Yakini the gorilla is no longer the sweet baby

He was the tiny gorilla who enchanted people around the world with his reaction when having his heart tested just after his birth in 1999. But Yakini the gorilla is no longer the sweet baby captured in the endearing picture above .
He is now a gigantic 245lb beast who has to be sedated by vets to be examined.

Truth or Lie: How to Tell

Is Herman Cain telling the truth or is he lying about the circumstances surrounding the sexual harassment claims made against him by women who worked under him while he oversaw the National Restaurant Association? As the questions multiply over the nature of the case, Cain is maintaining, for the most part, a poker face. But as detective shows and police know, liars always have their tells.
 In this slideshow, explore the different techniques for detecting a liar.

 

Dogs Walked by Men Are More Aggressive

"Dogs being walked by men are four times more likely to threaten and bite other dogs and dogs on a leash are more likely to act aggressively than dogs off the leash. These are just a couple of revelations about dog walking behavior from an extensive new study that examined how a dog's age, sex and size, as well as the owner's sex and use of a leash, affect how canines act on their walks. The study, accepted for publication in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science, surprisingly found that the sex of the owner had the biggest effect on whether or not the dog would threaten or bite another dog."
By Jennifer Viegas / Discovery News / more
 

The Emo Elephant

via

 

knight on a harley

Imgur

Piracy May Boost Sales, Judge Concludes

"A Spanish judge came to an interesting conclusion in a case dealing with a seller of pirated copies. According to the judge the defendant doesn’t have to pay compensation to the rightsholders because it is not possible to determine to what extent piracy actually decreases sales. On the contrary, the judge suggests that piracy may even boost sales."
via TorrentFreak / more

The biggest spider web in the world

The spider attaches a line of silk to the tree branch she is standing on, by the side of a river, and bungee-jumps into space. Dangling in mid-air, she begins spewing out silk. And more silk.
And still more silk.
  via New Scientist / more

Is this proof Ice Age cartoon star Scrat the sabre-toothed squirrel really did exist?

"A bizarre pre-historic mammal that looked just like the fictional sabre-toothed squirrel in the Ice Age movies has been unearthed in South America. The primitive mouse-sized creature lived among the dinosaurs up to 100million years ago and sported a snout, very long teeth and large eyes - just like popular animated character Scrat. Its discovery in Argentina bridges a gap of about 60million years in the mammalian fossil record on the continent and provides an insight into a largely unexplored period."
  read more

Papandreou's announcement

Matt

Greek Premier, Papandreou, Vows December Vote on Debt Deal

Prime Minister George A. Papandreou of Greece emerged from a meeting with Europe’s leaders here on Wednesday pledging to hold a referendum on a new European debt deal on Dec. 4 or 5.After the talks, held before a summit meeting of the Group of 20, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and others said that they regretted that Greece had reached this point but that it was best to clear up the uncertainty. In a news conference late Wednesday night, Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Sarkozy also said that the comprehensive package to protect the euro, agreed to last week in Brussels by all 17 nations that use the currency, had to be upheld. It was up to the Greek people, they said, to decide whether they want to commit to the agreement — which includes banks’ taking a 50 percent loss on the face value of their Greek debt — and to continue to use the euro. Mrs. Merkel said the referendum “in essence is about nothing else but the question, does Greece want to stay in the euro zone, yes or no?”
  via NYTimes.com /more

Mac on...the Greek eurozone dilemma

'It's a Mr Papandreou. How much would we offer for the rest of the Parthenon?'

  Mac | Mail Online

Is this six-inch knife used by Victorian serial killer? - Telegraph

"It was found among possessions belonging to Welsh surgeon Sir John Williams, a chief suspect in the Victorian murders. Sir John, known to his family at the time of the killings as "Uncle Jack" was the surgeon to Queen Victoria who lived in London at the time of the slayings. He fled the capital after the murders and later founded the National Library for Wales in Aberystwyth. One of his distant relatives has now unearthed the old black-handled surgeon's knife, which he used for operations, and believes it could be the murder weapon. Tony Williams, 49, Sir John's great-great-great-great nephew, has now published a book, which features the startling image of the knife, to expose his relative's guilt." 

  via Telegraph / more

Light My Fire

Bent Object of my Affection: everyday objects act out love in a book by Terry Border - Telegraph

Here's a puppy to make you feel better.

via 

It’s ok

Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats 

Travel fast

more here

Magical Viking stone

A Viking legend which tells of a glowing "sunstone" that, when held up to the sky, disclosed the position of the Sun on a cloudy day may have some basis in truth, scientists believe.
 Here are some facts about vikings. 

 

Secret lives of squirrels

Quirky grey squirrel pictures by Kathy Pruyn - Telegraph

John F Kennedy's 'don't ask' speech inspired by school headmaster

"In his 14-minute 1961 inaugural speech, which addressed the United States' role in the Cold War, Kennedy told Americans to ''ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.''
Kennedy, it turns out, had heard something like it before.
Two documents unearthed by MSNBC television host Chris Matthews in his book "Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero,'' show that the future president's headmaster at the elite Choate boarding school in Connecticut in the early 1930s had used a similar exhortation."
via Telegraph /more

Overjoyed Spaniel welcomes home her master as Libya Tornado crews return

Jezebel the excited Spaniel couldn't wait to see owner Steve Morris after the Flight Lieutenant returned from his mission in the skies over Libya.

 

Zagreb will host European gay conference in 2013

 "Zagreb was chosen as the next city to host the ILGA conference in the year 2013. That has been decided at the annual ILGA conference which was held from the 27th till 30th of October in Torino. Iskorak association – the Center for the rights of sexual minorities and the lesbian association Kontra are going to be the promoters of the annual ILGA conference in Zagreb 2013."
via Dalje.com / more

Cyanide & Happiness

Explosm.net

Just a puppy sitting on another puppy's head..

via

 

Animals That Saw Me by Ed Panar

"Ed Panar has seen many animals, and they have seen him right back. Other things Ed’s seen include potted plants guarding shop entrances as if bouncers, skeletal tree roots, mean-looking snowmen, etc., but it’s his apparent affinity with animals that stands out."
Animals That Saw Me by Ed Panar (12 pics) - Fishki.Net 

Ai Weiwei hit with £1.5m tax bill

A photographer takes a photo of a work by Ai Weiwei entitled 'Marble Arm' at the Hong Kong International Art Fair

"The police have been trying to pressure me to just pay the bill, trying to scare me, warning that if I don't pay I'll be in more trouble," a furious-sounding Mr Ai told The Telegraph by telephone. "China is so rich and powerful, but it is a country without law." The tax demand, which was served by two officials who came to Mr Ai's Beijing studio on Tuesday morning, is the latest clash between China's authoritarian state and Mr Ai who repeatedly used his celebrity to draw attention to the lack of civil and political rights in China. 

via Telegraph / more

How the recession is hurting our pets

Photograph: Simon Belcher/Alamy

 "Animal sanctuaries say they are full to bursting as formerly beloved pets from cats to chameleons are handed over by owners who can no longer afford them. Cases of neglect are also on the rise, according to the charities, some of which have had to stop taking on healthy animals because of the pressure of emergency cases. An increasing number of owners are taking the extreme measures of abandoning their animals at the vet, in repossessed homes and even on the streets, just to be rid of them."
  via The Guardian / more

Markets Tumble as Greece Sets Referendum on Latest Europe Aid Deal

"In a surprise move that jolted Europe and put his political future in play, Prime Minister George A. Papandreou announced late Monday that his government would hold a referendum on a new aid package for Greece, putting austerity measures — and potentially membership in the euro zone — to a popular vote for the first time. The announcement sent tremors through Europe’s markets on Tuesday, with bank stocks taking a particular hammering. French and German indexes were down by more than 3 percent while, in Britain, which is not a member of the euro zone but trades heavily with continental Europe — the FTSE 100 index was down by 2.5 percent. Mr. Papandreou’s surprise promise of a vote on the austerity package introduced a note of uncertainty in what had seemed to be a done deal, threatening a comprehensive agreement reached by European leaders last week to shore up the euro zone. A rejection by the voters would also be likely to be treated as a vote of no confidence in the government and lead to early elections."
  via NYTimes.com /more

Aging and Golfing

Arthur is 90 years old. He's played golf every day since his retirement 25 years ago. 

 One day he arrives home looking downcast. "That's it," he tells his wife, "I'm giving up golf. 

My eyesight has gotten so bad, once I've hit the ball, I can't see where it went." His wife sympathizes. 

As they sit down she says, "Why don't you take my brother with you, and give it one more try?"

 "That's no good," sighs Arthur. "Your brother is 95 years old. He can't help." 

 "He may be a 95," says the wife, "but his eyesight is perfect."

 So the next day Arthur heads off to the golf course with his brother-in-law.

 He tees up, takes an almighty swing and squints down the fairway.

 He turns to the brother-in-law, "Did you see the ball?"

 "Of course I did," says the brother-in-law, "I have perfect eyesight." 

 "Where did it go?" asks Arthur. 

 "I don't remember."

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