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Bulb

Bulgarian challenges chess record

chess player
© unknownKiril Georgiev's opponents faced a long wait between moves
A Bulgarian grandmaster has begun 360 chess matches in an attempt to break the world record for the number of games played simultaneously.

Kiril Georgiev is working his way up and down rows of tables at which his rivals are seated, in the Inter Expo Center in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

He needs to win 80% of the games to beat a record set by Hungarian-American chess champion Susan Polgar in 2005.

No Entry

Pennsylvania, US: Skunk causes Mifflin County Library to close

The Allensville branch of the Mifflin County Library has been closed for over a week now due to an unfortunate guest that is causing frustration for library employees, local residents and the Menno Township Supervisors, who own the building.

It remains unclear whether the skunk actually entered the building; however one thing is clear - the smell is coming from inside and outside the library.

"The smell is overpowering," Mifflin County Library Director Carol Veitch said.

Beer

Buddhist Temple Built Using 1.5 Million Recycled Beer Bottles

Image
© BarcroftGlass houses: There are 20 buildings made of bottles in the complex
Built using more than a million beer bottles, this incredible temple in the north-east of Thailand is a novel way to recycle any empties.

The resident Buddhist monks at the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew complex encourage local authorities to deposit any used bottles at the temple which they then use to build new structures.

Having already built the a temple and even shelters, the monks who live in the town of Khun Han really have got into the spirit of recycling.

Image
© BarcroftA monk stands outside the Temple Of A Million Bottles which was built from used bottles donated by the local community

Wolf

Friday's Obamatoon

This is NOT what the people wanted......

obamatoon
© Carlos Latuff

Coffee

Libby's L.A. Adventure

Last weekend Ryan had a conference where he had to be locked in the school for 65 hours. I didn't really want to witness the carnage, so I decided to go to L.A. to visit Tara. It was a lovely weekend. I could go on and on about what we did, where we went, who we saw, and everything we ate, but you read this blog for entertainment -- not to cure insomnia (at least, I hope that's the case.) So, instead of a full travelogue, here is a list of five things I learned on my weekend away....

Family

Eurovision Song Contest hopefuls Putin the boot over Russia

Sir Terry Wogan may have quit as a Eurovision Song Contest commentator in protest against political voting, but Georgia's provocative entry to this year's contest threatens to embroil Russia's prime minister.

The former Soviet republic has hit back at Russia's military intervention in one of its breakaway regions last year by choosing Stephane & 3G's We Don't Wanna Put In as its entry for the event in Moscow in May.

The title may sound innocuous in English, but the quartet's pronunciation is the same as that for Vladimir Putin.

Laptop

Somnambulism in the Internet Age

Woman emailed party invites in her sleep

A new form of somnambul­ism for the Internet age has been identified by doctors and reported in the latest edition of the medical journal Sleep Medicine. Sleep researchers from the University of Toledo, Ohio, reported the first ever case of someone using the Internet while asleep, even sending emails inviting people over for drinks and caviar.

Ambulance

Guns for those who fire blanks

If you want a gun in Shivpuri, it helps to get the snip.

Manish Shrivastava, the administrative head of Shivpuri, a district in central India, has come up with a unique offer to boost the number of sterilisations in his jurisdiction: any man who has a vasectomy will have his gun licence application accelerated.

"There is a fetish for arms and arms licences in this area and at the same time the male vasectomy figures are dismally low," Manish Shrivastava told the Herald. "I have simply clubbed these two things together and got a very good response."

Robot

England: Mysterious 'Rocket-man' spotted over village

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, our readers are sure it was a man, flying without wings across the skies over Gentleshaw Common.

Five locals have contacted The Post after witnessing the figure travelling, seemingly unaided, over houses at around 11am on Sunday, February 8. One described it as a 'Superman' moment - a clear case of 'to Chadsmoor and beyond.'

Smiley

Man Had Pigeons Down His Pants

Pigeons Pants
The pigeons were wrapped in padded envelopes on each leg
An Australian traveller was caught with two live pigeons stuffed down his trousers following a trip to the Middle East.

Customs officials said the 23-year-old was searched after authorities discovered two eggs in a vitamin container in his luggage.

They found the pigeons wrapped in padded envelopes and held to each of the man's legs with a pair of tights.

Officials also seized seeds in his money belt and an undeclared eggplant.