Photographer Orangutan's work on eBay

Nonja, the Orangutan that turned a photographer after receiving a digital camera from her keepers, is now selling her work on eBay. Each of her framed works printed on canvas also carries her trademark thumbprint signature. An exhibition of Nonja's best 20 snaps had also been unveiled in the zoo. Cash raised from the effort will go to protecting the habitat of wild orangutans in Borneo.

All these started when Nonja's keepers at Vienna's Schoenbrunn zoo in Austria gave her a digital camera that dispenses raisins when a picture is taken. The 33-year-old orangutan learned that when she press a button, the raisins pops up. In this way she became a photographer and got her own Facebook profile. Snaps from the digital camera are uploaded instantly over a WiFi link. Nonja was also a painter and her works often reached up to £2,000 at auction. Right now, she has 155 photos on Facebook and more than 82,000 fans. The above photograph was taken by Nonja. Amazing, isn't it?

World's Largest Pie Fight Record

A new world record has been set for world's largest pie fight! On January 7, 2010, carpet manufacturer and flooring provider, Shaw Floors successfully achieved the Guinness World Records for the World's Largest Pie Fight during the company's Dallas market event. The history-making event involved 434 participants as well as 1,200 cherry, chocolate and apple pies. Take a look at the pictures.

The new achievement by Shaw Floors shattered the previous Largest Pie Fight record of 269 participants, which was set by the television show "LIVE! With Regis and Kelly" on September 17, 2009. Shaw Floors held the pie fight event on its premium Anso nylon carpet as a way to demonstrate Anso nylon's superior ability to repel stains and to be easily cleaned. And yes, the carpet proved it's stain-repelling power, as 3,000 pounds of pie was cleaned from the carpet after the event!

Source: Shaw Floors

For better Health let your Kids get Dirty!

Worried about your kids hygiene? Always keep your little ones neat and clean by not allowing them to get in touch of mud or dust? If yes, you are probably doing something wrong, the findings of a study suggests! Because, exposure to infectious microbes early in life may actually protect individuals from cardiovascular diseases that can lead to death as an adult. During the study, a group of researchers from the Northwestern University found that ultra-clean, ultra-hygienic environments early in life may contribute to higher levels of inflammation as an adult, which in turn increases risks for a wide range of diseases. So, the researchers suggests that American parents should ease up on antibacterial soap and perhaps allow their little ones a romp or two in the mud or at least a much better acquaintance with everyday germs. Are you listening?

The Northwestern study is the first research on microbial effects on inflammatory systems in infancy that relate in later life to diseases associated with aging. Most provocatively, it suggested that exposure to infectious microbes early in life may actually protect individuals from cardiovascular diseases that can lead to death as an adult and exposure to ultra-hygienic environments early in life may create great problems in adulthood.

Exposure to clean, hygienic environment may cause harm, because humans only recently have lived in such hyper-hygienic environments. The research suggests that inflammatory systems may need a higher level of exposure to common everyday bacteria and microbes to guide their development. "In other words, inflammatory networks may need the same type of microbial exposures early in life that have been part of the human environment for all of our evolutionary history to function optimally in adulthood," said researcher McDade.

"In the U.S we have this idea that we need to protect infants and children from microbes and pathogens at all possible costs. But we may be depriving developing immune networks of important environmental input needed to guide their function throughout childhood and into adulthood. Without this input, our research suggests, inflammation may be more likely to be poorly regulated and result in inflammatory responses that are overblown or more difficult to turn off once things get started," McDade added.

Read the full article here: http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2009/12/germs.html

Shark's Caesarean Bite saves Four Babies!

Sharks do give birth by Caesarean operation! In an unbelievable act, a shark in a New Zealand aquarium bit the stomach of another one to gave birth to four babies. So, it was a Caesarean bite given to save the babies? According to news reports, the four babies are now safe and soon will be released into the wild.

Staff at Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World, in Auckland were not aware that one of the female school sharks in the aquarium was pregnant. It is only when some visitors came running to tell that baby fish were spilling from a wound of shark, the aquarium stuff came to know about pregnancy. But it was already late and they found the female with a large gaping stomach wound and four babies swimming in the tank. Another shark already did the job of a surgeon by biting the female school shark's stomach.

In wild, sharks do bite each other, but till now it was not known that they do use the biting method to give birth. According to experts, the shark that helped had to bite a certain part of the stomach to release the babies without killing them or the mother. On the other hand, if the female shark had given birth naturally, most likely at night, the babies would have been eaten by adult sharks and stingrays before they could be rescued. So, it was really an incredible act. What you say?

Clearing Driving Theory Exam in 950th Attempt!

In her 950th attempt, a Korean woman has finally passed her driving theory test. Yes, you read it right. It was the 950th attempt for the theory test. According to news sources, Cha Sa-soon, 68, has been repeatedly trying to pass the multiple-choice exam since April 13, 2005. Even after intensive coaching, her results only barely touched the 60% pass mark that had eluded her for so long.

How she managed to appear 950 times in the same exam? According to news sources, Cha Sa-soon has taken the test every day apart from weekends and holidays. It cost her more than £6,000 in bus fares and test fees. But the greengrocer, of Jeonju, near Seoul, still has to tackle and pass the more difficult practical test before she can drive.

Why Ms Cha was so desperate to pass the exam? Actually, she need a driving license for her green groceries business. Because of her commitment to pass the driving theory exam, Ms Cha has already become a local celebrity, a Japanese reality TV star and a symbol of undaunted spirit, reports The Times.