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[photo] Geographic tongue

A 61-year-old man was referred for treatment of painless white lesions on his tongue that had appeared 1 month earlier. He had been treated with topical and systemic antifungal drugs for presumed oral candidiasis, but the lesions remained unchanged. The patient reported that a similar episode 1 year earlier had resolved spontaneously. Lingual examination revealed multiple erythematous patches with an annular, well-demarcated white border. A diagnosis of geographic tongue was made. Geographic tongue (benign migratory glossitis) is a benign inflammatory condition that affects approximately 2% of the world’s population. The classic manifestation is a maplike distribution of erythema caused by atrophy of the filiform papillae of the tongue, surrounded by a white hyperkeratotic rim. The lesions typically resolve spontaneously without sequelae but can develop quickly in other areas of the tongue.

(6) Tips if you’ve forgotten someone’s name

Image via Wikipedia

Fact: In ancient Rome, the job of the “nomenclator” was to whisper or announce the names of people as they approached a politician.

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You can always just say politely, “I’m sorry, I don’t recall your name,” but if you’d rather try to disguise your forgetfulness a bit, give these a try:

1. The “I know your name, but I’m blocked” dodge:
“I keep wanting to call you “David,” but I know that’s not right.”

2. The “Of course I know you — in fact, I want all your information” dodge:
“Hey, I’d love to get your card.”

3. The “The tip of my tongue” dodge:
“I know I know your name, but I’m blanking right now.”

4. The “You’re brilliant!” dodge:
“Wow, you have a terrific memory. I can’t believe you remember my name from that meeting six months ago. I can’t remember the names of people I met yesterday! So of course I have to ask you your name.”

5. The “Sure, I remember you” dodge:
“Remind me – what’s your last name?” If you ask a person for his last name, he’s likely to repeat both names. “Doe, John Doe.”

6. The “One-sided introduction” dodge:
“Hey,” you say to the person whose name you can’t remember, “let me introduce you to Pat Smith.” You introduce the two and say the name of the person whose name you remember. Almost always, the nameless person will volunteer his or her name.

Taken from The Happiness Project

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Self-warming baby bottle saves time and aggravation

The Yoomi baby bottle (sells in the UK for $35) heats to the temperature of breast milk with just the touch of a button.  The milk is ready to use in 60 seconds after heating to around 32-34 degrees celsius.

The device was born out of desperation after the birth of the inventor’s  eldest boy Danial.  Their experiences of stumbling around the kitchen in the early hours heating milk in the microwave or begging waiters for hot water when out to warm the bottle in, mirror those of millions of other couples.

The gadget that makes a difference is the sealed warmer unit that sits inside the bottle and beneath the teat.  Pressing a button on the side of the unit triggers heating of a solution contained within the warmer.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1230382/The-baby-bottle-heats-60-seconds.html#ixzz0Xyi7lZMp

(8) Outstanding bridges

Pedestrian Bridge, Texas: This beautiful arched bridge in Lake Austin was build byMiro Rivera Architectsand is used to connect the client’s main house to the smaller guest house on the other side of the pond. To make the bridge seem as natural as possible within its surroundings they made the decking and reed-like hand rails imperfect but still structurally sound.

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Kintaikyo, Iwakuni, Japan: The original Kintai Bridge was built in 1673 but collapsed due to flooding.. The rebuilt bridge survived for more than 200 years until a typhoon destroyed in 1950. The bridge that stands now over the Nishiki River has five wooden arches displaying an incredible amount of detail and craftmanship. Interesting fact: no nails or bolts have been used to build the arches, only clamps and wires.

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Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, Brasilia, Brazil: The JK Bridge in Brasilia is a lesson in elegant bridge design. The three huge diagonal arches over the deck of the bridge give the structure an amazing visual fluidity.

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Rolling Bridge, London, UK:  Thomas heatherwick’s award-winning rolling bridge is an ingenious addition to the grand union canal system in London and is unique. Unlike regular movable canal bridges, the rolling bridge curls up to form an octagon by way of hydraulic jacks to let ships pass.

