Mark Horvath and four of his friends have been playing croquet all day. In fact, they've also been playing all night. Their round the clock croquet marathon is actually more of a mission than a game. These five friends from Adams just set the first Guinness World Record for the longest croquet game ever played. They say it took over 24 hours of consecutive play and a lot of teamwork to get it done.

"A lot of team work, everyone came together, and everyone worked hard. It's not just the five of us out here playing, but it's the volunteers, the sponsors, everyone that made this come true. It's really an awesome event," said croquet player Mark Horvath.

Guinness still has to sign off on all the logs books and score cards to make the record official. They also need to know that emergency medical staff were on hand during the entire game, and there were enough record keepers to make sure the event is record breaking.

It may have been a little rough, but this shot at the record books was well worth their wait."I'm thrilled. I'm happy that we made it this far. It's been rough," said croquet player Ryan Poulton."I would say the hardest part wasn't playing.

It was just handling the monotony of playing croquet hour after hour after hour...the elements, in the middle of the night, with 95 degree weather," said Mark Horvath. "I've been filling out the log books and when they take the breaks and how long the breaks are," said croquet stewardess Kaitlyn Horvath.

If setting your own croquet record is knocking around inside your own head, you should keep something in mind. One player says playing the game is actually the easiest part.

The real challenge comes from trying to follow all the official Guinness rules, staying awake, and trying to beat all the summertime heat and even the rain.

Italy's Vittorio Innocente has set a new world record in underwater cycling, pedalling his specially adapted bike to a depth of 65 metres in the sea near Genoa.

The new mark bettered Innocente's own record of 60m, set three years ago.

The 62-year-old scuba diver was expected to set the record in a televised event on Wednesday but it had to be called off because Innocente damaged an eardrum in his last test on Monday.

But a Guinness Book of Records judge from London authenticated the record on Wednesday after vetting eye witness accounts and checking the computerised depth gauge on Innocente's modified mountain bike.

Innocente said he was sorry he was unable to repeat his Monday feat because of doctor's orders but happy to have taken his mark up a notch.

He thanked a team of local scuba divers who helped him get onto his bike as well as the Carabinieri police who oversaw his effort.

Innocente was lowered into the calm waters of Portofino's maritime reserve at about midday Monday.

He mounted his vehicle at a depth of 28m and started out along a 110m underwater slope, dodging mud pools and rocks.

Nine minutes later he reached the 65m mark. ''It was tough because I ran into more mud than I expected,'' he said. ''I had to click up a gear to make pedalling easier''.

Apart from raising money for cancer research, Innocente is on a self-appointed mission to prove that mountain bikes can go anywhere.

He has already cycled over glaciers, deserts and mountains from Alaska to Kenya. Then, about seven years ago, he decided to continue the mission by uniting his two passions - scuba-diving and cycling.

Since then Innocente has been honing his technique and gradually pushing up the record for undersea cycling.

Needless to say, he dominates the sport.

To make sure he stays on the seabed his bike is weighed down with about 35 kilos of ballast and its tyres are pumped up with water instead of air. The 'Nautilus' also has fins and spoilers to help him drive it through the water.

Born in Milan, Innocente learned to swim as a child in the 'Navigli,' the now polluted canals that run into the southern and eastern part of the city.

One of his first achievements as an underwater cyclist - which also earned him a mention in the Guinness record book - was to cover a kilometre along the bed of a canal in just 13 minutes.

In 2001 he also set the speed record for underwater cycling when he pedalled 1,200 metres in a swimming pool at an average speed of 87 cm/second.

Innocente says he first got the idea for the sport 25 years ago when he was leading a party of German tourists in a scuba diving expedition off the island of Elba.

When one of the party found an old bicycle on the seabed, Innocente climbed into the saddle for a joke and tried to ride it.

Source : ansa.it

Lisburn man Allister Brown is preparing to smash a Guinness World Record this July and raise vital funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust at the same time.

30 year old Allister is aiming to drum for 100 hours non-stop between the 22 and 26 July. Allister previously held the record in 2003 when he drummed for 58 hours and 17 minutes, and 2004 when he drummed for 78 hours. The current world record is 85 hours and 30 minutes and was achieved by Gery Jallo (Belgium), from 22-25 February 2007 at the Pakenhof, Heverlee, Belgium.

To break the record Allister must play recognisable tunes and not repeat any song within 4 hours. For each hour he plays he is allowed a 5 minute break.

Allister hopes to raise sponsorship for his challenge which will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK’s most common, life-threatening inherited disease and claims three lives a week in the UK. Allister chose the charity as a family friend has the illness.
Allister said "This is the third and final time I will undertake this challenge so I really hope to be the first person to reach the 100 hours mark. I hope lots of people sponsor me and also come down to support me on the 22nd."

