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Monday, April 19, 2010
Artist recreates a masterpiece using a single Bic biro
Bic unveils the results of a challenge to artist James Mylne, to recreate a well known masterpiece using just one Bic biro. The reproduction of The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, took artist James approximately 90 hours to complete. Just a single pen was needed to finish the work.
12-year-old Indian girl is headmistress at school
As an infant, Bharti Kumari was abandoned at a railway station in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states. Now, at the age of 12, she has become the head teacher at a school in Kusumbhara, her adopted village.
Every morning and evening, under the shade of a mango tree, she teaches Hindi, English and maths to 50 village children who would otherwise receive no education.
In between, she attends a state school in Akhodhi Gola, a two-mile walk away. Dressed proudly in her school uniform, she passes on the knowledge gleaned from her lessons to the village children, aged between four and 10, in her own class.
“I have a long day. My school is from 10am to 3pm and I study late,” she said. “This is what I love doing. I enjoy teaching children their ABCs as well as the Hindi alphabets.”
Her pupils are among the 10 million Indian children who are outside the state education system because their parents are so poor that they need them to work or no schools are nearby. Earlier this month the Indian government pledged £3.6 billion for a “right to education” scheme which aims to provide free schooling for all.
Bharti’s adoptive father, Rampati, an impoverished farmhand, said he would not follow the rural tradition of pushing girls into early marriages but would allow her to continue her studies. Her future career has already been decided. “I definitely want to become a teacher when I grow up,” she said.
Every morning and evening, under the shade of a mango tree, she teaches Hindi, English and maths to 50 village children who would otherwise receive no education.
In between, she attends a state school in Akhodhi Gola, a two-mile walk away. Dressed proudly in her school uniform, she passes on the knowledge gleaned from her lessons to the village children, aged between four and 10, in her own class.
“I have a long day. My school is from 10am to 3pm and I study late,” she said. “This is what I love doing. I enjoy teaching children their ABCs as well as the Hindi alphabets.”
Her pupils are among the 10 million Indian children who are outside the state education system because their parents are so poor that they need them to work or no schools are nearby. Earlier this month the Indian government pledged £3.6 billion for a “right to education” scheme which aims to provide free schooling for all.
Bharti’s adoptive father, Rampati, an impoverished farmhand, said he would not follow the rural tradition of pushing girls into early marriages but would allow her to continue her studies. Her future career has already been decided. “I definitely want to become a teacher when I grow up,” she said.
Croatia removes woman's bottom from ‘sexist’ tourist ad
A sequence featuring female buttocks in a TV commercial for Croatian tourism has been hastily removed after it sparked the ire of Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, the tourist board said on Thursday.
Kosor declared the three-second sequence of a sunbathing girl "sexist" when the tourist board presented the ad to the government at the weekend. The 30-second spot had already been seen on CNN, BBC and other stations worldwide.
Women’s groups also slammed the commercial as promoting "sex tourism".
The BBDO marketing agency said that when shooting the commercial "we did not completely take into account the wider context" of showing a woman’s body and the offending shot had been removed."
Video.
Kosor declared the three-second sequence of a sunbathing girl "sexist" when the tourist board presented the ad to the government at the weekend. The 30-second spot had already been seen on CNN, BBC and other stations worldwide.
Women’s groups also slammed the commercial as promoting "sex tourism".
The BBDO marketing agency said that when shooting the commercial "we did not completely take into account the wider context" of showing a woman’s body and the offending shot had been removed."
Video.
Chinese man wants sponsors for his chin
Down in the mouth Chang Du is offering to sell advertising space on his giant chin in a bid to raise cash for an op to remove it for good.
Du, 47, from Lishuguo, central China, says the giant basketball-sized swelling started as a tiny pimple inside his mouth just five years ago.
Now Du is trying to raise £5,000 for an operation to restore his chin to normal size by offering it to advertisers for sponsorship.
"I am normally a shy man and stay indoors most of the time because I don't want to frighten people. But without money I can't get this operation so I will do or promote anything to get it," he explained.
Du, 47, from Lishuguo, central China, says the giant basketball-sized swelling started as a tiny pimple inside his mouth just five years ago.
Now Du is trying to raise £5,000 for an operation to restore his chin to normal size by offering it to advertisers for sponsorship.
"I am normally a shy man and stay indoors most of the time because I don't want to frighten people. But without money I can't get this operation so I will do or promote anything to get it," he explained.
