Woman Grows Hair for 21 years

A Chinese woman who hasn't cut her hair for 21 years now has hair that measures 3.6 metres in length.

Jiang Aixiu from Fushun, central China's Henan Province, last had a haircut in 1990. Jiang explained: "I went to get my hair cut, but the hairdresser suggested me to keep it as its quality is good."

Jiang never expected her hair would grow so fast and so long. She added: "I didn't eat anything special or use any special shampoos."

Each year Jiang's hair grows up to 20 centimeters. She continued: "I have to wash my hair section by section, and it takes at least 2 hours to wash it all."

Jiang has been offered 10,000 Yuan for her hair, but she refused. However, now Jiang plans to cut off her long hair, as doctors say the long hair absorbs too much nutrition from her head, which is not good for her health.

"It's better for me to take it off, as it's too much on my head," Jiang concluded.

Blind Girl Works as Interpreter

A blind schoolgirl who is fluent in four languages has become the youngest interpreter to work at the European Parliament - at the age of 10. Alexia Sloane, from Cambridge, lost her sight when she was 2-years-old after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour whilst on holiday in France.

But despite her disability the little girl has excelled at languages and at the age of 10 she is already fluent in English, French, Spanish and Mandarin - and is learning German. Now she has fulfilled her dream of working as an interpreter after East of England MEP Robert Sturdy invited her to the European Parliament in Brussels.

"There is usually a minimum age requirement of 14 just to enter the European Parliament so for Alexia to interpret there at the age of 10 was amazing," said mum Isabelle.

Alexia has been tri-lingual since birth as her mum is half French and half Spanish and her dad Richard is English. "She has always been very good at languages and shown an interest from a very young age," added Isabelle, who also has a 4-year-old daughter Melissa.

Alexia has dreamed of becoming an interpreter since she was 6 and chose to go to the European Parliament as her prize when she won the Young Achiever Community Award of the Year.

She asked if she could shadow interpreters and MEP Robert Sturdy agreed to take her along as his guest. "It was fantastic and I'm absolutely determined now to become an interpreter," said Alexia. "Nothing can stop me."

Armless Man Loves to Paint

A man without arms has become the vice curator of an art museum in China. Huang Guofu, 41 is the vice curator of Chongqing Talents Museum, and is planning to paint a long scroll of the scenes of old Chongqing.

By biting a chopstick in his mouth and using his right foot to clamp a pen to touch the keyboard, Huang can use the computer agilely. "I am searching materials and pictures of old Chongqing, and preparing the materials for my upcoming creations," said Huang.

Last year Huang was appointed the vice-curator of the newly established museum for his never-give-up spirit and his artistic achievements. Huang was born in Tongnan, Chongqing. When he was four, he lost both his arms after suffering electric shocks.

He started to have a strong interest in painting when he was 12. Each day after school, Huang would paint works with his feet of the pictures in his textbook. His works were recommended for an exhibition in the local culture center, and won great success. Then Huang started his professional studies in the city arts centre.

SWITL to Replace Human Hand ?

SWITL Robotic Hand, a patent-pending robot hand - originally revealed back in October, seems to be capable of picking up liquids, messy mayonaise and other sauces without altering or changing its gooey shape.

Created by the food industry machine developer - Furukawa Kikou, the SWITL robotic hand was developed with the baking industry in mind. The device uses some sort of conveyor system to automate certain parts of a bakery's production line, handling various products that are deemed too soft for our clumsy human hands.

Unfortunately, Furukawa Kikou is not revealing any details about the science behind SWITL.

Doctor Serves Patients on Horseback

As inhabitants live scattered around the plateau, it is not easy for local people to see doctors. So Dr. Sonam's mobile clinic, also known as "clinic on horseback", has become very popular because he rides his horse to deliver medical services to patients homes every day over the past 13 years at Niandi town in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

Niandi Town is located 3,250 meters above sea level on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. About 300 families live in this 15-square-kilometer mountain area. It has become an everyday work for Dr. Sonam to gallop over hills to provide medical services to residents living on the other side of the mountain. 

It takes at least 4 to 5 hours to ride from Sonam's home to the nearest village. He often cannot see anybody in hours, so he can only sing to the mountains to cheer himself up in his lonely trip.

"When I feel lonely, I would start singing. This song is about Tibetan New Year, and I sing it to express my best wishes for my patients to recover soon," said Sonam. 

Dr. Sonam’s mobile clinic is well loved and respected and locals look forward to his frequent visits.

World’s Most Expensive Dog ...

An 11-month old Tibetan Mastiff pup named Big Splash (“Hong Dong” in Chinese) recently sold in the Chinese city of Qingdao for 10 million yuan (US $1.5 million).

The 3-foot-tall, 180-pound dog is one of a breed that has been around since time immemorial. Tibetan mastiffs are said to have guarded nomad camps and monasteries, and are rarely seen outside of Tibet.

Thought to be among the world’s oldest and most respected breeds, legend claims that Genghis Khan had a Tibetan mastiff and so did the Buddha. The breed was also popular among European royalty and in the early 19th century, King George IV owned a pair of Tibetan Mastiffs.

Over the past several years, they have become status symbols among China’s growing wealthy classes, driving up their price from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands. 

Raised on a diet of beef, chicken, abalone and sea cucumber, “he is a perfect specimen,” his breeder, identified only as Mr. Lou, told the British newspaper. 

“He has excellent genes and will be a good breeding dog. When I started in this business, 10 years ago, I never thought we would see such a price.” Lou declined to identify Big Splash’s new owner, other than to say that he is a multimillionaire who made his fortune in coal. 

And given the rising popularity of the breed, it may be that the owner can make some of his investment back by offering the dog’s services at stud. Some breeders are willing to pay as much as $100,000 to get a dipper out of Big Splash’s gene pool.

Moonwalking Romanian Politician Ordered to Stop Dancing

A moonwalking Romanian politician has been ordered by leaders of his political party to tone down his antics. Edmond Talmacean, a 40-year-old Bucharest-based politician, has inspired national headlines with his Michael Jackson-inspired moonwalk on a television show and his impersonations of the late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

His impersonation of a well-known sports commentator during a serious political debate also stunned other lawmakers into silence. "Dancing is another kind of political message to appeal to the younger generation, that it is good to have fun ... that you can go to a disco and dance," Mr Talmacean said.

Party leaders, however, say enough is enough and have ordered him to tone down. Prime Minister Emil Boc declared the routine was more suited to "showbiz" than politics, while Vasile Blaga of the Democratic Liberal Party said the fringe lawmaker should head over to the TV program "Dancing with the Stars."

'Dead Alien' Body Found in Siberia ?

A video claiming to show alien remains in Irkutsk region of southern Siberia has become a internet sensation, garnering more than a million hits.

The video, which many viewers have dismissed as an elaborate hoax, was allegedly filmed near the town of Irkutsk close to Russia’s Lake Baikal in recent weeks.

In it, a local is shown leading a camera man to a snowy spot on the edge of a forest where he points out the remains of “the alien,” a tiny being which has had one of its legs ripped off. The creature looks like an extra from Hollywood central casting with an enlarged cranium, hollow eyes, and a small reddish body.

One of the men in the video is heard giving an expletive-laden commentary in Russian, adding that a dog originally sniffed “the alien” out.

The video has sparked conspiracy theories of an alien crash landing in the area. Alleged UFO sightings in the vicinity are not uncommon, and some viewers speculated that the Russian military had not cleaned up the area after a UFO crash properly overlooking the tiny corpse.

The video was released after villagers in the area reported seeing bright orange lights in the sky last month with one witness capturing the mystery lights on his or her mobile phone. At least one national TV news channel reported the alleged sighting with the headline “Uninvited Guests.”

QTvan - The world's Smallest Caravan

Designed to be towed by a mobility scooter, the battery powered caravan features a full-sized bed, 19 inch television, a drinks cabinet and boasts tea-making facilities.

The tiny caravan, measures 2m x 75cm and retails at a price of £5,500. It is so compact it can be towed inside a supermarket at a top speed of 5mph.

Developed by Environmental Transport Agency (ETA), the caravan is designed to highlight the estimated 220,000 people who use a mobility scooter without breakdown cover and face the prospect of a long wait should they suffer a mechanical fault or their battery runs flat.

The ETA called it the QTvan, because it caters to three very British obsessions: queuing, tea and caravans.

But ETA warns that the QTvan is best-suited to local trips. If it is used to venture further afield, extra time should be allowed. For example, a trip from London to a popular caravanning destination like the New Forest would take 2 days, while a journey to Whitby would take one week.

QTvan Specifications:

● QTvan is the world’s most environmentally-friendly caravan, entirely using carbon neutral.

● Range: 30 miles on a single charge 

● Power: 240v hook up or battery

● Entertainment: 19” TV, radio, alarm clock, book shelves

● Accommodation: Full-sized single bed 

● Cooking facilities: Kettle, drinks cabinet

● Optional extras include: Solar roof panels, air horn and extra-wide wing mirror for mobility scooter, satellite dish, gaming console, central heating, external luggage rack, bespoke paint.

Hi-tech Clamp-down for Hotel Towel Thieves

Hotels are deploying new technology to combat one of the menaces of the hospitality industry - the towel thief.

