If you like your cuteness this is for you.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Ancient Australian tree takes life-saving drive
Australian Aboriginals replanted an ancient boab tree after it was driven thousands of kilometers to save it from destruction.
A road widening scheme meant the tree, estimated to be 750 years old, had to be uprooted from its home in Western Australia and moved 3,200 kilometers (1,900 miles) by truck to a park in state capital Perth."Everyone is hoping that the tree will live for another 750 years," said horticulturalist and project coordinator Patrick Courtney.
"We are giving it the best chance it would ever have got."
The bottle-shaped tree can live for up to 2,000 years and is a native of the remote northern Kimberley district of Western Australia state.
It weighs 36 tonnes, stands 14 meters (46 feet) high and is 2.5 meters (eight feet) in diameter.
The tree played a significant role in the traditions of the local Gija people, who have given it to the Nyoongar people, the traditional owners of Perth's King's Park area.
The Gija held a ceremony to see the tree off on its marathon six-day journey to its new home, and on Sunday, a traditional ceremony to welcome the tree and replant it was held in Perth.
As the tree was in its dormant stage in the tropical dry season, few special measures needed to be taken to keep it alive during the journey.It will be in the company of another 14 young boab trees, which seem quite happy in the more temperate climate of the Perth region.
Assorted Images
Thanks but I pass
Hey, blind people, look hereLet's hope Australian guide dogs can read.
Discreet snickering is OK.
Young and old join in the fun at a dragon boat race in Hong Kong. 
Literate LassieIt's just a matter of fine breeding and proper education.
In the News
Dying boy, 8, 'marries' school sweetheart for his last wish
An eight-year-old boy who had battled cancer for half of his life 'married' his school sweetheart - before telling his mother 'I can go now' and dying just hours later.
Reece Fleming refused to give in to leukaemia until he had fulfilled his wish of a mock wedding to his special friend Elleanor Pursglove.
The two children, who had been friends for years, had taken part in an emotional ceremony in Reece's front room in which he handed his 'bride' a red rose.
PICTURES
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Neighbors forced to travel one-and-a-half MILES to put bins out
Changes to bin collections in rural areas mean that some householders are facing transporting their rubbish one-and-a-half miles for it to be collected.
Residents of the hamlet of Litherskew, in upper Wensleydale, were told by council officials that their wheelie bins must be taken to the roadside in nearby Sedbusk for collection.
The only other option is to leave the bins permanently in Sedbusk and transport rubbish to them by car.
Councillor John Blackie, who represents the area on Richmondshire District Council, branded the new arrangement 'bonkers'.
The council says that its bin wagons could collect from Litherskew, but only if the four households there pay for a waste compound.
The council has received more than 500 complaints since it introduced wheelie bins to the upper dales six weeks ago.
Most relate to the distance bins must be pushed for collection.
Complainants included cancer patient John Martin, 85, and his 76-year-old wife, Gillian, who suffers from severe arthritis.
They faced dragging their bin 100 yards from their home in Marsett, upper Wensleydale, to the road.
The council initially said they were not eligible for assistance, but has now arranged for its street cleansing team to collect the Martins' rubbish from their doorstep temporarily until a permanent solution is investigated.
'We couldn't push a full wheelie bin 100 yards, so our rubbish wasn't being collected,' said Mr Martin.
Coun Blackie said the situation caused the couple great anxiety and reduced Mrs Martin to tears.
He said of the bins at Litherskew road end: 'What a despoilment of our fine dales countryside.
'The residents of Litherskew are expected to bring their wheelie bins 1.5 miles to this collection point, and then wheel them back after the refuse has been collected.
'This is completely and utterly bonkers.'
Litherskew resident Alice Amsden said: 'We have to pile our rubbish bags into the Land Rover and take it down to the bin, but not everyone wants to share their car with a week's worth of rubbish.'
Local households pay about £2,000 a year in council tax in return for very few services, she said.
Council officers say every complaint will be investigated and have agreed to examine what is meant by a 'main road' in the waste collection policy.
The authority's strategy board rejected Coun Blackie's call for an immediate review of the system and backed officers' proposals, which include an interim review in September and a fuller evaluation in January.
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Ice cream vans threatened by new noise restrictions
The jingling tunes of the ice cream van, a sound of summer, are to be curtailed by council bosses because they are too noisy. Worcester City Council has decreed that sellers' bells cannot exceed more than four seconds, barely enough for a verse of Greensleeves or the Teddy Bears Picnic.
They have also been told they can't sound their chimes before 12pm or after 7pm and can only play music once every three minutes. Councillors have agreed to toughen up on mobile street traders after complaints about the way some operated, including banning them from parking outside schools. Vans are not allowed to trade within sight of other ice cream vans and are banned from being within 164 ft of a school during school hours and the same distance of any place of worship on a day of worship unless they are quieter than 80 decibels at 25ft away.
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Fish rids human feet of scaly skin
Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.
Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.
"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.
He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.
Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.
PICTURE
An eight-year-old boy who had battled cancer for half of his life 'married' his school sweetheart - before telling his mother 'I can go now' and dying just hours later.
Reece Fleming refused to give in to leukaemia until he had fulfilled his wish of a mock wedding to his special friend Elleanor Pursglove.
The two children, who had been friends for years, had taken part in an emotional ceremony in Reece's front room in which he handed his 'bride' a red rose.
PICTURES
. .
Neighbors forced to travel one-and-a-half MILES to put bins out
Changes to bin collections in rural areas mean that some householders are facing transporting their rubbish one-and-a-half miles for it to be collected.
Residents of the hamlet of Litherskew, in upper Wensleydale, were told by council officials that their wheelie bins must be taken to the roadside in nearby Sedbusk for collection.
The only other option is to leave the bins permanently in Sedbusk and transport rubbish to them by car.
Councillor John Blackie, who represents the area on Richmondshire District Council, branded the new arrangement 'bonkers'.
The council says that its bin wagons could collect from Litherskew, but only if the four households there pay for a waste compound.
The council has received more than 500 complaints since it introduced wheelie bins to the upper dales six weeks ago.
Most relate to the distance bins must be pushed for collection.
Complainants included cancer patient John Martin, 85, and his 76-year-old wife, Gillian, who suffers from severe arthritis.
They faced dragging their bin 100 yards from their home in Marsett, upper Wensleydale, to the road.
The council initially said they were not eligible for assistance, but has now arranged for its street cleansing team to collect the Martins' rubbish from their doorstep temporarily until a permanent solution is investigated.
'We couldn't push a full wheelie bin 100 yards, so our rubbish wasn't being collected,' said Mr Martin.
Coun Blackie said the situation caused the couple great anxiety and reduced Mrs Martin to tears.
He said of the bins at Litherskew road end: 'What a despoilment of our fine dales countryside.
'The residents of Litherskew are expected to bring their wheelie bins 1.5 miles to this collection point, and then wheel them back after the refuse has been collected.
'This is completely and utterly bonkers.'
Litherskew resident Alice Amsden said: 'We have to pile our rubbish bags into the Land Rover and take it down to the bin, but not everyone wants to share their car with a week's worth of rubbish.'
Local households pay about £2,000 a year in council tax in return for very few services, she said.
Council officers say every complaint will be investigated and have agreed to examine what is meant by a 'main road' in the waste collection policy.
The authority's strategy board rejected Coun Blackie's call for an immediate review of the system and backed officers' proposals, which include an interim review in September and a fuller evaluation in January.
.
Ice cream vans threatened by new noise restrictions
The jingling tunes of the ice cream van, a sound of summer, are to be curtailed by council bosses because they are too noisy. Worcester City Council has decreed that sellers' bells cannot exceed more than four seconds, barely enough for a verse of Greensleeves or the Teddy Bears Picnic.
They have also been told they can't sound their chimes before 12pm or after 7pm and can only play music once every three minutes. Councillors have agreed to toughen up on mobile street traders after complaints about the way some operated, including banning them from parking outside schools. Vans are not allowed to trade within sight of other ice cream vans and are banned from being within 164 ft of a school during school hours and the same distance of any place of worship on a day of worship unless they are quieter than 80 decibels at 25ft away.
.
Fish rids human feet of scaly skin
Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.
Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.
"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.
He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.
Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.
PICTURE
Monday, July 21, 2008
Did you know this about “ICE CREAM?”
In the USA more ice cream is consumed per head than any other country in the world – such is the love of ice cream amongst Americans. This is reflected in other ways too, not least by the fact that the USA has its own ‘National Ice Cream Month’. Since 1984, when President Reagan proclaimed that National Ice Cream Month be celebrated annually, every July has been a focus for greater attention to ice cream in the United States with the 3rd Sunday of that month each year being National Ice Cream Day..
Definitely One Of My Favorite Holidays Maybe Even Yours.
In the News
$20,000 Earrings Found in New York Trash Dump
Diamonds in the rough? Try a $20,000 pair of the glinting gems in a reeking truckload of trash.
A Staten Island jeweler got her 3-carat diamond earrings back after she, her husband and city sanitation employees sorted through a heap of garbage.
"It's a miracle — $20,000 earrings looking at you from the garbage," said their owner, Haya Sharon.
The studs, an anniversary gift from her husband, were in a small jar of cleaning solution. A worker at the couple's jewelry store accidentally threw it away.
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Dentists' drill and toothbrush under threat from new inventions
The dentists' drill could be consigned to the past while the future of the toothbrush is under threat, with the arrival of two radical new inventions that could be available within five years.
Scientists at Leeds Dental Institute have created a solution that mimics the way the body forms new teeth, which can be used to repair holes naturally without the need for drilling and filling.
The same researchers have also formulated a mouthwash that kills the bacteria that cause plaque when a light is shone into the mouth.
They believe the mouthwash could be available in as little as three years or less while the alternative to drilling could be ready for use within five years.
Diamonds in the rough? Try a $20,000 pair of the glinting gems in a reeking truckload of trash.
A Staten Island jeweler got her 3-carat diamond earrings back after she, her husband and city sanitation employees sorted through a heap of garbage.
"It's a miracle — $20,000 earrings looking at you from the garbage," said their owner, Haya Sharon.
The studs, an anniversary gift from her husband, were in a small jar of cleaning solution. A worker at the couple's jewelry store accidentally threw it away.
.
Dentists' drill and toothbrush under threat from new inventions
The dentists' drill could be consigned to the past while the future of the toothbrush is under threat, with the arrival of two radical new inventions that could be available within five years.
Scientists at Leeds Dental Institute have created a solution that mimics the way the body forms new teeth, which can be used to repair holes naturally without the need for drilling and filling.
The same researchers have also formulated a mouthwash that kills the bacteria that cause plaque when a light is shone into the mouth.
They believe the mouthwash could be available in as little as three years or less while the alternative to drilling could be ready for use within five years.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
In the News
Fishing Story
A man who was drowning in a Maine river is recovering after someone reeled him in with a fishing rod. Bob Greene of Hallowell says he heard what he thought was a bird early on Thursday as he was having his morning coffee. He then realized there was a man bobbing in the Kennebec River.He says a 911 dispatcher told him to throw something to the man. He snagged the man's shirt with a fishing lure and reeled him in. Hallowell Police Chief Eric Nason says Greene did the right thing by calling police first and not jumping into the water.
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Pilot Lets Small Plane Fly Itself
A civilian pilot left the controls of his small plane while he untangled a British Army parachutist who got tangled up in the landing gear, London's Sun newspaper reported on Saturday.
The British soldier was one of six participating in a parachuting competition at the Joint Service Parachute Center at Bad Lippspringe in Germany. The first five jumped from the plane successfully, but when the sixth — the instructor — tried to leap out and open his chute at an altitude of 3,000 feet, it only partially deployed.
The flier left his seat for about 30 seconds to reach out and cut the parachute lines that got caught on the twin propeller engine Islander's undercarriage.
A man who was drowning in a Maine river is recovering after someone reeled him in with a fishing rod. Bob Greene of Hallowell says he heard what he thought was a bird early on Thursday as he was having his morning coffee. He then realized there was a man bobbing in the Kennebec River.He says a 911 dispatcher told him to throw something to the man. He snagged the man's shirt with a fishing lure and reeled him in. Hallowell Police Chief Eric Nason says Greene did the right thing by calling police first and not jumping into the water.
.
Pilot Lets Small Plane Fly Itself
A civilian pilot left the controls of his small plane while he untangled a British Army parachutist who got tangled up in the landing gear, London's Sun newspaper reported on Saturday.
The British soldier was one of six participating in a parachuting competition at the Joint Service Parachute Center at Bad Lippspringe in Germany. The first five jumped from the plane successfully, but when the sixth — the instructor — tried to leap out and open his chute at an altitude of 3,000 feet, it only partially deployed.
The flier left his seat for about 30 seconds to reach out and cut the parachute lines that got caught on the twin propeller engine Islander's undercarriage.
Conjoined barn swallows cause stir in Arkansas
It's an Arkansas bird story that at first might be hard to swallow. A pair of conjoined barn swallows, attached at the hip by skin and possibly muscle tissue, will be sent to the Smithsonian Institution for study and examination, Arkansas wildlife officials said Friday. If confirmed, officials say it could prove to be an incredibly rare find — a set of conjoined twins among birds.
"I can't even say it's one in a million — it's probably more than that," said Karen Rowe, an ornithologist with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. "There's just to no records of such a thing."
The birds, found by a landowner in White County earlier this week, fell out of a nest as a healthy sibling flew off to learn how to hunt with its parents, Rowe said. The birds first appeared to have only three legs, but further examination found a fourth leg tucked up underneath the skin connecting the pair.
"I can't even say it's one in a million — it's probably more than that," said Karen Rowe, an ornithologist with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. "There's just to no records of such a thing."
The birds, found by a landowner in White County earlier this week, fell out of a nest as a healthy sibling flew off to learn how to hunt with its parents, Rowe said. The birds first appeared to have only three legs, but further examination found a fourth leg tucked up underneath the skin connecting the pair.
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