New feet pledged for mutilated dog
A Spanish association of metal companies has volunteered to manufacture prosthetic paws for a mutilated dog found in the Serbian capital of Belgrade.
The group called AIMME, or Metal-Processing Technology Institute based outside Valencia, Spain, made the offer to provide free custom paws for the dog veterinarians named Mila, or "Darling."
The young mixed-breed female was found on Wednesday in a suburb under a car by passers-by with all four paws cut off. The unidentified people rushed the dog to a private veterinarian, who said it was dehydrated and the stumps were infected.
Veterinarian Miomir Randjelovic said the amputations were precise and surgical, and likely couldn't have been done by just one person. Based on the state of infection, the abuse happened several days ago, he said.
The group called AIMME, or Metal-Processing Technology Institute based outside Valencia, Spain, made the offer to provide free custom paws for the dog veterinarians named Mila, or "Darling."
The young mixed-breed female was found on Wednesday in a suburb under a car by passers-by with all four paws cut off. The unidentified people rushed the dog to a private veterinarian, who said it was dehydrated and the stumps were infected.
Veterinarian Miomir Randjelovic said the amputations were precise and surgical, and likely couldn't have been done by just one person. Based on the state of infection, the abuse happened several days ago, he said.
'Extreme dude' dies in wheelie bin tragedy
To his mates, John Peake was an "extreme dude" who loved a cold beer and a good laugh. He lived life to the limits and enjoyed surfing or skateboarding whenever he had the chance. So when seven mates lined two wheelie bins up at the top of a steep Umina Beach hill at about 3am yesterday, Peake, 22, was among them.
"He was laughing the whole way down," friend David Gorrel, 21, said. "Our mate, he died laughing." Peake, of Umina, Australia, died when he hit a gutter and slammed headfirst into a tree while riding the wheelie bin 300m down Lone Pine Ave.
The quiet street is popular with youngsters who test their courage by riding bicycles, scooters or wheelie bins down the steep gradient. Police said Peake, who worked as a driller, was lying flat on the wheelie bin. His friend Sean Gale, 19, also of Umina, was lying on top of him.
Another young man, who rode a second bin alone, survived the steep descent, only realising his mates had crashed when he reached the bottom of the hill without them. Peake's friends tried desperately to revive him at the scene. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Gosford Hospital. Gale suffered broken ribs and other internal injuries.
"He was laughing the whole way down," friend David Gorrel, 21, said. "Our mate, he died laughing." Peake, of Umina, Australia, died when he hit a gutter and slammed headfirst into a tree while riding the wheelie bin 300m down Lone Pine Ave.
The quiet street is popular with youngsters who test their courage by riding bicycles, scooters or wheelie bins down the steep gradient. Police said Peake, who worked as a driller, was lying flat on the wheelie bin. His friend Sean Gale, 19, also of Umina, was lying on top of him.
Another young man, who rode a second bin alone, survived the steep descent, only realising his mates had crashed when he reached the bottom of the hill without them. Peake's friends tried desperately to revive him at the scene. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Gosford Hospital. Gale suffered broken ribs and other internal injuries.
Cat and pigeon are best friends
Putting the cat among the pigeons is not normally an affectionate affair, but in Wainoni, New Zealand, an unlikely bond has formed between a pair of natural enemies. Homer, the pigeon, and Henry the cat, are living proof that differences can be put aside, since the pair each adopted their owners, Sandra and Murray Campbell.
"They eat together and play fight together. The pigeon flaps its wings and the cat puts its paws up. Homer even sits on the cat's back and when the cat stalks sparrows on the front lawn, old ding-dong pigeon follows behind to watch,'' Mrs Campbell said.
Henry arrived as a stray at the Campbells a year ago. Six months later, Homer landed. "My daughter was visiting from Australia and we were sitting here looking out the door when my daughter goes `Oh my God there's a pigeon with Henry!'
"We thought it was going to have its head bitten off. But no, they got along fine." The pair have been found sleeping on a bed together although Henry is more likely to be found in the bird house Mr Campbell built for Homer.
Where the pair came from remains a mystery, but the Campbells speculate the pair may have come from the same home originally. "We'd love to know but we're quite attached to them now."
Homer doesn't stick around at night, disappearing about 6pm each evening. "But he's back the next morning about 6.30am coo-ing and carrying on," Mrs Campbell said.
"They eat together and play fight together. The pigeon flaps its wings and the cat puts its paws up. Homer even sits on the cat's back and when the cat stalks sparrows on the front lawn, old ding-dong pigeon follows behind to watch,'' Mrs Campbell said.
Henry arrived as a stray at the Campbells a year ago. Six months later, Homer landed. "My daughter was visiting from Australia and we were sitting here looking out the door when my daughter goes `Oh my God there's a pigeon with Henry!'
"We thought it was going to have its head bitten off. But no, they got along fine." The pair have been found sleeping on a bed together although Henry is more likely to be found in the bird house Mr Campbell built for Homer.
Where the pair came from remains a mystery, but the Campbells speculate the pair may have come from the same home originally. "We'd love to know but we're quite attached to them now."
Homer doesn't stick around at night, disappearing about 6pm each evening. "But he's back the next morning about 6.30am coo-ing and carrying on," Mrs Campbell said.
Meerkat goes online looking for love
Small? Furry? Looking for love? The owners of a lonely meerkat hope to find the perfect partner on the internet.
Lilly, a single lady meerkat living at a theme park in Leicestershire, began to pine after an arranged marriage fell through. In desperation her owners decided to build a dating website for meerkats in the hope of finding her true love.
Modelling the site on matchmaking sites for humans, Lilly’s profile describes her as an “alert, dark-eyed, inquisitive, free-spirited lady with a good sense of humour who enjoys fine dining, digging and cosy nights in”.
Since the site went live, Lilly has been inundated with messages from well-wishers, though so far no proposals, indecent or otherwise.
Lilly, a single lady meerkat living at a theme park in Leicestershire, began to pine after an arranged marriage fell through. In desperation her owners decided to build a dating website for meerkats in the hope of finding her true love.
Modelling the site on matchmaking sites for humans, Lilly’s profile describes her as an “alert, dark-eyed, inquisitive, free-spirited lady with a good sense of humour who enjoys fine dining, digging and cosy nights in”.
Since the site went live, Lilly has been inundated with messages from well-wishers, though so far no proposals, indecent or otherwise.
TV historian’s attempt to rescue stranded Britons thwarted by French
A Dunkirk-style rescue mission launched by television presenter Dan Snow to bring stranded travellers home from France was scuppered by French officials. The historian and transatlantic adventurer set out across the English Channel on Sunday morning with a fleet of speedboats to help those effected by flight cancellations.
Many Eurostar services are sold out and ferry firms have been inundated, with passengers queueing for up to three hours to secure foot passenger tickets. Mr Snow, 31, who last year presented a documentary on the Little Ships of Dunkirk, invited stranded Britons via Twitter to reserve a place on his boats.
He had planned to run a continuous ferry service back to Dover throughout Sunday – a 40 minute trip across the 26 mile stretch of the English Channel. Any profits would go to the Help for Heroes charity. But French officials only allowed him to use three boats to rescue 25 people.
Arriving back in Dover, Snow said he was "disappointed" to have left so many people behind. "The French shut us down – it's a real shame. I'm really a bit disappointed and feel bad for all the people we left behind.
"I got a lot of text messages saying 'where are you? We are at the rendezvous point'. I feel really sad about that."
Asked why the operation had been halted, Snow said: "They didn't like the idea of all those RIBs turning up and taking Brits back. They just told us they didn't like us doing it and said it was bad competition for the ferries."
There's a news video here.
Many Eurostar services are sold out and ferry firms have been inundated, with passengers queueing for up to three hours to secure foot passenger tickets. Mr Snow, 31, who last year presented a documentary on the Little Ships of Dunkirk, invited stranded Britons via Twitter to reserve a place on his boats.
He had planned to run a continuous ferry service back to Dover throughout Sunday – a 40 minute trip across the 26 mile stretch of the English Channel. Any profits would go to the Help for Heroes charity. But French officials only allowed him to use three boats to rescue 25 people.
Arriving back in Dover, Snow said he was "disappointed" to have left so many people behind. "The French shut us down – it's a real shame. I'm really a bit disappointed and feel bad for all the people we left behind.
"I got a lot of text messages saying 'where are you? We are at the rendezvous point'. I feel really sad about that."
Asked why the operation had been halted, Snow said: "They didn't like the idea of all those RIBs turning up and taking Brits back. They just told us they didn't like us doing it and said it was bad competition for the ferries."
There's a news video here.
Woman ate fake £20 notes
A woman who took part in a counterfeit money scam stuffed fake £20 notes into her mouth and ate them when police swooped.
Donna Parker, 50, was able to swallow the notes before officers could retrieve them, Gloucester Crown Court heard.
Parker, of Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham, was one of a gang of four people involved in passing the fake notes around the Cotswolds.
She continued using the counterfeit cash after being arrested twice by police and being bailed each time, prosecutor Julian Kesner said.
Parker admitted two charges of conspiring to defraud businesses in Gloucestershire last year.
She was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment by Judge William Hart, but because she has been in custody for 297 days since her last arrest she is being freed immediately.
Donna Parker, 50, was able to swallow the notes before officers could retrieve them, Gloucester Crown Court heard.
Parker, of Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham, was one of a gang of four people involved in passing the fake notes around the Cotswolds.
She continued using the counterfeit cash after being arrested twice by police and being bailed each time, prosecutor Julian Kesner said.
Parker admitted two charges of conspiring to defraud businesses in Gloucestershire last year.
She was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment by Judge William Hart, but because she has been in custody for 297 days since her last arrest she is being freed immediately.
Student invents beer ice-cream
Beer buffs seeking a sweet treat alternative to their traditional tipple can look forward to something special this summer - ale-flavoured ice cream.
Sheffield Hallam University student Anna Lowden invented the beery beauty on a gap year from her course in food and nutrition.
For those with a passion for their pint there's just one snag - the ice cream contains hardly any alcohol as it's mostly lost in the production process.
Anna, aged 20, is looking forward to her Pride of Sheffield beer ice cream going into production later this year. She came up with the recipe during her work placement at the Hope Valley Ice Cream Company.
Anna said: "We wanted to tempt more men to try ice cream and the result has been really popular. It tastes like the head from a pint of Pride of Sheffield.
"It's great that we've used a local supplier. We experimented with different beers but none were quite as successful as the Kelham Island Brewery ale. It's been a big hit with my friends. Hope Valley is in talks with several pubs to stock it as a dessert."
Sheffield Hallam University student Anna Lowden invented the beery beauty on a gap year from her course in food and nutrition.
For those with a passion for their pint there's just one snag - the ice cream contains hardly any alcohol as it's mostly lost in the production process.
Anna, aged 20, is looking forward to her Pride of Sheffield beer ice cream going into production later this year. She came up with the recipe during her work placement at the Hope Valley Ice Cream Company.
Anna said: "We wanted to tempt more men to try ice cream and the result has been really popular. It tastes like the head from a pint of Pride of Sheffield.
"It's great that we've used a local supplier. We experimented with different beers but none were quite as successful as the Kelham Island Brewery ale. It's been a big hit with my friends. Hope Valley is in talks with several pubs to stock it as a dessert."
Couples admit to 'romantic road rage'
More than 30% of couples admit to "romantic road rage", a survey has revealed. These motorists have taken to the wheel and driven aggressively after a heated row with their partner, the poll by insurance company More Than found.
As many as 8% of people in a relationship have had a crash following an argument with their partner, the survey also showed. Based on responses from 1,183 who were in a relationship, the poll also revealed that 36% paid less attention to the road after a row.
Also, 19% said they drove erratically following a lovers' tiff. More Than said relationship road rage could vary from couples giving each other the silent treatment to heated debate and finally to a blazing row.
More Than spokesman Mark Christer added: "With so many accidents having occurred as a result of romantic road rage, it's vital that drivers understand how getting behind the wheel in an overly emotional state could be the cause of a serious, or even fatal, accident. If you've had a blazing row with a partner you will be wound up, distressed and unfocused and that will affect your driving ability."
As many as 8% of people in a relationship have had a crash following an argument with their partner, the survey also showed. Based on responses from 1,183 who were in a relationship, the poll also revealed that 36% paid less attention to the road after a row.
Also, 19% said they drove erratically following a lovers' tiff. More Than said relationship road rage could vary from couples giving each other the silent treatment to heated debate and finally to a blazing row.
More Than spokesman Mark Christer added: "With so many accidents having occurred as a result of romantic road rage, it's vital that drivers understand how getting behind the wheel in an overly emotional state could be the cause of a serious, or even fatal, accident. If you've had a blazing row with a partner you will be wound up, distressed and unfocused and that will affect your driving ability."
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