There is no way anyone could describe these toilets as bog standard.
This hilarious collection of toilets from around the world has become an internet sensation after they were posted on the blog Oddee.
The pick of the bunch are a set of obscure urinals which resemble coffins complete with a foot flush that are found in a restaurant toilet in Bogota, Colombia.
There is also a bizarre line of urinals that are shaped like brass instruments in a pub in Freiburg, South Germany.
Another amusing latrine comes in the form of kitted out toilet that boasts a cushioned seat as well as a computer and phone close by designed clearly for the most avid workaholic. (Mail Online)
A boy of ten is fighting for his life after his legs swelled to "elephant size" — but no one knows how to treat him.
Vincent Oketch, ten, is thought to have a lymphatic problem that caused the swelling to grow over time.
He is also believed to suffer from elephantitis and tissue deformity while the swelling has left him with a dislocated hip and broken ankles.
But tests suggest he also has necrotising fasciitis — which could lead to his legs being amputated to save his life.
The conflicting diagnosis mean doctors in Kampala, Uganda, are confused as to how to treat the lad.
Now medic Isaac Osire, who runs an organisation called EDYAC that helps children from poor villages get medical treatment, is appealing to British experts for help to save the boy, from rural Peta.
He said: “We desperately need a British doctor, or foreign medical expert, who can offer advice about Vincent’s case.
“The case is extremely complex and we’d like to find out if there is anything that can be done to save his legs.”
Vincent’s dad Tito Opoya told how his son first began having problems when he was just 18 months old.
His parents were too poor to take him to a clinic so the swelling continued to get bigger as his legs grew.
Now he can no longer walk and barely crawl.
He has to wear girl’s dresses and skirts because he cannot fit into shorts or trousers.
Tito said: “It really upsets him because he has to wear pink and the other kids tease him.
“He is only small, but his legs are really heavy and weigh more than he does.”
A British doctor currently visiting Uganda hopes to be able to see Vincent in the next few weeks to assess his condition.
Dr Osire said: “We’re extremely grateful for any help.
“I want to do whatever I can to save this boy, and give him the chance of a normal life.”
Tito added: “I hope doctors can do something to help my son. I am grateful to Dr Osire for all he has done for us.” (The Sun)
The World’s tallest Lego tower has been erected in Seoul, South Korea, built by 4,000 children, using 500,000 bricks and measuring a dizzying 31.9 metres (105ft) high.
The toy tower was unveiled on Sunday by Danish Crown Prince Frederik (see the man in the pics), who laid the final record-breaking brick, as part of a celebration to mark Lego’s 80th birthday.
The structure, which stands in front of Seoul’s Olympic Stadium beats the previous record, set in France last October, by just 30 centimetres.
The tower was built over five days by young contest winners.
The build itself became a tourist attraction, drawing in more than 30,000 curious visitors.
After it was finished and assembled, Prince Frederik – on a six-day state visit to South Korea – was hoisted up on a crane to lay the final brick.
The very first Lego tower was built in London in 1988, standing at just under 50 feet.
Since then the record has been toppled more than 30 times.
The popular toy was invented by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen, who started making wooden toys in his workshop in 1920.
He named his company Lego, from the Danish phrase ‘leg godt’, which means ‘play well’.
Those wooden toys evolved into the plastic bricks that are now bestsellers the world over. (AP/Daily Mail)
If you happen to spot a thousand naked people in Munich this summer – don’t worry. It’s just American artist Spencer Tunick visiting Bavaria with his latest mass nude photo shoot.
The New Yorker was invited to apply his interest in mass nude photo shoots in Munich by the Bavarian State Opera during the opening of the city’s Opera Festival on 23 and 24 June.
For his new project inspired by Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle, Tunick will invite at least a thousand Bavarians for a ring-shaped installation in front of the National Theatre and a few other shoots in downtown Munich.
"Tunick is in Munich – get your kit off!” Tunick said in an interview.
The artist is looking for "normal people… students, musicians, librarians, bricklayers," to take their clothes off for the sake of art.
According to the Bavarian State Opera’s idea, Tunick’s Ring project will take place alongside a new production of The Ring of the Nibelung by producer Andreas Kriegenburg.
"Andreas Kriegenburg primarily tells his version of The Ring of the Nibelung by means of the performers’ stage and gesture movements in addition to their singing. This produces an interesting equivalence to Spencer Tunick’s human body installations. That is why it was an obvious choice to show these two projects for the Opera Festival", says Nikolaus Bachler, Manager of the Bavarian State Opera.
The Ring project will become the first of its kind to be realized in Germany, and the second work by Tunick to be created in the country. "Whenever I have the chance to work in Germany, I seize it," the artist says. His previous German job was in 2006 at the Museum Kunstpalast in Dusseldorf. (wrapup)
He is not yet old enough to vote, but already Tom Hall can safely land an aeroplane at New York’s JFK Airport in a lightning storm.
And when he feels like taking to the skies, Scotland’s youngest qualified pilot just pops into his parents’ spare bedroom and takes the controls of his own flight simulator.
The 17-year-old’s success in earning his wings was helped by the self-built £5,500 virtual cockpit, complete with instrument panels and a so-called ‘butt-kicker’ special effect.
The Perth High School pupil’s efforts paid off when he qualified for a private pilot’s licence (PPL) last month, becoming the youngest Scot ever to do so.
Speaking at his home in Perth yesterday, Tom said: ‘I usually spend about three hours a week in the simulator, but about five hours a week when flying tests are coming up. I do it after school.
‘It’s really realistic. My friends always beg me to get a shot on it, it’s much better than an Xbox.’
Recalling how he first got bitten by the aviation bug, he said: ‘My parents bought me a trial lesson at Tayside Aviation for my tenth birthday. I really enjoyed it and decided then that I wanted to become a pilot.
‘When I turned 14, I could officially start to log my hours towards my licence and this was when I really began to take it seriously. I tried to have a flying lesson every month.’
As he worked towards his PPL, he came up with the idea of building his simulator.
This consists of a hand-crafted MDF cockpit containing a projector and authentic controls hooked up to a PC running a flight simulation program.
The controls were specially imported from Switzerland, while a ‘butt kicker’ in the pilot’s chair enhanced the ‘flight’ experience. (Daily Mail)
A group of bears showed off their fun side after gathering together in preparation for a cuddly conga.
While most bears have a fearsome and dangerous reputation, these young cubs appear to have the same outlook on life as the Jungle Book’s laidback fictional character Baloo.
They may as well have all been singing the film’s hit song I Wanna Be Like You as one bear after the next began forming a conga line.
The cute clip shows ten of the baby bears lining up for a spot of grooming, with each one licking the back of another’s head.
Over 180,000 people have watched the 51-second recording on video-sharing website YouTube where it has received hundreds of likes.
One amused fan commented: ‘I was expecting Bear Grylls to show up and get in the line.’
While another added: ‘I’m sat here crying with laughter…. brilliant!’ (Metro)
A bra containing built-in ice packs to keep women cool in the summer has been unveiled in Japan.
Triumph’s new Super Cool Bra features gel pads which are placed in the freezer for up to two hours before wearing.
The bra, which comes in two different colours, is also adorned with a sprig of mint and miniature wind chime to offer a ‘refreshing fragrance and sound’.
Both bra cups have been designed to look like fishbowls, with the blue gel pads slipped behind a fish and seaweed pattern.
They also feature a miniature fan and a tiny ladle, which can be used to splash water over the body, attached at the side.
The bra was created by the underwear giant to encourage Japanese citizens to cut down on air conditioning.
The country is facing a number of energy issues following the Fukushima nuclear power disaster in March 2011.
Triumph spokeswoman Yoshiko Masuda said: "The whole nation, especially the Kansai region, is expected to suffer from a shortfall of electricity.
"Companies and families now have to deal with higher electricity bills, so we decided on this theme as we felt we had to increase awareness of saving electricity." (Daily Mail)
She might only be five, but finger painting is clearly child’s play to young artist Aelita Andre.
The little girl, from Melbourne in Australia, has been described as the ‘world’s youngest professional artist’ after earning more than £100,000 from her paintings.
Her work has already featured in two exhibitions and it is about to be displayed in a third, at a gallery in New York next month.
Painting since the tender age of two, Aelita’s cheapest works are selling for more than £3,000 each and it is estimated she has already made more than £100,000 from her art – more money than most professional artists earn in a lifetime.
The money she earned so far has been put into a trust fund by her parents, Russian-born mother Nikka Kalashnikova and Australian father Michael Andre.
Nikka said she quickly realised her daughter’s approach and technique was different to other children play painting.
She told Sky News: ‘Her composition, her use of colour, her concentration span. (see the pic below)
‘Sometimes even as a little kid she was painting for about one hour, one-and-a-half hours, she would walk off, then come back again, it is just her concentration.
‘Usually kids paint for two or three minutes and they have had enough, they run off, but not Aelita.’
The youngster had her first solo show last year and next month her work will be exhibited again at the Agora Gallery in New York.
The Melbourne prodigy’s paintings have already been compared to modern art greats like Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso.
Aelita began painting before she could walk at 11-months old and now has her own space to create her artworks, mainly using acrylics on canvas.
Once her parents saw that she had a talent, they submitted her work to a local gallery, prompting the owner to arrange a special exhibition for her, unaware of her tender age – then only two years old.
While most of her paintings now retail for between around $5,000 and $10,000 it was a picture of the Russian Mir space station that set her record price of $24,000 in Hong Kong. (Mail Online)
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