KEY POINTS:
All day yesterday Graeme Lay of Devonport watched with amazement the man felling the giant Norfolk pine tree across the street. "Single-handedly, and hundreds of feet off the ground, he is removing the branches from the tree with a chainsaw. As I watch this intrepid fellow at work I wonder what must his ACC levy and life insurance premiums be? And when the branches are all off, how the hell is he going to get the trunk down?"
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Kay Underwood, 20, has the rare, momentary-muscle-relaxing disorder of cataplexy, which causes her to collapse to the floor during extremes of emotion, including laughter. "I have learned a few tricks, like locking my knees together or grabbing on to something" to prevent falling. However, sometimes she and her friends think it's great sport to attempt something funny to make Kay fall. (Source Telegraph.co.uk)
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Twenty-six teenage cheerleaders tried to cram themselves into an elevator at the University of Texas to see how many would fit, but then they got stuck and had to be rescued. One girl was treated and released at a hospital and two others were treated at the scene after the prank this week went wrong. The group of 14- to 17-year-olds were attending cheerleading camp when they decided to stuff themselves into the elevator. It went down to the first floor but then the doors wouldn't open. After panicked cellphone calls, police and firefighters were called to the scene and it took about 25 minutes to fix the door. University officials didn't find the prank funny. "It's dangerous, actually," spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon said. (Source: AP
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Suicide has become such a problem in South Korea that many companies, including Samsung and Hyundai, are sending their employees on "well-dying" courses aimed at preventing it. This from the Financial Times: "Before they are 'buried', participants are asked to pose for their funeral portrait. They then enter a "death experience room" where they choose a coffin and put on a "death robe". Course members get into their coffins and a flower is laid on their chest. Funeral attendants place a lid on the coffin and dirt is thrown on the casket. Participants are left in the casket for five minutes and some start to cry in the darkness."
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While many Olympians meditate or listen to music to relax before competition, several weightlifters training in Beijing have a cigarette break instead. Italian weightlifter Giorgio de Luca was winding down after a gym session with a coffee and a cigarette, ignoring the disapproving glances from his coach. Smoking is banned in most parts of the Olympic Village, but there are designated smoking areas and some athletes sneak out on to the balcony for a quick puff, de Luca said. "I'd say 70 out of 100 athletes in the Olympic village smoke," he added. Asked if smoking hurt his athletic performance, de Luca shrugged and grinned: "I always say, 'I'm not an athlete, I'm a normal guy with a passion for weightlifting'."
(Source: Reuters)
Today's Webpick: The music video for Auckland band the Hot Grits, which features a group of four year olds simulating an adult night out on the town, has been banned by TVNZ.
Watch it here. Scroll down.
These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.
