from Daily Mail, October 29, 2013

New York remembers Hurricane Sandy as before-and-after pictures reveal progress exactly one year after storm devastation

The teacher who is allergic to SCHOOL: Deputy head has severe allergies which stop him holding pens, using smart boards and picking up chairs
Michael Steer, 36, star of the Channel 4 documentary Educating Yorkshire, has eczema and dermatitis and is allergic to potassium dichromate
His hands swell and his skin becomes raw on contact with the chemical
It is found in red ink, smartboards, chairs, computer screens and pens
Has to wear gloves to work to protect his hands from the chemical


Suck it out: Military personnel are getting LIPOSUCTION to pass Pentagon's body fat test
Military personnel are getting liposuction to pass the Pentagon's body fat test
The Defense Department's method of estimating body fat is considered unfair because it knocks out personnel with muscular builds
Fitness experts claim the military's fitness standards are outdated and don't reflect that Americans are bigger
Personnel can get kicked out of the military if they don't pass tests
The number of Army soldiers booted for being overweight has jumped tenfold in the past five years


Just in case we come a cropper: The doomsday vault that keeps seeds for every type of agriculture mankind relies upon should a disaster ever wipe them out
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway is home to more than two billion seeds
The seed bank can withstand a nuclear strike and aims to preserve crops in the face of natural disasters and war
Rare images of the food ark, which has 4.5 million varieties of seeds, were taken by photographer Jim Richardson
Vault was started by conservationist Cary Fowler from the Global Crop Diversity Trust and cost £4million to construct


Think you get cold hands in the winter? Spare a thought for this woman whose painful fingers turn purple and white when exposed to the elements
The 45-year-old woman has severe Raynaud's phenomenon
Occurs when the blood vessels in the hands and fingers go into a temporary spasm blocking the flow of blood - it is usually triggered by exposure to cold
When the patient’s hands warm up again, and blood returns to the fingers, they can become painful - the sufferer also sometimes gets pins and needles
There is no cure for the condition but it does not usually pose a serious threat to health


Comfort eating: The new mental illness. You eat a biscuit - then can't stop until you finish the packet. Don't assume it's lack of willpower. Doctors now say it's a psychiatric condition that needs treatment
Binge-eating has officially been classified a new type of eating disorder
Those affected are often depressed and extremely self-critical
Unsurprisingly, those with binge eating disorder are often overweight, but...
They can and do lose weight periodically - and dramatically
The disorder affects men and women equally (unlike anorexia and bulimia)


River of CARAMEL threatens to engulf Brazilian town after warehouse fire melts 30,000 tonnes of sugar
Firefighters are still battling blaze at sugar warehouse in Santa Adelia, Brazil
River of caramel flowing out of building, onto roads and towards homes
Hundreds of locals have been moved into hotels for fear of being engulfed


Nasa satellite images reveal the terrifying extent of China's air pollution
Smog is visible as murky grey colour shown in Suomi NPP satellite image
Brightest areas are fog which has a tinge of yellow due to the air pollution
It engulfed the city of Harbin causing visibility to be reduced to 10 metres


What a magic birthday! Leukaemia girl, 6, is deluged with a MILLION cards after plea to receive letters like Harry Potter
Oliwia Gandecka's wish was to receive lots of cards on her birthday
The six-year-old was inspired by a scene in Harry Potter
Her parents set up the Birthday Card for Oliwia campaign
On October 26 more than a million cards was delivered to the child


Don't call me an ugly bug! Photographer uses extreme close-ups to capture the unique faces of less conventionally attractive creatures
Colin Hutton took stunning photos of the world's most overlooked animals including spiders, flies and wasps
He said he often spends up to three hours trying to photograph just one restless bug to capture the perfect photo
Colin, from North Carolina, scours local parks to find the insects but will travel over 600 miles to his parent's house in Florida to capture more unusual bugs


'To the person who stole my son's pumpkin...': Parent writes hilarious sign for local Halloween thief
A mother in Washington DC left a note for the person that stole her two-year-old's pumpkin
Becky, 33, said she wanted to distract her upset son and shame the thief


Megachurch pastor tells his congregation his newly built 16,000-square-foot house is gift from God
Pastor Steven Furtick of the Elevation megachurch in North Carolina has built a $1.7 million home
He told his congregation on Sunday that the home is a gift from God
Elevation Church and Furtick will not disclose what he is paid by the church or the church's earnings
Furtick's salary and benefits are not decided by an elected board of elders or his congregation
A panel of five 'appointed' members who are all pastors of megachurches decide Furtick's pay


Husband, 46, killed by his wife's homemade curry after suffering major allergic reaction to coconut cream
Marcus Sweet fell into anaphylactic shock after a spoonful before dinner
Despite taking antihistamine and being given CPR, he died within an hour
Wife Julie accused paramedic Vic Ward of failing to act properly
After brief suspension and training, Mr Ward is back at work


How many calories are in your favorite seasonal drinks? Dunkin' Donuts's Pumpkin Spice Coolatta has over 1,000 calories!


Woman surfer nearly drowns as St Jude's gale creates off Portugal some of the biggest waves to ever be conquered by boards
Father-of-two Andrew Cotton, 34, took on the monster waves at Praia do Norte, near Nazare at 8am yesterday
Beach known among surfers for huge waves because it picks up full brunt of violent Atlantic storm swells
Maya Gabeira, from Brazil, nearly drowned and had to be resuscitated on the beach after falling on a wave

Beware novelty contact lenses: How the popular Halloween accessories can cause infection and blindness if not used properly


Innocent man burned to death by vigilante neighbours who mistook him for paedophile
Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, took pictures of youths vandalising his flower baskets
A court heard he planned to give the images to police as evidence
But a neighbour saw him with a camera and reported him as a paedophile
Police arrested Mr Ebrahimi but let him go when they realised the mistake
But two days after his release he was attacked by vigilante neighbours
Lee James has pleaded guilty to murder after beating Mr Ebrahimi unconscious before dragging him into the street and setting him on fire
Stephen Norley pleaded guilty to assisting an offender
Both will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court next month


It’s the STRAIGHTENING Tower of Pisa: Italian landmark loses 2.5cm of its famous tilt after £25m salvage project
Stabilisation works have prevented further tilting AND made it more vertical
The tower has straightened up by 2.5cm since works were completed in 2001