The Express Tribune T2 - January 7

21

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 7, 2012

Amazing Architecture

Explore

Kids, you may have heard about some strange buildings but have you come across a building that dances or better yet...one that’s shaped like a toilet bowl? Here are some architectural wonders to really make you think!

Maze

The Piano House in China

The Toilet-shaped House in Suwon, South Korea

PHOTO: FILE

You heard me right! It’s a gigantic piano! And that too, with a violin!

This unique piano house was built recently in An Hui Province, China. Inside of the violin is the escalator to the building. The building displays various city plans and development prospects in an effort to draw interest into the recently developed area.

PHOTO: FILE

Kansas City Public Library in Missouri, USA

SOURCE: ALLKIDSNETWORK.COM

ha ha ha

What is the tallest building in the world?

You have to see it to believe it!

South Korean sanitation activists marked the start of a global toilet association on November 21, 2007, by lifting the lid on the world’s first lavatory-shaped home that offers plenty of water closet space.

This building, located in Kansas City, represents one of the most eye-catching projects to give this city a new look. And a more fun look! The people of Kansas City were asked to help pick highly influential books that represent the city. Those titles were included as ‘book bindings’ in the innovative design of the parking garage exterior, to inspire people to utilise the downtown Central Library.

The Dancing House in the Czech Republic

PHOTO: FILE

The Boeing 727 House in Mississippi, USA

The library of course, it has the most stories!

If the red house was made out of red bricks, and the blue house was made out of blue bricks, what was the green house made out of?

Glass!

What did one wall say to the other wall?

Meet you at the corner!

What house weighs the least?

A lighthouse!

How did the boy live forever?

He stayed in the living room!

A glass fell off a building and it survived the fall. How? It survived the fall but not the landing!

PHOTO: FILE

How many times have you wished for a long flight to end quickly? Ever wonder what it would be like to live in a plane? Well, here’s someone who does!

The plane cost Joanne Ussary $4,000 to move, and $24,000 to renovate. The stairs open with a garage door remote, and one of the bathrooms is still intact. And let’s not forget the personal jacuzzi in the cockpit.

PHOTO: FILE

The name may make you think of a building twirling on the dance floor. And you’re close enough!

The Dancing House is the nickname given to an office building in downtown Prague, Czech Republic. It was designed by Czech architect Vlado Milunic along with Canadian architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot. The construction started in 1994 and was finished in 1996. The very non-traditional design was controversial at the time. Czech president Vaclav Havel, who lived for decades next to the site, had supported it, hoping that the building would become a centre of cultural activity.

22

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 7, 2012

Teen spirit health tips

It’s in the air GOHAR WARRAICH

Remember Phil Collins’ classic “In the air tonight”? But when I say the phrase I am not speaking of people’s high spirits and palpable energy during the New Year (or the last year as the Mayan prediction goes). No, what’s on my mind is actually something very microscopic yet such a big nuisance — the viral buggers causing the common cold or flu, which have taken the nation down in a domino effect.

Very few of us know this but the common cold and flu (influenza) are not the same thing. The difference between them is sometimes subtle to pick up and might at times even elude health professionals. However, the distinction has a bearing on the course of the illness, treatment and prevention. The common cold though is the lesser of two evils much like Bebop and Rocksteady — Shredder’s annoying yet relatively harmless sidekicks in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. The common cold, unlike the flu, is seldom associated with fever, cough, a sore throat and decreased appetite. In fact, the flue can potentially be the underlying cause for a greater degree of exhaustion, body aches or headaches.

A telltale sign of the common cold is that it will run its course with seven to ten days. Therefore, in retrospect it will be easy to tell what came to pass. Even though flu might also come across as deceptively mild during the initial period of its onset, in comparison it is usually more aggressive and can last up to two to three weeks and lead to pneumonia and other relentless infections.

Medications taken to relieve symptoms are typically common to both the ailments. These will include antiallergics (or antihistamines) to clog the runny nose.

Nasal saline sprays can be used to open up those nasal passages. Certain nasal decongestants especially those which are steroid-based should not be used for more than three days. In addition, cold vapour chest rubs and inhaling steam from a bucket of hot water can be used to help breathe easily. Warm liquids, especially soup, will help with the cough.

