

This one was a real shocker! Who would have thought that paving stones could be at the heart of a story? Those girls must have developed shocking piles!


















Normally, nettles are associated with that nasty sting that they give you should you be foolhardy enough to examine them with bare hands or unfortunate enough to have a brother or sister willful enough to want to push you in to them. However, they have many more uses than a tool in the escalation in to nastiness of sibling rivalry. So, what exactly can you do with nettles when you are bored?
Guinea pigs were domesticated as early as 5000 years BCE and there are many breeds have been developed since then. Unique and beautiful breeds have been developed that makes these little creatures appealing as pets. Here are some of the more unusual breeds.
When it comes to toilets we would dare suggest that the majority of people like more than a little privacy with a chunk (wrong word maybe) of comfort thrown in for good measure. takes a look at some toilets that may not immediately strike you as including a desire for either in their construction, public positioning or the methods of expulsion we are expected to adopt to use them. Strike a pose, now, there's nothing to it....
Lawks, blimey and luvaduck, looks like we've been well and truly grassed up to the bizzies - or at least to the denizens of the interweb. OK, so every country has moments it isn't terribly pleased with but here in Blighty we like to think we have a few less than some others we could mention. So, thanks for highlighting the occasionally odd way we dealt with our law breakers in the past! Cheers, mate.Britain is known for some very strange things, Bubble and Squeak, and Mushy Peas, being two of those things. Another thing they were known for was a rather interesting way of dealing with criminals.
Oh dear, we never learn, do we? Men, that is. Decade after decade we have had the proof in front of us (photographically, biologically. you name it) that we really, really shouldn't take our clothes off in public? Why? Because someone will inevitably put an article like this together and stick it up on the internet. Ouch!Many men need little reason to shed their clothing. A little sunshine and whoosh! However, they do not realize - in many cases - that their semi-nudity can sometimes engender not quite the emotions that they supposed. They may feel that it's worth it but here are a few ‘becauses' - together with photographic proof - that beg to differ.

And it is just about as local as you can get!
The ultimate locavore not only wants to build collaborative and self-reliant food economies in their own area – they also wish to integrate this further. Sustainability is really the key word, with food production, processing as well as distribution and consumption integrated together. The hope is that, if this can happen, the particular place which adopts this system will be enhanced socially, environmentally and economically.
Lehanneur takes this concept to its – some might say ridiculous – extreme by offering people a way to farm fish from the comfort of their domicile. Not only that, by purchasing one of his designs you also get the chance to grow your own vegetables to have with that fishy dinner.
For those who like to have that decorative “TV aquarium” in their lounge then this particular idea is fabulously “decus et tutamen”. To borrow from the Latin (and the British pound coin) it is both decorative and useful. You get your fish – and your vegetables – for the cost of the unit. The price - don’t ask!
So, how does it work? It is based on the principles of aquaponics, which is when plants and animals are cultivated side by side in a form of forced symbiosis. As such it is an integration of aquaculture (a system in which fish may be grown) and hydroponics (which allows plants to be grown in water).
As the fish in the closed tank system release their effluence, there is the danger that they will die. So, plants are grown nearby so they that can soak up the nutrients in the water (which are toxic to the fish). This is where the recirculation comes in – the water is now returned to the water as it is now clean. In this way the system neither exchanges or discharges water and the relationship between the plants and the animals maintain the environment.
These systems are not new and have been used in the East where waste from fish has, by tradition, been used to keep rice paddies productive. So, this is not a new idea, but to take it in to the living areas of your average suburbanite? Will that ever catch on? You can certainly 'grow' any number of fish species in the tanks - including eel, trout and carp. With stocks dwindling, who knows what the insides of our houses will look like in the future.
Certainly, if you want your food fresh and is one hundred percent traceable to source, then a Local River may be just for you. The price may be a little Brad and Angelina for comfort, but at least you will guarantee that the food that you serve is completely fresh.
You can find out more about this fantastic piece of green design – and other mind boggling ideas put in to practice - at the home page of Mathieu Lehanneur
Bored, listless and stressed at work? Perhaps it is time to divert your attention away from that for which you are getting paid and develop a few new strategies around passing the time between nine and five. With these ten websites you will hopefully discover a host of time wasting ways to prevaricate. Enjoy - and don't get fired!
A look at some of the songs Lennon/McCartney penned and gave away to other artists. This does not include cover versions by other bands, only songs that were truly given to other artists (although in some cases the Beatles did record their own version of it, but not for general release at the time).
Vultures are generally seen as unpleasant, disgusting birds that eat dead flesh but they do a very useful job.

read more digg storyThe Einstein ring is possibly one of the most bizarre things that can be done to light. It’s the most dramatic example of relativity to date. As light passes past an object with a lot of mass (Like a galaxy or a really big black hole)- it actually curves and bends, creating a strange halo around the object.

Trained? Trained my a**e! They would follow a light around, somewhat aimlessly. Tricks? The blond one with the pretty red bow never pulled any in my tank.
Marketed in the US from the 1950s the Sea Monkey advertisement looked suspiciously seductive, what with the tails laid delicately across the genitals and the nuclear family in microcosm, who could possibly fall for something so obviously fake? This particular mug for sure, who sent a British Postal Order across the pond, quite generously forsaking the then stupendously generous pound-dollar exchange rate. Amazingly, the Sea Monkeys arrived – and scarily quickly (as if some aqua-based Wonka dude was anticipating my every need) and following the in depth destructions, sorry instructions, the seeds of life were sown in suburbia, where Jacques Cousteau was worshipped but Onan ruled.
Spot the difference... long tail, check, three eyes, check (well, when adult, tho mine never got that far), cute smile and cheeky demeanor, check, check, bloody cheek.
Imagine the disappointment that prevailed when said Sea Monkeys which should have looked like (A) actually looked like (B). Fortunately, the pater familias was able to come to the rescue. The brine shrimp that grew in the stead of the promised monkeys of the sea were introduced to a much bigger tank. Those seventies favorites, the tropical fish (pre-Nemo, we didn’t know they had feelings then) were always inquisitive when new companions were introduced to the tank. Especially when they were hungry. Glee ensued. Sea Monkey slaughter on a grand, almost Roman scale became the hobby of the day. Teenage Nero was born but this phase passed as quickly as the monkeys (bless them) through the intestinal guts of their marine nemisis-is (answers, please, on a postcard).
The next clever marketing ploy I fell for. Look, it was a small, small town. And I was horny and twelve and something of an idiot. Well, one thing has changed at least.
This particular dissatisfied customer swore off mail order animals from that day on. Of course, this did not signify the end of the mail or the order and fairly soon after the SMD (Sea Monkey Debacle) a pair of X-Ray specs landed in the mailbox of this particular pubescent patsy. What could go wrong – after all, they would do what the advert said they would, surely?
Not.
Although we have yet to introduce him, the guy who brought you Sea Monkeys and X-Ray Specs also brought you these hair-raising monsters. Ta da.
And so the years passed and childish things were put away, replaced by things normally labeled
adult (but when considered at length, or perhaps not even for that long, usually have a streak of ‘kid’ in them a mile long). A sudden fit of nostalgia and a quick google (verb, noun, adjective, whatever) and the truth dawned. Despite the finest left-wing upbringing on the planet (in my home, ‘pinko’ was a compliment) I was, quite possibly, the unwitting teenage funder of extreme right wing political ideologies.
The ‘inventor’, marketer and creator of both the X-Ray specs (so longingly awaited so quickly assigned to the trash can) and the Sea Monkey (and we all know their fate already) was none other than Harold von Braunhut. The name itself suggests some sort of harmless nutty professor, but this guy was no Jerry Lewis. Were it not for his politics, his life would be ripe for a Hollywood film.
With an amazing 156 patents to his name, Braunhut (he added the ‘von’ later in life – he was actually born in Memphis in 1926) learned that through a quirk of nature the brine shrimp could survive for many years in a state close to suspended animation. When added to water, they would spring to life (to the astonippointment of a million teenagers). The first marketing ploy – ‘Instant Life’ worked but not sufficiently to fulfill those dreams of avarice filling his head and bothering the boys at the Patent Office. Coining the term ‘Sea Monkeys’ brought the product a whole new lease of life.
Although he would never engage with questions about his politics, it has been widely reported that von Braunhaut was a member of both the Aryan Nations and the Ku Klux Klan. What makes this even more bewildering (I mean, you ‘invent’ the Sea Monkeys and you want to lynch black people? Shame!) his relatives insist, to this day, that he was of roundly and soundly Jewish origins. Que pasa?
Yeah, he did these too... Inevitably, here they come... the Ku Klux Krabs. Come on, six out of ten for the article title, surely?
But there is more. Not only responsible for my temporary teenage impecunity and financial dalliance with politics of which I was only vaguely aware, this chap (replace with the noun of your choice) was also responsible for Invisible Goldfish (not even I fell for that one), Amazing Hair-Raising Monsters and Crazy Crabs (all of which were suspiciously dissimilar to the speel).
Whether Jewish or not, whether a lynch-em-up card-carrying KKK member, there is one thing that has to be admitted. This man had chutzpah – or just plain old fashioned balls if you prefer the Anglo-Saxon.
But I still want my money back.
For those of you who find this story a little incredulous, try his Wikipedia page as a good start to investigate the lives and times of Harold von Braunhut.
Vegetarians are a bunch of leaf-obsessed, nut-munching, tree-kissing hippies, right? Or maybe it is just a fad- another diet designed to reduce women to anorexic bean poles. The truth is that vegetarianism is an old practice - and some of history's best and brightest decided to Just Say No to pork chops and beef steaks.
Can the mother of Satan affect your life? To find out, you need to ask the right question. You will be misled if you go on a religious track. The name has less to do with religion but much more to do with with misled people harming innocent people. “Who is the mother of Satan?” – is the wrong question. The right question to ask is, “What is the mother of Satan?”
So, what did the Romans ever do for you? At the risk of getting a little too Pythonesque, quite a lot really. All things said and done the Romans left quite a legacy behind them - and that includes the excuisite a little known Marmora Falls. shows us what we have been missing.digg storyMarmore Falls are the largest man-made waterfalls in the world and were built by
the Romans in 271 BC.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in to the water... along comes something that won't have you for dinner. This robot fish has to be seen to be believed. One question, though. Why didn't Skynet think up something like this in The Sarah Connor Chronicles? Only fiction? Well, excuse me. is your guide.Scientists and engineers from the University of Essex and BMT Group Ltd in England are forming a unique blend of robotics and artistry to form a new form of environmental sensor in the form of beautiful robotic fish.read more | digg story
You might be forgiven for thinking that Webphemera is an American blog, but you would be wrong - it is British - even though it is true that the majority of its readership derives from that quaint little (ex) colony of ours over the Atlantic. Before you dash off in disgust, that was an example of British humour (please note the correct spelling). Just as well then, that is at hand to give us a run down of 17 things that to love about the denizens of dear old 'Blighty'.Our neighbors from across the pond are all that and a cup of tea. Despite all their quirks, eccentricities and attempts to enslave us with taxation- we still can't live without them. Here are 17 things to love about the British.| digg story
There is nothing we like more here at Webphemera than a double entendre, unless of course it's a triple entendre. You may have thought, just for a second, that we had gone all R Rated on you, but fear not, Webphemera remains family friendly. Addams family friendly, albeit. Take a look at these enormous big boobies. Go on, you know you want to...Boobies are native to the coasts of South America, but over half of the worlds population of Blue Footed Boobies call the Galapagos Islands home. The Blue Footed Booby got its name from Spanish sailors calling it stupid. Bobo is Spanish for stupid/clown or fool. But the Blue Footed Booby is far from stupid.read more | digg story
The Stickman, ultraviolent and underdrawn master of malevolence, has a special place in the hearts of many and rightly so. Often though, his true awesomeness is hidden in tiny windows. Here, take a look at ten full screen episodes of murder, mayhem and marauding stickmen.
Goodness, gracious, great balls of - well - ice. An interesting look at the effects that weather can have, in this particular case hail and ice storms. Wrap up warm and take a look at the article, written by the ever investigative .Hailstones, or ice storms are common all over the world. Their severity depends on climate and season but their effects can be very damaging.read more | digg story

FDR was associated with Lucy Mercer for decades and Eleanor went her own way to become a powerful voice for those who had no voice.read more | digg story
Forget the DaVinci Code, this place has the material for about five novels. To top it all, the action takes place in Belgium, long reputed to be the least interesting of places in Europe. These Belgians have been hiding dark and mysterious secrets from us for hundreds of years, or so it seems! If you like a meaty read, will be your guide.The abbey of Orval, in Belgium's Ardennes Forest, is a place of mystery. Orval means Valley of Gold, Nostradamus seems to have written some of his prophecies here, and it's possible that there were 2 treasures hidden: the Treasure of the Knights Templar and the War Chest of Louis XVI.
Listed under the category 'things that are scary enough to make you lose sleep if you just think about them for long enough', this article deals with the very real problem of all those bits and pieces of satellites that are circling our wondrous little blue spot in the heavens. Some are tiny, but if they were to hit an astronaut doing a space walk that would be the end of that... scary!For the first four billion years of this planet’s history, the moon was the sole object in regular earth orbit. Today, if you are camping out away from the city glare, you will frequently observe tiny points of light crawling across the night sky; each is part of the near-earth population of man made orbital devices.Read More
There are many phobias out there and Scopophobia is one of them. To be honest, before we read this article we hadn't heard of the condition and it is one that deserves the extra air of publicity we hope we can give it.The fear of being stared at, an anxiety disorder known as Scopophobia. Many people suffer from this condition in this modern "look at me age." What is it? How does it happen? Take a look at this disorder through the eyes of someone who has suffered from it.read more | digg story

No, no, we're not getting all religious, and if we were, then I doubt very much whether we would tell you where to find 'The Devil's Sites' on the internet. This fascinating article by is all about those places in the world named after the gut from downstairs. The first is the Victoria Falls.
Image CreditA natural pool was formed near the edge of the waterfall and during the dry months of September and December, the river flow is at a safe level that people can swim as close as possible to the edge of the falls within the pool area. A natural rock wall keeps them from falling into the 360 feet gorge. It is safe enough that some people actually let their kids join the experience of a lifetime.

Here is one for all of you conspiracy theorists out there. Evidence always seems to be the one thing is lacking when it comes to such things... however not this time. Clear photographic proof that not only the administration but POTUS himself may have been accommodated by alien forces long thought to be, well, fictional. You will have to click on the read more link below to see the picture though!Baby's First Vulcan Mind Meld. Infant Vulcan mind melds with President Obama. Logic ensues.
Do the Japanese have their own version of Atlantis? It certainly looks like it on first inspection.A mysterious undersea pyramid structure off the coast of Japan causes controversy - is this a natural geological phenomena or a man-made structure which changes the history books as we know them?read more | digg story