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2009-08-20T02:40:00.001-07:00

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10 Worst Serial Killers

2009-04-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

10. Wayne Williams – Body count: 2-31
Thought to be responsible for the infamous “Atlanta Child Murders” that took place in Atlanta, Georgia, between the years of 1979 and 1981, Williams was actually convicted of the murder of two adult men (29 year old Jimmy Payne and 27 year old Nathaniel Carter). It was after his arrest and subsequent conviction that local authorities were able to apparently solve the majority of the 29 child murders that took place in the area. He still protests his innocence to this day.

9. Dean Corll – Body count: 27
Earning the nickname of “The Candy Man” when his crimes were uncovered (due to him running his mother’s small candy company), Corll was responsible for what would become known as the “Houston Mass Murders” which took place in Houston, Texas between the years of 1970 and 1973. Along with two accomplices (Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks), Corll would abduct and torture young boys that were lured to his apartment, then murdering and burying them in the surrounding rural areas. Corll was shot and killed by Henley following a heated argument at Corll’s home.

8. John Wayne Gacy – Body count: 33
Also known as the “Killer Clown” due to the fact that Gacy would throw parties at which he would don a clown suit and make-up, acting under the guise of “Pogo the Clown”. Gacy was convicted of the rape and murder of some 33 young men during the years of 1972 and 1978, most of which he buried underneath his own home. He was executed in 1994, by lethal injection. Gacy managed to shock everyone when his crimes were uncovered, as he was a popular political and local figure at the time, living a seemingly normal life. Supposedly, his last words were “kiss my ass”. The photo of Gacy here is of him with First Lady Rosalynn Carter, which proved to be somewhat embarrassing for the Secret Service when his crimes were uncovered.

7. Gary Ridgeway – Body count: Convicted of 48, but admitted somewhere around 90 killings.
Ridgeway would later become known as the “Green River Killer” (due to his propensity for dumping bodies in the Green River in Washington) for his killing spree during the 1980s which would result in him becoming one of the most prolific serial murderers in American history. He would abduct runaways or prostitutes and murder them after sexually assaulting them. Ridgeway was convicted in 2001 for murders that he had committed 20 years previously and this was down to a breakthrough in DNA evidence linking him to his victims. Ridgeway would later go on to say that murdering young women was his “career”.

6. Moses Sithole – Body count: 38 or so murders, 40 rapes.
South Africa’s most infamous serial killer and perpetrator of what were known as the “ABC Murders” due to the fact that started, continued and finished in towns named Atteridgeville, Boksburg and Cleveland. He would lead his victims out into deserted fields under false pretences, where he would then overpower, rape and murder them. After his capture in 1995 and then conviction in 1997, he was sentenced to 2,410 years, with the possibility of parole in 930 years. In the year 2000, it was reported that Sithole had contracted AIDS whilst in prison.

5. Gerald Stano – Body count: 41
An American, starting around the late 1960s to early 1970s and the continuing on for as many as 7-8 years, Stano picked up a number of hitch-hikers and young women, murdering them via shooting, stabbing or strangulation. Apprehended in 1980, he was sentenced to life in prison until his execution by the electric chair in Florida, 1998.

4. Andrei Chikatilo – Body count: 53
A notorious Ukrainian serial murderer, as well as being a chronic bed-wetter suffering from impotence, Chikatilo earned himself such titles as “The Ripper of Rostov”, “The Rostov Ripper” and the “Butcher of Rostov”, after the area in which the murders were committed. A sexual deviant, Chikatilo was only able to achieve orgasm by stabbing and slashing his victims, rather than outwardly raping them. Active from the late 1970s, all the way through to the very early 1990s, he was apprehended and interrogated by police and sentenced to death, a sentence which was carried out in 1994 by a gunshot to the head. He was 57 at the time.

3. Bruno Ludke – Body count: 85
His regime spanned 15 years, starting in 1928, Ludke was caught near the end of World War II by Nazi police, after they allegedly discovered him committing necrophilia on the corpse of one of his recently-deceased victims. He subsequently confessed to a number of crimes and was declared insane, being sent to a hospital in Vienna where he was subjected to medical experiments which resulted in his death by lethal injection in 1944. Even after his sterilization due to having been previously caught molesting a young woman, he continued to assault and then murder a number of other women, often by stabbing and strangulation.

2. Henry Lee Lucas – Body count: Somewhere in the region of 4-213
Originally confessing to thousands of murders with his accomplice, Ottis Toole, police then subsequently attributed roughly 213 murder cases to his name (although only 4 were ever solidly proven to have been committed by him, one of which included his own abusive mother), thanks to the information they garnered from Lucas. He was apprehended in 1983 and was then sentenced to death, but bizarrely enough, his sentence was commuted to life in prison by the then-Governor George W. Bush. Out of 153 death penalty cases to be reviewed, Bush decided that this was the only case he’d intervene on. Many people believe that Lucas had simply been toying with the police, testing them, maybe hoping to embarrass them somehow, just to see how far he could go. Lucas died of natural causes in 2001, aged 64, taking the true number of how many crimes he committed to the grave with him.

1. Pedro Alonso Lopez – Body count: 300+
By far one of the most prolific serial killers of all time, the “Monster of the Andes” butchered enough people to fill a small town. After killing around 100 tribal women in Peru in the 1970s, he was apprehended by tribal forces that were just about ready to execute him when they were convinced by an American missionary that was staying with them at the time to take him to the police force instead. Unfortunately, the police then just let him go, after which Lopez travelled to Ecuador, where he proceeded to kill about 3-4 girls a week, claiming that girls in Ecuador were “more gentle and trusting, more innocent”. This carried on until he was caught in 1980, but police were still unsure as to his guilt, but a flash flood uncovered a mass grave that had hidden many of his victims, which then led to his arrest. However, the Ecuador government then released him in 1998, deporting him to Columbia. Lopez allegedly said that he was being released for “good behavior”.

Jennifer Ellison in Nuts Magazine, April 2009

2009-04-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

10 Animals That May Go Extinct in the Next 10 Years

2009-04-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

Iberian Lynx Lynx pardinus The world's most endangered cat species, the Iberian lynx once thrived in Spain, Portugal and southern France. Today, its numbers have dwindled to some 120 individuals divided between small populations in Spain's Andalusia region. Habitat destruction, collisions with vehicles, poaching and a collapsing rabbit population have all contributed to the decline of this feline. As part of a conservation effort, the Spanish government has decided to release rabbits (the lynx's favorite cuisine) into the wild. If the Iberian lynx disappears, it will be the first feral cat species to go extinct in some 2,000 years.

Sumatran Orangutan Pongo abelii There are no more than 7,500 Sumatran orangutans left in the world, and they are declining at a rate of roughly 1,000 per year, says Adam Tomasek, director of the World Wildlife Fund's Borneo and Sumatra Program. At this rate, the species will be wiped out within a decade. The primary cause of this population slide is rampant habitat loss from logging, fires and other human activities.

Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat Lasiorhinus krefftii Wombats are Australian marsupials with burly builds, stocky legs and powerful claws for burrowing underground tunnels. The northern hairy-nosed variety is the largest wombat, growing as long as one meter and as heavy as 40 kilograms. It also has exceptionally soft fur and a clumsy, waddling gait (yet can run as fast as 40 kilometers per hour). A mere 100 individuals survive in a small, protected area in Queensland.

Wild Bactrian Camel Camelus bactrianus This shy ancestor of domesticated camels lives in the arid Gashun Gobi region of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China and southwestern Mongolia. Unlike Arabian camels, which are distinguished by one prominent hump, Bactrian camels have two humps. Although the camel survived a 45-year period of nuclear testing in China's Gashun Gobi, it may not be able to withstand current pressures, which include mining, hunting, wolf predation, industrial development and genetic mixing with domestic camels. There are only about 650 individuals remaining in China and 350 in Mongolia, according to John Hare, chairman of the U.K.-based Wild Camel Protection Foundation. Some experts predict an 84 percent population decline by 2033.

Dama Gazelle Gazella dama This antelope species is on a fast track to extinction. In the last decade, some 80 percent of the wild population vanished, primarily the result of unbridled hunting and habitat destruction. Populations of no more than 100 are sprinkled throughout north Africa—in Chad, Niger and Mali. Life does not appear to be improving for these gazelles, as caravans of foreign hunters continue to cross borders and mow them down with automatic weapons.

Seychelles Sheath-Tailed Bat Coleura seychellensis There may be only 50 to 100 of these furry flying mammals left on the planet. They are endemic to Silhouette, Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, islands in the Seychelles archipelago, located in the Indian Ocean northeast of Madagascar. Researchers believe that only two substantial roosts remain, both in boulder caves on Silhouette Island. The Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles is monitoring these populations closely.

Chinese Alligator Alligator sinensis This secretive mini-alligator, which rarely grows longer than two meters or heavier than 40 kilograms, dwells in the wetlands of the lower reaches of the Yangtze—the same river that sheltered the rare and probably now extinct Chinese river dolphin. The Chinese alligator spends a great deal of its time burrowing tunnels, much to the chagrin of local farmers. Although thousands of Chinese alligators have been bred in captivity, experts estimate a mere 150 to 200 individuals persist in the wild, making this reptile the most endangered crocodilian species in the world.

Black Rhinoceros Diceros bicornis Black rhinos, like their larger white cousins, are actually grayish in color. Their horns are highly valued for use as ornaments and for their "medicinal" properties, even though they are simply made of keratin, the same protein found in fingernails and hair. At the start of the century there may have been hundreds of thousands of Black rhinos roaming Africa but now there are only few thousand. Among the four Black rhino subspecies, the west African is the most threatened and may have already gone extinct in the wild. Poaching and habitat loss continue to threaten the species's survival.

Pied Tamarin Saguinus bicolor Often called the "bare-faced tamarin" for its hairless face and ears, the pied tamarin inhabits only a small area of land surrounding Manaus, a city of two million in northwestern Brazil. Urban expansion, cattle ranching and agriculture have eroded much of the tamarin's rain forest home, which extends no farther than 40 to 50 kilometers from Manaus. Worse, the monkeys are being out-competed by their close relative, the golden-handed tamarin, in areas where the two species overlap.

Leatherback Turtle Dermochelys coriacea Leatherbacks are the largest of all sea turtles, measuring as long as eight feet and weighing as much as 2,000 pounds. They are also the deepest divers, plunging to depths as great as 1,200 meters as they hunt for jellyfish. Leatherbacks are distributed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, as far north as British Columbia and as far south as Argentina. They migrate between continents, making both transatlantic and transpacific journeys between feeding and nesting sites. Populations have crashed over the last two decades—the result of poaching for egg and meat consumption, destruction of nesting sites from beachfront development, disorientation of hatchlings from the artificial lighting created by those developments, accidental capture by commercial fisherman and other factors. In 1980 the global population of nesting females was estimated at 115,000. Now that number has dropped to between 26,000 and 43,000.

Source ScientificAmerican

2009-04-11T07:00:00.001-07:00

Harry Potter VS Star Wars

2009-04-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read the Harry Potter books, the overall story is not hard to describe. Harry Potter is an 11-year-old orphaned boy who lives with his evil Aunt and Uncle. One day he discovers that his parents were wizards and that he, too, can go to wizard's school and learn magic. Once he arrives at the school, he learns that he is a legend among magical folk. This is because, when he was an infant, an evil, unstoppable wizard named Voldemort murdered his parents. Voldemort intended to kill Harry, too, but the baby mysteriously drove off the sorcerer never to be seen again. Potter was left with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead as the only evidence of the encounter. He has since been praised as a savior. But can Harry live up to their expectations and fulfill the destiny they expect of him? And can he foil a plot to resurrect the evil Voldemort?

Besides the basic similarity of the "hero's journey" plot, Harry Potter and Star Wars have a TON of similarities. Below is a rundown of the ones I could think of.

Harry Potter / Luke Skywalker - Both Harry and Luke are orphans (or at least Luke appears to be). Neither one really knows what happened to their parents. They never knew them, either. Luke and Harry both live with their Aunt and Uncle in a life that is tedious, boring, and unexciting. They long for something more in life. Their lives are both turned upside down one day when a strange character (Hagrid or Obi-Wan Kenobi) arrives to tell them the truth about their background, parents, and true potential. Luke and Harry both discover that they have strong potential in magic or the Force. As both characters rise above great danger to save their friends from certain doom, we get a glimpse of the great future ahead of them.

Voldemort / The Emperor- Voldemort is an evil sorcerer who killed Harry Potter's parents. You could say the Emperor killed Luke's father, Anakin. Voldemort and the Emperor both want to rule the world and they will do anything to make that happen. Voldemort kills many wizards and witches. The Emperor kills many Jedi. Both Voldemort and the Emperor have evil minions who do their bidding. Both are masters of the Dark Side. At one point, when talking about Voldemort, Harry Potter yells out, "I'm never going over to the Dark Side!" Sound familiar? In the end, both evil characters were defeated by one thing - love. Voldemort is defeated because of Harry's mother's love for him. The Emperor is defeated because of Anakin's love for Luke.

Professor Dumbledore / Obi-Wan Kenobi - Dumbledore is kind of the guardian and mentor of Harry Potter. Obi-Wan is the guardian and mentor for Luke. Both characters know the full histories of our heroes, but they're not quite willing to tell them everything yet. Dumbledore rescued baby Harry after his encounter with Voldemort and delivered him to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Kenobi rescued Luke and hid him from the Emperor with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

Hogwarts / The Jedi Temple - Hogwarts is the boarding school where children go to learn magic and become wizards. The Jedi Temple is where young children go to learn about the Force and become Jedi. Both places are run by masters who teach the children their basic lessons.

Magic / The Force - Only certain special people in the Harry Potter world have the potential to become wizards and witches. Same with the Jedi. Nobody believes in magic in Harry Potter's real world. Most people in the Star Wars Universe don't believe in the Force. Both are considered hocus pocus and a bogus religion. Both allow users to do extraordinary things.

Magic Wands / Lightsabers - In the Harry Potter books, wizards use magic wands as special tools to help them manifest their powers. The Jedi use lightsabers as their tools of the trade. Wands and lightsabers are unique to the individual users. Both pick theirs out based on unique personal criteria.

Flying Brooms / Starships - Brooms are the vehicle of choice among wizards and witches. Starships are the vehicle of choice in Star Wars. In both worlds the vehicles are customized to be tough and fast. And the faster, the better. Wizards casually chat about the latest and fastest model of flying broom. Stormtroopers casually chat about the latest model of ship.

Quidditch / Pod Racing - Quidditch is a dangerous sport played on flying brooms by half insane competitors. It is fast, furious, and someone can easily be killed if they don't pay attention. Cheating and rough play is not unheard of. Pod Racing has a different form of play and objective, but in the end they are very similar. Both sports are played with the fastest and best models of brooms or pods. There is also a lot of betting done on both sports.

Uncle Owen / Uncle Vernon - Both characters took in their nephews after a time of crisis and both knew the truth about their parents yet refused to tell them. Owen thought Luke's father was foolish to run off and become a Jedi. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon both thought Harry's mother was foolish to go off to become a wizard. In fact, at one point Aunt Petunia says, "I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak!" They refuse to let Harry go to Hogwarts, and Uncle Owen refuses to let Luke go to the Academy. There is one key difference between Uncle Owen and Uncle Vernon. Owen seemed to genuinely love Luke and take care of him. Vernon hated Harry and treated him slightly better than an animal.

Wizards & Witches / Jedi - Both Jedi and wizards are treated as oddities in the real world. Wizards are looked at as freaks or eccentric kooks. Jedi are looked at as people following "hokey religions". Uncle Owen even calls Obi-Wan a "crazy wizard". In both worlds the characters wear hooded robes as standard uniform.

Death Eaters / Sith - There are minions of evil in both worlds. The Death Eaters are the followers of Voldemort. Darth Maul is the minion of Darth Sidious (or The Emperor). In both worlds the characters are followers of the "Dark Side" and they practice an evil form of wizardry or the Force. Both Darth Maul and a Death Eater in the Sorcerer's Stone wear black, hooded cloaks.

Ministry of Magic / Jedi Council - In the Harry Potter books a group of wizards watches over the mystical realm and makes important decisions about what goes on. In Star Wars, the Jedi Council is a ruling group of the most powerful Jedi that make important decisions in matters of the Force.

Ghosts / Jedi Spirits - Ghosts occasionally appear in both worlds. Jedi Spirits occasionally return to guide and help Luke. Ghosts at Hogwarts act as guardians of students in various dorms. However, in the Harry Potter world they appear more frequently and are sometimes considered more of as a nuisance.

Owls / Droids - In the Harry Potter world, wizards use owls to transport messages. They also act as companions and pets to the wizards. In Star Wars, Luke has R2-D2. He is a companion to Luke and even helped Princess Leia transport a message.

SOURCE

Elizabeth Hurley- She Still Looks Really Hot!

2009-04-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

A heavily airbrushed Liz Hurley posed happily in a series of her own bikini designs earlier this week for latest Mango swimwear range.

