The HenPower project：the OAPs being given CHICKENS to keep them company｜「母雞力量」計劃 英老人養雞享晚年

They say that a dog is man's best friend. But for certain elderly people in the North East of England, fur has been swapped for feathers.

The lives of dozens of pensioners have been transformed thanks to a charity scheme that uses hens to counter loneliness.

俗話說，狗是人類最好的朋友，不過對於英格蘭東北部的老年人來說，雞才是他們的最佳夥伴！多虧了一家慈善機構推行的計劃－母雞飼養運動，使得許多老年人的生活獲得改善，免於晚年孤寂。

Monster truck ice cream van set to tour Britain│巨輪卡車變身為雪糕車？

Wait till you see the size of the flakes! Monster truck ice cream van set to tour Britain's most popular resorts giving away free treats

What better way to cool off on a hot summer's day than a large ice cream - and they do not come much bigger than this.

A 21 feet tall monster truck has been converted into an ice cream van and is touring Britain's most popular resorts to hand out free treats. The souped-up van weighs 5.5 tonnes and took a team of engineers over three weeks to make.

What's your country famous for?｜你的國家在哪方面獨領風騷？另類地圖告訴你！

From making babies to being struck by lightning, a new map has revealed the surprising things that countries are best at. The map is based on statistics gathered from across the internet - ranging from sources as diverse as the World Bank to the Guinness World Records.

Created by online comic and website DogHouse Diaries, the map shows what each country leads the rest of the world in and the words picked - which are written across the country's geographical territory - are in many cases surprising.

從「最會生小孩」到「最常被雷擊」，你的國家在哪方面獨領風騷？另類地圖告訴你！

線上漫畫網站「狗屋日誌」根據世界銀行、金氏世界紀錄等搜集而來的數據，做出這份地圖，不少結果令人為之驚訝！

Europe's steepest funicular railway has a gradient of 106 per cent｜歐洲最陡登山纜車 － 蓋爾默纜車，你敢搭嗎？

These are the stomach-churning pictures of Europe's steepest funicular which has a gradient of 106 per cent - but not a seatbelt in sight. The breathtaking images show two children clutching onto a single rail as the ground drops away beneath them in Bern, Switzerland.

這些令人覺得噁心的圖片來自於歐洲最陡峭的登山纜車－蓋爾默纜車(Gelmerbahn)，位於瑞士首都伯恩(Bern, Switzerland)，其坡度有106度，且沒有提供安全帶！你可能認為只不過是纜車，沒有什麼大不了的，但是蓋爾默纜車是「倒退」行駛上山的，所以當地面離你越來越遠，而你又只能抓著一個扶手且沒有其他安全措施時，你就知道這趟旅程是多麼驚險了！

British traveller 24, spends £125,000 and five years visiting every country on earth｜打工度假算什麼，24歲英國青年「打工環遊世界」！

A British traveller has become the youngest person to visit every country in the world.

James Asquith spent a whopping £125,000 to achieve his dream. Over the course of five years the 24-year-old, who now works as banker in London, managed to visit all 196 countries from Australia to Iraq and San Marino to Serbia.

He started travelling in 2008 after his best friends caught the travel bug and decided to pack his bags and see what the fuss was about. Mr Asquith, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, said: 'Vietnam was the first independent country I went to and I spent nearly three months there. 'I also spent about five months in the US and Canada, getting to 27 states from Hawaii to Alaska.'

「環遊世界」可說是每個人的夢想！英國現年24歲的青年 James Asquith，年紀輕輕就完成許多人畢身的夢想，成為達成這一壯舉最年輕的紀錄者。他以5年的時間，花費12萬5000英鎊（約台幣585萬元）遊歷全球196個國家，實現他的夢想。

現於倫敦擔任銀行員的James，受到旅遊迷好友的影響，自2008年開始決定收拾行囊，去看看世界到底有多大。他第一個造訪的國家是越南(Vietnam)，並在當地度過了將近3個月；也花了5個月的時間待在美國和加拿大，踏訪了27個州，從夏威夷到阿拉斯加都有他的足跡。

A new book entitled “Sleep” ：Voyeuristic time-lapse photographs｜「睡眠」之書 一窺人類各種睡姿

It is a time for growth and rejuvenation, a state of semi-consciousness where we dream, imagine and put demons to rest. We spend a third of our lives asleep yet remember very little about it. 

One photographer, fascinated by our nocturnal behaviour, made it his life's work to capture the way we slumber through a time-lapse photo series. Ted Spagna from New York passed away in 1989 at the age of 45. He took photographs of children, couples, singletons and groups moving, stretching and cuddling in bed.

睡眠有助於生長發育、養顏美容，在半意識的狀態中，我們盡情作夢、想像和休養。人的一生中，睡眠的時間就佔了三分之一之多，然而我們卻不太了解在睡眠期間究竟發生了什麼事。

一名已故攝影師－Ted Spagna，非常著迷於人類夜間睡眠時的行為，於是他用了定時圖像拍攝的手法，捕捉了一系列人們睡覺時的姿態。拍攝對象從小孩到情侶、單人到群體，任何伸展、親密摟抱動作等等一舉一動都被記錄了下來。

You can make a lot of pies with that! Farmer grows monster pumpkin｜英國農夫種出巨無霸南瓜！

談到萬聖節，你會想到什麼殭屍？鬼魂？還是女巫？無論你想到什麼，別忘記每到萬聖節最重要的「傑克南瓜燈」，為了迎接月底的Halloween，今年來個Supersized的南瓜吧！

This monster pumpkin could smash the UK record after growing to the weight of a small car.
Farmer Mark Baggs has spent countless hours nurturing the giant squash after planting it in a 500ft polytunnel six months ago. He estimates it currently weighs 1,500lbs, the same as a Smart Car, but he hopes it will break the UK record of 1,504lbs - or 107 stone.
The pumpkin boasts a 15ft circumference and its roots span the entire length of the polytunnel. It is so heavy it has to be lifted onto a trailer using a forklift truck. But there is some way to go until Mr Baggs, from Wareham, Dorset, smashes the world record - a pumpkin grown in the US last year weighed in at 2,009lbs.

The father-of-two will find out if his pumpkin has broken the UK record at a ‘weigh off’ at a pumpkin festival in Southampton tomorrow. If it is declared the UK’s heaviest he will scoop a £1,000 reward from sponsors Thompson and Morgan. But he is up against rival growers Ian and Stuart Paton from Lymington, Hampshire, who set the current British record in 2010.

這顆巨無霸南瓜的重量相當於一輛小型汽車，英國多塞特（Dorset）的農夫 Mark Baggs 半年前在一座500英呎的溫室開始種植，並投入大量的心力來培育它。他估計，目前，這顆南瓜重達1500磅（約680公斤），重量跟一台 Smart Car 一樣，但他希望它能打破英國記錄的1504磅。它的周長有15英呎，其根更跨越整座溫室；必須使用叉架起貨機將它搬至拖車上。

Sexiness should be effortless│性感！應該由內而外不做作！

Christina Aguilera to Maxim: 'Sexiness should be effortless'

She's worked hard to get her body in shape and it seems Christina Aguilera is eager to show off the results.

The 32-year-old pop star, whose weight has fluctuated over the years, gave a glimpse of her toned tummy after unbuttoning her white shirt to reveal her bra for the new cover of US Maxim.

The singer also slips into a very sexy red corset dress which displays plenty of her ample cleavage.

Brazilian animal lover moves SEVEN beasts into his home｜愛虎成癡？七老虎入住家園

Borges rescued two tigers from a circus eight years ago and built a sanctuary in his garden before launching a breeding programme. He was forced to call an end to it when the authorities realised he was breeding the big cats without a permit.

Borges, 43, said: 'I was never worried about my daughters co-existing with these animals. 'You have to show the animals respect and love - that's how you get it back from them.'

He and his daughters Nayara, 20, Uyara, 23, and Deusanira, 24, walk the tigers on leads and feed meat directly into their mouths. They even allow them into their kitchen during mealtime and let them lounge around the house.

Incredibly, Uraya, who also works as a dog trainer, is happy for daughter Rayara to interact with the massive predators with minimal safety precautions. She said: 'Rayara loves playing with the tigers - she sees my dad interacting with them and she goes crazy.

'Every day since they were born we have taken care of them and fed them so their instincts become dormant. 'They are part of the family. I can't imagine life without them.'

Borges 八年前從馬戲團手上拯救了兩隻老虎，後來牠們繁衍後代，使得家中老虎成員越來越多，他們一家本來與老虎們過著幸福快樂的生活，但政府部門指控他非法繁殖老虎。

Borges 表示他從沒擔心過三個女兒從小跟老虎共同生活，他說：「對牠們示出尊重與愛，牠們也會同等回報。」平時吃飯時間，老虎會進廚房與家人一同用餐，就像餵寵物一樣徒手來餵食老虎，甚至讓牠們在屋內閒晃散步，相當輕鬆自由。連小孫女也熱愛這些老虎成員們，在幾乎沒有安全措施的防護下，零距離接觸也毫不構成問題。小虎從出生那天就是一家人用心照顧養大的，牠們兇猛的天性早已經不在了，老虎對於他們一家來說，就如同家人般親密。

Painter immortalizes 5,500 shelter dogs│我們能為安樂死的小狗做些什麼？

Faces of the doomed: Artist immortalizes 5,500 shelter dogs by painting each of their portraits before they are put down

A Kentucky artist is on a mission to paint 5,500 portraits of shelter dogs doomed to be put to sleep. That’s the number of dogs killed per day in U.S. shelters, a number that shocked Mark Barone enough to start doing something about it. By putting a face to the statistic, Barone hopes to spread awareness of the plight of homeless animals in the U.S.

Meet the world's 40 Mrs Averages｜全球各國女性大眾臉！你是台灣平均臉小姐嗎？

If you were described as average-looking, you probably wouldn't see it as a compliment. But perhaps you would be happy if you looked like any of these computer-generated depictions of the 'average woman'.

With flawless skin, youthful faces and bright eyes - these average faces of women from around the world are nothing short of beautiful.

They were created from hundreds of pictures of women from all over the world. Using a face-averaging tool hosted online by experimental psychologists at University of Glasgow, women from 41 different nationalities and ethnicities were used for the experiment. 

如果你被稱為「大眾臉」，我想你可能不認為這是一種讚美，但也許你會因為看起來像由電腦描繪而成的「平均長相」而高興。完美無瑕的肌膚、青春的樣貌，以及明亮的眼睛，這些照片是全球各地女性的平均樣貌。英國格拉斯哥大學實驗心理學家利用數百張來自世界各地女性的照片，並透過電腦程式『合成肖像』，將41個不同國籍和種族女性的照片重疊得出各國女性的平均長相。

Love got us through│愛，帶領他們邁向70周年結婚紀念日！

World War II hero airman who survived FOUR plane crashes celebrates 70 years of marriage

An airman who survived four plane crashes during World War II is celebrating 70 years of marriage today. RAF bomber navigator Jim Stafford, 96, said it was the thought of returning home to his wife Betty, 95, that kept him going during the dangerous missions.

Mrs Stafford said: 'Love got us through.'

Mr Stafford, of Felixstowe, Suffolk, said: 'Not many people can say they've done that in their lives.'

現年96歲的Jim Stafford曾是英國皇家空軍的轟炸機領航員，在二戰期間歷經四次的飛機失事，卻都沒有大礙似的奇蹟生還。今年8月28日是Jim和他95歲的妻子Betty慶祝其結婚70周年的紀念日。Jim說：「當年執行任務的時候，我都堅信著想回家陪伴在我妻子身旁的信念。」也許因為這個信念，讓Jim在經歷困苦的時候，皆能化險為夷。

Betty說：「愛，帶領我們越過重重的挑戰，讓我們堅持下來。」
Jim則表示：「應該沒有多少人能夠像我們一樣歷經過這些事情。」

• Bomber (n.) 轟炸機
• Navigator (n.) 領航員

He is a navigator of planes. 他是飛機的領航員。

McDonald's to offer vegetables or fruit to substitute french fries｜麥當勞推出健康新選擇，沙拉水果代替薯條！

全球最大的速食龍頭 McDonald’s 明年初將為美國的消費者提供健康新選擇，其套餐中的薯條可以選擇沙拉作為替代，而且不加價！麥當勞說，其實這樣的作法在部分國家已經行之有年，如法國，但現在打算在20個最大的全球市場推出這項新搭配。麥當勞在世界各地擁有超過34,000間的分店，未來三年，這個政策會落實到30%-50%的分店，而在2020年之前會100%普及。

McDonald’s will start giving customers the choice of a salad, fruit or vegetable as a substitute for french fries in its value meals in a bid to target consumers wanting healthier options.
McDonald’s Corp. will roll out the change early next year in the U.S., where people will be able to pick a salad instead of fries at no extra cost. McDonald’s says it already lets customers make such swaps in some countries, such as France.

But now it says it now work to make the options available in 20 of its biggest markets around the world, which represent 85 percent of sales. McDonald’s, which has more than 34,000 locations around the world, said the change will be in place in 30 to 50 percent of the areas within the next three years and 100 percent the regions by 2020.

Amputee and his wife inspire the world│無懼的愛，感動了全世界！

When love carries you through: Picture of wife giving piggyback to soldier who lost legs to Taliban IED inspires thousands worldwide

The living statue who refuses to give up｜「珊瑚人」Ashley Kurpiel 永不放棄的樂觀人生

With a Caribbean cruise with friends booked for November and a job she loves, Ashley Kurpiel, 31, considers herself lucky. But she has struggled all her life with a condition that is slowly turning her muscles into solid bone - and has already cost her her right arm.

Now, the 31-year-old is hoping to experience as much of life as she can before her muscles seize up for good. 

Ashley is one of an estimated 700 people worldwide with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), an incurable disease sometimes known as 'stone man syndrome' because its devastating effects can leave sufferers completely immobilized, like living statues.

31歲的女子 Ashley Kurpiel 對於她11月即將與朋友共乘加勒比遊輪而感到幸運。不過她從小罹患一種罕見疾病，面臨全身肌肉逐漸鈣化。Ashley Kurpiel 因此失去右臂，但她仍樂觀對抗病魔，認為自己很幸運能保有活動力，還希望盡情享受人生。

她是全球約700名「進化性肌肉骨化症」患者之一，是不治的極罕見疾病，對身體有破壞性的影響力，患者的肌肉會逐漸固化，所以又稱「珊瑚人」，患者有如活雕像。