Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Scientists Claim Human Brain May Have Reached Full Capacity

Scientists Claim Human Brain May Have Reached Full Capacity
Scientists claim the human brain is at capacity and is too tiring to get smarter

We've invented penicillin, space shuttles, computers and even artificial hearts, among many other wonders. So where will human intelligence go from here?

The answer, if certain scientists are correct, is nowhere.

Mankind’s brain power has reached its peak and it is physically impossible for us to become any smarter, they say.

They claim that in order to become any more intelligent the human brain would need vast amounts of extra energy and oxygen – and we simply cannot provide it.

Cambridge University researchers have analysed the structure of the brain and worked out how much energy its cells use up.

Simon Laughlin, professor of neurobiology, said: ‘We have demonstrated that brains must consume energy to function and that these requirements are sufficiently demanding to limit our performance and determine design.

'Far-reaching powers of deduction demand a lot of energy because for the brain to search out new relationships it must constantly correlate information from different sources.

‘Such energy demands mean there is a limit to the information we can process.’

Other scientists claim that the brain’s ‘wiring’ or network of fibres linking different areas to one another cannot get any better.

They have found that the cleverest people have the best wiring, with messages carried very quickly between different parts of the brain.

But scientists claim that the wiring would need vast amounts of extra energy to become more efficient. As before, they say it is impossible for humans to provide this, therefore we cannot get cleverer.

Ed Bullmore, professor of psychiatry at Cambridge, where he specialises in brain imaging, measured the efficiency with which different parts of the brain communicated with each other.

He found impulses travelled fastest in smarter people and slower in those who were less intelligent.

He said: ‘High integration of brain networks seems to be associated with high IQ.

‘You pay a price for intelligence. Becoming smarter means improving connections between different brain areas but this runs into tight limits on energy, along with space for the wiring.’

Martijn van den Heuvel, assistant professor of psychiatry at Utrecht medical centre in Holland, who also studies how differences in the wiring of human brains affects IQ, said: ‘Increasing the power of the brain would take a disproportionate increase in energy consumption.

'It is risky to predict the distant future but it is clear there are tight constraints on intelligence.’

Friday, August 12, 2011

Fingering A Girl Techniques | Female Masturbation

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Man drinks gasoline for 42 years

Man drinks gasoline for 42 years
Man drinks gasoline for 42 years

Gasoline powers vehicles all around the world, but a sick Chinese man has been drinking the sticky liquid for 42 years under the illusion that it can relieve his physical pain.

Chen Dejun, 71, lives by himself in shabby thatched cottage on a hill in Shuijiang township, Nanchuan district of southwest China's Chongqing municipality. The short and bony man said he drinks 3 to 3.5 kilograms of gasoline every month, which he buys from a station at the foot of the hill.

Chen is known locally as a stonecutter and master of weaving bamboo with a good business sense. But he’s also known for his undying love of drinking gasoline.

He developed the habit back in 1969 when he suddenly began coughing and felt pain in his chest. Seeing no progress after trying some medicine, he took up the folk remedy of drinking kerosene, Chongqing Evening News reported.

It turned out to be helpful for him after the first sip, and he since became addicted to kerosene. Then he moved on to gasoline.

Chen said it is hard to calculate exactly how much gasoline he has swallowed throughout his life, but the newspaper reported Chen has consumed an estimated 1.5 tons over the past 42 years.

Chen's wife Yuan Huibi and their three sons tried many times to stop Chen's addiction to gasoline, but those efforts only made the family relations tense. Eight years ago Chen moved to the cottage to live alone.

Sources from Honglou Hospital in Chongqing said Chen‘s health is fine despite having symptoms of emphysema. Chen refused to receive free check ups from the hospital.

Feng Fu, an associate professor with the Second Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, said Chen may have developed some resistance to gasoline. Otherwise, Feng said, it would be impossible for Chen to live. Feng also said gasoline may only work as anaesthetic for Chen but can’t cure his pain.

Man drinks gasoline for 42 years
Man drinks gasoline for 42 years


Man drinks gasoline for 42 years
Man drinks gasoline for 42 years

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Pub Selling Apple Flavoured Horse Semen Shots | Horse Semen

Pub Selling Apple Flavoured Horse Semen Shots
Pub Selling Apple Flavoured Horse Semen Shots

A pub in New Zealand has started selling a rather odd drink… apple flavoured horse semen. Yes you read that correctly.

Bosses at The Green Man Pub in Wellington say they started offering the spunky 30ml shots after coming up with it for a food contest.

And they have been blown away by the demand for the £12 drink which is served chilled and is said to contain about 300 million individual horse sperm cells.

Steve Drummond said women have been more curious than men about the unique drink.. though men have often dared each other into downing one.

He added there was also one female customer who's commented she was concerned because she thought she might conceive children with long faces. It's not known how much she'd had to drink first.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Raw Fish to Remedies Asthma | Natural Cure For Asthma Treatment

Asthma
Asthma

Curing From asthma Attack : A 166-year-old Indian medical practice has sparked the ire of a children's advocacy group, which claims the controversial tradition is potentially hazardous to youngsters' health.

As the BBC is reporting, Balula Hakkula Sangham wants children under the age of 14 to be exempt from a procedure which involves swallowing small live fish with herbal paste. The practice, which is typically administered to thousands at a two-day festival in the state of Andhra Pradesh, is thought to permanently cure asthma.

The AFP quotes a petition started by the group as saying, "The process of giving the medicine is unhygienic as the person gives it to lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of people without washing their hands." Balula Hakkula Sangham officials are also said to have slammed the unorthodox medicine as "unscientific" and a violation of human rights.

Claiming to have received the medicine recipe from a Hindu saint in 1845, Goud family members have fought back against the criticism. "It has been the practice of the Goud Family for the past 166 years to offer this medicine free of cost to those who need it," Bathini Harinath Goud, head of the family, said. He went on to note that 400,000 people participated in the fish-swallowing procedure last year. "These companies are paying money to rake up the issue as they are worried about the fish medicine affecting their business interests since what we administer is a permanent cure for asthma," he said.

The Times of India reports that the family has faced criticism for the practice previously, and had to rename it after a court order over the use of "medicine" for what is arguably a faith-based therapy.

Andhra Pradesh's Human Rights Commission on Tuesday has reportedly ordered a report into the complaints, which is expected to be delivered this week. Source :-huffingtonpost

Thursday, June 09, 2011

The World’s Most Expensive Kebab | Expensive Food and Drink

The World’s Most Expensive Kebab | Expensive Food and Drink
The World’s Most Expensive Kebab | Expensive Food and Drink

Meet the world’s most exclusive and expensive kebab. And with a retail value of a whopping £750, this posh creation is not one for enjoying at 3am on Saturday morning after a heavy drinking session.

Dubbed the ‘King of Kebabs’ the gastronomic creation, from chef Andy Bates, comes complete with saffron infused flat bread, milk-fed lamb from the Pyrenees and edible gold leaf garnish.

Also on the expensive kebab is Champagne infused mint and cucumber yoghurt, micro cress and lettuce, Ceour de Beouf tomatoes and oregano concass along with some Barrel Aged Yews Feta cheese.

But don't expect to find it in your local kebab shop, the 'King of Kebabs' was created for Food Network UK mark the launch of The Great Food Truck Race. Which means if you want to try it, you'll need to source that Saffron infused flatbread yourself.

King of Kebabs
- Saffron infused flatbread
- Champagne infused mint and cucumber yoghurt
- Micro cress and lettuce salad
- Chilli sauce made from the world’s expensive chilli
- Milk-fed lamb from the Pyrenees
- Edible gold leaf garnish
- Ceour de Beouf tomatoes and oregano concass
- Barrel Aged Yews Feta cheese

Andy Bates, the chef behind the ‘King of Kebabs’ says: "It took a fair bit of time to source the best possible ingredients to ensure that this kebab was the most exclusive one out there but I loved every minute."

Nick Thorogood, Managing Director of Food Network EMEA added: "Street food is really stepping up a notch with many street food trucks now providing the high quality, gourmet food and fine cuisine expected from top restaurants.

"The Great Food Truck Race celebrates this new movement, so we thought it only fair to mark its launch by showing that even the nation’s favourite doner kebab could be made gourmet."
The World’s Most Expensive Kebab | Expensive Food and Drink
The World’s Most Expensive Kebab | Expensive Food and Drink

Friday, June 03, 2011

Bangladeshi Women Cuts off Alleged Assaulter's Penis as Evidence

Bangladeshi Women
Bangladeshi Women Cuts off Alleged Assaulter's Penis as Evidence

Bangladesh say a woman cut off a man's penis during an alleged attempt to rape her and took it to a police station as evidence.

The incident took place in Mirzapur village, Jhalakathi, about 200km (124 miles) south of the capital, Dhaka.

Monju Begum, 40, a married mother of three, told police that neighbour Mozammel Haq Mazi forced his way into her shanty and started assaulting her.

Mr Mazi, who denies the accusation, has been admitted to a nearby hospital.

"We will arrest him once his condition gets better," police spokesman Abul Khaer told the BBC.

"She said she fought back and cut off his penis and brought it to our police station in a polythene bag to prove that Mr Mazi tried to rape her," police spokesman Abul Khaer told the BBC.

"She has registered a case accusing him of attempted rape," he said.

"It is quite an unusual incident. As far as I am aware, this is the first time that a woman has brought a severed penis to the police station as evidence."

Monju Begum told police that Mr Mazi, a married father of five, had been harassing her for the past six months.'Revenge attack'

But Mr Mazi denied the allegations.

"We were having an affair and recently she suggested that both of us can go and settle down in Dhaka," Mr Mazi told the BBC from the hospital in nearby Barisal.

"I refused and told her that I cannot leave my wife and children, so she took revenge on me."

Prof AMSM Sharfuzzaman, a senior surgeon at the Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital in Barisal town, told the BBC it had not been possible to reattach the organ.

"Police brought his severed penis several hours after the incident," he said.

"We are treating him so that he can urinate normally without the penis."

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011

Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes
Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011


A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision (RTC) or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction, such as a tree or utility pole. Traffic collisions may result in injury, death and property damage.

A number of factors contribute to the risk of collision including; vehicle design, speed of operation, road design, and driver skill and/or impairment. Worldwide motor vehicle collisions lead to significant death and disability as well as significant financial costs to both society and the individuals involved.
Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes
Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011


Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes
Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011


Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes
Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011


Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes
Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011


Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes
Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011


Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes
Ferrari Car Accidents Crash | Real Car Crashes Videos 2011

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The Chinese Man wakes Up With Mystery Tattoo On Bottom

Chinese Man | Mystery Tattoo
The Chinese Man wakes Up With Mystery Tattoo On Bottom


Chinese man wakes up with mystery tattoo on bottom after routine surgery. A man who went for a routine operation in the Yunnan province of China woke up with a nasty surprise - a mystery tattoo on his right buttock.

Sheng Xianhui only noticed the offending ink a week after the surgery, though - and even then it was only because his wife spotted it while he was getting in the shower.

The background to the entire episode seems rather murky, but what is clear from the picture above is that Mr Sheng does indeed now sport a rather fetching tattoo.

Strangely, it translates as 'Stone Disease' and Mr Sheng claims he must have been branded by hospital staff while he was unconscious.

The hospital's defence is quite inventive at least - he must have been allergic to the sheets.

Mr Sheng initially went to hospital for gall bladder removal surgery and, when he awoke, said he felt a slight pain in his behind but thought nothing of it.

'After the surgery I felt my right butt top was painful but I thought it was a normal reaction,' he said.

The large marks, measuring 15cm long by 8cm wide, 'are like burn scars' his wife has said.

The hospital say they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the entire mystery.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman | Climbs Tallest Building

Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman

Alain Robert (born as Robert Alain Philippe on 7 August 1962), is a French rock and urban climber, from Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France. Known as "the French Spider-Man" (after the comic character Spider-Man), or "the Human Spider", Robert is famous for scaling skyscrapers.

Robert has scaled 85 giant structures around the globe including many of the world's tallest structures, most of which he has scaled using only his bare hands and climbing shoes.

Robert began climbing as a young boy, scaling rock cliffs in the area around his home. At the age of 12 when he forgot his keys and was locked out of his parents' eighth-floor apartment, he chose to simply scale the exterior wall to his home. In 1982 he suffered two accidents, the first in January, aged 19, and the second in September, aged 20. He fell 15 metres (49 ft) on each occasion. He suffered multiple fractures and now suffers from permanent vertigo. The doctors considered him 60 percent handicapped and told him he would not be able to climb again. Within six months he was climbing again. He kept taking on more and more challenging structures and improving his skills. He polished his rock-climbing skills in the French Alps before turning to buildings.source from wikipedia

Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman
Alain Robert - The French Human Spiderman


Source And Videos : Wiki And Youtube

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Chinese Woman with Horn in Her Forehead | Woman Horn

Woman with Horn
Woman with Horn

After more than an hour of surgery, the woman ? commonly called Yanv- who grew a big horn on her head has finally got rid of the giant horn. Doctors from Treatment Center of Skin Diseases in Beijing Military General Hospital told the reporter that the surgery was successful. The woman is awake and will be discharged from the hospital in a week.

The woman is from Zhanggang village, Dengzhou city, central Chinas Henan province. She was born deaf and dumb. No one knows her exact name. Local villagers call her Yanv (means dumb girl in Chinese). Early in 2008, a fingernail-sized foreign object started growing on the left forehead of the poor woman. Her family took her to the county hospital to remove the growth. However, less than 6 months after the surgery the object grew again in the same position. After spring festival in 2011, the horn-like looking object grew faster and had reached already a size of more than 20 cm. The womans weird growth scared the villagers and she hardly dared to go outside. Finally her son and daughter took her to seek medical help in a hospital in Beijing. The doctors said that they rarely saw such a giant horn. Because the biopsy results for the horn were benign, doctors decided to have surgery on the womans horn

Woman with Horn
Woman with Horn


Woman with Horn
Woman with Horn


Woman with Horn
Woman with Horn

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet

Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet
Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet

Huang Guofu lost his arms in a electric shock accident at the age of 4. When he was 12, he picked up a brush and started painting with his feet.

By the time he was 18, he was selling his paintings on the streets of cities across China in order to pay for his ailing father's medical treatments. His travels introduced him to the idea of using his mouth to paint, a more elegant solution that using his right leg.

See photos of Huang at work here.

Now, at the age of 41, he's the vice-curator of Chongqing Talents Museum, creating masterpieces using paintbrushes held in his mouth and between his toes. Awarded the position for both his artistic achievements and determined spirit, he has inspired other mouth-and-foot painters to join the museum.

His wife, Hu Guoui, works as his assistant, carrying his tools and canvas when he chooses to paint on location.

Huang recently showcased his work at the 2010 Shanghai Wold Expo. On his can-do attitude, he says:

"When life closes one door to you, it must have opened another at the same time. I want to let the younger generation know that there are no real obstacles in life. The only obstacle is if you want to do it."

He is currently planning to paint a long scroll of scenes of old Chongqing.

Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet
Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet


Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet
Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet


Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet
Chinese Artist Huang Guofu Paints With Mouth And Feet

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Oldest Television In History | First Early tv

Television
Television

If you were in the market for a new TV and had £17,000 to spend, we guess you'd want something 3D, HD and with a bigger screen than we've got walls.

But someone recently splashed out £16,800 on Britain's oldest working TV -- which has a 12-inch black and white screen.

The 1936 Marconi type–702 television - which was originally bought for £100 - had been expected to sell for £5,000 when it was auctioned by Bonhams.

Hopefully the new owner will have more luck than the first... three days after the purchase the Crystal Palace transmitter burned down and they couldn't receive pictures again until 1946.
A spokesperson for Bonhams said of the bidding war: "It is very rare. There are more authentic Stradivarius violins in existence than pre-war televisions."

Friday, April 22, 2011

Insects In Amber Fossils Oldest In The World

Amber Fossils
Insects In Amber Fossils


Amber is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural organic beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents. Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin,

These incredible pictures show tiny insects that were preserved in precious amber stones - 20 million years ago.

The tiny creatures are believed to have roamed the earth alongside dinosaurs and before the ice age three million years ago.

According to the Daily Mail, specimens from the period are rare but they were amazed when they unearthed the almost perfectly preserved creepy-crawlies in northern Peru.

They were found inside small chunks or precious amber rock in a 20 million year old reservoir in Chiclayo, northern.

Honningen Klaus, who led the research team, said: 'The pieces of amber contains insects Psocoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and spiders, as well as spores and pollen fossils, and even a drop of blood and remains of hair from a mammal rodent.'

The research team was from the Meyer-Honningen Paleontological Museum in Peru.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

World's Smallest Caravan 2011

Caravan 2011
World's Smallest Caravan 2011

The QTvan, which features a bed, kettle, TV, radio alarm clock and can be towed by a standard mobility scooter, has been pitched as the ideal way to bag a spot for the Royal Wedding.

Nobody likes being stuck behind a caravan – but who would have thought one could hold up your weekly shop at the supermarket?

This tiny camper has been pitched as the ideal way to bag a spot for William and Kate's nuptials without having to spend the previous night sleeping rough.

But once the celebrations are over, owners can also go wild in the aisles because it is even small enough to be driven around a supermarket.

The QTvan – named after the British love of queuing, tea and caravans – is something of a departure for designer Yannick Read, whose previous work includes the Bond Bike, which has an ejector seat and flame thrower.

‘Being able to build something that is a bit eccentric has been a joy,’ said Mr Read.

‘It is quintessentially English. We have a love/hate relationship with the caravan.’

The QTvan was developed by the Environmental Transport Association to highlight the fact that 220,000 people with mobility scooters do not have breakdown cover.

Mr Read said: ‘An increasing number of people rely on mobility scooters but if you develop a fault or run out of battery power and don’t have breakdown cover, or a tiny caravan in tow, your only options are to push something that weighs the equivalent of two men home or call a relative with a large car.’

The £5,500 carbon-neutral van was taken for a spin in a Tesco store to show how easily it navigated everyday obstacles.

Models can be ordered on the ETA website, with optional extras including solar panels, satellite dishes and even central heating.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Strange Cat Gives Birth To Dog | Rare And Unusual Animals

Cat Gives Birth To Dog
Strange Cat Gives Birth To Dog | Rare And Unusual Animals


Sheep giving birth to dog? That's so last season... meet the CAT who's just become the proud mother of a kitten-puppy - also in China, oddly enough.

Zhou Yun, the cat's owner, says she knew her furry friend was pregnant so she wasn't surprised when she happened upon two kittens at the beginning of the month.

On closer inspection, however, she noticed that one of the babies was dead.

'I then noticed the other kitten surprisingly looks like a dog,' Zhou, who lives in Yangshan, in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, told reporters.

Zhou, who's also the owner of a pet dog that likes to eat and sleep with its feline pal (hmm...), added: 'Quite possibly the kitty is a mixed child'.

Lai Xiaoyun, president of a local pet clinic, has sagely pointed out (after having a good look at the kitten-puppy, to be fair) that it's impossible for a cat to give birth to a dog.

He reckons Zhou's cat popped out two kittens and one died shortly after: 'So the cat went out and accidentally found a litter of newborn puppies and took one home.'

'Cats and dogs are two different species and it's impossible to have joint descendants,' he concluded.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Superbus : Ockel's 23-Passenger EV Superbus Can Hit 155 MPH


Superbus


A "super bus" which carries 23 passengers and can reach speeds of 155mph could be the future of your morning commute, if researchers get their way.

The Superbus is an eco-friendly vehicle and the brainchild of Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels who is now a professor of aerospace sustainable engineering.

While with it's streamlined design and wing-opening doors, it looks more like a super-car than a regular bus, the superbus is being touted as the the future of public transport.

Unfortunately the electric vehicle - which cost €13m to develop - might not be hitting UK streets just yet, it's currently on show at a trade fair in Dubai.


Superbus



Superbus

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Experience: I Am A 91 Year Old Bodybuilder | Life And Style

BodybuilderExperience: I Am A 91 Year Old Bodybuilder | Life And Style

At 85 I had a crisis. I looked at myself in the mirror, and saw an old man. I was overweight, my posture was terrible and there was skin hanging off me. I looked like a wreck'

My personal trainer and I are always getting into arguments about what part of my body needs the most work. I'm not happy with my abs – I have the remains of a small spare tyre – but she says my bottom is a catastrophe because it's so flat. What we both agree on is that bodies can be remodelled, no matter how old you are.

I was a very sickly child. From the age of six I had constant headaches and chronic tonsilitis. I became pale, sluggish and my growth was slow. I remember noticing one day that my best friend, who was a year younger than me, was slightly taller and that I was very upset about it.

At 13, I had my tonsils removed and as my health improved, everything changed. I shot up and suddenly I was full of energy. I thought back to myself as a frail, sickly boy, and vowed never to be like that again. I took up boxing, rowing and rugby. Staying fit and strong became my priority.

After school I trained to be a dentist, but sport remained an important hobby. I only once let myself go. As I crept into my 40s, I adopted my wife's sedentary lifestyle. We spent a lot of time doing nothing. Inevitably, my blood pressure plummeted and one day I felt a sharp pain in my legs – only to discover the dark, earthworm-like patterns of varicose veins across my calves. It was my first brush with old age, and I didn't like it. Immediately I resumed rowing to stay fit.

Life went on. My wife and I divorced. At 60, I discovered veteran's rowing and started competing internationally, eventually winning 36 gold medals. I'm not a particularly talented sportsman, but I've always been a great trier. At 75, many of my friends began to pass away. People were getting older around me, but I was only just ready to retire. I carried on rowing and publishing a dentistry newsletter until I was 82.

Then at 85 I had a crisis. I looked at myself in the mirror one day, and saw an old man. I was overweight, my posture was terrible and there was skin hanging off me where muscle used to be. I looked like a wreck. I started to consider the fact that I was probably going to die soon. I knew I was supposed to slow down, but I'm vain. I missed my old body and wanted to be able to strut across the beach, turning heads.

I was already rowing six times a week, and there didn't seem any harm in pushing myself a bit harder to rebuild my muscles. So in my late-80s I joined a bodybuilding club.

There's no research into bodybuilding for the over-80s, so it's been an experiment. With weight-lifting and protein shakes, my body began to change. It became broader, more v-shaped, and my shoulders and biceps became more defined. People began to comment on how much younger I looked, and my new muscular frame drew a lot of admiring glances from women.

Everything I learned was tailored to help my body cope with old age. I took up judo to teach me how to fall properly. My circulation and posture improved, and I was told that there was a chance more muscle mass could protect my brain from Alzheimer's. I stopped thinking about dying. As I approached 90, my focus was on getting my body back.

In 2008, I signed up for my first championship. I was nervous, but although I was the oldest contestant by around 20 years, everyone was very welcoming. I got higher scores than all the women taking part, and a lot of the men. Then, at last year's event in Germany, I triumphed, scoring higher than any contestant in any age category for my 57 dips, 61 chin-ups, 50 push-ups and 48 abdominal crunches, each in 45 seconds. As I'm over 70, they did make allowances – I could do the push-ups on my knees, for example – but I proved I wasn't past it.

I'm not chasing youthfulness. I'm chasing health. People have been brainwashed to think that after you're 65, you're finished. We're told that old age is a continuous state of decline, and that we should stop working, slow down and prepare to die. I disagree. To me, a 65-year-old is young. I turn 92 this year. It is a frightening prospect – the law of averages is against me, and, yes, one day something will happen and that will be it. But until that day comes, I'm going to carry on working on my abs.

Saturday, April 02, 2011

The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks

The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks
The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks


Celebrating the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton in their own inimitable style, bosses at Legoland have depicted the happy couple in miniature bricks.

It took a team of model makers at Legoland Windsor over 30 hours to build the tribute to William and Kate's nuptials - depicting them at the palace gates surrounded by crowds and members of the royal family - using 10,000 bricks.

Each of the 10cm tall figures is said to have taken someone almost an hour to make and they include Lego brick versions of guests including, David and Victoria Beckham, Paul McCartney and Elton John.

If you look closely you will also see Lego versions of the Queen, other members of the Royal Family and even a few brick Corgis.

The model of Buckingham Palace used another 160,000 individual bricks and was built on a 1:50 scale and took 550 hours to build.

Sue Kemp, Divisional Director of Legoland Windsor commented: "We’re proud to announce that it’s our 15th birthday this year and what better way to celebrate it than to pay homage to such an amazing royal occasion.

"After all, we’re based in Windsor which is well known for its royal connections!"

The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks
The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World | The Health Care Blog

Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World

The recipient of the world's first complete double arm transplant scratched his head and back and beamed at his doctors Wednesday, saying he was on the path to independence a year after the pioneering operation.

Farmer Karl Merk, who lost his arms just below the shoulder in a 2002 combine harvester accident, demonstrated the progress he has made by scratching the back of his head with his right hand and squeezing rubber discs at a press conference near his home in southern Germany.

In July 2008 he underwent a 15-hour surgery at the Munich University Clinic by a team of 40 doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists.

His doctors originally thought it would take up to two years before the nerves in his arm would regrow sufficiently to permit movement, but the 55-year-old has made more progress than expected through an intensive program of physiotherapy and electric stimulation.

"My biggest dream is just that my fingers will keep improving, that I can pick things up and just be self-reliant again," he told reporters.

Wearing a black short-sleeved shirt that clearly showed where the arms were connected, Merk demonstrated how he can wave them without the aid of the numerous braces and bandages he needed after surgery.

Merk and his doctors said they hope his story will serve as an inspiration for others who might need such a surgery, but have hesitated to go forward.

Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World


Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World
Karl Merk - Double Arm Transplant In The World