Fritzl Update: A Surprise Thank-You

Austria

The famed victims in Austria's Fritzl family have surprised the officers who protected them from paparazzi and public scrutiny in the first few months following their rescue. Apparently unannounced, Elizabeth Fritzl and all six of her children arrived at the police station last week with a gift basket, complete with bottles of wine and hand-made posters and thank-you cards from the children. One of the cards said "During the initial, most difficult period you gave us a lot of strength and security. We will always fondly remember you and hope that our contact won't stop."

The chief of the police station, Karl Gschoepf, called the visit "[a] really nice gesture," continuing, "we were touched."

Faithful Goose readers know that I can never resist publishing good news about the Fritzls, however trivial, considering their past. This latest bit makes me especially happy, because I imagine that they've cleared a certain hurdle in their healing process to be able to give thanks to those who have helped them so far.

For more information, visit http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/13/fritzl.police.incest.ap/?iref=mpstoryview

Cloaking Device Within Reach

USA

If you've ever seen an episode of Star Trek, or if you payed careful attention to The Coneheads, you'll know what a cloaking device is. However, on the off chance that the Goose has any non-nerd readers, a cloaking device is something like an invisibility cloak - a special material that hides solid objects from view.

In the past, scientist have reportedly been able to hide very thin, almost 2-dimensional objects behind special materials designed to bend light in unusual ways. Today, thanks to the development of metamaterials (man-made combinations of metal and ceramic, Teflon or fiber composite) scientists have demonstrated that they can cloak 3D masses as well.

Unlike stealth technology, which makes it harder for radar to detect aircraft by minimizing cross-section, cloaking devices may one day make such objects completely invisible. Since the human eye recognizes 3D objects by the way they bend and scatter light rays, scientists have been developing metamaterials to "bend light around objects so they don't create reflections or shadows."

Find out more at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,401208,00.html

110 Year Old Cancer Survivor Becomes Daddy to Be!

New Zealand

Move over Viagra... this is what I call getting a significant second wind. For the past forty years, Henry had shown no interest in sexual relations. That is until recently undergoing successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. From the time the tumor was gone, Henry's once lacking libido has done a 180 and he is well on his way to becoming a proud papa. Did we mention that in addition to being a cancer survivor, Henry is over 100 years old? Our re-born Don Juan is a tuatara, an endangered lizard-like creature that descended from dinosaurs found on a few of New Zealand's islands. Henry is the oldest tuatara ever to mate at Southland Museum.

"I had given up on old Henry," said curator Lindsay Hazley. He kept Henry in "solitary confinement" because he would attack females who showed interest in him as a mate. But in the years since veterinarians removed the lump in 2002, his mental health seemed to be improving too: "I say that he had a personality transplant at the same time," Hazley said Thursday. "If I had a tumor underneath my [genitals], when girls were passing by, I'd be a very grumpy boy too."

In March, Henry mated with Mildred, whose age is estimated between 70 and 80, and 11 healthy eggs are developing. Last month, she laid 12 fertile eggs, 11 of which remain healthy. And since tuataras can live well past 200 years old, these two love birds may just be hitting their prime! Hot stuff!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/08/06/lizard.reproduces/index.html?iref=newssearch

Thanks to Garrett for alerting the Goose to this lizard love story!

Couple Gets (Re-)Engaged With Google Street View

The first time Michael asked Leslie to marry him was already a success... she said yes! But his proposal the Google engineer explains 'lacked pizzazz'. The "self-described nerd" he is, Michael Weiss-Malik decided to step up his game. He got the direction he needed using Google's mapping service, specifically the search engine's Street View technology. The feature allows internauts to view street-level panoramas of the areas they search for thanks to vehicle-mounted cameras which rove the covered areas. When Michael found out that the roving cameras were slotted to pass in front of Google's Mountain View headquarters where he works, he saw his chance to ask her before the entire world. Launching a website called MarryMeLeslie.com, Proposal 2.0 was as successful as the beta... and resulted in Acceptance 2.0!

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10112631?source=most_emailed

Gas Prices' Downward Trend: 20 Days and Counting!

According to a survey of gas station credit card swipes across the country, gasoline prices have fallen for the 20th consecutive day, resulting in a national average down by 25 cents! The AAA reports that this is an indicator of drivers turning to more environmentally friendly transportation options as well. In related news, yesterday's Washington Post reported that 10% of the police car fleet in Howard County, Maryland is made up of hybrid vehicles. Good for the environment, good for the pocket.

Gas trend details:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/06/news/economy/fuel/index.htm?cnn=yes

Howard's Hybrid decision well rewarded: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/03/AR2008080301643.html

Random Acts of Kindness in the DMV

Good news turned up in the Washington Post's Metro section today! 'Random Acts' is an occasional column for Washingtonian inhabitants to share stories of kindness done to them, by them, or within their line of sight. Each is quite short, so I'll let their authors tell you the story in their own words:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902272.html

K-2 Update: Third Climber Survives Unaided Return to Base Camp

The third survivor of the K2 avalanche, Marco Confortola of Italy, was able to make his way down the rest of the mountain and to the relative safety of base camp. Marco, who was injured and severely frostbitten, accomplished the rest of his decent with neither staggered down help nor oxygen. Once he was down, a Pakistani military rescue helicopter was able to transport him to a hospital for treatment.


For the original story... http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/05/asia/k2.php