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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Nostalgic Star Flyer, the worldwide highest roundabout

Praterturm,
Nostalgic Star Flyer,

the worldwide highest roundabout,
height: 117m (385ft),

location: Wiener Prater,
manufacturer: Funtime,
foundation: 720 tonns,
steel construction: 200 tons,
build: 2010,
video: onride and offride






Saturday, August 28, 2010

Schiller - ein schoener Tag

Landslides strike Zhouqu County, China

At midnight on Sunday, August 8th, a temporary lake caused by a recent landslide broke loose above the town of Zhouqu, in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China. The outflow slid down the valley as a wall of mud, wiping out houses and muli-story buildings, and killing at least 1,144 residents - with over 600 still reported as missing. More than 10,000 soldiers and rescuers arrived soon to comb through the mountains of mud that buried several parts of Zhouqu County. Engineers also worked to blast the debris that had passed through the town to partially block the Bailong River, causing further flooding. Collected here are images of the landslide-affected area of northwestern China, part of a series of disasters in Asia caused by recent heavy rains.

1. The landslide-hit town of Zhouqu in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, China on August 9, 2010. Chinese rescuers armed with little more than shovels and hoes hunted for survivors of a huge mudslide, as relatives of the missing trekked into the disaster zone to look for their loved ones. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
2. Women grieve near their relative's body in Zhouqu County, China on August 10, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Finland's passion for crazy contests


Wife carrying world championship

The mobile phone throwing world championship in Finland on Saturday is just one of many crazy contests on the country's summer diary. Helsingin Sanomat columnist Perttu Hakkinen asks why Finns have such a fondness for these wacky pursuits.

Finland is well-known for several reasons: mass-produced mobile phones, lakes - 190,000 of them - and boiling hot saunas.

Also, for Santa Claus and the Eurovision monsterman, Lordi.

Finnish summer sports and pastimes owe something to all of these things. The telecoms industry, the natural environment - and the country's gimmicky eccentric side.

The list includes boot throwing, wife carrying, mosquito slapping, mobile-phone throwing, swamp football, sauna endurance contests... and many more.

I guess all Finnish summer sports were invented by drunk people
Harri Kinnunen, boot-throwing world championships organiser

And it's probably no coincidence that of all the many countries where people exult in playing air guitar, it's Finland that hosts the world championships.

But no-one should assume that Finns treat these contests as a joke - nothing could be further from the truth. The players and fans involved really do mean business.

Vodka and envy

Here's my theory about how they originated.

A lake in Finland
The countryside is soothing, but some people want more

Almost every Finnish family has its very own summer cottage, ormoekki, where it hides every summer to escape annoying neighbours and noisy urban racket.

(Since Finland is a big country consisting mostly of trees and water, it's quite easy to find some soul-soothing peace.)

But after few days of relaxing country life, some Finns get bored. Activities like fishing, boozing or swimming lose their magic. Then it's time to call-up the annoying neighbours (or relatives) again, ask them to come over and get them to engage in some kind of contest. Toilet-paper throwing, for example.

The winner usually gets a bottle of cheap vodka and envious looks from their rivals. (Finnish people are quite competitive.)

But boredom is not the only motivating force behind weird summer sports.

"We can lure in 8,000 to 9,000 tourists during a weekend," says Eero Pitkaenen, announcer for the annual Wife-Carrying World Championships in Sonkajaervi.

This little village located in north-east Finland normally has a population of 4,825, so wife-carrying enthusiasts triple it every summer. And that means money.

Rubber boots

While the first Wife-Carrying World Championships were held only in 1992, the sport allegedly has its roots in a local 18th Century folktale. It is said that a cold-blooded bandit called Rosvo Ronkainen (Rosvo means "villain") used to snatch women from nearby villages, to have his way with them.

Boot being thrown in booth throwing competition

It is said that he didn't accept men in his posse who couldn't jump over a creek with a 100kg sack of grain on their shoulders.

The official 253.5m-long wife-carrying track seems to be influenced by this fable since it features different types of obstacle, including water.

Like wife carrying, boot throwing also goes back a long way, at least to the start of the 20th Century.

Quite how or why it began is unknown, but Harri Kinnunen, two-time organiser of the Boot Throwing World Championships, has a hunch.

"I think it's pretty obvious that some drunken people were sitting on a terrace after a sauna and saw a rubber boot," he chuckles as if no further explanation were required (the urge to pick the boot up and throw it being, quite obviously, irresistible).

"I guess all Finnish summer sports were invented by drunk people."

Urine samples

The UK and New Zealand have their own versions of this sport (wellie wanging and gumboot throwing) but the first world championships were held in Finland in 1992, and over the years a real sport has evolved.

Now it even has its own organisation IBTA (International Boot Throwing Association) its own official throwing boot, designed by Italian manufacturers, and strict anti-doping regulations.

"First time I was working as an organiser I received a phone call from a doctor who wanted to come around to collect urine samples," Kinnunen explains.

"I asked him a few times if it was a prank call."

It wasn't. A few years later one contestant was actually caught for using prohibited substances!

"Believe it or not, it's a dead serious sport," Kinnunen says.

Swamp soccer

The most popular summer sport in Finland, however, is not wife carrying or boot throwing, but swamp soccer (SS).

The SS World Championships can attract over 30,000 enthusiasts and 300 teams to the tiny northern village of Hyrynsalmi (population 2,895), travelling all the way from the UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Russia and Iceland.

The game is basically just like normal soccer, but it's played on a wet, marshy swamp.

It generates the same emotional behaviour. Every once in a while violence raises its ugly head. Players have been taken to hospital with nasty bruises or missing teeth.

There's one more factor that helps to explain the popularity of goofy sports in Finland - something I call "the blessed madness".

Blessed madness is basically an improvised rite where a member of community exalts himself by doing something stupid or dangerous.

Like, say, sitting naked on an ant's nest.

In a culture as stiff as Finland's, this ritual bears a great value and it also makes the culture more interesting in the eyes of strangers.

"Yeah, I know what the foreigners think," Kinnunen laughs. "Those crazy Finns!"

BP - Now that the oil well is capped...

Between April 20 and July 15, 2010, a generally accepted estimate of nearly 5 million barrels (200 million gallons) of crude oil emerged from the wellhead drilled into the seafloor by BP from the now-destroyed Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. Now that the flow of oil has been stopped, the impact of all the spilled oil and natural gas is still being measured. The current moratorium on deep water remains in place as reports from varying scientific groups are at odds about the extent of the remaining oil, and some fishing restrictions have already been lifted. As BP finalizes its work in killing the well, here is a collection of photos from around the Gulf of Mexico over the past couple of months, as all of those affected enter the next phase of this event.

1. Waves partially obscure the Development Driller II at left, and the Development Driller III, which are drilling the relief wells, at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast on Thursday, July 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
2. A dolphin swims through an oil sheen from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off East Grand Terre Island, where the Gulf of Mexico meets Barataria Bay, on the Louisiana coast, Saturday, July 31, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Why Most Shampoos are a Waste of Money

Why Most Shampoos are a Waste of Money
Why Most Shampoos are a Waste of Money

It’s the dirty little secret shampoo companies don’t want you to know—when you wash your hair with one of those nutrient-rich shampoos, most of the nutrients and active ingredients in the product don’t actually end up in your hair, they wind up down the drain… along with all the money you spent on the shampoo.

Why does this happen? Because the shampoo molecules they contain are too large to penetrate the cells of hair and more importantly the tiny hair follicles where our hair actually grows. They sit atop the follicle until we wash them away.

Why is that a problem? Think about it this way—if you wanted to fertilize a plant, where would you pour the fertilizer? On the leaves? Of course not! You’d pour the fertilizer on the root and the soil where it’s needed most. Our hair works basically the same way—if you want to treat your hair right, you need to treat the roots.

But if regular shampoo can’t penetrate the hair follicles where our roots grow, what are we supposed to do?

Fortunately, a California company called Kronos decided to tackle this problem. Their team of researchers designed a more-effective shampoo—one that contains tiny microscopic spheres so small that they penetrate hair follicles and deliver nutrients to where they’re needed most. They call it “T-Sfere Technology”.

Once they had solved the delivery method dilemma, they turned their attention to formulating ingredients that targetted the 5 most significant signs of damaged hair:

  1. Thinning hair that lacks volume
  2. Dry, frizzy, unmanageable hair
  3. Limp lackluster hair
  4. Damaged hair with split ends
  5. Hair with poor color retention

Does it work? Check out the results from the product’s clinical testing. In a recent study, the Kronos system was shown boost hair volume and body by an unprecedented 96%; increase hair hydration by 91%; improve luster and shine by 96%; reduce split ends and breakage by 96%; and virtually eliminate color fading for up to four weeks. It’s rare that a shampoo can provide so many amazing benefits.

Already, Kronos has quickly become one of the most talked about hair care systems out there. It was recently featured on the Today show and was rated the #1 Overnight Hair Treatment product by The Good Housekeeping Institute.

Since Kronos is still relatively new, the company is offering a limited amount of free trials of its 4-piece introductory kit, just so new customers can see the results for themselves before deciding whether or not they want to pay for their products.

The special trial includes a full, 60-day supply of four products that each feature the line's key ingredient complexes and delivery technology: Kronos Shampoo, Kronos Conditioner, the Phyx Overnight Repair Masque that repairs damaged hair while you sleep, and the Liquid Theory Conditioning Detangler that protects hair from thermal damage due to heat styling.

If you want to try this new way to shampoo, visit the Kronos website to see if these special Internet free trials are still being offered.

Continuing Russian wildfires

Though many have been contained, wildfires continue to rage throughout many parts of Russia. In a new twist to the situation, officials have confirmed that some forests that were contaminated with radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster have now burned, but it was unclear what danger the smoke from such wildfires could pose. Monitoring stations have not registered any increase in radioactivity as yet. Recent windy conditions have temporarily cleared the smoke from Moscow's skies, but it could possibly return soon. The area of burning forests in Russia is now 927 sq km (358 sq mi), down from from 1,740 sq km (676 sq m) only 24 hours ago. The economic costs of the fires are now estimated at up to 15 billion dollars.


1. Light shines through forest fire smoke near a Russian Orthodox church 30km from Moscow in Zelenaya Sloboda late on August 3, 2010. (ARTYOM KOROTAYEV/AFP/Getty Images)
2. A burning forest is seen near village Dolginino, Russia on August 4, 2010. (ARTYOM KOROTAYEV/AFP/Getty Images)

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Stormy skies

In the past several months, powerful storms have wreaked havoc in many places, torrential rains in central Europe and parts of China, tornadoes in Australia, Montana and the American Midwest, and strong thunderstorms across the northeast. Now, as Tropical Storm Bonnie makes landfall in Florida and heads into the Gulf of Mexico, oil cleanup is being suspended, and the final "kill" operation is delayed for at least one more week. These storms have been destructive and deadly, but beautiful and awe-inspiring at the same time. Collected here are a handful of photographs of stormy skies, lightning strikes and storm damage from the past several months.
1. A large storm cell moves over farmland between the towns of Ross and Stanley, North Dakota on Monday July 12, 2010. A tornado was reported to have touched down for a few minutes from the cell. (AP Photo/ The Forum, Dave Samson)
2. Lightning flashes across the sky over Maquoketa, Iowa Friday June 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Kevin E. Schmidt, Quad-City Times) MANDATORY CREDIT

Severe flooding in Pakistan

Between April 20 and July 15, 2010, a generally accepted estimate of nearly 5 million barrels (200 million gallons) of crude oil emerged from the wellhead drilled into the seafloor by BP from the now-destroyed Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. Now that the flow of oil has been stopped, the impact of all the spilled oil and natural gas is still being measured. The current moratorium on deep water remains in place as reports from varying scientific groups are at odds about the extent of the remaining oil, and some fishing restrictions have already been lifted. As BP finalizes its work in killing the well, here is a collection of photos from around the Gulf of Mexico over the past couple of months, as all of those affected enter the next phase of this event.

1. A boy hangs on to the front of a cargo truck while passing through a flooded road in Risalpur, located in Nowshera District in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province July 30, 2010. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif)
2. Men take refuge on a boat during heavy rain in Pakistan's Nowshera District on July 29, 2010. (REUTERS/K. Parvez)

Friday, August 20, 2010

lollitop readers... "click for more" message

Do you know this message -> CLICK for MORE... ???

