Record Breakers

[SpursFan1902]

Ooohh, I can't wait to see Postman Pat's van!

[Skylace]

Old news but good news

[nekokate]

I'd quite like to see them fuck.

[luke]

[faceless]

I'd set a world record for the 100m if that video came on the tv!

[Aja]

[faceless]

See the new skyscraper in New York - built out of Meccano
11th June 2008

A new skyscraper has been built at the Rockefeller Centre in New ork... but is just 65 feet high and made entirely of toy parts. The six-storey sculpture is by international artist Chris Burden and stands at the Fifth Avenue entrance to the Channel Gardens.

It pays homage to the historic skyscrapers, which characterise New York, giving the city its iconic architectural presence. Called 'What My Dad Gave Me', the sculpture is by far the most complex artwork that Chris Burden has made so far, made up of approximately one million stainless steel parts that are replicas of Erector set pieces, the popular 20th-century children's building toy. The artist gained notoriety in 1971 as a performance artist when he had a friend shoot him in the arm with a rifle.

Over the past decade, Mr Burden has been using specially stamped stainless steel metal parts for his sculptures, most of which are intricate and elegant sculptures of bridges, with each part based precisely upon those of the original Erector set.

"I have always wanted to build a model skyscraper using Erector (similar to Meccano) parts," says Burden, who works on his latest structure while curious New Yorkers hurry past about their business. He said his obsession with such models sprang from some serious thinking over many years about the nature of toys. “They’re the tools we use to inculcate children into how to be adults, how to live in the world,” he said. “But because they’re for children, there is this potential in them that’s never realized.”

Burden engineers the toy bridges to support and bear enormous weight in order to highlight the versatility, simplicity, and strength of their unassuming parts, and proving beyond doubt that his artistic endeavours are not simply a sum of their parts.

In 1912, inventor AC Gilbert created the first Erector set, inspired by the steel framework of skyscrapers that he saw under construction in New York City which were then at the height of a building boom. The Erector Mysto Type I - the first set Gilbert made - was a collection of small metal girders, which could be assembled with miniature nuts and bolts.

Burden's fascination with this original - and now rare - building kit led him to create his own replica parts, fashioned in stainless steel and electro-plated to produce a polished nickel finish in order to make them weather - and rust - resistant.

Burden said: "The model skyscraper, built from a toy and 65 feet in height, takes on the dimensions of a full-sized building. The circle of actual buildings inspiring a toy in 1909, which is then used to build a model skyscraper the size of an actual building in 2008, is a beautiful metamorphosis."

The piece of art combines technical sophistication with a child-like enthusiasm: building for building's sake. Despite being constructed with toys, What My Dad Gave Me takes on the dimensions of a full-scale building. Models and collectibles often feature in Burden's work, reflecting his fascination with humankind's industrial ingenuity and creativity, investigating relationships between power and technology, nature and society, and enlightenment and destruction.

What My Dad Gave Me will be open to the public throughout June and July. The exhibition is presented by the Public Art Fund and hosted by Tishman Speyer, co-owners of Rockefeller Centre.

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[faceless]

Gourmet Burger That's A Real 95-Pounder
Angela Barnes
June 18, 2008
It is known as the home of 'the whopper' and Burger King is hoping its latest product really lives up to its reputation. The fast-food giant has launched a £95 burger - all in the name of charity.

Setting a new record, the world's most expensive burger is available at its restaurant in Gloucester Road, West London. It will eventually be available to order via a hotline.

The fine ingredients of what is called simply 'The Burger' include wagyu beef, white truffle, pata negra ham slices, cristal onion straws, modena balsamic vinegar, lambs lettuce, pink himalayan rock salt, organic white wine and shallot infused mayonnaise in an Iranian saffron and white truffle dusted bun.

Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson told Sky News Online: "It sounds delicious. "The ingredients are very good and high powered, but why are Burger King doing it? It's not the Gordon Ramsay market. Nice idea but the wrong premises."

All the proceeds from The Burger sales will go to the Help A London Child charity, which assists young people experiencing abuse, homelessness, disability, poverty and illness. David Kisilevsky, at Burger King, said: "The Burger reflects our ongoing commitment to producing for a range of different pockets."

The Burger beat the previous world record for the most expensive burger, held by Daniel Boulud for the DB Double Truffle Burger in New York, (1994) priced at £65.

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The target customer pictured today...

[Griffo]

I'm having a hard time believing that the people who can afford to spend £95 on a meal would even step foot in a fast food place

[faceless]

Look out, it's Hurley from Lost!

[Bat]

Was that Roy Castle??? Must have been a while back then.

[faceless]

blimey, you hit that right on! I thought it was only a recent clip, but it's from 1991.The guy's name is Martin Sweeney.

http://www.ukslalomskateboarding.com/pics.htm

[faceless]

Dedication's what you need!

[faceless]

The 'Bollywood Burner', an attempt to create the world's hottest curry
The World's Hottest Curry Ever?
July 10, 2008

A curry so hot it comes with a health warning has been created by a London chef who is hoping to make the record books. Chef Vivek Singh thinks the dish won't be a regular on his menu.

The Bollywood Burner is made with the eye-wateringly hot Naga pepper and seeds - one of the world's hottest chillis. The Naga pepper measures 855,000 on the Scoville scale of piquancy - over 100 times hotter than a jalapeno pepper which measures just 8,000.

Diners at The Cinnamon Club are required to sign a disclaimer saying they are aware of the nature and risks involved with tasting the lamb-based Bollywood Burner before eating it.

Chef Vivek Singh said his dish was inspired by cuisine from Hyderabad, the state capital of Andhra Pradesh in India. He said: "We found a list of the 10 hottest chillies and decided to try and use some of them. I think it will be the hottest curry in the world." He added that the curry may not regularly appear on the menu: "I would create it on demand for customers but will not include it all the time, I think it's just too extreme a dish."

Toby Steele, 19, a student from Brighton was the first to taste the Bollywood Burner at the restaurant on Great Smith Street in Westminster. He said: "I'm usually a korma man and I suspect this is the hottest thing I've ever tasted. It was nice actually, you could really taste the spices. The initial taste isn't that hot but now, a couple of minutes later, I feel a bit floaty and light-headed."

The Bollywood Burner will be submitted to the Guinness World Records for verification of its status as the world's hottest curry. The results should be announced in two to three weeks.

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I'd have to give it a try...

[SpursFan1902]

Not me...I don't like my food to be painful!