Rising Sun Anger Release Bar

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A bar in East China’s Jiangsu Province became a big hit among customers by offering an outlet for the stresses and strains of everyday life. At Rising Sun Anger Release Bar, customers can smash glasses or rant, curse, scream and shout from the top of their lungs. Their main attraction is the physical abuse you can do to their staff if you feel like you want to punch or kick somebody. The Bar employs 20 men in their 20’s and 30’s that have been given protective gear as well as regular physical training to prepare them for the job. For 50 to 300 Yuan (US$6.25-$37.50) patrons may ask them to look like whatever way they want before they attack them. For the worst stressed out cases counseling sessions are also available from four psychology students from local universities. Interestingly, most of the customers are women from the local service industry.

Isdaan

The place actually looks more like a theme park than an eating place. It is said to be one nice place for a family with kids who can play around the floating huts and the giant sculptures of monkeys, fishes, dinosaurs and even Mayan-Aztec themed structures. But if you’re here to release that pent-up anger, go ahead and smash a P15 cup or plate on the Tacsiyapo Wall. If that’s not good enough, you can choose a flower vase, wall clock and even a working P1500 TV set as you shout “Tacsiyapo!!!” which means Shame on you! This is said to be a good marketing publicity for this seafood eating place in Tarlac, Philippines. Most customers who smash stuff on the wall don’t really do it to release their anger, but rather to have fun with family or friends as they aim for the words on the wall that says: “Corrupt,” “Gossip,” “In-laws,” “Other woman” among others.

Anisole: Sounds like a molecule the Grim Reaper would be eager to collect. It is actually a colorless liquid with a pleasing aromatic smell, and is used in perfumery. It is also an insect pheromone, which attracts the opposite sex. Of course, if you are an insect.

Angelic acid: Not very angelic at all. It is an organic acid secreted by certain carabid beetles as a defense response. It is also extracted from roots of garden archangelica from which its name was derived.

Apatite: I hope you haven't lost your "apatite" yet. This isn't a mineral for starving people. Apatite refers to a group of phosphate mineral used widely as a phosphorus fertilizer. It is also a major component of teeth enamel and bones of all vertebrate animals.

BARF: Don't barf yet, there's more to come! This is shorthand for the chemical compound tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron or (B-Ar-F).

Bastardane: The molecular structure of this hydrocarbon deviates from the usual hydrocarbon caged arrangement, thus, it has come to be called bastardane--the illegitimate offspring.

Beta-BuTX: This isn't an exercise equipment you can use to develop beta-BuTX. This is a fairly common type of snake venom with the complete name of beta-Bungarotoxin. Probably the venom becomes more potent if the snake bites you on the BuTX.

Buckminsterfullerene: Often referred to as buckyball, this is a collective term for stable but not completely unreactive carbon molecules with soccerball-shaped structures. A full family of fullerenes has been given names, such as Buckybabies, Rugby Ball, Russian Egg, Bucky Onions, Fuzzyball, Bunnyball and Platinum-Bur Ball.

Cadaverine and Putrescine: Both are organic chemical compounds produced by rotting and putrefying flesh, literally, the smell of death; and are poisonous in large doses. They also originate in some living processes, but since both are toxic, they are quickly excreted from the body. The presence of these molecules contributes to the distinctive odor of bad breath, urine and sperm, which also contains the related molecules of spermine and spermidine.

Clitoriacetal: This isn't a bit touch sensitive. Its name was derived from Clitoria macrophylla plant, which is used to treat respiratory disorders and also works as an insecticide.

Commic Acid: This molecule got its "commical" name not because it has good comedic timing but because it's a component of Commiphora Pyracanthoides plants, a specie of Myrrh trees.

Complicatic Acid: Life has always been complicated for this acid, which was isolated from the Stereum complicatum plant.

DAMN: An acronym for DiAminoMaleoNitrile, this is truly a malevolent molecule filled with cyanic compounds.

Dinile: Why did two groupings of cyanide consult a psychiatrist? Because they're both in "dinile." Anyway, dinile is a solid waxy substance that forms cyanides in the body when consumed.

Diabolic Acid: A series of long-chain dicarboxylic acids. Its name was derived from the Greek "diabollo" meaning "to mislead" as the compound was especially difficult to isolate employing standard gas chromatography methods. Also, its discoverer imagined that it had "horns like the devil."

DEAD: A fitting acronym for an explosive, carcinogenic, and eye/skin/lung irritant of DiEthyl AzoDicarboxylate.

Diurea: This molecule, which is also called biurea, and its derivatives are often used as fertilizers. It is also used to make paints and greases more fluid. Thus, you are covering house with "diurea" if you are painting your house.

Erectone: This isn't a cure for erectile dysfunction, but is actually a compound extracted from Hypericum erectum plant, which is used to treat rheumatism and arthritis in traditional Chinese medicine.

Erotic Acid: This isn't an aphrodisiac. The correct name is orotic acid (another name of vitamin B13), which is often misspelt in chemistry literature that it became known as such.