Keep your nose covered so humid air is retained around it. If it is detected within the first two or three days that a person is suffering from flu, then an antiviral can be taken to help shorten its duration and severity. Contrary to the conventional practice of popping antibiotics to cure a sore throat, anti-bacterial medication will actually not help since both are viral infections. However, bacteria can subsequently get involved; this is indicated by a change in colour of nasal discharge. A physician should be consulted if this occurs.

These germs are carried ‘in the air’. So cover your mouth while coughing and encourage others to do the same.

Don’t share drinks if ill. Frequent hand washing — for a period of at least half a minute — is the paramount guiding principal. Annual flu vaccines are readily available and will be helpful for people in a hostel or school setting which are ripe for outbreaks unless they are allergic to eggs. These seasonal viral villains are striking as we speak. Out of the sentiment of public well being, knowing about prevention can actually go a long way.

Philosophy is often an ignored academic field because people feel that it won’t facilitate them in getting a white-collar job

ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID

The forgotten discipline Even in Pakistan’s top universities, very few students pursue philosophy as a major UZAIR H MUGHAL

Philosophy is unfortunately an incredibly underrated discipline in Pakistan. Even in top universities, only the very brave pursue philosophy as a major. It is often an ignored academic field because people feel that it won’t facilitate them in getting a stable income or a white-collar job. Educational institutes must highlight the benefits of studying philosophy.

Most people don’t even know what philosophy actually is. In fact the prevailing discourse which is dominated by ideas of secularism and modernism has distorted its definition. Contrary to popular belief, philosophy is not Greek logic or sceptical critical thinking. Its literal meaning is “love for wisdom” and it helps one attain true intellect, discern truth from falsehood, and look beyond the superficial and the zahir (outer/literal). It is that light of true

knowledge which compels one to act upon what one knows. Defined like this, knowledge which does not increase intellect and implementation is merely information. Thus, acquiring a university degree does not automatically enhance knowledge or make one wise.

Generally, philosophers can think more creatively, understand themselves and external things better and are ‘smarter’ than other students. Evidence substantiates these claims; for example, Educational Testing Service reports that philosophy majors score the highest in the GRE and LSAT exams. Philosophers are not just trained in a specialised field, but form a holistic view of the world and how its various pieces are — and should be — coalesce. Their sole motive is not profit or pleasure seeking; rather, they recognise that money and indulgent desires are just the means and not the end.

Thus they are fully cognizant of how their actions will impact will impact society and the environment.

These qualities can actually benefit corporations vastly. LRN is a great example of a prestigious consultancy which does recognize the value of philosophers. Its CEO Dov Seidman officially prefers to hire philosophy majors due to their highwe intellectual and ethical standards. And one need look no further than the famous Adam Smith, whose theories underlie modern economics, too see the impact of philosophy. He was not an economist but a philosopher and costarted the Scottish Enlightenment, founded the capitalist doctrine and taught moral philosophy at Glasgow University.

State leaders should especially be well-versed in philosophy. This applies especially to Pakistan, which has widespread corruption, poverty

Enterteenment!

Miley Cyrus — the body art queen

The “Hannah Montana” star has 9 tattoos. She has “Just Breathe” written on her chest, “Love” in her ear, a dreamcatcher on her side, and an anchor on her wrist. And that’s not it. The “Party in the USA” start has 5 tiny tattoos on her right hand’s fingers: an equal sign, a peace symbol, a cross, a heart, and the word “karma.”

Demi Lovato expresses her strength Demi’s revealed her first tattoo to the public in June 2010 — 2 months before the Disney star’s 18th birthday. The

and sensitive ethnic and religious issues. Most government officials are barely qualified or hold questionable degrees in specialized fields. How will they analyse the link between different departments and their effects on politics and the economy? Even the word ‘economy’ symbolises money for most of them — few influential government official will actually think of the environment, business ethics or social problems associated with it. Only political philosophers with wisdom, high moral fibre and comprehension of a wide range of relevant topics can govern and improve the nation as a whole.

Studying philosophy counters maladies in society. Much of Pakistan’s youth, unaware of true philosophy and coupled with a sense of cultural inferiority, confuse Western political power and wealth for success. They subse-

quently go about adopting Western ideas uncritically. The absolute reverence and importance given to secular education and scientific evidence which stems from inferiority complexes would dissolve in favour of questioning the rationality of rationality, the proof of scientific proofs, and what renowned professor Wilfred Smith as “the current secularist dogma”. Thus a serious study of philosophy would produce genuine intellectuals who are selfaware and mature.

On the bases of the above, it would be prudent for public and private institutes to fully inculcate philosophy into their curricula. An acute study of philosophy will hinder blind following of any belief system and culture, thereby curbing extremism of any type. This may hopefully create a new breed of adept Pakistanis, able to tackle modern challenges and rescue the country from the abyss.

Celebrity tattoos tattoo, designed on the right side of her ribs, reads “you make me beautiful”. The phrase comes from the song “Beautiful” by Bethany Dillon — a song which Demi claims changed her life.

Much more well-known to the public are Demi Lovato’s “Stay Strong” tattoos on her wrists. Demi added these tattoos in March 2011 shortly after she spent nearly three months in rehab seeking treatment for addiction and bulimia — issues she has battled since many years.

In order to raise awareness about personal issues similar to her own, Lovato recently became a contributing editor to Seventeen magazine. She discussed her personal issues as a part of a larger campaign called “Love is Louder than the Pressure to Be Perfect”, targeting teen girls.

Kevin Jonas shows his devotion The Jonas Brothers are perhaps the cleanest boy band around. However, But 22-yearold Kevin Jonas has shown the world that he does have a wee bit of a rebellious side. How? By getting a tattoo of his wife

Danielle’s name on his finger. The tattoo, which reads Dani, is typically hidden underneath Kevin’s wedding ring, but he took it off to ensure he could play in his softball team Road Dogs to the best of his ability. Kevin became the first of the Jonas Brothers to get married when he tied the knot with former hairdresser Danielle Deleasa last December.

23

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 7, 2012

Ageing is just a suit away

Tech Society Review 2011:

Passing of a genius, new gizmos and a strange kissing device What does it actually feel like to be a 75-year-old? A group of researchers at MIT’s Agelab have created a suit to help people understand what it might be like to move about as a senior citizen.

Called AGNES (Age Gain Now Empathy System), the suit replicates what it potentially feels like to be in a 75-year-old body, replicating dexterity, flexibility, motor, and visual elements into a suit that can be worn by people of all ages.

Braces on the suit mimic joint stiffness and make it hard to walk, leg straps impede the speed of your movement and a helmet forces your head to move forward, mimicking the curved spine of an older adult. Yellow goggles and earplugs are the final touch on the outfit, making it difficult to read and hear some things.

The idea behind the technology is to help those creating public transportation and retail outlets for senior citizens some of the challenges these people face.

‘Cheeky’ headphones

PHOTOS: FILE

You might think headphones are exclusively worn inside or on top of ears. But a new type of headphones now transmits sound through your cheekbones using bone conduction. Initially developed for military use, this technology has already been used in headphones, waterproof MP3 players and even mobile phones and the latest to cross our desk — Aftershokz Bone Conduction Headphones — will be on show at CES next week.

Aftershokz says the headphones produce “high fidelity, stereo quality sound, directly through the skull to the inner ear.” But why would anyone want to wear headphone on your cheeks? If you’re someone who uses headphones on a daily basis, then you’re potentially damaging your eardrums by putting them so close to the source of sound. And for those who use phones while running or biking, wearing headphones prevents you from being able to hear what’s going on around you which can prove dangerous.

NOMAN ANSARI

We take a look back at news in the tech industry that made the biggest (and the strangest) blips on our tech news radar in 2011:

RIP Steve Jobs

Not only was the death of cancerbattling Apple Inc. CEO, Steve Jobs, the biggest news in technology this past year, it was one of the biggest pieces of news in the history of technology, period. Jobs had lead Apple to bag a greater cash reserve than the US treasury during his tenure with the release of devices like the iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. In fact, the Apple guru revolutionised the entire tech industry by popularising technology such as touch-screen devices, portable music gadgets, and tablets. The loss of the charismatic CEO was momentous; countless fans mourned the technology icon’s death, and dedications from world leaders poured in rapidly. US president Barack Obama called the man a visionary while Softbank Corp CEO, Masayoshi Son, compared Steve Jobs to Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. And while not everyone adored the man, not even his greatest critics can deny that with his passing, he left rather

enormous shoes to fill.

PlayStation Network outage It was an enormous hacking event that caused the leaders of Sony to publically apologise after facing a class action lawsuit from victims, as well as an official inquiry from the US congress. But, more significantly, it was an event that resulted in a deluge of complaints from geeky gamers.

Their collective rage was instigated by an attack on April 17-19 on Sony’s PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, in which personal details — including credit card information from approximately 77 million accounts were stolen — forcing Sony to shutdown PSN for what was approximately 23 days. And while there was no official word as to who was the culprit, whispers in the darker alleys of the internet pointed to hacking group “Anonymous”. In the

nation with its futuristic allure. It was featured on TV shows, demoed on tech platforms, and quickly became the talk of the internet. Some experts claimed that the application would turn out to be the next piece of revolution in mobile phone usage, while others even went on to say that it would be the killing blow on Google’s Android OS. While only time will tell how much of an impact Siri will have, it is certain that this application will only grow better in the future.

the old adage, “You only get what you pay for.”

Google Android Ice Cream Sandwich, an exciting new chapter With Android having had separate versions of its OS for tabloids and smartphones, it was welcome news that Ice Cream Sandwich, aka Android 4.0, would be a unified codebase for all Android devices.

Debuting on the Galaxy Nexus —

Kindle Fire — a tablet for the masses Few devices created as much heat this past year in tech circles as Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Priced at a $200 (roughly Rs18,000), the device was making waves before it hit the ground, with pre-orders cleaning house six weeks before release, and tech and business experts hailing the tablet as a possible iPad slayer. However, upon release, the device didn’t quite turn out to be the giant-slaying goliath. In fact, released to mixed reviews, the sluggish tablet quickly reaffirmed

reviewed by many tech websites as being the best Google phone to date – Android 4.0 has been extremely well received on release. Chock-full of features — both amusing and practical — ICS is not only robust and deep, it is highly fun as well, making it both useful and endearing. And for 2011, ICS is considering to be the biggest mobile software release of the year.

Internet Kissing Machine end, while things were eventually resolved, the Japanese tech giant’s reputation took an enormous blow.

The birth of Apple’s Siri Siri — a voice-recognition based personal assistant application, integrated in the iOS5, and offered only on Apple’s latest iPhone devices — caught the public’s imagi-

Kajimoto Laboratory (yes, obviously it would be the Japanese to invent something as creepy as this) of Tokyo, presented a device in 2011 that would allow couples to share a “French kiss” over the internet. How does the device look and function? Well, it looks a bit like a breathalyser with a plastic straw; has two units, (one for

Mind where you park

Few devices created as much heat this past year in tech circles as Amazon’s Kindle Fire each partner) and is designed to work remotely over the internet.

Partners can kiss by waggling their tongues on a plastic straw at one end, which in turn creates the sensation of a kiss transmitted to the other end. Not only that, but “kiss information” can be recorded and saved, to allow lovers to save and share kisses later. In fact, the developers of the device even envision celebrity “kiss information” being sold as part of the package (Megan Fox, here we come!). And while many of us will find this gadget to be more creepy than sexy, experts feel that the device, once perfected, could actually have a profitable presence at retail.

Parking spots with the wheelchair symbol don’t always have vehicles owned by disabled people. In fact, every day in parking lots all over the world, non-disabled drivers regularly use spaces which are reserved for the handicapped.

And they are able to get away with it, too, unless an attendant happens to check while their vehicle is parked there. But now thanks to technology recently developed by New Zealand’s Car Parking Technologies (CPT), attendants at a remote location can be notified the instant that a handicapped spot is occupied improperly.

Now, the company has developed a system in which disabled drivers’ vehicles are equipped with an electronic tag.

Sensors in handicapped parking spots would detect when a vehicle was pulling in, and then detect the tag of the vehicle. If no tag was detected, the sensor would instantly alert parking enforcement authorities.

The system can reportedly be implemented for roughly the same cost as the current permit-based system, and can also be applied to other types of reserved parking.

Although it has yet to be picked up by any clients, CPT claims that the technology is ready to go, and could be in use during early 2012.

This is not the first parking issue that CPT has addressed.

Some of its past innovations have included SmartGuide, which uses digital signage to help drivers to navigate through parking garages; SmartCounter, which keeps track of the number of vehicles entering and leaving parking garages, showing a digital record of the number of spots currently available; SmartPlate, which automatically reads and records vehicles’ license plate numbers, to ensure that the right cars are in the right spots; and SmartMeter, which allows drivers to top up the amount of time that they’ve paid for from a remote location. SOURCE: GIZMAG.COM

24

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 7, 2012

offbeat

Too little too late

It’s a bird…it’s a plane… no…it’s a flying shark!

