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Stolen GPS lead home

NY Police arrested a man on suspicion of stealing a GPS receiver, after the device apparently gave him away.
A 33-year-old man was arrested on Dec. 30 when police spotted him trying to ride a bicycle while carrying several items, including a car GPS unit.

Police say the cyclist gave evasive answers to questions, and when the officer pressed the home button on the GPS, the unit displayed a nearby address.
The resident of that home claimed that the device was his. (metro)

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World's tiniest Bible

Israeli scientists have inscribed the entire Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible onto a space less than half the size of grain of sugar!

The nanotechnology experts at the Technion institute in Haifa say the text measures less than 0.5 square millimeter (0.01 square inch) surface.
"It took us about an hour to etch the 300,000 words of the Bible onto a tiny silicon surface," Ohad Zohar, the university's scientific adviser for educational programs, told the Associated Press.
The Technion's microscopic bible was created by blasting tiny particles called gallium ions at an object that then rebounded, causing an etching affect.
"When a particle beam is directed toward a point on the surface, the gold atoms bounce off and expose the silicon layer underneath just like a hammer and chisel," Zohar said. Zohar said the technology will in the future be used as a way to store vast amounts of data on bio-molecules and DNA.
The tiny Bible appears to be the world's smallest.
The previous smallest known copy of the Bible measured 2.8 x 3.4 x 1 centimeters (1.1 x 1.3 x 0.4 inches), weighing 11.75 grams (0.4 ounces) and containing 1,514 pages, according to Guinness World Records spokeswoman Amarilis Espinoza. The tiny text, obtained by an Indian professor in November 2001, is believed to have originated in Australia.
Well, how do you read it?
The next step for Technion researchers is photographing the Bible and displaying it on a giant wall within the Faculty of Physics.
?In this picture, which will be 7m by 7m (23ft by 23ft), it will be possible to read the entire Bible with the naked eye (the height of each letter will be some 3mm - 0.1in),? Mr Zohar said.
?Near this picture, the original - the nano-Bible itself, which is the size a grain of sugar - will be displayed.?
(metro, photo - Ariel Schalit, Associated Press)

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High tuition led to robbery and 20 years behind bars

In the previous post a Chinese student won a lottery money to quit school, but these two college students were not that lucky so they have chosen armed robberies to raise tuition money. However, the court doesn't think they should be sent to school!
A Hamilton County common pleas judge sentenced Andrew Butler and Christopher Avery to 20-year prison terms and told them dire financial straits don't justify breaking the law.

"If you get to that point, robbing people isn't the answer. It never has been and it never will be," Judge Steven Martin said.
Butler, 20, and Avery, 22, apologized to their families and their victims before Martin imposed the sentence. The men pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated robbery and six charges of kidnapping.

Butler, who attended the University of Toledo, told Martin in an earlier hearing that tuition increases outpaced his scholarships and financial aid. Avery, a student at the University of Cincinnati, said he couldn't pay for summer classes after an internship fell through. Avery was a student at UC in mechanical engineering and was about to start his summer employment with an engineering firm.

Prosecutors said the two had guns and were wearing masks when they made off with $130,000 from a crowded bank in suburban Reading on July 17. A day earlier, they unsuccessfully tried to rob a check-cashing business, prosecutors said.

It is told that they were caught while switching cars after the bank robbery. (CBS)

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Chinese Student wins lottery and leaves school

A college student withdrew from school after winning the 5 million yuan ($683,000) jackpot in a lottery in China' eastern city of Nanjing, local media reported on Thursday.
The second-year student at the Jiangsu Maritime Institute, identified by the nickname Yong to protect his identity, was the sole first-prize winner in the "Double Colour Ball" issued by the China Welfare Lottery on Tuesday, the Beijing News said.
"After winning the lottery, Yong told his roommates that he would share 2,000 yuan with each of them," it added.
Yong informed school authorities of his winnings, and had returned home.
"We are not sure if he will return to school, but we hope he will eventually finish his education," the paper quoted Yong's teacher as saying.
The Communist Party abolished lotteries in China after taking power in 1949, denouncing them as a practice of decadent capitalists. But the country launched state-run lotteries in 1987 amid market-oriented reforms.
Lotteries have become increasingly popular both among the poor and the newly rich in China, where many forms of gambling are banned. Per capita income in China's urban areas is roughly $1,900 a year and about $600 a year in rural areas.
Lottery-related crimes have been on the rise as well, and underground lottery schemes have become rampant across the country in recent years, bankrupting many families.
Last month, China set up its first help centre for lottery addicts, offering counseling and legal assistance. (from Reuters)

Connie Talbot - Over the Rainbow

The Britain?s Got Talent fame sweet little girl Connie Talbot has released a sweet little music album. It would be a nice gift to your little ones as it is easy to sing along with. You would surely love the sweet, untouched, untainted, talent in it's purest form.
Connie Talbots "Over The Rainbow" cd is so touching and she sings like an angel. I believe someday she will become a loved star and bring happiness to others with her beautiful voice, smile and personality. Her cd can be for everyday listening as well as for the holidays. Any little 6 year old girl who can "WOW" Simon Cowell has to be pretty impressive. I posted the videos and pictures of hers in my previous posts. You can go back to the post to listen her singing in :
Connie Talbot stunned the Final and Semi-final of Britain?s Got Talent
and Britain?s Got Talent - 6 year-old Connie Sings Great
I wish the amazon price were a bit low.

World's Tallest Snowman to be Dwarfed

The world's tallest snowman ? 113 feet, 7 inches ? was built in this western Maine town back in 1999. In the photo below the tallest snowman, "Angus, King of the Mountain", stands tall over a crowd of people gathered to attend a ceremony in Bethel, Maine, in February, 19 1999.

Now the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce will attempt to build the world's tallest snowman (snowwoman) again. It is told that the work will start on Jan. 22 and take up to 20 days to complete, said Executive Director Robin Zinchuk.

"We definitely learned a lot the first time around and that's helping us know what we need to do. We really didn't know what we were doing last time," Zinchuk said. The giant snowman was named "Angus, King of the Mountain" in honor of former Gov. Angus King.
Angus was so big that his nose was 8 feet long, his hat was 20 feet in diameter and the scarf around his neck was 120 feet long. His eyes were 4-foot wreaths, and his smile was made from automobile tires.
There was also a raffle as to when Angus would melt, which with our Maine weather, was anyone's guess. The official melt date was June 10, 1999. The raffle was divided by 22 winners. Fashion ideas being tossed around for a giant snowwoman include making a skirt out of snow, adding a pink scarf and painting tires lipstick red for her mouth.
Jim Sysko, the chief architect and engineer nine years ago, will again lead the construction team. He'll be assisted by an engineer and a longtime snowmaker from the nearby Sunday River ski resort, which has a new snowmaking gun that could help ease the effort.

For a name, the chamber is considering holding a naming contest. The giant snowman was named by a radio station disc jockey. "I haven't heard from Angus (King) yet, but I'm sure he will be thrilled that we're doing it again. He's all about doing fun things," Zinchuk said.
Detail of the to-be-dethroned tallest snowman are:


Height 113 ft. & 7 inches tall

9,000,000 lbs

200,000 cubic feet of snow

4 ft. wreathes as eyes

6 ft. of chicken wire & muslin for the carrot nose

6 automobile tires as the mouth

20 ft. fleece hat

120 ft. fleece scarf

3 skidder tires for the buttons

2 - 10 ft. trees for arms
The snowman's hat was made by seventh graders at Telstar Middle School. His six-foot nose was made by local elementary school students and as a special touch, has the imprints of the student's hands.
Maine's governor, Angus King, whom "Angus, King of the Mountain" was named after, came to participate in the ceremony to honor the citizens of Bethel who achieved their goal and "made it" into the Guiness World Book of Records for the World's Largest Snowman. He stated he felt honored to have had the snowman named after him, but wondered if "Willie Melt" might not have been a more appropriate name! (source )
The snowman is listed in Guinness Book of Records 2002, page123.

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Norway - Parking wiped out bank account

Some Norwegians were charged between $37,000 and $148,000 for parking in a municipal spots in the central Norwegian city of Trondheim last week.

At least 26 motorists were left baffled and broke when they used their bank debit cards to pay for the street parking.

Well, that was not the usual rate of parking though. It was all because of a computer glitch. The machine dispensing windshield parking permits multiplied the amount of time they bought by 10,000, and automatically deducted it from their bank accounts. (abc)

They should be pretty rich people to keep that much of money in their banks and that too accessible to debit cards!

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Cousins Reunited After 70 Years - Thanks to a Web Post

Internet has changed how we live in today's world. We do almost everything online and today I came accross a news story that gives one more reason to be grateful to the development of internet.
Two South Florida sisters are catching up with their Russian cousin after 70 years apart. Ossie Rasher, 81, and Sophia Altfeld, 78, last saw their cousin Rosalie Berkovich, 80, in 1937 when the sisters fled to the United States with their parents.
The families lost track of each other until decades later, when Berkovich's relatives tracked down the two sisters using a family tree posted on geneology.com.

Berkovich flew from her home in Acton, Mass., for a reunion Friday night at Altfeld's home in Coconut Creek. They are also planning for a larger family reunion. (CBS)

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Italy - Court thinks Friday is not a nice name

I talked about strange names and disputes in naming a child decently.
In another recent news an Italian court has ruled that a couple could not name their son "Friday" and ordered that he instead be called Gregory after the saint whose feast day he was born on.
Well, I don't think Friday is such a bad name. Or at least it is much better than "4real" or "@". The child's mother was quoted as saying: "My son was born Friday, baptised Friday, will call himself Friday, we will call him Friday but when he gets older he will have to sign his name Gregory". (Read more)

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Christmas Surprise - Card 93 Years Late

A postcard took a 93 year journey to reach northwest Kansas to the receiptant's relative. The Christmas card was dated Dec. 23, 1914, and mailed to Ethel Martin of Oberlin, apparently from her cousins in Alma, Neb.
The card features a color drawing of Santa Claus and a young girl. Ethel Martin is deceased, but Oberlin Postmaster Steve Schultz said the post office wanted to get the card to a relative.
That's how the 93-year-old relic ended up with Bernice Martin, Ethel's sister-in-law. She said she believed the card had been found somewhere in Illinois.

"That's all we know," she said. "But it is kind of curious. We'd like to know how it got down there."
The card was placed inside another envelope with modern postage for the trip to Oberlin ? the one-cent postage of the early 20th century wouldn't have covered it, Martin said.
"We don't know much about it," she said. "But wherever they kept it, it was in perfect shape." (Yahoo)

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26-year-old and 10+7 husbands in 4 years

I have heard of people having lots of wives in Middle East and other parts of world, but 17 husbands is something strange and that too in 4 years' time! I don't think you can manage your mental and emotional health if you were that unlucky! But this story is something else.

Eunice Lopez has been charged with bigamy, accused of marrying 10 men between 2002 and 2006 without divorcing any of them, federal immigration authorities say. The Miami Herald reported Saturday that a records search by the newspaper found seven additional marriages under the bride's name and birth date.

It is told that Lopez arrived in South Florida from Cuba in 2002 and was a legal U.S. resident.

Well, it looks like the marriages have nothing to do with romance. She is told to charge her husbands an unspecified amount to help them secure immigration status and continued asking the men for money long after the wedding, threatening to expose them if they didn't pay.
Lopez was released on $18,000 bond. Her last known address was in Hialeah, just north of Miami. A telephone listing for her could not be located, and it was not known whether she had an attorney. (CBS)

Newlyweds - strange celebration

If you are newly-wed you might want to party, walk around hand-in-hand, spend your time talking romance, or something more romantic things.

But not this couple, Jeanie Dulski and Jamy Knittle, think something else is more romantic. First, they got married at Hazleton Municipal Airport, then after about 45 minutes they were flying at a height of 10,000 feet and leaped out. Yes, they think skydiving is more romantic!
Dulski thinks "Getting married is scarier than jumping out of a plane."
Scariest thing is that it was the first skydive for Dulski (although the marriage was second) and Knittle had skydived only once before.
It sure is a strangest marriage ceremony! (news)

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$85K mobile phone bill!

I talked about Canadin Still being in the Stone Age of wireless Telecommunication where it was told that average Canadian customers pay 56% more than their U.S counterpart. But that doesn't mean a mobile phone bill needs to cost more than a BMW M5!

Piotr Staniaszek, a 20-year old oil field worker was shocked to get a C$85,000 mobile phone bill. That was all because he had used his new phone as a modem for his computer as part of C$10 unlimited browser plan from Bell Mobility, a division of Bell Canada, to download movies and other files.

Staniaszek's father who is also named Piotr Staniaszek said that Bell has agreed to reduce the charges to C$3,400 for "goodwill". But he still thinks that is a huge amount to pay for a phone bill.
"He's working in the field sometimes, alone, in the shack. What to do? Drink vodka or go on the Internet?" Staniaszek senior told Reuters on Thursday from Calgary, Alberta.

"Now it's $85,000 and nobody told him," he said.
According to the invoice, his son rang up C$60,000 in charges in November, and they have since climbed to C$85,000.
Canadians complain that their mobile phone charges are much higher for comparable service in the United States.(BBC)

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Michael Schumacher Drove Taxi

The seven-times world champion, Michael Schumacher, drove a taxi so that his family can catch the ariline in time. He also gave the original driver of the taxi a 100 euro ($146.6) tip on top of the 60 euro fare.

The retired Formula One champion drove the cab back to the airport himself after a trip out to the village of Gehuelz, near Coburg in southern Germany, left the family short of time to make their flight home, the Muenchner Abendzeitung newspaper reported.
Doesn't that qualify him for another title "Germany's Fastest Taxi Driver"?

"It was crazy having Schumi driving, with me in the passenger seat," the taxi driver was quoted as saying. (Reuters)

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Million on cents

Children helped to collect pennies surround the 'Penny Harvest Field' which includes an estimated 100 million pennies ? plus a few nickels, dimes and quarters that slipped in by mistake.
Photo in left shows the unveiling ceremony Monday, Dec. 10, 2007 in New York. The approximately one hundred million pennies, gathered by school children across all five boroughs of New York City, filled a 165x30 foot 'Penny Harvest Field' in Rockefeller Center.
The funds will be donated to various charities.
The exhibit was designed by architect James Polshek and will be on display in Rockefeller Center, near the famous Christmas tree, through the end of the year. (commoncents.org)

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Man trapped for 100 hours in a lavatory

A retired Scottish school teacher in UK was reported to be trapped in a toilet for nearly four days without any food in cold.

David Leggat was locked inside the bathroom at a lawn bowling club near the Scottish city of Aberdeen after the door jammed and the handle on the outside fell off.

The 55-year-old kept warm by dipping his feet in hot water but only managed to get about three hours' sleep a night in the freezing temperatures, the local Evening Express newspaper reported.

He was rescued when the cleaner at the club, which is little used in winter, turned up to collect her cleaning equipment.

Leggat said a survival course he had once done had helped him endure his captivity. The cleaning lady said he looked shaken and grey when he emerged. Leggat was stoical.

"At least there was a toilet to use," he said. "The only thing I regret is not getting trapped behind the bar." (Reuters)

Survived an accident to claim a Guinness record - Greatest Distance Thrown in a Car Accident

Matthew McKnight, 29, got hit by a car and survived after being thrown 118 feet (about the height of a 12-story building) to tell the story and secure a record for "Greatest Distance Thrown in a Car Accident" in the 2008 edition of Guinness Book of World Records.
It was Oct. 26, 2001 while he was trying to help accident victims along Interstate 376 in Monroeville, about 15 miles east of Pittsburgh when he got hit by a car traveling at 70 mph.

He suffered two dislocated shoulders plus a broken shoulder, pelvis, leg and tailbone. He spent two weeks in the hospital and 80 days in rehab before returning to work in April 2002.
McKnight is a volunteer firefighter and paramedic, though he wasn't on duty when he stopped to help the accident victims. He works full-time as a communications specialist at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh.
McKnight's emergency room physician, Dr. Eric Brader, submitted paperwork for the record, which Guinness recognized in 2003. It was not listed in the book until the 2008 edition, however. (CBS)
"I thought it was a big joke. Dr. Brader is known for joking around a lot," McKnight told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "But when he brought (the paperwork) to me, I saw how serious he was."
McKnight thinks it's something that no one would try to beat! (Photo Source)

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33-cents a gallon gas!

Thanks to the mistake of a gas station employee, there was a relief for at least some time for the drivers in the rural northern Wisconsin community. 42 people bought 586 gallons of gas in an hour and 45 minutes. One person had pumped 27 gallons and two purchased 18 gallons in 33 cents a gallon.

An employee closing Trig's Minocqua Shell for the night mistakenly entered the price of a gallon of gasoline as 32.9 cents instead of $3.299 on Monday night. He left about 10 p.m., but drivers could still use their credit cards to buy gas.
Local police saw the horde at the station and called store manager Andrea Reuland, who went to the station and pushed the emergency stop.

"There were cars two deep at each of my pumps," said Reuland, who knew many of the drivers and told them they were being dishonest ? the main store sign had the correct price.

"I was very upset that there's that many dishonest people," she said. "They knew there was a problem, and they took advantage of an employee's mistake and I think that's terrible."
The employee, who has been there for about six months, had changed the gas prices 25 times in the past six months. "It was an honest mistake," Reuland said. "I could have done it." (yahoo news)

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Fake Coca-Cola in the fountains

What would you do if the taste of fountain drinks doesn't corrosponds to the label it carries? Restaurants buy Coke and other soft drinks in the form of syrup, which is converted to its drinkable form when dispensed through a carbonated water machine. Coke syrup costs more and if you can buy something similar in half the price who knows? Well, this is not always true though.

Fountain drink supplier Cecil Donald St. Pierre, 69, is charged with conspiracy, trafficking in counterfeit goods, mislabeling a food product and operating a food processing plant without federal registration. He however denies federal charges that he pitched generic syrup as 'real thing' to restaurants.
St. Pierre, who operates Cecil's Fine Syrup in Oak Park, denied the charges and complained federal officials had unfairly shut down his business. He was released pending a preliminary hearing Monday.

St. Pierre said outside court he uses Coke boxes but puts his own labeling on top. His customers "know it's not Coke," St. Pierre told The Detroit News. "I'm charging $31 a box, compared to $60 a box for Coke."

St. Pierre said he will be represented by his son, attorney Cecil St. Pierre Jr., a former Warren city councilman.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration began receiving complaints about "off-taste" Coke products in the Detroit area in 2004, according to an agent's affidavit attached to the complaint. (Detroit news)
Well, he uses Coke boxes and assumes his customers - may be the retailers - know it is not coke! What about the consumer? What an argument!

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Man With a Horn

People talk about people with horn in music and movies. But today I am not going to talk about the 1950 film "Young Man with a Horn" or the novel it was based on or the songs titled Man Horns but the real horns on real people's head! It is so strange and scary.

Ma Zhong Nan, a 93-year-old man living in a small village in China, recounts how a horn began to sprout on his head five years ago. Ma was combing his hair one day and carelessly injured his scalp. Because it was just a small wound, he did not pay much attention to it. Little did he expect that a thick, hard substance started to grow on his head. Since it did not bother him, he just ignored the growth. But the growth just kept getting bigger and harder, forming a horn of about 10cm (4 inches) long half a year later.

Two weeks ago, Ma suddenly felt itching of the horn and his children brought him to see a doctor at the local hospital. But the doctor has no explanation for it. His children are now trying to seek help through the media. (source, 2007-11-13)

In another news, an old man with horn is also spotted in Yemen.


Saleh Talib Saleh used to dream that he would grow horns on his head. He dismissed them as mere fancy at first, but then, at the ripe old age of 78, a horn did indeed begin to grow on the left side of his head, astonishing his fellow villagers. Saleh, a resident of A?dban district of the Shabwa governorate, claims that the horn started growing over 25 years ago. He has no explanation as to how the horn developed or why.

