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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Jesus found on banana
Sitting down for an after lunch snack turned into a brush with all things holy when Lisa Swinton saw the face of Jesus on her banana peel.
‘‘I was like ‘Oh my God! It’s Jesus on a banana!’’
‘‘I got it out of the fruit bowl and was about to peel it and eat it when I saw his face,’’ she said.
The impact of seeing Christ pressed into the banana did not stop the 39-year-old of Haberfield, Australia from still eating the fruit and depositing the holy peel.
‘‘I was like ‘Oh my God! It’s Jesus on a banana!’’
‘‘I got it out of the fruit bowl and was about to peel it and eat it when I saw his face,’’ she said.
The impact of seeing Christ pressed into the banana did not stop the 39-year-old of Haberfield, Australia from still eating the fruit and depositing the holy peel.
Naked New Zealand cyclists warned over helmets
Two young men caught cycling with no clothes on have escaped charges of offensive behaviour, but received a warning to wear protective headgear.
Local policewoman Cathy Duder was unfazed when she came across the two nude men, both in their early 20s. "They were more shocked than I was, trying to cover up their bits and pieces with their hands," she said.
The men were riding around the Coromandel seaside resort of Whangamata on the north-east coast of New Zealand.
When asked for an explanation, the pair replied that "they wanted to experience total freedom". "And I said to them 'the way you're heading, you're going to experience total confinement'," the officer said, laughing.
She said the men appeared decidedly sober. "They didn't seem drunk at all. That's what worried me," she joked.
Ms Duder issued them with a stern warning for not wearing helmets and then sent them directly home.
Local policewoman Cathy Duder was unfazed when she came across the two nude men, both in their early 20s. "They were more shocked than I was, trying to cover up their bits and pieces with their hands," she said.
The men were riding around the Coromandel seaside resort of Whangamata on the north-east coast of New Zealand.
When asked for an explanation, the pair replied that "they wanted to experience total freedom". "And I said to them 'the way you're heading, you're going to experience total confinement'," the officer said, laughing.
She said the men appeared decidedly sober. "They didn't seem drunk at all. That's what worried me," she joked.
Ms Duder issued them with a stern warning for not wearing helmets and then sent them directly home.
Man impaled with knife orders coffee
Diners at a metro Detroit restaurant got more than a full plate on Sunday when a man walked in with a 5-inch knife in his chest.
Warren police said the 52-year-old man called 911 at about 10 p.m., saying he had been attacked in Warren but had just walked a mile to the Brayz’s Hamburgers in Hazel Park.
Restaurant employee George Mirdita said the man walked in, ordered a coffee and said he was waiting for an ambulance to come.
“It was like out of a movie,” Mirdita said. “It kind of freaked us all out here. Then, the customers realized it and they were all turning their heads in disgust.”
Mirdita said he can’t believe how calm the man was, and that he never complained of being in any pain.
“To come in with something stuck in your chest and order a cup of coffee, and sit down … he was mingling with the guy next to him,” he said. The man was treated and police said he is expected to be fine.
Warren police said the 52-year-old man called 911 at about 10 p.m., saying he had been attacked in Warren but had just walked a mile to the Brayz’s Hamburgers in Hazel Park.
Restaurant employee George Mirdita said the man walked in, ordered a coffee and said he was waiting for an ambulance to come.
“It was like out of a movie,” Mirdita said. “It kind of freaked us all out here. Then, the customers realized it and they were all turning their heads in disgust.”
Mirdita said he can’t believe how calm the man was, and that he never complained of being in any pain.
“To come in with something stuck in your chest and order a cup of coffee, and sit down … he was mingling with the guy next to him,” he said. The man was treated and police said he is expected to be fine.
Scientists says angels can't fly
Angels depicted heralding the birth of Jesus in nativity scenes across the world are anatomically flawed, according to a scientist who claims they would never be able to fly.
A leading biologist has compared the physiology of flighted species with the representations of spiritual and mythical creatures in art – and found the angels and fairies that sit atop of Christmas trees did not get there under their own steam.
