Archive for November, 2009

Useless facts are sometimes more interesting than useful facts. For instance, people spend about two weeks of their lives at traffic lights and a snail can sleep for three years. This is more interesting than most of the stories on the news last night. Do you agree?

More useless info:

• - Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts
• - American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad in first class.
• - People spend about two weeks of their lives at traffic lights!
• - Left handed people live slightly shorter lives than right handed people.
• - Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool, England, but only in tropical fish stores.
• - If the entire population of earth was reduced to exactly 100 people,50% of the world’s currency would be held by 6 people.
• - In comic strips, the person on the left always speaks first.
• - A snail can sleep for three years.
• - In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the world’s nuclear weapons combined.
• - Pearls melt in vinegar.
• - Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
• - Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.
• - You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television

Source: stunning-stuff.com

Records are made to broken but some are very unlikely to be broken. The editors of “Guinness World Records” selected few records which they think are probably “unbreakable”.  All we need is a 9-foot man or a 26-year-old woman who weighs less than 2.1 kg.

1. Tallest Man: If 8-foot-11 (2.70m)Robert Wadlow were around today, he’d stand 10 inches taller than Sultan Kosën, the tallest living man, and 17 inches taller than NBA beanpole Yao Ming.

In 1940, when Wadlow died, he was 22 years old, and he was still growing.

2. Lightest Woman: Lucia Zarate, the 31.35 cm Mexican “Lilliputian,” was a 19th-century sideshow star. She died in 1889 at age 26 of pneumonia, after her circus train got stranded in the snow. While Zarate weighed as much as 13 pounds and one ounce at one point, she tipped the scales for the last time at 4.7 pounds — less than the average newborn.

3. Loudest Sound: The volcanic eruptions on the island of Krakatoa on Aug. 26, 1883, killed more than 36,000 people. The final explosion sent shock waves that reverberated seven times around the globe and were heard 2,200 miles away in Perth, Australia.

4. Most Prolific Murderess: Aileen Wuornos got a lot of press for her bloody deeds, but Countess Elizabeth Bathory allegedly killed more than 600 people, mostly young women.

As the legend goes, the creepy Hungarian noblewoman bathed in the blood of virgins to stay young. That part of the story is questionable, but she was convicted on 80 counts of murder, and was probably guilty of many more. She was locked away at Csejte Castle, where she died in 1614.

5. Largest Diamond: The 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond had no equal. In 1905, it was found in Gauteng, South Africa, and presented to Britain’s King Edward VII on his birthday. It was eventually cut into 105 pieces, including the 530.2-carat Cullinan I (or “The Great Star of Africa”) and the 317.4-carat Cullinan II ( “The Lesser Star of Africa”). Both are now part of the British crown jewels.

6. Greatest Wingspan: The Hughes H-4 Hercules, better known as “The Spruce Goose,” weighs more than 400,000 pounds and took to the air just once, in 1947, traveling about a mile, and just 70 feet (21m) off the ground. Eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes built this monstrosity with the aim of transporting soldiers. No aircraft has since come close to its 319-foot (97m) wingspan, which is longer than a football field.

7. Biggest Pandemic: Let’s file this under records we hope never get broken. From 1347 to 1351, bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, claimed 75 million people.

8. Biggest Blockbuster: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are no match for Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. “Titanic’s” worldwide box office gross of $1.84 billion is less than titanic when you start adjusting for inflation. If you do, “Gone With the Wind” is still the belle of the ball. Since its 1939 release, it’s taken in an estimated $5.4 billion.

9. Longest Pole-Sitting: Pole-sitting is generally considered a college stunt, but it also figures in what Guinness considers its oldest record. It’s held by St. Simeon the Stylite, who spent 37 years atop a pillar at Syria’s Hill of Wonders. Crowds gathered to listen to the monk preach until his death in 459. While this seems like something David Blaine would try, in the last 1,550 years this feat remains unchallenged.

10. Youngest Doctorate: In 1814, 12-year-old Karl Witte of Austria became a doctor of philosophy at the University of Giessen in Germany. He spoke five languages, and luckily never had to listen to all the incessant Doogie Howser jokes.

Source: sphere.com

I have heard about weird restaurants but this one is way up there. “Dinner in the Sky” is a Brussels based restaurant that serves dinner for up to 22 people… 50 meter in the air!

The specially-designed table and chairs are lifted by a crane. Dinner anywhere in Belgium will set you back almost 8 thousand euros; other locations are also available. Remember, you must wear your seat belt, and don’t drop your fork!

Source: chettinadusamayal.blogspot.com

It’s a unique concept according to its creators, a hotel in the French town of Nantes is offering the chance for people to become a hamster.

For 99 euros (R1000) a night, you can eat hamster grain, run in a giant wheel and sleep in hay stacks in what is called the “Hamster Villa.”

Maud and Sebastien are the first ones to experience how hamsters live, not afraid at the thought of sleeping in hay or feeding on a hamster fountain and special grain.

It’s a unique experience and, the guests say, just something different. He added that

“To become a hamster, eat seeds, change our way of life…come out of our daily routine”

The owners, Frederic Tabary and Yann Falquerho, run a company which rents out unusual and bizarre places.

“The Hamster in the world of children is that little cuddly animal. Often, the adults who come here have wanted or did have hamsters when they were small,” Falquerho said, dressed as a hamster.

What is next? A night as a dog, chasing cars and sleeping in a kennel?

Source: Reuters

The world’s most expensive armchair were sold for about R240 million. I bet a Lazyboy is much more comfortable and at a small fraction of the price.

A small brown leather armchair once owned by Yves Saint Laurent has reportedly sold for £19.4 million (about R240 million), making it the most expensive piece of 20th-century design to ever be auctioned.

The armchair, by Irish designer Eileen Gray was only expected to reach around £3 million at Christie’s in Paris. It was bought by specialist Paris art gallery Robert and Cheska Vallois.

The unique piece – known as the “dragons’ armchair because of the ornate sculptures on its sweeping armrests – was created between 1917 and 1919 by Miss Gray.

She moved to London in 1898 to study at the Slade School of Fine Art and she became renowned for the luxurious finish of her lacquered furniture.

Source : luxuo.com

A Chinese woman has reportedly paid a whopping $585,000 (R4 000 000) to buy a new pet dog. The 18-month old dog, a Tibetan mastiff measuring 80cm high, is now believed to be the world’s most expensive dog.

The Chinese woman revealed that her ‘priceless pet’ had been named ‘Yangtze River Number Two’ and added: ‘Gold has a price, but this Tibetan mastiff doesn’t.’

The millionaire said she and a friend had spent a long time searching for an original Tibetan mastiff.

In the town of Yushu they spotted the new dog and decided on the spot to buy it, regardless of price.

The Tibetan mastiff is an ancient breed that originates with nomadic cultures of Central Asia and northern India.

As a flock guardian dog in Tibet, it renowned for being tenacious in its ability to confront predators the size of wolves and leopards.

I bet the dog does not only eat Epol and chop bones for lunch.

Source: luxuo.com

Tonight’s Grand finale of SA’s Got Talent will see a good variety of different acts competing to be the champion.

Do you think this show was a success or do you think that  South Africans in general are not natural performers?

To recap, here are the six finalists you’ll be voting for tonight in the grand finale:

George Avakian, 19              – beatboxer
Louwtjie Rothman, 18         – guitar virtuoso
Darren Rajbal, 19                 – hip-hop dancer
Cleo Filander, 8                    – singer
Kalon Badenhorst, 11          – contemporary dancer
Willem and Louis vd Merwe  – opera singing brothers

The SA’s Got Talent Grand Finale will air tonight (Thursday) on SABC 2 at 19:30 with the live results show at 21:30.

Read more about these acts on channel24.com

A football fan who wanted a beautiful grin to match the beautiful game brushed his teeth at Stamford Bridge as he watched Chelsea beat Manchester United.

The supporter was caught on film cleaning his pearly whites during the game Premiership and the clip was promptly posted on YouTube.

Within hours more than 100000 people had viewed the bizarre entry, which was posted by several different users.

This is dental hygiene to the extreme

Source: telegraph.co.uk

A picture of Sakkie Versus on the Equator

A while back Versus co-sponsored a few students who explored Africa while delivering medical equipment to clinics. These students gave the Versus pouch a name and said that Versus was one of their “mates” on the trip. Their new “mate” was called Sakkie Versus and Sakkie joined them on all the exotic places

A while back Versus co-sponsored a few students who explored Africa while delivering medical equipment to clinics.

The pouches were one of their companions on the trip. These students gave the pouch a name and said that Versus was one of their “mates” on the trip.

There new “mate” was called Sakkie Versus and Sakkie joined them on all the exotic places.

Here are a few pictures of “Sakkie Versus” on the Equator, Lake Tanganyika and on the Nile.

The students said that Sakkie was a great mate on the trip and he is definitely invited to their next adventure.

Congratulations to Nobby Clarke

Nobby’s comment was the comment of the day (30 Oct) and she has won a VERSUS wine hamper.