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Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge, Guizhou, China: Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge in Guizhou is an enormous railway bridge that was built as part of the ‘Guizhou-Shuibai Railway Project’. Connecting two mountains over a deep ravine, at its highest point the bridge’s deck sits 918ft above the ground. Parenthetically the bridge in connects two of the country’s poorest areas.

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Henderson Waves, Southern Ridges, Singapore: ‘Henderson Waves’ is Singapore ’s highest pedestrian bridge and is at the ‘Southern Ridges,’ a beautiful 9 km (six miles) stretch of gardens and parks. The deck of the bridge is made from thousands of Balau wood slats, perfectly cut and arranged, and along the length of the deck a snaking, undulating shell forms sheltered seating areas on every upward curve.

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Pont Gustave Flaubert, Rouen , France: This incredible vertical lift bridge is in Rouen, France, who’s spans weigh 1,200 tons each but can be hoisted 180 ft vertically in an impressive 12 minutes. The angular lift structures at the top of each tower weigh 450 tons each. The huge vertical lift allows even the largest cruise liners to sail through.

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Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea: This bridge supports two pipelines – one gas, the other oil – across the extremely deep gap in Papua New Guinea. If this were to be officially recognized as a vehicular or pedestrian bridge it would rocket to the top of the ‘world’s highest bridge-span’ with the pipelines at an impressive height of 1,290 ft above the bottom of the gorge. By comparison, the current highest bridge span belongs to the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, hanging a mere 1,053 ft above ground level.

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Where old phones go…

Each sheep is made from telephones and cords.  Check out their feet and heads!  Displayed at the Museum of Communications in Frankfurt, Germany.

 

 

3,604 cups of coffee = 1 Mona Lisa

Artist assistants stand next to 3,604 cups of coffee which have been made into a giant Mona Lisa in Sydney, Australia.
The 3,604 cups of coffee were each filled with different amounts of milk to create the different shades!

 

 

 

 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get the coffee pot going…

Photographers capture 55 angry, mad and soft landscapes

Fantastic for desktop wallpaper…

These scenes produce spectacular atmosphere and look stunning. Today, we have collected 55 truly brilliant landscapes captured by photographers that will definitely inspire you.

Here are some of my favorites:

Active Volcano

Angry Clouds

Margate

Tornados

Weather

Source

Inflatable street art comes alive from subway exhaust system

Using only tape and garbage bags, Joshua Allen Harris creates giant inflatable animals that become animated when fastened to a sidewalk grate.  Steven Psyllos caught up with Harris recently to discuss his older works (including a bear and a giraffe) and unveil a new beast that looks not unlike the Cloverfield monster.

Woman’s own stem cells produce new body part

Image via Wikipedia

A young mother has become the first in the world to get a new part of her body made from her own stem cells.  The woman in Spain received a new windpipe — grown in a lab.  British doctors who were involved in the revolutionary transplant say it heralds a new era in medicine…Health Correspondent Thomas Moore explains.

 

 

 

 

 

Fingerprints: Facts and Patterns

Image via Wikipedia

Fingerprint ridges are formed during the third to fourth month of fetal development. The ridges begin to develop on the skin of the thumbs and fingers.

Source

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The earliest dated prints of the ridged skin on human hands were made about 4,000 years ago during the pyramid building era in Egypt.  In addition, one small portion of palm print, not known to be human, has been found impressed in hardened mud at a 10,000-year old site in Egypt.

It was common practice for the Chinese to use inked fingerprints on official documents, land sales, contracts, loans and acknowledgements of debts.  The oldest existing documents so endorsed date from the 3rd century BC, and it was still an effective practice until recent times.  Even though it is recorded that the Chinese used their fingerprints to establish identity in courts in litigation over disputed business dealings, researchers fail to agree as to whether the Chinese were fully aware of the uniqueness of a fingerprint or whether the physical contact with documents had some spiritual significance.

Source

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation established its first fingerprint identification division in the year 1924, with a collection of 810,188 fingerprint files taken mostly from the Leavenworth Penitentiary. These files became more and more important with the emergence of an increasing number of intellectual criminals who crossed all legal and state lines.  Today, the FBI has in possession more than 250 millions different sets of fingerprint records. This collection is enormous and is composed of both civil as well as criminal prints. The civil file includes prints of government employees and candidates for federal jobs.

Source

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• Touchless 3-D Fingerprinting (technologyreview.com)

NYPD testing “rumble” sirens

“Police forces in the US are piloting a new kind of police car. Not only does it make a sound and flash its lights when speeding to an emergency it also rumbles, shaking the ground up to 200 feet away giving pedestrians and other drivers advance notice to MOVE!!! The technology is currently being tested in New York.”

More courtroom questions

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Questions actually asked of witnesses by attorneys during trials and responses given by insightful witnesses.

Reported in the Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyers Journal, the following are questions actually asked of witnesses by attorneys during trials and, in certain cases, the responses given by insightful witnesses:

1. “Now doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?”
2. “The youngest son, the twenty-year old, how old is he?”
3. “Were you present when your picture was taken?”
4. “Were you alone or by yourself?”
5. “Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?”
6. “Did he kill you?”
7. “How far apart were the vehicles at the time of the collision?”
8. “You were there until the time you left, is that true?”
9. “How many times have you committed suicide?”
10. Q: “So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?”
A: “Yes.”
Q: “And what were you doing at that time?”
11. Q: “She had three children, right?”
A: “Yes.”
Q: “How many were boys?”
A: “None.”
Q: “Were there any girls?”
12. Q: “You say the stairs went down to the basement?”
A: “Yes.”
Q: “And these stairs, did they go up also?”
13. Q: “Mr. Slatery, you went on a rather elaborate honeymoon, didn’t you?
A: “I went to Europe, sir.”
Q: “And you took your new wife?”
14. Q: “How was your first marriage terminated?”
A: “By death.”
Q: “And by whose death was it terminated?”
15. Q: “Can you describe the individual?”
A: “He was about medium height and had a beard.”
Q: “Was this a male or female?”
16. Q: “Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?”
A: “No, this is how I dress when I go to work.”
17. Q: “Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?”
A: “All my autopsies are performed on dead people.”
18. Q: “All your responses must be oral, OK? What school did you go to?”
A: “Oral.”
19. Q: “Do you recall the time that you examined the body?”
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.”
Q: “And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?”
A: “No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy.”
20. Q: “You were not shot in the fracas?”
A: “No, I was shot midway between the fracas and the naval.”
21. Q: “Are you qualified to give a urine sample?”
A: “I have been since early childhood.”
22. Q: “Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?”
A: “No.”
Q: “Did you check for blood pressure?”
A: “No.”
Q: “Did you check for breathing?”
A: “No.”
Q: “So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?”
A: “No.”
Q: “How can you be so sure, doctor?”
A: “Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.”
Q: “But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?”
A: “It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.”

By anisha
Published: 5/4/2001

Funny questions asked in a courtroom

…These questions will either break the ice, get a laugh, or completely confuse the witness…

“Just how old were you really on your twenty-fifth birthday?”
“Can you see without your glasses or your teeth?”
“What was the defendant doing while you were in the bathroom?”
“Do you still feel you are brain damaged?”
“Where did you live in town after you moved away?”
“What don’t you know about the accident and when did you find out?”
“Just when did you realize you hadn’t been killed in the accident?”
“You’re just saying that to confuse me, or is that your normal way of talking?”
“Did you look at the defendant when you saw him?”
“Can you describe what you didn’t see?”
“Was that when you were in a coma or had you already left the hospital?”
“Are you qualified to be an expert or is there somebody else more qualified to make that conclusion?”
“I think we all know who will be the judge of that, right Judge?”
“Could you repeat that again for those who heard it the first time?”
“I see you have clothes on today.”
“What do you mean exactly by that particular phrase you elucidated?”
“Could you be more specific than “I don’t remember?”
“And what time was it by the watch you weren’t wearing?”
“Do you have a first name, John?”
“Do you consider yourself to be an honest or a dishonest person when you promise to tell the truth?”
“Have you ever lied to anyone before today?”
“Have you ever driven drunk before the accident?”
“And how many teeth would you estimate you have?”
“Are you able to touch your nose and walk a straight line better today than you were on the date of the accident?”
“Can you estimate how many wives you have?”
“Do you consider yourself to be as honest as the Judge in this courtroom?”
“Have you been practicing what you would say today?”
“And exactly when did you come up with a conclusion that would make sense?”
“We’ve never met before today, except for that time in Vegas, have we?”
“Have you ever been to Vegas?”
“Does your wife know about that trip?”
“What caused you to be a child when you were that age?”
“Did you eventually become an adult?”
“Do you know what questions I’m going to be asking you to give me answers to or are you just guessing?”
“You seem confusing. Are you speaking too fast or would you like me to slow down?”

Source

Vacation under the sea in this 5-star underwater seafloor resort

The Poseidon Resort in Fiji (opening in early 2010) has underwater suites and island villas.

To get information on their beach bungalows, the underwater library, the wedding chapel, the restaurants, and more visit: Poseidon Resort

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[video] “Great Depression” cooking with Clara Cannucciari

What a lovable, charismatic woman!  Here’s her first video.

91 year old cook and great grandmother, Clara, recounts her childhood during the Great Depression as she prepares meals from the era. Learn how to make simple yet delicious dishes while listening to stories from the Depression.

Clara Cannucciari is a 94 year-old internet sensation. Her YouTube® Great Depression Cooking videos have an army of devoted followers. In Claras Kitchen, she gives readers words of wisdom to buck up Americas spirits, recipes to keep the wolf from the door, and tells her story of growing up during the Great Depression with a tight-knit family and a pull yourself up by your bootstraps philosophy of living. In between recipes for pasta with peas, eggplant parmesan, chocolate covered biscotti, and other treats Clara gives readers practical advice on cooking nourishing meals for less. Using lessons she learned during the Great Depression, she writes, for instance, about how to conserve electricity when cooking and how you can stretch a pot of pasta with a handful of lentils. She reminisces about her youth and writes with love about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Claras Kitchen takes readers back to a simpler, if not more difficult time, and gives everyone what they need right now: hope for the future and a nice dish of warm pasta from everyones favorite grandmother, Clara Cannuciari, a woman who knows whats really important in life.

Website:

http://www.GreatDepressionCooking.com

African pastor, dead in mortuary for three days, returns to tell his experience

The videos of the account of Pastor Daniel Ekechukwu’s resurrection are hard to understand in places.  For more information, see the link at the bottom of this post.

Nigerian pastor Daniel Ekechukwu physically died in the late evening of Friday, November 30th, 2001, was dead for at least 42 hours, visited heaven and hell during the time of his physical death, and was raised from the dead between 3:50 P.M. and 5:15 P.M. on Sunday, December 2nd, 2001 in the basement of the Grace of God Mission, located in Onitsha, Nigeria.

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Part 1 – Introduction of the events preceding his death.

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Part 2 – Angelic encounter in the ambulance where they take him to heaven and explain the differences between the gathering of the angels vs the gathering of the saints.

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Part 3 – Description of the heavenly mansions and singing flowers.  Then an angel takes Daniel to hell where he describes the experience…the angel explains the reason why the pastor encounters a soul who practiced witchcraft (Rev 21:8).

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Part 4 –  The angel explains to Daniel why if the book of life was closed, hell would be Daniel’s portion.  Powerful message about reaping the harvest of unforgiveness and Daniel’s insatiable desire for revenge…

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Part 5 – Daniel’s experience about coming back to his body, which was lying in the mortuary for three days.

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Much more information about this story can be found here.

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A Point to Ponder:

1) I was thinking about the number of views this video received so far: Views: 22,271.  Compare that to Susan Boyle: Views: 78,717,532.  Just thought I’d throw that in.

2) Regarding salvation–if everyone is going to heaven, why did Jesus have to die?

[photos] Funny wallpaper

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[photos] WEIRD wallpaper for your desktop – Part 1

These totally fall in the ‘weird’ category …

Find lots more here - Source

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Get these beauties here - Source

Biologists need your vote for the ugly bug contest

Image via Wikipedia

The biologists from Dow AgroSciences, NAU Imaging and Histology Core Facility, ASU International Institute for Species Exploration and W. M. Keck Bioimaging Laboratory are pleased to present the Ugly Bug contestants for 2009. Each of the bugs are anxious to be crowned champion so be sure to vote soon and vote often.

On the list:

1. Macrosiphon: “The Blade” Aphid
2. Xylocops “The Hammer” Carpenter Bee
3. Periplanta americana “La Cucaracha” Cockroach
4. Acanthocephala “The Leaf Foot” Coreidae
5. Tipulidae “The Gollywhopper” Crane Fly
6. Apis “Sweetness” Honey Bee
7. Harpegnathos “The Ringleader” Jerdon’s Jumping Ant
8. Polistes “The Shocker” Paper Wasp
9. Hadurus “The Stinger” Scorpion
10. Agulla “Stretch” Snakefly

Cast your vote here.

Beer bottle survives the Hindenburg explosion

A bottle of beer found in the wreckage of the Hindenburg sold for $16,680 (USD) at auction, shattering the world record.

The brown bottle of Lowenbrau lager was discovered in the wreckage by Leroy Smith, a fire chief on the scene.  Smith discovered a total of six bottles and a pitcher at the scene of the disaster.  He distributed four of the bottles as souvenirs to colleagues and one to the Lowenbrau brewery in 1977, where it still remains.  The final price was much higher than expected.  Early reports suggested that the beer was expected to fetch $4,000-$8,000.  According to the Gazette & Herald, bidders from all over the world battled over the bottle, the majority of which were from the US.  With the addition of the buyer’s premium, the total cost of the bottle was L10,810.  The label on the bottle remains intact and legible, and though the brew survived the disaster, the auctioneer cautioned against quaffing the beverage, saying that the 62-year-old suds would “taste putrid.”

Source

 

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• A Survivor of the Hindenburg (offthepresses.blogspot.com)

[video] YouTube advertisement has surprising end

What a powerful visual hook!  I’d like to add more but it would spoil the ending…I’ll bet you can’t tell what this captivating commercial is for.

If that’s not enough, look at the jpg ad on their website.

Well?  What are your thoughts about the video and image?  Were you surprised?

Woman who faked breast cancer is charged with theft by deception

WACO, Texas * Authorities say a Texas woman lied about having breast cancer and spent $10,000 raised at a benefit on having her breasts enlarged.

McLennan County sheriff’s investigator James Pack says in court records that 24-year-old Trista Joy Lathern shaved her head to look like a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy.

Pack says Lathern wanted breast implants to try and save her seven-month marriage.

The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that Lathern is charged with theft by deception.

The Associated Press

Video

 

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• Trista Joy Lathern Faked Cancer for Breast Implant Money (blippitt.com)

Shark performs caesarean section

Visitors to a New Zealand oceanarium watched in astonishment when one shark tore a chunk out of another’s stomach.  But they were even more astonished when four baby sharks tumbled out of the gaping wound.

Staff at Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, in Auckland, had no idea the shark was pregnant until visitors came running to tell them about the impromptu caesarean section.  Initially skeptical, they found the mother with a large cut and four little sharks swimming around.

The oceanarium’s aquarist, Fiona Davies, said it was not uncommon for sharks to chomp on each other, even in the wild.  But she had never heard of an incident like this.

The relationship of the other shark to the mother was unknown, but Davies praised its actions, saying the unusual deliver had probably saved the babies’ lives.

Four more babies were found inside the female when mother and young were removed to a nursery tank.  The eight young sharks are now on show and will eventually be released into the wild.

The Independent

 

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Court documents reveal MJ’s private memorial price tag: $1m

LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s private family funeral was fit for a king and had a price tag to match: roughly $1 million, according to court documents released Tuesday.

Although Jackson died in June and had a large public tribute at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in July, the private family funeral held Sept. 3 appeared to have been arranged with urgency.

Legal requests for payments filed with estate administrators by attorneys for Michael Jackson’s mother only three days before the scheduled burial noted that if payment was not received by the funeral home and the Glendale Police Department by Sept. 1, “the funeral will not proceed.”

The lawyers warned that such a development would cause Katherine Jackson and the family “public embarrassment and added grief, along with the daunting task of having to make new arrangements.”

There was no indication of resistance by the administrators, who approved payment of all expenses and reimbursement of Michael Jackson’s sister Janet for an advance payment to Forest Lawn-Glendale of $49,000.

The final tally of costs included $855,730 to Forest Lawn for cemetery and funeral charges including the purchase of other plots within the same mausoleum that houses Jackson’s body.

Also listed were: $35,000 for burial garments; $1,975 for wardrobe for the family; $2,000 for usher costumes; $3,682 for framing of a photograph of Jackson next to the casket; $959 for embroidery; $11,716 for invitations and programs; $16,000 for flowers; $30,000 for cars and security; and $15,000 for a funeral designer. There was also a charge of $21,455 for the “funeral repast” at a restaurant after the ceremony.

During the period that the family waited to bury Jackson, they were charged $5,000 a month for holding the remains in a temporary vault.

The documents showed that his mother, brother Randy and sister Janet were involved in the planning and were mindful that the media would be covering the funeral, although media were not allowed inside the ceremony.

“Mrs. Jackson and her family wish to honour her son by a funeral that seeks to offer solace to his multitude of fans and by which the family also may be comforted,” the attorneys said. The costs were substantial but “entirely commensurate with the decedent’s worldwide status as an entertainer and the world’s grief over his death.”

Mrs. Jackson’s attorneys were granted the request for $1 million. The administrators noted this was in addition to the costs of the Staples Center tribute, which was approved by the court as part of the agreement with entertainment group AEG.

Outside court on Tuesday, lawyer Howard Weitzman, who represents the administrators, said: “I would have done it less expensively. But it was Michael Jackson, who was larger than life. There’s no reason he should not have a funeral that’s larger than life.”

Source

Two xmas-related photos for your desktop

 

(8) Strange funeral customs

Eaten by Vultures

The ancient Zoroastrians believed life was a constant battle between light and dark, good and evil. Their duty was to preserve the natural balance until, as with all eschataological beliefs, the world would end and a new better world would be born in which true believers would live forever in spiritual delight.

However, in the boring material world people die and need to be disposed of. How to do this without upsetting the elements? Well the Zoroastrian way, which still exists in parts of Iran and India, is to perch the naked body onto a ‘dokhma’ (a stone tower) and let it be eaten by vultures. No waste, you see. Apparently in recent years a lack of vultures in India has made this process more difficult.

A very similar custom called sky burial was practised by Buddhists in Tibet who believe the body is nothing more than flesh after death.

Hanging Coffins

In certain regions in China and the Philippines it won’t be just birds you find nesting on cliff faces. Because the ancient tradition of coffin hanging amongst some groups, primarily the Bo people in China, in Sagada on Luzon Island in the Philippines and amongst the Sa’da Toraja people of Indonesia ensured some of the best spots for the deceased. The coffins were lowered down on ropes and fixed between wooden stakes. The practice does not exist today but the coffins are still there with their beautiful sea views.

Eating the Ashes

The Yanomami tribe of the Amazon do not believe in death. Or at least they do not believe in death as a natural state. They believe all death is inflicted from a hostile source, an evil spirit, a shaman of another tribe. To ensure the evil is destroyed the Yanomami cremate the body after death and swallow the ashes, during which there is a lot of screaming and shouting, thumping the earth and singing.

Another form of endocannabalism is practised by the Amahuaca tribe of Peru. They like to crush the bones of their tribe members into a paste, cook and eat. They also take hallucinatory drugs and kill their children. Still if you’re a woman you get to enjoy the company of all your husband’s brothers.

Funeral bundles

In the Andes the Paracas people would shape their dead into the fetal position and wrap them in a bundle with gifts, clothing, food and gold. The funeral bundle was then moved to a nearby burial site, often in a cave and marked with a pole or a cane.

Exploding Ashes

The great thing about ashes is you can scatter them anywhere. Off a cliff, in the sea, on a football pitch, in a computer, even in space. And yes all of these scatterings have happened. To be buried in a computer was the dying wish of one William Alan Watson who is now spending his time inside a SPARCstation. The floppy drive, hard drive and power supply had to be removed to accommodate William but apparently he now rests very peacefully. Condolences were written on Post-it notes and posted through the floppy slot.

One of the first men on Earth to have their ashes exploded in space was Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. In 1997 Gene along with the ashes of writer Timothy Leary and nineteen others were popped into a space capsule and blasted into orbit. Unfortunately after ten years the capsule dropped back to Earth and burnt up in the atmosphere. Still they were ashes not people.

Writer Hunter S Thompson (pictured above) was determined to cause a bang. His final wish after he shot himself through the head was to be the central part of a huge fireworks display. His ashes were exploded from a 150ft cannon during a party at his home in Colorado, all paid for by the actor Johnny Depp. It cost millions apparently.

Novelty Coffins in Ghana

Getting buried in Ghana is fun. Especially if you’re a member of the Ga tribe. The Ga tribe do coffins in a big big way. Basically whatever your job was or your love, interest or hobby is exactly what you are going to be buried in the earth in. So that guy down the road who loved cigarettes and smoked 100 a day and died yesterday at the age of 45 will be buried in a giant cigarette. The man who wore new shoes everyday will enter the ground in a giant shoe. The woman who washed floors is buried in a bucket, the fish man in a fish, the kid who liked coke a Coke bottle. You get the idea? It is simple and it is brilliant and I want to die in Ghana.

The Religions

We need to devote at least three lines to the world’s main religions so here goes:

• Christianity: House, church, coffin, burial, cremation
• Judaism: House, synagogue, burial (as soon as possible after death, same day or next day) seven days of mourning
• Islam: Bathe the body (males wash males, females wash females (except husbands and wives)) ,enshroud body in white sheets (no more than three), funeral prayer, burial, head pointing towards Mecca
• Buddhism: Prayers and cremation
• Hinduism: Funeral before sun goes down on day of death, body laid head pointing south, oil lamp lit next to body and burnt for three days after death, body washed and dressed, body covered with flowers and cremated

Go Green

As the world gets greener so do the funerals. You can now be buried wearing a bio-degradable shroud inside a cardboard or bamboo coffin within an eco-cemetery (a park or natural woodland) with a tree planted on top. No one will know you were ever here.

Source

[video] People and trains get trapped in tornados

Image via Wikipedia

Watch this incredible video of a freight train as it travels through a tornado and then derails at the 1:14 mark!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=82d_1246651100

Watch the tornado pass right over the storm chaser’s car at the 1:40 mark.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a64_1255282624

The June 17, 2009 tornado intensified right on top of the TornadoVideos.net SRV Dominator, and the window was blown out as an intense mini suction vortex passed over the vehicle.  A 138.8 mph wind gust was measured by the roof anemometer as the window blows out.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=060_1248225261

Greased Lightbox

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[audio/video] Strange calls and other 911-related tidbits

Image via Wikipedia

Audio of people calling 911 regarding:

• a woman wants to know a quiet place to sit
• a woman wants to know if its safe to put a turkey at 200 degrees
• a man needs someone to get ice off his windshield
• a funny police chase
• a woman is watching a movie of a guy beating someone with a bat
• a ‘rude’ woman won’t get a dollar refund for her taco

George Clooney’s motorcycle accident 911 call.

911 caller arrested for wanting to know the names of police officers because they were cute.

Emergency calls from a hospital about Edith Rodriguez, the woman who died from being overlooked in emergency room (I remember seeing this on the news but never heard the 911 tapes).

• from an onlooker
• from the woman’s husband
• from the news cast

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A Dispatcher’s Plea: “No, I Am Not 911!”

No, I am not 911!

I am a public safety dispatcher who fields emergency and non-emergency calls from the public. I dispatch law enforcement, fire or emergency medical help, and coordinate the activity of field units by radio. I also handle many other duties to assist the public and members of the public safety agencies for whom I work.

“911″ is the telephone number that you dial when you have a life-threatening emergency, and you need help quickly. The number was selected to allow quick dialing and direct routing to the nearest public safety communications center. It’s maintained by the local telephone company and consists of computers and switching gear to accept your call, route it to my communications center and, in most cases, display your address and telephone number.

I am a person. 911 is equipment. Please don’t use the term “911″ when you intend to refer to me. No one likes to be referred to as a piece of equipment. For example, don’t say, “I talked to 911 and they said….” Instead, say that you, “dialed 911 and talked to the dispatcher.” That makes me feel more like a valuable person.

And please don’t use “911″ to encompass everything that I do. Handling 911 calls is a critical part of my job, but it’s just one small portion of the many tasks that I perform.

The majority of the calls I handle are non-emergencies. People call with parking problems, barking dogs, questions about the law, and just advice on how to handle an everyday life situation. I help track all the activity performed by the officers, deputies, firefighters and EMS personnel by writing logs or entering information into computers. I make telephone calls for tow trucks, taxis and assistance from alarm companies. I coordinate responses when our jurisdiction needs help from other agencies, including the state police, county sheriff, transit and university police, the FBI or Coast Guard. At some agencies, I may also greet visitors at the police department’s front counter, or assist in booking prisoners into the jail.

As you can tell, there are literally scores of tasks that a public safety dispatcher performs. It’s not all “911.”

So, call 911 if you have an emergency. But please don’t call me “911.” I’m a public safety dispatcher.

Thank you.

Source

Other videos:

Footage of a collapsing roller coaster.

 

 

(4) Unique wallpaper photos

Check out the new wallpaper at VisualParadox.com

Found here.

Sea Turtle

And my personal favorite wallpaper of a neuron…

Neuron

The sea turtle and  neuron wallpaper is in the “top 10″ section on this page…

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I’ll keep looking for unique wallpaper so stay tuned…

[video] Super spiderweb!

OMG — If you suffer from arachnophobia, do NOT watch this video!

This CBS YouTube video is dated November 9, 2007 and reveals the largest spiderweb in the world in Lake Tawakoni State Park in Texas.  Thousands of spiders working together to make the worlds largest spiderweb.

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Has anyone seen this web?

My first photo inclusion!

I’m feeling kind of good!  I received an email from the Schmap Niagara Falls Guide–my photo is in their online and mobile guide.  I took the picture at the Buttefly Conservatory.

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Hi 1websurfer,I am delighted to let you know that one of your photos with a Creative Commons license has been selected for inclusion in the newly released ninth edition of our Schmap Niagara Falls Guide:Butterfly Conservatory
www.schmap.com/niagarafalls/sights_stamford/p=260923/i=260923_95.jpg

If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this same link will take you directly to your photo in the iPhone version of our guide. On a desktop computer, you can still see exactly how your photo is displayed and credited in the iPhone version of our guide at:

Butterfly Conservatory
www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=niagarafalls&sid=sights_stamford&p=260923&i=260923_95

Finally, if you have a blog, you might also like to check out the customizable widgetized version of our Schmap Niagara Falls Guide, complete with your published photo:

www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=88016544N00/c=SM20791419

Please enjoy the guide!

Best regards,

Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides
www.schmap.me/ewilliams

 

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Awesome!

Here’s my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1websurfer/

Here’s a related :13 video: