World’s Most Expensive Live Fish Bought for a Whopping $1.8 Million
錦鯉、二億円超えで落札されたというニュース。
まるまると太った良い錦鯉です。
錦鯉はヨーロッパで大変人気が高いらしいすっね。
Baby seal takes wrong turn and ends up in back garden four miles from sea
"We think that possibly he may have travelled up a drainage system and that's how he ended up where he was, but the water system only literally had two inches of water in it, so this poor pup must have just kept trying to travel further and further down in the hope of finding water or food," she said.
"He was an incredibly feisty little fella and it took all my strength to catch and rescue him, but it would have been his spirit and fight for life, that would have kept him alive during his ordeal."
She said the pup could have died of starvation but he is now recovering at an RSPCA centre.
海から6キロも離れたところにある民家の庭でアザラシが見つかったとの通報をうけて半信半疑でむかったろころ、本当だったという話。
赤ちゃんアザラシは生まれて三週間くらいで、食べ物をもとめてさまよっているうちに排水溝などを通ってここまでたどり着いてしまったのではないかとのこと。
Judges Forces Deer Poacher to Watch ‘Bambi’ At Least Once a Month For a Year
A Missouri poacher who is suspected to have illegally killed hundreds of deer over the past decade has recently been ordered to watch the Disney classic ‘Bambi’ at least once a month for one year, as part of his sentence.
It’s not clear exactly how many deer David Berry and his two sons – David Berry Jr. and Kyle Berry – have poached in the forests of southern Missouri over the last nine years, but investigators suspect that the number reaches into the hundreds. The three men hunted the defenceless animals mostly at night, cutting off their heads and antlers as trophies and leaving the bodies to rot where they fell. Although their cruel and illegal activities were financially motivated, police evidence suggests that cutting off the heads of the deer was mostly about satisfying the poachers’ personal egos. Now, one of the twelve men accused in what has been described as one of the largest deer poaching cases in the history of Missouri will have to watch the Disney classic ‘Bambi’ repeatedly to hopefully realize the error of his ways.
鹿を密漁していた被疑者にたいして裁判で裁判官がディズニー映画の傑作『バンビ』を最低毎月一回、一年間にわたってみることを量刑の一部として命じたというニュース。
そいえば、日本でもさだまさしの「償い」に言及した裁判があった。
三軒茶屋駅銀行員暴行殺害事件
http://yabusaka.moo.jp/santya.htm
2002年 東京地裁 AとBの二人に対し、懲役3年以上5年以下を言い渡す。
この法廷で山室恵裁判長は、さだまさしの歌を引用した。判決言い渡し後「唐突だが、さだまさしの“償い”という歌を聴いたことがあるだろうか？」と質問。少年２人はキョトンとした表情。裁判長は「この歌の、せめて歌詞だけでも読めば、なぜ君たちの反省の弁が人の心を打たないか分かるだろう」と続けた。「償い」はさだまさしが作詞、作曲。実話にもとづいた作品で、雨天に運転中、道を横切った男性をはねて死亡させた若者を歌っている。若者は遺族に仕送りを続け、事故から７年目に遺族からの手紙を受け取るという内容のものだ。歌詞を書いてみたので、ぜひ読んで見て欲しい。
This Chinese city is feeding garbage to a billion cockroaches to combat waste
Expanding Chinese cities are generating more food waste than they can accommodate in landfills, and cockroaches could be a way to get rid of hills of food scraps, providing nutritious food for livestock when the bugs eventually die and, some say, cures for stomach illness and beauty treatments.
On the outskirts of Jinan, capital of eastern Shandong province, a billion cockroaches are being fed with 50 tonnes of kitchen waste a day - the equivalent in weight to seven adult elephants.
The waste arrives before daybreak at the plant run by where it is fed through pipes to cockroaches in their cells.
Shandong Qiaobin plans to set up three more such plants next year, aiming to process a third of the kitchen waste produced by Jinan, home to about seven million people.
A nationwide ban on using food waste as pig feed due to African swine fever outbreaks is also spurring the growth of the cockroach industry.
"Cockroaches are a bio-technological pathway for the converting and processing of kitchen waste," said Liu Yusheng, president of Shandong Insect Industry Association.
Cockroaches are also a good source of protein for pigs and other livestock. "It's like turning trash into resources," said Shandong Qiaobin chairwoman Li Hongyi.
