Interesting Bits and Pieces
From recent happenings or stories around Australia and the world.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South African anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, dies aged 90.
The outspoken former Cape Town archbishop was considered the nation's conscience by both black and white, an enduring testament to his faith and spirit of reconciliation in a divided nation.
He preached against the tyranny of white minority, and even after its end he never wavered in his fight for a fairer South Africa, calling the black political elite to account with as much feistiness as he had the white Afrikaners.
Abandoned by her father, Eddie the white emu's now a local legend in central Queensland.
When Eddie's dad left her for dead, George and Cathy Hoare adopted a somewhat unorthodox family member with an extremely bold personality. "She's very friendly with the horses, dogs, chicks, guinea fowls — you name it. She did go away once, but she came back and she just stays — she's literally part of the menagerie of Rockview."
Ostrich
Emu
I've never come across a Cassowary Albino though.
It is amazing how these Mummies are preserved over this many years!
Mummy of Amenhotep I is 'digitally unwrapped' for the first time: CT scans reveal the Egyptian Pharaoh was about 35 years old, 5'7" and circumcised when he died 3,000 years ago
Found in 1881 at Deir el-Bahari, Amenhotep I's mummy (left) has never been unwrapped by modern Egyptologists because the specimen and its facemask is so beautifully preserved. This is not the first time Amenhotep I has been 'opened', however - he was physically unwrapped, restored and reburied in the 11th century BCE by 21st dynasty priests. Pictured: CT scans of the mummy (right and inset)
What a difference!
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pictured looking noticeably slimmer during a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party in this photo released on December 28, 2021 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks considerably larger in these photos (left, dated January 1, 2019 // right, dated March 6, 2020)
He looks younger too ... I want some of what he is having.
Could he be on those exercise pills ???
Australian scientists are close to developing an "exercise pill" that can mimic some of the health benefits of actual physical activity.
Researchers at Deakin Medical School have identified a drug that makes the body respond as if it has exercised.
Associate Professor Sean McGee to ABC Local Radio the discovery opens up the possibility of treatments for people who suffer with cardiovascular disease, particularly those with diabetes and obesity.
"It does not actually make you lose weight," Professor McGee said.
"But you are certainly much more metabolically healthy."
Opps!
Old Parliament House in Canberra (pictured) was on fire on Thursday, December 30
A fire has caused serious damage to Old Parliament House in Canberra as indigenous protesters clashed with police outside. Huge plumes of smoke billowed into the air as firefighters rushed to save the historic building from being gutted by the flames. Protestors holding Aboriginal flags screamed and jeered as the laze engulfed the entrance, yelling 'let it burn' and clashed with police and TV crews outside the scorched entrance.
Too bad these hooligans do not go to work instead
Thought this was neat!
Mum reveals how she transformed her outdoor setting for $100 after the glass table top exploded in the hot weather
A crafty Australian mum has revealed exactly how she managed to salvage her outdoor setting for $100 after the glass table top 'randomly' exploded in the hot summer sun. The amateur home decorator said she was shocked when the glass 'shattered for no apparent reason' last week just before Christmas Day. 'There's absolutely nothing wrong with the rest of the setting so we really wanted to salvage it,' she wrote in a detailed post on Facebook. One trip to Bunnings Warehouse appeared to give her the inspiration she needed to transform the outdoor setting with many commenting on the post to say the upcycled version looks better than the original.
Indian paper-cut artists Vaishali and Nayan create miniature paper birds for an entire year.
Asian Koels
Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo Couple
Fighting roosters
Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic's visa has been cancelled by the Australian Border Force who have informed the tennis world no.1 he must leave the country on Thursday, but Djokovic (left, centre) is understood to be preparing to fight the cancellation in court in a last ditch effort to defend his Australian Open title. The Serbian superstar touched down on a Emirates flight from Dubai around 11.30pm Wednesday night AEST, and was detained at Melbourne Airport along with his team (bottom right), prompting a furious outburst from his father (top right).
Ooops!
[somebody has taken a good video of this!] The truck stopped after it hit a power pole which later caused a small scrub fire - no major injuries were reported
Confused drivers had to think quick when a backwards truck rolled at them on the highway. The truck driver, 62, had left the vehicle to check his brakes when it took off down the road. The driver tried to jump onto the side of the truck to gain entry but fell off. He gained minor injuries after dropping to the road from such a distance and was taken to hospital. The truck proceeded to continue to roll and hit a power pole, starting a small scrub fire. Fortunately no serious injuries were reported.
Rolling Stones get their own collection of British stamps to mark the band's 60th anniversary.
The Rolling Stones will have their photographs on a set of 12 Royal Mail stamps which pays tribute to the band. Royal Mail has released stamps showing the group on stage and playing at gigs around the globe. Their performances shown on the special stamps include London's Hyde Park in July 1969, New York, USA in July 1972 and Knebworth in Hertfordshire in August 1976. Royal Mail says that it 'collaborated closely with the band members and their management team on the stamp issue'.
Just heard on the news that Santa has left the North Pole