UNCONVENTIONAL WORLD RECORDS

The Chicago Tribune reported on 28th August 2011 that back in 2009, Kimberly Garrity was sued for USD50,000 by her own children, Steven II, then 23 & Kathryn, then 20 for “being a bad mother”. Specifically, the “serious crimes” were:

- refusing to buy them toys;
- giving them the wrong kinds of birthday card i.e. it didn’t have money attached, and had a picture of tomatoes with “googly eyes”, with the message: “son I got you this Birthday card because it’s just like you … different from all the rest!”;
- failing to bring Kathryn to a car show;
- threatening Steven II to inform the police if he did not buckle up that seatbelt;
- haggling over dress prices;
- calling Kathryn at midnight to ask her to come home from a party;
- perhaps, for failing to provide them with equestrian riding apparel too…

Heck, other kids would just simply kick up a fuss.

Steven II & Kathryn were represented by 3 lawyers that included their father, Steven A. Miner. Now, it’s here we can understand the situation a little better: Miner & Garrity were married for 10 ten years before divorcing 16 years ago.

After battling it out for 2 years, an appeals court has dismissed the case, ruling that Garrity was “not being extreme / outrageous.”

Source
Daily Mail (UK)

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IMHO, it should be measured by:
- player reputation / salary
- match stakes / level
- distance from goal
- challenged by opposing player(s)?

Then Fernando Torres’ (Chelsea) miss could be right at the top:
- 3rd highest paid player in the world
- competitive, club level, world-class league match (Manchester United vs Chelsea, EPL, 18 Sep 2011)
- edge of 6 yard box, left side of goal
- unchallenged

Challengers:

Cristiano Ronaldo’s (Manchester United) miss of the season in 2007
- now highest paid player in the world
- competitive, club level, Sheffield United v Manchester United, 2006/2007 EPL
- from 4 yards, close to middle of goal
- unchallenged

Aiyegbeni Yakubu’s (Nigeria) miss during World Cup 2010 group match against South Korea
- not in list of top 100 highest paid players in the world
- competitive, international level, World Cup match
- about 3 yards away from goal, approx middle of goal
- unchallenged

Rob Earnshaw’s (Wales) miss during a Euro2012 qualifier against England, 6th September 2011
- not in list of top 100 highest paid players in the world
- competitive, international level
- edge of 6 yard box, left side of goal
- unchallenged

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s (Feyenoord) miss during a Dutch league match, 2001
- capped 112 times by Denmark, scoring 52 goals – joint all-time top scorer for his country
- competitive, club level (Feyenoord v NAC Breda, 2001)
- right on the line, close to middle of goal
- unchallenged

Rivaled by Ilija Sivonjić (Croatia, Dinamo Zagreb) during a Croatian league match against Cibalia, 2009
- not in list of top 100 highest paid players in the world
- competitive, club level, not world-class
- right on the line, near to right of goal
- unchallenged

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More run-of-the-mill politicians usually settle for fiery speeches, a meet-and-greet session or baby-kissing photo ops. But for Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister and former Russian President, only macho stunts will do.

In the cabin of strategic bomber ТU-160

He has also been pictured at the wheel of a huge racing truck, operating a train, sailing on a submarine, and released a DVD entitled “Let’s learn judo with Vladimir Putin”.

Yes, this guy looks best being in the thick of the action, he’ll look completely at home doing Emergency Medical Technician Jobs.

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IMHO, the best winner reactions in the top two beauty pageant in the world are:

The moment Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana was announced as Miss Universe 1999 [starts 2:14]

She was her country’s first ever delegate to the pageant, and what do you know – she won. No wonder she looked totally flabbergasted.

The moment Riyo Mori of Japan was announced as Miss Universe 2007 [starts 1:00]

That wasn’t as dramatic was it?

I can’t find any references to the best / funnest / over-the-top Miss World crowning moments. Can anybody please help me out?

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1.78m, green-eyed (Major) Oxana Fedorova, PhD (born December 1977), then 24, of Russia won Miss Universe 2002. She has been called the “Goddess of Beauty”, while others are mere “beauty queens.”

Her crowning moment [at 1:18]

The “Major” is for her police rank.

I think she’ll look good in anything, even a plus size formal dress.

However, controversy came 3 months later – she was rumoured to be pregnant, which, according to the rules, would cause her to lose her crown. She then countered by saying that she willingly “abdicated” because she wanted to complete her studies, hence couldn’t spare time to attend to the many duties expected of a Miss Universe titleholder. The runner-up, Justine Pasek of Panama was then declared the winner.

The Miss Universe Organization does not officially recognise Fedorova as a former Miss Universe, but the general public thinks otherwise.

In September 2011, the pageantry website Global Beauties named her the most beautiful Miss Universe of all time.

Source

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Caius Veiovis, 31 was arrested along with 2 others for the deaths of 3 men whose bodies were discovered on 10th September 2011 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA.

The following is his devilish-looking mugshot, his forehead covered with bulges/horns, “666″ tattooed at the centre and several spiky piercings through his nose.

He looks like the devil himself, no?

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The usual way of dealing with a dead body is either burial or cremation.

But there are at least 2 methods that claims to be more “ecologically favourable”:

(i) Alkaline hydrolysis

- Put body in silk bag
- Put silk bag in metal cage
- Put metal cage into Resomator
- Fill machine with a water + lye mix
- Heat to about 160°C at high pressure (to prevent boiling) for up to 3 hours. This will break down the body into its chemical components, resulting in a liquid that is green-brown in colour and white bone ash.
- Give ash to next of kin.
- Liquid can be simply poured into sewerage system, or use in a garden.

Sounds intense, like something that needs to be done in steel buildings.

(ii) Freeze drying (Promession)

- put coffin into Promession machine
- once inside, remove body from coffin
- treat body with liquid nitrogen
- vibrate body until it fragments
- dry and refine remains further
- pass body through filters to remove metals (can include dental amalgam)
- pour remains into square biodegradable coffin, for shallow burial (like composting)

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25 Great Scenes in Film that actually were not scripted, but rather, improvised.

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The Birkin bag, a handmade purse by Hermès was named after actress & vocalist Jane Birkin.

An Hermès black crocodile Birkin bag

It was created in 1984 by Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas, based on an 1892 design.

Since then, it has since become an icon.

Specs:
- handmade in France: process includes hand-sewing, buffing, painting & polishing, on average taking 2 days to complete
- signature saddle stitching developed in the 19th century
- leathers obtained from different French tanners
- no logos

It’s probably the most coveted of all ladies handbags due to its status as a wealth symbol, with a reputed waiting list of as long as 6 years.

Definitely expensive and difficult to get one, even if you had the money. It’s distributed to Hermès boutiques at unspecified timetables and possibly intended small quantities.

Price range: USD9,000 to USD150,000, depending on the material used. Price justified by “the meticulous craftsmanship and scarcity.”

If only we could get red envelope codes for hefty discounts on these babies.

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According to the excellent Track And Field All-time Performances Homepage maintained by Peter Larsson:

As of the evening of 3rd September 2011, the 10-second barrier has been broken 457 times.

Usain Bolt owns (or co-owns) 5 of the 10 fastest 100m times in history: 9.58, 9.69, 9.72, 9.76, 9.77.

He has run faster than 9.80 on 6 occasions.

He has broken the 10-second barrier 23 times.

Only 2 other sprinters have clocked times that are among the 10 fastest in history: Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, the other Jamaican. Tyson Gay has 4 of in the top 10, including 9.69 and 9.71, the 3rd and 4th fastest times ever. He has also clocked 9.77 twice.

Asafa Powell has even more top 10 times in history than Usain Bolt – 6, including 9.72 and 9.74, the 5th and 7th fastest times ever.

In fact, Powell has broken the 10-second barrier more frequently than anybody else – 73 times (some reports say 80). Previously, Maurice Greene held the record, with 53 sub-10 runs.

Carl Lewis has broken the 10-second barrier 15 times.

Samuel Francis’ Asian record of 9.99 set in 2007 is the joint 457th best time in history.

Source
alltime-athletics.com
Wikipedia

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According to the excellent Track And Field All-time Performances Homepage maintained by Peter Larsson:

As of yesterday evening, when Usain Bolt became the 200m 2011 world champion with 19.40 seconds, the 20-second barrier has been broken 183 times.

Usain Bolt owns (or co-owns) 7 of the 10 fastest 200m times in history: 19.19, 19.30, 19.40, 19.56, 19.57, 19.59, 19.63. That means he has run faster than 19.60 on 6 occasions.

He has broken the 20-second barrier 22 times.

When he drives a car, is he a speed demon too? If he is, that collision estimation could go up.

Michael Johnson has broken the 20-second barrier 23 times. Everybody knows that his best time is 19.32 seconds, but perhaps less know that his next best times were 19.66, 19.71, 19.77 and 19.79.

The fastest 200m time not by either Bolt or Johnson is 19.58 by Tyson Gay in 2009 (7th best time in history). Gay also owns the 9th best time in history (19.62) set in 2007.

The relatively unknown Xavier Carter co-owns the 10th best time in history with 19.63 set in 2006.

Shingo Suetsugu’s Asian record of 20.03 set in 2003 is the joint 237th best time in history.

Source

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A two-seater Wolseley 6 built in 1904 still runs and has never broken down. It’s one of the first cars produced by the Frederick Wolseley company in Birmingham, which went defunct in 1975.

Owner Brian Caseley, 65, regularly takes the car for a spin around his home in Dorset, Great Britain.

It’s top speed is 29 mph (46 kmh) and nobody knows its mileage as it doesn’t have a mileometers / odometer.

Caseley bought it in 2004 from a vintage car collector friend.

Specs:
- runs on petrol
- 30 to 40 miles to the gallon (i.e. more efficient than most modern cars)
- 1-cylinder motor

The car in 1906 – when it was 2 years old

Source
Daily Mail (UK), 29 Aug 2011

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I think this should be the way to determine who are the greatest high jumpers.

The current world record holder, Javier Sotomayor is 1.95m tall and his world record is 2.45m, meaning he jumped 50cm over his head. Some have listed his height as 1.93m, hence the difference is 52cm.

I think if Yao Ming (2.29m) trained to be a high jumper, he would’ve easily broken that world record.

But there are 2 persons who have jumped 59cm above their own heads, Franklin Jacobs and Stefan Holm.

Franklin Jacobs (born 1957) is a 1970s American high jumper. He’s only 1.73m, yet his personal best is 2.32m, which set the world indoor record in 1978.

Stefan Holm (born 1976) is a Swedish high jumper. He’s only 1.81m, yet has jumped 2.40m indoors in 2005. He was the 2004 Olympic champion.

This gives hope to those of us less than 1.8m tall – time to practice jumping over one of those stainless steel barrels then…

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