All money raised will help fund research into treating and curing CF. It will also help provide support, advice and appropriate clinical care to the 8,000 babies, children and young adults with Cystic Fibrosis in the UK.
Allister Brown Non Stop Drumming Video
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7518950.stm

BOYNE and News/Talk 760 WJR have successfully broken the Guinness World Record™ (GWR) for the Fastest Round of Golf. With an impressive time of 7 minutes, 56 seconds and over forty participants, this intense and exciting attempt took place on Sunday, July 20, 2008 at The Monument course at Boyne Mountain.
The event format required golfers to be strategically placed on the course’s tee boxes, along the fairways and on the greens. The timing began once the opening tee-ball was struck, with golfers in the fairway running to hit the ball when the ball came to rest. As golfers on the green sunk the putt, the players on the next hole immediately hit the next tee shot.

Pending final confirmation from GWR, the BOYNE/WJR team broke the previous record of 8 minutes, 47 seconds set by WJR’s sister station, WBAP, at Bridlewood Golf Club in Flower Mound, Texas in August of 2003. BOYNE and WJR are proud to have Michigan’s Boyne Mountain home of the world’s Fastest Round of Golf.

Source : News/Talk 760 WJR

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A tiny mistake ended a Finnish karaoke club marathon that set a new world record on Monday for the longest sing-along session of more than 18 days.

The Kouvola Karaoke Club began singing on July 2, and the Guinness Book of World Records awarded the club a world record certificate on July 11 after they beat the previous record of 214 hours held by a club in China. The group had vowed to carry on the marathon for another couple of weeks, aiming to sing for 600 hours non-stop.

But the effort faltered after precisely 446 hours, four minutes and five seconds when the the same song was performed twice within two hours, which is against the rules. “At first it felt bad that the marathon was ended by human error. But the figures are great, the record is more than twice as long as the old one,” Arto Nikunen, the president of the club, told AFP.

Today a party celebrating the world record will be held in Kouvola, a small town some 135 kilometres northeast of Helsinki.

Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated movie ­ starring the late Heath Ledger (Australia) in the role of The Joker and Christian Bale (UK) as the caped crusader ­ opened last Friday at 0:01 am, securing its first record, for the highest-grossing midnight movie. Next, it secured the one-day box-office gross record, and then the opening weekend and three-day gross records. In addition, it was given the widest release of any movie in history.

The Dark Knight ­ the first Batman movie not to include the word "Batman" in the title ­ re-imagines the first meeting of Batman and The Joker. It has already won two awards at the 2008 Golden Trailer awards, for Best Action Movie Trailer and Best Summer Blockbuster Poster, and is tipped to propel its deceased star Ledger to posthumous Oscar glory.

The Dark Knight Guinness Records to date

Highest grossing midnight release
The first midnight/early-morning screening of The Dark Knight (USA 2008) on 18 July 2008 amassed a record box-office take of $18.5 million from 3,040 cinemas, beating Star Wars ­ Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which took $16.9 million in 2,915 cinemas.

Highest grossing one-day release
The Dark Knight grossed $67,850,000 during its first day on release (July 18, 2008) ­ at the same time securing the world record for the highest-grossing single day (not just opening day) in cinema history.

Highest grossing opening weekend
Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (USA 2008) grossed a record $155.3 million in its opening weekend of July 18-20. This is also the best ever opening three days of any movie in history. Thanks to international ticket sales, the movie, which cost an estimate $180 million to make, has already earned back its costs, raking in an incredible $195,340,000 in its first three days!

Widest film release ­ single country
Batman: The Dark Knight (USA 2008) was given the widest film release of any movie in history when it opened in the USA on 18 July 2008 at 4,366 cinemas.

Source : Guinness Book of Records

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Chinese Uygur Adili completed a remarkable feat on Saturday by staying on a wire for 600 hours and wirewalking for a total of 123 hours and 48 minutes, breaking the world Guinness records held by Canadian Jay Cochrane.

In 25 days, the 31-year-old Adili lived in a cabana at an end of the wire, hung above the Jinhai Lake at Pinggu District of Beijing, and walked five to nine hours a day on a 416-meter-long and 35-meter high wire, an accomplishment recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the greatest living-on-wire in history.

　　The former Guinness record was held by "Skywalking Prince" Cochrane, who stayed on a wire for 21 days in 1981.

　　The walk, which made Adili a celebrity, was viewed by more than10,000 people on Saturday, who came to the remote site northeast of Beijing.

