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Cute turtle the size of a matchbox

Tuesday, August 12, 2008


Turtally cute: A zookeeper shows off a three-week-old endangered Chinese box turtle, which is the latest addition to Bristol Zoo.
It is small enough to fit inside a matchbox and weighs just 15g

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What a strange similarity between this extincted turtle and my avator is

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'Spiderwoman' mountaineer uses iPod for support

Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Her face a picture of calm focus, this lone climber carefully considers her next move.
And so she should – Steph Davis has no rope, safety harness or parachute and is 430m (1,400ft) above a very hard landing.

Backing track: Ms Davis, inset, tunes in during her perilous free-climb

But, after all that effort clambering up the north face of Castleton Tower, she is rewarded with the thrill
of donning a chute and jumping off.
One of the world's top free-climbers, Ms Davis became the first person to scale and then base jump the tower in Utah, spurred on by a new-found love of flinging herself from tall objects

'The jump is a really special one. Although the tower is 120m (400ft) tall, it sits on top of a 300m (1,000ft) talus cone, or scree slope,' said the fearless American.
The 35-year-old, who has 18 years of climbing experience but started base jumping only a year ago, prepared carefully – scaling the peak three times beforehand with a rope.
Then came the 30-minute ascent with nothing but climbing shoes, chalk bag – and her iPod. But the base jump almost didn't happen.
'It was a little stormy and windy when I started the climb,' she said.
'When doing low jumps, it's important to have no wind, or at least no wind blowing into the wall.'
Yet Ms Davis maintains she lives a relatively normal existence. 'I am not an adrenaline junkie,' she insisted.

Quick fling: Steph Davis leaps off before opening her chute

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harness
the equipment, as straps, bolts, or gears, by which a large bell is mounted and rung
ascent
the act of climbing or traveling up: Three climbers attempted the ascent of Mount Rainier

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Gerrard's garden gym has neigbours fuming

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Steven Gerard with wife Alex Curran
An almighty row has kicked off after footballer Steven Gerrard built an 'unsightly' two-storey gym in his back garden.
The Liverpool and England star has scored a massive own goal with his neighbours, who are unhappy with the £350,000 copper and glass building.
Well-to-do neighbours have branded it an eyesore and one likened the building to an 'Asda supermarket in a beauty spot'

Gerrard, 28, and 25-year-old wife Alex Curran, knocked down an old bungalow at the back of their £2million home to make way for the luxury complex. It's so big, it has its own postcode.
But Cecil Crossley who lives across road from the gym in Formby in Merseyside, said: 'I cannot begin to understand why anyone would want to build an eyesore like this in their back garden.

‘Eyesore’: Work begins on the £350,000 gym at Gerrard’s home

'It is not in keeping with the properties in this area.
'It's like building an Asda supermarket in the middle of a beauty spot, but our objections were ignored.'
Fellow resident John Ulyatt added: 'It is strange Gerrard was given permission to demolish an old bungalow that had stood there for years to erect this huge glass and copper thing with a flat roof. Having celebrities in the area must have an effect on property prices.
'Who else would build a glorified garden shed that is worth more than the average semi?'

Luxury: Steven Gerrard’s mansion with the huge new gym complex at the rear

The lavish building will include a plunge pool, treatment area, changing rooms, a solarium, a kitchenette and a games area, and will be linked to the couple's existing swimming pool by a walkway.
It has gone down a treat with Liverpool fans in the area. 'We are all massive Liverpool fans and we think Stevie can do what he wants,' said one die-hard Reds supporter.
The affluent area is also home to Manchester United star Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen, and ex-world snooker champion John Parrott
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fume
to show fretful irritation or anger: She always fumes when the mail is late
eyesore
something unpleasant to look at: The run-down house was an eyesore to the neighbors
bungalow
in the U.S.) a derivation of the Indian house type, popular esp. during the first quarter of the 20th century, usually having one and a half stories, a widely bracketed gable roof, and a multi-windowed dormer and frequently built of rustic materials
solarium
a glass-enclosed room, porch, or the like, exposed to the sun's rays, as at a seaside hotel or for convalescents in a hospital
affluent
having an abundance of wealth, property, or other material goods; prosperous; rich: an affluent person
Synonym : rich

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Peaches ties the knot in Vegas wedding

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Two become one: Peaches with hubby Max Drummey

He's a familiar face on the party scene but wildchild Peaches Geldof is ready to settle down after sensationally getting hitched in Las Vegas.
The 19-year-old married rocker Max Drummey in a spontaneous wedding in Sin City last week while they were on holiday.
Her father, Bob Geldof, is believed to have been told shortly before the ceremony at one of Las Vegas' famous chapels but no family were present

'Peaches and Max Drummey are delighted to announce their very happy marriage,' said her agent in a statement.
'Their marriage has the full support of their family and friends. Peaches and Max did not want unnecessary publicity, but following growing media speculation, have decided to set out the facts. No further comment from either will be forthcoming.'
Peaches first met 23-year-old Drummey, a Harvard graduate in anthropology, two years ago. But they are believed to have become an item at last month's I-Tunes festival where his band, Chester French, played and Peaches was a co-presenter.
It continues to be an eventful year for Peaches, who last month reportedly collapsed following a suspected drugs overdose at her home.
Her mother, Paula Yates, died from an overdose in 2000.
Peaches admitted having a 'bad experience' but denied it was an overdose, saying: 'I have tried drugs in my life. I'm not going to deny it but I don't need to go to rehab because I never, and will never, have any sort of habit with drugs
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settle down
to become established in some routine, esp. upon marrying, after a period of independence or indecision
spontaneous
coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause
chapel
A place of worship that is smaller than and subordinate to a church

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Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 12:31 pm EDT
The mystery of the showering divers

By Chris Chase

Over the last three nights, NBC has led its primetime Olympic coverage with synchronized diving. According to the stacks of letters that have poured into the Fourth-Place Medal Investigative Unit Headquarters, you've all been watching but are baffled by one facet of the competition. In that case, you're in the right place. After successful forays into the cases of Cullen Jones' disappearance and the identity of the hot Paraguayan , Fourth-Place Medal will today tackle the mystery of the showering divers.
After completing a dive, competitors swim to a ladder, climb out of the pool and head immediately to a bank of showers that sit adjacent to the diving boards. Then, in full view of the crowd and NBC cameras, they shower off. Divers keep their suits on, of course, usually appearing only to rinse off their hair and arms. Oftentimes, the divers will receive their scores while still showering off. What's the purpose of this?

Theories have ranged from 'to get the chlorine off' to 'they want to have fun' -- seriously, that last one is a direct quote from NBC's diving analyst, Cynthia Potter. Neither are the reason.
Divers shower in between each dive to keep their muscles warm after getting out of the pool. The temperature of the pool water and the air are usually different (the pool is usually around 80 degrees, with the air temperature between 68 and 72 degrees). This difference can cause muscle tightness. To combat this, divers warm up in either the showers or a hot tub.
Mystery: solved. (Although we're still a bit unclear as to why the showers are out in the open.The water cube cost over $200 million to build. They couldn't have put a privacy wall in?!)

If you have an Olympic mystery you'd like solved, leave your question in the comments section. For regular mysteries consult your nearest library and head to the children's mystery section. The selection of Hardy Boys books will provide all the guidance you need.)
Photo via Getty Images

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Cow escapee found 'hiding' in drain

Thursday, August 14, 2008

One of two cows which fled an abattoir in northern France was found 'hiding' in a drain. It was rescued
– from the drain, at least, if not the abattoir

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drain
A pipe or channel by which liquid is drawn off
flee
to run away, as from danger or pursuers; take flight
abattoir
a slaughterhouse

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Meet Stany the Stingray

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Making waves: The Stingray – aka Stany Kempompo Ngangola

Remember Eric the Eel, the loveable Olympic loser who grabbed the headlines for his slow time in the
100m freestyle at Sydney 2000?
Well, meet his friend, Stany the Stingray, who followed in his wake in Beijing's Water Cube on Thursday.
The Stingray – aka Stany Kempompo Ngangola from the Democratic Republic of Congo – came last out of the 97 swimmers in the 50m freestyle heats

The wildcard entrant – who is the Eel's some-time training partner – managed the swim in 35.19 seconds.
His time was almost ten seconds slower than the 13 heats' fastest swimmer and four seconds slower than the man who came second to last.

Stany grabs the headlines in the 50m freestyle

But, by way of consolation, his time was more than 30 seconds quicker than that recorded on the official start list, which had his race entry time down as 1min 15 secs.
That is about the time it would take America's superstar swimmer Michael Phelps to cover almost 150m of a 200m freestyle race.
Stany, an electrical engineer by trade, had insisted before the race that he was faster than he had been given credit for.

He said a probable explanation was that officials had mistakenly used his 100m time.
However, he did not appear that bothered, saying: 'I love swimming from the time I was a kid and now. I give my love for swimming.'
The 34-year-old has so far been unwilling to answer swimming's big question – is the Stingray faster than the Eel?
He diplomatically said: 'I can never talk about beating Eric, because he is my good friend. I can never talk bad about him.'
The Eel – aka Eric Moussambani – is also said to be from DR Congo but swam for Equatorial Guinea in Sydney, reportedly because they had a wild card place and needed 'a good swimmer like him'.
He entered sporting folklore for swimming the 100m freestyle in 1min 52.72 secs and for his insistence on holding his head above water at all times, while flailing his arms

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stingray
any of the rays, esp. of the family Dasyatidae, having a long, flexible tail armed near the base with a strong, serrated bony spine with which they can inflict painful wounds
entrant
a competitor in a contest
consolation
Sports. a game, match, or race for tournament entrants eliminated before the final round, as a basketball game between the losing semifinalists

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Men claim to have found 'Bigfoot'

Thursday, August 14, 2008
In the latest monster-hunting news, three American men claim to have found a body of the famed Bigfoot – and have released a photograph to 'prove' it.

They claim that the body – which they say is 7ft 7in tall and weighs more than 500lb – was found in the

woods of northern Georgia (the US state, not the superpower-bothering country in the Caucasus).
The announcement was made by the CEO of searchingforbigfoot.com, who says he will be holding a press conference on Friday along with the discoverers, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, where they will unveil further photos and DNA evidence

The sasquatch body, from the photo already released, has reddish-brown hair, an ape-like face, and generally looks a bit like a slightly mildewed fancy-dress gorilla costume.
Noted Cryptozoologist (someone who studies legendary animals) Loren Coleman says [ برای مشاهده لینک ، با نام کاربری خود وارد شوید یا ثبت نام کنید ] that 'it certainly looks like the real deal.'

Bigfoot supposedly looks something like this

He adds 'the gorilla-like facial features, the robust lack of canines, and the grinding surfaces shown in

the teeth suggest a bulky vegetarian with a mixture of higher primate characteristics.'
The team behind the discovery say: 'Extensive scientific studies will be done on the body by a team of scientists including a molecular biologist, an anthropologist, a paleontologist and other scientists over the next few months at an undisclosed location.'
They are yet to say who those experts will be
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sasquatch = bigfoot
A very large, hairy, humanlike creature purported to inhabit the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Also called Sasquatch
robust
strong and healthy; hardy; vigorous: a robust young man; a robust faith; a robust mind

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Jennifer Love Hewitt Reveals New Thinner Body

Us Magazine
In November, Jennifer Love Hewitt was criticized for weight gain after photos surfaced of her looking fuller-figured in a bikini in Hawaii.

"We know what you ate this summer, Love -- everything!" TMZ.com notoriously wrote.

Now, the Ghost Whisperer star has the last laugh.

In the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now, the 32-year-old shows off the new body she got after just 10 weeks and her trainer reveals to Us exclusively how she lost 18 pounds.

"I am in a pretty good workout regimen that I like, so it inspired me to keep it up," Hewitt tells Us. "The energy level and the way I feel now is great."

"With her, it's not, 'I want to look good in that dress,'" trainer Stevie Sant'Angelo tells Us. "She wanted to start moving around because she thought it would make her feel better.

"She told me, 'They said some rude, mean things, but that's not why I wanted to change,'" Sant'Angelo says

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BEIJING - AUGUST 15: Michael Phelps of the United States competes in the Men's 100m Butterfly
Semifinal held at the National Aquatics Centre during Day 7 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 15, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)


United States' Michael Phelps starts to the men's 100-meter butterfly semi-final during the swimming competitions at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug 15, 2008