Monday, August 31, 2009
CD case has built in theremin
Moldover’s new CD, over 3 years in the making, not only delivers gorgeously diverse music with meaning and musical mastery, it completely redefines what it means to “play an album”… Moldover’s CD packaging itself IS a new musical instrument! The CD is mounted on a custom designed circuit board, intricately patterned and powering a “light-Theremin”. Yes! You play the artwork and it makes sound! Only the musical supervillain genius of Moldover could develop something so stunningly innovative.
Hunt for Australia's 'Loch Ness Monster'
From the depths of time it comes from the ocean, gliding up waterways to lay its eggs then slipping silently away again - this is Sydney's own "Nessie''.
Cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy said he recently saw the 12m giant surface in the Hawkesbury River. Through binoculars Mr Gilroy saw a dark shadow ``with a longish neck'' near Wiseman's Ferry.
Mr Gilroy, who has been searching for Sydney's beast since 1965, said he believed it was a plesiosaur from the Jurassic period. Mr Gilroy, known for his research on the western Sydney panther, said neither the NSW nor Scottish Nessies were alone.
"We'd have to have a breeding population of no less than 300 to 600," he said. "We're dealing with ocean creatures coming into the river to breed. There are areas of ocean ... anything could live down there and you wouldn't know it.''
After hearing of the Hawkesbury Monster in 1965 he found accounts dating back to pre-colonial times, with stories told of children being attacked by the ``moolyewonk''.
When fishing boats were found overturned and the occupants missing in the 1980s, the Hawkesbury Monster was the prime suspect. "We have rock art depicting them. It seems the Aboriginal people knew of these creatures," Mr Gilroy said.
There's a photo gallery here.
Cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy said he recently saw the 12m giant surface in the Hawkesbury River. Through binoculars Mr Gilroy saw a dark shadow ``with a longish neck'' near Wiseman's Ferry.
Mr Gilroy, who has been searching for Sydney's beast since 1965, said he believed it was a plesiosaur from the Jurassic period. Mr Gilroy, known for his research on the western Sydney panther, said neither the NSW nor Scottish Nessies were alone.
"We'd have to have a breeding population of no less than 300 to 600," he said. "We're dealing with ocean creatures coming into the river to breed. There are areas of ocean ... anything could live down there and you wouldn't know it.''
After hearing of the Hawkesbury Monster in 1965 he found accounts dating back to pre-colonial times, with stories told of children being attacked by the ``moolyewonk''.
When fishing boats were found overturned and the occupants missing in the 1980s, the Hawkesbury Monster was the prime suspect. "We have rock art depicting them. It seems the Aboriginal people knew of these creatures," Mr Gilroy said.
There's a photo gallery here.
South African lesbians live in fear of 'correctional rape'
Despite South Africa having one of the most enlightened constitutions in the world, traditional views about sexuality still run deep. In many quarters, especially male ones, lesbians are resented, perhaps even feared. And to some young men the remedy is simple: rape.
Each year, ActionAid estimates, 500,000 women are raped in South Africa, with lesbians a particular target. The warped logic is that the assault will "cure" them. As a result, says ActionAid, 86 per cent of black lesbians live in fear of rape.
Their anxiety is understandable: only a minority of rapes are reported to the police and, of these, only one in five ends up in court, with a meagre 4 per cent of them ending in a conviction.
In 2008, the country's Human Rights Commission reported a growing phenomenon of "corrective rape" in schools across the country. ActionAid reported in March this year: "Support groups now say that rape is fast becoming the most widespread hate crime against lesbian women in townships across South Africa. One Cape Town lesbian and gay support group says it is dealing with 10 new cases every week. It is a toll that shows no sign of decreasing."
Each year, ActionAid estimates, 500,000 women are raped in South Africa, with lesbians a particular target. The warped logic is that the assault will "cure" them. As a result, says ActionAid, 86 per cent of black lesbians live in fear of rape.
Their anxiety is understandable: only a minority of rapes are reported to the police and, of these, only one in five ends up in court, with a meagre 4 per cent of them ending in a conviction.
In 2008, the country's Human Rights Commission reported a growing phenomenon of "corrective rape" in schools across the country. ActionAid reported in March this year: "Support groups now say that rape is fast becoming the most widespread hate crime against lesbian women in townships across South Africa. One Cape Town lesbian and gay support group says it is dealing with 10 new cases every week. It is a toll that shows no sign of decreasing."
Man-made volcanoes may cool Earth
The Royal Society is backing research into simulated volcanic eruptions, spraying millions of tons of dust into the air, in an attempt to stave off climate change.
The society will this week call for a global programme of studies into geo-engineering — the manipulation of the Earth’s climate to counteract global warming — as the world struggles to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
It will suggest in a report that pouring sulphur-based particles into the upper atmosphere could be one of the few options available to humanity to keep the world cool.
The intervention by the Royal Society comes amid tension ahead of the United Nations-sponsored climate talks in Copenhagen in December to agree global cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. Preliminary discussions have gone so badly that many scientists believe geo-engineering will be needed as a “plan B”.
Ken Caldeira, an earth scientist at Stanford University, California, and a member of a Royal Society working group on geo-engineering, said dust sprayed into the stratosphere in volcanic eruptions was known to cool the Earth by reflecting light back into space.
“If I had a dollar for geo-engineering research I would put 90 cents of it into stratospheric aerosols and 10 cents into everything else,” said Caldeira. The interest in so-called aerosols is linked to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. The explosion blasted up to 20m tons of tiny sulphur particles into the air, cooling the planet by about 0.5C before they fell back to earth.
The society will this week call for a global programme of studies into geo-engineering — the manipulation of the Earth’s climate to counteract global warming — as the world struggles to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
It will suggest in a report that pouring sulphur-based particles into the upper atmosphere could be one of the few options available to humanity to keep the world cool.
The intervention by the Royal Society comes amid tension ahead of the United Nations-sponsored climate talks in Copenhagen in December to agree global cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. Preliminary discussions have gone so badly that many scientists believe geo-engineering will be needed as a “plan B”.
Ken Caldeira, an earth scientist at Stanford University, California, and a member of a Royal Society working group on geo-engineering, said dust sprayed into the stratosphere in volcanic eruptions was known to cool the Earth by reflecting light back into space.
“If I had a dollar for geo-engineering research I would put 90 cents of it into stratospheric aerosols and 10 cents into everything else,” said Caldeira. The interest in so-called aerosols is linked to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. The explosion blasted up to 20m tons of tiny sulphur particles into the air, cooling the planet by about 0.5C before they fell back to earth.
Police investigate multiple killings in US mobile home
A murder investigation is under way in the US state of Georgia following the discovery of seven bodies in a mobile home, police say.
The bodies were found shortly after 0800 (1200 GMT) at New Hope Plantation trailer park in Brunswick.
Police said two critically injured people were found at the scene and taken to hospital in Savannah 60 miles (97km) away. Local reports said those injured were two children.
The town of Brunswick is about 240 miles (380km) south-east of the state capital, Atlanta. Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said it was worst such incident he had dealt with in 25 years of police work.
