a day.

His owner, who has concealed her identity and location in the U.S. and uses the pseudonym J.H Lee told Time:'My friends loved looking at pictures of him.

'We started the first Facebook page as a joke.'

Boo shot to fame when he realised the key to looking so good in photographs is a great haircut.

The canine's unique look is down to an happy accident - his long hair was so knotted, it had to be shaved off.

Lee said: 'The groomer said they wouldn't even be able to get a brush through him.

'I was really upset when I heard that. But when I picked him up, I found he was actually really cute that way.'

Boo has been busy promoting his new book, a collection of photographs entitled 'Boo, the life of the world's cutest dog.'

The £8.99 book features exclusive photographs of Boo 'doing all his favorite things, lounging around, playing with friends, exploring the whole wide world, and making those famous puppy-dog eyes.'

And judging by his success so far, it's sure to be a bestseller.

Boo Dog - Cutest Dog In The World

Shaolin Kung Fu Fighting | Martial Arts 2011

2011-09-05T00:43:00.000-07:00

Kung Fu | Martial Arts

Kung Fu martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu (simplified Chinese: 武术; traditional Chinese: 武術; pinyin: wǔshù) and popularly as kung fu (Chinese: 功夫; pinyin: gōngfu), are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" (家, jiā), "sects" (派, pài) or "schools" (門, mén) of martial arts. Examples of such traits include physical exercises involving animal mimicry, or training methods inspired by Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles which focus on qi manipulation are labeled as internal (内家拳, nèijiāquán), while others concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness and are labeled external (外家拳, wàijiāquán). Geographical association, as in northern (北拳, běiquán) and southern (南拳, nánquán), is another popular method of categorization.

History

The genesis of Chinese martial arts has been attributed to the need for self-defense, hunting techniques and military training in ancient China. Hand-to-hand combat and weapons practice were important in training ancient Chinese soldiers.

While it is clear that various forms of martial arts have been practiced in China since antiquity, very little detail on specifics can be recovered for times predating the 16th century. By contrast, there is a variety of sources on the topic from the Qing period.

Detailed knowledge about the state and development of Chinese martial arts becomes available from the Nanjing decade (1928-1937), as the Central Guoshu Institute established by the Kuomintang regime made an effort to compile an encyclopedic survey of martial arts schools. Since the 1950s, the People's Republic of China has organized Chinese martial arts as an exhibition and full-contact sport under the heading of Wushu.

Legendary origins

According to legend, Chinese martial arts originated during the semi-mythical Xia Dynasty (夏朝) more than 4,000 years ago. It is said the Yellow Emperor Huangdi (legendary date of ascension 2698 BCE) introduced the earliest fighting systems to China. The Yellow Emperor is described as a famous general who, before becoming China’s leader, wrote lengthy treatises on medicine, astrology and the martial arts. One of his main opponents was Chi You (蚩尤) who was credited as the creator of jiao di, a forerunner to the modern art of Chinese Wrestling.

Early history

The earliest references to Chinese martial arts are found in the Spring and Autumn Annals (5th century BCE), where a hand to hand combat theory, including the integration of notions of "hard" and "soft" techniques, is mentioned. A combat wrestling system called juélì or jiǎolì (角力) is mentioned in the Classic of Rites (1st century BCE). This combat system included techniques such as strikes, throws, joint manipulation, and pressure point attacks. Jiao Di became a sport during the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BCE). The Han History Bibliographies record that, by the Former Han (206 BCE – 8 CE), there was a distinction between no-holds-barred weaponless fighting, which it calls shǒubó (手搏), for which "how-to" manuals had already been written, and sportive wrestling, then known as juélì or jiǎolì (角力). Wrestling is also documented in the Shǐ Jì, Records of the Grand Historian, written by Sima Qian (ca. 100 BCE).

In the Tang Dynasty, descriptions of sword dances were immortalized in poems by Li Bai. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, xiangpu contests were sponsored by the imperial courts. The modern concepts of wushu were fully developed by the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Philosophical influences

The ideas associated with Chinese martial arts changed with the evolution of Chinese society and over time acquired some philosophical bases: Passages in the Zhuangzi (庄子), a Daoist text, pertain to the psychology and practice of martial arts. Zhuangzi, its eponymous author, is believed to have lived in the 4th century BCE. The Tao Te Ching, often credited to Lao Zi, is another Daoist text that contains principles applicable to martial arts. According to one of the classic texts of Confucianism, Zhou Li (周禮/周礼), Archery and charioteering were part of the "six arts" (simplified Chinese: 六艺; traditional Chinese: 六藝; pinyin: liu yi, including rites, music, calligraphy and mathematics) of the Zhou Dynasty (1122–256 BCE). The Art of War (孫子兵法), written during the 6th century BCE by Sun Tzu (孫子), deals directly with military warfare but contains ideas that are used in the Chinese martial arts.

Daoist practitioners have been practicing Tao Yin, physical exercises similar to Qigong that was one of the progenitors to Tai Chi Chuan, from at least as early as 500 BCE. In 39–92 CE, "Six Chapters of Hand Fighting", were included in the Han Shu (history of the Former Han Dynasty) written by Pan Ku. Also, the noted physician, Hua Tuo, composed the "Five Animals Play"—tiger, deer, monkey, bear, and bird, around 220 BCE. Daoist philosophy and their approach to health and exercise have influenced the Chinese martial arts to a certain extent. Direct reference to Daoist concepts can be found in such styles as the "Eight Immortals" which uses fighting techniques that are attributed to the characteristics of each immortal.

Shaolin and temple-based martial arts

Shaolin Monastery

The Shaolin style of wushu is regarded as amongst the first institutionalized Chinese martial arts. The oldest evidence of Shaolin participation in combat is a stele from 728 CE that attests to two occasions: a defense of the Shaolin Monastery from bandits around 610 CE, and their subsequent role in the defeat of Wang Shichong at the Battle of Hulao in 621 CE. From the 8th to the 15th centuries, there are no extant documents that provide evidence of Shaolin participation in combat.

Between the 16th and 17th centuries there are at least forty sources which provide evidence that not only did the monks of Shaolin practice martial arts, but martial practice had become such an integral element of Shaolin monastic life that the monks felt the need to justify it by creating new Buddhist lore, the earliest appearance of the frequently cited legend concerns Bodhidharma's supposed foundation of Shaolin Kung Fu dates to this period. The origin of this legend has been traced to the Ming period's Yijin Jing or "Muscle Change Classic", a text written in 1624 attributed to Bodhidharma.

References of martial arts practice in Shaolin appear in various literary genres of the late Ming: the epitaphs of Shaolin warrior monks, martial-arts manuals, military encyclopedias, historical writings, travelogues, fiction and poetry. However these sources do not point out to any specific style originated in Shaolin. These sources, in contrast to those from the Tang period, refer to Shaolin methods of armed combat. This include a skill for which Shaolin monks had become famous—the staff (gùn, Cantonese gwan). The Ming General Qi Jiguang included description of Shaolin Quan Fa (Pinyin romanization: Shào Lín Quán Fǎ or Wade-Giles romanization Shao Lin Ch'üan Fa, 少林拳法 "fist principles"; Japanese pronunciation: Shorin Kempo or Kenpo) and staff techniques in his book, Ji Xiao Xin Shu (紀效新書), which can be translated as "New Book Recording Effective Techniques". When this book spread to East Asia, it had a great influence on the development of martial arts in regions such as Okinawa and Korea.

Styles

China has a long history of martial traditions that includes hundreds of different styles. Over the past two thousand years many distinctive styles have been developed, each with its own set of techniques and ideas. There are also common themes to the different styles, which are often classified by "families" (家, jiā), "sects" (派, pai) or "schools" (門, men). There are styles that mimic movements from animals and others that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies, myths and legends. Some styles put most of their focus into the harnessing of qi, while others concentrate on competition.

Chinese martial arts can be split into various categories to differentiate them: For example, external (外家拳) and internal (内家拳). Chinese martial arts can also be categorized by location, as in northern (北拳) and southern (南拳) as well, referring to what part of China the styles originated from, separated by the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang); Chinese martial arts may even be classified according to their province or city. The main perceived difference between northern and southern styles is that the northern styles tend to emphasize fast and powerful kicks, high jumps and generally fluid and rapid movement, while the southern styles focus more on strong arm and hand techniques, and stable, immovable stances and fast footwork. Examples of the northern styles include changquan and xingyiquan. Examples of the southern styles include Bak Mei, Wuzuquan, Choy Li Fut and Wing Chun. Chinese martial arts can also be divided according to religion, imitative-styles (象形拳), and family styles such as Hung Gar (洪家). There are distinctive differences in the training between different groups of the Chinese martial arts regardless of the type of classification. However, few experienced martial artists make a clear distinction between internal and external styles, or subscribe to the idea of northern systems being predominantly kick-based and southern systems relying more heavily on upper-body techniques. Most styles contain both hard and soft elements, regardless of their internal nomenclature. Analyzing the difference in accordance with yin and yang principles, philosophers would assert that the absence of either one would render the practitioner's skills unbalanced or deficient, as yin and yang alone are each only half of a whole. If such differences did once exist, they have since been blurred.

Training

Chinese martial arts training consists of the following components: basics, forms, applications and weapons; different styles place varying emphasis on each component. In addition, philosophy, ethics and even medical practice are highly regarded by most Chinese martial arts. A complete training system should also provide insight into Chinese attitudes and culture.

Basics

The Basics (基本功) are a vital part of any martial training, as a student cannot progress to the more advanced stages without them; Basics are usually made up of rudimentary techniques, conditioning exercises, including stances. Basic training may involve simple movements that are performed repeatedly; other examples of basic training are stretching, meditation, striking, throwing, or jumping. Without strong and flexible muscles, management of Qi or breath, and proper body mechanics, it is impossible for a student to progress in the Chinese martial arts. A common saying concerning basic training in Chinese martial arts is as follows:

内外相合，外重手眼身法步，内修心神意氣力。

Which can be translated as:

Train both Internal and External.

External training includes the hands, the eyes, the body and stances. Internal training includes the heart, the spirit, the mind, breathing and strength.

Stances

Stances (steps or 步法) are structural postures employed in Chinese martial arts training. They represent the foundation and the form of a fighter's base. Each style has different names and variations for each stance. Stances may be differentiated by foot position, weight distribution, body alignment, etc. Stance training can be practiced statically, the goal of which is to maintain the structure of the stance through a set time period, or dynamically, in which case a series of movements is performed repeatedly. The horse-riding stance (骑马步/马步 qí mǎ bù/mǎ bù) and the bow stance are examples of stances found in many styles of Chinese martial arts.

Meditation

In many Chinese martial arts, meditation is considered to be an important component of basic training. Meditation can be used to develop focus, mental clarity and can act as a basis for qigong training.

Use of qi

The concept of qi or ch'i (氣/气) is encountered in a number of Chinese martial arts. Qi is variously defined as an inner energy or "life force" that is said to animate living beings; as a term for proper skeletal alignment and efficient use of musculature (sometimes also known as fa jin or jin); or as a shorthand for concepts that the martial arts student might not yet be ready to understand in full. These meanings are not necessarily mutually exclusive.The existence of qi as a measurable form of energy as discussed in traditional Chinese medicine has no basis in the scientific understanding of physics, medicine, biology or human physiology.

There are many ideas regarding the control of one's qi energy to such an extent that it can be used for healing oneself or others: the goal of medical qigong. Some styles believe in focusing qi into a single point when attacking and aim at specific areas of the human body. Such techniques are known as dim mak and have principles that are similar to acupressure.

Weapons training

Most Chinese styles also make use of training in the broad arsenal of Chinese weapons for conditioning the body as well as coordination and strategy drills.Weapons training (qìxiè 器械) are generally carried out after the student is proficient in the basics, forms and applications training. The basic theory for weapons training is to consider the weapon as an extension of the body. It has the same requirements for footwork and body coordination as the basics. The process of weapon training proceeds with forms, forms with partners and then applications. Most systems have training methods for each of the Eighteen Arms of Wushu (shíbābānbīngqì 十八般兵器) in addition to specialized instruments specific to the system.

Fingering A Girl Techniques | Female Masturbation

2011-08-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Fingering A Girl | Female Masturbation

Fingering A Girl Techniques is the manual manipulation of the clitoris, vulva, vagina, or anus for the purpose of sexual arousal and stimulation. It may constitute the entire sexual encounter or it may be part of mutual masturbation, foreplay or other sexual activities. To "finger oneself" is to masturbate in this manner. It is analogous to a handjob, the manual stimulation of the penis. These activities provide sexual pleasure, whether or not used as non-penetrative or penetrative intercourse.

Vaginal fingering is legally and medically called "digital penetration of the vagina," and may involve one or more fingers.

Outside the vagina

Massage of the vulva, and in particular the clitoris, is the most common way for a woman to reach and achieve an orgasm. The clitoral body or shaft may be massaged, usually through the skin of the clitoral hood, using up-and-down, side-to-side, or circular motions.[1] The labia and the rest of the genitals are also stimulated by massage and fingering.

Inside the vagina

Fingering the vagina is often performed in an effort to stimulate the G-Spot or A-spot. Fingering the external tissues is more likely to lead to orgasm for many women. The G-Spot is located roughly 5 cm up on the anterior wall of the vagina, forwards toward the belly button. It can most easily be recognized by its ridges and slightly rougher texture compared to the more cushion-like vaginal cavity walls around it. The A-spot is located deeper in the vagina, on the same wall as the G-Spot, where the vaginal wall starts to curve upward (the entrance to the anterior fornix).

Fingering the G-Spot is a commonly cited method that can often lead to female ejaculation. This release of fluid can range significantly in quantity and force of expulsion, varying from woman to woman and also varying with different scenarios for each woman. The fluid following a G-Spot ejaculation is released from the urethra but is not urine, as its contents do not come in contact with those of the bladder at any stage. This female ejaculate contains antibodies otherwise only found in the male prostate, leading to speculation that it is produced by a structure homologous to the prostate. Parallels are sometimes drawn with the fingering or other manipulation of the male prostate through the anus. Fingering the A-spot is a relatively uncommon method that can often result in rapid lubrication and arousal without any other stimulation. If stimulation is continued, it can also result in orgasm.

Some women have cited the "come hither" approach as a significant catalyst to orgasm. This technique involves the middle finger, sometimes additionally the index finger, making a hand gesture like "come here" with the palm facing upwards against her pubic bone. There is no technique for stimulating the G-Spot or A-spot that is preferred by all women.

Medical professionals suggest washing the hands before contact with the vagina, to avoid spreading bacteria and causing infections. Worthy of special attention is the washing of hands after any finger contact with the anus, to avoid the spread of bacteria from the anus to the vagina.

Anal fingering

The practice may be pleasurable because of the large number of nerve endings in the anal area, and because of the added stimulation gained from stretching the anal sphincter muscles while inserting the finger.

A good quality sexual lubricant is advisable to both increase the pleasurable sensation and aid insertion. Some people prefer to simply stimulate the outer ring of the anus, while others will follow this by inserting one or more fingers. Fingering may be seen as an act in itself, or as an arousing prelude in preparation for further anal sex. Anal fingering can arouse the receiver, allowing them to relax their anus and prepare them for the insertion of a penis or any other sexual instrument.

Anal fingering is also an effective way of stimulating the prostate gland in males, and thus may bring the receiver to orgasm. Anal fingering can also stimulate the perineal sponge in females.

Safety

The practice is generally considered 'safe sex' as long as the hands are protected with latex gloves. The nails should be trimmed and filed; long, sharp or jagged nails can cause cuts, injury, or severe infection. If there are cuts, infections, or open wounds on the fingers extreme protection and care is necessary. If finger cots are used they may slip off and remain inside the receptive partner. The hands should be thoroughly washed with soap and warm water before practicing any other activity to avoid spreading bacteria or germs. In stimulating both the anus and vagina, separate latex gloves are to be used for each so as to avoid cross contamination.

Fingering A Girl Techniques | Female Masturbation Videos

Scientists Claim Human Brain May Have Reached Full Capacity

2011-08-16T03:02:00.000-07:00

Scientists claim the human brain is at capacity and is too tiring to get smarter

We've invented penicillin, space shuttles, computers and even artificial hearts, among many other wonders. So where will human intelligence go from here?

The answer, if certain scientists are correct, is nowhere.

Mankind’s brain power has reached its peak and it is physically impossible for us to become any smarter, they say.

They claim that in order to become any more intelligent the human brain would need vast amounts of extra energy and oxygen – and we simply cannot provide it.

Cambridge University researchers have analysed the structure of the brain and worked out how much energy its cells use up.

Simon Laughlin, professor of neurobiology, said: ‘We have demonstrated that brains must consume energy to function and that these requirements are sufficiently demanding to limit our performance and determine design.

