Half cooked or half raw lobster?

For 20 years, Alan Robinson of Steuben, Maine, has been catching lobsters but first time in his life saw something he never did in his entire life. The lobster that caught his attention is obviously different from the others.

In one of his catch in 2006 near the town of Bar Harbor, Maine, US, he noticed that one of the lobsters has two toned color! On one half, it looks like any regular lobsters. But on the other, it has bright orange that similar to the color lobsters turned after they've been cooked.

"I thought someone was playing a trick on me. Once I saw what it was, it was worth seeing". Alan wanted others to see it, too, so he donated his unusual catch to Maine's Mount Desert Oceanarium, where experts were able to shed some light on the find. Two-toned lobsters, they explain, are rare but not unheard of.

The shells of American, or Maine, lobsters usually sport a combination of yellow, red, and blue pigments. But the animals grow symmetrically, with each half of the body developing independently of the other. In the case of Robinson's catch, half of the Crustacean's shell was lacking the blue pigment, giving it the appearance of having been cooked to a turn.

All this makes Robinson's fifty-fifty find one for the record books, the Oceanarium's staffers say. The aquarium has received only three two-toned lobsters in the last 35 years, they note, and the odds of finding one that's exactly half and half is about 1 in 50 million.

Source : nationalgeographic.com

Tags : Alan Robinson Crustacean lobster two face two toned two colors Mount Desert Oceanarium

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Dead priest image appeared on a book about him

A "spooky" image of a priest executed for treason over the Gunpowder Plot has appeared on a 17th century book thought to be bound in his skin, it is claimed. Auctioneers said the face of Father Henry Garnet could be seen peering from the cover of the "rare and macabre" book about the Jesuit priest's death.

The item will go under the hammer at Wilkinson's Auctioneers in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on Sunday. Garnet, was hanged in May 1606 for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot. Sid Wilkinson, from Wilkinson's Auctioneers, said: "It's a little bit spooky because the front of the book looks like it has the face of a man on it, which is presumed to be the victim's face."

The book, called A True and Perfect Relation of the Whole Proceedings Against the Late Most Barbarous Traitors, Garnet, a Jesuit and his Confederates, was published in 1606 just after his execution. The lot is considered so unusual there is no reserve price attached to it. Garnet's involvement in the plot to kill King James I was controversial. He claimed he knew about the conspiracy but was not involved.

Some scholars now believe he had been trying to prevent the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament rather than conspiring to kill the King. According to legend, a piece of bloodstained straw found at the scene of his execution started to develop an exact image of the priest's face.

Source : BBC News

Tags : Father Henry Garnet A True and Perfect Relation of the Whole Proceedings Against the Late Most Barbarous Traitors King James I Gunpowder Plot conspiracy Jesuit image priest book 1606 executed

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Uninhabited town sold for $3 mil on E-bay

A small, uninhabited town in Texas has been sold on the internet auction site, eBay, to a buyer in Italy for a little over $3m. The town, called Albert, is about 100km (62 miles) outside San Antonio and features a schoolhouse, a dancehall and a bar.

Albert, a 13-acre town about 50 miles north of San Antonio with a resident population of four, is in the Texas Hill Country. The town's current owner, Bobby Cave, said he was checking the identity of the buyer, to confirm the deal. He added he had several other serious bids should the sale fall through.

Mr Cave, 47, an estate agent, said he sold the land after three-and-a-half years as he was ready to move on to his next project. "I bought it with the intention of creating a little family camping venue where people could come out and drink and enjoy local live music," he told PA news agency.

He said the town's population consisted of himself and groundsman at weekends. The winning buyer will take over an icehouse created from the frame of the old general store, a pavilion, an 85-year-old dance hall, a tractor shed and a three-bedroom house, together with peach and pecan orchards.

Source : BBC News
Source : alberttexas.com

Tags : Albert Texas sold e-bay 3 million Bobby Cave Texas Hill Country San Antonio

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Shark is not the top predators

The North Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is a large cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. It can be found in the coastal Pacific Northwest, usually around the depth of 65 meters (about 213 ft.). It can, however, live in much shallower or much deeper waters. It is arguably the largest octopus species, based on a scientific record of a 71 kg (156.5 lb) individual weighed live.

Octopuses are thought to be one of the most intelligent invertebrates and can change the color and texture of their skin to blend in with rocks, algae, or coral to avoid predators. Some species of octopus have been reported to unscrew jar lids to retrieve food and mimic the behaviors of other octopuses and also other sea creatures such as sea snakes and lion fish. Giant Pacific Octopuses are capable of solving complex puzzles. This species of octopus commonly preys upon shrimp, crabs, scallops, abalones, clams, and fish. It procures food with its suckers, which is then crushed with its tough "beaks" of chitin.

The Giant Octopus is extremely calm and they held a regular spot on display at the Seattle aquarium over the years. Then the keepers decided to move one of the Giant Octopus in to a large tank filled with sharks and other big fish. They purposely picked a larger octopus fearing that it'll get killed by predators like shark. They assumed that the octopus strength and camouflage would keep it safe. As it turns out, they were tragically mistaken.

Since then, each week keepers were finding shark carcasses in the bottom of the tank. The 3-4 foot sharks kept vanishing at an alarming rate. Curious by the fact that the so called top of the food chain was defeated by an unknown predator, the keepers decided to stay up and film the culprit. To their surprise, the predator is none other than the Giant Octopus! They learned some thing about this species they never imagine. It was a big surprise to find out that sharks were taken by octopus, a mere invertebrate. Now school books might need to re-categorize top predators.

Source : marine.alaskapacific.edu
Watch Video at nationalgeographic.com

Tags : North Pacific Giant Octopus Pacific Northwest shark predator prey eaten Seattle aquarium

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Swimsuit that you'll never wear to swim

We've heard of diamond-studded lingerie and gold brassieres, now it's time for the swimsuit turn with the latest gold-weave swimsuit from Tokyo, Japan. Ginza Tanaka, the designer popular for his Midas touch, created these gold-thread-woven swimsuits that were on display at his Jewelry store in Tokyo on July 4, 2007.


The method used to make the outfits is more than 1,300 years old. The swimsuits are hand-woven with 500 grams of a thread that was twined with 6 wires of 90-micron-thin gold (K24) in 32 days. Also available is a golden long dress woven with 1,500 grams of a thread that was twined with 4 wires. The gold-weave swimsuit weighs 500g and is on sale at a price tag of 10 million yen (USD 92,000). The dress weighs 1.1kg and costs 30 million yen (USD277,000).

A spokeswoman for the store said "The dress and swimsuit can be worn normally like any other clothes but should be treated as jewelry, and so shouldn't be washed in the washing machine". But I doubt anyone would wear such expensive swimsuit just to go for a swim.

Source : taipeitimes.com

Tags : swimsuit gold golden weave woven long dress Ginza Tanaka tokyo Japan hand-woven

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Man with tree roots limbs

Dede, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, has become an outcast where he lives in the village of Tanjung Jaya, about 150 km south of the capital Jakarta. As a teenager, he first noticed warts growing on his body after he cut his knee. The 35-year-old was sacked from his job and deserted by his wife after wart roots started to grow from his hands and feet.

Now known as "Tree Man", his incredibly long warts on his hands and feet that resemble tree roots is baffling many experts about the cause of his condition, and believed to be a life-threatening. An US expert now believes that Dede may be cured from the condition. According to reports, Dr Anthony Gaspari from the University of Maryland, after testing his blood and found that the growths are the result of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

The Indonesian man says he is unable to work or travel anywhere and is forced to stay at his parent's home because his hands and feet are so heavy and cumbersome due to the growths. He said "First it felt itchy and some warts appeared on my feet. I neglected it and then growths started appearing quickly, covering my whole body". Dr. Gaspari has proposed a treatment plan for Dede and hopes to clear up the condition with daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A.

Source : telegraph.co.uk

Tags : Dede Indonesia Indonesian Tanjung Jaya Jakarta Tree Man Human Papilloma Virus HPV Anthony Gaspari

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Largest nail & toothpick mosaic

Albanian artist Saimir Strati used tens of thousands of nails to create a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, making it the world's biggest nail mosaic. Strati was named in the Guinness Book of World Records on Monday (4 September) for his nail mosaic, which measures 8 square meters. Saimir Strati shows the portrait of Leonardo Da Vinci he created with industrial nails at the International Centre of Culture in Tirana, Albania. Strati, 40, were recognised by Guinness World Record officials for having created the world's largest nail mosaic with about 500,000 industrial nails.

