Testing out Qik. Not sure how well this will work.
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Monday, December 31, 2007
The 70 Stone Woman
Renee Williams became the largest person ever to have gastric bypass surgery earlier this year after ballooning to nearly seventy stone – but died 12 days later.
The bedridden 29-year-old begged doctors to perform the operation when she became so large that she couldn't hug her two children.
Her astonishing size meant that the operating table had to be specially widened for the procedure.
The operation was successful and Renee lost four stone due to her reduced stomach capacity before dying of a sudden heart attack less than two weeks later. Link
Stunning Underwater Polar Bear Photographs
The Sun has posted a slideshow of stunning underwater photographs of a polar bear in a North Carolina zoo.
Video: Cute Puppy Meets Cat
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| Cutest Puppy Ever Meets the Most Patient Cat Ever |
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Sunday, December 30, 2007
Man Sells Snow On EBay For $3,550
A Quebec man has earned $3,550 for charity after selling a "magnificent" two-metre-high snowbank in front of his home on EBay The buyer plans to use it for a snowball fight with his family.
The winning bidder, Claude Fraser, said he and his family bought the snowbank because they make an annual donation to a charity and hadn't decided on one for this year.
"It's a good cause," said Fraser, who plans to collect his winnings in a trailer Monday at noon.
Fraser works for a telephone company and lives in a bungalow in Longueuil, Que. "We're not rich, but we feel it's part of our education as parents to teach our children to think of others and to be generous."
The proceeds will go to Operation Enfant Soleil, a Quebec charity that supports children's hospitals in the province.
Vets Remove 11lbs Of Hair From Matted Dog
Alfie the Afghan has had more than 11lb of matted hair removed in a 3 hour operation by four vets. Alfie's coat had been neglected for so long that when he was found abandoned in Bradford he was barely able to walk.
RSPCA inspector Rachel Oprysk could not believe the level of neglect he had suffered. She said: "I was horrified at what state he came to us in.
"He was struggling to walk and cock his leg, because of the weight of his coat.
"He's probably not been groomed for months - if not years. The extent of the matting is the worst I have ever seen in a dog.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
The World's Largest Cylindrical Aquarium
Located inside Berlin's Radisson SAS hotel, Aquadom may well be the world's largest cylindrical fish aquarium. Standing at 82-feet tall and housing 2,600 fish of 56 species, this huge aquarium also has an elevator through the middle! Techblog has more photos and videos. [via]
"What The Heck Is Electronic Mail?"
An early advert from Honeywell advertising the benefits of email.
Teen Takes Car For A Spin On The Beach
18-year-old Sam Hamilton decided to take his Christmas present to Blackpool beach for a spin but a wheel got stuck just before the tide rolled in. The power of the waves flattened the roof and ripped off the bonnet. The boy was quoted as saying, “My dad went mad”.
The Sun has another photo.
Friday, December 28, 2007
The World’s Loneliest Prada Store
Located in the desert near Marfa, Texas, this Prada store hasn't sold a single item since it was build in 2005. That's because you can't actually buy anything from there. The store is actually an installation by two German artists. More pics.
Antarctic Base Staff Evacuated After Christmas Brawl
Two scientists working on the remote US-operated Amundsen-Scott South Pole station in Antarctica had to be airlifted to New Zealand after they got injured during a "drunken Christmas punch-up". One man suffered a broken jaw and was discharged from a hospital in Christchurch whilst the other flew back to the United States. Link
Frozen Sea
Apparently, this frozen sea is located somewhere in Russia. Lots more photos here.
"I Had To Leave Work Early Today"
you don't want to be seeing one of these whilst doing your job.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Priests Brawl At Bethlehem Birthplace Of Jesus
Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Following the Christmas celebrations, Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church, which is built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.
But the ladders encroached on space controlled by Armenian priests, according to photographers who said angry words ensued and blows quickly followed.
For a quarter of an hour bearded and robed priests laid into each other with fists, brooms and iron rods while the photographers who had come to take pictures of the annual cleaning ceremony recorded the whole event. Link (w/ video)
Rare 'Jenny' Stamp Sells For $825,000
One of the most famous flawed postage stamps has sold for $825,000 at auction, slightly less than the record price ($977,500) another "Inverted Jenny" copy fetched at auction last month.
The rare 1918 24-cent stamp, depicting an upside-down Curtis JN-4 biplane known as "Jenny," was sold privately this week to a Wall Street executive who did not want to be identified.
Heritage Auction Galleries president Greg Rohan, who brokered the sale, said the buyer is the same collector who lost an auction last month in which another "Inverted Jenny" sold for $977,500. Rohan said his client, whom he described as not being a rare stamp collector, was glad to get another chance at the prized misprint.
"I suspect he's going to enjoy owning it and showing it to a few close friends," Rohan said.
Maybe he'll stick it on a postcard and mail it ala Brewster's Millions.
Girl, 2, Survives Screwdriver Through Skull
A 2-year-old girl is expected to make a full recovery after running with a screwdriver and stabbing herself in the head, just above her eye.
Neither her eye nor her brain was damaged, and doctors did not need to perform surgery to remove it, although it did take four hours to extract the tool from her head. Link (w/ video) [via]
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Santas Go On Rampage
A 50-stron gang of rampaging drunken Santas ransacked a cinema frightening customers, damaging property and swearing.
Police believe the Santas, who went on the rampage in New Zealand, were a group of university students. (Link w/ video)
Monday, December 24, 2007
WeDigTV - Online Quiz Shows
If you are unfortunate enough to be in work today, why not pass the time away with WeDigTv. The site has a collection of interactive quiz shows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Countdown, Bullseye, Catchphrase and The Price Is Right and are all really well produced.
Canary Wharf Disappears Under A Blanket Of Fog
A thick blanket of fog that covered London yesterday left just the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf poking through. [via]
Newspaper Accidentally Identifies Thief on Front Page
A man has appeared on the front page of a local paper doing both good and bad.
The December 14th issue of the Lewiston Tribune, page 1A ran two substantial photos: In one, a husky man in a black-and-blue checkered coat is seen hanging Christmas decorations in a shop window. In the other, a surveillance camera shows a convenience-store customer’s unattended wallet being swiped by . . . a husky man in a black-and-blue checkered coat. Local police noticed the similarities, and quickly arrested the hapless criminal mastermind for felony second-degree theft.
Here's a PDF of the newspaper. [via and via]
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Family Of Spiders
Imagine finding these in the corner of one of your rooms. [via]
Isometric Pixel Map Of Hong Kong
Insanely detailed isometric pixel map of Hong Kong. [via]
