Tags:
Journalism of Courage
An electric Christmas
TOKYO: Not even a blackout could put a damper on festivities at one Japanese aquarium where an electric eel is being used to light up its Christmas tree. Two aluminium panels inside the eel8217;s tank work as electrodes to catch its power. Cables attached to the panels supply the lights on the nearby tree with electricity. Inventor Kazuhiko Minawa said it took him more than a month to devise a system that would effectively harness eel power. 8220;If we could gather all electric eels from all around the world, we would be able to light up an unimaginably giant Christmas tree,8221; Minawa said. The tree, which will stay illuminated until December 25, is proving a popular attraction, drawing tourists from all over the country.
Bond it like Craig
NEW YORK: Like a good secret agent, Daniel Craig isn8217;t revealing too much about the next James Bond movie, which begins shooting in January. But Craig is pretty thrilled about the still-untitled Bond 22. For one thing, the new entry will be directed by a filmmaker previously associated with Oscar-bait dramas such as Finding Neverland and Monster8217;s Ball, not action films. 8220;We8217;ve got the director Marc Forster,8221; Craig says. 8220;Have you seen Kite Runner yet?8221; The new movie8217;s script has been worked on by the Casino trio of Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
BERLIN: Michael Schumacher can add the unofficial title of Germany8217;s fastest taxi driver to his other achievements after getting behind the wheel to get his family to the airport on time. The retired Formula One champion drove the cab back to the airport after a trip to a village in southern Germany left the family short of time to make their flight home. 8220;It was crazy having Schumi driving, with me in the passenger seat,8221; the taxi driver said. The seven-times world champion, who stopped racing last year but is still involved in the sport as an occasional tester for Ferrari, gave the driver a 100 Euro 146.6 tip on top of the 60 Euro fare.
This mouse is no scaredy cat
TOKYO: Japanese scientists have created a mouse which is never afraid of its mortal enemy, the cat. The mice have been genetically modified to get rid of certain smell receptors in their brains which react to the odours of cats. Usually, the mice freeze and play dead when they smell a cat, but these mutant mice just go about life as usual. 8212;NYT, Reuters