Fartox: A pale yellow substance with a somewhat musty odor. It is a fungicide (pentachloronitrobenzene) better known by its tradenames that include Quintozene, Earthcide and lastly, but definitely not the least, Fartox.

Gossypol: This gossipy substance derived its name for being a toxin found in Indian cotton plant Gossypum herbaceum. Aside from its being used in China as a male contraceptive, it exhibits properties effective in treating cancer, malaria and some viral/bacterial ailments. Related molecules are named gossypetin and gossypin.

Histrionicotoxin: This melodramatic poison is found in the skin of Dendrobates Histrionicus, a particular South American frog, and is applied by the indigenous Indians on the blowpipe darts.

Jesterone: This misbehaving molecule is found in Pestalotiopsis jesteri fungi that live inside yew trees.

Jawsamycin: A highly toxic synthesized substance that is composed of five carbon triangles, thus, earning its name due to its resemblance to shark's teeth.

Kinoshitalite: This definitely sounds like a laxative brandname. It is actually a green, vitreous mineral, a type of mica found in Sweden and Japan. It name means "under the tree" in Japanese (ki - tree; no - possessive particle; shita - under).

Lagerine: This molecular has absolutely nothing to do with beer. It is a component of the Lagerstroemia indica L. or crape myrtle plant.

Moronic acid: A triterpenoid organic acid extracted from Rhus Javanica and mistletoe plant. It has antiviral properties, making it an effective treatment against herpes simplex virus 1. Not moronic after all.

MEAN: Stands for MonoEthanolAmine Nitrate, this unquestionably mean molecule is an explosive that is sometimes used in mining and quarrying. It is also used in small amounts as fertilizers, a favorite of mean farmers.

Naftazone: "Naff" is English slang for "rubbish or poor quality." But this molecule is not so naff after all, as it is used as a medicine to protect blood vessels. The name is the short form of its proper name (1,2-naphthoquinone-2-semicarbazone).

PORN: I hope this article won't get banned because of the presence of this word. PORN is merely the acronym for Poly-L-ornithine, a molecule used in cell culture tests.

Psicose: This molecule is a rare low-calorie sugar isolated from the antibiotic psicofurania and has absolutely nothing to do with axe murderers. Another name for psicose is ribo-hexulose.

Rednose: This is a sugar derived from the degradation of the antitumor antibiotic compound rudolphomycin (from the character Rudolph of the opera La Boheme, not the rednosed reindeer). Rudolphomycin is derived from bohemic acid (from the opera itself), derivatives of which include mussettamycin and marcellomycin (after Musetta and Marcello character from the same opera).

Rhamnose: A type of naturally occurring sugar in buckthorn (rhamnus), and not a sugar produced when you walk into doors.

Sarcophagene and Sepulchrate: The structure of both of these eerie sounding molecules resembles a casket-like cage encircling metal atoms such as cobalt.

SEX: This is not an ingredient of Viagra but an official abbreviation for Sodium Ethyl Xanthane, used in the mining industry as a flotation agent. It is a highly poisonous substance that comes in both solid (hard) and liquid (wet) forms; and symptoms of exposure include dizziness, tremors, breathing difficulty, blurry vision, headaches, vomiting and death'. Sounds deadly familiar, isn't it?

Sonic Hedgehog: This is name given to the mutated gene that make fruitfly embryos look like hedgehogs, hence the name. Genes of fruitflies as the most studied specie in genetics have been given some rather ridiculous names that include Indian hedgehog, Desert hedgehog, Tiggy-Winkle hedgehog, Sleeping Beauty, Tubby, Lunatic Fringe, Radical Fringe, Cockeye, Clootie Dumpling, Currant Bun, Faint Sausage, Mothers Against Decapentaplegic,Daughters Against Decapentaplegic, Tinman, Snafu, Gleeful, Hamlet, Stuck gene and Pokemon gene.

Thebacon: This molecule has a structure comparable to diamorphine or heroin, which certainly brings home the-bacon, albeit illegally. Thebacon hydrochloride is sometimes used as a cough suppressant.

Traumatic acid: This is a hormone that naturally occurs in plants. It is a potent healing agent that stimulates cell division in injured cells and help repair damaged or traumatized tissues, thus, its name.

Hope you had fun reading this list and not in any way traumatized by it.

Click the following for more unusual stuffs:

• Medical/Psychological Syndromes with Unique/Unusual Names 1
• Medical/Psychological Syndromes with Unique/Unusual Names 2
• Syndromes Named After Literary Characters
• Behavioral Complexes that Make Life Complicated
• Five Unusually Long Place Names

A lady took a tricycle in going home. Nobody really knew that that will be the last time they'll be seeing her. If you can clearly see in the video, there were two tricycles that were destroyed by the helicopter when it crash landed. One of those tricycles contained the lady. She was immediately killed by that accident. Just to be sure, we may not just look at our left and right but also to watch out for the things that may fall down from above us. This may be serious, but I can’t just imagine why of all the things, why should a helicopter cause the death? This can be a proof that life is really full of surprises; that you'll never know what will happen to you next.