　　Adili, who overcame loneliness and high winds, said after he landed, "I was excited to better the record and I appreciated the support from all over the China when I was alone high on the wire."

　　Adili, the seventh generation of a high-wire walking family from Xinjiang, Northwest China, holds several world records including skywalking above the Yangtze River in 13 minutes and 48 seconds and the longest walking distance on a 1,399-meter-long wire at a height of 436 meters between two apices of Hengshan Mountain, Hunan province.

　　The wirewalk over the Jinhai Lake was another pinnacle in Adili's career, and it sparked his desire for bigger achievements.

　　"I want to wirewalk over the Great Wall. It is a symbol of China and I will walk over it to salute to 2008 Beijing Olympic Games," he said. Enditem

Source : news.xinhuanet.com

Ben Walton, from Andover, ironed 923 items in 60 hours raising about £5,000, towards buying an incubator at Winchester's Royal County Hospital.

His six-month-old son, Zachary, was born 10 weeks premature at the hospital last December and weighed just 2lb 3oz.

Mr Walton's attempt started on Thursday and finished at 2000 BST on Saturday. Now he awaits the verdict of Guinness World Records scrutineers.

"Apart from the fact that my back is killing me, it went really well," said the 32-year-old.

£1 per item

Mr Walton was allowed a five-minute break every hour and could accumulate them into a maximum 30-minute break.

The record stood at 55 hours and 5 minutes.

People donated £1 per item to have their clothes ironed.

Mr Walton, who owns the dry cleaning outlet at the Asda store when he attempted the record, had two official adjudicators with him at all times and had to iron the clothing to a good standard.

He added: "This is the first part of my attempt to raise £25,000 towards buying an incubator.

"I think that next I'll do the Three Peaks Challenge - with the ironing board of course."

Source : BBC.co.uk

Related Story

Ironing Guinness World Records

Cuban soccer player Yeniseidis Soto set a new Guinness record for ball control with the head.

Soto controlled the ball for 2 hours, 12 minutes and 32 seconds at the Jose Antonio Echevarria Sport Recreation Center in Havana.

"I trained very hard. I did a lot of exercise. I would run for two hours everyday. And I also devoted a lot of time to making repetitions, hitting the ball with my head," she said.

She added that although she felt happy, the result did not fully satisfied her because she had trained to be on control of the ball for three hours, but neither indoors nor in a room so hot.

"I had trained only outdoors. That is why I felt dizzy from the very beginning of the test. The contrast of the round ball and the ceiling made me feel sick," she said.

She emphasised that the importance of this experience relies on the fact that she is the first woman to set this kind of world record. Her performance was witnessed by Cuban FIFA international judges Irazema Aguilera and Elizabeth Cuff.

(Invasor.cu)

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Branden Moyen, 18, has made a 36 feet tall and 50 feet long free standing roller coaster model, setting the new Guinness world record for the Tallest roller coaster model, Please see exclusive video of amazing record feats.



Click here for more Latest Guinness World Record Videos 2008

Story About Sophie

Up to the age of 19 months Sophie seemed to be a normal, healthy little toddler. She walked before she was a year old and her speech was well ahead of her age. And that cheeky smile of hers would have got her out of all sorts of trouble. But this was the time her illness began to show; firstly with occasional vomiting and soon after on a regular daily basis. For a while this was diagnosed as a viral condition but, after the first week, we were all concerned that this was more than a virus.

Sophie’s condition was getting worse; at 21 months her mood was changing; she was no longer that happy little girl and she was quickly loosing her ability to walk. Who knows how she was suffering at that time.

On 21st July 2006 Sophie was finally referred to the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital for a scan. The results were devastating to us all; she had a tumour of her brain. She was immediately transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for further tests. The worst was confirmed and arrangements were made for an operation to remove as much of the tumour as possible.

On Monday 24th Sophie’s operation started at around 9am. We were all anxiously waiting for word that it was complete but, the hours passed we knew that wasn’t good. It was 8½ hrs in all, and seemed like a lifetime. It had been far more complicated than expected and the results from the biopsy were not good either. This was an aggressive malignant brain tumour (Medulla Blastoma). Sophie's condition was poor; she remained in intensive care on a ventilator in a coma for the next month. On two occasions doctors prepared Mum and Dad for the worst. It was an agonising month for us all.

But Sophie did regain consciousness, just before her second birthday; a very emotional day. But nothing seemed to be on her side. She picked up one infection after another, even the shunt fitted to drain brain fluid became infected and had to be replaced. Sophie remained in intensive care for a further 3½ months during which time she underwent a total of seven operations. This was a distressing time as Sophie was not well enough to receive the Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy she so desperately needed to halt the re-growth of the tumour.

Four and a half months after the operation Sophie was taken off the ventilator and out of intensive care. Two weeks later the first dose of Chemotherapy was given. She soon lost all her hair, together with her immune system. This meant most of the next four months in isolation with just the family and hospital staff in one small room, but we all survived. Chemotherapy is a terrible form of medication but the only possible way currently known to medical science. During this treatment Sophie received more than 100 transfusions of blood products, and we are so thankful to all blood donors.

Sophie received 6 cycles of Chemotherapy over the first few months, followed by 6 weeks of radiotherapy and a further 6 months receiving chemotherapy. She picked up many infections including Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Shingles. What a fighter she has been and rarely a day without a smile. She is always very aware of what is going on around her, and her coordination that was so bad continues to improve.

Sophie’s condition 28th May 2008

Sophie has continued to make slow but positive progress. She has remained in reasonably good health for the last six weeks; the longest period for nearly two years. She still has a Tracheostomy with Oxygen to support her breathing and a Gastrostomy through which she is fed. Communication is so much better now. She is able to say many words that we understand and to hear her say ‘Grandad’ again brought tears to my eyes. It is however, very frustrating for her when she just can’t make herself understood. Her coordination has also improved enormously, she is now managing to put on her own shoes and cope with buttons. She has the will and determination to walk again and I feel sure that she will, but not just yet.

Sophie has just completed three weeks at the rehabilitation centre at Tadworth, Surrey and already we are able to see the benefits of her rehabilitation program. The centre is run by the Children’s Trust which provides care, education and therapy to children with multiple disabilities and complex health needs. It is a truly wonderful place caring for about 75 children on any one day; some just on a one day basis but others who have been there for many years.

The Charities to benefit from this years event are all closely connected to Sophie’s condition and care, they are:- The Children’s Trust currently providing rehabilitation and care, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) who provided care and accommodation to the whole family at the Milton Hospice during radiotherapy. They now provide additional home based care (over and above that provided by the NHS) and Cancer Research UK for their ongoing research into this dreadful disease.

Over 300 women braved unpredictable British summer weather today as they attempted to break a world record for the most bikini-clad women ever photographed together.

However, despite 320 women stripping down to their swimwear on Redcar beach, the effort was not enough to get a place in the record books.

The fundraising event, organised by the Middlesbrough Erimus Rotary Club, failed to beat the current Guinness World Record, set in September last year on Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, when 1,010 women posed together in their bikinis.

However, it is still expected that the record attempt will have raised thousands of pounds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service, through £5 (€3.15) entry fees and sponsorship.

Although a far cry from the sunny climes of Sydney, the sun did put in an appearance in Redcar today as thousands of people lined the beach to watch the women, aged from 16 to 81, taking part in the challenge.

Organiser Mike Robson, chairman of fundraising at the Rotary Club, said: "It was electric. The atmosphere was fantastic.

"We didn't manage to break the record, in fact we got nowhere near it, but that isn't a disappointment. We managed to make an awful lot of money for the Great North Air Ambulance."

"We had one lady of 81, we had one lady who came from Surrey purely to do this, lots of ladies from all over the north east, all shapes and sizes. Exactly what we wanted."

Mr Robson said he came up with the idea after seeing the Bondi Beach attempt on the internet.

"The Rotary Club traditionally do dances and quizzes, it's all the same," he said. "I thought 'it's time we do something different'. I mentioned it to the club and their jaws dropped but then they saw the double challenge of the Guinness World Record and the fundraising element for the air ambulance and everyone worked their socks off."

Despite not managing to break the record this time, Mr Robson said he was keen to have another attempt in the future, an idea backed by his wife, Jan, who took part today.

Mrs Robson, 59, said: "It was fabulous. I wasn't going to do it but I borrowed a bikini just the same and I couldn't resist it in the end. The atmosphere was fantastic.

"Everyone was enjoying it, all shapes and sizes, all waving and shouting. And the sun coming out just made it - I was a bit shivery to start with but we didn't feel the cold.

"I definitely would do it again."

Click for Old Bikini World Record

Longest Model Train Guinness World Record set by Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg, Germany Exclusive Full Video Online.



An HO (1:87.1) scale model train measuring 110.3 m ( 361 ft 10 in) made up of 3 locomotives of type "lore" and 887 carriages was constructed by Miniature Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany, on November 27, 2005. If the model had been a full-scale train it would have measured 9.607 km (5.969 miles) long.

The Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany has 700 trains, 4,000 automobiles, 165,000 trees and 250,000 individual lights and a track lengh of 5.6 miles has set the Guinness world record for the largest miniature railroad.

German comedian Mario Barth set a new World Record for a live comedy audience. His 70,000 sell-out show in the Berlin Olympic Stadium on Saturday smashed the previous record of 15,900 set by US comedian Chris Rock in London.

Barth presented his show “Men are primitive, but happy!” in which he talks about the differences and misunderstandings between men and women. He runs through a repertoire of clichés, from parking to washing up. Barth even uses his own girlfriend as the inspiration for many of his jokes and says, “She has a good sense of humor and I can’t really help that she is the way she is. It’s all good fun.”

The 35-year-old comedian had been touring Germany with his show since the beginning of 2006. And despite critics lambasting the comedian’s material for lacking depth, his shows are consistently sold out and the audience, seemingly, can identify with his jokes.

Barth came to the wider German public’s attention when his bestselling “dictionary” German-Woman/Women-German, based on his comedy show, was released in October 2004. The book has sold more than 1.5 million copies and has been translated into many different languages.

The record-breaking show in Berlin was recorded by 19 cameras and will be shown on German TV in the fall. A DVD of the event is also planned.

http://www.mariobarth.de

ESPN Deportes and the World Domino Federation presented the VI World Domino Championship at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fla. Thursday, July 10 - Saturday, July 12. This year's championship broke the Guinness World Record for "Most People Playing Dominoes," with 332 players helping surpass the previous record of 300.

The three-day event gathered over 554 domino enthusiasts, with representation from nine countries from Latin America, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Russia and the United States.

Freddy Vera from Puerto Rico won the individuals category and Fabio Baduy and Reinaldo Troconis from Venezuela took home the prize in the pair's category. Vera got his early lessons in dominoes at the age of 14 by observing people playing the game in the streets of his native San Sebastian.

Friends since attending Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela, Fabio Baduy and Reinaldo Troconis have been playing dominoes for over a decade. Baduy, a computer engineer and Troconis, a systems analyst, credit their passion for the game to the university's security guards who taught them how to master the game.

ESPN Deportes will televise all the action of the VI World Domino Championship in September 2008.

Justin DeBree, 27, a territory manager for DeWALT Power Tools, began his 400-mile journey from Key Biscayne to St. Mary's, Ga., on a stand-up paddle board last Thursday. He hopes to conclude the journey on July 4.

He estimates he has spent 75 hours on the water -- averaging about 15 a day -- since beginning and has experienced the best and worst nature has to offer. The longest distance he has covered in one day has been about 38 miles.

"The weather's been so unpredictable," said DeBree, who is making the journey without support on the water. He is propelling himself and his 14-foot epoxy board with a 6-foot, 6-inch single-bladed paddle in a solitary journey that is bonding a young man with the sea.

"I'll be in the zone, and out of nowhere a massive thunder and lightning storm comes through with hail and (waterspouts)," he said. "That's definitely been the number one problem and challenge I've faced."

The storms have caused DeBree to seek shelter on land from distances as far as a mile offshore and in whatever structures are available from dune crossovers to pavilions to the support RV being driven on land by friend Justin Raines. DeBree also sleeps in the RV at night.

But when he has been on the water, anywhere from 50 yards to three miles offshore, with just his feet on the board and a three-gallon pack on his back, he's basically at the mercy of the ocean.

"As corny as it sounds I'm pretty much one with the sea," he said. "I have no fear being out there. I'm basically like a fish. I feel like I can talk to them."

He's certainly had the opportunity.

"I've seen so much wildlife," said DeBree who came ashore at Coconut's in Cocoa Beach on Wednesday and planned to spend the night before resuming his trip.

"It's been completely entertaining. I've seen tiger sharks. I've seen tons of tarpon and cobia, I actually had four schools of cobia follow me. I can't tell you how many turtles I've seen. It's been unreal."

The beneficiary of DeBree's journey is the World Skin Cancer Foundation's new Beach Signage Sun Safety program, an initiative to introduce informational signs to beaches and parks throughout the United States.

More than one million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every year and more than 10,000 people die from skin cancer annually, the foundation said.

DeBree, a Long Island native and veteran surfer, is using his work vacation time and donating his salary from DeWALT for each day of his journey. So when his trip is complete, DeBree will return to the daily grind with memories gleaned from his solitary, possibly life-changing journey, fresh in his mind.

"Sometimes when you go do challenges like this, it makes me think everybody can make a difference, even my little self," he said. "I think it's going to make me do other things to help the world, as lame as it may sound. It just makes me want to do more."

Chaupakhi, a nondescript village in Western Assam’s Bongaigaon district, has ensured its entry in to the Guinness Book of World Records by planting more than 280,000 saplings in 24 hours. Three hundred residents of Chaupakhi had embarked on a massive tree plantation drive on July 11 in a bid to outdo the record made by Nagapattanam village in Tamil Nadu in 2006.

Extra assistant commissioner of North Salmara, Palash R Gharphulia told this newspaper that the residents of Chaupakhi had planted more than 2.80 lakhs saplings by 2 pm on July 12. The plantation had started on an area of 31.5 lakh hectares of land on Friday at 3 pm in presence of five independent observers appointed by authorities in the Guinness Book of Records.

Gharphulia said that plantation of saplings, comprising fruit and timber tree species has just concluded. "Besides the physical presence of observers, we have prepared videographic record of every moment of the event which will be presented to the Guinness Book of World Records," he said adding that they are now awaiting formal approval of the authorities in the Guinness Book of Records. The present record of planting highest 2,54,469 saplings on a plot of about 20 hacter land stands in the name of Nagapattanam village of Tamil Nadu in 2006.

The man behind motivating the Chaupakhi villagers for plantation drive was M.S. Manivannam, sub-divisional officer (civil) of North Salmara, who incidentally is from Tamil Nadu.

He told reporters: "Basically our purpose was also aimed at to involve the villagers in both eco-conservation and income generation activities. As we found a vast empty plot of land, we thought why not try out for tree plantation which has both eco-conservation and economic values. Moreover, the villagers can also get engaged under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act."

WWF-India education officer for Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Surajit Baruah, one of the independent observers of the plantation drive, said that the effort has set an example for the entire country. "We should appreciate the effort for the simple reason that it is going to set an example of massive afforestation drive both in the Northeastern region and the country as a whole. The landscape is beautiful, dotted with small wetlands, for the plantation drive," said Mr Baruah.

Jihosuo Biswas of Primate Research Centre, who is also observer in the drive, said the tree species selected for the plantation is a judicious mix of both fruit and timber varieties and would come as an immense help to the villagers who made it possible.

Blind five-year-old pianist from South Korea has stunned the music world after a video of her performance received more than 27million hits. Yoo Ye-eun, who was born blind and adopted in 2002, has never had a formal piano lesson but can play any song after just one listen.

And now her remarkable talent is set to propel her to stardom as clips of her amazing performance have attracted millions of viewers to Korean website Pandora TV. A similar clip on YouTube has so far received two million hits. Her display on 'Star King', a Korean talent show, earned the youngster £500 in prize money and moved the studio audience to tears.

Olive Riley, who was dubbed the world's oldest blogger, died at the age of 108, according to the Associated Press. Her final days were spent at a nursing facility in Woy Woy, New South Wales, Australia where she continued to chronicle her life growing up in the Outback, raising kids, and working as a bartender and farm cook on a her blog, "The Life of Riley." Upon news of her death, her blog received a flurry of hits and experienced technical difficulties. You may view her temporary blog - http://worldsoldestblogger.blogspot.com/

Here's an excerpt of one of her final posts:
Hello again to all my friends.
You 21st century people live a different life than the one I lived as a youngster in the early 1900s. Take Washing Day, for instance. These days you just toss your dirty clothes into a washing machine, press a few switches, and it's done.

I remember scratching around to find a few pieces of wood to fire the copper for Mum. Sometimes I'd find a broken wooden fruit box that I'd split with a tommyhawk. Sometimes I'd gather some twigs and dead branches, and use them for firewood.

When the water in the copper began to boil, Mum would add a cupful of soap chips, and throw in a cube of Reckitt's Blue wrapped in a muslin bag to whiten the clothes. Then she put in all the dirty clothes, first rubbing out the stains with a bar of Sunlight soap. She used a corrugated washing board for that. ....

It's nice to see an older generation take hold of technology to share their own stories. Plus, Olive Riley showed everyone that you're never to old to blog! May she rest in peace.
Official Website
http://www.allaboutolive.com.au/
Releated Guinness World Record
Oldest Women in the World
Jeanne Stawiecki - 57-Year-Old Marathoner
World's Oldes Person
62 Year Old Woman Finally Passed Her Driving Test

Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik will find his mention in the Limca Book of Records 2009 for the third time next year for being the first Indian to win the world champion title twice at the USF World Double Championship in Berlin.

On the second year of the championship, the artist created a 25ft high sculpture based on the theme of global warming depicting a polar bear sitting on a globe and praying with three faces representing Africa, Europe and Asia supporting the base.

“My second win is a dream come true. I am glad that I could make my country proud twice,” said the artist, adding that Bijay Ghosh, the editor of the Limca Book of Records, confirmed the news last evening.

After Sudarshan returned from the USF championship, Union tourism minister Ambika Soni approached Sudarshan to don the cap of the Orissa brand ambassador for its Incredible India campaign.

“Talks have not been finalised yet, but we did have a discussion,” said Sudarshan.

“The ministry wishes that I promote the Incredible India campaign when I participate in international meets,” he added. So far, his global warming theme has been taken to 37 countries.

“I have requested the government to recognise sand form as a genuine art. I have also pleaded the government to mull a sand park near Puri, where many such sculptures may be displayed.

The ministry officials have assured me of discussing the matter,” he said. Sudarshan has participated in 37 international championships and has won in a number of them. After fulfilling his dreams of creating 100 sandy Taj Mahal, Sudarshan now wants to concentrate on the issue of global warming.

“Global warming is a matter of concern for the entire world, including Orissa. I have approached the UN asking their help in this regard,” he added. The artist is expected to carry the world champion title for a period of a year.

Earlier, Sudarshan’s exhibition on the theme of Jesus Christ on the Puri beach in 2007 and the one on Santa Claus in 2006 had received a mention in the Limca books.

Made of 600 tonnes of sand, the sculpture of Jesus Christ on the Puri beach in Christmas 2007 was 60ft long.

For More Detail about Sudersan Pattnaik
http://www.sudarsansand.com/

Roy Blackmore, 76, was orphaned as a child and became determined to find out more about the family he never knew.

He has spent around £20,000 and five hours a day for the past 28 years scouring archives, cemetery records and census registers to trace his roots back 1,500 years.

Genealogy is now a hugely popular pursuit, buoyed by the advent of the internet and programmes such as the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are?

During his investigations, Mr Blackmore discovered ancestors including farmers, monks, a Wild West cowboy, Civil War soldiers, a King of France, William the Conqueror and Alfred the Great.

He has now traced and listed 9,390 ancestors and applied to the Guinness Book of Records for the title of the world's largest documented family tree.

Experts say his study is "unique" because most of his research was carried out before the birth of the internet - meaning he had to follow a paper trail.

Mr Blackmore, of Taunton, Somerset, said: "When I started I never planned to go back that far but the more I looked the more interested I became.

"There have been some very frustrating times when I seemingly hit a brick wall. But there is always a way around or over an obstacle and you just have to persevere. "I could go back further into my French descendants but I think I'll leave it as it is."

Grandfather Mr Blackmore, a former perfume company buyer, was placed into foster care along with his six brothers and sisters when their parents Ida and Hubert died three years apart, in 1937 and 1940.

He has now found relatives right back to the Cerdick family in 500 AD and can link himself through 37 generations to William the Conqueror in the 11th Century and 45 generations to Alfred the Great in 880AD.

"The records show that my family were yeoman from around the 10th century when monks first started recording births," he said.

Mr Blackmore's wife Sigrid, 77, has been patient and supportive of his endeavours but he has struggled to enthuse the younger members of his family, he said.

"My grandchildren aren't too interested but I'm sure they will want to know more about their family as they grow older.

"I was never really all that interested in history at school but as you get older you take an interest in where you come from," he said.

Genealogist Nick Barratt, who worked on Who Do You Think You Are?, says Mr Blackmore's family tree could well be a record.

"To research 10,000 family members is a unique and amazing achievement," he said.

"Many claim to have traced their family back to the Domesday Book but have actually used short cuts on the internet.

"To actually follow the paper trail is an incredible feat and I cannot praise it enough."

Mr Blackmore is exhibiting a range of his certificates and wills at Taunton library, Somerset on July 14.

For more information visit www.royblackmore.co.uk

"Worlds Biggest" Guinness World Records

Recording artist Lil Jon has set a new Guinness World Record for the ‘Largest Diamond Pendant’ for his ‘Crunk Aint Dead’ pendant.

With an appraised value of US$500,000, Lil Jon’s diamond pendant is 7.5 inches tall, 6 inches wide, and 1 inch thick, weighing 5.11 pounds with a total 73 carats of diamonds. The total stone count is 3,756 genuine round-cut white diamonds set in 18-karat yellow and white gold. The piece was created by jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills.

“I’m glad the Guinness World Records folks acknowledged me and my Crunk Ain’t Dead piece. I spent a load of money on that chain. I had no idea I would break a record and be recognized for it. It’s an honor to be included on that list. I grew up on reading and hearing about people and celebrities who break records in the Guinness World Records Book and it always fascinated me.

Now that I’m on the list, it feels great. Let’s just see how many rappers try to outdo my pendant and break my record. They don’t call me the King of Crunk for nothing!” enthuses Lil Jon.

“Guinness World Records is pleased to recognize Lil Jon as a new member of our record-breaking family. We congratulate him on his remarkable achievement in setting the record for the Largest Pendant which stands at 34.4 ounces, 7.5 inches long and 6 inches wide,” adds Alistair Richards, Guinness World Records Managing Director.


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I have read Guinness Book of Recods, The section on “Internet” only got 2 pages and wasn’t even that surprising. Most of the stories there aren’t new except for a few…

* Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom took the top spots for the most popular online news searches in 2006 but the most popular terms was “Bebo”, the social networking site akin to Facebook.




* Largest video sharing service is Youtube with 6.1 million uploaded videos, 45 terabytes of data. Ghyslain Raza’s “The Starwars Kid” clip is the most popular ever with an estimated combined 900 Million views, followed by Gary Brolsma dancing to the tune of Numa Numa (Dragostea din tei) with 700 Million views.

* NTT Docomo’s I-Mode of Japan is the largest Wireless Internet Provider with 45,687,117 subscribers by the end of January 2006. Interestingly, Smart now also offers the I-Mode to select Nokia phone models.

* Having befriended 1.6 Million MySpace users, Tila Tequila is the most popular friend in the social networking world.

* Blogger Kyle MacDonald holds the record for the most successful internet trade — that’s after he got a house at Kipling, Saskatchewan, Canada in exchange for his red paper clip in 2006.

The largest prize won for an “online bingo” was for $283,099 by Jo Collins in the UK back in April 2006. So, the next time you get an email to join an online bingo, think twice before hitting the “Spam” button. You might be in luck and land an entry in the Guiness Book of World Records.

A 62-year-old woman has finally passed her driving test - 27 years after her first lesson.

Teresa Clarke, of Wroxham, Norfolk, spent 15,000 pound in fees, had 450 hours of tuition from 20 instructors and failed 12 previous tests and cancelled a further 35 and had 50 mock exams.

She had her first lesson in 1981 shortly before American president Ronald Reagan was shot and Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer.

However, Clarke was lucky for the 13th time, thanks to the help of her stepson, who runs a driving school, she finally was allowed to ditch her L-plates last month.

"It took a long time for it to sink in when I was told I had passed. I was so happy I kissed the woman instructor," the Telegraph quoted her, as saying.

Clarke, a former shop assistant who is 5ft tall and has to sit on a cushion to reach the steering wheel, has admitted that she was a hopeless learner because she found it very difficult to concentrate for long period of time.

She was such a disaster that many instructors refused to carry on teaching her after a few lessons - either too scared or too frustrated to continue.

However, then Richard Minkler, her stepson from her first marriage, stepped in and offered her his best instructor.

She was given 56 hours instruction in a two week intensive course and told to give up coffee and tea to aid her concentration.

"I was little upset after I failed my first couple of tests - but I never really got disheartened," she said.

"I was very persistent and I always knew I would pass one day. Now my dream has come true and I am just delighted.

"I used to fail my tests on all sorts of different things although my main problem was my lack of concentration.

"I used to have at least three cups of strong Italian coffee every day and when I stopped it really improved my driving by helping me to concentrate."

"My previous one three years ago ended up refusing to teach me anymore after I failed my test with him.

"He just said, 'I am awfully sorry, but you are no good. You will never pass'. His comments upset me and I am delighted to have proved him wrong," she added.

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World's Oldes Person

Freestyle motocross star Ronnie Renner established a world record Friday night when he jumped 59 feet, 2 inches on a quarterpipe on the Santa Monica Pier.

Renner hit the height on his sixth jump in front of an estimated 20,000 people. The figure will be submitted to Guinness World Records for verification.

"I'm totally blown away that I went 59 feet," said Renner, who was shooting for at least 50 feet. "I can't believe the fan turnout. Everything was absolutely perfect. The fifth and sixth ones, I was giving it everything I had."

Renner went just over 54 feet on his third jump, then was just under 53 feet on his fourth attempt. After going just more than 53 feet on his fifth jump, he decided to do a last jump for the crowd.



"All or nothing," he said. "I knew what I needed to do on the last one, all for the crowd. Way past my goal of 50 feet. I'm just pumped on this. Never jump when they say, 'One more time.' But I'm glad I did it — five feet higher and I rode away to talk about it."

Renner rode up an 18-foot quarterpipe and made a sweeping, 180-degree arc that brought him down onto a landing ramp measuring 25 feet high and 64 feet wide.

It was the third jump in the Red Bull Experiment series, following record-setting performances of fellow motocross rider Robbie Maddison and BMX star Kevin Robinson.

Maddison jumped the length of a football field on New Year's Eve, clearing 322 feet, 7 1/2 inches at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. On June 12, Robinson soared 27 feet above the lip of a huge quarterpipe in New York's Central Park to set the BMX big air world record.

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