Reaping the whirlwind

These astonishing scenes were captured by a man who gave up his day job as a corn plant worker to become a professional storm chaser.

Mike Hollingshead, 37, went after his first storm in 1999 and has been in awe of Mother Nature's most powerful phenomena ever since.

Growing up, he remembers being driven to the top of a hill near his family home so he could watch vicious lightning storms.

Hunting Nature's power: A stunning image of a supercell storm in York, Nebraska, taken by Mike Hollingshead who has given up his day job to become a storm chaser

Menacing: This thunderstorm in Chamberlain, South Dakota, is among a number of scenes captured by Mr Hollingshead since he started chasing storms in 1999

Hill City, Kansas: A twister tears through the state in 2005 in this incredible picture by full-time storm chaser Mike Hollingshead

Burdett, Kansas: Mike went after his first storm in 1999 and has been in awe of mother nature's most powerful phenomena ever since

In awe: Mike Hollingshead, pictured (left) in front of a mammatus cloud in eastern Nebraska has been fascinated by storms and tornadoes ever since he was child

These experiences were not necessarily storm chasing but, along with extreme weather videos and DVDs, helped fuel his love of such phenomena.

The day of his first solo storm chase, in 1999, Mike managed to successfully chase and catch his first tornado and was hooked.

 

By 2004, he had captured so many storms he was ready to make storm chasing his full-time job.

A supercell on Grand Island, Nebraska: Mike lives in an area known as Tornado Alley - a vertical strip down the centre of the U.S. where storms are most prevalent

Lifelong passion: Growing up, Mike remembers being driven to the top of a hill near his family home so he could watch vicious lightning storms

Valentine, Nebraska: Mr Hollinghead's early experiences of storms, along with extreme weather videos and DVDs, helped fuel his love of such phenomena

West Point, Nebraska: Mike managed to successfully catch his a tornado on his first solo storm chase in 1999 and has been hooked ever since

Mike currently lives in an area of America known as 'Tornado Alley' - a vertical strip down the center of America where storms are most prevalent.

Across the US, there were 1,037 tornadoes reported in the U.S. in 2012, of which at least 932 have been confirmed.

Mike, from Blair in Nebraska, USA, said: 'I always watched storms from town as a kid, but I didn't set out on my first actual chase until 1999.

Mastering the art: By 2004, he had captured so many storms he was ready to make storm chasing his full-time job

Bow Echo, Nebraska: Across the US, there were 1,037 tornadoes reported in 2012, of which at least 932 have been confirmed

Alvo, Nebraska: Mike said the 'wild-looking phase' of the storm may only last for around 15 minutes

Praying it will pass: An ominous storm brews on the horizon in Bow Echo in Watertown, South Dakota

'I got a tornado that first chase and have been hooked since. So often, the crazy-looking type of storms don't last very long. 

'You better be where the storms initiate and then try to stay ahead of them. Sometimes the wild-looking phase may only have been a 15-minute window.

'What I like most about storms is that they are alive. How you can go from invisible moisture that condense as it rises into a storm, then gets spun by the wind shear, into this 50,000-plus foot tall storm.

A mammatus cloud in Aberdeen South Dakota: The term is applied to a pattern of pouches that hang underneath the base of a cloud and is derived from the Latin mamma meaning 'breast'

Sioux City, Nebraska: Mike says he is fascinated by the transformation of invisible moisture that condenses as it rises, then gets spun into a 50,000-plus foot tall storm

Mr Hollingshead says of storm-chasing: 'If you are punching through a tornadic storm in the rain, it can be extremely stressful'

'The anticipation is really enjoyable. You leave home that morning for a long drive to where things look like they'll be best later in the day, just wondering what you will have witnessed by the end of the day.

'I've had experiences where I have felt scared. You can be pretty close to a tornado and not feel much of any real danger.

'But if you are punching through a tornadic storm in the rain, it can be extremely stressful.

'You need to pop out ahead of where the tornado would be, not just drive into a rain wrapped tornado.

'With radar on the road via internet you can have a good enough idea how much room you have. Some play that game closer than others.'

Strategy: Mr Hollingshead says you need to 'pop out ahead of where the tornado would be, not just drive into a rain-wrapped tornado'

Mr Hollingshead says: 'With radar on the road via internet you can have a good enough idea how much room you have'

Kereta Bergerak Atas Air....

Singa jadi simbol status

SEORANG lelaki dikenali sebagai Humaid AlBuQaish duduk di atas bumbung kereta Mercedes sport bersama singa peliharaannya.

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ABU DHABI - Seorang pemuda di negara Teluk menyiarkan gambar di laman sosial Instagram yang menunjukkan dia bermain dengan singa di hadapan beberapa buah kereta sport sebagai simbol kemewahannya.

Akaun Instagram tersebut yang setakat ini memiliki lebih 250,000 pengikut menggunakan nama Humaid AlBuQaish.

Lelaki berkenaan kerap memuat naik gambarnya berdampingan dengan beberapa ekor singa dan cheetah.

Setakat ini, masih tidak dapat dipastikan tentang pekerjaan AlBuQaish tetapi dia jelas memiliki kekayaan yang didambakan oleh ramai orang.

Menurut pengurus Taman Hidupan Liar Ras Al-Khaimah di Emiriah Arab Bersatu, Jasim Ali, binatang buas itu kini dianggap sebagai simbol status dalam kalangan golongan kaya di Teluk.

"Seekor singa putih yang jarang didapati dijual pada harga AS$50,000 (RM159,275)

"Jika seseorang itu membeli haiwan yang amat mahal, dia mahu menunjukkan bahawa dia berupaya membeli apa sahaja yang dia mahu di dunia ini," kata Jasim

"Jika dia menjinakkan binatang buas seperti singa, dia mahu seluruh dunia tahu tentang keberanian dan kejantanannya," tambah pengurus tersebut. - Agensi

A whittle goes a long way! Chinese wood art

A Chinese artist has won a place in the Guinness Book of Records after creating the world's longest wooden carving.

Zheng Chunhui, a famous wood carver, spent four years creating the artwork which is over 40ft long and made from a single tree trunk.

The scene is actually a copy of the famous Chinese painting 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' which was created over 1,000 years ago.

Chinese artist Zheng Chunhui took four years to complete this wood carving which is a copy of a famous painting. It has won the Guinness World Record for the longest wooden carving and measures over 40ft

The work is actually a copy of the famous Chinese painting 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' which was produced by Zhang Zeduan during the Song dynasty

Though it has been replicated many times, Chunhui's version, which is made from a single piece of tree trunk, is surely the most spectacular.

The intricate work features boats, bridges, building and even 550 individually carved people.

The piece measures 12.286 meters long, is 3.075 meters tall at it highest point, and is also 2.401 meters wide.

The original painting, referred to as the 'Chinese Mona Lisa' because of its fame, was completed during the Song Dynasty by artist Zhang Zeduan.

The painting, which was originally done on a scroll and designed to be steadily unwound by the viewer, is historically significant because it shows the day-to-day lives of rich and poor people in ancient Chin

The artwork features buildings, boats, bridges and 550 individually carved people who are shown herding animals, carrying cargo shopping in markets and going about their daily business in a snapshot of ancient Chinese life

It is painted on a hand scroll and was designed to be looked at by slowly unrolling the paper from right to left, an arm's length at a time, like an ancient comic strip.

It is considered of huge historical importance as it documents the day-to-day lives of Chinese people, both rich and poor, 900 years ago.

Several later versions were created but with scenes added from the Ming and Qing times, in keeping with the Chinese tradition of contemporary artists reworking ancient masterpieces.

While Chunhui's version will be easy to distinguish for obvious reasons, it doesn't add any scenes from modern-day China.

The work was awarded the world record on Thursday last week as part of Guinness World Records Day, set up to commemorate the day the book of records became the best-selling copyright book.

The original has been replicated many times as China has a cultural tradition whereby contemporary artists replicate old masterpieces while adding images from their own age. Though Chunhui hasn't added anything from modern-day China, his version should be fairly recognisable

Other records broken on the same day included the most hula hoops spun simultaneously, which was broken in the UK, by the ‘Marawa's Majorettes’ dance group, who spun 264 hula hoops between them.

The award for the largest gathering of people dressed as penguins also went to the UK after 325 people dressed up. 

The most swords swallowed underwater went to Australia, while the USA took home the recognition of largest collection of pizza boxes, as Scott Wiener had 595 boxes.

Other categories included the longest basketball shot, which was won by Harlem Globetrotters player Corey Law with a throw of  109 feet 9 inches, along with fastest 100m running on all fours, a most people dressed as ninjas.

The record for most darts caught by one hand in one minute and most upright bottles walked across were, oddly, broken at the same time and by the same person.

Chunhui's carving was unveiled at the Palace Museum in Beijing, the same location as the scroll on which it is based.

Fosil Kucing...

Kapal Pengangkut Pesawat Terbesar...

Spesis Platypus

Kereta Hiasan berbentuk corak NAGA....

Arca Zaman Rom

Now THAT'S a quad bike!

A suped-up quad bike which has is powered by a Ferrari engine and has a top speed of 150mph has been developed by engineers in France.

The Wazuma V8F, which costs £160,000, bears striking similar to the Batmobile driven by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises.

The four-wheeler boasts a 3-litre V8 engine which was sourced from a 1970s Ferrari 308 sports car.

'Masterpiece': The French designed quad bike has been hailed as a design triumph by engineers Lazareth

Star quality: The £160,000 machine looks like the Batmobile driven by Christian Bale in the Dark Knight films

The Wazuma's manufacturer's, Lazareth, say the quad bike develops 250bhp in a vehicle weighing just 650kg.

 

This gives the machine a power-to-weight ratio of 384bhp per tonne, the same as a Ferrari 458 Spider, and the potential to reach 150mph.

But with a standard quad bike from the likes of Honda typically costing around £8,000, only a select few will be able to afford the Wazuma's huge price tag.

Powerful: It is driven by a 3-litre V8 engine which was sourced from a 1970s Ferrari 308 sports car

Lookalike: The Wazuma has been likened to the new-design Batmobile from the latest Batman films

For the price, owners will get  BMW M3 gearboxes and high performance Brembo disc brakes to stop the 18-inch wheels.

The Wazuma V8F uses three wheel geometry, with two largely spaced front wheels and two narrower spaced wheels attached at the rear. It has been fitted with the lights from a Nissan 350Z.

A statement from Lazareth said: 'The Wazuma V8F Matt Edition is a unique masterpiece, which is simple, aggressive and offers high performance.'

Design: It uses three wheel geometry, with two largely spaced front wheels and narrow rear wheels

Lightweight: The Wazuma's manufacturers say the quad bike boasts 250bhp in a vehicle weighing just 650kg

Collaboration: The super quad may have the engine of a Ferrari but its lights are taken from a Nissan