The anti-theft system, which could soon be arriving in Britain, uses washable radio-frequency tags stitched into towels, bathrobes and other linen which can trigger an alarm if removed from the premises.

The US company which patented the technology said a Honolulu hotel in Hawaii which introduced the tags last summer had seen towel theft tumble from 4,000 a month to just 750 (81% decrease), saving more than £9,000 a month.

"Any given month, hotels can lose 5% to 20% of towels, sheets and robes. That gets expensive with the rising cost of cotton," said William Serbin, executive vice-president of Linen Technology Tracking of Miami. The company uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips, similar to those deployed in shop security tags and London Transport's Oyster card scheme, which can track linen to and from the laundry, at pool kiosks and detect stolen items as they are taken off the premises.

Serbin declined to name the properties (the other two are in Miami and Manhattan), but an industry insider told Civil Beat the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki is the unnamed hotel referenced in the story.

Bullet-Proof Glass Failed Robbery

Two robbers shot, hammered and kicked at glass display cases at a Hawaii jewelry store, but then were  forced to flee when they realized the cases were made of bullet-proof glass.

A security video camera showed the men attempting to smash and shoot their way into the display cases. However their attempts were foiled by reinforced glass which refused to shatter despite their efforts. 

Later, the men escaped, but a witness noted the license plate number on their getaway car. The car was later determined to have been stolen and was found hours later abandoned and engulfed in flames.

Honolulu police are appealing to the public to help in finding the suspects and published descriptions of them on a crime-stoppers website.

New World Record for Water Pistol Fight in Thailand

Thailand set a new Guinness World Record for water pistol fight as 3,477 people drenched each other in a 10-minute shootout.

Thousands of Thailand people and foreign tourists participated in an event where they were armed with water pistols, faced each other outside one of the biggest shopping centers of Bangkok for a 10 minute shootout. 

This event is to celebrate Thailand's Songkran Water Festival. The three-day Songkran (meaning entering the new) festival is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April.

During festivities, people spray water on each other's faces to symbolise washing away the sins from the old year. The previous largest water fight world record was set in Spain in 2007.

Wind Blows Metal Shack onto Man

A man in Turkey is lucky to be alive after a powerful gust of wind rolled a metal shack over him on Thursday, April 14. 

The unidentified man was walking along a pavement past the galvanised shed in the south-western town of Bursa, when the structure became detached from the ground and was blown towards him.

The metal shack, which weighed around 1-tonne, knocked the man over, before hitting power cables and smashing into a moving van.

Emergency services closed the road for several hours to remove the wreckage. The injured man was taken to hospital. The extent of his injuries has not been reported.

Hairiest Girls Happy with World Record

Supatra Sasuphan is celebrating after being inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's hairiest girl. She has been teased her entire life by other children calling her “monkey face” and “wolf girl”, but now the 11-year-old girl from Thailand has been given a Guinness World Record and she says it has helped her become extremely popular at school. "I'm very happy to be in the Guinness World Records! A lot of people have to do a lot to get in," she said.

Supatra's title was confirmed after a quick grilling from Guinness World Record executives. Supatra, nicknamed Nat, is one of only 50 documented cases of Ambras Syndrome since the Middle Ages. Before the disease was understood, sufferers were branded 'werewolves,' but the rare genetic condition, which is the result of a faulty chromosome, causes thick hair to grow all over her face, ears, arms and legs.

The Mumbai Ornamental Skateboard Released

The combination of a worldwide sports craze with Mumbai's traditional craftsmanship, and under the supervision of German curator Tobias Megerle, a dozen of Mahim woodcarvers produced their own take on the traditional skateboard. The project -- Final Cut -- will be showcased at THE LOFT at Lower Parel.

Megerle is a skateboard enthusiast who has been seeking a new and revolutionary skateboard design that could propel forth a whole new culture. After searching the world, he finally found his inspiration in the Mahim neighborhood of Mumbai, India.

“The first time I drove past, I was magically attracted to the carved wooden objects in Mahim — all the open workshops, the woodcarvers sitting on the floor with their traditional tools, working on their items, the whole atmosphere,” he said.

Inspired by what he saw, Megerle started visiting the woodcarver shops and learning more about their craft and decided to enlist 12 of the woodcarvers to combine their traditional art with “the good old skateboard,” a concept that was quite new to many of them.

After working weeks and months, the woodcarvers have finally managed to construct fully fictional skateboards that are elegant and imaginative, but also usable.

Farmer Dyes Sheep Orange to Stop Theft

A UK farmer has dyed his sheep bright orange in an attempt to stop thieves stealing from his flock. The farmer, John Heard works on a remote part of moorland on Dartmoor in Devon, England, decided to paint the woolly beasts after thieves targeted his flock of 250 blackfaced ewes.

"It produces strange-looking sheep but it has done the trick and I haven’t lost one this year," said Mr Heard, who says 200 of his sheep have been stolen in the past few years. "It works because they are so easy to distinguish making it easier for me and my neighbours to keep a wary eye out for them."

"Sheep rustling has become a big problem with ewes worth around £140 each," the 48-year-old livestock farmer said.

The farmer got his inspiration after his son James told him about a Scottish farmer who had dyed his sheep before an agricultural show. The harmless non-toxic dye eventually wears off with no side effects and seems to have put a stop to the thefts.

The National Farmers' Union said there had been a fivefold increase in sheep thefts this year, due to the high price of lamb.

CCTV Caught Man Drive 2 Bumper Car on the Road

Police Officer in China, Liu Yulin was watching CCTV footage of a road in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province when the bumper cars came into view.

He said: 'I saw on the screen that a man was driving two bumper cars. He sat in between the cars, and each foot stepped onto one gas pedal. I immediately radioed the officer at that road section to go and check.' 

Officer Xiao Hu then stopped the yellow cars and their owner, a Mr Zhang, who said he was moving them to a local park. He claimed he was driving them there because it was the most economic way of transporting them.

According to Mr Zhang it was the first time he had driven the bumper cars on the street, and he hadn't realised it was illegal. Officer Xiao said: 'Traffic regulations say that bumper cars are not engine vehicles, so they can't drive onto street.'

However, because the law doesn't stipulate what punishment a bumper car driver should receive Zhang just got a warning.

World's Tallest Teen Goes to Thailand

Malee Duangdee holds the record for being the world’s tallest teenager with 2.083m (6ft 10in) tall and weighs 127kg. But the 19-year-old from the Trat province in eastern Thailand has suffered painful school memories of bullies and a lifetime of loneliness. “I used to feel like a freak, school children used to bully me and call me names,” she said.

"Since leaving school I've tried to feel more comfortable with who I am," Malee said. Taunted by her classmates while she was at school, Malee now spends all her time with her family.

Malee’s mother, Ji, 40, did not realise Malee was ‘different’ until she was around 9-years-old when she began to grow much faster than her school friends. “She looked different to her friends and I got a little worried,” Ji said. “I took her to the doctor because I wanted to be sure there was nothing seriously wrong with her.” 

But Malee was diagnosed with a brain tumour, which was pressing on a nerve causing a hormone imbalance. Malee has also lost the sight in her eyes as a result. “I’ve been tall for as long as I can remember and taking medication is part of my daily life,” she said. “But as I’ve got older my eye sight has got worse and it’s really difficult for me to get around.” 

Malee needs an injection every 3 months to control the benign brain tumour and stop her from growing. But it’s costing the family almost £2,000 a time. “The injections have really helped to control her growth but they are expensive,” said Ji.

Lion Sleep in Bed with Owner

In South Africa, a pet lion called Storm likes to cuddle up to her owner in bed. Luckily, animal lover Andre Potgieter has nothing to fear from this particular 160kg predator as both have been best friends for the past 4 years.

The South African farmer and his wife, Talita, took Storm in when her mother rejected her shortly after she was born in 2007. "From the first time she entered the house, she has slept in our bed between me and Talita," said Potgieter, 51.

"As a cub, she had another habit of jumping into the bath with Talita and into the shower with me and then we had a wet little lion running all over the house that had to be caught and dried."

Storm has also befriended the couple’s other pets, which include a zebra and three great danes. "When the dogs bark, Storm starts roaring and if she roars, they bark back. Our meerkat also watched over her when he was a cub."

Lately, Storm has become very protective of her owner and will not allow many people close to him. "She means well though and I never thought in my wildest dreams that I could love an animal as much as I love Storm," said Potgieter.

Saudi Arabia plan to built World's Tallest Building

The Saudi royal family has unveiled plans to build the world's tallest building, which will be exactly a mile high. The Mile-High Tower, also named Kingdom Tower, is a skyscraper proposed for construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At 1 mile (1,600 m; 5,280 ft) tall, it would be the tallest building built to date.

Construction of the tower in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah is expected to cost US$17 billion and will comprise 275 floors, making it twice as high as the current tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

5-star hotels, offices, luxury apartments and a shopping facilities will all feature in the giant structure, which is to be financed by the Saudi royal family-owned Kingdom Holding Company. The city to be constructed around the Mile-High Tower will extend over an area of 23 million square metres (total investment US$26.6 billion). The city will have the capacity to accommodate 80,000 people in addition to shopping and entertainment facilities.

(The design proposal for the Kingdom City Tower in Jeddah)

The title of world's tallest building was held by American structures for nearly all of the 20th century, with the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower and the World Trade Center all holding the honour until the Petronas Twin Towers opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1998.

Man Found Cockroach in Lozenge

A Sydney man hoping to soothe a sore throat got a shocked when he unwrapped a lozenge and found a cockroach trapped inside. Glenn Franks, 37, bought a packet of Nestle Butter Menthols from a convenience store in Sydney's Circular Quay yesterday. 

He was leaving the shop when he noticed the finding. The dead insect was preserved like an ancient bug in amber, embedded in one of the lozenge drops. 

The unlucky customer made a call to Nestle who asked him not to go to the media and offered a 'modest' amount of money. A Nestle spokeswoman said the company was concerned about the discovery and was trying to contact Mr Franks so the lozenge could be tested.

3-Years-Old Boy Weighs 60kg

Lu Hao is the most overweight child from China, with a weight of 60 kilograms (132lbs) at the age of 3 years. The child weighs 5 times more than normal for his age.

His size has become a real problem for parents. They do not have the courage to put him on a diet because they are actually afraid of him, and the hysterically mode in witch he will react when he will not be served with so much food. His parents claim he throws vicious tantrums if he doesn't get third or fourth helpings of dinner.

"We have to let him be as if we don't feed him he will cry nonstop," said his mum.

Lu Hao is not allowed to go to kindergarten because the institution’s management forbade it, because the excessive weight is a danger to the others kids. The child is barely moving, his weight causing him to tire quickly. 

His parents struggles to take him in branches, and the doctors claim that if does not weaken, his heart will not be able to face too much time. The appetite of the child is huge. He can eat at one table 3 huge bowls of rice, more consistently than those of his parents together.

Specialists believe that the problem of overweight can be hormonal, because it is not just too fat and too tall for his age and if the assumption proves to be true, Lu could be treated more easily.

Ironically, the Chinese was born underweight at 2.6kg (5.7 lbs), but has begin to thicken from the age of 3 months and does not longer stop from then.

Shock Over RM13,000 Bill for Kampung Meal

After enjoying lunch of kampung (traditional village) food that included patin fish (silver catfish) at a restaurant here recently, a group of 50 customers was shocked to be billed RM13,000 ($4,302 USD). The incident happened in Temerloh city, Malaysia's Pahang state.

According to one of the diners who did not wish to be identified, he had taken his friends to lunch at the restaurant which served kampung food, including freshwater fish, ulam (herbal plants) and kampung vegetables. He said after the meal, the restaurant owner handed him a bill of RM13,000, and he had no choice but to pay it. 

"The bill came to about RM260 ($86 USD) per person, which was more expensive than eating at a 6-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur!" he told Bernama, here.

Professor Addicted to Push-ups on Knife Blades

A physics professor says he has become addicted to doing press-ups on upturned chopping knives. Xie Guanghai, 57, a university professor in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, claims he does about 4,000 push-ups a day.

He said it took him 4 years to master his technique of doing press-ups on knives fixed into place on a wooden board. Xie has developed thick calluses on his palms which allow him to do his press-ups without cutting his hands.

"Along with the growing of my interest in this unusual exercise, the calluses have grown thicker and thicker," he said.

Xie already holds two world records for conventional press-ups, including one for doing 6,012 in a row, and now plans to apply for a place in the record books for 'blade push-ups'.

"Four years ago I started to try these blade push-ups after watching a TV programme where a folk artist climbed up a ladder made of blades," he explained. "Hopefully I can achieve the record of doing the most push-ups on blades."

World’s Tallest Lego Tower Built in Brazil!

Nearly 6,000 Lego lovers in Sao Paulo, mostly children, helped put together the independent blocks of Lego bricks which were later stacked up with the help of a crane. 

The tower composed 500,000 Lego pieces and reached 102 feet and 3 inches (31.19 meters), breaking the previous record set in Santiago, Chile in 2008.

It took 4 days to build and was held in place by wire supports to prevent it from toppling over in the wind. 

The first Lego tower was built in London in 1988, since then Toronto, Moscow, Sydney, Tokyo and Munich have been among the 53 cities (more than 30 countries) which have held the title.

Brazilian footballer Cafu placed the last block on the tower, which was built in the parking lot of a shopping centre in Sao Paulo. Lego sent designers from Denmark for the world record attempt.

Angry Aviva Customer Protest using Excavator

Armed police were called to Aviva’s offices in York, United Kingdom when an angry customer staged a one-man demonstration with his excavator. The officers, who were the closest to the scene, were called to the insurance giant’s building at Monks Cross yesterday after Paul Parvin had blocked the barriers to the site where 180 employees work.

Parvin, a self-employed plant hire operator is angry at the way his insurance claim has been handled after an accident in his excavator. He was persuaded to move on after 90 minutes, but vowed to continue his protest until Aviva had settled the issue.

He had an engineering and motor insurance policy with Aviva when an articulated truck drove into the back of his excavator causing severe damage 3 years ago. He believed the wrecked excavator should have been written off, but instead Aviva decided it should be repaired. He received the vehicle back 7 months later but still with a string of problems leaving it unroadworthy, and Aviva then cancelled his insurance.

An Aviva spokeswoman said they called police because the site must always have access for emergency vehicles. She added that the firm have previously discussed his concerns and the matter is currently with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Police confirmed two armed officers attended the incident because they were the nearest available officers at the time. Paul received a warning for his actions from the officers.

Girl Climbs Cellphone Tower as Protest to Parents!

A 22-year old girl climbed up a mobile tower in Ranisar Bas area and threatened to jump down if her parents did not withdraw their decision of her marriage, police said today.

Usha Bala climbed up a 60-feet-high mobile tower nearby her house on Thursday in protest and threatened to jump down if her family does not withdraw the decision, they said.

Bala wanted to pursue higher studies and become a member of Prajapita Brahmkumari Ashram at Mount Abu but her parents were against the idea and got her engaged about three months back, police said.

Bala, however, was not keen with the marriage and on Wednesday noon protested against the decision of her parents by climbing the tower from where she threatened to jump, if they do not revert their decision.

Her family members and police officials rushed to the spot and tried to convince her to come down but she remained adamant for about an hour.

Bala told a crowd of over 500 people that she will come down only if her parents cancel her marriage. At last, she came down only after her grandfather assured her that nobody will force her into marriage, they said.

Bala was taken into police custody but was later released on bail, they added.

Naked and Fancy Dress Ski Party in China!

Hundreds of people attended a naked and fancy dress skiing party held at the Tianchi International Ski Resort, in Urumqi, Xinjiang province, in the mountains of western China.

Many of the guests were garbed in bizarre attire, but only 22 guests who dared to brave the cold in the snow naked or partially dressed.

The Naked Pig Event has nothing to do with pork or barbecues or even pigs and the contest is not for those who embarrass easily.

"We have this party at the end of the skiing season each year but this has been the best yet," said a spokesman for the resort.

The prize for best costume was won by Zhang Rongmin, who dressed as a half-naked Arab and the 'Coldest Beauty' award went to Xie Yong, who wore nothing but a snowflake to cover his modesty. Both won the equivalent of £100 and a trophy.

Sneaker Freaker Launch “Dog Poop” Insurance

Have you ever stepped in a piece of dog poop? If Yes, then now you can get insurance against that!

Global sports shoe magazine Sneaker Freaker has collected stories of woe and has decided the solution to poop diaster is financial protection against animal excrement. According to the tongue-in-cheek special poop website, Sneaker Freaker will apparently start selling a trial version of the “unko hoken” (poop insurance) package if it gets 100,000 votes on the site. (At the moment this article written, the voting counter is around 10,000).

If and when you step in poop (cat or dog), then if and only if the poop covers more than 5 square centimeters of the shoe’s sole, you just take a photo of it (the poop on the shoe), and then send the photo and shoe (in a vacuum-sealed bag) to Sneaker Freaker. If it passes their eligibility requirements, then they’ll provide you with the money needed to buy a replacement pair.

Sounds crazy and it is. Japan already has a vibrant insurance industry for pets and plenty of services like pet funerals, plus we certainly know that local pooches enjoy some rather unusual fashion accessories. But what about insurance for people against pet-produced disasters? Well, at any rate it is a nice viral way of promoting your magazine courtesy of wacky Japan stereotypes!

If anyone of you want to participate to vote for this insurance, just go to their website.

Indian Pilots Caught Drunk while Flying?

India's airline authorities caught 57 pilots over the alcohol limit who were reported to be drunk, during the duty time. They had been practicing this activity from the past two years.

Civil Aviation Minister, Vayalar Ravi told the parliament that in random pre-flight medical tests between January 2009 and November 2010, the services of 11 of these pilots were terminated, whereas the remaining pilots, he said, were either issued warning letters or removed from flying duties for a short period.

India's air safety record has been good over the past decade but analysts are of the view that this episode could have had serious repercussions. Last May, a plane crash in southern India killed 158 people and an official investigation later blamed it on a "sleepy pilot".

To combat the rising number of inebriated pilots in India's skies, authorities brought in a rule last year grounding first-time offenders for three months and stripping the flying licence from repeat offenders.

DOCUMENTARY: PBS Nature - Wild Balkans (2010)

Info:

PBS Nature - Wild Balkans (2010)

English | HDTVRip | AVI | XviD 624x352  24.975fps | MP3  2CH 48KHz | 00:52:57 | 550MB

Genre: Documentary

The Balkan Peninsula is notorious for being one of the great battlegrounds of history. And yet, it possesses another side unknown to many, where ancient forests and vast wetlands harbor pristine wilderness, and sheer cliff walls and desolate plateaus preserve a seemingly unchanged past. Surveying these striking and stark landscapes, one might think they’ve ventured into the Middle-earth of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Download links:

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DOCUMENTARY: PBS Nature - The Queen of Trees (2006)

Info:

English | HDTVRip | AVI | XviD 720x416  29.97fps | MP3 160Kbps 2CH 48KHz | 00:53:43 | 600MB

Genre: Documentary

NATURE reveals the importance of an unlikely partnership between a regal tree and a tiny wasp in The Queen of Trees. It may be one of nature’s oddest couples: a tiny wasp that can barely be seen, and a giant fig tree, the sycomore, which shelters a remarkable menagerie of wildlife among its limbs. The wasp and the fig depend on each other for survival. Without the wasp, the tree could not pollinate its flowers and produce seeds. Without the fig, the wasp would have nowhere to lay its eggs. 

The Queen of Trees shows this delicate dance of survival in exquisite detail, including spectacular close-ups of the wasp’s remarkable life inside a ripening fig. To capture such incredible images, filmmakers Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble spent two years camped out near a giant sycomore fig in Kenya’s outback, documenting the tree’s pivotal role as a source of food and shelter for everything from gray hornbills, Africa’s largest bird, to swarms of invading insects searching for food. In a surprising turn, some insects come to the tree’s aid — sparking a battle you won’t want to miss.

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Taxi Stranded on Stairway in China

A taxi driver ended up well and truly stuck in China after a drunk passenger persuaded him to drive down a steep mountain stairway. The driver, Xiao Cheng ended up stuck halfway down the steps in Quanzhou, southern China's Fujian province, at 5am.

"He insisted on driving directly down the mountain stairs, as he said his home was down there," said Xiao.

"You can't imagine how scared I was but the man, who had a long scar on his arm, threatened to beat me up if I didn't do as he said."

Xiao tried driving cautiously down the stairway, knowing there was a river at the bottom, but his vehicle got stuck on the steps halfway down.

"Even then he accused me of not taking him to his destination, and demanded compensation. I had to give him all my money then he ran off and left me there," said Xiao.

Residents tried to help Xiao free his car with jacks and bricks - but it was too dangerous and eventually a crane had to be brought in to lift the cab to safety.

Pipe Raft Across Atlantic Successfully

Adventurer and former BBC Tomorrow’s World presenter Anthony Smith has crossed the Atlantic on a raft made of gas and water pipes. Smith, 85, completed the 4,500km (2,800-mile) voyage from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean yesterday after 66 days at sea. 

Smith and his crew of three made the journey for the Water Aid charity on a raft made of 2 metre lengths of water and gas pipes and powered by only a 40ft mast and 400 sq ft sail. The raft was composed of four main water pipes and measures only 20ft long, with just one indoor cabin fashioned out of a modified animal shelter and built of wood and corrugated stainless steel.

It travelled at an average speed of 4 knots, with the crew taking turns to keep watch. It also equipped with 2 types of steering and powered by solar panels.

The journey ended on 6 April in Simpson Bay on the island of St Maarten. The crew aim to raise £50,000 for this international charity Water Aid, which provides clean water to poor communities.

World’s Oldest Working TV may Worth Over £5,000.

(The world's oldest TV is about to be auctioned off in Britain, and it's expected to fetch over £5,000)

World’s/Britain's oldest working television set, which was manufactured by Marconi in 1936, was bought for almost £100 three weeks after television transmissions began. But Mr GB Davis of Dulwich, south–east London would have only been able to watch it for a few hours.

The nearby Crystal Palace and its transmitter burned down three days after Mr Davis bought the Marconi type–702 set on November 26. The area could not receive pictures again until 1946. The 75-year-old set comes with a 12-inch screen and is contained in a walnut and mahogany case with the picture being reflected onto a mirror that opens from the top.

Television pioneer John Logie Baird and the Marconi company were responsible for the set which was created using Britain's secret radar research. Only 30% of the components in this set have been replaced – all with identical parts – and it works perfectly.

Woman Suffers of Scissors in Stomach

(x-ray image shows scissors in Veronika Cruz's stomach)

A 35-year-old woman from Brazil was left in agonizing pain for 3 years after surgeons left a pair of scissors in her stomach. Veronika Cruz was undergoing a routine operation to remove her ovaries in Sao Paulo, Brazil, when surgeons made the mistake of leaving behind a pair of 8-inch scissors.

Cruz repeatedly complained of pain, but doctors dismissed her complaints until she finally collapsed. An X-ray later revealed what was really wrong.

“There was damage to her intestine and her other ovary, which had to be removed,” a spokesman for the Sao Paulo medical council said. “We are investigating.”

DOCUMENTARY: PBS Nature - Rhinoceros (2007)

Info:

PBS Nature - Rhinoceros (2007)

English | HDTV-Rip | 00:54:20 | 720x416 | XviD - 1391Kbps | 29.970fps | MP3 - 160Kbps | 598MB

Genre: Documentary

Among the most ancient of animals, rhinoceroses thrived for millions of years before meeting their most deadly enemy: humans. During the past century, the rhinos of Africa and Asia have been pushed out of their habitats and hunted nearly to extinction for their horns, which are believed—erroneously—to possess healing properties. Now, thanks to the efforts of conservationists and scientists, the rhinos are on their way back.

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DOCUMENTARY: PBS Nature - Black Mamba (2009)

Info:

PBS Nature - Black Mamba (2009)

HDTV | AVI | English | 00:52:57 | 624x352 | XviD - 1452 Kbps | MP3 - 128 Kbps | 550 MB

Genre: Documentary | Country: USA

Directed by: Christopher Wade

Starring: F. Murray Abraham

The black mamba is Africa’s deadliest snake. Untreated, its bite has a fatality rate of 100 percent, making it a killer among killers on a continent where it is thought that nearly 20,000 people die of snake bites each year, and the residents of Swaziland in southern Africa have suffered losses for generations. With essentially no access to anti venom, many people turn to traditional healers for help, but their herbal remedies always fail, leaving Swazis feeling fearful and defenseless against one of their nation’s most infamous killers.

Swaziland resident Clifton Koen doesn’t really care for snakes, but his wife, Thea Litschka-Koen, is crazy about them. With her husband’s sometimes reluctant help, she has endeavored to change attitudes about black mambas and other snakes found in the area. In addition to starting the nation’s only reptile park, devoted to educating the public and providing a refuge for the animals, the two have become the region’s go to experts for safe, humane snake removal from homes, schools, resorts and workplaces. In the course of catching and relocating any number of snakes per day, Thea and Clifton give impromptu lessons about the snakes, covering fact and fiction, and do their best to prevent any unnecessary casualties human or reptile.

In addition to their other efforts, Thea and Clifton developed a program designed to track black mambas in the wild for the first time and to gain new insights into their behavior. With the help of a snake expert from Johannesburg, they were able to surgically insert radio transmitters in a number of captured black mambas, allowing them to follow the snakes after their release. If their research pays off, they may be able to show that their relocations are working, successfully removing snakes from residential areas for the long term, and thereby bringing some relief to the locals and some respite for the snakes.

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DOCUMENTARY: BBC-The Sky at Night: Double Star Party (2011)

Info:

BBC - The Sky at Night: Double Star Party (2011)

PDTV-Rip | AVI | English | 29mn | 704x400 25fps | XviD - 1600 Kbps | AC3 - 128 Kbps | 368 MB

Genre: Documentary

Sir Patrick Moore joins an unlikely star party in the heart of London, where enthusiastic astronomers are cutting through the light pollution to see the planets and stars. Dr Chris Lintott also drops in on another star party - the 88th birthday celebrations for the nation's most famous astronomer.

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Fake Eggs goes in Malaysia...

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has warned consumers to be wary of the existence of fake eggs being sold in the market. These eggs have an unusual shape and when cooked do not smell or taste like real ones.

Recently, a woman who bought a tray of eggs in Pulau Tikus had a shock when she found them to be “fake eggs”. She only suspected that they were fake after she overheard a caller complaining about fake eggs over a radio programme.

CAP president said the housewife had brought the eggs to his office after finding something fishy when she tried to cook them. She told us that the eggs did not smell like real eggs and were tasteless. It was also of unusual shapes and larger than real eggs. The fake egg also had a rougher surface than the real one.

CAP president, S.M. Mohamed Idris said upon examination it was found that the eggs were unusually large and when broken there was no sign of chalazae (opaque ropes of egg white which holds the egg yolk in the centre of the shell). The eggs were also devoid of any smell associated with real eggs, and white and yolk quickly mixed together, unlike that of real eggs.