In Texas, it's against the law for anyone to have a pair of pliers in his or her possession.
In Philadelphia, you can't put pretzels in bags based on an Act of 1760.
Alaska law says that you can't look at a moose from an airplane.
In Corpus Christie, Texas, it is illegal to raise alligators in your home.
In Miami, it is forbidden to imitate an animal.
It is against the law to mispronounce the name of the State of Arkansas in that State.
In Illinois, the law is that a car must be driven with the steering wheel.
California law prohibits a woman from driving a car while dressed in a housecoat.
In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman is not to drive a car unless a man warns approaching motorists or pedestrians by walking in front of the car that is being driven.
In Tennessee, it is against the law to drive a car while sleeping.
In New York, it is against the law for a blind person to drive an automobile.
In West Virginia, only babies can ride in a baby carriage.
In Georgia, it is against the law to slap a man on the back or front.
A barber is not to advertise prices in the State of Georgia.
In Louisiana, a bill was introduced years ago in the State House of Representatives that fixed a ceiling on haircuts for bald men of 25 cents.
In Oklahoma, no baseball team can hit the ball over the fence or out of a ballpark.
In Tennessee, a law exists which prohibits the sale of bologna (sandwich meat) on Sunday.
In Virginia, the Code of 1930 has a statute which prohibits corrupt practices or bribery by any person other than political candidates.
In Providence, Rhode Island, it is against the law to jump off a bridge.
In the State of Kansas, you're not allowed to drive a buffalo through a street.
In Florida, it is against the law to put livestock on a school bus.
In New Jersey, cabbage can't be sold on Sunday.
In North Carolina, it is against the law for dogs and cats to fight.
In Singapore, it is illegal to chew gum.
In Cleveland, Ohio, it is unlawful to leave chewing gum in public places.
In Virginia, chickens cannot lay eggs before 8:00 a.m., and must be done before 4:00 p.m.
In New York, it is against the law for children to pick up or collect cigarette and cigar butts.
In Massachusetts, it is against the law to put tomatos in clam chowder.
In Washington State, you can't carry a concealed weapon that is over 6 feet in length.
In San Francisco, there is an ordinance, which bans the picking up and throwing of used confetti.
In Kentucky, it is illegal for a merchant to force a person into his place of business for the purpose of making a sale.
It is against the law in Connecticut for a man to write love letters to a girl whose mother or father has forbidden the relationship.
In Michigan, married couples must live together or be imprisoned.
In Phoenix, Arizona, you can't walk through a hotel lobby with spurs on.
In California, a law created in 1925 makes it illegal to wiggle while dancing.
In Utah, daylight must be visible between dancing couples.
In Michigan, it is against the law for a lady to lift her skirt more than 6 inches while walking through a mud puddle.
In North Carolina, it is against the law for a rabbit to race down the street.
In Georgia, it's against the law to spread a false rumor.
In West Virginia, one can't cook sauerkraut or cabbage due to the odors and the offence is subject to imprisonment.
In Missouri, a man must have a permit to shave.
The law states that more than 3000 sheep cannot be herded down Hollywood Blvd. at any one time.
In Texas, it is still a "hanging offense" to steal cattle.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Strange facts
A lightning bolt generates temperatures five times hotter than those found at the sun's surface!
A violin contains about 70 separate pieces of wood!
It is estimated that 4 million "junk" telephone calls, phone solicitations by persons or programmed machine are made every day in the United States!
It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill!
Almost half the newspapers in the world are published in the United States and Canada!
The two-foot long bird called a Kea that lives in New Zealand likes to eat the strips of rubber around car windows!
Most lipstick contains fish scales!
Skepticisms is the longest word that alternates hands when typing!
One ragweed plant can release as many as one billion grains of pollen!
It's illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while you're sitting on a curb in St. Louis!
No piece of square dry paper can be folded more than 7 times in half!
A group of geese on the ground is a gaggle, a group of geese in the air is a skein!
Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people!
There are more than 10 million bricks in the Empire State Building!
If you counted 24 hours a day, it would take 31,688 years to reach one trillion!
Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive!
A crocodile always grows new teeth to replace the old teeth!
Every day 20 banks are robbed. The average take is $2,500!
The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad!
Tablecloths were originally meant to be served as towels with which dinner guests could wipe their hands and faces after eating!
Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!
One car out of every 230 made was stolen last year!
The names of Popeye's four nephews are Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye, and Poopeye!
The sloth (a mammal) moves so slowly that green algae can grow undisturbed on its fur!
Cat urine glows under a black-light!
The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1!
The electric chair was invented by a dentist!
Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except for the windmills in Ireland!
A hedgehog's heart beats 300 times a minute on average!
Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand!
The placement of a donkey's eyes in its head enables it to see all four feet at all times!
Human teeth are almost as hard as rocks!
A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night!
Ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone!
A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot tall child inside!
A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge, a dime has one less groove!
Until 1796, there was a state in the United States called Franklin. Today it's known as Tennessee!
The Earth weighs around 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons (5,940 billion billion metric tons)!
A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off - it dies from starvation!
Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie!
The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year!
It's against the law to pawn your dentures in Las Vegas!
One in every 4 Americans has appeared on television!
The average American/Canadian will eat about 11.9 pounds of cereal per year!
It's against the law to burp, or sneeze in a certain church in Omaha, Nebraska!
you're born with 300 bones, but when you get to be an adult, you only have 206!
Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete!
Over 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows!
The state of Florida is bigger than England!
There are more than one million animal species on Earth!
In Natoma, Kansas, it's illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suits
It was once against the law to have a pet dog in a city in Iceland!
Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day!
Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark!
During your lifetime, you'll eat about 60,000 pounds of food, that's the weight of about 6 elephants!
Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they cant find any food!
Dolphins sleep with one eye open!
The worlds oldest piece of chewing gum is over 9000 years old!
In space, astronauts cannot cry properly, because there is no gravity, so the tears can't flow down their faces!
There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones!
About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30!
More people use blue toothbrushes, than red ones!
A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 100 m.p.h.!
Your ribs move about 5 million times a year, every time you breathe!
A violin contains about 70 separate pieces of wood!
It is estimated that 4 million "junk" telephone calls, phone solicitations by persons or programmed machine are made every day in the United States!
It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill!
Almost half the newspapers in the world are published in the United States and Canada!
The two-foot long bird called a Kea that lives in New Zealand likes to eat the strips of rubber around car windows!
Most lipstick contains fish scales!
Skepticisms is the longest word that alternates hands when typing!
One ragweed plant can release as many as one billion grains of pollen!
It's illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while you're sitting on a curb in St. Louis!
No piece of square dry paper can be folded more than 7 times in half!
A group of geese on the ground is a gaggle, a group of geese in the air is a skein!
Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people!
There are more than 10 million bricks in the Empire State Building!
If you counted 24 hours a day, it would take 31,688 years to reach one trillion!
Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive!
A crocodile always grows new teeth to replace the old teeth!
Every day 20 banks are robbed. The average take is $2,500!
The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad!
Tablecloths were originally meant to be served as towels with which dinner guests could wipe their hands and faces after eating!
Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!
One car out of every 230 made was stolen last year!
The names of Popeye's four nephews are Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye, and Poopeye!
The sloth (a mammal) moves so slowly that green algae can grow undisturbed on its fur!
Cat urine glows under a black-light!
The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1!
The electric chair was invented by a dentist!
Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except for the windmills in Ireland!
A hedgehog's heart beats 300 times a minute on average!
Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand!
The placement of a donkey's eyes in its head enables it to see all four feet at all times!
Human teeth are almost as hard as rocks!
A mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night!
Ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone!
A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot tall child inside!
A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge, a dime has one less groove!
Until 1796, there was a state in the United States called Franklin. Today it's known as Tennessee!
The Earth weighs around 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons (5,940 billion billion metric tons)!
A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off - it dies from starvation!
Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie!
The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year!
It's against the law to pawn your dentures in Las Vegas!
One in every 4 Americans has appeared on television!
The average American/Canadian will eat about 11.9 pounds of cereal per year!
It's against the law to burp, or sneeze in a certain church in Omaha, Nebraska!
you're born with 300 bones, but when you get to be an adult, you only have 206!
Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete!
Over 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows!
The state of Florida is bigger than England!
There are more than one million animal species on Earth!
In Natoma, Kansas, it's illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suits
It was once against the law to have a pet dog in a city in Iceland!
Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day!
Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark!
During your lifetime, you'll eat about 60,000 pounds of food, that's the weight of about 6 elephants!
Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they cant find any food!
Dolphins sleep with one eye open!
The worlds oldest piece of chewing gum is over 9000 years old!
In space, astronauts cannot cry properly, because there is no gravity, so the tears can't flow down their faces!
There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones!
About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30!
More people use blue toothbrushes, than red ones!
A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 100 m.p.h.!
Your ribs move about 5 million times a year, every time you breathe!
Reserve a Spot in Heaven - Kit
One of the problems with getting into Heaven the traditional way, is that you have to spend so much time going to church, singing hymns, repenting, and then forking your money over to a collection basket.
But what if you could just pay some money in advance, and free up your Sundays for something else?
For $12.79, or $24.95 for the All Access Kit, you'll get your name added to the list in advance of checking in at the Pearly Gates. And just to assure any nay-sayers, the Reserve A Spot In Heaven offers everyone a money back guarantee, should Heaven reneg on your reservation.
And after the reservation has been arranged, you'll receive the following essentials...
Heavenly issued certificate of reservation with a unique I.D. number registered in the Book of Light,
A First class ticket to Heaven,
the Official Heaven Identification Card so you can get around without getting hassled, and
Heaven 101 mini informational guide.
Reserve A Spot In Heaven is a great way to free up time, in a day and age when time has become so much of a commodity. And then there's always that lingering notion that Heaven is running out of room. So, it may be a wise investment.
But what if you could just pay some money in advance, and free up your Sundays for something else?
For $12.79, or $24.95 for the All Access Kit, you'll get your name added to the list in advance of checking in at the Pearly Gates. And just to assure any nay-sayers, the Reserve A Spot In Heaven offers everyone a money back guarantee, should Heaven reneg on your reservation.
And after the reservation has been arranged, you'll receive the following essentials...
Heavenly issued certificate of reservation with a unique I.D. number registered in the Book of Light,
A First class ticket to Heaven,
the Official Heaven Identification Card so you can get around without getting hassled, and
Heaven 101 mini informational guide.
Reserve A Spot In Heaven is a great way to free up time, in a day and age when time has become so much of a commodity. And then there's always that lingering notion that Heaven is running out of room. So, it may be a wise investment.
Subtle Butt - Fart Pads
A company called The Pond Inc. is now selling a product called "Subtle Butt", billed as a fart neutralizer, to eliminate smelly flatulence.
It's an activated carbon fabric pad, measuring 3.25" x 3.25" square, and adheres to the inside of your underwear with two self-adhesive strips.
As the wind breaks, Subtle Butt filters the flatulence, absorbing and neutralizing its odor. Now you can eat as many burritos you want and still have a social life.
It's an activated carbon fabric pad, measuring 3.25" x 3.25" square, and adheres to the inside of your underwear with two self-adhesive strips.
As the wind breaks, Subtle Butt filters the flatulence, absorbing and neutralizing its odor. Now you can eat as many burritos you want and still have a social life.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Weird funny place names
Would you like to live here? These are names of actual locations:
Arsoli (Lazio, Italy)
Bastard (Norway)
Beaver (Oklahoma, USA)
Beaver Head (Idaho, USA)
Brown Willy (Cornwall,UK)
Chinaman's Knob (Australia)
Climax (Colorado, USA)
Cunt (Spain)
Cunter (Switzerland)
Dikshit (India)
Dildo (Newfoundland, Canada)
Dong Rack (Thailand-Cambodia border)
Dongo (Congo - Democratic Republic)
Effin (Limerick, Ireland)
Fuku (Shensi, China)
Fukue (Honshu, Japan)
Fukui (Honshu, Japan)
Fukum (Yemen)
Hold With Hope (Greenland)
Intercourse (Pennsylvania, USA)
Lickey End (West Midlands, UK)
Little Dix Village (West Indies)
Lord Berkeley's Knob (Sutherland, Scotland)
Middle Intercourse Island (Australia)
Muff (Northern Ireland)
Nobber (Donegal, Ireland)
Pis Pis River (Nicaragua)
Sexmoan (Luzon, Philippines)
Seymen (Turkey)
Shafter (California, USA)
Shag Island (Indian Ocean)
Shitlingthorpe (Yorkshire, UK)
Tittybong (Australia)
Tong Fuk (Japan)
Turdo (Romania)
Twatt (Orkney, UK)
Wank (Germany)
Wankendorf (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)
Wankener (India)
Wankie (Zimbabwe)
Wankie Colliery (Zimbabwe)
Wanks River (Nicaragua)
Wankum (Germany)
Wet Beaver Creek (Australia)
Arsoli (Lazio, Italy)
Bastard (Norway)
Beaver (Oklahoma, USA)
Beaver Head (Idaho, USA)
Brown Willy (Cornwall,UK)
Chinaman's Knob (Australia)
Climax (Colorado, USA)
Cunt (Spain)
Cunter (Switzerland)
Dikshit (India)
Dildo (Newfoundland, Canada)
Dong Rack (Thailand-Cambodia border)
Dongo (Congo - Democratic Republic)
Effin (Limerick, Ireland)
Fuku (Shensi, China)
Fukue (Honshu, Japan)
Fukui (Honshu, Japan)
Fukum (Yemen)
Hold With Hope (Greenland)
Intercourse (Pennsylvania, USA)
Lickey End (West Midlands, UK)
Little Dix Village (West Indies)
Lord Berkeley's Knob (Sutherland, Scotland)
Middle Intercourse Island (Australia)
Muff (Northern Ireland)
Nobber (Donegal, Ireland)
Pis Pis River (Nicaragua)
Sexmoan (Luzon, Philippines)
Seymen (Turkey)
Shafter (California, USA)
Shag Island (Indian Ocean)
Shitlingthorpe (Yorkshire, UK)
Tittybong (Australia)
Tong Fuk (Japan)
Turdo (Romania)
Twatt (Orkney, UK)
Wank (Germany)
Wankendorf (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)
Wankener (India)
Wankie (Zimbabwe)
Wankie Colliery (Zimbabwe)
Wanks River (Nicaragua)
Wankum (Germany)
Wet Beaver Creek (Australia)
Weird but true shark facts
Sharks can sense a drop of blood from 2.5 miles away. They can detect one part of blood in 100 million parts of water.
Sharks are so powerful that their bite can generate a force of up to 6 tons per square inch.
Sharks, in their 400 million years on earth, have shown an extraordinary ability to resist cancer and other diseases. This has raised hopes among medical researchers that the oceans' most feared predator might turn out to be the cancer patient's best friend. Investigators continue to study the immune system of sharks to see if it can provide the answer to stopping the spread of cancer in humans.
Sharks can live up to 100 years.
The biggest shark is the whale shark which can be up to 50 feet (15 m) long. It has approximately 300 rows of teeth, with hundreds of tiny teeth in each row. It's a filter feeder and sieves enormous amounts of plankton to eat through its gills as it swims. It is also the biggest fish in the sea. The second biggest fish and shark is the basking shark which is about 40 feet (12.3 m) long and is another filter feeder.
Sharks can generate about six and a half tons per square inch of biting force.
Sharks have no bones - a shark's skeleton is made up of cartilage.
The biggest meat-eating shark is the Great White which grows to be up to 21 feet (6.4 m) long. The smallest sharks are the Dwarf Lanternfish (6-7 inches), Spined Pygmy Shark (7 inches) and Pygmy Ribbontail Catshark (6-7 inches).
The dogfish sharks are named for their tendency to attack their prey as a pack of wild dogs would.
The ostrich is often credited with laying the largest eggs, but the largest egg in the world was actually laid by a shark, the whale shark. The egg, 14 inches (36 cm) long, was found in the Gulf of Mexico in 1953.
Sharks can go up to at least 6 weeks without feeding. The record for a shark fasting was observed in an aquarium with the Swell Shark, which did not eat for 15 months.
Sharks are so powerful that their bite can generate a force of up to 6 tons per square inch.
Sharks, in their 400 million years on earth, have shown an extraordinary ability to resist cancer and other diseases. This has raised hopes among medical researchers that the oceans' most feared predator might turn out to be the cancer patient's best friend. Investigators continue to study the immune system of sharks to see if it can provide the answer to stopping the spread of cancer in humans.
Sharks can live up to 100 years.
The biggest shark is the whale shark which can be up to 50 feet (15 m) long. It has approximately 300 rows of teeth, with hundreds of tiny teeth in each row. It's a filter feeder and sieves enormous amounts of plankton to eat through its gills as it swims. It is also the biggest fish in the sea. The second biggest fish and shark is the basking shark which is about 40 feet (12.3 m) long and is another filter feeder.
Sharks can generate about six and a half tons per square inch of biting force.
Sharks have no bones - a shark's skeleton is made up of cartilage.
The biggest meat-eating shark is the Great White which grows to be up to 21 feet (6.4 m) long. The smallest sharks are the Dwarf Lanternfish (6-7 inches), Spined Pygmy Shark (7 inches) and Pygmy Ribbontail Catshark (6-7 inches).
The dogfish sharks are named for their tendency to attack their prey as a pack of wild dogs would.
The ostrich is often credited with laying the largest eggs, but the largest egg in the world was actually laid by a shark, the whale shark. The egg, 14 inches (36 cm) long, was found in the Gulf of Mexico in 1953.
Sharks can go up to at least 6 weeks without feeding. The record for a shark fasting was observed in an aquarium with the Swell Shark, which did not eat for 15 months.
Yes there are sea monsters!
Yes there are sea monsters! The giant squid lives in the deepest, coldest parts of the sea, growing up to 18 metres in length. It can weight up to a tonne. Considered a mythical monster of the sea, often appearing in stories, it is only in the last hundred years that any convincing evidence has been offered of its existence. Very little is known about this creature. No giant squid has ever been captured alive. The only specimens we have of them are dead ones that have been washed up on shores around the world.
The huge eyes of the giant squid, which can measure as much as 25 centimetres in diameter, are the biggest eyes in the animal kingdom. Giant squid have eight powerful arms and two long tentacles, which surround a parrot-shaped beak that is strong enough to sever steel cable, and which is used to crush prey into bite-sized pieces. They are capable of attacking whales.
The existence of the even bigger 'colossal squid' has been suspected for many decades, as arms from the creature have occasionally been recovered from the stomachs of sperm whales. But it wasn't until an actual specimen was caught near Antarctica near New Zealand in March 2003 that the reality of this new type of squid was brought home to scientists. The specimen was larger than any previously seen giant squid, and it was only a young one, just half to two-thirds grown. It was the first recovered with all its bits intact from the surface of the ocean.
This squid has one of the largest beaks known of any squid, and seems to have more muscles attached to its tentacles. It also has unique swivelling hooks on the clubs at the ends of its tentacles. All of these things make it a very deadly predator.
The fully-grown colossal squid is bigger than a double decker bus. It has one of the largest beaks known of any squid and appears to have more muscles attached to its tentacles. It also has got 25 teeth-like hooks as sharp as razors on the clubs at the end of its tentacles. It can turn around 360 degrees. All of this make it one of the most frightening predators out there!
The first evidence of the colossal squid's existence came in 1925 when two arms were recovered from a sperm whale's stomach. Only six specimens of this squid were ever recovered prior to the 2003 Antartica find: five came from the stomachs of sperm whales and the sixth was caught in a trawl net at a depth of 2,000 to 2,200 metres.
The huge eyes of the giant squid, which can measure as much as 25 centimetres in diameter, are the biggest eyes in the animal kingdom. Giant squid have eight powerful arms and two long tentacles, which surround a parrot-shaped beak that is strong enough to sever steel cable, and which is used to crush prey into bite-sized pieces. They are capable of attacking whales.
The existence of the even bigger 'colossal squid' has been suspected for many decades, as arms from the creature have occasionally been recovered from the stomachs of sperm whales. But it wasn't until an actual specimen was caught near Antarctica near New Zealand in March 2003 that the reality of this new type of squid was brought home to scientists. The specimen was larger than any previously seen giant squid, and it was only a young one, just half to two-thirds grown. It was the first recovered with all its bits intact from the surface of the ocean.
This squid has one of the largest beaks known of any squid, and seems to have more muscles attached to its tentacles. It also has unique swivelling hooks on the clubs at the ends of its tentacles. All of these things make it a very deadly predator.
The fully-grown colossal squid is bigger than a double decker bus. It has one of the largest beaks known of any squid and appears to have more muscles attached to its tentacles. It also has got 25 teeth-like hooks as sharp as razors on the clubs at the end of its tentacles. It can turn around 360 degrees. All of this make it one of the most frightening predators out there!
The first evidence of the colossal squid's existence came in 1925 when two arms were recovered from a sperm whale's stomach. Only six specimens of this squid were ever recovered prior to the 2003 Antartica find: five came from the stomachs of sperm whales and the sixth was caught in a trawl net at a depth of 2,000 to 2,200 metres.
Dragons do exist!
The Komodo dragon is the world's largest flesh-eating lizard and living reptile. This amazing creature is only found in the wild on four small Indonesian islands, where they are vulnerable to disease, volcanic activity, and competition with feral dogs and man. It lives on the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Padar, and Flores.
The Komodo is an endangered species and there are only about 5,000 of them in existence around the world, including a small number kept and bred in zoos.
This giant lizard can grow to 3 meters (10 feet) long, and has an average weight of 70 kg (155 pounds). Komodo dragons are dangerous predators with sharp serrated teeth more like a shark's than a reptile's. Swift runners, they can swim and climb trees, and they can use their tail as a weapon and swing it like a club. They find most of their food by smell. Like shakes they 'taste' the air with their tongues, which are deeply forked and collect scent molecules from the air. They have an acute sense of smell and can detect the scent of decaying remains from up to 5km (3 miles).
While Komodos like to eat dead things, they also prey on wild pigs, water buffalo and deer. They have a huge capacity for food, often eating up to half of their body weight in one meal. They are also cannibalistic, sometimes eating their own kind. They eat almost all of a carcass, consuming flesh, skin and even bones. A large Komodo can swallow a whole wild pig; their jaws expand like a snake's.
Their bite is often lethal because the bacteria in their mouths is so poisonous that wounds often do not heal, and their victim, if it manages to escape, dies in a day or two.
Although often regarded as pests, Komodos are not a serious danger to humans. In order to protect the dragon, the Indonesian government has made the islands of Padar and Rinca into nature reserves for both the lizard and its prey. Commercial trade in specimens or skins is illegal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The Komodo dragon can live up to 40 years. Although often regarded as pests, Komodos are not a serious danger to humans. In order to protect the dragon, the Indonesian government has made the islands of Padar and Rinca into nature reserves for both the lizard and its prey. Commercial trade in specimens or skins is illegal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The Komodo is an endangered species and there are only about 5,000 of them in existence around the world, including a small number kept and bred in zoos.
This giant lizard can grow to 3 meters (10 feet) long, and has an average weight of 70 kg (155 pounds). Komodo dragons are dangerous predators with sharp serrated teeth more like a shark's than a reptile's. Swift runners, they can swim and climb trees, and they can use their tail as a weapon and swing it like a club. They find most of their food by smell. Like shakes they 'taste' the air with their tongues, which are deeply forked and collect scent molecules from the air. They have an acute sense of smell and can detect the scent of decaying remains from up to 5km (3 miles).
While Komodos like to eat dead things, they also prey on wild pigs, water buffalo and deer. They have a huge capacity for food, often eating up to half of their body weight in one meal. They are also cannibalistic, sometimes eating their own kind. They eat almost all of a carcass, consuming flesh, skin and even bones. A large Komodo can swallow a whole wild pig; their jaws expand like a snake's.
Their bite is often lethal because the bacteria in their mouths is so poisonous that wounds often do not heal, and their victim, if it manages to escape, dies in a day or two.
Although often regarded as pests, Komodos are not a serious danger to humans. In order to protect the dragon, the Indonesian government has made the islands of Padar and Rinca into nature reserves for both the lizard and its prey. Commercial trade in specimens or skins is illegal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The Komodo dragon can live up to 40 years. Although often regarded as pests, Komodos are not a serious danger to humans. In order to protect the dragon, the Indonesian government has made the islands of Padar and Rinca into nature reserves for both the lizard and its prey. Commercial trade in specimens or skins is illegal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Vampires that really do drink blood!
Vampire bats really do drink blood. They feed on the blood of birds, cattle, horses, and pigs ... and the occasional sleeping human.
They need to consume a few tablespoons of blood every day. If the vampire bat doesn't eat for more than a few days it will starve. They can only be found in Central and South America.
Irish writer of horror tales Bram Stoker was so fascinated by these bats that drink blood, that he incorporated them in his book 'Dracula.'
They need to consume a few tablespoons of blood every day. If the vampire bat doesn't eat for more than a few days it will starve. They can only be found in Central and South America.
Irish writer of horror tales Bram Stoker was so fascinated by these bats that drink blood, that he incorporated them in his book 'Dracula.'
Celebrities' real names
They weren't the names they were born with.
But we reveal the celebs real names below:
A
Alan Alda = Alphonso D'Abruzzo
Woody Allen = Allen Konigsberg
Muhammad Ali = Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.
Julie Andrews = Julia Elizabeth Wells
Fred Astaire = Frederick Austerlitz
Chet Atkins = Chester B. Atkins
Frankie Avalon = Francis Thomas Avalonne
B
Lauren Bacall = Betty Joan Perske
Anne Bancroft = Anna Maria Italiano
Brigitte Bardot = Camille Javal
Pat Benatar = Patricia Andrejewski
Tony Bennett = Anthony Benedetto
Jack Benny = Benjamin Kubelsky
Tom Berenger = Thomas Michael Moore
Chuck Berry = Charles Edward Anderson Berry
Billy The Kid = William H. Bonney
Robert Blake = Michael Gubitosi
Jon Bon Jovi = John Francis Bongiovi
Bono (U2) = Paul Hewson
Sonny Bono = Salvatore Phillip Bono
David Bowie = David Robert Jones
Boy George = George Alan O'Dowd
Charles Bronson = Charles Buchinski
Albert Brooks = Albert Einstein
Mel Brooks = Melvin Kaminsky
George Burns = Nathan Birnbaum
Ellen Burstyn = Edna Gilhooley
Richard Burton = Richard Jenkins
C
Nicholas Cage = Nicholas Coppola
Michael Cain = Maurice Micklewhite
Maria Callas = Maria Kalogeropoulos
Eric Carr (Kiss) - Paul Charles Caravello
Vikki Carr = Florencia Casillas
Ray Charles = Ray Charles Robinson
Chubby Checker = Ernest Evans
Cher = Cherilyn Sarkisian
Eric Clapton - Eric Patrick Clapp
Patsy Cline = Virginia Patterson Hensley
Claudette Colbert = Lily Chauchoin
Nat King Cole = Nathaniel Adams Coles
Chuck Connors = Kevin Joseph Connors
Robert Conrad = Conrad Robert Falk
Alice Cooper = Vincent Furnier
Gary Cooper = Frank James Cooper
David Copperfield = David Kotkin
Howard Cosell = Howard Cohen
Elvis Costello = Declan Patrick McManus
Lou Costello = Louis Cristillo
Joan Crawford = Lucille Le Sueur
Michael Crawford = Michael Dumble-Smith
Bing Crosby = Harry Lillis Crosby
Tom Cruise = Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
Tony Curtis = Bernard Schwartz
D
Rodney Dangerfield = Jacob Cohen
Bobby Darin = Walden Waldo Robert Cassotto
John Denver = John Henry Deutschendorf
Donovan = Donovan Phillip Leitch
Doris Day = Doris von Kappelhoff
James Dean = James Byron
John Denver = Henry John Deutschendorf Jr.
Bo Derek = Mary Cathleen Collins
Danny DeVito = Daniel Michaeli
Angie Dickinson = Angeline Brown
Bo Diddley = Otha Elias Bates McDaniel
Vin Diesel = Mark Vincent
Phyllis Diller = Phyllis Driver
Fats Domino = Antoine Domino
Kirk Douglas = Issur Danielovitch
Bob Dylan = Robert Zimmerman
E
Sheena Easton = Sheena Shirley Orr
The Edge (U2) = David Howell Evans
Elvira = Cassandra Paterson
Eminem - Marshall Bruce Mathers III
Enya = Eithne Ni Bhraonain
David Essex = David Albert Cook
F
Morgan Fairchild = Patsy McClenny
Adam Faith = Terence Nelhams
Fatboy Slim = Quentin Cook (aka Norman Cook)
Sally Field = Sally Mahoney
W.C. Fields = William Claude Dukenfield
Jodie Foster = Alicia Christian Foster
Michael J. Fox = Michael Andrew Fox
Connie Francis = Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero
Billy Fury = Ronald Wycherley
G
Greta Garbo = Greta Gustafsson
Judy Garland = Frances Gumm
James Garner = James Bumgarner
Crystal Gayle = Brenda Gayle Webb
Bobbie Gentry = Roberta Streeter
Kathie Lee Gifford = Kathie Epstein
Whoopie Goldberg = Caryn Johnson
Cary Grant = Archibald Leach
H
Hammer = Stanley Kirk Burrell
Laurence Harvey = Laruschka Skikne
Rita Hayworth = Margarita Cansino
Jimi Hendrix = Johnny Allen Hendrix
Pee-Wee Herman = Paul Reubenfeld
Barbara Hershey = Barbara Herzstine
Hulk Hogan = Terry Gene Bollea
Billie Holliday = Eleanora Fagan
Buddy Holly = Charles Hardin Holley
Bob Hope = Leslie Townes Hope
Harry Houdini = Ehrich Weiss
Rock Hudson = Roy Scherer Jr.
Engelbert Humperdinck = Arnold George Dorsey
I
Janis Ian = Janis Eddy Fink
Ice Cube = Oshea Jackson
Ice-T = Tracy Morrow
Billy Idol = William Broad
Iggy Pop = James Jewell Osterberg, Jr.
Burl Ives = Burle Icle Ivanhoe
J
David Janssen = David Meyer
Elton John = Reginald Dwight
Don Johnson = Donald Wayne
Al Jolson = Asa Yoelson
Brian Jones (Rolling Stones) = Lewis Brian Hopkins-Jones
Jenny Jones = Janina Stranski
Tom Jones = Thomas Woodward
Wynonna Judd = Christina Ciminella
K
Boris Karloff = William Henry Pratt
Danny Kaye = David Kaminsky
Diane Keaton = Diane Hall
Michael Keaton = Michael Douglas
Chaka Khan = Carole Yvette Marie Stevens
Carole King = Carole Klein
Larry King = Larry Zeigler
Ben Kingsley = Krishna Banji
Nastassja Kinski = Nastassja Naksyznyski
Billy J Kramer (The Dakotas) = William H Ashton
Kris Kristofferson = Kris Carson
L
Cheryl Ladd = Cheryl Stoppelmoor
Veronica Lake = Constance Ockleman
Dorothy Lamour = Mary Kaumeyer
Michael Landon = Eugene Orowitz
Mario Lanza = Alfredo Arnold Cocozza
Queen Latifah = Dana Owens
Stan Laurel = Arthur Jefferson
Steve Lawrence = Sidney Leibowitz
Brenda Lee = Brenda Mae Tarpley
Bruce Lee = Lee Yuen Kam
Spike Lee = Shelton Jackson Lee
Jay Leno = James Douglas Muir Leno
Huey Lewis = Hugh Cregg
Jerry Lewis = Joseph Levitch
Liberace = Wladziu Lee Valentino
Jack Lord = John Joseph Ryan
Sophia Loren = Sophia Scicoloni
Peter Lorre = Laszio Lowenstein
Courtney Love = Michelle Harrison
Bela Lugosi = Bela Ferenc Blasko
Lulu = Marie Lawrie
M
Shirley MacLaine = Shirley Beaty
Elle MacPherson = Eleanor Gow
Madonna = Madonna Louise Ciccone
Lee Majors = Harvey Lee Yeary II
Karl Malden = Mladen Sekulovich
Mama Cass Elliot (Mamas & Papas) = Ellen Naomi Cohen
Manfred Mann = Manfred Lubowitz
Barry Manilow = Barry Alan Pincus
Jayne Mansfield = Vera Jane Palmer
Marilyn Manson = Brian Warner
Walter Matthau = Walter Matuschanskayasky
Dean Martin = Dino Crocetti
Groucho Marx = Julius Henry Marx
Meat Loaf = Marvin Lee Aday
Freddie Mercury (Queen) = Frederick Farookh Bulsara
Ethel Merman = Ethel Zimmerman
George Michael = Georgios Panayiotou
Joni Mitchell = Roberta Joan Anderson
Moby = Richard Melville Hall
Marilyn Monroe = Norma Jean Mortenson (later Baker)
Demi Moore = Demetria Guynes
Rita Moreno = Rosita Alverio
Harry Morgan = Harry Bratsburg
N
Chuck Norris = Carlos Ray
Andre Norton = Mary Alice Norton
Notorious B.I.G. = Christopher Wallace
O
Ozzy Osbourne = John Michael Osbourne
P
Jack Palance = Walter Palanuik
Bernadette Peters = Bernadette Lazzaro
Edith Piaf = Edith Giovanna Gassion
Slim Pickens = Louis Lindley
Mary Pickford = Gladys Smith
Stephanie Powers = Stefania Federkiewicz
Prince = Prince Rogers Nelson
R
Tony Randall = Leonard Rosenberg
Johnnie Ray = John Alvin
Donna Reed = Donna Belle Mullenger
Della Reese = Delloreese Patricia Early
Cliff Richard = Harry Rodger Webb
Joan Rivers = Joan Sandra Molinsky
Edward G. Robinson = Emmanuel Goldenberg
Sugar Ray Robinson = Walker Smith, Jr.
Ginger Rogers = Virginia McMath
Mickey Rooney = Joe Yule Jr.
Axl Rose (Guns N Roses) = William Bruce Rose
Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols) = John Lydon
Winona Ryder = Winona Horowitz
S
Susan Sarandon = Susan Tomaling
Telly Savalas = Aristotle Savalas
Jane Seymour = Joyce Frankenberg
Del Shannon = Charles Weedon Westover
Omar Sharif = Michael Shalhoub
Charlie Sheen = Carlos Irwin Estevez
Martin Sheen = Ramon Estevez
Talia Shire = Talia Coppola
Sinbad = David Atkins
Eric Singer (Kiss) = Eric Mensinger
Slash = Saul Hudson
Slim Dusty = David Gordon Kirkpatrick
Dusty Springfield = Mary Isobel Catherine O'Brien
Suzanne Somers = Suzanne Mahoney
Robert Stack = Robert Modini
Barbara Stanwyck = Ruby Stevens
Sylvester Stallone = Michael Sylvester Enzio Stallone
Ringo Starr = Richard Starkey
Cat Stevens = Yusef Islam
Connie Stevens = Concetta Ingolia
Sting = Gordon Sumner
Donna Summer = La Donna Gaines
T
Mr. T = Lawrence Tero
Robert Taylor = Spangler Arlington Brugh
Danny Thomas = Muzyad Yakhoob
Tiny Tim = Herbert Khaury
Rip Torn = Elmore Rual Torn Jr.
Randy Travis = Randy Traywick
Sophie Tucker = Sophia Kalish
Tina Turner = Annie Mae Bullock
Mark Twain = Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Twiggy = Leslie Hornby
U
The Undertaker = Mark Calloway
V
Rudolph Valentino = Rudolpho D'Antonguolla
Frankie Valli (Four Seasons) = Frank Castelluccio
Sid Vicious = John Simon Ritchie
W
John Wayne = Marion Morrison
Sigourney Weaver = Susan Alexandra Weaver
Raquel Welch = Raquel Tejada
Gene Wilder = Jerome Silberman
Shelley Winters = Shirley Schrift
Stevie Wonder = Stevland Morris
Natalie Wood = Natasha Gurdin
Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones) = William Perks
Tammy Wynette = Wynette Pugh
But we reveal the celebs real names below:
A
Alan Alda = Alphonso D'Abruzzo
Woody Allen = Allen Konigsberg
Muhammad Ali = Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.
Julie Andrews = Julia Elizabeth Wells
Fred Astaire = Frederick Austerlitz
Chet Atkins = Chester B. Atkins
Frankie Avalon = Francis Thomas Avalonne
B
Lauren Bacall = Betty Joan Perske
Anne Bancroft = Anna Maria Italiano
Brigitte Bardot = Camille Javal
Pat Benatar = Patricia Andrejewski
Tony Bennett = Anthony Benedetto
Jack Benny = Benjamin Kubelsky
Tom Berenger = Thomas Michael Moore
Chuck Berry = Charles Edward Anderson Berry
Billy The Kid = William H. Bonney
Robert Blake = Michael Gubitosi
Jon Bon Jovi = John Francis Bongiovi
Bono (U2) = Paul Hewson
Sonny Bono = Salvatore Phillip Bono
David Bowie = David Robert Jones
Boy George = George Alan O'Dowd
Charles Bronson = Charles Buchinski
Albert Brooks = Albert Einstein
Mel Brooks = Melvin Kaminsky
George Burns = Nathan Birnbaum
Ellen Burstyn = Edna Gilhooley
Richard Burton = Richard Jenkins
C
Nicholas Cage = Nicholas Coppola
Michael Cain = Maurice Micklewhite
Maria Callas = Maria Kalogeropoulos
Eric Carr (Kiss) - Paul Charles Caravello
Vikki Carr = Florencia Casillas
Ray Charles = Ray Charles Robinson
Chubby Checker = Ernest Evans
Cher = Cherilyn Sarkisian
Eric Clapton - Eric Patrick Clapp
Patsy Cline = Virginia Patterson Hensley
Claudette Colbert = Lily Chauchoin
Nat King Cole = Nathaniel Adams Coles
Chuck Connors = Kevin Joseph Connors
Robert Conrad = Conrad Robert Falk
Alice Cooper = Vincent Furnier
Gary Cooper = Frank James Cooper
David Copperfield = David Kotkin
Howard Cosell = Howard Cohen
Elvis Costello = Declan Patrick McManus
Lou Costello = Louis Cristillo
Joan Crawford = Lucille Le Sueur
Michael Crawford = Michael Dumble-Smith
Bing Crosby = Harry Lillis Crosby
Tom Cruise = Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
Tony Curtis = Bernard Schwartz
D
Rodney Dangerfield = Jacob Cohen
Bobby Darin = Walden Waldo Robert Cassotto
John Denver = John Henry Deutschendorf
Donovan = Donovan Phillip Leitch
Doris Day = Doris von Kappelhoff
James Dean = James Byron
John Denver = Henry John Deutschendorf Jr.
Bo Derek = Mary Cathleen Collins
Danny DeVito = Daniel Michaeli
Angie Dickinson = Angeline Brown
Bo Diddley = Otha Elias Bates McDaniel
Vin Diesel = Mark Vincent
Phyllis Diller = Phyllis Driver
Fats Domino = Antoine Domino
Kirk Douglas = Issur Danielovitch
Bob Dylan = Robert Zimmerman
E
Sheena Easton = Sheena Shirley Orr
The Edge (U2) = David Howell Evans
Elvira = Cassandra Paterson
Eminem - Marshall Bruce Mathers III
Enya = Eithne Ni Bhraonain
David Essex = David Albert Cook
F
Morgan Fairchild = Patsy McClenny
Adam Faith = Terence Nelhams
Fatboy Slim = Quentin Cook (aka Norman Cook)
Sally Field = Sally Mahoney
W.C. Fields = William Claude Dukenfield
Jodie Foster = Alicia Christian Foster
Michael J. Fox = Michael Andrew Fox
Connie Francis = Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero
Billy Fury = Ronald Wycherley
G
Greta Garbo = Greta Gustafsson
Judy Garland = Frances Gumm
James Garner = James Bumgarner
Crystal Gayle = Brenda Gayle Webb
Bobbie Gentry = Roberta Streeter
Kathie Lee Gifford = Kathie Epstein
Whoopie Goldberg = Caryn Johnson
Cary Grant = Archibald Leach
H
Hammer = Stanley Kirk Burrell
Laurence Harvey = Laruschka Skikne
Rita Hayworth = Margarita Cansino
Jimi Hendrix = Johnny Allen Hendrix
Pee-Wee Herman = Paul Reubenfeld
Barbara Hershey = Barbara Herzstine
Hulk Hogan = Terry Gene Bollea
Billie Holliday = Eleanora Fagan
Buddy Holly = Charles Hardin Holley
Bob Hope = Leslie Townes Hope
Harry Houdini = Ehrich Weiss
Rock Hudson = Roy Scherer Jr.
Engelbert Humperdinck = Arnold George Dorsey
I
Janis Ian = Janis Eddy Fink
Ice Cube = Oshea Jackson
Ice-T = Tracy Morrow
Billy Idol = William Broad
Iggy Pop = James Jewell Osterberg, Jr.
Burl Ives = Burle Icle Ivanhoe
J
David Janssen = David Meyer
Elton John = Reginald Dwight
Don Johnson = Donald Wayne
Al Jolson = Asa Yoelson
Brian Jones (Rolling Stones) = Lewis Brian Hopkins-Jones
Jenny Jones = Janina Stranski
Tom Jones = Thomas Woodward
Wynonna Judd = Christina Ciminella
K
Boris Karloff = William Henry Pratt
Danny Kaye = David Kaminsky
Diane Keaton = Diane Hall
Michael Keaton = Michael Douglas
Chaka Khan = Carole Yvette Marie Stevens
Carole King = Carole Klein
Larry King = Larry Zeigler
Ben Kingsley = Krishna Banji
Nastassja Kinski = Nastassja Naksyznyski
Billy J Kramer (The Dakotas) = William H Ashton
Kris Kristofferson = Kris Carson
L
Cheryl Ladd = Cheryl Stoppelmoor
Veronica Lake = Constance Ockleman
Dorothy Lamour = Mary Kaumeyer
Michael Landon = Eugene Orowitz
Mario Lanza = Alfredo Arnold Cocozza
Queen Latifah = Dana Owens
Stan Laurel = Arthur Jefferson
Steve Lawrence = Sidney Leibowitz
Brenda Lee = Brenda Mae Tarpley
Bruce Lee = Lee Yuen Kam
Spike Lee = Shelton Jackson Lee
Jay Leno = James Douglas Muir Leno
Huey Lewis = Hugh Cregg
Jerry Lewis = Joseph Levitch
Liberace = Wladziu Lee Valentino
Jack Lord = John Joseph Ryan
Sophia Loren = Sophia Scicoloni
Peter Lorre = Laszio Lowenstein
Courtney Love = Michelle Harrison
Bela Lugosi = Bela Ferenc Blasko
Lulu = Marie Lawrie
M
Shirley MacLaine = Shirley Beaty
Elle MacPherson = Eleanor Gow
Madonna = Madonna Louise Ciccone
Lee Majors = Harvey Lee Yeary II
Karl Malden = Mladen Sekulovich
Mama Cass Elliot (Mamas & Papas) = Ellen Naomi Cohen
Manfred Mann = Manfred Lubowitz
Barry Manilow = Barry Alan Pincus
Jayne Mansfield = Vera Jane Palmer
Marilyn Manson = Brian Warner
Walter Matthau = Walter Matuschanskayasky
Dean Martin = Dino Crocetti
Groucho Marx = Julius Henry Marx
Meat Loaf = Marvin Lee Aday
Freddie Mercury (Queen) = Frederick Farookh Bulsara
Ethel Merman = Ethel Zimmerman
George Michael = Georgios Panayiotou
Joni Mitchell = Roberta Joan Anderson
Moby = Richard Melville Hall
Marilyn Monroe = Norma Jean Mortenson (later Baker)
Demi Moore = Demetria Guynes
Rita Moreno = Rosita Alverio
Harry Morgan = Harry Bratsburg
N
Chuck Norris = Carlos Ray
Andre Norton = Mary Alice Norton
Notorious B.I.G. = Christopher Wallace
O
Ozzy Osbourne = John Michael Osbourne
P
Jack Palance = Walter Palanuik
Bernadette Peters = Bernadette Lazzaro
Edith Piaf = Edith Giovanna Gassion
Slim Pickens = Louis Lindley
Mary Pickford = Gladys Smith
Stephanie Powers = Stefania Federkiewicz
Prince = Prince Rogers Nelson
R
Tony Randall = Leonard Rosenberg
Johnnie Ray = John Alvin
Donna Reed = Donna Belle Mullenger
Della Reese = Delloreese Patricia Early
Cliff Richard = Harry Rodger Webb
Joan Rivers = Joan Sandra Molinsky
Edward G. Robinson = Emmanuel Goldenberg
Sugar Ray Robinson = Walker Smith, Jr.
Ginger Rogers = Virginia McMath
Mickey Rooney = Joe Yule Jr.
Axl Rose (Guns N Roses) = William Bruce Rose
Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols) = John Lydon
Winona Ryder = Winona Horowitz
S
Susan Sarandon = Susan Tomaling
Telly Savalas = Aristotle Savalas
Jane Seymour = Joyce Frankenberg
Del Shannon = Charles Weedon Westover
Omar Sharif = Michael Shalhoub
Charlie Sheen = Carlos Irwin Estevez
Martin Sheen = Ramon Estevez
Talia Shire = Talia Coppola
Sinbad = David Atkins
Eric Singer (Kiss) = Eric Mensinger
Slash = Saul Hudson
Slim Dusty = David Gordon Kirkpatrick
Dusty Springfield = Mary Isobel Catherine O'Brien
Suzanne Somers = Suzanne Mahoney
Robert Stack = Robert Modini
Barbara Stanwyck = Ruby Stevens
Sylvester Stallone = Michael Sylvester Enzio Stallone
Ringo Starr = Richard Starkey
Cat Stevens = Yusef Islam
Connie Stevens = Concetta Ingolia
Sting = Gordon Sumner
Donna Summer = La Donna Gaines
T
Mr. T = Lawrence Tero
Robert Taylor = Spangler Arlington Brugh
Danny Thomas = Muzyad Yakhoob
Tiny Tim = Herbert Khaury
Rip Torn = Elmore Rual Torn Jr.
Randy Travis = Randy Traywick
Sophie Tucker = Sophia Kalish
Tina Turner = Annie Mae Bullock
Mark Twain = Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Twiggy = Leslie Hornby
U
The Undertaker = Mark Calloway
V
Rudolph Valentino = Rudolpho D'Antonguolla
Frankie Valli (Four Seasons) = Frank Castelluccio
Sid Vicious = John Simon Ritchie
W
John Wayne = Marion Morrison
Sigourney Weaver = Susan Alexandra Weaver
Raquel Welch = Raquel Tejada
Gene Wilder = Jerome Silberman
Shelley Winters = Shirley Schrift
Stevie Wonder = Stevland Morris
Natalie Wood = Natasha Gurdin
Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones) = William Perks
Tammy Wynette = Wynette Pugh
Man marries dog to lift curse
We have all heard the 'man bites dog' stories, but how about a real-life 'man marries dog' tale!
This one takes the biscuit, and it could only happen in India, the land of the Kama Sutra.
But you won't find this kind of love story between man and beast in the ancient Indian sex manual.
It took place for real during a traditional hindu ceremony at a temple in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
The groom in question was a 33-year-old Indian farmer named Selvakumar, and he was wed to a female dog named Selvi.
He married his four legged bitch to atone for stoning two other dogs to death and stringing them up in a tree 15 years ago.
He believed the act cursed him and he had been suffering ever since, he told the Hindustan Times.
After he stoned the dogs he said his legs and hands got paralysed, he lost hearing in one ear, and his speech was impaired.
With doctors unable to help him, Selvakumar turned to an astrologer who told him he was cursed by the spirits of the dogs he had killed.
He could undo the curse only if he married a dog and live with it, the soothsayer warned.
Family members chose a stray female dog who was then bathed and clothed for the wedding occasion.
Selvi the bride was brought to the temple by village women and a Hindu priest conducted the ceremony.
The paper showed a picture of Selvakumar sitting next to his canine bride, which was adorned in an orange sari and flower garland.
The paper said the groom and his family then had a feast, while the dog got a bun.
It was reported that Selvi attempted to make a bolt for it -- apparently due to the big crowds -- but she was tracked down and returned to her new 'husband'.
"The dog is only for lifting the curse and after that, he plans to get a real bride," a friend of the groom said.
Deeply superstitious people in rural India sometimes organize weddings to dogs and other animals, believing it can beat certain curses.
This one takes the biscuit, and it could only happen in India, the land of the Kama Sutra.
But you won't find this kind of love story between man and beast in the ancient Indian sex manual.
It took place for real during a traditional hindu ceremony at a temple in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
The groom in question was a 33-year-old Indian farmer named Selvakumar, and he was wed to a female dog named Selvi.
He married his four legged bitch to atone for stoning two other dogs to death and stringing them up in a tree 15 years ago.
He believed the act cursed him and he had been suffering ever since, he told the Hindustan Times.
After he stoned the dogs he said his legs and hands got paralysed, he lost hearing in one ear, and his speech was impaired.
With doctors unable to help him, Selvakumar turned to an astrologer who told him he was cursed by the spirits of the dogs he had killed.
He could undo the curse only if he married a dog and live with it, the soothsayer warned.
Family members chose a stray female dog who was then bathed and clothed for the wedding occasion.
Selvi the bride was brought to the temple by village women and a Hindu priest conducted the ceremony.
The paper showed a picture of Selvakumar sitting next to his canine bride, which was adorned in an orange sari and flower garland.
The paper said the groom and his family then had a feast, while the dog got a bun.
It was reported that Selvi attempted to make a bolt for it -- apparently due to the big crowds -- but she was tracked down and returned to her new 'husband'.
"The dog is only for lifting the curse and after that, he plans to get a real bride," a friend of the groom said.
Deeply superstitious people in rural India sometimes organize weddings to dogs and other animals, believing it can beat certain curses.
Tree Man who grew 'roots' offered hope of new life
An Indonesian fisherman who is "half man half tree" has been offered new hope of recovery by an American doctor - and Vitamin A.
32-year-old Dede, who lives in a remote village in Indonesia with his two children, feared that he would be killed by the tree-like growths that cover his body.
Known locally as 'Tree Man' his condition has baffled local doctors for 20 years.
He has root like structures growing out of his body - branches that can grow up to 5cm a year and which protrude from his hands and feet, and welts covering his whole body.
In an attempt to earn a living to support his family, he is part of a circus troupe, displaying his Tree Man limbs along with others afflicted with skin deformities in 'freak' shows.
The former fisherman was the subject of a documentary "Half Man Half Tree", part of the "My Shocking Story" series on Discovery Channel TV.
Dede's story began when wart-like "roots" started growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident. The medical world was completely baffled.
The welts spread rapidly across his body and soon he was not able to carry out ordinary household tasks.
Dede was sacked from his job and deserted by his wife. He has been raising two children, now in their late teens, in poverty. He is resigned to the fact that local doctors have no cure for his condition.
To try to support his family he even joined a local "freak show", parading in front of a paying audience along with victims of other peculiar diseases.
While he has the support of his extended family, he has frequently been a target of ridicule and abuse in rural fishing village where he lives.
But now new hope has emerged for Dede after an American dermatology expert flew out to his home village south of the capital Jakarta.
Dr. Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland claims to have identified Dede's condition, and has proposed a treatment that could completely change his life.
Following the testing of samples of the lesions and Dede's blood, Dr. Gaspari says his condition is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This is a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers.
Dede's problem is that he has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system. This means his body is unable to contain the warts.
According to Dr. Gaspari, the virus was able to "hijack the cellular machinery of his skin cells", instructing them to produce huge amounts of the substance that caused the tree-like growths known as "cutaneous horns" on both his hands and feet.
The doctor became involved in the case through the Discovery Channel documentary, and he is convinced that Dede's condition can be largely cleared up by a daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which has been demonstrated to stop the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV.
Dr. Gaspari said that Dede's warts should reduce in size to the point where he can use his hands. He said he had never seen anything like this in his entire career.
32-year-old Dede, who lives in a remote village in Indonesia with his two children, feared that he would be killed by the tree-like growths that cover his body.
Known locally as 'Tree Man' his condition has baffled local doctors for 20 years.
He has root like structures growing out of his body - branches that can grow up to 5cm a year and which protrude from his hands and feet, and welts covering his whole body.
In an attempt to earn a living to support his family, he is part of a circus troupe, displaying his Tree Man limbs along with others afflicted with skin deformities in 'freak' shows.
The former fisherman was the subject of a documentary "Half Man Half Tree", part of the "My Shocking Story" series on Discovery Channel TV.
Dede's story began when wart-like "roots" started growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident. The medical world was completely baffled.
The welts spread rapidly across his body and soon he was not able to carry out ordinary household tasks.
Dede was sacked from his job and deserted by his wife. He has been raising two children, now in their late teens, in poverty. He is resigned to the fact that local doctors have no cure for his condition.
To try to support his family he even joined a local "freak show", parading in front of a paying audience along with victims of other peculiar diseases.
While he has the support of his extended family, he has frequently been a target of ridicule and abuse in rural fishing village where he lives.
But now new hope has emerged for Dede after an American dermatology expert flew out to his home village south of the capital Jakarta.
Dr. Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland claims to have identified Dede's condition, and has proposed a treatment that could completely change his life.
Following the testing of samples of the lesions and Dede's blood, Dr. Gaspari says his condition is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This is a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers.
Dede's problem is that he has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system. This means his body is unable to contain the warts.
According to Dr. Gaspari, the virus was able to "hijack the cellular machinery of his skin cells", instructing them to produce huge amounts of the substance that caused the tree-like growths known as "cutaneous horns" on both his hands and feet.
The doctor became involved in the case through the Discovery Channel documentary, and he is convinced that Dede's condition can be largely cleared up by a daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which has been demonstrated to stop the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV.
Dr. Gaspari said that Dede's warts should reduce in size to the point where he can use his hands. He said he had never seen anything like this in his entire career.
Man with no face - medical science offers new hope
A victim of horrific facial disfigurement - known as "the man with no face" - has been given new hope by the advancement of medical science.
Jose Mestre, from Lisbon, Portugal, has been losing his face to a huge growth for the past 35 years, distorting it out of all recognition - and it's still growing.
The tumor on 51-year-old Jose's face is a collection of blood vessels that have expanded, producing a raised red area on the skin.
Jose was born with a strawberry-coloured birthmark on his upper lip. At puberty it began growing, eventually smothering his lips, nose and one of his eyes. Now it is 33cm long and weighs 3kg.
Jose Mestre, from Lisbon, Portugal, has been losing his face to a huge growth for the past 35 years, distorting it out of all recognition - and it's still growing.
The tumor on 51-year-old Jose's face is a collection of blood vessels that have expanded, producing a raised red area on the skin.
Jose was born with a strawberry-coloured birthmark on his upper lip. At puberty it began growing, eventually smothering his lips, nose and one of his eyes. Now it is 33cm long and weighs 3kg.
Dozens in Texas Town Report Seeing UFO
In this farming community where nightfall usually brings clear, starry skies, residents are abuzz over reported sightings of what many believe is a UFO.
Several dozen people — including a pilot, county constable and business owners — insist they have seen a large silent object with bright lights flying low and fast. Some reported seeing fighter jets chasing it.
"People wonder what in the world it is because this is the Bible Belt, and everyone is afraid it's the end of times," said Steve Allen, a freight company owner and pilot who said the object he saw last week was a mile long and half a mile wide. "It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts."
While federal officials insist there's a logical explanation, locals swear that it was larger, quieter, faster and lower to the ground than an airplane. They also said the object's lights changed configuration, unlike those of a plane. People in several towns who reported seeing it over several weeks have offered similar descriptions of the object.
Machinist Ricky Sorrells said friends made fun of him when he told them he saw a flat, metallic object hovering about 300 feet over a pasture behind his Dublin home. But he decided to come forward after reading similar accounts in the Stephenville Empire-Tribune.
"You hear about big bass or big buck in the area, but this is a different deal," Sorrells said. "It feels good to hear that other people saw something, because that means I'm not crazy."
Sorrells said he has seen the object several times. He said he watched it through his rifle's telescopic lens and described it as very large and without seams, nuts or bolts.
Maj. Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, said no F-16s or other aircraft from his base were in the area the night of Jan. 8, when most people reported the sighting.
Lewis said the object may have been an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes. Lights from the aircraft would seem unusually bright and may appear orange from the setting sun.
"I'm 90 percent sure this was an airliner," Lewis said. "With the sun's angle, it can play tricks on you."
Officials at the region's two Air Force bases — Dyess in Abilene and Sheppard in Wichita Falls — also said none of their aircraft were in the area last week. The Air Force no longer investigates UFOs.
One man has offered a reward for a photograph or videotape of the mysterious object.
About 200 UFO sightings are reported each month, mostly in California, Colorado and Texas, according to the Mutual UFO Network, which plans to go to the 17,000-resident town of Stephenville to investigate.
Fourteen percent of Americans polled last year by The Associated Press and Ipsos say they have seen a UFO.
Erath County Constable Lee Roy Gaitan said that he first saw red glowing lights and then white flashing lights moving fast, but that even with binoculars could not see the object to which the lights were attached.
"I didn't see a flying saucer and I don't know what it was, but it wasn't an airplane, and I've never seen anything like it," Gaitan said. "I think it must be some kind of military craft — at least I hope it was."
Several dozen people — including a pilot, county constable and business owners — insist they have seen a large silent object with bright lights flying low and fast. Some reported seeing fighter jets chasing it.
"People wonder what in the world it is because this is the Bible Belt, and everyone is afraid it's the end of times," said Steve Allen, a freight company owner and pilot who said the object he saw last week was a mile long and half a mile wide. "It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts."
While federal officials insist there's a logical explanation, locals swear that it was larger, quieter, faster and lower to the ground than an airplane. They also said the object's lights changed configuration, unlike those of a plane. People in several towns who reported seeing it over several weeks have offered similar descriptions of the object.
Machinist Ricky Sorrells said friends made fun of him when he told them he saw a flat, metallic object hovering about 300 feet over a pasture behind his Dublin home. But he decided to come forward after reading similar accounts in the Stephenville Empire-Tribune.
"You hear about big bass or big buck in the area, but this is a different deal," Sorrells said. "It feels good to hear that other people saw something, because that means I'm not crazy."
Sorrells said he has seen the object several times. He said he watched it through his rifle's telescopic lens and described it as very large and without seams, nuts or bolts.
Maj. Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, said no F-16s or other aircraft from his base were in the area the night of Jan. 8, when most people reported the sighting.
Lewis said the object may have been an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes. Lights from the aircraft would seem unusually bright and may appear orange from the setting sun.
"I'm 90 percent sure this was an airliner," Lewis said. "With the sun's angle, it can play tricks on you."
Officials at the region's two Air Force bases — Dyess in Abilene and Sheppard in Wichita Falls — also said none of their aircraft were in the area last week. The Air Force no longer investigates UFOs.
One man has offered a reward for a photograph or videotape of the mysterious object.
About 200 UFO sightings are reported each month, mostly in California, Colorado and Texas, according to the Mutual UFO Network, which plans to go to the 17,000-resident town of Stephenville to investigate.
Fourteen percent of Americans polled last year by The Associated Press and Ipsos say they have seen a UFO.
Erath County Constable Lee Roy Gaitan said that he first saw red glowing lights and then white flashing lights moving fast, but that even with binoculars could not see the object to which the lights were attached.
"I didn't see a flying saucer and I don't know what it was, but it wasn't an airplane, and I've never seen anything like it," Gaitan said. "I think it must be some kind of military craft — at least I hope it was."
Man Shoots Self During Robbery
A man accidentally shot himself in the groin as he was robbing a convenience store Tuesday, police said.
A clerk told police a man carrying a semiautomatic handgun entered the Village Pantry demanding cash and a pack of cigarettes. The clerk put the cash in a bag and as she turned to get the cigarettes, she heard the gun discharge.
Police say surveillance video shows the man shooting himself as he placed the gun in the waistband of his pants. The clerk wasn't injured.
A short time later, police found 25-year-old Derrick Kosch at a home with a gunshot wound to his right testicle and lower left leg.
Kosch was released from the hospital Tuesday and booked into the Howard County jail on a charge of armed robbery, criminal recklessness and battery. He is being held on a $100,000 cash bail. A jail official did not know if he had retained an attorney Wednesday.
A clerk told police a man carrying a semiautomatic handgun entered the Village Pantry demanding cash and a pack of cigarettes. The clerk put the cash in a bag and as she turned to get the cigarettes, she heard the gun discharge.
Police say surveillance video shows the man shooting himself as he placed the gun in the waistband of his pants. The clerk wasn't injured.
A short time later, police found 25-year-old Derrick Kosch at a home with a gunshot wound to his right testicle and lower left leg.
Kosch was released from the hospital Tuesday and booked into the Howard County jail on a charge of armed robbery, criminal recklessness and battery. He is being held on a $100,000 cash bail. A jail official did not know if he had retained an attorney Wednesday.
WSU Student Nabbed Twice for Smoking Pot
Pullman police said a WSU student was arrested twice the same night for smoking marijuana. The 20-year-old was arrested Tuesday night with two other men for smoking in a parking lot, police said. They were cited, fingerprinted and released shortly after midnight.
Less than two hours later, an officer saw three men passing around a pipe in a pickup truck and arrested the student again and the two others for possessing marijuana.
Police Commander Chris Tennant said he hopes the student isn't kicked out of WSU because it seems he needs a bit more education.
Less than two hours later, an officer saw three men passing around a pipe in a pickup truck and arrested the student again and the two others for possessing marijuana.
Police Commander Chris Tennant said he hopes the student isn't kicked out of WSU because it seems he needs a bit more education.
Animal Cruelty Charge in Dog-Eating Case
A grand jury indicted two former golf club employees on theft and animal cruelty charges after police said they butchered and ate a patron's pet dog.
Witnesses told Moanalua Golf Club officials they saw the workers load the German shepherd-Labrador mix, named Caddy, into a car and drive away at the end of their shift on Dec. 16.
The dog's owner, Frank Manuma, said the club had given him permission to bring 8-month-old Caddy while he played a round of golf. The dog vanished after being left tied up near a maintenance shed, Manuma said.
The club fired the workers and investigators later told Manuma the two men butchered and ate his pet.
An Oahu grand jury indicted Saturnino Palting, 58, and Nelson Domingo, 43, both of Kalihi, on Tuesday. The felony charges are punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Palting and Domingo had not hired or been assigned attorneys by Thursday.
"We're delighted that it's moving forward," Manuma said when told of the grand jury indictments.
Manuma said he and his wife, Debbie Weil-Manuma, considered the dog like a child they never had.
He said they now have a 3-month old mixed German shepherd-Golden retriever named Caddy 2.
Witnesses told Moanalua Golf Club officials they saw the workers load the German shepherd-Labrador mix, named Caddy, into a car and drive away at the end of their shift on Dec. 16.
The dog's owner, Frank Manuma, said the club had given him permission to bring 8-month-old Caddy while he played a round of golf. The dog vanished after being left tied up near a maintenance shed, Manuma said.
The club fired the workers and investigators later told Manuma the two men butchered and ate his pet.
An Oahu grand jury indicted Saturnino Palting, 58, and Nelson Domingo, 43, both of Kalihi, on Tuesday. The felony charges are punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Palting and Domingo had not hired or been assigned attorneys by Thursday.
"We're delighted that it's moving forward," Manuma said when told of the grand jury indictments.
Manuma said he and his wife, Debbie Weil-Manuma, considered the dog like a child they never had.
He said they now have a 3-month old mixed German shepherd-Golden retriever named Caddy 2.
Driver who killed teen sues parents over damage to car
MADRID, Spain — A speeding motorist who killed a teenage cyclist in Spain is suing the boy’s parents over damage to his luxury car.
Enaitz Iriondo, 17, died instantly in August 2004 when businessman Tomas Delgado’s Audi A8 crashed into him at 160 km/h near Haro in northern Spain.
The speed limit was 88 km/h.
The teen — who was not wearing reflective clothing or a helmet — crossed the path of Delgado’s car from a side road and a regional court found both parties at fault and closed the case.
Delgado, whose insurance company paid Iriondo’s parents $48,500 in compensation for their son’s life, filed a suit in late 2006 to recover $29,400 in damages to his car.
A ruling is expected next week.
Iriondo’s parents were shocked, calling it a stab in the back.
“Before the lawsuit we thought the poor guy would find it hard to live the rest of his life with the thought of having caused our son’s death,” said Iriondo’s mother, Rosa Trinidad.
The European Union’s statistics office says Spain recorded 113 traffic fatalities per million inhabitants in 2004. The average for the 25-country bloc was 95. In 2006, 3,016 people died on Spain’s roads.
Enaitz Iriondo, 17, died instantly in August 2004 when businessman Tomas Delgado’s Audi A8 crashed into him at 160 km/h near Haro in northern Spain.
The speed limit was 88 km/h.
The teen — who was not wearing reflective clothing or a helmet — crossed the path of Delgado’s car from a side road and a regional court found both parties at fault and closed the case.
Delgado, whose insurance company paid Iriondo’s parents $48,500 in compensation for their son’s life, filed a suit in late 2006 to recover $29,400 in damages to his car.
A ruling is expected next week.
Iriondo’s parents were shocked, calling it a stab in the back.
“Before the lawsuit we thought the poor guy would find it hard to live the rest of his life with the thought of having caused our son’s death,” said Iriondo’s mother, Rosa Trinidad.
The European Union’s statistics office says Spain recorded 113 traffic fatalities per million inhabitants in 2004. The average for the 25-country bloc was 95. In 2006, 3,016 people died on Spain’s roads.
Family Caught Shoplifting
Shoplifting is all in the family for one California clan, police say.
A grandmother, her daughter and some of her grandchildren tried to steal $900 worth of merchandise from a Target store in Lodi, 35 miles south of Sacramento, police Officer Misty Smith said.
The family's alleged shoplifting spree earlier this week was captured by surveillance video, which police say showed them cutting open boxes and hiding MP3 players, digital cameras, DVDs, jewelry and sports equipment in purses, bags and a backpack.
An 8-year-old and a 5-year-old were among the family members detained.
"The 5-year-old actually had a pack of gum. A small item but we could see where her life was heading because she thinks more than likely this is a normal way of life, this is what you do," said Dale Eubanks of the Lodi police.
Linda Robinson, 59, and her 36-year-old daughter, Anna Fernandez, were charged Wednesday with burglary, grand theft, vandalism and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They were released from jail. If convicted, each could face eight years in prison.
Fernandez's teenage sons, 17 and 14, were arrested on suspicion of grand theft and will face charges in juvenille court, authorities said. Another teen not related to the family also was arrested.
The two children were released to relatives and will not face charges.
It was not immediately clear if the family had a lawyer.
A grandmother, her daughter and some of her grandchildren tried to steal $900 worth of merchandise from a Target store in Lodi, 35 miles south of Sacramento, police Officer Misty Smith said.
The family's alleged shoplifting spree earlier this week was captured by surveillance video, which police say showed them cutting open boxes and hiding MP3 players, digital cameras, DVDs, jewelry and sports equipment in purses, bags and a backpack.
An 8-year-old and a 5-year-old were among the family members detained.
"The 5-year-old actually had a pack of gum. A small item but we could see where her life was heading because she thinks more than likely this is a normal way of life, this is what you do," said Dale Eubanks of the Lodi police.
Linda Robinson, 59, and her 36-year-old daughter, Anna Fernandez, were charged Wednesday with burglary, grand theft, vandalism and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They were released from jail. If convicted, each could face eight years in prison.
Fernandez's teenage sons, 17 and 14, were arrested on suspicion of grand theft and will face charges in juvenille court, authorities said. Another teen not related to the family also was arrested.
The two children were released to relatives and will not face charges.
It was not immediately clear if the family had a lawyer.
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