Giant goat kidnap by helicopter foiled-Sweden

Two mysterious men attempted to bribe a guard to leave his post watching over the giant goat in Gävle in eastern Sweden in an attempt to kidnap the iconic Christmas symbol using a helicopter.

The two men offered the guard 50,000 kronor ($7,350) to look the other way, the local Arbetarbladet newspaper reports.

According to the guard, referred to only as Mats, the two men wanted to kidnap the goat using a helicopter and take it away to Stureplan in central Stockholm.

The recent kidnapping plot can be found among a number of incidents recorded by Mats and his colleagues charged with ensuring that the towering straw goat survives until Christmas.

The erecting of the Gävle goat, a tradition which dates back to 1966, takes place on the first Sunday of Advent in the town’s central square, Slottstorget.

And while building the goat, which has measured as high as 13 metres, has become one of the town’s most cherished Yuletide traditions, attempting to burn it down before Christmas is almost as popular.

Last year, the goat was torched in the early hours of December 23rd, while in 2008, it survived through Christmas, only to go up in flames on December 27th.

In order to protect the goat this year, the town hired a security firm to watch over Gävle’s holiday treasure. So far, the measure has succeeded in keeping the goat free of flames.

“If the goat were to burn on my shift, I’d never be able to show my face in town again,” Mats told the newspaper.

Sleep is more attractive... it does a body good !!!

Good night's sleep key to beauty: Swedish study

Published: 16 Dec 10 12:00 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation 

Swedish researchers at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute have determined that the attractiveness of a person is far more influenced by a good night's rest than previously thought.

For the first time, there is scientific backing for the concept of beauty sleep, according to lead research John Axelsson, a sleep scientist in the department of clinical neuroscience.

"My daughter once asked me, 'Why is Sleeping Beauty so beautiful? Is it because she slept?' As a scientist, when I say something, it has to be the truth, it has to be backed up," he told The Local on Thursday.

"However, science also has to be fun. It's our responsibility to make science fun. So many beliefs about things affect our entire culture. Many of these beliefs are untrue, but this seems to be true across different cultures," Axelsson added.

"We knew that it would affect tiredness levels, but we didn't know it would affect attractiveness and perception of health levels as well," he explained.

The Karolinska team investigated the relationship between sleep and perceptions of attractiveness and health. Twenty-three participants aged 18 to 31 took part in the study, which was carried out three years ago. The results were published by the British Medical Journal online on Monday.

"We did not control for attractiveness, only for illnesses and sleep disturbances. We wanted to look at sleep," said Axelsson.

Participants were photographed from 2pm to 3pm on two occasions, once after a normal night of sleep and once after an entire night deprived of sleep. Smokers were excluded from the research and no alcohol was allowed for two days prior to the experiment.

"Smoke affects the skin, making one look less attractive, while alcohol disturbs sleep and affects muscle tone," Axelsson explained.

Half of the group started with a full night's sleep, while the other half started sleep-deprived, then underwent the second half of the experiment two weeks later.

The full night's sleep involved seven to nine hours of slumber the night before the photographs were taken. Participants had to lay in bed for at least eight of those hours. 

The photographs were taken seven hours after the participants woke up.

For the sleep-deprived photographs, the participants were kept awake for 31 hours straight.

The photographs of just the subject's faces were taken in a well lit room and the distance to the camera was fixed. During both photography sessions, participants wore no make-up, had their hair loose or combed back for long hair and underwent similar cleaning or shaving procedures.

They were asked to have a relaxed, neutral facial expression for both photos.

Sixty-five observers rated the photographs for attractiveness and whether the individuals looked healthy and tired/not tired. 

The observers judged the faces of the sleep-deprived participants as less healthy, less attractive and more tired.

The researchers concluded that the facial signals of sleep-deprived people affect facial appearance and judgments of attractiveness, health and tiredness.

Axelsson recommends seven to eight hours of sleep a night for most adults and strongly advises against sleeping less than six hours a night on a regular basis.

