A Plethora of Extraordinary Uses for Condoms

Thought condoms were only for the bedroom? Think again.
Survival Tactics

If you ever find yourself stranded on a desert island in the South Pacific or lost in the Amazon forest, condoms are the perfect survival tool against anything a desert island or tropical jungle throws your way. Now if only somebody could inform the cast of Lost.

1. When the pains of starvation start attacking you, you're going to want to find something to eat. If you happen to be near an ocean, river or even a stream, your best bet is to dust off the old rod and start fishing. Looking for bait? A blown up condom will do just the trick.


2. Whether you want to cook some fish, keep warm or draw the attention of an oncoming ship, you'd better start yourself a fire. To do so, fill a condom with water and refract light the same way you would with a magnifying glass. Before you know it, your water balloon will be bursting into flames.
3. If you're looking to preserve the last supply of fresh water you can find and don't have a water bottle handy, a non-lubricated condom can be the ideal compact water jug
4. You're going to want to keep whatever possessions you still have safe (hopefully those include some versatile rubbers!). Depending on your objects' size and the size of your contraceptive, store those items in a condom. The condom will keep your items dry and airtight.
5. Injuring yourself is the worst thing that can happen to somebody who's trying overcome the obstacles of the unknown. But if you or somebody else happens to hurt themselves, do not fear. Rubbers create excellent sterile dressings and surgical gloves by keeping out infectious blood and fluids. They're also great for mouth to mouth resuscitation or to keep a punctured lung airtight.
6. Last but not least, if you and somebody else are stranded or lost for a long period of time, your libidos are going to get the best of you two. Don't hold it back - let loose. But use a condom - the last thing you need when struggling for survival is a baby!

Just for Fun

Whether you're the creative type or are just looking for something to do on a boring Sunday afternoon, condoms will provide you with a great source of entertainment! The following is a list of things you could do with your rubbers to past the time:

* Use as a shower cap
* Throw a finger puppet show
* Make suspenders
* Cushion you shoe soles
* Prevent soda from fizzing over
* mold your Jell-O
* Create an inexpensive punching bag
* Deck the halls with Christmas stockings
* Make an animal muzzle
* Don't drown - make water wings
* Keep your feet warm
* Invent the first automatic door closer
* Complete your clown costume by adding a big red nose
* Keep a grip on your bicycle handles
* Stretch one over a light bulb for a mood lighting effect
* Put one over a showerhead for April Fool's
* Blow up balloons
* Create baggies for your condiments
* Make eyeballs for a funny pair of glasses
* Balloon puppets
* Nose/Ear plugs
* Paint scales and put in fish tank
* Make ceiling fan covers
* Novelty key rings
* Nipple tassels
* Water bed
* Make a money holder
* Home-made breast implants
* Wax fruit
* Slingshot

The Real World

Believe it or not, condoms have actually been used and are stilled being used in real life situations. Whether smuggling drugs or protecting the urethra, rubbers are being used all around the world by real people.

* In the Amazons, South American foot travellers wear condoms when wading through water. Why? To prevent candirú, a species of small catfish, from swimming into their urethras. Candirú are attracted to the scent of blood and urine.
* Condoms aren't only for civilian life. They are also used by the military for a plethora of reasons. In the OSS, condoms were used for storing corrosive fuel additives and wire garrottes and holding the acid component of a self-destructing film canister. The Navy SEALs have used doubled condoms, sealed with neoprene cement, to protect non-electric firing assemblies for underwater demolitions-leading to the term "Dual Waterproof Firing Assemblies.".
* To assure that no water or dirt can get in, condoms are placed over the muzzles of guns to prevent fouling
* Smuggling cocaine and other drugs isn't an easy business. Sometimes dealers have to resort to unsanitary and even dangerous methods to get their shipment of crack over the border. This sometimes involves filling a rubber with drugs, tying it into a knot and inserting it in the rectum or swallowing it. Gross, I know. The lethal part: if it breaks, it could cause overdose. So drug users, think twice about where your cocaine has been.

Outstanding Aerial Photos around the World

This was the staggering scene after a faulty gas cooker exploded in a timber-framed shack – and devastated a tiny Caribbean island. The blast caused an inferno that leapt from hut to hut, taking less than ten minutes to sweep across Soledad Miria. Many of the 1,014 inhabitants dived into the sea or took to fishing boats to escape. More than a third – 348 – were injured but, amazingly, no one died.
A real picture of 300+ low income homes in Ixtapaluca (Mexico), a complex with more than 10
Aerial view of Roar Rollercoaster, Six Flags, Baltimore, USA
From the sky, it looks just like a giant oak tree lying on its side.But this fascinating image is partly down to nature and partly made by man. The remarkable shape of trunk, branches and foliage was created by a combination of storm damage and scars left on the landscape by forestry machinery used to retrieve logs. Swedish photographer Jocke Bergland took the shot while flying over Sweden documenting damage in the wake of Hurricane Gudrun in January 2005.
This show the devastation that occurred when a large tornado struck Greensburg Friday night.
By sitting and lying in the snow, students of Park City middle-school used their bodies to spell: "Step it up. Go carbon neutral" for activist and aerial artist John Quigley as part of a Sundance Film Festival documentary.
Aerial Picture Of 3 Air Craft Carriers
Taxicabs in Mexico City, rounded up for not having permits ("Taxis Piratas")


A Soccer field in Africa (by Michael Poliza)
A message of love to an unknown "Gina" is scrawled across the lanes of an overpass on Highway 520 in the Arboretum on Tuesday in Seattle. The message was painted on an unused ramp on the highway in the serene park. The painter and the recipient of the message are mysteries.



The Amundsen-Scott South Pole station: A functioning community of scientists living at the bottom of the world.



Aerial photograph of Grand Prismatic Hot Springs, Yellowstone Park, USA
Striking aerial image of an unusually large herd moving through Chad toward the Tinga



This guy decided to show the words in a crop field so it would be visible in aerial photos. Only, he decided to do it in the form of a Semacode (a visual code - or bar code - for containing information).


Aerial view of birds on Bass Rock, Scotland.

World's Most Amazing Islands

GUNKANJIMA (Japan): the Ghost (and forbidden) Island
Gunkanjima is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan's first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers, and to protect against typhoon destruction.

In 1959, its population density was 835 people per hectare for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare for the residential district, one of the highest population density ever recorded worldwide. As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima's mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it's called the Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima is currently prohibited.









SURTSEY (Iceland): The emerging island

Off the coast of Iceland on the morning of 14 November 1963, the crew of a lone fishing trawler spotted an alarming sight. Off to the southwest of the Ísleifur II, a column of dark smoke was rising from the water. Concerned that it could be another boat on fire, the captain directed his vessel towards the scene. Once there, however, they found not a boat but a series of violent explosions producing ash. This was an unmistakable indication of a volcanic eruption taking place underwater, close to the surface. Very aware of the potential danger but eager to watch, the crew kept their boat nearby. It was indeed a remarkable event that they would witness a small part of over the course of that morning: the formation of a brand-new island.

Although now quite visible, the eruption lasted for much, much longer than the Ísleifur II would have been able to watch. After several days, the volcano had broken the water's surface, forming an island over 500 meters long and 45 meters tall. Even though the rough tides of the North Atlantic might have soon eroded the new island away, it was named Surtsey, meaning 'Surtur's island' - Surtur (or Surtr) being a fire giant of Norse mythology. The island proved to be tenacious, however. The eruption was ongoing and Surtsey increased in size more quickly than the ocean could wear it down. In the meantime two other nearby volcanic eruptions produced the beginnings of islands, but neither lasted very long. By April 1964, though, the most violent parts of the eruption were over and Surtsey remained.




It was fairly clear that it was going to be a permanent island - or at least as permanent as anything can be in geology. The explosions returned in August 1966, and only stopped when the entire eruption finally came to an end in June 1967. Since then, the volcano has lain dormant. The island was left 174 meters tall and about 2.8 square kilometers in size. At 33 kilometers south of the mainland, it also marked the new southernmost point of Iceland.






PALM ISLANDS (Dubai): the palm-shaped man-made island

The Palm Islands in Dubai are the three largest artificial islands in the world. They are being constructed by Nakheel Properties, a property developer in the United Arab Emirates, who hired the Dutch dredging and marine contractor Van Oord, one of the world's specialists in land reclamation. The islands are The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali and The Palm Deira. The Islands are located off the coast of The United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf and will add 520 km of beaches to the city of Dubai.

The first two islands will comprise approximately 100 million cubic meters of rock and sand. Palm Deira will be composed of approximately 1 billion cubic meters of rock and sand. All materials will be quarried in the UAE. Between the three islands there will be over 100 luxury hotels, exclusive residential beach side villas and apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities and health spas. The creation of The Palm Jumeirah began in June 2001. Shortly after, The Palm Jebel Ali was announced and reclamation work began. In 2004, The Palm Deira, which will be almost as large in size as Paris, was announced. Palm Jumeirah is currently open for development. Construction will be completed over the next 10-15 years.



SEALAND (Principality): World's smallest island

The Principality of Sealand is an island and a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius.

Since 1967, the installation has been occupied by associates and family of Paddy Roy Bates, a former radio broadcaster and former British Army Major, who claims that it is a sovereign and independent state. Critics, as well as court rulings in the United States and in Germany, have claimed that Roughs Tower has always remained the property of the United Kingdom, a view that is disputed by the Bates family. The population of the facility rarely exceeds ten, and its habitable area is 550 m2 (5920 sq ft).

Sealand's claims to sovereignty and legitimacy are not recognised by any country, yet it is sometimes cited in debates as an interesting case study of how various principles of international law can be applied to a territorial dispute






EASTER ISLAND (Polynesian triangle, Chile): world heritage site and one of the most isolated inhabited islands in history

Easter Island is one of the world's most isolated inhabited islands. It is 3,600 km (2,237 miles) west of continental Chile and 2,075 km (1,290 miles) east of Pitcairn. Nowdays, it is a Chilean-governed island, and is a world heritage site with much of the island protected by the Rapa Nui National Park.

First settled by a small party of Polynesians, Easter Island is one of the youngest inhabited territories on Earth, and for most of its history it was the most isolated inhabited territory on Earth. Its inhabitants the Rapanui have endured famines, epidemics, civil war, slave raids and colonialism; have seen their population crash on more than one occasion, and created a cultural legacy that has brought them fame out of all proportion to their numbers.






MALDIVE ISLANDS: the paradisiac island nation with 1,192 islets

The Maldives is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is located south of India's Lakshadweep islands, and about seven hundred kilometers (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. The Maldives' twenty-six atolls encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited by local communities.

Originally the inhabitants were Buddhist, but Islam was introduced in 1153. It later became a Portuguese (1558), Dutch (1654), and British (1887) colonial possession. In 1965, the Maldives obtained independence from Britain (originally under the name "Maldive Islands"), and in 1968 the Sultanate was replaced by a Republic. However, in thirty-eight years, the Maldives have seen only two Presidents, though political restrictions have loosened somewhat recently. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of population. It is also the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world.



THE WORLD ISLANDS (Dubai): man-made islands in the form of a world map

Ever wish the world was smaller? The World is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands in the shape of a world map. The World is being built primarily using sand dredged from the sea. Each island ranges from 23,000 m2 to 84,000 m2 (250,000–900,000 square feet or 5.7–21 acres) in size, with 50–100 m of water between each island. The development will cover an area of 9 km in length and 6 km in width, surrounded by an oval breakwater. The only means of transport between the islands will be by boat and helicopter. Prices for the islands will range from $15-45 million (USD). The average price for an island will be around $25 million (USD). Dredging started in 2004 and as of March of 2007 The World is around 90% complete. According to the National Geographic Channel (The Best of Megastructures) the overall price for the World is $14 Billion US Dollars.






ALCATRAZ ISLAND (USA): home to the first lighthouse on the Pacific Coast

Alcatraz Island (sometimes informally referred to as simply Alcatraz or by its pop-culture name, The Rock) is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States. It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963, when it became a national recreation area. The first European to discover the island was Juan de Ayala in 1775, who charted the San Francisco Bay and named the island "La Isla de los Alcatraces", which means "Island of the Pelicans".

The discovery of gold in California in 1848 brought thousands of ships to San Francisco Bay, creating an urgent need for a navigational lighthouse. In response, Alcatraz lighthouse #1 was erected and lit in the summer of 1853. Because of its natural isolation in the middle of a bay, surrounded by cold water and strong sea currents, Alcatraz was soon considered by the U.S. Army as an ideal location for holding captives. Alcatraz was the Army's first long-term prison, and it was already beginning to build its reputation as a tough detention facility by exposing inmates to harsh conditions and iron fisted discipline. Due to rising operational costs because of its location, the Military Department decided to close this famous prison in 1934, and it was subsequently taken over by the Department of Justice and later became the famous federal prision and finally a recreation area.

Weird Japanese Self-Defense

17 year old Girl has 7 beautiful Kids

This is really outrageous.

Argentine teenager Pamela Villarruel poses with her seven children outside her parents' home in the town of Leones in Cordoba Province, northern Argentina, May 11, 2008. (Pics courtesy: AP)

Pamela, 17, bore all seven children in just three pregnancies, having her first boy in 2005 when she was 14 and the other six girls in two deliveries of triplets in the following two years.

Pamela and her children currently sleep in the living room of her mother Magdalena who supports them all by house cleaning.

The father of Pamela's first son abandoned them, the father of the first set of triplets was forced out of the house by the family for beating her, and Pamela refuses to identify the father of the more recent triplets.

Magdalena requested to have her daughter's fallopian tubes tied to avoid any further pregnancies, but was denied as Argentine law prohibits the procedure to be done on minors.

Amazing 2008 Apple Festival in Sweden

Apple creative author - Helge Lundstrom. Showing all this was at apple festival in the city Kivik, which is located in Sweden. Each picture went 4 tons of apples, and that about 75,000 pieces. Short, but as beautiful.