Monday, September 9, 2013
The stuff of nightmares
The stuff of nightmares: Rare purple eel that resembles Alien film's parasitic 'chestburster' is spotted in China
- A rare purple eel goby was discovered in eastern China's Jiangsu Province
- It feeds on crustaceans, small fish and invertebrates using its scary jaws
- The unusual animal can cover over 100 kilometers on its journeys between the sea and sources of freshwater inland
- Resembles parasitic larvae from the Alien films that grows inside a human host then bursts out of the unfortunate person's chest
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Sci-fi fans might have hidden behind a cushion or sent popcorn flying the first time they watched Alien and a 'chestburster' violently erupted from a human host's ribcage.
But a creature that looks almost as horrifying has been spotted in a lake in China.
The rare purple eel goby has a face not dissimilar to the fictional alien but is much less violent and feeds on crustaceans instead of humans.
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The rare purple eel goby has a face not dissimilar to the fictional chestburster alien but is much less violent and feeds on crustaceans instead of humans
The rare purple eel goby looks a little like a 'chestburster' from the Alien films (pictured), which feature fictional predatory extraterrestrials which aim to propagate their species and destroy life that could pose a threat to their survival
The purple eel goby can grow up to 30 centimetres long and feeds on a mixture of crustaceans, small fish and small invertebrates
The ugly fish was discovered in Taihu Lake in Yixing, eastern China's Jiangsu Province, which is unusual as the creature has previously been found in coastal waters, estuaries and rivers.
It is amphidromous and regularly migrates between freshwater and the sea, but unlike similar animals, its journeys are not essential as part of a breeding ritual.
An amphidromous creature reproduces in fresh water, but spends a period of time feeding and growing at sea, usually lasting for a few months.
It then returns to freshwater before a further period of feeding and growing in freshwater, followed by reproduction there.
In its lifetime, the strange creature can cover over 100 kilometres on its cyclical and predictable journeys.
It is a mud-dweller that is bizarrely capable of living out of the water for a a considerable time by taking air into the bronchial chambers.
The purple eel goby can grow up to 30 centimetres long and feeds on a mixture of crustaceans, small fish and small invertebrates.
The ugly fish was discovered in Taihu Lake in Yixing, eastern China's Jiangsu Province, which is unusual as the creature has previously been found in coastal waters, estuaries and rivers. Here you can see its tiny eyes and strong jaw
THE PURPLE EEL GOBY
- The purple eel goby was discovered in Taihu Lake in Yixing, eastern China's Jiangsu Province
- It is amphidromous and regularly migrates between freshwater and the sea
- The creature can swim around 100 kilometers in a lifetime
- It can grow up to 30 centimetres long
- The purple eel goby feeds on crustaceans, small fish and invertebrates
Its is predominantly found in coastal waters and estuaries in offshore islands of East Africa, India and Australia, but has also been spotted in Japan, Bangladesh, New Guinea and New Caledonia.
Perhaps due to its frightening appearance, the animal is not widely caught and eaten.
The creature looks a little like a 'chestburster' from the Alien films, which feature fictional predatory extraterrestrials which aim on propagating their species and destroying life that could pose a threat to their survival.
In the film, the alien's life-cycle involves the hatching of a parasitic larvae called a 'facehugger,' which attaches itself to a living host and then grows within a human before bursting through the unfortunate person's chest.
The 'chestburster' then matures into a terrifying adult which takes on some of its host's physical attributes to adapt to its new environment.
The creature is amphidromous and regularly migrates between freshwater and the sea, but unlike similar animals, its journeys are not essential as part of a breeding ritual. Here you can see its underside, which features a sucker-like fin
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2416016/Rare-purple-eel-goby-resembles-Alien-films-parasitic-chestburster-spotted-China.html#ixzz2eRR0DioI
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Awkward family photos
– Chinese style! Hilarious collection of odd and cringeworthy pictures of children dressed up to the nines
- Weibo users have been shamelessly posting their embarrassing pictures
- Many of the youngsters look like they have raided their parents' wardrobe
By STEVE NOLAN
We all have the odd photographic skeleton in our closets - those embarrassing childhood pictures that we hope never see the light of day.
But it seems that users of the Chinese equivalent to Twitter are more than happy to air their most cringeworthy snaps of bygone days.
Weibo users have been taking to the website in their droves to post hundreds of hilariously awkward pictures to amuse their friends using a hashtag that translates as 'showing off some embarrassing photos of our childhood'.