So onlookers were surprised to see her arrive at the exclusive presentation for the campaign in Madrid in a knee-length pink dress, despite several models donning bikinis.

And today she also stayed fully covered up as the Mango bandwagon moved onto Munich.

Could it be that she wasn't prepared to pose in a two-piece without any digital help?

For the second day running, this time in Munich, Liz Hurley refused to strip down to a bikini with the Mango models

Unlike other celebrities - Miss Hurley, 42, freely admits that her photographs had been airbrushed - confessing that she now relies on "nice photographers? and retouching for swimwear shoots.

In fact not so long ago she declared that she was through with bikinis.

Never again, would she sit eating lunch on a boat in a skimpy two-piece.

The same went for tripping around the beach in a bikini top and skirt with her midriff showing.

But it seems Miss Hurley will relax the rules under certain conditions.

Covered up: Liz Hurley in Madrid yesterday seemed unusually shy

Firstly, it must be in her best business interests, such as helping to launch a series of her own swimwear designs in a diffusion range for the High Street store Mango.

And there must - read must - be an airbrush involved.

In an interview to accompany these photographs in the Sunday Times Style magazine, the model and businesswoman conceded that "shooting bikinis is now my life".

She said: "I can't think of anything worse in the world than another bikini shoot - and I've got two next month.

Accessorising only with chunky jewellery Hurley does skimpy with style

"It's unbearable and I bring it all on myself. I've got nobody else to blame."

But, she revealed, she now relies on "nice photographers" and a little digital enhancement.

"I like a certain amount of retouching like anybody," she admitted.

Even if they have been airbrushed a little, the photos suggest that Miss Hurley has made good on her promise to "go to ground and annoy everyone by emerging thinner, sexier and mentally cleansed".

She made that vow in an interview in 2005, at the same time as she spoke of instituting her bikini ban.

Hot pink: At 42 Hurley admits she doesn't mind 'a certain amount' of retouching by artists

Miss Hurley, a mother of one, revealed that when she looked in the mirror she saw "a person who eats too much junk food and doesn't exercise. That has sadly become my reality over the past year".

Commenting on one of her own designs for Elizabeth Hurley Beach, she said her days of wearing a towelling miniskirt, bikini top and flip-flops were over.

"I don't feel comfortable doing that any more," she said. "As the years go by you do feel less confident about your body."

Miss Hurley is not afraid to follow strict diets when she needs to drop weight fast.

Her regime after the birth of son Damian, now six, was punishing, she said at the time.

"I did it by eating very little breakfast and not too much lunch.

"And only boring snacks such as a banana or six raisins. The only meal I have is dinner."

She lost four stone, and was back in her trademark white jeans within three months of Damian's birth.
Source

Top 20 Comic Weapons

2009-04-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is a list of what we consider to be the top 20 comic book weapons… not necessarily the most powerful. We consider the best to be the most creative and interesting weapons. When compiling the top 20 comic book weapons of all time, one must consider the weapon and not the wielder. We chose weapons that define the characters they belong to. Without their weapons, the characters on this list would lose their identities. Remember the mid 90s when Wolverine lost his claws..? I rest my case.

Please note that we have purposely left out any “weapons of limitless power.” Weapons like the Infinity Gauntlet, Cosmic Cube, and Black Diamonds are certainly powerful, but lack any creativity what-so-ever.

20 - Casey Jones’ Golf Bag of goodies – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Casey Jones’ arsenal consists of just about any sports implement big enough to hit someone with and be carried around in a golf bag. A disgruntled former hockey player, Jones takes to the streets swinging hockey sticks, golf clubs, baseball bats and more, to take out his frustration on the criminal element. While there’s nothing technically special about the weapons at his disposal, it’s definitely a fanboy pleaser, not to mention super-cool, to see this guy with no special skills defeating evil with tools you could most likely find in your own garage or attic. Casey Jones, you’re an inspiration to us all.

19 - Captain Cold’s Freeze Gun - Flash

Theorizing that that the energy emissions of a cyclotron could interfere with the Flash’s speed, Leonard Snart created a freeze gun more or less by accident. He decided to go with it and give himself the title of Captain Cold. Cold’s schtick has been ripped off over and over again. Ever seen someone frozen in a block of ice? Cold has been doing it for 50 years. The visual of Captain Cold blasting ice all over the streets of Keystone City while the Flash intervenes is one of the most fun in comics. All thanks to the Freeze Gun.

18 - Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin - Batman Books

Dr. Jonathan Crane is an insane clinical psychologist. Using a variety of psychological tactics, he utilizes the fears and phobias of his adversaries. His bread and butter is his fear toxin, a concoction of his own design that leaves anyone, including the fearless Batman, weeping in terror and wetting their pants. The toxin brings out your worst fears and the Scarecrow capitalizes on them… Truly a character defining weapon.

17 - The Witchblade - Witchblade

The witchblade appears at first glance to simply be an ornate gauntlet, but on the hand of a proper host this symbiotic, intelligent weapon becomes much more. The witchblade is capable of turning into armor to protect its host from harm, swords and other stabbing weapons, shields, and even wings enabling its user to fly. It has on occasion even fired energy blasts, projectiles, and whips or grapples for climbing. A great all-purpose weapon that is only limited by the fact that it can become temperamental and difficult to control if not used frequently or in it’s mind, correctly. Also the witchblade only chooses one host per generation and those hosts are invariably female. If you are a man OR a woman not chosen by the witchblade, don’t try it on unless you like the nickname “Lefty.”

16 - Green Goblin’s Pumpkin Bombs - Spider-Man Books

Spider-Man’s arch nemesis employs the use of his jet propelled glider, and a big bag of pumpkin bombs. The great thing about comics is the kooky costumes and colorful characters and the Green Goblin is a perfect example of this. A flying goblin chucking pumpkin bombs is not only entertaining, but it serves as a perfect challenge for Spider-Man. A high speed chase, zipping around, Spider-Man has to protect civilians as well as himself from a barrage of explosions. These bombs not only compliment their wielder, but his enemy as well.

15 - Dung’s Dual Poop Cannons - Savage Dragon

One of the many throwaway villains that graced the pages of Savage Dragon, Dung is about as static as a character can be. He is a walking poop joke, armed (literally) with two sewage cannons. Where all that crap comes from remains a mystery, but the fact remains that Dung has one of the greatest weapons in comic history.

14 - Black Knight’s Ebony Sword - Avengers

I always liked the juxtaposition of a knight running around in modern times fighting supervillains. The Black Knight wields the Ebony Blade, a magical sword forged by Merlin from a meteorite. It is indestructible, can cut through almost anything, impervious to magic, returns to the Black Knight’s hand if dropped or thrown, and can be used to teleport. Pretty handy weapon.

13 - Kevin Matchstick’s Bat – Mage

Kevin Matchstick is Arthur Pendragon (King Arthur to the less than literate) reborn, so naturally he needs a modern day Excalibur to wield against his foes. Excalibur in the modern age takes the form of a glowing white baseball bat which can be controlled from a distance and mentally summoned back to the hand. The Excali-bat can damage even the toughest of foes, and is apparently indestructable. I wonder what Matchstick’s batting average is with this thing?

12 - Johnny Blaze’s Hellfire Shotgun - Ghost Rider, Spirits of Vengeance

During a period where Blaze was not the Ghost Rider, his means of dishing out the whoop-ass was his hellfire spewing shotgun. This weapon was created when Ghost Rider’s Hellfire was conducted through the shotgun into John himself. To clarify, hellfire is just like fire, except it can burn your soul. Shotguns are always cool. Shotguns that shoot soul burning fire? Brilliant.

11 - The Right Hand of Doom – Hellboy

When you make a living fighting the big scary monsters of the world, a giant stone hand can come in pretty handy (No pun intended). This particular giant stone hand (there are so many) is allegedly a catalyst to the bringing about of the end of the world. As of yet we haven’t seen in the comics how this would work, but until then, we can live comfortably knowing that somewhere out there, a 30 foot tall ape with the brain of a long dead dictator is probably taking one in the kisser from this bad boy as we speak. Rock on, Right Hand of Doom…rock on.

10 - Captain America’s Shield - Avengers, Captain America

Captain America’s shield is iconic, and virtually indestructible. It is an alloy of vibranium, an alien metal found only in Wakanda that had unique vibration absorption properties, and steel. The vibration absorbing ability of the vibranium allows Cap to withstand incredible amounts of force as well as lose next to no velocity when bouncing from one villain’s head to another.

9 - The Joker’s Acid Squirting Flower – Batman books

The Joker is not someone who is normally known for using lowly one on one weapons, typically relying more on weapons of mass destruction. Like all madmen however, he occasionally needs to deal some small scale, individual damage. While he’s used guns and and even a crowbar on occasion, his most memorable weapon would be a common clown accessory, the squirting lapel flower. Unlike the version found on most clowns however, the Clown Prince of Crime has a lapel flower that squirts acid, handily melting the face off of anyone unlucky enough to stop and smell the flowers.

8 - The Wrecker’s Crowbar - Avengers

The Wrecker carries a 4-foot long steel crowbar that was enchanted by Karnilla, the Norn Queen of Asgard, making it virtually indestructible. It is able to store and release the Wrecker’s enchantment, enabling him to share it among the rest of the Wrecking Crew. The guy is a New York brute that goes toe to toe with Thor himself… All thanks to his giant enchanted crowbar. Only in comic books can something so outlandish be so fantastic.

7 - Doc Ock’s tentacles – Spider-Man books

Ock’s titanium tentacles were originally part of a harness that was worn to allow him to manipulate dangerous radioactive materials. When a lab accident fused the harness to his body and gave him mental control over the tentacles, a classic comic weapon was born. The tentacles are individually capable of lifting anywhere from 3 to 8 tons (3 seems to be the minimum, while 8 is quoted in some sources) as long as one tentacle is used to brace himself. Each tentacle can also move at 90 mph and extends roughly 24 feet. Four 24 foot long titanium tentacles moving at 90 mile per hour? Thank goodness for Spidey Sense.

6 - Iron Man’s Armor – Iron Man, Avengers and Ultimates

While originally created as a means to keep Tony Stark alive due to a piece of shrapnel near his heart, the suit has become much, much more. Giving its wearer super strength, the power of flight as well as hand fired repulsor rays and more, depending on the writers whims, the suit has evolved into a complete wearable weapons system. A recent issue of Ultimates showed Stark in a suit that filled the sky over Washington DC, as it rained down a flood of destruction that would be the envy of most national superpowers.

5 - Wolverine’s claws – Wolverine and X-men

While we originally thought that these razor sharp Adamantium claws were added on to Wolvie during his Weapon X days, relatively recent comics have revealed that he always had claws, they just used to be made of bone. Whether made from bone or Adamantium (the hardest metal in the Marvel U, unbreakable and indestructable) these claws have most likely killed more people than the Black Plague, and don’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.

4 - Saint of Killers’ revolvers – Preacher

These Colt Walker style revolvers were actually fashioned from the Angel of Death’s sword, after he retired and handed his job off to the Saint. These old-school beauties never miss and are ALWAYS fatal. They are also capable of shooting through anything up to and including tank armor, and they never run out of ammunition. Did I mention that the Saint of Killers actually used these to kill the Devil himself, as well as a few thousand angels? I guess I just did.

3 - The Bowel Disruptor – Transmetropolitan

Spider Jerusalem’s weapon of choice, even beating out a good old-fashioned boot to the groin. The Bowel Disruptor does pretty much exactly what it sounds like it would with settings that include:

Watery

Loose

Prolapse
Shat Into Unconsciousness
Unspeakable Gut Horror
Rectal Volcano
And last but certainly not least, Burning Anal Geyser.

While I don’t think the BD is powerful enough to kill, what it actually does might be worse. Much Worse.

2 - Green Lantern’s Ring - Green Lantern, JLA

Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring that gives the user great control over the physical world as long as the wielder has sufficient willpower. The user can create damn near anything from the green energy packed in that tiny ring. Created by the Guardians of the Universe, the rings were then granted to worthy candidates. These individuals make up the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps. This weapon is extremely powerful, but what makes it #2 on our list is the crazy methods the Lanterns use. Who doesn’t want to see a giant green fist smashing a spaceship to bits?

1 - Mjolnir - Thor, Avengers

This is a no-brainer. Mjolnir can only be lifted by one who is worthy, returns to the spot from which it is thrown, can summon the elements of storm (rain, wind, lightning), can open interdemensional portals and has been used to travel through time. It can absorb energy and release it in a chosen direction, repel magic, create vortexes, and detect illusions. Thor hurls Mjolnir and holds on to achieve flight. Almost nothing is capable of withstanding a hammer blow or throw. Inarguably the greatest weapon in comic history. Long story short… Mjolnir translates into English as “That Which Smashes.”

SOURCE

Crazy sign's

2009-04-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

Kudawara Pharmacy

How to interpret your dog's body language, facial expressions, and vocalizations

2009-04-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

Over the centuries wolves evolved an elaborate system of body language, facial expressions, and vocalizations to communicate with each other. Domestic dogs also use this means of communication, and all of these signals are easily understood by other dogs. If you can learn to interpret how your dog is feeling by observing its posture and expression and listening to it, you'll be well on the way to successful communication with your pet and better equipped to solve any behavior problems that arise.

Following are some major canine attitudes and their typical outward manifestations.

AGGRESSIVE

Ears Forward or back, close to head.
Eyes Narrow or staring challengingly.
Mouth/
Teeth Lips open, drawn back to expose teeth bared in a snarl. Possible jaw snapping.
Body Tense. Upright. Hackles on neck up. Completely Dominant position.
Tail Straight out from body. Fluffed up.
Vocali-
zation Snarl. Growl. Loud bark.

ALERT

Ears Perked-up. Turning to catch sounds.
Eyes Open normally or wide.
Mouth/
Teeth Mouth closed or slightly open with teeth covered.
Body Normal. Possibly standing on tiptoe. Slightly Dominant position.
Tail Up. Possibly wagging.
Vocali-
zation None. Low whine or alarm bark.

ANXIOUS

Ears Partially back.
Eyes Slightly narrowed.
Mouth/
Teeth Mouth closed, or slightly open in a "grin."
Body Tense. Slightly lowered in a Submissive position.
Tail Partially lowered.
Vocali-
zation Low whine or moaning-type bark.

CHASE, BEGINNING STAGE

Ears Perked-up, forward-pointing.
Eyes Wide open. Very alert.
Mouth/
Teeth Mouth slightly open. Excited panting.
Body Tense. Crouched low in a predatory position. Legs bent, poised to run.
Tail Extended straight out from body.
Vocali-
zation None.

CURIOUS/EAGER/EXCITED

Ears Perked-up, forward-pointing.
Eyes Wide open.
Mouth/
Teeth Mouth open, teeth covered. Possible panting.
Body Normal stance. Possible wiggling, standing on tiptoe, or pacing.
Tail Up. Wagging.
Vocali-
zation Excited short barking, whining.

DOMINANT

Ears Up straight or forward.
Eyes Wide open, staring.
Mouth/
Teeth Mouth closed or slightly open.
Body Very tall posture. Hackles may be up.
Tail Stiffened and fluffed. Up or straight out from body.
Vocali-
zation Low, assertive growl or grunt.

FEARFUL

Ears Laid back flat and low on head.
Eyes Narrowed, averted. Possibly rolled back in head, whites showing.
Mouth/
Teeth Lips drawn back to expose teeth.
Body Tense. Crouched low in submissive position. Shivering, trembling. Possible secretion from anal scent glands.
Tail Down between legs.
Vocali-
zation Low, worried yelp, whine, or growl.

FLIGHT, BEGINNING STAGE

Ears Back.
Eyes Wide open. Possibly rolled back with whites showing.
Mouth/
Teeth Slightly opened mouth. Possible drooling.
Body Tense. Shivering. Low, poised to run.
Tail Low or between legs.
Vocali-
zation None. Possible yelp or whine.

FRIENDLY

Ears Perked-up.
Eyes Wide open. Alert look.
Mouth/
Teeth Relaxed, possibly slightly open, "smiling" mouth.
Body Normal posture. Still, or possible wiggling of whole rear end.
Tail Up or out from body. Wagging.
Vocali-
zation Whimpering, yapping, or short, high bark.

GUARDING

Ears Perked-up. Forward.
Eyes Wide open, alert.
Mouth/
Teeth Mouth slightly open, teeth bared. Snapping or gnashing of teeth.
Body Tense. Rigid. Hackles up. Standing very tall in an aggressive or dominant stance.
Tail Rigid. Held straight out from body. Sometimes fluffed.
Vocali-
zation Loud alert bark. Growl. Snarl.

PLAYFUL/HAPPY

Ears Perked-up and forward, or relaxed.
Eyes Wide open. Sparkly/merry-looking.
Mouth/
Teeth Mouth relaxed and slightly open, teeth covered. Excited panting.
Body Relaxed, or front end lowered, rear end up in the air, wiggling in a play-bow. Excited bouncing and jumping up and down. Circling around and running forward and back in an invitation to play.
Tail Wagging vigorously.
Vocali-
zation Excited barking. Soft play-growling

PREDATORY

Ears Alert. Held forward or backward to catch sounds.
Eyes Wide open. Staring, focusing.
Mouth/
Teeth Mouth closed.
Body Rigid. Low to ground, ready to spring forward. Quietly sniffing the air.
Tail Straight and low.
Vocali-
zation None (so the prey won't be alerted).

SUBORDINATE (SUBMISSIVE)

Ears Down, flattened against head.
Eyes Narrowed to slits or wide open, whites showing.
Mouth/
Teeth Lips pulled way back from teeth in a "grin". Nuzzling or licking other animal or person on face.
Body Lowered to ground, front paw raised. Lying on back, belly up. Possible urine leaking/dribbling. Possible emptying of anal scent glands.
Tail Down, between legs.
Vocali-
zation None, or low, worried whining. Possible yelping/whimpering in fear.

source

5 Most Hottest Baseball Wives

2009-04-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

Women have always been attracted to baseball players. Whether it's their athleticism, high social status or - let's face it - the money, baseball's top stars never seem to have much trouble with the ladies. That said, some players clearly have a leg up on their teammates. Here are the hottest baseball players' wives who are being generating a lot of attention this spring.

Lisa Dergan Podsednik

Scott Podsednik's career has fallen off a bit since his key role as a speedster with the 2005 World Series champion White Sox, but as far as romance goes, he is still on a hot streak. Now with the Colorado Rockies, the base-swiping outfielder has been married to former playmate Lisa Dergan since February of 2006. A classic example of striking while the iron was hot.

Erica Ellyson

It doesn't get much better than being 23 years old, throwing a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox, and dating 2008 Penthouse magazine Pet of the Year Erica Ellyson. While she and Clay Buchholz are not officially husband and wife, the fact that they are dating warrants Erica's inclusion among baseball's envy-inducing women. If you don't believe she deserves to be on this list, look at her picture again, and then try to say out loud that you are unhappy that we included her - won't happen.

Anna Benson

In some cases, baseball players' wives get more media attention than their husbands. Exhibit A: Anna Benson. The supermodel wife of oft-injured pitcher Kris Benson, has generated more than her fair share of controversy. This includes showing up to a New York Mets' Christmas party in a low-cut Santa skirt. Many also speculate that her husband was eventually traded from New York when it came out that she might be posing for Playboy. We have no idea what is wrong with the NY Mets GM, but this makes no sense.

Alicia Rickter

The scorching hot babe pictured here is Alicia Rickter, former Playboy playmate and wife of Hall of Fame-bound catching legend Mike Piazza. The couple already has one daughter (Nicoletta Veronica) and is expecting their second child shortly. I guess this helps to silence the rumors regarding the sexuality of the game's all-time best hitting catcher - but then again, Rock Hudson was married once as well.

Alejandra Tejada

When your skills atrophy, you're outed as a steroids user and it's discovered that you've been lying about your age since 1993, it must be comforting to still have Alejandra Tejada by your side. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing fallen Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada has going for him these days. That, and his ongoing involvement issues with the law regarding steriod use and Rafael Palmero.

Source

Millions of Tiny Spiders Spin Mystery in a British Columbia Clover Field

2009-04-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

A warning: If the thought of tens of millions of tiny spiders spinning a web 24 hectares - 60 acres - in size and crawling all over it scares the wits out of you, you might want to tread carefully over the following. Because that's exactly what happened last month on a farmer's field near McBride, about 220 kilometres east of Prince George. For reasons that area scientists don't really understand, millions and millions of tiny black spiders called Halorates ksenius - they have no common name - became trapped in Russell Jervis' clover field and started spinning webs.

Halorates ksenius is not a big spider. "One could fit comfortably on a Smartie with plenty of room to spare," says Brian Thair, a cell biologist at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George. (Or to put it another way, it's about as big as a capital "O" printed on this page.) A typical barbwire fence on wood posts surrounded the field about six kilometres east of McBride in the Robson Valley. Thair said it looked like the whole area was covered with an opaque, white plastic grocery store bag. The thin, elastic coasting was not soft and fluffy like webs built by individual spiders. There were about two spiders per square centimetre laying the silk, which first appeared in early October. Thair said the web showed great tensile strength - enough to put a handful of coins on it without them falling through. There were "in the order of tens of millions of spiders running frantically back and forth," but they weren't interacting with each other. It's just because so many of them were in the field that the web grew and grew until at its largest, 60 acres, it was as big as the triangle-shaped field it covered. Thair had never seen anything like it before. "It was astounding to see," he said. "I couldn't believe my eyes. From two kilometres away it looked like a sheet of wet aluminium. It was the size of several city blocks. I have never in my 30 years as a biologist seen anything like this, in terms of quantity of spiders and quantity of web. Nothing even remotely approaching this."

Most of the web is gone now. Storms have ripped it apart. But during October and into early November, Thair says, it was home to possibly hundreds of millions of tiny black spiders that just kept spinning and reproducing. That caused the web to grow so large depends on whom you ask.

Thair speculates that perhaps because of some unusual weather conditions in late summer and early fall, the spiders were unable to disperse. Normally, when young spiders reach reproductive age, they spin a thread of web - a silk parachute - which is then caught by a breeze and lifts them into the air. It's called "ballooning." The wind carries the thread, with the spider attached to it, for some distance before dropping it. Where the spider lands is where it makes its home. But Thair guesses that because of too much rain or an absence of wind, the spiders in Jervis' field were unable to balloon, so they stayed where they were. Then they laid eggs, which turned into more spiders, which laid eggs and became yet more spiders. Added to that was the fact that for some reason - again Thair doesn't know what it was - the adult spiders failed to die, so they kept on reproducing too. And on and on it went.

Since the spiders didn't seem to care if an occasional insect stumbled into their construction, Thair doesn't think it was built for trapping purposes. He suggests the spiders encountered an enormous quantity of high quality, nutritious prey to be able to accomplish this feat. But he's also heard other suggestions. "Some people have said, 'oh yes, well it's a trampoline for aliens,'" Thair joked. "Or maybe it was an effort collectively by these spiders to try and catch a sheep."

Robb Bennett, an entomologist with the BC Ministry of Forests disagrees. He says the "sheet of gossamer" was likely millions and millions of drag lines the spiders produced prior to dispersing. Drag lines, he says, are anchors that spiders produce routinely to keep them connected with the ground. Bennett says these spiders - what he calls "LBJs for Little Brown Jobs" - and others very like them, live commonly in the north and probably emerged from the ground looking for the highest points in the field from which to disperse.

However, because no one who saw the web saw any spiders dispersing, he can't say for sure that a dispersal took place. Nor has Bennett ever heard of so many spiders behaving this way so far north. He's never seen the phenomenon himself, but does have a photo of a similar event in the 1990s in Louisiana. Consequently, he speculates that it may have something to do with warm temperatures. Whatever the cause, Bennett agrees with Thair that it was extraordinary. Jervis, who has owned the land for 60 years, has never seen anything like it on his farm. "The first people who saw it [in early October] thought it was frost," he said. "Then they realised it couldn't be frost because there wasn't frost anywhere else. It just kept growing and growing. Like everybody else, I'd never seen anything like it before." Jervis plowed the field early this year, which meant that in addition to the stubble a few young plants were starting to sprout. They were covered in thick cobwebs.

So were the fenceposts surrounding the field. So thick, says Thair, that he had to use a hunting knife to cut pieces of it away. (Comparatively, a spider's web is stronger than steel.) The field itself was translucent, covered with just a thin layer of web that broke if you walked on it. But on the fenceposts, where it was thickest, it was like sheets of grocery store plastic, says Thair. "You know how when you stretch a piece of plastic tight over a bowl, your fingers bounce off it? That's what it felt like."

Matthew Wheeler, a freelance photographer who lives in McBride, spent 5 hours one day taking pictures of the web and the spiders scurrying all over it. "The top of every plant and willow bush and fencepost was completely capped with this white sheet," he says. "And the whole field was undulating in a delicate way in the breeze." But if that sounds vaguely beautiful, there was a point when Wheeler said it was anything but. "There were spiders crawling all over my trousers and jacket, and they had started to spin webs over my camera bag. So I started to think about all the poison represented by all those millions and millions of spiders out there, and I started to wonder if I was being really stupid standing there." He was never bitten, but the sight of thousands of spiders "seething" over a fencepost is one he'll never forget. "I've photographed all kinds of things in astronomy and nature, but this was in a class of its own."

Could it happen again next year?

Thair doesn't know how the spiders were able to survive so close together for so long. It takes a lot of energy and protein to spin a web, so the spiders must have had a ready food source while they were trapped in the field. Thair doesn't know what it was nor does he know if they laid eggs which will survive over the winter. But he intends to examine the field more closely in coming weeks and months to find out. Thair has no patience with anyone who might be grossed out by the idea of so many spiders. "People are taught to be afraid of spiders," he says. "That's disgusting. Anyone who was afraid of spiders wouldn't have gone near this, and they would have missed something extraordinary. Adults inadvertently destroy their children's interest in science and nature by telling them to be afraid of spiders. They should stop."

Source

Can you see a spider?

2009-04-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

This spider seems to be a master of camouflage. It can be seen only if to have a closer look at the flower. However this poor fly ignored that and fell a prey to the artful hunter.

Bugs You Can Eat

2009-04-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

Crickets

United States

Peter & Faith: According to Larry Peterman, founder of the HotLix candy company, most Americans have two reactions to eating bugs: disbelief and disgust. In fact, he says, they buy his company's insect-related sweets and snacks because they think they're unbelievable and disgusting. [At right, the Cricket Lick-It, a real insect in a sugar-free crème de menthe-flavored lollipop.]

Witchetty grubs

Australia

Faith: I tend not to like the taste of fatty foods, and this thing looks like a living, squirming, pasty-white piece of fat, which, of course, it is. But even thinking about this presupposes that I put this grub in the category of "food," which I don't. Or at least didn't.

Peter: The [fire-roasted] worm's skin is crispy and light; the flesh is creamy and delicate. Witchetty grub tastes like nut-flavored scrambled eggs and mild mozzarella, wrapped in a phyllo dough pastry. … This is capital-D Delicious. Maybe my idea of circling the globe seeking out cultures that eat bugs isn't so crazy after all.

Dragonflies
Bali, Indonesia

Faith: Although chicken replaced dragonflies on his dinner table years ago, [our guide] Darsana taught his children how to hunt the insect using a slender strip of palmwood dipped in the sticky white sap of the jackfruit tree. … Standing in one paddy, Darsana shouts encouragement as his 8-year-old daughter, Ni Wayan Sriyani, slowly extends her bamboo pole as far as she can reach. A dragonfly approaches, zig-zagging over the rice. Like an expert fly-fisher, she flicks out the end of her pole and catches the wing of the first dragonfly of the day. … [Later] the family returns home to fry the cache of dragonflies in coconut oil and pop them in their mouths like candy.

Grasshoppers
Oaxaca, Mexico

Peter: [T]he grasshoppers we found on [our] second visit to Mexico are daily bread. … They are especially popular in the southern state of Oaxaca.

Mealworms
Mexico City, Mexico

Peter: A researcher who brings her work home, [our friend] Julieta has a refrigerator that is a science project in itself—dozens of containers of live and dead insects. The insects are part of a cookbook project with dozens of bug recipes she has collected or concocted herself

Mopane caterpillars
Botswana

Faith: Catching mopane worms is messy and hard on the hands. The worms have thornlike points on their backs that are sharp enough to slice unwary fingers. … Julie [a local woman] grabs a handful, and holding them tightly at one end, she squeezes out the insides from the other end. Bright green and yellow juice spurts out—instant death for the caterpillar—and then the worms are tossed into the bucket [to be stewed later as seen here]. The guts smell like freshly crushed leaves, which is exactly what they are. The cycle—pick, squeeze, toss—happens over and over, filling the buckets to capacity as the day heats up.

Palm grubs
Peru

Peter: The palms here are smaller than those in Indonesia or Uganda, but the grubs are the same size. The real difference is in the way they are eaten—uncooked. Raw, raw, raw—that's the spirit! But not for me. After we return to [our host's] house, the bowl of grubs sits out in the sun for about four hours. By the time people eat them, the white, wiggling worms are no longer white and no longer wiggling. I photograph everyone else sucking out the insides but I pass.

Faith: This is the only place we've been where Peter hasn't said he wants to eat the whole bowl of insects.

Termites
Uganda

Peter: In Uganda, snacking on termites is like raiding the refrigerator in the U.S., except that raiding a termite mound is more work.

Faith: First, hack into a waist-high termite mound to expose tunnels; second, cover the tunnel entrances with a cloth; third, wait while soldier termites attack the invading cloth; fourth, yank away cloth, pick off insects, and eat them.

Peter: Not bad—crunchy and nutty—but the bites are too little to get a fix on the taste. This snack is not for the squeamish.

Tarantulas
Cambodia

Peter: The tarantulas are greasy, but good. The legs are crispy and each big hairy body is a decent-sized chewy bite that tastes like … deep-fried tarantula. Faith asks me what they taste like, but in the English language there are no words to describe it. If day-old deep-fried chickens had no bones, had hair instead of feathers, and were the size of a newborn sparrow, they might taste like tarantulas.

Faith: I break off a leg—it's two inches long, but seems like twelve. … Peter makes it very clear to everyone that I'm a lightweight in the Tarantula-Eating Hall of Fame. Big deal.

Stink bugs
Irian Jaya, Indonesia

Faith: If one must, it's advisable to begin by eating insects that crisp up well when roasted. I wouldn't suggest starting with anything too chewy, like a worm, or too fleshy, like cicadas. You want to ease into the experience while not making a total fool of yourself. It's helpful if the people with whom you are feasting are under the age of ten. They will be paying more attention to the meal at hand than to you. … Stink bugs fit the category of crispy insect. … The taste experience is rather like eating a bitter sunflower seed, shell and all, without salt. I chew quickly.

Silkworm pupae
Guangzhou, China

Faith: By the time I work up the courage to put anything in my mouth, the food is cold. I grab a silkworm pupa with my chopsticks along with a piece of green pepper. The pupa pops in my mouth rather unpleasantly and has the consistency of rubber but the taste isn't too bad. As I wash it down with a mouthful of green tea I realize that it might have tasted alright if I'd eaten it hot.

Peter: When they are hot, the deep-fried ones are incredibly tasty. Each one pops in my mouth when I bite down, releasing a rush of flavor not unlike what I imagine a deep-fried peanut skin filled with a mild, woody foie gras would taste like.

Scorpions
Luoyang, China

Peter: The [restaurant] manager puts [live scorpions] into a small bowl of water. The scorpions aren't happy about this—they start thrashing about. A good sign, I decide. If we are going to eat live scorpions, let them be very alive. With chopsticks, the manager removes the scorpions from their bath and drops them in rice wine for a few minutes. The scorpions stop struggling and go into a coma. The chef then scissors off the tail stingers and poison sacs and arranges the scorpions on a plate. … We've been in China a month and so far my taste buds have been assaulted more times than the Great Wall. I brace myself, but the experience isn't so bad. It's very chewy with a gutsy, almost fishy taste.
SOURCE

Snowhite

2009-04-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

click on image to enlarge

Top 10 Design Trends Photo Gallery 2009's

2009-04-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Steel Counters
Designer: Melissa Morgan Sutherland, CKD
Co-Designer: Carla Taylor, CKD

While a wide variety of countertop materials are used in the latest kitchen designs, stainless steel is emerging as a new favorite, creating a sleek, modern look that ties in perfectly with stainless steel appliances. Melissa Morgan Sutherland, CKD's clients had just moved from New York, and loved the commercial styling often found in homes there. For her clients' new home in the south, Sutherland used stainless steel in a wall storage unit to provide both style and accessibility, as well as for the countertop on the sprawling island, which provides storage and prep space for two cooks. By combining the ingredients of a commercial-style kitchen, such as open shelves, high-performance stainless steel appliances, and unadorned windows, with the warmth of cherry cabinets and natural stone floors, the kitchen becomes an efficient, yet comfortable room.

Glass Elements
Designer: Matthew R. White, AKBD

The use of glass was very prominent in the kitchens seen in the 2009 NKBA Design Competition, but not in the traditional places. Glass turned up again and again in countertops and backsplashes. Often, as can be seen in this kitchen design from Matthew White, AKBD, glass tile backsplashes ran all the way from the counter to the ceiling. In this design, the glass tiles and stainless steel vent hood reflect light off one another to create a stunning effect. White also incorporated stainless steel into the sleek hardware on the maple and cherry cabinets, as well as with stainless steel sinks undermount sinks on the countertops that pick up the green hues of the glass backsplash tile. The rustic grade maple flooring ties in beautifully with the cabinetry, while a flowing slate tile path leads to the backyard.

