“Extreme ironing was born in the UK, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that one opportunistic enthusiast used the closure of the M1 motorway to indulge his passion for the sport. Described as “the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt”, extreme ironing fittingly has its roots in Leicester, served by the M1. Phil Shaw, who has written the definitive book on the sport, is oft credited with inventing it in 1997, and since then instances have sprung up across the globe… The dressing gown-clad individual who jogged onto the M1 to iron what appeared to be a single white shirt in reality had enough time to rattle through the rest of his wardrobe, with all southbound lanes between junctions one and four remaining closed until further notice because of fire damage.” w/ photos

“These incredible pictures show tiny insects that were preserved in precious amber stones – 20 million years ago. The tiny creatures are believed to have roamed the earth alongside dinosaurs and before the ice age three million years ago. According to the Daily Mail, specimens from the period are rare but they were amazed when they unearthed the almost perfectly preserved creepy-crawlies in northern Peru. They were found inside small chunks or precious amber rock in a 20 million year old reservoir in Chiclayo, northern. Honningen Klaus, who led the research team, said: ‘The pieces of amber contains insects Psocoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and spiders, as well as spores and pollen fossils, and even a drop of blood and remains of hair from a mammal rodent.” w/ photos

“It’s a story about music that doesn’t involve a note, but the young people involved just want to play. For the past eight years, Summerhays Music Center in Salt Lake has held a contest where the winners get a brand new professional instrument worth $4,000 — for free. But, they really have to work for it. It’s called the “Hands On” contest for a very specific reason. “It’s really weird. Your fingers get all swollen and painful,” said participant Kevin Buckner. Beginning last Friday at 6 p.m., 111 contestants placed both hands on an instrument case, plopped down on the floor and made themselves as comfortable as they could for the long haul. “It’s hard and it’s hilarious,” said Summerhays marketing manager Jenny Bauman. But it’s the end result that drove these contestants — they were in it to win a new professional-quality musical instrument worth several thousand dollars. “You get to win either a clarinet, flute, saxophone, trombone or trumpet,” said contestant Alexia Goodman. The contestants got a 10-minute break every six hours. They could drink or eat snacks at any time, just as long as their hands and fingers stayed on their instrument case. Though there wasn’t a lot of action in this competition, strategy was everything.” w/ photo + video

“Famous for their kangaroo and beef steaks, Australians could soon be exporting anther dish – camel meat – if businessman Magdy El Ashram gets his way. The Egyptian is hoping to open a slaughterhouse and processing plant in Port Pirie in South Australia with the anticipation of exporting meat as early as next year. His ambitions would bring camel meat to the dinner table and he says it’s healthier than beef and less fatty. Camel meat is popular in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, he said. Mr El Ashram has applied for a licence and describes the meat as similar to beef but ‘a bit chewy’ if it is aged. If successful, the venture could create 300 new jobs. The camel meat processing plant would help to reduce a wild camel population of a million in the outback.” w/ photos

“A man without arms has become the vice curator of an art museum in China. Huang Guofu (41) is the vice curator of Chongqing Talents Museum, and is planning to paint a long scroll of the scenes of old Chongqing. By biting a chopstick in his mouth and using his right foot to clamp a pen to touch the keyboard, Huang can use the computer agilely. “I am searching materials and pictures of old Chongqing, and preparing the materials for my upcoming creations,” said Huang. Last year Huang was appointed the vice-curator of the newly established museum for his never-give-up spirit and his artistic achievements. Huang was born in Tongnan, Chongqing. When he was four, he lost both his arms after suffering electric shocks. He started to have a strong interest in painting when he was 12. Each day after school, Huang would paint works with his feet of the pictures in his textbook. His works were recommended for an exhibition in the local culture center, and won great success… After hearing many comments that it’s not elegant to do paintings with one’s feet, Huang tried to paint by biting the brush in his mouth.” w/ photos

“Arizona doctors are going to have to cut a boy open to get a leaking battery out of his stomach. He swallowed the small lithium battery from a DVD remote. It happened a few months ago, but Friday, surgeons prepared for the operation at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Doctors say it’s especially dangerous because the battery leaked inside the boy, burning his esophagus. “When we found out that the battery was lodged in his esophagus, we were devastated, sickened, shocked,” said the boy’s mother, Karla Ranch. “We couldn’t believe that this could have happened.” Experts say you can find these tiny batteries in other household items like bathroom scales, hearing aids, and singing greeting cards.” w/ photos

“A romantic Chinese man took a year to make his bride a dazzling wedding gown which was decorated with 99,999 pearls. As the number nine has the same pronunciation as “long-term or forever”, this wedding gown Peng Yu made contains the meaning of loving his bride forever. Peng Yu (58) had the wedding this April, after his first wife died years ago. And the bride, Yang Pingzhi was quite touched in wearing this wedding gown made with 99,999 pearls. Peng runs a pearl company in Beihai, southern China’s Guangxi Province. Peng explained: “Two years ago, when Yang agreed to marry me, I started to think what surprise I should give her?” Peng finally decided to make a very special wedding gown. Peng invited a Hong Kong designer to make the gown, and bought 99,999 light water pearls to make this gown. The pearls were sewn onto the gown with the help of seven friends of the bride, and just the pearl sewing part took the seven sisters a year to finish.” w/ photo

“This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen, ever heard and witnessed on my camera system,” says Sanjay Sharma, owner of the Chevron station on 5th and H in Modesto. At first glance, the surveillance video looks like your run of the mill hold up – a guy with a beanie pulled low, across the counter from a clerk and a cash register. But, under the baggy clotes and painted-on beard – is a woman. The robbery happened around 9:30 Wednesday night. The suspect tried everything she could to disguise herself. “She tried to lower her voice and sound a like a male and she used some kind of ink or shoe polish to draw a beard on herself,” says Sgt. Rick Applegate of the Modesto Police Department. When you look at the tiny, feminine hands poking outside the clothing, there’s no denying it’s a lady behind this holdup. The suspect, standing all of 5’5″ still managed to intimidate the clerk with a gun tucked into the waistband of her pants. “I’ve never seen such a crazy thing, you know somebody drawing on a beard,” says owner Radha Sharma. Because the clerk at this store doesn’t have access to the safe, our armed robber only made off with about 30 dollars. Surveillance video shows her fleeing on a bicycle.” w/ photo + video

“Just in time for Easter, a Yucca Valley, California woman says she’s captured the image of Jesus in one of her photographs. Liz Bullock says she was out taking pictures of the terrain of the high desert in California. She snapped some shots of a two-toned poppy. When she got home and downloaded her shots, she noticed a dark spot nestled in the petals. On closer examination, she noticed that the spot looked to her like an image of Jesus. This has happened to Bullock before. Three years ago, she was trying to capture a sunrise in the high desert, and she heard a noise behind her. She turned around and saw a cholla cactus in the shape of a cross with a crescent moon hanging from one of its branches.” w/ photos

“Officer Liu Yulin was watching CCTV footage of a road in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province when the bumper cars came into view. He said: ‘I saw on the screen that a man was driving two bumper cars. He sat in between the cars, and each foot stepped onto one gas pedal. I immediately radioed the officer at that road section to go and check.’ Officer Xiao Hu then stopped the yellow cars and their owner, a Mr Zhang, who said he was moving them to a local park. He claimed he was driving them there because it was the most economic way of transporting them. According to Mr Zhang it was the first time he had driven the bumper cars on the street, and he hadn’t realised it was illegal.” w/ photo