Old before their time: These Chinese girls have presumably been raiding their mothers' wardrobes. One can only assume that the cigarette is a toy
Made up: These two young Chinese boys were careful to ensure that their lipstick matched their ties
In the army now: These two girls having taking patriotism to a new level, but it's not clear why they are kitted out in full military regalia
The photos, many of which appear to date back to the eighties and early nineties, show the youngsters in a range of bizarre outfits and wearing far too much make up.
While some parents have gone for the sophisticated look while dressing their little angels, others have just gone for the downright bizarre.
One youngster is pictured kitted out in fruit and vegetables, while others proudly strut their stuff in full military regalia.
Many of the photos appear to have been shot in a studio - with children giving grown up props such as cigarettes that one can only assume are fake.
Bling: These two youngsters are all dressed up to the nines in their furs and finery
A tight squeeze: These two youngsters look less than comfortable in their oversized cardigans
Fancy dress: These youngsters probably won't be using these images on their Facebook profile page any time soon
Fruity: The girl on the left looks less than amused that her outfit has been adorned with fruit and vegetables, while the girl on the right looks slightly happier with her choice of extravagant make up
Some parents dressed their kids in outfits reminiscent of Chinese classics like Journey to the West and Legend of the White Snake.
Others are just candid shots taken at home of the tots in their parents clothes.
Some seem to have been taken for festivals or special occasions - the red dots on the children's heads are for beauty or good luck.
This young Chinese boy looks utterly terrified. Perhaps at the excessive amount of knitwear he is wearing
Oh petal: This young girl (left) appears to be having a nap in her a flower bed,
Looking back: These two youngsters decided to post their embarrassing childhood pictures online
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2410426/Awkward-family-photos-Chinese-style-Hilarious-collection-odd-pictures.html#ixzz2eNUNBfpB
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Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro dead in prison
Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro dead in prison after hanging himself in his cell just one month after being sentenced to 1,000 years in prison
- Ariel Castro found hanging in his prison cell at 9.20pm Tuesday
- He was checked on every 30 minutes by guards
- Castro was being held in protective custody away from other inmates
- Served just one month of his prison sentence of life, plus 1,000 years
- Pleaded guilty last month to kidnap, rape, and torture of three women
- His victims were Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight
- Average cost per year to house a prison inmate in Ohio is $25,000
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Ariel Castro, the Cleveland kidnapper who held three women against their will for a decade, has been found hanged in his prison cell.
Castro, 53, was found about 9.20pm yesterday at Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, just one month into his 1,000 year prison term.
He was being housed alone in an isolation unit for his protection, where he would be checked every 30 minutes. Prison officials said that he hanged himself during a break between inspections.
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Dead: Ariel Castro hanged himself in his prison cell just one month after being sentenced to serve the rest of his life in prison
Lonely death: This is an isolation cell at Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, like the one where Castro hanged himself Tuesday
Castro was jailed after keeping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight captive in unimaginable conditions in his house for 10 years.
When prison guards found Castro hanging in his cell on Tuesday, they immediately began trying to resuscitate him.
He was taken to Ohio State University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about an hour and a half later - shortly before 11pm.
It costs nearly $25,000 a year to house a prison inmate in Ohio, on average. The cost to house Castro, who was kept in high security, would likely have been much higher.
Castro's family - he has a son and three daughters by his ex-wife - was informed of his suicide about 1am.
A spokeswoman for the the Ohio Department of Corrections said the agency will make a full investigation of Castro's suicide to determine whether regulations were followed and if anything could have been done to prevent his death.
Castro's attorneys tried unsuccessfully to have a psychological examination of Castro done at the Cuyahoga County Jail, where Castro was housed before he was turned over to state authorities following his conviction, his attorney, Jaye Schlachet, said this morning.
Freed: Amanda Berry, left, Gina DeJesus, center, and Michelle Knight, right, have all spoken out about recovering from their horrific ordeal being kidnapped, raped and tortured by Castro
House of horrors: This is the four-bedroom home where Castro kept his victims for a decade - unbeknownst to his family or his neighbors
This is the last photo taken of Ariel Castro after he was sentenced to spent the rest of his life in prison
According to WOIO-TV, guards checked on him every 10 minutes while he was being held in the Cuyahoga County jail awaiting trial.
He had written about killing himself in a self-piteous suicide note he wrote in 2004.
The FBI found the note when they searched his home after his captives were freed.
In an interview last month after Castro's conviction, Schlachet and attorney Craig Weintraub said their client clearly fit the profile of sociopathic disorder and that they hoped researchers would study him for clues that could be used to stop other predators.
The former school bus driver was sentenced to life in prison, plus 1,000 years after he pleaded guilty to 937 counts of kidnapping, rape and battery.
Castro claimed that he was 'sick' but 'not a monster' and blamed his barbaric treatment of the three young women to an addiction to pornography and abuse he sustained as a child.
'I do want to let you know there was harmony in that home. I was a good person,' he told a court before he was sent away.
He admitted that he kidnapped Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus off the streets of Cleveland and kept them chained and bound in his house of horrors for up to 11 years.
Knight, who was his first victim - taken off the street in 2002 - was in the courtroom at the time of his sentencing. She offered a stinging rebuke of her tormentor.
'I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning. I will overcome all that happened, but you will face hell for eternity,' she said.
Castro acknowledged in court last month that he would die in prison
Castro had been attempting to see his six-year-old daughter who he fathered with Amanda Berry while she was in captivity
Castro systematically raped and brutally beat the women, causing them to miscarry several children.
With Berry he fathered a daughter who was not allowed the see the light of day for the first six years of her life.
During his trial, he asked the judge to allowed him to see the little girl. The judge denied his request.
The women's ordeal was brought to light when Berry broke out of her four-bedroom prison on Seymour Street on Cleveland's West Side in May.
She told a 911 dispatcher: 'Help me, I'm Amanda Berry ... I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here. I'm free now.'
VIDEO Key elements of Castro court case...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2410898/Ariel-Castro-Cleveland-kidnapper-dead-prison-hanging-cell.html#ixzz2dubgGbX8
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013
youngest person to fly a plane unassisted at the age of 5
So the training worked! Chinese boy forced to play in snow by 'Eagle Dad' becomes youngest person to fly a plane unassisted at the age of 5
- He Yide 'flew for 35 minutes' over Beijing, according to his father
- 'Eagle Dad' He Liesheng known for putting son through strict regime
- Last year video showed him forcing He Yide to do press ups in the snow
- Previously sent boy out in boat on open seas alone
By BECKY EVANS
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A Chinese boy has become the youngest person to fly a light airplane single-handed at the age of five, according to his over-achieving father 'Eagle Dad'.
He Yide, nicknamed Duoduo, completed the 35-minute flight at Beijing Wildlife Park in China on Saturday.
His father He Liesheng calls himself an 'Eagle Dad' and the pair made headlines last year when pictures emerged of the boy being forced to do push-ups in the snow in New York.
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He Yide, 5, has become the youngest person to fly an airplane solo, according to his father
The child flew by himself for 35 minutes over the Beijing Wildlife Park on Saturday
He hit the headlines when a video emerged of him being forced to stand in the New York snow in his underwear
He apparently paid 30,000 yuan (£3,100) for private flying lessons for his son and now says he will contact the Guinness Book of Records about the feat.
According to China's People Day, there was another pilot in the aircraft with Duoduo but only for supervision.
The super-strict father wrote on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter: 'His first flight was very successful and he wasn't scared at all.'
He senior, from Nanjing in eastern China, is famous in his home country for the daily training regime he puts his son through.
When the video of the unhappy child shivering in a snowy New York appeared on YouTube at the start of this year, outraged viewers demanded that Duoduo be taken into care.
He Yide, pictured with his father He Liesheng, mother and brother, undergoes a gruelling training regime
He Yide was accompanied in the airplane with his coach (pictured) but only for supervision, Chinese media said
The little boy's father said he was not scared during the solo flight and will contact Guinness Book of Records
His mother could also be heard in the footage, encouraging the boy to carry on as he begged for a hug.
Mr Liesheng also trains his son to enable him to compete against much older children in sailing competitions.
Eagle Dad has previously said that because his son was born several months premature he had to make him undergo tough tests of physical and mental endurance to build up his strength.
He said at the time: 'Only by placing him in a situation with strong winds and waves can he show his potential.'
Last year, He and his two children had to be rescued from Mount Fuji in Japan after the father ignored weather warnings.
He Yide was filmed last year begging his father to hug him but he insisted he get on the snowy ground first
The pushy parent had brought only a chocolate bar and a cup of water for rations, thinking there would be shops en route.
He admitted that he was as terrified as his children on some stretches of the climb, when the trio were forced to scale 70-degree slopes.
The militant father had not brought waterproof clothing, so a sudden downpour soaked them to the skin, and most shelters on the mountain were boarded up.
As temperatures dipped to almost zero and the air became thinner, his children began crying and Duoduo, was nearly collapsing with altitude sickness.
Park rangers eventually had to be called and they gave the family warm clothes and medical treatment.
He Lieshing insists that his extreme challenges will help son Duoduo, who was born premature, to toughen up
He Yede and his father pictured with the Chinese flag before a climb up Mount Fuji
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2409033/Chinese-boy-He-Yide-5-youngest-person-fly-plane-unassisted.html#ixzz2ds45SogB
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