SMASHING MAGAZINE

The bling beetle: Woman entering U.S. was wearing LIVE gem-encrusted insect as brooch

2010-01-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

U.S. customs officers stopped a woman on her way into the country because she was wearing a jewel-encrusted beetle as a brooch - and it was alive.

The woman was entering America from Mexico when she was stopped at a border outpost in Brownsville, Texas.

The live insect - which is studded with gemstones and gold - was fastened to her sweater by a gold chain and safety pin but was able to wander on her jumper.

She declared the live insect to officials and said she had bought it in Mexico as a brooch but it was immediately confiscated by pest control.
Officials refused to allow her to keep the live jewellery because she did not have the correct documents.

Because the woman had declared the insect correctly, she was not handed any fine or penalty.

The beetle was sent to the Plant Inspection Station at Los Indios International Bridge for further identification.
Moving live plant pests in any form into or out of the U.S. has to be declared to customs.

Beetles are a popular subject for jewellery, going back for centuries. It is thought to be relatively common in Mexico for live ones to be decorated in this way.

Jackie Kennedy was rumoured to have been given a living brooch when she was America's first lady.

Schoolgirl looter Fabienne Geismar, 15, killed by a single bullet to the head for stealing a few photographs

2010-01-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

She lies limp on the ground, killed by a single shot to the head.

Crushed beneath her bloodied face, are the garish paintings which she paid for with her life.

But Fabienne Geismar was not one of 4,500 prisoners to escape after the Haiti earthquake broke Port-au-Prince prison apart.
Fabienne had survived the quake which devastated the family home but died in its aftermath, laying face down in her own blood beside the rubble and the pictures she was said to have been stealing.

In recent days the city has become so used to the sight of dead bodies that she hardly drew a glance as she lay crumpled, clad in a pink and grey top and pink skirt, he flimsy shoes still resting on her feet.
Her father Osam, sister Samantha and brother Jeff had watched helpless as she was cut down by a bullet in the ruins of Marthely Seeiee Street.

Later they returned with a cart to collect her body. Her mother Armante stood wailing, barely able to stand as she was supported by relatives.
As a small crowd watched, her 52-year-old father lifted Fabienne from the ground and then laid her on a cart before breaking down in tears.

It is unclear whether police deliberately aimed at looters, who had targeted properties destroyed in the earthquake, or had been firing warning shots over their heads.

Fears of widespread violence and looting have eased in Haiti as U.S. troops provided security for water and food aid deliveries, and thousands of displaced Haitians heeded the government's advice to seek shelter outside Port-au-Prince

While military escorts still are needed to deliver relief supplies, the United Nations said security problems were mainly in areas considered "high risk" before the quake.

"The overall security situation in Port-au-Prince remains stable, with limited, localized violence and looting occurring," the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

Open Brain Coral on the Ocean Floor

2010-01-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

Images of gore that would make an axe murderer proud are not the sort of stuff you would expect to find on the ocean floor, but with open brain corals that’s exactly what you get. Less gruesomely known as crater corals or pacific rose corals, open brain corals are a favourite with aquarium owners but might also prove popular with slasher movie fanatics or proponents of bad brain surgery, if only they knew. Take a gander and see what you think.

Definitely something on the brain: Red Wellsophyllia open brain coral

Tough, colourful and captivating, open or folded brain corals are stony specimens characterised by two or three growths of expanding fleshy tissue known as polyps projecting from their base. The way their skeletons form miniature valleys with separate, pinched walls is what makes them appear so delightfully brain-like to human perception.

Purple patch: Wellsophyllia open brain coral

Harrowing same humiliation that they put the elephants through to teach them a hard way lesson to become circus stars.

2009-12-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

Pulled to the ground by a web of ropes, a baby elephant learns the hard way how to become a circus performer.

In case the youngster doesn't want to co-operate, a trainer stands by with one of the sharp metal hooks used to manage the animals.

The disturbing picture is one of a series taken by a former trainer which campaigners say reveal the brutal reality of how elephants are prepared for circus work.

The pictures show them being dragged to the ground by ropes, chained side by side, pinned down by a hook in the back of the neck and checked by cattleprods.

Peta - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - say the elephants are also separated from their mothers by force.

The photographs are being used to spearhead a campaign to tighten up laws on the use of wild beasts in circuses.

The Government here is considering legislation to impose stricter conditions on their care, training and performance, particularly where young are concerned.

The pictures were taken in the U.S. by handler Sammy Haddock, who worked for the Ringling Bros' Barnum and Bailey Circus until 2005.

They were taken more than seven years ago - but Peta says such methods are widespread, and 'effectively amount to the torture of defenceless animals'.

Haddock died last month and asked Peta to use his pictures to ease his conscience about the kind of treatment he administered during eight years at the Ringling centre in Florida.

Peta director Poorva Joshipura said: 'All the evidence suggests that the methods described by Sam Haddock are standard operating procedures.'

Ringling's dismisses Peta's claims as 'from the last century' and denies cruelty. It says it separates calves from adults only when they are old enough to demonstrate natural independence.

Tags: Elephant, Animals, Strange, Bizarre, Weird, Circus, Entertainment, Humans, Circus, Rodeos, Zoos, Hunting, Horrific.vile, Sick, Entertainment, Bound, Beaten

Russian internet sensation: Giant triangular 'UFO' filmed hovering above Kremlin

2009-12-18T18:11:00.001-08:00

Hovering ominously over the city, this video of what appears to be a triangle-shaped UFO has left Russians baffled.

Sitting motionless in the sky above the Kremlin in Moscow, clips of the unexplained object have become the most-viewed videos on Russia's YouTube.

The two videos, one taken at night from a car and one during the day, were both filmed by amateurs.

The UFO hovered for hours over Red Square in the Russian capital and was seen by hundreds of people.

The identity of the shape has not been confirmed but internet forums are buzzing with the sighting.

The UFO appeared on December 9th, the same night that a mysterious blue spiral light appeared over Norway. That was later attributed to a failed rocket launch from Russia.

Some have likened the object to one of the spaceships from Star Wars.

But others have said it is merely a reflection from inside the cameraman's car. If the object exists experts estimate that it could be up to a mile wide.

Some commentators have reacted sceptically to the videos and have pointed out that if hundreds of people had seen the object more videos and photos would have emerged by now.

Russian reports ruled out a UFO but police have refused to comment.

Nick Pope, a former Ministry of Defence UFO analyst, said it was 'one of the most extraordinary UFO clips I've ever seen'.

'At first I thought this was a reflection but it appears to move behind a power line, ruling out this theory.'

A spokesman for aerospace journal Jane's News said: 'We have no idea what it is.'

Amazing Pictures Majestic brown bears go head to head in remarkable 15-minute duel

2009-12-17T11:09:00.000-08:00

These two brown bears couldn't have picked a more stunning setting to engage in a spot of rough and tumble.

In front of a spectacular, snow topped mountain range in Alaska, the giant animals took each other to task, with one even taking a crafty low side-swipe.

Despite one of the bears holding a definite weight advantage, the pair grappled and exchanged blows.
But after 15 minutes of hard combat they seemed happy to call it a draw and went hunting for salmon in a nearby river.

The incredible duel was captured on camera by amateur photographer Scott Cromwell during a special bear spotting trip.

He flew for six hours from Homer, Alaska, to Hallow Bay, which is part of the Katmai National Park, also in Alaska, just to see the majestic animals.
Scott, 38, said: 'The guide and pilot flew us over a known area and we spotted a few bears so we landed on the beach a few hundred yards away from them.

'We walked up to about 250ft from them and stood and watched from a dry part of the river bed.

'They instantly quit fishing for salmon in the river and ran out in the open in between us and the mountains.

'The smaller bear came out into the open first but then the bigger one galloped after it making a lot of noise.
'They circled around the whole large area a couple of times and then started wrestling right in front of us - we were no more than 100ft away.

'I couldn't believe what was happening - we had only just got off the plane and this all seemed to have happened instantly.'

Television repairman Scott said the bears battled for 15 minutes before getting bored or hungry and returning to hunting for salmon.

He added: 'I was leaning over the whole time while shooting, trying to get as close to the ground as possible without including any grass in the foreground.

'It truly was the most enjoyable 15 minutes of my life. In fact the whole trip was the best six hours of my life.

'Seeing bears this close really is incredible.'

Bizarre Black magic fears as boy, 2, is hospitalised with 50 sewing needles inside his body

2009-12-16T13:22:00.000-08:00

A two-year-old is seriously ill after being admitted to hospital with 50 sewing needles inside him.

Doctors in Brazil believe the needles were deliberately pushed into his body through his skin - including 17 discovered in his digestive system.

Police have launched an investigation to discover who carried out the attack amid fears the boy may have been used as part of a sinister black magic ritual.
One of the needles perforated the youngster's left lung. Stunned medics admitted him to hospital in Barreiras in the state of Bahma, north east Brazil, after X-rays showed the 50 metal objects in his abdomen, neck, thorax and legs.

Today it emerged the macabre crime may be linked to a bizarre black magic ritual.

The boy, taken to hospital by a relative on Sunday with stomach pains, has not been named.

His mother, maid Marma Souza Santos, has told police she does not know who is responsible and said his gran used to look after her son while she was out at work.

But she has reportedly claimed in a statement the youngster's stepfather may have used the infant in a black magic ritual. He has denied the claims.
Police chief Helder Fernandes Santana said: 'We are certain someone introduced the needles because of the position of some of them in the child's body.

'At the moment we don't know who did it.

'It's such a strange situation. We could be looking at attempted murder, a serious assault or some type of revenge attack. We're not ruling anything out at the moment.'

Doctors at West Hospital in Barreiras where the boy is currently being treated, said they would considering trying to remove sewing needles just under the surface of the boy's skin.

But hospital director Luiz Cesar said none of the needles were endangering his life at the moment - and said he may have to live with them inside his body because of the risk involved in removing them.

He added: 'We're certain the boy didn't swallow the needles of his own accord.

'If he did, they would be in his gastrointestinal tract.

'I've never seen a case of its kind.

'Our priority at the moment is the boy's lung which was perforated by one of the needles.

'Fortunately his life is not in danger.' The boy's dad Gessivaldo Alves added: 'We have faith in God that he is going to get better.'

Silvio Berlusconi loses a PINT of blood after attacker breaks his nose and knocks out two teeth

2009-12-14T13:06:00.001-08:00

Silvio Berlusconi lost nearly a pint of blood after he was punched to the ground by an attacker yesterday.

The 73-year-old Italian prime minister is facing a second night in hospital after doctors admitted his injuries were worse than they had thought.

Mr Berlusconi also suffered a broken nose and lost two teeth during the assault as he signed autographs at the end of a stormy political rally in Milan yesterday.

He spent a quiet, if painful, night in hospital last night and is having trouble eating, his personal doctor said today.

He is also suffering from a severe headache.

However his friends are rallying around him - a spokesman said French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian President Vladimir Putin have both already phoned to commiserate with Mr Berlusconi.

His doctor, Alberto Zangrillo, said the premier's injuries would take at least 15 days to heal.

Berlusconi, a popular but divisive figure, said 'I'm fine, I'm fine' as he arrived at the hospital yesterday.

He reportedly asked to be brought newspapers upon waking up, no doubt wanting to read coverage of the assault on the front pages.

Berlusconi was attacked when a man stepped from the crowd, dodging bodyguards, before smashing the politician in the face - apparently while clutching a model of the city's Duomo cathedral in his clenched fist.

The prime minister told an Italian TV presenter visiting him in hospital that he considered it ‘miraculous’ not to have lost an eye in the attack.

‘This is truly a bad day for Italy, and it's the duty of all the political forces to ensure that Italy does not go back to the years of violence,’ Gianfranco Fini, Berlusconi's top conservative ally, said.

The incident triggered an outpouring of solidarity for Berlusconi from allies and critics, just as the prime minister seeks to regain political momentum after a bruising year battling mounting legal troubles and sex scandals.

Allies blamed the assault on an atmosphere of hatred swirling around the billionaire businessman.
‘What they've done to Berlusconi is an act of terrorism,’ Umberto Bossi, head of the far-right Northern League and a close Berlusconi ally, said.

‘An oppressive climate has been felt for some time and what's happened today is a worrying sign.’

The attacker, named last night as Massimo Tartaglia, was arrested by police and taken away.
Just hours after the attack, Facebook groups had sprung up hailing or attacking Tartaglia, including one fan site with more than 32,000 fans that labelled him a man with "lots of courage".

Television footage showed a stunned Mr Berlusconi with blood around his mouth as he was lifted to his feet by aides.

He was bundled into his official car but immediately got out, apparently in an effort to show he was not badly injured. After looking out into the crowd, the aides pulled him back into the vehicle.