'Far-reaching powers of deduction demand a lot of energy because for the brain to search out new relationships it must constantly correlate information from different sources.

‘Such energy demands mean there is a limit to the information we can process.’

Other scientists claim that the brain’s ‘wiring’ or network of fibres linking different areas to one another cannot get any better.

They have found that the cleverest people have the best wiring, with messages carried very quickly between different parts of the brain.

But scientists claim that the wiring would need vast amounts of extra energy to become more efficient. As before, they say it is impossible for humans to provide this, therefore we cannot get cleverer.

Ed Bullmore, professor of psychiatry at Cambridge, where he specialises in brain imaging, measured the efficiency with which different parts of the brain communicated with each other.

He found impulses travelled fastest in smarter people and slower in those who were less intelligent.

He said: ‘High integration of brain networks seems to be associated with high IQ.

‘You pay a price for intelligence. Becoming smarter means improving connections between different brain areas but this runs into tight limits on energy, along with space for the wiring.’

Martijn van den Heuvel, assistant professor of psychiatry at Utrecht medical centre in Holland, who also studies how differences in the wiring of human brains affects IQ, said: ‘Increasing the power of the brain would take a disproportionate increase in energy consumption.

'It is risky to predict the distant future but it is clear there are tight constraints on intelligence.’

Man drinks gasoline for 42 years

2011-07-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

Man drinks gasoline for 42 years

Gasoline powers vehicles all around the world, but a sick Chinese man has been drinking the sticky liquid for 42 years under the illusion that it can relieve his physical pain.

Chen Dejun, 71, lives by himself in shabby thatched cottage on a hill in Shuijiang township, Nanchuan district of southwest China's Chongqing municipality. The short and bony man said he drinks 3 to 3.5 kilograms of gasoline every month, which he buys from a station at the foot of the hill.

Chen is known locally as a stonecutter and master of weaving bamboo with a good business sense. But he’s also known for his undying love of drinking gasoline.

He developed the habit back in 1969 when he suddenly began coughing and felt pain in his chest. Seeing no progress after trying some medicine, he took up the folk remedy of drinking kerosene, Chongqing Evening News reported.

It turned out to be helpful for him after the first sip, and he since became addicted to kerosene. Then he moved on to gasoline.

Chen said it is hard to calculate exactly how much gasoline he has swallowed throughout his life, but the newspaper reported Chen has consumed an estimated 1.5 tons over the past 42 years.

Chen's wife Yuan Huibi and their three sons tried many times to stop Chen's addiction to gasoline, but those efforts only made the family relations tense. Eight years ago Chen moved to the cottage to live alone.

Sources from Honglou Hospital in Chongqing said Chen‘s health is fine despite having symptoms of emphysema. Chen refused to receive free check ups from the hospital.

Feng Fu, an associate professor with the Second Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, said Chen may have developed some resistance to gasoline. Otherwise, Feng said, it would be impossible for Chen to live. Feng also said gasoline may only work as anaesthetic for Chen but can’t cure his pain.

Man drinks gasoline for 42 years

Pub Selling Apple Flavoured Horse Semen Shots | Horse Semen

2011-06-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

Pub Selling Apple Flavoured Horse Semen Shots

A pub in New Zealand has started selling a rather odd drink… apple flavoured horse semen. Yes you read that correctly.

Bosses at The Green Man Pub in Wellington say they started offering the spunky 30ml shots after coming up with it for a food contest.

And they have been blown away by the demand for the £12 drink which is served chilled and is said to contain about 300 million individual horse sperm cells.

Steve Drummond said women have been more curious than men about the unique drink.. though men have often dared each other into downing one.

He added there was also one female customer who's commented she was concerned because she thought she might conceive children with long faces. It's not known how much she'd had to drink first.

Raw Fish to Remedies Asthma | Natural Cure For Asthma Treatment

2011-06-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

Asthma

Curing From asthma Attack : A 166-year-old Indian medical practice has sparked the ire of a children's advocacy group, which claims the controversial tradition is potentially hazardous to youngsters' health.

As the BBC is reporting, Balula Hakkula Sangham wants children under the age of 14 to be exempt from a procedure which involves swallowing small live fish with herbal paste. The practice, which is typically administered to thousands at a two-day festival in the state of Andhra Pradesh, is thought to permanently cure asthma.

The AFP quotes a petition started by the group as saying, "The process of giving the medicine is unhygienic as the person gives it to lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of people without washing their hands." Balula Hakkula Sangham officials are also said to have slammed the unorthodox medicine as "unscientific" and a violation of human rights.

Claiming to have received the medicine recipe from a Hindu saint in 1845, Goud family members have fought back against the criticism. "It has been the practice of the Goud Family for the past 166 years to offer this medicine free of cost to those who need it," Bathini Harinath Goud, head of the family, said. He went on to note that 400,000 people participated in the fish-swallowing procedure last year. "These companies are paying money to rake up the issue as they are worried about the fish medicine affecting their business interests since what we administer is a permanent cure for asthma," he said.

The Times of India reports that the family has faced criticism for the practice previously, and had to rename it after a court order over the use of "medicine" for what is arguably a faith-based therapy.

Andhra Pradesh's Human Rights Commission on Tuesday has reportedly ordered a report into the complaints, which is expected to be delivered this week. Source :-huffingtonpost

The World’s Most Expensive Kebab | Expensive Food and Drink

2011-06-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

The World’s Most Expensive Kebab | Expensive Food and Drink

Meet the world’s most exclusive and expensive kebab. And with a retail value of a whopping £750, this posh creation is not one for enjoying at 3am on Saturday morning after a heavy drinking session.

Dubbed the ‘King of Kebabs’ the gastronomic creation, from chef Andy Bates, comes complete with saffron infused flat bread, milk-fed lamb from the Pyrenees and edible gold leaf garnish.

Also on the expensive kebab is Champagne infused mint and cucumber yoghurt, micro cress and lettuce, Ceour de Beouf tomatoes and oregano concass along with some Barrel Aged Yews Feta cheese.

But don't expect to find it in your local kebab shop, the 'King of Kebabs' was created for Food Network UK mark the launch of The Great Food Truck Race. Which means if you want to try it, you'll need to source that Saffron infused flatbread yourself.

King of Kebabs
- Saffron infused flatbread
- Champagne infused mint and cucumber yoghurt
- Micro cress and lettuce salad
- Chilli sauce made from the world’s expensive chilli
- Milk-fed lamb from the Pyrenees
- Edible gold leaf garnish
- Ceour de Beouf tomatoes and oregano concass
- Barrel Aged Yews Feta cheese

Andy Bates, the chef behind the ‘King of Kebabs’ says: "It took a fair bit of time to source the best possible ingredients to ensure that this kebab was the most exclusive one out there but I loved every minute."

Nick Thorogood, Managing Director of Food Network EMEA added: "Street food is really stepping up a notch with many street food trucks now providing the high quality, gourmet food and fine cuisine expected from top restaurants.

"The Great Food Truck Race celebrates this new movement, so we thought it only fair to mark its launch by showing that even the nation’s favourite doner kebab could be made gourmet."

The World’s Most Expensive Kebab | Expensive Food and Drink

Bangladeshi Women Cuts off Alleged Assaulter's Penis as Evidence

2011-06-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Bangladeshi Women Cuts off Alleged Assaulter's Penis as Evidence

Bangladesh say a woman cut off a man's penis during an alleged attempt to rape her and took it to a police station as evidence.

The incident took place in Mirzapur village, Jhalakathi, about 200km (124 miles) south of the capital, Dhaka.

Monju Begum, 40, a married mother of three, told police that neighbour Mozammel Haq Mazi forced his way into her shanty and started assaulting her.

Mr Mazi, who denies the accusation, has been admitted to a nearby hospital.

"We will arrest him once his condition gets better," police spokesman Abul Khaer told the BBC.

"She said she fought back and cut off his penis and brought it to our police station in a polythene bag to prove that Mr Mazi tried to rape her," police spokesman Abul Khaer told the BBC.

"She has registered a case accusing him of attempted rape," he said.

"It is quite an unusual incident. As far as I am aware, this is the first time that a woman has brought a severed penis to the police station as evidence."

Monju Begum told police that Mr Mazi, a married father of five, had been harassing her for the past six months.'Revenge attack'

But Mr Mazi denied the allegations.

"We were having an affair and recently she suggested that both of us can go and settle down in Dhaka," Mr Mazi told the BBC from the hospital in nearby Barisal.

"I refused and told her that I cannot leave my wife and children, so she took revenge on me."

Prof AMSM Sharfuzzaman, a senior surgeon at the Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital in Barisal town, told the BBC it had not been possible to reattach the organ.

"Police brought his severed penis several hours after the incident," he said.

"We are treating him so that he can urinate normally without the penis."

Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011

2011-05-28T01:20:00.000-07:00

Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011

A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision (RTC) or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction, such as a tree or utility pole. Traffic collisions may result in injury, death and property damage.

A number of factors contribute to the risk of collision including; vehicle design, speed of operation, road design, and driver skill and/or impairment. Worldwide motor vehicle collisions lead to significant death and disability as well as significant financial costs to both society and the individuals involved.

Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011

The Chinese Man wakes Up With Mystery Tattoo On Bottom

2011-05-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

The Chinese Man wakes Up With Mystery Tattoo On Bottom

Chinese man wakes up with mystery tattoo on bottom after routine surgery. A man who went for a routine operation in the Yunnan province of China woke up with a nasty surprise - a mystery tattoo on his right buttock.

Sheng Xianhui only noticed the offending ink a week after the surgery, though - and even then it was only because his wife spotted it while he was getting in the shower.

The background to the entire episode seems rather murky, but what is clear from the picture above is that Mr Sheng does indeed now sport a rather fetching tattoo.

Strangely, it translates as 'Stone Disease' and Mr Sheng claims he must have been branded by hospital staff while he was unconscious.

The hospital's defence is quite inventive at least - he must have been allergic to the sheets.

Mr Sheng initially went to hospital for gall bladder removal surgery and, when he awoke, said he felt a slight pain in his behind but thought nothing of it.

'After the surgery I felt my right butt top was painful but I thought it was a normal reaction,' he said.

The large marks, measuring 15cm long by 8cm wide, 'are like burn scars' his wife has said.

The hospital say they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the entire mystery.

Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman | Climbs Tallest Building

2011-05-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman

Alain Robert (born as Robert Alain Philippe on 7 August 1962), is a French rock and urban climber, from Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France. Known as "the French Spider-Man" (after the comic character Spider-Man), or "the Human Spider", Robert is famous for scaling skyscrapers.

Robert has scaled 85 giant structures around the globe including many of the world's tallest structures, most of which he has scaled using only his bare hands and climbing shoes.

Robert began climbing as a young boy, scaling rock cliffs in the area around his home. At the age of 12 when he forgot his keys and was locked out of his parents' eighth-floor apartment, he chose to simply scale the exterior wall to his home. In 1982 he suffered two accidents, the first in January, aged 19, and the second in September, aged 20. He fell 15 metres (49 ft) on each occasion. He suffered multiple fractures and now suffers from permanent vertigo. The doctors considered him 60 percent handicapped and told him he would not be able to climb again. Within six months he was climbing again. He kept taking on more and more challenging structures and improving his skills. He polished his rock-climbing skills in the French Alps before turning to buildings.source from wikipedia

Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman

Source And Videos : Wiki And Youtube

Chinese Woman with Horn in Her Forehead | Woman Horn

2011-05-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Woman with Horn

After more than an hour of surgery, the woman ? commonly called Yanv- who grew a big horn on her head has finally got rid of the giant horn. Doctors from Treatment Center of Skin Diseases in Beijing Military General Hospital told the reporter that the surgery was successful. The woman is awake and will be discharged from the hospital in a week.

The woman is from Zhanggang village, Dengzhou city, central Chinas Henan province. She was born deaf and dumb. No one knows her exact name. Local villagers call her Yanv (means dumb girl in Chinese). Early in 2008, a fingernail-sized foreign object started growing on the left forehead of the poor woman. Her family took her to the county hospital to remove the growth. However, less than 6 months after the surgery the object grew again in the same position. After spring festival in 2011, the horn-like looking object grew faster and had reached already a size of more than 20 cm. The womans weird growth scared the villagers and she hardly dared to go outside. Finally her son and daughter took her to seek medical help in a hospital in Beijing. The doctors said that they rarely saw such a giant horn. Because the biopsy results for the horn were benign, doctors decided to have surgery on the womans horn

Woman with Horn

Man Turning His Head 180 Degrees | Head Turning

2011-05-08T02:03:00.000-07:00

Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet

2011-05-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet

Huang Guofu lost his arms in a electric shock accident at the age of 4. When he was 12, he picked up a brush and started painting with his feet.

By the time he was 18, he was selling his paintings on the streets of cities across China in order to pay for his ailing father's medical treatments. His travels introduced him to the idea of using his mouth to paint, a more elegant solution that using his right leg.

See photos of Huang at work here.

Now, at the age of 41, he's the vice-curator of Chongqing Talents Museum, creating masterpieces using paintbrushes held in his mouth and between his toes. Awarded the position for both his artistic achievements and determined spirit, he has inspired other mouth-and-foot painters to join the museum.

His wife, Hu Guoui, works as his assistant, carrying his tools and canvas when he chooses to paint on location.

Huang recently showcased his work at the 2010 Shanghai Wold Expo. On his can-do attitude, he says:

"When life closes one door to you, it must have opened another at the same time. I want to let the younger generation know that there are no real obstacles in life. The only obstacle is if you want to do it."

He is currently planning to paint a long scroll of scenes of old Chongqing.

Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet

Oldest Television In History | First Early tv

2011-04-23T23:49:00.000-07:00

Television

If you were in the market for a new TV and had £17,000 to spend, we guess you'd want something 3D, HD and with a bigger screen than we've got walls.

But someone recently splashed out £16,800 on Britain's oldest working TV -- which has a 12-inch black and white screen.

The 1936 Marconi type–702 television - which was originally bought for £100 - had been expected to sell for £5,000 when it was auctioned by Bonhams.

Hopefully the new owner will have more luck than the first... three days after the purchase the Crystal Palace transmitter burned down and they couldn't receive pictures again until 1946.
A spokesperson for Bonhams said of the bidding war: "It is very rare. There are more authentic Stradivarius violins in existence than pre-war televisions."

Insects In Amber Fossils Oldest In The World

2011-04-22T00:46:00.000-07:00

Insects In Amber Fossils

Amber is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural organic beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents. Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin,

These incredible pictures show tiny insects that were preserved in precious amber stones - 20 million years ago.

The tiny creatures are believed to have roamed the earth alongside dinosaurs and before the ice age three million years ago.

According to the Daily Mail, specimens from the period are rare but they were amazed when they unearthed the almost perfectly preserved creepy-crawlies in northern Peru.

They were found inside small chunks or precious amber rock in a 20 million year old reservoir in Chiclayo, northern.

Honningen Klaus, who led the research team, said: 'The pieces of amber contains insects Psocoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and spiders, as well as spores and pollen fossils, and even a drop of blood and remains of hair from a mammal rodent.'

The research team was from the Meyer-Honningen Paleontological Museum in Peru.

World's Smallest Caravan 2011

2011-04-19T02:35:00.000-07:00

World's Smallest Caravan 2011

The QTvan, which features a bed, kettle, TV, radio alarm clock and can be towed by a standard mobility scooter, has been pitched as the ideal way to bag a spot for the Royal Wedding.

Nobody likes being stuck behind a caravan – but who would have thought one could hold up your weekly shop at the supermarket?

This tiny camper has been pitched as the ideal way to bag a spot for William and Kate's nuptials without having to spend the previous night sleeping rough.

But once the celebrations are over, owners can also go wild in the aisles because it is even small enough to be driven around a supermarket.

The QTvan – named after the British love of queuing, tea and caravans – is something of a departure for designer Yannick Read, whose previous work includes the Bond Bike, which has an ejector seat and flame thrower.

‘Being able to build something that is a bit eccentric has been a joy,’ said Mr Read.

‘It is quintessentially English. We have a love/hate relationship with the caravan.’

The QTvan was developed by the Environmental Transport Association to highlight the fact that 220,000 people with mobility scooters do not have breakdown cover.

Mr Read said: ‘An increasing number of people rely on mobility scooters but if you develop a fault or run out of battery power and don’t have breakdown cover, or a tiny caravan in tow, your only options are to push something that weighs the equivalent of two men home or call a relative with a large car.’

The £5,500 carbon-neutral van was taken for a spin in a Tesco store to show how easily it navigated everyday obstacles.

Models can be ordered on the ETA website, with optional extras including solar panels, satellite dishes and even central heating.

Strange Cat Gives Birth To Dog | Rare And Unusual Animals

2011-04-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

Strange Cat Gives Birth To Dog | Rare And Unusual Animals

Sheep giving birth to dog? That's so last season... meet the CAT who's just become the proud mother of a kitten-puppy - also in China, oddly enough.

Zhou Yun, the cat's owner, says she knew her furry friend was pregnant so she wasn't surprised when she happened upon two kittens at the beginning of the month.

On closer inspection, however, she noticed that one of the babies was dead.

'I then noticed the other kitten surprisingly looks like a dog,' Zhou, who lives in Yangshan, in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, told reporters.

Zhou, who's also the owner of a pet dog that likes to eat and sleep with its feline pal (hmm...), added: 'Quite possibly the kitty is a mixed child'.

Lai Xiaoyun, president of a local pet clinic, has sagely pointed out (after having a good look at the kitten-puppy, to be fair) that it's impossible for a cat to give birth to a dog.

He reckons Zhou's cat popped out two kittens and one died shortly after: 'So the cat went out and accidentally found a litter of newborn puppies and took one home.'

'Cats and dogs are two different species and it's impossible to have joint descendants,' he concluded.

Superbus : Ockel's 23-Passenger EV Superbus Can Hit 155 MPH

2011-04-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Superbus

A "super bus" which carries 23 passengers and can reach speeds of 155mph could be the future of your morning commute, if researchers get their way.

The Superbus is an eco-friendly vehicle and the brainchild of Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels who is now a professor of aerospace sustainable engineering.

While with it's streamlined design and wing-opening doors, it looks more like a super-car than a regular bus, the superbus is being touted as the the future of public transport.

Unfortunately the electric vehicle - which cost €13m to develop - might not be hitting UK streets just yet, it's currently on show at a trade fair in Dubai.

Superbus

Experience: I Am A 91 Year Old Bodybuilder | Life And Style

2011-04-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

Experience: I Am A 91 Year Old Bodybuilder | Life And Style

At 85 I had a crisis. I looked at myself in the mirror, and saw an old man. I was overweight, my posture was terrible and there was skin hanging off me. I looked like a wreck'

My personal trainer and I are always getting into arguments about what part of my body needs the most work. I'm not happy with my abs – I have the remains of a small spare tyre – but she says my bottom is a catastrophe because it's so flat. What we both agree on is that bodies can be remodelled, no matter how old you are.

I was a very sickly child. From the age of six I had constant headaches and chronic tonsilitis. I became pale, sluggish and my growth was slow. I remember noticing one day that my best friend, who was a year younger than me, was slightly taller and that I was very upset about it.

At 13, I had my tonsils removed and as my health improved, everything changed. I shot up and suddenly I was full of energy. I thought back to myself as a frail, sickly boy, and vowed never to be like that again. I took up boxing, rowing and rugby. Staying fit and strong became my priority.

After school I trained to be a dentist, but sport remained an important hobby. I only once let myself go. As I crept into my 40s, I adopted my wife's sedentary lifestyle. We spent a lot of time doing nothing. Inevitably, my blood pressure plummeted and one day I felt a sharp pain in my legs – only to discover the dark, earthworm-like patterns of varicose veins across my calves. It was my first brush with old age, and I didn't like it. Immediately I resumed rowing to stay fit.

Life went on. My wife and I divorced. At 60, I discovered veteran's rowing and started competing internationally, eventually winning 36 gold medals. I'm not a particularly talented sportsman, but I've always been a great trier. At 75, many of my friends began to pass away. People were getting older around me, but I was only just ready to retire. I carried on rowing and publishing a dentistry newsletter until I was 82.

Then at 85 I had a crisis. I looked at myself in the mirror one day, and saw an old man. I was overweight, my posture was terrible and there was skin hanging off me where muscle used to be. I looked like a wreck. I started to consider the fact that I was probably going to die soon. I knew I was supposed to slow down, but I'm vain. I missed my old body and wanted to be able to strut across the beach, turning heads.

I was already rowing six times a week, and there didn't seem any harm in pushing myself a bit harder to rebuild my muscles. So in my late-80s I joined a bodybuilding club.

There's no research into bodybuilding for the over-80s, so it's been an experiment. With weight-lifting and protein shakes, my body began to change. It became broader, more v-shaped, and my shoulders and biceps became more defined. People began to comment on how much younger I looked, and my new muscular frame drew a lot of admiring glances from women.

Everything I learned was tailored to help my body cope with old age. I took up judo to teach me how to fall properly. My circulation and posture improved, and I was told that there was a chance more muscle mass could protect my brain from Alzheimer's. I stopped thinking about dying. As I approached 90, my focus was on getting my body back.

In 2008, I signed up for my first championship. I was nervous, but although I was the oldest contestant by around 20 years, everyone was very welcoming. I got higher scores than all the women taking part, and a lot of the men. Then, at last year's event in Germany, I triumphed, scoring higher than any contestant in any age category for my 57 dips, 61 chin-ups, 50 push-ups and 48 abdominal crunches, each in 45 seconds. As I'm over 70, they did make allowances – I could do the push-ups on my knees, for example – but I proved I wasn't past it.

I'm not chasing youthfulness. I'm chasing health. People have been brainwashed to think that after you're 65, you're finished. We're told that old age is a continuous state of decline, and that we should stop working, slow down and prepare to die. I disagree. To me, a 65-year-old is young. I turn 92 this year. It is a frightening prospect – the law of averages is against me, and, yes, one day something will happen and that will be it. But until that day comes, I'm going to carry on working on my abs.

The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks

2011-04-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks

Celebrating the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton in their own inimitable style, bosses at Legoland have depicted the happy couple in miniature bricks.

It took a team of model makers at Legoland Windsor over 30 hours to build the tribute to William and Kate's nuptials - depicting them at the palace gates surrounded by crowds and members of the royal family - using 10,000 bricks.

Each of the 10cm tall figures is said to have taken someone almost an hour to make and they include Lego brick versions of guests including, David and Victoria Beckham, Paul McCartney and Elton John.

If you look closely you will also see Lego versions of the Queen, other members of the Royal Family and even a few brick Corgis.

The model of Buckingham Palace used another 160,000 individual bricks and was built on a 1:50 scale and took 550 hours to build.

Sue Kemp, Divisional Director of Legoland Windsor commented: "We’re proud to announce that it’s our 15th birthday this year and what better way to celebrate it than to pay homage to such an amazing royal occasion.

"After all, we’re based in Windsor which is well known for its royal connections!"

The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks

Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World | The Health Care Blog

2011-03-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World

The recipient of the world's first complete double arm transplant scratched his head and back and beamed at his doctors Wednesday, saying he was on the path to independence a year after the pioneering operation.

Farmer Karl Merk, who lost his arms just below the shoulder in a 2002 combine harvester accident, demonstrated the progress he has made by scratching the back of his head with his right hand and squeezing rubber discs at a press conference near his home in southern Germany.

In July 2008 he underwent a 15-hour surgery at the Munich University Clinic by a team of 40 doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists.

His doctors originally thought it would take up to two years before the nerves in his arm would regrow sufficiently to permit movement, but the 55-year-old has made more progress than expected through an intensive program of physiotherapy and electric stimulation.

"My biggest dream is just that my fingers will keep improving, that I can pick things up and just be self-reliant again," he told reporters.

Wearing a black short-sleeved shirt that clearly showed where the arms were connected, Merk demonstrated how he can wave them without the aid of the numerous braces and bandages he needed after surgery.

Merk and his doctors said they hope his story will serve as an inspiration for others who might need such a surgery, but have hesitated to go forward.

Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World

Festival of Scrambled Eggs Celebrated In Bosnia | Scrambled Eggs Recipe

2011-03-21T23:52:00.000-07:00

Scrambled Eggs Recipe

A man cooks scrambled eggs during celebrations of Cimburijada or "Festival of Scrambled Eggs", in a city park near Bosna River, in the central Bosnian town of Zenica March 21, 2011. People celebrate Cimburijada by gathering by the river, preparing scrambled eggs and sharing breakfast with friends and visitors of their city as a traditional way of marking the first day of spring every year.

Scrambled Eggs

Lamborghini Owner Hires Sledgehammer Gang To Destroy Car Pictures 2011

2011-03-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

An angry Lamborghini owner hired a team of men with sledgehammers to destroy the super car after dealers allegedly failed to repair it.

The Lamborghini Gallardo L140 luxury sports car had recurring problems after the owner purchased it in China last October.

But the owner claims that, instead of fixing the problem, the dealer made it worse, damaging the bumper and chassis while it was in their care.

He claims to have taken his complaints to the head of Lamborghini and to Volkswagen, which owns the marque, but without success.

So the Chinese entrepreneur decided to pummel his pride and joy on World Consumer Rights Day by hiring a group of workers, giving them sledgehammers and letting them do the rest.

The extreme display attracted a large crowd in Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong province.

The Gallardo costs £140,000 in the UK but more than three times as much in China where it would have cost the owner a staggering £465,000.

Lamborghini Cars 2011

Baby Born With Heart Outside Body | Miracle Babies Born Alive Pictures

2011-03-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Baby Born With Heart Outside Body | Miracle Babies Born Alive Story And Pictures

Doctors in China are battling to save a baby born with his heart growing on the outside of his body.

Two-month-old Xin Xin has only a thin membrane covering his heart which can be clearly seen beating outside his stomach.

His parents brought him to Xin Qiao Hospital, in Chongqing, and surgeons are now working out how best to treat him.

Doctor Zhang Yuping, vice director of hospital's paediatrics department, said: "It's a very rare case. His heart is so exposed that the slightest knock or contact could be fatal."

The little boy's parents are migrant workers in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, who rushed back home to seek medical help after their baby was born.

"We didn't believe it when doctors told us the black patch on our son's belly was his heart until we saw it beating," said the father, Luo Rongyun.

Surgeons have come up with a number of different ideas for how best to treat Xin Xin but each has been discarded over fears he might not survive.

They now plan to wait until he is three months old when most of his organs will have developed more and he should be strong enough for surgery.

Top 10 Funniest Holiday Complaints Are Revealed | Cheap Holidays Packages

2011-03-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

Funniest Holiday Complaints Are Revealed | Cheap Holidays Packages

The sand's too hot and the women look too good in bikinis are just two of the odd complaints made by holiday-makers it's been revealed.

Customer services at an online travel agency have taken a look at some of more bizarre complaints they received in 2010 and produced a top 10 of the silliest.

1 - On arrival to the airport in the UK, when asked to present their passports, some ladies found themselves in a sticky situation as they claimed they were not reminded to bring their passports and thought that they didn't need them.

2 - On a trip to the Canary Islands, a lady who took her family of four on holiday put in a complaint about their beach experience. She claimed that, due to the warm weather, the sand was too hot and her children could not walk down to the sea for a swim.
3 - A man who went to the Costa del Sol complained that there was too much food to eat from the buffet in his all-inclusive hotel. As a result, he put on 'at least 5lbs' during his trip, which he wasn't too pleased about.

4 - Another male tourist, this time on holiday in Majorca, claimed that the number of bikini-clad women on the beach caused a fall-out between him and his wife, as he was caught ogling them 'on more than one occasion.'

5 - A couple who had spent two weeks in Marmaris, Turkey, said that their holiday had been a disappointment because there were 'too many English people around' and the main reason they went to Turkey in the first place was to experience somewhere 'more exotic.'

6 - One man said he was unhappy about the fact that he had not been able to fully enjoy his holiday to Portugal. His hotel bed was 'too comfy' meaning that he overslept on more than one occasion when he would have 'preferred to be up early and making the most of it.'

7 - A group of young adults who had travelled to Ayia Napa in Cyprus claimed that the 24 hour reception in their hotel made them feel like they were being 'judged' for returning back to their room late, despite the resort being renowned for partying and late nights.

8 - A man who had been to Tenerife complained that the Prada sunglasses he had purchased from a street seller for £4.50 were fakes.

9 - Another male holidaymaker claimed his fear of heights had prevented him from enjoying his flight to Mauritius.

10 - Finally, a man who had been with his wife to Bulgaria said that the couple in the room next door had been loud in their lovemaking, which subsequently made him feel 'pressured' into initiating sex with his own wife.

Chris Brown, of sunshine.co.uk, said: "We are more than happy to deal with any issues that arise, but we regret that we cannot be held responsible for the temperature of the sand, weight gain as a result of the amount of tasty food on offer or the number of fellow English tourists in the vicinity."

The Britain Biggest Burger Ever | Guinness World Records Smashed 2011

2011-03-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

The Britain Biggest Burger Ever | Guinness World Records Smashed 2011

The Britain Biggest Burger Every now and again, we all like to treat ourselves to a nice juicy burger with fries and a milkshake.

But this lunchtime snack might take you until supper time to finish.

The Over De Flames burger, which could be the whopper to end all whoppers, contains more than 13,000 calories - almost the amount an average man should consume in a week.

Standing at around 30cm in diameter and containing a staggering 40 slices of cheese, the burger poses a gut-busting challenge for even the hungriest of customers.

Equivalent to more than 26 quarter-pounders, the monolithic meat feast contains three kilos of beef (6.5lb), dwarfing its competitors in the race to be named Britain's biggest - and most calorific - burger.

The brainchild of restaurateur Sudeep De, the burger is only available at the Over De Flames restaurant within Norwich venue The Basement.

The burger, which is served with fries and a milkshake, boasts lashings of relish, ketchup and mayonnaise, plus two whole onions, three tomatoes and an entire head of lettuce.

Mr De is offering £200 to anyone who manages to finish the lot within two hours.

And if they don't, they must pay the menu price of £30.

So far, out of the 26 people who have stepped up to the plate, no one has managed to clean it up.

Father-of-two Mr De, who took over the restaurant in September last year, was inspired to create the monster meal after watching US television show Man v Food.

Mr De, 32, said: 'When I was developing the burger, I tried it out on my family and between me, my wife, our two kids and my in-laws, we were still unable to finish one.

'I first got the idea for the burger from watching Man v Food and when I took over the restaurant I wanted to give it something that would make it stand out.

'All the ones I had seen in the past were just normal-sized burgers stacked on top of each other and anyone can do that.

'I wanted to make one which would be to scale. So I convinced a local bakery to make me the bun, which took about six or seven attempts to get the shape right, and then I set about making the patties.

Each of the patties is 1.5 kilos of beef and there's two of them. So altogether that's three kilos of beef in a single burger.'

A previous contender for the title of Britain's Biggest Burger was rather aptly named the Titanic burger.

Tipping the scales at 2.5lb, the eye-watering megaburger contains two 1lb beef patties (equivalent to 1kg), six rashers of bacon, two chicken breasts, two potato waffles, four onion rings, cheese and - it’s not all bad - a tomato.

The mighty mouthful was prepared by Oscar’s Diner, an American-themed burger bar in Telford, Shropshire.

Hungry customers must eat the entire burger, a large portion of chips, a pot of coleslaw, washing it all down with the ice cream milkshake, within 45 minutes.

And the prize? A free meal, a celebratory photograph and a commemorative T-shirt, presumably in extra large.

The Britain Biggest Burger Ever | Guinness World Records Smashed 2011

Fossil Cabin Museum Is Made of Dinosaur Bones | Believe It Or Not

2011-03-03T03:28:00.000-08:00

Fossil Cabin Museum Is Made of Thousands of Dinosaur Bones

The Fossil Cabin near Medicine Bow, Wyoming, United States, was built in 1932 as a roadside attraction. The cabin is built of dinosaur bones excavated at nearby Como Bluff, using a total of 5,796 bones. The cabin was built as part of a gasoline filling station along US 30 by Thomas Boylan. Boylan had come from California to homestead in Wyoming and had been collecting bones for seventeen years, intending to create sculptures of dinosaurs in front of his house and gas station along the Lincoln Highway.

Thomas Boylan was born in Humboldt County, California, in 1863. He arrived in Wyoming in 1892, working for sheep ranching operations until 1904, when he switched to cattle. Boylan filed for a homestead near Como Bluff in 1908, where extensive deposits of fossilized dinosaur bones had been discovered in the 1870s. His 5,796 bones weighed 102,116 pounds (46,319 kg). Initially intending to erect a complete skeleton, Boylan was daunted by the task, as well as the likelihood that few of the bones came from the same animal, or even the same species. Boylan, with the help of his son, built the 29-foot (8.8 m) by 19-foot (5.8 m) cabin in 1932 for the 1933 tourist season. By 1936 Boylan had postcards printed, calling it the "Como Bluff Dinosaurium." In 1938 the cabin was promoted in Ripley's Believe It or Not as "The World's Oldest Cabin", although many common rock formations predate the era of dinosaurs. After the Ripley mention, Boylan also called the cabin the "Creation Museum" and "The Building that Used to Walk."

Boylan died in 1947. Operated by his widow, Grayce, the gas station continued until the 1960s, when the construction of Interstate 80 caused a fall-off in traffic on Route 30. Grayce sold the property in 1974. The cabin has since been offered for sale. One potential buyer has proposed moving the cabin to North Carolina for display.

The Fossil Cabin was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008

Fossil Cabin Museum Is Made of Thousands of Dinosaur Bones

Source :- Izismile Via Likepage

Athens : Most Flirtatious City In The World | Athens Greece News

2011-02-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

Athens : Most Flirtatious City In The World

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica periphery and it is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years.

Athens is the world's most flirtatious city but London ranks a lowly 57th, according to the compilers of the world's largest ever study of online flirting. Chilly Moscow came in at number two on the list of nearly 200 cities around the world, while Rome took eighth place and Paris – synonymous with romance – managed only to rank 38th.

The study of flirtatious behaviour online was carried out by Badoo.com, which claims to be the world's largest social networking site for meeting new people.

The "World Flirtation League" study ranked cities by the number of online flirtations initiated per month by Badoo users.

The average Athenian initiated 25.7 online flirtations per month, more than twice as many as people in Rio de Janeiro or Prague and far more than in Paris, London, Berlin or New York.

"Athens is a seductive city, with a hedonistic lifestyle", said Victoria Kyriakopoulous, author of The Lonely Planet Encounter Guide to Athens

"Athenians love to party and they love to talk. They love the game.

Flirting and sexual banter are not just a means to an end but part of social interaction. You can play without having to take it too seriously." Dr Simon Hardy, a British academic and author of the book, "The Greeks, Eroticism and Ourselves", said in ancient Athens the art of flirting was honed at drinking parties known as symposia, where men were entertained by dancing girls.

"It's probably fair to say that the Athenians perfected the art of flirtation in ancient times, especially at the time of symposia described by Plato."

The other cities to make it into the top 10 were Kuwait City, Baku in Azerbaijan, Tunis, Kiev, Beirut, Turin, and Bari in southern Italy.

Couple Wedding Planning Ideas in Comic Theme | Unique wedding

2011-02-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

Couple Wedding Planning Ideas in Comic Theme | Unique Wedding

A bride was asked 'do you take this Superman to be your husband?' as she tied the knot in a comic-themed ceremony.

Rob Taverner, 32, dressed as the superhero while Nyssa Pratten, 19, was dressed as Jessica Rabbit in Worcester.

And the two best men dressed as Captain America and Supergirl at the ceremony.

Bride Nyssa walked down the aisle to the 'Star Wars' theme, and after confirming their nuptials the happy couple left to the famous 'Looney Tunes' exit music.

Rob Taverner said he initially came up with the idea of a cartoon wedding at Worcester Register Office as a joke - but his wife-to-be loved the idea.

The 32-year-old self-confessed geek wore the blue Superman top underneath a suit jacket - and donned Clarke Kent style specs.

Bride Nyssa wore a revealing red dress as she imitated curvy cartoon siren Jessica Rabbit, voiced by Kathleen Turner in the 1988 movie.

Among the guests were people dressed as the Incredible Hulk, Betty Boop, Tweety-Pie and Catwoman at the wedding with a difference.

Fancy dress shop worker Rob said: 'Me and my mate Brendan were mucking about, talking online about the wedding.

'We talked about dressing up as cartoon characters, and I was laughing and joking about it with Nyssa when she said 'why not'?'

Mr Taverner said that he and his wife had a shared love of cartoons and comics.

He said: 'I'm what everyone calls a 'geek', into all the nerdy stuff like computers, comics, sci-fi and graphic novels.

'Nyssa's into more of the girlie stuff like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she's learning - she gets really proud of herself when we're all chatting and she gets a reference.'

The blushing bride, who is 15 weeks pregnant, said that it didn't take her long to choose her outfit.

She said: 'My hair was red to start with and I already had this red dress - it seemed like an obvious decision.'

Rob said that the pair got a positive reaction from staff and other couples at the county hall where they tied the knot.

He said: 'People were coming out and taking pictures, looking out of windows, that sort of thing.

'The best reaction we got was on the way to the wedding when we turned into a garage forecourt to get petrol.

'There was Catwoman driving, with Captain America in the back, I don't think they knew what was going on.'

Everyone stayed in character for the reception, where a drunken Roger Rabbit, Shrek, Scooby Doo, Spongebob Squarepants and characters from the Toy Story movies turned up.

Rob, who popped the question on Christmas Eve, said: 'Everybody came in fancy dress - there were about 70 people in different outfits, it was a really colourful gathering.'

Couple Wedding Planning Ideas in Comic Theme | Unique Wedding

World's Smallest Aquarium | Photos of Mini Aquarium Fish Tank

2011-02-24T00:55:00.000-08:00

The World's Smallest Aquarium Tank Miniature Designs

The world's smallest aquarium It can only hold two teaspoons of water, it can sit in the palm of your hands, and there's only room for the smallest of fish in it - it's the world's Mini aquarium Fish Tanks.

It might not be the most spacious environment - it's a far cry from, you know, the Amazon or the Atlantic Ocean - but the baby fish still have all the regular aquarium home comforts of multi-coloured stones, sand and seaweed.

Measuring just 30 x 24 x14mm, the 10ml glass tank was created by Russian artist and designer Anatoly Konenko – who still found space for a water filter.

Konenko has specialised in miniatures for 30 years, and has previously mastered the art of writing on rice, poppy seeds and even human hair.

Photos of Mini Aquarium Fish Tank

Aquarium

The Largest Pair of Jeans Ever | Book Of Guinness World Records 2011

2011-02-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

Peruvian seamstresses hoping to snag a Guinness World Record for sewing the largest pair of blue jeans celebrated on Friday, one day after cranes buckled while trying to lift the giant 7.5-tonne pants.

Workers laid the pair on the ground and put big balloons inside the legs to show off the size of the jeans, which are 141 feet (43 m) tall and 98 feet (30 m) wide.

They have pockets, red buttons and a brown belt.

On Thursday, disillusioned crane operators gave up trying to lift the pants with three machines and went looking for a fourth. They wanted to lift the pants to display them. On Friday, workers had to scrap the idea of hoisting the jeans altogether.

The Colombian city of Medellin currently holds the record for the world's largest pair of jeans, which is measured by size, according to the clothing company that organized the event in San Juan de Lurigancho, a district full of textile plants east of the Peru's capital, Lima.

The Colombian pair were 114 feet (35 m) tall by 82 feet (25 m) wide. Representatives from Guinness were not present to see the Peruvian-made jeans, but a notary who can send documentation to the group was.

The company's chief executive said material from the pants will be cut to make backpacks for area school children.

Man Lives With Knife Stabbing Pains In Head For 4 Years

2011-02-19T03:10:00.000-08:00

Man Lives With Knife Stabbing Pains In Head 4in blade is placed over the top of the X-ray of Li Fu's skull

A man who went to the doctor complaining of a headache was shocked to discover he'd had a 4in knife blade stuck in his brain for more than four years.

Li Fu from Yunnan Province, China, was stabbed during a robbery in 2006, and the blade of the knife had lodged in his cranium.

But despite receiving treatment for his injuries, doctors failed to notice the knife buried deep in the 37-year-old's skull.

Incredibly, it wasn't until Li visited the doctor last month to complain of his continuous migraines that doctors finally made the grim discovery after a routine X-ray.

Li and his family were so shocked by the X-ray results, they asked for a second opinion before agreeing to let doctors operate.

The second doctor confirmed the suspicions and Li underwent an operation to remove the knife at People's Hospital in Yuxi City, Yunnan Province on Saturday.

He is now in a stable condition in hospital.

Luo Zhiwei, a surgeon at People's Hospital of Yuxi said he had never seen anything so bizarre in his entire career.

He said it was a miracle that Li could survive being stabbed in the head, let alone survive having the knife lodged in his brain for four years.

He said: 'It's a medical miracle. The knife was almost intact when we removed it.'

Stabbing Pains : Fu had gone to his doctor complaining of a headache and was stunned to be told he'd had a knife blade stuck in his brain. He even asked for a second opinion before agreeing to surgery

Stabbing Pains : Li Fu, 37, had surgery to remove the blade, which had been in his head for four years

Stabbing Pains : A Chinese doctor shows a knife which is taken out of Li Fus brain at a hospital in Yuxi city, southwest Chinas Yunnan Province

Stabbing Pains : Li Fu rests in the bed after a surgery at a hospital in Yuxi city, southwest Chinas Yunnan Province

World Record Attempt For Longest Kiss Ever | Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day world record attempt for longest ever kiss. Thousands of lovers will be locking lips this Valentine's Day, but 14 couples in Thailand are taking kissing to another level as they compete to break the Guinness world record for the longest kiss.

In Thailand's resort of Pattaya, the contestants are part of a kissing marathon in an attempt to beat the current 32-hour record which was set in Germany last year.

The couples have each been given a space of one square metre and they must lock lips at all times, and cannot sit, sleep or leave the venue, or they will be disqualified.

One woman has fainted after 34 minutes of kissing. Others have given up after a few hours.

The couple that last longest will receive a diamond ring worth £1,000 and a £2,000 cash prize.

Felix Werth, 32, one of the contestants said: 'I just participate for fun and I'm looking forward to kissing for a long time.'

The contest began on Sunday at 11pm GMT and will continue throughout Valentine's Day.

Most Expensive Dessert Cake In The World | Birthday And Wedding Cakes

2011-02-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

Most Expensive Dessert Cake In The World | Birthday And Wedding Cakes

The Chinese cake decorating designs ideas in Philippines sure know how to ring in their new year in traditional values and a dash of luxury. A local savory called as the Tikoy is a sweet rice cake. And to celebrate the year of the rabbit in pomp, Entrepreneur Angelito Araneta Jr's has come up with a 24-carat edible gold leaf and 0.2-carat diamonds version for those with a sweet tooth for luxury. These gold and diamond rabbits are priced at just $485, had is just one of the 13 made by order for select rich Chinese customers for the new lunar Year of theRabbit in Chinese calendar. Araneta Jr. also revealed that one of his customers also ordered for a two-diamond gold encrusted rice cake priced at $2,700 making it his most expensive sale to date.

Gold Most Expensive Desserts Cake Ever

Wedding or Birthday day cake decorating Designs ideas

Most Expensive Dessert Cake In The World | Birthday And Wedding Cakes

Orphaned Puppy Names After England Rugby Players Team

2011-02-13T06:41:00.000-08:00

Homeless: Johnno, Tindall, Ashton, Flood, Wilko, Foden, Easter, Sheridan, Hartley and Haskel after looking for a new home after their mother was killed by a car

An animal charity is trying to find homes for a pack of pups named after England rugby union stars.

The 10 six-week-old Boxer-cross dogs - made up of Johnno, Tindall, Ashton, Flood, Wilko, Foden, Easter, Sheridan, Hartley and Haskell - were taken to a Blue Cross centre in Kimpton, Hertfordshire, on Wednesday, after their mother was killed when she was hit by a car.

'These pups are such little bruisers that it seemed perfect to name them after rugby players,' said Emma Pannell, the centre's deputy manager.

'Like many rugby players, these puppies are going to be big and boisterous so they'd like a home where they can run around.'

The pup's namesakes were in action today against Italy at Twickenham in the Six Nations Championship.

And they ran out 59-13 winners with an especially impressive performance from Chris Ashton, who scored four tries in a match - the first time a player has managed the feat in the competition since 1914.

it looks like little Ashton could be the most popular choice for adoption.

Loving: Assistants Jessica Down (left) and Katrina Brunt cuddle the six-week-old pups at The Blue Cross Animal Welfare Charity

Lei Yadi Breaks Most Fingers And Toes Guinness World Record 2010

2011-02-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

Lei Yadi Min : A Myanmar child has claimed the Guinness world record for having more fingers and toes, the local weekly Messenger News reported Monday.

Lei Yadi Min, over 1 year-old baby girl, possesses 12 fingers -- six each hand, and 14 toes -- 7 each foot.

Living in South Okkalarpa township in Yangon, the Myanmar baby girl is expected to win the record in the coming 2011 - 2012 Guinness world record book.

At present, two Indian children, one over 5 years old and the other over 15 years old with 12 fingers and 13 toes, are registered as the Guinness world record.

Competing with Lei Yadi Min for the Guinness record is also an Indian rival, who owns eight toes each foot.

Lei Yadi Min is now living with her mother and sister in Yangon.

Meanwhile, a Myanmar citizen, U Khun Sai Maung Maung Gyi, 68, has claimed for the prize of Guinness World Record for his highest frequency of donating blood.

He started to donate his blood in February 1956 and completed 204 times in August 2010.

El Ateneo libreria Grand Splendid Bookstore In The World

2011-02-11T05:45:00.000-08:00

El Ateneo Grand Splendid is one of the Most Magnificent best known bookshops in Buenos Aires, Argentina. photos And Videos

Situated at 1860 Santa Fe Avenue in Barrio Norte, the building was designed by the architects Peró and Torres Armengol for the empresario Max Glucksman (1875-1946), and opened as a theatre named Teatro Gran Splendid in May 1919. The ecleticist building features ceiling frescoespainted by the Italian artist Nazareno Orlandi, and caryatids sculpted by Troiano Troiani (whose work also graces the cornice along the Buenos Aires City Legislature.

The theatre had a seating capacity of 1,050, and staged a variety of performances, including appearances by the tango artists Carlos Gardel, Francisco Canaro, Roberto Firpo and Ignacio Corsini. Glücksman started his own radio station in 1924 (Radio Splendid), which broadcast from the building where his recording company, Nacional Odeón, made some of the early recordings of the great tango singers of the day. In the late twenties the theatre was converted into a cinema, and in 1929 showed the first sound films presented in Argentina.

The ornate former theatre was leased by Grupo Ilhsa in February 2000. Ilhsa, through Tematika, owns El Ateneo and Yenny booksellers (totaling over 40 stores), as well as the El Ateneo publishing house. The building was subsequently renovated and converted into a book and music shop under the direction of the architect Fernando Manzone; the cinema seating was removed and in its place book shelves were installed. Following refurbishment works, the 2,000 m² (21,000 ft²) El Ateneo Grand Splendid became the group's flagship store, and in 2007 sold over 700,000 books; over a million people walk through its doors annually.

Chairs are provided throughout the building, including the still-intact theatre boxes, where customers can dip into books before purchase, and there is now a café on the back of what was once the stage. The ceiling, the ornate carvings, the crimson stage curtains, the auditorium lighting and many architectural details remain. Despite the changes, the building still retains the feeling of the grand theatre it once was. The Guardian, a prominent British periodical, named El Ateneo second in its 2008 list of the World's Ten Best Bookshops.

Meet Women Most Common Beautiful Face From Around The World

2011-02-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

Describing someone as average-looking is rarely seen as a compliment.

But most of us would be quite happy to look like a computer-generated depiction of the 'average' English woman, Welsh woman, or even the average Burmese.

More than 100 women of 41 different nationalities and ethnicities were photographed in cities all over the world in an effort to find common regional features.

The photos were carefully laid over each-other using a computer program to create an individual image for each area - and the biggest surprise is that the 'common' faces are all quite beautiful.

There are, of course, regional differences in face shapes, colours and features.

Peruvians and Iranians have bigger mouths, Ethiopians and Samoans have curlier hair, and fringes seem to be big in Latvia and Poland.

It does make sense that the common women are pretty, both in evolutionary terms, and because averages rule out blemishes.

But most of the photos depict a woman who seems to be in her early twenties - which definitely is not the average age of any nationality.

The study also throws up other results that suggest that maybe the samples weren't quite as wide-ranging as they could have been.

The average South African, for example, definitely shouldn't be pale-skinned - only 9.2 per cent of the population define themselves as white.

Some anomalies can be explained by how the pictures were compiled. The prevalence of mousy hair is a result of blondeness being easily 'diluted'.

South African Photographer Mike Mike - who inspired the images with a web project called The Face of Tomorrow compiling the faces of various cities - explains: 'Blonde hair gets lost pretty quickly when you start averaging.

'You'd need a population 75 per cent blonde to get it visibly remaining. You'd probably have to go to Iceland for that result.'

Mike, who lives in Istanbul, travels the world taking photos of the first 100 people he can persuade to pose in each place - noting their nationality every time.

The 46-year-old got the idea for his project when he was studying at London's Goldsmiths College.

He said: 'Sitting on the underground train, I was intrigued by the sheer diversity of the place – Somalis, Indians, Americans, Zimbabweans, Scandinavians and a hundred other nationalities vying for their place in the metropolis.

'I thought: “What is this place, what is a Londoner?”

'I thought if one could merge all the people in a place like London one would be looking at the future of that place – one would have some notion of what a Londoner is or will become.'

Horse Becomes A Regular Drinker At British Pub | Animal Drink Beer

2011-02-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Horse Becomes A Regular Drinker Staff at a pub in Staffordshire say they don't mind that one of their regulars always has a long face -- because it's not like Basil could do anything about it.

The nine-year-old Welsh Cob stallion has become a regular at the Meynell Ingram Arms in Burton where he is allowed to walk right in and up to the bar.

Over the past few years he's even said to have started enjoying the occasional tipple of Marson's Pedigree which is always served to him in his own glass.

Manager Guy Wallis insists locals don't mind sharing the bar with the 14.2 hands pony… though there have been complaints he doesn't ever get a round in.
Wallis added that Basil's owners have been regulars at the pub for more than ten years and he has often tried to get his hoof in the door.

But a couple of years ago they gave up trying to keep him out and let him wander up to the bar. Now they even give him some vegetables to go with his pint.

Speaking of their unusual drinking companion, one regular said: "It's great to see animals in pubs, it's like the good old days. If people can take a dog into a pub why not a horse."

Ameloblastoma Benign Tumor of Odontogenic Of The Jaw

2011-02-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

Ameloblastoma is a rare, benign tumor of odontogenic epithelium (ameloblasts, or outside portion, Videos and Pictures of the teeth during development) much more commonly appearing in the mandible than the maxilla. It was recognized in 1827 by Cusack. This type of odontogenic neoplasm was designated as an adamantinoma in 1885 by the French physician Louis-Charles Malassez. It was finally renamed to the modern name ameloblastoma in 1930 by Ivey and Churchill.

While these tumors are rarely malignant or metastatic (that is, they rarely spread to other parts of the body), and progress slowly, the resulting lesions can cause severe abnormalities of the face and jaw. Additionally, because abnormal cell growth easily infiltrates and destroys surrounding bony tissues, wide surgical excision is required to treat this disorder.

There are three main clinical subtypes of ameloblastoma: unicystic, multicystic, peripheral. The peripheral subtype composes 2% of all ameloblastomas. Of all ameloblastomas in younger patients, unicystic ameloblastomas represent 6% of the cases. A fourth subtype, malignant, has been considered by some oncologic specialists, however, this form of the tumor is rare and may be simply a manifestation of one of the three main subtypes. Ameloblastoma also occurs in long bones, and another variant is Craniopharyngioma (Rathke's pouch tumour, Pituitary Ameloblastoma.)

Treatment

While chemotherapy, radiation therapy, curettage and liquid nitrogen have been effective in some cases of ameloblastoma, surgical resection or enucleation remains the most definitive treatment for this condition. In a detailed study of 345 patients, chemotherapy and radiation therapy seemed to be contraindicated for the treatment of ameloblastomas. Thus, surgery is the most common treatment of this tumor. Because of the invasive nature of the growth, excision of normal tissue near the tumor margin is often required. Some have likened the disease to basal cell carcinoma (a skin cancer) in its tendency to spread to adjacent bony and sometimes soft tissues without metastasizing. While not a cancer that actually invades adjacent tissues, ameloblastoma is suspected to spread to adjacent areas of the jaw bone via marrow space. Thus, wide surgical margins that are clear of disease are required for a good prognosis. This is very much like surgical treatment of cancer. Often, treatment requires excision of entire portions of the jaw.

Radiation is ineffective in many cases of ameloblastoma. There have also been reports of sarcoma being induced as the result of using radiation to treat ameloblastoma. Chemotherapy is also often ineffective. However, there is some controversy regarding this and some indication that some ameloblastomas might be more responsive to radiation that previously thought.

While the Mayo Clinic recommends surgery for almost all ameloblastomas, there are situations in which a Mayo Clinic physician might recommend radiation therapy. These include malignancy, inability to completely remove the ameloblastoma, recurrence, unacceptable loss of function, and unacceptable cosmetic damage. In the case of radiotherapy, oncologists at the Mayo Clinic would use intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

Ameloblastoma Benign Tumor

Canton Tower : The Longest Spiral Staircase Design In The World

2011-02-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

Canton Tower formerly known as Guangzhou TV And Sightseeing Tower. is an observation tower near Chigang Pagoda, Haizhu, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It was topped-out in 2009 and became operational on September 29, 2010 for the 2010 Asian Games. The tower is the tallest tower in the world, replaced the CN Tower at 553 m in Canada, which previous held the title for 34 years. Also the tallest structure in China (preceded by SWFC) and East Asia, the Canton Tower is the fifth tallest structure and the second freestanding structure in the world (after Burj Khalifa). It is named after "Canton", the traditional European name of the city.

Girl Addicted To Eating Soap And Washing Powder | Weird Bizarre Foods

2011-02-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

The 19-year-old girl Tempestt Henderson Addicted To Eating Soap And Washing Powder with a dangerous compulsion doctors say could kill her It's the toxic compulsion that doctors claim could kill her.

But this 19-year-old girl claims she is hopelessly addicted... to eating soap.

My bizarre compulsion: Tempestt Henderson, 19, says she is addicted to eating soap - and can go through five bars a week

A rare medical condition has left Tempestt Henderson, from Florida, eating up to five bars of soap a week - and washing powder too.

'I remember the first time I dipped my fingers into the washing powder,' she said.

'I dabbed the powder onto my tongue and it tasted so sweet, and salty…it just felt so right. I was hooked straight away.'

The nursing student says she knew eating soap was dangerous, but ignored the warning labels on the box in favour of licking the deadly powder daily, from the minute she woke up in the morning.

Soon she had moved onto licking the bubbles of soap in the shower, too, a habit that was getting her through up to five bars of soap a week.

'In the shower, I like to lather up a green bar of soap, and lick the bubbles. And as the soap disintegrates, I pop a tiny amount of the soap into my mouth and suck it. It’s heavenly.

'I love the clean feeling it gives me. Eating soap feels so much cleaner than just washing with it.'

After six months of eating soap, unhappy Tempestt decided to be brave and seek medical advice. She was diagnosed with a rare disorder called PICA, which doctors told her is characterised by an appetite for substances that are largely non-nutritive.

Sufferers have been known to compulsively eat metal, coins, chalk, batteries and even toothbrushes. It can often be caused by a mineral deficiency, which explains why pregnant women often crave eating coal when needing iron.

But in Tempestt’s case doctors believed the condition was bought on by stress.

'Things got really stressful for me when my boyfriend, Jason, split up with me and left for college,' she admitted.

'He told me he was going to college in Kansas to study business. I begged him to give the long distance relationship a go, but he told me it was over. I was devastated.'

When Tempestt herself had to leave for college, hundreds of miles away from her family home in Florida, things took a turn for the worse.

'College was five hours away from my family, and the stress got bigger. With no boyfriend and my family miles away, I got lonely, sad and depressed. I turned to bath soap and laundry detergent and my problem got increasingly worse.'

Dr Barton Blinder, the world’s authority on PICA, says that eating soap in these quantities could seriously affect Tempestt’s health:.

'With soap, the worry is the problems associated with ingesting toxic chemicals, which are typically alkaline but there are other toxic substances in soap.

'These can damage someone's metabolism and cause digestive problems. With soap, you're also concerned about the acid-base balance of the blood.'

But for Tempestt, therapy got to the bottom of her addiction to soap, and the cause of her PICA.

'I always knew I loved the smell of washing detergent,' she explained.

I remember the brand my Mum always used to use - I remember the smell vividly, it was the smell of her cardigan when she hugged me, and the smell of my bed sheets as a child.

'I used to love smelling the powder, but when life got so stressful I found only eating the soap would help.

'It is an addiction, I can’t stop, and I have sought the help of a doctor who specialises in addiction. The doctor told me I must empty my house of all washing detergent and soap, anything that triggers my addiction.'

Psychologists have said that Tempestt most likely turned to soap eating as a comforting coping mechanism when she found herself away from her family.

'We use liquid at home now,' she said, 'and for some reason I’ve got no need to eat that.'

The doctor gave Tempestt intensive Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, to give her replacement thoughts that will prevent her from compulsively reaching for soap.

'I’m learning to think about positive things when I feel I need to eat soap,' she said.

She has also been encouraged to go for long walks, avoiding places where soap is present, like bathrooms and laundrettes.

She added: 'Doctors have encouraged me to talk about my issues, because they think my addiction is caused by me bottling things up.'

And for the teenager who used to take not one, not two, but three bottles of soap into the shower, she hasn’t eaten soap since September 2010.

When her mother found out about her daughter’s addiction, she ordered Tempestt to return home from college. It may have been a smart move as Tempette admitted: 'I just couldn’t face being back there, alone, with a campus full of soap.'

Today, she faces a long road of recovery, but says she hopes she’ll never have to eat soap ever again.

'I suppose my Mum is secretly relieved that I was addicted to soap,' she admited, 'and not dangerous drugs or something.'

When you can't stop: Doctors have diagnosed Tempestt with a rare disorder called PICA, characterised by an appetite for substances that are non-nutritive

Before it all began: Tempestt as a young girl in an undated family photo

NOT a balanced meal: Doctors say if Tempestt doesn't kick her habit - which they blame on PICA, caused by stress - it could kill her

'It tasted so sweet, and salty': Tempestt claims that the first time she ate washing powder, it just felt right

At least it's not drugs: Tempestt poses with her mother, who was so worried about her habit that she pulled her out of college

African Snails Used Sewage Plant Monitor Levels Toxic Chemicals

2011-02-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Mollusc maintenance: Six African snails fitted with heart monitors and sensors are being used to monitor pollution levels at a sewage treatment site in St Petersburg

Fancy shelling anti pollution device African snails used sewage plant monitor levels toxic chemicals

It's a snail-paced solution to pollution problems.

But a St Petersburg waterworks is putting six giant gastropods to work monitoring emissions from a sewage incinerator.

The African snails, the size of small rats, are attached to sensors that will show them getting sick if they take in too much bad air.

Environmentalists have said the move is just a publicity stunt aimed at distracting attention from unsafe practices at the incinerator.

But the company, Vodokanal, said it was a serious attempt to improve control over what comes out of the smokestack.

The plant uses conventional gauges to check emissions, but company officials said it also wanted to keep an eye on compounds that might be produced in concentrations too low for the gauges to detect or that could harm humans if combined with other substances.

Olga Rublevskaya, director of wastewater disposal at Vodokanal, said: 'Live organisms won't deceive anyone about the danger of pollution.

'This is very strict control for us. Now we are under the watch of snails and crayfish all the time!'

The company is also using crayfish to monitor the quality of city water.

The snails, which grow up to eight inches long, live in a fish tank inside the city's Southwest Waste Water Treatment Plant.

They are attached to sensors that measure their heartbeat and other vital signs. Three breathe clean air, the other three diluted air coming from the plant's chimney.

If the sensors register an unfavourable change in their behaviour and condition, it would be an immediate signal that air coming from burnt sewage residue was dangerous.

'The African snails, which are able to live for up to seven years, will also help to test the influence of possible accumulating substances over a long period,' said Sergei Kholodkevich, an ecological researcher who dreamt up the idea of using the creatures.

Mr Kholodkevich, who works at an institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said he chose snails because they had lungs and breath air 'like people do'.

But Dmitry Artamonov, who heads Greenpeace's St Petersburg office, accused Vodokanal of hiding information about the plant's effects on the environment.

'The issue is that the local treatment facilities are meant for treatment of domestic waste, but not for treatment of industrial waste that contains toxic substances and also gets dumped into the sewage waters,' he said.

'As for snails, it can be hard for them to indicate the environmental danger immediately, because such substances as dioxins, for instance, can accumulate in an organism over a long period of time and only decades later provoke cancer.'

Snail sewage? Three of the creatures breathe clean air, while three have air from the chimney at the incineration plant

Sensitive: The company behind the scheme, Vodokanal, also uses crayfish to monitor water pollution

Novel approach: The South-West Waste Water Treatment Plant in St Petersburg, where the snails live

Two Headed Snake In Oddballs Show | Rare Double Head Animals Found

2011-02-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

A two-headed albino snake is the star attraction drawing the crowds to one of everyone's favourite events of the year - the exhibition of natural world oddballs in Switzerland.

The Basel show features all manner of weird and wonderful animals, from mammals to marsupials.

But it seems the one area everyone is drawn to this year is the reptiles house - which, this month, is the home of the world's most unusual snake, Mince.

This twin-credible freak of nature is an albino garter snake which boasts two heads - making it look even more intimidating than normal.

He is the only two-headed albino snake in the world, according to its owner Tom Beser, who also claims he could command offers well into five figures to buy the animal.

'There are eight of these two headed snakes in the world, albino and normal. But this is the only snake which is both two headed and albino,' he said.

'One collector was offered more than £13,000 for his two headed garter snake and his wasn't an albino.

'Mince would be worth much more.'

20 Inch Nails: Woman Grows Nails to Meet Celebrities

2011-02-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

“Mrs. Jazz Ison Sinkfield had a interview with Doug Richard from 11 Alive News about her nails that she has been growing for now over 22yrs

"I am very, very blessed," says Jazz Ison Sinkfield, a mother and grandmother with a story to tell.

"One day, I want to meet Oprah," she says. "And a lot of more celebrities. And I just want them to hear my story."

The southwest Atlanta woman expects her story to make her famous, allowing her to share what she calls her divine gift.

The gift: Jazz Ison Sinkfield's fingernails. They represent an ongoing project of 22 years. The longest of them is 24 inches.

"They're a gift, and I can say, a talent too," she says, "because it's something that everyone cannot do."

Occasionally, she says, people see her nails and make ugly remarks. "The women will turn their nose up to me," she says. "Some people are jealous," she adds with utter seriousness.

"I feel as if you can be entitled to your opinions but don't be mean about it."

She believes most women desire extra-long nails like hers, "because it's a fashion statement now."

Jazz Ison Sinkfield backs her fashion statement with regular visits to the Exotic Nail and Spa on Cascade Road. Her nail tech is Rose Nguyen. Her maintenance is a monthly project that takes five hours and costs $250.

"It's easy to get messed up," said Nguyen, looking at her client's twisting fingernails.

"They tangle up," said Jazz Ison Sinkfield.

And maintenance is also about avoidance of the hazards that can threaten her ongoing fashion statement.

"There isn't anything that I can't do. The only thing I can't do is, I cannot tie shoes," said Sinkfield. She adds she cannot type on a computer, nor go bowling.

"Of course, I don't take off the jewelry," she said, gesturing to her rings and bracelets, which would have to traverse her 20-inch nails to come off.

Mud Cake : Poor Haitians Resort to Eating Dirt Mud Cakes Recipe

2011-02-04T01:45:00.000-08:00

A woman prepares mud cakes at the Cite-Soleil neighborhood, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Some people eat mud cookies made of dirt, butter and salt to fill their stomachs.

At first sight the business resembles a thriving pottery. In a dusty courtyard women mould clay and water into hundreds of little platters and lay them out to harden under the Caribbean sun.

The craftsmanship is rough and the finished products are uneven. But customers do not object. This is Cité Soleil, Haiti's most notorious slum, and these platters are not to hold food. They are food.

Brittle and gritty - and as revolting as they sound - these are "mud cakes". For years they have been consumed by impoverished pregnant women seeking calcium, a risky and medically unproven supplement, but now the cakes have become a staple for entire families.

It is not for the taste and nutrition - smidgins of salt and margarine do not disguise what is essentially dirt, and the Guardian can testify that the aftertaste lingers - but because they are the cheapest and increasingly only way to fill bellies.

"It stops the hunger," said Marie-Carmelle Baptiste, 35, a producer, eyeing up her stock laid out in rows. She did not embroider their appeal. "You eat them when you have to."

These days many people have to. The global food and fuel crisis has hit Haiti harder than perhaps any other country, pushing a population mired in extreme poverty towards starvation and revolt. Hunger burns are called "swallowing Clorox", a brand of bleach.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation predicts Haiti's food import bill will leap 80% this year, the fastest in the world. Food riots toppled the prime minister and left five dead in April. Emergency subsidies curbed prices and bought calm but the cash-strapped government is gradually lifting them. Fresh unrest is expected.

According to the UN, two-thirds of Haitians live on less than 50p a day and half are undernourished. "Food is available but people cannot afford to buy it. If the situation gets worse we could have starvation in the next six to 12 months," said Prospery Raymond, country director of the UK-based aid agency Christian Aid.

Until recently this Caribbean nation, which vies with Afghanistan for appalling human development statistics, had been showing signs of recovery: political stability, new roads and infrastructure, less gang warfare. "We had been going in the right direction and this crisis threatens that," said Eloune Doreus, the vice-president of parliament.

As desperation rises so does production of mud cakes, an unofficial misery index. Now even bakers are struggling. Trucked in from a clay-rich area outside the capital, Port-au-Prince, the mud is costlier but cakes still sell for 1.3p each, about the only item immune from inflation. "We need to raise our prices but it's their last resort and people won't tolerate it," lamented Baptiste, the Cité Soleil baker.

Vendors of other foods who have increased prices have been left with unsold stock. In the Policard slum, a jumble of broken concrete clinging to a mountainside, the Ducasse family tripled the price of its fritters because of surging flour prices. "Our sales have fallen by half," said Jean Ducasse, 49, poking at his tray of shrivelled wares.

The signs of crisis are everywhere. Aid agency feeding centres reported that the numbers seeking help have tripled. At a centre in the Fort Mercredi slum rail-thin women cradled infants with yellowing hair, a symptom of malnutrition. "Now we're having to feed the mothers as well as the babies," said Antonine Saint-Quitte, a nurse.

In rural areas the situation seems even worse, prompting a continued drift to the slums and their mirage of opportunities. Lillian Guerrick, 56, a subsistence farmer near Cap Haitien, yanked her seven grandchildren from school because there was barely money for food let alone fees. "I've no choice," she said, a touch defensive, amid wizened corn stalks.

Anecdotal evidence suggests school attendance nationwide has dropped and that those who do make it to class are sometimes too hungry to concentrate. "I use jokes to try to stimulate my students, to wake them up," said Smirnoff Eugene, 25, a Port-au-Prince teacher.

Border crossings to the Dominican Republic are jammed with throngs of merchants hunting lower prices in their relatively prosperous neighbour.

"Beep beep, out of the way!" yelled one teenage boy, sweating, veins throbbing, as he heaved a wheelbarrow impossibly overloaded with onions through a crowd at Ouanaminthe's border bridge.

Haiti's woes stem from global economic trends of higher oil and food prices, plus reduced remittances from migrant relatives affected by the US downturn. What makes the country especially vulnerable, however, is its almost total reliance on food imports.

Domestic agriculture is a disaster. The slashing and burning of forests for farming and charcoal has degraded the soil and chronic under-investment has rendered rural infrastructure at best rickety, at worst non-existent.

The woes were compounded by a decision in the 1980s to lift tariffs, when international prices were lower, and flood the country with cheap imported rice and vegetables. Consumers gained and the IMF applauded but domestic farmers went bankrupt and the Artibonite valley, the country's breadbasket, atrophied.

Now that imports are rocketing in price the government has vowed to rebuild the withered agriculture but that is a herculean task given scant resources, degraded soil and land ownership disputes.

There is a hopeful precedent. A growing franchise of localised dairies known as Let Agogo (Creole for Unlimited Milk) has organised small farmers to transport and market milk, generating jobs and income and cutting Haiti's £20m annual milk import bill.

President René Préval has hailed the scheme as a model but Michel Chancy, a driving force of Veterimed, a non-governmental organisation which backs the dairies, was wary. "For 20 years politicians have been talking about reviving agriculture but didn't actually do anything. If this food crisis forces them to act then it is a big opportunity." That was a big if, he said.

Walk along a beach in the morning and you find Haitians gazing at the azure ocean horizon, dreaming of escape. They are fiercely proud of their history in overthrowing slavery and colonialism but these days the US, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic - anywhere but home - seems the best option.

The only thing stopping an exodus are US coastguard patrols, said Herman Janvier, 30, a fishermen on Cap Haitian, a smuggling point. "People want out of here. It's like we're almost dead people."

The last time Janvier tried to flee he was intercepted and interned at Guantánamo Bay. "I offered to join the American army. I offered to clean their base. They said no. So I am back here, on a boat with no motor, doing what I can to survive."

Feline Fanatic Collects Thousands of Ceramic Cats | Wired Collection

2011-02-03T04:50:00.000-08:00

A feline fanatic has spent the last 60 years amassing a bizarre collection of over 2,000 ceramic cats… and she won't stop until it's purr-fect.

Pamela Cole, 60, from Birmingham, has been collecting the cats since the late 1940s, after her mother gave her a replica of a beloved kitten.

The collection, thought to be worth over £50,000, contains ornaments worth anything from 10p to over £1,000 and she even has one cat dating back to 600BC.

Pam, who now has a staggering 2,222 cats of varying shapes and sizes, says she keeps them in her spare bedroom and has stopped anyone sleeping in there.

But despite already being short of space to display them, she said she can't wait to get her paws on more.

Speaking of her collection Pamela said: "I really do have them from all over the world, and I've bought them in china shops, toy shops, antiques shops, at craft fairs, antiques fairs and on eBay.

"I try to get them as different as possible, and I have them from every continent."

The World's Top Most Expensive And Luxury Bed Goes On Sale

2011-02-01T06:16:00.000-08:00

A handcrafted double bed has gone on sale for £4 million and is touted as the world’s most expensive place to rest your head.

The Baldacchino Supreme is inlaid with 107kg (236lb) of 24ct gold and is fashioned out of chestnut and ash wood with a cherry wood canopy.

It comes complete with Italian silk and cotton drapes and the headboard can be customised to take diamonds for that hint of extra bling.

The luxury item was made by British designer Stuart Hughes, who specialises in dolling up items for the super rich, such as gold-plating iPhones and selling them for £22,000.

He also hit the headlines when he customised an iPhone 4 with a 65million-year-old T.rex tooth and meteoric stone.

The 39-year-old Liverpudlian, who worked with Italian design company Hebanon for the bed, said the ‘incredible’ detail made it ‘out of this world’.

‘It is the sort of thing only the super rich can afford, billionaires who have everything and are always looking for unique gifts,’ he added.

He has made two of the beds so far, with each one taking three months.

One has already been snapped up by an Italian businessman.

Hotel for Chicken Opens Up in Cornwall

2011-01-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

I’ve read and written about a some pretty unusual hotels, in the past, but this is the first chicken hotel I’ve ever heard of.

The Chicken Hotel created by 31-year-old David Roberts, from Boskenwyn, Helston, is almost just like any other hotel out there, with one big difference – instead of people, it offers accommodations for chicken. I know it sounds like a joke, but this place is for real, and apparently it’s also very successful.

“With more people looking to escape the rat race and move out in the country with a little bit of land, keeping chickens is becoming more and more popular. But what do you do if you go away on holiday? Who looks after the chicken?” asks Mr. Roberts, who opened his unusual establishment to encourage people to raise their own chicken. A former cabinet-maker, David Roberts built the chicken coops himself and now rents them for 2 pounds each, plus 75 pence per chicken.

Each coop in the Chicken Hotel holds up to eight chicken and the current offer includes buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner of local produce, served in open-air. Guests are allowed to roam around the hotel grounds all day, before being gathered to roost at night. According to Mr. Roberts, the hotel was fully booked over Christmas time, and he hopes half term and Easter will be just as successful.

Source :- Oddity Central

Morning Sex Drive Improves Power Mood And Increase Stamina in Bed

2011-01-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

Men Really Like Women doing Morning Sex | Want to start your day feeling healthy and positive? Look no further than the Bed Room, suggests a new study

According to the research, adults who make love first thing in the morning apparently not only feel more upbeat for the rest of the day, but also benefit from a stronger immune system.

The study suggests that adults who begin their day this way are healthier and happier than those who simply opt for a cup of tea and some toast before heading out of the door.

Not only does it make them less likely to catch a cold or flu, it can also improve the quality of their hair, skin, and nails.

"Having sex in the morning releases the feel-good chemical oxytocin, which makes couples feel loving and bonded all day long," the Daily Mail quoted Dr Debby Herbenick, an American research scientist and sex advice columnist, as saying.

Dr Herbenick, author of the book Because It Feels Good, added: "It makes you stronger and more beautiful too: Morning sex can strengthen your immune system for the day by enhancing your levels of IgA, an antibody that protects against infection.

"And it releases chemicals that boost levels of oestrogen, which improves the tone and texture of your skin and hair."

Other studies suggest that the benefits do not end there. A study at Queens University in Belfast found that having sex three times a week could halve the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Research from Nottingham University also revealed that men who kept up a regular sex life in their 50s were also at lower risk of developing prostate cancer.

World's First Tram Sauna | Infrared Steam Spa Bath Massage Club

2011-01-27T11:48:00.000-08:00

The world's first tram sauna unveiled in Milan. Unfortunately this real tram is no longer in operation and sits in one place at the spa resort in northern Italy.

But, created by public transport designers QC Termemilano, it has all the features of the original carriage - except now it's a bit more wooden inside, a bit hotter, and a bit stuffier.

It comes complete with hot coals and benches - as well as the tram's trademark pitched roof and open window views of its surroundings.

A sauna session can be a social affair in which the participants disrobe and sit or recline in temperatures typically between 60°C (140 °F) and 100°C (212 °F). This induces relaxation and promotes sweating.

The designers claim the idea is to show commuters that public transport needn't always be stressful.

A spokesman said: 'People can get very stressed travelling through a city centre.

'This innovative design is to show that not all public transport is frustrating. It can be somewhere to relax.'

The historical Carelli tram sits in the middle of a spa complex on a real track, all of its own.

And models frequently turn up to pose by it too, apparently.

Dentist Uses Sexy Low Cut Dress | Cleavage Show To Distract Patients

2011-01-25T05:23:00.000-08:00

A German Women dentist has bought low-cut dresses for herself and her nurses to distract patients as Girl works on their teeth.

Dr Marie Catherine Klarkowski, whose practice is in Munich, came up with the idea after watching the way male visitors to the local Oktoberfest enjoyed looking at the traditional low-cut Dirndl dresses.

So she ordered for herself and her 10 staff similar frilled blouses in the same style with low cut cleavages and tight bodices that work like a push-up bra.

Dr Klarkowski, 41, said: "The most important thing for us is to take away the patients' fear. The sight of cleavages gets patients narcotised and distracted from the pain rather quickly."

She added: "Some patients' mouths are already wide open on entering the practice - and that is just what a dentist wants."

For Dr Klarkowski the investment paid off - she has a third more patients since the change - all of them male.

She added: "It could be that the cleavage is a little distracting but in the end it's me who has to concentrate and the patient can perhaps think about something different and relax during the treatment."

One of Dr Klarkowski's employees, Larisa Hrustic, said: "I much prefer working in a dirndl, I enjoy looking good at work and it's a lot more fun since we had the new outfits."

Her practice has also been transformed into an "Alpine lounge" with open fireplace, deer antlers on the wall and wooden benches to greet patients.

Dr Klarkowski added: "Competition doesn't sleep - I know colleagues who have decorated their whole practice with Mickey Mouse and one even in Star Trek style."

Newborn Baby Symptoms Cleft Palate Lip And Syphilis Treatment

2011-01-23T02:53:00.000-08:00

Newborn baby Symptoms suffering Causes from Cleft Palate Lip And Syphilis Docter Told cleft Lip Surgery Or Repair Treatment in south China Pictures

The male baby was abandoned by his 23-year-old mother on December 30, 2010, three days after he was born, according to the hospital. He was sent by local police to Sanya Social Welfare House and was sent back to the hospital for Doctor medical treatment. The baby was diagnosed with not only serious Cleft lip (cheiloschisis) and cleft palate (palatoschisis), which can also occur together as cleft lip and palate, are variations of a type of clefting congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation. A cleft is a fissure or opening—a gap. It is the non-fusion of the body's natural structures that form before birth. Approximately 1 in 700 children born have a cleft lip and/or a cleft palate. An older term is harelip, based on the similarity to the cleft in the lip of a hare. A cleft lip or palate can be successfully treated with surgery, especially so if conducted soon after birth or in early childhood but also syphilis.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochetal bacteria Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission of syphilis is through sexual contact however it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth resulting in congenital syphilis.

The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending on which of the four stages it presents in (primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary). The primary stage typically presents with a single chancre, secondary syphilis with a diffuse rash, latent with little to no symptoms, and tertiary with gummas, neurological, or cardiac symptoms. Diagnosis is usually via blood tests. It can be effectively treated with antibiotics, specifically intramuscular penicillin G

Former Milkman Builds Milk 10K Bottle Mini-Museum By Paul Luke

2011-01-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

A former milkman has been forced to build a museum in his back garden after his home became too small to hold his collection - of more than 10,000 milk bottles.

Dedicated Paul Luke, 33, saved his first milk bottle when he was just nine years old while earning pocket money as a 'milkman's mate'.

But his collection has swelled to more than 10,000 bottles over the years - with some of the rarest dating back to the 1890s.

Paul's collection grew so large that it wouldn't fit inside his home so he was forced to build a museum in his back garden.

Father-of-one Mr Luke, who edits Milk Bottle News website for fellow fans, admitted that his hobby has 'got a bit out of hand'.

He said: 'My parents liked it that I had a hobby. They thought it kept me out of trouble.

'The ones with a Kelloggs cornflakes advert caught my eye first. I used to pick these ones out when I helped the milk man while I was at school.

'I thought it would be interesting to start collecting the different ones but it started to get a bit out of hand.

'Some of my bottles are the only ones left in existence, to put a price on the collection is difficult but I don't do it for the monetary value, they're a record of history.'

Mr Luke, who lives in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, with his wife and daughter, collected his first milk bottle in 1987 when he was earning pocket money working as a milkman's mate.

He noticed that different bottles featured various adverts and began a collection on his parent's window sill - before going on to work as a milkman.

Over the years his obsession grew and he was forced to buy a 'miniature museum' in his back garden in order to display them.

Every single one of his prized milk bottles are embossed or pyroglazed by a dairy company and feature an advert.

He now owns a collection of over 10,000 different milk bottles and is still actively collecting more.

Mr Luke, who now works as a sales rep for a Hertfordshire dairy firm, also owns three old-fashioned milk floats, milk churns and milk measures which preceded bottles.

He added: 'I have milk bottles dating from the 1890s when they were first introduced. The glass was is green because they weren't progressed in making glass.

'Milk used to be ladled into customers jugs out of heavy churns. It was seen to be unhygienic and it was an entrepreneurial move by the dairies to introduce bottles.

'My favourites are the bottles from the 1950s when they had adverts using three or four colours, usually for eggs and butter.

'The adverts by each local dairy are individual, compared say, to the Kellogg's adverts.

'Most of these dairies have disappeared and some of them will have been built on. My collection is a record of the milk industry.

'I'm always looking for bottles from local farms which have the dairies name on them and would be glad to hear from anyone who has information or photo's of local dairies.'

The first British milk bottles were produced by the Express Dairy Company in 1880, they used a porcelain stopper and were delivered by horse-drawn carts four times a day.

A new pasteurisation process which allowed milk to be sterilised and stored for longer was developed in 1894 and deliveries were reduced to once a day.

Advertisements began to appear on milk bottles in 1920 when a sand-blasting technique was used to etch them on the glass.

The advertising largely disappeared in the early 1990s with the introduction of infrared bottle scanners designed to check cleanliness.

Dark White Chocolate Design | Art Sculpture Around The World

2011-01-21T01:09:00.000-08:00

White chocolate is a confection of sugar, cocoa butter, and milk solids with a pale yellow or ivory appearance. The melting point of cocoa butter is high enough to keep white chocolate solid at room temperature, yet low enough to allow white chocolate to melt in the mouth.

As one of Italy's most famous famous chocolatiers, Mirco Della Vecchia knew he had to come up with a pretty sweet idea for his next project.

And he's had audiences licking their lips with anticipation with his latest set of white chocolate sculptures.

A tasty Triomphe: Mirco Della Vecchia poses with his chocolate sculpture of Paris' famous Arc de Triomphe

The artist went around the world with white chocolate, whipping up the tasty treats to form Paris' Arc de Triomphe, Greece's Parthenon, Italy's leaning Tower of Pisa and Colosseum, the Egyptian temples Abu Simbel and England's famous Stonehenge.

The iconic landmarks were crafted as part of his 'Chocolate World Heritage' currently being exhibited in Hong Kong.

Painstaking patience - not to mention admirable self-restraint - were used to create the milky white wonders, which might tempt chocolaholics to skip visiting the real thing in favour of a close-up of Vecchia's work.

He carved Rome's ancient amphitheatre from a huge chunk of chocolate, even capturing the crumbling facade of the monument.

The replica of Nubia's Abu Smibel, which was originally built during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, have been created with incredible detail, even carving out the lines in the pharoah's beards.

His sturdy Parthenon and its columns have been intricately carved, with a poster showing the intense look of concentration on the artist's face as he shaves off chocolate curls from his work.

He has captured Stonehenge's worn look with no stone left untouched and his Arc de Triomphe is so big he can peek through its delectable arch.

His towering Pisa is perhaps the most impressive, as the model defies gravity by precariously leaning, just like its real life inspiration.

Vecchia showed that he had a sweet tooth from the age of 13, when he says he started working as a confectioner and says he 'knew his future would lay in the cafe' business.

In 1996 he started entering a series of regional competitions dedicated to the gentle art, quickly gaining numerous awards for his chocolate pistachio, praline, pastry and icecream.

He currently holds the Guinness World Record title for making the largest chocolate sculpture in the world.

Together with a team of artists, Vecchia created a white chocolate replica of the Dome of Milan which is 1.5 meters tall, 2.5 meters long and weighed and impressive 5.37 tons - setting the new world record for the largest chocolate sculpture.

Even their feet look good enough to eat: An incredible amount of attention went into this sculpture of Egypt's Abu Simbel, with even the Pharaohs' toes and beards being carved out of chocolate

Stone me: Stonehenge inspired the sweet-toothed chocolatier to replicate it with white chocolate

A colossal Colosseum: The chocolatier even captured the crumbling state of the Roman building... or did he just end up nibbling on his work?

The milk chocolate kid: Italian chocolatier Mirco Della Vecchia with his chocolate sculpture of the Parthenon for the exhibition

Mealworms Insects Eat In Future | Tasty Delicous Food

2011-01-20T00:30:00.000-08:00

Easy Recipes - It seems that live Mealworms are becoming real “meal” worms as everyone from farmers to chefs begin to use these insects as a tasty treat. They are also using grasshoppers in new and inventive foods. Are you enough of a foodie to try these insect treats?

Mealworm quiche, grasshopper springrolls and cuisine made from other creepy crawlies is the answer to the global food crisis, shrinking land and water resources and climate-changing carbon emissions, Dutch scientist Arnold van Huis says.

The professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands said insects have more protein than cattle per bite, cost less to raise, consume less water and don't have much of a carbon footprint. He even has plans for a cookbook to make bug food a more appetising prospect for mature palates.

"Children don't have a problem with eating insects, but adults with developed eating habits do, and only tasting and experience can make them change their minds," Van Huis said.

"The problem is psychological."

Van Huis has organized lectures, food tastings, and cookery classes with a master chef who demonstrates how to prepare a range of recipes using bugs, worms and grasshoppers, all bred -- or raised -- at a Dutch insect farm for consumption.

To attract more insect-eaters, Van Huis and his team of scientists at Wageningen have worked with a local cooking school to produce a cookbook and suitable recipes.

Chef Henk van Gurp, who created recipes for mealworm quiche and chocolate pralines with buffalo worms, sees no reason to disguise the ingredients, and sprinkles mealworms on top of the quiche filling and onto the chocolate buffalo worms as protein.

"I try to make my food in a way that people can see what they eat," he told Reuters. "Once international leading chefs begin preparing this food, others will follow."

Grasshoppers are considered a tasty snack in Asian countries including Thailand and Vietnam, but are not a feature on the Dutch menu. Van Huis says Europeans should consider insects an alternative source of protein because they can contain up 90 percent protein, compared with 40-70 percent for beef.

"Meat consumption is expected to double from 2000 to 2050. We are already using 70 percent of our agricultural land for livestock and we cannot afford to spare more," he said.

Plus raising cattle is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gases emissions.

Insects are already bred as food for birds, lizards and monkeys at the Callis family's farm near the university, and now the owners see a chance to sell bugs for human consumption.

"It is good food, of high nutritional value, and very healthy for elderly people," said Margot Callis. Though she cannot eat insects herself because she is allergic to them.

Duyugu Tatar, a 24-year old IT consultant who attended a recent lecture and food-tasting at the university, was less effusive about the mealworm quiche.

The taste was not that awful, but the idea of eating them horrified me. It was crispy. The taste was not like normal food. Not like meat, vegetable, or fruit. Maybe something like cornflakes," she said.

"It took a lot of courage to eat it, I usually smash them (insects) when I see them. I am not used to eating them. I don't know if I would eat it again."

Mitzi - The Bionic Dog - World's First Artificial Paw

2011-01-17T01:08:00.000-08:00

A German Shepherd called Mitzi has become the first dog in the world to be fitted with a pioneering prosthetic ankle.

The three-year-old had her rear right foot amputated after she was trampled by a horse.

But the lively dog is back to enjoying walks with her owner after being fitted with an artificial foot and ankle by pioneering vet Dr Noel Fitzpatrick.

The prosthesis is the first in the world to have been inserted into a fully moving bone and allows Mitzi to walk with a normal gait and no limp.

Mitzi's owner Viv Davis, from Dorchester, Dorset, and her daughter Zoe Randle were desperate to find a way to give her a better quality of life after she lost her hind foot.

Ms Davis said: 'The options were three legs, euthanasia, or give her a chance to walk. We had to give her a chance to walk.'

Dr Fitzpatrick, from Godalming, Surrey, added that the implant proved a success when Mitzi was taken off her lead for the first time on Thursday.

'There was always a risk that the exoprosthesis could actually break when Mitzi ran off her lead so this truly was a nail biting moment for me and for the design team as it could have failed spectacularly,' he explained.

Mitzi is walking with an entirely normal gait, with her foot moving exactly the way it should and today marks day one of Mitzi's return to living life like a normal dog.'

Dr Fitzpatrick was the first vet in the world to offer prosthetic limbs to pets using Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthesis (ITAP) technology

'It's a permanent fixture, it is part of the dog's body. The dog just gets on with life. Before ITAP came into being there was no way to give an animal a prosthesis.

'This has implications not only for animals but for human amputees in the future.

'If what I do helping patients in their needs, helps other patients that are animals, or human, excellent. I think it is the future.'

Dr Fitzpatrick operated on Mitzi to insert a titanium rod into her leg leaving her with a peg to which a prosthesis could be attached.

Her new titanium foot screws onto the peg and allows her to walk and run once again - something her owner never thought possible.

Mitzi's new foot was designed using computer modelling based on her gait so that it would absorb shock and to prevent it from snapping off.

The implant attaches to bone at the site of the amputation and protrudes through the skin like deer antlers so that a prosthesis can be attached.

The technology, which is now being used for humans, allows the skin to integrate with the implant and create a barrier to infection.

It has already been used to create a prosthetic for a woman who lost her arm in the July 2005 London bombings.

Dog Helper Sandie Aids Disabled Owner Doing Household Chores

2011-01-14T01:04:00.000-08:00

Four-year-old Sandie has proved she really is a girl's best friend - by learning to do all of her owner's housework.

The four-year-old pooch does all of owner Sue Line's shopping and washing - and can even pay for her groceries.

The Terrier-cross accompanies Ms Line, who is paralysed from the waist down, to the supermarket - putting all of her shopping in a bag, which she then carries around in her mouth.

When they come to the checkout Sandie can even take money from her owner's purse and hand it over to the shop assistant.

Sandie also loads the washing machine - separating her dirty clothes into dark and light loads and locking the machine door before the cycle begins.

She has also mastered how to unlock the kitchen door to let herself out to the toilet - and always remembers to close it behind her on her way back.

Ms Line, a retired NHS health trust manager, was paralysed 40 years ago after she was thrown from a car in a New Year's Eve smash.

The 61-year-old from Coventry, said: 'My life has become so much easier since I've had Sandie helping me. She's such a clever dog and has given me a sense of independence that I never had before.

'I have lost some of the use of my hands, so Sandie's help with fetching and carrying things is invaluable to me.

'The list of things she can do is endless. She does everything from bring me the post first thing in the morning, to fetching my phone if it starts to ring.'

Lee Armstrong, deputy manager of Sue's local Tesco store in Bedworth, said: 'Sandie has become something of a celebrity with other shoppers and staff as well as she goes about the store dutifully picking up groceries for her owner.'

Sue bought Sandie when she was just a few weeks old, from a friend - and hoped that her new pet would provide her with some companionship.

But it was only after getting in touch with a dog charity - Dog AID (Assistance in Disability), that she realised Sandie's full potential.

Ms Line added: 'Sandie's mother was a very intelligent dog, and that's obviously a trait that's been passed on.

'None of us ever imagined just how clever Sandie would turn out to be, though.

'I'm lucky to have a caring and supportive family around me, but it's great for me to have Sandie so they can have a bit of a break.

'It's lovely to have such a wonderful companion, and for me to regain a bit of independence.

People we meet out in the street are always amazed by her. My local shopkeeper has got used to her doing the shopping for me and handing over the cash, but it's always funny to see other people's faces when they watch her do it for the first time.

'Sandie and I were out shopping a few weeks ago when a woman in front of us dropped some change.

'She couldn't believe her eyes when Sandie picked up the coins in her mouth and gave them back to her. It took about two years to train Sandie to do all the things she can do now.

'The hardest bit was getting her to ignore food when we go into restaurants - she'd always be drooling when she smelt something delicious - but she's an absolute star now.

'I'm incredibly lucky to have her.'

Sandie is one of 24 dogs that have been successfully trained by Dog AID - and has recently been awarded their highest award.

Sandra Fraser, the charity's co-ordinator, said: 'Sandie is absolutely brilliant. She's a real success story.

'Most people don't think of a Terrier cross breed when they picture a support dog - but Sandie does just as well as any Labrador.

'She has made a huge difference to Sue's life.

'We are always looking for qualified dog trainers to help us train animals to help their owners, like Sue and Sandie.'

Fluorescent Luminous Green River is Blamed on Pranksters

2011-01-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

Canada's Goldstream River failed to live up to its name when its waters bizarrely started flowing a fluorescent Luminous green.

The river, which runs through the city of Langford in British Columbia, looked like the result of a radioactive disaster and an investigation was launched immediately.

What caused the river to change colour was a mystery at first, but investigators swiftly discovered an organic compound used as a dye to test water systems was to blame.

Colourful: The Goldstream River started flowing fluorescent green after hoaxers added an organic dye to the water

But as no tests were being conducted on the day the Goldstream River turned green, officials immediately pointed the finger at pranksters.

Tyson Elder was hiking along the river with friends photographing Bald Eagles when he saw the fluorescent green water on December 29.

Tyson, 24, from Victoria, British Columbia, said: 'In the distance all I could see was bright neon green - it looked like coolant.

'To see something so bright and unexpected was kind of unnerving, especially because it is a popular tourist destination.

'In the winter the Bald Eagles mate and nest there so we were worried about what it would do to the animals. Luckily tests showed it was not toxic.'

News of the neon-green waters spread fast after Tyson posted images on his Twitter site.

'Everyone was shocked by what they saw,' he said. 'It was big news. It was picked up by radio stations and people were flooding to the park.

'No-one seemed to know what was going on. It was quite an interesting day.'

Tyson, a photographer who also works in mediation, said the water ran green over a stretch of 400 metres for about three hours.

His friend had a camcorder and the video on YouTube has been viewed around 550,000 times.

Langford Fire Chief Bob Beckett blamed the greening of the river on unidentified pranksters.

'In all likelihood it's a hoax, but it's unfortunate we had to utilise all sorts of resources to investigate this,' he said.

Fluorescein, which is also used as a tracer in medical procedures, can cause allergic reactions, according to Vancouver Island Health Authority officials.

'It does not have a high toxicity, but it can cause allergic reactions,' said medical health officer Murray Fyfe.

Local resident Bruce Bradley, 27, said: 'It looked like the result of a radioactive disaster. I was half expecting to see two headed fish swimming about.

'It was quite incredible to see, it was really bright. A few guys were spooked by it all at first. It was bizarre.'

The substance is not believed to have affected fish populations, and according to the Montreal Gazette, the river turned back to its regular colour within an hour.

Watch Video

Brick Machine Rolls Out Roads Like Carpet Tiger-Stone

2011-01-11T22:24:00.000-08:00

Brick roads are beautiful and durable, but we don’t see them too often due to the effort it takes to produce them. What once was a labor-intensive, back-breaking job has now become a snap with this automatic Dutch paver laying machine, called the Tiger-Stone. The device rolls out a beautiful and sustainable hardscape, creating an instant road anywhere it travels. While the process may look magical, the secret lies in a smartly designed gravity-based system.

The machine consists of an angled plain that workers feed with paving stones or bricks. As the electric crawler inches forward along a sand base layer, the bricks are automatically packed together by gravity. A small telescoping forklift feeds the hopper, allowing the Tiger-Stone to lay out an impressive 400 square meters of road day, and the span can be adjusted up to six meters wide. Here’s a stereophonic video of the machine in action.

Brick roads have been around for centuries and they have been revisited lately by the green building community for a number of reasons. Bricks are easy to procure and reuse, cement pavers last a very long time, and they are easy to repair and replace. They tolerate water and freezing without forming cracks, and some newer systems actually absorb rainwater between the pavers and infuse it back into the ground again, reducing storm water runoff and helping improve the effectiveness of aquifers. Not to mention, the roads look pretty great too.

EN-V - Electric Battery Power Concept Motor Car Engine 2011

2011-01-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

An electric car is a plug-in battery powered automobile which is propelled by electric motor Car designers have come up with the perfect solution for all those motorists tired of traffic jams and lack of parking spaces.

The two-seat EN-V (Electric-Networked Vehicle) is designed to alleviate those common driver concerns - as well as address environmental issues, energy consumption and affordability.

And amazingly you don't even need to be in the driving seat to achieve all this.

The EN-V from General Motors can rotate 360 degrees and be driven in manual mode with a driver - or without.

The General Motors concept runs on battery power for about 25 miles on a charge, with top speeds of 25 miles-per-hour.

The only downside to this pint-sized vehicle is its' inability to withstand a collusion with a full-sized vehicle.

Cities could, however, create EN-V-only lanes, or alternatively, create enclosed areas solely used by the vehicle.

There is no timeframe yet for when the EN-V will be on the market.

Flying Fish | Fact | Pictures | Videos

2011-01-09T01:55:00.000-08:00

Exocoetidae, is a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes of class Actinopterygii. Fishes of this family are known as flying fish. There are about 64 species grouped in seven to nine genera.

Flying fish live in all of the oceans, particularly in warm tropical and subtropical waters. Their most striking feature is their pectoral fins, which are unusually large, and enable the fish to hide and escape from predators by leaping out of the water, taking short gliding flights through air just above the water's surface. Their glides are typically around 50 metres (160 ft).

In order to glide upward out of the water, a flying fish moves its tail up to 70 times per second. It then spreads its pectoral fins and tilts them slightly upward to provide lift. At the end of a glide, it folds its pectoral fins to reenter the sea or drops its tail into the water to push against the water to lift itself for another glide, possibly changing direction. The curved profile of the "wing" has an aerodynamic shape that is comparable to that of a bird wing. The fish is able to increase its time in the air by flying straight into or at an angle to the direction of updrafts created by a combination of air and ocean currents.

Genus Exocoetus has one pair of fins and a streamlined body to optimize for speed, while Cypselurus has a flattened body and two pairs of fins which maximizes its time in the air. From 1900 to the 1930s, flying fish were studied as possible models used to develop airplanes.

Exocoetidae feed mainly on plankton. Predators include dolphins, tuna, marlin, birds, squids and porpoises.

The Oldest Cat Living In The World | On Record Ever

2011-01-06T23:02:00.000-08:00

Is Lucy, 39, the oldest cat in the world? - She may be deaf and a bit stiff in the morning but when you consider Lucy the moggy has just turned 39, it’s understandable.

Lucy of Llanelli, South Wales, with no medical problems except for hearing loss, is 39-years-old, The Daily Mail reported yesterday, which makes her the oldest known cat in the world.

The average feline life span is about 15 years, which puts Lucy at double her life expectancy. Cat experts estimate her age to be the equivalent of 172 human years. The only other cat who comes close to her age was Creme Puff, a Texas cat who died at 38 years and three days.

Lucy's owner, Bill Thomas, a Llanelli town counselor, inherited her when his wife's godmother, Maria Lewis, died in 1999. He didn't realize how old Lucy was until his wife's aunt came to visit. "She could remember Lucy scampering around Maria's fish and chip shop when she was a kitten back in 1972," Thomas said. "We knew she was old - but not that old."

The aunt remembered Lucy from working at the shop in 1973, when Lucy was three years old. Others have confirmed seeing her in the shop in the early seventies as well. That puts Lucy's estimated year of birth in 1971/1972.

And Lucy doesn't look like she's close to quitting. Other than her hearing loss, she's in good health and is extremely independent, which Thomas attributes to her age. "She is great with the grandchildren and still likes to patrol the garden every day looking for mice," he said. "Most of the time she lies in her basket and has a sleep. The kids do wake her up and play with her, but she normally wakes up when she wants to...she's a bit stiff but she gets up for her food."

Avatar Movie Theme Wedding | Dress Up

2011-01-06T01:34:00.000-08:00

Avatar weddings in Pandora 'really pathetic' - Newlyweds have been screaming blue murder over their 'Pandora weddings' set among the stunning mountain range used in blockbuster movie Avatar.

Enterprising events organisers in natural beauty spot Wu Lingyuan, southern China, are cashing in on the fact that James Cameron used their stunning mountain range as the inspiration for his fantasy planet's floating peaks.

But the not-so-special effects provided by local tourist bosses to give couples an out of this world wedding day have infuriated newlyweds who paid up for the stunt.

Bride Xiao Tsao, one of five couples recently married in a joint service, said: 'The Navi were a couple of forestry workers dressed up in long underwear dyed blue wearing some very unconvincing masks. It was really pathetic.'

But a forestry authority spokesman explained: 'We are not professional special effects experts but we do our best. What we are really highlighting is the beauty of our landscape.'

Free Best Shopping For Dress Carts Shop | Full Discount 2011

2011-01-04T00:52:00.000-08:00

Free Best Shopping For Dress Carts Shop | Full Discount 2011

Spanish and Portuguese shoppers arrive at Desigual outlets in their underwear... to be clothed for free It’s not the sort of winter sale you would expect to happen in England No Need Discount Coupon.

But for theses Spanish and Portuguese shoppers the chilly weather was not so much of a factor.

They braved the mild New Year temperatures to cash in as clothing company Desigual promised: ‘Come in undressed and go out dressed.'

he wacky idea from the company, who was started by a Swiss in 1984 but has its headquarters in Barcelona, seems to have been a hit for those in the mood for a cheeky deal.

But there was a hitch: only the first 100 punters who arrived at selected branches were given the free stash.

At the Madrid store alone some 200 people queued outside ready to strip down to their underwear to take advantage of the shop's winter sale offer.

With the Spanish capital starting the winter sales five days before the traditional January 7 date, shoppers had to show their flesh in exchange for two free items of clothing - a top and bottom piece.

Pedro Soares and Ivan Silva claimed that they were the first to arrive at the Lisbon store at 1am in the early hours of Sunday morning, waiting eight hours until the doors opened and they were entitled to take home an outfit of their choice, gratis.

‘I have a woolly jumper and a pair of trousers, which would have cost €250 (£210),’ 20-year-old Mr Soares told Lusa News Agency.

‘I really like this brand and like this I can take the clothes without paying for them.’

Mr Silva said: ‘It was fun. We were the first to arrive and more people came during the night. When they opened the doors there was such a rush with people falling over each other to get the best clothes.’

Friends Jenny and Lisa from New Zealand had been waiting since before midnight outside the Madrid store and said it was a great opportunity to meet new amigos.

‘We have been here since 11pm with my friends,’ Jenny said. ‘New friends that we made here!’

Erica, from Brazil, earned her number one spot by waiting from 3pm the previous day and was happy with her choice, although she intended to buy more, in addition to the two free items.

‘I am number one and I have gotten a coat and trousers, but I am still picking things, there is a lot left to get though,’ she said.

Desigual were delighted with the interest the stunt gained for the brand – and rather than leaving those who did not make the top 100 shivering in next to nothing, they provided them with half-price discounts.

Public Relations officer Beatriz Almeida said that the initiative was aimed at marking the official start of the sales.

‘It went well,’ she said. ‘The brand aims to be original so we wanted this action to be different.’

Though the company has a store on Regent Street, according to the website there are no plans to offer a similar deal for London-based shoppers.

Thailand Elephant play soccer in Kathmandu, Nepal

2011-01-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

An elephant strikes the ball during the final day of 7th International Elephant Race and Festival in Sauraha of Chitwan district, south of Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, Dec. 28, 2010. The three-day International Elephant Race and Festival concluded here on Tuesday.

Pencil Color Crayon Art of Painting Artist By Christian Faur

2011-01-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

Clip At first glance these pictures look like nothing more than pixelated photographs but closer inspection reveals the images are actually created using thousands of wax crayons.

Bored with paint and pencils, inventive artist, Christian Faur, turned to the childhood favourite for inspiration after seeing his young daughter using them.

Christian, from Granville, USA, starts each piece by scanning a photograph and breaking the image down into coloured blocks.

'The individual 'pixels' of wax are precisely packed into specific locations to produce something that uniquely balances both photography and sculpture'

He then places thousands of crayons into a grid - like coloured pixels on a television screen - before packing the finished piece into a wooden frame.

The result is a realistic image which only reveals it's humble Crayola roots on close inspection.

The Ohio artist said: 'My earliest memories of making art involve the use of wax crayons.

I can still remember the pleasure of opening a new box of crayons, the distinct smell of the wax, the beautifully coloured tips, everything still perfect and unused.

'Using the first crayon from a new box always gave me a slight pain. To the best of my knowledge this is unlike anything ever done before in art.

'The individual 'pixels' of wax are precisely packed into specific locations to produce something that uniquely balances both photography and sculpture.'

World's Oldest Dad | Father In The Indian History World Record Ever

2010-12-31T23:11:00.000-08:00

Ramjit Raghav world's oldest father has done it again, father of a child believes the secret to eternal youth is half a kilo of butter washed down with three litres of milk every day.

And Ramjit Raghav must be doing something right. At the age of 94, he claims, he has just celebrated the birth of his first child.

Mr Raghav, from Haryana in northern India, hailed the arrival of son Karamjit as ‘God’s gift’. It would make him the world’s oldest father.

He and his wife Shakuntala Devi, believed to be in her late 40s, hope to go one further by trying for a second child next year.

Ramjit Raghav, 94, poses for a picture outside his house with his two-month-old baby Vikramjeet in Haryana, India

Mr Raghav, who was a wrestler in his youth, is confident that he will be around to see his little boy grow up, saying: ‘I will die only if a black snake bites me and that is very unlikely.

‘Visit me after ten years and you will find me in the same appearance.

‘My daily diet comprises three litres of milk, half a kilo of almonds and half a kilo of ghee [clarified butter].’

But some doctors have questioned the validity of Mr Raghav’s claim.

Dr Paramjeet Singh, chief medical officer at Kharkhoda Civil Hospital, where the baby was born in November, said: ‘Having babies at such an age is a remote possibility. It can’t be ruled out.’

If it is true, Mr Raghav will beat current record holder Nanu Ram Jogi, an Indian farmer who fathered his 21st child at the age of 90 in 2007.

Mr Raghav actually claims to be more than 100 years old, but pension records give his age as 94.

Shankuntala Devi gave birth to the bouncing baby boy in a local hospital in the Kharkhoda village of Haryana, 70 kilometres north of Delhi

Dr Singh added: 'It was a normal delivery and the baby is quite healthy and fine.'

Shakuntala's age, alternately reported as 51, 52 and 54, makes for incredibly slim odds of ovulation and any viable eggs.

Villager, Karan Singh, 39, was surprised to hear one of the elders had become a father last month.

She said: 'At first I didn’t believe it but it is the god’s grace and most importantly Ramjit is quite healthy and hard-working.'

He claims to be more than 100 years old, but according to the old-age pension records he is 94

Human Bot Fly Removal Pictures And Videos

2010-12-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

A botfly is a fly in the family Oestridae. It is one of several families of hairy flies whose larvae live as parasites within the bodies of mammals. There are approximately 150 known species worldwide.

Dermatobia hominis, the human botfly, is the only species of botfly known to use humans as the host to its larvae.

In cattle, the lesions caused by these flies can become infected by Mannheimia granulomatis, a bacterium that causes lechiguana, characterized by rapid growing, hard lumps beneath the skin of the animal. Without antibiotics an affected animal will die within 3–11 months.

Certain type of Botflies can occasionally use humans as the host to its larvae. The larva, because of their spines, can pose an extremely painful sub-epidermal condition. Removal processes include placing raw meat on to the area, which in theory will coax the larva out.Another option is to use the tree sap of the matatorsalo, found in Costa Rica, which will kill the larva, yet leave its body in the skin. Additionally, one can attempt to seal the breathing hole of the larva with nail polish or vaseline and then, after a day, squeeze out the suffocated, dead larva. Use of adhesive tape can work, but carries additional risk of infection because portions of the larva's breathing tube can be broken off by the tape and made difficult to remove.

youtube : Monster "Alien" Human Bot Fly Removal

1,999 Roses Made Of 99.99% Gold On Sale In Nanjing

2010-12-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

A customer looks at a heart-shaped pattern consisting of 1,999 golden roses made by foil of 99.99 percent gold at a gold store in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 15, 2010. The price of the golden rose is 299 RMB yuan (45 US dollars) per item.

Brazilian Woman Wakes Up In Her Coffin Hours Almost Buried Alive

2010-12-28T01:05:00.000-08:00

Brazilian grandmother almost buried alive on Christmas 'dies for the second time'

First she died, then she didn’t. Now, sadly, she has, again.

As 88-year-old Maria das Dores da Conceição’s body was being readied for burial, funeral parlour staff noticed her twitch.

And though hospital doctors in Ipatinga, Brazil, signed her death certificate citing clogged arteries and hypertension, they have ashamedly admitted Mrs Conceicao was very much alive.

But just a day after being rushed back to an intensive care ward, still in her coffin, she has died, again.

Doctors gave her emergency treatment while still in her coffin at the same time as her funeral was due to be held on Christmas Day.

Brazilian police are investigating the case to determine whether a medical error at the hospital led to Mrs Conceicao’s death.

Her granddaughter Noeme Silva Amâncio, 31, who was among the first family members to greet her grandmother back to life told the Brazilian G1 site ‘when I got to the hospital ‘s first emergency aid entrance, I sighted grandma in her coffin,which was inside the funeral hearse.

‘She was breathing and moving about on one side of the coffin more than when she had been initially hospitalised.’

The Mayor’s said police were investigating the case in order to clarify the details to the shocked family.

They said Mrs Conceicao entered the hospital last Tuesday morning with a medical history of hypertension, blocked arteries and Alzheimer’s disease.

She had been bedridden and brought the hospital complaining of pains.

‘Since Wednesday, 22 December, the patient did not present any signs of being alive and was declared officially dead at 16:50 and brought to the funeral parlour at 20:30.

Her daughter Custodia Amancio said: ‘We are happy to know my mother is alive and unhappy with the lack of respect due her.We are still not sure if we will sue the municipality and hospital. ‘

The hospital has not made an official statement on the case.

Noorsyaidah Claims Metal Wire Has Grown, From Her Body

2010-12-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

It's a currently big news in Indonesia. Metal wires about 10-20 cm long grow from a woman's body! Skeptics initially thought that is must be "self-inflicted". Doctors however, have other theories but have given up on providing any scientific or medical explanations.

The woman had this problem for 17 years and currently being investigated by the Ministry of Health. Initial consultation with doctors and specialists found that the wires are also inside her body. At this stage, there were no current medical explanations or any case ever exist. Hence, there is but only one other possible consideration… Occult magic.

Her name is NOORSYAIDAH. A 40 years old kindergarten teacher from Sangatta, East Kutai. Her first symptoms started manifestating in 1991. The metal wires grew out of her chest and her belly. There was no explanation then (or even now). During the first week wires kept falling off from her body and were gone. A month later, the wires grew back again and from that time onward the wires did not fall. They kept growing!

One of her sisters said that she tried to help by trimming the wires. Alas, whenever she trimmed the wires, the wire retreated as if it were hiding and then popped up in another part of Noorsyaidah’s body.

There have been 4 Medical Specialists taking this matter seriously and have treated her in several ways. And as the result, doctors can’t figure out what exactly is happening to her. The doctors have taken an X-Ray image from her stomach and found that there are more than 40 metal wires inside her and some of them are bursting out of her skin. They looks like a living phenomenon. The wires are able mobile and therefore can change location at will, Thus the doctors are forced to use a magnet to scan the exact position of the wires. The wires bursted out without any symptoms of Tetanus, but she said that they’re hurting her like when needles sting.

Video : Noorsyaidah Wires Grow From Inside The Body

The Youngest Mother Gives Birth Ever in the world | Pregnant Girl

2010-12-27T03:51:00.000-08:00

Valentina Isaeva gave birth to a girl in Moscow, Russia. The child's father was sentenced conditionally for child abuse but was not jailed because he was willing to support Valentina and their daughter.

This is the youngest Russian teenage mother. She got pregnant at the age of 11 and soon the child was born. Her boyfriend’s name is Habibula Patahonov he is from Tajikistan, who rented a room in a flat where Valentina was living with her grandmother. he was also very young when this happened, now he works as a construction worker. They are not married because in Russia you can’t marry at eleven. Habib visits his girlfriend and a kid on the regular basis and they think that they would marry as soon as it would be legally possible.

On these photos she is already 14 and the child, the girl, is already 3 years old. There is a video too.

Masanobu Sato : World’s Longest Man Masturbation

2010-12-25T01:53:00.000-08:00

World’s Longest Man Masturbation –it's been a week since Mr.Masanobu Sato blew away his own masturbating world record at the 9th Annual Masturbate-a-thon, held by the Center for Sex & Culture last Saturday. This guy was a pro, bringing an arsenal of masturbating aids from the Japanese sex product company he works for.

Last year he set the record with 9 hours and 33 minutes, but this time he held on til 9 hours and 58 minutes. He's now back in Japan and exhausted, but was nice enough to answer some of our questions about his victory by e-mail. Behold the master.

The Snitch: What was the secret to you going for nearly 10 hours?

Sato: "My abundant imagination was a key to my triumph firstly. Secondly, I trained a lot in Japan from the time I won the 1st prize last year. I swam twice a week, and gained about 5 kgs in muscle.That helped me a lot, too in terms of stamina. Thirdly, the variety of sensations each TENGA gave me was ideal for long masturbation. Without those variety sensations, my dick would feel the same sensation for a long time, which would paralyze my dick in the end. I use as many as 10 different TENGAs so that my dick avoids being paralyzed."

Was there any point you felt you couldn't go on? How did you get through those moments?

"Yes. Twice I felt I couldn't go on. I took great advantage of Japanese pornos as I prepared. Also I imagined many supporters in Japan including my girlfriend, family, co-workers etc...that I can't let them down."

Were you exhausted afterward?

"Definitely. I was so exhausted that I couldn't get up on time next day when I was supposed to go to airport to go back to Japan. Luckily, I didn't miss the flight though."
Did you ever have an orgasm?

"Yes. I've come once in a halfway round. I continued masturbating without taking any rest or becoming flaccid then."

Could you have gone longer?

"This time, that was my limit actually. I hope I can go over 10 hours or longer next time I challenge."

You're now going to the world competition in Copenhagen? When is that?

"I thought I would go to Copenhagen, but now I'm not sure about it as it's a bit too much to do marathon twice a month. I think it's a good idea to compete with the champions of other countries, like Copenhagen, London, Portland at San Francisco."

What does your family think of this achievement? Are they aware you are the world masturbating champion?

"Of course they know about the fact. They feel proud of me since last year's my victory, I think. They were really glad and happy to hear when I reported them I could defend championship and what's more I could blow away my own world record by 25 minutes. I'm very happy that my family understands me well. Ordinary families in Japan don't do so. I wonder how US families are like...."

Full Double Rainbow Photos And Video

2010-12-23T04:16:00.000-08:00

A Double Rainbow photographer Guy who has taken pictures real-life double rainbow lit up the Los Angeles area this evening -- all the way across the sky, according to witnesses.

A Double rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc, with red on the outer part of the arc and violet on the inner section.

A rainbow spans a continuous spectrum of colours; the distinct bands are an artifact of human colour vision. The most commonly cited and remembered sequence, in English, is Newton's sevenfold red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (popularly memorized by mnemonics like Roy G. Biv). Rainbows can be caused by other forms of water than rain, including mist, spray, and dew.

The Double Rainbow guy of Internet fame may soon have company on YouTube, as photos and videos of the sight are just beginning to surface.

Here are Images of the phenomenon so far, thanks to Twitter. Share your own Double Rainbow photo or video and we'll include it below!

Fly Geyser

2010-12-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

Fly Geyser is a small geothermal geyser that is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Gerlach, in Washoe County, Nevada. The Geyser is located in Hualapai Flat less than a mile from State Route 34. The Geyser is about 1/3 miles from the road and is large enough to be seen from the road.

Fly Geyser is located on the private Fly Ranch and is accessible only by a small private dirt road. The ranch is currently owned by Todd Jaksick. There is a high fence and a locked gate with several metal spokes on the top to keep trespassers out, but despite the booby traps, many people still prefer to jump the fence to get a better look. Several organizations have tried to purchase the land for conservation, and make it open to the public, but have been denied.

Fly Geyser is a very little known tourist attraction, even to Nevada residents. It is located right near the edge of Fly Reservoir and is only about 5 feet (1.5 m) high, (12 feet (3.7 m) if you count the mound on which it sits). The Geyser is not an entirely natural phenomenon, and was accidentally created in 1916 during the drilling of a well. The well functioned normally for several decades, but then in the 1960s geothermally heated water found a weak spot in the wall and began escaping to the surface. Dissolved minerals started rising and piling up, creating the mount on which the geyser sits, which is still growing to date. Today, water is constantly squirting out reaching 5 feet (1.5 m) in the air. The geyser contains several terraces discharging water into 30 to 40 pools over an area of 30 hectares (74 acres). The geyser is made up of a series of different minerals, including sulfur dioxide, which gives it its magnificent coloration.

There are two additional geysers in the area that were created in a similar way as Fly Geyser. The first geyser is approximately 3 feet high and is shaped like a miniature volcano. The second geyser is cone shaped and is of the same approximate size as Fly Geyser. Like Fly Geyser, these geysers are continually growing.

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