Prof Roger Wotton, from University College London, found that flight would be impossible for angels portrayed with arms and bird-like feathered wings.
“Even a cursory examination of the evidence in representational arts shows that angels and cherubs cannot take off and cannot use powered flight,” said Prof Wotton. “And even if they used gliding flight, they would need to be exposed to very high wind velocities at take off - such high winds that they would be blown away and have no need for wings.
“Interestingly, the artist Giotto showed one angel with a rigid 'mono-wing’ which could be an adaptation for gliding flight. But if they do just glide, how are the wings folded, unfolded and held rigid?”
Angels, cherubs and putti (babies with wings) adorn some the world’s most famous religious paintings and architecture, hovering in the air to witness the deeds of God and men.
A leading biologist has compared the physiology of flighted species with the representations of spiritual and mythical creatures in art – and found the angels and fairies that sit atop of Christmas trees did not get there under their own steam.
Prof Roger Wotton, from University College London, found that flight would be impossible for angels portrayed with arms and bird-like feathered wings.
“Even a cursory examination of the evidence in representational arts shows that angels and cherubs cannot take off and cannot use powered flight,” said Prof Wotton. “And even if they used gliding flight, they would need to be exposed to very high wind velocities at take off - such high winds that they would be blown away and have no need for wings.
“Interestingly, the artist Giotto showed one angel with a rigid 'mono-wing’ which could be an adaptation for gliding flight. But if they do just glide, how are the wings folded, unfolded and held rigid?”
Angels, cherubs and putti (babies with wings) adorn some the world’s most famous religious paintings and architecture, hovering in the air to witness the deeds of God and men.
Pakistan court orders ears and noses to be cut off
A Pakistani court has ordered that two men have their ears and noses cut off, as punishment for doing the same to a woman who refused to marry one of them.
The two brothers were found guilty of kidnapping 20-year-old Fazeelat Bibi, one of their cousins, in September. The judge in Lahore also sentenced them to life in prison.
Sentence was passed on Monday under a rarely invoked Islamic law dating from the 1980s. In the past similar sentences have been revoked on appeal.
Government prosecutor Ehtisham Qadir said the punishment had been awarded in accordance with the Islamic principle of "an eye for an eye".
Sher Mohammad and Amanat abducted Fazeelat Bibi as she returned home from work at a brick kiln in the Raiwind area of Lahore, the court heard.
"They put a noose around her neck, and then cut off her ears and nose," Mr Qadir said.
The two brothers were found guilty of kidnapping 20-year-old Fazeelat Bibi, one of their cousins, in September. The judge in Lahore also sentenced them to life in prison.
Sentence was passed on Monday under a rarely invoked Islamic law dating from the 1980s. In the past similar sentences have been revoked on appeal.
Government prosecutor Ehtisham Qadir said the punishment had been awarded in accordance with the Islamic principle of "an eye for an eye".
Sher Mohammad and Amanat abducted Fazeelat Bibi as she returned home from work at a brick kiln in the Raiwind area of Lahore, the court heard.
"They put a noose around her neck, and then cut off her ears and nose," Mr Qadir said.
Last Indochinese tiger in China killed and eaten
The last wild Indochinese tiger in China has been killed and eaten by a villager. The man was sentenced to 12 years in jail, local media reported. Kang Wannian, a villager from Mengla, Yunnan Province, met the tiger in February while gathering freshwater clams in a nature reserve near China's border with Laos. He claimed to have killed it in self-defence.
The only known wild Indochinese tiger in China, photographed in 2007 at the same reserve, has not been seen since Kang's meal, the Yunnan-based newspaper Life News reported earlier this month.
The paper quoted the provincial Forestry Bureau as saying there was no evidence the tiger was the last one in China.
A local court sentenced Kang to 10 years for killing a rare animal plus two years for illegal possession of firearms, the local web portal Yunnan.cn reported. Prosecutors said Kang did not need a gun to gather clams.
Four villagers who helped Kang dismember the tiger and ate its meat were also sentenced from three to four years for "covering up and concealing criminal gains", the report said.
The Indochinese tiger is on the brink of extinction, with fewer than 1,000 left in the forests of Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.
The only known wild Indochinese tiger in China, photographed in 2007 at the same reserve, has not been seen since Kang's meal, the Yunnan-based newspaper Life News reported earlier this month.
The paper quoted the provincial Forestry Bureau as saying there was no evidence the tiger was the last one in China.
A local court sentenced Kang to 10 years for killing a rare animal plus two years for illegal possession of firearms, the local web portal Yunnan.cn reported. Prosecutors said Kang did not need a gun to gather clams.
Four villagers who helped Kang dismember the tiger and ate its meat were also sentenced from three to four years for "covering up and concealing criminal gains", the report said.
The Indochinese tiger is on the brink of extinction, with fewer than 1,000 left in the forests of Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.
Meet George the 7ft-long blue great dane
Standing at nearly 43 inches tall from paw to shoulder and weighing 245lbs could this be the world's new tallest dog?
Pictured here in the parks of Tuscon, Arizona, George, a four-year-old blue great dane, looks more like a miniature horse than a dog.
Gibson, a harlequin Great Dane who passed away from cancer last August.
Now George's owners, David and Christine Nasser, are awaiting confirmation from Guinness World Records to see if he has achieved the lofty heights.
With more photos.
Pictured here in the parks of Tuscon, Arizona, George, a four-year-old blue great dane, looks more like a miniature horse than a dog.
Gibson, a harlequin Great Dane who passed away from cancer last August.
Now George's owners, David and Christine Nasser, are awaiting confirmation from Guinness World Records to see if he has achieved the lofty heights.
With more photos.
Russian scientists want to send a monkey to Mars
A monkey may be sent to Mars, under plans unveiled by Russian scientists. Although the ape will be looked after by a robot on the mission, the decision is expected to spark controversy with animal rights groups.
The Russians first succeeded in putting monkeys into orbit in 1983. “We have plans to return to space,” said Zurab Mikvabia, director of the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy in Georgia which supplied apes for the programme in the 1980s.
The Institute is in preliminary talks with Russia's Cosmonautics Academy about preparing monkeys for a simulated Mars mission that could lay the groundwork for sending an ape to the Red Planet, he said. Such an initiative would build on Mars-500, a joint Russian-European project that saw six human volunteers confined in a capsule in Moscow for 120 days earlier this year to simulate a Mars mission.
Mr Mikvabia said: "Earlier this programme was aimed at sending cosmonauts, people (to Mars). "But given the length of the flight to Mars, and given the cosmic rays for which we don't have adequate protection over such a long trip, discussions have focused recently on sending an ape instead of a person."
Estimates for the length of the journey to Mars vary depending on the type of mission envisioned, but the European Space Agency says its proposal for a round-trip mission would take 520 days, or about a year and a half. If Russia pursues the idea of sending monkeys to Mars, Mikvabia's institute could become the site of an enclosed "biosphere" where apes would be kept for long periods to simulate space flights.
The Institute said a robot would accompany the first primate to Mars to feed and look after the ape. Mr Mikvabia said: "The robot will feed the monkey, will clean up after it. Our task will be to teach the monkey to co-operate with the robot."
The Russians first succeeded in putting monkeys into orbit in 1983. “We have plans to return to space,” said Zurab Mikvabia, director of the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy in Georgia which supplied apes for the programme in the 1980s.
The Institute is in preliminary talks with Russia's Cosmonautics Academy about preparing monkeys for a simulated Mars mission that could lay the groundwork for sending an ape to the Red Planet, he said. Such an initiative would build on Mars-500, a joint Russian-European project that saw six human volunteers confined in a capsule in Moscow for 120 days earlier this year to simulate a Mars mission.
