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2008年9月29日 星期一

World's unluckiest cyclist? 世上最倒楣的單車騎士?

A US cyclist was knocked down by a car and a train in separate accidents within six hours of each other.

Unlucky Robert Evans, 46, from Boulder, Colorado, was first hit by a car in a hit-and-run incident.

Mr Evans was taken to hospital but later released, reports Metro.

He was on his way back to town when he was hit by a train while walking his bicycle across a railroad bridge.

He was later found in a creek and again taken to hospital, but his injuries were not life-threatening.

To add to his woes, Evans faces a ticket from police for trespassing on the rail bridge which is not open to pedestrians. (Metro.co.uk)

2008年9月25日 星期四

Chicken pot is ancient treasure 大陸一雞盆為古代寶物

A Chinese farmer is ecstatic after discovering a chicken feed pot he bought from a neighbour for a few pennies is a 1,000-year-old treasure.

Liu Shuxuan, of Chongqing, purchased the pot from his neighbour five years ago, reports Chongqing Business Daily.

"It was broken into pieces then, but I thought the flower pattern looked very ancient, so I bought it from him for about 10 yuan (80p)," he said.

Liu glued the pieces together and took it to the Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Research Centre to determine its value.

He hoped it was worth more than he paid for it - but was amazed to discover that it was a rare treasure from the Song Dynasty, dating back more than 1,000 years.

Zhao Qingyun, an expert at the centre, said there are only three such pots in existence - two in the Shanghai Museum and one in a private collection.

Liu decided to sell the treasure pot after learning its true value, and has taken it by train to Beijing to show it to auction houses. He says he won't sell it for less than 10 million yuan (approx £800,000). (Chongqing Business Daily)

2008年9月24日 星期三

Girl, 16, is UK's youngest pilot 16歲少女成為英最年輕駕駛員

A 16-year-old schoolgirl has become Britain's youngest qualified pilot.

Sally Cluley passed her flying test at the end of August, but must wait until her birthday next week to be handed a private pilot's licence as 17 is the minimum age.

She told The Sun: "I'm going to stay on at school to finish my A-levels. Then I'd love to try to join the RAF. I'd consider becoming a commercial pilot if I don't make the grade with the RAF."

The teenager, who has racked up nearly 50 flying hours, joined 1947 training squadron at RAF Birstall near her Leicester home in 2006.

She took the test to gain her wings in a Piper Cherokee at the POM flying school, Humberside.

Sally added: "Flying just seemed to come naturally to me. It makes me feel as free as a bird."

RAF Birstall is part of the Air Training Corps, the world's largest youth air training organisation.

ATC Commandant Air Commodore Ian Stewart said: "We are all extremely proud of what Sally has achieved. She will do well in whichever career she chooses." (The Sun)

2008年9月23日 星期二

New suit can be worn in shower 可在淋浴時穿著的新西裝

An Australian company has invented a suit that can be worn in the shower.

The garment has been specially designed so that it can be cleaned under the shower head with no soaking, dry cleaning - or even soap.

Australian Wool Innovation says it has already received 170,000 orders from Japan for its revolutionary shower suit.

AWI spokesman Stephen Feighan told The Australian newspaper that the suit could be worn in the shower, although it was probably better to drape it on a clothes hanger to wash it.

"The idea is that you hang it up and then you give it a spray, and leave it overnight, and it's dry the next morning,'' he said.

The shower suit appealed to busy corporate people, particularly those who travelled frequently or stayed up late, Mr Feighan said.

Cow lands on car 牛從天而降掉在汽車上

A car driver in China was shocked when a cow suddenly dropped from the sky and landed on his bonnet.

The heavy black-and-white cow smashed a deep dent into the front of the vehicle in Changchun, reports the Northeastern News Network.

A resident who saw the accident said he saw the cow jump off the lorry driving ahead of the car. The lorry did not stop but sped off.

Police caught up with the lorry driver who is now in custody. They believe he is a cow thief who had stolen three cows from a local farmer and was transporting them to a market.

"He forgot to tie the cows securely on the lorry, and one of them walked off of the running truck and hit the car following behind," said the police spokesman. (Northeastern News Network)

2008年9月17日 星期三

Drunk man has sex with car 酒醉男子與休旅車嘿咻

Imagine parking up your new SUV on a nice quiet street, to pop to the shops only to come back and see a man hitting on your car.

And when we say 'hitting,' we don't mean the kind with a baseball bat.

Can't imagine it?

Well, a drunken man was caught having sex with an SUV that was parked on a main road.

The man, who has not been named, was seen with his pants down and getting it on with the front end of the Toyota 4X4.

And he went at if for a while - proving that it wasn't just a hit and run.

At times he looked a little frustrated, maybe because the vehicle was unresponsive to him banging against its bumper.

He was arrested after passers-by called the police.

Videos of the incident have been circulated on the web, but frankly we'll leave you to track them down if you so wish. (Metro.co.uk)

Chicken-footed duck scared of water 雞腳鴨怕水

A Chinese farmer is baffled after he bought a duck that has feet like a chicken and is scared of water.

Curious villagers in Huangjin village, Xicheng town, are flocking to the home of Fu Haiwen to see the duck.

Fu said he bought the duck in June but did not notice its unusual feet for ten days, reports Laibin News.

It was only after he noticed it acting differently to the rest of the ducks that he examined it closely and was surprised to see it did not have webbed feet.

"It never went with the other ducks to swim in the river," he explained. (Laibin News)

2008年9月15日 星期一

Still climbing trees - at 90 90歲仍在爬樹

An elderly Chinese man is still climbing trees - at the age of 90.

Gu Quanxi, of Xiabao village, Baoding, says tree climbing is the best thing in his life, and there's no tree he can't climb.

"My family was very poor when I was a child, so I climbed trees each day to fetch leaves to make food for the family," he told Yanzhao Metropolis News.

"Now my family prohibits me from climbing tall trees, and they ask me to use a ladder to climb even shorter trees."

However, he revealed that he often wanders to the mountain side alone and climbs 30ft-60ft high trees to satisfy his addiction.

Gu said the 40-year old walnut tree in his family yard has also been a good playground over the years.

"Each year, the job of climbing and harvesting the nuts is all mine," he added. (Yanzhao Metropolis News)

2008年9月11日 星期四

Boy, 5, blew £60,000 at shops 5歲男童購物花掉6萬英鎊

A five-year-old boy went on a £60,000 (台幣逾335萬元) shopping spree after finding a fortune in cash in his dad's safe.

The boy took a gang of friends to a shopping mall and blew the lot on clothes, toys, bicycles, sweets, computers and games.

His father Slobodan Markovic, a Serbian businessman, kept the money in a safe at home, only realised what had happened when his son and his friends came home with dozens of shopping bags.

He said: "I must have forgotten to lock the safe and he just saw the money and took it. I have asked the police to investigate because it is unbelievable that the shop owners let such a young boy do this."

A Belgrade police spokesman confirmed they are investigating Djodja Markovic's spending spree. (Ananova.com)

2008年9月9日 星期二

China's BMW rickshaw 中國的BMW黃包車

A rickshaw made out of a BMW Mini Cooper has been turning heads on the streets of Beijing.

The tricycle, dubbed 'The Other Rickshaw', was designed and produced by BMW, according to the Legal Evening Post.

Chen De Bao Company, a licensed BMW agent, said it was the only rickshaw in the world of its type.

It has the original rear half of a BMW car body and is equipped with safety belts. It features four gold-plated dragons and other Chinese decorations.

The driver, Song, says the rickshaw is rather heavy and requires a lot of effort to make it run.

"It's actually a bicycle pulling a two-wheeled car body," he said.

The rickshaw is currently in the repair shop after a minor bump: "It should be fixed by this weekend," said a spokeswoman for the Chen De Bao Company. (Legal Evening Post – 法制晚報)

Polar bears turn green 北極熊變成綠色

Three polar bears are puzzling visitors at a Japanese zoo - after their fur turned green.

The normally white bears at the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens changed colour after swimming in an algae-filled pond.

Zoo official Masami Kurobe said the green polar bears had sparked concern amongst visitors about whether the animals were sick or carrying mould.

High temperatures in July and August and less-frequent water changes because of the zoo's conservation efforts had caused an algae growth in the bear pond and safety moat.

Mr Kurobe added that the algae enters hollow spaces in the bears' fur and was hard to rinse off.

The bears are expected to return to their natural colour when the algae growth subsides in November. (AP)

2008年9月8日 星期一

Tattooed pigs make art 紋身豬變成藝術品

An artist is preparing to exhibit pigs tattooed with Louis Vuitton logos and designs in China.

Wim Delvoye, a Belgian living in Beijing, raised and tattooed eight pigs himself - two of them with LV artwork, reports People's Daily.

The Shanghai Exhibition Centre has agreed to put the pigs on display in a temporary pig pen for the upcoming 2008 Contemporary Art Exhibition, on condition the pigs don't create an unpleasant odour.

Mr Delvoye imported piglets from Europe for the project, which he calls 'Art Farm', and tattooed them when they were still small.

"Seeing the art pieces growing along with the pigs was an amazing thing," he said.

A spokeswoman for the New Beijing Gallery said the live pigs were not for sale, but their skins would later be sold for about £60,000 each.

During the exhibition period, strong sunscreen lotion must be applied to all the pigs to avoid their getting tanned in the open air," she said. (People’s Daily)

2008年9月4日 星期四

"Rubbish" art gallery 「垃圾」畫廊

Two artists have beaten the credit crunch by building a gallery completely out of rubbish.

German designers Folke Koebberling and Martin Kaltwasser saved a fortune by using waste wood to create the gallery in the Cambridgeshire countryside.

Volunteers helped to build the two-storey octagonal space in just six weeks using old doors, windows, furniture and school desks donated by the local community.

"We're very proud of the gallery. It's the first building we've made totally out of garbage and has cost next to nothing to make," said Folke.

"It looks like a mix between a barn, a cathedral and a monastery."

The gallery, which they have named Amphis, lies just outside Cambridge and will be used to display art projects and show film screenings.

Timber, including 500 pallets, was contributed by locals and more than 40 volunteers helped to turn the rubbish into the building, which comes complete with a greenhouse conservatory.

"All the materials they used were either donated or found and would otherwise have gone into land fill," said Donna Lynas, director of Wysing. "I think people are keen to recycle and see their rubbish put to good use.

"This is an impressive two-storey building which could easily be adapted for someone to live in and shows just what can be built out of rubbish."

The gallery has planning permission for the next two years and the team eventually plan to fit a bathroom. (Ananova.com)

2008年9月2日 星期二

Six-legged bull in demand 六腳牛待價而沽

The owner of a six-legged bull in China is holding out for a higher price.

Li Guolin, a farmer in Yantou village, Kunming, says he's been offered 36,000 yuan, nearly £3,000, for the bull.

But he told Metropolis Times: "I want to wait a bit longer, perhaps there will be a higher price offered for it."

The 18-month-old bull was born with two small extra legs on it's back.

Li added: "I bought it a year ago from a neighbouring village for 800 yuan (£65), and as it grew up the two back legs became more and more obvious.

"Every day people come to visit the bull to see it for themselves." (Metropolis Times)

2008年9月1日 星期一

Man hit by lightning after swearing 大陸男子發誓後立即被雷擊中

A Chinese man who swore to God that he didn't owe money to a neighbour was hit by lightning a minute later.

The man, named Xu, made the oath in front of a crowd of neighbours in Fuqing city, reports Southeast Express.

He vowed that he had never borrowed money from Mr Huang, who claimed Xu borrowed 500 yuan, the equivalent of £40, from him three years earlier.

"He borrowed 500 yuan three years ago from me for a friend's marriage gift, but he has denied it ever since then," said Huang, who went to Xu's home to demand payment.

"I told him that if he dared to swear to God that he didn't owe me the money, then I would waive his debt," said Huang.

Xu made the oath, but was suddenly struck by lightning a minute later.

He was immediately taken to hospital where doctors confirmed he had been hit by lightning. He is expected to make a full recovery. (Southeast Express)