GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDERS MAN WITH LARGEST FEET AND SHORTEST LADY IN THE WORLD AT MARINA MALL

As a part of the 'Guinness World Records in a Minute' event being held at Marina Mall, Salmiah, special guests, Guinness world record holders Ibrahim Takioulla from Morocco and Jyothi Amge from India were in Marina Mall  on Thursday March 14 and Friday March 15 at Marina Mall. I had gone to see the Guinness events at Marina on Friday around 1.30pm. Ibrahim and Jyothi arrived around 2.30pm and stayed for half an hour.  Ibrahim Takioulla has the largest feet in the world. His left foot measures 38.1 cms, and his right 37.5 cms. His shoe size is 58 and wears specially designed othropedic shoes  to support his height and weight. Ibrahim is also the 3rd tallest man in the world (height 8 ft, 1 inch) Jyothi Amge, age 20,  from Nagpur, India, (height 2 feet, weighs 5 kg) is the shortest woman in the world.

It was nice to see Ibrahim and Jyothi in person. I've never seen such a tall man as Ibrahim Takioulla. Jyothi Amge is so tiny, with a baby voice. It was quite a visual impact when Jyothi was made to stand near Ibrahim, with their huge difference in height. Jyothi's parents were sitting at a table near 'Paul' restaurant. When I spoke to Jyothi's parents, they told me, she is studying in grade 11. Among other children they have, Jyothi is the only child with a growth anomaly. Her restricted height is due to a condition called achondroplasia. Jyothi has a  infectious smile and she was the star of the show. When the organizer asked what she felt like being in Kuwait, Jyothi answered, ' Iam very-very happy to be here'.

I am not sure about Ibrahim Takioulla, but Jyothi and her parents flew back to India last night. 

Ibrahim Takioulla and Jyothi Amge

Children gather to take photos with Jyothi

Jyothi's parents

DUBAI MIRACLE GARDEN

Dubai Miracle Garden in Dubailand near Arabian Ranches, houses the most beautiful and biggest natural flower garden in the world with 45 million flowers. The landscape designs in the garden are amazing. The Dubai Miracle garden was launched on Valentine's Day on 14 February 2013.

Akar Landscaping and Agriculture Co. are the creators of this wonderful garden. According to Akar, no two seasons will be the same at Miracle Garden. Visitors will get to experience different themes each season. This is just the first phase. The second phase which would start around mid 2013, will involve construction of retail outlets, restaurants, souvenir shops, plant nurseries and a multistorey car park. They hope to attract one million visitors a year once fully operational. Through re-usage of waste water through drip irrigation, Akar intends to prove that it's possible to turn the desert green.

Timings: 9am to 9pm (open till late-May, reopens in October)
Planted area: 72,000 sqm 

Pathways: 4km 

Number of flowers: about 45 million 

Entrance: Dh20 and free for kids below three

Photos via Dubai Miracle Garden website and Gulf NewsVisit the above websites for more photos and information.

MYSTERIOUS ANIMAL WITH HEAD OF A HORSE, BODY OF A PIG AND CLAWS OF A BEAR FOUND

A never before seen strange and mysterious creature was found washed up on a South Wales Beach. It was described as having "the face of a horse, the body of a pig and the claws of a bear". The dead creature was found in Tenby by Peter Bailey. 

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2013 - UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL'S MESSAGE

Secretary General's Message on International Women's Day 2013

As we commemorate International Women’s Day, we must look back on a year of shocking crimes of violence against women and girls and ask ourselves how to usher in a better future.

One young woman was gang-raped to death. Another committed suicide out of a sense of shame that should have attached to the perpetrators. Young teens were shot at close range for daring to seek an education. These atrocities, which rightly sparked global outrage, were part of a much larger problem that pervades virtually every society and every realm of life. Look around at the women you are with. Think of those you cherish in your families and your communities. And understand that there is a statistical likelihood that many of them have suffered violence in their lifetime. Even more have comforted a sister or friend, sharing their grief and anger following an attack.

This year on International Women’s Day, we convert our outrage into action. We declare that we will prosecute crimes against women – and never allow women to be subjected to punishments for the abuses they have suffered. We renew our pledge to combat this global health menace wherever it may lurk – in homes and businesses, in war zones and placid countries, and in the minds of people who allow violence to continue.

We also make a special promise to women in conflict situations, where sexual violence too often becomes a tool of war aimed at humiliating the enemy by destroying their dignity. To those women we say: the United Nations stands with you. As Secretary-General, I insist that the welfare of all victims of sexual violence in conflict must be at the forefront of our activities. And I instruct my senior advisors to make our response to sexual violence a priority in all of our peace-making, peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities. The United Nations system is advancing our "UNITE to End Violence against Women" campaign, which is based on the simple but powerful premise that all women and girls have a fundamental human right to live free of violence. 

This week in New York, at the Commission on the Status of Women, the world is holding the largest-ever UN assembly on ending violence against women. We will make the most of this gathering – and we keep pressing for progress long after it concludes. I welcome the many governments, groups and individuals who have contributed to this campaign. I urge everyone to join our effort. Whether you lend your funds to a cause or your voice to an outcry, you can be part of our global push to end this injustice and provide women and girls with the security, safety and freedom they deserve.

Ban Ki Moon

Secretary General, United Nations

(via UN Women website)

Visit UN Women website to know more about International Women's Day 2013

JENNIFER LAWRENCE THE NEW FACE OF MISS DIOR

Jennifer Lawrence the stunning young actress aged 22, of the Hunger Games fame and who won the Best Actress award at the Oscars  2013 held recently for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, is the new face of Miss Dior. She is shown wearing the new Spring collection  for 2013 from Dior as well as the Miss Dior handbags. 

"Dior represents beauty and strength in women, and that's how I feel when I'm wearing his clothes, it just makes you feel so confident. I've always been a huge fan of Dior, and being a part of something with such an incredible history is an honor." says Jennifer Lawrence.

Creative Director of Dior, Raf Simons said in his statement,  “Like everyone else, I first discovered Jennifer Lawrence in the roles she played in action movies, I was, of course, struck by her incredible on-screen presence in these blockbuster films , but also impressed by her powerful interpretations of subtle, more rounded characters. Her youth and her classic beauty, but also her force of character and the complexity she's capable of embodying at such a young age, are, for me, both unique and very moving."

Prestigious showbiz magazine Vanity Fair just named Jennifer, the world’s most desirable woman. After her break up with her boyfriend,  British actor Nicholas Hoult , she has been romantically linked with Bradley Cooper, her on screen love interest in Silver Linings Playbook. 

Jennifer says she hates shopping and spending money! "I was raised to have values and to have respect for money, and even if you have a lot of it, to still have respect for it. I still drive the same car I’ve been driving for a long time and I haven’t bought a house yet. And I can afford a house but I don’t really think I’m ready.” says Jennifer. 

MEXICAN PRIEST USES WATER GUN TO SPRAY HOLY WATER

Mexican Priest, Father Humberto Alvarez uses water gun to bless young children by spraying holy water on them. Father Alvarez wears robes with images of comic book superheroes, including Batman, Superman and Spider Man at his church Ojo de Agua in Slatillo, Mexico.

He says the characters on his robes were chosen as they inhabit traits that he wishes to pass on to the young children, that stand for the superheros' "struggle and effort to overcome fear and find peace and forgiveness", 

Though the methods are unconventional, Father Alvarez who has been a priest for 14 years,  hopes this would bring a smile on the children's faces as the community has been affected by drug-related violence and crime in recent years. However, he wears normal robes and does not use a water gun during adult mass.

ROSA PARKS - MOTHER OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people. - Rosa Parks

If Rosa Parks, the Mother of Civil Rights Movement, were alive, it would have been her 100th birthday on February 4th. She died in 2005 aged 92.  To commemorate her 100th birthday, the U.S. Postal Service issued a postal stamp in her honor. In 1999 she was the recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. On Wednesday 27 Feburary 2013, a 2700 pound bronze statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled by U.S. President Barack Obama at Capitol Statuary Hall, Washington D.C. to honor her memory. President Obama stated that Parks statue was an enduring reminder of what true leadership requires, "no matter how humble or lofty our positions."

Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 for refusing to give up her seat  to a white passenger in the bus she was travelling in Alabama. According to the city ordinance passed in Alabama, Montgomery, the bus drivers were allowed to segregate passengers by race. The black citizens were to sit or stand at the back portion of the buses they would travel. When the bus driver asked her why she did not get up and move and she told him that she did not feel that she should have to. The bus driver called the police, who then arrested Rosa.

In her autobiography Rosa Parks stated :

"People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in. I knew someone had to take the first step and I made up my mind not to move. Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it."

In an interview Rosa Parks gave at the National Public Radio in 1992, she said, "I did not want to be mistreated, I did not want to be deprived of a seat that I had paid for. But when I had to face that decision, I didn't hesitate to do so because I felt that we had endured that too long. The more we gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became." 

Her arrest led to Montgomery Bus boycott by 17,000 black citizens for 381 days. The boycott was led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., that sparked the struggle for racial equality in the form of civil rights movement. The boycott came to an end when the U.S. Supreme Court found segregation in the bus unconstitutional. In the years that followed African Americans continued their fights for equal rights and finally, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act  was passed.

Rosa Parks received the Congressional Award in 1999

Rosa Parks commemorative stamp by U.S. Postal Services 

Unveiling of Rosa Parks Statue on Wednesday 27 Feburary 2013 at Capitol, Washington D.C. 

CATHEDRAL OF NORTHERN LIGHTS IN ARCTIC CIRCLE

On Monday Februay 11,  the Crown Princess of Norway, Mette-Marit, inaugurated the 47 metre high Cathedral of the Northern Lights built  in Alta, Norway, which is around 500 km north of the Arctic Circle. The church is designed by schmidt hammer lassen architects in cooperation with Link Arkitektur.

John F. Lassen, Founding Partner at schmidt hammer lassen architects explained that, “The Cathedral of the Northern Lights is in its design a result of the surrounding nature and local culture. The building is a landmark, which through its architecture symbolizes the extraordinary natural phenomenon of the Arctic northern lights. The cathedral reflects, both literally and metaphorically, the northern lights: ethereal, transient, poetic and beautiful. It appears as a solitary sculpture in interaction with the spectacular nature.”

The metallic spiral form of the building, actually clad in titanium, which  strong, light, brilliant and resistant to corrosion. The architecture of the cathedral is built as such to reflect the spectacular Northern Lights Aurora Borealis, during the  long periods of darkness during  the Arctic winter. The cathedral comprises of  administrative office, classrooms, exhibition areas, parochial area and the church room which can accommodate 350 people. 

For more information, visit  schmidt/hammer/lassen architects
Image source of Cathedral - Gizmag

CATHEDRAL OF NORTHERN LIGHTS - ARCTIC CIRCLE

NORTHERN LIGHTS - Aurora Borealis

DOUBLE DECKER BUS ROOF RIPPED OFF IN BRIDGE CRASH

A double decker bus trying to pass under a railway bridge in Hampshire, UK, on Monday morning, couldn't get through smoothly and had it's entire roof ripped off in the process. Fortunately these were no passengers in the bus as the bus was out of service. The 45 year old driver who was driving the bus was safe and treated for shock after the incident.

SHAKIRA'S BABY MILAN

Columbian pop singer Shakira and Spanish football star Gerard Pique was blessed with a baby boy on January 22 in Barcelona. The baby is named Milan, which means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification." 

Shakira is the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. To celebrate the birth of their first child, Shakira and Gerard in association with UNICEF is holding a World Baby Shower online, inorder to raise public awareness and help vulnerable and less privileged infants through purchasing UNICEF inspired gifts and  giving donations as little as 5 $, which can have their basic needs covered. Visit Shakira's UNICEF page to know more about or participate in her World Baby Shower.

Gerard Pique and baby Milan Pique Mebarak

Gerard and Shakira