A Happy Ending~

An ageing and partially deaf springer spaniel has survived five weeks and two days lost in the hills. Oliver's owners had given him up for dead following fruitless searches after he ran off during a walk up Ben Fhionnlaidh near Glen Etive. He went missing on 24 February, but was found curled up in a shed on 2 April - eight miles as the crow flies, but 44 by road, from his home in the glen. His owner Deborah Wyton said Oliver had been very hungry and thirsty. She said: "He is my wonder dog."Mrs Wyton and her husband Michael spent hours looking for 12-and-a-half year old Oliver after he disappeared while on a walk with three other of the family's dogs. She said: "We thought he had gone off to die because 12 weeks earlier he had a stroke and the vet wasn't sure how long he would last." The dog was discovered at a property on the opposite side of the munro Ben Fhionnlaidh. The man who found him gave him food and water and had to clean his tag of mud to see who the owner was. Mrs Wyton said: "I think I almost deafened the man when he told me he had found Oliver. I screamed. I was so happy."

Creepy Crab Infestation

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/80129/christmas_island_red_crabs/

~New Extreme Sport~Self-Induced Wedgie

Cute Animation ~Man's New Best Friend

The Enlightened Frog

The Daily Dozen feature on National Geographic, edited by photo editor Susan Welchman, is a treasure trove of neat "Your Shots" photos submitted by the magazine’s readers (a selection of which will actually appear on the magazine itself - talk about awesome!).
I particularly like this one, submitted by James Snyder who wrote:
This is a Cuban tree frog on a tree in my backyard in southern Florida. How and why he ate this light is a mystery. It should be noted that at the time I was taking this photo, I thought this frog was dead having cooked himself from the inside. I’m happy to say I was wrong. After a few shots he adjusted his position. So after I was finished shooting him, I pulled the light out of his mouth and he was fine. Actually, I might be crazy but I don’t think he was very happy when I took his light away.
Link to the Daily Dozen (this particular shot by James appeared on the April - Week 1 section)

Ut Oh I AM A Trouble-Maker

Company director Gary Sanders was speaking on a hands-free phone as he was travelling to work when police in the Mersey Tunnel ordered him to pull over.
Mr Sanders, 47, said he was stunned to be told by a traffic officer that laughing while driving a car can be an offence.
The managing director of Spontex Workwear said: "I couldn't believe it when he told me I'd been pulled over for for laughing.
"I was driving very safely in the tunnel and took a call from a friend on my hands-free phone.
"He said something funny and I was laughing - simple as that. I never took my eyes off the road and was in full control of the car.
I was astonished that he could say that laughing might be an offence. What is the country coming to?Motorist Gary Sanders
"I was astonished that he could say that laughing might be an offence. What is the country coming to?"
Supt Kevin Hagger of the Mersey Tunnels Police said: "I wouldn't want to make a comment as I don't know the full details.
"There is no record of the incident in the system so it seems the gentleman was just spoken to by the officer and the matter not taken any further."
A spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, Brian Gregory said: "This is a shocking example of the police harassing innocent motorists simply because they are an easy target.
"To suggest that a driver could be prosecuted for laughing is ludicrous beyond belief."

New Tires Inspired By Bees

Entomologists/Armor Makers/Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created tires for the military (or hyperbolic rap stars') Humvee that are bullet proof. Okay, the developers not really insect scientists, but they did use the honeycomb pattern that busy little bumble bees use. They just used it to stop bullets.
More importantly, though, these new, sweet (get it?), airless tires can survive landmine attacks. IED (improvised explosive devices) take many forms, but landmines (like at the beginning of Ironman) are one of the most nefarious. These tires can sustain a blast like that and still drive away at 50 mph.
The tires are currently in development, and mind-blowingly, cost about the same to make as normal tires. If they decide to go forward with them, they should be avaialble in 2011. Also, I am now more terrified than ever of bees.
[Source]

Christian Salt HMmmmmm

Sit down and prepare yourself for one of the most ridiculous stories to hit the wire in a while.According to Examiner.com , a retired barber Joe Godlewski was getting sick of seeing so many television chefs gravitate towards kosher salt that he said: "What the heck's the matter with Christian salt?" and has created his own Blessed Christians Salt to compete. What makes his salt so wonderfully Christian? It's sea salt blessed by an Episcopalian priest. Godlewski (inspired by his name?) wants to "keep Christianity on the table, in the household, however I can do it," and claims that it has at least as much flavor and beneficial minerals as kosher salt.The ignorance in all of this just makes my head hurt. Let's back up to the world of kosher salt. It's not a branded label to sell a religion. It's a type of salt with increased surface area on the crystals, which absorbs blood more efficiently (to stay in line with Jewish dietary law). It is not blessed, but rather examined to make sure that the food and its process are, well, kosher. Television chefs aren't using it to advertise Judaism, but because it's easy to pinch and distribute.But it gets "better": If the guy succeeds with this project, he'll begin an entire line of Christian-branded foods including rye bread, bagels, and pickles.The kosher salt thing just reeks of ignorance, but this... I never thought Anti-Semitism and money paranoia would extend to any food a Jewish person (along with the rest of the world!) eats. Will this guy go so far as to include unleavened bread as well?But maybe it's just me. Do you folks watch the use of kosher salt and feel a sudden urge to convert?