Text Size:
A|
A|
A
Email
PrintBassmaster this!
 |
 |
|
Associated Press Click photo for larger image. |
But as the photo shows, Rooke, left, had his hands full at the time -- with a 211-pound catfish, a record catch for a British angler. He and three other Britons landed the 7-foot-7 female on the River Ebro near Barcelona, Spain.
Rooke, a 30-year-old gas engineer from Surrey, said his rod almost broke in two as the fish took his bait of halibut pellets.
Trip organizer Stephen Buss, pictured behind Rooke, told the Daily Mail of London: "Two of us nearly had a hernia lifting her up the bank, and we were shattered afterwards, but we still had the energy to cheer and dance around her."
After posing for pictures with the catfish, the largest ever caught in Spain, they put it back into the water.
The European record for the biggest freshwater fish is 294 pounds -- a catfish caught in the River Po in Italy.
The world's largest, a Mekong Giant catfish, was caught a few weeks ago by commercial net fishermen in Thailand. It weighed 646 pounds, roughly two Steelers linemen.
Shocking news
If you hear a mysterious sigh of relief in your basement late at night, don't worry. It's probably just a rat. Polish scientists recently expanded human knowledge by rounding up a bunch of rats and repeatedly zapping their tails after a signal was sounded. (It makes you wonder why rats consent to these studies.) But here's where the science comes in. During the training, the researchers sometimes gave a second signal that meant the expected shock wouldn't come. Thus, the rats were trained to associate this signal with a reprieve and often took a deep breath. So what does this show other than that it was a slow day in Poland? "This clear correlation of sighs with relief supports our hypothesis that sighs in social mammals may function as signals of safety," the researchers wrote in the latest issue of the journal Physiology & Behavior. Wake us when a 211-pound catfish heaves a sigh of relief after being caught by some English blokes and thrown back in.
Cell phone cheats
A bit of a drip
You know how you have to break an egg to make an omelet? Or, better, destroy a village to save it? British artist Mark McGowan wasted 211,344 gallons of water to protest . . . the waste of water in London. He finally shut off the spigot Friday -- 32 days after turning it on in an art gallery's kitchen sink as part of an exhibit "The Running Tap." As described by The Associated Press, the idea came as London experienced its worst drought since 1976. The cold water was intended to gush for one year and waste 3.9 million gallons -- all in an effort to alert Londoners that precious water is needlessly wasted every day. McGowan was inspired to abort the project after the public utility, Thames Water, hand-delivered a notice giving him seven days -- or else. If you're worried that this work of art is ephemeral, relax. With a $2,614.62 price tag, the stainless steel sink is up for sale. McGowan said an art connoisseur from the United States is interested.
This just in . . .
Let's go LIVE to Morning File correspondent Mike Fuoco in the Post-Gazette parking lot. Mike?
"Thanks, Peter. You're absolutely right, I am standing in the Post-Gazette parking lot, next to the PG building at 34 Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown. The reason I mention the address is because it's different from the Post-Gazette Pavilion, the outdoor amphitheater, which is in Burgettstown. But that fact was lost on a carful of out-of-town women in their 30s bound for yesterday's daylong Vans Warped Tour.
(Run tape of woman talking over Fuoco's attempts to give directions to Burgettstown.) "No! No! It's at 34 Boulevard of the Allies! I looked it up on the computer!"
(Back to Mike.) "For once, I was certain I was right, but she wouldn't relent. For a nanosecond I thought about agreeing and telling her the concert would begin shortly. Finally, a passenger broke the stalemate, accepting that, apparently, the pavilion was located elsewhere. I gave directions, and the ladies were on their way.
"Yesterday's confusion isn't unique, Peter. On July 23, Assistant Managing Editor Tom Birdsong repeatedly and patiently provided directions to Burgettstown to drivers who were circling our building looking for Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest. In the past, detractors have accused us of being in concert with the devil but that marked the first time we were expected to stage one for the Prince of Darkness. Back to you, Peter."
A real turnoff
Today begins PC-Turnoff Week, and the idea is not to cut out political correctness, but to shut down your personal computers, for the sake of the children, and to consider healthy alternatives. Today's children spend less and less time reading, playing outdoors and hanging out with family and friends, according to www.pcturnoff.org. While the group recognizes the value of computers, it worries about aimlessly surfing, playing games or chatting online as big time-wasters. Excessive computer use can lead to social isolation, lower grades, overweight children and poor understanding of the location of the Post-Gazette Pavilion, which is in Burgettstown, not Downtown. Good luck to you parents out there.
PC-Turn-on week
On the other hand, a New Orleans couple is hoping you turn on your computer, so you can give them money and help make them holier. Anthony and Nicole Landreneau have set up a Web site to raise $3,500 for a pilgrimage to an international religious conference in London this November.
"Other people have been successful getting their weddings and other events paid for by doing this sort of thing, so we thought we'd give it a try," Nicole said in a news release.
The Landreneaus belong to a Catholic lay institute called Miles Jesu, which sponsors the Path to Rome conference and pilgrimage.
Give at www.fundourpilgrimage.com or simply send twenty-dollar bills to The Morning File Spiritual Improvement Fund.
Random acts of kindness
Last Wednesday, I took my three nephews (ages 10 to 12) to Kennywood. This is a summer tradition. The boys have been going since they were toddlers. One of the first years we went, my sisters and I took the boys, then quite young, on Noah's Ark. Much to our surprise, they were terrified -- so much so that they've never wanted to go on the ride again. We've teased them ever since because they'll go on every other ride in the park. When we suggest it, there's a resounding chorus of "No Way!"
This year when riding one of the more adventurous rides, we met a young Marine and his girlfriend. I shared with them the boys' fear of Noah's Ark. They were very surprised and pointed out to the boys that if they would go on this ("the scariest ride in the park"), surely they could go on the Ark. It was a nice pitch but no sell. Later in the day, we ran into the couple again, and they offered to go with the boys on the Ark. The Marine said that he would "protect" them. The boys took them up on the offer. They came off the ride laughing! Thanks to the young Marine and his girlfriend for taking the time to help three boys face and overcome their fears.
Diane Gerber, Mt. Lebanon
A few weeks ago, my daughter lost her camera, with many family photos, at the Pittsburgh airport. No inquiries brought results. And then, out of the blue and without any return address, the camera arrived by mail -- she had left her business card in the pouch. I hereby would like to express our gratitude for this wonderful deed. Whoever sent the camera, please know that what you did is very much appreciated.
Madeleine von Dehn, Mt. Lebanon
