Storm Sandy: A tour of destruction, three months on

Three months ago, Storm Sandy swept through the Caribbean and up the east coast of the USA, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

It is believed that over 100 people were killed in the US alone, as buildings were reduced to rubble leaving thousands of people without a home.

Jon Sopel reports from Ortley Beach, New Jersey, and takes a tour of the devastation left behind.

Two months ago the BBC visited Ortley Beach as the resort began the long road to recovery. You can explore the town in our special interactive feature.

Wach wideo: 

VIDEO: Police warned over sledging on riot shields

Cops have been warned to be on their best behaviour -- after they were filmed using riot shields to sledge down a snowy hill while on duty.
The group from Thames Valley Police had been on on Boars Hill, Oxford, earlier this week when they decided to have a bit of fun.

Much to the shock of other people who were playing in the snow, the officers arrived at the top of the hill carrying riot shields.

They then proceeded to put them on the floor and push each other down the hill - all the time in full uniform and high-vis jackets.

But after complaints bosses have told them their actions were "a bad ides" -- we agree, there weren't enough shields to go round.

Supt Andrew Murray said: "I have spoken to the officers concerned and reminded them in no uncertain terms that tobogganing on duty, on police equipment and at taxpayers' expense is a very bad idea."

(newslite.tv)

Video: World Record Fireworks Rockets Launch!

The “Roar on the Shore” World record breaking rocket launch at Bournemouth. More rockets than you can shake a stick at!
The world record for the most firework rockets set off at once will be broken this August 20th at the Bournemouth Air Festival.

110,000 rockets, thats one hundred and ten thousand rockets! Will be loosed in under 60 seconds!

The “Roar on the Shore” event will see almost double the amount of rockets set off in 2006. When Fantastic Fireworks set the world record in Plymouth, England. The red white and blue rockets will get to a height of about 40 feet before erupting above the anticipated crowd of 50,000 spectators. Spectators are being asked to sponsor a rocket to help raise money for the charity for injured service men and women, Help for Heroes.

This should be a fantastic and patriotic, if very short, fireworks display. The rockets will be launched from a a 100ft long barge moored half a mile out to sea between Bournemouth and Boscombe piers. The noise level out at sea will be about 100 decibels.

“The Roar on the Shore will be a total conflagration. It’s pushing the limits of what we can do.
We couldn’t do it on dry land easily because of health and safety.” – John Culverhouse, MD of Fantastic Fireworks

The council has already underwritten the expected £15,000 price tag on the rocket display but is confident donations will easily exceed that sum.

This will be one of the biggest and certainly the most impressive events in this years Help for Heroes calendar. Mark Elliott, The charity’s head of operations, said they were delighted to be involved and he will be inviting injured servicemen to watch the event. He added: “It really is about every small donation. Every penny goes to help some remarkable individuals.” If you sponsor a rocket your name will appear on the event website, roar-on-the-shore.co.uk.

To sponsor a rocket, visit roar-on-the-shore.co.uk, text ‘firework’ followed by a space then your name to 82010 at a cost of £1.50.

Video: Five UFO over Britain???

LONDON - A stargazer has filmed and posted on YouTube the video of what he claims to be a cluster of “UFOs” flying in formation “higher than a plane”.

Jason Goldthorpe, 37, of St Helens, Lancs, says that he could not believe his eyes when he saw the cluster.

The delivery driver said that he caught the phenomenon on camera above his house.

“The objects were shining gold in the sky, too high to be balloons, and looking just like I would imagine UFOs to look,” the Sun quoted him as saying.

“It was around teatime, the sky was clear, and they lingered in the sky for an hour or so, like they were watching us,” he added.

Jason further said that though he had spotted the strange objects many times before, it was only when he saw them lately that he decided to film them.

“I’ve seen these objects in the sky for the past four years,” said the father-of-two.

“They always appear at teatime and just on one day, either at the beginning or end of the month.

“Friends have also seen them and I thought it was time the world knew that something is out there.

“It’s as though these objects are watching and studying us. It’s all quite eerie really,” he added. (ANI)

Video: American keeps hot dog-eating crown in overtime

NEW YORK (CNN) -- World-record holder and defending champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut held on to his hot dog-eating title Friday in an unprecedented tie-breaker at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July contest.

Chestnut, of San Jose, California, beat rival Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi, of Japan, in a "dog off" in Coney Island where the two contestants battled to see who could finish five hot dogs first.

Chestnut and Kobayashi tied in the regulation competition, both eating 59 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, a record for a 10-minute competition.

"It was a little messier than I wanted it to be, but I got them in me and I got them down," Chestnut said after the competition.

Organizers decided this year to change the contest from 12 minutes to 10 minutes after "a piece of old Brooklyn historical ephemera was found that stated that the first contest, held on July 4th, 1916, was a 10-minute contest," Major League Eating spokesman Ryan Nerz said.

The previous record for a 10-minute contest was 42 hot dogs, held by Tim "Eater X" Janus, Nerz said.

Neither Chestnut nor Kobayashi had previously competed in a 10-minute format.

In last year's competition, Chestnut set a record by eating 66 franks in 12 minutes, ending Kobayshi's six-year reign as winner of the competition. iReport.com: Ever eaten a hot dog at Nathan's?

Chestnut retains the "Coveted Mustard Yellow International Belt" and wins a one-year supply of hot dogs from Nathan's, the sponsor of the annual event, which is held corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn.

Video: British man Ben Southall starts work on best job in the world

British man Ben Southall has started work on "the best job in the world" – a six-month contract as caretaker of the islands on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The former charity fund-raiser beat more than 35,000 applicants from around the world to the post, which involves exploring hundreds of tropical islands off the coast of Queensland while writing a blog with photos and video updates to attract visitors to the area.

The 34-year-old, from Petersfield in Hampshire, fought off competition from 15 other finalists to win the 150,000 Australian dollar (£70,000) role.

He was chosen by officials from Tourism Queensland on May 6 after a four-day selection process on Hamilton, Daydream and Hayman Islands.

Mr Southall, whose new home is a rent-free three-bedroom ocean-front villa on Hamilton Island, said "excited" could not begin to describe how he felt about starting his new job.

"It seems a lifetime ago when I sat down in January to plan and film my 60 second video application for the 'best job in the world'," he said.

"At times I still can't believe I was successful in being offered what has to be the most sought-after job in the world – the chance to spend six months exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef – one of the world's most amazing destinations.

"During the selection process in May I was lucky enough to visit a small part of the destination so I can't wait to get out there, start exploring as many of the islands that I can, and start telling the world about my experiences."

The job is part of a campaign to attract visitors to the Great Barrier Reef, and tourism chiefs claim it already has generated 200 million Australian dollars (£98 million) in publicity.

It became an internet hit, spreading across the world via YouTube and social networking sites such as Facebook.

Below the water, the Great Barrier Reef stretches for 1,600 miles across 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands and is the world's largest coral reef system with "an abundance of wildlife", according to Tourism Queensland.

Hamilton Island, where the temperature is warm all year round, is the largest inhabited island in the region and is located just off the coast of Queensland with blue skies, crystal water and pure sands forming "the backdrop to an ideal island life".

About two million tourists visit the islands each year, but most stay on the mainland and visit only on day trips.

Video: Sears Tower unveils 103rd floor glass balconies

CHICAGO – Visitors to the Sears Tower's new glass balconies all seem to agree: The first step is the hardest.

The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building's 103rd floor Skydeck. Their transparent walls, floor and ceiling leave visitors with the impression they're floating over the city.

"It's like walking on ice," said Margaret Kemp, of Bishop, Calif., who said her heart was still pounding even after stepping away from the balcony. "That first step you take — 'am I going down?'"

Kemp was among the visitors who got a sneak preview of the balconies Wednesday. "The Ledge," as the balconies have been nicknamed, open to the public Thursday. Visitors are treated to unobstructed views of Chicago from the building's west side and a heart-stopping vista of the street and Chicago River below — for those brave enough to look straight down.

