World's 'smallest' puppy? Amazing story of Beyonce (plus a squeak or two) in a great video

A puppy so tiny that she was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions when she was born features in a great BBC news video.

Now an application has been sent to the Guinness Book of Records to see if Beyonce, a dachshund mix, is the tiniest puppy in the world.

BBC STORY

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Please stop her now... stolen parrot will drive thieves mad as she screams to Queen songs

The owner of a stolen parrot hopes the thieves will be driven round the bend and give her back… because she doesn't stop singing the hits of Queen.

Chico the African Grey was stolen from her cage in Hattersley, Manchester, according to the Sun.

And owner Malcolm Booth says the thieves are in for a nasty surprise if they don't have earplugs because she doesn't stop screaming along to Bohemian Rhapsody.

SUN STORY

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Tall ships that killed a man every voyage – first-hand account of an apprentice 100 years ago

Coming soon in April to the Kindle - an ebook from NanuqMedia.

Sons of Gentlemen –
The life of an apprentice
in tall ships 1908 to 1912 

by Captain T B Greenhalgh

'The ships killed on average one man a voyage... a man, or boy, might easily fall from aloft and, if not smashed to death on the deck, could end up in a raging sea and be lost. All anyone on deck could do was pray that he had been killed by the fall so that he wasn’t floating around waiting to die as his ship sailed off into the distance.'
– foreword by Peter Greenhalgh

It was a 'dog's life' on board the Anglo-American sailing ships 'Brilliant' and 'Drumeltan', he was told – and 15-year-old Thomas soon discovered that you had to eat hard bread teeming with maggots, or starve.

Then came the biting cold, scorching heat, gales, doldrums, high seas, brutish officers and a cloud of lethal vapour that enveloped the ship so that smoking was in a tiny boat let off the stern. The crew even killed a majestic albatross for fun.

Yet, floating above all the hardship was the beauty and romance of sail – which enslaved a teenage dreamer for ever.

Expected publication date: April 9, 2012.

Watch NanuqMedia for updates.

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It's World Whisky Day today

Thousands of people are celebrating whisky events all over the world today – and the student who launched the idea hopes it will become an annual event.

WORLD WHISKY DAY WEBSITE

BBC STORY

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The deepest spot on earth with director James Cameron – story and video

Seven miles below the ocean looks as bleak as the moon, according to Hollywood director James Cameron.

Cameron has just returned from the first solo dive to the deepest place on earth – the Mariana Trench in the Pacific.

The descent took an incredible two and a half hours – 2.8 miles an hour! – in a submarine called Deepsea Challenger.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC story

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How to eat a pound of bacon in five minutes - video from America

The challenge at this year's bacon-eating championship was 75 slices (1lb) in just five minutes. The contest was held in Lafayette Indiana, Louisiana.

BBC story and video


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Solar storm hits Earth - fears of disruption as particles blaze in at 4 million mph

Keep your head down – a massive solar storm that could disrupt everything from GPS satellite navigation to power grids and even airplane routes is imminent.

A wave of charged particles travelling at about 4million miles per hour is about to hit the Earth, triggered by two huge solar flares earlier this week.

Effects of the storm will be more intense in polar regions and aircraft have been advised to change their routes.

"It's hitting us right in the nose," said Joseph Kunches, an expert at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).

On a positive note, the Northern Lights might be seen at lower latitudes, possibly tonight in the UK.

It all sounds like a disaster movie in the sky near you, starring of course Nicolas Cage. Remember ‘Knowing’, the American/British sci-fi film made in 2009?

To be fair, a huge solar flare did cut long-distance telephones in Illinois in 1972.

BBC STORY

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New iPad launch: it's a 'revolution', but do I really need one?

Apple says it is redefining the tablet with the launch of the 'revolutionary' new iPad – but it's not an iPad3.

At the first launch event in San Francisco since the death of Steve Jobs, Apple bosses Paul Schiller and Tim Cook said the tablet would have the "best mobile display that has ever shipped. It is a revolution".

Graphics will be sharper on the 9.7in screen because it uses a high resolution Retina Display with more pixels than a 50in HD TV.

The camera is improved – to 5MB – video will be 1080p high definition and other features include Voice Dictation.

The new iPad sounds exactly like something I do not need, especially as it uses 4G wireless technology, which will not be available in the UK for at least a year.

My combination of the original iPad plus an iPhone 4Gs – which is brilliant – works well enough for me. I already have voice dictation, and a 5MB camera on a big tablet is unnecessary to a photographer who carries around two cameras which pack more power and quality.

If I were buying again, I would go for the iPad2 and, of course, the iPhone 4Gs.

The new iPad is expected to be available in the UK from March 16, costing £399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. The iPad2 is being reduced to £329 for the basic version.

CNN review of the launch

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Bride's skirt falls off at wedding - video - but is the Russian clip a hoax?

Here comes the... most embarrassed bride. A video said to capture the moment a bride's skirt fell down, revealing her backside, is doing the rounds on the internet.

There is some doubt about the authenticity of the Russian clip, however.

Have a look at the Mail story - with video - and judge for yourself.

MAIL LINK


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Pictures that helped to change America’s labour laws - superb black and white images

The Mail features some brilliant sepia-toned, black and white pictures from the Library of Congress by teacher-turned-photographer Lewis Wickes Hine that helped to change America’s labour laws.

Hine took the photos, featuring working children as young as three years old, between 1908 and 1924 for the National Child Labor Committee, the organisation that lobbied for tougher labour legislation.

Photo two: A three-year-old girl and two boys hulling berries in May 1910 (Lewis Wickes Hine/Library of Congress)

MAIL PICTURE STORY

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Tornado aftermath, amazing pictures - from the Los Angeles Times

Amazing pictures from the aftermath of the deadly tornadoes which struck the Midwest and South of the USA. The destructive power is awesome.

Six people died when 166mph winds ripped through the southern Illinois town of Harrisburg. Others died in Missouri and Tennessee.

LA TIMES PICTURES

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Canon EOS 5D Mark III digital SLR review – 'extremely positive'

First reviews of Canon’s new EOS 5D Mark III SLR digital camera are very favourable.

Dpreview’s review of a pre-production model is now on the site and says: “We've not really had our hands on a 5D Mark III long enough to do much more than scratch the surface of what it can do, but first impressions are extremely positive.”

According to the website, the new camera does address the Mark II’s autofocus problems and has an array of changes equivalent to the upgrade from the 50D to the impressive 7D.

The important question is: “Will the 5D Mark III's 22MP offer enough in comparison to the Nikon D800's 36MP to prevent users switching brands? Canon appears to be confident that its users don't really need extra pixels anymore.”

I tend to agree with Canon here, although more pixels gives more scope for cropping. There again, if you have to chop 14MP out of your pictures perhaps you shouldn’t be using such top-notch cameras in the first place!

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Features:
22.3 megapixel full-frame sensor
61-point AF
6 fps continuous shooting
ISO 100–25,600 sensitivity, expandable to ISO 102,400
Full-HD video with manual control
14-bit DIGIC 5+ processor
Weather sealing
8.11cm (3.2-inch) 1,040,000-dot screen
HDR mode

DPREVIEW HANDS-ON REVIEW OF THE CANON EOS 5D MARK III

CANON UK SITE


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Mugger asks victim on date – stupid thief makes phone call – arrested and charged

A stupid mugger was identified and arrested when he telephoned his victim and asked her out on a date.

The robber demanded the phone number of a girl he mugged in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He also stole $60.

John Jardini, 26, rang twice to ask if she had a boyfriend and, bizarrely, asked her to go out with him. He was quickly identified, arrested and charged with robbery.

MAIL STORY

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Meteor spotted across Britain

A meteor was spotted throughout Britain yesterday, with police forces receiving numerous calls of a ‘bright light’ and an ‘orange glow’.

Air traffic control confirmed that there had not been any incidents involving aircraft. And the Met Office tweeted: "Hi All, for anyone seeing something in the night sky, we believe it was a meteorite."

BBC STORY

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Patron saint’s heart stolen – bizarre burglary at Dublin cathedral in Ireland

The preserved heart of Dublin’s patron saint, St Laurence O'Toole, has been stolen from Christ Church Cathedral.

In a bizarre burglary, the thief ignored gold chalices and candlesticks and prised open iron bars around a heart-shaped wooden box that protected the 12th-century relic.

The heart, a major pilgrimage site since the middle ages, is priceless but would be difficult to sell.

St Laurence O'Toole was born Lorcan Ua Tuathail in Castledermot, Co Kildare, in 1128 and became Archbishop of Dublin in 1162. He died in Normandy in 1180 and was canonised in 1225 because of miracles that are said to have happened at his tomb.

BBC STORY


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