Topic: STRANGE - on March 20, 2008 at 11:43:00 AM CET
Another Olympic problem — squat toilets
mong all the protests, pollution concerns and talk of boycotts surrounding the Beijing Olympics, a more basic problem has arisen for organizers: the toilets.
At the more than 30 test events held by organizers, the presence of squat toilets at many of the new and renovated venues has drawn frequent complaints.
"We have asked the venues to improve on this, to increase the number to sit-down toilets," Yao Hui, deputy director of venue management for the Beijing organizers, said Wednesday. "Many people have raised the question of toilets."
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Topic: STRANGE - on March 17, 2008 at 10:04:00 AM CET
Wikileaks Releases Early Atomic Bomb Diagram
Wikileaks has released a diagram of the first atomic weapon, as used in the Trinity test and subsequently exploded over the Japanese city of Nagasaki, together with an extremely interesting scientific analysis. Wikileaks has not been able to fault the document or find reference to it elsewhere. Given the high quality of other Wikileaks submissions, the document may be what it purports to be, or it may be a sophisticated intelligence agency fraud, designed to mislead the atomic weapons development programs of countries like Iran. The neutron initiator is particularly novel. 'When polonium is crushed onto beryllium by explosion, reaction occurs between polonium alpha emissions and beryllium leading to Carbon-12 & 1 neutron. This, in practice, would lead to a predictable neutron flux, sufficient to set off device.'
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Topic: STRANGE - on February 28, 2008 at 12:27:00 PM CET
French ban on Red Bull (drink) upheld by European Court
Health concerns over the Red Bull energy drink were fuelled yesterday after Europe's highest court upheld a French ban on the product.
The fizzy drink has been linked to several deaths and some experts have criticised its high levels of caffeine and other stimulants.
Red Bull is Britain's best-selling energy drink, with 213 million cans consumed last year. It has been dubbed the 'clubbers' drink', and is often mixed with vodka. The popular adverts claiming that Red Bull 'gives you wings', have led to the brand being described as 'the Porsche of soft drinks'.
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Topic: STRANGE - on February 21, 2008 at 12:31:00 PM CET
Swedish couple fined for naming their child "Brfxxccxxmnpcccclll mmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116
A Swedish couple has been fined for failing to register a legally approved name for their seven-year-old child, who is presently called "Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116" (pronounced "/ˈalˌbin/"). They've offered to change the kid's name to "A," but the Swedish government says that won't do, either.
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Topic: STRANGE - on February 8, 2008 at 5:16:00 PM CET
Swimming at the edge of Victoria Falls
It may look insane, but the guy at the picture is not a Photoshoped silhouette placed over a fake landscape. He's swimming at the Devil’s Pool, a natural rock pool at the very top of the Victoria Falls, at Zimbabwe, with a height of about 100 metres.
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Topic: STRANGE - on February 6, 2008 at 4:04:00 PM CET
Crossbreed Bike Wheels Fold Automagically
A UK Designer has come up with a full-sized wheel that can be completely folded. Duncan Fitzsimmons' Crossbreed wheel doesn't have the poor-performance delivered by the tiny wheels on folding bikes and despite sounding pretty dangerous it actually works, as you can see in the video.
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Topic: STRANGE - on January 23, 2008 at 12:27:00 PM CET
Little green 'naked' alien discovered on Mars
This the confirmation we needed that there really are little green men living on Mars?
Bizarre images taken by Nasa's Mars Explorer Spirit have emerged showing a very strange human shape walking down a hill.
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Topic: STRANGE - on December 5, 2007 at 12:50:00 PM CET
Microsoft kills Santa Claus
Microsoft has killed Santa Claus today, after an unsatisfactory attempt to restrain the North Pole-based jolly old elf from instant messaging children about oral sex.
Although Redmond has been challenged by compassion in the past, this appears to be the first time on record it has out-and-out killed the very manifestation of goodwill.
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Topic: STRANGE - on December 4, 2007 at 10:21:00 AM CET
Electric eel used to power Xmas lights
An aquarium filled with exotic fish here is using an electric eel to power lights on a Christmas tree.
Each time the electric eel at the Aqua Toto Gifu aquarium touches a copper wire in its tank, it sends power that lights up globes decking a Christmas tree.
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Topic: STRANGE - on November 29, 2007 at 1:06:00 PM CET
Slovak Authorities Seize Radioactive Material
Police in Slovakia and Hungary have busted a black-market ring allegedly aiming to sell nuclear contraband on the eastern frontier of Europe, Slovak authorities said late Wednesday. Three people have been arrested for trying to sell 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of what a police spokesman called "dangerous radioactive material" for €680,000 ($1 million).
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Topic: STRANGE - on November 29, 2007 at 12:04:00 PM CET
680.000 Euro für ein Kilo radioaktives Material
Beunruhigender Vorfall in der Slowakei und Ungarn: Polizisten haben drei Menschen festgenommen, die radioaktives Material verkaufen wollten. Ob es sich um angereichertes Uran handeln könnte, ist noch ungewiss.
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Topic: STRANGE - on November 29, 2007 at 11:09:00 AM CET
Americans are NOT stupid (period)
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