John Huston, one of the property owners of the Sears Tower, even admitted to getting "a little queasy" the first time he ventured out. But 30 or 40 trips later, he's got the hang of it.

"The Sears Tower has always been about superlatives — tallest, largest, most iconic," he said. "Today is also about superlatives. Today, we present you with 'the Ledge,' the world's most awesome view, the world's most precipitous view, the view with the most wow in the world."

The balconies can hold five tons, and the glass is an inch-and-a-half thick, officials said. Sears Tower officials have said the inspiration for the balconies came from the hundreds of forehead prints visitors left behind on Skydeck windows every week. Now, staff will have a new glass surface to clean: floors.

"It's very scary, but at the same time it's very cool," said Chanti Lawrence of Atlanta, adding that she's made her first step toward overcoming her fear of heights.

Adam Kane, 10, of Alton, Ill., rushed to the ledge with his friends and siblings, and they each eagerly pressed their faces to the glass bottom.

"Look at all those tiny things that are usually huge," Adam said.

The balconies are just one of the big changes coming to the Sears Tower. The building's name will change to Willis Tower later this summer. Last week, officials announced a 5-year, $350 million green renovation complete with wind turbines, roof gardens and solar panels.

With the ledge, visitors like Kemp said the nation's tallest building has succeeded in creating something they've never seen before.

"I had to live 70 years for a thrill like this," she said.

Video: UFO sighting in the sky over a Virginia theme park ???

Denna Smith and her family video taped what they believe was a UFO, ‘unexplained moving object’ in the sky over at Virginia theme park.

VIDEO: Panda see the show was early in the Incubator

Thousands of visitors show was early in the zoo in northern Thailand to see first Panda born before six weeks. They showed great interest in the Panda from the sudden birth of zoological garden in Chiang Mai at the end of May.

VIDEO: The stormy weather in Italy killed four people

The weather with severe storm and strong rain showers, which happened in Italy, four persons were killed and two were reported missing, reported the agency Ansa.

Video: Traffic Chaos in Brussels as Tractors Block Streets

Around one hundred tractors blocked the streets of Brussels summit in wake of EU Council to attention problems that could cause new planned quotas for milk in 2015. year.

Video: Human Tetris With Bikini Chicks

But is glorified 25th years of Tetris, but this game is still popular globally. In the video below you can see how it looks Tetris with human figures, even when it adds to the game of women participate in bikis, then this is worth a look...

VIDEO: Girl has 56 stars tattooed on face after 'falling asleep'

A furious Belgian father has gone to the police after his teenage daughter ended up with 56 stars tattooed on her face after allegedly asking the tattooist for "some points of colour".

Kimberley Vlaminck, 18, claimed that she asked for only three stars to be tattooed near her left eye as a present from her father, Diego, who was upholding a family tradition of tattoos.

"My father wanted to pay because in our family everyone has a tattoo," she said.

As her father ate an ice cream outside, Miss Vlaeminck claims she fell asleep before waking up to find her face covered in the "nightmare" tattoos.

"When he started to tattoo me, I did not feel pain and I fell asleep. I awoke as he tattooed me on the nose and I saw what he had done. I counted 56 stars," she said.

"I cannot go out on to the street, I am so embarrassed. I just look ugly, a freak, mutilated."

Miss Vlaeminck and her family are seeking damages worth £9,000 to pay for laser surgery to remove the tattoos.

But Rouslan Toumaniantz, who runs the Courtrai tattoo parlour called The Tattoo Box, has denied the allegations and demanded payment of 50 euros for the stars.

"She was awake all the time. I did not hypnotise or dope her, as they say, it was with agreement. No way could I have tattooed so many stars on her face against her will," he said.

Mr Toumaniantz has counterclaimed that the problems only began when the father saw his teenage daughter's tattoos.

José Tomás, herido en El Puerto

José Tomás, herido en El Puerto
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Female Drivers

Female Drivers