Dalai lama once beat first Premier of China in ping pong
Dalai lama has said that as a child he once beat the most powerful Chinese leaders of the 20th century. In the movie Caddyshack — directed and co-written by the late Harold Ramis — the character Carl Spackler, played by Bill Murray, reminisces about caddying in Tibet for the Dalai lama.
The line apparently stuck with President Barack Obama, who in his statement on Monday’s passing of Ramis, made what is almost certainly the first official reference to Caddyshack.
At the very end of an interview with the Dalai lama last week, ABC News asked the question if he played golf. The Dalai lama answered that he could play an excellent game of ping pong, and in fact had once, as a child, defeated one of the post powerful Chinese leaders of the 20th century, Zhou Enlai, the premier of China from 1949 to 1976. (ANI)
South African offers cash rewards to virgins
A South African man is offering young women aged up to 35 a reward of $9,300 and medals if they are still virgins, in an apparent bid to combat HIV and teenage pregnancy. Rabelani Ramali, a community worker from rural limpopo province, told The Times newspaper that he will give “successful” virgins prize money of up to 100,000 rands and gold, silver and bronze medals, according to their ages.
The bizarre initiative has been received with mixed reactions.
“Those in the lower age groups will aspire to keep their virginity to claim a bigger prize once they reach that older age bracket,” Ramali was quoted as saying. (AFP)
Researchers say Crocodiles can climb trees
Most people entering a crocodile territory keep a wary eye out on water and land, but research suggests they need to look up. Though the reptiles lack obvious physical features to suggest this is possible, crocodiles in fact climb trees all the way to the crowns, according to University of Tennessee researcher Vladimir Dinets.
Researchers in the climbing study observed crocodiles in Australia, Africa and North America. The study documented crocodiles climbing as high as six ft off the ground. But Dinets said he received anecdotal reports from people who spend time around crocodiles of the reptiles climbing almost 30 feet. Dinets said crocodiles lack the toe and foot structure that would be expected of a climber. However, smaller and juvenile crocodiles in particular were observed climbing vertically while larger ones tended to climb angled trunks and branches, all of which is a measure of the reptiles’ spectacular agility, he said. “They just go slowly,” he said. “Eventually they get there.” The finding was reported in January in Herpetology Notes in collaboration with Adam Britton from Charles Darwin University in Australia and Matthew Shirley from the University of Florida. (Reuters)
Fatwa issued Prohibiting One-Way Trips to Mars
A fatwa is a ruling issued by Islamic scholars, and a recent ruling says participating in one-way trips to Mars is as bad as committing suicide. According to the Khaleej Times, the fatwa committee of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment in the United Arab Emirates issued the fatwa after determining that “such a one-way journey poses a real risk to life, and that can never be justified in Islam.”
They continued, “There is a possibility that an individual who travels to planet Mars may not be able to remain alive there, and is more vulnerable to death.” The committee says participating in the “hazardous trip” to Mars, will likely result in death for no “righteous reason.” This means that the unfortunate Mars adventurer will face a “punishment similar to that of suicide in the Hereafter.”
One may wonder why anyone would take a one-way trip to Mars. However, Dutch company Mars One plans to do just that, and they received over 200,000 applicants vying to take the trip. In December of 2013 the group was paired down to 1,058 candidates. If there are any Muslim candidates they may now want to reconsider. (Huffington Post)
Man killls self while teaching gun safety
A man from Independence Township, Michigan, accidentally shot himself to death on Monday while teaching his girlfriend about gun safety, the Oakland Press reports. The 36-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was showing his girlfriend how his three handguns are safe when they aren’t loaded, according to the Detroit Free Press. He was attempting to demonstrate the safety of the handguns by holding them to his head and pulling the trigger. The third gun fired, and the man was struck in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Three children ages seven, 10, and 12 were in the home, but did not witness the shooting, according to reports. The man’s girlfriend told authorities he had been drinking most of the day before the incident took place. (Huffington Post)