Miss Universe Canada disqualifies transsexual contestant Jenna Talackova for being born a boy

A BEAUTY pageant has booted a 23-year-old contestant out the competition after discovering the buxom blonde was born a boy.

Miss Universe Canada - which is owned by Donald Trump - threw out Jenna Talackova when they found out she had undergone surgery to become a woman.

The transgendered contestant had already successfully reached the finals in the Miss Vancouver pageant before she was banned from continuing in the competition.

Although the pageant organizers described Talackova as a "real girl" they disqualified her arguing that the rules state that each contestant must be a "naturally born female."

Talackova began hormone therapy at 14 and underwent sexual reassignment surgery at 19.

She was listed on the official Miss Universe Canada website as a contestant until it was discovered that she was transgender. The organisation removed her profile.

"I'm disqualified, however I'm not giving up," tweeted Talackova, who later locked her Twitter account.

"I'm not going to just let them disqualify me over discrimination."

She added that she had been "disqualified for being born.".

Denis Davila, national director of Miss Universe Canada, said Talackova claimed on her registration form she was born a female.

Davila became suspicious and confronted Talackova about her sex change and the contestant admitted she was born a male.

"She feels like a real girl and she is a real girl. She didn’t expect people to question it," Davila website thestar.

"She was hoping we could put her back in the competition, but the rules are very clear and there’s no way we can go back on it."

The decision from the Miss Universe Canada pageant sparked outrage with people calling for Talackova to be reinstated into the contest.

People took to social media pages to express their disgust with one Facebook user writing on the pageant's page: "Tell us what 'requirements' did she not make? This reeks of discrimination..."

In a YouTube interview Talackova says she knew she was a female at the age of four and began hormone therapy ten years later. She has competed in transgender pageants before.

"I regard myself as a woman with a history," Talackova says winking to the camera in the video.

A statement from Miss Universe Canada read: "Jenna Talackova from Vancouver, British Columbia will not compete in the 2012 Miss Universe Canada competition because she did not meet the requirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form.

"We do, however, respect her goals, determination and wish her the best."

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READ MORE - Miss Universe Canada disqualifies transsexual contestant Jenna Talackova for being born a boy

Robot jellyfish sucks up power from the water

Robojelly - a robot jellyfish that feeds on water - could aid in underwater search and rescue operations, say its creators.

Researchers at Virginia Tech and the University of Texas at Dallas built Robojelly from materials known as shape-memory alloys, which return to their original shape when bent. Eight moving segments wrapped in carbon nanotubes and coated with a platinum powder replicate the jellyfish's natural opening-and-closing method of propulsion.

The robot is powered by heat produced from chemical reactions between the oxygen and hydrogen in the water and the platinum powder, which causes the alloys to change shape. "To our knowledge, this is the first successful powering of an underwater robot using external hydrogen as a fuel source," says Yonas Tadesse, who led the research, published in the journal Smart Materials and Structures today.

More work is needed to make the hydrogen-powered robot fully functional, however. The video above shows an electricity-powered Robojelly swimming freely in a tank of water, but the hydrogen-powered version has so far only been tested while clamped to the bottom of the tank. The researchers' next step is to figure out a way to deliver hydrogen to each segment separately, allowing them to be controlled individually, so that the robot can move in different directions.

source : newscientist

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Squirrel falls for toy dinosaur

A photographer used a tasty snack as a bribe to get a shot of a squirrel seemingly snogging a toy dinosaur.

Elliott C Nathan, of Boulder Colorado, placed a seed in the dinosaur's mouth to attract the bushy-tailed Romeo.

"I spent about half an hour getting the squirrel to trust me with seeds then I started putting them onto things," he said.

"He was careful about the dinosaur at first, but finally his hunger got the best of him and he went in for the kiss."

READ MORE - Squirrel falls for toy dinosaur

Pilot shocked to see shark fly past

A pilot in New Zealand couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a shark flying past him at 7,000ft.

He'd been preparing to land at Christchurch International Airport when he spotted the 5ft shark staring back at him.

The shark in question was actually an inflatable remote-controlled toy which had flown off.

The 'Air Swimmer' toys have been a popular present this Christmas in New Zealand and police have been bombarded with reports of escaped inflatable sharks.

Experts say that other than giving the pilot a shock, the helium-filled shark was unlikely to pose any threat to the flight.

READ MORE - Pilot shocked to see shark fly past

Not so bleak house...

A couple have embraced austerity by completely refurbishing their home with reclaimed goods.

Kresse Wesling and James Henrit bought their two bedroom flat last year when it was little more than a shell.

Now, after trawling charity shops and tips and searching on websites Gumtree, Freecycle and eBay the pair have created an incredible home from items destined for landfill.

What would have cost around £35,000 using new materials has been achieved for a fraction of the cost - albeit with a lot of hard work.

Their kitchen is created from reclaimed wood and granite and the tiles in their hallway are made from old firemen's hoses.

A disused work bench has been turned into a dining table and other furniture including the sink has been found at dumps and transformed into spectacular pieces.

Kresse, 34, said: "Our bed and closet were made from scaffolding poles and we found many things at the dump or in charity shops.

"We don't have two knives and forks that are the same and we use old jars for glasses.

"But we have a lovely Chesterfield sofa and Tibetan rugs in the floor and Welsh slate tiles in the bathroom.

"We have proved it can be done as long as you keep your mind open and are prepared to do the work."

READ MORE - Not so bleak house...