As police officers swamped the rally, Mr Berlusconi was driven to a nearby hospital where he was given a CAT scan.

Doctors said that as he was being treated on a stretcher, he had told them: 'I'm fine, I'm fine, don't worry about me.'

There was no immediate suggestion of a motive for the attack. Police sources said that 42-year-old Tartaglia, from Milan, was not known as a political activist and had no criminal convictions apart from minor driving offences.

They added, however, that he had been 'receiving medical attention for mental problems' for ten years.

Before the attack, Mr Berlusconi had delivered a fiery speech to supporters of his People of Freedom party in the square in front of the cathedral. Scores of opponents had also gathered to try to drown out his speech.

Defence minister Ignazio La Russa who witnessed the attack said: 'I saw blood coming from the premier's nose and mouth. He was then pushed into the car by his bodyguards and driven away.

'He was actually trying to step on the edge of the door so that he could stand and wave to the crowds but his bodyguards would not let him do it, they pushed him inside.
The attacker was held immediately by the police and it's a good job he was because he risked being lynched by the crowd. There would have been just pieces of him left.'

The attack came after a speech that had been billed as politically significant but revealed no big policy shift.

Berlusconi launched a familiar tirade against the left and rattled off a list of government achievements, in a characteristically feisty performance aimed at shoring up his standing and ratings.

It is the second time that Mr Berlusconi has been attacked in public. In 2004 he was hit over the head with a camera tripod while strolling in Rome.

Last night's incident came despite reports in November security had been tightened-around him following fears that he was being targeted by Left-wing terrorists.

Mr Berlusconi has been at the centre of controversy for much of the year. In April it emerged that he had attended the 18th birthday party of a lingerie model, giving her a £5,400 gold and diamond necklace.

It prompted his long-suffering wife Veronica Lario, 53, to announce she was divorcing him because she could no longer be with a man who ' associated with minors and was ill'.

In June it emerged that escort girls had been among women invited to parties at his official residences. One claimed to have slept with him.

He has also been at the centre of a political storm after an immunity law his government introduced was overturned, meaning he could be put on trail for corruption.

In recent weeks there have been claims he was in the Mafia, allegations he has dismissed as lies.

An opinion poll published on Saturday indicated his popularity had fallen four percentage points to just over 50 percent as Italians fretted that his legal entanglements could distract him from government duties.

Awesome and Amazing multi-coloured 'peacock' spider

2009-11-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

When we think of spiders, us Brits tends to imagine the black and brown creatures that thrive in dry corners and give us a fright when we least expect it.

Australians, the other hand, are privy to much more exciting sights, as these pictures of the 'peacock spider' prove.

While it may be eight-legged like every other spider, this one has an impressive mating ritual to attract a partner.
It shows off a rainbow of colours to impress nearby females by fanning out two brightly patterned flaps at the back of his body.

Displaying its spectrum of shades in an attempt to attract the attention of the less vibrant brown spiders, the creature reveals hues of orange, yellow, green and blue.

Also known as a Moratus Vilans, amateur photographer Jurgen Otto originally spotted the colourful creature in the wild.

However, as it is only 4mm long, he found it easier to capture images in his Sydney home.

awesome, Amazing, spider, peacock

Cool and Amazing Tragic end for the zoo deer who leapt into a lion enclosure

2009-11-10T14:08:00.000-08:00

This is the moment a baby deer makes a real error of judgement and jumps into a zoo enclosure containing a pair of hungry lions.

Desperate visitors watched in horror as the young whitetail deer literally leapt into the lions' den at the National Zoo in Washington, U.S.

The crowd urged the tiny fawn to run as a lioness chased after the creature and trapped it beneath one of its paws.

But the plucky deer managed to shake off its pursuers, race away before leaping into a moat which surrounded the lion enclosure.

Cheering spectators then watched as keepers managed to the two lionesses back into their pens while they rescued the deer from the water.

Witness Rob Ephraim said the deer ran between people at the railing of the low wall and jumped into the sunken enclosure with the lions.

He said: 'It was running and it leaped, it must have had a death wish.'

Tragically the animal suffered serious wounds to its stomach and had to be put down.

The National Zoo is part of Rock Creek Park, home to many deer and other wild or 'feral' animals including raccoons and chipmunks.

Zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Massan said it was the first time a deer had managed to get inside one of the carnivore's enclosures.

She said that the fawn had suffered serious injuries that it would not have been able to recover from.

The Strange fighting female footballer who leaves her opponents quaking in their boots

2009-11-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

A hard-tackling, hair-pulling female footballer has become an internet sensation after a series of violent fouls were caught on camera.

Elizabeth Lambert was suspended from her university team after being seen hitting, kicking and, in one instance, pulling an opponent down by her hair during a game.

Millions of people have watched clips of the American defender’s bad behaviour online since the footage was filmed last Thursday.

Kit Vela, her coach at the University of New Mexico team, said: ‘Her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship.’

At one point during a match against Brigham Young University, Lambert, tugged a player's hair so hard that she was pulled to the ground

The New Mexico player has apologised for her actions but she could still face further disciplinary action over the incident.

She said: ‘I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions.

‘My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions.’

Now watch the video of Lambert in battle...

The five-year-old with a six pack: Child bodybuilder in record books after TV stunt .

2009-10-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

A muscle-bound boy has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records after performing an incredible physical stunt.

Romanian Giuliano Stroe, five, has been training since the age of two in Italy - where he lives with his family - and now the hard work has finally paid off.

He was entered into the record books earlier this year after performing some impressive 'hand-walking' skills to a panel of judges and an astonished audience on an Italian TV show .

The exceptional pre-schooler performed the fastest ever 10m hand walk with a weight ball between his legs to the delight of the studio audience.

And he has now become an internet hit after hundreds of thousands of people watched a clip of him performing the stunt on YouTube.

Father Iulian Stroe, 33, said: 'He has been going to the gym with me ever since he was born. I always took him with me when I went training.'

He added there is no danger of the youngster harming himself, saying: 'I have been training hard all my life myself.

'He is never allowed to practice on his own, he is only a child and if he gets tired we go and play.'

Giuliano, the oldest of four children, says his stardom has not gone to his head and he still enjoys normal kids stuff like painting, watching cartoons and playing in the park when he is not weightlifting.

But it seems he has picked up a taste for fame during his incredible exploits, revealing he enjoys it when he is applauded after performing.

It sparks memories of Richard Sandrak, who, after his father trained him to become a bodybuilder, aged just three in 1995, was declared The Strongest Boy In The World.
Nicknamed Little Hercules, Ukrainian-born Richard could bench press 210 pounds at the age of six after undergoing a strict regime.

After moving to the U.S., he became a movie star, starring in Tiny Tarzan, after his fitness schedule attracted media attention.

Interviewed this year, Richard, now 16, said that he had lost interest in working out.

To boldly go: 98 base jumpers take part in 400m plunge off Malaysian tower

2009-10-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

Plummeting through the air off the top of a 421m tower is not everyone’s idea of fun, but for these base jumpers it was an experience of a lifetime.

Some 98 of the extreme sports enthusiasts took part in the 2009 International Tower jump in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today.

The structure was built in 1995 for communication purposes and is currently the fifth tallest freestanding tower in the world.

Professionals from 18 countries gathered for the opportunity to hurl themselves into the sky before parachuting down to earth during the event.

Base jumping started in the 1980s after several sky jumpers modified their equipment for an increased thrill.

The sport involves wearing a parachute and jumping from fixed objects – with the word ‘base’ standing for the four categories of surfaces from which you can jump: buildings, antennas, spans (bridges) and earthThe first base jump in Malaysia was held in 1999 and the annual event continues to draw huge crowds and increasing numbers of participants.

Artist creates Amazing and Awesome images of iconic landmarks as you have never seen them before

2009-10-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

An artist who has a new view of the world has created awe-inspiring tiny 'planets' from our most iconic landmarks.

Alexandre Duret-Lutz took a series of stunning photographs of some of the world's most famous buildings and made them into montages of miniature worlds.

Suspended in space, the tiny spheres make our most loved landmarks look even more impressive, with tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the Colosseum towering over the minions below.

Buckingham Palace, a beautiful desert island and Saint Saturnin of Toulouse are just a handful of the cherished landmarks given their own fantasy worlds.

Alexandre has created more than 400 of what he calls the 'Wee Worlds'.

With plans to make many more, Alexandre appears well on his way to fathering an entire miniature galaxy.

Using a photographic technique - called stereographic projection - the artist manipulates a series of panoramic pictures into the breathtaking cosmic circles using careful Photoshop skills.

Alexandre, from Paris, France, said: 'I plan to make many more worlds like these, I guess you could say it's like in the bible, except I make worlds with my camera.

'At each location I take as many pictures as I can before making them into a Wee World.

'It might have taken God six days to make a world but I can do it in just a few hours.'

Other grand sights that Alexandre has given their own tiny planets include the London Eye, the Golden Jubilee Bridge and the Vatican.

The talented artist is also an assistant professor at Epita Research and Development Laboratory in France.

A Stereographic Projection is a way of picturing the sphere as the plane. Anyone with basic Photoshop skills can create an image with this effect.

Maldives government highlights the impact of climate change... by meeting underwater

2009-10-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Maldives government has made an eye-catching plea for climate change action by holding the world's first underwater cabinet meeting.

Politicians from the Indian Ocean island nation donned scuba gear this morning to send a message to world leaders ahead of December's UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.

The nation's president Mohammed Nasheed has voiced fears the archipelago will be swamped by raising sea levels unless action is taken to reduce carbon emissions.

The 30-minute cabinet meeting held six metres below sea-level was intended to show what the future could hold for the Maldives.

The 350,000 inhabitants of the country live on 1,192 coral islands an average of only 2.1 metres above the ocean.

Ministers communicated using hand signals and white boards as they signed a document calling on all countries to cut their emissions.

It read: 'We must unite in a world war effort to halt further temperature rises. Climate change is happening and it threatens the rights and security of everyone on Earth.

'We have to have a better deal. We should be able to come out with an amicable understanding that everyone survives. If Maldives can't be saved today, we do not feel that there is much of a chance for the rest of the world.'

President Nasheed was already a certified diver but most of the cabinet have had to take diving lessons in recent weeks in preparation for the meeting.

Zoona Naseem, president of Divers Association Maldives, said: 'None of the ministers have ever been diving before, except the defense minister, and all of them are very enthusiastic.'

Nasheed has already announced plans for a fund to buy a new homeland for his people if the 1,192 coral islands are submerged. He has promised to make the Maldives the world's first carbon-neutral nation within a decade.

As he emerged after the meeting, he said: 'We are trying to send our message to let the world know what is happening and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change isn't checked.'

At the UN Copenhagen conference countries will negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol which controlled carbon emissions.

Wealthy nations want broad emissions cuts from all countries, while poorer ones say industrialized countries should carry most of the burden.

On Friday the Maldives ministers went diving for rehearsals of the meeting off the island of Girifushi, about 20 minutes by speedboat from the capital, Male.

Three of the 14 in the cabinet had to miss the underwater meeting because two were not given medical permission and another was abroad.

Strange But Cool Britain's oldest newlyweds who have combined age of 181

2009-10-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

Two pensioners with a combined age of 181 became Britain's oldest ever newlyweds after they married in a quiet ceremony yesterday.

Sheila Walsh, 87, and Les Atwell, 94, both from Paignton, Devon, met four years ago after Mr Atwell's cleaner suggested he meet a friend of hers.

Ms Walsh said: 'She told me about Les and I thought he sounded nice, but when she said: "he's 90", I thought "oh no, I'm not so sure".

'But when we met, that was it. It was love at first sight.'

The couple met for the first time outside a Tesco store in Paignton, and Mr Atwell chose the same spot to propose to his beloved three years later.

'It doesn't sound romantic, but it was where we first met so it was only right that I should ask her to marry me there as well,' he said.

'Once I popped the question it didn't take us long to organise the wedding. When you get to my age, you can't hang around,' he added.

They celebrated yesterday with a family lunch and were joined by Mr Atwell's son Stewart, granddaughter Catherine and sister Mary.

The pair are now set to enjoy a honeymoon cruise around the Mediterranean, and plan to take in the sights in Barcelona, Rome and Athens.

James Mason, 93, and his wife Peggy, 85, also from Paignton, shortly held the title of the country's oldest newlyweds after they married in 2007. The previous record holders were Cyril Sergeant and Madge Robbins who married in February 2008 in Birmingham with a combined age of 178.

The world record is held by French couple Francois Fernandez, then 96, and Madeleine Francineau, then 94. who married in 2002.

Amazing and Strange 22lb Fat Cat Socrates is signed up to the PDSA's Pet Fit Club

2009-09-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

His owner apparently hadn't noticed that Socrates was getting a little pudgy.

As you can see from her face however, the vet's nurse realised straight away.

At a whopping 22lb, the black and white heavyweight in Jenny Doig's arms is more than double the size of a normal cat.
Owner Bill Duncan, 52, had taken Socrates to the vet worried by his lack of get-up-and-go.

The verdict, not surprisingly, was that he was simply too fat to move, possibly because of his taste for cheese and onion crisps.

Twice a day, regular as clockwork, he had managed to stagger to his paws and miaow for his breakfast and tea.
Now however, meals are a little disappointing. Five-year-old Socrates has been chosen as one of nine finalists in Pet Fit Club, the PDSA animal charity's annual diet competition.
With just 100 days to reach his target weight of 9.9lb, he gets two 50g helpings of prescription diet food a day. That's about half of what he used to eat.

'Because he's long-haired I hadn't noticed how big his belly was getting,' said Mr Duncan from North Shields, Tyne and Wear.

'When I feed him now, he scoffs it down and looks at me as if to say, "Where's the rest of it?" '

Awesome 12ft model of Eiffel Tower made entirely of chocolate

2009-09-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

A 12ft-high model of the Eiffel Tower made entirely out of chocolate gave busy commuters a glimpse but not a taste of Paris today.

The mouthwatering version of the famous landmark attracted hungry-looking glances when it appeared at St Pancras railway station, from which the Eurostar departs for the French capital.

But passers-by hoping for a taste were out of luck as the tower was constructed to mark the launch of a new range of Thorntons European city-chic inspired chocolates and will be touring stores throughout the country over the coming weeks.
The Continental City Boxes are themed around either Paris, which features milk chocolates, or Milan, which is for dark chocolate lovers, and are designed to reflect the traditional flavours and style found in each city.

The boxes feature five new chocolates, including a gingerbread and hazelnut number called Pain D'Epices, alongside the favourites that consumers will already know from the Continental range.

Keith Hurdman, Thorntons' Master Chocolatier, says: 'This is an exciting addition to the incredibly successful Continental range, and is sure to surprise and delight both our existing Continental lovers and those who have not tried it before.

'Our chocolatiers have travelled Europe to bring back the best flavours that it has to offer, and we've used them as the inspiration behind these new chocolates to give our customers that little taste of European luxury.'

But chocolate lovers face bitter news as the price of their favourite confectionary looks set to soar.

Cocoa prices have hit a 24-year high as the market faces its biggest shortage for 40 years.

The price rise has been sparked by poor harvests of cocoa beans on the Ivory Coast, which grows 40 per cent of the world's cocoa.

The El Nino weather phenomenon has also hit supplies from Indonesia, the world's third largest producer.

Amazing Mother Nature as gardener digs up five-fingered carrot

2009-09-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

A gardener got his own unique five-a-day in one go after digging up a hand-shaped carrot complete with five fingers.

The bizarre 'carrot claw' was grown by Peter Jackson, 66, in the garden of his home in Shropshire.

But Peter thought nothing more of the wacky-shaped vegetable and merely took a picture before proceeding to cook it, much to surprise of his daughter Lindsay.

Lindsay, 42, a chef from Condover, Shropshire, joked whether the hand might count as all of her 'five a day' in one go.

She said: 'We couldn't believe it, it was quite a shock to see a carrot perfectly shaped like a hand.

'You'd think that with me being a chef and my dad a gardener, we might have come across something this strange before - but we never have.

'My dad just seemed to make some joke about it being 'handy', took a picture and then I think they just ate it. He played it all down, but that's just the way dad is.

"We've not had anything weird since - no arms or legs to go with it. I don't think his garden is trying to build a carrot man. Now that would really be unusual.

'It was just one of those one-off freak of nature occurrences - but isn't it funny?'

Peter, who is a semi-retired gardener, has three vegetable plots in his large garden, in a leafy part of Shropshire.

He said that throughout his years of gardening, he had never seen anything quite like his 'carrot claw'.

Other oddly-shaped veg to hit the headlines over the years include baby-shaped pears, a parsnip that looked like a witch and a potato teddy bear. Earlier this week a gardener cut open a Jalapeno pepper to see a smiley face, complete with eyebrows, looking back at him.

'I'm giving up my cigarettes...after 95 years!' 102-year-oldest woman says

2009-09-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

She lit her first cigarette as the lights were going out over Europe at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

Since then she has reached for her trusty Player’s Navy Blue (or, latterly, Embassy) through the ups and downs of all the following decades.

Until now. At the astonishing age of 102, Winne Langley has kicked the habit after 95 years because she ‘didn’t fancy it any more’.

Mrs Langley, who would share cigarettes with her friends at infant school, reckons she hasn’t contracted cancer because she does not inhale.

The former laundrette worker, who lives in Croydon, South London, said: ‘Everyone used to smoke in those days, you did it to cope. We didn’t know about the health problems. I just don’t fancy it any more.

‘My eyesight is failing so in a few years’ time I might not be able to see the pack.’

Since her first puff in 1914, Mrs Langley averaged five cigarettes a day, giving a total of more than 170,000 in her lifetime.

Her cigarettes were always to hand during the Depression and the Second World War.

‘I lived close to Biggin Hill and you could hear the German rocket bombs’ engines cut out,’ she said.

‘Some bombs used to land pretty close to me. You needed a smoke after that. ‘We didn’t know if we were going to be alive from one day to the next, so we thought you might as well enjoy yourself while you’re alive.’

Mrs Langley has outlived her husband Robert, who died in 1968, and
her son, who died four years ago aged 72.

She said: ‘I’ve cut down in recent years and only had one every few days after dinner or in my bedroom. I can just about afford it but the price of cigarettes is disgusting, and the smoking ban is disgusting. You should be able to smoke where you want.’

Mrs Langley’s step-grandson Clive, 53, said: ‘Her doctors have told her there’s not much point stopping now. If she’s got to 102 without getting cancer I don’t
think she ever will.’

Beautiful Fishy looking albino otter savours his breakfast in the Scottish sun

2009-09-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

The first time she spotted him, Karen Jack didn't have enough time to fish out her camera before he slipped off into the sea.

But then, very obligingly, the rare albino otter came back and stayed for lunch.

Miss Jack managed to take this snap and a few others while the creature enjoyed his morning meal on the rocky coastline of Moray in north-east Scotland.

She was extremely lucky - as sightings of albino otters in the wild are highly unusual.

In Britain only one other live albino has been spotted in the wild in recent years and throughout the world hardly any reasonable pictures of the creatures exist.

Miss Jack said: 'I have been into photography for about three years as a hobby and love photographing wildlife, landscapes and my two cats.

'But it was just an amazing and surreal view of the albino otter, and for it to sit there and eat while we watched was mind blowing.'

Yesterday Grace Yoxon, of the Skye-based International Otter Survival Fund, said there were hardly any records of albino otters in the wild and they were almost never seen outside a museum.

Mrs Yoxon added: 'To be able to get such wonderful photos is exceptional.

'Karen was extremely lucky to have her camera with her - I am very envious.'

She said the creature, a Eurasian otter, was unlikely to be disadvantaged by its white coat now that it is an adult. 'Otters don't really have any predators,' she said.

'I would think the biggest risk may be people coming to see it.'

Otters have soft, insulated underfur protected by an outer layer of longer hair which traps air, keeping them dry and warm underwater.

Eurasian otters must eat 15 per cent of their bodyweight a day. In warmer waters they need to catch 3oz of fish an hour to survive.

Although fish make up the majority of their diet, they are also partial to frogs and crustaceans.
Some have become expert at opening shellfish.

Most species live beside water, using it to hunt and travel, but they return to dry land frequently to ensure their fur does not become waterlogged.

In March, IOSF took into its care an otter which latched on to two teenagers who were sledging, then followed them home.

The cub was spotted in snow under a bush at Windygates, Fife, in February.

He was nicknamed Dylan because one of the youngsters was playing a harmonica - an instrument synonymous with singer Bob Dylan.

Former winner of Britain's ugliest dog loses last tuft of hair in vicious attack

2009-08-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

One of Britain's ugliest dogs is licking his wounds after mindless yobs battered him and pulled out his only tuft of hair in a mindless attack.
Police in Cambridgeshire are appealing for information after shaken Mugly - who won infamy when he was crowned Britain's Ugliest Dog in 2005 - was apparently set upon by a gang of vicious youths.
The hideous prize-winning pooch, a Shitzu-Chinese Crested cross, was rescued by a passer-by who saw off the thugs that were picking on the defenceless dog.

They were allegedly seen hitting him with a stick and kicking and punching him.
The local lady recognised the practically hairless cat-sized dog from missing posters that owner Bev Nicholson, 46, had put up in the Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, neighbourhood. He had escaped from a ground-floor window at home on Thursday and was missing for the day.
'They had pulled out a little tuft of hair he had on his neck,' said Bev. 'It was the only hair he had and they even managed to take off one of his eyebrows. I can't even work out how they would have done that.

It's not like people carry scissors or a shaver around with them.' And mum-of-four Bev, a support worker for dwarf actors, reckons the youngsters may have carried out the beating because they didn't realise what Mugly was.
'I was worried sick about him,' said Bev. 'He'd never gone missing before and you worry about letting him out because of what he looks like and the fact he's so friendly.
'You just can't think why these people would do such a horrible thing. Part of me thinks they might not have even realised that he was a dog because of him having no hair so they just bullied him.
'It's horrible because he loves people so much he probably thought it was just a game and all they were interested in was hurting him.
'He was really shaken and cowered in to me when he got back to me. He was swollen and bruised around his face and rear end.' Worried Bev took her beloved six-year-old mutt to Broadway Veterinary Hospital where he had a check-up.

Vet Adela Navarro said: 'He had a few cuts and was bruised and a little shaken up. We asked the owner to keep an eye on his stools for internal bleeding as a precaution.'
Distraught Bev's main worry when the pooch was missing was the fact that he wouldn't have been getting special care for his unusual needs.
She said: 'Because he's bald I have to put factor 50 sun-tan lotion on him so he doesn't burn. And because his lower teeth jut out he has to have his food in small pieces. He can't chew properly so you have to break it down for him.
'My main worry was that anyone who found him and tried to care for him wouldn't realise what's required to keep him well, so we got 25 posters up around the area pretty quick.'
Thankfully, charmer Mugly is now safely recovering at home but has sadly lost some of his sparkle. Bev said: 'He's a big character in our house and I was so relieved to have him back but he's definitely lost some of his trust.
'He seems a bit unsure when you are playing with him and his toys when normally he wouldn't think twice. I hope the police catch these people and teach them a lesson.'

Eight years old record breaking daredevil wing-walks at 100mph on grandfather's bi-plane

2009-08-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

A daredevil flew into the record books yesterday after becoming the world's youngest wing-walker - at just eight years old.
Fearless Tiger Brewer was strapped to the wings of his grandfather's biplane and reached speeds of 100mph at 1,000ft.
He claimed the world record from the previous holder - Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason's son, Guy, who held the record after wing-walking aged 11 in 2001.

Speaking after the five-minute flight, he said: 'It was quite scary but once I was up there it was really really good.
'The view was amazing, everything looked so small I could see everyone below but couldn't make out who was who.
'I want to do it again now. It really was amazing. The only thing that hurt was the windburn, but apart from that I loved it.'

The trip was arranged by Tiger's grandfather Vic Norman, who owns the only formation wing-walking team in the world, Team Guinot.
He also piloted the plane during the record-breaking flight.

Tiger was strapped on top the wings of a Boeing Spearman biplane and took to the skies from RFC Rendcomb Airfield near Cirencester, at 11am.
He was watched by proud dad Colin, 42, a television director, mum Zoe, 39, an interior designer, and five-year-old sister Flame.

Colin, of Willesden, north London, said: 'I am so proud of Tiger I can't believe he has done it.
'This time last year he wouldn't even attempt a big water slide and now he has been on top of an aeroplane. I am so pleased.
'He was absolutely fantastic but there was no pressure. We said to him earlier that he didn't have to go through with it if he didn't want to, but he was determined.
'It was amazing to see him on top of the plane, he was a bit nervous but it has been a great personal achievement.'
Proud grandfather Vic, 61, said it was fantastic to take one of his seven grandchildren up in the air.
He said: 'He looked slightly nervous at first but he soon relaxed and looked like he was really enjoying it.
'We had a code to let me know if he wanted to go down but he didn't use it.
'I am really really proud to have taken him up and I am so pleased he now has the world record for the youngest wing-walker.
'It's something he can carry with him for the rest of his life. I am sure I will take him up again.
'He shares my passion for flying and it will be a very special experience for us both.'

Amazing miracle Mosha the elephant is fitted with another prosthetic leg after landmine tragedy

2009-08-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Victims of landmines come in all shapes and sizes and Mosha the elephant is no exception.

Mosha, a baby elephant from Thailand, became the world's first pachyderm to be fitted with a prosthetic limb in 2007.

But the three-year-old has been growing so quickly she's outgrown two previous artificial legs and is now on her third.

Amazingly, Mosha is not the only elephant to be fitted with an artificial limb.

Another landmine victim, Motola, will also receive a prosthetic leg this weekend - 10 years after losing her left leg.

'I do hope she will accept the new leg. It would be wonderful to see Motola and Baby Mosha walking together side-by-side," said Soraida Salvala, secretary general of the charity Friends of the Asian Elephant.

Motola was injured in 1999 while she was working at a logging camp along the Myanmar-Thailand border. The area is known to be covered in land mines.

Her badly injured foot was amputated and the elephant managed to hobble along on three legs after the operation.

She was fitted with a canvas, shoe-like device two years ago, but will receive her own tailor-made artificial leg this weekend.

'It has been 10 years now, but in all these long years Motola enjoyed a happy life, walking out of her shelter for a sun bath,' said Salvala.

Experts in Thailand have already made casts of Motola's injured left foot for the permanent plastic leg. It must be strong enough to support the 48-year-old's three-ton weight.

Although Motola is the second elephant to receive an artificial leg, she has already been in the record books following her injury.

During the operation to remove her left foot, she received enough anaesthetic to knock out 70 people - a fact that put her into the Guinness Book of World Records in 2000.

Motola's new leg is being constructed by the Prostheses Foundation, an organisation that usually makes cheap but effective artificial limbs for human amputees.

The injuries of the two elephants have highlighted the difficulties facing the majestic creatures in Thailand.

Both are now being cared for at the Elephant Hospital in Northern Thailand. The hospital was set up by the FAE and is the only elephant hospital in the world.

It has treated thousands of elephants for ailments ranging from eye infection to gunshot wounds.

A number of elephants have also been injured by land mines, but the charity says this is just one problem facing the animals in Thailand.

They say the number of domesticated pachyderms has dropped from 13,400 in 1950 to today's estimated 2,500, while the number of wild elephants has also dropped dramatically.

Britain's 9,000 years oldest house gives a glimpse of post-Ice Age domesticity

2009-08-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

Built 3,000 years before the miracle of Stonehenge, this is Britain's oldest and best preserved house.

The remains of the strongly built shelter, discovered on the Isle of Man, provide a rare window into the domestic life of hunter-gatherers 9,000 years ago.

Unearthed by accident during extension work to the island's airport runway, the 23ft wide pit is giving up extraordinary archaeological secrets.

Most exciting is the revelation that the people of the mesolithic age, long regarded as nomads who wandered ancient Britain in search of food, were actually very good at settling down.

In fact, 12,000 pieces of worked flint, along with a stockpile of tools, show that the homeowners were in residence for long periods at a time. Not to mention the buried mounds of hazelnut shells found around the house - a strong hint of what the ancient inhabitants nibbled for dinner.

It is thought the discarded shells were thrown into the fire and then swept out to the edges of the property in an ancient housework ritual.

A ring of postholes around the edge of the pit, along with carbonised timbers, suggests the building's supports were about six inches thick and far from a makeshift shelter.

Manx National Heritage field archaeologist Andrew Johnson confirmed the building showed that people from this time were settled for long periods.

'The received wisdom is that 8,000 years ago people constantly moved through the landscape as nomads, gathering their food from the land, rather than staying put and farming and harvesting it,' he said.

'But this building was constructed from substantial pieces of timber, and had a hearth for cooking and warmth.

Stunning new pictures of Mars show half-mile wide crater complete with sand dunes

2009-08-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

It is one of the most dramatic images to ever emerge from Mars.

In fact, this extraordinary photograph is so clear that even the sand dunes at the base of the half-mile wide canyon are visible.

Experts even believe that they can see the tracks of a Mars lander on the left-hand corner of the Victoria Crater.

The image, taken by Nasa, shows in vivid detail the canyon which has lain undisturbed for somewhere between 10million and 100million years.

Its peaceful history was only broken when a Nasa rover landed in 2006 and explored the area until August last year, leaving behind its trademark tracks.

The space organisation's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter beaned down this stunning shot of the 800-metre-wide crater.

The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which took the camera, has been a useful aide in Mars exploration.

Its images helped the Mars Opportunity rover navigate around the edge of the crater, and even take cover when winds kicked up a dust-storm in 2007.

Although the image looks like a 'top-down' shot, it was actually taken at an angle more akin to a passenger looking out of a plane window, allowing NASA to see more of the steep walls of the crater.

Another image from the HiRISE captures a 'dust devil' leaving a trail and casting a shadow.

The whirlwinds form as the ground heats up during the daytime, which warms the air immediately above the surface.

The hot layer of air rises and the cooler air above falls, and a horizontal gust of wind causes the air and any dust to rotate.

Early estimates pin Victoria Crater at somewhere between 10 million and 100 million years old, but the rocks within the depression themselves are likely much older - as in a few billion years in age, researchers said.

Daredevil stunt performs by high priest father 80ft above ground without a safety net

2009-08-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

A priest performed a dangerous tight-rope stunt with no safety equipment 80ft above ground after a last minute hitch in plans for his charity fundraiser.

Father Jerome Lloyd was supposed to be carried along the rope on the back of a circus performer in scenes reminiscent of Frenchman Charles Blondin in 1859.

Blondin made it across a high-wire suspended 160ft above the Niagara Falls with his manager on his back.

Unfortunately, Father Lloyd's stunt had to be adapted at the last minute after professional tight-rope walker Chico Marinhos was unable to lift the 12.5st priest.

Father Lloyd said Zippos Circus performer Marinhos was unable to stand up once he was on his shoulders as he had nothing to lever himself up with upon the Big Top.

Father Lloyd, who was raising money for charity, said there was nothing else they could do other than for him to walk across the rope himself by holding on to Marinhos' shoulders as he crossed it in front of him.

He said of the stunt in Hove, East Sussex: 'It did actually feel fine. I wasn't really at all nervous as I'm not scared of heights.

'The only thing I was concerned about was that I would make Chico nervous.'

Father Lloyd, 43, a missionary priest from the National Catholic Apostolic Church, carried out the stunt wearing his traditional soutane and saturno.

He was raising money for the Sussex Beacon charity, which provides specialist care and support for people living with HIV.

In June Columbian Marinhos carried out another of Blondin's stunts by walking the high-wire and cooking himself an omelette halfway across.

Zippos Circus is at Hove Lawns in Hove until August 23.

Daredevil photographer captures Amazing monster wave just moments before it crashes over surfer

2009-08-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

This breathtaking picture captures the seconds before a daring surfer is engulfed by a monster wave.

The spectacular shot was taken by surfer-turned-photographer Clark Little, who captured the incredible scene on Ke Iki beach, in Hawaii.

The massive shorebreak was more than 8ft tall but luckily the surfer survived unscathed.

Such shorebreaks, caused when a wave hits the shallow water at the sand, are powerful enough to drag down unsuspecting surfers and have been known to cause neck and back injuries as it breaks.

But Mr Little, from Oahu, Hawaii, is not afraid to jump into the water to capture the incredible power of the ocean on camera.

The 40-year-old, who has been a photographer for just two years, leans on his 35 years' surfing experience to knows when to be in the right place at the right time.

His efforts can involve actually getting into the waves themselves, which can be up to 5ft high.

Mr Little uses a Nikon camera, which is protected with a waterproof housing and takes pictures at nine frames per second.

While taking the pictures seems fraught with danger, the father-of-two says that he knows the ocean and his limits.

He said: 'I just use my surfing experience and go in the waves.

'I love the feeling of getting into the waves, I am addicted to shooting the shorebreaks but you need to know your limits and the ocean.'

Scary moment an eagle launches a mid-air attack on a swan more than twice its size

2009-08-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is the moment when an unsuspecting swan is ferociously attacked in mid-flight by an eagle who is half its size.

The adult trumpeter swan was flying over a river when the bald eagle swooped out of nowhere bearing its talons.

The eagle, with its massive two metre-wide wings outstretched, landed on the swan.

But remarkably after a five second struggle the plucky swan escaped the eagle's clutches and managed to fly down to the water.

Smarting from its defeat the eagle, with its distinctive dark brown and white feathers, headed for some nearby trees.

The stunning spectacle was captured by an amateur photographer Kelly Munday.

The mum-of-two was watching the swan fly with a mate over the Lakelse River, in Terrace, British Columbia, when the eagle attacked.

She said: 'I was photographing the swans when the bald eagle came out of nowhere and attacked one of them.

'They struggled for about five seconds and then the swan broke free, flew down to the water and seemed to be fine.

'It was a spectacular few seconds and I was lucky enough to capture it.'

The bald eagle normally eats smaller prey such as seagulls and fish but is known for its opportunist nature.

Grahame Madge, a conservation spokesman for the RSPB, said: 'The bald eagle, America's national symbol, is often believed to be a supreme predator.

'However, these 'magnificent' birds are usually happiest feeding on fish or scavenging for carrion along the tideline.

'It was clearly an ambitious bird if it felt able to take on a bird the size of a trumpeter swan - one of the few birds even larger than a bald eagle.'

Meet Koda the world's smallest horse... who was also born a dwarf

2009-08-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

He is so tiny, visitors often assume he's a stuffed toy.

Standing at 59cm tall, if Koda the horse wants an equal he has to turn to the vetinary cat for company.

The 'American miniature' horse - who suffers the double-whammy of being born a dwarf - has had a bout of health problems caused by his size, but he is now recovering and enjoying the life of a pampered pet.

He is so tiny, visitors often assume he's a stuffed toy.

Standing at 59cm tall, if Koda the horse wants an equal he has to turn to the vetinary cat for company.

The 'American miniature' horse - who suffers the double-whammy of being born a dwarf - has had a bout of health problems caused by his size, but he is now recovering and enjoying the life of a pampered pet.

The cheeky 'American miniature' horse was always meant to be small but at birth vets soon realised he was dinky even for his breed.

'He was no bigger than a cat,' said his vet Andy Lynch. 'He was diagnosed as a dwarf soon after birth.'

Koda's condition is rare and Lynch is amazed that he's still alive and kicking at 13-months-old despite a torrent of health problems.

Brave Koda has had lots of surgery to correct his stumpy, buckled legs but that hasn't helped his peculiar face. His lower jaw juts out and he has bulging eyes, upturned nostrils and a wrinkled nose.

'He had a punky look, a fuzzy forelock and his mane stuck up like a mohawk,' Dr Lynch said.

Koda's poor health prognosis left Dr Lynch with little doubt he should be put down.
But veterinary nurse Karen Stephenson, 23, was astounded by the resilience and spirit of the pint-sized pony.

'I'd never seen a miniature horse and I just thought him amazing,' she said.

'I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him and thought he deserved a go at some good quality life, so I took him on.'

Dr Lynch has performed about £5,000 worth of leg surgery on Koda, but his total vet's bill is expected to top £15,000.

The next step is extensive dentistry to remove protruding adult teeth that won't fit in his little mouth.

He has recovered well from every operation so far.

'He's very brave and takes his medicine like a little man,' said Dr Lynch.

'He's everyone's friend but he's also got a very naughty streak and he'll chew just about anything,' he added.

Amazinge images of Betelgeuse reveal how explosive red supergiant loses mass

2009-07-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

It looks like a catastrophic explosion in the latest sci-fi action thriller but this awe-inspiring image is actually based on the latest state-of-the-art space imaging.

The artist’s impression, inspired by the sharpest ever views of the supergiant star Betelgeuse, reveals an enormous plume of gas almost as big as our own Solar System blasting outwards.

The discoveries, revealed by the latest techniques on the European Space Agency’s Very Large Telescope, could help unravel why the mammoth plasma ball spews out material at such an incredible speed.

It looks like a catastrophic explosion in the latest sci-fi action thriller but this awe-inspiring image is actually based on the latest state-of-the-art space imaging.

The artist’s impression, inspired by the sharpest ever views of the supergiant star Betelgeuse, reveals an enormous plume of gas almost as big as our own Solar System blasting outwards.

The discoveries, revealed by the latest techniques on the European Space Agency’s Very Large Telescope, could help unravel why the mammoth plasma ball spews out material at such an incredible speed.

Almost 1,000 times larger than our sun, Betelgeuse is the second largest star in the constellation of Orion and one of the biggest stars known to man.

The red supergiant is also one of the most luminous stars, emitting 100,000 times more light than the Sun.

For decades, astronomers have struggled to explain how the mysterious red supergiants expel such vast amounts of material. They can shed the mass of the Sun in just 10,000 years.

One theory was that the loss could be shed from areas above the star’s polar caps as they rotate.

But the two teams, who have studied the supergiant with the NACO and AMBER instruments on ESO’s Very Large Telescope, have concluded that it is powerful gas motions within the star that force out the huge mass of gas.

