Brentwood International

Wood density is the key to Stradivarius unique sound

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 2 Jul 2008 19:45:00 -0500

Researchers using a medical scanner have worked out why a Stradivarius violin sounds so good -- it is because of the remarkably even density of the wood. For the past 300 years, musicians and scientists have puzzled over the unparalleled quality of classical Cremonese violins made by Italian masters like Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu. Now a Dutch doctor and a violin maker from Arkansas think they have cracked the mystery after comparing five classical and eight modern violins in a computed tomography (CT) scanner normally used to examine patients.

Using an adaptation of a computer program developed to calculate lung densities in people with emphysema, they were able to analyze the physical properties of violins without risking damage to instruments worth millions of dollars.

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Stunning Hostage Rescue in Colombia

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 2 Jul 2008 19:42:10 -0500

Betancourt, U.S. contractors rescued from FARC

In a secret operation a U.S. official called "brilliant," the Colombian military infiltrated rebel group FARC and deceived its members into giving up 15 hostages including former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. The Colombian military had infiltrated the FARC leadership and arranged for the hostages to be taken to the south of the country, where they were to be picked up by helicopters that the rebels believed were controlled by another group.

The Colombian military helicopters flew the 15 away without violence. Betancourt says she had a strange feeling because the helicopters were painted white and the hostages were not expecting the rebels to mobilize in helicopters. The Colombian military members were dressed as FARC rebels wearing T-shirts and FARC uniforms. Betancourt described being frightened as she and the other hostages' feet and hands were bound. When they were secured, she said, the military officers yelled, "This is the Army. You are free."

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There's Ice!

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:46:07 -0500

Mars Phoenix Tweets: "We Have ICE!" There is water ice on Mars within reach of the Mars Phoenix Lander, NASA scientists announced Thursday.
Photographic evidence settles the debate over the nature of the white material seen in photographs sent back by the craft. As seen in lower left of this image, chunks of the ice sublimed (changed directly from solid to gas) over the course of four days, after the lander's digging exposed them."It must be ice," said the Phoenix Lander's lead investigator, Peter Smith. "These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it's ice."

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Malaysian city urges women not to wear lipstick or high heels

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:49:25 -0500

The council spokesman for Kota Baru, the capital of Kelantan state which is controlled by the Islamic Party, said the suggestion aimed to protect rape and protect women’s dignity and morals.He denied reports that the code was compulsory or that women would be fined for breaking it.
"We just distribute pamphlets. Our minimum guideline is they must wear headscarves," said Azman Mohd Daham. "The rest is up to them. If they want to follow the 100 percent Islamic way, it’s up to them."
The guidelines were distributed to shops and businesses last month.

"We do not advocate tight clothes, too much lipstick or thick make-up, and even the headscarf should not be too transparent," said Mr Azman.

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Italian soldiers floored by 77-year-old Japanese woman

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:44:49 -0500

Martial arts expert Keiko Wakabayshi, nicknamed the "Samurai Granny", has been hired by the country's military to train recruits in hand-to-hand combat.Miss Wakabayshi, who stands exactly 5ft tall, looks tiny compared to her charges who are mostly over 6ft.

But the pensioner is a trained master in an array of martial arts disciplines including jujitsu, jojitso, kenjitso, judo, kendo and karate. Miss Wakabayshi trained for many years to achieve her level of expertise and believes she can carry on defeating brawny soldiers for years to come.

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Floating House

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0500

"A spectacular" house finds new home up north!

Tuesday, it took little more than 20 minutes to roll the two-story, tudor-style house onto a barge and set sail for Vancouver Island. Crowds of people stood near the shores of Cozy Cove in Hunts Point on Tuesday to watch as a 3,360-square-foot house was rolled onto the barge that will carry it this week to Fanny Bay near Nanaimo, B.C., on Vancouver Island.After weeks of preparation, it took little more than 20 minutes to roll the two-story, tudor-style house onto the barge. The former owners bought the entire property for $9.4 million according to the public fillings, but just wanted the 44,000-square-foot plot to build more developments.

The owners wanted to save the house from going to landfill, so they contacted the Nickel Brothers House Moving USA Inc. They put the house up for sale at $335,000, which included moving the entire thing. Ms. O’Farrell saw the ad and decided to take it, due to the house’s style and affordable price.

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Tortoise-Pigeon-Dog

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:52:21 -0500

The Amazing Story behind the 256 Year-Old Man! “Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog.” These were the words of advice Li gave to Wu Pei-fu, the warlord, who took Li into his house to learn the secret of extremely long life. Reported to Have Buried 23 Wives and Had 180 Descendants and Sold Herbs for First 100 Years. According to the 1933 obituaries in both Time Magazine and the New York Times, Li Ching-Yun was reported to have buried 23 wives and fostered 180 descendants by the time he died at the age of 256.Was he really that old? By his own admission he was born in 1736 and had lived 197 years. However, in 1930 a professor and dean at Minkuo University by the name of Wu Chung-chien, found records “proving” that Li was born in 1677. Records allegedly showed that the Imperial Chinese Government congratulated him on his 150th and 200th Birthdays.

So the question is, had he forgotten his own birthday? Was this even the same Li Ching-Yun?

Looking at all of this from a medical and documented perspective: Jeanne Louise Calment, a French woman who died in 1997 so far holds the title for the person who has roamed the earth the longest: 122 years, which is a phenomenal length of time.

That means, that if the records discovered by Wu Chung-chien were accurate, Li Ching-Yun’s age would surpass the official record by more than 130 years. Is this even medically possible? The detail, which seems to prove both arguments and debunk them at the same time, is Li’s youthful appearance, noted in a 1928 article from the New York Times. Visually and physically, he appeared to look like a typical 60 year-old. Does this therefore signify a superhuman body capable of lasting one quarter of a millennium, or is the story of Li Ching-Yun based on a series of half-truths, lies or exaggerations?

Unfortunately, we may never know. You may draw your own logical conclusions.

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Things You Didn't Know About Benjamin Franklin

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:51:52 -0500

He never once sought public office. Benjamin Franklin was well-known and could have certainly achieved public office, but he never once ran for a political office.He is related to the famous Folger's Coffee family. Ben's maternal grandfather (his mother's father), Peter Folger, was the ancestor to the founder of Folger's coffee, one of the best-known brands of coffee in the world.
He coined electrical terms still used today. The terms positive and negative, which signify the electric charge, which is another word he defined. He also gave us the word battery.

He invented bifocal glasses. Frustrated with having to switch between two pairs of glasses to correct his vision, Franklin cut two sets of lenses in half and mounted them together, creating the world's first bifocals.

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Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:46:48 -0500

Contestants used only toilet paper, glue, and/or tape to create gowns and headpieces with ruffles, faux embroidery, pleats and even lace effects.

Katrina Chalifoux of Rockford, Illinois spent two weeks creating a sheath dress with a raised flower pattern from molded toilet paper. She took home a $1,000 gift card for her creation.

Amazing Birthday Cake

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:55:00 -0500

Professional baker, Mark Randazzo made this amazing R2D2 cake in NYC.
Whether you're a Star Wars enthusiast or simply a lover of cake, you have to see the pictures of the making...

And here are the pictures of the party!...

Wacky Classified Ads

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:47:22 -0500

Funny what one can find in the newspaper!

"For Sale: collection of old people."

"1995 Nissan Maxima, (...) good condition, $4500. Not for sale"
He just wants people to know he's got it...

5 Homemade Chemical Free Bug Repellents That Work

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:38:49 -0500

Not only can insects be a nuisance in your garden, but they can ruin a perfect picnic or hike. Here are a few totally green, home remedy suggestions to repel insects without using toxic chemicals.

#1 Pepper Spray

This works great for ants and other small pests.

* Boil 2 or 3 cups of water.
* Add about ½ to 2/3 cup of chopped hot pepper. Let marinate for a few minutes.
* Run the mixture thru a sieve to remove the peppers.
* Put the liquid in a squirt bottle and use when necessary.
* Be careful not to spray directly on foliage.

#2 Minty Soap Spray

This is great for ants.

* Mix 2 tbsp of Dr. Bonners mint soap with a gallon of water.
* Spray directly on ants.

This will also work to ward off other pests on foliage however be care when you spray it directly on your plants. It has been known to burn some plants if too much is applied.

more repellents...

Best friends who simply can't bear to be apart

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:16:27 -0500

As far as lifelong friendships go, Muschi thinks her large and loveable friend Maeuschen is the cat's pyjamas. The feline, which struck up the unlikely friendship with the 40-year-old Asian bear eight years ago, now can't bear to be apart from her friend.
In fact, the pair are so close that zookeepers at Berlin Zoo had to reunite them after Muschi, or 'pussy' in German, pined for Maeuschen - 'little mouse' - after they were separated. The pair were split up last October when the bear was locked in a cage while her living space was enlarged.

The distraught cat soon caught the attention of zoo keepers after she remained sitting outside the bear's cage pining for her friend.

This week, keepers took the unusual step of allowing the feline into the cage with her shaggy-haired pal.

'They greeted each other and had a cuddle and now they're happy,' said Heiner Kloes, a member of the zoo's management board. More...

Fake Bumps Used To Slow Down Philly Drivers

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:39:38 -0500

Philadelphia is rolling out a program to try to get motorists to slow down.

The city is putting out high-tech plastic devices that create a 3-D image that looks like a bump in the road. Chief traffic engineer Charles Denny says in reality, the road is perfectly flat. The public awareness program is called "Drive Care Philly."
Denny says the goal is simple: to change the driver's mind-set to be less aggressive.

The devices will be deployed at about 100 intersections around Philadelphia. They'll give the illusion that something is sticking up out of the pavement so motorists will slow down.

Police are also getting more speed enforcement tracking devices for squad cars, and officers in six districts will be assigned specifically to go after speeders.

The Curse of Friday the 13th

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:13:27 -0500

It's Friday the 13th—is it O.K. to get out of bed?

Today's ill-fated date may be the most widely held superstition among Americans. Just look at the fact that many U.S. buildings are without a 13th floor. Other common superstitions include walking under a ladder (don't violate the Holy Trinity), throwing salt (do, especially after spilling some) and a black cat crossing your path (considered bad luck in much of the West; good luck in Japan). Some superstitions are so enmeshed in our daily habits, we might be oblivious about their untraditional origins.

For example, saying "God bless you" after someone sneezes isn't something Miss Manners created. It's been linked to an old superstition that says a bit of your spirit leaves your body after a sneeze. And how often do you end a good luck story with "knock on wood"? Have you ever told someone to "break a leg" before a performance or event? And how many girls have been given a charm bracelet? All are rooted in superstitions.

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Sharks ‘seeking human flesh’

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:37:02 -0500

SCIENTISTS fear sharks are now HUNTING people for the first time after Jaws-style attacks on a resort. The horrifying theory emerged after two surfers were killed and one badly injured in a month.

A fourth swimmer is missing at the Mexican seaside town. Locals fear ONE rogue shark is responsible but experts believe a pack of deadly bull sharks are actively targeting humans for the first time. They think the 10ft-long fish could have developed a taste for human flesh after devouring hundreds of corpses dumped into the sea by mobsters.

The beach at Zihuantanejo – near Acapulco and popular with British tourists – had not previously recorded a shark incident in more than 30 years.

And, with an annual average of only four fatal shark attacks globally, the fact that two people have died along the same stretch of coast within weeks has astonished international experts.

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Baby Mammoth

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Mon, 9 Jun 2008 12:08:00 -0500

A preserved baby mammoth is seen being filmed at the Museum of Natural Sciences of Budapest, Monday, March 31, 2008, as part of the exhibition entitled the Ice Age that will open April 1, 2008. Dyima, the almost intact 40,000-year-old baby will be kept in a special display, with controlled temperature, light and humidity. Dyima is partially covered by fur, is approximately 1m (40 inches) in height, has ears 6 inches long, and tusks estimated as being 2 inches in length. Found in Siberia in 1977, the baby mammoth, after being conserved, has been touring the world, including the U.S.A., Japan, Germany, France, Finland and Korea.

Wild Wild West

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Mon, 9 Jun 2008 11:53:32 -0500

Packing in public: Gun owners tired of hiding their weapons embrace 'open carry'Bill White, 24, a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, wears his Colt pistol when he goes to his local Starbucks in Westminster, Colo.
For years, Kevin Jensen carried a pistol everywhere he went, tucked in a shoulder holster beneath his clothes. In hot weather the holster was almost unbearable. Pressed against Jensen's skin, the firearm was heavy and uncomfortable. Hiding the weapon made him feel like a criminal.

Then one evening he stumbled across a site that urged gun owners to do something revolutionary: Carry your gun openly for the world to see as you go about your business.

In most states there's no law against that.

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Calculate your Greenhouse gases anual personal emission

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Thu, 5 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Calculate your Greenhouse gases anual personal emission and the amount of trees that needed to be planted to offset your emissions. (Brazilian Residents only), but you can get an idea of how much you are polluting and how many trees you need to plant in order to reverse the gasses you've emitted. You can now be part of the Initiative, by planting trees, you will offset you carbon footprint contributing to the global effort to tackle global warming, and at the same time you will promote local environmental benefits to ours and the next generations.

here's the link...

Foxconn to showcase its ultra-compact DLP projector weighing only 381g

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 19:35:11 -0500

Congratulations to our client Foxconn on the release of this cool hi-tech gadget!

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AVING Special Report on 'COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2008') -- Foxconn showcased its ultra-compact DLP projector 'PD-S2900' during Computex 2008, which weighs only 381g.

more pictures here...

Pillow ring

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 19:26:19 -0500

Canadian based company "downstairs studio" has come out with this cool idea, specially for boring classes at school, or meetings hahaha!

Earth's last uncontacted tribes near Brazil-Peru border

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:33:26 -0500

Incredible picture of one of Earth's last uncontacted tribes firing bows and arrows!

Painted: In a thick rainforest along the Brazilian-Peruvian border, these tribespeople are thought never to have had any contact with the outside world.

Skin painted bright red, heads partially shaved, arrows drawn back in the longbows and aimed square at the aircraft buzzing overhead. The gesture is unmistakable: Stay Away.

Behind the two men stands another figure, possibly a woman, her stance also seemingly defiant. Her skin painted dark, nearly black.

The apparent aggression shown by these people is quite understandable. For they are members of one of Earth's last uncontacted tribes, who live in the Envira region in the thick rainforest along the Brazilian-Peruvian frontier.

Thought never to have had any contact with the outside world, everything about these people is, and hopefully will remain, a mystery.

Their extraordinary body paint, precisely what they eat (the anthropologists saw evidence of gardens from the air), how they construct their tent-like camp, their language, how their society operates - the life of these Amerindians remains a mystery.

'We did the overflight to show their houses, to show they are there, to show they exist,' said Brazilian uncontacted tribes expert José Carlos dos Reis Meirelles Junior. 'This is very important because there are some who doubt their existence.'

More Pictures...

Survival International website...

The Homeless Billionaire

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:27:41 -0500

Nicolas Berggruen is a multi-billionaire that doesn´t own a home.

After making his billions, Mr. Berggruen, 46, lost interest in acquiring things: They didn’t satisfy him, and in fact had become something of a burden. So he started paring down his material life, selling off his condo in New York, his mansion in Florida and his only car. He hatched plans to leave his fortune to charity and his art collection to a new museum in Berlin.For him, wealth is about lasting impact, not stuff.
“Everybody is different and I think that we live in a material world,” he told me. “But for me, possessing things is not that interesting. Living in a grand environment to show myself and others that I have wealth has zero appeal. Whatever I own is temporary, since we’re only here for a short period of time. It’s what we do and produce, it’s our actions, that will last forever. That’s real value.”

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Childhood 'toy' revealed as ancient Persian relic

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:24:07 -0500

An ancient gold cup mysteriously acquired by an English scrap metal dealer is expected to fetch close to a million dollars at auction after languishing for years in a shoe box under its current owner's bed.
Owner John Webber says his grandfather gave him the 5.5-inch (14-centimetre) high mug to play with when he was a child, back in 1945.He assumed the golden cup, which is decorated with the heads of two women facing in opposite directions, their foreheads garlanded with two knotted snakes, was made from brass.

But he decided to get it valued when he was moving house last year and was told it was actually a rare piece of ancient Persian treasure, beaten out of a single sheet of gold hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

Experts said the method of manufacture and the composition of the gold was "consistent with Achaemenid gold and gold smithing" dating back to the third or fourth century BC.

The Achaemenid empire, the first of the Persian empires to rule over significant portions of Greater Iran, was wiped out by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.

Auction house Duke's, in Dorchester, south-west England, will put the cup under the hammer on June 5, with an estimate of 500,000 pounds (630,000-euro, 988,000-dollars).

Webber, 70, told The Guardian newspaper that his grandfather had a "good eye" for antiques and picked up "all sorts" as he plied his trade in the town of Taunton in south-west England.

"Heaven knows where he got this, he never said," he added, revealing that as a child, he used the cup for target practice with his air gun.

Lost parrot tells veterinarian his address

noreply@blogspirit.com (Ulrich's Blog) — Mon, 26 May 2008 22:03:14 -0500

When Yosuke the parrot flew out of his cage and got lost, he did exactly what he had been taught — recite his name and address to a stranger willing to help.

Police rescued the African grey parrot two weeks ago from a neighbor's roof in the city of Nagareyama, near Tokyo. After spending a night at the station, he was transferred to a nearby veterinary hospital while police searched for clues, local policeman Shinjiro Uemura said.He kept mum with the cops, but began chatting after a few days with the vet. "I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura. The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.

"We checked the address, and what do you know, a Nakamura family really lived there. So we told them we've found Yosuke," Uemura said.

The Nakamura family told police they had been teaching the bird its name and address for about two years.