"One can manage five-hour nights one to two nights in a row, but it is very hard to perform as well the next day. It can also lead to immune activations, worse metabolisms and pre-diabetic conditions," he cautioned.

As for those who sleep too much, Axelsson said that it can be a sign of disease, when one needs more sleep, or chronic inflammation.

Axelsson and his colleagues are currently at work on a paper evaluating the results of extended sleep disturbances.

"The entire field of sleep focusses on metabolism, brain and cognitive functions. There is less data on how it affects us socially and our relationships. There are lots of anecdotal examples of people looking worse, but no scientific evidence," he said.

Hospital hires sexy models in short skirts & high heels to attract men..

Hospital hired models in lab coats and heels 'to attract men'

An American hospital group spent millions of dollars hiring models in lab coats, short skirts and high heels to recruit men for DNA tests and quietly overcharge them for the privilege.

The models were trying to recruit men for DNA tests Photo: ALAMY

By Jon Swaine, New York 9:00PM GMT 17 Dec 2010

UMass Memorial Health Care is being investigated by authorities in New Hampshire over "suspect marketing and billing practices", Michael Delaney, the state's attorney general said.

Its bone marrow registry is accused of paying an agency up to $50,000 (£32,000) a week for models to visit shopping centres, flirt with passing male customers and coax them into having cheek swabs taken.

The models, who were in their 20s, allegedly told the men the tests would barely cost anything, before billing them an average of $4,300 (£2,770) each via their health insurance – about 40 times more than the typical cost.

For 18 months, they were instructed how to dress and how to behave in an attempt to entice men into having swabs taken, officials said.

It is claimed they happily took samples from people who weren't eligible because of their age, medical profile or because they were already on a national registry.

"Picture this," Mr Delaney said. "The modelling agency sends photographs to the marketing director at UMass for personal selection of models to go recruit donors to save people's lives. It's unbelievable."

The company said it had used models "to help acquaint the public on how they can contribute to this lifesaving effort", but had since stopped sending them to kiosks in shopping centres.

In a statement, the hospital group said: "Every potential donor is provided with a donor consent form that explains that his or her insurance company may be billed". It added that the company "has reviewed its billing practices for this test and confirmed to its best knowledge that it is appropriately paid".

A spokesman declined to comment on the claim that ineligible people were signed up as donors.

£7 million Christmas tree decorated in diamonds & pearls-UAE

The £7m Christmas tree: Hotel unveils fir draped in diamonds (and no prizes for guessing it's in the UAE)

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 12:14 PM on 17th December 2010

Surrounded by examples of decadent wealth, Abu Dhabi is probably the only place where an $11m Christmas tree might not seem a little over the top.

Dubbed one of the 'most expensive Christmas trees ever', the glitzy Emirates Palace hotel has unveiled the 40ft evergreen in its gold-leaf bedecked atrium.

Decorated with traditional silver and gold bows, baubles and white lights, the tree is also decked out in necklaces, earrings and other jewellery giving it its record value.

Opulent: A guest walks past the $11million Christmas tree in the Emirates Palace hotel atrium in Abu Dhabi

It holds a total of 181 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones according to Khalifa Khouri, owner of Style Gallery which provided the jewellery.

Hans Olbertz, general manager of the hotel, said: 'The tree itself is about $10,000. The jewellery has a value of over $11million - I think 11.4m, 11.5m.'

He added that the hotel would apply to the Guinness Book of World Records to find out if its tree is the most expensive ever.

Asked if the tree might offend religious sensibilities in the United Arab Emirates, where the vast majority of the population is Muslim, Mr Olbertz said: 'It's a very liberal country.'

Glitzy: The 40ft tree is decked out in jewellery, including diamonds and emeralds, as well as traditional decorations

Luxurious: The Emirates Palace hotel, which calls itself seven-star, offers a $1m seven-day stay complete with private jet, chauffeur and butler

The hotel has had Christmas trees up in previous years, but this year 'had to do something different' and the hotel's marketing team came up with the idea.

It is not the first extravagant offering at the Emirates Palace - a massive, dome-topped hotel surrounded by manicured lawns and fountains.