One team captured the sharpest image to date of Betelgeuse using NACO, an adaptive optics instrument, and a ‘lucky imaging’ technique, which combines the sharpest exposures to surpass the accuracy of a long exposure.

The resulting image approaches the theoretical limit of resolution possible with the 8-metre telescope. It is so sharp it could even spot a tennis ball on the International Space Station from Earth.

‘Thanks to these outstanding images, we have detected a large plume of gas extending into space from the surface of Betelgeuse,’ lead researcher Pierre Kervella from the Paris Observatory told the website PhysOrg.

The plume bursts out to at least six times the diameter of the star - about the distance from Sun to Neptune.

‘This is a clear indication that the whole outer shell of the star is not shedding matter evenly in all directions,’ adds Kervella.

Meanwhile, results from AMBER revealed intense up-and-down motion of gas within Betelgeuse’s atmosphere.

Keiichi Ohnaka from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, said: 'Our AMBER observations are the sharpest observations of any kind ever made of Betelgeuse.

'Moreover, we detected how the gas is moving in different areas of Betelgeuse’s surface - the first time this has been done for a star other than the Sun.

Combined, the unrivalled observations have led the astronomers to propose that these large-scale gas motions roiling under Betelgeuse’s red surface are behind the ejection of the massive plume into space.

Awesome giant anvil-shaped cloud photographed by Space Station

2009-07-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

A giant, anvil-shaped cloud bubbles up towards the Earth's stratosphere, looming over West Africa.

The amazing formation would be invisible to anyone on the ground and would even be obscure from a regular passenger jet since they can reach up to 75,000ft.

But astronauts captured the astonishing picture from hundreds of miles up as they orbited the globe on the International Space Station.

Anvil clouds are formed mostly from ice and normally form in the upper parts of thunderstorms. They get their shape from the fact that rising warm air in thunderstorms expands and spreads out as the air bumps up against the bottom of the stratosphere.

Streaks of snow are often seen falling out of the edges of anvils. This light snow usually evaporates as it falls through the relatively dry air surrounding the upper part of the thunderstorm.

Images released today showed Tom Marshburn and Christopher Cassidy doing final maintenance work on the exterior of the complex ahead of their departure today.

The four-hour and 54-minute procedure involved rewiring, camera setup, tidying cables and installing handrails and a portable foot restraint to aid future spacewalkers.

The five spacewalks together spanned a total of 30 hours.

The team from the visiting Endeavour shuttle fitted Japan's new outdoor experiments platform with television cameras, completing the final task for the £1.45 billion Kibo complex.

'Congratulations, you guys just completed the ... assembly,' Mission Control radioed once the second camera was secured.

'I can verify from up close it is, indeed, a beautiful laboratory.'

Space shuttle Endeavour's astronauts are inspecting their ship to make sure it's safe for Friday's landing.

The survey of the wings and nose, being conducted Wednesday morning, is standard before a shuttle returns to Earth.

Nasa wants to make sure Endeavour's heat shield was not pierced by micrometeorites or space junk during its two weeks in orbit. The astronauts used a laser-tipped boom to check for damage.

Endeavour and its crew of seven left the international space station Tuesday.

As the inspection was under way, an unmanned Russian vessel carrying several-thousand pounds of supplies docked at the station. Commander Gennady Padalka had to manually guide the craft in because of a problem with its automatic system.

Tiny Monkey Cowboy magic at the rodeo as primate rounds up sheep riding a border collie

2009-07-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

Dogs can be darned tricky critters.

So when you're in the saddle hold tight, keep your hat on and above all, let him know who's boss.

This, at least, is how this tiny cowboy has stayed king of the rodeo for 18 years. That and his fabulous outfit of course.

From the moment he rides into the rodeo ring on the back of his border collie, Whiplash the capuchin monkey is the star of the show.

With the help of his trusty steed, he rounds up a flock of startled sheep. Then there's the crowd's favourite 'hi-ho silver' moment when the collie becomes a bucking bronco and Whiplash rides tall in the saddle.

Well, as tall as a 12in cowboy can.

His owner, Tommy Lucia, 67, dismisses claims from animal campaigners that Whiplash would be better off in the rainforests of Central or South America, his native habitat.

'I rescued him from a stinking cage in Florida when he was just a baby and I can assure you he'd let me know if life wasn't good,' he declared.

Mr Lucia and Whiplash are regulars at the rodeo in Big Spring, Texas.

But their fan base is rapidly growing. Like most 21-year-olds, Whiplash is on Facebook.

And after starring in a TV ad for a taco restaurant chain, he is also an Internet hit, being seen by millions on YouTube.

Mr Lucia says Whiplash keeps his collies on a short rein.

'The sheepdogs know their place and he curses them like he does me if they are not doing what he says,' he said.

'He's got such a strong will you never quite know what he's going to do - there's always a surprise. But he's a natural in the saddle.

'When he's done for the day he goes to our motor home for dinner. His favourite foods are pears, apples, bananas and especially strawberries.'

Most Diabolical Strange Fish On Earth

2009-07-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Amazing Exploding Water Balloons Crystallized in Time

2009-07-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

Snapshots of water-filled balloons bursting figure as amazingly frozen moments in time. Granted, they also bring back memories of when you were a young scamp, mischievously dropping water bombs on hapless cyclists from overpasses,
or soaking whole streets in drive-by drench-athons – but those days of innocence are gone now. So, it just leaves us to sit back and wonder at the beautiful physics of the things – as well as the devilish uses to which they can be put.

In a general sense it’s all to do with pressure – like peer pressure, but without the wicked little peers saying stuff like, “go on, soak the suckers, or we’ll soak you”. Yes, pressure. The pressure of the point of the pin, needle or whatever else it is that exerts force on the balloon, and the high pressure of the water inside the balloon, which is suddenly allowed to disperse. Since the water cannot all escape from the tiny hole pricked in the elastic material, it bursts to even out the pressure.

But enough talk; let’s see some shots of a water bomb bursting in sequence. A dart is let fly en route to puncture a balloon…

When the dart pierces the skin of its target, the balloon creases as it starts to split open, while ripples in the water’s surface tension begin to appear.

The water’s effervescence becomes more turbulent as it bulges, making its escape, even as the latex of the balloon surrenders to gravity.

Then there’s the magic moment from a photographic point of view, the instant when the water, shorn of its rubbery mould, still holds its roughly pear-shaped form…

…Before collapsing in a shower of water droplets.

s with so many things that are meant to be fun, some folks seem to take it all so very seriously. Throwing techniques include: not tying the water balloon closed but instead just twisting the end a few times so water begins to squirt out on the flight path; and overfilling the balloon so there’s enough weight and water to cause a good soaking even if it explodes on the ground. There are even accessories called ‘water balloon launchers’ as well as different types of nozzles and valves, all brought to you by a variety of money spinning manufacturers.
Maybe we’re traditionalists here at EG, but give us any balloons and we’re away, off on a journey of mischief and mayhem. Yes, we know you’re not supposed to use standard air balloons because they’re meant to be too thick, but when you’re holding a water bomb as big as a watermelon, no matter how hard to handle it may be, you know you’re going to cause a splash if it’s dropped from a great height. Oh yes.

Dogs in swimsuits at fashion show

2009-07-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Dogs wearing designer clothes strutted their stuff on the catwalk during a fashion show with a canine twist.Accompanied by two-legged models, the pooches paraded a series of fetching outfits from swimsuits to evening wear.
The Taipie-based company which launched the collection hope to catch the eye of dog lovers who treat their pets as family members.
"I want my dog to dress up like me, just like mother and daughter in the same style dress," said one owner.The dog-wear company plans to open markets in China, Japan and Australia.

Amazing Daredevil motorcyclist jumps London's Tower Bridge while doing a no-handed backflip

2009-07-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

Motocross star Robbie Maddison found an unusual way to cross the Thames this morning - when he used his motorbike to leap an open Tower Bridge.

The 27-year-old Australian performed a no-handed backflip as he jumped the gap between the north and south side of the historic London landmark at 2.55am.

‘The whole experience was awesome,’ he said.

‘We had a matter of minutes on the bridge and had to time everything to the second - there were so many factors to get right, but we pulled it off.

‘It was an incredible feeling to fly between the two towers and over the Thames.’

Maddison said he had been planning a stunt in London since his last feat - leaping off a ramp on to a life-size replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve last year.

‘People say I’m crazy, but I just want to push the boundaries of my sport and my body to the limit and I love taking on these huge challenges,’ he said.

Maddison, who also holds the record for the world’s longest ever motorbike jump (350.7ft) will perform at Battersea Power Station on August 22 as part of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2009.

His stunts are reminiscent of Evel Knievel, the American motorcycle daredevil whose jumps including his 1974 attempt to jump Snake River Canyon in Idaho.

His achievements and failures, including his record 37 broken bones, earned him several entries in the Guinness Book of World Records before his death in 2007.

Top 10 Craziest and Beautiful Artworks

2009-07-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

Rotating Wall Art

Richard Wilson, one of Britain's best known sculptures is drawing inspiration for the world of construction and engineering with his latest art called Turning the Place Over. The art is a section cut out from a building and rotates itself on a pivot with a cost of £450,000. It is described as one of the most daring piece of public art ever commissioned in the UK. It will be launched on June 20th 2007 and will run till the end of the year.

House Tunnel Art

This extraordinary structure on Montrose Boulevard took motorists by surprise. A pair of artists, Dan Havel and Dean Ruck was responsible for this house installation. The two wooden buildings were to be replaced by a new built project so the few months before the demolition, they made this into an architectonic installation.

Elevator Art

Going into this elevator would certainly makes one nervous. A sign at the entrance cautions the people that goes in about work in progress. A more detailed look shows that the floor has been painted with an illusion that there is no floor.

Photo Realistic Painting

Alright, what's so interesting about 3 guys standing beside a photo? Except that the photo is actually a painting! This is a photo realistic painting of Tica by Dru Blair, the guy in the center.

£50m Diamond Studded Skull

The skull which is covered with 8,601 flawless diamonds and a £50 million price tag, this piece of expensive artwork is made by Damien Hirst. Critics dismissed it as a publicity stunt by the multi-millionaire artist who took 18 months to make this skull studded with diamonds worth £12 million. He dreams of seeing the skull on display among the ancient treasures at the British Museum.

Driftwood Horse Art

These are driftwood horse sculptures by Heather Jansch who live and work in Westcountry of England. Its amazing how she managed to put those branches together to form such an art.

3D Perspective Street Drawings

A set of 3D perspective street drawings similar to the ones by Julian Beever, an Englsh artist famous for his virtual 3D street art. These drawings gives out a three dimensional effect when viewed at the right angle.

Latte Art

Latte art are designs created on top of espresso based drinks. The popularity has also spawned competitions all around the world to enable practitioners to show off their skills. Taste is still the most important thing though since the art is just the visual presentation.

Beer Can Art

These amazing beer can sculptures includes airplane, bike, trumpet, cello, truck, castle and others. Great for home decorations and showing off to your friends.

Words Art

The artist behind it is Thomas Broom.

Funny Movement of top Italian swimmer in tears after being disqualified when her hi-tech skinsuit bursts open at the rear

2009-07-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's the wardrobe malfunction to end them all.

Italian Olympic swimmer Flavia Zoccari was forced to sit out a championship race at the Mediterranean Games yesterday after her bathing costume burst open in a very unfortunate place.

Flavia, 22, was wearing the controversial £318 top-of-the-line Jaked J01 swimsuit when disaster struck at the Games in Pescara, Italy..

She burst into tears as she was forced to stand down from her race.

Jaked boasts that the full-body swimsuit - complete with back hinge - is 'more than skin'.

However the aerodynamic costume has been the subject of controversy after it was banned by FINA (the International Swimming Federation) earlier this year because it gave swimmers wearing it an unfair advantage.

FINA lifted the ban on the swimsuit a month later, in June of this year, after Jaked, which sponsors the Italian national swim team, protested the ban.

Zoccari - who is nearly six feet tall - later apologised for the embarrassing incident.

Strangest moments Diver's close encounter with enormous shark

2009-07-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

Looming from the depths, this huge creature looks as if it is about to swallow diver Sam Bester whole.

Luckily for her, it is actually a whale shark, which only eats plankton.

The picture was taken by Miss Bester's friend Fiona Ayerst off the coast of Durban in South Africa.
The diver had been completely oblivious to the shark's presence until Miss Bester pointed it out.

Whale sharks are the largest living fish species and can grow up to 65ft (20m) in length. Some experts believe they can live to the age of 100.

They are found in tropical and warm seas, typically with temperatures ranging between 18 and 30C.

And though the gaping mouth may look terrifying, it has a very practical purpose.

