It was the second time I saw MARS performing live, but to me definitely the most memorable one. And because this would be one of the last shows of the TIW tour, for me there was no doubt about traveling to Antwerp to see my three heroes perform. From the moment I arrived at the Arena, to the very last note of Kings & Queens this adventure has truly been a dream come true.

Together with my best friend I arrived at the Lotto Arena, where we had to wait for about 3 hours before the doors would open. A long wait, you’d say, but thanks to the wonderful and friendly Echelon, warmth-blankets and drinks those three hours just flew away. Then, the moment on which the doors would open. Clear minds, fast feet and holding hands my friend and I ran towards the stage, which made it possible for us to stand really, really close to what would soon become our temporary world.

After two supporting programs (Vermont Joy Parade blew me away) the time was there for the show to begin. My heart was bouncing in my chest, my hands were shaking. I couldn’t believe that I was about to be part of what would become the most amazing night of my life. When we finally heard Shannon’s slamming drums, Tomo’s guitar and Jared’s heartwarming voice filling the arena with A Beautiful Lie, the crowd went totally out of their minds. And so did we.

That night I jumped so high my fingers touched the sky. I felt a warmth being spread by what Jared told us: ‘Many people don’t understand 30 Seconds to Mars, but you do, and I understand you’ which made me feel connected to the band, and to the other 7.000 people in the arena. And that’s something only MARS can do.

To me, the best thing about seeing MARS live is the connection and the mutual love you feel between Jared, Shannon and Tomo and the audience. They love us because we believe in their dream, we make their dream come true. And we love them in return for being such an inspiration, for showing us that nothing is impossible, for believing in us. In their Echelon, their family.

The most memorable moment for me was when Jared dedicated A Modern Myth to the victims of the tragedy at Pukkelpop, earlier that year. Everyone was holding their cellphones in the air and was singing along. It was the most harmonious sound I heard that night. Very touching, and heartwarming. But A Modern Myth wasn’t the only song to impress me. Search & Destroy, The Kill and Kings & Queens were just as impressive. Search & Destroy mainly because the voices of the Echelon are heard, and Shannon just kills the drumming part. The Kill because Jared sang it acoustically, his beautiful clear voice filling my body with warmth and pure happiness. And Kings & Queens, well that’s something I think all you Echelon understand. It’s a song which suits 30STM and the Echelon perfectly. It represents the connection between them, an unbreakable bond.

After the show had ended, I realized it had meant so much more to me than I could have ever expected. It was the night of a lifetime, a memory that is now an inseparable part of me. And I want to thank Jared, Shannon and Tomo for giving me that. For being the inspiration that they are, for teaching me to follow my dreams, and for believing in me when I didn’t. Forever. Thank you.

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This is no Halloween prank: Massachusetts teens have officially broken the world toilet-paper-folding record. Students from the St. Mark’s School in Southborough completed 13 folds and 8,192 layers, beating a previous high school student’s record of 12 folds in 2002. The class was guided by their mathematics teacher James Tanton, who has waited seven years for a class to finally break the record.

The question is, how did they do it? According to BostInno.com, the students taped 64 layers of toilet paper the into a a sixth fold. They then mimicked those layers and folded the stack. The end result was 8,192 layers thick, 1.5 meters wide and 76 centimeters high.

The New Scientist detailed the mathematical process here:

Based on the thickness of a sheet of paper, a formula can be used to calculate the minimum length needed to fold it a given number of times. Paper roughly doubles in size with each fold and the sides become more rounded, making it harder and harder to bend. Wrinkles also have a significant impact, making the formula difficult to follow in practice. In addition, no single roll is long enough to fold thirteen times, requiring the group to tape together numerous rolls of industrial toilet paper 1.2 kilometers long.

And according to Wired.com, with 0.08mm-thick toilet paper, if you could get a long-enough piece, it would be possible to reach the Moon with around 42 toilet paper folds. A new goal for Mr. Tanton’s next class, perhaps?

SOURCE

Check out MARS on Pinterest, a virtual pinboard that allows you to share things that you find interesting on the web. Hundreds are officially keeping tabs on MARS as they add interests and personal favorites to their pinboard, as well as leaving comments, likes, and reviews. Request an invite today and get to pinning!

What are some Pinboards you’d like to see from the Band?

My friends and I saw MARS  five times this year, including four dates of the French tour in November 2011; we traveled about two weeks all across the country to follow the band, starting in Nantes on Nov 13th and ending our trip after Montpellier on Nov 22nd.  Definitely the most amazing experience of my life so far.I also like to include MARS300 via VyRT on the list as I was finally able to see them live with the amazing people I’ve met on the internet all over the world thanks to the magic of technologies.

Closer To The Edge will always be one of the highlights of the live shows to me. The energy and the bond between the crowd and the band is always at its fullest. It’s also a song that has had a huge impact on my life so it’s always a very special moment for me where I often find myself getting very emotional.

I love the room left to the audience. We have a true part to play in each performance and that is just what makes Thirty Seconds to Mars something so special and that I’ve never seen before.

The greatest thing about seeing Mars live is that feeling, that you’ve never felt so alive before and you always come out of the venue mind blown unable to think straight for you have just experienced one of the best thing you’ll ever experience.

One of my most memorable shows though is the one in Nantes on Nov 13th 2011, partly because it’s my town of birth and it had a very special meaning to me to see them perform there.

