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Friday, August 29, 2008
Waffle Bike
Waffle Bike is a fully weaponized waffle making device complete with call to prayer public address system.
Dazzling smile helps win environment photography competition
An uplifting picture of a poor farmer's wife in India carrying an infant on her back after a hard day's work in the fields has scooped top prize in a photographic competition.
The young woman in west Bengal can't believe that anybody would want to take her picture and laughs in delight.
Photographer Abhijit Nandi said: "My picture reflects the relationships between the environment (Mother Earth) and people; or mother and child. "There is also a strong suggestion of the renewal of life, with the cow being connected deeply to the fertility cult in Indian mythology.
"I shot this photograph in a remote village called Gourdah in West Bengal. The woman in my picture is returning home from the paddy field after a long day at work. As a farmer's housewife, she has to manage her home, child and also help her husband in the field. They are very poor.
"She never thought that a village woman could be the subject of a photograph, so when I told her that I would like to take a picture of her, she just laughed. The mother and child, the green paddy field and the blue sky after rain fill me happiness, hope and joy."
The picture - Happy in her Own World - took first prize in the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) Environmental Photographer of the Year competition.
There's a large gallery of other entrants here.
The young woman in west Bengal can't believe that anybody would want to take her picture and laughs in delight.
Photographer Abhijit Nandi said: "My picture reflects the relationships between the environment (Mother Earth) and people; or mother and child. "There is also a strong suggestion of the renewal of life, with the cow being connected deeply to the fertility cult in Indian mythology.
"I shot this photograph in a remote village called Gourdah in West Bengal. The woman in my picture is returning home from the paddy field after a long day at work. As a farmer's housewife, she has to manage her home, child and also help her husband in the field. They are very poor.
"She never thought that a village woman could be the subject of a photograph, so when I told her that I would like to take a picture of her, she just laughed. The mother and child, the green paddy field and the blue sky after rain fill me happiness, hope and joy."
The picture - Happy in her Own World - took first prize in the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) Environmental Photographer of the Year competition.
There's a large gallery of other entrants here.
Schoolgirl breaks world record for balancing snails on her face
A schoolgirl has set a new world record - by having 25 slimy snails slither over her eyes, nose and mouth.
Tiana Walton, 9, of Pye Corner Farm, Alvanley, is awaiting official confirmation that she is a record breaker for keeping snails on her face.
Guinness Book of Records rules state that the competitor has just one minute to put the snails on their face before tipping their heads forward for 10 seconds.
On Thursday 25 garden snails clung to Tiana’s face, smashing Australian Liam Kenny’s record of 15. Tiana’s previous personal best was nine.
Animal loving Tiana, who next week starts year five at Abbey Gate School, said: "I am not squeamish. It is relaxing but it feels a bit cold. They are quite smelly and you can see their big long eyes facing you. I think my friends at school will say "urgh".
"I might try a different one now, or I would like to go the Olympics and be a gymnast."
There's a news video here.
Tiana Walton, 9, of Pye Corner Farm, Alvanley, is awaiting official confirmation that she is a record breaker for keeping snails on her face.
Guinness Book of Records rules state that the competitor has just one minute to put the snails on their face before tipping their heads forward for 10 seconds.
On Thursday 25 garden snails clung to Tiana’s face, smashing Australian Liam Kenny’s record of 15. Tiana’s previous personal best was nine.
Animal loving Tiana, who next week starts year five at Abbey Gate School, said: "I am not squeamish. It is relaxing but it feels a bit cold. They are quite smelly and you can see their big long eyes facing you. I think my friends at school will say "urgh".
"I might try a different one now, or I would like to go the Olympics and be a gymnast."
There's a news video here.
Man finds Jesus on a moth
Kirk Harper spotted the moth on an RV trailer on Monday, and right away could tell it was unique.
"His hair right here and you can see the moustache and the beard and there's a little slit right there that looks like His mouth and when he would move the mouth would open so it looked like he was trying to talk to you."
The RV shop's owner immediately took it to his church. Brother James Jordan thinks the patterns do resemble Jesus better in person than in these blown-up pictures.
With news video.