A US man has told authorities he wants to clear his conscience — and pay a $1 parking ticket he received 58 years ago.

Dale Crawford, of Houston, Texas, sent a letter to city officials after finding the ticket among some keepsakes.

He says he wants to pay the debt, even though it is a “small, almost unnoticeable amount”.

Mr Crawford received the ticket on February 3 1953, the day he was inducted into the US Army.

He left his 1946 Nash at a parking meter at the induction station, but because his father was late retrieving the car, it had been ticketed. Houston mayor Annise Parker says she will personally accept Mr Crawford’s payment tomorrow and thank him for setting an example for others who owe debts to the city. SOURCE: WEB.ORANGE.CO.UK

One cool church A pilot reported seeing what he described as a ‘flying shark’ in the sky as he was preparing to land a passenger jet, not knowing that the shark was an inflatable toy.

The shark was spotted by the pilot at an altitude of 7,000 feet over Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand.

Glen Kenny, president of the New Zealand

Air Line Pilots’ Association, explained the inflatable shark actually had very little bite.

“The engine probably wouldn’t stop, but it would do a bit of damage,” he said.

“Helium is an inert gas, so there’s no issue in that regard. The biggest hazard would be startling the pilot.”

The bizarre sighting was just one of a string

of unusual flying shark sightings across New Zealand, thanks to the popular Christmas gift known as Air Swimmers — remote-controlled helium fish.

Police were bombarded with reports of the inflatable sharks spotted ‘swimming’ across the sky in areas such as Auckland and Riverton in Southland.

The Air Swimmer toy, which measures 1.44-metres in length, is remote-controlled with a radio receiver attached underneath the toy, helping with steering the body, making it the ultimate prank machine for any youngster.

The toy fish can be operated from 15m away, reaching great distances. SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK

Robin Hood returns... to rob a bank Jasmin Rivera attempted to rob a local branch of the Citizens Bank in Boston, telling cashiers she had a gun in her possession.

Police reports state that Ms Rivera gave two notes to the cashier, one of them with the message, ‘please put the money in the bag, I have a gun, do not yell’ written on it.

The homeless 30-year-old was given $652, according to police, and then proceeded to jump into a taxi, bribing driver Gary Levin with some of the money so he could take her to additional banks around the Roxbury neighbourhood.

Mr Levin told The Boston Globe about Ms Rivera’s erratic behaviour. While seated in the backseat of the taxi cab, Ms Rivera told him: “You don’t realise what I just did. I just robbed a bank!”

She continued to tell Mr Levin about her plans to ‘hit another one’.

A church built entirely of ice and snow has opened in Bavaria — a hundred years after locals first built a snow church as an act of protest. The church at Mitterfirmiansreut, near the border with the Czech Republic, is more than 20 metres long with an 8 metre steeple and took 1,400 cubic metres (49,000 cubic feet) of snow to complete.

The structure was lit up blue with a blessing from local Dean Kajetan Steinbeisser. SOURCE: WEB.ORANGE.CO.UK

“I thought maybe she was busted for drugs or something,” Levin told the newspaper. “I’m freaking out and I’m thinking ‘she’s crazy; she’s nuts. I’m thinking she has a weapon. Maybe she’s going to rob me. So now, I’m starting to panic.”

“I had about 40 different thoughts in my head,’ explained Mr Levin. ‘My first thought was just get out.

When you’re in that situation you’re just freaking out ... It was like a movie.”

Rivera’s getaway ended once Mr Levin took action and dropped her off at a local park, calling the police soon after.

When the officers arrived, they found the woman giving children $1 notes in the park’s playground.

Dubbed by press as the ‘female Robin Hood’, Jasmin Rivera will be undergoing psychiatric treatment, and will be scheduled for a second court appearance.

Twins born — five years apart

SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK

Glory to those who…failed!

An unsuccessful Austrian inventor has won a £400,000 government grant to set up a museum of failed inventions.

Fritz Gall dreamed up the idea of a museum dedicated to the flops and disasters created by other would-be entrepreneurs.

Now — thanks to the grant — he and partner Friedl Umscheid have opened the Museum of Nonsense in Herrnbaumgarten, Austria. The museum prides itself on utterly useless creations like the ‘portable anonymyser’ — a piece of black card on a stick so people who don’t want to be in the public eye can black out their own eyes.

