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Bald man paints head rather than wear wig

2010-03-12T16:49:11Z

A man who started losing his hair in his early twenties has started having his bald scalp painted rather than shave his head or wear a wig.

Philip Levine came up with the idea when he first noticed his hair was receding. He says he wanted to try something different because he didn't want to look like all other blokes with a shaved head.

And the 28-year-old doesn't, he thinks of designs and gets a professional body painter to realise them on his head - they regularly take over two hours to complete.

He says he's had things raging from a smily face to giant wave on his noggin -- though he's not had a short back and sides painted on yet. Speaking of the designs Philip, from London, said: "I wanted to express some part of my personality no one could see.

"I thought why not use my head as a canvas, paint and attached things to my head in the border of why my hair would be.

"Unlike a wig where you are hiding what maybe seen as a deformity what I do is tell people feel special, original and embrace what could be looked at as a weakness and turn it into a strength."

Philip says the designs by painter Kat Sinclair normally wow people but that some have more of an impact then others - such as when he had 1,000 Swarovski crystals individually glued on.

"Many people see it as an original art form and I aim to carry on inspiring and wowing people for years to come."

He is now planning a art exhibition showing off over 100 of his head designs including visual art films and busts of his head designs.

LINKS
Philip Levine
Kat Sinclair

Jars of fresh air given to stressed city workers

2010-03-12T14:39:45Z

Stressed city workers are being offered jars containing 'fresh air' from rural and seaside spots -- to help them relax.

Each jar is said to contain 0.42 grams of fresh air and have the ability to relieve stress for up to 10 minutes.

It's all part of a plan by the National Trust to get more people visiting the countryside during their free weekend on 20-21 March.

Bosses say hundreds of the jars were left open in spots from gardens and forests to seaside resorts, before being sealed and labeled.

They will now be sent to people who are feeling stress and apply online. Is it just us, or does this sound like a load of hot air to you too? Andrew McLaughlin, from the National Trust said: "With most of us living in an urban environment and having little time to escape to the great outdoors, we thought it was about time the National Trust shared just a fraction of our copious amounts of fresh air with the nation."

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National Trust

TV reporter throws tantrum over botched line

2010-03-12T13:03:17Z

An irate TV reporter threw a tantrum (and his notepad) on live TV when he botched a line during a report.

It's not know if Gordon Boyd forgot he was live on WVLT TV-- but the watching studio host sure looks surprised by the outburst.

Boyd had been reporting on the trial of a child killer in Tennessee when he stumbled over one of his lines and missed a word.

When that happened, he screwed his face up and in an act of frustration hurled his notepad at the floor.

Cameras quickly cut to the studio where a bemused anchor blamed it on "technical difficulties" -- we guess 'technically' he messed up and got angry. LINKS
WVLT TV

Coffee powered car completes 210 mile trip

2010-03-12T12:13:03Z

A car which is powered by coffee beans has completed a 210 mile journey from London to Manchester, just.

Dubbed "car-puccino" the vehicle used the equivalent of more than 10,000 espressos to make the trip - interrupted by filter cleaning and coffee refuelling stops every 70 miles.

The 1988 VW Scirocco was converted by BBC Bang Goes The Theory host Jem Stansfield, to turn coffee grounds into flammable gasses that can be used in the engine instead of petrol.

As the car arrived in Manchester cab driver tooted their horn and people waved and shouted at the car… they were probably trying to order a cappuccino. Jem said of the car, built to promote The Big Bang fair in Manchester: "It's important for kids to understand that power is not something that is mystically there, simply at the flick of a switch or by pushing a pedal.

"With the energy challenge that is facing the world, the more we encourage children to think about alternative fuels, where energy is stored and how it can be released, the better!

"This is one of the aims of The Big Bang and something that our Bang Goes the Theory team wanted to show in action.

"Everyone recognises that coffee can give a person a bit of a boost, but many probably had no idea it had enough energy locked away to power a car!"

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Big Bang Manchester

Pet high chair sits dogs at the dining table

2010-03-11T15:17:31Z

Some pet products are barking mad -- like this high chair for dogs which allows them to join their owners at the dinner table.

'Pet High Chair' offers a doggie dining experience like never before, rather than clamouring for scraps dogs sit alongside the family.

The device clamps to a table with the dog sitting in a nylon fabric seat and gently restrained by two tethers allowing it to eat from the table.

Makers say the seat promotes a "refined" dining behaviour from dogs and is "more 'conducive to eating and conversation".

However, all we want to see is someone use these to recreate the classic Coolidge, Dogs Playing Poker paintings. Fred Berns, of Hammacher Schlemmer's, who are selling the chair online, said: "The Pet High Chair is ideal for people who truly consider their pet to be part of the family.

"Dogs and cats will no longer require banishment to another room during a meal, as chair is designed to promote proper pet etiquette."

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Hammacher Schlemmer

Man builds the world's largest house of cards

2010-03-11T14:16:57Z

Using 4051 decks of playing cards a US architect has built the world's largest house of cards.

Bryan Berg took 44 days to complete the structure which is a replica of the Venetian Macau casino in China and uses over 218,000 cards

Unbelievably the structure - which is over 10 metres long and three metres tall - is completely freestanding and does not use glue or tape to hold together.

Which means that towards the end of his 44 day build Bryan must have been really hoping he didn't need to sneeze. Speaking of the world's largest house of cards Bryan said: "I was inspired to stack cards by my card-playing grandfather; maybe I can inspire some visitors at The Venetian Macao to try their hand at building their own structures.

"This will be the most ambitious project I have undertaken."

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Bryan Berg
Venetian Macau casino

Women manage money better than men can

2010-03-11T13:38:39Z

It's official - women are best at handling the family purse strings, according to new research.

The female of the species are better at budgeting and keeping track of their spending and are also less likely to build up debt on a credit card or through a loan, it emerged.

Fewer women than men also turn a blind eye to their finances and ignore mounting debts, pay bills late or forget to pay them altogether.

And they also make more of an attempt to chip away at debts while men prefer to make minimum payments.

Maybe these superior budgeting skills somehow explain how they can usually afford a new pair of shoes. A quarter of men polled admitted to regularly paying their credit card bills late, or even forgetting them altogether but women are much more organised with just 17 per cent making the same mistake.

They were also more likely to take out a loan, with six out of ten applying for one compared to just five out of ten women.

A spokesman for lovemoney.com, which carried out the study of 3,000 people, said: "For years, women have been thought of as the big spenders, splashing their cash on clothes and shoes.

"But it seems men are gaining their own reputation when it comes to managing their finances while women are learning how to handle their money.

"As more gadgets become available, guys are spending their hard-earned cash to keep up with their mates in the technology stakes, but it seems many are relying on credit to cover the costs."

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lovemoney.com

Mad Men Barbie dolls produced by Mattel

2010-03-11T12:34:15Z

Toy firm Mattel has announced it will release a range of Barbie dolls based on the TV show Mad Men.

The doll are said to come complete with the iconic 1960s style and aesthetic of the show which chronicles the lives of the men and women a NY advertising agency.

Leading man Don Draper; his wife Betty Draper; Sterling Cooper partner Roger Sterling; and bombshell office manager Joan Holloway have all be recreated by Barbie designer Robert Best.

Don Draper is said to wear his classic, polished red-lined suit and comes accessorised with a hat, overcoat and brief case.

However, the $75 (£40) dolls are not expected to ship with miniature cigarettes and glasses of whiskey… Barbie simply wouldn't allow them in her dollhouse. LINKS
Barbie Collector

The real-life hills of the Windows XP wallpaper

2010-03-11T10:39:03Z

There's a good chance this vista looks strangely familiar to you, but you can't quite place it.

That's because it's the real-life landscape used as the default wallpaper for Windows XP, making it one of the most viewed images ever.

While many people think the Windows image is a digital creation, it was actually snapped in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Photographer Chuck O’Rear took it as he drove along Highway 121. And he must be glad he did, he received one of the largest amounts ever paid to a living, working photographer.

It is predicted the image has been seen by and enjoyed by billions of people -- even some Mac users. Speaking of the image, which he took through a wire fence with a handheld camera Chuck said: "Photographers like to become famous for pictures they created.

"I didn’t ‘create’ this. I just happened to be there at the right moment and documented it."

O'Rear has spent 25 years travelling the world for National Geographic and has took pictures in 30 countries and every state in the US.

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Windows

Town installs 'drunks in road' warning signs

2010-03-10T19:36:36Z

A Romanian town has installed warning signs alerting motorists to the number of drunks crossing the road.

The triangular sign features a man crawling on the floor holding a bottle and has been introduced as the result of a series of accidents.

Mayor of Pecica, Petru Antal said he hopes the sign will act as a warning to motorists who may not know the area - where locals apparently enjoy the town's many bars.

He added that the problem came about because Pecica is a border town which many people drive through quickly on their way somewhere else.

Under the odd graphic it reads 'Attention - Drunks' … the signs are expected to be hanging on the bedroom walls of students by the time anyone sobers up enough to notice. LINKS
Pecica

Brits gamble on lottery win as pension

2010-03-10T16:52:06Z

Millions of Brits are gambling with their future, one-in-ten are relying on a lottery win to fund their retirement, it has been found.

Instead of putting money into a pension or savings account, more than a third are waiting for inheritance money and one in ten are hoping for a big lottery win.

Six per cent even sat they plan to marry someone rich instead of saving for the days when they no longer work.

Slightly more sensible ways people are planning to pay for their lifestyle once they hit retirement age include downsizing to smaller property or simply continuing to go to work.

Hmmm, suddenly we are doubting whether our plan of retiring on all of the money we can find down the back of the sofa is actually realistic. The study of 3,000 Brits was carried out by savings and pensions provider Skandia.

Spokeswoman Michelle Cracknell said: "It's worrying to think that so many people are relying on things like inheritance and big money wins to help them when they stop work.

"Things can always change and the inheritance may go down in value or even disappear altogether, and the lottery and competition prizes are a pipe-dream for most of us, so it's always good to have a real plan in place."

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Skandia

Bridezilla prompts bridal shop brawl (VIDEO)

2010-03-10T14:30:17Z

A demanding bride-to-be told the owner of a bridal shop that her fiance would kill him if he didn't make alterations to her dress.

A mass brawl then broke out in the Detroit store where staff were assaulted by family of the bride.

CCTV cameras show how the confrontation quickly got out of hand when the owner told the irate woman to leave the store.

A group of men - believed to be relatives of the bride - then walked in and started punching staff.

Fashion mannequins were even used as weapons in the fracas… at least the best man now has something to mention in his speech.

Police were called, but didn't arrive before £12,000 worth of damage was caused.

Sweet wrapper grows into flowers if dropped

2010-03-10T12:22:13Z

A range of sweets have gone on sale that come in wrappers which grow into flowers if dropped on the floor.

The packaging for the chocolates by Marks & Spencer has been impregnated with seeds which grow into Candytuft plants if left on the ground.

Known as Iberis umbellata Rose Cardinal, to the more green-fingered reader, the flowers are popular for their ability to attract British butterflies.

Unfortunately, while the seeds will develop into the pink, white, red or purple flowers within weeks... they will not reproduce the chocolates. For the best results M&S advise ripping the wrapper into several sections and burying it under a thin layer of soil.

The Praline Butterflies have gone on sale for Mother's Day, but it is thought the packaging could be rolled out to other products.

M&S Packaging Expert Helene Roberts says, “We are proud to have put such innovative food packaging on the UK High Street.

"These chocolate butterflies are the gift that keeps on giving – once Mum has enjoyed the chocolates, she can plant the seeded paper and then enjoy the flowers and the butterflies that they attract.”

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Marks & Spencer

Scientists discover new species in Ecuador

2010-03-10T09:31:53Z

Researchers say they have found a "treasure trove" of previously undiscovered species in the forests of Ecuador.

A recent expedition uncovered dozens of new animals including tiny geckos, a slug-sucking snake and 30 species of rain frog.

Other creatures found in Cerro Pata de Pájaro - a small mountain sitting right atop the Equator - were a glass frog with a transparent chest and lungless salamanders.

Experts say the cloud forest on the site is only a couple miles wide, yet houses at least 14 of the 30 new species known nowhere else on Earth.

However, researchers warn the area is under threat from ecological disturbances and the creatures could become extinct before we ever find them - which after looking at these, would be a shame. Speaking of the finds Dr. Hamilton from Reptile & Amphibian Ecology International said: "There is obviously a great concern that these species will disappear as soon as, or even before, they are formally described by science.

"There are countless gaps in our knowledge about the status and distribution of tropical animals; this study just scratches the surface of what we know about this region alone, much less what is happening to global patterns of extinction

"But to stem the pattern of current extinction rates, we all need to do our part, whether that be driving less, eating less meat, or simply educating ourselves and spreading the word."

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Reptile & Amphibian Ecology International

Escaped rodeo bull goes on rampage (Video)

2010-03-09T14:43:20Z

A bull escaped from a rodeo in the US and proceeded to charge around the car park sending visitors fleeing for cover.

The bull, named Hard Ball, had ripped through gates near the Reliant Stadium in Houston before escaping into a nearby car park.

Visitors, who were there to watch the Jonas Brothers perform, scrambled to get away as police used their tasers in a bid to stop it.

But the tasers had little impact - other than to make the bull even more angry - and cowboys who were due to perform, were duly called in.

They soon managed to use their ropes to capture the rampaging beast… and drumm up a few extra audience members with their performance. LINKS
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo