Belgian Teen Falls Asleep While Getting A Tattoo…

…and gets 56 stars for it. The story is that Kimberley Vlaeminck, an 18-year-old Belgian, went to a tattoo parlor to get stars on her face. According to her, she asked the tattoo artist, Rouslan Toumaniantz, to put three stars near her eyes. As the procedure progressed, she said that she fell asleep. She only woke up when she felt a pain in her nose as the tattoo artist started adding stars there. BBC quotes her as saying: “I woke up when he was starting to tattoo my nose… I counted 56 stars, it is frightening.”

However, according to the tattoo artist, she knew exactly what was going on. He said that she ordered stars – and lots of them, it seems – all over her face and that she got exactly what she asked for. He also disputes the teenager’s claim that he probably misunderstood her instructions. Toumaniantz says ‘She was awake and looked in the mirror several times as the procedure was being done. She agreed, but when her father saw it, the trouble started.”

The question is, who is telling the truth and who is lying? Two totally contradicting stories – one of them is surely lying. My thoughts on this piece of news…it is one thing to fall asleep while getting a massage or while at the spa, but I don’t really think it’s possible to fall asleep while getting a tattoo. And to fall asleep through 56 stars? I don’t know. What do you think?

Keep Safe On The Road With Chili

Have you ever experienced going on a long drive and doing your darnedest best to stay awake and alert? We all know that one of the biggest – if not THE biggest – enemies of a motorist is sleep or fatigue. That is why we always hear of safety admonitions to get some rest before driving, and that if you feel tired while on the road, it would be better to stop and nap rather than to push on.

How about an alternative wake up call? In China, the police have found a way to wake their drivers up and keep them safe on the road while at it. This novel wake up technique does not make use of the traditional caffeine jolt. Neither does it involve encouraging motorists to nap and rest. Instead, the police are serving motorists with raw chili.

Yes, raw chili. According to Reuters, the police in the southwestern part of the country (Chongqing region) have made it their mission to keep drivers awake. Their main strategy is to offer loads of raw chili in highway service stations. This is also in keeping with the Chinese belief that people become sleepier during spring.

And what do the drivers have to say about this? Chen Jun, a van driver plying the southwestern route says that “It’s really good to have some hot peppers when you are tired from driving. They make you alert.”

If the chili is as strong as I think it is, then it would certainly keep you alert for hours.

Help! The Stewardess Just Landed The Plane!

It is every traveler’s nightmare. Imagine this. The pilot has a mental breakdown mid-air and the flight attendant has to make an emergency landing. No, its not a Naked Gun remake, its real life.

The bizarre and terrifying incident occurred on board an Air Canada flight bound for the UK. It began with the co-pilot speaking in “rambling and disjointed” conversation, according to air accident investigators. He was then forcibly removed by the crew (one of which suffered minor injuries!), and restrained. The captain then ordered the crew to find someone who could fly a plane, and luckily, a female flight attendant offered her services as she had a commercial pilot’s license (so what was she doing being a flight attendant?).

The plane in peril made a safe emergency landing in Ireland’s Shannon Airport, and the disturbed co-pilot was whisked away to the psychiatric unit of a local hospital. According to the Telegraph newspaper:

“….The official report into the incident by the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) did not explicitly refer to the co-pilot’s medical condition.

But it recorded the views of two doctors onboard that he was in a “confused and disorientated state”.

The captain also reported that his senior colleague became uncharacteristically “belligerent and unco-operative” and was “effectively incapacitated”.

One passenger at the time reported seeing the distraught co-pilot yelling for God as he was being restrained.

The AAIU praised the actions of both the captain and crew in diverting to the nearest airport and removing the co-pilot from the controls.

“For his own well-being and the safety of the aircraft, the most appropriate course of action was to stand him down from duty and seek medical attention which was available on board,” said the report.

“The commander (captain) realising he was faced with a difficult and serious situation used tact and understanding and kept control of the situation at all times.

“The situation was dealt with in a professional manner… As such the commander and flight attendants should be commended for their professionalism in the handling of this event.”

There were no safety recommendations from the investigation.”

Starting the Day with the Morning Paper

It has been routine to find the morning paper at the doorsteps and bring it in to the house while breakfast meals are being prepared. First thing that people would check out is of course the front page, usually focusing on current events locally and the world. It is important for people to know what is going on in the world today mainly because it affects everyone today. The impact that published news provide is really something that will surely gather various reactions and opinions for current events and issues.
Keep reading »

Finland’s Passion For Latin

Since the Finnish have been in the spotlight due to their taking the reigns in the European Union‘s presidency, a startling passion of the Finns has been revealed to the world – a penchant for Latin.

Latin is far from dead in Finland apparently, where even Elvis songs have been translated into the language and gets played, translated, in public places like hotel bars. Dr.Jukka Ammondt, an academic who translated and sings some of the ing’s hits, like “Can’t Help Falling In Love” – or “Non adamare non possum” explained:

“The legend of Elvis Presley lives for ever, and it’s of course very important to sing Elvis Presley’s songs in the Latin language, because Latin is the eternal language”

In Finland, the passion for Latin also extends to the news, where national broadcasts are also made in Latin. Apparently, its gets quite a good audience of around 75,000 listeners, which is more than some radio shows on the BBC.