odd things found in the news

Untidy beds may keep us healthy

House dust mites are linked to asthma
Failing to make your bed in the morning may actually help keep you healthy, scientists believe.
Research suggests that while an unmade bed may look scruffy it is also unappealing to house dust mites thought to cause asthma and other allergies.

A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed.

The average bed could be home to up to 1.5 million house dust mites.

The bugs, which are less than a millimetre long, feed on scales of human skin and produce allergens which are easily inhaled during sleep.

The warm, damp conditions created in an occupied bed are ideal for the creatures, but they are less likely to thrive when moisture is in shorter supply.

'Small glands'

The scientists developed a computer model to track how changes in the home can reduce numbers of dust mites in beds.


Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die
Dr Stephen Pretlove
Researcher Dr Stephen Pretlove said: "We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body.

"Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die."

In the next stage of their research, the scientists are putting mite pockets into beds in 36 houses around the United Kingdom to test their computer model and will investigate how people's daily routines affect mite populations.

Building features such as heating, ventilation and insulation will also be altered to monitor how the mites cope.

Dr Pretlove said the research had the potential to reduce the £700m spent treating mite-induced illnesses each year in the UK.

"Our findings could help building designers create healthy homes and healthcare workers point out environments most at risk from mites."

Dr Matt Hallsworth, of the charity Asthma UK, said: 'House-dust mite allergen can be an important trigger for many people with asthma, but is notoriously difficult to avoid."

Professor Andrew Wardlaw, of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, agreed.

He said: "Mites are very important in asthma and allergy and it would be good if ways were found to modifiy the home so that mite concentrations were reduced.

"It is true that mites need humid conditions to thrive and cannot survive in very dry (desert like) conditions.

"However, most homes in the UK are sufficiently humid for the mites to do well and I find it hard to believe that simply not making your bed would have any impact on the overall humidity."

assenger was found on an airplane, alone, nearly four hours after everyone else got off. It's adding a new twist to airport security concerns, as the incident is raising questions about who's watching the planes we fly.

When the 50-seat United Express commuter plane arrived at Philadelphia Airport just after midnight, everyone got off – except Ginger McGuire.

"I fell asleep on the plane. Next thing you know, I wake up at four o'clock in the morning, nobody's on the plane, nothing," McGuire said.

McGuire had been left alone after the 65-minute flight, sleeping on the empty commuter jet for nearly four hours before she was found by the plane's cleaning crew.

"I'm completely freaked out at this point," McGuire said. "I'm like, 'oh my God, why didn't somebody wake me up?'"

Passengers who expect the airlines to be vigilant say leaving a person alone, with easy access, on a plane is a clear lapse in security.

"I can't believe, on a 50-passenger plane, nobody would wake someone up like that," passenger Trevor Hirz said.

"In a sense it is a security issue, because if you're not paying attention to that, what else are you not paying attention to?" passenger Benito Martinez said.

A spokesperson for United Express released the following statement: "We are working closely with our partner, Trans States [Airlines], to investigate the cause and remedy the situation with the customer."

McGuire blames the airline.

"[This is] really easy stuff. All this drama could have been avoided if someone just made the effort to, number one, wake me up, and number two, not to just leave me there," McGuire said.

A spokesperson for Trans States, the commuter airline, says it's standard protocol to make sure all passengers are safely off the plane at the end of every flight.

McGuire, who works at a cable TV station in a Detroit suburb, says the crew simply forgot her.

(CNN) -- Finland has become the first country in the world to make broadband internet access a legal right for all citizens.
The legislation, which came into effect Thursday, forces telecom operators to provide a reasonably priced broadband connection with a downstream rate of at least one megabit per second (mbs) to every permanent residence and office, the Finnish government said in a statement.
"From now on a reasonably priced broadband connection will be everyone's basic right in Finland," said Finnish communications minister Suvi Linden. "This is absolutely one of the government's most significant achievements in regional policy and I am proud of it.
"I hope that people will make use of the opportunity and turn to telecom operators in the area they live."
The "universal service obligation" as it is known means broadband access is considered a staple commodity alongside services such as telephone and postal services, according to the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA).
FICORA said it had assigned 26 telecommunications companies as universal service providers across the nation. It said a monthly fee of Euros 30 to 40 (around $37 to $47) would be reasonable in most cases.
Finland is one of the world's most wired nations, and numbers corporations such as telecommunications giant Nokia among its successes.
Laura Vilkkonen, legislative counselor for the Ministry of Transport and Communications, told CNN in October 2009 that 95 percent of the population has some form of internet access.
Statistics released by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development) for December 2009 put broadband penetration in Finland at 26.7 percent, compared to 26.4 per cent for the United States. The Netherlands and Denmark ranked equal first at 37.1 percent each.
A report issued by the European Union in November last year stated that 24 percent of the EU population had a broadband access line subscription in July 2009.
It added that 80 per cent of broadband lines in the EU had download speeds of two mbs or greater.

(CNN) -- A highway-worthy airplane moves one step closer to production with a recent weight exemption approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Transition Roadable Aircraft, developed by Massachusetts-based engineering firm Terrafugia, will be allowed a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, the same allowance made for aircraft designed to operate on water.
Other planes in the class, called Light Sport Aircraft, are limited to a maximum takeoff weight of 1,320 pounds.
"The main reason for that additional weight is the additional safety features that the Transition has -- because it's designed to be operated on the road -- that aren't found in other light aircraft," said Anna Dietrich, Terrafugia's chief operating officer.
A protective safety cage, airbags and an energy absorbing crumple zone are among the extra features.
Light sport aircraft are limited to carrying two people -- a pilot and a passenger. The pilot must have a Sport Pilot certificate, which requires 20 hours of flight training. "It's a certification more appropriate to the size and complexity of these simple aircraft," Dietrich said.
"There's actually programs that you can do in about two weeks. You can take a couple weeks off of work and come home a pilot, so it's a very accessible, very exciting way of getting into aviation and giving yourself that additional freedom and flexibility," Dietrich said.
Going from plane to car "takes about the same amount of time as putting down your convertible top," and the transition takes place from inside the cockpit. After landing, a cockpit-operated system folds up the wings, and the pilot can drive away.
Transition is designed for trips of up to about 450 miles and can travel about 100 miles per hour in the air and "highway speeds" on the ground of "65, 70, [miles per hour] -- something like that," Dietrich said.
"We're really not pushing the performance as an automobile because it is really designed to be used as an airplane that has this additional capability," she said.
"Functionally, it's a lot closer to an airplane than it would be to your car."
The price is more in line with aircraft as well; Terrafugia anticipates the Transition will cost $194,000. The first delivery will occur in about 18 months, Dietrich said.
The Transition still has to receive FAA certification and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration testing before it goes into production. The Transition completed more than 20 test flights last year.

Maggots falling from an overhead luggage locker have forced a US Airways flight to return to the gate at Atlanta airport.

"Bugs just began to fall out of the overhead compartment" causing panic on board, passenger Desiree Harrell was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

All the passengers were then asked to get off so crews could clean the plane.

The airline said a container of spoiled meat brought on by a passenger caused the delay of the flight to Charlotte.

Continue reading the main story
All of a sudden, I felt somebody flick the back of my hair and on the front of me came a maggot

Donna Adamo
passenger
It said that after landing in North Carolina, the plane was taken out of service and fumigated.

'Creeped out'
Donna Adamo, a passenger on board flight 1537, said she first noticed a couple of flies when she got to her seat on Monday but did not pay much attention to that.

As the plane was taxiing, she said she heard a passenger behind her causing a commotion and refusing to take her seat.

"Then I heard the word 'maggot' and that kind of got everybody creeped out," Ms Adamo told AP.

Passengers were asked to get off because of a "minor emergency"
"All of a sudden, I felt somebody flick the back of my hair and on the front of me came a maggot, which I flicked off me.

But she said she "felt like they were crawling all over me because it only takes one maggot to upset your world".

"And as they're telling us to stay calm and seated, I see a maggot looking back at me and I'm thinking, 'These are anaerobic, flesh-eating larvae that the flight attendants don't have to sit with.'"

Ms Adamo said the pilot then announced that he had to return to the gate because of a "minor emergency on board".

The plane was cleaned and then continued on to Charlotte.

However, the unnamed passenger who brought the spoiled meat in a carry-on bag was put on another flight, US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said.

It was not immediately clear how the passenger managed to take the meat on board.

edie wrote:

(CNN) -- A highway-worthy airplane moves one step closer to production with a recent weight exemption approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Transition Roadable Aircraft, developed by Massachusetts-based engineering firm Terrafugia, will be allowed a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, the same allowance made for aircraft designed to operate on water.
Other planes in the class, called Light Sport Aircraft, are limited to a maximum takeoff weight of 1,320 pounds.
"The main reason for that additional weight is the additional safety features that the Transition has -- because it's designed to be operated on the road -- that aren't found in other light aircraft," said Anna Dietrich, Terrafugia's chief operating officer.
A protective safety cage, airbags and an energy absorbing crumple zone are among the extra features.
Light sport aircraft are limited to carrying two people -- a pilot and a passenger. The pilot must have a Sport Pilot certificate, which requires 20 hours of flight training. "It's a certification more appropriate to the size and complexity of these simple aircraft," Dietrich said.
"There's actually programs that you can do in about two weeks. You can take a couple weeks off of work and come home a pilot, so it's a very accessible, very exciting way of getting into aviation and giving yourself that additional freedom and flexibility," Dietrich said.
Going from plane to car "takes about the same amount of time as putting down your convertible top," and the transition takes place from inside the cockpit. After landing, a cockpit-operated system folds up the wings, and the pilot can drive away.
Transition is designed for trips of up to about 450 miles and can travel about 100 miles per hour in the air and "highway speeds" on the ground of "65, 70, [miles per hour] -- something like that," Dietrich said.
"We're really not pushing the performance as an automobile because it is really designed to be used as an airplane that has this additional capability," she said.
"Functionally, it's a lot closer to an airplane than it would be to your car."
The price is more in line with aircraft as well; Terrafugia anticipates the Transition will cost $194,000. The first delivery will occur in about 18 months, Dietrich said.
The Transition still has to receive FAA certification and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration testing before it goes into production. The Transition completed more than 20 test flights last year.

haha yeah i heard this a while ago but i really dint think they were for real roflol

Grasshopper wrote:Woman tells of horror at being bitten by a fox on two separate nights

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1291555/Woman-tells-horror-bitten-fox-separate-nights.html#ixzz0sjxLuyFJ

The mating habits of deep-sea squid have been revealed for the first time, after the discovery of a male squid with a huge elongated and erect penis.
The male squid's sexual organ is almost as long as its whole body, including the squid's mantle, head and arms.
That shows how male deep-sea squid inseminate females; they use their huge penis to shoot out packages of sperm, injecting them into the female's body.
The discovery may also help explain how giant squid mate in the ocean depths.

When the mantle of the squid was opened, we witnessed an unusual event
Dr Alexander Arkhipkin
Falkland Islands Government Fisheries Department
Deep-water fisheries expert Dr Alexander Arkhipkin of the Falkland Islands Government Fisheries Department, based in Stanley, explains how he and his colleagues made the discovery, details of which are published in the Journal of Molluscan Studies.

Up to 10,000 people show up each year to bare their behinds to passing Amtrak trains
The southern Californian city of Laguna Niguel has been enjoying an annual ritual, in which locals and visitors bare their bottoms at passing trains.

For 30 years, the city has hosted "Mooning Amtrak" as crowds line up along the railway tracks, dropping their trousers when a train passes by.

Up to 10,000 people take part, and visitors are encouraged to leave their cars at home and arrive by train.

Local legend has it the tradition began in 1979, after a bar room bet.

Continue reading the main story
Can I decorate my butt? Yes, that's OK

Moon Amtrak website
A drinker at the Mugs Away Saloon, which stands directly across the road from the railway, offered to buy a drink for anyone who would run outside and moon at the next train.

One customer took him at his word, and a ritual was born.

Each year the event grows, with crowds swelled by word of mouth and enthusiastic reports from radio DJs on local radio stations.

There were reports in 2008 of surging crowds and drunkenness, and police and a helicopter were called in from neighbouring towns to maintain order.

Last year the city, which lies in Orange County between Los Angeles and San Diego, decided enough was enough.

"Avoid the area this year," the city warned on its website home page. It added in a breezy Twitter feed that the city was "saying 'NO' to crack".

Moon Amtrak enthusiasts were not impressed.

Each year the event grows, with crowds of up to 10,000 reported
Mugs Away regular Rick Sanchez blamed a "stuffy, yuppie mayor" who had "never even been to a mooning", the Wall Street Journal reported.

The event even has its own website, this year proudly headed "31st Annual Mooning of Amtrak". It also promoted a newer offshoot: "5th Annual Mooning of Metrolink".

It features directions to Camino Capistrano, the road where trousers and dignity are dropped each year, and helpfully lists train times through the day, so that people can schedule their disrobing.

And after 8pm, there is night mooning. "Bring a flash light with plenty of batteries, or better yet, bring a camping lantern," the website advises.

There is even a "Frequently Asked Questions" section for mooning debutantes. "Can I decorate my butt?" is one FAQ.

Yes, that's OK, apparently.

A drunk man who climbed into a crocodile enclosure in Australia and attempted to ride a 5m (16ft) long crocodile has survived his encounter.

The crocodile, called Fatso, bit the 36-year-old man's leg, tearing chunks of flesh from him as he straddled the reptile.

He received surgery to serious wounds to his leg and is recovering in hospital, police say.

He had been chucked out of a pub in the town of Broome for being too drunk.

The man, Michael Newman, climbed over a fence and tried to sit on the 800kg (1,800lb) saltwater crocodile.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

If it had been warmer and Fatso was more alert, we would have been dealing with a fatality”

Malcolm Douglas
"Fatso has taken offence to this and has spun around and bit this man on the right leg," Sgt Roger Haynes of Broome police told journalists.

"The crocodile has let him go and he's been able to scale the fence again and leave the wildlife park."

'Right mind'
Malcolm Douglas, the park's owner, said that the crocodile was capable of crushing a man to death with a single bite.

"The man who climbed the fence was fortunate because Fatso was a bit more sluggish than normal, due to the cooler nights we have been experiencing in Broome," said Mr Douglas.

"If it had been warmer and Fatso was more alert, we would have been dealing with a fatality."

"No person in their right mind would try to sit on a 5m crocodile, Saltwater crocodiles, once they get hold of you, are not renowned for letting you go."

The man staggered back to the pub bleeding heavily.

Pub manager Mark Phillips said staff told him that the man reappeared at about 11pm with bits of bark hanging off him and flesh gouged out of his limbs.

"They said he had chunks out of his legs and things like that," Mr Phillips told The West Australian news website.

An average of two people are killed each year in Australia by aggressive saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 7m (23 ft) long and weigh more than a tonne.