UNCONVENTIONAL WORLD RECORDS

Greg Louganis (born January 1960), was an American diver who aged 16, particiapted in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where he managed a silver in the 10m platform, behind legendary Italian diver Klaus Dibiasi.

That was the only time he finished second – for all the other major tournaments, he grabbed gold.

At the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, he won gold in the 3m Springboard and 10m Platform.

At the 1984 Olympics, he had record scores and leads over his opponents

Surely he would’ve won both events at the 1980 Olympiad too had the US not boycotted the games then.

At the 1978 World Championships, he won gold in the 10m Platform.

At the 1982 and 1986 World Championships, he won gold in the 3m Springboard & 10m Platform.

Some say the following dive at the 1986 worlds is the best dive ever done

He looks so relaxed with water that he could’ve been born with a Steripen Adventurer Opti.

Perhaps his greatest display was during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. In the 3m Springboard, he suffered a concussion after hitting his head on the board during the preliminaries. Despite the injury, he won the gold medal, repeating a similar dive during the finals. This caused controversy some years later when Louganis revealed he knew he was HIV-positive at that material time, yet and did not tell anybody. However, since HIV cannot survive in open water, no other divers were ever in danger.

Then in the 10m Platform finals, he won the gold with his last dive, performing a difficult routine called the “Dive of Death” and beating second placed Xiong Ni by a mere 1.14 points.

A video showing how Louganis hit his head, and the Dive of Death

Popularity: 1% [?]

Then US President George W Bush being informed that a second passenger jet had just hit the World Trade Center, 11th September 2001. At that time, he was in a Florida classroom, facing schoolchildren.

It was reported by Reuters on 29th July 2011 that in a May 2011 National Geographic Channel interview, former US president George W Bush commented that at the precise moment above:

My first reaction was anger. Who the hell would do that to America? Then I immediately focused on the children, and the contrast between the attack and the innocence of children. I could see the news media at the back of the classroom getting the news on their own cellphones and it was like watching a silent movie. I quickly realized that a lot of people beyond the classroom would be watching for my reaction. So I made the decision not to jump up immediately and leave the classroom. I didn’t want to rattle the kids. I wanted to project a sense of calm. I had been in enough crises to know that the first thing a leader has to do is to project calm.

Source

Popularity: 1% [?]

CNN International did a food survey recently to find out the most delicious food in the world, and published the results in the CNNgo website on 21st July 2011.

As far as I know, they did not explain their methodology in detail, but that aside, enjoy the list:

The most delicious food in the world is the Massaman curry of Thailand. The spicy, coconutty, sweet and savoury concoction has been called the king of curries, or even the king of ALL food. Ingredients include coconut milk, roasted peanuts or cashews, potatoes, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, star anise, palm sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind sauce.

It originated from the southern part of the country, and is Muslim in origin.

Most commonly made with beef, it can also be enjoyed with duck, tofu, chicken, or even pork. A must-have side dish is rice and sometimes pickled ginger (achat).

Best of all, it can be found in almost every street corner in Siam.

The rest of the top 10:

2. Neapolitan pizza, Italy; definitely not your typical Pizza Hut variety, it does not even have cheese, and must be cooked in a wood-fired oven.
3. Chocolate, Mexico.
4. Sushi, Japan
5. Peking duck, China
6. Hamburger, Germany
7. Penang assam laksa, Malaysia
8. Tom yum goong, Thailand
9. Ice cream, United States
10. Chicken muamba, Gabon

Source
CNNgo: World’s 50 most delicious foods

Popularity: 1% [?]

It’s not North Korea in 1966. It’s not Korea Republic in 1954. The answer might surprise you.

Microsoft Encarta-installed laptops might not even point out that before the Second World War started, for the 1938 World Cup, Indonesia qualified, under the name Dutch East Indies. Of course you could argue that since they have not achieved independence, most of the players could’ve been of Dutch descent.

But surprisingly, that is not the case, at least judging from the name of the players in the starting eleven. There are at least 5 Asian-sounding names in the first XI: Tan Mo Heng (Goalkeeper), Achmad Nawir, Tan Hong Djien, Suvarte Soedermadji, Anwar Sutan. Added to that, there are at least 2 Asian-sounding names in the reserves list: Bing Mo Heng and Tan Se Han. The coach was Johannes Van Mastenbroek.

Unfortunately, they only played in one match (no round robin matches then), and that against the mightly Magyars. The match took place at 5pm, 5th June 1938 at Reims, France in front of about 9,000 spectators.

Indonesia lost that match 0-6, and Hungary went on to reach the finals where they lost to Italy.

Popularity: 2% [?]

On 17th July 2011, Theyab Awana, 21 of the United Arab Emirates converted a spot kick in an unorthodox way during a friendly match with Lebanon, in the 78th minute, with his team leading 5-2.

At the last moment he suddenly spun around, kicked the ball with his heels, and it went in past the stunned goalie.

He had only been on the field for a few minutes.

That resulted in him being booked and perhaps worse, substituted by manager Srecko Katanec for “lack of respect towards the opposition.”

Popularity: 1% [?]

Updated 18th August 2011

- Breivik reportedly had prepared a second bomb that, at 3,300lbs, was even bigger than the one he exploded, which weighed 2,095lbs.

- Breivik requested to wear a formal tailcoat for his next court appearance so that he can “show respect to the judicial process.” It was denied.

More details of what happened during his rampage on the island has emerged:

- he was hit on the head by boys who ambushed him. He shot one dead, and the others escaped.
- when he’d killed 49 people on the island, at 5.58pm, he called police to say “mission accomplished and I will surrender to the Delta force”, then went on to kill 20 more.
- At 6.26pm he called the police again, and he was arrested shortly.
- he claimed that he tried to call the police at least 10 times.

——————————
Updated 29th July 2011

The moment Breivik was arrested on Utoya island, police found him waiting for them in a clearing, his hands on his head in a gesture of surrender, telling his captors “I am finished now“. His loaded weapons were 30m away.

—————————–
Updated 27th July 2011

More details:

- Breivik regards himself as a warrior who started a “sixty year war” and will be considered a saviour of Western Europe in future.

- Prior to his attacks, he consumed a cocktail of drugs known as an “ECA stack” so that he would be “strong and efficient” and increase his “aggressiveness, physical performance and mental focus”. Ingredients of the cocktail include ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin.

- During the shootings, he listened to Clint Mansell’s Lux Aeterna on his iPod at maximum volume to “suppress fear”

- He’d coated the tips of the “dum-dum” bullets he used with 99% pure nicotine ordered online from China, so that they’d become chemical weapons.

- He hadn’t expected to survive the attacks.

Breivik’s class photo at Smestad Primary School, Oslo

Probably I shouldn’t say this, but I hope those killed had life insurance policies from www.cometobarter.com / elsewhere.

——————————
26th July 2011

On 22nd July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik, 32 of Oslo, Norway carried out 2 acts of terrorism:

- at 3:22pm exploded a car bomb outside the office of Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, killing 8 people.

- less than 2 hours later, dressed as a police officer, he shot and killed 68 people at a Norwegian Labour Party youth camp on Utøya island. There were about 600 people on the island at that time. It was reported that he may have used “dum-dum” bullets for maximum damage: they don’t explode inside body but fragment into pieces quicker than others.

It’s the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in history. The previous worst happened on 27th April 1982 when Woo Bum-kon, 27, a South Korean police officer shot dead 57 people (including himself) in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea using two M2 carbines and hand grenades in 8 hours.

Breivik thus became peacetime Europe’s worst mass killer.

It’s the worst attack on the country since World War II, hence the incident was dubbed “Norway’s 9/11″.

The following is a haunting photo of man waist-deep in waters of Utoya, hands aloft, pleading for his life to Breivik (circled red)

Breivik (in red) arrives in court to face charges of mass murder on 25th July 2011

This is the video Breivik uploaded to YouTube 6 hours before going on his killing spree:

He outlined his ideology in a 1,518-page manifesto entitled “2083 – A European Declaration of Independence“, which was published on the day of the attacks under the name Andrew Berwick.

Interestingly, he wrote that he hated Adolf Hitler but thought that Vlad the Impaler was a genius.

Source: various online news sites

Popularity: 1% [?]

The following is an actual question from a recent Primary 6 Science paper at a school somewhere in Sabah:

Popularity: 1% [?]

Updated 29 August 2011

In the 2011 World Championships 400m heats, he clocked 45.39 and qualified for the semis. However, he then ran a relatively slow 46.19, hence failed to make the final. But if he’d run at his best, he’d surely have made it.

Reigning world and Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt leads the field in the final, having clocked 44.76 in the semis.

In his semifinal, Pistorius finished last – it was won by Jermaine Gonzales, with 44.99. 7th place was Demetrius Pinder at 45.87.

—————————-
20 July 2011

Oscar “Blade Runner” Pistorius (born 22 November 1986) of South Africa has been called the “the fastest man on no legs”. He had both legs amputated when he was just 11 months old because of a congenital disorder, the absence of the fibula – the calf bone.

He runs with the help of carbon-fibre artificial lower legs.

The ‘A’ qualifying standard to compete in the 400m at the 2011 world championships in Daegu, South Korea and the London Olympics is 45.25 seconds. On 19th July 2011 he clocked 45.07 in Lignano, Italy, thus qualifying for the world championships and the London Olympics, the first amputee sprinter to do so:

45.07 seconds would’ve been good enough for fifth place in the 400m final at the 2008 Olympics!

For comparison:

- Malaysia’s national record is 46.41s by Mohd Zaiful Zainal Abidin, set in July 2001
- the Asian record is 44.56s by Mohamed Amer Al-Malky of Oman, set in August 1988
- the African record is 44.10s by Gary Kikaya of DR Congo, set in September 2006

Popularity: 1% [?]

On 15th May 2011, Acton Beale, 20 of Brisbane, Australia, was attempting to plank on a 5cm wide balcony railing outside his home located on a 7th-floor balcony when he slipped and plunged to his death.

He reportedly did it at 4.30am, while drunk

The case thus became the first known fatality of planking.

This was where he fell from

Subsequently, his pals accused the self-declared inventor of planking Paul Carran of being responsible for Beale’s death.

Still, I think ultimately the blame lies on Beale himself – he could’ve simply not done it. That is not good news for any family – with father’s day approaching, he could’ve been looking for the best gift baskets for Dad now instead.

Popularity: 1% [?]

IMHO, the following are the greatest ever planking photos. From various sources.

New Zealand’s Top Planker

On 29th May 2011, Max Key, the son of New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, planked on a lounge suite with his father standing behind. It made the front page of the New Zealand Herald two days later, and the PM’s office didn’t want to comment at first, but later confirmed that it’s genuine.

Army Unintentional Plank

Of course there are many variants of photos of the military falling flat on their faces while trying to stand still for ages.

Jet Engine Plank

Hopefully done by airline staff – but his boss might not be too pleased. And whatever it is, do not switch on the engine!

More:

Popularity: 1% [?]

Updated: 5th July 2011

There’s still some controversy over the purported sale of For The Love Of God. Hirst insisted that it’s been sold, but apparently many others disputed this.

———————————-
Updated 2nd September 2007

The English artist Damien Hirst, 42 has done it again. Back in June 2007 his artwork entitled Lullaby Springs fetched USD19 million (about RM60 million) at Sotheby’s.

2 months later, he outdid himself 5 times over when For The Love Of God was purchased for 50 million pounds (equivalent to USD100 million or RM340 million) by “an unknown investment group.”

It is a sculpture of a human skull, completed this year. Definitely a good year for Damien indeed.

