Man wins dumpling eating contest, dies

KIEV: A 77-year-old Ukrainian man won a jar full of sour cream for coming first in a dumpling eating contest and then promptly died, local media reported on Wednesday.

Ivan Mendel ate 10 dumplings in half a minute to win first place and a one-liter jar of sour cream in the contest held in the town of Tokmak in the southeastern Zaporizhya region on September 18, Fakty I Kommentarii newspaper said.

Shortly afterwards, Mendel became unwell and died, according to local news websites.

Dumplings, called "vareniki" in the former Soviet republic, are a staple of Ukrainian cuisine and are often stuffed with a range of fillings from mushrooms to cherries. (Reuters)

A Cube That Transforms Into a Gun

This is a gun. Or rather, a 125-piece cube that transforms into a gun, the Intimidator. Here’s what it looks like disassembled:

And finally, in gun form:

It’s pretty remarkable. Now, not all the peices of the cube go into making the gun, but the others aren’t a waste — they’re the bullets, custom tools to assemble it, a standard sight, a laser sight, a canister containing black powder pellets, a storage area, a spent primer removal tool and a ramrod. So, are you intimidated yet? Source

Cat With Four Ears

The household pet, named Yoda, was born with an extra set of ears.Valerie and Ted Rock took him in two years ago after visiting a bar near their home in Chicago, where he was being passed round by curious drinkers.He was one of a large litter and the owners were looking for a home for him.The couple immediately fell for the freaky feline and asked the owner if they could adopt him. He agreed and the couple named the cat Yoda, after the pointy-eared Jedi knight in Star Wars.

South Korean scientists create glowing dog

South Korean scientists said they have created a glowing dog using a cloning technique that could help find cures for human diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

A research team from Seoul National University (SNU) said the genetically modified female beagle, named Tegon and born in 2009, has been found to glow fluorescent green under ultraviolet light if given a doxycycline antibiotic, the report said.

The researchers, who completed a two-year test, said the ability to glow can be turned on or off by adding a drug to the dog's food.

"The creation of Tegon opens new horizons since the gene injected to make the dog glow can be substituted with genes that trigger fatal human diseases," the news agency quoted lead researcher Lee Byeong-chun as saying.

He said the dog was created using the somatic cell nuclear transfer technology that the university team used to make the world's first cloned dog, Snuppy, in 2005.

The scientist said that because there are 268 illnesses that humans and dogs have in common, creating dogs that artificially show such symptoms could aid treatment methods for diseases that afflict humans.

2.5 ft man marries 5 ft 4 inch girl in Mirpur (Pakistan)

MIRPUR: Sardar Arif, a 2.5 ft tall man who works in a shopping mall in Mirpur city of Azad Kashmir, tied the knot with a girl measuring 5ft 4 inch in height, Geo News reported Sunday.

The wedding ceremony was held with full celebration.

They say that love is blind and this could be seen in the case of Sardar Arif (age:35, height: 2.5 ft) and Shumaila (age: 25, height 5ft 4inch). Both of them worked in the same shopping mall where they fell in love and decided to get hitched.

Hundreds of people attended their wedding ceremony including the Chief Executive of the shopping mall where the couple worked.

Talking to Geo News, the groom said it was a love marriage while the bride said she would spend her entire life happily with her man.

Human Hair Necklaces

These incredibly intricate necklaces are made by an art student named Kerry Howley. Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class.

 The human body, apart from its glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine vellus hair. Most common interest in hair is focused on hair growth, hair types and hair care, but hair is also an important biomaterial primarily composed of protein, notably keratin. The word “hair” often refers to two distinct structures: the part beneath the skin, called the hair follicle or when pulled from the skin, called the bulb. This organ is located in the dermis and maintains stem cells which not only re-grow the hair after it falls out, but also are recruited to regrow skin after a wound; and 2 the shaft, which is the hard filamentous part that extends above the skin surface. A cross section of the hair shaft may be divided roughly into three zones.

Soure

Earth II Found

The first planet that could support life as we know it outside our solar system has been discovered.
A team of European astronomers say they have detected a rocky world, possibly only 50 per cent larger than the Earth, circling a small red star called Gliese 581, 20.5 light years away in the constellation Libra.
What makes the discovery so important is that the planet orbits in what astronomers call the "Goldilocks zone" – where makes it neither too hot, nor too cold for life.
Astronomers have found more than 200 planets circling other stars, but, until now, all have been unsuitable for life because they are either massive gas balls, resembling Jupiter, that circle scorchingly close to their parent, stars, or have eccentric orbits that take them out into the bitterly cold depths of space.
The newly found "super-Earth," about five times more massive than our planet, is 14 times closer to its star than the Earth is from the sun. As a result, its year lasts only 13 Earth days. It has been named , named 581 c.
However, because the star is only a third the mass of our sun, it is also much cooler.
Astronomers estimate that the world's surface temperature would therefore be between 0 and 40 degrees.
"Water would thus be liquid," one of the discoverers, Stephane Udry, from Switzerland's Geneva Observatory, said.
"Models predict that the planet should be either rocky – like our Earth – or covered with oceans."

