Circus Historian Al Stencell Provides an Insider’s View of the Vanishing World of Sideshows, Freaks and Screamers

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Groups like this are becoming history.

“At school I’d see guidance councillors and they’d say, “What career would you like?”

And I’d say, “I want to be in the circus.”

And they’d say, “No, no, no, no, no. How about advertising?”

But since landing a summer job, aged 12, at a travelling fair in 1958, Al W Stencell has never left the circus. By the age of 27 he had started The Royal Brothers Circus with a man named Johnny Frazier, only two hours after they met…

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‘Tweet Viewer’ Virus Spreads On Twitter

TWITTER VIRUS screen-shot-2011-03-05-at-12-05-34-pmThis Twitter virus is a quick one.

There is something amazing about how desperately humans want to see who has viewed their online profiles. This desire has been taken advantage of (again) by Twitter spammers as tweets like “WOW! You can see WHO VISITS your TWITTER profile. That’s cool! 🙂 – http://bit.ly/tweetviewer” and “I just viewed my TOP20 Profile STALKERS. I can’t believe my EX is still checking me every day” are proliferating this morning, at about 159 tweets a minute.

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Kenyan Villagers Turn Invasive Plant into Moneymaker

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Reviewing the options with Kenya’s Lake Victoria.

The rapid growth of invasive water hyacinths has taken a serious toll on Kenya’s Lake Victoria, creating inhospitable conditions for the fish local people depend on, while sheltering other unwelcome guests: disease-carrying snails and deadly snakes. But with a little help from a U.S.-based organization, villagers living near the lake are turning this environmental crisis into an economic opportunity.

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Fewer Teens in the U.S. Are Having Sex

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Experts say this generation may be more cautious than their predecessors

Fewer teens and young adults are having sex, a government survey shows, and theories abound why. Experts say this generation may be more cautious than their predecessors, more aware of sexually transmitted diseases. Or perhaps the emphasis on abstinence in the past decade has had some influence.

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Is An Ivy League Diploma Still Worth the Money?

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Harvard graduation

They’re often called the elite eight, boasting U.S. presidents, Nobel Prize winners, Wall Street CEOs, world leaders—as well as famous actors and musicians—among their alumni.  But they’re incredibly expensive and getting more so—prompting many students and families to ask: Is an Ivy League diploma really worth the money?

 

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Zombie Ants Controlled by Four New Species of Fungi

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A stalk of the newfound fungus species Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani, grows out of a “zombie” ant’s head in a Brazilian rain forest.

 Originally thought to be a single species, called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, the fungus is actually four distinct species—all of which can “mind control” ants—scientists announced last week. (pics)

 

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Amazing Ice Castles Grown With Geothermal Heating System

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Winters in Minnesota are cold and the best way to get through the bone-chilling season is to have fun with it, just like Roger Hanson does. For the last four years the ice builder has been growing ice castles in his front yard with the help of his geothermal heating system, some fancy sprayers and a computer program he created himself.  (Pics)

 

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NASA Scientist Claims to Have Discovered Alien Life in a Meteorite

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Research claims fossilised bacteria from meteors appear similar to bacteria found on earth – like Titanospirillum velox.

A Nasa scientist believes he has discovered an alien life form which may explain how life on earth started and has called on any scientist worldwide to try and prove him wrong.

 

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Top 10 Photos of the Week

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The inside-outside upside-downside car. The most fun you can have on four headrests

“I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect.” – – Oscar Wilde

“I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect.” – – Oscar Wilde

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Elfoid – Creepy Human-Shaped Phone Tickles When It Rings

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Elfoid

The Telenoid R1 achieved a new level of creepiness on the Japanese robotic front — quite an achievement given the country’s long history of oddball automated creations. Elfoid takes the cake, though. Developed at Osaka University and with help from NTT DoCoMo, Elfoid looks just like the Telenoid and, indeed, does much the same thing: giving you a human(ish) silhouette to talk to.  (video)

 

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Thai Parliament Building Made from 200,000 Food Cans

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An uncanny replica of the new Thai Parliament building.

If you’re a fan of Canstruction art, you’re going to love this – a group of Thai students have built a replica of the new Thai Parliament building using around 200,000 food cans.

The event took place during the “Health Food and Ingredients Thailand 2011″ exhibition and, as you can imagine, grabbed a lot of attention…

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.