German customs officials inspecting a Swiss car got a nasty shock when they discovered 164 large spiders and 45 boxes of cockroaches — the spiders’ food for the journey, a spokesman said last week.
The trap-door spiders, most “as big as a fist”, were found wriggling around in boxes and plastic bags, Markus Ueckert, a spokesman for the customs office in the south-western German city of Loerrach said.
“Of course, the officers didn’t open anything. They knew immediately what was going on,” Ueckert added.
The Swiss driver was hoping to line his pockets by selling the spiders at a fair in Germany but they were seized when he failed to produce the proper licence.
The same man was stopped at exactly the same place in 2007 trying to carry nearly 1,000 spiders across the border in his car.
He has been charged with tax fraud and breaking nature protection laws.(afp)
德國海關發言人上週表示，海關人員在檢查一輛瑞士籍車輛時被眼前噁心的景象嚇了一跳，他們發現了一百六十四隻大蜘蛛和四十五箱蟑螂──旅途中蜘蛛的食物。
德國西南部羅拉赫市海關單位發言人馬克思．于克特說，那些活板門蛛大部分都有「一個拳頭大」，牠們在箱子和塑膠袋中爬來爬去。
于克特補充說：「海關人員當然沒有打開任何箱子，他們立刻知道那裡面裝的是什麼。」
這位瑞士駕駛想在德國一場市集上賣掉蜘蛛大賺不法之財，結果因為無法出示合法許可文件而全數被查扣。
二ＯＯ七年時，這名男子就在同一個地點因企圖開車走私近千隻蜘蛛越境被海關攔下。
他最後被依逃漏稅和違反自然保護法被起訴。（法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）
Picture a 45-foot-long animal with a 5-foot-long skull and 3-foot-long arms. It may not seem strange until you realize that a human with those proportions would be 6 feet tall with 5-inch arms. Although the Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct 65 million years ago, the mystery of its unusual body __1__ has fascinated scientists for over a century. Barnum Brown, the paleontologist who first discovered T. rex fossils, initially found it hard to believe that the tiny arms belonged to such a __2__ creature. One of his colleagues speculated that the short forelimbs might have been used to hold the
Photographer Franziska Stuenkel likes to take spontaneous urban shots, so she needs a nimble camera that is ready to go when inspiration strikes: her German-made Leica M11. “I have to be very quick and discreet,” said the Berlin-based artist who captures reflections of people walking past windows, their contours merging with the shapes behind the glass. Stuenkel’s compact Leica is the perfect camera for the job, the 51-year-old told AFP. Famous for its pocket-sized and retro-style devices, the Leica brand is celebrating a milestone as it marks 100 years since its first commercial camera was presented to the public. The
A: Actually, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is particularly good for small people like you. B: Really? How so? A: According to Diana Wang, a US doctor of physical therapy, the BJJ’s purpose is to help smaller, weaker people defend themselves by using various techniques, such as leverage. B: That sounds interesting. What time does Dr Wang’s BJJ seminar begin tonight? A: The event is scheduled for 7:30pm at PMA Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Taipei. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. A: 其實你的個子比較小，很適合練巴西柔術呢。 B: 真的嗎？為什麼？ A: 據美國理療醫師王幼瑞博士說，巴西柔術的概念是讓弱小的人，也能利用槓桿作用等技巧防身。 B: 真有趣，王醫師的巴柔研討會幾點開始？ A: 今晚7點半在「台北巴柔運動館」，免費入場自由樂捐唷！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Dogs’ noses are incredibly keen. They can even detect changes in cortisol levels in human sweat and breath. Known as the “stress hormone,” cortisol increases when humans are under pressure. Recent research indicates that the smell of human stress can influence a dog’s behavior and emotions. In the study, human volunteers were exposed to the stressful tasks of preparing and delivering a speech on the spot and then solving math problems. __1__ Researchers collected sweat and breath samples from the volunteers on pieces of cloth during both their stressful and restful states. Meanwhile, other researchers worked with 18
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