Scene from Sleeper: Never Clone Alone

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Scene from Sleeper: Learning about the past…

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Surgeons sew boy’s nose back after attack dog swallows it

This reminds me of the Woody Allen movie, “Sleeper” where the only living part of the leader of a society in the future is his nose.

A boy of 11 whose nose was bitten off by a dog has had it sewn back on after it was retrieved from the animal’s stomach.

The remarkable operation in the Czech Republic is the first of its kind and was hailed by surgeons yesterday as a “great success”.

The child was mauled by an alsatian in the village of Lipova. His father rushed him to hospital where quick-thinking surgeons telephoned the vet charged with destroying the dog. They ordered him to open up the animal’s stomach and search for the boy’s nose.

It was still in one piece, although doctors were concerned about infection. But the nose was thoroughly sterilised and after the 11-hour operation the boy’s sense of smell is not affected and he can breathe normally.

Prof Jiri Vesely, chief plastic surgeon at St Anna Hospital, Brno, said: “We thought it was worth checking inside the dog in case it hadn’t chewed it. It was a great discovery to find he had swallowed it whole. It was intact.” – telegraph

Mayor wants to ban death

I’m posting a few strange news items from 2005 that I missed.

The mayor of a Brazilian town is trying to bring in a law making it illegal for residents to die.
Mayor Roberto Pereira da Silva, of , came up with the idea because the town’s only cemetery is full.

He wants to bring in a law that would see relatives of people who die before their time face fines or even jail. The law would make it an offence for the town’s 28,000 citizens to not look after their health properly. Mayor Pereira da Silva said there was no way of expending the cemetery or building a new one, reports Agora Sao Paulo.

He said: “Eighty nine per cent of the town is rivers, the rest is protected because it is tropical jungle.” The state government had promised to help build a new vertical cemetery – but nothing had been done.

Gym memberships have reportedly shot up since the mayor announced his plans, and more people are visiting doctors. – ana

Erotic furniture fad

Erotic furniture based on the female body with boobs for doors and bums for drawers is the latest fad in Holland.

Cabinet maker has designed a range of stylish wooden cupboards, wardrobes and tables using the female anatomy as his inspiration.His pieces include a wine-glass cupboard in the shape of a pair of large breasts and a table supported by legs moulded from a female model.

Philippona said: “The shape of a woman, her organic architecture, combined with my passion for wood inspired me to sculpt these sexy designs.” His furniture is featured on his website, www.sexyfurniture.nl. – anna

Famous Last Words

Famous last words. A friend of mine told me her father’s last words were, “When you hear thunder, that’s me farting on George W. Bush.”

Shatner: Another Captain Kirk in Star Trek XI

Q:Turning to Star Trek, besides the recent DirectTV commercial, have we seen the last of William Shatner as Captain Kirk?

A:I don’t know. J. J. Abrams is planning a movie. He has talked with me about it, but I don’t know what he has got planned. It’s likely there will be another Captain Kirk for certain. I have a book out in bookstores right now called Captain’s Glory and it’s about Captain Kirk. …

Q:The rumor mill keeps churning out reports that the next Star Trek film will focus on a young James T. Kirk. How do you feel about another actor playing a role you originated?

A:It’s not so much the role, it’s the word “younger.”

Q:I suppose it must be like Sean Connery watching Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig playing James Bond?

A:I wonder if he feels, ‘Thank God, I don’t have to do all those stunts (laughs)’.

Q:What characteristic would you want to see in an actor taking on the role of Captain Kirk?

A:He’s got to be handsome. He’s got to be athletic. He’s got to be rich. He’s got to be funny. He’s got to get the girl – the sort of things I do.

The full interview can be found here.

Handover to Iraqi Army ’set for the end of next year’

Under a plan to be presented to the UN Security Council next month, the Iraqi Government would assume authority from coalition troops by the end of next year.

Only hours after Donald Rumsfeld was replaced as US Defence Secretary, American, British and Iraqi officials spoke openly about accelerating the handover process. – more

Mercury pass delights skygazers

Astronomers in the Americas, East Asia and Oceania have been enjoying a rare opportunity to see Mercury pass in a direct line across the Sun. The closest planet to our star appeared as a tiny black dot creeping over the solar face between 1912 GMT on Wednesday to 0010 GMT on Thursday.

Some observatories held special viewing parties for the public.

The entire transit was visible from the western US, south-east Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the South Pacific.

Mariners report new island in South Pacific

A new volcanic island has risen from the South Pacific near Tonga, according to reports from two vessels that passed the area.The crew of the Maiken, a yacht that left the northern Tongan islands group of Vava’u in August, reported on their Web log on August 12 that they saw streaks of light, porous pumice stone floating in the water — then “sailed into a vast, many-miles-wide belt of densely packed pumice.”

They posted photos of huge “pumice rafts” that they encountered after passing Tonga’s Late island while sailing toward Fiji.

“We were so fascinated and busy taking pictures that we plowed a couple of hundred meters into this surreal floating stone field before we realized that we had to turn back,” wrote a crewman identified only as Haken.

The next day they spotted an active volcanic island, Haken wrote.

He said they could see the volcanic island clearly. “One mile in diameter and with four peaks and a central crater smoking with steam and once in a while an outburst high in the sky with lava and ashes. I think we’re the first ones out here,” he reported.

There was no official confirmation of a new island, either from Tonga’s Ministry of Lands or the Tonga Defense Service.

Separately, fishing boat captain Siaosi Fenukitau reported seeing the volcanic island, the Matangitonga news Web site reported.