Guinness 2009 hits the stands

St. Petersburg Times

The newly published Guinness World Records 2009 features about 60 percent new or updated records, colorful magazine-style design, a holographic cover and a pair of 3-D glasses for viewing more than 20 3-D photos.

The records range from impressive to ridiculous, which has always been part of the book’s appeal. Either you think, “It’s amazing someone could do that!,” or, “It’s amazing some idiot would try that!”

A few samples:

UFastest time to push an orange 1 mile with the nose: American Ashrita Furman took 22 minutes 41 seconds to perform the feat at a shopping mall in Valley Stream, N.Y., in 2007.

ULargest plastic-bag sculpture: In 2007, a 49-foot-long dinosaur sculpture, made from 16,651 used plastic shopping bags, was exhibited in Birmingham, England.

UMost cosmetic surgery: Cindy Jackson of the United States, dubbed “the living Barbie doll,” has spent more than $100,000 on more than 50 cosmetic procedures since 1988.

UHeaviest motorbike: It’s the Harzer Bike Schmiede, created by Tilo Niebel of Germany in 2007. Weighing in at almost 4.8 tons, it’s 17 feet 4 inches long, 7 feet 6 inches tall and powered by a Russian tank engine.