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![]() Albert Einstein got so fed up with being recognized, he'd say ' Pardon me sorry! Always I am mistaken for Professor Einstein.'
Albert Einstein's theories are complicated. Understatement? Yes. So you can imagine how bothersome it would be if someone was constantly asking you to explain these theories. Most of us could just say that we didn't understand them ourselves so we couldn't explain them. However, Einstein, as the creator of these theories, could not make such an excuse. Or could he? Einstein got tired of fans recognizing him on the streets of New York City so he invented a way to evade them. Whenever a fan would approach him, he would simply say in broken English "Pardon me, sorry! Always I am mistaken for Professor Einstein." Despite his very recognizable appearance, people would usually believe him and turn away. Would we expect anything less from the creator of the theory of relativity? ---------------- Reference: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1939/01/14/1939_01_14_011_TNY_CARDS_000176356 ![]() Annie Edson Taylor: First person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
Annie Edson Taylor (October 24, 1838 – April 29, 1921) was an American adventurer who, on her 63rd birthday, October 24, 1901, became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Desiring to secure her later years financially, and avoid the poorhouse, she decided she would be the first person to ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Taylor used a custom-made barrel for her trip, constructed of oak and iron and padded with a mattress. Several delays occurred in the launching of the barrel, particularly because no one wanted to be part of a potential suicide. Two days before Taylor's own attempt, a domestic cat was sent over the Horseshoe Falls in her barrel to test its strength. Contrary to rumors at the time, the cat survived the plunge and 17 minutes later, after she was found with a bleeding head, posed with Taylor in photographs. On October 24, 1901, her 63rd birthday, the barrel was put over the side of a rowboat, and Taylor climbed in, along with her lucky heart-shaped pillow. After screwing down the lid, friends used a bicycle tire pump to compress the air in the barrel. The hole used for this was plugged with a cork, and Taylor was set adrift near the American shore, south of Goat Island. The Niagara River currents carried the barrel toward the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, which has since been the site for all daredevil stunting at Niagara Falls. Rescuers reached her barrel shortly after the plunge. Taylor was discovered to be alive and relatively uninjured, except for a small gash on her head. The trip itself took less than twenty minutes, but it was some time before the barrel was actually opened. After the journey, Annie Taylor told the press: “If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat... I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the Fall.” Later years: She briefly earned money speaking about her experience, but was never able to build much wealth. Her manager, Frank M. Russell, decamped with her barrel, and most of her savings were used towards private detectives hired to find it. It was eventually located in Chicago, only to permanently disappear some time later. She spent her final years posing for photographs with tourists at her souvenir stand, attempting to earn money from the New York Stock Exchange, briefly talking about taking a second plunge over the cataracts in 1906, attempting to write a novel, re-constructing her 1901 plunge on film (which was never seen), working as a clairvoyant, and providing magnetic therapeutic treatments to local residents. Death: Annie Taylor died on April 29, 1921, aged 82, at the Niagara County Infirmary in Lockport, New York. She is interred in the "Stunters Section" of Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, New York. Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Edson_Taylor ![]() Boy Turns into a Yam
Three pupils of the Evangelist Primary School in the northern Nigerian town of Maiduguri rushed into the headmistresses office in March 2000 and said that a fellow pupil had been transformed into a yam after accepting a sweet from a stranger. The headmistress found the root tuber and took it to the police station for safe-keeping. Following local radio reports, hundreds of people flocked to see the yam and police were hunting for the sweet-giver. What happened next failed to reach the media. Source: http://234pulse.com/2013/05/07/this-once-happened-in-nigeria-boy-turns-into-a-yam/ ![]() The growing stones of Romania
South of central Romania these stone formations with alien features lie dormant, until it begins to rain. As soon as the last drops of water fall, they resume their process of multiplication. Small oval or round blain-like forms appear on the upper crusts of the previous year stones. People are left astounded and locals are surprised, when after a heavy rainfall these rock formations begin to ‘grow’ on their own. It is difficult to image that stones can really grow, but these stones seem to be alive! The Romanian Trovants Museum Natural Reserve is located in Valcea County, close to the road connecting Ramnicu Valcea and Targu Jiu, 8 km far from Horezu. Here in a small village named Costesti, there are some fascinating and mysterious stones, called trovants, which are believed to have a life in them. Trovant is a geological term used often in Romania. It means cemented sand. Trovants are geological phenomena which consist in spherical shapes of cemented sand, appeared due to some powerful seismic activity. The earthquakes that led to the creation of the first trovants are supposed to have taken place 6 million years ago. What makes these trovants unique and mysterious is that are reproducing after coming in contact with water. After heavy raining the stones grow starting with 6-8 millimetres and ending with 6-10 meters. One of the strangest aspects about these stones is that although they vary in size, from a couple of millimeters to even 10 m, they are very similar, taking into account a natural law that states there are no such things as identical stones. In addition, just like the famous rocks in Death Valley, California, the trovants often move from one place to another place. Story sent by: Akshat Bajaj Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://interesting-facts.info/2013/02/stones-that-grow/ Atlas Obscura: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/trovants-costesti-valcea-county-romania ![]() Unbelievable
Completely sealed bottle garden that was first planted 53 years ago and has not been watered since 1972 ![]() Bees who pay their respects
Margaret Bell, who kept bees in Leintwardine, about 7 miles from her home in Ludlow, Shropshire (England), died in June 1994. Soon after her funeral, mourners were amazed to see hundreds of bees settle on the corner of the street opposite the house where she had lived for 26 years. The bees stayed for an hour before buzzing off over the rooftops. The local press ran a photograph of the bees hanging on the wall in a cluster. Reference: http://www.bubblews.com/news/375940-bees-who-pays-they-respects ![]() Crimes That Shook Britain: The Hungerford Massacre
One August afternoon in 1987, a heavily-armed Michael Robert Ryan shot and killed sixteen people - including his own mother - before turning a gun on himself. It remains one of the worst shooting atrocities in British history August 17, 1987 was a bright warm sunny day. In the Berkshire market town of Hungerford, Sue Godfrey packed a picnic and her two children into her car and headed for nearby Savernake Forest. In another street in Hungerford, 27-year-old Michael Ryan also decided to have a day out in Savernake Forest. But instead of a picnic, he packed his car with something deadly. It was his brand new Chinese copy of the AK 47 assault rifle. For good measure, gun nut Ryan put in an American M1 carbine, and a fully-loaded Beretta .38 calibre semi-automatic pistol. It was the start of Britain’s worst gun massacre. By the end of the day 16 people were dead and several others were wounded by bullets as Ryan rampaged through the area shooting people at random. Ryan arrived at the car park at the forest entrance at about midday, just as Sue Godfrey was putting her children into the car ready to leave. He pointed his Beretta at her, marched her into the trees, and pumped 10 bullets into her back, killing her instantly. Half an hour later at a service station between Savernake and Hungerford, the cashier watched a man driving a red Vauxhall Astra fill up with fuel, fill a petrol can, and then approach the pay window. Ryan levelled a gun at the cashier and opened fire through the glass. She dived for cover and escaped death by a centimetre as a bullet smashed the plate glass and zipped through her hair. Ryan then entered the shop and tried to shoot the cashier. But the gun clicked empty. He turned on his heel and left. The trembling cashier dialled 999. It was the first police knew about what was unfolding. Ryan headed to the home he shared with his mother. He piled survival gear into his car, doused the house with petrol, and set it ablaze. He got into his car but it would not start. Furious, Ryan pumped five bullets into it causing it to ignite. Neighbour Roland Mason was in his back garden and came out to the front to see what the commotion was. Ryan riddled him with bullets. Then he shot dead Mason’s wife Sheila. With a bandolier of ammo across his chest and wearing black combat clothes, Ryan walked down the road and shot pensioner Margery Jackson and 14-year-old Lesley Mildenhall, wounding them both severely. Around the corner he met Ken Clements out with his three children. Ryan murdered him on the spot. PC Roger Brereton was the first police officer on the scene. He swung his patrol car into South View but he had no chance. Ryan raked his car with machine gun fire killing him instantly. Ryan was strafing houses on both sides of the street, stopping only for a moment to put fresh clips of ammunition in his guns. Linda Chapman and her daughter Alison came into view. Ryan peppered their car wounding them both, but they managed to drive away. Ryan then spotted retired Abdul Khan mowing his lawn and killed him with his AK 47. Police firearms teams were speeding to Hungerford but they were too far away to stop his killing spree. Alan Lepetit was on his way home for lunch when he was shot and wounded, but he survived. An ambulance arrived and was turning into South View when Ryan shot it up. Firefighters coming to tackle the blaze at Ryan’s own home ducked as their fire engine took several hits. The fire had now engulfed three more houses. George White was giving a lift home to Ivor Jackson, who didn’t know Ryan had already murdered his wife Margery. As they approached the scenes of chaos Ryan shot White dead through the windscreen. His car went out of control and rammed the back of PC Brereton’s car with the officer dead behind the steering wheel. At that moment Ryan’s mum Dorothy came home from shopping. As she surveyed the carnage, the son she doted on shot her dead. Francis Butler was walking his dog in a park when Ryan shot him dead. Then he shot at Andrew Cadle but missed. He tried again, but the M1 jammed and Ryan threw it away in disgust. But he still had the AK and the pistol. Minicab driver Marcus Barnard was shot in the head and died. Then he opened fire on John Storms, Douglas Wainwright, Eric Vardy and Sandra Hill. Wainwright and Vardy were killed outright. Storms and Sandra Hill were badly wounded with multiple gun shot wounds. Sandra Hill was rescued by an off-duty ambulance man and a soldier who carried her to a doctors' surgery, but she died before she got there. Ryan had now reached Priory Road. He smashed open the front door of number 60 and shot dead 66-year-old Victor Gibbs. The pensioner tried to save his wife Myrtle who was in a wheel chair, but the bullets ripped through his body and killed her too. With police using loudhailers to warn residents to stay indoors, Ian Playle encountered a police roadblock, but he knew another way to his home in Priory Road. When he got there, he died in a hail of shots. George Noon was standing outside 109 Priory Road when he saw Ryan standing outside the John of Gaunt school. Ryan saw him and killed him with two shots then entered the empty school. By now armed police had the area surrounded. Sergeant Paul Brightwell shouted to Ryan from behind a wall. They had a conversation. Ryan sounded calm and lucid, but kept asking the officer how his mother was. Police marksmen could not see Ryan to get a clear shot at him. He was sitting on the floor below a window. Suddenly Ryan threw his AK47 out of the window. Then there was a single shot from the Beretta. Ryan had taken his last life – his own. Story sent by: Marc Lawless Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/crimes-that-shook-britain-the-hungerford-massacre-823698 Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungerford_massacre ![]() Titanic's unsinkable stoker: Violet Jessop survived the sinkings of both the Titanic and the Britannic and further was onboard Olympic when she was rammed in 1911.
Violet Constance Jessop (2 October 1887 – 5 May 1971) was an ocean liner stewardess and nurse who achieved fame by surviving the disastrous sinkings of both the RMS Titanic and the HMHS Britannic in 1912 and 1916 respectively. In addition, she had been on board the RMS Olympic, their sister ship, when it collided with the protected cruiser HMS Hawke in 1911. Early life: Violet Jessop was born to William and Katherine Jessop, Irish emigrants living near Bahía Blanca, Argentina. William Jessop had emigrated from Dublin in the mid-1880s to try his hand at sheep farming in the Argentine. His fiancée, Katherine Kelly, followed him out there from Dublin in 1886. Violet was the first of nine children, only six of whom survived. Violet herself contracted tuberculosis at an early age, but, despite doctor's predictions, she survived. After her father died, Violet and her family moved to Great Britain, where she attended a convent school. After her mother became ill, she left school and took a stewardess position with the Royal Mail Line aboard the Orinoco. Olympic: At age 23, Violet Jessop boarded the RMS Olympic on 14 June 1911 to work as a stewardess. The Olympic was a luxury ship that was the largest civilian liner at that time, being nearly 100 ft (30 m) longer than any other ship. Olympic′s first major mishap occurred on 20 September 1911, when she collided with the old protected cruiser HMS Hawke off the Isle of Wight. Although the incident resulted in the flooding of two of her compartments and a twisted propeller shaft, Olympic was able to limp back to Southampton. At the subsequent inquiry the Royal Navy blamed Olympic for the incident, alleging that her large displacement generated a suction that pulled Hawke into her side. Titanic: Violet boarded the RMS Titanic as a stewardess on 10 April 1912. Four days later, on 14 April, the Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and, over the next two hours, broke in two and sank. Violet described in her memoirs that she was ordered up on deck, because she was to function as an example of how to behave for the non-English speakers who could not follow the instructions given to them. She watched as the crew loaded the lifeboats. She was later ordered into lifeboat 16, and, as the boat was being lowered, one of the Titanic′s officers gave her a baby to look after. The next morning, Violet and the rest of the survivors were rescued by the RMS Carpathia. According to Violet, while on board the Carpathia, a woman grabbed the baby she was holding and ran off with it without saying a word. Britannic: During the First World War, Violet served as a stewardess for the British Red Cross. On the morning of 21 November 1916, she was on board His Majesty's Hospital Ship Britannic when the ship apparently struck a mine and, with all the portholes open for ventilation, quickly sank in the Aegean Sea off the Greek island of Kea, with the loss of 30 lives. There is also a second theory for the cause of the sinking, claiming that a German U-Boat shot the Britannic without warning, regardless of its status as a medical ship. While the Britannic was sinking, Violet jumped out of a lifeboat to avoid being sucked into the Britannic′s propellers. She was sucked under the water anyway, and struck her head on the ship's keel before surfacing and being rescued by a lifeboat. She later stated that cushioning, due to her thick auburn hair, helped save her life. She had also made sure to grab her toothbrush before leaving her cabin on the Britannic, saying later that it was the one thing she missed most immediately following the sinking of the Titanic. Later life: After the war, Violet continued to work for the White Star Line, before joining the Red Star Line and then the Royal Mail Line again. During her tenure with Red Star, Violet went on two around the world cruises on that company's largest ship, the Belgenland. In her late 30s, Violet had a brief marriage, and in 1950 she retired to Great Ashfield, Suffolk. Years after her retirement, Violet claimed to have received a telephone call, on a stormy night, from a woman who asked Violet if she saved a baby on the night that the Titanic sank. "Yes," Violet replied. The voice then said "I was that baby," laughed, and hung up. Her friend, and biographer John Maxtone-Graham said it was most likely some children in the village playing a joke on her. She replied, "No, John, I had never told that story to anyone before I told you now." Records indicate that the only baby on boat 16 was Assad Thomas, who was handed to Edwinda Troutt, and later reunited with his mother on the Carpathia. Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Jessop ![]() Ice Man: The Remarkable Adventures of Antarctic Explorer Tom Crean
Tom Crean, nicknamed the "Irish Giant" (20 July 1877 - 27 July 1938) was an Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer from County Kerry. He was a member of three of the four major British expeditions to Antarctica during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, including Robert Falcon Scott's 1911–13 Terra Nova Expedition, which saw the race to reach the South Pole lost to Roald Amundsen and ended in the deaths of Scott and his polar party. During this expedition Crean's 35 statute miles (56 km) solo walk across the Ross Ice Shelf to save the life of Edward Evans led to him receiving the Albert Medal. Crean had left the family farm near Annascaul to enlist in the British Royal Navy at the age of 15. In 1901, while serving on HMS Ringarooma in New Zealand, he volunteered to join Scott's 1901–04 British National Antarctic Expedition on Discovery, thus beginning his exploring career. After his return with the Terra Nova, Crean's third and final Antarctic venture was the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition on Endurance led by Ernest Shackleton, in which he served as second officer. After Endurance became beset in the pack ice and sank, he was a participant in a dramatic series of events including months spent drifting on the ice, a journey in lifeboats to Elephant Island, and an open boat journey of 800 nautical miles (1,500 km) from Elephant Island to South Georgia. Upon reaching South Georgia, Crean was one of the party of three which undertook the first land crossing of the island, without maps or proper mountaineering equipment, to get aid. Crean's contributions to these expeditions sealed his reputation as a tough and dependable polar traveler, and earned him a total of three Polar medals. After the Endurance expedition he returned to the Navy, and when his naval career ended in 1920 he moved back to County Kerry. In his home town of Annascaul, Crean and his wife Ellen opened a public house called the "South Pole Inn". He lived there quietly and unobtrusively until his death in 1938. Story sent by: Seamus O' Hanlon Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Crean_(explorer) ![]() Microsoft once threatened to sue a high school student named Mike Rowe for creating a website called MikeRoweSoft.com, read what happened next and how the case was settled.
Microsoft vs. MikeRoweSoft was a legal dispute between Microsoft and a Canadian Belmont high school student named Mike Rowe over the domain name "MikeRoweSoft.com". The case received international press attention following Microsoft's perceived heavy-handed approach to a 12th grade student's part-time web design business and the subsequent support that Rowe received from the online community. A settlement was eventually reached, with Rowe granting ownership of the domain to Microsoft in exchange for Microsoft products and training. Background: The domain name MikeRoweSoft.com was initially registered by Canadian student Mike Rowe in August 2003. Rowe set up the site as a part-time web design business, choosing the domain because of the phonetic pun by adding the word "soft" to the end of his name. Microsoft saw the name as trademark infringement because of its phonetic resemblance to their trademarked corporate name and demanded that he give up the domain. After receiving a letter on January 14, 2004 from Microsoft's Canadian legal representatives Smart & Biggar, Rowe replied asking to be compensated for giving up the domain. Microsoft offered to pay Rowe's out-of-pocket expenses of $10, the original cost of registering the domain name. Rowe countered asking instead for $10,000, later claiming that he did this because he was "mad at" Microsoft for their initial $10 offer. Microsoft declined the offer and sent a cease and desist order spanning 25 pages. Microsoft accused Rowe of setting up the site in order to try to force them into a large financial settlement, a practice known as cybersquatting. Press coverage and settlement: Rowe went to the press, creating publicity for the case and garnering support for his cause, including donations of over $6,000 and an offer of free advice from a lawyer. At one point Rowe was forced to take down his site after it was overwhelmed by around 250,000 page views over a period of twelve hours, only managing to get the site back up after changing to a service provider with a higher capacity. The case, portrayed as a David versus Goliath struggle by the media, characterized Microsoft in a negative light. The resulting bad publicity was later described as a "public relations mess." The public showing of support that Rowe received was credited with "softening Microsoft's stance," leading to an eventual settlement. In late January 2004, it was revealed that the two parties had come to an out of court settlement, with Microsoft taking control of the domain. In return Microsoft agreed to pay all of the expenses that Rowe had incurred including setting up a new site at and redirecting traffic to MikeRoweforums.com. Additionally Microsoft provided Rowe with a subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network, an all expenses paid trip for him and his family to the Microsoft Research Tech Fest at their headquarters in Redmond, Washington, training for Microsoft certification and an Xbox with a selection of games. Following an online poll, Rowe donated most of his legal defense fund to a children's hospital and used the remaining money for his future university education. ---------------- Extra: After settling with Microsoft, Rowe attempted to auction off the documentation he had received on the on-line auction site eBay, describing it as "a piece of Internet history." The materials included one copy of the original 25 page cease and desist letter as well as an inch-thick WIPO book containing copies of trademarks, web pages and e-mails between him and Microsoft. The auction received more than half a million page views and bidding rose to more than $200,000. The high bids turned out to be fraudulent and the auction was restricted to pre-approved bidders. After restarting from the reserve price of $500, the documents eventually sold for $1,037. Microsoft later admitted that they may have been too aggressive in their defense of the "Microsoft" trademark. Following the case it was suggested by Struan Robertson – editor of Out-Law.com – that Microsoft had little choice but to pursue the issue once it had come to light or they would have risked weakening their trademark. This view was also espoused by ZDNet, who noted that had Microsoft knowingly ignored Rowe's site, the company would have risked losing the right to fight future trademark infringements. Had legal proceedings ensued, Robertson thought that Rowe would have made a strong argument for keeping his domain, as he was using his real name and was not claiming to be affiliated with Microsoft. Story sent by: Pranav Khandekar Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_vs._MikeRoweSoft ![]() A family in Texas in 1953 had a pet lion named Blondie. They never had any incidents with her and she died of old age, as a beloved member of the family.
Photographer Joseph Scherschel took these photos of Blondie the pet lion for Life Magazine in 1955. Blondie was indeed a family pet, belonging to Mr. Charles Hipp of Texas. Mr. Hipp bought the lion from the Dallas zoo in 1953 when she was a 12-week-old cub. By the time the Life article appeared, Blondie was a familiar sight in Graham, Texas. She travelled in their station wagon, boated with the Hipp’s on Possum Kingdom Lake and even shared their bathtub. Blondie never caused any problems for Mr. Hipp, but another of his pets sure did. A leopard named Randy mauled his then two-and-a-half-year-old grandson Charles “Bubba” Hipp at his grandfather’s house in Graham in 1962. The boy recovered, but still bears the scars of the attack. Devastated, Mr. Hipp sold off Randy and most of his other animals, but he just couldn’t get rid of Blondie. She died of old age in 1968, a beloved member of the family. Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://encyclopediahomeschoolica.com/tag/blondie-the-lion/ Further reading: http://www.texasescapes.com/MikeCoxTexasTales/Lion-and-Boy.htm More photos: http://images.google.com/hosted/life/dff7b84441480925.html ![]() O.o
In 1894, a priest saved a 4 year old boy from drowning. The boy was named Adolf Hitler. ![]() The Euthanasia Coaster is an art concept for a steel roller coaster designed to kill its passengers. In 2010, it was designed and made into a scale model by Julijonas Urbonas, a PhD candidate at the Royal College of Art in London.
Urbonas, who has worked at an amusement park, stated that the goal of his concept roller coaster is to take lives "with elegance and euphoria". As for practical applications of his design, Urbonas mentioned "euthanasia" or "execution". John Allen, who served as president of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, inspired Urbonas with his description of the ideal roller coaster as one that "sends out 24 people and they all come back dead". As a hypothetical means of euthanasia, the design led to concern from anti-euthanasia association Care Not Killing. Design: The design begins with a steep-angled lift to the 510-metre (1,670 ft) (0.317 mile) top, which would take two minutes for the 24-passenger train to reach. From there, a 500-metre (1,600 ft) drop would take the train to 360 kilometres per hour (220 mph), close to its terminal velocity, before flattening out and speeding into the first of its seven slightly clothoid inversions. Each inversion would have a smaller diameter than the one before in order to maintain 10 g to passengers while the train loses speed. After a sharp right-hand turn the train would enter a straight, where unloading of corpses and loading of new passengers could take place. Pathophysiology: The Euthanasia Coaster would kill its passengers through prolonged cerebral hypoxia, or insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain. The ride's seven inversions would inflict 10 g on its passengers for 60 seconds – causing g-force related symptoms starting with gray out through tunnel vision to black out and eventually g-LOC (g-force induced loss of consciousness). Depending on the tolerance of an individual passenger to g-forces, the first or second inversion would cause cerebral anoxia, rendering the passengers brain dead.[citation needed] Subsequent inversions would serve as insurance against unintentional survival of particularly robust passengers. Exhibition: Urbonas' concept drew media attention when shown as part of the HUMAN+ display at the Science Gallery in Dublin from April through June 2011. The display, designated as its 2011 'flagship exhibition' by the Science Gallery, aims to show the future of humans and technology. Within this theme, the Euthanasia Coaster highlights the issues that come with life extension. Story suggested by: Reuben George Bloxham Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia_Coaster How it works (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKmKLZOAT38 Further Reading: http://news.discovery.com/tech/euthanasia-sucicide-rollercoaster-ride-110919.htm ![]() Titanic II is being built by an Australian billionaire. It will be an exact replica of the first and even serve the same meals. The first voyage remains set for 2016, with the boat due to sail from China, where it will be built, to Southampton in England ahead of her maiden passenger journey to New York. Australian billionaire Clive Palmer said Wednesday he will unveil the design and plans for his ambitious Titanic II project in New York with the help of John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline. The flamboyant Palmer, who announced plans in April to construct the replica Titanic with exactly the same dimensions as its ill-fated predecessor, will hold a gala dinner on December 4 on the retired aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. Those attending will include the former U.S. president's daughter, his sister Jean Kennedy Smith and New York Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson along with leading U.S. business leaders, Palmer said. They will be treated to a dinner from the same menu as Titanic passengers on the day it sank on April 14, 1912. "It will be a chance for the business community of the United States and indeed the world to see the wonderful progress that's been made on our Titanic II project," Palmer said. "Since we announced our plan in April we've had a huge amount of interest, particularly from people wanting to know how they can secure a booking for the maiden voyage, along with commercial sponsors." The first voyage remains set for 2016, with the boat due to sail from China, where it will be built, to Southampton in England ahead of her maiden passenger journey to New York. The new ship will mirror its predecessor's dimensions — measuring 885 feet, 53 metres high and weighing 40,000 tonnes. It will have 840 rooms and nine decks and retain the first, second and third-class divisions of the original. Palmer extended an invitation for James Cameron to sail on the ship, saying the Titanic director had complained there were no Titanic-related experiences left for him. "Well James, this is something you can do," he said. The original Titanic, which was built in Belfast, sank on its first trip from Southampton to New York, killing more than 1,500 passengers and crew. Reference: http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/design-for-titanic-ii-to-be-unveiled ![]() An 11 year old boy survived the Gas Chambers during the Holocaust 6 times!
Moshe Peer was an 11 year old boy during World War II and the horrific events that were the Holocaust. Peer was sent to the infamous Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which featured a gas chamber where hundreds of thousands of Jewish people were killed. Some may say it was a blessing that Peer was able to survive the gas chamber six different times, for completely unknown reasons. However, others would say that his survival was a curse, because he witnessed, first hand as a child, hundreds of women and children slowly dying around him while he stayed alive. Peer spent 19 years writing a book about his experiences at Bergen-Belsen and what he witnessed as a child in the gas chambers, and how it haunted him for the rest of his life. To read more about him check out the reference. Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://en.metapedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Peer Further Reading: http://www.scrapbookpages.com/BergenBelsen/BergenBelsen04.html ![]() The tragic twin boy who was brought up as a girl after horrific hospital blunder
It is the extraordinary case which ignited a bitter debate about scientists playing God. But when twin boys Bruce and Brian Reimer were born there was no indication that their lives would end so tragically. Their mother Janet gave birth to them in January 1965 and at first, the children were perfectly healthy and normal. However, at six months old, they began to have trouble urinating. Doctors told the boys' parents that a simple circumcision would solve the problem. What should have been a routine operation turned out to have tragic consequences for the Reimer family. Rather than perform the operation with a blade, surgeons used a faulty cauterising needle. The electrical equipment malfunctioned while Bruce was on the operating table leaving him with dreadful injuries to his genitals. Several months later Janet and Ron Reimer still did not know how they were going to raise their disfigured son - until they were introduced to Dr John Money, a psychologist specialising in sex changes. Although he lacked any scientific evidence, Dr. Money's hunch was that nurture, rather than biology, was the significant factor in determining gender - and Bruce and Brian represented the perfect opportunity to test the theory. His proposal was for Bruce to be raised as a girl alongside 'her' twin brother. Key to the experiment was the fact that, under no circumstances should she ever be told that she was in fact born a boy. If she developed into a happy, content and normal woman, Money's theory would be groundbreaking. The Reimers consented and Bruce, after further corrective surgury while still an infant, grew up as Brenda. For several years, the experiment played out Dr Money's preconceptions. In yearly meetings with the Reimers, Money observed that, despite being born a boy, Brenda had developed stereotypically female characteristics. She had grown into the role of a girl. 'The mother stated her daughter was much neater than her brother and, in contrast with him, disliked to be dirty,' he noted at one of these annual briefings, although he added that Brenda had 'many tomboy traits'. By the time the twins reached the age of nine, Dr Money was confident that his theory had been proved. He wrote a medical paper revealing his findings, although he referred to Brenda as John/Joan to protect his identity. But four years later and now in her teens, Brenda was suicidal. 'I could see that Brenda wasn't happy as a girl," Janet Reimer remembered in an interview years later. 'She was very rebellious. She was very masculine, and I could not persuade her to do anything feminine. Brenda had almost no friends growing up. Everybody ridiculed her, called her cavewoman. 'She was a very lonely, lonely girl.' In desperation, the Reimers did the only thing they could think of to help their child - they explained to Brenda that she had been born a boy. Within weeks, Brenda made the decision to revert to David. Nature had triumphed over nuture. He had re-constructive surgery, married and eventually became a stepfather to three children. But David's story does not have a happy ending. He evetually discovered that his own upbringing was the subject of a 'successful' experiment immortalised in academic essays on gender reassignment - and that his deeply traumatic childhood was now being used as a roadmap for raising boys in similar circumstance. He began suffering from depression, compounded by the breakdown of his marriage and the death of his brother in 2002 from a drugs overdose. In 2004, at the age of 38, he committed suicide. Polly Carmichael of Great Ormand Street Hospial says that Dr Money's singular, God-like control over the Reimers would not be allowed to happen today. 'We now have well-functioning multi-disciplinary teams around the country so that the decision will be taken by a variety of professionals,' she told the BBC. 'The parents would be much more involved in terms of the decision making process. 'One of the wonderful thing about working with children and their families is that children are amazingly resilient. 'With support, I'm constantly amazed at what children are able to take on and manage.' Image: Twins: Bruce (right) was brought up as a little girl for much of his childhood. He is seen here with his twin Brian Suggested by: Jumana Nizar Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1332396/Bruce-Reimer-Tragic-twin-boy-brought-girl.html Troubled: David spent his adult life as a man, but was always disturbed about his controversial upbringing and eventually committed suicide: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/11/23/article-1332396-0C34C30C000005DC-605_468x512.jpg ![]() Meet the Brazilian who has been in hospital for 45 years.
Paulo Henrique Machado has lived almost his entire life in hospital. As a baby he suffered infantile paralysis brought on by polio, and he is still hooked up to an artificial respirator 24 hours a day. But despite this, he has trained as a computer animator and is now creating a television series about his life. The 45-year-old Brazilian, whose mother died two days after giving birth to him, was struck down by infantile paralysis brought on by polio, leaving him incapable of fending for himself. He needs constant help with his breathing from an artificial respirator, cannot walk unaided and has left his hospital 'universe' barely more than 50 times. But despite his debilitating condition, Paulo has trained as a computer animator and is making a film about his life, based on a story by his best friend, confidante and roommate, Eliana Zagui, who also suffered polio as a child and has lived in the Sao Paulo's Clinicas ever since. 'Some people think we are like husband and wife, but we are more like brother and sister,' Paolo told the BBC. 'Every day, when I wake up I have the certainty that my strength is over there - Eliana. And it's reciprocated. I trust her and she trusts me.' The pair were among 11 children admitted to the hospital with polio - an all-but-wiped-out but highly-infectious viral disease that affects under fives - in the 1970s. Forced to live in what was called a 'torpedo' - effectively a body-encasing iron lung - during his early years, he was forced to create his own 'universe' inside the confines of his hospital prison. His earliest memories are of 'exploring' the corridors of each ward in his wheelchair, wandering into the rooms of other children, his only toy being his imagination. But, with an average life expectancy of just ten years, Paulo and Eliana watched all their friends die, one by one. Doctors never understood why Paulo and Eliana outlived the others, but they say the experience, while sad, has brought them closer together. 'It was difficult,' says Machado. 'Each loss was like a dismembering, you know, physical… like a mutilation. Now, there's just two of us left - me and Eliana.' The risk of infection is high for Paulo and Eliana, so they rarely travel outside of the hospital. But advancing technology has allows them increasing freedom to see parts of the world that ordinary people may take for granted. They have, however, made the odd trip outside; their most memorable outing was to the beach in the 1990s. 'There are some [trips] which stand out, like seeing the beach for the first time when I was 32,' he says. 'I opened the car door and saw the sea and thought 'Wow! What is this?' Eliana, who says she had built an image of the sea based on films, pictures and postcards that she had seen, adds: 'They took us out of the vehicles, Paulo was in a wheelchair and they pushed my bed onto the sand. 'You enjoy these little moments, that many people take for granted. They don't stop to marvel like we do.' Because they have lived at the hospital for so long, they are allowed to decorate their room in whatever way they chose. While they say it often brings out a friendly argument, they have agreed to split the room down the middle. Paulo's side is filled with film memorabilia, while Eliana's side is full of books and dolls. Neither have attended 'school' in the way other children do. But that hasn't stopped them gaining an education. Indeed, Eliana is a published author and spends her time either writing or painting using her mouth. Paulo is using his computer animation skills, combined with Eliana's storytelling, to make a 3-D animated film called The Adventures of Leca and her Friends. And in May this year, he managed to raise the £45,000 he needed through an online campaign to realise his dream and begin making the stop-animation film. He says it follows Leca, which is also Eliana's nickname, playing 'all the mischievous games kids get up to'. He says his characters are realistic because 'they come from someone who is disabled'. he added: 'I know [exactly] what the difficulties they face are.' Story Suggested by: Daniyal Toor & Rajani Writes Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23364127 Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2384731/Paulo-Henrique-Machado-hospital-45-years.html ![]() “Doomsday Seed Vault” in the Arctic
On a desolate Arctic island off the coast of Norway is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a repository with the capacity to hold up to 2.25 billion seeds in the event of a "doomsday" catastrophe. When the vault was first built in 2006, more than 100 countries contributed seeds. The concrete building is outfitted with steel airlock doors, fencing and a guard system. At the time of its opening, a BBC article said its backers called it "the most secure building of its type in the world." The same article also revealed that seeds are packed in special four-ply packets and heat sealed to keep out moisture. They're then kept at temperatures of minus 18 degrees Celcius, which could help the seeds last hundreds or even thousands of years. Even if the cooling system were to fail, the mountain's permafrost would keep the seeds' temperature from rising above freezing. A recent article by National Geographic offers a look into the remote facility, operated by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which in an era of climate change and changing farming preferences may be saving the seeds for something other than asteroid impacts and nuclear war: "I'd say doomsday is happening everyday for crop varieties," said Cary Fowler, executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which helps manage the facility. "Lots of people think that this vault is waiting for doomsday before we use it. But it's really a backup plan for seeds and crops. We are losing seed diversity every day and this is the insurance policy for that." What does seed diversity mean? A single crop of wheat, for instance, may have 200,000 different varieties, each one with its own traits. One might grow better in high temperatures, another in low. How it fares during droughts and against disease are also determined by its variety. Fowler also explained to The New York Times why it's important to maintain this diversity: Conserving the plants that feed us -- our crops -- is a distinct challenge because it is not the species, but the genetic diversity within species that is the focus. And the “use value,” another hotly contested topic, is undisputed: it is a simple fact that without access to crop diversity, we will not be able to grow the food we require in the future. Diversity is a prerequisite for crop improvement and adaptation. Story Suggested by: Surbhi Goel Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/10/doomsday-svalbard-global-seed-vault_n_1661682.html Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard_Global_Seed_Vault Further Reading: http://www.globalresearch.ca/doomsday-seed-vault-in-the-arctic-2/23503 ![]() From the late 1860s until the 1970s, some U.S. cities had ugly laws, making it illegal for people with “unsightly or disgusting” disabilities to appear in public
They are commonly called the “ugly laws,” but some cities called them the “unsightly beggar ordinances.” The idea of the laws was not to be inhumane, but to preserve the overall quality of life of the community. In a sense, they were their times version of a homeowners association. San Francisco was one of the first cities to create an ugly law in 1867. It grew ever popular among western and Midwestern cities. The whole state of Pennsylvania adopted ugly laws in the 1890s, though. Other cities that embraced the ugly laws were Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, and Omaha, Nebraska. Sadly, the laws that tried to prevent maimed, mutilated, and unsightly deformities weren’t eradicated in many cities until the 1970s! Omaha was the first to throw out their ugly laws in 1967 followed by Columbus in 1972. Chicago was the last to follow suit in 1974. Any city that might have accidentally had ugly laws lingering had them dismissed when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed by congress in 1990. Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or comments for us, send in your entry at [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugly_law ![]() Man turns permanently BLUE after he self-medicates for a skin condition
A man who turned blue after self-medicating for a skin condition says his hue is lightening. Paul Karason, 58, has the strange Papa Smurf look as a side effect of using a silver compound which he used more than a decade ago to treat a bad case of dermatitis on his face. But he told NBC's Today Show that his skin is lightening because he is now using the self-administered doses of colloidal silver less. 'I’m in a place right now where it’s very difficult for me to make my own, and my resources are limited and it’s very expensive,' he explained to host Matt Lauer, a year after first appearing on the programme. Colloidal silver is a suspension of silver in a liquid base - in this case, distilled water. Silver has antibacterial properties and has been used to fight infection for thousands of years. But it went out of use when penicillin, which is far more effective, was developed. It continued to be used in some over-the-counter medicines until 1999, when the FDA banned it because it causes argyria, which is a result of the silver reacting with light the same way it does in photography. The silver collects in the skin and other organs and does not dissipate, meaning Karason will be blue for life. Karson also revealed he has recently broke off his relationship with partner Jackie Northrup during his interview today, who he was engaged to when he last appeared on the U.S. show. He said: '[My skin] has lightened up, it is not major but it is lightening up. I am actually going to try green.' Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or comments for us, send in your entry at [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1212557/Blue-man-Paul-Karason-blue-self-medicates-silver-skin-condition.html ![]() The youngest known person to commit suicide was 6 year old Samantha Kuberski who tied a belt to a crib and hung herself after being sent to her room.
A six-year-old girl who was sent to her room for punishment is feared to be one of the youngest people to have ever committed suicide in the U.S. Samantha Kuberskki was found hanging by a belt at her home in Oregon after being sent to her room for arguing with her mother. Her death was ruled as suicide by the coroner - sparking a bitter row with police who investigated her death and insist it was an accident. Detectives who interviewed the family insist the girl did not know what she was doing when she tied a corduroy belt around her neck. 'Our investigators feel that it does appear that Samantha may have done the actions that led to her death,' said Captain Dennis Marks, who headed the investigation. 'But we find it hard to believe that she would have intentionally done that, which we feel is part of committing suicide.' The shocking incident took place last December after Samantha returned home from school with her three sisters. After arguing with her mother Kellie she was sent to her bedroom as punishment. Mrs Kuberskki later found her daughter hanging from a the top rail of a disused cot and desperately tried to revive her. Her father Graham arrived home just as paramedics were rushing Samantha to hospital where she later died. It emerged that Samantha had been told off previously for playing with the belt, but had expressed no suicidal intentions. The medical examiner for Portland, Oregon, ruled the girl's death as suicide. Psychiatrists Dr. Kirk Wolfe agreed with the police version that the girl did not realise what she was doing. 'Most kids this age are not aware of what death actually is,' he said. 'Not until they get to be 8, 9 and 10 do they understand death is final and you don't come back.' Please read the rules in description carefully before you comment to avoid ban. If you have a story, photo, suggestion, complains or any other concern, send us a message or email us at: [email protected] and we will feature the story with your name. ---------------- Reference: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1264617/Girl-6-sent-room-punishment-youngest-people-committed-suicide-US.html |
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