So many hilarious and crazy moments I can’t even recall them all; from our two days of camping in front the gates of the venue, the making of the banner that will follow us through all the shows and will end up getting signed by the guys in Montpellier to the very last part of the actual concert where Jared got me and all my friends on stage for Kings and Queens.

The reason that moment is so special is cause it has a quite nice story to it. Jared had clearly picked us at the very beginning but the security snubbed us. After picking a few more people he came back to our spot noticing that we were indeed still in the pit and gave us a pout mimicking our disappointed faces.

Frustrated, we tried nonetheless to enjoy ourselves still firmly brandishing the  huge ‘THANK YOU’ banner we had been holding during the whole show. Jared stopped the song after the bridge like he usually does, so we weren’t expecting anything until he announced he needed a few more people on stage and proceeded to come over where we were standing and pointed at each one of us staying there and repeating “Yes just these four right here” to the security making sure that this time we would make it. We went literally insane when we met with the people already on stage to finish the song along with them and the band.

Not only being there on stage was surreal but the way we got to go felt really special and unusual. I think I couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to be able to join them on Kings and Queens. It will stay one of my favorite and funniest memories of all time.

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English city deters teens with pig dung

It may not be the most conventional way of tackling crime, but an English city council has claimed success after using pig dung to eject teenagers from a woodland they used to drink and take drugs.

Elderly residents of Middlesbrough, northeast England, had complained that young people were smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol in a woodland area near the Coulby Newham housing estate.

In response, officials thinned out the trees so the area was more visible from paths and then spread a thick layer of pig manure on the ground – which has proved highly effective in deterring wayward teens.

“Following complaints, an inspection of the area revealed it was being used to drink alcohol and take drugs, as paraphernalia known as bongs were found,” said a spokesman for Middlesbrough Council.

“Feedback from the residents indicated that, although there was a slight whiff in Willowbank, they would much rather have a pong than a bong.”

SOURCE

Be sure to check out the latest on VyRT: MARS MTV Unplugged!

I was at the Aberdeen, Scotland show on the 3rd of December 2010. It was my first Mars show and has been the only time I’ve seen them live. I’m from Aberdeen so didn’t have to travel that far for the show but as it had been snowing quite badly where I live I didn’t drive the direct route to the venue (which would take about 25 minutes) but walked about a mile to catch a bus which then took me a longer route to the venue (taking about 2 hours in total). I just wanted to get there so bad as it was due to the Echelon’s generosity that I had a ticket. I should explain that. When I heard that Mars were coming to Aberdeen I was over the moon and was so excited to get a ticket. However, I then found out it was only a standing show. I have a back problem which meant that I would have to have a seated ticket to avoid being bashed in the pit. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to go and was heartbroken. The Echelon saw how upset I was and secretly grouped together to buy me a Golden Ticket which meant I could watch the show from the side of stage and also get to meet the boys. I am still amazed by their generosity and I want to thank each and every one of them who donated money as it was the best night of my life.

Regarding the show itself, my favourite song to hear live was Closer to the Edge. This is because it’s my favourite Mars song and I wanted to fist pump and jump around with my Echelon brothers and sisters and Jared too. I also really liked hearing Alibi acoustic as it’s a song close to my heart. Of course, I enjoyed hearing Kings and Queens live as I feel it is the song that brings us all together and connects us. Just to see Mars live in general was amazing and I loved every minute of it!

My favourite aspect of Jared, Shannon and Tomo’s live performance is their energy. They always give it their all so that we have a good time. Jared’s always running around the stage and jumping into the crowd. He always seems to care about our safety as I remember he asked the security if someone in the pit was alright. Not many frontmen would do this, they tend to go on stage and get the job done. But Jared always wants to make sure we have the best experience possible. Tomo’s always jumping around the stage too. I have no idea how he managed to play the whole set and was still jumping at the end of Kings and Queens. And of course Shannon, the heartbeat of the band, beats those drums like crazy the entire set. His energy gave me energy to jump and touch the sky the entire show.

The most memorable moment of the show for me was just being there, witnessing the amazing Mars play live and getting to meet the boys. I have never felt so connected to a band as I did that night. I sang along to every song and jumped the entire night. If it wasn’t for Mars I wouldn’t have found the Echelon and therefore wouldn’t have had the best experience of my life so far. For that I am eternally grateful to both the men of Mars and the Echelon.

I love you Jared, Tomo and Shannon, and I love you Echelon

Thank you for being you

Sarah Newnham (21, Aberdeen, member of the Scottish Echelon) x

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Zopittybop-Bop-Bop has cops in a knot

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop’s rocking around the clock has his US neighbours in a knot.

The police are tongue-tied too as they try to explain the arrest of the oddly named 30-year-old, following complaints about his excessive drinking and drug-taking.

Any offences would be in violation of bail conditions from Zopittybop-Bop-Bop’s previous run-in with the law.

Court records show the man’s name used to be Jeffrey Drew Wilschke. He legally changed it in October.

The Capital Times reports that Zopittybop-Bop-Bop was arrested last week after residents complained of excessive drinking and drug use near Reynolds Park in Madison, Wisconsin.

Authorities say he was arrested in another incident in April after police found a loaded hand-gun in his backpack.

He has been tentatively charged with carrying a concealed knife, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and a probation violation.

SOURCE