Billed as a seven-star hotel, it introduced a seven-day stay in February costing $1million.

Guests who take up the offer have a private butler and a chauffeur-driven Maybach luxury car during their stay, as well as a private jet available for trips to other countries in the region.

And in May, the hotel became the first place outside Germany to install a gold vending machine. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339068/7m-Christmas-tree-Abu-Dhabi-Emirates-Palace-hotel-unveils-fir-draped-diamonds.html#ixzz18NSk129G

Garlic may prevent arthritis.

You won't be popular ... but tucking in to plenty of garlic may prevent arthritis

By CLAIRE BATES
Last updated at 11:08 AM on 17th December 2010

Garlic breath: Women who ate alot of vegetables in the garlic family were less likely to have hip osteoarthritis

It may do no favours for your breath, but enjoying a diet rich in garlic, onions and leeks could reduce your risk of developing the most common form of arthritis.

Researchers at King’s College London and the University of East Anglia investigated  possible links between diet and the painful joint disease.

They found that women who ate a lot of allium vegetables (in the garlic family) had lower levels of hip osteoarthritis.

The findings, published in the BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders journal, show the great potential garlic compounds have in developing new treatments for the disease.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in adults, affecting around 8 million people in the UK, with women are more likely to develop it than men. 

It causes pain and disability by affecting the hip, knees and spine in the middle-aged and elderly population. Currently there is no effective treatment other than pain relief and, ultimately, joint replacement.

A relationship is known to exist between body weight and osteoarthritis but this was the first study to delve deeper into how diet could impact on development and prevention of the condition.

The study, funded by Arthritis Research UK, the Wellcome Trust and Dunhill Medical Trust, looked at over 1,000 healthy female twins, many of whom had no symptoms of arthritis.

The team carried out a detailed assessment of the diet patterns of the twins and analysed these alongside x-ray images, which captured the extent of early osteoarthritis in the participants’ hips, knees and spine.

They found that in those who consumed a healthy diet with a high intake of fruit and vegetables, particularly alliums such as garlic, there was less evidence of early osteoarthritis in the hip joint.

To investigate the potential protective effect of allium vegetables further, researchers studied the compounds found in garlic. 

They found that that a compound called diallyl disulphide limits the amount of cartilage-damaging enzymes when introduced to a human cartilage cell-line in the laboratory.

Dr Frances Williams, lead author from the Department of Twin Research at King’s College London, says: 'While we don't yet know if eating garlic will lead to high levels of this component in the joint, these findings may point the way towards future treatments and prevention of hip osteoarthritis.

'If our results are confirmed by follow-up studies, this will point the way towards dietary intervention or targeted drug therapy for people with osteoarthritis.’

Professor Ian Clark of the University of East Anglia said: ‘Osteoarthritis is a major health issue and this exciting study shows the potential for diet to influence the course of the disease.  

'With further work to confirm and extend these early findings, this may open up the possibility of using diet or dietary supplements in the future treatment osteoarthritis.’ 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1339420/Eating-plenty-garlic-protect-common-form-arthritis.html#ixzz18NPTnBsI

Tron Lightcycle comes to life.... at $55,000

The real-life Tron Lightcycle: Incredible street-legal superbike based on the film that can hit 120mph and costs $55,000

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 4:34 PM on 16th December 2010

This stunning Tron Lightcycle is science fiction turned fact.

The iconic virtual vehicle - driven by computer programs and gamers in the futuristic films - has been recreated in reality by Parker Brothers Choppers.

The real-life hubless space-age bike is an amazing recreation of the CGI graphics from the film and is in reality 8ft long, 23-inches wide and 474lbs.

Incredibly the Light Cycle is street-legal and can hit speeds of up to 120 miles per hourl

A real life Light Cycles made by U.S. bike store Parker Brothers Choppers, based in Florida which sas unveiled ten custom-built vehicles

Only five of the machines are being produced by Florida-based Parker Brothers Choppers and cost $55,000 each.

Operations manager Jeff Halverson explained: 'It has a TL1000R motor that powers the chain driven friction drive system.

'It can go up to 120 miles per hour but we haven't taken it up to that speed yet.

'The hardest part of the build was trying to go from the CGI of the movie to a real-life situation.'

The company recorded the bike building process on camera and released it on YouTube where it quickly went viral.

The YouTube video of it being taken o a test drive has already notched up more than 700,000 views.

A still from the new Tron: Legacy film which shows computer programmes and humans racing on Lightcycles

The bike being built in the workshop. The incredible bike has a TL1000R motor that powers the chain driven friction drive system.

'We pretty much started out just seeing if we could make it,' Halverson said.

'We put up the videos on YouTube and it got a pretty big following when it was done.

'After the third day it went viral and at the last check we were at about 800,000 hits on the video - much bigger than we expected.'

The YouTube coverage attracted the attention of Disney and the film producers behind Tron: Legacy, who approached the company to use the bike at promotional events for the new film.

'The one we have at the moment is a prototype,' said Halverson.

'But we've got another four in production for a total of five - four of those are already taken so there's just one available for sale at the moment.'

As well as looks the bike also has some space age technology built in - including a port for an iPad that, when connected, will download ride stats from the onboard computer.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1339119/The-real-Tron-Lightcycle-hit-120mph-costs-55-000.html#ixzz18KajvX4t

Lighthouse covered in ice is fairy castle...

Lighthouse transformed into a fairy castle after being encased in sparkling ice

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 2:05 AM on 17th December 2010

Rising from the water in shimmering tiers, it looks more like a fairy tale castle than a lighthouse.

But this incredible sculpture was actually created by layers of frost encrusted on the walls of the structure which sits at Cleveland Harbour on the shores of Lake Erie, Ohio.

Sub-zero air temperatures have caused the water to freeze in multiple layers, coating the entire building in ice. It has also made it virtually impossible for mariners to see the light. 

Spectacular: A small break in the cloud lights up the ice encrusted lighthouse at Cleveland Harbour, on Lake Erie, Ohio

Pounded by the waves: Icy storms have been pounding much of the States for days

The phenomenon was created by bone-chilling storms which have plagued the Midwest for days before sweeping through the Northeast and on into Canada. Hundreds of motorists have been stranded on a southern Ontario highway.

Usual conditions: The lighthouse looks completely different without its icy winter coating

More snow fell yesterday in parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. The frigid temperatures stretched into the deep South, where hard freeze warnings were in effect overnight in much of Florida. Hundreds of schools were closed or opening late.

Canadian officials said about 150 of the estimated 300 people trapped in their vehicles on Highway 402 near Sarnia, Ontario, had been rescued, as many as a dozen by military helicopters. 

Many people are staying with their vehicles. Sarnia is about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Detroit. Ontario Community Safety Minister Jim Bradley said he had no reports of deaths or injuries among the stranded.

In northern Ohio, the wintry blast created risky driving conditions and pushed some university exams to Christmas week.

 

Commuters walking on snow-encrusted sidewalks clutched hats and tugged scarves tightly against the windy onslaught in Cleveland, where as much as 9 more inches (23 more centimeters) could fall before a storm warning expires Wednesday morning. Up to 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow has already fallen in parts of the snow belt east of the city.

Buffalo is used to getting thumped by lake effect storms coming off Lake Erie.

Helicopters were being used on Florida's valuable and sensitive vegetable crops, an unusual approach by farmers worried that an uncommon freeze could wipe out their harvests. The choppers hover low over fields to push warmer air closer to the plants.

It was too windy to use helicopters Tuesday morning, but farmer John Hundley said he would try Tuesday night if winds calmed and temperatures did not warm up.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339132/Lighthouse-transformed-fairy-castle-encased-sparkling-ice.html#ixzz18KZme3LZ

Powerful storm uncovers 2000 year old treasure..-Israel

'The sea gave her back': Wonder in Israel as ancient Roman statue buried for centuries is uncovered by powerful winter storm

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 9:31 AM on 16th December 2010

A long-lost Roman statue buried for thousands of years has been unearthed by massive winter storms that have lashed the coast of Israel this week.

The mysterious white-marble figure of a woman in toga and 'beautifully detailed' sandals was found in the remains of a cliff that crumbled under the force of 60mph winds and enormous 40ft waves.

The statue, which lacks a head and arms, is about 4ft tall and weighs 440lbs. It was found at the ancient port of Ashkelon, around 20 miles south of Tel Aviv.

Enlarge 

Welcome back: A Roman statue buried for centuries is removed from the shore of the Mediterranean sea in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Tuesday

Lady of the sea: The statue, made of white marble, stands about 4ft tall and weighs 440lbs. It is of a headless, armless woman wearing a toga and 'incredibly detailed' sandals

It dates back to the Roman occupation of what was western Judea, between 1,800 and 2,000 years ago.

The incredible find, which was discovered by a passer-by, will now be put on display in a museum.

'The sea gave us this amazing statue', researcher Yigal Israeli said. 'The statue fell into the sea when the ancient maritime cliff collapsed'.

But the find has been tinged with heartbreak for researchers after the storms destroyed the breakers protecting the Roman-era port of Caesarea, threatening to wash away one of the world's most important historic sites.

Easy does it: A workman guides the statue as it is slowly lowered to the ground after being hauled up from the bottom of the cliff

Israeli archaeologists have now declared a 'national disaster' and warned the popular tourist attraction was in danger of suffering irreversible damage.

The Mediterranean port, near Israel's third largest city Haifa, was built by Herod the Great shortly before the birth of Christ and served as the seat of government for Pontius Pilate.

Zeev Margalit, a spokesman for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said his agency had warned the government several times in recent months of the danger to the port.

'If Israel does not react immediately then a major international heritage site will be lost', he said.

‘It is a matter of time until it all collapses'.

Shuka Dorfman, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority added: 'The damage is tremendous and dramatic.

'With the collapse of the breakwater, the antique treasures in the Caesarea National Park are exposed to harm from the Ocean'.

While Roman and crusader fortifications were damaged in the gale, it is the loss of the modern breakwater that has archaeologists most worried.

Enlarge 

The barrier affords Caesarea, fragile because of erosion and a lack of natural sand, crucial protection from the waves. Officials warned that further heavy rain could easily cause the excavations to slide into the Mediterranean.

The winds also damaged a number of breakwaters and levees which protect coastal communities.

Also recovered at the Ashkelon site were fragments of a Roman bath-house and mosaics. 

Authorities have now removed the marble statue from the site to study it.

Ashkelon was also the site of another amazing find in 1988 when the skeletons of 100 Roman-era babies were discovered in a sewer beneath a bath house.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339051/The-sea-gave-Wonder-Israel-ancient-Roman-statue-buried-thousands-years-uncovered-storm.html#ixzz18GadiAKv

TV game show makes a boob of it....

Countdown 'largebaps' gaffe leaves Channel 4 blushing 

Channel 4 bosses were left red-faced after making a real boob of a Countdown Conundrum.

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Jeff Stelling and Rachel Riley laughed off the boob conundrum

Contestants on the afternoon quiz show fought back the giggles yesterday as host Jeff Stelling revealed the clue to the shows final word game was ‘largebaps.’ 

But the blushes didn't end there as one contestant buzzed in to solve the jumbled up word, which was actually ‘graspable.’ 

Stelling, who also presents Sky Sports Soccer Saturday show, acknowledged the tense finale saying: ‘Thats quite brilliant, I thought that was an impossible conundrum.’ 

A spokesman for Channel 4 said: ‘I think viewers of the show will be aware of the tongue in cheek nature of the show.’ 

‘It's really up to the viewer to construe whether they think the combination of clue and answer was inappropriate.’ 

‘All of the show’s content is carefully considered to make sure it is suitable for broadcast at that time of day.’ 

‘If those two words were put together intentionally, they certainly were not meant to cause offence.’ 

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/850511-countdown-largebaps-gaffe-leaves-channel-4-blushing#ixzz18B33UcZq