However, a large medical team at the Aden Specialized Hospital believe that the horn was caused by multiplying layers of hardened, dried skin on Saleh?s head. Eventually these layers piled up enough to become a horn. Saleh, 102, spoke to the Yemen Observer about the astonishing experience of growing horns on his head, beginning at the age of 77. The first, he said, began growing some 25 years ago, and kept growing until it reached a length of half a meter. But that horn broke off one day last year. Eight days later, another horn started growing in the same spot as the first one. This horn is currently still growing on the left side of his head. (Feb 13, 2007, Yemen Observer)

The old man told that he is grateful to God for this unique blessing.

Those two were the news article so authincity of which can't be argued upon. I found he photo shown below while searching internet so I don't know if it is for real or not. Anyway if it should be really inconvenient to have horn on top of your nose.

Well, don't know how he can wear glasses if he ever had to. It sure is a strong horn!


got photos from this link

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Japan and Workholics !

A judge ruled that a Toyota Motor Corp employee died of overwork after logging more than 106 hours of overtime in a month, reversing a ministry's earlier decision not to pay compensation to his widow.
The employee died of irregular heartbeat in February 2002 after passing out in the factory around 4 a.m.

Overworking is a serious issue in Japan, where an average worker uses less than 50 percent of paid holidays, according to government data. (Reuters)
In fiscal year only 2005-2006, the labor ministry received 315 requests for compensation from the bereaved families of workers who died of strokes and other illnesses seen as work-related. OMG, that is a huge number!

Unlucky Winner Of $1M Lottery Scratch Ticket

Winning a lottery sure is a matter of luck! But this unlucky winner might not get his winning amount all because he was a convicted bank robber who wasn't supposed to be gambling.
Decision on weather Timothy Elliott, 55, violated his probation when he bought the $10 ticket for the "$800 Million Spectacular" game at a Hyannis supermarket or not will be made on a hearing on Dec. 7 in Barnstable Superior Court.

Elliott already has collected the first of 20 annual $50,000 checks from Massachusetts' lottery commission. A picture of Elliott, holding his first check, was even posted on the lottery's Web site Monday, though it was removed by Wednesday.
Elliott was placed on five years probation after pleading guilty in October 2006 to unarmed robbery for a January 2006 heist at a bank on Cape Cod. (CBC)
The terms of his probation states that he "may not gamble, purchase lottery tickets or visit an establishment where gaming is conducted, including restaurants where Keno may be played." It is told that he was also put under the care of the state Department of Mental Health and sent to Taunton State Hospital for treatment.

Lottery spokesman Dan Rosenfeld said the lottery routinely cross references the names of winners with the state Revenue Department to see if they owe back taxes or child support. In those cases, winnings go straight to the Revenue Department.
But in this case, it will be up to the court to determine what will happen with Elliott's winnings.

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Rooster crows too early - owner to blame?

Do you get woken-up early in the morning by a cock crowing in your neighbor's house? If that is the case, you might also be able to impose a fine to the owner, as it was done in Italy.

Funny laws and funny complaints! A rooster crowing at the break of dawn has earned his owner a 200 euro ($295) fine in an Italian court after neighbors complained it was waking them up too early.

It is another story though the rooster's owner in Bolzano province would appeal the sentence, supported by the local Farmers' Association, on the grounds that he needs at least one rooster to breed chickens. (Reuters)

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Parking Chief Sacked for Parking in No Parking Zone

Rome's mayor sacked the city's traffic and parking chief on Sunday after a newspaper reported he parked his car in a no parking zone. That's not all, he is also accused of displayed a handicapped permit that belonged to an 86-year old woman.
Giovanni Catanzaro parked his red Alfa Romeo Brera in a tow away zone near the Spanish Steps in central Rome before heading off to a restaurant on Friday night, Roman daily Il Messaggero reported on Sunday, complete with pictures from the scene.
I can't read Italian, but this news article mentions the name Giobanni and also features a photo of a car, so I suppose this must be the news about the parking chief and his car.
His car displayed a permit for disabled drivers that was no longer valid and initially issued to a senior citizen, the paper said, noting that officials almost never tow away a disabled person's vehicle no matter where it is parked.

A spokesman for Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said Catanzaro had been removed from his post as head of the city's municipal police force that oversees traffic and parking violations after the newspaper report.

Rome has a series of restrictions on driving and parking along many of its narrow, cobblestoned streets, though parking illegally -- often on sidewalks and crosswalks -- is a common sight across the city. (Reuters)

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Geekiest Tattoo on the Neck

Well, does the tattoo in left sound familiar ?

What do you think: Is he obsessed with tattoos or web designing!

Computer language and computer are the fastest changing subjects in the world. It still feel like yesterday that I was amazed on learning what an internet was. HTML is computer language to talk between client's computer and internet server. Who knows , HTML might be replaced by some other language and won't be there tomorrow. But tattoo in other hand is engraved forever. (I wish the photo in left side is not real tattoo but a photoshoped photograph!)

Let's expect tattoo removal thing will be even more easier thing by then.

Well, here are other funny tattoos... I can go on posting huge number of tattoo symbols on different parts of body and different subjects. But let me post some I like. Here are some bar codes on head and hand.


One more geek tattoo to finish with ...

Link | Via

Tough Toddler - Survived a 20 Feet Fall

What would happen if you fall 20 feet, out of a third-floor window?

Well, this toddler who crawled out a third-floor window during his family's Thanksgiving festivities and fell onto a store roof not only survived _ he didn't even break a bone.
Brandon Priebe said his 14-month-old son, Bradley, tumbled from a bedroom window in his aunt's Brooklyn apartment on Thursday. His relatives said they thought the window was closed. (CBS)
Bradley fell about 20 feet onto the roof of a music store next door, police said. Priebe told police that his son wasn't seriously injured in the fall. The boy was in stable condition later Thursday at a local hospital, where no update on his condition was available early Friday.

Anna Priebe the boy's mother believes it is a miracle!

Top 10 British Stupid Laws - Thou Shalt Not Die

I talked about some strange and funny American laws, one reader commented with some stupid laws from Canada. I am yet to get comment on stupid British laws!

I believe every country has its own share of stupidity in creating laws. :)

Well, UKTV Gold thought of testing what people think about the stupid law in UK. Their survey gave the following Top Ten stupid Laws in UK:

It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)
It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)
In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)
Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)
In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)
A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (four percent)
The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)
It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)
It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour (three percent)
In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)

If you come across similar stupid laws from other countries please share them in the comment section.

Thanks.

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Qarters thief ... stole nearly 6000 quarters

A former employee, Scott Schmitz, is accused of stealing stealing 5,619 quarters worth $1,400 and $1,000 worth in bills from cash machines of a local car wash.
Well, that was more than 71 pounds of quarters!

In searching Schmitz's home and car, police confiscated two containers filled with quarters, totaling over $100; several clear plastic bags; twist ties; and a broken lock, according the report. In investigating the crime, police learned Schmitz was drinking at a home near the area of the burglary that night. A beer can ? the same brand he was drinking that night ? was found at the scene, according to the report. (fldreporter)
It is also mentioned in the news that in the week following the burglary, Schmitz, who didn't have a job, bought a car and was seen purchasing items using only quarters.

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Porsche was green 100 years ago

Porsche is going show off an electric car from 1900 designed by founder Ferdinand Porsche at the 2007 Los Angles Auto Show later this month. The car will be positioned next to its new Porsche Cayenne Hybrid SUV. This is the predecessor of what Porsche Cars claims was the world's first hybrid car, which followed this one by just a few years.

Even Porsche's initial all-electric design was revolutionary, despite the fact that electric cars were fairly common (insofar as any automobile was common) at the turn of the last century. Porsche's electric car was named "most innovative invention" at the Paris World's fair in 1900, notoriety that resulted in the sale of over 300 of the cars. (cnn)
All of the five hybrid cars produced in 1901 were equipped with Mercedes-Benz engines and were bought by Emil Jellinek. It is told that after further development, the Porsche-Lohner hybrids reached top speeds of 56 miles per hour. Visit the above link for more details.

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Out of Control Monkeys - stealing mobile phones, sipping cokes

In north India, monkeys are creating havocs and forced the state government to form a panel to study the problem according to Assam's wildlife minister, Rockybul Hussain.
"Monkeys are wreaking havoc in my constituency by taking away mobile phones, toothpastes, sipping coke after opening the refrigerators," Hiren Das told Assam state's assembly. He said the primates were "even slapping women who try to chase them."

"It is a cause of serious concern in my area, with more than 1,000 such simians turning aggressive by the day," fumed Goneswar Das, another legislator representing Raha in eastern Assam. (Yahoo news)
In the news report it is told that the deputy mayor of Delhi died when he fell from his balcony after being attacked by monkeys last month. In another incident last week, around two dozen people were hurt after monkeys rampaged through a New Delhi neighbourhood.
Efforts to drive out the animals is complicated by the fact that devout Hindus view them as an incarnation of Hanuman, the monkey god who symbolises strength.
The photo shows monkeys cross the road in front of the Presidential Palace and government buildings in New Delhi, India (Phot0 - Times). Read more here.

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How green is this blog?

Based on the the total electricity usage of the readers' computers as they spend time on the site CO2Stats Project calculates the carbon dioxide emission statistics.

It claims that the internet is responsible for more than 100 billion pounds of CO2 emissions per year. It sure is alarming how we are unknowingly helping in increasing CO2 emission.
Founded by Ph.D. students at Harvard and Yale, The CO2Stats Project has the ambitious goal of making the entire Web carbon neutral!
I don't believe you can make it carbon neutral but we sure can help in reducing it though.
Here is my widget....

Swiss official think a 70 year old German Guy doesn't know German

According to a Swiss newspaper a native German guy of 70-years seeking Swiss citizenship was told to go back to school to learn his own native tongue despite being proficient in German.

The Swiss town of Dielsdorf ordered Ulrich Kring -- who lived in Switzerland his entire life but is only now applying for citizenship -- to take a German language course to the tune of 250 Swiss francs ($222.6), the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper said. (Reuters)
It is told that the German class is obligatory for all foreigners seeking a Swiss passport. Kring however is challenging the decision and had lodged an appeal for which he is yet to receive a reply.
About two-thirds of Switzerland's 7.5 million inhabitants are German speakers although the dialect is a bit different from the German language in Germany.
There is a hot debate about immigration in Switzerland, where some 20 percent of the population are foreigners, and some newspapers have criticized the big influx of immigrants from neighboring Germany.

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Cellphones to provide traffic maps

In a down-to-the-earth approach, Canadian in near future will be able to access traffic jams information from the Cellphones of motorists.
It is told that by February 2008 a new service called LiveTraffic will be launched to provide realtime data for traffic flow of highways and major streets.
A traffic information firm, IntelliOne, based in Atlanta and Toronto, announced that it has reached an agreement with Rogers Wireless to use the company's data on the location of the cellphones in its network to create a real-time map of traffic congestion across Canada. Unlike the GPS technology, this system will be able to analyze the constant stream of cell phone information travelling through the Rogers network.
Looks like if Telus people organize a motor rally it won't create a traffic jam in the LiveTraffic system. :) I hope they will get data from all the other providers so that the information obtained will be more reliable.
News source

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Two decades of raised hand!

?Life is just one, long high-five: Hindu holy man Baba Hath Khada ? last seen at the Ardh Kumbh mela in Allahabad, India ? has kept one arm raised over his head for nearly two decades. Why we don?t know.?
Well, keeping your hand above your head for an hour might be difficult for most of us but this hermit is keeping his hand like this for about a couple of decades.

The fingers look so weird... may be it is because of uncut and curled nails.

I wonder how he can do everything with a single hand when workable hand is hanging above his head all the time. I don't know what he gets by doing all this (except a photo feature and articles like this)!

Don't you think it would have been better if he donated his hand to those who don't have one and desperately need it! (AP photo in flickr)

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Carving to give trees a second life

Dan Pierce gives dead trees a second life! He carves the tree stumps and logs to turn them into a piece of art.

In the adjacent photo, Dan Pierce is seen carving an indian out of a stump at the home of Jerry Clapp in Edgewood. Pierce stays busy with carving projects and festivals from spring through fall. Pierce charges between $200 and $2,000 per piece and he told that the Indian was a ?midrange price.?

He has setup a website and promotes his work through the Web site spiritwoodcarving.com

Here are a couple of his artworks from his website.


Read further in HeraldBulletin
Photo - Don Knight of Hearald Bulletin and spiritwoodcarving.com

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Granny got birthday present - A Blog

"Today it's my birthday and my grandson, who is very stingy, gave me a blog."
That was the first post in Web-blogger Maria Amelia Lopez's blog and in the picture below she is showing the home page of her blog on a laptop screen in Sanxenxo October 5, 2007. At the age of 95 (yes 90 and 5 years!) Lopez has surprised herself by a sudden conversion from Web-illiterate to cybercelebrity.


With 60,000 regular readers so far, Lopez's homely mix of memory and chat, available at amis95.blogspot.com/, attracts regular readers from around the world and has put her back in touch with the younger generation in a way she had never imagined.

Today's post in the blog contains the news cover screen-shots of Reuters and The New York Times.

Who says blogging is for younger people? See her clutching the laptop!

I wish I could read and understand her blog without help of Google!
Somebody in the younger lot free enough to translate the writings? Please!

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Can you find C?

One good friend of mine sent this email and I though it might be good for your brain excercise. It sure is fun if you have some time to spare.

Can you find the C? (Good exercise for the eyes!)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Once you've found the C..........

Find the 6!

9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999699999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999

Once you've found the 6...

Find the N! (it seems hard - but it is not that hard though)

MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMNMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
Once you've found the N...
make a wish!

OK, now that you've made a wish, it will come true.....all you have to do is send this on saying, "Can you find the C?"
You sure can share good stuffs even if it might not make your wish come true! :-)

"Miracle" child's brother named after granddad

In a tragic plane crash last week, an Edmonton businessman and pilot Allen Dale Williams and his colleague Steven Sutton, were killed near Golden B.C. However the 3 year old grandkid, Kate, survived the accident with minor injuries. I wrote about the miracle child in my previous post.

When the family gathered for a private funeral Friday night, Kate's mother, Allen's daughter-in-law gave birth to a son, who was named after him.

"He's one of the great stars at this moment," said Sheldon Williams, father of newborn Allen and three-year-old Kate, the "miracle" child. (EdmontonSun)

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Car seat saved a kid in plane crash

Three-year-old, Kate was lucky enough to survive a plane crash near Golden, B.C. all because her grandfather, who died flying the aircraft, had carefully strapped her into a child's car seat.

Rescue crews found the upside-down plane on the edge of an icy riverbank with its nose buried in snow. Kate had been hanging by her seat's straps for about five hours, with minor injuries.
She didn't want to leave the plane without her stuffed penguin, but was concerned when she saw it was covered in snow. "We picked it up and I handed it to her, but she said, 'No, no, I don't want it, snow,'" said Sat. Scott Ellison of the 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron. "I had to brush it off before she would take it. Then she was happy and clung to it."
She was first taken to the Alberta Children Hospital in Calgary for treatment and later transported to Edmonton to be reunited with her family on October 29, 2007.

Williams, the CEO and founder of an engineering firm, had traveled to B.C. for a business retreat with the company's chief financial officer, Steven T. Sutton, who was also killed in the accident. (ctv)

A picture taken in 2006 shows shows the girl, Kate Williams, smiling broadly in a toy car with her grandfather, Allen D. Williams. (CP / Nancy and Sheldon Williams)

Car seats DO save lives!!

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Deal of a Lifetime - Offering Cash Back to Home Buyer

The housing market may be hot on its Northern neighbor but US housing market is not so favorable. A Pittsburgh-area couple, Bob and Ricki Husick have been trying to sell their home for almost a year without any luck. Now they are offering anyone who buys their home full cash-back upon their death and even their full inheritance, currently worth at least $500,000.
Bob Husick said he's asking $399,900 for the four-bedroom, three and a half bath home about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh. According to the Husicks' offer, the buyer would get the money back when the couple dies. And if the buyer agrees to care for them in old age, they could also inherit their retirement home in Arizona, bringing the estate's current value to about $500,000. (CBS)
I wish somebody offer such a deal in Canada!

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Swing keeps on rocking in a playground

Looks like there is something strange going on in this playground. A swing goes on rocking without being touched. The parents in the locality have decided that the playground must be haunted.

Police in north-eastern town of Firmat, Argentina, were worried enough to call in physics professors - but they too were unable to explain the mystery motions. It is told that the swing kept on moving continuously for 10 days and stopped moving after that.

When you play the video below at first you will just think it is due to the brisk wind but later it starts swinging more and more without any apparent reason. This is weird... see for yourselves.



(source)
Here is another video in which a girl stopped the swing to see what will happen and the swing didn't stop rocking.

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A man rescued a couple from fire and was arrested

A man rescued an elderly couple from their burning home. For his heroic act he was arrested soon after the rescue, released on bail, and is scheduled to be in court on Nov. 20. He is charged with assault and resisting detention.

Steven Rivers said that he was sitting on his Walker Street porch at about 2:30 a.m. Monday when he saw flames shooting from the house across the street. He rushed into the building, guiding an elderly couple on the second floor to safety.
"I actually went in there twice," Rivers said. "There was an elderly man and an elderly woman who lived up there, and I came out there and helped them get out and was glad that they're all right." (wmur)
It is told that Rivers refused medical attention when he came out of the burning building. He then walked across the street and passed out. Officials still believe his action was heroic. I hope the court thinks so.

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Fabricated Excuse - Excused Absence Network

It is not fair!
This business publicly sells fake excuse notes for students and employees from doctor, jury etc. to make a fool of the employer and take some day off.


Create your own fun excuse notes. Fully customizable Doctors Notes, Funeral Notes, Jury Duty Notes, Emergency Room Notes and more.
Though the company's disclaimer advises the notes are "for entertainment purposes only," its Web site shows pictures of people sunbathing and playing golf using the fabricated excuses. One testimonial says: "I've managed to take the nine weeks off using these templates! It couldn't be any easier!" (cbsnews)
Making fool of others to gain something is not an ethical practice and I believe such a business should be made "illegal". If they are running a business of making excuse notes and if the employer finds out about the fake notes they should be held responsible for the consequences.
What do you think?

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Seniors told to play Video Games

Games are for kids! That was what I am told and you are not supposed to stick to a GameBoy when you grow-up.

But hey, Malaysian Health Ministry Secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon looks like he enjoys video games himself (I hope he is a grown man) and he is paving his way in playing video games without being reticulated upon. He has advised senior citizens to take up video games as a way to help fend off Alzheimer's disease.
"Senior citizens should engage in mental activities," he said. "A good way is to use the PS3 or play other computer or video games, as it would help to keep them alert."
When senior citizens start playing games and don't move off their chairs, it would surely be a relief for caregivers too.

I do believe keeping them alert and engage in mental activities sounds great but don't they need a bit of exercise too. I hope somebody will create some games for the senior citizens that involves physical as well as mental activities so they can remain healthy for long time. (news: source)

May be someday somebody will tell Barney theme song mp3 will help seniors to tune up their mental health too!

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Most stolen book ?

I have heard of most popular book or best-seller book but never before heard of the "most stolen book".
The Frankfurt Book Fair has an indicator to help publishers gauge public interest in the new offerings presented at the annual exhibition -- the unofficial "most stolen book" index.

Bild am Sonntag and Germany's ZDF television have come up with lists of titles most stolen from 15 leading German publishers' stands set up in the Frankfurt trade fair grounds.(Reuters)

Claudia Hanssen of the Goldmann Verlag publishing house told Bild am Sonntag newspaper, which published a list of the 10 most stolen German-language books this year that the most-stolen books are usually the best-sellers later on. Most-stolen ones are usually most-popular too.

Yea, we have another rating to help in choosing which book to go for!

