Driving car across two steel cables 汽車走鋼索

A Chinese man performed a breathtaking stunt by driving a car across two steel cables suspended 150ft above a river.

Liu Suozhu, 48, of Henan province, completed the 750ft journey over Miluo River in Pingjiang city, Hunan province.

Liu, who is nicknamed the Car King in China, drove the motor from a platform in front of tens of thousands of cheering spectators.

During his 30-minute journey, Liu communicated with the performance host via radio, which was broadcast to the audience.

"The cables are a bit shaky, not very stable... the slope is very steep," the showman said, to more cheers from the crowd.

Liu says the last few minutes were the most difficult and dangerous because the steep slope blocked his rear view. He stopped several times during the last section of his journey. (Ananova.com)

Son finds job-share drinkers to join dad at pub 兒子登廣告徵求陪老父上酒吧飲酒同伴 – 有錢領還有酒喝

Found: drinking companions to join elderly gentleman for a friendly beer at his local pub.

Mike Hammond was bombarded with offers after advertising in his village post office for someone to accompany his 88-year-old father Jack on visits to a southern England pub from a nursing home.

He offered the lucky winner 7 pounds an hour plus expenses (時薪約台幣430元外加飲酒開支) and, after sifting through the applicants, decided on a job-share. Drinking duties are to be divided between a retired doctor and a former military man.

"Dad's now going to be going down to the pub several times a week -- three with his new friends and twice with me," Mike Hammond told The Times on Thursday. "I want to give him some of his old life back." (Reuters)

Deluxe doghouse 豪華狗屋

Supermodel Rachel Hunter has splashed out on a mansion - for her pet dogs!

The deluxe doghouse is a scaled down version of Rod Stewart's ex-wife's own Californian home.

She commissioned La Petite Maison, which makes homes for pampered pooches for up to £25,000, to build it with terra cotta floors and wrought iron balconies.

The elaborate doghouses are created by builder Alan Mowrer and interior designer Michelle Pollak, who conceived the idea after several years making children's playhouses.

Mrs Pollak said: "I mentioned half jokingly to our builder that we should build a luxury doghouse, and it went from there. I think people go to these lengths for their pets because they are considered part of the family now.

"Many of our clients have pets but don't have children, so they're doted upon and treated just as well as kids would be.

"Almost anything is available by way of accessories - air conditioning, custom beds, running water and interior design."

Other styles of doghouses built by the US firm have included country cottages, lavish colonial mansions and an Alpine chalet for the owner of a St Bernard.

The homes can take from a few weeks to a year to build, using bricks, timber, plaster, stone, and tiles.

The most basic doghouses start at around £3,000 but clients can spend up to £25,000 on getting their pet on the property ladder. (Ananova.com)

Megan Fox is world sexiest woman in 2008 梅根福克斯是2008全球最性感女性

Megan Fox was named the world's sexiest woman on Wednesday by men's FHM magazine. The 21-year-old Transformers (變形金剛) co-star topped FHM Online's reader poll of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World for 2008.

"Megan Fox is the deserving winner of this year's FHM title. She's young, she's hot, she's a rising star and her sex appeal has definitely transformed this year's list," said FHM Online U.S. Editor JR Futrell. (Random Citations)

Hotel dressed its window cleaners as Spiderman 上海華亭酒店的窗戶清潔工打扮成蜘蛛人

Shanghai Sheraton Hotel (上海華亭(喜來登)酒店) in China dressed its window cleaners as Spiderman in an effort to avoid disturbing guests.

The five-star hotel says they wanted to minimize the affect of the week-long cleaning.

"Nobody wants to see a person suddenly appear outside their window, so we thought of dressing them as movie characters, which should be fun and harmless," said a hotel spokesman.

The hotel says they were not expecting the Spiderman cleaners to attract so much attention.

Many guests have asked to have their photos taken with them, reports China News Network. (China News Network)

World's smallest Mona Lisa 世界最小的「蒙娜麗莎的微笑」

A Hampshire artist has painted the world's smallest Mona Lisa - and it's less than a quarter the size of a postage stamp.

The tiny replica of Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous painting is just 11mm high and seven millimetres wide.

Andrew Nicholls, 44, from Farnborough, painstakingly recreated the Mona Lisa in record 70:1 scale after reading about the previous holder on a hobby craft website.

To break the record he had to paint his entire masterpiece while peering through a magnifying glass.

Mr Nicholls used a 0000 gauge brush, consisting of just a few strands tapered to a fine point, to layer his acrylic paint on a piece of card.

He said: "I have been painting tiny pictures for dolls houses for five years now and can produce one of them in about an hour.

"But the detail of the Mona Lisa was much more difficult and I wanted to get it right.

"I used a tiny 0000 gauge paintbrush and don't believe it's possible to make the painting any smaller without compromising on detail or using a magnifying glass to see the finished item."

The previous record of 9 x 13 millimetres was held by Yves Gerard, from Luxembourg, whose work is housed at the Musee de la Miniature in Drome, France.

Mr Nicholls added: "I have never seen the original Mona Lisa but I would love to visit Paris and see it. It would be incredible to see my work mounted next to the original, so people can get some idea of scale." (Ananova.com)

Drunk man unaware of knife in back 俄酒醉男子渾然不知背部被刺進一把刀

A man woke up after drinking binge to find a knife in his back.

Yuri Lyalin failed to notice the six-inch (15cm) knife until his wife woke him up, according to Russian media.

Mr Lyalin, 53, an electrician, took a bus home, ate breakfast and apparently slept soundly before his spouse noticed it.

He was rushed to hospital but doctors told him no vital organs were damaged.

The drinking pal who plunged the knife into his back after playing a variation on Russian roulette, faces trial.

"Unique and intriguing the case may be, but the accused faces a severe punishment," said Pavel Vorobyov, a deputy prosecutor in the northern city of Vologda. (Metro.co.uk)

Kung Fu king pushed truck with steel shoes on 功夫達人穿鐵鞋推動卡車

A Chinese martial arts expert pushed a truck full of adults 15 metres while wearing a pair of steel shoes twice his own weight.

Lai Yingying, 47, of Quanzhou city, performed his stunt in front of the shoe factory where he works as a security guard.

The factory supplied the truck which, with nine adults sitting in it, weighed more than three tonnes, reports People's Daily.

Lai wrapped his feet in gauze first, then locked them into the 162kg shoes, more than double his weight of 75kg.

With onlookers cheering him on, Lai gritted his teeth and managed to push the truck for 15 metres in the heavy shoes.

"It takes co-ordination," says Lai, who has been practicing Chinese Kung Fu since he was 11. (People's Daily)

Man swaps wife for goat 保加利亞男子用不孕妻子換多產母羊

A Bulgarian farmer has swapped his wife for a goat - because she couldn't give him kids.

Stoil Panayotov exchanged his third wife with Elena the eight-year-old goat at a livestock market, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The extraordinary deal was concluded in front of a stunned crowd in the market town of Plovdiv, central Bulgaria.

"The day before a friend told me that he has had no luck with women and that he really liked my wife," says the 54-year-old.

"The deal was reached when my wife gave her approval. The goat has given birth to three kids and my wife to none.

"So this deal was more profitable to the goat owner, I got a second-hand goat and he got a brand new wife." (Daily Telegraph)

Fat generals told to shape up 俄羅斯胖將領被要求塑身

The Russian army has launched a fitness regime to help generals lose weight and squeeze into a new designer uniform.

A third of the army's elite officers are overweight and 25% failed a fitness test, defence ministry spokesman Vyacheslav Sedov said.

The army will now launch a fitness drive as it prepares to move over to a stylish uniform designed by Valentin Yudashkin, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The uniforms move away from the functional styles of the former Red Army to a more svelte, fitted look.

"The new military uniform should match what is inside it," said Mr Sedov.

The army will build gyms, swimming pools and sports halls to get the officers back in shape, he added.

A campaign will also be launched "to cultivate the culture of sport in the armed forces", said Mr Sedov.

The fitness tests were organised by Lt-Gen Vladimir Shamanov, who was decorated as a Hero of the Russian Federation for his service in Chechnya.

Lt-Gen Shamanov said that the unfit officers need more physical exercises, particularly aerobic exercises. Officers are to be tested on their running, swimming and shooting skills. (Daily Telegraph)

Real life Garfield 真實的加菲貓

A two-and-a-half stone (約16公斤) cat has been hailed a real life Garfield in Italy. (註：stone 為英制單位。1 stone = 6.35 kg)

Orazio looks like not only the cat that got the cream but who ate the whole cow too.

Just like lasagne loving Garfield, this fat cat grew to such a gargantuan size by guzzling all the food treats that his native Italy can provide.

The three-year-old tabby is such a food fanatic that owner Laura Santarelli finds it impossible to get him to slim down.

The flabby feline is now so large that it's a struggle for Laura just to pick him up.

And, should any of Laura's other five cats get in his way at dinner time at his home in Eupilio, the results can be catastrophic... (Ananova.com)

Spreading the F-word 粗口金剛鸚鵡竟教會同伴罵街

A foul-mouthed parrot, who once told a vicar to f*** off, has been teaching other birds how to swear.

Barney the macaw has refused to clean up his act despite being taken to a language specialist, reports Metro.

His most shocking outburst was when he told a mayoress, a vicar and two police officers to 'f*** off' and called them 'w******' when they visited Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary in Nuneaton.

And the seven-year-old macaw has now been spreading his obscene vocabulary to two other parrots, Sam and Charlie, at the centre.

Owner Geoff Grewcock said: 'It sounds like a builders' yard sometimes when we come in here, what with all the abuse flying about.

"They just sit there swearing at each other now, all kind of foul language - it's unbelievable."

He said the terrible trio's favourite rude words were 'f*** off', 'b*****ks' and 't**s'.

Mr Grewcock added: "These birds can live until they are 70 so there are potentially another 60 years of this to contend with."

Parrot expert Rob Harvey said birds usually talk to get the attention of their owners.

He added: "This case is so unusual because parrots are copying another parrot." (Metro.co.uk)

Dead man jailed 死人被判刑

A Belgian judge has sentenced a dead man to eight months in prison and a £430 fine.

Joey Van den Broeck, 21, had been charged with assaulting his girlfriend and resisting arrest.

But he subsequently died in hospital in Antwerp after a road crash in Merksem, reports GVA.

A spokesman for Antwerp court said: "Unfortunately, he had been summoned to appear in court shortly before for beating up his girlfriend.

"When he didn't show up, the case went ahead without him. We didn't know about his death or the case would have expired." (GVA)

Wolf and goat become couple 狼羊成為情侶

A Chinese zoo says a wolf and a goat have become unlikely sweethearts after sharing a cage together.

Keepers at the zoo, in White Tower Park, Nanchong city, says the pair have become inseparable.

"If the goat is gone for a bit, the wolf will howl and run frantically around the cage until she comes back," said keeper, Mr Xu.

Prey and predator only started dating by accident a month ago, Xu told the West China City News.

"Early one morning I opened the goat's fence to let her out to eat, and unexpectedly the wolf came out, because we hadn't locked his cage securely," he said.

"The wolf ran straight to the goat's fence, and started howling when it smelled the goat. The goat was so scared you could see her legs shaking."

Xu says he had to protect the goat until other employees came to help separate the animals.

"But for the next several nights the two started getting to know each other better, and even exchanged howls and baas. You could tell they were flirting," says Xu.

Five days later Xu and his colleagues came to a decision: "We thought, since they so much wanted to, why not put them together? It's really rare for a wolf and a goat to be so close."

The zoo says that since being put together, the wolf and the goat have done everything together - except share meals. The wolf sticks to his meat while the goat enjoys a vegetable diet. (West China City News)

(Wo)man bites dog 人咬狗

A US woman bit a pit bull terrier on the nose to save her pet Labrador.

Amy Rice, 38, of Minneapolis, had first tried to wrench the pit bull's jaws from her beloved Ella's throat.

"I ended up biting the pit bull on the nose," she told the local Star Tribune. "I didn't plan it, that's what happened.

"I broke the skin and had pit bull blood in my mouth. I knew what happened, and I knew that it wasn't good."

Animal care and control manager Dan Niziolek said the case was a first, even for more seasoned animal control officers.

"However, we see people who will do anything to protect their animal," he said.

Injuries to the pit bull were minor, but now Amy is dealing with a potential rabies scare as well as her 12-year-old dog's wounds.

The pit bull was quarantined after Amy's doctor told her of a possible rabies threat. But she's unhappy the pit bull, named Frances, wasn't immediately locked up by animal control officers.

"I was sure that my dog was dying in my arms; it was horrible," she said.

"It could have been a child. It just could have been so much worse. I really question the policy of not removing the animal." (Ananova.com)

World's largest cell phone 全世界最大的手機

A Chinese man is hoping to get in the record books after creating what he claims is the world's largest working mobile phone.

Mr Tan, of Songyuan city, says his 3ft high phone, which weighs 48lbs, is an exact copy of his own phone - but 620 times bigger.

A local journalist tested the phone by making calls and sending text messages and pronounced it completely functional, reports City News.

Tan says it has all the functions of a normal phone, with a built-in camera and internet access but has to be plugged into the mains as he hasn't managed to build a big enough battery.

"The only other difference is that I didn't incorporate the vibrate function," he said.

Tan, an electronics enthusiast, says he came up the idea for the giant phone a year and a half ago and finally started work on it with his father six months ago.

"Many friends worried I couldn't finish it, and only my father encouraged me to continue," he said.

"The neighbours were always knocking on my door asking what was going on with all the noise from the apartment, and even my wife was complaining." (City News)

Islam overtakes Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion 回教取代天主教成為全球最大宗教

Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion, Reuters cited Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano as reporting.

Islam has overtaken Roman Catholicism as the biggest single religious denomination in the world, the Vatican said.

Monsignor Vittorio Formenti, who compiled the Vatican's newly-released 2008 yearbook of statistics, said Muslims made up 19.2 percent of the world's population and Catholics 17.4 percent.

"For the first time in history we are no longer at the top: the Muslims have overtaken us," Formenti told Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano in an interview, saying the data referred to 2006.

He said that if all Christian groups were considered, including Orthodox churches, Anglicans and Protestants, then Christians made up 33 percent of the world's population -- or about 2 billion people.

The Vatican recently put the number of Catholics in the world at 1.13 billion people. It did not provide a figure for Muslims, generally estimated at around 1.3 billion.

Formenti said that while the number of Catholics as a proportion of the world's population was fairly stable, the percentage of Muslims was growing because of higher birth rates. (Reuters&Random Citations)