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Rats vs Paris

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:17:33 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Parisians have been ordered to get rid of rats in their homes and businesses or face prosecution

With Rattus norvegicus causing disease, outrage and even union unrest, the authorities have told Parisians to put down poison, clear up their rubbish and block their cellars.

Although the French are not yet panicking at the thought of another Black Death, officials are concerned about the impact of the rats on public health and the city's image. “These animals are dirty, they carry germs and bacteria,” Catherine Perry, deputy head of veterinary services in Paris, told Le Parisien. “The main thing is they carry leptospirosis” - a disease that can cause fever, muscle aches and, occasionally, death.

Officials estimate the total number of rats in the French capital at eight million - or four rats for every Paris

In January the angry residents of a council estate, also in north Paris, held a march to protest at “rats in the bins, corridors and on our doorsteps”.

Tags: animals, science, nature

Segway motorbike

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:11:40 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

A young inventor has created a motorbike with a twist – it uses two wheels but they are positioned right next to each other, giving it the illusion of being a powered unicycle.

Ben Gulak, 18, from Toronto, Canada, named his creation the Uno and the vehicle, which looks like half a motorbike, works like a Segway.

It's powered by electricity and uses gyroscopic technology to make it move. Two gyros have been fitted – one to move forward and reverse, and a second for turning.

It has an on/off switch and Gulak says riders simply have to lean forward to start moving. To slow down or stop, it's a case of leaning back.

Gulak says he turns heads whenever he's riding the Uno, which he designed himself with the help of a 3D software tool called Google SketchUp.

There aren't any current production plans for the vehicle, which is on show at the 2008 National Motorcycle Show in Toronto and it's the only place it can be seen, unless you spot Gulak taking his Uno for a spin.

Tags: science, technology