Stone Hearths
Designer: Larry E. Frasier, CKD

Huge, dramatic hearths made of natural stone are becoming more common. Achieving a vintage Mission-style statement was paramount to the client, so Larry E. Frasier, CKD used quarter-sawn white oak cabinetry with pyramid onlays, corbels, and tapered square legs, while a huge stone hearth arched above the cooking surface immediately draws your eye. A symmetrical theme was also created in the room by flanking the sink with identical-looking base cabinetry, but what looks like three drawers on the left is actually one drawer over pull-out waste bin and what appears to be three drawers on the right is actually an integrated dishwasher. Frasier similarly disguised the refrigerator to look like an icebox, complete with heavy nickel-plated hinges and latches. A hammered antique copper undermount sink, oil-rubbed bronze faucet, handmade Craftsman cabinet hardware complete the mission theme.

Black & White Kitchens
Designer: Kristen A. Okeley, CKD
Co-Designer: Lisa Stites

Eschewing color, dramatic black and white color schemes are becoming the norm. Showrooms can be challenging spaces to design, and Kristen A. Okeley, CKD decided to use two paint colors for the cabinetry that provide contrast to one another in both value and sheen. Okeley fell in love with the room's marble, and it served as the inspiration for the entire kitchen, creating an ethereal feel. The versatility of the integrated panels on the appliances allows the sink wall to appear open and uncluttered. Adding to the clean feel, yet functional design of the space are an undercounter microwave drawer, a pair of built-in coffeemakers, and eight clear acrylic barstools. Finishing touches like the white glass lights, large eating bar, and white, high-gloss floor create visual interest in the space, while blending together for a simple feel.

Chrome is Back
Designer: Erica Westeroth, CKD
Co-Designers: Sheena Hammond & Tim Scott

After years of yielding to finishes like brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze, polished chrome is mounting a comeback, particularly in bathrooms. Hoping for a master bathroom that would create the feel of a spa getaway, Erica Westeroth, CKD's clients wanted a space that was completely relaxing, and with amenities for two, so she created a clean, modern design complete with a soaker tub under the window, as well as a glass-enclosed shower placed on a raised platform, complete with a seat extending from the tub deck to the interior of the shower. The sand-colored porcelain tile on the floor, walls, and tub deck, as well as the matte sheen dark rift oak cabinetry and dark brown limestone vanity top that Westeroth used, contrast nicely with the white fixtures, while the polished chrome faucet, towel bars, and other fittings really pop in the room.

Shoji Screens

Designer: Scott Gjesdahl

An increasing number of kitchen designs are now incorporating shoji screens, as they provide separation between the kitchen and other living spaces when needed, while still allowing light to pass through. In this Asian-influenced remodel, Scott Gjesdahl used custom sliding shoji partitions to control connectivity and circulation. A curved 'kumiko' breaks the rigidity of a typical shoji design, adding a welcome organic element. Gjesdahl added a similar set of shoji doors in the hall to conceal a coat closet and laundry, unifying the two spaces. The golden undertones of the sapele cabinets provide a warn flow the compliment the translucency of the shoji, while a large window located behind the cooktop provides an open view of the beautiful garden outside. Pebble green concrete counters and Italian porcelain floors balance perfectly with the courtyard's marble gravel.

Tin Ceilings

Designer: Chris Berry

Tin ceilings are being increasingly used to add more visual to kitchens. Chris Berry designed this space to offer symmetrical focal points when viewed from any of the kitchen's three doorways. From the breakfast room's arched doorway, the viewer's eye is drawn to the tin ceiling placed in the center of the room over an island that offers an unexpected round chopping block end table. Symmetrical glass clerestory cabinets are placed above the sink. The serving alley view from the dining room centers on an accented tall Sub-Zero wine cooler behind the circular table with a crown pot rack above. The focal point from the back hall is a much-needed built-in china cabinet beside the beverage bar. The moldings and detailing that Berry designed were inspired by the original built-in woodwork in the home's dining and drawing rooms.

Floating Cabinets
Designer: Gunter R. Sprang

In order to create a cleaner, more open feel, many of the latest bathroom designs are eliminating cabinet legs and toekicks in favor of floating, wall-mounted units. This leaves a large open area beneath the cabinets that makes the room feel more spacious. Gunter R. Sprang recognized that his client's large farmhouse provides plenty of wide open spaces, except in this one particular bathroom. Sprang's use of floating cabinets was just one method he used to make this room feel as open as the rest of the home. Installing large mirrors, spacing fixtures just right, and flooding the room with light also add to the spacious feel, while a glass-encased display of sand and shells separating the two stone counters adds an unexpected element that ties in very well with the rest of the room.

Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall
Designer: Bryan Matthew Reiss, CKD, CBD
Co-Designer: Theresa Bishop

Flush-mounted bathroom wall mirrors are starting to yield to more creative placements. Bryan Matthew Reiss, CKD, CBD created a freestanding furniture piece that had back-to-back mirrors, sinks, and faucets to provide a clear his-and-hers space. For her, behind the sink area is a mirror mounted away from the wall, perfectly positioned for applying makeup while seated at the vanity. For him, a tall cabinet provides ample room for toiletries. Both needs are met in this long, slender room with the rub and angled shower on the opposite wall. A dark, rich cherry-stained and glazed cabinetry with light limestone accents complements the floor and shower, which feature a diagonal Durango limestone and clipped corner inset Jerusalem gold limestone pattern. Oil-rubbed bronze sconces, faucets, and mirrors pop against the light tones of the stone.

Resin Panels

Designer: Jennifer Ho, CKD, CBD

Tile and stone backsplashes are still very popular, but this year saw a number of designs that instead feature backsplashes made of interesting items, such as fabric, mesh, or bamboo, that are encased in a plastic panel. Diane Foreman, CKD, CBD used this type of backsplash material that incorporates birch twigs to create a unique look that complements the burgundy and copper accents within the Blue Louise quartzite countertops. This dramatic color balances perfectly against the clean white walls and cabinets that Foreman designed. The long stainless steel handles on the cabinet doors and drawers also nicely complement the long, thin look of the birch twigs in the backsplash. This design element also picks up the sleek lines of this modern kitchen, which features an entire wall of cabinetry for storage.
SOURCE

Deer savages dogs - and no, this is not an April Fool joke

2009-04-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

When it comes to a fight between a dog and a cute little deer, you would expect there to be no contest.

And you'd be right. Rover limps home with his tail between his legs - and some nasty gashes into the bargain.

An increasing number of dog-owners in rural Bedfordshire are reporting attacks by Chinese water deer, whose ancestors escaped Woburn Safari Park.

Attack: Perdita suffered deep lacerations on her back, belly and neck

Although the deer are less than 2ft tall and weigh a maximum of 31lb, the males have a secret weapon - downward-pointing fangs which can grow more than 3in long.

Latest victim was Perdita, a six-year-old Jack Russell out for a walk with Georgina Robey, 12, and her tenyearold brother Daniel. Perdita suffered cuts on her back, neck and both sides of her stomach after an encounter with a mystery predator.

Vicious bite: Chinese water deer males fight with tusks that grow up to 3in long

It was only when the children's father Loren took the dog to a vet that they realised she had apparently fallen victim to a serial-attack deer. The same vet had already treated five dogs in a similar condition.

Mr Robey, a 43-year-old electrician, said his son and daughter came back 'distraught' from their walk in Ampthill Park, between Bedford and Luton, with Perdita bleeding from her wounds.

'My first thought was that she must have got caught in a barbed-wire fence but the vet put it down to Chinese water deer.'

John Wakely, of Ridgeway Veterinary Centre, Flitwick, said: 'In 30 years as a vet I have never seen this before. But I have treated three dogs in the past two weeks and two before Christmas.'

Mr Wakely has now put up notices in the park which warn dog owners to beware.

Ampthill park committee chairman Hector Chappell said a 'huge' Chinese water deer population had sprung up since they began to escape in the 1920s and 1930s.

'They breed throughout the year and are quite a menace. You don't normally see them except at dusk because they lie down during day as their natural colouring camouflages them in the long grass. If a dog disturbed them they would bite.'

Local vet John Wakely tended to Perdita after the attack
SOURCE

Bowling in bikini

2009-03-29T04:06:00.000-07:00

10 Animals That Look Like Ladyflowers

2009-03-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Oyster

The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of bivalve mollusks, most of which live in marine habitats or brackish water. The shell consists of two usually highly calcified valves which surround a soft body. Gills filter plankton from the water, and strong adductor muscles are used to hold the shell closed.

Some types of oysters are highly prized as food, both raw and cooked. Other types, such as pearl oysters, are not commonly eaten.

Worm Clam

The Common clam worm (Nereis succinea) is a widely distributed polychaete worm. It is often referred to as a ragworm or sandworm, or simply as the "clam worm", but these terms can all refer to any one of a number of other species of the genus Nereis (or indeed to other polychaetes). The name "common clam worm" is less ambiguous, but is also sometimes used for other Neries species such as N. virens and N. limbata.

Carnivorous Anemone

Although Sea Anemones look like flowers, they are predatory animals. These invertebrates have

no skeleton at all. They live attached to firm objects in the seas, usually the sea floor, rock, or coral, but they can slide around very slowly. Sea anemones are very long lived. Hermit crabs sometimes attach sea anemones to their shells for camouflage.

Conch

A conch (pronounced as "konk" or "konch", IPA: /ˈkɒŋk/ or /ˈkɒntʃ/)[1] is one of a number of different species of medium-sized to large saltwater snails or their shells. True conchs are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Strombidae, and the genus Strombus.

The name "conch" however, is often quite loosely applied in English-speaking countries to several kinds of very large snail-like shells of salt-water molluscs that are pointed at both ends. That is, a conch's shell has a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal. Other species often called a "conch" include the crown conch Melongena species; the horse conch Pleuroploca gigantea; and the sacred chank or more correctly Shankha shell, Turbinella pyrum. None of these are in the family Strombidae, but instead in other families of the molluscs

Sea Hare

The suborder Aplysiomorpha or Sea hares (Aplysia species and related genera) are very large sea slugs with a soft internal shell made of protein. These are marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamilies Aplysioidea and Akeroidea.

The common name "sea hare" derives from their rounded shape and from the two long rhinophores that project upwards from their heads and that somewhat resemble rabbit ears.

Star Nosed Mole

The star-nosed mole lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and mollusks. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs shallow surface tunnels for foraging; often, these tunnels exit underwater. It is active day and night and remains active in winter, when it has been observed tunnelling through the snow and swimming in ice-covered streams. Little is known about the social behavior of the species, but it is suspected that it is colonial.

Colugo Monkey

This is a colugo. According to a Berkeley University article, this "'flying' lemur of Malaysia is the champion of all gliding mammals, able to drop from the forest canopy, glide more than the length of two football fields, execute 90-degree turns and then alight gently on a tree trunk."

Giant Clam

The giant clam, Tridacna gigas, or traditionally, pa’ua, is the largest living bivalve mollusk. One of a number of large clam species native to the shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian oceans, they can weigh more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds), measure as much as 1.2 metres (4 feet) across, and have an average lifespan in the wild of 100 years or more.[1] They are also found off the shores of the Philippines.

Mussel

The common name mussel is used for members of several different families of clams or bivalve molluscs, from both saltwater and freshwater habitats. The one thing that these different groups have in common, is that they have a shell whose outline is somewhat elongated and asymmetrical compared with that of many other edible clams, the shells of which are often more or less rounded or oval in shape.

The word "mussel" is most frequently used to mean the edible bivalves of the marine family Mytilidae, most of which live on exposed shores in the intertidal zone, attached by means of their strong byssal threads ("beard") to a firm substrate. A few species (in the genus Bathymodiolus) have colonized hydrothermal vents associated with deep ocean ridges.

Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida belonging to the Cephalopoda class (which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses). Despite their common name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs. Recent studies indicate that cuttlefish are among the most intelligent invertebrate species.

SOURCE

Fast Food Of The World - Asia And Australia

2009-03-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here is the second post of a series we called “Fast Food Around The World”. Today we will take a look at what do people in Asia and Australia eat when they need to eat fast. Again, this is not a scientific research and we don’t pretend to list every food in every country. So if you have something interesting to add or if we have made some mistakes, please do not hesitate to comment and share your thoughts.

The countries and foods are arranged in no particular order.

Australia

The meat pie and sausage rolls are examples of traditional take-away foods. Typically found in many takeaway shops is the ‘Australian Hamburger’. This is mainly distinguished from other hamburgers by the range of fillings available. An order with all fillings is known as a ‘Hamburger with the Lot’. The fillings include lettuce, tomato, cheese, beetroot, grilled onion, bacon, a fried egg and pineapple.

China

n China different areas and cities all have their own specialities. Here are examples of snacks and fast food in Shanghai

Xiaolongbao - steamed dumplings with a meat and soup filling
Shengjian - fried steamed bread
Guotie - fried dumplings
Malatang - shrimp, fish balls, tofu, bean curd, lotus root, mushrooms, chicken, beef tendon, noodles, and much more get cooked in a pot of steaming broth laced with Sichuan peppers and sesame oil.
Bingtang hulu - a skewer of about half a dozen hawthorns that are dipped in a sugar syrup, which hardens into a shiny candy coating.
Roujiamo - pork, herbs, shredded lettuce, and chilli sauce stuffed into a pita-like pocket.
Suanlafen - spicy and sour noodles
Jian bing - a crepe-like snack typically found only in the north.
Yangrouchuan - lamb kebab
Zhurouchuan - pork kebabs
Dao xiao mian - handmade chewy noodles cut from ball with a knife

India

Chaat is a name of a quick food, often found in the streets of many Indian cities. Chaats are sold by street vendors in a push-cart, where the Chaatwala or the Chaat guy prepares the snacks. The popular chaats include:

Bhel Puri - diced boiled potatoes, chutney dal, coriander powder, grated coconut, and mustard oil
Masala Puri - popular evening snack. The gravy is prepared using peas and spices and the snack is arranged in layers, with crushed crispies as the base, hot peas gravy over it, raw vegetables on top of it and sweet and spicy chutneys and powders over it.
Vada Pav - is a vegetarian fast food dish. It consists of a Batata Vada a deep-fried potato mash patty served in a salted bun (pav) with savory condiments

Traditional Snacks include: Dhokla (chickpeas spiced by adding chile pepper, ginger, and baking soda. It is usually served with green chutney or some peanut oil as a side dish), Podimas (Plantain, Potato, Banana), Poha (rice).

Indonesia

In most cities it is common to see Chinese dishes such as bakpao (buns), bakmi (noodles), and bakso (meatballs). Though, pork is not used since the majority of Indonesians are Muslims. Another popular Indonesian street foods and snacks are siomay (mackerel fish meat served with peanut sauce, pempek (fish and sago), bubur ayam (chicken congee), bubur kacang hijau (green beans porridge), satay (diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef or fish), nasi and mie goreng (fried rice and fried noodle), gorengan (Indonesian assorted fritters).

Indonesian street snack also included ice and sweet beverages, such as es cendol or es dawet, es teler, es cincau, es doger, es campur, es potong, and es puter. Indonesia has rich collection of snacks called kue (cakes and pastry) either savoury or sweet: risoles, pastel, lumpia, lemper, lontong, tahu isi, lapis legit, getuk, just to name a few.

Japan

Japanese-style fast foods generally fall under three types: noodles, rice with toppings, and street foods. Common quick meals located throughout Japan:

Noodles - found everywhere;

Ramen - Japanese version of the original Chinese noodle soup served with various toppings
Udon - wheat-based noodle in broth garnished with toppings
Soba - thin brown buckwheat noodles: kake-soba (soba noodles in hot soup); zaru-soba (soba served cold with dipping sauce); yaki-soba (stir-fried soba with vegetable and meat toppings); and chuka-soba (boiled soba served with vegetables, meat, or seafood).

Rice plates - rice served with different toppings:

Kaiten-zushi - plates of different kinds of sushi, placed on a conveyor belt

Donburi - a bowl of steamed rice with various toppings: tendon (tempura shrimp); katsudon (pork and egg); oyakodon, (chicken mixed with egg); and gyudon (beef and onions)

Curry rice - thick, creamy Japanese curry sauce with chicken, pork or beef served over steamed rice.

Street foods - found at food stalls in the day time and at night known as yatai:

Oden - stew with various ingredients
Yakitori - skewered chicken, giblets, or vegetables
Okonomi-yaki – found at food carts or small shops: pancake containing various ingredients, such as pork, seafood, cabbage, etc.

Korea

Korean fast food: bulgogi (marinated barbecued beef), Gimbap (steamed white rice (bap) and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried seaweed) and served cold in bite-size slices). Hoddeok - a fried yeast dumpling, flattened to a pancake, with sticky cinnamon sugar center.

SEXY BARTENDERS

2009-03-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

I guess it’s the easiest way to attract loyal customers. Most bars and pubs look the same but if you hire a lovely bartender (any of the ones below) your bar will stand out above the rest.

The Adventures Of Mr. Fly

2009-03-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

On May 16 2007 I met Gerald Fly in my garden as I was shooting some cliché flowers. I had just bought my first cheap macro filters online and was excitingly giving them a try.

Gerald caught my attention as he was sitting on a flowerpot with nothing but a cardboard sign that said "Will work 4 food". Over the years he degraded from a successful cab driver to a poor lonely insect as he had 173 wives who cost him a fortune on make-up and clothing. Not to mention his 2184 kids, who all needed money for education and iPods.

So there he was, staring at me with his big mosaic eyes, begging me for help. Macro filters in hand I offered him a job as my new photography model.

That night we had a good drink and talked about potential photoshoots. Surprisingly he proved himself a lovely musician on both piano and guitar. And so he often played me some tunes on the window sill and dreamed about a glorious music career.

The days went by and everything went great. We really had a good time together. Until after a dangerous freefall dandelion shoot, when Gerald and I had a big fight over the conditions he had to work in. The impact of the arguments got even worse as he discovered I had secretly done some photoshoots with a ladybug called Linda.

He furiously buzzed away to the streets outside. There he maintained to hitchhike for 29 hours non-stop to Poopville, the promised land for flies, without success. But the guilt inside me was becoming too much so I begged him to come back and promised to give him a little holiday.

A few weeks later, and after some heavy bicycle training, his old belly is back and today he is once again at my side for more adventurous photoshoots!

A Break From It All

Minor Air

Minor Chords

Nocturnal Raindance

Please Help A Brother Out!

Tour De Mouches

Source

The artist with the feather-light touch who paints on discarded swan plumes

2009-03-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

Painted onto elegant swan quills, these beautiful examples of feather-art really are fit for a Queen.

Painstakingly created by English artist Ian Davie, each individual piece painted over the royally protected bird's feathers can take up to one week to complete.

Using feathers collected during the regal birds' annual moult from a swannery near to his home, Ian has spent the past four years perfecting his craft.

Painstaking: Ian Davie, 44, can take up to a week to create each of his fine detailed scenes painted onto swan feathers

After cleaning the often dirty quills and individually straightening them out with tweezers, Mr Davie, 44, who lives in a converted farmhouse in Snowdonia National Park, Wales, then begins the arduous process of painting onto the swans discarded feathers.

He said: 'I already have sketched what I want to achieve before the painting begins.

'I only have a canvas that is around one foot long and around three inches wide so I have to know exactly the course my painting will take.

'I use what in artistic circles is called a primer, which goes over the area I am going to paint on, then when that is laid down I begin to paint the scene of sketch that I have planned.'

Delicate: A pheasant sits on a log and an otter chases his next meal in examples of Mr Davie's work. The artist only took up painting five years ago and uses a special acrylic paint to avoid damaging the feathers

Incredibly, the former taxidermist, originally from Bolton, has only been painting for five years.

'I never picked up a brush before my 40th birthday,' he said.

'I had a rather chequered work history before my art took off that included marketing and design, taxidermy, farming and working as a gamekeeper in and around Snowdonia.

'I eventually started with a traditional canvas, five years ago and discovered to my surprise that I was quite adept at painting.

'My experience outdoors in Wales and in a strange way with the taxidermy have all helped to inform my animal and landscape art.'

This work depicting bullfinches is, unsurprisingly, called Bullfinch Five Feather. Mr Davie was inspired to paint feathers when he saw the feather art of the Maori people in New Zealand

However, it was only after he had completed work on his converted farmhouse in the wilds of Snowdonia in 2005 that his art came into focus.

'That house took me ten years to complete,' Mr Davie said.

'I then went on a very fortuitous holiday to New Zealand where I met my wife Tracey and most importantly observed the feather art of the Maori people.

'A lightbulb went on in my mind when I made the connection and realised that in my time in Wales I had observed hundreds of swan feathers on the ground in Wales, which were literally all blank canvasses.'

Four years on, and his feathered art sells for around £500 to £700 per intricate piece.

'Over the years I have experimented and am continually trying to perfect my work,' he said.

'I now put together five feathers in a row to create a larger canvas for me to paint on and these are now selling for up to £1,800.

'The reaction to my work has indeed been totally positive and well received.'

Mr Davie uses a special acrylic paint that protects and coats the feather, and a specialised 000-size brush to fill in the finer details.

He said: 'These feathers come from the birds' enormous wingspan and therefore using an oil based paint would corrupt the integrity of the feather.

'I asked an expert from the Natural History Museum in London how long my art would last and they replied that feathers had been found totally intact inside the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs.'

Mr Davie's work has since been exhibited at the Welsh Museum of Modern Art and he has been asked to become the artist in residence at the Nature and Art Museum in Gloucestershire.

King Tut's face unveiled to world

2009-03-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

The face of Egypt's most famous ancient ruler, King Tutankhamun, has been put on public display for the first time.

Archaeologists took the mummy from its stone sarcophagus and placed it in a climate-controlled case inside his tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings.

The event comes 85 years to the day after the pharaoh's tomb was discovered by British explorer Howard Carter.

Until now, only about 50 living people have seen the face of the boy king, who died more than 3,000 years ago.

As experts lifted Tutankhamun from his coffin they briefly set aside the white linen covering his remains, revealing a shrivelled black face and body.

The move is part of a plan to protect the remains. Archaeologists say they are under threat from the heat and the humidity brought into the tomb by the vast numbers of tourists visiting each year.

"The golden boy has magic and mystery and therefore every person all over the world will see what Egypt is doing to preserve the golden boy, and all of them I am sure will come to see the golden boy," Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass told reporters before the body was moved.

Tutankhamun ruled Egypt from 1333-1324 BC and is believed to have ascended to the throne aged about nine.

Although in life he was of only moderate historical significance, in death Tutankhamun achieved worldwide fame thanks to the virtually intact state of his tomb when it was opened by Carter in 1922.

The tomb was packed with a fabulous trove of gold and ebony treasures of such luxury that when Carter first looked inside the tomb and was asked if he saw anything, his famous reply was: "Yes, wonderful things."

Cause of death

The centrepiece of the tomb was the pharaoh's mummified body, covered in amulets and jewels and wearing a solid gold burial mask.

In an effort to extricate the treasures, Carter and his team cut the body into pieces, chopping off the limbs and head, and using hot knives and wires to remove the gold mask which was fused to Tutankhamun's face by the embalming process.

The body was reconstructed and returned to its original sarcophagus in 1926, only being removed for X-ray testing three times in subsequent years.

The treasures that were unearthed have captivated the world and drawn millions to the Valley of the Kings.

Questions over why Tutankhamun died at about the age of 19, and rumours of a curse prematurely killing those involved with the excavation of his tomb, have only increased the pharaoh's fame.

When the body was X-rayed in 1968, a shard of bone was found in his skull, prompting speculation that he was killed by a blow.

Some historians have argued he was killed for attempting to bring back polytheism after succeeding Akhenaten, who had abandoned Egypt's old gods in favour of monotheism.

However a CT scan of his remains in 2005 led researchers to say that he was not murdered and may have died of complications from a broken leg.

Egyptian antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said the research suggests the boy king died after the wound became infected, and though not all of the team agreed with the assessment, all rejected the long-standing murder charge.

The mummy of Egypt's most famous ancient ruler, King Tutankhamun, has been put on public display for the first time inside his tomb complex in the Valley of the Kings.

The movement took place 85 years to the day after British archaeologist Howard Carter first discovered the tomb.

As archaeologists began the task of moving the body they carefully lifted the lid of the gilded wooden coffin.

Then slowly the remains of the king himself were lifted out of the stone sarcophagus.

Briefly the piece of linen covering the pharaoh's body was pulled aside, revealing his shrivelled, blackened body.

The mummy was placed inside a climate-controlled box where a temperature of 25C and humidity level of around 35% will be maintained.

The case will protect the remains from damage caused by more than 350 visitors a day.

The granite sarcophagus, which had been the king's resting place for over 3,000 years, now lies empty.

Stamping on Hitler

2009-03-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

Millions would love a chance to wipe their feet on Adolf Hitler and now it looks like they could have the chance with this 'Hitler rug'

The work is by Israeli artist Boaz Arad who says he is hoping to show how the Holocaust has scarred Israel, but also been misused by it.

He says the rug is a representation of what a Nazi hunter would do if he caught the ultimate prize, the Nazi leader.

The exhibition is at the Tel Aviv Center for Contemporary Arts.

How to make Vodka Gummi Bears

2009-03-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Vodka Gummi Bears

When you soak gummi bears in vodka, they absorb the alcohol and turn into a yummy fruity treat with a kick. The how-to part of this is pretty simple, so I decided to make things a little more interesting. In addition to regular vodka gummi bears, I made vodka sugar-free gummi bears, vodka gummi worms (purely to see if they turned out any cooler looking than the bears) and vodka Red Fish (these were disgusting, but in the interest of science I will share my mistakes as well as my triumphs).

For those of you who like really detailed instructions, first up is a tutorial. Those of you who already know how to do it, skip ahead to the “Results” heading.

How to make Vodka Gummi Bears

You’ll need:

Vodka
Gummi bears or worms, sugar-free or regular
A glass container (a glass with plastic wrap over it will do - rumor has it plastic does bad things to vodka, so be sure there’s no plastic actually touching the vodka). I used some Anchor Hocking glass storage containers I use for leftovers.

I put the bears/worms/fish into the glass dishes. Then I poured in vodka until it reached the top of the candy. Using that much vodka makes the candy swell and take on a noticeable but not unpleasant “burning” alcohol sensation. If you don’t want the alcohol that strong, use less vodka. (The amount of time you let the bears soak has no impact on how alcoholic they are. They will suck up nearly every drop of vodka you put in, so the trick is to use the right amount for your taste. You can always add more if you taste them after a day or so and think they’re not alcoholic enough.)

Then I put the dishes in the fridge. (The purple stuff is plastic wrap I tucked under the glass lids as extra insurance against the fruity smell leaking out into the whole fridge, but I’m not sure it was necessary.) I left the bears soaking for a total of five days, but after three they had absorbed about all the vodka they could. Give yourself time to leave them in at least a couple of days, if possible. This picture was taken about twelve hours after they started soaking - you can see they’ve absorbed some of the vodka because the level of liquid is lower relative to the bears:

I was told gummi treats would swell up “huge.” The bears did get noticeably bigger, but what really got big was the worms. Here’s a before and after picture (the red bear is sugar free, the green one is regular):

You’ll also find some liquid at the bottom of the dish. This is fruity vodka. It doesn’t look gorgeous or anything (kind of cloudy, may contain a gooey lump or two), so you may not want to serve it at a party, but it’s perfectly drinkable for you.

The Results

The regular gummi bears turned out very yummy, but surprisingly, I liked the sugar free gummi bears better. They had a more refreshing taste than the ones with sugar, stayed a little firmer, and the alcohol kick was a bit stronger. If you’re watching your carbs, this is a really fun way to feel like you’re not.

The gummi worms also came out a little more exciting than the regular bears, in my opinion, but they were messier. I liked these because they got very big and… well, that was it, really. Big huge vodka worms. But they were a little more slippery to grasp than the bears, hence a little messier. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing - depends what kind of party you’re having!

The Red Fish were these gummi-ish, waxy-ish things I found in the candy aisle and thought, why not see if other candies will soak up vodka nicely? The answer, in hindsight: because it’s a waste of vodka. The vodka softened about a 16th of an inch of the outside of the candy into goo, left the interior part hard, and didn’t really penetrate the candy at all. There was still a lot of vodka floating around in that dish. Also, the candies themselves aren’t very tasty. So you really need truly gummi stuff for this. But I have to admit, the candy-flavored vodka in the dish was pretty tasty.

The alcohol content in each vodka gummi isn’t very high, but if you eat many of them, you’ll feel the effects. Be forewarned and plan accordingly.

Bunnies will always survive

2009-03-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Cool Paintings

2009-02-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

Cars with Propellers an Illustrated Overview

2009-02-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Plasticine Monster's

2009-02-15T03:56:00.000-08:00

SOURCE

Gun Replicas Colorful Gallery of Famous Guns

2009-02-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

While we all know that guns are not toys, these colorful gun replicas designs are cool enough to be placed on a living room wall as a really colorful home design and they are also replicas of famous guns.

These gun replicas gallery designs provided by David Buckingham Studios are absolutely amazing. The various colors, shapes and design of the assorted guns really give a different style to each, which I have not seen before.

Each of these sculptures also have famous nicknames which we could be familiar with: Son of Sam, Phil Spector, Mark David Chapman, Barney Fife, Travis Bickle III, Officer Christina Labriola LAPD, and Valerie Solanos.

Again, guns are not toys and should not be played with, but all of these seen here are made from cut and welded found metal and are not functional as a weapon.

Love me 'I do' - Sir Paul McCartney free to marry girlfriend Nancy Shevell

2009-01-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

Stella McCartney gives the happy couple her blessing.

Sir Paul McCartney’s new girlfriend Nancy Shevell is now divorced from her husband... leaving her free to marry the music legend.

Her divorce from wealthy lawyer Bruce Blakeman was made final last month.

And we can reveal that Sir Paul has told friends he now plans to wed US haulage heiress Nancy, saying: “We are blissfully happy together.”

Crucially, Sir Paul has the blessing of daughter Stella, who was a fierce opponent of his disastrous and costly second marriage to Heather Mills.

Friends say the top fashion designer would be delighted to welcome Nancy into the family.

“Getting Stella’s seal of approval was very important for Paul,” a well-placed McCartney insider said yesterday. All Paul’s children had massive reservations about Heather – but it was Stella who was the most vociferous.”

Nancy’s divorce was signed on December 2 and made final on December 9 in the US Supreme Court of the State of New York.

The couple divorced in the most amicable way under the city’s laws – after being legally separated for a year and 60 days.

Nancy, 49, has grown so close to Stella that she buys Christmas and birthday presents for her children.

Significantly, Sir Paul, 66, has sought the approval of the family of his adored first wife Linda, who died in 1998. Ten days ago, Linda’s brother John Eastman joined Sir Paul and Nancy for a very public lunch in Manhattan celebrity haunt Michael’s.

A friend said: “Linda remains paramount in Paul’s thoughts and always will, so it will matter enormously to him to have the Eastman family’s support.”

Nancy, who has a 17-year-old son from her first marriage, spent Christmas in the UK with Paul, dividing her time between his Peasmarch Estate near Rye in East Sussex and his mansion in London’s St John’s Wood.

The couple, who have just returned from a holiday in Mexico, are expected to make a joint appearance in Edinburgh on Tuesday at the opening of a photo exhibition by Paul’s brother Mike.

Nancy, a regular at the Stella McCartney store in New York, has also been spending a lot of time with Paul’s daughter Beatrice, five.

The friend added: “Unlike Heather, Nancy is a multi-millionaire in her own right and therefore could never be portrayed as being interested in Sir Paul for his money. She is calm, measured and mature, whereas Heather is fiery and impulsive.

“Nancy and Sir Paul are totally natural together and feel blessed to have found happiness together.
“Nancy is funny, bright, loving, warm and open. Stella has told friends that Nancy would make an ideal stepmother.”

Sir Paul has known Nancy socially for more than 30 years. His children have known her affectionately as “Lady O” because she often wears Jackie Onassis-style sunglasses.

Sir Paul and Linda were friends of Nancy and her ex Bruce on the dinner-party circuit in the exclusive US East Coast holiday retreat of The Hamptons, Long Island. The families developed a closer bond when Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, a year after Linda.

Maccas’s friends and family view Nancy as much closer in spirit to Linda than former model Heather, whose murky past caused Sir Paul huge embarrassment before to their £24million divorce.

The source added: “Nancy has been through a lot – not least overcoming breast cancer. She also comes from a similar wealthy East Coast background to Linda. They shared a similar outlook on life. She joined the family firm in the 1980s and has become wealthy in her own right. It makes everyone comfortable that she is clearly not after Paul’s money.

“It suits Paul that she is also discreet and, unlike Heather, does not court publicity.”

Nancy has even reportedly toned down her right-wing Republican views to align herself more with Sir Paul’s liberal political outlook. She has also swapped her favourite steaks for veggie dishes in deference to his long-standing refusal to eat meat.

The friend said: “Paul is a big believer in the institution of marriage, and his friends are in absolutely no doubt he will propose to Nancy in time.

“Her divorce has been hanging over them – with all the baggage from the past that it represents. So it feels like a great relief to have it all sorted.”

Nancy, whose family freight business is worth around £250million, legally separated from Bruce in November 2007 after 23 years.

Nancy and Paul were first romantically linked soon afterwards when they were pictured kissing in a car in East Hampton, where they both have houses. At the time, Macca was embroiled in his bitter divorce from Heather. Bruce, a leading lawyer who remains on good terms with Nancy, is understood to be pleased she has found a new partner.

Last August they drove across America in a 1989 Ford Bronco, following the old Route 66, the legendary route to the West, staying in motels and hotels on the way.

The friend said: “The road trip was when they realised quite how much they loved each other. They’ve both got loads of money but they were at their happiest just driving together in an old car staying in motels.

“Paul is basically a very down-to-earth guy and he was blown away to discover that Nancy is also very chilled and relaxed.

“Now everything is in place for Paul and Nancy to make their lives together – with the approval of both of their families.”
SOURCE

10 Must See President Obama Websites

2009-01-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

The wait is over and the 44th President of the United States of America has been inaugurated. Here are 10 of the most memorable websites featuring the new POTUS, hopefully something for all tastes.

Is Obama President?

This may prove a useful site to bookmark! Of course, you know the answer to the question, but can you say for how long he has been President? This site will blissfully wipe away those troubles as it will tell you - to the second - just how long this particular POTUS has been in office. So, when the thrill wears off and you start those email complaints you can refer to this site and start your moan ‘In all the two years, seven months, six days, twelve hours and forty two seconds this man has been President...' Useful, eh?

Obama Slideshow

Flickr is one of the largest repositories of photographs in the world. If you have a little (no, a lot of) time and want to see any and (almost) every picture to do with the world's new President of the USA, then take a look at this! This slideshow generates every picture on Flickr that is tagged with the word Obama. Crank up some music and sit back and enjoy!

POTUS Dance

Oh dear! President Obama has been dancing rather a lot at the moment and it all seems to have gone badly wrong! If you have epilepsy it may be better not to watch this! If, however, you are of a daft bent and want to bop along with Barack, this may be right up your street!

Dear Mr President

Everybody is talking about him at the moment, but what would you say if you could talk to him? This may be the closest you can get to doing the real thing - or you might want to join the queue at number eight million, seven hundred and fifty thousand, two hundred and forty three! You can record your own message to the President here and upload it - there are hundred if not thousand already posted - and tell POTUS what you would like to see him doing during his first term in office. Of course you can see what everyone else is asking him for - as if PO has usurped a certain Santa Claus from his job as well as a certain Bush Junior!

Inaugural Speech Generator

History has yet to judge whether the first major speech of President Obama's tenure in office was truly memorable or not. You may have already formed your own opinions. If you weren't entirely happy with the contents of President Obama's Inaugural speech, then why not create your own and preserve it for posterity. Depending on how flippant you are feeling, you could end up with some quite outrageous results!

Inaugural Speech Snowcloud

This is bordering on the spectacular! A snowcloud is an interactive word cloud. It brings all the most used words of President Obama's speech and condenses it in to a word cloud. That is not all! You can put your cursor over the word of your choice and you will see where and how often it was used during his speech. If you click on the word you will get a video and transcript with the word - and where it was used in context. Awesome!

Who's In The Cabinet?

A new President means a new Cabinet and that can mean an awful lot of head scratching. So, who exactly is who in the new Cabinet? This site gives an insight in to those who will possibly influence the forty fourth President the most over the next few years. One or two people most of the world will recognize, but how many will become household names of the future. Is the forty fifth President amongst these ranks?

Obama Hindi Song and Dance

You may want to know all about the policies of the new POTUS. In that case, don't click here. However, if you want to see a very funny clip of then new President celebrating his inauguration by partaking in a Hindi song and dance routine, you have come to the right place. Proof positive of what a strange old world we live in!

Yes We Can!

Probably someone is working on the words to ‘Yes We Did' right at the moment, but in the interim, you can visit the highlights of President Obama's campaign right here, with photos, music and video to sway along to as you take in the highlights of his election campaign. The accompanying song - Yes We Can - is by Andy Fraser who is best known for his time with the band Free in the nineteen seventies. Groovy, man! This serves as a wonderful reminder why people voted for Obama!

White People For Obama

If you are white and you can't remember why you voted for him, then this may remind you why! President Obama managed to sway the white folks in to supporting him - and here we can see why! With a slight slant on the funny ha ha if not peculiar, we see why meatballs, teens, lesbians and gay - and more - members of the white community helped take the Senator to the White House! My own particular favorite here is ‘Gays for Obama' but you will have to make your own mind up!
SOURCE

Pub liable for drink-drive death

2009-01-19T05:37:00.000-08:00

A WOMAN has successfully sued a Tasmanian pub over the death of her husband in a drink-driving crash.
Shane Scott was killed when he crashed his motorcycle while riding home from the Tandara Motor Inn at Triabunna, on Tasmania's east coast, on January 24 2002.

At the time of his death Mr Scott had a blood alcohol reading more than five times the legal limit.

In Hobart this morning the full court of the Supreme Court found the hotel and its then-licensee Michael Andrew Kirkpatrick owed a duty of care to Mr Scott.

In a majority decision, the court found the duty of care was breached and that Mr Scott's widow Sandra should be awarded damages for her husband's death.

That ruling -- thought to be a first in Australia -- overturned the Supreme Court's original dismissal of Mrs Scott's lawsuit in late 2007.

The court heard Mr Scott was drinking at the Tandara Motor Inn after work.

There was talk of police being in the area so he gave his motorbike keys to Mr Kirkpatrick.

But later, having consuming up to eight cans of Jack Daniels and cola, Mr Scott retrieved the keys and rode off.

One of the full court judges, Peter Evans, said Mr Kirkpatrick and the hotel had a duty to take "reasonable care to avoid Mr Scott riding the motor cycle from the hotel whilst intoxicated".

A further hearing will be held at a later date to determine the level of damages the widow is entitled to.

Source

The Most Worst Popes Of All Time

2009-01-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

Pope Stephen VI: had his predecessor exhumed, tried, de-fingered, and thrown to the river

Stephen VI was Pope from 896 to 897. Fueled by his anger with Pope Formosus, his predecessor, he exhumed Formosus's rotting corpse and put "him" on trial, in the so-called "Cadaver Synod" in January, 897.

With the corpse propped up on a throne, a deacon was appointed to answer for the deceased pontiff, who was condemned for performing the functions of a bishop when he had been deposed and for receiving the pontificate while he was the bishop of Porto, among other revived charges that had been leveled against Formosus in the strife during the pontificate of John VIII.

The corpse was found guilty, stripped of its sacred vestments, deprived of three fingers of its right hand (the blessing fingers), clad in the garb of a layman, and quickly buried; it was then re-exhumed and thrown in the Tiber. All ordinations performed by Formosus were annulled.

The trial excited a tumult. Though the instigators of the deed may actually have been Formosus' enemies of the House of Spoleto (notably Guy IV of Spoleto), who had recovered their authority in Rome at the beginning of 897 by renouncing their broader claims in central Italy, the scandal ended in Stephen's imprisonment and his death by strangling that summer.

Pope Benedict IX: the Pope who sold the papacy

Benedict IX was Pope from 1032 to 1044, again in 1045, and finally from 1047 to 1048, the only man to have served as Pope for three discontinuous periods. Benedict gave up his papacy for the first time in exchange for a large sum of money in 1044. He returned in 1045 to depose his replacement and reigned for one month, after which he left again, possibly to marry, and sold the papacy for a second time, to his Godfather (possibly for over 650 kg /1450 lb of gold). Two years later, Benedict retook Rome and reigned for an additional one year, until 1048. Poppo of Brixen (later to become Pope Damascus II) eventually forced him out of Rome. Benedict’s place and date of death are unknown, but some speculate that he made further attempts to regain the Papal Throne. St. Peter Damian described him as “feasting on immorality” and “a demon from hell in the disguise of a priest” in the Liber Gomorrhianus, a treatise on papal corruption and sex that accused Benedict IX of routine homosexuality and bestiality.

Pope Sergius III: ordered the murder of another pope and started the "pornocracy"

Sergius III was Pope from 897 to 911, and has been the only pope known to have ordered the murder of another pope and the only known to have fathered an illegitimate son who later became pope; his pontificate has been described as "dismal and disgraceful." The pontificate of Sergius III was remarkable for the rise of what papal historians call a "pornocracy," or rule of the harlots, a reversal of the natural order as they saw it, according to Liber pontificalis and a later chronicler who was also biased against Sergius III. This "pornocracy" was an age with women in power: Theodora, whom Liutprand characterized as a "shameless whore... [who] exercised power on the Roman citizenry like a man" and her daughter Marozia, the mother of Pope John XI (931–935) and reputed to be the mistress of Sergius III.

Pope John XII: raped female pilgrims and invoked pagan gods

John XII was Pope from 955 to 964. On 963, Holy Roman Emperor Otto I summoned a council, levelling charges that John had ordained a deacon in a stable, consecrated a 10-year-old boy as bishop of Todi, converted the Lateran Palace into a brothel, raped female pilgrims in St. Peter's, stolen church offerings, drank toasts to the devil, and invoked the aid of Jove, Venus, and other pagan gods when playing dice. He was deposed, but returned as pope when Otto left Rome, maiming and mutilating all who had opposed him. On 964, he was apparently beaten by the husband of a woman with which he was having an affair, dying three days later without receiving confession or the sacraments.

Pope Leo X: sold indulgences, killed cardinals

Leo X was Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He is known primarily for the sale of indulgences to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 theses.

According to Alexandre Dumas, "under his pontificate, Christianity assumed a pagan character, which, passing from art into manners, gives to this epoch a strange complexion. Crimes for the moment disappeared, to give place to vices; but to charming vices, vices in good taste, such as those indulged in by Alcibiades and sung by Catullus." When he became Pope, Leo X is reported to have said to his brother Giuliano: “Since God has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it.”

His extravagance offended not only people like Martin Luther, but also some cardinals, who, led by Alfonso Petrucci of Siena, plotted an assassination attempt. Eventually, Pope Leo found out who these people were, and had them followed. The conspirators died of “food poisoning.” Some people argue that Leo X and his followers simply concocted the assassination charges in a moneymaking scheme to collect fines from the various wealthy cardinals Leo X detested.

Pope Alexander VI: nepotism, orgies and the rise of the Borgia family

Alexander VI was Pope from 1492 to 1503. He is the most controversial of the secular popes of the Renaissance, and his surname (Italianized as Borgia) became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era. Originally Cardinal Borgia from Spain, Pope Alexander's claims to fame were taking over much of Italy by force with the help of his son Cesare (yes, his son), a racy relationship with his daughter Lucrezia (some say her son was his), and his affinity for throwing large parties, bordering on orgies, that usually culminated with little naked boys jumping out of large cakes.

Pope Innocent IV: introduced torture on the Inquisition

Pope Innocent IV was Pope from 1243 to 1254. Certainly the Inquisition represents the darkest of Roman Church history, and it was Innocent IV who approved the use of torture to extract confessions of heresy. He aggressively applied the principle that “the end justifies the means.” It is shocking to learn about the deranged instruments of torture that were used on so many innocent people. One of the most famous people to suffer at the hands of Roman inquisitors was Galileo. The church condemned Galileo for claiming that the earth revolved around the sun.

Pope Urban VI: complained he did not hear enough screaming when his Cardinals were tortured

Urban VI was Pope from 1378 to 1389. He was the first Pope of the Western Schism (which ultimately lead to three people claiming the Papal throne at the same time). Once elected, he was prone to outbursts of rage. The cardinals who elected him decided that they had made the wrong decision and they elected a new Pope in his place, so he took the name of Clement VII and started a second Papal court in Avignon, France. Later he would launch a program of violence against those he thought to have been conspiring against him, imprisoning people at will and mistreating them brutally. Later historians have considered seriously that he might have been insane.

The second election threw the Church into turmoil. There had been antipopes, rival claimants to the papacy, before, but most of them had been appointed by various rival factions; in this case, the legitimate leaders of the Church themselves had created both popes. The conflict quickly escalated from a church problem to a diplomatic crisis that divided Europe. Secular leaders had to choose which pope they would recognize. The schism was repaired forty years later when all three of the (then) reigning Popes abdicated together and a successor elected in the person of Pope Martin V.

Pope John XV: split the church's finances among his relatives

John XV was Pope from 985 to 996. The Pope's venality and nepotism had made him very unpopular with the citizens, as he split the church's finances among his relatives and was described as "covetous of filthy lucre and corrupt in all his acts."

Pope Clement VII: his power-politicking with France, Spain, and Germany got Rome sacked

Clement VII was Pope from 1523 to 1534. A member of the powerful Medici family, Clement VII possessed great political and diplomatic skills - but he lacked the understanding of the age necessary to cope with the political and religious changes he faced. His relationship with Emperor Charles V was so bad that, in May 1527, Charles invaded Italy and sacked Rome.

Imprisoned, Clement was forced into a humiliating compromise which forced him to give up a great deal of secular and religious power. Eventually, Clement became ill and never recovered. He died on September 25, 1534, hated by the people of Rome, who never forgave him for the destruction of 1527.

Boxgrove Priory Ruins

2009-01-07T04:45:00.000-08:00

Boxgrove Priory, in the village of Boxgrove in Sussex, was founded in about 1066 by Robert de Haye, who in 1105 bestowed the church of St. Mary of Boxgrove upon the Benedictine Abbey of Lessay. In about 1126 upon the marriage of Robert's daughter Cecily, to Roger St. John the number of monks living at Boxgrove was increased from the original three to six, and by 1187 there were a total of fifteen. The nineteenth monk was added to the priory in about 1230 by William de Kainesham, Canon of Chichester. By 1535 the priory's possessions were worth £185 19s. 8d. gross, and £145 10s. 2½d. clear.

The Priory was dissolved in 1536. At the time of the dissolution there were eight priests and one novice, as well as twenty-eight servants and eight children living in the priory.

Photo

The Most Beautiful FireFox Wallpapers ever!

2009-01-06T04:39:00.000-08:00

A Look In The Lives Of Phone Sex Operators

2009-01-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

A look at what phone sex operators look like as well as their desires, fears, motivations and most memorable calls from Philip Toledano Phone Sex project whose new book will be published in July 2008 by Twin Palms. The book interviews nearly 30 phone sex operators so that we can hear their stories during their work in the phone sex industry.

My first night, there was a gentleman who called himself Bob.

He explained that he had no one he felt comfortable telling his desires to, and

I felt a strange intimacy between us.

I think it’s easier to release repressed desires to a non-judgmental, fictional person, because there are no consequences in the outside world.

When I first started I was nervous.

But after a while, I guess you could say the kinkier the talk, the more I was like, wow!

Let’s just say I have found myself and my sexuality through this.

I got into phone sex because I thought:

‘Why not get paid for talking dirty, instead of doing it for free?’

It brings up my self-esteem up so much, knowing guys are looking at my pics and wanting to talk to me.

Wanting me to take them to a whole other place, fulfilling their fantasies. Painting that picture in their mind for them.

I got into working as a PSO about five years ago.

Before I did this I was working part-time in a doctor’s office and was very unhappy with my work, and my home life. I was in an abusive relationship and had no way in the foreseeable future of getting out.

Then a regular customer of mine sent me a very nice tip, and along with my income tax refund, I was able to relocate and terminate that abusive relationship.

If I didn’t work this job…I could have been killed by that man.

I struggle and I don’t make a huge income here.

But I survive, and I help my children when they need it.

I feel I’m doing a huge service, because any man can call and act out just about any fantasy with me, and not have to worry about repercussions. I think being able to do this is good for them, as well as me.

I’m 60 years old, I have a BA in cultural anthropology from Columbia University, and I’ve been married for 25 years.

I make twice the money I made in the corporate world.

I work from home; the money transfers into my bank account daily.

I’m Scheherazade: If I don’t tell stories that fascinate the pasha, he will kill me in the morning.

I never thought I would work in the phone sex industry.

All those years doing customer service, my customers would comment on my sexy voice.

I thought I was being professional, not sexy.

This work is customer service too.

But your customers leave with more than a smile.

I was young when I started in the phone sex world. I had no choice.

My grandmother had gotten sick and I needed to be able to help her, and still work and make good money.

I was reading the paper looking for a night job, and I saw a job as a train conductor. I thought to myself, ‘rats!’ Then I saw an ad saying ‘Make good money as a phone sex operator,’ and well, I’m scared of rats, so ding!

As a virgin, it was hard for me to talk about sex to horny men.

I had to read books and watch porno films with my friends—they’d point at something on the screen and say ‘Use that in your phone calls!’

To the caller, when I first answer, I am the inanimate Barbie.

I breathe life into the fantasy, I carve the doll out of flesh.

I do not view myself as this doll, as the commodity.

I am the manufacturer who creates her from the blueprint that the caller provides me.

When the caller comes, it is positive feedback.

Like an architect patting his contractor on the back.

One of my most memorable calls was also one of the grossest.

It was a fetish call. A scat fetish.

I started out by telling him I was a vegan.

I cracked him up. He was laughing so hard, he had to hang up because he couldn’t get back into our fantasy.

The people who touched my heart were the ones who stood out.

There was Jonny in Boston. He and his wife were trying to get pregnant.

He was calling from a fertility clinic because the magazines he was given weren’t working for him.

He ended up calling regularly even after his daughter was born.

Definitely the most amusing part about the job was when my partner would be in the room with me, usually reading while I worked.

She’d only hear my half of the conversation, so she’d either think it was absolutely hysterical or, sometimes, kind of sexy.

I’d usually try to avoid eye contact with her during a call, because I’d see her stifling a smirk and I’d start laughing uncontrollably.

Sometimes I could work that into the call; other times I really couldn’t.

Just last night I received possibly the most disturbing phone sex call I’d had in a long time.

A caller shot himself with me on the phone.

Things like this always scare me.

My current track record stands at one confession of incestuous sexual abuse, and two other suicides.

8 Monumental Sexual Experiences You Must Have

2009-01-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

There are moments in a man's life when good, wholesome sex becomes something more. When the bed rocks, the walls shake, and the wildlife starts howling at the moon.

Rest up.

Tonight's going to be one of those nights.

I like to think of a man's sex life as the 11 o'clock SportsCenter. Besides a few bloopers and vital stats (97 seconds-a career high!), we keep a reel of sexual highlights-maybe it's our first home run, or an incomparable breast stroke, or that dramatic come-from-behind victory.

But what exactly makes the difference between a decent sex highlight and one you'll replay your whole life?

Depending on your preferences, it can be anything: urgent, sweaty, passionate, anonymous, long, short, in a cab, under a palm tree, with a palm tree, whatever. The defining characteristic is that it's just a heck of a lot better than the other 147 times you had sex this year.

Inspired to make more highlights, we pulled together a list of the eight most monumental sexual experiences in most men's lives and figured out why they're such milestones. The key in almost all of the instances is this: The hotter you make her, the hotter the sex will be. "A bonfire doesn't start instantly," says Lou Paget, author of The Big O. "You have to fuel it; you've got to light it." So here-in an effort to make once-in-a-lifetime experiences come more often-we provide the firewood and the gas. Your job: Light the match.

Wedding-Night Sex

His & Her Bridal Thong Panties

Why it's monumental: It's her perfect day. She looks gorgeous (and she's been told that 493 times an hour). Her whole family is around her. And now she truly feels the comfort and security of having a husband.

Translation: "The reward system in her brain is going bonkers," says Helen Fisher, Ph.D., an anthropologist at Rutgers University and author of The First Sex. Physiologically, her feel-good chemicals-dopamine and epinephrine-are firing fast, meaning she's wired to feel euphoric and to give as much pleasure as she's receiving.

Have it tonight: Even if you went on your honeymoon 12 years ago, or don't plan on going on one for another 12 years, you can create the spark by triggering her reward system. Try these tricks:

In the morning, use a ballpoint pen to write a sexy note somewhere on her body. Try the top of her thigh (prime real estate, with minimum exposure to coworkers). "Women are turned on by words," Fisher says. Start with "I," end with "you," and use the verb of your choice in between. Giving her 9 or 10 hours to see, think about, and fantasize about your note starts the percolation process.

When she comes home, try this move. While facing her, hold her head with both of your hands, tilt her head back, and gently kiss the side of her neck. "If you touch a woman the way she wants to be touched, she'll be all over you," says Paget. That means staying away from your traditional "go to" spots and kissing the parts of her body you usually ignore, like the back of her hand, the inside of her elbow, or her hipbone.

Now that you're under the covers, expand your repertoire of oral sex-a nice reward in itself. Paget suggests the Kivin method: You lie perpendicular to her body, which allows you to stroke her clitoris with your tongue in a crosswise motion, rather than up and down. She'll appreciate the change in stimulation-hopefully, enough to return the reward.

Honey-I'm-Home Sex

Why it's monumental: If you haven't eaten all day, you pig out at dinner. Same with sex. If you're attached, a business trip equals massive sexual deprivation. It means the closest thing you're getting to regular sex is the midnight showing of the hotel's $14.99 adult movie. (Note: Titles do not appear on your bill.) So when you reach home, the deprivation turns into sexual gorging. "You usually find that this is the most romantic sex, because it starts out with long, luscious kisses that really get the juices flowing," says Ava Cadell, Ph.D., a California sexologist and author of Stock Market Orgasm.

Have it tonight: You can simulate this kind of passion-whether you've been away for 8 days or 8 minutes-by giving her this kind of kiss, and in this order.

Kiss her face all over-lightly.

Lick the outside of her lips.

Kiss her bottom lip. "There's a correlation between a woman's bottom lip and her vagina. Sucking gently on her lip will make her vagina swell," Cadell says.

Gently suck her tongue. Cadell says, "I call kissing facial intercourse-it's really erotic."

Makeup Sex

Why it's monumental: You yell, you scream, you break some dishes. Then you make up and head right to the bedroom, where there's more screaming. But this time, the only thing you're both breaking is the sound barrier (and maybe the headboard). "When you fight, anger drives up testosterone in both men and women. If you go to bed with increased testosterone and agitation, the sex drive is going to be stronger," Fisher says. "And more fantasies may flood your mind, which increases stimulation."

Have it tonight: You can reenact fighting-and the emotions that go along with it-without hurting each other, Cadell says. She suggests trying anything that will create a little physical tension between the two of you. Like . . .

Miniature golf. "You can do anything that's just a little competitive," says Gloria Brame, Ph.D., a clinical sexologist and author in Atlanta. "Once you start competing, you can get physical and really work each other up."

Pillow fights. "It starts her hair flying and her breasts moving, and even gets her gasping a little for breath," Brame says. "There's something very sexual about that."

Naked wrestling. Hint: Let her win.

Breakup Sex

Why it's monumental: It's like the day before a diet. Tomorrow I'll start, but today I'm going to enjoy one last order of chicken wings. You've decided together that the relationship isn't working, but what the hey, one last tryst won't hurt anyone. And it winds up being better than any you've had in the past 6 months for two reasons.

One's physical: Fisher says that there's some speculation among researchers that in so-called last-chance copulation, a man may unknowingly alter the levels of certain hormones in his semen, and that may trigger his partner to ovulate spontaneously. In other words, your subconscious tries to hold on to the commitment by potentially impregnating her, even though you don't want to.

The other reason is psychological: "When you know you're never going to see someone again, you want to leave her wanting you-and you'll do anything to drive her out of her mind," says Cadell. "So you both end up concentrating on being uninhibited."

Have it tonight: To make a woman less inhibited, try to reduce her tension, says Brame. Try releasing it in her body-and in her brain.

Clean out the refrigerator (or anything that shortens her to-do list). Showing thoughtfulness and initiative will make her a more willing sex partner, says Paul Joannides, author of Guide to Getting It On. While researching his book, Joannides talked to a female "escort" who had a valuable insight about her customers: "She said, 'I don't get it. These guys would get a lot more sex at home if they'd spend their money on a maid or cleaning service rather than spending it on me.'"

When massaging her, focus only on her earlobes, hands, and lower back-the unsung erotic spots. Hit the lower spine not only because that's where she stores a lot of tension, but also because you'll reach her pleasure zones in a more indirect path. Brame says, "This area is a nerve center with connections all over, so rubbing her lower spine could make her feel tingly in front."

Birthday Sex

Why it's monumental: It's clear who's doing the giving and who's doing the receiving-which means there's no pressure for the receiver to reciprocate, says Cadell. Because of that, there's a huge buildup of anticipation for the birthday boy. I wonder what she's going to give me this year!

Have it tonight: For the 363 days of nonbirthday sex, you need to build that same anticipation between the two of you. You do it for her = she'll do it for you next time. Try this:

Tell her you want to take her somewhere special tonight. Then ask if she'll leave her underwear at home.

Take her to a place that plays Latin music. "Latin dancing is very sexual, especially the movement of the pelvis," Cadell says.

When you're back home, you can give her your present: the ultimate mind-blowing orgasm. Have her get on top of you and tilt her hips forward a little so that her clitoris hits your pelvis. The tilting also means your penis will hit her G-spot. Those two spots will be plenty, but for extra pleasure, seek out and caress or lightly stimulate other sensitive areas-her lips, her nipples, her bottom-with your hands or fingers. The goal: sensory pleasure. Work as many angles as you can dream up; she'll let you know what's working.

First-Time-with-Her Sex

Why it's monumental: "It's exciting because of the discovery quotient," says Louanne Cole Weston, Ph.D., a licensed marriage and family therapist in California. "You're really tuned in to every sense, and you're feeling things for the first time." Another factor: Many men, especially those in long-term relationships, create a formula for what sex should be like. When that formula changes-as it often does with a new woman-it heightens excitement.

Have it tonight: Maybe it's not your first time with her but your 501st. The key is playing with your senses-or at least stimulating them in a new way. "When you take away one of the senses, the others work overtime," says Cadell. Here are a few ways to change the sensory experience.

Try Cadell's honey game: You're blindfolded; she hides a dab of honey somewhere on her body. You try to find it-using only your tongue.

Take a swig of champagne, then kiss her body while it's still in your mouth. The fizz will tingle.

Tie each other's feet together with her panty hose. Mild bondage heightens sexual urgency, Paget says.

Vacation Sex

Why it's monumental: First, you're free from all the things that stress you out-the job, the bills, another late-season Red Sox fold. But the second reason Aruba sex is hotter than subdivision sex is the change in scenery. "There's a marking-the-territory factor for most men and women," Weston says. "Sex on vacation is a virginal experience in a way."

Have it tonight: From the simple to the extravagant, you can take a vacation day any day (boss be damned!):

Turn upside down on the bed-feet at the pillow end. "Even doing something simple like hitting the bed at a different angle or sitting or standing up on the bed will add extra stimulation," Weston says.

Change the order of foreplay. "Remove the dip test from your repertoire," Paget says. "Any woman hates the kiss, kiss, kiss, tweak, tweak, tweak the nipple, dip, dip, dip to see if she's lubricated. That's a major turnoff." Instead, try kissing her neck, her inner thigh, then her pinkie finger or wherever else.

Move up and down her body like Ray Charles on ivory so she doesn't know where you're going next.

Check into an adult motel on your lunch hour. "That's a pretty short vacation," Cadell says. In Los Angeles, a hotel called Splash features Jacuzzis in themed rooms that you can rent by the hour. But you can go to any hotel, then serve her lunch. "One study showed that black licorice increases bloodflow to her genital area by 40 percent, but any food that's phallic can be an aphrodisiac for her," Cadell says. Save room for dessert.

Let's-Have-a-Baby Sex

Why it's monumental: Many couples feel an intense emotional connection the first time they start trying to have a baby. "For some, it's a very primal experience," Weston says. "For so long you've avoided pregnancy, but now you're ready to be a dad. Saying you want to have a baby with someone is very romantic."

Have it tonight: Start this way.

Put flower petals on the top of a ceiling fan. Turn it on when she lies down.

Have sex side by side. It's the most equal of the sexual positions. If you're facing each other, there's more of an emotional bond than when one is on top of the other, Weston says.

Play your wedding song in the background. "If something has special meaning to you both, bring it to the bedroom because it creates a special connection between the two of you," Brame says. "Hopefully that special connection isn't a bottle of Jack."

Sizzling Fashion Show In Jail

2009-01-05T06:15:00.001-08:00

Prisoners taking part in a beauty contest pose before the start of the competition in the women's prison Centro de Orientacion Femenino (COF) in Fraijanes, some 40 km east of Guatemala City. The contest was held in the framework of the Inmates Day celebrations. The COF has a population of 135 inmates.

Inmate Karen Espana gets ready at the beginning of a beauty contest in the women's prison

Inmate Ingryd Paola poses for a picture of a beauty contest .

Inmates take the catwalk during a beauty contest.

Prisoner Karen Espana parades during a beauty contest in the women's prison Centro de Orientacion Femenino .

A prisoner is cheered by mates as she walks the catwalk during a beauty contest.

Scottish prisoner Wendy Moncriezz looks at the camera pior to the start of a beauty contest.

Inmate Karen Espana talks to a journalist after winning the beauty contest in the women's prison .

Prisoner Karen Espana celebrates after winning the beauty contest in the women's prison Centro de Orientacion Femenino (COF) in Fraijanes

Mysterious Bottle Art

2009-01-05T06:15:00.000-08:00

Mystified residents have been baffled by empty milk bottles appearing on their doorsteps for months with intricate art etchings created by an artist that’s been dubbed as ‘Pic-glasso’ and ‘Bottle Banksy’ after the enigmatic guerilla graffiti artist whose work appears overnight on buildings across Britain that continually escapes unseen.

When homeowners have gone to grab milk left from the dairyman to sit down to their morning java, they’ve been surprised to find the bottles replaced with an extra empty engraved with images of cows, mice, farmyard scenes and animals into the glass with incredible detail, and the artist long gone.

The bottles started appearing mysteriously at homes in Stourbridge, West Midlands, and surrounding villages last spring, much to the delight of the homeowners, but the identity of the artist remained unknown.

Dawn Jones, 81, from Stourbridge, said she received one drawing and was hoping to get another one. “I am collecting them for my grandchildren, they are marvelous.”

“I had heard something about this from a friend, but nobody knows who is doing it.” said Jackie Dimock, who discovered one of the bottles on her doorstep on Monday.

“I was putting out the empties and I noticed there was an extra one on the doorstep.” she said.

“When I picked it up I saw there was this amazing picture on it. The milkman came to collect the bottles, but I didn’t want to give him the one with the picture on it, I’m going to keep it.”

“Who knows, it might be worth something one day.”

Some of the bottles are left out for refilling and distributed to other homes, but many have been kept as souvenirs or artworks by thrilled residents, and others have even been traded on internet auction sites.

But unlike the ever-elusive Banksy, the artist’s identity behind the milk bottle creations has been revealed as Charlotte Hughes-Martin.

The 30-year-old artist painstakingly engraves the bottles with her own designs — some serious, and others humorous. Once completed, she returns the bottles to random doorsteps in the area, where they’re collected for refilling.

Originally from Cheshire and currently based at the Red House Glass Cone in Wordsley, Stourbridge — a former glass factory — Charlotte uses a variety of techniques, materials and styles to engrave the bottles, taking her inspiration from everyday life. And fittingly, many of her etchings are milk related or feature cows.

Two pieces of her work had been short-listed for the prestigious national Glass Biennale prize.

“Reaction to this milk bottle project has come as a bit of a shock to me. The project started out as something I was doing for myself, and so the immediate interest received from such a wide audience and the Press has been a little overwhelming.”

“The aim of this project was firstly to have a bit of fun; to release art into “the world” and see what would happen. If I introduced something new into the communal glass arena, being moved from one person to another, would it open peoples’ eyes to more of the everyday stuff around them? Would I make the milkman paranoid at the graffiti, and would it get back to the dairy?”

“I was curious to see what would happen.”

“I have started experimenting by taking glass forms and aim to make large scale, highly polished, cast glass.”

World's Most Mysterious City Found

2009-01-05T06:14:00.000-08:00

Nothing really prepares you for the staggering beauty of the amazing ancient city of Petra, which was carved into the sheer rock face on the slope of Mount Hor in a great rift valley among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Wadi Araba, and originally developed over 2600 years ago by an Arab Tribe.
Petra is located in southwestern Jordan about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the Dead Sea, surrounded by towering hills of rust-colored sandstone which gave the city some natural protection against invaders.
Enclosed by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream, Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress but controlled the main commercial routes, turning it into an important center of trade for silk, spice and other routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.
Although the city may have been accessed from the south in ancient times, the only entrance to the city is through a 2 kilometer dry water course called the Siq — a dark, narrow gorge of dazzling rock formations and colors only 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 meters) wide in areas — flanked on either side by soaring cliffs over 300 feet (100 meters) high.
As you reach the end of the Siq you catch the first glimpse of Petra’s most elaborate and awe-inspiring ruin, Al-Khazneh — the “Treasury” — hewn directly out of the sandstone cliff, and just the first of the many wonders that make up Petra.
The “Treasury,” named as such in the mistaken belief that the urn contained gold. The massive façade is sculpted out of the sheer rock face with deeply-carved architectural elements, and dwarves everything around it at 105 feet (35 meters) wide and 140 feet (43 meters) high, making it the largest freestanding structure in Petra. It was carved in the early 1st century as the tomb of an important Nabataean king and epitomizes the engineering genius of these ancient people.
As you enter the valley you’re overwhelmed by outstanding architectural achievements — hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs with intricate carvings. Unlike the houses which were destroyed mostly by earthquakes, about 500 tombs survived which were carved to last throughout the afterlife.

The Nabateans believed that the soul departed from the body and continued to live after death, so it should therefore continue to be fed and clothed by its living descendants, which is why there are so many tombs at Petra.

At the foot of the mountain called en-Nejr, a little farther from the Treasury is a massive Roman-style theatre which could seat 3,000 people. It stands at the point where the valley opens out into the plain the site of the city, placed to bring the greatest number of tombs within view.

The amphitheatre was actually cut into the hillside and into several of the tombs during its construction. Nearly enclosing it on 3 sides are rose-colored mountain walls, divided into groups by deep fissures, and lined with tombs cut from the rock in the form of towers.
There are obelisks, temples, sacrificial altars, and streets lined with rows of columns. A flight of 800 rock cut steps leads you high above, overlooking the valley, where the impressive Ad-Deir Monastery is located.

Also known as ad-Dayr in Arabic, the Monastery is so huge that the doorway is taller than many houses. The façade is some 165 feet (50 meters) high and 130 feet (40 meters) wide. The door is a staggering 30 feet (9 meters high). Its name, like most Petra structures, does not reflect reality; it was possibly a Nabataean temple.

According to Arab tradition, Petra is the spot where Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came forth, and where Moses’ brother Aaron is buried at Mount Hor, known today as Jabal Haroun or Mount Aaron.

The Wadi Musa or “Wadi of Moses” is the Arab name for the narrow valley at the head of which Petra is sited. A mountaintop shrine of Moses’ sister Miriam was still shown to pilgrims at the time of Jerome in the 4th century, but its location has not been identified since.

The 13th century shrine built by the Mameluk Sultan Al Nasir Mohammad to commemorate the death of Aaron, the brother of Moses, can be seen on top of Mount Aaron in the Sharah range.

There are 2 museums within the site — Petra Archaeological Museum and the Petra Nabataean Museum — which display finds from excavations in the Petra region and an insight into Petra’s intriguing past.

Excavations have revealed that the Nabateans had the ability to control the water supply that led to the rise of the desert city, in effect creating an artificial oasis. The area is known to have flash floods and archaeological evidence shows the Nabateans controlled them by the use of dams, cisterns and water conduits. Water could be stored water this way even during prolonged periods of drought, and the city prospered from its sale.
This road, built from the period when the Romans invaded Petra in 106 AD, runs across the valley floor, and was once lined with temples, palaces, shops, and houses.

History of Petra : So far, no method has been found to determine when the history of Petra began. But evidence suggests Petra — from the Latin word “petrae” meaning rock — was first established around the 6th century BC by the Nabataean Arabs, a nomadic tribe who settled in the area and laid the foundations of a commercial empire that extended into Syria.

This part of the country was traditionally assigned to the Horites, likely cave-dwellers, the predecessors of the Edomites. The habits of the original natives may have influenced the Nabataean custom of burying the dead and offering worship in half-excavated caves.
The town grew up around its Colonnaded Street in the first century AD and by the mid-first century had witnessed rapid urbanization. Following the flow of the Wadi Musa, the city-center was laid out on either sides of the Colonnaded Street on an elongated plan between the theater in the east and the Qasr al-Bint in the west.

Among the most remarkable of all Nabataean achievements is the hydraulic engineering systems they developed including water conservation systems and the dams that were constructed to divert the rush of swollen winter waters that create flash floods.

In 131 AD Hadrian, the Roman emperor, visited the site and named it after himself, Hadriane Petra.

Despite several attempts by the Seleucid king Antigonus, the Roman emperor Pompey and Herod the Great to bring Petra under the control of their respective empires, Petra remained largely in Nabataean rule until around 100AD, when the Romans took over.

It was still inhabited during the Byzantine period, when the former Roman empire moved its focus to Constantinople. The Byzantine community recycled many standing structures and rock-cut monuments, while also constructing their own buildings, including churches — such as the recently excavated Petra Church with the extraordinary mosaics. Among the rock-cut monuments they reused is the great tomb or the Ad-Dayr (known as The Monastery), which was modified into a church.
In 363 an earthquake destroyed many buildings, and crippled the vital water management system. A devastating earthquake had a severe impact on the city in 551 AD, which all but brought the city to ruin. With the rise of Islam, Petra became a backwater community.
The Crusaders constructed a fort there in the 12th century but soon withdrew. After the Arabic occupation, it lost its importance little by little, the trade routes changed that went through Petra, and after that it just lapsed into silence.

The long-hidden city remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, disguised as an Arab sheik. Gaining the trust of the local tribesmen, he learned of the secret gorge which led to the “City of Rock,” and was determined to see it.

Petra remained accessible only to Europeans accompanied by local guides with armed escorts until after World War I.
Petra was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 when it was described as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage,” and classed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World on July 7 2007.

Unusual Camel Spider

2009-01-05T05:58:00.001-08:00

The camel spider stories began to spread during the 1990-91 Gulf War. Now, with the continued presence of U.S. forces in the Middle East, the stories are becoming legendary .. Many of the stories on the internet are completely untrue. These creatures are (usually) not dangerous to humans. But, dangerous or not, these creatures are horrifying to encounter. I pity anyone who encounters one for the first time.

Soldier in Iraq bitten by a Camel Spider. Yes, they can bite. If they do, there is always the possibility of infection.

Camel spiders can move at speeds over 30 MPH, screaming while they run. Camel spiders can be as large as a frisbee. Camel spiders venom is an anesthetic that numbs their prey.

Camel spiders can jump three feet high. Camel spiders can jump three feet high. They eat or gnaw on people while they sleep. Due to the numbing effect of their venom, the victim is unaware until they awake. They actually aren't spiders at all, they're solpugids.. Along with spiders, they are members of the class Arachnida.

THE FACTS :

1. Camel spiders top speed - appox. 10 mph. Which is very fast.

2. Size: Up to 6 inches although many of our readers report larger.

3. They have no venom.

4. They don't jump. However, many of our readers describe them leaping onto their legs, etc..

5. Called camel spiders because they live in the desert.

They actually aren't spiders at all, they're solpugids.. Along with spiders, they are members of the class Arachnida.

World's Most Strange Species - Geoducks !

2009-01-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Geoducks...What?!

They are definitely not "ducks", nor do they have any relation to "geo"-logy. In fact, they seem alien enough to be "from Mars" and, for all I know, possess a malign intelligence.

They are found mostly around Pacific Coast of the US and Canada, and in Japan they seem to serve as inspiration for "manga" of certain tentacled variety.

Modern biologists easily classify it as large saltwater clam, a bivalve mollusk with a huge "neck", or a "siphon". How huge, you'll ask? Up to two meters in length.

Deep Diggers of the Depths : Even their name is wrong, because it's pronounced "GOOEY duck". You'd think an epithet "gooey" would seem more appropriate for this bizarre creature, but it's not gooey in any sense. The name comes from a misspelling of "gweduc" (a native word), which means to "dig deep". Also, the "Elephant Trunk Clam" monicker fits them quite well.

You'd need to hook up with your buddy to dig them out, especially if you're going to use the "hold-breath" method. It's not so easy to spot the protruding siphon, either.

Sometimes they are confused with "piddocks", which are smaller mollusks.

But once spotted, they can't escape you, or dig further down. In fact, the body of an adult geoduck remains in one spot for its entire life. Sea stars would nibble at them, but once they bury themselves almost a meter deep, no predators can get at them - so they end up living REALLY long.

Old and Wise : Treat them with respect. They'll outlive any of you - they get up to 160 years old . It's the second longest-living organism on Earth (after giant tortoises, which can live almost 200 years). As they grow, they accumulate rings on their shell, much like a tree does.

The average adult geoduck that you'll likely to meet will be the same age as you - 25 to 50 years old, but it hardly has the same experiences as you are, being buried all its life in one spot.

Here is a good-sized geoduck on display in a curiosity shop in Seattle.

"Their large, meaty siphon are prized by some for its savory flavor and crunchy texture." It is a delicacy in Asia, each costing $200 - $300, so if you ever considered opening a private geoduck farm... be also ready to deal with their reputation to increase the "male potential".

The average female produces up to 5 billion eggs in her lifetime. Here is a picture of a bunch of geoduck-like mollusks clinging to a log of wood in Ardmore.

Distinctively Unique Islands in the World

2009-01-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

Travel around the world and see for yourself some of the most unique and wonderful islands and the extraordinary features of these islands. Enjoy and have a lot of fun.

Madagascar - Indian Ocean

Madagascar is the world's oldest island. The first island appears on Earth about 4.4 billion years ago when the ocean formed. The island that has existed longest is Madagascar which separated from India perhaps 85 to 90 million years ago, after the two had split off from Antarctica about 125 million years ago.

It's the world's fourth largest island, and is home to 5% of the world's plants and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to Madagascar. They include the lemur infra order of primates, the carnivorous fossa, three bird families and six baobab species. Aside from this, there are numerous scenic views in the island.

Maldives - Indian Ocean

For those seeking a private piece of paradise, Maldives' 1,200 coral islands are one of the best. These islands are ideal destination for swimmers, snorkelers, fishermen, and other tourists. Maldives is the lowest island nation in the world. Its tallest island, Wilingili rises only 8 feet/ 2.4 meters above sea level. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of population. It is also the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world.

The Maldives holds the record for being the flattest country in the world, with a maximum natural ground level of only 2.3 m (7½ ft). Maldives is one of the best diving spots in the world.

Borneo - Southeast Asia

The only island shared by three countries which is split between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Visiting this island would mean you have visited three counties in all. The island is also the third largest in the world. Mount Kinabalu which is located in the island is a major center of biodiversity.

Borneo is also known for its extensive cave systems. Clearwater Cave has one of the world's longest underwater rivers. Deer Cave, thought to be the largest cave passage in the world, is home to over three million bats and guano accumulated to over 100 meters high.

New Guinea - Indonesia

The Tallest Island with a towering height of 16,503 m/5,030 ft above sea level is the island of New Guinea. It is also the second largest island in the world and the world's fourth highest landmass.

Mount Wilhelm is the highest point in the island.

Manitoulin Island - Canada

Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in a lake in the world. It is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario with an area of 1,068 sq.mi/2,766 sq. km.

During summer, boating is a very popular activity in the area.

Iceland - Europe

Do you know that Iceland is the largest volcanic island? It has an area of 39,702 sq.mi/102,828 sq. kilometers. It was formed by volcanic activity along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and essentially exposed ocean floor.

The Blue Lagoon in Iceland - A Geothermal Spa which is Iceland's most unique and popular attraction.
Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe with an average about three inhabitants per square km. Almost four-fifths of the country are uninhabited and mostly uninhabitable, the population being concentrated in a narrow coastal belt, valleys and the southwest corner of the country. Iceland has some of the world's highest levels of economic freedoms as well as civil freedoms. As of 2007, Iceland is the most developed country in the world with fellow Nordic country Norway according to the Human Development Index and one of the most egalitarian, according to the calculation provided by the Gini coefficient.

Strokkur, a geyser, is in the process of erupting. Lying on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is one of the most geologically active areas on Earth.

Fraser Island - Australia

Fraser Island is the world's largest sand island off the coast of Queensland, Australia at 642 sq. m/ 1,662 sq. km. It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1992. Fraser Island is stretching over 123 kilometers along the southern coast of Queensland and is the largest sand island in the world.

It is the only place in the world where tall rainforests are found growing on sand dunes. There are long uninterrupted white sandy beaches surrounded by sand cliffs, over 100 freshwater lakes, some tea-colored and many crystal-clear creeks.

Palau Samosir - Indonesia

Palau Samosir is the largest island on another island situated in Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia. It is 245 sq. m/630 sq. km.

The island is a popular tourist destination with lots of wild animals in its jungle like orang utan and many others.

Great Britain - UK

Great Britain is the largest island of the British Isles, the largest island in Europe and the eighth-largest island in the world. It is the largest island ever joined to a continent by a fixed link, which is now tied to Europe by the Channel Tunnel.

Channel Tunnel is a 31.35 mile long rail tunnel beneath the English Channel connecting Folkestone to Coquelles near Calais. It consists of three separate tunnels; two 7.6m diameter single tracks, single direction rail tunnels which are 30m apart, and one 4.8m diameter service tunnel between them.

It was a mega project with several false starts, but was finally completed in 1994. It is the second-longest rail tunnel in the world, but the undersea section at 23.55 miles is the longest undersea tunnel in the world. The American Society of Civil Engineers has declared the tunnel to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Isla Ometepe - Lake Nicaragua

Isla Ometepe, in Lake Nicaragua, is the world's tallest lake island. Concepcion Volcano rises 5,183 feet / 1,580 meters above lake level. The Island of Ometepe was formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua in the Republic of Nicaragua. Its name derives from the Nahuatl words Ome - two and Tepetl - mountain, meaning two mountains.

Concepcion and Maderas volcanoes are joined by a low isthmus to form one island, giving it the form of an hourglass. Ometepe has an area of 276 sq. km. It is 31 km long and 5 to 10 km wide. The island has a population of 35,000, and an economy based on livestock, agriculture, and tourism.

Lake of the Woods - Canada - USA

Lake of the Woods, shared by Ontario, Minnesota, and Manitoba, is said to contain 14,452 islands.

Lake of the Woods is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area. It is over seventy miles long and wide, and contains over 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles (105,000 km) of shoreline, which would amount to the longest coastline of any Canadian lake, except that the lake is not entirely within Canada.

The lake's islands provide nesting habitat for the Piping Plover and large numbers of American White Pelicans. There are also several hundred nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in this area.

Mauna Kea - Hawaii

Some of the many telescopes operated by various universities from the world are positioned atop the highest island mountain in the world - Mauna Kea. It is above the clouds and because of this, the remote location, the lack of light pollution, and its position near the equator, make this one of the very best places on earth to watch the stars and planets. It also has a mars like surface and seems like you are on another planet.

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five volcanoes which together form the island of Hawaii. Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world when measured from base to summit, since its base is located on the seafloor about 19,000 feet (5,800 m) beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean, bringing its total height to about 33,000 ft (10,000 m). In the Hawaiian language, Mauna Kea means “white mountain”, a reference to its summit being regularly snow-capped during the Northern Hemisphere winter.

Portrayal of “Alice In Wonderland” by Annie Leibovitz

2009-01-05T05:56:00.000-08:00

“Alice in Wonderland” is a photo set taken by talented artist Annie Leibovitz, for Vogue Magazine featuring Russian model Natalia Vodianova as Alice.Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Masterpiece, Leibovitz utilizes Surrealism expertly to reveal the fantastic world in which Alice lived.

Curiouser and Curiouser:

Beyond nonsense verse and coming-of-age fables, Lewis Carroll’s true passion was photographing moody young beauties. Olivier Theyskens, in the guise of Carroll, captures model Natalia Vodianova as Alice Liddell. Natalia wears a Rochas iridescent blue-flower ruffle dress specially designed by Theyskens.

Down the Rabbit Hole:

Faster, faster, faster she fell! Chasing Tom Ford’s White Rabbit, our Alice disappears down the never-ending dark passage. Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Gauche sky-blue silk-satin dress.

Drink Me:

How was Alice to know the innocent little bottle would make her grow to such a size? As Helmut Lang watched from the wall, she curled her legs up and hoped the designer’s organza minidress wouldn’t be crushed by her startling height. Dress from the Helmut Lang made-to-measure studio.

Advice from a Caterpillar:

Clad in Marc Jacobs’s ruffled chiffon minidress, Alice found herself engaged in an infuriatingly roundabout conversation with a mushroom-dweller. Where am I? she wondered…and how have I gotten here?

Pig & Pepper:

It was a queer-shaped little creature, and held out its arms and legs in all directions, “just like a starfish.” Chanel Haute Couture embroidered satin jacket with a draped satin skirt and cream leather boot pants. The Chanel designer wears Chrome Hearts necklaces and belt.

The Cheshire Cat:

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” Alice asked sweetly of the cat with a grin as devilish as anything she had ever seen. “ That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” replied our Cat, Jean Paul Gaultier. Blue silk-jersey draped dress by Gaultier Paris.

Tweedledum and Tweedledee:

“If you think we’re alive, you ought to speak,” said the one marked DEE. Alice, in a Viktor & Rolf multilayered silk dress, stared as the Tweedle duo spouted nonsensical tongue twisters. Rolf Snoeren, left, and Viktor Horsting wear matching suits and bow ties of their own design.

The Mad Tea Party:

“No room!” The March Hare and Mad Hatter shouted. “No room!” But Alice plunked down, desperate for some biscuits after a long day of living backward. Christian Lacroix Haute Couture dress with painted and sculpted mink dickey over a lace top and frilled lamé skirt. Stephen Jones (right), wears a custom-made hat of his own design. Lacroix, as the March Hare, is at far right.

Who Stole the Tarts?

“My name is Alice, so please Your Majesty,” the young girl, draped in Dior Couture, said softly. “ You make me giddy!” screamed the Queen. Dior Haute Couture by John Galliano hand-painted polka-dot dress. Galliano as the Queen of Hearts, wears a Dior Haute Couture coat and is accompanied by his King, Alexis Roche.

The Mock Turtle’s Story:

“What is his sorrow?” Alice, in Atelier Versace, asked the Gryphon. “Once,” sighed the Mock Turtle, “ I was a real turtle.” Atelier Versace layered silk-tulle and chiffon-organza dress lined in lace. Donatella Versace and Rupert Everett are in Versace.

Through the Looking Glass:

Wrapped in ocean-blue Balenciaga couture, Alice perched on the mantel, longing to escape into the shadow world, as her black kitty purred nearby. Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière crystal pleated chiffon dress and grey ankle boots. Shot on location at the Château de Corbeil-Cerf.