Odd Articles ↓

Underwater Cabinet Meeting

“The Maldives government has made an eye-catching plea for climate change action by holding the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting. Politicians from the Indian Ocean island nation donned scuba gear this morning to send a message to world leaders ahead of December’s UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. The nation’s president Mohammed Nasheed has voiced fears the archipelago will be swamped by raising sea levels unless action is taken to reduce carbon emissions. The 30-minute cabinet meeting held six metres below sea-level was intended to show what the future could hold for the Maldives.” w/ photos

Grandmother Who Snores At 111 Decibels

“Grandmother-of-four Jenny Chapman has been diagnosed with one of Britain’s loudest snores and is noisier than a jet plane. Mrs Chapman, 60, snores every night at a window-rattling 111.6 decibels – eight decibels louder than the roar of a low-flying jet – much to the dismay of her long-suffering husband Colin, 62. The retired bank worker could drown out the sounds of a spinning washing machine, diesel truck, farm tractor or speeding express train. She regularly wakes herself up and Mr Chapman has had to retreat to the spare room at least five nights a week for the 18 years they have been married. She has snored throughout her entire life and one of her earliest memories is waking up to her sister pinching the bridge of her nose when she was five. Over the years Mrs Chapman has tried nose bands, pills, visited the doctor ‘countless’ times and even considered invasive surgery in a bid to cure her snoring.” w/ photos

Man With A Popeye-Esque Limb

“Boasting muscles a superhero would be proud of, Matthias Schlitte has good reason to be considered the toast of the German arm wrestling circuit. But a closer look reveals that only ONE of his arms is bestowed with bulging biceps. The 22-year-old’s whopping right forearm measures nearly 18in – and is in stark contrast to his puny left arm. Despite its odd appearance, Matthias’s Popeye-esque limb has strong-armed him into first place in a host of competitions, including the Iron Curtain Armwars in Blackburn and the German Championships in Haltern, this year.” w/ photos

The Stress Bracelet

“It is arguably one of the craziest gadgets to come out of the credit crunch – a bracelet which tells you when you are too stressed. If emotions are getting the better of you while you are trading during this recession, then don’t worry as help is literally at hand. Philips Electronics has teamed up with Dutch bank ABN AMRO to develop a system warning traders when they’re about to make a decision to buy or sell stocks while feeling overly emotional. The bracelet supposedly feels emotional states and sends radio signals to the bowl… As the user’s feelings intensify, the bowl glows yellow, orange and finally red. The emotion-detecting technology is a ‘galvanic skin response sensor’, said Philips’ design arm director Geert Christiaansen. ‘It’s a very nice way of saying it measures the way you sweat,’ he explained.” w/ photos

World’s Smallest Man Celebrates 18th Birthday

“Celebrating his birthday with a cake as big as him, 18-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar is now the smallest man in the world. The 2ft teen from Nepal is enjoying week-long celebrations with friends and family at his rural home in the foothills of the Himalayas. Head and shoulders shorter than He Ping Ping of China, who at 2ft 5in is the current holder of the world’s smallest man title, Khagendra is now waiting for official recognition from Guinness World Records. And, of course, he is looking for a girl of similar stature to marry.” w/ photos

The Veggie Spider

“A spider that dines almost exclusively on plants has been described by scientists. It is the first-known predominantly vegetarian spider; all of the other known 40,000 spider species are thought to be mainly carnivorous. Bagheera kiplingi, which is found in Central America and Mexico, bucks the meat-eating trend by feasting on acacia plants.” w/ photo + video

Photographer Literally Shoots His Subjects

“A photo shoot usually requires a photographer to just point a camera and snap – but U.S. artist Alan Sailer takes the process much more literally. The California-based photographer, 54, has captured a series of otherwise unassuming items as they explode on contact with a bullet. The dramatic results feature everything from flowers to fruit, as well as more unexpected items such as bacon and even snow globes. An expert at high-speed photography, Mr Sailer takes the pictures in a dark room positioned around 20cm from the target. The camera, which features a unique home-made flash, is set at a one-second delay.” w/ photos

The Old Olympics

“With a puff, a heave and a ho, 100-year-old Ruth Frith tossed a 9lb shot an astounding 14ft to win a gold medal at the World Masters Games yesterday. It must be said, though, that Mrs Frith was the only shot-put competitor game enough to turn up for the event in the women aged 100-104 category. Her possible competitors were too old to get to the Sydney stadium or didn’t have the strength to lift the weight. She was one of 28,292 competitors from 95 countries ranging in age from 24 to 101 who were taking part in the world’s biggest multi-sport event.” w/ photos

Fat Hedgehog Gets Stuck Through Hole

“Perhaps he had eaten just one too many slugs. Or maybe he had just underestimated the extent of his middle-aged spread. Either way this poor hedgehog was left in a most humiliating position when he managed to wedge himself firmly in this hole in a garden wall. Animal rescuers were called out to help the hapless animal which became wedged in a hole, the RSPCA said today. The adult hedgehog was spotted by a homeowner in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It was halfway through the hole with its front legs out one side and his back legs out the other. RSPCA inspector Jason Finch spent an hour carefully chipping away at the brickwork to free the hedgehog.” w/ photos

Dolphins Vs. Salmon

“How far would you go to grab yourself a bite to eat? This is the moment when a pair of bottlenose dolphins decided that two heads were better than one as they teamed up to snare a salmon. Scottish photographer Alistair Kemp was amazed when the hungry duo leapt out of the water chasing their unfortunate prey. The playful pair appeared to be having quite a lot of fun with their quarry and there was no escape for the salmon, despite its best efforts. The slippery customer kept the two dolphins amused as they dodged each other in the Moray Firth, Scotland, but ultimately, it was time for the salmon to admit defeat and fulfil its destiny as dolphin food.” w/ photos