See GIFs and Photos here:
http://storify.com/storify/amazing-gifs-and-photos-from-olympics-opening-cere
Universal Olympian Wants Brit Asylum
Runner who does not represent any country is seeking political asylum in London
‘Before the opening ceremony, before a drop of sweat was shed by any of the nearly 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from 206 nations, an African runner walked into a police station here and asked for political asylum, according to news reports confirmed Thursday by a government official.
‘The runner, a man reportedly in his 20s, is from the East African nation of Sudan, according to a government official who declined to be identified publicly because he was not allowed to discuss the case. Sudan, battered by years of brutal internal warfare, has sent only six athletes to the Olympics. The Sudan Olympic Committee did not respond to a message seeking comment…’
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/sports/olympics/olympic-runner-from-sudan-seeks-asylum-in-london.html
Termite: The Hi-Tech Insect
Elderly Termites Grow Suicide Backpacks so they can explode them when enemies invade
‘Termite workers don’t get to peacefully retire. As they age and their bodies can work no more, some of them are fitted with suicide backpacks and conscripted for war.
‘There are thousands of termite species, and many engage in chemical warfare. Some squirt noxious chemicals from nozzles on their heads. Others violently rupture their own bodies to release sticky immobilising fluids, sacrificing themselves for the good of their sisters. Their range of weapons is astounding, and Jan Sobotnik from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Thomas Bourguignon from the Université Libre de Bruxelles have just found a new one…’
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/07/26/aging-termites-put-on-suicide-backpacks-full-of-chemical-weapons/
Fan Celeb Scandal Flames with Twitter
Prince, Paris keep tweeting out against disgruntled Jackson family members
‘…Paris, 14, still speaks sans PR filter — a rare move among celebs, especially inside members of a veritable Hollywood dynasty. Overnight, her candid remarks gained thousands of new followers.
‘“Grandma’s here ! #thankyougod <33” she tweeted Thursday morning, just before 3 a.m., adding “5 hours of sleep last night , been awake for 23 haha goodnight everybody<33” and “time to #hibernate.”
‘With mixed reports, it’s impossible to tell what’s truly going on from the outside. But the teens’ recent posts deliver closure: Katherine, who has been reported missing and found and sick and healthy and held against her will over the past week, is finally home. We know this because her grandchildren (who could seemingly care less about Hollywood image standards) said so.
‘And upon returning to L.A. Thursday, the 82-year-old told ABC she was “fine” but upset over losing custody of Michael’s kids to T.J…’
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-paris-jackson-prince-jackson-katherine-jackson-tweet-20120726,0,649371.story
Twitter apologizes for worldwide outage
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/26/tech/twitter-outage/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
My Avaaz petition for the creation of ammunition control law:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Make_Ammunition_Control_Law/
spectacular
Thanks TCE