Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis.

Cecchini released half a million of coloured plastic balls from the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome on Wednesday (Jan 16)… a prank similar to the famous Sony Bravia commercial.

Cecchini said that he had done the stunt to raise the profile of Burma and the Karen people. He and his three other ‘compatriots’ are later arrested.

The Karen is a minority who have fought for an independent state since 1949, and accuse the military junta of ethnic cleansing. [BBC]

The riders rode horses through fire in honour of St Anthony, the patron saint of animals…

Some gutsy fellas and amazing horses… (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)

Weird mask and costumes at Festival of Masquerade Games in Simitli (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)

Masquerade games are popular in Bulgaria and the Balkan region, with people celebrating (and competing) the events in ancient Thracians (and other cultural) costumes. The largest event of its kind is The International Festival of Masquerade Games, which is held in the town of Pernik every even year in January.

Simitli is a small village at the south of Pernik; their masquerade games is relatively new and smaller than Pernik but gaining popularity for its more funky and bizarre masks and costumes.

They were sacked on the grounds that they would ‘interfere with corporate peace’, after they requested a smoke-free environment.

Thomas Jensen, the manager of the 10-person IT company in Buesum, told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper he had fired the trio because their non-smoking was causing disruptions.

Germany introduced non-smoking rules in pubs and restaurants on Jan. 1, but Germans working in small offices are still allowed to smoke.

“I can’t be bothered with trouble-makers,” Thomas was quoted saying.

“We’re on the phone all the time and it’s just easier to work while smoking. Everyone picks on smokers these days. It’s time for revenge. I’m only going to hire smokers from now on.”

The government is to hold an emergency meeting to find a solution to the rubbish crisis. Naples dustmen stopped collecting rubbish two weeks ago. With nowhere to put it local people are forced to burn it. The fire brigade has been struggling to put out the fires.

Rubbish crisis in Naples (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)

Rubbish collection is a perennial problem which has plagued Naples and its politicians for some 15 years. The government is conscious it is under severe pressure to find a solution – but this means tackling the mob.

The Camorra, the Neapolitan version of the Mafia, has turned this into a hugely profitable business. They have sabotaged every effort to build hi-tech incinerators, so that Naples must rely on landfill sites, where they can hide the domestic and industrial waste, which they chuck in from all around the country.

Millions of tonnes of it have been dumped illegally in the sea or in the countryside, untreated and highly toxic. Doctors say cancer rates in Naples are much higher than the national average. [BBC]

I won’t be surprise if this kind of rubbish and health crisis is happening in a 3rd world country; it’s unthinkable that it is happening in Italy… the story is good enough to make into a movie.

Creative advertisement + public service [Hat tip to Neatorama and Directdaily]

Canadian ad agency Leo Burnett came up with this idea of Campbell’s Soup setting…

In a grocery store 4,820 cans of Campbell’s Soup were used to build an installation piece that spelled HUNGER. Signage beside the piece encouraged shoppers to buy one and donate it to their local food bank. As shoppers bought cans from the display the word HUNGER slowly disappeared. This allowed people to see how their individual effort could help bring an end to the problem of hunger.

Snail eggs becoming special delicacy in France (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)

Snail farmers in France occasionally produce some snail eggs… but the caviar are not really tasty. Dominique and Sylvie Pierru, a couple of snail farmers from Soissons in the Picardie region northeast of Paris, has found a way to make the snail caviar into tasty stuff.

Their snail caviar, called “De Jaeger”, hit the shelves in October 2007 and retails for 80 euros (USD115) per 50 grams. Despite the high pricing, the snail caviar is in high demand during the Christmas season as food lovers in France are always eager to explore new gourmet experience.

1. Mumbai, India (29,650 people per square kilometre)
2. Kolkata, India (23,900)
3. Karachi, Pakistan (18,900)
4. Lagos, Nigeria (18,150)
5. Shenzhen, China (17,150)
6. Seoul/Incheon, South Korea (16,700)
7. Taipei, Taiwan (15,200)
8. Chennai, India (14,350)
9. Bogata, Columbia (13,500)
10. Shanghai, China (13,400)
11. Lima, Peru (11,750)
12. Beijing, China (11,500)
13. Delhi, India (11,050)
14. Kinsaha, Congo (10,650)
15. Manila, Philippines (10,550)
16. Tehran, Iran (10,550)
17. Jakarta, Indonesia (10,500)
18. Tianjin, China (10,500)
19. Bangalore, India (10,100)
20. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (9,450)

The winning bid on Saturday night (Dec 1) came from Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho, bidding by phone via his partner Angela Leong, who was on stage with the auctioneer.

Ho beat British artist Damien Hirst and Sheik Mansoor Bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi for the prized fungus. Truffles can vary considerably in size and are prized in Italian cooking for their flavour and aroma.

Proceeds from the auction were donated to charities including the Caritas in China, Consortium for Street Children in the UK, and the Telethon in Italy. [Reuters]

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300-year-old ginseng sold for $400,000
Hundred year old ginseng sold for $250,000

World’s largest flag (Image courtesy of Chinaview)

I am not sure if it is a good idea to lay your flag on the sandy desert though; I have always been taught that national flag shouldn’t be touching the ground. Perhaps it’s a different culture… or perhaps some people were too obsessed in creating a world record and neglecting the basic rules.

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada. [Wiki]

Pikachu balloon at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, NY (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)

Scandinavian feminists were outraged when two women were asked to cover up their breasts by a lifeguard at a public pool near Stockholm.

A spokeswoman for the group said: ‘We want our breasts to be as normal and desexualised as men’s, so that we too can pull off our shirts at football matches.’

So far, the campaign’s strategy has been devastatingly effective. Members of Just Breasts have been jumping into swimming pools across the country wearing nothing more than bikini bottoms. [Metro]

I bet Swedish men are happily supporting the cause as well.

Most ridiculous British laws

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27%)

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (7%)

3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (6%)

4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (5%)

5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (4%)

6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman’s helmet (4%)

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen (3.5%)

8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (3%)

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour

10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (2%)

Most ridiculous foreign laws

1. In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk (9%)

2. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation (8%)

3. In Bahrain, a male doctor can only examine the genitals of a woman in the reflection of a mirror (7%)

4. In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself standing up after 10pm (6%)

5. In Alabama, it is illegal to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle (6%)

6. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on a Sunday could be jailed (6%)

7. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth (6%)

8. In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except funerals or hospital visits (5%)

9. In Japan, there is no age of consent (5%)

10. In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon (4%)

CowParade is the world’s largest public art event; while it is not meant to be high art, it is first and foremost a public art exhibit that is accessible to everyone.

Most important, CowParade ultimately benefits charity, raising over millions dollars of charity funds since it started in 1999. [Official website]

Moooo… (Image courtesy of Xinhuanet)