Gone With the Winds

There was this man who was watching television when the signal was disrupted. He went to his roof to fix the antenna just to find out that a tornado is coming his way. He tried to rush down from the roof but the tornado's speed was too fast that it was able to catch up on him. He was sucked up by the tornado. What is interesting about this story is that the dead body of the man was found on the roof of his house.

Sucked by a Drainage Pump

Although modern swimming pools already have safety precautionary devices, unfortunately it did not exist until a girl named Abigail Taylor died because of an incident. She was just sitting down at the side of the pool when her organs were sucked out from her body by the drainage system. The missing organs of her body were replaced, but she eventually died nine months after due to complications.

Too Much Pleasure Also Kills

A man together with his wife went to the hospital for his last check-up. They were hoping that no more cancer cells are left inside his body. After various examinations, they learned that he was indeed a cancer survivor. To celebrate the occasion, they decided to have a dinner in a fancy restaurant. After a very tasty meal, they decided to go home to have a private moment. Things went the way they expected. They were having a wild love making when suddenly the man stopped and fell down. The man died of heart attack. I did learn something from this incident; that pleasure can kill as much as pain.

Pencil Eraser Incident

A boy who was playing with his materials put the pencil eraser to his nose. He accidentally inhaled the eraser that caused him to choke. He was rushed to the hospital, but later died but not directly because of the chocking. The ambulance that transporting him was struck by an 8-wheeler truck that led everybody inside the ambulance including the driver to die.

Expect the Unexpected

We all knew who Aeschylus was, he was a Greek playwright. The cause of his death was because of the tortoise that hit his head. He was just walking when an eagle dropped a live tortoise on his head. The eagle mistakenly perceived that the bald head of Aeschylus was a stone. The tortoise survived while Aeschylus died because of the accident.

Laughter Is Not Always the Best Medicine

There was this man who went to a comedy bar to have some fun. When the show started, he also started laughing but the thing was he could not control it anymore. He fell down on the floor still laughing but was already grasping for air. He just stopped and died immediately. He had the same case with Nanda Bayin who laughed to death upon learning that Venice was a free state without a King.

The Opposite of Achilles Heel

Jack Daniel kicked his safe because of anger when he was not able to remember the password combination. The infection spread throughout his body that led to his death. A common joke that is told during the tour of the distillery is that all Jack had to do to cure his infection was to dip his toe in a glass of his own whiskey and it would have cleared up the infection.

Many will read this article and reach different conclusions as to the writing style. When you read words grouped together in this way, it can be difficult to spot anything out of the ordinary. From the beginning of the article all the way to the end, you will find this element exists throughout. Your task is to figure out what it is. When you think you have discovered the element in question, please leave your comment at the end of this article.

Your efforts to figure out what the article contains that makes it unusual could involve reading alone, the spelling of words, counting words or checking grammar. Don't expect any clues from me though as I believe puzzles of any kind should make us think. Some reading this article may find the puzzle extremely easy. Many, I hope, will find it much more challenging.

Just in case you feel you need some help to figure out this puzzle, feel free to pass it on to friends. They might be able to spot something you were unable to see. Show the article to anyone you want, especially if you have been able to work it out for yourself first. Then you can boast about how clever you are! Pour yourself a cup of coffee and mull over it if you have to. Then again, you might solve the puzzle instantly and you can sit with your coffee and feel superior! Good luck!

Don't just leave - have a guess!

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Leach, an English circus performer, was no stranger to danger as he was the second person and the first male ever to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel in 1911. He was able to earn a decent living giving an account of his harrowing experience in vaudeville shows and posing for pictures with his barrel. During a promotional tour in New Zealand in 1926, Leach slipped on an orange peel, severely injuring his leg in the process. The injury became infected and subsequently turned gangrenous, necessitating the amputation of his leg. In spite of the radical procedure, he still died of complications that developed afterwards.

Alexander Bogdanov (1873 - 1928): Death from Obsession for Eternal Youth

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In 1924, Bogdanov, a Russian philosopher, revolutionary, author and physician, started playing with the idea of achieving eternal youth or at least partially reverse the aging process through blood transfusion. After undergoing about a dozen transfusions himself, Bogdanov was pleased to note the positive changes occurring in his body, such as better eyesight, less falling hair and improved skin tone. A friend even commented to his delight that he looked ten years younger after the procedure. He lost his life in 1928 when he was transfused with blood of a student suffering from tuberculosis and malaria.

Henry Winstanley (1644 - 1703): Death from Overconfidence

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Winstanley was an English engineer who built the very first Eddystone lighthouse to help protect sea vessels from the treacherous Eddystone Rocks near Plymouth. So great was his confidence in the soundness of his lighthouse design that he even went to the point of wishing to be inside it during "the greatest storm there ever was." Well, he got what he wanted. Winstanley perished along with five other occupants when the tower completely collapsed on November 27, 1703, during the Great Storm of that year. He was visiting that very night to do some repairs.

Kurt Gödel (1906 - 1978): Death from Paranoia

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Gödel, Austrian-born American mathematician and philosopher, suffered frequent bouts of mental illness and instability in later life. He had an abnormal fear of being poisoned, and would not eat of his food unless his wife Adele first tasted them. So when his wife was hospitalized late in 1977 for six months, he refused to eat in her absence and eventually starved himself to death. He weighed only 65 pounds when he died.

Vic Morrow (1929 - 1982): Death by Helicopter Rotor Blades

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Morrow was an American actor and director best known for his work on the 1960's hit television series "Combat." Morrow died on the set of "Twilight Zone: The Movie" while shooting the scene wherein he and two children were running from the pursuing helicopter. The special firework explosions caused the helicopter to spin out of control and crashed on three of them. Morrow and one of the children were decapitated by the blades while the other child was crushed beneath the helicopter's landing skid.

Ray Chapman (1891 - 1920): Death by Baseball

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Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman was struck dead by a baseball pitch. In those days, baseball pitchers purposely misshaped the ball by dirtying, scratching and cutting it before it was thrown it at the batter to render it difficult to see. On August 6, 1920, Carl Mays of the New York Yankees pitched such as ball so hard smashing it into Chapman's skull, which created a sound so loud that Mays imagined it hit the end of Chapman's bat, so he fielded the ball and tossed it to first base. Chapman died 12 hours later in a hospital.

Horace Wells (1815 - 1848): Death by Anesthesia

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Wells was an American dentist who pioneered the use of anesthesia, particularly nitrous oxide (or laughing gas), in the field of dentistry. Wells became increasingly addicted to chloroform while testing various gases for their anesthetic properties. One day in 1848, he got himself arrested and put in prison for spraying two women with sulfuric acid in his delirium. As the effects of the drug began to subside, he was told of the gruesome act he had committed. In despair, he committed suicide by slashing a major artery in his leg after anesthetizing himself with chloroform to block the pain.

Martha Mansfield (1899 - 1923): Death by Matchstick

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While working as the lead actress on the film "The Warrens of Virginia," the 24-year-old Mansfield suffered serious burns to her body when her Civil War costume of hoopskirts and ruffles was accidentally set on fire by a lit matchstick thrown away by a smoking cast member. Her leading man, Wilfred Lytell, threw his topcoat over her to put out the fire while her chauffeur got his hands badly burned in his attempt to remove her blazing clothing. Despite the efforts to save her, she died less than twenty four hours after being rushed to a hospital.

Jim Fixx (1932 - 1984): Death by Jogging

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Fixx, the author of the 1977 best selling book "The Complete Book of Running," was credited for popularizing the sport of running/jogging. He emphasized the health benefits of regular physical exercise and how it can significantly add to a person's longevity. Even though he lived what he preached, Fixx died at the relatively young age of only 52 from a massively fatal heart attack during one of his daily run. An autopsy revealed that one of his coronary arteries was almost 100% clogged, a second 85% obstructed and a third 70% blocked; and that he had three other attacks in the week prior to his death.

Allan Pinkerton (1819 - 1884): Death from Tongue Bite

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Pinkerton, a Scottish detective, was best known for establishing the very first detective agency in the United States, the Pinkerton Agency, and for introducing innovative investigative techniques still very much in use today, such as "assuming a role" (undercover work) and "shadowing" (suspect surveillance). In June 1884, Pinkerton bit his tongue as he stumbled on a sidewalk in Chicago, but did not immediately sought treatment. His tongue injury developed into an infection that caused his death a week later.

Probably you might want to click on the following links to further satisfy your cravings for the unusual, strange and bizarre.

• 10 Bizarre Deaths in History
• 10 (More) Bizarre Deaths in History
• Intriguing Email Stories Relating to Health and Medicine
• Unusual Wills and Testaments
• Premature Obituaries
• Premature Obituaries 2

Steve Irwin (1962 - 2006): Death by Stingray

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Irwin was an Australian wildlife expert and a well-loved TV personality, who gained worldwide fame from his internationally broadcast wildlife documentary program "The Crocodile Hunter," which he co-hosted with his wife Terri. While filming the documentary "Ocean's Deadliest" at the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Irwin swam too close above one of the stingrays with the cameraman directly right in front of it. Threatened by their presence, the ordinarily harmless stingray instinctively responded by flexing upward its razor-sharp, barbed tail which pierced Irwin's chest and into his heart, an injury that brought about his untimely demise at only 44 years of age.

Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626): Death by Stuffing Chicken

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One of the leading figures of the English Rennaisance, Bacon was a statesman, philosopher, scientist and author, whose celebrated works "Novum Organum" (1620) and "The New Atlantis" (1626) contributed significantly to the European scientific revolution. During a particularly heavy snowstorm in 1626, Bacon suddenly came up with the thought of possibly using snow to preserve meat. Desirous of finding out, he went to nearby marketplace to buy a fowl and had its internal organs removed. Standing outside in the snow, he immediately began stuffing the fowl to freeze it. However, the fowl never froze, but he did. He contracted pneumonia and died a few days after.

Gregori Rasputin (1869 - 1916): Death by Poison, Gunshot, Beating and Drowning

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Rasputin was a Russian mystic and monk who gained considerable influence on Tsar Nicholas II due to his unusual ability to use hypnosis to control the hemophilia suffered by Alexei, the heir to the throne. Rasputin survived being fed cakes laced with potassium cyanide and being shot through the heart. He was shot three more times by his assassins who found him to be alive and struggling to get up as they drew near to his body. He was then beaten with clubs and thrown into the freezing Neva River. When his body was recovered, an autopsy revealed that the cause of death to be hypothermia.

Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632 - 1687): Death by Conductor's Staff

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Lully was an Italian-born French composer who worked most of his life as the appointed musician in the court of Louis XIV of France. While conducting the Te Deum in honor of Louis XIV's recent recovery from sickness, Lully was so deeply engrossed on keeping the tempo by banging his long staff against the floor (as was the custom of the time before the baton came into common usage) that he struck his toe so hard that the would developed into an abscess. He refused to have his toe amputated even if the wound had turned gangrenous and had spread, leading to his death two months after the incident.

Sherwood Anderson (1876 - 1941): Death by Toothpick

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Anderson was an American author best known for his collection of short stories "Winesburg, Ohio" (1919) and the novel "Dark Laughter" (1925). He died in Panama of peritonitis that developed after accidentally swallowing a toothpick embedded in a martini olive at a party held on an ocean liner bound for Brazil.

George Allen (1918 - 1990): Death by Gatorade

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Allen was an American Football coach, who was showered by some of his Long Beach State players with an ice cold bucket of Gatorade in celebration of their season-ending win over the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on November 17, 1990. Afterwards, he even granted media interviews for some time under the cold weather with a piercing wind and boarded the bus back to Long Beach State still in his drenched clothing. Since then, he acknowledged that he had not been feeling completely well. He finally succumbed to pneumonia on December 31, 1990.

Alexander Litvinenko (1962 - 2006): Death by Radiation Poisoning

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Litvinenko was a former officer of the Russian State Security Services, who fled his country to the United Kingdom where he was granted political asylum in 2000. Litvinenko was hospitalized on November 1, 2001 when his health unexpectedly deteriorated. It was later discovered that he had been poisoned with significant amounts of the rare and extremely toxic radioactive element polonium-210. He died three weeks later, thus becoming the first known casualty of deliberate radiation poisoning. His murder marked the start of a new era of nuclear terrorism.

Jack Daniel (1850 - 1911): Death from Stubbed Toe

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In 1905, Jack Daniel, founder of Tennessee whiskey distillery, had trouble opening his safe early one day at work as he always had difficulty remembering the right combination. He kicked the safe in frustration resulting in a toe injury that later became infected; and eventually died (six years later) from blood poisoning attributable to the mishap. He could have just dipped his toe in his famous whiskey to ward off infection.

Isadora Duncan (1877 - 1927): Death by a Scarf

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Duncan was an American dancer, considered by many to be the mother of modern dance. Her extreme fondness for long flowing scarves was the cause of her death in a freak automobile accident in France at the age of 50. Duncan was strangled by her own scarf when it got caught in the rear wheel of a moving car.

Claude François (1939 - 1978): Death by a Light Bulb

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François was a French pop singer, best known for writing "Comme d'habitude," which was adapted for the English public by Paul Anka into the celebrated hit "My Way" famously sung by Frank Sinatra. François noticed a broken light bulb while standing in a bathtub filled with water in his Paris apartment. But being a stickler for orderliness and cleanliness, he cannot help but try to change the bulb, resulting in his death by electrocution.

For more articles on the unusual, the strange and the bizarre, click on the following links:

• 10 Bizarre Deaths in History
• 10 (Ultimate) Bizarre Deaths in History
• Intriguing Email Stories Relating to Health and Medicine
• Unusual Wills and Testaments
• Premature Obituaries
• Premature Obituaries 2

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Williams was a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning American playwright known for psychological dramas such as "The Glass Menagerie" (1945), "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1948), and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955). Williams died in his room at the Hotel Elysee in New York after accidentally choking on a bottle cap. He would customarily open the eyedrop bottle with his mouth, and then lean backwards to place eyedrops in each eye. According to the police report, his lack of gag response was largely the result of drugs and alcohol abuse.

Thomas Midgley, Jr. (1889 - 1944): Death by Strings and Pulleys

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Midgley was an American mechanical engineer turned chemist best known for his controversial discoveries of tetra-ethyl lead (TEL), a gasoline additive dubbed as ethyl by General Motors to avoid any mention of the highly toxic substance lead that prevents internal combustion engine from knocking; and Freon, a chlorinated fluorocarbon (CFC) used as a non-toxic refrigerant in household appliances. In 1941, Midgley contracted polio that left him severely handicapped, so he devised an intricate network of strings and pulleys to assist others lift him from bed. This system became the ultimate cause of his death when he got himself entangled and died of strangulation in 1944, some three decades prior to the discovery of the destructive effects of CFC on the ozone layer.

Attila the Hun (c.405 - 453): Death from Nosebleed

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Attila, the leader of the Huns, earned the nickname the "Scourge of God" for his brutality and rapacity. Under his leadership, his army conquered large areas of central and eastern Europe and ravaged Italy in the declining years of the Roman Empire. In spite of his fearsome reputation, Attila was well-known for being a light eater during large banquets. However, on his very own latest wedding feast, he let himself loose, stuffing himself heavily with food and drink. He suffered a severe nosebleed sometime during the night and drowned in his own blood in a stupor.

Tycho Brahe (1546 - 1601): Death from Failure to Heed Nature's Call

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Brahe was a Danish nobleman credited for the most accurate astronomical and planetary observations of his time, a remarkable achievement in the days before telescopes. Brahe, known for his immoderate drinking habits, already had bladder problems but was not able to relieve himself before the banquet started. However, he made his condition worse by drinking excessively during dinner that he had to hold his pee for the entire duration of the unusually long banquet for it was taken as an extreme insult to the host to leave an unfinished meal. His actions resulted in an infection caused by a severely strained bladder, ultimately leading to his painful death 11 days later.

Li Bai (701 - 762 AD): Death by Embracing the Moon's Reflection

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Li, considered as one of the greatest poets in the history of China, was well known for his love for alcoholic beverages and often created in his best poetries while intoxicated. One evening, Li Bai drowned in the Yangtze River, having fallen off his boat in his drunken attempt to embrace the moon's reflection in the water.

Adolf Frederick (1710 - 1771): Death by Favorite Dessert

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Adolf Frederick was the King of Sweden from 1751 until his death due to indigestion, after having overindulged himself with more than a dozen servings of his favorite dessert, semla served in a bowl of hot milk, on top of a meal comprising of lobster, sauerkraut, caviar, smoked herring and champagne. Accordingly, he is most remembered as "the king who ate himself to death" by Swedish schoolchildren.

Clement Vallandigham (1820 - 1871): Death by Court Demonstration

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Vallandigham was a controversial Ohio politician who resumed his successful law practice after the American Civil War. He was one of the defense attorneys representing the murder suspect Thomas McGehan in a case for killing a certain Tom Myers during a barroom scuffle. He sought to demonstrate to the jury of the possibility that Myers accidentally killed himself while attempting to draw his pistol from a kneeling position. He reenacted the scene grabbing a gun he thought to be unloaded and ended up shooting himself. Though he died from his wound, he succeeded in convincing the jury and got his client acquitted.

Franz Reichelt (18?? - 1912): Death by Parachute-Overcoat Failure

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Reichelt was an Austrian tailor who attempted to combine his interest in tailoring and aviation by creating a garment that would serve both as an overcoat and a parachute. He desired to demonstrate his invention by jumping off the Eiffel Tower, which was the tallest man-made structure in the world at the time. He had informed the authorities that a dummy would first be used, but decided at the last minute to do it himself. On February 4, 1912, he stepped from a platform of the Eiffel Tower with unfounded confidence and fell to his death, all of which were recorded by the press cameras.

François Vatel (1631 - 1671): Death by Delayed Delivery

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Vatel, chef to Louis XIV of France, was famous for creating the sweet vanilla-flavored whipped cream known as the Chantilly cream, which was served at the banquet given by Louis II de Bourbon in honor of the king. At the very same banquet, Vatel was overly distressed over the tardiness of his seafood order that he ran himself through a sword as he could not bear the disgrace of a delayed meal. His body was discovered by his assistant, who was sent to inform him that his order had arrived.

James Creighton, Jr. (1841 - 1862): Death by Baseball Bat Swing

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Creighton, a baseball player regarded by sports historians to be the game's first superstar, was credited for throwing the first fastball and accomplishing the first recorded triple play. In 1862, the 21-year-old Creighton suddenly died in the middle of his greatest season yet. At the time, players swung huge bats almost completely with their upper body; and it was alleged that Creighton swung the bat too forcefully causing an internal injury, probably a ruptured bladder or inguinal hernia. He managed to continue playing despite the excruciating pain; and died a few days later at his parent's place.

Click on the following links for some more articles on the unusual, the strange and the bizarre:

• 10 (More) Bizarre Deaths in History
• 10 (Ultimate) Bizarre Deaths in History
• Intriguing Email Stories Relating to Health and Medicine
• Unusual Wills and Testaments
• Premature Obituaries
• Premature Obituaries 2

In mythological terms, the bee is said to bridge the natural world from the underworld, a carrier of souls - just as the bee returns to the hive, honest souls return to heaven, and the good and pure bees transport new souls to be re-born into the world.

The extent of the mysterious disappearance of our bees is difficult to ascertain as media, beekeepers associations and Government figures per country seem to issue contradictory figures, however, reports indicate that up to between 25 and 45% of the global population are gone!

The term Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD) was coined in 2006 in the USA, it refers to the disappearance of worker bees from honey bee colonies before the brood has reached adulthood.

However, the disappearance is not limited to hives, as reports indicate that solitary bees are disappearing in the same numbers due to cause/s unknown.

The fact that bees do not die in the hive, makes it extremely difficult for investigators to determine causes.

It is known that honey bees forage at distances between 2 - 5 km from the hive, however, considering the numbers of missing bees, investigators cannot find anywhere near a corresponding number of bee corpses - the plot thickens!

A number of universities and government agencies have formed a “CCD working group” to search for potential causes of the bee disappearance and then to formulate a working plan to mitigate CCD.

Consequences of Bee Decline

It has been estimated that the value of bees to the word economy is $ 180 billion!

The bee is responsible for one out of three mouthfuls of food we eat.

Decline will therefore significantly decrease food availability, driving food prices up.

This is a huge problem - that will affect us all.

The impact upon our already tenuous global economy cannot be underestimated.

Funding has been granted for a film to be made to explore why bees matter so much and to attempt to answer the question of why they are dying off. For more about the film, visit www.vanishingbees.com

In many hives, where the majority of bees have disappeared, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in each of the few remaining bees. Some bees have five or six infections at once, as well as being affected by fungi, an indication, experts say, that the bee's immune system may have collapsed.

Another mystery is that other insects and non resident bees do not go near hives once they have suffered CCD, unaffected deserted hives would usually be raided for honey and pollen stores.

Theories Regarding The Cause of Decline in the Global Bee Population

There are many theories regarding CCD, a few of these are listed below:-

Virus, Disease, Parasites

The bee has many natural parasites / disease and viruses, I have listed a few of the most common, this list however is not definitive

Varroosis is caused by an Asian parasitic mite which spread to Europe in the 1990's.

The mites feed on both adult bees and the brood.

The bee is weakened by the mite which also hosts other diseases which are then spread from bee to bee.

Nosema ceranae is a microsporidian fungus, which in extreme cases can wipe out a hive within eight days. However, there has been no direct link established with this infection and CCD and the fungus has been identified within healthy hives.

Chronic bee paralysis virus

Most viral diseases of bees are associated with stress. This may take the form of climatic pressures but is more often associated with other diseases or parasites.

Affected bees, tremble, bloat and lose hair from their bodies and eventually lose the power of flight, leading to death.

It must be noted however that not all hives with CCD contained evidence of any one type of mite, disease or virus infestation which could be classified as a clear cause.

Genetically Modified Crops

A farming industry organisation entitled “The Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops” (SCIMAC) has developed guidelines for farmers growing GM crops. But there are no provisions within these for protecting beehives from contamination with GM pollen, or even to inform beekeepers if GM crops are to be grown in their area.

A small study, conducted at the University of Jena, between 2001 and 2004 examined the effects of pollen from a genetically modified maize variant called “Bt corn” on bees.

A gene from a soil bacterium had been inserted into the corn which enabled the plant to produce an agent, toxic to insect pests.

The study concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that the “Bt corn” had any adverse effects upon bees.

However, at the end of the study, the bees became infested with a natural parasite which resulted in “a significantly stronger decline in the number of bees” than would have been normally been expected - suggesting the “Bt corn” had somehow weakened the bees natural ability to fight infection.

Unfortunately further investigation into this matter was halted due to lack of funding.

Electromagnetic Disruption

Bees carry an electromagnetic charge which aids in the adherence of pollen.

It is notable that the earths natural magnetic field, which has been charted for the past 150 years has decayed by 5% in that time.

The possibility that natural decline in the earths magnetic field and/or un-natural human electrical activity / disruption has disrupted the bees natural electo-biological balance should also an avenue for investigation.

Torsion Field Disruption

Torsion fields are hypothesised to be the forces (spinning electro-magnetic waves) which hold matter in a particular form or shape.

It is interesting to note that natural bee nests with chamber cells are natural torsion generators.

Russian naturalist and entomologist Viktor Stepanovich Grebennikov came across a “bee city” in the steppes of the Kamyshlovo valley.

He became engrossed with studying the bees and decided to spend the night there - out in the open.

When he tried to fall to sleep, he had terrible and strange experiences: sensations of expansion and contracting, falling, flashes in front of his eyes, a metallic taste in the mouth, ears ringing, head spinning, feeling light and then heavy nausea - which he attributed to an effect of strong electro-magnetic torsion fields produced by the bees.

Upon return to the “bee city” a few years later he noted that the bees had died, he picked up a handful of old clay lumps with multiple chamber cells, he again experienced the odd feelings he had when he spent the night there.

Grebennikov theorised that the hollow chambers held a strong natural torsion field that appeared to affect all matter around it.

Grebennikov studied the “Cavernous Structures Effect” and found that clocks, both mechanical and digital, when placed in a strong CSE field started to run inaccurately.

Another finding of the CSE effect was that trays of dry honeycombs, positioned above the head apparently cured headaches.

Climatic Chaos

Our planet is in a period of climatic chaos - often (inaccurately) referred to as global warming, the causes of which are yet to be identified and agreed upon.

Periods of prolonged wet weather during summer months confines bees to the hive, leaving them less time to forage for enough nectar to see them through the winter.

This disruption could also be the cause of stress to the bee, leading to a weaker immune system, thus leaving the bee vulnerable to disease / illness.

Herbicides / Pesticides

There is a widespread practice in agriculture of spraying wildflowers / crops with herbicides / pesticides.

One prolific pesticide used in many countries is known as “Neo-nicotine” (marketed in many brand names) - the chemical disorientates “pest insects”, resulting in memory loss, rotting of their digestive system and weakening of the immune system - Very similar to the observed symptoms of CCD.

It is also important to note that these pesticides are often within the seed and root of a crop - therefore, impossible to wash off by the human consumer.

A strong case for further independent scientific study has to be made in the case of pesticides.

Poor Husbandry

Inaccurate diagnosis of bee illness within a kept hive can lead to ineffectual and often harmful compounds being administered, often in the wrong dosage.

There is also evidence of stress within the particular, which is exacerbated by dwindling numbers.

Keepers often have to transport hives across country, hundreds of miles, to ensure pollination of specific crops.

Agricultural Monocultures

Selection of specialised profitable crops by farmers leads to a lack of natural choice for bees when foraging for pollen. Limited dietary factors may contribute to the CCD phenomenon,

Conclusion

CCD could be caused by any one of a number of factors, or it may be a culmination of many factors, however, with no known cause there can be no effective treatment.

Natural bee decline has been noted in previous years, but not to the extent that we are seeing it today, and with the world population at an all time high, the ramifications upon food production are critical.

It is our fundamental responsibility to determine if the cause of death for billions of bees is a consequence of human activity, as has been the case for many other species, because in this case, indifference to their plight may significantly impact upon our own.

In the meantime, we can all do our little bit to help, by planting a few wild flowers in a garden or window-box in the spring.

Now that the boring introduction's out of the way, on to the fun part:

The Cursed Car

   In September 1955, a man named James Dean was killed by a car accident while he was driving his Porsche. Afterward, the car had some very unlucky occurrences surrounding it.

First, when the car was towed away from the accident, the engine slipped out and fell on one of the mechanics, which unfortunately shattered both of his legs.

If that wasn't bad enough, the engine was bought by a doctor, who decided to put it into a racing car that he owned. He was later killed in a race in which he had been using the car with the cursed engine.

Then, when the Porsche was repaired, the garage that it was repaired in was burned down in a fire.
The car was later put on display in Sacramento, California, but it fell off of it's mount and ended up breaking a teenager's hip.

Later, in Oregon, the trailer that the car was mounted on slipped from it's towbar and smashed right through the front of a shop.

4 years later, in 1959, the car somehow broke into 11 pieces. (and while it was on steel supports!)

The Legend of King Umberto

   Monza, Italy.

One day, King Umberto I went to dinner at a small restaurant. When the owner took his order, he noticed that the two of them looked identical. They talked to each other and found even more similarities.

• Both were born on the same day, in the same year. (March 14th, 1844)
• Both had been born in the same town.
• Both married a woman named Margherita.
• The owner of the restaurant started business on the same day that Umberto was crowned King of Italy.

On July 29th, 1900, King Umberto was told that the restaurant owner had died that day in a mysterious shooting accident. As Umberto was feeling regretful for him, a wild-looking man suddenly pushed through a crowd and assassinated Umberto.

A Friendly Game of Poker

   In 1858, Robert Fallon was shot and died while playing poker. He had apparently been killed as an act of revenge by the people playing with him. They claimed he had won the $600 (worth a lot back then) pot through cheating. With his seat now empty and none of the other players wanting to take the now unlucky $600, they found someone new to take his place, and staked him with the $600.

Later, when police arrived to investigate the killing, the new player had already turned the $600 into $2200 in winnings. The police demanded that he give the original $600 to Fallon's next of kin - and discovered that the new player was Fallon's son, who hadn't seen his father for seven years!

The Mystery Monk

   In Austria during the 19th century, a near-famous painter named Joseph Aigner attempted to commit suicide several times.

1. First attempt - Aigner tried to hang himself at the age of 18, but was interrupted by a mysterious monk.
2. Second attempt - At age 22, he tried again to hang himself, but was interrupted by the same monk.
3. Eight years later, he was sentenced to death, but was saved by yet again the same monk.

 At age 68, he was finally successful in committing suicide. His funeral ceremony was conducted by, amazingly, the same monk.

The Occurrence of Greenberry Hill

   November 26, 1911:

   Three men were hanged at Greenberry Hill in London after being convicted of murdering Sir Edmund Berry   Godfrey. The names of the killers were Robert GREEN, Henry BERRY, and Lawrence HILL.

You know that third brake light that sits in the middle of your car’s rear window? It’s called a Chimsil.

Kimble

When you buy a piece of clothing, very often the store’s labels are connected by a thin piece of nylon thread. This is a Kimble. It’s attached by (a bit disappointing this one) a Kimble Gun.

Tittle

Ever wondered what the dot at the top of the letter ‘i’ is called? Well now you know. It’s a Tittle.

Aglets

Those little bits of plastic that stop the ends of your shoelaces fraying? They’re Aglets.

Contrail

When a plane is high up in a clear blue sky and leaves a thin white trail behind it, the proper name for it isn’t a vapour trail, it’s a Contrail.

Spoffle

You know the soft, spongy cover that goes over a microphone? Its job is to soften the ‘impact’ of hard consonants and improve listening pleasure. It’s also called a Spoffle.

Demitasse

Ever wondered if the little cup that your espresso arrives in has a special name? It does. It’s called a Demitasse.