"His hair right here and you can see the moustache and the beard and there's a little slit right there that looks like His mouth and when he would move the mouth would open so it looked like he was trying to talk to you."
The RV shop's owner immediately took it to his church. Brother James Jordan thinks the patterns do resemble Jesus better in person than in these blown-up pictures.
With news video.
Disposable diaper breaks fall, saves child's life
A disposable diaper has saved the life of an 18-month-old boy, breaking his fall from a third-floor apartment window, officials said yestterday.
Caua Felipe Massaneiro survived a 30-foot (10-meter) fall because his diaper snagged on a security spike embedded in the concrete wall around his apartment building in the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife.
The boy dangled from the spike for a moment, then "the diaper opened and the baby fell to the ground, but at a much slower speed," a police officer said. "The diaper obviously lessened the impact of the fall and saved the baby's life."
Photo from here.
"It was a miracle," said the officer who declined to be identified because she was not authorized to speak to the press. "He could also have been killed by one of the spikes."
The child was treated for minor fractures at the Hospital Memorial Sao Jose, where spokesman Gilberto Tenorio said he was in stable condition.
Police have opened an investigation to determine how the toddler fell out the window and "if parental negligence was one of the causes," the police officer said.
Caua Felipe Massaneiro survived a 30-foot (10-meter) fall because his diaper snagged on a security spike embedded in the concrete wall around his apartment building in the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife.
The boy dangled from the spike for a moment, then "the diaper opened and the baby fell to the ground, but at a much slower speed," a police officer said. "The diaper obviously lessened the impact of the fall and saved the baby's life."
Photo from here.
"It was a miracle," said the officer who declined to be identified because she was not authorized to speak to the press. "He could also have been killed by one of the spikes."
The child was treated for minor fractures at the Hospital Memorial Sao Jose, where spokesman Gilberto Tenorio said he was in stable condition.
Police have opened an investigation to determine how the toddler fell out the window and "if parental negligence was one of the causes," the police officer said.
Swedish woman takes self-service check-in to a whole new level
An elderly Swedish woman tried to get herself on board an international flight by climbing onto an unmanned luggage belt after her suitcase. The incident happened at Stockholm's Arlanda airport.
The unnamed 78-year-old thought she was just following instructions on how to check in for her flight.
She carefully lay down on the conveyor belt and was whisked into the baggage handling bay where she was rescued by surprised staff.
"It was a bit unfortunate," said Ari Kallonen of baggage handling firm Nordic Aero. "The little old lady arrived at the airport and had to take care of herself.
"Unfortunately, she did not understand when she was given check-in instructions. She took the belt together with her bag. Luckily it wasn't a long ride - only a couple of metres."
The woman did not reportedly suffer any injuries, managing to catch her flight to Germany, police said.
The unnamed 78-year-old thought she was just following instructions on how to check in for her flight.
She carefully lay down on the conveyor belt and was whisked into the baggage handling bay where she was rescued by surprised staff.
"It was a bit unfortunate," said Ari Kallonen of baggage handling firm Nordic Aero. "The little old lady arrived at the airport and had to take care of herself.
"Unfortunately, she did not understand when she was given check-in instructions. She took the belt together with her bag. Luckily it wasn't a long ride - only a couple of metres."
The woman did not reportedly suffer any injuries, managing to catch her flight to Germany, police said.
Pictures of first person to undergo plastic surgery released
The images of a wounded First World War soldier who became the first person to undergo plastic surgery have been released in an attempt to trace his family.
The photographs show before, during and after pictures of the ground-breaking medical procedure carried out on sailor Walter Yeo.
Walter sustained terrible facial injuries including the loss of upper and lower eyelids while manning the guns aboard HMS Warspite in 1916.
In 1917 he was treated by Sir Harold Gillies - the first man to use skin grafts from undamaged areas on the body - and know as 'the father of plastic surgery'.
Walter Yeo is thought to be the first patient to benefit from his newly-developed technique - a form of skin grafting called 'tubed pedical'.
The young sailor, of Plymouth, Devon, was given new eyelids with a 'mask' of skin grafted across his face and eyes.
Artist Paddy Hartley, 37, has previously used the images in an exhibition and is now attempting to track down Walter's family to find out what happened to him. Paddy, of London, said: "This tragedy catalysed the surgeon to transform the fledgling discipline of plastic surgery.
"Walter Yeo last went for treatment at the Royal Naval Hospital in Plymouth 1938, but little else is known about him. It would be interesting to know what happened to him in the years that followed. I'm keen to find out how he and his family coped with the consequences of his injuries and subsequent surgery."
The photographs show before, during and after pictures of the ground-breaking medical procedure carried out on sailor Walter Yeo.
Walter sustained terrible facial injuries including the loss of upper and lower eyelids while manning the guns aboard HMS Warspite in 1916.
In 1917 he was treated by Sir Harold Gillies - the first man to use skin grafts from undamaged areas on the body - and know as 'the father of plastic surgery'.
Walter Yeo is thought to be the first patient to benefit from his newly-developed technique - a form of skin grafting called 'tubed pedical'.
The young sailor, of Plymouth, Devon, was given new eyelids with a 'mask' of skin grafted across his face and eyes.
Artist Paddy Hartley, 37, has previously used the images in an exhibition and is now attempting to track down Walter's family to find out what happened to him. Paddy, of London, said: "This tragedy catalysed the surgeon to transform the fledgling discipline of plastic surgery.
"Walter Yeo last went for treatment at the Royal Naval Hospital in Plymouth 1938, but little else is known about him. It would be interesting to know what happened to him in the years that followed. I'm keen to find out how he and his family coped with the consequences of his injuries and subsequent surgery."
Computer virus infects ISS space station
As far as space monsters go it is less menacing than Daleks or Klingons, but an unwanted intruder has made its way aboard the international space station.
Gammima.AG, a malicious password-swiping computer virus, has broken new frontiers, by infecting two laptops on the ISS orbiting 215 miles above Earth. The virus was first detected on Earth in August 2007 infecting machines to steal login names for popular online games.
Nasa officials have begun an investigation into how the virus made it aboard the ISS, but it is thought it might have been inadvertently carried into space on an astronaut's USB drive.
Reports suggested that once on board the station, the memory device was plugged into the computers, infecting them both.
Computers on the ISS are not directly connected to the internet but they have access to a satellite data link. They are not part of the space station's "command and control" network, Nasa said.
Nasa, who described the virus as a "nuisance" is now working with its international partners on the space station, including Russians, to find out how it got on board. Nasa spokesman Kelly Humphries said: "It's not a frequent occurrence, but this isn't the first time."
Gammima.AG, a malicious password-swiping computer virus, has broken new frontiers, by infecting two laptops on the ISS orbiting 215 miles above Earth. The virus was first detected on Earth in August 2007 infecting machines to steal login names for popular online games.
Nasa officials have begun an investigation into how the virus made it aboard the ISS, but it is thought it might have been inadvertently carried into space on an astronaut's USB drive.
Reports suggested that once on board the station, the memory device was plugged into the computers, infecting them both.
Computers on the ISS are not directly connected to the internet but they have access to a satellite data link. They are not part of the space station's "command and control" network, Nasa said.
Nasa, who described the virus as a "nuisance" is now working with its international partners on the space station, including Russians, to find out how it got on board. Nasa spokesman Kelly Humphries said: "It's not a frequent occurrence, but this isn't the first time."
Pensioner handcuffed for taking paper from recycling bin
A pensioner was handcuffed and threatened with arrest by four police officers - for taking an old newspaper out of a recycling bin.
Denis O'Keefe, 76, was left with bloodied wrists and had to be treated by paramedics for shock after he was pushed over a car bonnet for refusing to put the newspaper back.
Denis, of Wanstead, East London, said: "If I mugged an old lady I would expect everything I got but all I'd done was put 15 papers in and take one out that caught my eye."
Ilford Police said: "The matter is being investigated."
Full story here.
Denis O'Keefe, 76, was left with bloodied wrists and had to be treated by paramedics for shock after he was pushed over a car bonnet for refusing to put the newspaper back.
Denis, of Wanstead, East London, said: "If I mugged an old lady I would expect everything I got but all I'd done was put 15 papers in and take one out that caught my eye."
