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2007年11月30日 星期五

Paris Hilton does upskirt 巴莉絲裙短露臀

Paris Hilton looked as if she forgot to take off her nightdress as she took to the street in a lingerie-style slip of a silk dress - which was so short it left her matching blue tights exposed and barely covered her modesty.

Reformed bad-girl Paris Hilton wore the bizarre outfit to meet her pregnant pal Nicole Richie for lunch in Los Angeles yesterday.

In a vain attempt to create a proper outfit, the heir-head, 26, threw on a pair of shades, a chain, the tights and some shoes and took her nightwear on the road to keep a lunch date with her former Simple Life co-star.

It was lucky that Paris was saved from complete exposure by her opaque blue tights which went some way to protecting her modesty. (Daily Mail)

Chantelle Houghton's new improved bust line 英國真人秀女星仙黛爾休頓的胸部變大了

It's an unusual way to put the past behind you - but following the swift end to her ten-month marriage to singer Preston, reality TV winner Chantelle Houghton has opted for a post-divorce boost - in the bust area.

Determined to cheer herself up after her split from Ordinary Boys frontman Preston, Chantelle spent £4,000 on boosting her cleavage from a 32B to a bountiful 32DD.

She showed off her new look in a revealing corset at the opening of a new Ultimo store in - where else - Essex on Nov. 28.

Chantelle had wanted to go under the knife while still married, but Preston forbid her, calling breast implants "absolutely grotesque."

But now that the couple, who met on Celebrity Big Brother, have called time on their fairytale marriage, Chantelle went ahead with the operation.

A source said: "It's a big change – she's gone from a 32B to a 32DD but they don't look ridiculously out of proportion and Chantelle feels fantastic."

Chantelle added: "I'm so happy with them – I absolutely love them and can't stop touching them."

The former Paris Hilton lookalike is also rumoured to have a new man – electrician Chris Neal, 26 who is said to have dumped fellow BB contestant Nikki Grahame, 25, in favour of the Essex-born model. (Daily Mail)

2007年11月29日 星期四

Marko Jaric is the luckiest man alive: He’s Adriana Lima’s boyfriend NBA灰狼隊控衛馬可賈里克是目前在世最幸運的男人:他是巴西超模阿德瑞娜利瑪的男友

Up until precisely this moment, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Marko Jaric had been known for two things: Entering an NBA game with his jersey on backwards, and being on the receiving end of a vicious Kobe Bryant forearm shiver. Those two incidents will forever take a backseat to some of the best news to hit the NBA this season: Jaric is dating one of the most beautiful women in the world, Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima.

Understandably, his teammates are shocked. “Ever since he started dating Adriana Lima, he’s a new man,” [Mark] Madsen said, laughing. “He’s flying all over the court. He dunked! I’ve never seen him dunk.” (UPDATE: Aaron Gleeman made note Monday that Jaric is quite the player - seems as if a Penthouse Pet went on a radio show last week and talked about “dating” him. You’ll have to scroll down on the link a bit.)

Enjoy spending the better part of today getting to know Lima, who, because she is a lingerie model, has between 17 and 20,688 “fan sites” on the internet. (thebiglead.com)

Pregnant Christina Aguilera posed nude for magazine Marie Claire 身懷六甲的美國天后歌手克莉絲蒂娜阿奎蕾拉為「美麗佳人」雜誌拍裸照

The mother-to-be mama is totally gorgeous even though she balls all! Christina Aguilera speaks about her pregnancy in the January 2008 issue of Marie Claire. She revealed that her baby boy was conceived from Power Egg and Super Sperm when her husband Jordan Bratman visited Georgetown during a tour stop, and many many more things.... Make sure check out People.com for the detailed infomation. (Random Citations)

Victoria Beckham's boobs deflated noticeably 貝克漢老婆維多利亞的胸部明顯洩了氣

Spotted in a similar decolletage dress a year ago in New York, Victoria Beckham, the 33-year-old mother of three once so pert and perky, looked positively deflated as she cheered on Spice Girls bandmate Mel B who competed in the final of hit US show Dancing With the Stars on Nov 26 in Los Angeles. (Random Citations)

2007年11月28日 星期三

First moon surface picture by China's Chang-E 1 lunar probe 中國嫦娥1號探月衛星傳回第一張月球表面照片

The black and white picture showing rough surface scattered with big or small pits was made public at a gala ceremony in Beijing Aerospace Control Center on November 26 by Premier Wen Jiabao, who hailed it as a major step in "the Chinese race's 1,000-year-old dream" of exploring the moon.

Wen asserted in a passionate and inspiring speech on Monday that China has joined the select group of world powers with the capabilities to engage in deep-space exploration.

The success, he said not only manifested China's rising national strength and technical innovation capability but also elevated the country's international status and cemented national cohesion.

"It showcases eloquently that the Chinese people have the will, the ambition and the capability to compose more shining new chapters while ascending the science and technology summit," Wen said.

Citing a letter from an overseas Chinese, Wen said that the farther the China-made satellite flew, the higher would the overseas Chinese hold their heads.

The area covered by the picture, about 460 km in length and 280 km in width -- about half the size of the United Kingdom, is within a location of 70 to 54 degrees south latitude and 83 to 57 degrees east longitude. (China Daily)

Tabula Peutingeriana unveiled 羅馬帝國地圖公諸於世


Tabula Peutingeriana, made in the Middle Ages, is the only surviving copy of a road map from the late Roman Empire. It dates from the late 12th or the early 13th century and was made in Southern Germany or Austria.

The nearly-7-metre-long parchment scroll shows the network of main Roman roads from Spain to India.

At first sight, it looks very unlike a modern map.

Both the landmass and the seas have been stretched and flattened. The Mediterranean has been reduced to a thin strip of water, more like a river than a sea.

Instead of being oriented from north to south, the map, which is only 34 centimetres wide, works from west to east.

At the centre of the Tabula Peutingeriana is Rome. The city, represented by a crowned figure on a throne, has numerous roads leading to and from the metropolis. Some, such as the Via Appia and the Via Aurelia, still exist today.

The Tabula Peutingeriana, one of the Austrian National Library's greatest treasures, is normally never shown to the public and has been on display for only one day to celebrate its inclusion in Unesco's Memory of the World Register on 26 November 2007. (BBC/Random Citations)

2007年11月27日 星期二

Scissorhands! 剪刀手

A barber in China has set a world record by cutting a customer's hair with 10 pairs of scissors simultaneously.

Wang Zedong, 41, of Jiujiang city, Jiangxi province, demonstrated his stunt in a television studio with hundreds of people, and Guinness officials, in the audience.

In less than three minutes, Wang cut the model's hair, reports Zhejiang Online.

Wang says he started practicing this stunt to try to cope with the number of customers coming to his barber's shop.

"At first, many customers had to wait more than an hour in my shop, so I had to find a way of cutting hair more efficiently," he said.

Instead of recruiting more staff, Wang trained himself to cut hair with more than one pair of scissors.

He says he can actually now cut hair with as many as 18 pairs of scissors simultaneously, and with his eyes covered.

"But the TV station designed a whole set of actions for me, to make a good visual impression. They required me to have flowing movements and a strong cutting rhythm," Wang said.

"In order to shoot the 10-minute program and meet their requirements, I had to rehearse for two days." (Zhejiang Online)

Cow gives birth to quadruplets 大陸一母牛產下4胞胎

A cow in Pingluo County in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (寧夏回族自治區) gave birth to four calves on Sunday.

The feat is said to equal the world record set by a cow in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, which gave birth to four calves on December 13, 2003 and got itself in the Guinness World Records.

"It is the first time I have seen so many calves born from a cow at one time," said Guo Xuefeng, the cow's owner, who is known as a skilled cow breeder in the county. Three of the newborn calves are female and they are all in good condition.

Animal experts said cows generally give birth to one calf and the probability of producing twins is only 2 percent to 4 percent. It is extremely rare that three calves are born at one time and the probability of quadruplets is much lower. (China Daily)

2007年11月25日 星期日

Scientists find fossil of bigger-than-man sea scorpion 科學家發現比人還大的海蠍子化石

Scientists say they have found the fossil of part of a sea scorpion bigger than a man.

The armoured giant was 8ft long, weighed 400lb and terrorised the seas 400 million years ago.

The huge scorpion prowled the ocean floor but may also have crawled on to the land, scientists said.

After a foot-long fossilised claw was found in a German quarry, British expert Dr Simon Braddy said: "This is an amazing discovery.

"We have known for some time that the fossil record yields monster millipedes, super-sized scorpions, colossal cockroaches, and jumbo dragonflies.

"But we never realised until now just how big some of these ancient creepy-crawlies were."

The scorpion, called Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, was found by scientists including Markus Poschmann.

It had eight legs, two paddles for swimming plus two huge serrated claws. The creatures, called eurypterids, may be the ancestors of all arachnids - the group which includes scorpions and spiders. (AP)

Man wins mince pie contest 英男子贏得吃肉餡餅比賽

A man has won £1,000 by eating 26 mince pies in ten minutes.

Clive Pearson, pictured, took part in the contest at Wookey Hole, Wells, Somerset.

He said the secret to his success was sipping water between pies.

He now hopes to take part in the world eating championship in Las Vegas, reports the Daily Mirror. (Daily Mirror)

2007年11月24日 星期六

Firms asks women to work in their undies 台灣公司要求女員工只穿內衣上班

A Taiwanese lingerie company encouraged all its female office staff to go to work in their undies for the day.

The Audrey Underwear company in Taizhong city named November 21 Camisole Day to celebrate record sales.

All 500 women working in the firm's headquarters were encouraged to wear only camisoles and knickers - much to the excitement of their male colleagues.

"We have been waiting for this day all month. Today, we are super high, and don't know where to put our eyes," salesman Cai Mingda told Straits News.

More than 90% of female workers reportedly went along with the spirit of the day and worked in their underwear.

Zhang Yufeng, 32, a mother of two, admitted: "I have been on a strict diet to get ready for the day. When I was trying on my outfit at home, my husband told me I should dress like this every day."

And Liao Wenshen, 30, added: "The men were red-faced all day, and were becoming so polite to us. It's so funny!"

Huang Bihui, PR manager of the company, explained: "We introduced eight new camisoles into market and sold more than 20,000 in less than two months so we named the 21st as Camisole Day."

Employment lawyers said there was nothing illegal in the move so long as it was voluntary but it had its critics.

Wu Juanyu complained: "Some women may feel forced to join in because of peer pressure and job competition. I don't know if the company is selling underwear or women's bodies." (Ananova.com)

Man beaten for being bald 印度男子因禿頭挨揍

A man was beaten by his fiance and in-laws in India after they found out he was bald and wearing a wig.

Prabir Das, of Dispur in Assam, was also relieved of his belongings, reports the Daily Telegraph.

He told police his fiancee yanked off his hairpiece after dinner and began beating and abusing him for hiding his pate.

Her parents then joined in, ripping his expensive wig apart and relieving the 33-year-old of his wallet, mobile phone, motorbike and driving licence as 'penalty' for his deception, he alleged.

Mr Das, who works at a private hospital, had advertised for a bride in the matrimonial columns of a local newspaper and Dilip Roy, seeking a match for his daughter Shreshta, responded.

The wedding was fixed for December 12, and the bride's family began putting together Shreshta's dowry.

The superintendent Rajen Singh said Mr Roy had been questioned and denied the fracas. The wedding, police said, appears to be off. (Daily Telegraph)

2007年11月23日 星期五

Primary school built in cave 建在山洞中的小學

A remote Chinese village has built a school in a giant mountain cave.

The school, named Dongzhong (literally meaning "in cave") School, is located in the middle cave of a mountain in Getu village, Guizhou province. (貴州洞中小學)。

It has expanded from just one class when it first opened to having eight teachers and 186 students, reports Sohu News.

"The students are very eager for knowledge, and the student who lives the farthest has to walk six hours each day," says the headmaster.

The school is like a normal school in every other way, with classrooms and a playground, but most of the buildings have no roofs "since they're not necessary", adds the head.

The huge, aircraft hanger-sized natural cave, carved out of a mountain over thousands of years by wind, water and seismic shifts. (Ananova/Reuters)

2007年11月22日 星期四

World's largest and tallest motorcycle 全世界最大最高的摩托車

Gregory Dunham, from California's Stockton, built the world's biggest motorcycle, which was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The beauty shop owner said he created the monster bike because his friends said it couldn't be done and he wanted to prove it could.

Greg Dunham spent three years in his workshop crafting this 11 feet tall, 20 feet long monster bike which was powered by a 8.2 liter (V8 engine and has tyres that are 1.88 m tall.

Even though, the 6,500-pound motorcycle with a pricetag of $300,000 is totally rideable (watch video below), we think, very few people would like to buy the world’s tallest motorcycle. (Random Citations/geekervision.com)

2007年11月21日 星期三

Painting found in trash sells for 1 million dollars 垃圾堆裡找到的一幅畫賣得100萬美元

A painting found in a pile of trash on a New York street sold at Sotheby's auction house late Tuesday (November 20th) for a million dollars, nearly 20 years after it was stolen from a warehouse in Texas.

"Tres personajes" ("Three People"), a 1970 work by Rufino Tamayo, one of Mexico's best known artists, was bagged for 1.049,000 dollars by a north American buyer who fought off a telephone bidder, the auction house said.

It had been saved from the garbage by Elizabeth Gibson, who spotted the work while out walking one morning in 2003. She found the painting, measuring 98 by 130 centimeters, in perfect condition.

"It was a Saturday morning. I went out for a coffee at 7:00 am. I saw it on the sidewalk among black plastic garbage bags," she told AFP ahead of the sale.

"I passed my way and had my coffee, but a voice inside kept telling me to go back and take the painting. So I stopped reading my book and I went back and took the painting, which had a very bad frame but was in perfect condition."

The work, with bold strokes of red, purple and yellow, was bought for 55,000 dollars in 1977 by a Texas man for his wife's birthday. The couple put it in storage while they moved house and noticed the painting was missing in 1987 when picking up their belongings at the warehouse.

Where the painting went for the next 16 years remains a mystery, but for several months after discovering it, Gibson kept it on the wall in her apartment.

Tipped off by a friend that the painting could be valuable, Gibson started investigating only to find on the Internet that the work had been featured on US television show "The Antiques Roadshow" in a segment on missing paintings.

Gibson approached Sotheby's, which helped return the painting to its original owner, who remains unidentified.

Federal FBI detectives are still investigating the case.

The painting carried a pre-sale estimate of 750,000 to one million dollars. Gibson has already received a 15,000-dollar reward for helping secure its return and was to receive an undisclosed sum from the sale.

Marysol Nieves of Sotheby's Latin American art department said the piece was a classic example of all the important elements of the artist's work.

The auctioneer sold four other major pictures on Tuesday. Among them, "Dejeuner sur l'herbe" ("Lunch on the Grass") by the Colombian painter Fernando Botero fetched 1.3 million dollars.

The sale came amid a week of Latin American art auctions in New York expected to fetch around 50 million dollars and as the city's first contemporary Latin American art fair wrapped up after selling some 300 works.

The city's Museum of Modern Art is also due this week to unveil an exhibition of its most recent Latin American acquisitions. (AFP)

Teen breaks blindfolded texting record 紐西蘭少年打破蒙住眼睛打簡訊世界記錄

A New Zealand teenager has broken the world blindfolded texting record by sending a 160-character message in just 45 seconds.

Elliot Nicholls, 17, broke the previous record of 83 seconds twice, by sending the message in 51 seconds on his second attempt and then 45 seconds on his fourth attempt.

"I've been practising about 20 minutes every day for the past week, I knew I could do it, I just had to get the phrase into my brain," he said.

The teenager has worn out the keypads on four mobile phones already. He says he sends around 50 text messages a day.

His father says he gives Elliot a copy of the Guinness Book of Records each Christmas, so he wasn't surprised his son was "attempting something quirky".

The text he had to send was "the razor toothed piranhas of the genera serrasal musand pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world, in reality they rarely attack a human".

Elliot's own text message had to match it exactly, including spaces, punctuation and spelling with no mistakes. (Ananova.com)

Ryanair cabin crew girls strip off for charity calendar 英國萊恩航空空服員脫掉制服拍攝清涼日曆



The British Cabin Crew Girls of Ryanair strip off their usual blue suits, pout and pose in the skimpiest of bikinis in various locations around an airport and on-board their planes for the hottest Ryanair Charity Calendar 2008.

This exclusive Ryanair charity calendar 2008 will be available on board all flights from Saturday November 17, with money going to Angels Quest, which provides respite care for special needs children.

Passengers will be able to bring a dozen of Europe's most stunning cabin crew home for just £5. (Daily Mail)

2007年11月20日 星期二

World's top 10 most intriguing billionaire heiresses 全球前10位「最迷人」億萬女繼承人

Vanisha Mittal Bhatia Delphine Arnault Gancia

Vanisha Mittal Bhatia, Daughter of Lakshmi Mittal, $51 billion, India.

Delphine Arnault Gancia, Daughter of Bernard Arnault, $26 billion, France.

Marta Ortega Perez Georgina Bloomberg

Marta Ortega Perez, Daughter of Amancio Ortega, $24 billion, Spain.

Georgina Bloomberg, Daughter of Michael Bloomberg, $11.5 billion, U.S.A.

Samantha Kluge Amanda Hearst

Samantha Kluge, Daughter of John Kluge, $9.5 billion, U.S.A.

Amanda Hearst, Daughter of Anne Hearst, niece of Patty Hearst, great granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, $8.7 billion (for entire Hearst clan on the Forbes 400).

Alannah Weston Josie Ho Chiu Yi (AKA Josie Ho)

Alannah Weston, Daughter of Galen Weston, $7.9 billion, Canada.

Josie Ho Chiu Yi (AKA Josie Ho -- 澳門賭王何鴻燊之女何超儀), Daughter of Stanley Ho, $7 billion, Hong Kong.

Hind Hariri Dylan Lauren

Hind Hariri
, Daughter of Rafik Hariri, sister of the Hariri billionaire brothers, $5.5 billion, Lebanon.

Dylan Lauren, Daughter of Ralph Lauren, $4.7 billion, U.S.A.


Sporty, arty and business savvy. A ranking of the world's top 10 most intriguing billionaire heiresses by website Forbes.com shows daughters of the rich aren't all just socialites and can be hard workers.

While hotel heiress Paris Hilton hit the headlines for spending time in jail and making a sex video with a boyfriend, Forbes.com said the women on its list were "proving themselves every bit as tenacious and ambitious as their namesakes."

In top spot on the list is Vanisha Mittal Bhatia of India, who has a masters degree in South Asian studies and sits on the board of Mittal Steel, owned by her father Lakshmi Mittal, estimated by Forbes to be worth 51 billion U.S. dollars.

"She's perhaps best known -- dare we say infamous -- for the 60 million dollars wedding her father threw her and 1,000 of their closest friends in 2005. A performance by pop star Kylie Minogue capped the week-long Parisian affair," said the website.

The women on the list are all under 40 and ranked according to their father's or mother's most recent net worth on either Forbes' World's Billionaires list, the Forbes 400 list of the Richest Americans, or Forbes Asia's 40 Richest Indians.

Coming in at No. 2 is Delphine Arnault Gancia of France, daughter of Bernard Arnault who runs the Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) luxury goods empire. Gancia is a former McKinsey consultant and the first woman to be named a director on the LVMH board, Forbes.com said.

Third is Marta Ortega Perez, youngest child of Spain's richest resident Amancio Ortega, worth an estimated 24 billion dollars and chairman of Inditex, owner of the Zara clothing chain.

"Marta is being groomed to succeed her father, and she's learning the how-to's of retail by working the floor -- stocking shelves, assisting customers -- in some of the family's stores," Forbes.com said.

Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- majority owner of Bloomberg LP financial news and data company and estimated to be worth 11.5 billion dollars -- comes in at No. 4. She is vying for a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic equestrian team.

Samantha Kluge takes No. 5. She is the "sometimes wild child" of communications mogul John Kluge, estimated to be worth 9.5 billion dollars, and boasts 12 tattoos and two annulled marriages, Forbes.com said.

"The neo-socialite, a former style editor for Glamour magazine, now runs her own jewellry and accessories design firm in Los Angeles," Forbes.com said. (Xinhuanet.com/Random Citations)

2007年11月19日 星期一

British woman banned from entering New Zealand because she is too fat 英婦女因太胖遭紐西蘭禁止入境

A British woman planning to start a new life with her husband in New Zealand has been banned from entering the country - because she is too fat.

Rowan Trezise, 33, has been left behind in England while her husband Richie, 35, has already made the move down under leaving her desperately trying to lose weight.

When the couple first tried to gain entry to the country they were told that they were both overweight and were a potential burden on the health care system.

Mr Trezise managed to shed two inches from his sizeable waistline to fulfil criteria set out as part of his visa application to work as a technician in the country.

His wife however has had no such luck and faces a desperate battle to shed the pounds before Christmas, at which point the couple say they will abandon their overseas plans.

New Zealand officials assess people's weight using Body Mass Index which measures fat by comparing the height and weight of an individual.

Mr Trezise, a submarine cable specialist and former member of the army said his BMI was measured at 42 making him well over the limit of 25 which is regarded as overweight.

Robyn Toomath, a spokesman for New Zealand's Fight the Obesity Epidemic and an endocrinologist said that obese people should not be victimised, but agreed with the restrictions.

"The immigration department can't afford to import people who are going to be a significant drain on our health resources.

While the New Zealand Immigration Service could not say how many peolpe had been refused entry on similar grounds, the Emigrate New Zealand website revealed that many people had been banned for being obese.

Nowadays, Rowan Trezise has to stay alone at home and still struggling to lose weight before she can join her husband Richie in New Zealand till Christmas - the deadline they've set themselves. (Daily Mail)

2007年11月18日 星期日

Singaporean youth uses coffin as bed 新加坡青年以棺材為床

22-year-old Singaporean youth Bai Zhixiang (name transliterated) has been sleeping in a coffin for up to four years now, despite not being dead.

Surprisingly, Bai’s girlfriend was fine with him having what is often seen as a “taboo” item around his house. Sometimes, she would even spend the night at his place. Unfortunately, the two of them broke up in the end.

However, it had nothing to do with the coffin and everything to do with his job as a medium. Once, when Bai was performing a ritual, his back was pierced by ten metal rods. His girlfriend couldn’t bear it and they broke up after that.

“I really treasure the relationship. Perhaps she worried that I would get hurt and didn’t want me to put myself at risk.” However, Bai is a medium, and incidents such as him getting pierced by metal rods are bound to happen.

In the interview, Bai revealed the reason why he slept in a coffin. Around four years ago, a deity had spoken through the medium saying that they wished to reside in a coffin.

Worshippers bought a coffin for Bai and he put it in his house. He’s perfectly fine with being in the same room with it and even sleeps in it. (Sin Chew Daily)

2007年11月17日 星期六

Two suns shine in Harbin 雙太陽照哈爾濱

To many people's surprise, two suns shined simultaneously Wednesday afternoon in the sky of northeastern China's city of Harbin, with the real sun brighter than the mock one.

The professional photographic group China Foto Press recorded the rare but fantastic celestial phenomenon.

It reported that the two sun phenomenon began at 3 pm local time and that within 40 minutes the mock sun, to the south of the normal sun, had became dimmer and dimmer as it receded into a piece of rosy cloud and finally disappeared.

The special phenomenon, according to scientists, is a solar halo, or "mock sun", which results from the refraction of ice crystal particles contained in clouds.

The addition of a mock sun is a common sight in polar regions but very rare in other places. (CRIENGLISH.com)

Woman with half a brain 半腦女

Doctors treating a Chinese woman who complained of feeling weak discovered she only had half a brain.

The woman, 39, from Wuhan city, has lived a perfectly normal life and only came into hospital after she complained of feeling weak and stiff.

Zhang Linhong, director of Neural Rehabilitation Department at the local hospital, said: "On the MRI scans we were surprised to see that she only has grey matter on the right side.

"Our usual understanding is that the left brain controls language. But this patient has no problem communicating with people."

The woman's mother said her daughter lives a very normal life.

"She graduated from high school with good marks. Her memory is very good. She remembers phone numbers and names immediately." (Ananova.com)

2007年11月15日 星期四

China recycling used condoms as cheap hair bands 中國回收用過的保險套做成廉價髮帶髮圈

Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China, threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent, China’s state media reported.

In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, these recycled hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said.

"These cheap and colourful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ... threatening the health of local people," it said.

Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said.

"People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns," the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying.

A bag of ten of the recycled bands sells for just 25 fen (three cents), much cheaper than others on the market, accounting for their popularity, the paper said.

A government official was quoted as saying recycling condoms was illegal.
China's manufacturing industry has been repeatedly tarnished this year by a string of scandals involving shoddy or dangerous goods made for both domestic and foreign markets.

In response, it launched a public relations blitz this summer aimed at playing up efforts to strengthen monitoring systems. (AFP)

One in three think Everest is in Europe 三分之一的英國人認為聖母峰在歐洲

One in three Brits thinks Mount Everest is in Europe, according to a new survey.

And half of us do not know the Nile is the world's longest river, reports the Guardian.

The survey was carried out to mark National Geographic's awareness week.

It found that the most visited local "landmark" for many British adults is their nearby DIY store.

A third of people thought Mount Everest was either in the Alps or the UK - it is in Nepal - and only half of respondents knew the Nile was the world's longest river.

Asked which facility had been visited the most during the past month, the DIY superstore came top with 39%, with the local museum bottom with only 9%.

David Lambert, chief executive of the Geographical Association, said: "Geography helps us make sense of the world and face vital issues such as climate change, energy, food production, the 'war on terror', water and poverty." (the Guardian)

$210,000 white truffle 價值21萬美元的白松露

Truffle lovers worldwide put in bids for a 750-gram white truffle from Alba in Italy.

Bids came in from New York and Berlin but it was a $210,000 bid from Hong Kong that won the auction.

The Italian truffle market has been more expensive lately after having a dry summer.

Sunday’s truffle auction raised a total of $535,000.

Back in November of 2006 another white truffle was purchased by a Hong Kong resident for $160,000. I guess they really love truffles in Asia. (AP)

2007年11月14日 星期三

Sex for the disabled 為殘障人士提供性服務

A Swiss welfare group is recruiting volunteers to have sex with disabled people.

The Basel-based Welfare Group for Disability and Sexuality already arranges erotic massages for people with disabilities.

But it is now providing full sexual intercourse and is also signing up gay volunteers to have sex with homosexual disabled people.

The group's leader Aiha Zemp said it was a subject that "needed to be tackled."

She said: "It's a big taboo that needs to be broken. Having sex is a basic human need like eating and drinking and we have to fight for this right for the disabled."

At present three men and one woman offer an erotic 'touching service,' and nine new volunteers have come forward to offer sex at £65 per hour.

Among the new recruits are four men, two of them homosexuals.

Zemp rejected criticism that the group were simply training up prostitutes.

"The big difference between the assistants and prostitutes is that the assistants show tenderness and are conscious of the needs of the disabled, rather than rushing and just taking the money," she said. (Ananova.com)

2007年11月13日 星期二

Ring found after 89 years 89年前的一枚婚戒被發現

A sailor's engagement ring has been returned to his family - after 89 years on the bottom of the sea.

Stanley Cubiss drowned when his ship sank during the First World War, reports the Daily Mail.

Amateur diver Peter Brady, 51, spotted the engraved engagement ring from his sweetheart Florence half-buried on the seabed.

It was during a dive around the wreck of HMS Opal, off the Orkney Islands, two months ago.

Initially, Mr Brady thought it was a piece of the ship's machinery, but on closer inspection he realised it was a ring bearing the inscription: "To Stanley from Flo, March 1916."

Mr Cubiss, 25, who worked in the ship's engine room, perished with 187 other men when the Opal, along with HMS Narborough, ran aground in a snowstorm on January 12, 1918.

Mr Brady and diving partner, Bob Hamilton, 61, found the ship's casualty list on the internet and managed to track down Stanley's 78-year-old nephew, Malcolm Cubiss.

"I received a call out of the blue telling me that divers had found this ring," said the retired brigadier from York.

"My uncle is often spoken of in the family and I know the tragedy of the Opal well. They came to show me the ring and I was astonished. It's a million-to-one chance."

Mr Brady added: "When I got to the surface I realised it was a ring and it was perfectly preserved. It was an amazing moment." (Daily Mail)-- Click here to see the Chinese version

2007年11月12日 星期一

Japan's 'best bottom' babe contest 日本「美臀」寶貝比賽

An 18-year-old girl was surprisingly crowned "Japan's best bottom" babe at Triumph International's "Show Me Your Sloggi" Japan contest held on Tuesday in Tokyo after a freak accident scorched her rump days before the contest.

"I always take care of my bottom, but I'm embarrassed to show it today because I burned it by sitting on a hair iron the other day," Kaho Watanabe, clad in pink baby doll lingerie, said in her short self-promotion spiel.

Sloggi is a casual brand produced by leading underwear manufacturer Triumph International. The company accepted photo entries of people's underwear-clad backsides for its worldwide contest between August and the middle of September. Viewers could vote for their favorite bottoms online.

Besides posing in Sloggi bras and panties, ten contestants in the Japan contest, who passed the preliminary selection out of 112 online entries, showed off their skills such as dancing, playing an instrument, and even singing a traditional enka song in a skimpy S&M type of costume.

"I can't believe I was named 'Japan's best bottom' with my burned bum. I promise I will recover before going to Germany," Watanabe said as she expressed her hopes for the world Sloggi competition scheduled on Oct. 31 in Munich. (Mainichi Daily News)

2007年11月10日 星期六

Tallest man in the United States 美國最高的人

George Bell, a 7-foot-8 sheriff's deputy in the City of Norfolk, Virginia, has officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the Tallest Man in the United States.

George Bell is 2 inches taller than the NBA's current tallest player, Yao Ming, but too short to be the world's tallest living man. He stands below, according to Guinness, Ukraine's 8-foot-5.5 Leonid Stadnyk and China's Bao Xishun, who is 7 feet 8.95 inches.

Bell need to wear size-19 shoes, pants with a 43-inch inseam and shirts with 45-inch sleeves.

Bell came forward to claim the title after Guinness World Records launched a contest in August to find the tallest American.

"I don't need to get in the book for someone to tell me I'm tall," Bell said.

"People tell me that all the time, but to be recognized in the book is an honor." (New York Daily News)

2007年11月9日 星期五

3,500 Chinese babies named "Olympics" 中國有3,500個小孩取名「奧運」

There has been a lot of crazy stuff going on in China in anticipation for the 2008 Olympics. None quite so strange as this story.

Nearly 3,500 children, since the year 2000, have been named after the 2008 Olympics.

3,500 were named "Aoyun", meaning Olympics, in 2000 when the bid first came up to have the Olympics in China.
Additionally, more than 4,000 people have been named after the “Five Friendlies.” The Five Friendlies are 5 different animated characters that play in Chinese Olympics commercials.

The names are Bei Bei (880 people), Jing Jing (1,240), Huan Huan (1,063), Ying Ying (624) and Ni Ni (642). When put together, the phrase translates to "Beijing welcomes you!"(Weirdasianews.com)

2007年11月8日 星期四

'Eight-limbed girl' recovers after surgery 「八爪女童」術後復原中

A two-year-old Indian girl born with four arms and four legs was recovering in intensive care today after a successful 27-hour operation to remove her headless, conjoined twin.

Lakshmi Tatma, the daughter of a poor Indian labourer from the eastern Indian state of Bihar, was given an 80 per cent chance of pulling through the surgery which should enable her to walk and move like an ordinary child.

"She has withstood the operation, she is safe and doing well,” said Dr Sharan Patil, the consultant orthopaedic surgeon who led the 36-stong team that operated on Lakshmi.

"We will keep a close watch on her for the next 48 to 72 hours and won’t move from the hospital until she stabilises."

The £30,000 operation, which has been performed free of cost by the hospital, was fraught with difficulty as surgeons separated Lakshmi from the headless, "parasitic" twin that was attached to her pelvis at birth.

When she was born the inhabitants of her rural village believed she was a ’gift from God’ and christened her ’Lakshmi’ after the four-armed Hindu goddess of wealth.

Her parents, Shambhu and Poonam, were "overwhelmed" to hear that the surgery had been completed successfully and were allowed to see their daughter’s for just a few minutes yesterday afternoon.

The surgery had proved too traumatic for Poonam who collapsed and required sedation after watching her daughter going under general anaesthetic at the Narayana Health City on the outskirts of Bangalore on Tuesday. (Telegraph.co.uk) -- Click here to see the Chinese version

World's longest dragon 世界最長的龍

A Chinese town has made the world's longest dragon.

Shuangfeng town, Taicang city, made the 2,008 metre long dragon to mark the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics.

It is a mile and a quarter long and will need 1,200 dancers to support it at the town's traditional dragon dance.

"More than 10 workers worked over the months to make this huge dragon," a town spokesman told China News Network.

"It needed 4,200 metres of fabric and more than 300 bamboo poles." (Ananova.com)

Serbian woman rejects 150 proposals 塞爾維亞一女子拒絕150次求婚

A Serbian woman has turned down more than 150 marriage proposals because she has still not met Mr Right.

Milunka Dabovic, now aged 38, from Maskova in central Serbia still lives with her mum.

She got her first proposal when she was 14 and they have been coming ever since.

She said: "I've had a lot of proposals and some of them won't take no for an answer, they even try to get my mother to try and convince me to accept.

"But the man I marry needs to be handsome and tall, needs to accept life here in our village - and must be a hard worker with a good heart." (Ananova.com)

2007年11月6日 星期二

Leaning tower of Pisa loses title 比薩斜塔失去世界最傾斜建築物頭銜

A German church steeple has knocked the leaning tower of Pisa from the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most lopsided building.

The tower in the village of Suurhusen applied in June for the title and has now officially beaten the famous landmark in Pisa.

Guinness Book of Records confirmed the award after officials measured it leaning at a 5.19 degree angle compared to only 3.97 degree angle at which the tower of Pisa leans.

Olaf Kuchenbecker of the Guinness World Records office in Hamburg said: "It is a world record."

The church was built in middle of the 13th century but a 90ft tower was added in 1450.

The tower was built on wooden foundations and the combination of the oak wood foundations and wet soil has caused the tower to slowly lean to one side over the years.

Several attempts to stop the tower from leaning any further have been made since 1982, and it was eventually stabilised in 1996.

The church is still in use and also offers guided tours but church officials are appealing for donations to help maintain the building. (ananova.com)

2007年11月3日 星期六

Pilot of plane that dropped A-bomb dies 廣島原爆 投彈飛官逝世

Paul Tibbets, the pilot and commander of the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, died Thursday, a spokesman said. He was 92.


Tibbets died at his Columbus home after a two month decline in his health stemming from a variety of health problems, said Gerry Newhouse, a longtime friend.

Tibbets had requested no funeral and no headstone, fearing it would provide his detractors with a place to protest, Newhouse said.

"It's an end of an era," said Newhouse, who served as Tibbets' manager for a decade. "A lot of those guys are gone now."

Tibbets' historic mission in the plane Enola Gay, named for his mother, marked the beginning of the end of World War II. It was the first time man had used nuclear weaponry against his fellow man.

It was the morning of August 6, 1945, when the plane and its crew of 14 dropped the five-ton "Little Boy" bomb over Hiroshima. The blast killed 70,000 to 100,000 people and injured countless others.

Three days later, the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Tibbets did not fly in that mission. The Japanese surrendered a few days later, ending the war.

"I knew when I got the assignment it was going to be an emotional thing," Tibbets told The Columbus Dispatch for a story on August 6, 2005, the 60th anniversary of the bomb. "We had feelings, but we had to put them in the background. We knew it was going to kill people right and left. But my one driving interest was to do the best job I could so that we could end the killing as quickly as possible."

Tibbets, then a 30-year-old colonel, never expressed regret over his role. It was, he said, his patriotic duty - the right thing to do.

"I'm not proud that I killed 80,000 people, but I'm proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it and have it work as perfectly as it did," he said in a 1975 interview.

"You've got to take stock and assess the situation at that time. We were at war. ... You use anything at your disposal. There are no Marquess of Queensberry rules in war.

"I sleep clearly every night." (China Daily)