2008 August

Archive for August, 2008

Rat Meat Demand Going Up As Economy Goes Down

August 31st, 2008 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in offbeat news, places

In Cambodia and it’s neighboring country Vietnam, rat meat is in high demand. Officials blame the economy as the reason why Cambodians are preferring it over livestock and poultry meat. Rat meat is also in demand in Vietnam and is eaten in Thailand and India to combat high prizes of meat prize in the market.

Officials said rats were fleeing to higher ground from flooded areas of the lower Mekong Delta, making it easier for villagers to catch them.

“Many children are happy making some money from selling the animals to the markets, but they keep some for their family,” Ly Marong, an agriculture official, said by telephone from the Koh Thom district on the border with Vietnam.

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Green Crucified Frog Sculpture Still in Italian Museum Despite Criticism

August 30th, 2008 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in art

A green crucified frog sculpture is still in display in a Italian museum despite being criticized by different religious groups, even the Pope who denounced the sculpture.

The 3-foot-tall sculpture which is an ironic self-portrait and an expression of his angst is made by German artist Martin Kippenberge who died in 1997 at 43.

It “has offended the religious feelings of many people who consider the cross a symbol of God’s love and of our redemption,” Pahl quoted the pope as writing in the letter.

Pahl himself has long opposed the display of “Zuerst die Fuesse” (“First the Feet” in German), even staging a hunger strike this summer and saying he would not seek re-election unless it was removed.

The museum then moved the statue out of its foyer and into a less trafficked area on the third floor.

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Tomatina Festival, World’s Biggest Tomato Fight

August 29th, 2008 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in entertainment, places, world record

Tomatina Festival is the world’s biggest tomato fight held every last Wednesday of August each year in the town of Buñol in the Valencia region of Spain. Each year, approximately 20,000–40,000 tourists come to the tomato fight, multiplying by several times Buñol’s normal population of 9,000. The video below is this years (Aug. 27, 2008) celebration were thousands of people went to the Spanish town of Bunol on Wednesday to take part in said festival.

Link

Daryl, The Human Railroad

August 28th, 2008 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in art, people

Daryl, a.k.a. the Human Railroad, has amazing railroad tattoos in his body. He has spent 200 hours getting his tattoo which very intricate yet detailed with tracks, switches and tunnels.

Picture has been removed following the photographer’s request. Please click the link below to see the of the “The Human Railroad”.

Link

Burglar John Pearce Caught After Dangling by his Shoelaces in Victim’s Bay Window

August 28th, 2008 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in funny, offbeat news

John Pearce maybe one of the world’s dumbest burglar. He was caught dangling upside down when his shoelaces was caught by the window of his victim after smashing it. He was in that position of about an hour as a crowd of 30 neighbours and passers-by gathered to ridicule him before the house owner and police arrived.

Mr Ives, 44, an air conditioning engineer who recently moved into the house, said: ‘The man must be the world’s dumbest thief.

‘He was hanging upside down. His body was inside the house and he was stuck in the window with his foot outside.

‘The more he struggled, the more he got jammed. When I got home, he still had the hammer in his hand which he had used to smash the main window and get some leverage.

‘He was screaming to get him down and we were all saying, “I don’t think so”.

‘He kept saying, “I haven’t done anything. I was stopping the burglars”.’

Link

Top Ten Smartest Dog Breed

August 27th, 2008 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in animal, top list

Here’s the list of the top ten smartest dog breed. Border Collie tops.

1. Border Collie
2. Poodle
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman Pinscher
6. Shetland Sheepdog
7. Labrador Retriever
8. The Papillon
9. Rottweiler
10. Australian Cattle Dog

Link. (Image Source)

Successful Face Transplant (Bear Attack)

August 26th, 2008 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in health, people

Without the successful face transplant, this 30-year-old Chinese man would have been hideous all his life. He was attacked by a bear in October 2004.

The surgery included connection of arteries and veins, repair of the nose, lip, and sinuses, as well as other structures in the damaged part of the face.

Link

Tree of Ténéré, World’s Most Isolated Tree

August 24th, 2008 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in plant, world record

The Tree of Ténéré was once considered the world’s most isolated tree before it was knocked down by an allegedly drunk Libyan truck driver in 1973. It was the only acacia tree within 250 miles and it served as a landmark on caravan routes through the Ténéré region of the Sahara in northeast Niger.

It was the last surviving tree of a group of trees that grew when the desert was less parched than it is today. The tree had stood alone for decades. During the winter of 1938–1939 a well was dug near the tree and it was found that the roots of the tree reached the water table 33–36 meters below the surface.

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The Giant Flower Carpet of Grand Place, Brussels

August 24th, 2008 by admin | Comments Off | Filed in entertainment, places

Gardeners design a giant flower carpet in a central market called Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium. It requires about 700,000 flowers to create, according to event organizers. This is done once every two years.

The flower carpet of Grand Place has a different model every time and it’s made out of roughly 700,000 begonias. This is definitely one of the must see- attractions of Brussels.