Mr Mikvabia said: "Earlier this programme was aimed at sending cosmonauts, people (to Mars). "But given the length of the flight to Mars, and given the cosmic rays for which we don't have adequate protection over such a long trip, discussions have focused recently on sending an ape instead of a person."
Estimates for the length of the journey to Mars vary depending on the type of mission envisioned, but the European Space Agency says its proposal for a round-trip mission would take 520 days, or about a year and a half. If Russia pursues the idea of sending monkeys to Mars, Mikvabia's institute could become the site of an enclosed "biosphere" where apes would be kept for long periods to simulate space flights.
The Institute said a robot would accompany the first primate to Mars to feed and look after the ape. Mr Mikvabia said: "The robot will feed the monkey, will clean up after it. Our task will be to teach the monkey to co-operate with the robot."
Sausages used in suicide bomb plot gone wrong
Chinese police were held in a hour-long stand-off with a suspected suicide bomber only to find the man was armed with sausages.
Police believed that the straps and bulky items around Sing He's waist were dynamite and detonators.
Mr He, 23, threatened to blow up a restaurant and its customers in Benxi, northern China, unless the staff handed over the contents of the till.
But a specialist bomb unit called to the scene quickly determined that the device was assembled with pork products.
"When we saw what he had round his waist we couldn't help laughing. Some of the sausages still had the wrappers on them," said one bomb squad officer. "It must have been terrifying for the customers but those things would only have gone off if you'd kept them past their sell by date."
Mr He told police he had planned the raid because he was depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend. He said: "I needed some excitement in my life and to that extent it was a success."
Police believed that the straps and bulky items around Sing He's waist were dynamite and detonators.
Mr He, 23, threatened to blow up a restaurant and its customers in Benxi, northern China, unless the staff handed over the contents of the till.
But a specialist bomb unit called to the scene quickly determined that the device was assembled with pork products.
"When we saw what he had round his waist we couldn't help laughing. Some of the sausages still had the wrappers on them," said one bomb squad officer. "It must have been terrifying for the customers but those things would only have gone off if you'd kept them past their sell by date."
Mr He told police he had planned the raid because he was depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend. He said: "I needed some excitement in my life and to that extent it was a success."
Ex-boyfriend set pet pig alight
A man who set fire to his former partner's pet pig and car has been jailed for four years.
Paul Waterfield, 47, formerly of Jerningham Road, Norwich, admitted arson and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
The court heard he had been in a four-year relationship with Sarah Laurence-Couzens before moving out of their home in Jerningham Road in the spring.
The car was destroyed and the pig was put down after the attack in August.
Waterfield had also tried to pour petrol through the letterbox of the house.
When Waterfield was arrested he said he could not remember what had happened, the court was told.
Paul Waterfield, 47, formerly of Jerningham Road, Norwich, admitted arson and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
The court heard he had been in a four-year relationship with Sarah Laurence-Couzens before moving out of their home in Jerningham Road in the spring.
The car was destroyed and the pig was put down after the attack in August.
Waterfield had also tried to pour petrol through the letterbox of the house.
When Waterfield was arrested he said he could not remember what had happened, the court was told.
Shop sleepover for snow customers
More than 100 customers, staff and children spent the night in a John Lewis department store after they were stranded by snow.
The 54 staff, about 30 adult customers and 20 children were provided with food and a bed in the bed department of John Lewis in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, after heavy snow gridlocked local roads on Monday.
Deborah Strazza, managing director of the store, said customers and staff had become stranded after heavy snow began falling in mid-afternoon.
The mother of two, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, was stranded herself, and stayed overnight in the store.
She said: ''There was no way that I was going to throw customers out into that, or my own partners, and we just had to make use of what we had got. Basically we made up the beds and they all snuggled down in the bed department.
''It was so sweet, the kids absolutely loved it. They thought they were in Toy Story. The customers were really, really grateful and they could not thank us enough.''
With news video.
The 54 staff, about 30 adult customers and 20 children were provided with food and a bed in the bed department of John Lewis in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, after heavy snow gridlocked local roads on Monday.
Deborah Strazza, managing director of the store, said customers and staff had become stranded after heavy snow began falling in mid-afternoon.
The mother of two, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, was stranded herself, and stayed overnight in the store.
She said: ''There was no way that I was going to throw customers out into that, or my own partners, and we just had to make use of what we had got. Basically we made up the beds and they all snuggled down in the bed department.
''It was so sweet, the kids absolutely loved it. They thought they were in Toy Story. The customers were really, really grateful and they could not thank us enough.''
With news video.
Britain's Got Talent brawler spared prison
A man who attacked his neighbour after criticisms were made about a contestant on the TV show Britain's Got Talent has been given a suspended jail sentence. Michael Coyle, 38, of Romney Close, Little Neston, Cheshire, was drunk when he overheard two neighbours discussing the show, Warrington Crown Court heard.
He took offence over a misheard comment and challenged one of them to a fight. Coyle had earlier pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was ordered to pay £400 costs.
The neighbours had been talking about saxophonist Julian Smith after the show's final in May. One of them said that Smith's success was due to the "bored housewives' vote".
But Coyle, whose mother was being treated for cancer at the time, misheard and thought the neighbour had said "bald housewives' vote".
His barrister said: "His mother was suffering cancer at the time. He was drunk and misheard what had been said. He took it as a slight against his mother and what followed was a one-to-one fight."
Judge Woodward described Coyle as a hard working man who had the courage to plead guilty. He gave him an eight month jail sentence, suspended for two years and also ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
He took offence over a misheard comment and challenged one of them to a fight. Coyle had earlier pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was ordered to pay £400 costs.
The neighbours had been talking about saxophonist Julian Smith after the show's final in May. One of them said that Smith's success was due to the "bored housewives' vote".
But Coyle, whose mother was being treated for cancer at the time, misheard and thought the neighbour had said "bald housewives' vote".
His barrister said: "His mother was suffering cancer at the time. He was drunk and misheard what had been said. He took it as a slight against his mother and what followed was a one-to-one fight."
Judge Woodward described Coyle as a hard working man who had the courage to plead guilty. He gave him an eight month jail sentence, suspended for two years and also ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Baby seal in garden named Rudolph
A family who found a baby seal in their back garden in Kent 18 miles from the sea named her Rudolph, saying she was a "brilliant Christmas present". The pup, which the RSPCA said was less than a year old, was in the Dwyer family's garden in Benenden on Monday morning when they let out pet dog Jack.
"We could see it came from the stream at the end of the garden from tracks in the snow," said Harriet Dwyer. "I heard Jack barking and went over to see what looked like a huge slimy cat."
It is thought the seal got into the stream from the River Rother, which meets the English Channel at Rye.
"It got in our pond and I think it ate some of my parents' goldfish," said Miss Dwyer. "Jack is a collie and rounded it up a bit and it eventually settled in the herb garden by the corner of the house."
The RSPCA is now caring for the seal, which has been renamed Gulliver, at Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre near Hastings in East Sussex.
Keeper Elaine Crouch said baby seals often became separated from their mothers in bad weather such as storms or floods. "She has a a tag from Belgium, probably put on by the rehabilitation centre at Ostend, then she got into the River Rother and ended up in the stream."
With news video.
"We could see it came from the stream at the end of the garden from tracks in the snow," said Harriet Dwyer. "I heard Jack barking and went over to see what looked like a huge slimy cat."
It is thought the seal got into the stream from the River Rother, which meets the English Channel at Rye.
"It got in our pond and I think it ate some of my parents' goldfish," said Miss Dwyer. "Jack is a collie and rounded it up a bit and it eventually settled in the herb garden by the corner of the house."
The RSPCA is now caring for the seal, which has been renamed Gulliver, at Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre near Hastings in East Sussex.
Keeper Elaine Crouch said baby seals often became separated from their mothers in bad weather such as storms or floods. "She has a a tag from Belgium, probably put on by the rehabilitation centre at Ostend, then she got into the River Rother and ended up in the stream."
With news video.
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