Woman indicted for severed penis case

A grand jury has indicted a California woman accused of cutting off a man's penis after tying him to a bed.

County district attorney's spokesman Farrah Emami says 48-year-old Catherine Kieu was indicted on Thursday on a felony count of torture and a felony count of aggravated mayhem.
Kieu lived with the 60-year-old victim and is suspected of getting into an argument over a future house guest's visit on July 11, 2011.
After the man went to sleep, authorities say she severed the organ and threw it into a garbage disposal.
With a sentencing enhancement for personal use of a knife, Kieu could face a life sentence without possibility of parole if convicted on all counts.
She is due for arraignment on Monday.

Plans for NZ's first treetop walk

Construction of New Zealand's first treetop walk in a West Coast of South Island native forest near Hokitika might start in March.
It is hoped the $7.7 million tourist attraction will be finished by the end of the year.
Australian eco-tourism company Canopy01 plans to start building the 450-metre-long Hokitika Rimu Treetop Walk in March after consents were granted late last year.
"We're still looking at it opening by December this year," director Neil Wade said yesterday.
The treetop walk would be suspended about 25m above the forest floor, offering visitors views of native bush and Lake Mahinapua.
It would end in a spiral staircase to a Southern Alps lookout tower, 47m high.

Read more :http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/6223495/Plans-for-NZs-first-treetop-walk

Hot air balloon crash kills 11 in New Zealand

The scene of the fatal Carterton balloon crash.

 

Police talk to media at the scene of a horrific balloon crash near Carterton. From left to right: Wellington District commander Superintendent Mike Rusbatch and Wairarapa area commander Insepector Brent Register talk to the media.

Carterton air balloon crash Balloon crash witness Balloon pilot 'safety conscious'

LATEST: Eleven deaths in a fiery hot air balloon crash in Wairarapa, 150 km north of Wellington have been called a national tragedy, as investigators sift the ashes of the Wairarapa disaster in a bid to learn what went wrong.
A balloon piloted by Lance Hopping, described as experienced and safety conscious, plunged to the ground in flames near Carterton, after getting entangled in a powerline.
Hopping and five couples from the Wellington region have been confirmed dead by police.
"This is a huge national, significant event, it's a tragedy as bad as tragedies get. Yes, it will affect our community here in the Wairarapa,'' local police area commander Brent Register said.
Smiles and waves from those on board the dawn holiday flight over the peaceful town turned to screams, as the balloon plunged to the ground in flames.
Two of the passengers leapt from the blazing balloon, while it was still well above the ground.
One couple who died in the balloon accident received the ride as a Christmas gift from their children.

Read more : http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6224922/Hot-air-balloon-crash-near-Carterton-kills-11

See video :http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xni1jm_hot-air-balloon-crash-in-new-zealand_news

A&W Fast Food Restaurants to Close in 2012

America could possibly bid farewell to an icon this coming year. The fast food restaurant chain A&W is speculated to stop serving burgers and root beer floats in 2012

Read more :.http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/06/aw-fast-food-restaurants-to-close-in-2012/

Titanic artifacts up for auction .

Treasures from the deep: Titanic artifacts to go up for auction 100 years after historic shipwreck that shook the world Items as small as a hairpin and as big as a chunk of the Titanic's hull are among 5,000 artifacts from the world's most famous shipwreck that are to be auctioned in April, close to the 100th anniversary of the disaster.Nearly a century after the April 15, 1912, sinking of the ocean liner that hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic, a New York City auction is being readied by Guernsey's Auctioneers & Brokers.

That auction house has garnered headlines in the past by selling off such historical curiosities as prized Beatles photos, famous jewels of the late Princess Diana, beloved Jerry Garcia guitars and a police motorcycle used in the Texas motorcade when John F. Kennedy was slain.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082945/Titanic-artifacts-auction-100-years-historic-shipwreck-shook-world.html#ixzz1ihBsmng5

We will eventually conquer the universe, says Stephen Hawking

World renowned physicist Professor Stephen Hawking has said that to survive the human race ‘must colonise space’ – and he’s confident that one day we will.
To mark his upcoming 70th birthday, Professor Hawking answered questions from Radio 4 listeners, with one asking: ‘Will we ever colonise the stars?’
He replied: ‘I believe that we will eventually establish self-sustaining colonies on Mars and other bodies in the Solar System although probably not within the next 100 years.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2083084/Stephen-Hawking-We-colonise-Mars-universe.html#ixzz1ih5ClgDS

Hikers risk lives on rock that's wedged 1,000 metres up

Standing proudly atop a perilously-placed rock in Norwegian mountains, these hikers' pictures capture a unique - and extremely daring - moment.
The stunning photos show brave climbers in danger of falling at any minute as they pose standing on the Kjeragbolten boulder in Norway, which has been wedged between two rock faces for years.
Although the boulder itself is in no apparent danger of being dislodged, should the wind pick up or hikers lose their footing they face a drop of 1,000 metres from the cliff face.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082587/The-hikers-boulder-Climbers-lives-hands-picturing-stood-rock-wedged-1-000-metres-up.html#ixzz1ih5poyTH

This Is The Power of God!

No weapons formed against us shall prosper and in the name of Jesus every knee shall bow! (Isaiah 54:17, Philippians 2:10)

Around the world in 290 seconds.

Stunning time-lapse video shows photographer's 25,000 mile journey across 17 countries.It took photographer Kiend Lam the best part of a year to travel around the world.But his amazing record of that journey is encapsulated in a video less than five minutes long. Mr Lam's time lapse film, entitled Time is Nothing, captures his travels through 17 countries over 343 days.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082973/Time-Nothing-Kiend-Lams-time-lapse-video-shows-25k-mile-journey-17-countries.html#ixzz1igAPC0xn

 See video in next posting :Speeding Around The World in Under 5 minutes Time Lapse

Speeding Around The World in Under 5 minutes Time Lapse

From Alaska to Africa, where to find the trip of a lifetime .

Planning the trip of a lifetime and don't know where to start? Well, panic not - here’s our pick of the most unforgettable experiences for 2012, from Alaska to Africa, art holidays to pilgrim walks...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2080400/Best-holidays-2012-From-Alaska-Africa-trip-lifetime.html#ixzz1ig99Jwc0

A girl named ...Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii

In New Zealand, parents who tried to name their child Mafia No Fear are among hundreds who had their choice of name rejected in the past decade.
Justice was the most popular disallowed name, with royal titles, religious references and punctuation marks among names parents tried to bestow upon children. The list of disallowed names include :
 Anal, King, Prince, Princess, Knight, Queen, Queen V, Queen Victoria, Lord, Lady, Baron, Royal,Royale, Majesty, Majesti, Messiah, Christ, Bishop, Saint, Lucifer,  Mafia No Fear, V8, single letters, the Roman numerals I, II, III, punctuation symbols * . and / and titles such as President, Emperor, Chief, Constable, Sargent and General were also rejected.
 In 2008, Family Court Judge Rob Murfitt publicly criticised some parents' choice of names, after he ordered that a girl named Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii be taken into court custody so she could change her name.Her name had not been registered in New Zealand 
Read more :http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/6219744/Ridiculous-and-regal-kids-names-rejected

MISSING CHILD IN BUKIT ANTARABANGSA

MISSING CHILD IN BUKIT ANTARABANGSA

PLEASE HELP 

Air NZ goes all black again

Air New Zealand goes all black once again, revealing the world's largest commercially operated plane sporting the national rugby team's colour.
The Boeing 777-300ER was painted by 14 people working in shifts 24 hours a day for over a week, with 700 litres of chrome-free primer and paint.
Boeing vice-president everett delivery centre, Jeff Klemann, said the job was one of the most challenging painting jobs they have ever done.
"But the paint team was up for the challenge and the results are absolutely outstanding. I am very proud of what the paint team has achieved," he said.
It took one and half days to prep and paint the aircraft entirely black, and a further five days for the intricate detail of the silver fern and the Koru symbol. The remaining time was spend on the finishing touches.

Read more   http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/new-zealand/6212827/Air-NZ-goes-all-black-again:

World's highest airport

China will start work on the world's highest airport next year, in Tibet's Nagqu county, state media said on Tuesday, which will be about 100 metres higher than the existing record holder in another part of the remote and restive region.
Nagqu airport will be at an altitude of 4436 metres above sea level, slightly higher than the airport in Qamdo town at 4334 metres, Xinhua news agency reported.
The airport will cost 1.8 billion yuan and is expected to open in three years, Xinhua added.
Tibet already has five civilian airports, at least two of which are only open for a few months of the year because of extreme weather which makes flying impossible the rest of the time.
China has embarked upon a multi-billion-dollar programme in recent years to revamp old airports and build new ones, especially in the country's remote west, as a way of boosting the economy.
The government has also poured billions of dollars into Tibet, hoping to win hearts and minds in a region the Communist Party has run with an iron grip for six decades.
The government says that the new airports, roads and a railway to Tibet will promote development and help raise living standards.
But Tibet activists say the new links will speed up the pace of Chinese migration there and dilute Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Man tries to cash US$1 million banknote ..

Do you have change for a million-dollar bill?
Police in the US say a North Carolina man insisted his million-dollar note was real when he was buying US$476 ($612) worth of items at a Walmart.
Investigators told the Winston-Salem Journal that 53-year-old Michael Fuller tried to buy a vacuum cleaner, a microwave oven and other items. Store employees called police after his insistence that the bill was legit, and Fuller was arrested.
The largest bill in circulation in the US is $100. The government stopped making bills of up to US$10,000 in 1969.

Read more :   http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/6207591/Man-tries-to-cash-US-1-million-banknote