But that's not the only world record he created. Alongside the nail mosaic, there's an image of a horse created with more than half a million toothpicks in homage to Antoni Gaudi has earned him a second entry in the Guinness Records. Ms. Andrea Banfi, an adjudicator for Guinness World Records, told a cheering crowd after checking that the mosaic followed the guidelines agreed with Guinness, "I've measured it; it is a new Guinness World Record". The Largest Toothpick's Mosaic is 8 meter square using approximately 1.5 milion of toothpicks.

Strati spent 13 hours a day for 40 days on the mosaic measuring 2m by 4m in a technique resembling digital camera pixels, using either sharpened or blunt ends of oak, poplar and bamboo toothpicks. He said the idea to produce the mosaic came to him while he tried to explain to a friend what La Sagrada Familia, the unfinished Barcelona cathedral of Spanish architect and artist Antoni Gaudi, looked like. He took some toothpicks from the table and opened them to show him how it looked like. The horse is named 'Reinless Spirit' to honour Gaudi's flight of genius. The mosaic was shown to the public in the round hall of Tirana's pyramid-shaped culture centre.

Source : www.news.com.au
Source : www.mosaicart-sast.com

Tags : Saimir Strati Albania Guinness World of Records Guinness Book of Records Leonardo Da Vinci nail art Reinless Spirit toothpick art art mosaic International Centre of Culture tirana

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Transforming luxury car to a super luxury car

Turning from this luxury car

To this super luxury car!

On January 2007, Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. unveiled its new show car at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The car, which started life as a Mercedes Benz R500, was transformed into a show-stopping, elegant, rolling IMPRINT sound system demonstration.

Designed and built by Alpine’s in-house Advanced Application R & D team of Steve Brown, Gary Bell, Brent Davison and Glen Swackhamer from Alpine of Canada, the IMPRINT RLS is the newest creation to emerge from Alpine’s North American headquarters in Torrance, Calif.

The goal of the Alpine team was to build a great-sounding show car that was sleek and sophisticated, yet with custom work that would make it one-of-a-kind. The striking shape of the RLS was created entirely by hand, using only the original roof from the R500. The front, rear and sides of the RLS were shaped from fiberglass to give the car a sophisticated, flowing shape. The RLS differs from recent Alpine show cars which had bold custom airbrush paint designs. Instead, the RLS was sprayed with an elegant custom-mixed BASF R-M Carizzma Candy Cherry Cola Brown hue, which accentuates the shape of the car. The details and shadows on the external door panels, which have curves that undulate into the depths of the door, become more prominent depending on how light reflects off of the one-of-a-kind paint.

One of the most striking elements about the RLS is that it has two doors, rather than the four doors that it began with. It is also a center-drive car, a characteristic that is reminiscent of previous Alpine show cars. But upon further inspection inside the RLS, one would wonder how it could be center drive if there are two front seats. The answer lies in that the RLS can be driven from either the left or right front seat. The custom-cut aluminum and leather steering wheel is located in the center console next to the shifter, and gas/brake pedals were provided for both front seats. The driver can enter the RLS from either the left or right door. Each door is actually connected to a seat, and each door/seat module is on a motorized rotating platform that automatically rotates the seat outward -- and the door inward -- to allow the driver access to the completely custom-made interior. Once two lucky passengers are inside, they are in for the ultimate sound quality experience thanks to Alpine’s new IMPRINT sound technology.

The strategy behind building a two-seater, center drive car was not just for eye-candy. The RLS’ interior and audio system were specifically designed to showcase the capabilities of the IMPRINT sound architecture. IMPRINT allows the listener to experience music the way the artist intended. Using the CDA-9887 CD/MP3/WMA/AAC receiver and its IMPRINT Sound Manager software kit, the build team was able to easily – and automatically -- tune and calibrate the RLS’ sound system. A specially designed microphone measures the acoustic environment of the car’s interior, analyzing acoustical problems. The software then applies advanced acoustical corrections to ensure that the signal that the speakers are being fed are exactly what the artist had intended. The entire automated tuning process takes approximately 20 minutes, which is light-years faster than traditional sound tuning procedures.

For the Alpine team, it was a good thing that the system could be tuned so quickly, so that they could concentrate on other aspects of the RLS. An iPod® loaded with Apple Lossless-encoded music supplements the CDA-9887’s AM/FM/CD sources and is connected via the KCE-422i Full Speed Connection for iPod cable. A SIRIUS® Satellite Radio Sportster 4 also adds an endless amount of music and entertainment sources, and is connected through the KCA-SC100 SIRIUS satellite radio interface.