Or there are the pencils for cautious civil servants with no lead, a padded rolling pin to meet even the toughest health and safety standards, a portable hole and a fully transportable hat stand.

Other batty brainwaves include a bristleless toothbrush for people with no teeth, and a fits-anyone jumper with sleeves in various lengths. “We held our first fair for rubbish inventions and thought we’d get 20 or 30 visitors but more than 5,000 came and so we knew we were obviously onto something,” explained Mr Gall.

The museum will move to a new expanded home later this year so it can cope with the thousands of visitors who now flock to it every month. “We have government funding and some private backing and we hope the people out there like nonsense just as much as we do,” he added. SOURCE: WEB.ORANGE.CO.UK

A bullet in the head is 24-carrot gold worth two in the bush

The Russian was shot by his brother when he was three, the bullet coming to rest in an opening at the base of the skull where the spinal cord passes.

Doctors opted against operating at the time because they believed the risk of severe nerve damage was too high and, against the odds, he made a full recovery, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

When the 85-year-old, who went on to become an awardwinning engineer, recently went for a cat scan following a heart problem doctors noticed the bullet but, to their astonishment, they could not find any evidence of neural damage.

Dr David Ross, an emergency physician at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado told the New England Journal of Medicine: ‘High-speed missiles, like a bullet, can cause great damage and usually do.

“However, because they are high-speed, they generate a lot of heat. That heat usually means the missile is sterile — meaning it is unlikely to serve as a basis for infection if it stays in one place for many years.”

“So if it did not cause much damage, which it apparently didn’t, it was unlikely to cause him ongoing troubles.”

SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK

Lena Pahlsson lost her white-gold wedding band, set with seven diamonds, in 1995 and had given up ever seeing the ring again.

Mrs Pahlsson told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter she had misplaced the ring while doing some baking with her daughters during Christmas.

Remarkably, after years of searching for the wedding ring — including removing the kitchen’s flooring — Mrs Pahlsson eventually discovered the ring while pulling up carrots in her garden. A picture taken in the garden shows the ring stuck at the top of one of the carrots, with the vegetable seemingly having grown through the band.

Mrs Pahlsson’s husband Ola told Dagens Nyheter: “Our daughter Anna was at home at the time and she heard an almighty scream from the garden.”

“It was Lena’s wedding ring that had been missing since 1995 after Lena’s annual Christmas baking. It had surfaced, wrapped around a carrot. Quite amazing.”

The family believe the ring may have fallen down the kitchen sink back in 1995 and ended up in the garden’s compost or fed to their sheep.

Mrs Pahlsson is having the ring re-sized as it no longer fits and has vowed to keep the band ‘in a safe place’.

A Sussex couple are celebrating the birth of their baby daughter — five years after her twin brother.

Floren Blake was born in November but her twin Ruben has already started school, reports the BBC. They were conceived from the same batch of embryos after parents Simon and Jody Blake sought fertility treatment.

Mr Blake, 45, and his wife, 38, approached the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine in September 2005.

Five embryos were created and two implanted in Mrs Blake, which resulted in the birth of Ruben on December 9 2006.

The remaining three embryos were frozen until the couple, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, decided to try for another child last year.

Mrs Blake said: “It does feel quite surreal. I think people are really, really surprised and it almost takes people a few minutes to get their heads around it.”

“We obviously had nine months to get it straight and to think ‘Gosh, we’re having Ruben’s twin’, but it’s incredibly special.”

The proud dad added: “I tell everybody I can. It’s almost just to see people’s response. They are really amazed and surprised.”

SOURCE: WEB.ORANGE.CO.UK

A sea lion with a passion to write

SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK

Jay, the sea lion, can be seen writing the word ‘Dragon’ in the picture above, as he uses his paint brush to make accurate strokes, to the surprise of many visitors who come to see the act for themselves at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama, Tokyo.

The word has much importance across Japan, China and other parts of Asia as 2012 constitutes the Year of the Dragon.

In January 2011 another seal by the name of Leo wowed audiences after writing the word ‘Rabbit,’ for the traditional celebration of the animal. The eight year-old seal had written the calligraphy with help from his trainer who helped guide the sea lion’s snout as it attempted to make the strokes. SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK