Lookout Below

A Chinese high-wire artist slipped as he attempted to walk across a cable hundreds of feet in the air with no safety net.  Saimaiti Aijiang would have plunged to his death had he not been able to grab the cable, which usually suspends a cable car.  Aijiang was attempting to break a world record and was about two-thirds of the way across the nearly half-mile gorge in Tianmengshan, China, a scenic tourist stop.

A climber rescued Aijiang’s by sliding along the cable and securing him to a harness so he could be lowered to the ground.  Once on solid Earth, Aijiang broke down in tears and sobbed on his mom’s shoulder.  His hands were sliced and bloody from hanging on the thin wire.

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Over 60 party-goers (or "ravers") were blinded after their retinas were burned by a giant laser light show near Moscow, Russia. 

The ravers were attending the July 5 Aquamarine Open Air Festival.  Heavy rain forced organizers to erect massive tents and hold the all-night party inside.  Giant lasers that normally shoot far into the sky instead were refracted into the ravers’ eyes.

A few days later, ravers began visiting hospitals in droves, complaining of sore eyes and poor vision.  One raver described the injury as "a spot like when you stare into the sun."

One of the ophthalmologists told reporters, "’They all have retinal burns, scarring is visible on them.  Loss of vision in individual cases is as high as 80 per cent, and regaining it is already impossible."

One expert said the blindings were an accident due to "illiteracy on the part of technicians.  It was partly the rain, but also partly the size of the laser.  Somebody set up an extremely powerful laser for such a small space."

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