Source

Trolley bus converted into battery-powered vehicles

China's biggest city of Shanghai has converted its gasoline-powered trolley buses on the Nanjing Road into battery-powered vehicles as part of the efforts to reduce emissions.The trolley bus, nicknamed "Clang, Clang", has been installed with 24 batteries that will enable it to run for about 60 kilometers or sustain it for a day's operation.

Now all the six old trolley buses have been converted into battery-powered vehicles, emitting no tail gases. The conversion of the rest two will be completed by October 1, according to the trolley bus management company.All the old gasoline powered trolley buses used to emit tail gases far beyond the prescribed standards, according to the environmental monitoring staff members.The conversion of each trolley bus cost about 150,000 yuan, well worth in terms of social and economic effect, the trolley bus management company said.

All the storage batteries are recharged at night at half o the normal price, according to the operator.

Is it possible? think...

This is an amazing world isn’t it? And can you think it is possible?

Nymph Lamp

Nymph, as in “the immature form of some insects”, is the name of this odd and cool looking lamp by Site Specific Design – an interior and furniture design company based in Brooklyn, New York. (Link)

Paralysed stuntman completes London marathon

The 51-year-old, paralysed and brain-damaged after a motorbike crash in 1996, completed the 42km (26 mile) route and raised £75,000 for charities Children with Leukaemia and The Eddie Kidd Foundation.

‘I’m lost for words,’ said his wife, Sam, 42. 'It's the best thing he has ever done. I'm so proud of him.'It's amazing. He'd done it, he's done it! The one thing I would say to anyone out there who's disabled, injured or sick: get some perspective. If Eddie can do it, so can you.'As a beaming Eddie walked the last steps of the marathon on a special frame, helped by Sam, actor Ray Winstone and former The Bill star Graham Cole, crowds of supporters erupted in jubilation.


His wife, a former model, cried with joy as her husband was sprayed with the drink by family and friends in celebration.

World’s Biggest Saw

“The world’s biggest saw helps workers in Kazakhstan plough through hillsides by digging out 4,500 tonnes of coal an hour. Towering in at just over 145 feet and weighing a staggering 45,000 tons, the massive machine obliterates anything in its path. The saw has jagged buckets attached to the rotating blade – which works in a similar fashion to a chain saw. The buckets dig deep into the coal seam and break off mammoth chunks – before it travels around a conveyor belt and straight into containers positioned on waiting trains. The mammoth excavator needs a total of 27 people to operate it at any one time. Slava Stepanov, who took the above photo, explained that whoever operating it from the armchair at its top is the envy of all workers.”Source

Amazing 3D Street Illusion

To create maximum publicity for their Winter destinations and ski resort flights‚ Easyjet tasked Street Advertising Services to draw something really special for their 3D pavement art. Here is the result... The pictures toured around three cities and malls and people loved to interact with the art.(Link)

Amazing 3D Street Illusion

‘Accident' Building site, Vienna, by Julian Beever.

When viewed from certain angles, Beever's intricately detailed chalk sketches create a convincing impression of depth on the flat surface of paving stones. From other perspectives, however, his drawings appear strangely distorted and bear little resemblance to their intended image. To construct his illusions, Beever, originally from Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, uses a camera lens to help him manipulate the image on the flat surface to appear more realistic.(Link)

Amazing 3D Street Illusion

Anti-AIDS campaign, Oslo, by artist Manfred Stader. Stader began street painting and pavement art during his art studies at the famous Städel Artschool in Frankfurt, at the beginning of the 1980s and in 1985 he became one of the few master street painters.(Link)

Amazing 3D Street Illusions

Look carefully at how the fireman is climbing down into the real world. This piece called ‘Rescue', in London, was created by Julian Beever, the 46-year-old artist, who is based in Belgium and has spent most of the past 20 years painting with chalk to produce stunning 3D images which mix reality with fantasy to fool the eyes and trick the minds of passers-by. (Link)

Living Keychains Are the New Craze in China

Live fish and small turtles sealed in plastic keychains have become increasingly popular items sold at subway entrances and train stations across China.

