70 People Injured After Piranha Attack in Argentina
An attack by a school of carnivorous fish has injured 70 people bathing in an Argentine river, including seven children who lost parts of their fingers or toes.
Director of lifeguards Federico Cornier said Thursday that thousands of bathers were cooling off from 100-degree temperatures in the Parana River in Rosario on Wednesday when bathers suddenly began complaining of bite marks on their hands and feet.
He blamed the attack on palometas, "a type of piranha, big, voracious and with sharp teeth that can really bite."
Paramedic Alberto Manino said some children he treated lost entire digits. He told the Todo Noticias channel that city beaches were closed, but it was so hot that within a half-hour, many people went back to the water.
Officials added the heatwave was partially responsible for why the fish congregated on the river's surface. - AOL
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'I was a fairy in a past life'
Melynda Moon, a 23-year-old Canadian model, has put herself through one of the most bizarre cosmetic surgeries I’ve heard of. While most people ask their surgeons to make their nose smaller or lips fuller, Moon aimed at making her ears pointier. Why? Because she wanted to look like an elf.
“I have always had fantasies about what it would be like to be something other than human,” Moon said. “So I decided to change my appearance to look supernatural.” In August 2011, she spent $400 on a painful surgery to have her ears modified.
To achieve the desired result, the tops of Moon’s ear cartilage were skinned. Pieces were cut from the tips to form points. Her ears were almost ‘carved’ into a triangular shape, reminiscent of the Elves from the Lord of the Rings.
The two-hour long treatment was by no means easy for her. She has confessed that her ears “were really swollen and sore with a slight burning sensation.” The stitches stayed in for a couple of weeks – that’s how long it took for the skin to heal into their new ‘elven’ shape.
But Moon said that the entire process was “worth it.” “Pointed ears are the most adorable thing, and I find the elven attire so elegant. My inspiration comes from The Lord of the Rings: the long hair, dresses and the closeness to nature. When I found I could have my ears pointed I have never been so sure of something my entire life.”
It’s not just the ears, Moon dresses like an elf too. She has a subdermal implant in her hand, representing the symbol of the Legend of Zelda. Even her name isn’t original; she had it changed by deed poll to suit her new personality.
“I am drawn to elves because of their innocence, elegance and free spirit. They are a symbol of love and laughter.” Moon strongly believes she was a fairy in a previous life. In fact, she has been “obsessed with all things mythical” since childhood. When she was a teenager, Moon would Photoshop her ears to make them pointed in pictures, and use makeup to make herself look ‘elven’.
Reactions to Moon’s appearance are varied. “I have a handful of people assume I am dressed up because I have put on pointed ears. When I tell them they are real, they look pretty confused as if they are waiting for me to say ‘just kidding’ – but I am not.” Some of her friends get their kids to behave by saying that they know someone who knows Santa. “Then their children see my ears and realize their parents aren’t joking.”
To critics, Moon has just this to say: “Not everyone is going to like you for a lot of things. When you stand out, you get more grief. Ignorance is bliss. If people want to judge me because their head is so far up their ass, then that is fine by me.” That doesn’t sound too elf-like, but she does have a point. - OddityCentral
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Mysterious Christmas Eve ‘boom’ heard and felt around Toronto
Around 11 p.m. Christmas Eve, people reported hearing a loud “boom” in Toronto, Newmarket, Aurora, Belleville, Richmond Hill, and Sutton. Not only was the boom heard, but it rattled houses, leaving many to believe that a tree had fallen on their rooftop.
But so far, there hasn’t been an official explanation.
Even more mysterious is that some people reported hearing booms at other times during the day as well, ranging from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Christmas morning.
The United States Geological Service (USGS) didn’t record any seismic event in Ontario yesterday, and there were no reports to the American Meteor Society.
So what was it?
The most likely explanation is that it was a cryoseism, also known as a frost quake.
Cyroseisms are rare, localized seismic events that occur when a sudden drop in temperature freezes the groundwater, which then expands and cracks the soil and rock. The crack will release a sudden burst of explosive energy, resulting in a loud noise and the shaking of the ground. They usually occur between midnight and dawn.
Temperatures north of the city — in Newmarket, Richmond Hill, and Sutton, for example — were a chilly -20 C or colder on Christmas Eve.
On January 18, 2000, when temperatures were near -20 C in Sadowa, Ontario, 12 frost quakes were recorded in two hours.
Cryoseisms are rare, but they seem to be more common around the Great Lakes.
Two similar events took place in the U.S. in 2011 and 2007.
According to media reports, in 2011, residents in southwestern Ohio and Indiana reported being awakened by a loud boom as well as the shaking of their homes.
A similar incident occurred in 2007 in Ohio.
What is similar about these events and the Christmas Eve events is that all of them had recently experienced an ice storm.
Is this the answer to the boom of Christmas Eve? We won’t know for sure, but it does seem to be the most likely explanation.
Then again, it could just have been a very noisy Santa. - GlobalNews
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Quran ‘healer’ kills patient in Yemen
Police in Yemen arrested a Quran “healer” who allegedly cures spiritual and physical diseases by reciting verses from the Quran, after the death of a patient in northern city of Ibb, a local newspaper reported on Sunday.
Al Oula daily said that the relatives of a 23-year old woman brought her to the spiritual doctor saying she suffered from psychological problems. The husband of the newly-wedded woman said that the healer told them that she was suffering from a demonic possession and magic and that he had to use forces to treat her.
The woman died when the man trampled over her neck in an attempt to “exorcise a demon from her body”. The paper said that the husband collapsed when he heard about the death of his wife as they had only recently been married.
Quran healing centres can be found in every corner of the poverty-stricken country. Healers say that this practice can treat mental and other diseases. - GulfNews
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