Two PDX-4.150 amplifiers power the front and rear speakers. The front soundstage consists of the first PDX-4.150 running four 6.5-inch mids from the SPX-17REF component set, along with channels 1 and 2 of the second PDX-4.150 running two tweeters from the SPX-17REF component set. The rear sound comes from channels 3 and 4 of the second PDX-4.150, running an SPX-17REF component set.

To get impressive bass impact in the front of the car, the team installed four SWX-1043D 10-inch subwoofers in a sealed enclosure built into the custom-made dash. Each of these woofers is powered by one PDX-1.1000 amplifier for maximum dynamic response.

All of the PDX amplifiers are showcased on a handmade motorized cylindrical amplifier display that emerges from the back of the vehicle. The amplifier display is embellished with a custom-made aluminum,11-inch diameter, CNC-machined Mercedes Benz emblem. At the touch of a button, the display travels 27 inches out the back of the RLS while simultaneously rotating 360 degrees.

The RLS began as a glimmer in the eyes of the Alpine team, and Roybal Designs helped with the vehicle rendering to get the RLS on the path to reality. With support from Mercedes Benz, the RLS project began its 3.5-month long transformation. Monster Cable wiring is used throughout the RLS, while Kinetik batteries supply power to the car and the audio system. The RLS rides on one-off TIS Wheels (26-inch in the front, 30-inch in the rear) and Pirelli tires, with massive stopping power from Brembo brakes. Custom interior lighting was provide by Pilot, to complement the custom leather upholstery work and airbrushed wood grain panels. Indie Beach Productions supplied editing for the video content that plays in the monitors in the front and rear of the RLS as well as on the free-standing external LCD monitors that will flank the RLS at shows.

“The IMPRINT RLS takes Alpine back to its roots by showcasing excellent sound quality,” said Stephen Witt, vice president, Marketing, Alpine Electronics. “Beneath the RLS’ custom interior and exterior fabrication lies the heart of the sound system -- the IMPRINT sound architecture – which can be easily and automatically tuned for optimal sound reproduction in any vehicle.”

The IMPRINT RLS will be on display at trade and consumer events throughout 2007.

Source : www.alpine-usa.com
Source : www.allcarnews.com

Tags : Alpine Electronics Mercedes Benz R500 RLS IMPRINT RLS two-seater center drive PDX-4.150 SWX-1043D subwoofer amplifiers emblem

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Solving crimes by hearing only

Sacha Van Loo is not your typical cop. Although he is not entitled to carry a gun on the job or to make arrests, he is one of only six people in a special police force in Belgium. Van Loo is one of Europe's newest weapons in the global fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime. A blind Sherlock Holmes whose disability allows him to pick up clues sighted detectives does not see.

Van Loo, 36, who has been blind since birth, is one of six blind police officers in a pioneering unit specializing in transcribing and analyzing surveillance recordings in criminal investigations. He also speaks seven languages, including Russian and Arabic.

The blind police unit, which became operational in June, originated after Van Thielen heard about a blind police officer in the Netherlands. Van Thielen was looking for ways to improve community outreach, and he hoped that blind people would prove more adept than the sighted at listening to surveillance recordings and interpreting them.

But his sense of hearing is so acute that Paul Van Thielen, a director at the Belgian Federal Police, compared his powers of observation to those of a superhero. When the police eavesdrop on a suspected terrorist making a phone call, Van Loo can identify the number instantly by listening to the tones. By hearing the sound of a voice echoing off a wall, he can deduce whether a suspect is speaking from an airport lounge or a crowded restaurant. And from the purr of an engine on a wiretap, he can discern whether a suspect is driving a Peugeot, a Honda or a Mercedes.

"I have had to train my ear to know where I am," Van Loo said. "It is a matter of survival to cross the street or get on a train. Some people can get lost in background noise, but as a blind man I divide hearing into different channels. It is these details that can be the difference between solving and not solving a crime."

"Being blind has forced me to develop my other senses, and my power as a detective rests in my ears," he said from his office at the Belgian Federal Police, where a bullet-riddled piece of paper from a recent target-shooting session was proudly displayed on the wall. "Being blind also requires recognizing your limitations," he added with a smile, noting that a sighted trainer guided his hands during target practice "to make sure no one got wounded."

Grappling with his blindness, he says, has also given him the thick emotional skin necessary for dealing with the job's stresses. "I have overheard criminals plotting to commit murder, drug dealers making plans to drop off drugs, men beating each other up," Van Loo said. "Being blind helps not to let it get to me, because I have to be tough."

To accommodate the new blind officers in the police station, they've installed elevators with voice-activated buttons and issued each blind officer a special computer equipped with a Braille keyboard and a system that translates images on the screen into sound. When Van Loo goes outside, he carries a compact police-issued global positioning system device with a voice that directs him to his destination, street by street.

Source : abcnews.go.com

Tags : Sacha Van Loo blind Sherlock Holmes blind police unit Belgium police officer blind

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Thieves stole entire railway stop

In Kelantan, East Coast of Malaysia, usual train passengers were shocked to discover that the shelter at the train stop station that they frequented has disappeared entirely! Suddenly they found themselves exposed to the elements when the metal thieves had carted off the entire railway stop at Pekan Tok Uban, near Pasir Mas, Kelantan.

Confirming this, KTMB east coast manager Ibrahim Sulaiman said that two weeks ago thieves, keen on extracting the steel components, removed a store and stop sign that indicated the stopping point for trains in Pekan Tok Uban. He said the company was deeply concerned over the growing theft of its equipment. It had lodged a police report since.

In recent years, as the cost of steel rises, the number of theft in the country has increased dramatically. They will striped down power plant, telephone booth together with the copper wires, parking meters, street signs, window frames from abandoned building and scout around any other source that has metals.

Because of ineffectiveness and insufficient support from the police forces, every year government loses millions of RM (approx. US$1 = RM 3.40) just to repair and replace the stolen items, and wait to be stolen again. Ibrahim appealed to villagers to keep a lookout for the thieves. He hoped that a comprehensive plan must be in place to tackle these problems as soon as possible as one day the thieves might be bold enough to cut away the entire railway tracks, thus causing not only financial losses, but putting thousands of lives in danger.

Source : thestar.com.my

Tags : Malaysia Kelantan East Coast railway stop steal stolen strip thief thieves Pekan Tok Uban

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Man targets to have 100 child by 2015

A one-legged father from UAE of 78 is lining up his next two wives in a bid to reach his target of 100 children by 2015. Daad Mohammed Murad Abdul Rahman, 60, has already had 15 brides although he has to divorce them as he goes along to remain within the legal limit of four wives at a time.

"In 2015 I will be 68 years old and will have 100 children," the local tabloid quoted Abdul Rahman as saying. "After that I will stop marrying. I have to have at least three more marriages to hit the century."

The United Arab Emirates newspaper splashed its front page with a picture of Abdul Rahman surrounded by his children, the eldest of whom is 36 years old and the youngest of whom is 20 days old. Two of his current three wives are also pregnant.

Abdul Rahman said his large family lived in 15 houses. He supports them with his military pension and the help of the government of Ajman, one of seven emirates that comprise the UAE, which includes the Gulf trade and tourism hub of Dubai. Islam allows men to marry up to four women at a time, though most marry only one. The UAE is a Muslim country but is home to migrants from around the world.

Source : dailymail.co.uk

Tags : Abdul Rahman UAE United Arab Emirates 78 kids 100 22

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I now pronounce you man and bitch

15 years ago, P. Selvakumar was a healthy young man, but everything changes since he stoned 2 dogs to death and hanged their bodies to a tree. Since then, he said that he has been curse since after the killing, he suffered paralysis and the loss of hearing in one ear. He tried every cure for his ailment but could not be rid of his disability.

Many attempts throughout the years to get rid of the curse failed. P. Selvakumar, now a 33-year-old farm laborer from the southern state of Tamil Nadu finally seeks advice from an astrologer. The astrologer told Selvakumar the only way to atone for his actions is to marry a bitch! He heeded the advice, and the wedding took place at a Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu state. The "bride" named Selvi wore an orange sari with a flower garland.

A reception attended by some 200 guests was held for the newlyweds in the groom's house during which Selvi grew restless and ran away. However the run away bride was subsequently recaptured and returned to her husband who gave her milk and a bun to celebrate. A relative of the groom who attended the wedding said he hoped Mr Selvakumar would now be cured.


Source : BBC News

Tags : P. Selvakumar Tamil Nadu marries married dog bitch Selvi husband wife


For more bizarre marriage, check out the previous article on Married to a doll

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WWII Aircraft discovered at popular beach after 65 years

For 65 years, beach strollers, sunbathers and swimmers often frolicked the beach in Wales. Unaware to them, there's a large fighter aircraft lies just a few feet beneath their favorite swimming spot. The aircraft was finally surfaced after unusual weather caused the sand to shift and erode.

In the summer of 2007, a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft, with its distinctive twin-boom design presumed to be USAAF serial number 41-7677, emerged from the sand of a beach in Wales where it crash landed in 1942. The aircraft, largely intact and remarkably free of corrosion, is one of the most significant WWII-related archaeological discoveries in recent history

Upon learning of the discovery in September, Richard Gillespie, executive director of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) alerted curators at the UK national aviation museums (Imperial War Museum, Royal Air Force Museum, and Fleet Air Arm Museum). Interest in the discovery was keen and, as a service to the national museums, Gillespie mobilized a seven person TIGHAR archaeological survey team to assess the aircraft’s condition, describe and record the wreck site, and collect data that will be useful in recovery operations planned for the spring of 2008. TIGHAR also notified the United States Air Force Federal Preservation Officer.

Based on its serial number and other records, "the fighter is arguably the oldest P-38 in existence, and the oldest surviving 8th Air Force combat aircraft of any type," said Ric Gillespie, who heads a U.S.-based nonprofit group dedicated to preserving historic aircraft. "In that respect it's a major find, of exceptional interest to British and American aviation historians."


Source : www.tighar.org

Tags : Lockheed P-38 Wales USAAF WWII, aircraft archaeology Royal Air Force Museum dicover discovery TIGHAR

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Girl hailed as Hindu Goddess

When Shambhu's daughter was born in a rural Indian family, villagers in the remote settlement of Rampur Kodar Katti in the northern state of Bihar believed she was sacred. Her parents, Shambhu and Poonam Tatma, named the girl Lakshmi after the Hindu goddess of wealth who has four arms. Believe it or not, Lakshmi Tatma the little girl did born with 4 arms and legs!

As the news of her birth spread, locals and neighboring town people waited in line just to get a blessing from the baby. However, her parents were forced to keep her in hiding after they were approached by men trying to buy their daughter to put her in a circus. Children born with deformities in deeply traditional rural parts of India, like where Lakshmi is borned, are often viewed as reincarnated gods. This young girl is no different as she is named after the four-armed Hindu goddess of wealth.

In scientific terms Lakshmi case is called "parasitic twin", the twins that stopped developing in her mother's womb. The surviving fetus absorbed the limbs, kidneys and other body parts of the undeveloped fetus. The two spines are merged, she has four kidneys, entangled nerves, two stomach cavities, an extra torso and limbs but no head. She cannot stand up or walk. It was joined to Lakshmi at the pelvis.

To let her live a normal life again, surgery is needed to remove the extra body parts and unfused Lakshmi's spine from her twin's. But the cost of the surgery is not cheap, with the total cost of $625,000, it's far too great for the Lakshmi's family to afford as the couple only earns just $1 a day as casual laborers. Fortunately, after Dr. Sharan Patil visited the girl in her village from Narayana Health City hospital in Bangalore, the hospital's foundation agreed to fund the operation.

On November 2007, More than 30 surgeons took 27 hours to not only remove two of Lakshmi's arms and two of her legs but also to rebuild much of her body and save her organs. They say the chances of death were as high as 25 percent. The operation went well and Lakshmi has made steady progress. Later, she was taken off a respirator and her parents were allowed to visit.

Many villagers, however, remain opposed to surgery and are planning to erect a temple to Lakshmi, who they still revere as sacred. Dr. Patil said Lakshmi's parents are "very practical" and knew the risks of the medical treatment. Asked about the belief she is a reincarnation of the goddess, he said, "She's a very charming young girl, and I'm sure she'll grow up and be something special."

Source : www.cnn.com

Tags : Lakshmi Tatma Shambhu Bihar Lakshmi Hindu goddess parasitic twin surgeons surgery Dr. Sharan Patil India


A special thanks to Joyce from moviestvreviews.blogspot.com for bringing this story to my attention.

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