World Vignettes — Turn dryer on & let your hair down

Their collection of modern-day cradle songs is contained in a CD called For crying out loud, which can be purchased in the US for $ 10. The disc sold 6,000 copies in the first six months it was on the market, snapped up by desperate parents, grandparents and baby-sitters. It has just been released as an audio cassette.

“Babies are always crying often without any reason,” Martha said. “We tried everything changing the diapers, feeding and hugging them, rocking the crib, marching around for miles and miles, but nothing worked,” she added.

Titan of titans

CALIFORNIA: When her father shoved her into a lifeboat casting away from the Titanic and the iceberg that pierced its unsinkable hull, Millvina Dean was just nine weeks old.

Only 706 of the 2,223 passengers and crew escaped from the Titanic as it sank on its 1912 maiden voyage from Southhampton, England. Seven are still alive, including Dean, now 85.

Those seven, and their stories, have proceeded to cruise into the realm of myth. “I don’t feel like a celebrity,” she protested, signing autographs and mugging for camera-wielding fans at a recent convention for the Titanic-obsessed. But it was clear the fans believed her a celebrity even if she did not.

Aussie koalas

SYDNEY: Perched on tree branches, munching on gum leaves and making no fuss, Australia’s koalas form the backbone of the country’s lucrative tourist industry. Next to the kangaroos, the furry koalas are Australia’s most well-known symbol. But conservation groups say the much-loved animal is headed for extinction in its homeland.