Ilford Police said: "The matter is being investigated."
Full story here.
Solid gold statue of Kate Moss unveiled at British Museum
A solid gold statue of supermodel Kate Moss worth £1.5 million was unveiled at the British Museum yesterday.
Siren is the work of artist Marc Quinn whose most famous sculpture was Alison Lapper Pregnant which appeared on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
His sculpture of Moss is said to be the largest gold statue to be made in the world since the time of Ancient Egypt.
Speaking about choosing the supermodel as a subject, Quinn said: “I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who’s the ideal beauty of the moment.”
The 50kg statue will be displayed in the Nereid Gallery of the British Museum, alongside other statues such as Crouching Venus, a Hellenistic model of Venus surprised while bathing.
Quinn’s latest work, which shows Moss in a yoga pose, is part of a collection, entitled Statuephilia, by contemporary artists going on display at the British Museum.
Siren is the work of artist Marc Quinn whose most famous sculpture was Alison Lapper Pregnant which appeared on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
His sculpture of Moss is said to be the largest gold statue to be made in the world since the time of Ancient Egypt.
Speaking about choosing the supermodel as a subject, Quinn said: “I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who’s the ideal beauty of the moment.”
The 50kg statue will be displayed in the Nereid Gallery of the British Museum, alongside other statues such as Crouching Venus, a Hellenistic model of Venus surprised while bathing.
Quinn’s latest work, which shows Moss in a yoga pose, is part of a collection, entitled Statuephilia, by contemporary artists going on display at the British Museum.
Magpie steals woman's engagement ring and buries it in nest for three years
The platinum ring was finally recovered when her fiancé found it in a bird's nest at the bottom of their garden. Julia Boaler, 36, thought the £5,000 ring had been stolen when it vanished while she was taking a shower at home.
Miss Boaler and her partner Justin Laycock, who live in Gleadless, Sheffield, were baffled at how the pear-shaped diamond could have vanished. Miss Boaler said: "I was heartbroken when my ring vanished and Justin was not best pleased either.
"I left it on the bathroom window ledge when I took a shower but it wasn't there when I returned. I thought it must have fallen in the bathroom or even fell out of the window but it was a complete mystery. When Justin got home I told him what had happened and the pair of us searched everywhere.
"We ripped up the bathroom lino, pulled up floorboards and even took the panel off the bath thinking it must have somehow slipped through but still it was nowhere to be found. I tormented myself for months looking all over the house for it thinking that my mind must have been playing tricks on me. I repeatedly rummaged through drawers and lifted carpets and turned the car inside out.
"I even accused the window-cleaner of swiping it as the window was open, but he swore blind that he knew nothing and I no proof. We eventually gave up looking. A few years later we had to put the wedding off as I gave birth to our son Luis. Needing more space we found ourselves putting the house up for sale so I made Justin tidy up the garden and cut the trees back.
"He started to prune our big oak tree and noticed an old nest in the branches so he nipped up a ladder to have a look inside and found my missing ring. I was gobsmacked. The bird must have swooped down and nabbed it from the open window."
Miss Boaler and her partner Justin Laycock, who live in Gleadless, Sheffield, were baffled at how the pear-shaped diamond could have vanished. Miss Boaler said: "I was heartbroken when my ring vanished and Justin was not best pleased either.
"I left it on the bathroom window ledge when I took a shower but it wasn't there when I returned. I thought it must have fallen in the bathroom or even fell out of the window but it was a complete mystery. When Justin got home I told him what had happened and the pair of us searched everywhere.
"We ripped up the bathroom lino, pulled up floorboards and even took the panel off the bath thinking it must have somehow slipped through but still it was nowhere to be found. I tormented myself for months looking all over the house for it thinking that my mind must have been playing tricks on me. I repeatedly rummaged through drawers and lifted carpets and turned the car inside out.
"I even accused the window-cleaner of swiping it as the window was open, but he swore blind that he knew nothing and I no proof. We eventually gave up looking. A few years later we had to put the wedding off as I gave birth to our son Luis. Needing more space we found ourselves putting the house up for sale so I made Justin tidy up the garden and cut the trees back.
"He started to prune our big oak tree and noticed an old nest in the branches so he nipped up a ladder to have a look inside and found my missing ring. I was gobsmacked. The bird must have swooped down and nabbed it from the open window."
Stadium ban prompts comic strip
A newspaper has printed a Roy Of The Rovers-style comic strip instead of live action photographs after being banned from a football stadium.
The Northern Echo's pages feature the illustrated version of Hartlepool United's giant-killing Carling Cup victory over West Bromwich Albion.
The Darlington-based paper, together with the Hartlepool Mail, has been banned from Victoria Park.
The club is in dispute with the newspapers over commercial rights.
The Mail's photographers are not allowed into the stadium, and reporters, who are denied press access, have been buying tickets and reporting from the terraces.
The Northern Echo was banned for supplying the Mail with pictures of recent matches and refusing to give a commitment not to do so in the future.
You can see the full comic strip here.
The Northern Echo's pages feature the illustrated version of Hartlepool United's giant-killing Carling Cup victory over West Bromwich Albion.
The Darlington-based paper, together with the Hartlepool Mail, has been banned from Victoria Park.
The club is in dispute with the newspapers over commercial rights.
The Mail's photographers are not allowed into the stadium, and reporters, who are denied press access, have been buying tickets and reporting from the terraces.
The Northern Echo was banned for supplying the Mail with pictures of recent matches and refusing to give a commitment not to do so in the future.
You can see the full comic strip here.
Students shamed with list of exam blunders
University students have been shamed with a list of exam blunders including references to "escape goats" and claims that the railways were invented to relieve pressure on motorways. Among the gems from this year's undergraduate exams are an economics student at City University in London student who attributed Northern Rock's downfall to the "laxative enforcement policies".
In literature, a student from Bath Spa University wrote of Margaret Atwood's book: "The Handmaid's Tale shows how patriarchy treats women as escape goats."
A University of Southampton student concerned by global warming wrote that: "Tackling climate change will require an unpresidented response." And a fellow undergraduate concerned by the threat of diseases, wrote: "Control of infectious diseases is very important in case an academic breaks out."
Other examples come from students at St Helens College of Art and Design near Liverpool, who were asked to "outline the importance of the four Noble Truths to the Buddhist faith". One offered the baffling response: "Nirvana cannot be described because there are no words in existence for doing so. Not non-existence either, it is beyond the very ideas of existing and not existing."
Students at the same university were asked to outline the importance of the railway in 19th-century Britain. One wrote: "The railways were invented to bring the Irish from Dublin to Liverpool where they were promptly arrested for being vagrants", while another responded: "The railways were invented to take the weight off the motorways."
A student at the University of the West of England in Bristol astonished his tutor by spelling the subject of one of his favourite topics wrong: "alchol" instead of "alcohol". Another wrote "whom" instead of "womb" in an anatomy paper, and one replaced the word "abdominal" with "abominous".
In literature, a student from Bath Spa University wrote of Margaret Atwood's book: "The Handmaid's Tale shows how patriarchy treats women as escape goats."
A University of Southampton student concerned by global warming wrote that: "Tackling climate change will require an unpresidented response." And a fellow undergraduate concerned by the threat of diseases, wrote: "Control of infectious diseases is very important in case an academic breaks out."
Other examples come from students at St Helens College of Art and Design near Liverpool, who were asked to "outline the importance of the four Noble Truths to the Buddhist faith". One offered the baffling response: "Nirvana cannot be described because there are no words in existence for doing so. Not non-existence either, it is beyond the very ideas of existing and not existing."
Students at the same university were asked to outline the importance of the railway in 19th-century Britain. One wrote: "The railways were invented to bring the Irish from Dublin to Liverpool where they were promptly arrested for being vagrants", while another responded: "The railways were invented to take the weight off the motorways."
A student at the University of the West of England in Bristol astonished his tutor by spelling the subject of one of his favourite topics wrong: "alchol" instead of "alcohol". Another wrote "whom" instead of "womb" in an anatomy paper, and one replaced the word "abdominal" with "abominous".
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