Whales sharks are able to gobble up huge amounts of plankton, sieving out the water swallowed with each mouthful through the gills.

Although they are so big, they are one of the world's more elusive creatures and little is known about them.

Marine scientists dubbed them whale sharks because of their size. They have the skeleton of a shark and are therefore fish, not mammals.

Black Eyed Peas Fergie wows Glastonbury in hip-baring playsuit with daring cutouts

2009-06-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

Forget about the wellies and practical clothing.

It seems Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie didn't get the brief for famously laid-back Glastonbury as she rocked up in an eye-catching cut-out playsuit and high heels.

The singer, who performed with her band on the last night of the festival, looked every inch the hip hop diva as she belted out her tunes in the ensemble, which included a black leather corseted top with a revealing bottom half.

Fergie, who is known for having one of the most toned body's in pop, was clearly intent not to be be upstaged by her band's elaborate stage, which was decked out with a giant TV screen doubling as a staircase, DJ booth and bandstand.

As the band came onstage, a series of green lasers shone out over the audience.

They then launched into their hit Let's Get It Started, to huge cheers from excited fans.

However, some of the crowd booed when Black Eyed Peas member Will.I.Am asked, 'What's up, London?' several times.

The band, who performed on the Jazz World Stage at the festival, also paid lengthy tribute to Michael Jackson, who died on June 25, during their headline set.

Also rounding off the festival yesterday, its final day, was Blur frontman Damon Albarn.

He and his Brit pop band brought down the curtain as the final headline act.

They played a set of hits at their first Glastonbury gig since they topped the bill at the Somerset show in 1998.

'It seems like there's been a really, really positive atmosphere here,' Albarn told the crowd.

This year's other headliners included Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.

Miss Ellie wins title of World's Ugliest Pedigree Dog

2009-06-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

There was shampoo, backcombing and enough diva antics to scare the steeliest of postmen but as beauty pageants go not every canine would have been quite so happy to participate.

But for those who did take part in the World's Ugliest Dog Competition at Sonoma-Marin Fair in California it was a question of ugly being the new beautiful.

In the dog-eat-dog, claw-biting contest a truly 'unique' looking creature beat off other hideous hounds to claim the crown for being the world's ugliest pedigree dog.

Miss Ellie, a pure breed Chinese crested hairless from Tennessee, is reported to be around 15 years old, has only a couple of back teeth, cataracts in both her eyes, several moles and pimples and limited hair - with such credentials the other mutts surely could not have stood a chance.

And like every good beauty queen Miss Ellie also had a heartfelt message for her adoring fans. According to her owner come spokesperson, Dawn Goehring, Miss Ellie really hopes to be a 'spokesmodel for rescue dogs of the 'not so cute' kind''.

'Her dream is to travel around to prove that ugly is just a word, and says nothing about how wonderful she is,' she said.

Ellie has come a long way from being kept in a kennel area for much of her life with an owner that saw no purpose for her.

When she was rescued she knew no commands and was not house trained but now rules the roost among her other rescue pals and even attended her owner's wedding in rival white dress and veil.

'Miss Ellie hopes that people get the message that there are plenty of wonderful rescue dogs out there just waiting for a chance,' added her proud owner.

As well as winning a modeling contract from House Of Dog lucky Ellie will also pick up a cheque for $1,000, a trophy to put in her kennel and even a professional photo shoot.

But it was Pabst the boxer who came through as the surprise overall winner of the contest.

His victory was an upset - the first place usually goes to a Chinese crested, like Miss Ellie.

The fabulously toothy four-year-old Boxer, who is also a rescue dog, has a 2in underbite, a large burn scar on his stomach and his nails grow in any direction they feel like.

While looking absolutely ferocious Pabst's bark is worse than his bite and in fact the loveable mutt is reportedly a pussy cat who likes nothing more than to take lots of naps in the sun.

11 Strange and Impossibly Loaded Bicycles

2009-06-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Awesome and Stunning pictures of hole in the clouds' from volcano eruption

2009-06-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

A chance recording by astronauts on the International Space Station has captured the moment a volcano explosively erupted, sending massive shockwaves through the atmosphere.

Sarychev Peak, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, had been sitting quietly in the Kuril Island chain near Japan for 20 years, when it suddenly sprang to life on June 12.

Fortuitously, the International Space Station was flying overhead at the time, and managed to capture this spectacular image of the ash-cloud tearing through the atmosphere, sending clouds scattering in its wake in a perfect circle.

The station, which orbits the earth from a height of 220 miles, makes nearly 16 orbits of our planet every 24 hours, and happened to be in the perfect spot to see the dramatic eruption.

The unique images have provided a wealth of new information about the eruption process, and volcanologists are now excitedly poring over the data.

Most unique is the mist-like 'roof' to the cloud, believed to be either steam or condensing water pushed ahead of the advancing cloud of ash. Known as a 'pileus cloud', it lasts just moments, making this a rare snapshot.

Also visible, far below on the hillside, is the thunderous pyroclastic flow of super-heated rock as it cascades down the mountainside. When most people picture volcanoes, they imagine red-hot lava flows. Pyrochastic flows are their deadlier older brother. Appearing at the start of an explosive eruption, they can travel at 130mph, meaning there's nearly no escape for anyone or anything caught in its path.

But the most stunning aspect of the picture is the effect on the clouds: As the ash column punches its way towards the top of the atmosphere, the shockwave causes the clouds to scatter.

An alternative theory, one which these pictures is helping to test, is that as the ash rises, the surrounding air is pushed down, where it warms, and the increased heat causes the clouds to evaporate.

As the ISS continued its orbits over the next days, the astronauts could follow the plume as it drifted away from the island, incidentally causing disruption on nearby flight paths.

The volcano is part of a seismically active cluster of islands running North East from Japan's Hokkaido Island, and up towards Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

There are disputes between Russia and Japan over who owns which islands, but Matua Island, where the volcano is located, is generally agreed to be Russian territory. The Japanese call it Matsuwa Island.

The last explosive eruption from Sarychev happened in 1989, with eruptions in 1986, 1976, 1954, and 1946 also producing lava flows.

Ash from the eruptions has been recorded to reach more than 1,500miles from the volcano and commercial airline flights have been disrupted.

The height of the plume was measured at five miles high - a huge distance into the sky, although not enough to worry the astronauts peering down from above.

The International Space Station was first constructed in 1998 and is scheduled to be completed in 2011.

Shocking dresses of Russian stars

2009-06-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Eiffel Tower

2009-06-21T04:30:00.000-07:00

There’s a new book out, “Eiffel’s Tower: And the World’s Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count.”
It’s in a relationship.

In 2008, a 36-year-old San Francisco woman, formerly a member of the U.S. Army and a champion archer, “married” the tower and changed her name to Erika La Tour Eiffel.
Way back when, Chrysler stole its thunder.But who’s laughing now?

The tower was the tallest building in the world until the Chrysler Building went up in New York in 1930.

But look at the bottom lines. The tower has been a reliable money-maker. Despite a scandal over 15 workers embezzling ticket revenue, the Paris city agency running the tower reported 2007 operating income of 59.8 million euros and operating profit of 1.5 million euros.

Chrysler? Bankrupt.

One of the views from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Even before it was done, some French big shots decided it was barbarous, stupefying and odious.In 1887, as construction began, composer Charles Gounod, writer Guy de Maupassant, painter William Bouguereau, architect Charles Garnier and scores of other sensitive French creative types signed a petition in protest, labeling the tower “useless and monstrous … a gigantic black factory chimney, its barbarous mass overwhelming and humiliating all our monuments and belittling our works of architecture, which will just disappear before this stupefying folly … this odious column of bolted metal.”

Picture dated March 31, 1889, shows the Eiffel Tower in Paris just after it was built.
It’s more expensive than the one in Las Vegas.

Through March 26, 2010, the cost of an elevator trip to the top of the real Eiffel Tower is 13 euros for an adult. (That’s about $17.25, by current foreign exchange rates.)

Cost of the Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Las Vegas in Las Vegas: $10 for an adult.
And no, you can’t climb to the top of the tower in Paris. (It’s 1,665 steps, or maybe 1,671, depending on who’s counting.) Also, wheelchair users aren’t allowed at the top.
It outdraws New York’s Empire State Building (pictured), big time.

From 2003 to 2008, the Parisian tower’s annual visitor count grew from 5.9 million to 6.9 million. (The Empire State Building’s operators report “more than 3.5 million” visitors a year.)

The Paris tower is open every day and includes two restaurants. Summer hours are 9 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.
It would make a fine billboard. In fact, it already has.In the late 1920s and early 1930s, three of its sides held vast advertisements for Citroen cars. While occupying Paris during World War II, German troops hung a sign from the tower trumpeting their victory. In 1979, a Greenpeace protester unfurled a sign that said “Save the Seals.”

A company called Apoteo Surprise will flash a personal message under the Eiffel Tower — for a price.
It wasn’t Eiffel’s only big-ticket gig.

By the time engineer and architect Gustave Eiffel began building the tower for the Exposition Universelle of 1889, he had already put up more than 50 bridges in Europe.

He was also a key part of the French effort to build a canal in Panama — an effort that fell through. (Americans redesigned the project and finished the job about 35 years later.)

The tower, meanwhile, took about two years to build, with completion March 31, 1889, several weeks ahead of the exposition’s opening day.
The paint is wet.

Or at least some of it is.

Twenty-five workers began brushwork in March on a top-to-bottom repainting job that’s expected to take 18 months. When done, they will have applied 60 tons of paint in three shades of brown (darkest at the bottom, lightest at the top).

The tower needs repainting every seven years, and it hasn’t always been brown.

For a brief spell in 1899, the tower was painted ochre yellow. And from 1954 to 1961, it was brownish red, a bit like the Golden Gate Bridge.
It suffers from shrinkage.

Not counting its antenna, the iron tower is about 984 feet tall. But on cold days it’s roughly 6 inches shorter.

20 Awesome and Beautiful Images of Earth as Seen From Space

2009-06-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

10 Most Strange People on Earth

2009-06-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

1 Ngoc: three decades without sleep

Sixty-four-year-old Thai Ngoc, known as Hai Ngoc, said he could not sleep at night after getting a fever in 1973, and has counted infinite numbers of sheep during more than 11,700 consecutive sleepless nights. "I don't know whether the insomnia has impacted my health or not. But I'm still healthy and can farm normally like others," Ngoc said. Proving his health, the elderly resident of Que Trung commune, Que Son district said he can carry two 50kg bags of fertilizer down 4km of road to return home every day. His wife said,

"My husband used to sleep well, but these days, even liquor cannot put him down।" She said when Ngoc went to Da Nang for a medical examination, doctors gave him a clean bill of health, except a minor decline in liver function. Ngoc currently lives on his 5ha farm at the foot of a mountain busy with farming and taking care of pigs and chickens all day. His six children live at their house in Que Trung. Ngoc often does extra farm work or guards his farm at night to prevent theft, saying he used three months of sleepless nights to dig two large ponds to raise fish.

2 Bhagat: had his twin brother on his stomach

Sanju Bhagat's stomach was once so swollen he looked nine months pregnant and could barely breathe. iving in the city of Nagpur, India, Bhagat said he'd felt self-conscious his whole life about his big belly. But one night in June 1999, his problem erupted into something much larger than cosmetic worry. Mehta said that he can usually spot a tumor just after he begins an operation. But while operating on Bhagat, Mehta saw something he had never encountered. As he cut deeper into Bhagat's stomach, gallons of fluid spilled out — and then something extraordinary happened. "First, one limb came out, then another limb came out. Then some part of genitalia, then some part of hair, some limbs, jaws, limbs, hair."

At first glance, it may look as if Bhagat had given birth. Actually, Mehta had removed the mutated body of Bhagat's twin brother from his stomach. Bhagat, they discovered, had one of the world's most bizarre medical conditions — fetus in fetu. It is an extremely rare abnormality that occurs when a fetus gets trapped inside its twin. The trapped fetus can survive as a parasite even past birth by forming an umbilical cordlike structure that leaches its twin's blood supply until it grows so large that it starts to harm the host, at which point doctors usually intervene.

3 Yokoi: spent 28 years hidden after WWII

Shoichi Yokoi was a soldier, conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army in 1941 and sent to Guam shortly thereafter. In 1944, as American forces reconquered the island, Yokoi went into hiding.

On January 24, 1972, Yokoi was discovered in a remote section of Guam by two of the island's inhabitants. For 28 years he had been hiding in an underground jungle cave, fearing to come out of hiding even after finding leaflets declaring that World War II had ended. "It is with much embarrassment that I have returned alive," he said upon his return to Japan, carrying his rusted rifle at his side.