Some trivia:
- The skull was bought in a shop in Islington, and supposed to belong to a 35 year old European who lived in the 18th or 19th century. It still has the original teeth.
- Why is it not called the “The Skull”? Because apparently when Damien’s mother saw it, she gasped “for the love of God, what are you going to do next?”
- The skull is cast in platinum
- Encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds (more than 1,100 carats), including a pear-shaped pink diamond located in the forehead of the skull.
- The diamonds cover all surfaces of the skull except for the teeth
- Cost USD28 million to produce. Simple calculation would say that profit made is USD72 million!
- George Michael was reported to have expressed interest to purchase it some months back.

So what is the meaning of it? In an interview reported by Bloomberg, he was reported to have said the work is about 2 things: “wealth against death” and “decoration against death.”

This is an update on one of the oldest themes in art: the “vanitas,” or “memento mori” — a reminder of death. On the one hand, the skull is one of the world’s most showy status symbols. On the other hand, it is also a sermon on the theme of you-can’t-take-it-with-you. Or, as Hirst puts it, “There are no pockets in a shroud.”

Source
Wikipedia: For The Love Of God
Geekologie
Bloomberg

—————————————-
29th June 2007

On 21st June 2007, yahoo.com reported that Damien Hirst, 42, a British artist, is now the world’s most expensive living artist, upstaging a title held for years by American Jasper Johns. Hirst’s work, Spring Lullaby was sold on 21st June at Sotheby’s for USD19 million (that’s almost RM60 million).

Spring Lullaby is not a painting, nor a sculpture. It’s a pill cabinet. A what? Exactly: that’s what first struck me. Would you pay that much for this?

Can’t make it out? Well, it’s a stainless steel and glass cabinet with painted cast pills, created in 2002. It’s dimensions are about 182cm x 274cm x 10cm. In other words, it’s shaped like a plasma screen.

Truly avant garde stuff. What would he think of next? I think something to do with photos of weird creatures in the deepest oceans taken with waterproof cameras couldn’t be too far off.

Looking closer, this is what you see:

Sources
Artnet.com
Yahoo.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

On 1st November 2006 it was reported that Jackson Pollock’s “No.5, 1948″ was sold for USD140 million. Inflation-adjusted to March 2011′s it’s worth USD155.3 million (about half a billion ringgit).

It was reportedly sold by media mogul David Geffen to Mexican financier David Martinez. So two Davids doing good business here.

The price exceeds the USD135 million paid in June 2006 for a 1907 portrait by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt.

It’s a 4 by 8 ft work:

Created by dripping paint on canvas.

Zooming in, some details of the painting:

I am not a fan of abstract art, so suffice to say that if I had half a billion ringgit cash to spare, I’d probably spend it on other things instead.

But who was Jackson Pollock (above)?

Jackson Pollock is one of the 20th century’s most influential painters. His work had a major influence on art in the latter half of the 20th century, sparking the emergence of Abstract Expressionism. But in true rock star style, the artist battled alcoholism and depression and was generally regarded as a self-destructive, tortured genius. He died in a car crash in 1956, aged 44 while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Source

Popularity: 3% [?]

In May 2008, Justine Henin, then 25 and the world’s top ranked female tennis player and 7-time Grand Slam winner, announced her immediate retirement.

She had won a total of 41 WTA singles titles and almost USD20 million in prize money. The Grand Slams included 4 French Opens, 1 Australian Open and 2 U.S. Opens.

She was twice the losing finalist at Wimbledon, and also won the singles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

A testament to her excellent technique was the fact that despite her relatively small size (167cm, 57kg), she possessed an extremely powerful serve: top speed 200 km/h.

At the 2007 US Open semi-final, first set, her average first serve speed was the same as her much taller (by 18 cm) opponent, Venus Williams, who herself holds the world record for the fastest serve in a main draw Tour event.

John McEnroe has described her backhand as the best, either in the women’s or men’s game.

How good? Judge for yourself:

Happy retirement Justine.

Popularity: 1% [?]