Faceless dollar coin

Couple find faceless dollar coin Mary and Ray Smith can't make heads or tails of a new presidential dollar coin they found last week. It doesn't have either. A week after the revelation that some of the coins slipped out of the US Mint without "In God We Trust" stamped on the edge, the Smiths said Tuesday they found one with nothing stamped on either flat side
It does have "In God We Trust" on the edge. What's missing is the image of George Washington on the front and the Statue of Liberty on the back. Instead, the Smiths' coin is just smooth, shiny metal.

"We're just so excited," Mary Smith told The Associated Press. "I'm just dumbfounded that we actually found something significant."

Mint spokesman Michael White said officials had not confirmed the Smiths' find. But Ron Guth, a coin authenticator with Professional Coin Grading Service of Newport Beach, Calif., said after examining it he is certain the coin is authentic.

"It's really pretty rare," Guth said. "It somehow slipped through several steps and inspections."

The couple, who live in Fort Collins north of Denver and collect coins, bought two rolls of the presidential dollars March 7 after hearing about the earlier mistake. Mary Smith said she thought they might find a "Godless" dollar of their own.

The faceless dollar could be worth thousands of dollars, maybe more, Guth said. The value will depend on how many similar misprints are found, but the Smiths' will always be worth more because it will be the first one independently authenticated, he said.

The first "Godless" coins went into circulation Feb. 15.

The Mint struck 300 million presidential coins, about half in Philadelphia and half in Denver. The Smiths' coin bears a D, meaning it was produced by the Denver Mint. The "Godless" coins were all believed to have come from the Philadelphia Mint.

The Smiths said that when they get their coin back from Guth, they'll stick it in a bank vault for at least a while.

The tallest tower in the world being constructed

The tallest tower in the world to be Burj Dubai is now the taller than any building in both the Middle East and Europe. Having reached 110 stroeys and 380 metres high it has the largest number of floors in any world building, at the moment it matches the Chicago Sears Tower, with one floor a week being completed it will be the sole record holder by next week.

There are only 38 other buildings in the world that reach over 300 metres high, with 3 of them now being in Dubai.

World's largest beautiful flower

The largest flower in the world, the rafflesia arnoldi, weighs 7 kg (15 pounds) and grows only on the Sumatra island of Indonesia. Its petals grow to ½ metre (1,6 feet) long and 2,5 cm (1 inch) thick.
There are 16 species of rafflesia, found in Sumatra, Malaysia and Borneo. The species is named after the naturalist Sir Stamford Raffles, who founded the British colony of Singapore in 1819. Raffles discovered the parasitic plant with his friend Dr. Joseph Arnold during their travels in May 1818. The rafflesia arnoldi is named after the two.

Several species of Rafflesia grow in the jungles of Southeast Asia, all of them threatened or endangered. Rafflesia arnoldii is the largest; its blossom attains a diameter of nearly a meter and can weigh up to 11 kg. Not only is it the world's largest flower, it is one of the most bizarre and improbable organisms on the planet.
It produces no leaves, stems or roots but lives as a parasite on the Tetrastigma vine, which grows only in primary (undisturbed) rainforest. Only the flower or bud can be seen; the rest of the plant exists only as filaments within its unfortunate host. The blossom is pollinated by flies attracted by its scent, which resembles that of carrion.
The Rafflesia is rare and fairly hard to locate. It is especially difficult to see in bloom; the buds take many months to develop and the blossom lasts for just a few days. How many of these strange plants still survive is unknown, but the last of them can be expected to vanish as the remaining primary forests of Borneo and Sumatra are burned.
However fascinating and beautiful the rafflesia arnoldi may be, it is also called "corpse flower" and really reeks, the latter to attract flies for pollination. Of about 200,000 kinds of flowers in the world, the smallest is the duckweed, which can only be seen with a microscope.

Pet fish knows his name

A Chinese man is looking for a good home for his pet carp which he says is fully trained.



Fang Peng, from Pingsai town, Guizhou Province, claims 'Submarine' responds to his name being called out.

Fang runs a fishing pond and his family have been training the carp for six years, reports the Guizhou City Papers.

He said: "He is very smart, and never takes the bait of anglers."

Fang says the fish developed his ability to understand human speech from his father who used to spend four hours a day with him.

Fang added: "He would tie a piece of cake or bread on the top of the fishing pole and call 'Submarine'.

"On hearing his name, Submarine would emerge from the water and take the food. Or I would feed him by hand."

Fang needs to find a new home for Submarine as the river which runs into his fishing pond has been diverted for irrigation.

WORLD'S LARGEST PLANE

There was a little excitement at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas with the arrival of the world's largest aircraft, a Russian Antonov 225.
It was there to deliver a very large power transformer for Nevada Power, which had been built in Turkey. Apparently G.E. or Westinghouse weren't capable, or they lost the 'bid' to Turkey.
Note the wingspan is just about a football field length. Aircraft specifications are at the bottom.






Some of the specs are:
Wingspan............290 Ft.
Height....... .89.4 Ft.
Length..............276 Ft
Number of wheels..24
Max T.O. Weight.....1,322,750 lbs. (Over 660 Tons.)
Max payload...551,150 lbs. (Over 275 Tons)
Engines..........six Lotarev D-18T turbofans
Max speed........530 MPH
Cruise speed...495 MPH
Range...............8,310 Miles
Only one aircraft built and it's not for sale.