Most of the lollitop's posts support the "click for more" feature.
This feature doesn't shows the entire content of a post but a small part of it.

With this way the initial page of the blog appeared quickly and you can see all the recent post at a glance without need to do extreme scrolls.

So, next time check if the post shows the message
CLICK for MORE...
as it contains more stuff for you.

Lets do it for this post...


you are lollitop reader indeed :)

Swimming Pool, Afghanistan


"A self-portrait running back and forth with a Petzl headlamp in an old Russian-built swimming pool that sits atop a hill in Kabul City, Afghanistan."—Casey Johnson

Severe flooding in Pakistan

It is only the start of the monsoon season, but already Pakistan is experiencing some of the worst flooding it has seen in over 80 years. Entire villages have been washed away, an early estimate of over 1,600 deaths so far and over 2 million displaced or otherwise affected. Not only is the immediate water damage causing havoc, the floods have inundated crop-producing areas, dealing a crippling blow to the agricultural-based economy and threatening a food crisis. The Pakistani government now struggles to rescue and provide aid to millions - while still fighting with militant Islamist forces in many of the hardest-hit regions. With even more heavy rains predicted in the coming days, here are a handful of recent photographs of Pakistanis as they cope with this latest disaster.

1. A boy hangs on to the front of a cargo truck while passing through a flooded road in Risalpur, located in Nowshera District in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province July 30, 2010. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif)
2. Men take refuge on a boat during heavy rain in Pakistan's Nowshera District on July 29, 2010. (REUTERS/K. Parvez)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Cleaning Dalian harbor

The oil spill resulting from a pipeline explosion in the port city of Dalian on July 16th [see previous entry] is being cleaned up by a small army of fisherman, locals, and government workers manning over 250 oil-skimming vessels and 8,000 fishing boats - much of the work being done by hand. The spill, now contained according to authorities, grew to 430 square kilometers (165 sq mi), but was prevented from fouling international waters. The explosion was due to improper desulfurizer injections into the pipeline, according to a report by Xinhua, China's state news agency. As workers continue their efforts and watchdog groups like Greenpeace level criticism for what they call an inadequate response to date, Dalian Port has already resumed operations at two of its oil berths, the company said on Sunday.
1. A worker cleans up oil at the oil spill site in the port near Dalian, China on July 23, 2010. Fuel exports remain temporarily halted, industry officials said amid continuing efforts to clean up an oil spill at the country's major port of Dalian. (REUTERS/Stringer)
2. Workers clean up oil spilled into Dalian Port, China on July 27, 2010. (REUTERS/Stringer)

Schiller - Let me love you (Official Video) HD

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Finalist dies at World Sauna event in Finland

A finalist in Finland finished!

The annual World Sauna Championships in Finland have ended in tragedy with the death of one of the finalists.


Spectators comfort each other after the accident - 8/08/10

Spectators were deeply shocked by the accident

Russian Vladimir Ladyzhensky and his Finnish rival, Timo Kaukonen, collapsed after suffering severe burns. Mr Ladyzhensky later died in hospital.

The event requires participants to withstand 110C (230F) for as long as possible. The men managed six minutes before judges noticed something amiss.

Its chief organiser said all the rules of the event had been followed.

Start Quote

It is not so unusual to have 110 degrees in a sauna. A lot of competitors before have sat in higher temperatures than that”

Ossi ArvelaOrganiser, World Sauna Championships

"All the rules were followed and there were enough first aid personnel. All the competitors needed to sign in to the competition with a doctor's certificate," Ossi Arvela told reporters in Heinola, where it was held.

Half a litre of water was added to the stove inside the sauna every 30 seconds, and the last person remaining was the winner. There was no prize other than "some small things", he told the Associated Press.

"I know this is very hard to understand to people outside Finland who are not familiar with the sauna habit," he said. "It is not so unusual to have 110 degrees in a sauna. A lot of competitors before have sat in higher temperatures than that."

Mr Kaukonen, the defending world champion, had refused to leave the sauna during the final despite appearing sick, Mr Arvela said. He is now said to be in a stable condition in hospital.

Mr Arvela said police were already investigating Mr Ladyzhensky's death, which he said had left the organisers grief-stricken.

The event, which had over 130 participants from 15 countries, had been held since 1999. The organisers said it would never be held again.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Millennium Bridge, London


St. Paul's Cathedral stands above the daily hustle and bustle on Millennium Bridge in London.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

10 Skills Every Man Should Have

The definition of being a man has changed drastically over the centuries. From he who can kill the buffalo, to he who can afford the most slaves, to he who can afford the tickets on the 50-yard line. The following ten points are the most important skills a man can have to survive in modern society.

10
Score a Baseball Game

Baseball-Score-Board.Jpg

Attention to detail and knowledge of the game are vital in the ability to properly score a game. Knowing that a runner touching home scores a run is not enough. A man should be able to document in only a few letters, numbers, and symbols everything that he sees happen from the first pitch to the final out. You should also be able to explain why “BB” means walk.

9
Build a Fire

822-Roaring-Fire

This seemingly basic skill is often overlooked by those who never joined the Boy Scouts. The skill was fine-tuned centuries ago, but one can never be sure when he will have to provide a fire for warmth, to cook, or for sheer pleasure. Start with small dry twigs in the shape of a teepee, and slowly build up to larger pieces of wood. Don’t smother it, but don’t let too much air in.

8
Tie a Tie

Picture 1-114

Imagine waking up the day of an important meeting or interview, showering, getting dressed, and then not being able to tie the tie. The open collar look might work for some of us, but for most it will simply look sloppy. There are plenty of videos on youtube to help you out. Personally I use a little cheat-sheet given to my grandfather by a department store in the ‘50s. Some things just don’t change with time. Looking good is one of them. I recommend learning the “four in hand” method as it is the simplest – the adventurous might want to try a full windsor. Be sure to have a dimple in the tie (as is visible in the picture above).

7
Hold Their Own in Any Sport

Picture 2-76

Whether in the pool hall or a volleyball game at the company picnic, no one wants to lose. More importantly, no one wants to look like an idiot. As they say, you can’t win them all, but you can keep yourself from being embarrassed. A man should know the basic skills of every major sport, football, basketball, soccer, baseball, hockey, and various forms of non athletic games such as poker, pool, and fishing. Also, one should be able to explain the rules and basic skills of any of these competitions to any woman who asks.

6
Car Maintenance

Fixing Car2.Jpg

Every man has been in this situation: On a date with a cute girl, when suddenly the car stops working. She looks at you with those wide eyes, assuming you know how to fix it. Surprise ladies, we are not all mechanics. However, a man should be able to change a tire, jump start a car, recognize any fluids in the car, and be able to get the car to someone who can fix it, while not showing weakness in front of his lady.



5
Wingman

How-To-Be-A-Good-Wingman

As a man, you have certain responsibilities to your friends. Possibly the most important one is to help him get laid. It may involve starting the conversation, or even distracting the less desirable friend. You should be able to accept anything short of long-term physical injury in order to help a buddy out. These acts should be rewarded for their bravery and must be re-paid.

4
Converse

Conversation1

A good conversation is almost an art form. The ability to be interesting and charismatic without dominating a conversation is a skill reserved for the real men amongst us. A man should have a good joke on hand, as well as a supported opinion of most current events, from the threat of Iran as a nuclear power to the Pacers’ need for a starting center.

3
Basic first aid

First Aid Kit 480X360

CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, dressing cuts, scrapes, burns, and bruises, are all invaluable skills that could benefit you to know. It could mean the difference between life and death, or simply make you more comfortable. The possible importance of these skills can not be understated. Knowing these skills will also keep you from panicking if the situation should arise. It will keep everyone safer and can save lives.

2
Fix things

Story-2

As Clint Eastwood said in Gran Torino, “WD-40, a vice grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone”. Most household problems, from squeaky doors to dripping faucets, can be fixed easily by anyone with a clue. Fixing things by yourself will save you money and be more satisfying than calling in a professional.

1
Cook

Gcsyoung Man Cooking

Long gone are the days of hunting and gathering, where any food was considered good food. A real man should know his way around a kitchen and be able to cook a good meal now and again. When in the company of others, ramen and poptarts do not count. Check out some of our previous lists for some tips and ideas.