4 Mehran: lives at the Airport since 1988

Mehran Karimi Nasseri, also known as Sir, Alfred Mehran (yes, including the comma), is an Iranian refugee who has been living in the departure lounge of Terminal One in Charles de Gaulle Airport since August 8, 1988. After he was later imprisoned, tortured and expelled from his country, he applied for asylum in many European countries without luck.

When he decided to go to the United Kingdom, he claimed that he was mugged, and his shoulder bag stolen while waiting at the RER platform to go to Charles de Gaulle Airport to take a flight to Heathrow. Nasseri managed to board the plane, but when he arrived at Heathrow without the necessary documentation, Heathrow officials sent him back to Charles de Gaulle. Nasseri was unable to prove his identity or his refugee status to the French officials and so he was moved to the Zone d'attente (waiting zone), a holding area for travellers without papers.

Nasseri was reportedly the inspiration behind the 2004 movie The Terminal. Unlike Tom Hanks' character in the movie, and since at least 1994, Nasseri does not live in the duty-free transit area but simply in the departure hall, in the circular boutiques and restaurants passage on the lowest floor. He can at least theoretically leave the terminal at any moment, although, since everyone knows him, his departure might not remain unnoticed. He does not seem to speak with anyone normally. With his cart and bags, he almost looks like a traveler, so people either do not notice him or ignore him as if he were a homeless person.

5 Mitsuo: a japanese Jesus Christ

Matayoshi Mitsuo is an eccentric Japanese politician with the conviction that he is the God and Christ.According to his program, he will do the Last Judgement as the Christ but the way to do this is totally within the current political system and its legitimacy. His first step as the Savior is to be appointed the prime minister of Japan. Then he will reform Japanese society and then the United Nations should offer him the honor of its General Secretary. Then Matayoshi Jesus will reign over the whole world with two legitimate authorities, not only religious but also political.
He has presented himself in many elections but he has not won yet. He has become well-known for his eccentric campaigns where he urges opponents to commit suicide by hara-kiri.

6 Bihari: most officially dead person

Lal Bihari (born 1961) is a farmer from Uttar Pradesh, India who was officially dead from 1976 to 1994. He founded Mritak Sangh or the Association of the Dead in Uttar Pradesh, India. He fought Indian government bureaucracy for 18 years to prove that he is alive.

When Lal Bihari tried to apply for a bank loan in 1976, he found out that he was officially dead. His uncle had bribed a government official to register him as dead so he would get the ownership of Bihari's land.

Bihari discovered at least 100 other people in a similar situation, being officially dead. He formed Mritak Sangh in the Azamgarh district. He and many other members were in danger of being killed by those who had appropriated their property. Nowadays the association has over 20,000 members all over India. By 2004 they had managed to declare four of their members alive. In 2004 he ran for a seat in the parliament of Lal Ganj.

7 Icke: our salvation from Reptilian Humanoids

David Icke, is a former professional football player, BBC television sports presenter, and British Green Party national spokesperson. Since 1990, he has been what he calls a "full-time investigator into who and what is really controlling the world.": reptilians.

He dresses only in turquoise and sustains that the world was ruled by a secret group called "The Elite": a race of reptilian humanoids, known in ancient times as the Babylonian Brotherhood, and that many prominent people are descended from them, including George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, and Kris Kristofferson. He believes that descendants of the reptiles engage in child molestation and Satanism. He is the author of 15 books explaining his views. After a five-hour speech to students, he received a standing ovation at the University of Toronto in 1999.

8 Bawden: the self-elected Pope Michael I, from Kansas

David Allen Bawden (born 1959), is an American citizen who was elected "Pope Michael I" by a group of six Conclavist or post-Sedevacantist Catholics, arguing that the elections of the last 6 popes were invalid because they are all modernists.

Sedevacantists argue that if the College of Cardinals will not or cannot elect a valid pope, ordinary Catholics can do so, under the principle of "Epikeia" (Equity). Acting on the basis of this, David Bawden was elected Pope by six people on 1990 (including himself and his parents). He is still on the job to this day.

9 Nakamatsu: photographed and analyzed every meal for 34 years

Yoshiro Nakamatsu (born June 26, 1928), a.k.a. Dr. NakaMats, is the Japanese inventor claiming to hold the world record for number of inventions with over 3,000, including the floppy disk and "PyonPyon" spring shoes. He has being photographing and retrospectively analyzing every meal he has consumed during a period of 34 years (and counting). The goal of Nakamatsu is to live over 140 years old.

10 Lotito: mister eat-it-all

Michel Lotito (born June 15, 1950) is a French entertainer. Lotito, who was born in Grenoble, is famous as the consumer of undigestables, and is known as Monsieur Mangetout (Mister Eat-it-all). Lotito's performances are the consumption of metal, glass, rubber and so on in items such as bicycles, televisions, a Cessna 150, and smaller items which are disassembled, cut-up and swallowed. The aircraft took roughly two years to be 'eaten' from 1978 to 1980. He began eating unusual material while a child and has been performing publicly since 1966.

Lotito does not often suffer from ill-effects due to his diet, even after the consumption of materials usually considered poisonous. When performing he consumes around a kilogram of material daily, preceding it with mineral oil and drinking considerable quantities of water during the 'meal'. He apparently possesses a stomach and intestine with walls of twice the expected thickness, and his digestive acids are, allegedly, unusually powerful, allowing him to digest a certain portion of his metallic meals.

Awesome Lightning Vs Aeroplanes

2009-06-15T18:09:00.001-07:00

Lightning striking any object is enough to send shivers down your spine, but when the object is an aeroplane, it’s an event that can shake us to our very bones. Every time a plane plummets from the sky, we are reminded of how precarious flying is for us humans, and the force of lightning seems to highlight how much the heavens’ odds seem stacked against us. Yet exactly what danger does it present to planes?

In the wake of the recent Air France Airbus AF447 disaster – which crashed into the Atlantic carrying 228 people, and whose cause at the time of writing remains unclear – let’s consider the phenomenon of lightning hitting planes, and weigh up how much of a risk it poses to our activities in the air.

Indian village children taught to be snake charmers at the age two

2009-06-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

It’s the one classroom where everyone’s paying attention at the back.

Being a few feet away from a poisonous snake has a wonderful way of concentrating the mind.

Six-year-old Rekha Bae – like all children in the 600-strong nomadic Vadi tribe in western India – will have first been introduced to cobras at the age of two.

All Vadi children complete a ten-year initiation ritual that culminates in the boys becoming fully-fledged performing snake charmers.

Divided between the sexes, the act of snake charming with traditional flute is the role of the men, while the Vadi women care for the snakes and handle them when their husbands or brothers are not around.

'The training begins at two, the children then are then taught the ancient ways of snake charming until they are ready to take up their roles in our community,' said chief snake charmer Babanath Mithunath Madari, 60.

'At twelve the children will know everything that they can know about snakes.

'They are then ready to continue the traditions of the Vadi tribe which can be stretched back over one thousands years to India's great Raja's (kings).'

The nomadic Vadi tribe, which lives in the south of the Indian state of Gujarat take great pride in their association with the areas deadly snakes.

Never staying in one place for more than six months, the Vadi have an almost mythical attachment to snakes and especially cobras.

'At night, as we sit around our huts in the open desert and explain to the pact that our descendants made with Naga, the snake god,' Madari said.
Enlarge Babanath Mithunat Madari

Master charmer: Babanath Mithunat Madari shows off the tricks of his trade

'We explain to the children how we only take a snake away from its natural habitat for a maximum of seven months.

'Any more is disrespectful to the snake and especially after the charmer and snake have worked together so closely and so intimately.

'Both are trusting their lives to the other one.'

The cobras are fed a herbal mixture which Madari says renders the snake's deadly poison useless.

'We do not cut the fangs off the snakes as that would be cruel,' the tribal chief said.

'We do not harm the them because they are like children to us.

'In all my years with snakes, from my childhood to now, I have only heard of one man to have been bitten.

'This was because he kept the snake longer than seven months.'

Since snake charming was made illegal in 1991, the Vadi have come under huge pressure from the state and national governments of India.

'The police routinely search us strip us of our snakes whenever we cross their paths,' Madari said.

'We live 25km away from the town of Rajkot at the moment, and every time we try to enter the village for food or even bottle of water, the villagers chase us away.

'This upsets me greatly because this village is the birthplace of the father of our nation Gandhi.

'Would he stop us from continuing our traditions? The rich of India have no time for the poor.'

Two-foot the world's smallest girl

2009-06-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Awesome Aurora Seen from Space

2009-06-07T03:12:00.000-07:00

Stunned onlookers watch as mysterious orange UFOs swoop across Britain's skies

2009-06-04T02:40:00.002-07:00

Darting silently in formation, the mysterious glowing orbs light up the night sky.

Some say these orange lights even weave in between each other with the precision of a synchronised flying team from some far corner of the universe.

Clusters of more than 100 have been spotted across Britain and even Holland, leaving onlookers with an eerie sense that, for all the mystifying beauty of the strange objects, they may have just witnessed an armada of invading UFOs.

The most recent sighting was on Sunday when they were seen in two locations, Merseyside and Lincoln. Days earlier a similar phenomenon was spotted over Cambridgeshire, where one witness claims each was as big as a house.

The sightings have prompted defence officials to check their logs and sent UFO fans into orbits of excitement. Engineer Paul Slight, 54, took photos on his mobile phone of the strange objects hovering over Lincoln at 10.30pm while he was cycling home after a day out with friends.

'There were 26 of them at first, dodging and darting in between each other like they were playing a game,' he said.

'After that, seven more arrived and weaved through the crowd of lights like strange kinds of aircraft. After five minutes of moving around, they hung in the air for a second then shot off into the sky and disappeared.'

A spokesman for nearby RAF Cranwell said the base was closed at the weekend so the lights could not be attributed to its aircraft. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence is examining claims that the Merseyside lights were connected to an exercise involving HMS Daring, docked in Liverpool.

An ex-military source claimed the lights were dropped by jets to simulate the path of a missile in order to test the warship's radar systems.

In Cambridgeshire, banker Scott Boswell, 37, said he saw more than 100 lights flying less than two miles above his home in Hinchingbrooke. The former soldier and experienced pilot said: 'I know they weren't aircraft – they were silent.

'And I was a soldier for a decade so I could immediately rule out flares or weather balloons. I really have no idea what they were.'

On the same night, May 27, at around 11.30pm guesthouse owner Auberon Hedgecoe, 40, of nearby Huntingdon, also saw the lights. 'There was no sound,' he said.

'They were travelling 15 at a time and every six minutes more seemed to be coming over the horizon. They were not planes. They were not balloons.

Each one was the size of a building.' Last night it emerged a woman has contacted her local newspaper to claim that the lights over Lincoln were Chinese lanterns – mini hot air balloons – set off at her wedding reception.

'They looked amazing, hope you all enjoyed the spectacle,' she said.

Nick Pope, the former head of the MoD's UFO Project, supported the Chinese lantern theory.

'I'm not disparaging the whole UFO phenomenon, but I'd say 99 per cent of UFO reports involving orange lights in the sky these days are attributable to these lanterns.'

Awesome Yin and Yang crop Art

2009-05-30T02:32:00.000-07:00

Is this an amazing work of art, or of something from science-fiction?

The neat, intricate pattern does pose the question - how on earth was it made?

The huge crop circle sculpted in a sea of barley seems to be based on the Yin and Yang theme, and appeared near an ancient British burial mound beneath Windmill Hill near Devizes, Wiltshire on 25 May.

The ancient area of Wiltshire close to Silbury Hill, Windmill Hill and the Sanctuary is a hot spot for crop circles.

At around 350ft in length, it is hard to explain its creation - indeed, the mystery of how crop circles are made has never been solved.

Cynics have claimed the patterns are the work of computer scientists using teams of volunteers - but crop circle enthusiasts argue there are not enough hours of darkness in summer to allow them to be completed by humans.

Wiltshire is a hot spot for these field-based phenomenons - its green and golden fields have spawned an array of patterns in the past that have fascinated those who seek them out.

Enthusiasts and experienced crop pattern hunters have often spotted formations appearing close to these sacred sites.

The crop circle season - from April to harvesting in September - is believed to be worth millions of pounds to the local economy.

This example is an elaborate aul formation consisting of a centre circle with two large and two small arcs extended and connected by circles of decreasing size.

Windmill Hill is thought be date back to the Early Neolithic period some 5,000 years ago, constructed as a causeway enclosure, and it is thought the camp housed a large farming community during a relatively peaceful and prosperous time before the Romans invaded Britain - evidence of their presence is provided by a villa on the western slopes of the mound.

Top 10 New Species

2009-05-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and an international committee of taxonomists - scientists responsible for species exploration and classification - today announce the top 10 new species described in 2008.
On the list are a pea-sized seahorse, caffeine-free coffee and bacteria that live in hairspray. The top 10 new species also include the very tiny (a snake just a slither longer than 4 inches or 104 millimeters), the very long (an insect from Malaysia with an overall length of 22.3 inches or 56.7 centimeters) the very old (a fossilized specimen of the oldest known live-bearing vertebrate) and the very twisted (a snail whose shell twists around four axes). Rounding out this year’s list are a palm that flowers itself to death, a ghost slug from Wales and a deep blue damselfish.

The taxonomists also are issuing an SOS - State of Observed Species - report card on human knowledge of Earth’s species. In it, they report that 18,516 species new to science were discovered and described in 2007. The SOS report was compiled by ASU’s International Institute for Species Exploration in partnership with the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, International Plant Names Index, Zoological Record published by Thomson Reuters, and the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

Among this year’s top 10 picks is a tiny seahorse - Hippocampus satomiae - with a standard length of 0.54 inches (13.8 millimeters) and an approximate height of 0.45 inches (11.5 millimeters). This pygmy species was found near Derawan Island off Kalimantan, Indonesia. The name - satomiae - is “in honour of Miss Satomi Onishi, the dive guide who collected the type specimens.” (Pictured above)

Suicide Palm

From the plant kingdom is a gigantic new species and genus of palm - Tahina spectablilis - with fewer than 100 individuals found only in a small area of northwestern Madagascar. This plant flowers itself to death, producing a huge, spectacular terminal inflorescence with countless flowers. After fruiting, the palm dies and collapses. Soon after the original publication of the species description, seeds were disseminated throughout the palm grower community, to raise money for its conservation by the local villagers. It has since become a highly prized ornamental.

Coffea Charrieriana

Also on the top 10 list is caffeine-free coffee from Cameroon. Coffea charrieriana is the first record of a caffeine-free species from Central Africa. The plant is named for Professor André Charrier, “who managed coffee breeding research and collecting missions at IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) during the last 30 years of the 20th century.”

Surprisinigly, this new species of extremophile bacteria was discovered in hairspray

And, in the category of “spray on new species” is an extremophile bacteria that was discovered in hairspray by Japanese scientists. The species - Microbacterium hatanonis - was named in honor of Kazunori Hatano, “for his contribution to the understanding of the genus Microbacterium.”

This is the world’s longest insect with a body length of 35.6cm (14 inches) and a overall length of 56.7 cm (22.3 inches).

Phobaeticus chani made the list as the world’s longest insect with a body length of 14 inches (36.6 centimeters) and overall length of 22.3 inches (56.7 centimeters). The insect, which resembles a stick, was found in Borneo, Malaysia.

Thread Snake

The Barbados Threadsnake - Leptotyphlops carlae - measuring 4.1 inches (104 millimeters) is believed to be the world’s smallest snake. It was discovered in St. Joseph Parish, Barbados.

Ghost Slug

The ghost slug - Selenochlamys ysbryda - was a surprising find in the well-collected and densely populated area of Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales.

Opisthostoma vermiculum

A snail - Opisthostoma vermiculum - found in Malaysia, represents a unique morphological evolution, with a shell that twists around four axes. It is endemic to a unique limestone hill habitat in Malaysia.

The other two species on the top 10 list are fish - one found in deep-reef habitat off the coast of Ngemelis Island, Palau, and the other a fossilized specimen of the oldest known live-bearing vertebrate.

Deep Blue Chromis

Chromis abyssus - a beautiful species of damselfish made it to the top 10 representing the first taxonomic act of 2008 and the first act registered in the newly launched taxonomic database Zoobank. As a result, in the first month following its original description, it was the most downloaded article in Zootaxa’s history and was among the top 10 downloaded articles for 11 months in 2008. The discovery also highlights how little is known about deep-reef biodiversity.

Mother Fish

Also on the top 10 list is a fossilized specimen - Materpiscis attenboroughi - the oldent known vertebrate to be viviparous (live bearing). The specimen, an extremely rare find from Western Australia, shows a mother fish giving birth approximately 380 million years ago. The holotype specimen has been nicknamed “Josie” by the discoverer, John Long, in honor of his mother.

“The international committee of taxon experts who made the selection of the top 10 from the thousands of species described in calendar year 2008 is helping draw attention to biodiversity, the field of taxonomy, and the importance of natural history museums and botanical gardens in a fun-filled way,” says Quentin Wheeler, an entomologist and director of the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University.

“Charting the species of the world and their unique attributes are essential parts of understanding the history of life,” says Wheeler. “It is in our own self-interest as we face the challenges of living on a rapidly changing planet.”

According to Wheeler, a new generation of tools are coming online that will vastly accelerate the rate at which we are able to discover and describe species.

“Most people do not realize just how incomplete our knowledge of Earth’s species is or the steady rate at which taxonomists are exploring that diversity. We are surrounded by such an exuberance of species diversity that we too often take it for granted,” says Wheeler, who also is ASU vice president, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and a professor in the School of Life Sciences.

The annual top 10 new species announcement and issuance of the SOS report commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Carolus Linnaeus, who initiated the modern system of plant and animal names and classifications. The 300th anniversary of his birth on May 23 was celebrated worldwide in 2007. Last year marked the 250th anniversary of the beginning of animal naming.

There are an estimated 1.8 million species that have been described since Linnaeus initiated the modern systems for naming plants and animals in the 18th century. Scientists estimate there are between 2 million and 100 million species on Earth, though most set the number closer to 10 million.

The SOS report card summarizes the number of major pspecies.asu.edulant and animal species newly described for the most recent year of complete data. The majority of the 18,516 species described (named) in 2007 were invertebrate animals (75.6 percent), vascular plants (11.1 percent) and vertebrates (6.7 percent). This year’s SOS report also includes data for prokaryotes (bacteria and Archaea) in addition to protists.

The State of Observed Species report and list of top 10 new species issued annually by ASU’s International Institute for Species Exploration is part of its public awareness campaign to shine attention on biodiversity and the field of taxonomy. Last year’s list and report are online at species.asu.edu.

An international committee of experts, chaired by Janine N. Caira of the University of Connecticut, selected the top 10 new species for this year’s list. Nominations were invited through the species.asu.edu Web site and also generated by institute staff and committee members.

The Caira committee had complete freedom in making its choices and developing its own criteria, from unique attributes or surprising facts about the species to peculiar names, Wheeler notes.

Vodafone speeds up cost-cutting plan despite sales boost

2009-05-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Vodafone unveiled annual operating profits of £11.8billion today but warned it did not expect to better the figure in the current financial year.

The mobile phone giant said the 16.7 per cent improvement in adjusted operating profits for the year to March 31 reflected 'robust' trading in Africa and India, offsetting a weaker performance in its more mature European markets.

The Newbury-based company said economic uncertainty and the threat of rising unemployment in Europe meant it expected operating profits for the 2009/10 year to be in the range of £11billion and £11.8billion.

Vodafone said: 'In Europe and central Europe, recent significant declines in GDP and continued competitive intensity will make operating conditions challenging in the 2010 financial year.'

Revenues in Europe increased by 13.6 per cent, but stripping out favourable exchange rates the figure was down by 2.1 per cent on a year earlier. This reflected deteriorating trends in Spain and Greece, while in the UK service revenues fell by 1.1 per cent due to increased competition and challenging economic conditions.

A 15.3 per cent fall in underlying earnings in the UK was distorted by a £30million VAT refund in the previous year, but the company noted that the cost of retaining customers had increased as a higher proportion of its customer base received upgrades following the expiration of 18-month contracts.

Vodafone said write-downs on the value of its businesses in Spain and Turkey - £3.4billion and £2.25billion respectively - meant bottom-line profits for the group fell 53.5 per cent to £4.19billion in the financial year.

It added that its drive to cut costs by £1billion by 2011 was ahead of plan, with 65 per cent of the programme now due to be achieved in this financial year.

Vodafone said the benefits of the project were also seen in the 2009 year, with operating expenses in Europe remaining 'broadly flat'.

Shares in the group opened 1 per cent higher today, helped by the company's decision to increase its dividend payment to shareholders by 3.5 per cent to 7.77p a share.

The Hawaiian spider that look like smiling face

2009-05-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Scientifically, this tiny arachnid goes by the name of Theridion grallator – but it takes little imagination to see how it got its more popular name: the happy-face spider.

Found only in rainforests in the Hawaiian islands, the spiders have a vast range of patterns and colours on their abdomens – yet all come from the same species.

The amazing diversity is due to genetic variations, although the patterns may also change depending on diet.
The patterns may have developed as a way of confusing predators. The moment it takes an aggressor to work out whether the spider is prey or not provides a vital chance of escape.

However, the species, which was discovered in 1973, is now under threat from the introduction of non-native animals to the islands.

The most common form – or ‘morph’ – is plain yellow and has no smile. But other variations are plentiful – the ‘red front’ morph pictured here with a cluster of her eggs is the second-most common.
The spiders are 5mm (less than a quarter of an inch) long and live alone on the underside of leaves – except during their mating season and for the first 40 to 100 days of spiderlings’ lives, when they are still too young to fend for themselves.

The happy-face spiders feature in the new BBC2 documentary series South Pacific, which starts at 8.30pm tonight.

Results Of First Weird Facial Transplant In U.S.

2009-05-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, a shotgun blast left a ghastly hole where the middle of Connie Culp’s face had been. Five months ago, she received a new face from a dead woman.

Ms. Culp stepped forward on Tuesday to show the results of the nation’s first face transplant. Her new look was far from the puckered, noseless sight that had made children run away in horror.

Ms. Culp’s expressions are still a bit wooden, but she can talk, smile, smell and taste food again. Her speech is at times difficult to understand. Her face is bloated and squarish, and her skin droops in folds that doctors plan to pare away as her circulation improves and her nerves grow, animating new muscles. But she had nothing but praise for those who made her new face possible.

“I guess I’m the one you came to see today,” Ms. Culp, 46, said at a news conference at the Cleveland Clinic, where the groundbreaking operation was performed. But, she said, “I think it’s more important that you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this person’s face.”

Until Tuesday, Ms. Culp’s identity and how she came to be disfigured were a secret.

Ms. Culp’s husband, Thomas, shot her in 2004, then turned the gun on himself. He went to prison for seven years. She was left clinging to life.

The blast shattered her nose and cheeks, the roof of her mouth and an eye. Hundreds of fragments of shotgun pellet and bone splinters were embedded in her face. She needed a tube in her windpipe to breathe. Only her upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin were left. She endured 30 operations to try to fix her face.

Ms. Culp said she wanted to help foster acceptance of those who have suffered burns and other disfiguring injuries.

“When somebody has a disfigurement and don’t look as pretty as you do, don’t judge them because you never know what happened to them,” she said. “Don’t judge people who don’t look the same as you do. Because you never know. One day it might be all taken away.”

Worlds Most Powerful Water Wall On Earth

2009-05-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Big waves carry big reputations and it’s easy to see why. Red hot surfing spots like Hawaii’s Waimea Bay and the even more horrendously huge “Jaws” have become household as well as beach hut names, famed for waves towering up to 70 feet high. Yet height isn’t the only measure of a wave, and another legendary break on the surfing circuit, Tahiti’s Teahupo’o, has one of the heaviest and for many the thickest wave on the planet. Just check out these shot. It looks like the surfers are on the brink of a giant blue slab of water, and in a very real sense they are. The word isn’t used lightly. Gnarly.
With a super-heavy, glassy wave reaching upwards of 10 feet high, Teahupo’o is like a cool, mean fighter with a small man’s complex and a killer punch when it weighs in against its taller rivals in the big wave class. Sure, there are lots of spots with loftier waves, but are there places where the entire ocean appears to rear up and put its mass behind the onrushing face of the wave? The colossal lip arches forward, bearing down on those below and scooping them up as might a bulldozer travelling at high speed. At times, a massive, bareling tube is formed big enough to hold a steam engine.
The diagram below gives some idea of the might of this wave. Located off the southwest tip of the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, the power of Teahupo’o is generated by open ocean swells building up immense momentum before smashing into coral reef. Emerging from deep water onto a barely submerged reef, the power of the Pacific is suddenly concentrated, and the combination of heavy waves and a shallow shoreline is extremely dangerous. A wipeout can result in serious injuries or even death, and only expert surfers in peak physical condition stand a chance.
Teahupo’o is a fairly recent sensation. Some say a local surfer named Chopes was the first to brave its wave in 1985, followed by bodyboarding pioneers like Mike Stewart in 1986. Although Teahupo’o became an underground spot for daredevil bodyboarders, it wasn’t until the 90’s that a handful of surfers took to the wave, and closing in on the millenium before it became a stop on the pro surfing circuit. It was then that Teahupo’o captured the world’s attention for having probably the world’s thickest wave. Big wave surfing legend Laird Hamilton had the ride of his life when he famously dropped in here on August 17, 2000. Others have not been so lucky.