Followers

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Pictured: The giant 6ft cow that is as big as a small elephant

His name is Chilli and he's described as a gentle giant.

Which is just as well for his handler, Tara Nirula, pictured by his side.

His owners have contacted the Guinness Book of Records who are currently assessing his credentials and comparing them to other big bovines.

The black and white Friesian bullock weighs well over a ton and at the same height as a small elephant, casts a shadow over his cattle companions who are about 5ft.

Scroll down for more...

Chilli the giant bullock stands at 6ft 6ins and weighs well over a ton

Despite his grand stature, Chilli only grazes on grass during the day and enjoys the occasional swede as a treat.

The heifer, who is almost as high as he is long, lives at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary in Chard, Somerset, after he was left on their doorstep aged just six-days-old.

Nine years on, Chilli has kept on growing, and staff believe the giant will smash a record for Britain's tallest ever cow.

Naomi Clarke, manager at the sanctuary, said: "As Chilli was growing up we began noticing that he was bigger than our other cows.

Scroll down for more...

Chilli dwarfs most horses, is the same height as a small elephant and casts a shadow over his cattle companions who are about 5ft in height

"He now stands at 6ft 6ins from the floor to the top of his shoulder and he is massive when he holds his head up.

"We have made an application to Guinness Book Of Records and we are quite confident he will get it."

Chilli, who is 6ft 7ins long, was left running around on the doorstep of the sanctuary along with his twin sister Jubilee in 1999.

Over the years, staff noticed Chilli begin to tower over his sister and companions.

But it was only when he failed to fit in a standard cattle cage to have his hooves clipped that they realised just how big he had grown compared to normal bullocks.

Scroll down for more...

Chilli lives at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary in Chard, Somerset

Miss Clarke said: "For some reason a farmer decided he didn't want Chilli and Jubilee so dumped them with three others on our doorstep nine years ago.

"He was only six days old and didn't look that big but as the years passed we noticed he was getting rather tall.

"People would always comment on how much bigger he was from the other cows and bulls when they visited the sanctuary.

"He does weigh over a ton but is quite lean and not as fat as some of his companions."

Scroll down for more...

Despite his grand stature, Chilli only grazes on grass during the day and enjoys the occasional swede as a treat

She continued: "We don't know what has made him so tall. He doesn't eat that much and his feet and head are in proportion - he is just very large.

"He is a very friendly and gentle cow so we hopes he manages to break the record - he deserves it."

At present, the tallest bovine in the world is 6ft 8ins Fiorino, who lives in Italy.

A spokeswoman for the Guinness Book Of Records said: "I can confirm that an application has been received for Chilli which is currently under research."

Six months ago another bullock vying for a record breaking spot was The Field Marshal who weighed in at 3,000lb.

At the time he was on course to over take the current British record-holder, his former stablemate The Colonel, who stood 6ft 5in tall and weighed 3,500lb. He died in 2005.

Original here

Monkey works at bar


BRAND NEW BACKYARD PLAYGROUND!

Some people build swimming pools in their back yards. But outdoor pools in Alaska just won't work. Since this particular family lives on the outskirts of Anchorage, they decided to build a sturdy, colorful playground for their 3 and 4 year old sons, with smooth-stone gravel all around it to avoid knee scrapes and other injuries.

They finished building it on Saturday evening, and the following morning, as mom was about to wake up the boys and have them go out to play in their new play center, this is what she saw from the upstairs window:

Original here

Getting To Know Your Neighborhood

y: Dahlia Rideout (Little_personView Profile)

A friend of mine was house shopping and spending a bit of time on Google Map's Street View feature. He came across this interesting image, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Working girls? Just hanging out on the corner?

If the map above isn't rendering correctly, please click the image below to see a screen shot.

Furtive Venice snapper arrested

St Mark's Square
Venice is a top tourist destination

A man who allegedly photographed more than 3,000 women's bottoms as they toured Venice has been arrested.

The man was stopped after police became suspicious of a large bag he was carrying as he followed women through St Mark's Square.

He has been charged with infringement of privacy. It is a cheeky crime, which could earn this 38-year-old Italian from six months to four years in jail.

A police video shows a man in jeans and hooded top walking behind women.

He is trying to position his black holdall close to their legs.

Police said he was filming through a small hole in the side of the bag.

The officers had become suspicious when they realised he was only following women with short skirts. When they stopped or bent down to pick something up, he was clearly trying to angle the bag behind them.

When the voyeur was finally caught police recovered several DVDs which held more than 3,000 images of women's bottoms.

He confessed to police he had been filming in and around St Mark's Square for nearly two years.

Police have refused to name him but Mario Marina of Venice police said he is married with two young children and has a professional job in the nearby town of Padua.

He might have some explaining to do when he finally gets home.
Original here

R2-D2 Cake Brings Balance to the Force, Dorkiness to Wedding

Perhaps knowing that a Death Star wedding cake was starting marriage asking for trouble, reader and chef Charlene made an R2-D2 one, bringing balance back to the Force, and restoring dorkiness throughout the Galaxy. There have been others, but her nine-layer version of everyone's favorite astromech is far more realistic and complex, thanks to some DIY tech hacks.

While the R2-D2 wedding cake is not as advanced as the stunningly-accurate Maker Faire R2-D2, Charlene told us that she "bastardized an old camera for the lenses, with blue Halloween lights flashing behind throughout the whole wedding" for added realism.

The cake was the centerpiece in the wedding of two members of a Star Wars fan group in Alabama, which had all the guests dressed up as Star Wars characters, included the minister, who probably was wearing an R2-D2 beanie like mine. I've got to admit that it looks yummy, but seeing people eating R2's dome disturbs the Force out of me. [Thanks Charlene]


Pupils go wild on spiked school dinners

Police in Russia are investigating after pupils stripped off, climbed walls or lay on the floor laughing after their school dinners were spiked with drugs.

The teenagers - aged 13 to 15 - were given ecstasy in their soup and drinks at their school in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in eastern Russia.

Teachers said it was as if the school had turned into "a lunatic asylum" after lunch.

Doctors called in said the pupils were showing signs of intoxication and prosecutors later found traces of ecstasy.

Tatyana Kutuzov, spokeswoman for the Sakhalin prosecutor's office, said: "An investigation is underway after our experts established that the water contained traces of opiates and amphetamines, which are known components of the drug ecstasy."

Original here

The Most Absurd Laws from Around the World

I imagine that the reason most of these laws and bans still exist is that no one has gotten around to changing them. However, they’re totally worth laughing at and leave you imagining where the hell they might have come from. This is what happens when legal power lands in the wrong hands.


France

  • It’s illegal to call or address a pig as Napoleon.
  • Between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., 70 percent of the music on the radio must be by French composers.
  • It is against the law to sell a doll with a face that’s not human.

Singapore

  • Littering is a serious offense. If caught littering your punishment includes a fine of several thousand dollars, hours of litter collection, state-sponsored counseling, as well as your picture in the local news.
  • It is illegal to carry a Bible or to talk to someone about Jesus.

The United Kingdom

  • It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. The reasoning behind this is that technically anyone who dies within the walls of Parliament is automatically granted a Royal state funeral.
  • The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King. The tail is property of the Queen so that she can use the bones for her corset.
  • In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

Australia

  • Although it is against the law for children to buy cigarettes, condoms, or alcohol, they can legally use all of them.
  • It is illegal to wear black clothing, felt shoes, and black shoe polish on your face while roaming the streets. These items are the tools of a cat burglar.
  • It is illegal to dress up as Batman.

Finland

  • Donald Duck was once banned because he doesn’t wear any pants.

The United States

  • Impotence is grounds for divorce in twenty-four states.
  • In Illinois, it is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is “American.”
  • In Oxford, Ohio, it is still illegal for a woman to undress in front of a picture of a man.
  • In Indiana, during the 1950s, anything to do with Robin Hood was prohibited. Robbing from the rich to give to the poor was considered communist ideology.

Thailand

  • If you drop gum on the pavement, you can be fined up to $600.
  • You are not permitted to leave your house without wearing underwear.
  • All those who attend a cinema show must stand up during the national anthem before a film begins.

Let's hope this list will motivate people to get out and vote.

Original here