The living keychains containing Brazilian turtles or king fish swimming in colored water are considered good-luck charms by many Chinese, but animal protection groups are outraged and call them a perfect example of “pure animal abuse”. Business is booming according to Chinese online newspaper Global Times, which reports one fish and nine turtle rings have been sold in just five minutes, on Tuesday, at the Sihui subway station, in Beijing.

According to vendors, the colored water in the 7-centimeter-long keychains contains nutrients that allow fish and turtles to live inside for months. While that may be true, Mary Peng, cofounder of the International Center for Veterinary Services, says they couldn’t survive in the sealed bag for very long, due to lack of oxygen.

While animal rights activists are protesting loudly against the sale of living keychains, there isn’t much else they can do, because China only has a Wild Animal Protection Law – if the animals are not wild animals they fall outside the law’s scope. Until the law changes to protect all kinds of animals, activists can only appeal to people not to buy them, and hope the market will die due to lack of customers.

Although some people buy these bizarre keychains to carry around for good-luck, there are those who buy them just to free the poor creatures from their tiny plastic cage.

Foam Eating Woman

Adele Edwards, a 31-year-old woman from Bradenton, Flrida, has been eating foam from insode sofa cushions every day for the last 21 years.

The woman remembers she first felt the bizarre craving when she was just 10 years old. Her cousin had decided to chew a piece of sofa for fun, and something inside her head just kept telling her she should try it too. She liked the way it felt in her mouth and although she started out by just chewing on the bits of foam and spitting them out, it wasn’t long before she began swallowing them. Three years ago, Adele woke up in the middle of the night, feeling an excruciating pain in her stomach, and after trying to get up she collapsed by the side of the bed. An ambulance rushed her to the emergency room, where doctors diagnosed her with a serious blockage in her lower intestines. After six days of trying to clear remove the mass, medical staff was getting ready for surgery, but fortunately for miss Edwards, the strong laxatives she was given were finally able to push the blockage through her body. Doctors were shocked when they saw it was the size of a grapefruit and made of pure sofa.

Amazing Biggest Disco Ball in the World

It might sound like a crazy idea, but Michael de Broin actually did it. Using a 7.5 meter disco-ball, featuring 1,000 mirror pieces, the artist managed to light up Paris on a winter night. He did so by hanging the giant disco-ball 50 meters up, using a giant crane, and projecting light onto it.

The ball was hung up in the Jardin de Luxumburg and the light effects that covered Paris were more than worth the effort of bulding the whole installation. plus now Michel de Broin could enter the record books for the World’s Largest Disco-Ball.

See more pictures of Disco Ball:

Worth a watch….all statues are made of wax !

Do u think only London and Paris have Wax Museums........Look at these amazing statues capturing village life in India ... Beat this!!
Location - Siddhagiri Museum , Kolhapur … it's on the outskirts of Kolhapur (Maharashtra), on the way to “ Belgaum “

A unique project, perhaps the only project in India situated at Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math, Kaneri, Tal. Karveer, Dist. Kolhapur. The place is near Kolhapur city on Pune Banglore Highway.

The main objective of the Project is to refresh the history of self sufficient village life before the invasion of Mughals in Maharashtra. There were 12 BALUTEDARS (12 main profession based casts i.e. Professions performed by generation by family members) and 18 ALUTEDARS, who provided equipments to all villagers useful in their day-to-day necessities of domestic as well as Agricultural life.

These Balutedars, Alutedars and others had a special characteristics with which they served society. The description of all 18 Alutedars, 12 balutedars and other people and there duties are vividly depicted in the museum.

The first phase of the museum spans over 7 Acres of area with almost 80 main scenes and around 300 statues. Several subtle village lifestyles are taken into consideration. There is a unique combination of expression, accuracy and liveliness in the whole village. Each sculpture has a multi dimensional effect and lifestyle theme which Swamiji very keenly arranged each and every scene to make a proper visual story. In the total cluster the village demonstrate a self sufficient machinery within village. Barter economy, Interpersonal healthy happy relationship among villagers is reflected. The Museum projects the entire village as a single family, and as single family members in a joint family. No adulteration, no cut thought practice, no mad Rat Race, No pollution, but Caring, and delightful atmosphere, no bitter feeling, but fertile land, clean water, clean air, quality food, maximum use of natural resources, cattle field, livestock, job satisfaction. All these things are reflecting the beauty, Joy, satisfaction of human race and oneness with nature. It advises us to get back to nature, without disturbing the equilibrium of nature and many other things which are beyond our imagination.

For more Statues Click to Enlarge: