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Cockroaches In Your Mouth – Eeew!

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260px-Female_Madagascar_hissing_cockroachNo one in his right mind would do this, right? Well, think again! This guy from Lansing, Michigan wanted his 15 minutes of fame, so he stuffed these icky creatures into his mouth.

Sean Murphy, a pet store employee, decided to make a go for a Guinness World Record and put not one, but 16, cockroaches in his mouth. Mind you, they weren’t any ordinary roaches. In fact, they were Madagascar hissing cockroaches. According to Wikipedia, the Madagascar hissing cockroach is:

“also known as the hissing roach or simply hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach, reaching 2–3 inches (5-8cm) at maturity. They are from the island of Madagascar off the African coast, where they can be found in rotting logs.

Unlike most cockroaches, they are wingless. They are excellent climbers and can scale smooth glass.”

So Sean Murphy got 16 of some of the biggest roaches in the world! He said that each of the roaches were at the very least, 2 ½ inches long. He initially tried for 12 roaches, but he just kept adding one more until he got all 16 in. While the feat has been documented, Guinness says that they still have to verify Murphy’s stunt. Until that has been done, amazing (and disgusting) as it may be, he is not a world record holder yet. He remains undaunted, though, and says that next year, he will be going for 20 roaches in his mouth – alive, hissing, and all!

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The Philippines Needs Your Help

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How was your weekend? The chances are that you fared a thousand times better than the Filipinos who were caught unawares by tropical storm Ondoy (international name Ketsana). The Philippines experiences typhoons on a regular basis, and Filipinos are used to constant rain. As such, Friday night even saw a lot of people out partying and welcoming the weekend.

Saturday morning was a whole different story. People in the Metro Manila area experience rainfall like never before, and the floodwaters rose at an unprecedented rate. Rich or poor, it did not matter – everyone was left at the mercy of strong currents. Even huge houses were not spared, with floodwaters covering most of the edifices.

The weekend was definitely a horrific period of time for countless people in the metro. The news of the disaster has spread all over the world, with most of the attention focused on the metro. What many might not know is that thousands more of people are also in similar situations outside of the capital. In outlying provinces such as Laguna and Bulacan, people remain stranded on their roofs and in areas yet unreached by rescue efforts. Everywhere, people are clamoring for food and water, as well as clothes and practically anything that can help them start over.

There are countless volunteers offering their assistance. The problem is the goods are not nearly enough. If you go to the big supermarkets in Manila, you will see bare shelves. Many say they went shopping to donate the goods.

The bottom line is that these people need help, FAST. Splashpress Media has launched our campaign to help in whatever way we can. If you feel that you want to pitch in, please visit our donation page and read more. The Filipino people will surely appreciate every little bit.

Washington Resident New King In Ghana

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PH2009091503551The average person has dreams of one day waking up and finding himself a rich heiress or a long lost member of a royal family. For most people, this remains but a dream, but for an embassy worker in Washington, it actually has come true. Peggielene Bartels has been working at Ghana’s embassy since the 1970s.

A little more than a year ago, Bartels got a call at 4 a.m. She learned that the king of Otuam, a town in Ghana about an hour from the capital. As things turn out, the former king was the uncle of Bartel, and after a traditional ritual of determining the next in line, Peggielene became the new “Nana.”

“Nana” is actually the honorific that the people of Ghana bestow upon people of stature. They use it to refer to people like kings as well as grandparents. Now, Bartel is royalty. The decision to take on the responsibility was not that easy for her. In fact, she struggled with it for three months, before she realized that she could not run away from her destiny.

So what is the life of the new king like? After traveling to Ghana for her coronation, Peggielene went back to Washington and resumed her post as a secretary. She does her own laundry, drivers herself around in a 1992 Honda, and answers to her boss. She serves as a “commuting king,” dividing her time between her being a king and being a secretary. She says that when she retires in five or six years, she plans on moving to Ghana and serving as their full time king.

Fairy tales do happen in real life, don’t they?

Rat-eating Plant Found In The Philippines

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rat-plant_1463666fAnimals that eat plants are a common sight, but plants eating animals? Well, there is the Venus fly trap. Then there are all those plants in fantasy and science fiction movies. In real life, though, it is rare that we hear about flesh-eating plants.

British botanists Alastair Robinson and Stewart McPherson headed over to the Philippine island of Palawan in 2007 to check out a pitcher plant they heard about from some missionaries. They discovered the plant in Mount Victoria, and published the report earlier this year in the Botanical Journal of Linnean Society.

The plant has been named Nepenthes attenboroughii, in honor of Sir David, the wildlife broadcaster. To this, Sir David replied:

“I was contacted by the team shortly after the discovery and they asked if they could name it after me. I was delighted and told them, ‘Thank you very much’. I’m absolutely flattered. This is a remarkable species the largest of its kind. I’m told it can catch rats then eat them with its digestive enzymes. It’s certainly capable of that.”

Indeed, the pitcher plant is unique in so many ways. More than catching flies and other small insects, it can devour rats! The botanists describe the plant as “immediately distinguishable from other Nepenthes by its great dimensions and trumpet-shaped lower and upper pitchers.” It is also unique in that it is the only member of its genus that “lives” at such a high elevation.

Can you imagine just how much more there is left to discover in the wild?

“Survivor Package” Provide A Unique Vacation

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handheldsunmbeamShort on cash but need a vacation? Who doesn’t? For those who have been having trouble coming up with a plan for the summer due to cash flow problems, the Rancho Bernardo Inn in Southern California just might have the solution for you.

Contrary to what many other hotels and resorts are doing (that is to offer more perks, freebies, and amenities in a bid to attract more customers), the management of Rancho Bernardo Inn is making lemonade, so to speak. They are currently offering what is dubbed the “Survivor Package,” which is an adventurous way of saying that guests receive practically nothing.

Well, there is a room with no bed, no toilet paper, no towels, and no air-conditioning. At least there is a bed, right? Oh, and there is only ONE light bulb to go by. This is the most basic package, costing $19 per night. There are variations, with amenities being added to the list. Naturally, the price goes up with each upgrade.

At first glance, I think that any sane person would be horrified at the thought of having to pay for a room without anything in it. Then again, I have been wrong before – and it seems that in this case, I am. A lot of people are actually buying into this marketing idea. Families are delighted that they do not have to spend hundreds of dollars on a room and they do not seem to mind bringing their own toilet paper and towels with them. As one mother put it, the boys feel like they’re camping and she can still go to the spa.

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