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Stole bible, got another after being sentenced

This guy is a thief, but a religious one I guess. He wanted to replace his old bible and landed in a jail.
The Singaporean man got four months in jail for stealing the Bible. The district judge Bala Reddy however presented a new Bible to the 26-year-old thief, who said he had tried to steal the book from a bookshop last month because he wanted to replace his old, tattered copy.

"You will see at page 65 that it says "Thou shalt not steal. While you are in prison, sit in prison and read the Bible, and ensure that you don't come before the courts again," Reddy said.(Reuters)

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Most pampered dog in the world

Conchita is now gearing up for US TV chat show appearances and she once actually choked on her own Cartier necklace.

Conchita's owner, socialite Gail Posner, a daughter of a billionaire businessman spends £7,000 a month on Louis Vuitton bags, bikinis, pearls, dresses and make-up for her. It is also told that the dog refuses to go to bed until she is wearing either her blue or pink cashmere sweater. Conchita is now gearing up for a US TV chat show appearance. (Read more in Metro)

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Japan: Watch movie for free - if you don't like it

Most of the retailers these days offer "No question asked" return policies. A Hiroshima movie theater is trying out similar concept for movie goers - ?If you didn?t like it, don?t pay?. It is a bit weird and I don't think it is same as the return policy.
Cinema Mode are expecting customers who felt satisfied with the movie to pay 1000 yen or more, those who thought it was so-so around 800 yen and those who were not satisfied 500 yen or less - even not paying a single yen, if you thought the movie was a complete waste of time. The project is however rather small-scale: it will only be carried out once every second month, if the debut screenings go well. (JNR)
It sure is a step towards consumerism and I hope it will be a success and others follow similar concepts too.

The new concept will be tried out on Oct. 13 and 16. They however show only movies they haven?t screened before and sorry, no plans to offer the blockbusters for free.

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Grandmother Gives Birth To Her Own Grandchildren

Thanks to the medical advancement, a 51-year-old surrogate mother for her daughter has given birth to her own twin grandchildren in northeastern Brazil.

It was the Brazilian law that only allows close relatives to serve as surrogate mothers, Serrao, the grandmother had to receive four embryos from her daughter. Although the cousins of the biological mother could have legally serve as surrogate mothers, all of them refused. The photo below shows Claudia Michelle (on left) looking at her twins Victor Gabriel and Antonio Bento as her mother Rosinete Palmeira Serrao rests in a bed at the Santa Joana hospital in Recife, Brazil on September 27th.


Rosinete Palmeira Serrao, a government health worker, gave birth to twin boys by Caesarean section on Thursday at the Santa Joana Hospital in the city of Recife, the hospital said in a statement on its Web site.

Hospital officials were not available for comment on Sunday, but press reports said the grandmother and twins were discharged on Saturday in excellent health. The Caesarean section was performed about two weeks ahead of time because Serrao was having trouble sleeping, the statement said.

Serrao decided to serve as a surrogate mother after four years of failed attempts at pregnancy by her 27-year-old daughter, Claudia Michelle de Brito. (cbs news )
Congratulations!

Update: A Tokyo newspaper reported on August 21, 2008 that a 61-year-old Japanese woman has given birth to her own granddaughter after being implanted with a fertilized egg from her daughter.

The 61-year-old is believed to be the oldest surrogate mother in Japan.

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Google Adsense Enabled YouTube Video Player

Finally Google decided to share its revenue from YouTube.
Choose categories or have Google target your site content, and decide which categories you want to exclude. ... Bring users to your site more often and keep them there longer with highly revelant, frequently refreshed video from popular content providers.
Looks like you can't have ads if you display your own video.

The player for ads enabled video can also be customized to suit the website theme and layout.

Here is the screen-shot of the information page.

My adsense account doesn't seem to be updated to incorporate YouTube till now (Is your's updated?). If you don't have adsense account, you can get one by clicking on the white button on top of this page.
(via Problogger)

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Scientists produce see-through frog

Japanese researchers have produced see-through frog for research purposes.

The photo of the frog in the left was released from Hiroshima University professor Masayuki Sumida showing a see-through frog with visible organs, blood vessels and eggs under the skin. Sumida's team has created the first transparent four-legged creature, although some small fish are also see-through.(AFP/HO/File)

These frogs can be used to observe organs, blood vessels and eggs under the skin without performing dissections. The lead researcher Masayuki Sumida, professor at the Institute for Amphibian Biology of state-run Hiroshima University told: "You can watch organs of the same frog over its entire life as you don't have to dissect it. The researcher can also observe how toxins affect bones, livers and other organs at lower costs." (Yahoo news)

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Overweight baby at birth

Governments in developed world are worried about overweight kids and are proposing different measures to make them healthy. What about the overweight baby at birth?

A Siberian mother, Tatyana Barabanova, 43, gave birth to her 12th child Nadia on September 17 who weighed a massive 7.75 kg (17.1 lb) at birth. Nadia's weight is way higher than the World Health Organisation's data of the average weight for most healthy newborn babies which is around 3.2 kg (7.06 lb). It seems it is in her genes as all her previous 11 babies had weighed more than 5 kg.

The mother was quoted as saying she didn't eat any special foods. All she ate in her pregenancy were potatoes, noodles and tomatoes.

But, it is not a new record though. The Guinness World Records lists a 10.2 kg baby boy born in Italy in 1955, and a 10.8 kg baby boy who was born in the United States in 1879 but died 11 hours later. (news link)

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World's Largest Advertisement

People love setting new records. Some set records for fun and others for business. This massive hoarding board measuring 20,000 square meters: equivalent to the size of three football pitches is to be installed in fields near Heathrow Airport.
You sure won't see it when you drive there. The but the entrepreneur Paul Jenkins and his company, Ad Air. Advertisers say that the people from outer space will be able to see the ads (and buy your products!) if you have something to offer them. Actually the board will be targeted to the air passenger (window side only, poor aisle passengers) who will be able able to see the ads for a mere 20 seconds.

I guess, the government should make sure that the ads are not too much interesting. If they are really interesting and people love to see it, they might risk the plane to topple as everybody might crowd towards the window! (well, that is only my wild guess! :)
It is another story that Ad Air. Advertisers will have to pay about £500,000 a year for each of the three poster sites near Heathrow, which is used by 67 million air passengers a year. (via | news)

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Traveling on the Boeing Wing

A teenage boy, Andrei, 15, somehow survived a two-hour flight on the wing of a Boeing 737. He was only discovered when the plane landed in Moscow in a very severe frost bitten condition.

Investigators are amazed that Andrei survived the journey in temperatures as low as minus-50 degrees Celsius - and speeds of up to 900kmh.
At the end of the 1,300km journey, rescuers at Vnukova airport were initially unable to take off his coat and shoes because his arms and legs were so badly frozen.
It was suggested that he ran away from home after an argument with his parents, first to see his grandmother in a neighbouring village.
He then hitched a 220km lift to Perm, where he was let out at the airport and somehow got onto the plane wing.
Moscow's air and water transport control department confirmed radio reports about the boy's bizarre journey were true.(metro.co.uk)

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Created new record and went to jail

When you create a new record you are recognized and rewarded.
But this record holder is different. He has beaten a previous British record of driving at 156mph (and being caught) set by a car dealer Jason McAllister in 2003.
The new record holder is Tim Brady, a car rental worker, who was caught on Jan. 27 for driving at 172 mph in his company's Porsche. The reward - awarded on Monday was 10 weeks in jail!
He was also banned from driving for three years and will have to take a new driving test before taking to the road again. (source)

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Kids smile morph photo

Created for testing Morpheus software

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Crossword Puzzle: proposal solved!

How do you propose your boyfriend or a girlfriend? Not in a crossword puzzle I guess.
But this crossword puzzle fan's marriage proposal was written in a puzzle titled "Popping the question" in the latest issue of in a The Boston Globe Sunday magazine. Egmont, 29, of Cambridge, persuaded the magazine this summer to write the special puzzle for him.

Aric Egmont and Jennie Bass were working on a puzzle titled "Popping the question" in the latest issue of The Boston Globe Sunday magazine. Bass spotted her sister's name and her best friend's name, but initially thought it was just a coincidence. Then they got to 111 across: "Generic proposal" (Jen + Aric generic). The answer: "Will you marry me?"
"We get to the `Will you marry me?' clue, and I said, `Will you marry me, Jenny?' I got up, got the ring, and got down on one knee and she screamed, and hugged me. It took her a minute to say yes," Egmont told the Globe.
Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, who have been writing Globe magazine crossword puzzles for years designed the puzzle that would be clear to the happy couple, but not obscure to all the other readers who do the puzzles.
Got the news from cbs news. The puzzle of hearth shape is another puzzle I found in clcoc (not the one in The Boston Globe).

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Horse race - Playing to win - Won by losing

A Puerto Rican racehorse has set a new record and it is not about winning but a losing record. The wednesday's loss got her $12,971 by beating the losing record of 0-124 set by Australian racehorse Ouroene, who raced from 1976-83.

Dona Chepa, a 9-year-old brown mare, finished last in a six-horse field at Camarero Racetrack in eastern Puerto Rico on Wednesday, a 125th consecutive loss that is believed to be the longest in horse racing history.

Since Valentine's Day in 2001, when she started her racing journey, the closest she came to victory was in May 2003 when she finished second. (AP)

Losing can also be rewarding sometimes!!

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Second affair with each other led to divorce

"Sweetie" and "Prince of Joy" in an online chatroom, spent hours telling each other about how they dislike their spouses. They were in love and went in a date only to realize that they had already met and in fact they were living together.
Sana Klaric, 27, and her husband Adnan, 32, didn't realize they were chatting each other up on the internet. Now when they met, they are accusing each other of being unfaithful and are divorcing.
Adnan is quoted as saying: "I still find it hard to believe that Sweetie, who wrote such wonderful things, is actually the same woman I married and who has not said a nice word to me for years".
Sana had the similar feeling, "I thought I had found the love of my life. The way this Prince of Joy spoke to me, the things he wrote, the tenderness in every expression was something I had never had in my marriage."
If it were a film or a book, the couple would realize they have more in common the would have lived Happily Ever After.
Were they missing something in their marriage that they could find in the chat? Are all online chat-affairs like that?

Venezuela "almost" banned the odd names

When the electoral official of Venezuela found two Venezuelans with name "Superman" registered to vote, they decided that people are not capable of naming their children decently.
The National Electoral Council had proposed banning "names that expose (children) to ridicule, are extravagant or difficult to pronounce" or raise doubts about whether a child is a girl or a boy.(cbs news)
It also proposed to provide a list of valid traditional names for parents to choose from for their newborn. If it were passed naming a child would not be that much exciting!

Thanks god, after child protection official's warning that it will people's right of liberty, Venezuelan officials withdrew the proposal.

There was a news about a kid from New Zealand being named ?Superman? when he was declined to be named ?4real?. And one Chinese couple wanted to name their child very uniquely- ?@? (source). I have no idea how I shall call the the Chinese guy if I ever met him. At, at the rate of, email, or mailman ?? :-\

Bald man made news

A bald man went into a pharmacy and stole five bottles of a hair loss treatment but was caught while running away, police said. (AP)
That was a typical steal for a bald man and yea he made news out of it!

But it is sad the man, Mark Hoousendove, 42, had to pay $3,000 bail for stealing the product worth $50 and he is due in court Thursday.

Will somebody tell him about the "Bald is Beautiful" movement. Or tell him to read this funny article by Ravi Pipal who says,
... don't waste your hard earned money on oils, tonics, grafting, weaving, wig,, etc. all these are rackets run by haired to rob we poor hair nots.

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Word count tool

I created this word count tool for posting paid posts

Counting Words in a Post

As you know I am using some sponsored posts to pay for the blog hosting and other costs. Most of the offers demand that the post should be at least certain number of words. It had always been a problem to count the numbers of words in my post. I used to write the post and copy it and paste in Microsoft Word just to count the words. That was not that convenient.

Then I decided to create a code in JavaScript to count words in a post so that I don't need to leave the browser.

Now I can type the post and open the link from my blogroll in new window to paste and count the words before publishing it.

Let me count the words in this post: It is ...

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Canada: Burka allowed for voting

I don't usually talk about religion and faith but after reading today's news about new Canadian regulation on voting I thought of writing something. The move might reinforce Canada's multi-cultural and multi-ethnic image. But does it do justice in personal freedom? That too when women in Islamic countries are demanding freedom of dress and behavior for women in the Islamic society.

In some Islamic countries women are not allowed to vote and that does not mean Canada needs to follow them to make some people happy.
Under the new regulations, the voter --presumably a woman wearing a niqab or burka -- will need to present a valid piece of identification with a photo and address as well as a back-up document that meets the standards of an authorized list. (news source)
A photo identification? Why is that required if you can't see the face to verify it?

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Auction Ads

Does the image in left look like something weird?
Yes zero everything and earnings $25. That is what the welcome screen stats looks like when you sign-in Auction Ads for the first time. That is great to get some money for doing nothing.
Auction Ads is a advertisement network set-up to promote eBay auctions and they promise to pay 100% of eBay commission revenue. Auction Ads is not contextually based ad product so it can go along with Google Ads too.
If you are wondering why they are paying $25 for every new publisher, there sure is a catch. They have increased the minimum payout amount to $50 so you have to earn another $25 from the advertisements to be eligible to receive your first pay in PayPal. If you want to sign-up here is the referral link.

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Scare away the kids..

This sure is creative!!

source - somepreparedreamarks (that is long!)

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Skull with Diamond Work

British artist Damien Hirst, 41, created an unique skull art which was sold last week at a record price of 100 million dollars (75 million euros). According to the London gallery the price is a new record for work sold by a living artist.

Shall I call it beautiful? I don't think so.

Ths artifact named "For the Love of God," is a skull cast in platinum and encrusted with 8,601 diamonds. Death is one of the central themes in his works and the skull used in this work is considered to be from 18th century.

He once said that the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States were like a work of art, but later apologized. (source)

Much details on Hirst's life and his work can be found in his Wikipedia page.

"King Tooth" Pulls Train With Teeth

A Malaysian man nicknamed "King Tooth" has pulled a seven-coach train using a steel rope to set a new world record for the heaviest weight pulled with teeth. Rathakrishnan Velu hauled a nearly 328-ton train over more than 9 feet along tracks at a railway station in Kuala Lumpur.


Rathakrishnan, who partially attributes his strength to an Indian form of meditation, pulled the train 9 feet, 2.2 inches in the first attempt.
His second and third attempts resulted in the train moving 2 feet, 4.7 inches, and 8 feet, 1.6 inches.

Rathakrishnan told that he does some Indian meditation exercises and jaw training daily.(AP, news )

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Waves of recall

Is it the manufacturers that are undermining the consumer's health and safety or is it just the alertness of the monitoring agencies? News are flooded with news of recalls.



Today, Transport Canada is recalled three brands of car seats: Cosco, Eddie Bauer, and Safety 1st car seats have a strap that can loosen, and jeopardize a child if there's an accident. (CTV, sept 2)



Canada recalls Lead-filled Chinese pencils (AFP, Sept 2)

Toys 'R' Us recalls paint sets from China (AFP, Aug 31)
US company recalls fresh spinach over salmonella contamination (AP, Sept 1)
Well, it might be a higher cost for some businesses and opportunities for other businesses as Quebec toymaker, Bojeux, says that the recall of Chinese-made products will have consumers opting for Canadian-made goods. (CanWest news)
I was wondering are recalls enough for the consumers? Comments please.

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You Boasted, Now Gimme Your House !!

Xin Liangkun, 53, of Dalian city, created an unique five layered ball in 10 years. He created the ball such that each of the five balls can turn inside without touching the others. In a television documentary he claimed that no one could reproduce the ball.

 
 
"This ball was my first piece, and only I understand how it was made," he told a television documentary. "If anyone can reproduce it, I'l give him my three-storey building, and the collections within it."

But young porcelain amateur from Luoyang city, Sun Zheng, created the exact same thing in six month.
 
Promise is promise but it was not easy for Xin to hand over his home and his prized porcelain collecion. He tried to prove that the replica wasn't similar to the one he created but unsucessfully.
A court ruled that Xin's TV pledge has the same validity as a signed contract, and must be fulfilled.
If Xin does not appeal within 15 days he will lose his £100,000 three-storey home and his prized porcelain collection.(ananova)

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Calgary Tower: Photos and Video

Nice View of the Tower

Calgary Tower: Photos and Video

Calgary Tower Peeking besides a Skyscraper

Original post

Calgary Tower: Photos and Video

We went to see Calgary Tower last weekend and I am posting some photos and videos of the tower. Thanks to the clouds, we were not lucky enough to see the mountain but the view of the city and the virtually 'stepping out into' space on glass floor at a height of 525 ft. was simply amazing. One of my friend took a video (posted below) of the view from the glass floor which is new addition (added in June 2005) to the old tower.


View from the glass floor on the tower (video posted below)

The tower officially opened on June 30th, 1968. The 191 m (627 ft)tower is considered one of the first Towers of its kind, offering the best view of the City of Calgary. At the time of construction, it was the tallest building in Canada, although it was surpassed that same year by the Toronto-Dominion Centre in Toronto, prior to opening. (Don't want to copy everything, you can visit wikipedia article on the tower for more information).

During 1988 Winter Olympic, the torch lighted on top of the tower made it the World's Largest Olympic Torch. This and other facts about the tower can be found in the Official Site of Calgary Tower.




Well, the tower is not the tallest building in Calgary. The tallest building in Calgary (in all Canada except Toronto) is Petro-Canada Centre Building which is 215m tall followed by Bankers Hall East and West (each 197m).


Petro-Canada Centre Building and other skycrapers as seen from the Calgary Tower

Soon, EnCana's 236m and 59 floors office tower will be the tallest building in Calgary for which the construction work has already started. Ongoing construction work can be seen in the following photo.


The consturction site of EnCana's office tower is seen behind Hyatt.
The google map screenshot below shows the site before the construction started. (They sacrificed a road for the construction)



Calgary Tower Peeking


Nice View of the Tower from southern side.
 

Blog review - Pixie Tail

I came across a pink blog some time back and today was going through the neat, short and witty posts of Cynthia. Pixie Tail is one of her numerous tails equally witty and interesting. I love the way she tells:
I have four blogs, four dogs, two cats, and one husband.
That's a big family!!

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B.C. balloon crash: some photos

Twelve people have been injured and two people are missing after a hot-air balloon caught fire in mid-air before crashing to the ground in a trailer park in Surrey, B.C. According to witness, people were screaming, jumping out of the balloon when it caught fire.

As many as 14 people may have been on board at the time of the accident. As of early Saturday morning, two people were still unaccounted for. The hot air balloon's basket bursts into flames shortly after takeoff when it was about 25 feet off the ground in Surrey, B.C., Friday evening Aug. 24, 2007.

Even worse when the balloon landed on the ground, one of its propane tanks shot out from the side of the balloon and hit a mobile home in the RV park.

The balloon was operated by Fantasy Balloons Charters based in Langley, British Columbia and was one of several balloons in flight at the time.

Another similar incident occurred in Manitoba earlier this month left 12 people were injured with some suffering second- and third-degree burns.



Photos and news from CTV, CBC and ABC

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Warning ... warming

I used to walked by the side of this electrical box everyday for the last 2 years and today I realized the writing on it. Or was it today somebody tamperd it... who knows. But the modification doesn't look that fresh. Whatever may be the case, it seems whoever has changed it has a good sense of humor!

Mountain Goat Sighted in Jaspar National Park

Mountain Goats are amazing climbers and we were lucky to see them in real when we went on our tour to Jasper. It might be the frequent encounters and people feeding them, they seem a bit more friendly to human. I am posting the small clip I took of them blocking the traffic on the highway.

If you are interested to learn more about them you can visit Jasper Journal website. I was busy taking the following video clip so I borrowed the above photo from the journal website :-;.

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Video: cute squirrel

I took this video sometime back. It is sort of cute how the little squirrel is eating flower.

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New World's tallest man: Ukrainian beat Chinese guy by 8 in.

In one of my posts about Bao, one of the readers, Natalie, commented telling that he is not the tallest man in the world. I searched for the man and found that he is a shy guy and would not let people measure his height. I collected some of his photos and was going to post about the man, but today I got news that he is indeed 20 cm. taller than the Chinese man.

The Chinese hero Bao Xishun loses his title as a Ukrainian vet is decleared officially the tallest man in the world.
The Guiness Book of World Records decleared Leonid Stadnik, 36, who lives in a small poor village in northwestern Ukraine, is 2.57 meters (8 feet and 5.5 inches) tall the tallest man in the world.

Stadnik is more than 20 centimeters (8 inches) taller than the former title-holder/fallen hero Bao, who measures at a stumpy 2.36 meters (7 feet and 9 inches).
Stadnik's growth spurt started at age 14 after a brain operation apparently stimulated his pituitary gland.
Source

Steve Jobs Blogger Exposed as Forbes Editor, Dan Lyons

I posted a post about a blog "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs" written by an anonymous blogger. The New York Times has pulled the mask off a blogger known affectionately as "Fake Steve Jobs," author of "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs," a satirical blog based on Apple's chief. Fake Steve is really Dan Lyons, a senior editor at Forbes.
The blog has been around for the last 14 months and nobody was able to pin point the author of the blog. Various news media was determined to discover Fake Steve's identity. Some thought it was tech columnist Andy Ihnatko. Others thought it was actor Harry Shearer. Still others called out various well-known tech bloggers as the true Fake Steve.

"Well it had to happen," Lyons, 46, wrote in his August 5 blog post. "Honestly, I can't believe it's taken this long. But as you may have heard, I've been busted by a newspaper reporter. My cover has been blown."
news source

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Always hiring : nobody to paint

I was walking around the city and found this bench ad in a bad shape! The ad reads "always hiring" and it seems like they are yet to find the right person to repaint the ad.

Video: Bear Grazing

I posted an incredible wildlife video in the previous post. Those who took the video were lucky enough to witness one of the most rare encounter of wild animals.

I went digging for some videos I took during our visits to the wild. This is a short clip of bear grazing by the side of road. It was great to see the black bear in wild so close and I was very excited about it.

Don't blame me on being it a dull one. It is not taken in Africa and we were not scanning through jungle to take it. Last month, when we were just passing through a highway in Jaspar National Park, Alberta, we saw it gazing leisurely beside road and stopped to catch it in camera.

If you have such clips and photos please send them I will post them here for everybody to enjoy.

Survival Game in the wild - Great video

One of my friend refered this great video featuring survival game in the wild. It shows a rare sight of conflict between pride of lions, a herd of buffalo and 2 crocodiles for saving a young calf at a watering hole in South Africa's Kruger National Park.

A few lions basically play tug of war with crocodiles using a baby buffalo's body...and then a huge herd of buffalos come to fight back.
This is what I call great video shoot at right time and right place.

Update: It seems that was not the only occassion buffalo have attacked the lions. I saw another clip from Discovery Channel in which buffallo have attacked the lions.

Soda and your health

I posted a news article some time back about heart-risk caused by drinking soda beberages. Today I forund a cool page that lists 8 Ways Soda Fizzles Your Health.
The site's claims are pretty convincing, and I prefer to list some of them:


Cold drink is the most acidic beverage you can buy.

The high levels of phosphorous in them will leach calcium from the bones.

They dissolve tooth enamel

Each additional drink increases risk for obesity by 1.6 times

Children who drink cold drinks break their bones more easily
You can read details in the original Water for Life USA page.

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Nice looking piggy bank

If you feel like your piggy bank design looks outdated then you can try this great looking one. It looks like a giant key from a computer keyboard, emblazoned with word ?Save?.

via

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I posted this cute little girl with lovely voice in my previous post and it seemed like she was going to win the completion but alas she didn't. But she sure made it to the final. In the semi-final of Britain's Got Talent, 6 year old Connie Talbot performed Michael Jackson's 'Ben' and she got qualified for the final.
Here is the clip of the semi-final show.

And finally her clip from the final of Britain's Got Talent show.

I wish her all my best for her bright future !!

Nissan commercial: selling or making fun in Canada ?

Don't know if this new commercial will help in boosting the sales of Nissan vehicles in Canada. Or will it reduce sales? What do you think?

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One pop a day ... greater heart risk

People opt Diet version of Coke, Pepsi and other soft drinks thinking that they are the healthy alternative. But a recent research finding show that diet or not all soft drinks are great risk to cause heart problem.
Those who drink one or more softdrinks a day had about a 50 per cent higher risk of metabolic syndrome - a cluster of risk factors such as excessive fat around the waist, low levels of "good" cholesterol, high blood pressure and other symptoms.

"When you have metabolic syndrome, your risk of developing heart disease or stroke doubles. You also have a risk of developing diabetes," said Dr Ramachandran Vasan of Boston University School of Medicine, whose work appears in the journal Circulation.
Healthy 6,000 middle-aged men and women were observed over four years to get the following result:

31 per cent greater risk of becoming obese (with a body mass index of 30 or more).
30 per cent increased risk of adding on belly fat.
25 per cent higher risk of developing high blood triglycerides or high blood sugar.
32 per cent higher risk of having low HDL levels.

"The simple message is eat healthy, exercise regularly and everything should be done in moderation. If you're a regular soda drinker you should be aware that this study adds to the evidence that regular soda may be associated with metabolic consequences."
source of news

Zhang Quan claps as loud as helicopter

Zhang Quan, 70, a Chinese man wants to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by clapping his hands. His claps are as loud as the sounds of helicopter blades.
According to the news reports from Chongqing Business News, his claps measured 107 decibels - only slightly lower than helicopter blades which measure 110 decibels.
Workers from the environmental protection bureau said that technically Zhang could face arrest for noise pollution if he clapped too often.
"When I am clapping, even my own ears feels painful, no mentioning of others. That's why I usually don't clap," Zhang was quoted saying. News source

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One month of paid posting

Last month I started writing for pay-per-post and I also got some money from it. It is in the PayPal account and as I haven't used it. It sure will be helpful in paying the server bills. I have to think about what to do with the remaining amount :)

Well, before starting to post paid posts in this blog I thought about it a lot. Some people told that it degrades our morality or it is like selling our soul and so on. But those same people were happily posting other advertisements like Google ads and talk proudly about sponsors in their websites. If you think in similar manner, all my paid postings are in "sponsored" category and you can easily skip them to read other postings. I am not forced to take every opportunity that come in my way. Also, I believe I have a moral compass that works well enough to tell me it?s wrong to post dishonestly just to make cash.

If you are blogging for at least 3 months and haven't been lazy enough in updating it regularly you can apply for payperpost account and get paid to blog about the things you like from its big pool of opportunities. Payperpost is a platform in which bloggers write posts linking to advertisers' websites, fitting within the advertiser's guidelines for the post. The bloggers get paid via PayPal once the post has been live for 30 days. Blogging opportunities range from few dollars to hundreds of dollars depending on ranking of your website based on various parameters. I would suggest you to give it a try if you haven't already.

Blogging Is Turning Ten on December 2007

It's going to be 10 years since the blog was born. Well, that is not a kid in the internet term. They've roiled presidential campaigns and given everyman a global soapbox. We are approaching a decade since the first blogger - regarded by many to be Jorn Barger - began his business of hunting and gathering links to items that tickled his fancy, to which he appended some of his own commentary.

On Dec. 23, 1997, on his site, Robot Wisdom, Jorn Barger wrote: I decided to start my own webpage logging the best stuff I find as I surf, on a daily basis. The Oxford English Dictionary regards this as the primordial root of the word 'weblog.'

To mark this Blogiversary, The Wall Street Journal published an article where twelve commentators - including Tom Wolfe, Newt Gingrich and actress-turned-blogger Mia Farrow tell what they think of blogging.

Well, if you want to know more about Jorn Barger you can visit his wikipedia page or visit his blog.
Tags: blog history blogiversary "jorn barger" "Robot Wisdom"

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Bao Xi-shu has probably become one of the most famous of all the tallest men before him. And he knows how to do it.
This is my fourth post on the guy! First post was about his marriage, then his wedding ceremony, and he decided to meet a short guy.
After his marriage he couldn't find bed big enough to fit him. But luckily due to all the publicity it received, he actually received a free bed from Quan?U, a furniture company based in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia.

The wedding dress to fit the World?s Tallest Man was also had to be custom made.

Around 30 tailors worked for three consecutive days to complete two wedding dresses for the 2.36-meter (7.74 feet) giant from northern China?s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

All these photos and story are taken from another this weird Blog.

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Sleep whenever you like and wherever you like with Pillowig

Joo Youn Paek with "ultimate goal to deliver laughs and twists to our daily lives" created this pillow wig for his Independent Study's project. I think it is cool and useful when you have to take a long bus or train ride everyday.

"Pillowig" is hand made wearable pillow comforting trieness of people in daily lives, enabling users to sleep comfortably whenever and whenever they?d like. When user test is done in public spaces - subway, airplane, library, class room and laundromat, viewers commented: ?I would like to have it for my trip.?, ?Very funny.? ?This is practical, but a laugh, too." I made 50 limited editions and sold 47 pieces at the exhibition of the work and gained ?Pillowig? fans. Two months later fans did a group performance piece at the Old Palace, Seoul.
Source | Via

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Periodic Table Of The Internet

Wellington Grey had a great idea and created a cool periodic table of the Internet.

It is cool how each block contain site link URL, symbol, and Alexa rank.
via

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World's tallest man meets world's shortest man

I was not wrong in telling in the previous post this tallest man in the world wants to be in headlines. Or is it the shortest man who wants to be in the headline? In the latest news he met a person who thinks himself as the the shortest man in the earth.
Bao Xishun, the tallest man shakes hands with He Pingping, who is currently aiming for a place in the Guiness Book of Records as the world's shortest man.

The historic meeting between Bao, who stands 2.36 meters (7.9 feet) tall, and He, who only reaches 73 centimeters (2.4 feet) in height, took place in Baotou, in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday.
Bao became officially recognised as the world's tallest man last year, beating the previous record holder, Radhouane Charbib of Tunisia, by just 2mm.



Mr Pingping was born in Wulanchabu city, Inner Mongolia. His father claims he was only the size of an adult's palm at birth.
He is now seeking to be registered as the world's shortest man by the Guinness Book of Recrods. He could be in for a disappointment though. While Mr Pingping is 73cms tall, the current holder of the title Lin Yih-Chih was measured as 67.5cm.
Well, 73 cm doesn't seem to make the shortest and in another news I found that Khagendra Thapa Magar from Nepal is 14 years old, is only 20 inches (50 centimeters) tall and weights 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds). (china daily )


Metro news, factsbucket
Tags: tallest, shortest, word record, Guiness Book of Records

Beautiful Rainbow during Jasper Tour

We went to Jasper in the Canada Day (July 1) weekend and it was a great tour. I am a bit busy to write all about it but I couldn't resist posting a rainbow I saw there. This is the most incredible rainbow I ever witnessed in my life. The full semi-circle, double layered rainbow was so beautiful that people in the street stopped by to look it as if something strange was going-on at the horizon. I couldn't capture the full semi-circle in a single photo so I am posting two photos to make it complete. The second bigger semi-circle in the first photo is not that clear but it can be seen more clearly in the second photo.


Tags: rainbow, travel

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Tallest man marriage - still being news after 4 months

I posted about the marriage of the world's tallest man in my previous post, World?s tallest man gets married. But I was surprised to see the same news posted today in offbeat news section of USA today and thought he might have married again. When I went through the news, there was nothing new and it was the same stale news. (EDIT: At least I thought so.)

July 12 - The world's tallest man has married a woman from his hometown in a traditional Mongolian ceremony.
EDIT: "The couple got married in March but plan to held a wedding ceremony in July." Well, that was the marriage and this is wedding ceremony! I hope they will have some more ceremonies coming up to keep themselves in the headlines!
Anyway, I found a nice photo of the wedding ceremony by Jason Lee from Reuters and a video link in the news to share with you:


And there is a video of the marriage wedding ceremony if you are interested to see.

Airport Security - Computers

I came across a funny photo taken at an airport somewhere. It really doesn't sound funny when you are taking this terminal for your travel. The message shows that the computer does not have firewall turned on and there is no antivirus installed. I believe, all the computers in airport are connected by some sort of networking and if one computer is vulnerable all others should be.
Don't know the dates and details of the airport but it sounds alarming to me.

Well, that is not a lone computer. People have found many pop-ups and errors being displayed on the information terminals. Here are some of such photos from different locations around the world.



Well, all of the above pictures seem to be running in windows system and you might suggest them to be run on relatively secure Linux system. But wait, here is another picture showing errors in a Linux system of Kiruna (Sweden) airport.

sources: sirbrett84|steve portigal|nion|krusha

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Disclosure

This policy is valid as of 1 July 2007.
This policy serves to inform that the owner of this blog may or maynot be compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics.
 
Even though the owner of this blog may receive compensation for posts, the owner will always give honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

Julie's Journal review

Today I was reading Julie's journal. She is a sweet writer who writes every little things in her life and they are sort of easy going and enjoyable. Well, the blog has some posts that she is paid for but still they don't stand-out, everything just go along smoothly and I enjoy reading all of her posts.
... Our wedding was part of a contest promotion that PayPerPost did, and we had a blast. The whole thing was broadcast live on the internet, and we had over 1500 viewers.
I wish her a great married life!

New seven wonders of the world

The New 7 Wonders of the World announced during the Official Declaration ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, July 7, 2007 are:
1.The Taj Mahal Agra, India
The Taj Mahal (sometimes called "the Taj") is generally considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 when it was described as a "universally admired masterpiece of the world's heritage.
2. Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Christ the Redeemer is a large Art Deco-style statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue stands 32 m (105 feet) tall, weighs 1000 tons and is located at the peak of the 710-m (2330-foot) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park, overlooking the city. As well as being a potent symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of the city.
3. The Colosseum in Rome, Italy
The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is a giant amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Originally capable of seating around 50,000 spectators, it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. It was built on a site just east of the Roman Forum, with construction starting between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian. The amphitheatre, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire, was completed in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign.
4. Great Wall Of China, China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties. Several walls, referred to as the Great Wall of China, were built since the 5th century BC, the most famous being the one built between 220 BC and 200 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. That wall was much further north than the current wall, built during the Ming Dynasty, and little of it remains. The Great Wall is the world's longest human-made structure, stretching over approximately 6,400 km (4,000 miles) from Shanhai Pass in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. It is also the largest human-made structure ever built in terms of surface area and mass. This is the only man made structure visible from space.
5. Chichen Itza in Yucatan, Mexico
Chichen Itza (from Yucatec Maya chich'en itza', "At the mouth of the well of the Itza") is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site, an ancient city built by the Maya civilization, located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, present-day Mexico.Chich'en Itza was a major regional center in the northern Maya lowlands from the Late Classic through the Terminal Classic and into the early portion of the Early Postclassic period. The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles.
6. Petra, Jordan
Petra is an archaeological site in Jordan, lying in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is famous for having many stone structures carved into the rock. The long-hidden site was revealed to the Western world by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. Burgon had not actually visited Petra, which remained accessible only to Europeans accompanied by local guides with armed escorts, until after World War I.
7. Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Perú
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian city created by the Inca. It is located at 2,430 m (7,970 ft) on a mountain ridge. Machu Picchu is located above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, about 70 km (44 mi) northwest of Cusco. Forgotten for centuries by the outside world, although not by locals, it was brought back to international attention by archaeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911, who made the first scientific confirmation of the site and wrote a best-selling work about it. Peru is pursuing legal efforts to retrieve thousands of artifacts that Bingham removed from the site.
UPDATE: Just to remind you the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World :

The Great Pyramid of Giza: A gigantic stone structure near the ancient city of Memphis, serving as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: A palace with legendary gardens built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia: An enormous statue of the Greek father of gods, carved by the great sculptor Pheidias.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus: A beautiful temple in Asia Minor erected in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: A fascinating tomb constructed for King Maussollos, Persian satrap of Caria.
The Colossus of Rhodes: A colossus of Helios the sun-god, erected by the Greeks near the harbor of a Mediterranean Island.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria : A lighthouse built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos off the coast of their capital city.
Sources: wikipedia | new 7 wonders
Tags: seven wonders, new wonders, ancient wonders

Thanks to harsh US immigration rules, Microsoft going Vancouver Canada

It seems Canada is going to attract big business due to its immigration policy. In a recent news, Microsoft is opening a new office in Vancouver this fall to develop software programs and locate new talent.
Reason given for the new establishment sounds like businesses in US are not happy enough with their immigration policies. "There's a restriction on the number of visas the company can get for foreign employees in the U.S.," Sharif Khan, vice president of human resources of Microsoft Canada said "Canada's slightly more inclusive in that respect."
Canada is currently the third-largest source of recruits for Microsoft outside the United States, after India and Japan.
Sources: CBC|turkish press
Tags: Microsoft, Vancouver, Canada

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Lucky Seven Generation

Yes that is us!
We have lived through six 7s day: July 7th, 2007, 7 Minutes, 7 seconds or 07:07:07:07 /07/07. And it can only happen once in a thousand years.
That is:
1. July ? 7
2. Date ? 7
3. Hour - 7
4. Minutes - 7
5. Seconds - 7
6. Year, 2007 ? 7
7. Saturday, being 7th day - 7

Funny Fingers

Fingers are unique and their imprints can tell a person's faces. The photos I am presenting here won't tell about the face of the owner but they will surely tell you about the creativity of the creator.
Paints on fingers should have been around for a long time. Girls in India paint their hands and fingers by Mehendi to enhance their beauty. People all over the world paint their fingers in election. Well, I am not going to talk about such paintings. Following are completely different and funny faces that can be made by our own little fingers.
Here are some photos of fingers showing human faces in different postures.

















I don't know who made these funny fingers. However, inspired by these pictures, I made my own finger-faces.

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Funny and Beautiful Fruits and Vegetables Arts

I posted watermelon art in my previous post. Let me add some more funny and interesting fruit and vegetable arts.


History of fruit and vegetable carving and more funny arts in next page.

Xiang Wang explains the history of the art:

The exquisite craft of fruit and vegetable carving developed very slowly, constantly adapting to the prosperity of the population. At the time of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-906) and the Sung Dynasty (AD 960-1279) the garnishing of food was already widespread in China. Splendid fruit decorations or pastry models of animals and humans were not only created for the Kaiser?s feudal banquets; indeed, this art was also practiced amongst the middle classes.
According to Pam Manneeratana:

The Thai Art of Fruit and Vegetable Carving is a valuable heritage of Thailand and one of its oldest art forms. It was originated in 1364 when Nang Nopamas decorated the floating lamp for the Royal Festival celebrated on the night of the full moon of the 12th month of every year. She carved fruits and vegetables in a variety of flowers which were used to decorate the floating lamp, making It look like a huge water lily flower. When the King Phra Ruang saw what she had created, he appreciated this new innovation and decreed that it would be an art heritage of Thailand and should be taught to all Thai ladies. This knowledge has been passed on through generations only in person and to loved ones, especially in the Royal Palace.









 

Links: history | Saxton Freymann

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Most hated internet words includes 'Blog'

Have you ever felt like banging your head on your keyboard when you see dumb words while surfing? British pollsters YouGov questioned some 2,091 adults earlier this month to find out which are the most detested words going around in internet.
In a news release by yahoo news quoting AFP, "blog" is the third most hated word among internet community (I don't believe in it though!).
'Folksonomy', a term for a web classification system topped the list of most hated word followed by 'blogosphere', the collective name for blogs or online journals. 'wiki', a collaborative website edited by its readers got the tenth position.
Ten most hated words in their order:
* Folksonomy
* Blogosphere
* Blog
* Netiquette
* Blook
* Webinar
* Vlog
* Social Networking
* Cookie
* Wiki
via: yahoo news | ars technica
Tags: internet, blog, hated word