中国、山東省のとある街にはゴキブリ養殖場があり、５０トンにも及ぶ食料廃棄物をゴキブリに与えている。この大量に養殖されたゴキブリはどのように使用されるかというと、家畜のための餌にしたり、さらには腹痛に効く漢方薬の原料などとしても使用されるとのこと。
食料廃棄物を効率的に資源へと変えてくれる存在としてゴキブリはかなり有用だそうで、この養殖場を運営している会社はさらにこのようなゴキブリ養殖場を増やすことを計画しているとのこと。
下の映像は、そんなゴキブリ養殖場の内部に入った映像。かなりグロテスクなので閲覧注意です。
Worth the sting: Cuba's scorpion pain remedy
https://www.yahoo.com/news/worth-sting-cubas-scorpion-pain-remedy-184333370.html
HAVANA (Reuters) - Once a month for the last decade, Pepe Casanas, a 78-year-old Cuban farmer, has hunted down a scorpion to sting himself with, vowing that the venom wards off his rheumatism pains.
His natural remedy is no longer seen as very unusual here.
Researchers in Cuba have found that the venom of the blue scorpion, whose scientific name is Rhopalurus junceus, endemic to the Caribbean island, appears to have anti-inflammatory and pain relief properties, and may be able to delay tumor growth in some cancer patients.
While some oncologists abroad say more research is needed to be able to properly back up such a claim, Cuban pharmaceutical firm Labiofam has been using scorpion venom since 2011 to manufacture the homeopathic medicine Vidatox.
The remedy has proven popular.
キューバの研究者はカリブ諸国に生息するサソリの毒に痛み止めの効果や抗炎症の効果があり、さらにはある種の癌の成長を遅らせる効果があるかもしれないことを発見したとのこと。2011年からこのサソリの毒をつかった薬、Vidatoxが製造されており、人気がでているらしい。
Amazon.comでもうっていた。
In a Labiofam laboratory in the southern Cuban city of Cienfuegos, workers dressed in scrubs and hairnets tend to nearly 6,000 scorpions housed in plastic containers lined up on rows of metal racks.
Every few days they feed and water the arachnids that sit on a bed of small stones. Once a month, they apply an 18V electrical jolt to their tails using a handcrafted machine in order to trigger the release of a few drops of venom.
The venom is then diluted with distilled water and shaken vigorously, which homeopathic practitioners believe activates its "vital energy."
The scorpions are caught in the wild as Labiofam workers believe their venom - which is not dangerous - is not as potent when raised in captivity.
After two years of exploitation in the "escorpionario," they are released back into the wild.
この薬の製造会社Labiofamでは、野生のサソリを捕まえてそれを飼育しているが、月に一回18ボルトの電気ショックを与えて毒を出させる。二年間にわたって毒を搾り取られたあとサソリ自然に返されるとのこと。
こちらの動画では毒を搾り取られている様子をみることができる。
How a country suddenly went ‘crazy rich’
https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-46529582
Indonesia, the nation with the world's largest Muslim population, is home to a rapidly growing middle class. As Rebecca Henschke reports from Jakarta, this has given rise to a striking phenomenon - the so-called "Crazy Rich" Indonesians.
The colourful invitation on our cluttered fridge had said it would be a dog-themed birthday party. "That's cute," I thought - and different. Traditionally in this country dogs are not well-liked or looked after.
But that wasn't the only surprise. To celebrate their little girl turning six, her family had turned an empty piece of land in Menteng, the most expensive part of Jakarta, into a park for the day.
Security guards escorted us off the street into another world. Real grass - an incredibly rare thing in this concrete jungle - had been rolled out. There were also fully grown trees and an obstacle course for dogs.
BBC Newsより。映画「Crazy Rich Asians（クレイジー・リッチ！）」が公開されているなかで、そんな「クレイジー・リッチ」がいま急増している国がインドネシアらしい。
とくに、インドネシア第二の都市、Surabayaにおける「クレイジー・リッチ」たちのエピソードを語る#crazyrichsurabayansのハッシュタグがトレンドになったりしているとのこと。
人口2.64億を誇る大国インドネシア。やはり数の力はすごいのではないかと思う。
“Russia’s Most Advanced Robot” Turns Out to Be Man in Robot Suit
Yesterday, during the opening of Russia’s annual “PROJECT” scientific forum in the city of Yaroslavl, the audience got to see Boris, a highly-advanced robot that major news channel Russia24 called “the country’s most modern robot”. Only Boris wasn’t really all that advanced, or even a robot, for that matter.
Very similar in appearance to Honda’s famous Asimo humanoid robot, Boris can reportedly walk and talk, do mathematical calculations and even dance, feats he demonstrated on the stage of the “PROJECT” forum, on December 11. The audience, made up primarily of young students, was blown away by the Russian robot’s advanced capabilities, as were several news outlets, including Russia24, which dedicated a news segment to Boris, showcasing his performance at the forum and calling it “Russia’s most modern robot”.
本田のアシモを彷彿とさせるロボットのボリス。自ら歩き話もするロシア最先端のロボットだといわれたのだが…実際はロボットスーツを着ているだけだだったというオチ。
With so many questions surrounding the surprise unveiling of this “advanced robot”, it didn’t really come as a surprise to anyone that Boris wasn’t actually a robot at all. A simple Google search of “robotic suit” (in Russian) revealed that the humanoid robot was really just a commercially available robot suit called the “Alesha Robot Costume“. It looks just like Boris and it can be yours for 250,000 rubles ($3,765).
40万円くらいで買えるロボット型スーツだったようです。
Gold-Obsessed Man Wears 13Kg of It Wherever He Goes
A Vietnamese businessman has been attracting a lot of attention on Asian social media sites for his obsession with gold. 36-year-old Tran Ngoc Phuc wears a total of 13kg of gold wherever he goes, and is always accompanied by at least 5 bodyguards who make sure that no one tries to steal it.
Phuc first started making headlines in Vietnam last week after a series of YouTube videos of him showing off his massive jewellery went viral, getting several millions of views. Since then, photos and videos of him wearing his huge gold necklace, bracelets and rings have been doing the rounds on Vietnamese social media, and even on several websites in China and Thailand. While some people expressed their doubts that the jewels are real gold, most commenters wondered how he can stand walking around with so much extra weight. The businessman admitted that wearing the jewellery took some getting used to , but claimed that it was worth it as all the gold has boosted his good luck and prosperity.
ベトナムの36歳の男性Tran Ngoc Phucさんはどこに行くにも１３キロにも及ぶ金のアクセサリーを身にまとって出かけており、襲撃を免れるために最低でも5人のボディーガードもつけている。これらを自慢する動画をYoutubeで公開して注目を浴びているとのこと。
The young businessman revealed that he started ordering his giant gold jewellery 5 years ago, after a feng shui consultant told him that it would increase his good luck. He first commissioned the large gold chain and medallion featuring a winged horse, but then decided that more gold meant more good luck, so he had the other pieces done as well. And he’s not stopping here. Phuc recently revealed that he plans on ordering a custom gold hat and shirt as well to go with all his current accessories.
なぜこんなことを始めたかというと、幸運を招くと言われたからだそうで、いまではさらにこの金のアクセサリーに合う金の帽子とシャツをカスタムメイドすることを検討しているとのこと。
Bí Ẩn Khối tài sản TỈ ĐÔ của đại gia Phúc XO, Đeo 13kg Vàng, Đến Từ Đâu
こちらがYoutubeでみつけた動画。お車は黄色のようです。
現在の地金相場は、グラム4942円くらい。
ということで、13キロというと
6424万円くらい。
なんというか、こういうことをする人というのはどこか似たような風貌だな、と。大神源太感。
数日前までやっていたCyber MondayでKindle Unlimitedが二ヶ月９９円になるキャンペーンをやっていたので登録してみた。
以前、無料キャンペーンのときも試しているのだが、無料キャンペーンから１２ヶ月以上立っている場合は９９円キャンペーンにも登録できるみたい。
さっそくいろいろとKindle Unlimitedで見てみたが、雑誌などを見るタイプのひとにはいいかもしれないが、なかなかこれといったのが見つからず。
語学系のものはどんなものかということで、試しに「ドイツ語」で検索してみると、いくつかはドイツ語学習の本もあったものの、多く出てきたのは…
など、ポルノ小説っぽいものやレシピ本などがパラパラあるかんじ。
にしても、Kindleunlimitedは検索がしづらい。
Stuntman balances chair on tightrope for 8-1/2 hours
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2018/12/07/Stuntman-balances-chair-on-tightrope-for-8-12-hours/7991544199918/
Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A high wire stuntman spent 8 hours sitting in a chair balanced on a tightrope in Switzerland to set a new Guinness World Record.
Guinness confirmed Freddy Nock earned the record for longest duration chair balancing on a tightrope when he balanced in the seat for 8 hours, 30 minutes and 55 seconds at the Mall of Switzerland in Ebikon.
ロープの上に椅子を載せてその上で8時間30分に渡ってバランスを取り続けたとしてスタントマンのFreddy Nockさんがギネス記録だそう。
こういう長時間系の記録ってどうしても地味といえば地味である。