Rat-eating plant

A carnivorous pitcher plant that eats rats and insects has been discovered in the Philippines. The plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is believed to be the largest meat-eating shrub, dissolving rats with acid-like enzymes.

The team of botanists, led by British experts Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson, found the plant on Mount Victoria in the Philippines.

They were inspired to search for the plant after word that it is existed came from two Christian missionaries who described seeing a large carnivorous pitcher in 2000 after they climbed the mountain.

Mr McPherson, of Poole Dorset, said: "The plant produces spectacular traps which catch not only insects, but also rodents. It is remarkable that it remained undiscovered until the 21st century."

The team, which found the plant in 2007 following a two-month expedition, published details of their discovery in the Botanical Journal of Linnean Society earlier this year following a three-year study of all 120 species of pitcher plant.

They decided to name the plant Nepenthes attenboroughii, after the wildlife broadcaster Sir David.

"My team and I named it in honor of Sir David whose work has inspired generations toward a better understanding of the beauty and diversity of the natural world," added Mr McPherson.

Sir David, 83, said: "I was contacted by the team shortly after the discovery and they asked if they could name it after me. I was delighted and told them, 'Thank you very much'.

"I'm absolutely flattered. This is a remarkable species the largest of its kind. I'm told it can catch rats then eat them with its digestive enzymes. It's certainly capable of that."

Hopefully this plant has no larger Man-eating relatives... Now THAT would be something to worry about.

I have the worst luck with wrist watches

It all started before I was even in Elementary school. Someone had given me a big expensive digital watch for a present. Of course I was just a little boy so the watch naturally was a little loose.

One day, I was in the bathroom, and the watch actually slips off my hand and splashes into the toilet. I have no idea what I was thinking as I flushed it down the toilet. Why didn't I grab it? It was RIGHT THERE (and water proof, no doubt). I wonder where it is now...

Several years without a wrist-watch go by....

Then while in elementary school (maybe 2nd or 3rd grade) I had gotten an "Indiglo" Digital watch for my birthday. I was quite proud of it. And I was also proud of the fact that it was lasting longer than my previous watch (and i liked how it glowed).

Then one day, I believe I accidentally got water on it, and then after that it got broken from getting hit hard on the ground or something like that. Goodbye watch number two.

Several more years go by....

7th grade, I asked for another watch for my birthday, thinking that surely I'm mature enough now to make sure it doesn't get broken somehow. Well I wasn't wrong about being mature enough, it only lasted about 2 weeks though. This time, the velcro strap that tightened and loosened it broke, and then the other side did too, leaving me with just the circular time piece, on which the hands had broken and swung free.

I gave up.

To this day, I use my cell phone to tell the time.