"We have never had such an incident with so many victims," he said. "It is not a scene that I would want anybody to see." He said a family member had alerted police but declined to say how the victims had died.
Some of those killed had been tentatively identified, he added, but he would not release names or ages.
The bodies were found shortly after 0800 (1200 GMT) at New Hope Plantation trailer park in Brunswick.
Police said two critically injured people were found at the scene and taken to hospital in Savannah 60 miles (97km) away. Local reports said those injured were two children.
The town of Brunswick is about 240 miles (380km) south-east of the state capital, Atlanta. Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said it was worst such incident he had dealt with in 25 years of police work.
"We have never had such an incident with so many victims," he said. "It is not a scene that I would want anybody to see." He said a family member had alerted police but declined to say how the victims had died.
Some of those killed had been tentatively identified, he added, but he would not release names or ages.
Irish citizens offered free online Chinese lessons
A Shanghai-based Irish entrepreneur is offering free Chinese language lessons online to every citizen of the Republic. Ken Carroll said that he decided to create a free online language learning pack because of Ireland's current economic difficulties. Speaking ahead of the programme's official launch on Tuesday, he said: "Ireland, as a small country, has always benefited from looking to the wider world and so it makes sense to continue to do so.
I don't have any illusions about solving the country's economic conundrum but the idea is to try to do our part. I hope it might prompt connections and business opportunities, and awareness."
The online language service will run until the Shanghai Expo in May 2010 and also has the support of China's foreign cultural relations body, the Han Institute.
Carroll, who runs a chain of English-language schools in Shanghai, said the service is designed for "absolute beginners". To use it, text "Chinesepod" to 57199 from an Irish mobile phone to receive a voucher code. Then visit www.chinesepod.com/ireland. The free offer ends 31 October.
I don't have any illusions about solving the country's economic conundrum but the idea is to try to do our part. I hope it might prompt connections and business opportunities, and awareness."
The online language service will run until the Shanghai Expo in May 2010 and also has the support of China's foreign cultural relations body, the Han Institute.
Carroll, who runs a chain of English-language schools in Shanghai, said the service is designed for "absolute beginners". To use it, text "Chinesepod" to 57199 from an Irish mobile phone to receive a voucher code. Then visit www.chinesepod.com/ireland. The free offer ends 31 October.
NHS sorry for dead patient letter
The NHS has apologised after writing to a man to address concerns over his treatment - three-and-half years after he died.
Tom Milner's daughter emailed the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) after her 76-year-old father died at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital. Janet Brooks said when she received a response, it was entitled "Dear Tom".
The agency said it had reviewed its systems to ensure the error did not happen again.
Mr Milner, who had terminal leukaemia, was not given his prescribed pain-relieving morphine in the last two days of his life, his family say.
They claim he was left in agony and lay in his own urine and blood at the NHS palliative care ward at the hospital. The health trust responsible for his care said staff had "acted appropriately".
Mrs Brooks, 54, of Emsworth, Hampshire, said she had outlined her concerns about her father's treatment in an email to the NPSA. "They responded with 'Dear Tom'. It's an example of the careless and shambolic attitude by the NHS towards my father and our family."
Tom Milner's daughter emailed the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) after her 76-year-old father died at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital. Janet Brooks said when she received a response, it was entitled "Dear Tom".
The agency said it had reviewed its systems to ensure the error did not happen again.
Mr Milner, who had terminal leukaemia, was not given his prescribed pain-relieving morphine in the last two days of his life, his family say.
They claim he was left in agony and lay in his own urine and blood at the NHS palliative care ward at the hospital. The health trust responsible for his care said staff had "acted appropriately".
Mrs Brooks, 54, of Emsworth, Hampshire, said she had outlined her concerns about her father's treatment in an email to the NPSA. "They responded with 'Dear Tom'. It's an example of the careless and shambolic attitude by the NHS towards my father and our family."
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Bear casually opens car door
He may young, but a little bear in Vail already knows a pretty good trick. Penny and Steve Turilli caught this bear on their home security system.
The bear casually walked right up to their car and opened the passenger side door.
He stayed in there for a few minutes and woke up the neighbourhood by honking the horn several times.
He eventually figured out how to get out of the car, but the Turilli's say the bear did about $3,000 worth of damage to the passenger seat.
The bear casually walked right up to their car and opened the passenger side door.
He stayed in there for a few minutes and woke up the neighbourhood by honking the horn several times.
He eventually figured out how to get out of the car, but the Turilli's say the bear did about $3,000 worth of damage to the passenger seat.
Australian man claims his cat can swear
A Territory man claims his pet cat, Mischief, can speak English, with a vocabulary of seven different words so far.
Robert 'RJ' Duncan, of Palmerston, says his budgie, Piccaninny, can also speak.
Mr Duncan said the two-year-old cat - which he and his wife adopted from his feral mother in Katherine - was most vocal at night.
"He starts mouthing off when he wants his food - when we start cooking," he said. "He can say seven words all up: mum, no, now, what, f**k, prick and why.
"He can't say 'dad' yet, which is a bit of a prick. That's how he got the word 'prick' I reckon, because I say it a lot."
The Duncans' budgie is less adventurous with its words. It just says "s**t".
Robert 'RJ' Duncan, of Palmerston, says his budgie, Piccaninny, can also speak.
Mr Duncan said the two-year-old cat - which he and his wife adopted from his feral mother in Katherine - was most vocal at night.
"He starts mouthing off when he wants his food - when we start cooking," he said. "He can say seven words all up: mum, no, now, what, f**k, prick and why.
"He can't say 'dad' yet, which is a bit of a prick. That's how he got the word 'prick' I reckon, because I say it a lot."
The Duncans' budgie is less adventurous with its words. It just says "s**t".
Pot may protect brain from booze
Marijuana may protect the brain from some of the damage caused by binge drinking, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego performed brain scans on 16- to 19-year-olds in three groups: binge drinkers, binge drinkers who also smoke pot, and those with very little drug or drinking experience.
Binge drinkers showed damage in their white matter. But those who drink and smoke showed more damage than the control group in only three of eight areas of the brain. In seven of the areas, their brains were in better shape than the binge drinkers.
Researchers said in a news release from the Marijuana Project that the result was unexpected.
They said it could be that marijuana somehow stops alcohol from damaging brain cells.
The study was published online by the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego performed brain scans on 16- to 19-year-olds in three groups: binge drinkers, binge drinkers who also smoke pot, and those with very little drug or drinking experience.
Binge drinkers showed damage in their white matter. But those who drink and smoke showed more damage than the control group in only three of eight areas of the brain. In seven of the areas, their brains were in better shape than the binge drinkers.
Researchers said in a news release from the Marijuana Project that the result was unexpected.
They said it could be that marijuana somehow stops alcohol from damaging brain cells.
The study was published online by the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology.
Polish Yeti caught on film
Yeti experts are heading to Poland after a local man filmed a "monstrous, hairy creature" while on holiday in the Tatra mountains. There have been rumours of a Polish Yeti in the area for centuries but this is the first time one of the strange creatures has been captured on film.
Piotr Kowalski, 27, from Warsaw was on a walking holiday in the Tatra mountains in Poland when he saw a mountain goat on one of the slopes. As he started filming, his attention was suddenly grabbed by the Yeti creature emerging from behind some rocks.
"I saw this huge ape-like form hiding behind the rocks. When I saw it it was like being struck by a thunderbolt," he said.
"Coming from Warsaw, I never really believed the local stories of a wild mountain ape-man roaming the slopes. But, now I do."
The film has been handed over for examination to the Nautilus Foundation, which deals with unexplained phenomena. "The film clearly shows 'something' that moves on two legs and is bigger than a normal man," says Foundation President Robert Bernatowicz.
"But because the camera shakes so much it is difficult to say what it is exactly. We need to go to the site and see what traces, if any, were left."
Piotr Kowalski, 27, from Warsaw was on a walking holiday in the Tatra mountains in Poland when he saw a mountain goat on one of the slopes. As he started filming, his attention was suddenly grabbed by the Yeti creature emerging from behind some rocks.
"I saw this huge ape-like form hiding behind the rocks. When I saw it it was like being struck by a thunderbolt," he said.
"Coming from Warsaw, I never really believed the local stories of a wild mountain ape-man roaming the slopes. But, now I do."
The film has been handed over for examination to the Nautilus Foundation, which deals with unexplained phenomena. "The film clearly shows 'something' that moves on two legs and is bigger than a normal man," says Foundation President Robert Bernatowicz.
"But because the camera shakes so much it is difficult to say what it is exactly. We need to go to the site and see what traces, if any, were left."
Man injured, 2 arrested in spatula attack
Two men, one wielding a spatula and the other a belt buckle, were arrested late Wednesday after a fight at Hopeville Pond State Park in Griswold, police said.
A state Department of Environmental Protection conservation officer was dispatched to the park campground at 8:30 p.m. for reports of a disturbance. State police from Troop E Montville were already at the scene with two people in custody and one man being treated for a head laceration.
Cedric Eaton, 29, of 621 Bank St., New London and Nathaniel Ward, 31, with no known address, each were charged with second-degree assault. The men assaulted each other, court documents show. Eaton admitted he hit Ward with his belt and attached buckle. He said Ward hit him with a spatula, causing a large gash in his head.
Eaton was taken to The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich for treatment. Both men were arraigned on Thursday in Norwich Superior Court. Eaton, who also was charged with violation of a protective order, was held on a $2,500 bond. Ward was released on a promise to appear in court.
A state Department of Environmental Protection conservation officer was dispatched to the park campground at 8:30 p.m. for reports of a disturbance. State police from Troop E Montville were already at the scene with two people in custody and one man being treated for a head laceration.
Cedric Eaton, 29, of 621 Bank St., New London and Nathaniel Ward, 31, with no known address, each were charged with second-degree assault. The men assaulted each other, court documents show. Eaton admitted he hit Ward with his belt and attached buckle. He said Ward hit him with a spatula, causing a large gash in his head.
Eaton was taken to The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich for treatment. Both men were arraigned on Thursday in Norwich Superior Court. Eaton, who also was charged with violation of a protective order, was held on a $2,500 bond. Ward was released on a promise to appear in court.
Alien attack in Germany
Police are investigating claims an alien urinated on a German man's sun lounger while being chased by German fighter planes. Police were called in after Heinz Langer who has a house at Hagenburg on the Steinhuder Sea in Lower Saxony complained that his garden furniture including a table and sun lounger had been covered in black, yellow and violet flecks that had fallen from the sky.
Police spokesman Axel Bergmann who interviewed the house owner said: "He noticed military aircraft in the area at the time and a short while later this liquid landed in his garden. He believed there was a connection but the military have assured us the liquid was not from their planes."
Police confirmed that not just the garden furniture but other areas of the garden of the property which is alongside the largest inland lake in north-west Germany had been covered with the mysterious, acidic substance.
Chief Inspector Dieter Kappmeier from the local police in Stadthagen confirmed: "There were military planes in the area at the time and we believe there was a connection with the appearance of this so far unidentified acidic substance.
"However we have been in touch with the German air force and been able to rule out any connection with the military. We have also been in touch with civil aviation authorities in Frankfurt and they have also ruled out that there were any flights in the area at the time.
"The air force have also investigated and taken samples of the substance and absolutely ruled out that it could have come from any aircraft. They are as puzzled as we are as to what the substance that clearly came from the sky could be. What they are sure of is that it did not come from any military or civil aircraft."
Police spokesman Axel Bergmann who interviewed the house owner said: "He noticed military aircraft in the area at the time and a short while later this liquid landed in his garden. He believed there was a connection but the military have assured us the liquid was not from their planes."
Police confirmed that not just the garden furniture but other areas of the garden of the property which is alongside the largest inland lake in north-west Germany had been covered with the mysterious, acidic substance.
Chief Inspector Dieter Kappmeier from the local police in Stadthagen confirmed: "There were military planes in the area at the time and we believe there was a connection with the appearance of this so far unidentified acidic substance.
"However we have been in touch with the German air force and been able to rule out any connection with the military. We have also been in touch with civil aviation authorities in Frankfurt and they have also ruled out that there were any flights in the area at the time.
"The air force have also investigated and taken samples of the substance and absolutely ruled out that it could have come from any aircraft. They are as puzzled as we are as to what the substance that clearly came from the sky could be. What they are sure of is that it did not come from any military or civil aircraft."
Liverpool Ferry Terminal wins Carbuncle Cup 2009
The Pier Head Ferry Terminal in Liverpool has been named the country's ugliest new building ahead of London's Westfield shopping centre and the fire station at Poundbury, the Prince of Wales's Dorset model village.
A panel of experts from Building Design magazine unanimously voted the £10.5m building, designed by Belfast-based Hamilton Architects, as the most notable new example of bad architecture.
The judges said the damage the ferry terminal had done to Liverpool's waterfront, which is a Unesco world heritage site, meant it deserved the 'Carbuncle Cup'. Amanda Baillieu, editor of Building Design, said: "It was given the Carbuncle Cup as much for where it is, as for its lack of architectural merit.
"The city's waterfront is one of the most important historical sites in Britain and you've got to be very careful with the architecture you put up there. What we get irritated about are architects trying to ape other famous architects.
"The result is abominable, complete pap and should never have been allowed to be built. It will look dated in only a year or two." Organisers said this year's Carbuncle Cup had seen a record number of public nominations. The award is made by a three-strong panel of judges.
A Merseytravel spokesman said: "We are proud of the Pier Head Ferry Terminal and have received widespread support for the building from the Merseyside community."
You can see the complete list of 'winners', including photos, here.
A panel of experts from Building Design magazine unanimously voted the £10.5m building, designed by Belfast-based Hamilton Architects, as the most notable new example of bad architecture.
The judges said the damage the ferry terminal had done to Liverpool's waterfront, which is a Unesco world heritage site, meant it deserved the 'Carbuncle Cup'. Amanda Baillieu, editor of Building Design, said: "It was given the Carbuncle Cup as much for where it is, as for its lack of architectural merit.
"The city's waterfront is one of the most important historical sites in Britain and you've got to be very careful with the architecture you put up there. What we get irritated about are architects trying to ape other famous architects.
"The result is abominable, complete pap and should never have been allowed to be built. It will look dated in only a year or two." Organisers said this year's Carbuncle Cup had seen a record number of public nominations. The award is made by a three-strong panel of judges.
A Merseytravel spokesman said: "We are proud of the Pier Head Ferry Terminal and have received widespread support for the building from the Merseyside community."
You can see the complete list of 'winners', including photos, here.
Judge tells teenagers to read Lord of the Flies
A judge urged two teenagers who viciously attacked a man in the street to read the classic novel Lord of the Flies after he described them as 'acting like wild animals.' Judge John Dixon made the recommendation after hearing how the drunken pair had left a retired police officer's son lying in the road with a shoe pattern embedded in his face.
Jailing the pair for 14 months, he suggested that they should read William Golding's novel. He said: "After you have read it, you will understand. I recommend it." William Thain, 38, was on his way to his parents' home when the thugs pounced, leaving him lying in the road after the brutal attack.
Prosecutor Sarah Jones said: "He was almost unrecognisable because of swelling and the state of his face. "His injuries included a lacerated tongue, a fractured cheekbone, bruising and swelling." He was bedridden for several days and still had difficulty in sleeping.
Police called to the scene heard raised voices from the top of a nearby block of flats and someone shout: "You shouldn?t have done it, you shouldn't have punched him." Inside, they discovered Ricky Johnson, 18, and 16-year-old John Meek in a bedroom and recovered the victim's wallet and mobile phone. DNA tests confirmed his blood on both their trainers, and a chevron pattern left on the victim's face matched that on Meek?s shoes.
Johnson and Meek, both of Southampton, Hants, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and theft. The pair had spent the evening drinking vodka and beer before meeting the victim, who they didn't know. After hearing the details at Southampton Crown Court, Judge Dixon said: "You assaulted and beat him like wild animals."
Golding's novel set during the Second World War sees a group of British schoolboys as the only survivors of a plane crash on a remote deserted island. They start life full of excitement and try to create their own society, but soon the order they try to establish breaks down and the civilised schoolboys become savages. The boys turn against each other, and fighting results in two of them being killed.
Jailing the pair for 14 months, he suggested that they should read William Golding's novel. He said: "After you have read it, you will understand. I recommend it." William Thain, 38, was on his way to his parents' home when the thugs pounced, leaving him lying in the road after the brutal attack.
Prosecutor Sarah Jones said: "He was almost unrecognisable because of swelling and the state of his face. "His injuries included a lacerated tongue, a fractured cheekbone, bruising and swelling." He was bedridden for several days and still had difficulty in sleeping.
Police called to the scene heard raised voices from the top of a nearby block of flats and someone shout: "You shouldn?t have done it, you shouldn't have punched him." Inside, they discovered Ricky Johnson, 18, and 16-year-old John Meek in a bedroom and recovered the victim's wallet and mobile phone. DNA tests confirmed his blood on both their trainers, and a chevron pattern left on the victim's face matched that on Meek?s shoes.
Johnson and Meek, both of Southampton, Hants, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and theft. The pair had spent the evening drinking vodka and beer before meeting the victim, who they didn't know. After hearing the details at Southampton Crown Court, Judge Dixon said: "You assaulted and beat him like wild animals."
Golding's novel set during the Second World War sees a group of British schoolboys as the only survivors of a plane crash on a remote deserted island. They start life full of excitement and try to create their own society, but soon the order they try to establish breaks down and the civilised schoolboys become savages. The boys turn against each other, and fighting results in two of them being killed.
Loyal dog helps owner escape from quicksand
A pet dog dog came to the rescue of its owner when she became stuck in quicksand while out for a relaxing beach stroll. On a day off from her job at the University of Cumbria, Dr Christine Smith took her beloved seven-year-old German wirehaired pointer Matilda for a walk on the beach at Arnside as a special treat.
The pair were walking close to a stream when Mrs Smith realised her feet were sinking “very, very quickly” into the flat sand, and she was unable to free herself. And with no one around to help and her mobile phone out of battery, she began to fear the worst – until her trusty companion lent a paw.
Mrs Smith, of Underbarrow, said: “It was a pretty horrific My senses were saying – ‘I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this’ – which was a horrible, horrible feeling. I couldn’t get my feet out at all and as I tried to pull one foot out, of course the other sank further in. I had very short Wellington boots on and they were pretty quickly full of water and sand, which became completely solid, so I was cemented into them.”
She added: “Matilda came over. Normally she’ll come to you and jump around and then wander off, but I believe she sensed I was in trouble. I was sinking further in and was really struggling. I just couldn’t get the strength to get out. The pressure on my legs was unbelievable.
“She just stood absolutely still beside me which allowed me to use her back to lever myself out. Then I leaned my body on Matilda’s back and pulled my leg as hard as I could. She was absolutely solid as a rock.” The struggle lasted for ten to 15 minutes before Mrs Smith had both legs free.
She said: “I was absolutely exhausted and just crawled on my knees slowly to safety.” The doctor of philosophy added: “Matilda was looking after me that day. She is a very loyal dog. Whenever I am in the house she follows me wherever I go. She’s an absolute star.”
The pair were walking close to a stream when Mrs Smith realised her feet were sinking “very, very quickly” into the flat sand, and she was unable to free herself. And with no one around to help and her mobile phone out of battery, she began to fear the worst – until her trusty companion lent a paw.
Mrs Smith, of Underbarrow, said: “It was a pretty horrific My senses were saying – ‘I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this’ – which was a horrible, horrible feeling. I couldn’t get my feet out at all and as I tried to pull one foot out, of course the other sank further in. I had very short Wellington boots on and they were pretty quickly full of water and sand, which became completely solid, so I was cemented into them.”
She added: “Matilda came over. Normally she’ll come to you and jump around and then wander off, but I believe she sensed I was in trouble. I was sinking further in and was really struggling. I just couldn’t get the strength to get out. The pressure on my legs was unbelievable.
“She just stood absolutely still beside me which allowed me to use her back to lever myself out. Then I leaned my body on Matilda’s back and pulled my leg as hard as I could. She was absolutely solid as a rock.” The struggle lasted for ten to 15 minutes before Mrs Smith had both legs free.
She said: “I was absolutely exhausted and just crawled on my knees slowly to safety.” The doctor of philosophy added: “Matilda was looking after me that day. She is a very loyal dog. Whenever I am in the house she follows me wherever I go. She’s an absolute star.”
Giant piranha found in Devon river
A giant piranha – the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world – has been found in a Devon river, the Environment Agency said today. Bathers in the UK's rivers and streams should be reassured that the fish was dead and is thought to have been an abandoned pet. Its discovery will add, however, to experts' anxieties about non-native wildlife being introduced to the UK.
The fish, of a species more accustomed to the Amazon river basin, was discovered in the river Torridge by Environment Agency workers conducting a wildlife survey. Eddie Stevens, one of the three-man monitoring team, said they were left open-mouthed by their discovery.
"What we actually came across was something which we would not expect to find in our wildest dreams. We could hardly believe our eyes," he said.
Used to more temperate climes, the fish probably could not tolerate the cold waters, the agency said. A closer examination revealed that its stomach was full of sweetcorn – further evidence it may have been kept as a domestic pet.
At a length of 36cm (14in), the red-bellied piranha was a giant of its kind – more than eight inches longer than an average specimen. The team first spotted its tail sticking out of an undercut bank on the far side of the river. "Our first thought was that a sea trout had become lodged in amongst the rocks and debris collected under the bank," Stevens said. "But when it was removed from the river we were speechless to find it was a piranha."
The introduction of non-native species poses a serious threat to native wildlife, according to the agency. Mark Diamond, an ecology manager, said: "Whilst piranhas can't survive the colder climates of the UK, this latest find highlights a real issue – that releasing unwanted exotic pets or plants into rivers can have serious consequences for native wildlife. "Rather than dumping things in the wild, we would urge people to seek advice about what to do with exotic species."
The fish, of a species more accustomed to the Amazon river basin, was discovered in the river Torridge by Environment Agency workers conducting a wildlife survey. Eddie Stevens, one of the three-man monitoring team, said they were left open-mouthed by their discovery.
"What we actually came across was something which we would not expect to find in our wildest dreams. We could hardly believe our eyes," he said.
Used to more temperate climes, the fish probably could not tolerate the cold waters, the agency said. A closer examination revealed that its stomach was full of sweetcorn – further evidence it may have been kept as a domestic pet.
At a length of 36cm (14in), the red-bellied piranha was a giant of its kind – more than eight inches longer than an average specimen. The team first spotted its tail sticking out of an undercut bank on the far side of the river. "Our first thought was that a sea trout had become lodged in amongst the rocks and debris collected under the bank," Stevens said. "But when it was removed from the river we were speechless to find it was a piranha."
The introduction of non-native species poses a serious threat to native wildlife, according to the agency. Mark Diamond, an ecology manager, said: "Whilst piranhas can't survive the colder climates of the UK, this latest find highlights a real issue – that releasing unwanted exotic pets or plants into rivers can have serious consequences for native wildlife. "Rather than dumping things in the wild, we would urge people to seek advice about what to do with exotic species."
Woman travelled to Panama for operation to turn brown eyes blue and was almost blinded
When Shenise Farrell read on the internet about a £5,000 operation which could turn her dark brown eyes light blue, she wasted no time in heading off to Panama.
Less than two weeks later, British surgeons were battling to save her sight.
They had to repair a hole in her iris and remove implants. It is unclear whether she will suffer long-term damage – and her eyes are still brown.
‘It was the biggest mistake I have ever made,’ said the single mother of three from Perivale, West London.
‘To think I could have never been able to see my children again. It was totally reckless of me.
She is believed to be the first person in the UK to undergo such an operation, which involves inserting a coloured lens inside the eye, over the iris, and is not licensed in Europe.
Less than two weeks later, British surgeons were battling to save her sight.
They had to repair a hole in her iris and remove implants. It is unclear whether she will suffer long-term damage – and her eyes are still brown.
‘It was the biggest mistake I have ever made,’ said the single mother of three from Perivale, West London.
‘To think I could have never been able to see my children again. It was totally reckless of me.
She is believed to be the first person in the UK to undergo such an operation, which involves inserting a coloured lens inside the eye, over the iris, and is not licensed in Europe.
Benefit claim amputee told ‘wait and see if the leg gets better'
An amputee had her application for disability handouts knocked back — in case her leg grew back.
Stunned Beryl Prescott, 57, was told to wait three months and apply again in case her severed limb "got better".
Hard-working Beryl — a former nurse who says she has paid taxes all her life — applied for incapacity benefits after losing her right leg to gangrene.
But officials knocked her back three times because they couldn't be sure she was genuinely disabled.
Baffled Beryl enlisted the services of her local MP and eventually won £1,700 in back-payments.
She fumed: "Apparently, you have to wait three months after you come out of hospital before you can apply in case you get better. I'm not a doctor but I am pretty sure that wasn't going to happen - I don't have a magic grow bag."
Stunned Beryl Prescott, 57, was told to wait three months and apply again in case her severed limb "got better".
Hard-working Beryl — a former nurse who says she has paid taxes all her life — applied for incapacity benefits after losing her right leg to gangrene.
But officials knocked her back three times because they couldn't be sure she was genuinely disabled.
Baffled Beryl enlisted the services of her local MP and eventually won £1,700 in back-payments.
She fumed: "Apparently, you have to wait three months after you come out of hospital before you can apply in case you get better. I'm not a doctor but I am pretty sure that wasn't going to happen - I don't have a magic grow bag."
Cycling menace given ban
A cyclist who waged a bizarre seven-year campaign of attacks on pedestrians has been banned from the saddle. Gurnaik Singh Dogra, 37, became notorious in Leicester for riding at pedestrians and punching or kicking them as he went past.
Nearly 40 people have complained about him since 2002, but police believe other victims did not come forward. Now Dogra has been hit with an Asbo which bars him from riding his bike in a large swathe of the city, including the city centre.
He appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court this week where he was jailed for 12 weeks for two counts of assault and one offence of threatening behaviour. He admitted the offences.
The ban order, which will last for five years, will come into effect when Dogra is released from prison.
The order means that Dogra can be arrested and possibly jailed if he is caught riding or even pushing his bike through the streets.
One of his unnamed victims who was attacked as he walked along, said: "He kicked me and it was hard enough to knock me to the floor. He needs to get help, really. There's obviously something wrong with him and he seems to have been doing this for a long time. There's no logic to it."
Nearly 40 people have complained about him since 2002, but police believe other victims did not come forward. Now Dogra has been hit with an Asbo which bars him from riding his bike in a large swathe of the city, including the city centre.
He appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court this week where he was jailed for 12 weeks for two counts of assault and one offence of threatening behaviour. He admitted the offences.
The ban order, which will last for five years, will come into effect when Dogra is released from prison.
The order means that Dogra can be arrested and possibly jailed if he is caught riding or even pushing his bike through the streets.
One of his unnamed victims who was attacked as he walked along, said: "He kicked me and it was hard enough to knock me to the floor. He needs to get help, really. There's obviously something wrong with him and he seems to have been doing this for a long time. There's no logic to it."
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Dog's efforts fail to save woman
A 66-year-old Oakville woman has died after three canoeists found her floating in Lake Ontario, with her pet golden retriever swimming alongside and attempting to drag her to safety.
Halton police say the woman was discovered along the shoreline at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, just near the foot of Birch Hill Lane in Oakville. They say preliminary investigations indicate she was probably walking her dog near the lake when she slipped on a rock and fell.
Three canoeists were paddling along the shoreline and found the woman floating in the water, said Detective Sergeant Kevin Maher.
“There was a dog swimming, treading water ... and sort of holding on, clutching the woman's clothing,” he said. “[He was] possibly attempting to pull the woman to shore, it's hard to say for sure, but that's how it can be interpreted.”
The woman was taken to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital but was pronounced dead at around 10 p.m. last night, Det. Maher said.
The dog, a male golden retriever, was taken to the Oakville Humane Society, where he is currently “doing okay” and waiting to be picked up. “I think he's a little bit stressed but other than that he's doing okay,” said executive director Johanne Golder. “There obviously was a strong bond between them and that would be very stressful for an animal to be in that kind of situation.”
Halton police say the woman was discovered along the shoreline at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, just near the foot of Birch Hill Lane in Oakville. They say preliminary investigations indicate she was probably walking her dog near the lake when she slipped on a rock and fell.
Three canoeists were paddling along the shoreline and found the woman floating in the water, said Detective Sergeant Kevin Maher.
“There was a dog swimming, treading water ... and sort of holding on, clutching the woman's clothing,” he said. “[He was] possibly attempting to pull the woman to shore, it's hard to say for sure, but that's how it can be interpreted.”
The woman was taken to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital but was pronounced dead at around 10 p.m. last night, Det. Maher said.
The dog, a male golden retriever, was taken to the Oakville Humane Society, where he is currently “doing okay” and waiting to be picked up. “I think he's a little bit stressed but other than that he's doing okay,” said executive director Johanne Golder. “There obviously was a strong bond between them and that would be very stressful for an animal to be in that kind of situation.”
Chicken and duck are best friends
True friendship can transcend a language barrier, even when the would-be pals speak in quacks and peeps.
At the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, a chicken and duck dropped off last Friday have become inseparable companions.
"As far as bonded pairs go around here, this was unique," said wildlife technician Laura Nelson Schneck. "We put them in separate cages after their exams, and they couldn't see each other. They both started vocalizing loudly and pacing frantically up and down their cages, clearly distressed. When we brought them together, they calmed right down."
While the birds are too young to determine gender for sure, Schenk thinks they are both females, and they were dubbed "Thelma and Louise." The duck may be a white Peking and the chicken a Rhode Island red, she said.
With news video.
At the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, a chicken and duck dropped off last Friday have become inseparable companions.
"As far as bonded pairs go around here, this was unique," said wildlife technician Laura Nelson Schneck. "We put them in separate cages after their exams, and they couldn't see each other. They both started vocalizing loudly and pacing frantically up and down their cages, clearly distressed. When we brought them together, they calmed right down."
While the birds are too young to determine gender for sure, Schenk thinks they are both females, and they were dubbed "Thelma and Louise." The duck may be a white Peking and the chicken a Rhode Island red, she said.
With news video.
Police baffled as dozens of 'suicidal' cows throw themselves off cliff in the Alps
In the picturesque Swiss village of Lauterbrunnen, the locals are worried.
Dozens of alpine cows appear to be committing suicide by throwing themselves off a cliff near the small village in the Alps.
In the space of just three days, 28 cows and bulls have mysteriously died after they plunged hundreds of metres to rocks below where they were killed instantly.
According to local reports, there had been violent thunderstorms in the area which may well have spooked the animals.
Dozens of alpine cows appear to be committing suicide by throwing themselves off a cliff near the small village in the Alps.
In the space of just three days, 28 cows and bulls have mysteriously died after they plunged hundreds of metres to rocks below where they were killed instantly.
According to local reports, there had been violent thunderstorms in the area which may well have spooked the animals.
Thorny punishment for "hooch" sellers in Indian town
People caught selling illegal alcohol in the Indian town of Siddhapur are being given an unusual punishment.
The sale of adulterated alcohol has sickened and killed a number of people in India. So villagers decided to punish those who sell the alcohol by making them sit in a thorn tree for 24 hours, as well as paying a $20 fine.
"Putting a ban on consumption of alcohol by the village head has been very profitable for the village so far," said local resident Kamlesh Patel, "especially for the people who used to drink and sell alcohol near the schools."
The men who are sentenced to tree-sitting cover their faces, but the villagers say it's a small place so everyone knows who they are.
The illegal hooch is hung from the tree as well. It's common to sell it packaged in plastic bags.
The townspeople say the thorn tree sitting acts as a real deterrent for others.
The sale of adulterated alcohol has sickened and killed a number of people in India. So villagers decided to punish those who sell the alcohol by making them sit in a thorn tree for 24 hours, as well as paying a $20 fine.
"Putting a ban on consumption of alcohol by the village head has been very profitable for the village so far," said local resident Kamlesh Patel, "especially for the people who used to drink and sell alcohol near the schools."
The men who are sentenced to tree-sitting cover their faces, but the villagers say it's a small place so everyone knows who they are.
The illegal hooch is hung from the tree as well. It's common to sell it packaged in plastic bags.
The townspeople say the thorn tree sitting acts as a real deterrent for others.
Mob shave man's head for dialing wrong number
A man had his head shaved and was paraded through the streets of an Indian village for dialling a wrong number. The Dalit, or low-caste man, said he was trying to call a friend when he mistakenly dialled the number of another villager in Dani Ramjas, Haryana. "I inadvertently dialled the number of Dharam Singh. The moment I realised my mistake, I apologised immediately and disconnected the phone," the man, known as Suresh, said.
He told the police that a day later that Mr Singh and six of his friends humiliated him when he was on his way to another town. "They tonsured me (shaved my head) after lifting and carrying me away bodily. That done, they tied me to a motorcycle and paraded me through the streets, thrashing me intermittently".
Suresh added that the assailants told him not to report the incident to the police. Dalits are a group of people traditionally regarded as "untouchables" of low caste. Although the caste system has been formally abolished in India, their status has often been historically associated with occupations regarded as impure, or polluting to the individual, such as any involving dealing with dead animals or working in the sewers.
As a result, Dalits were commonly segregated and banned from full participation in Hindu social life. For example, they could not enter a temple or a school, and were required to stay outside village boundaries.
He told the police that a day later that Mr Singh and six of his friends humiliated him when he was on his way to another town. "They tonsured me (shaved my head) after lifting and carrying me away bodily. That done, they tied me to a motorcycle and paraded me through the streets, thrashing me intermittently".
Suresh added that the assailants told him not to report the incident to the police. Dalits are a group of people traditionally regarded as "untouchables" of low caste. Although the caste system has been formally abolished in India, their status has often been historically associated with occupations regarded as impure, or polluting to the individual, such as any involving dealing with dead animals or working in the sewers.
As a result, Dalits were commonly segregated and banned from full participation in Hindu social life. For example, they could not enter a temple or a school, and were required to stay outside village boundaries.
Soldiers' hero dog Sandbag to be flown to UK - Update
A stray dog who became a mascot for British soldiers in Iraq has been transported to a safe house with his puppy in preparation for their flight to the UK. Troops were forced to return home without their four-legged friend Sandbag earlier this year and feared he would not last long once they had left - although he was rumoured to have already survived being shot five times.
They were worried he would be put down by local Iraqis or killed by other dogs, but the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies (SWHP) tracked him down and his puppy Dirtbag around the port at Umm Qasr, near Basra, last week. The dogs were believed to have been living on the streets for about three weeks.
Three armoured vehicles were deployed last Thursday to rescue the dogs and transport them to a safe house in Baghdad where they will be cared for while arrangements are made to fly them to the UK. Emma Simpson from the SWHP, who has been co-ordinating the rescue attempt, said: 'It was a real challenge trying to track Sandbag and Dirtbag down and thank goodness we got there when we did.
'The US troops had already left the base and we gather the dogs had been living on the streets for over three weeks. I don't know how much longer they would have survived on their own. Now we just need to continue to raise enough money to bring them both and Hesco back to the UK.'
A fundraising appeal to bring Sandbag home, along with fellow mascot Hesco the cat, was launched on August 7 by the Blue Cross and the SWHP. Nearly 500 people worldwide have donated to the appeal since then, raising over £8,000 to date. Steve Goody, Blue Cross director of companion animal welfare, said: 'We've been amazed and extremely touched by the strength of public sympathy for these animals.'
Hesco, who had also been straying, was taken in last Thursday in Umm Qasr by local animal charity Baghdad Cat Rescue, run by former British soldier Louise Hastie. Ms Hastie is trying to arrange for the cat's transport to Baghdad to join the two dogs. All the animals will need to stay at the safe house for at least a month until the temperature cools enough to safely fly them to Kuwait for the journey to Britain.
They were worried he would be put down by local Iraqis or killed by other dogs, but the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies (SWHP) tracked him down and his puppy Dirtbag around the port at Umm Qasr, near Basra, last week. The dogs were believed to have been living on the streets for about three weeks.
Three armoured vehicles were deployed last Thursday to rescue the dogs and transport them to a safe house in Baghdad where they will be cared for while arrangements are made to fly them to the UK. Emma Simpson from the SWHP, who has been co-ordinating the rescue attempt, said: 'It was a real challenge trying to track Sandbag and Dirtbag down and thank goodness we got there when we did.
'The US troops had already left the base and we gather the dogs had been living on the streets for over three weeks. I don't know how much longer they would have survived on their own. Now we just need to continue to raise enough money to bring them both and Hesco back to the UK.'
A fundraising appeal to bring Sandbag home, along with fellow mascot Hesco the cat, was launched on August 7 by the Blue Cross and the SWHP. Nearly 500 people worldwide have donated to the appeal since then, raising over £8,000 to date. Steve Goody, Blue Cross director of companion animal welfare, said: 'We've been amazed and extremely touched by the strength of public sympathy for these animals.'
Hesco, who had also been straying, was taken in last Thursday in Umm Qasr by local animal charity Baghdad Cat Rescue, run by former British soldier Louise Hastie. Ms Hastie is trying to arrange for the cat's transport to Baghdad to join the two dogs. All the animals will need to stay at the safe house for at least a month until the temperature cools enough to safely fly them to Kuwait for the journey to Britain.
Gorillas get sneak preview of new mate
Three female gorillas have been given a sneak preview of their potential new mate - a 12-year-old called Yeboah.
The new arrival is coming to ZSL London Zoo from La Boissiere Du Dore zoo in western France this autumn. Mjukuu, 10, Effie, 16, and Zaire, 34 have been without male attention since the death of silverback Bobby in December.
Staff at the zoo offered the animals a tantalising glimpse of his hulking 20-stone replacement by showing them a picture of him to see if they would make an association between the face in the picture and Yeboah's face when he arrives.
Tracey Lee, team leader of the zoo's mammal south department, said: "It would be nice to think they'll recognise him. I wouldn't be surprised if the penny drops when he arrives."
Staff at the French zoo are also showing German-born Yeboah pictures of the females so that he can get to know their faces too. It is hoped that Mjuku, the youngest, will get pregnant very quickly.
Ms Lee said: "Mjukuu was holding the picture as if she was reading a newspaper. We think Yeboah will go for her first because she's very pretty, very social and she's a terrible flirt. She used to hug Bobby and sit on his knee all the time, while looking over her shoulder at the others."
The new arrival is coming to ZSL London Zoo from La Boissiere Du Dore zoo in western France this autumn. Mjukuu, 10, Effie, 16, and Zaire, 34 have been without male attention since the death of silverback Bobby in December.
Staff at the zoo offered the animals a tantalising glimpse of his hulking 20-stone replacement by showing them a picture of him to see if they would make an association between the face in the picture and Yeboah's face when he arrives.
Tracey Lee, team leader of the zoo's mammal south department, said: "It would be nice to think they'll recognise him. I wouldn't be surprised if the penny drops when he arrives."
Staff at the French zoo are also showing German-born Yeboah pictures of the females so that he can get to know their faces too. It is hoped that Mjuku, the youngest, will get pregnant very quickly.
Ms Lee said: "Mjukuu was holding the picture as if she was reading a newspaper. We think Yeboah will go for her first because she's very pretty, very social and she's a terrible flirt. She used to hug Bobby and sit on his knee all the time, while looking over her shoulder at the others."
Tabby cat Jimmy Tarbuck leaves Liverpool for Hampshire
Curiosity got the better of this little cat when he found himself 240 miles from home. His long-distance journey began when the adventurous tabby hopped in the back of a removal van that was being driven to Hampshire all the way from Liverpool.
It was a big surprise for the family, who had just moved into their new home at Fletcher Close in Dibden, when they opened the lorry and found him inside. The family had never seen the tabby kitten before and he had no name or number on his sparkly collar or a microchip to identify him.
When he was handed in to the Seadown Veterinary practice in Hythe, staff promptly named the roaming feline after Liverpool-born comedian Jimmy Tarbuck.
Vet Judith Archbold said she was amazed when she heard about the cat’s epic journey south. “Apparently, the driver opened the back of the lorry and there he was,” she said. When he was brought in, he didn’t have any injuries and was perfectly fine.
“I think he must have hopped in there when the lorry was being loaded up. He is only about four months and at that age, cats are very inquisitive.” So far, his temporary owners have only managed to find out that the removal lorry had travelled from the Crosby area of Liverpool.
Judith added: “We are trying to find out which removal firm was used so we can find out which street he came from. He seems to love being here – we’ve all become quite attached to him now.”
Witn news video. There's another video here.
It was a big surprise for the family, who had just moved into their new home at Fletcher Close in Dibden, when they opened the lorry and found him inside. The family had never seen the tabby kitten before and he had no name or number on his sparkly collar or a microchip to identify him.
When he was handed in to the Seadown Veterinary practice in Hythe, staff promptly named the roaming feline after Liverpool-born comedian Jimmy Tarbuck.
Vet Judith Archbold said she was amazed when she heard about the cat’s epic journey south. “Apparently, the driver opened the back of the lorry and there he was,” she said. When he was brought in, he didn’t have any injuries and was perfectly fine.
“I think he must have hopped in there when the lorry was being loaded up. He is only about four months and at that age, cats are very inquisitive.” So far, his temporary owners have only managed to find out that the removal lorry had travelled from the Crosby area of Liverpool.
Judith added: “We are trying to find out which removal firm was used so we can find out which street he came from. He seems to love being here – we’ve all become quite attached to him now.”
Witn news video. There's another video here.
After 217 years, the last Dr Maurice of Marlborough hangs up his stethoscope
For more than 200 years when anyone in the Wiltshire market town of Marlborough fell ill it was easy to know whom to turn to: Dr Maurice, the local GP.
In an extraordinary unbroken line stretching back to back to the height of the French Revolution, members of the Maurice family have served at the local medical practice since 1792.
But now, after six generations of Dr Maurices tending the town's sick, the last of the line, Dr David Maurice, 59, the senior partner at the Marlborough Medical Practice, is preparing to retire.
His son, James, has also just qualified in the profession but, in something of a break with family tradition, is planning to spend his career as a hospital doctor.
For Dr Maurice senior, who is also a part time Anglican clergyman, the advent of a new culture of "bean counting" in the NHS as a result of the new GP contracts was decisive in his decision to retire early.
In an extraordinary unbroken line stretching back to back to the height of the French Revolution, members of the Maurice family have served at the local medical practice since 1792.
But now, after six generations of Dr Maurices tending the town's sick, the last of the line, Dr David Maurice, 59, the senior partner at the Marlborough Medical Practice, is preparing to retire.
His son, James, has also just qualified in the profession but, in something of a break with family tradition, is planning to spend his career as a hospital doctor.
For Dr Maurice senior, who is also a part time Anglican clergyman, the advent of a new culture of "bean counting" in the NHS as a result of the new GP contracts was decisive in his decision to retire early.
20 illegal immigrants hid in flour lorry
Twenty illegal immigrants yesterday tried to sneak into Britain - hidden in a lorry full of flour. The men, thought to be mostly Afghans, were caught at Calais port.
Trucker Dave Martin, 57, saw the arrest. He said: "I'm amazed they didn't drown."
Trucker Dave Martin, 57, saw the arrest. He said: "I'm amazed they didn't drown."
Granny attacks man in street with newspaper
A Grumpy granny’s furious and unprovoked attack on a neighbour in a garbage bin row has been filmed. The three-minute sequence shows pint-sized pensioner Valerie Dunningham lashing out at garage boss Luke Warr repeatedly smacking him round the head and even kicking him.
Bellowing the 'F word' Mrs Dunningham, who is just 4ft 10ins tall, launches a physical attack on Mr Warr and tries to push the offending wheeled skip bin out into the middle of the road.
Mr Warr, who has a legal right to use the shared driveway in the middle of Sudbury, Suffolk, shows remarkable restraint in the face of the onslaught during which he is slapped almost 30 times round the head with a newspaper as well as kicked.
Contains NSFW language.
Mr Warr, 37, said: "The woman is a nightmare - we were trading here long before the flats where she lives were even built. We have a proper established and legally drawn up right of way to cross the driveway but Mrs Dunningham seems intent on stopping us - she really is the neighbour from hell. We simply move the bin out onto the pavement once a fortnight then when it has been emptied bring it back in.
“I just try to keep my cool -I am a fairly laid-back person but a lot of people have asked me how I managed to stop myself retaliating. Whenever she sees me she lets fly with an awful barrage of foul language and this time she turned it into a physical. She tries to block the garage entrance and even had a go at one of my blokes because he has ginger hair. I have complained to the police but they say all they can do is give her a warning or if it persists issue her with an ASBO."
A spokesman for Suffolk police said: "Officers were called to reports of an assault and they spoke to both parties. No formal complaint was made and suitable advice was given."
Bellowing the 'F word' Mrs Dunningham, who is just 4ft 10ins tall, launches a physical attack on Mr Warr and tries to push the offending wheeled skip bin out into the middle of the road.
Mr Warr, who has a legal right to use the shared driveway in the middle of Sudbury, Suffolk, shows remarkable restraint in the face of the onslaught during which he is slapped almost 30 times round the head with a newspaper as well as kicked.
Contains NSFW language.
Mr Warr, 37, said: "The woman is a nightmare - we were trading here long before the flats where she lives were even built. We have a proper established and legally drawn up right of way to cross the driveway but Mrs Dunningham seems intent on stopping us - she really is the neighbour from hell. We simply move the bin out onto the pavement once a fortnight then when it has been emptied bring it back in.
“I just try to keep my cool -I am a fairly laid-back person but a lot of people have asked me how I managed to stop myself retaliating. Whenever she sees me she lets fly with an awful barrage of foul language and this time she turned it into a physical. She tries to block the garage entrance and even had a go at one of my blokes because he has ginger hair. I have complained to the police but they say all they can do is give her a warning or if it persists issue her with an ASBO."
A spokesman for Suffolk police said: "Officers were called to reports of an assault and they spoke to both parties. No formal complaint was made and suitable advice was given."
Campaign to stop Christmas cards investigated by police
A number of shops have been targeted in a campaign to stop them selling Christmas cards early, prompting a police investigation.
Three charity shops and a newsagents in Headingley, Leeds, have received letters threatening attacks on their premises if they put cards on sale before November 1. One shop has already had its lock glued up. The writer claims to speak for the''Movement for the Containment of Xmas''.
Clive Barker, manager of the Oxfam shop in Otley Road, said the letter was posted through his letterbox on Monday evening. He said: ''It is very odd. Every morning I wonder if I am going to be able to open up or will the lock be glued up. We are not going to take our cards down as we are a charity and we raise money for all the Oxfam projects.
''The cards are important for our fundraising. Like the rest of the High Street there are Christmas cards on display as early tasters. Four shops have been targeted and I just hope that nothing comes of it. The police say they are treating it very seriously and have taken the letter for fingerprints.''
The letter states: ''This is a very polite but very serious reminder not to display Xmas cards until 1st Nov. We will put super glue into your locks if you do. Peace and goodwill.'
The lock on the mental health charity shop Mind on St Michael's Road has been glued. The manageress, who asked not to be named, said: ''This has made staff - mainly volunteers - feel very uneasy and we have alerted the police. We have removed our current Christmas cards sales display for the moment. This is great pity as we have been selling off last year's stock and making £70 a week for the charity.'' A police spokesman confirmed they had received complaints and were investigating.
Three charity shops and a newsagents in Headingley, Leeds, have received letters threatening attacks on their premises if they put cards on sale before November 1. One shop has already had its lock glued up. The writer claims to speak for the''Movement for the Containment of Xmas''.
Clive Barker, manager of the Oxfam shop in Otley Road, said the letter was posted through his letterbox on Monday evening. He said: ''It is very odd. Every morning I wonder if I am going to be able to open up or will the lock be glued up. We are not going to take our cards down as we are a charity and we raise money for all the Oxfam projects.
''The cards are important for our fundraising. Like the rest of the High Street there are Christmas cards on display as early tasters. Four shops have been targeted and I just hope that nothing comes of it. The police say they are treating it very seriously and have taken the letter for fingerprints.''
The letter states: ''This is a very polite but very serious reminder not to display Xmas cards until 1st Nov. We will put super glue into your locks if you do. Peace and goodwill.'
The lock on the mental health charity shop Mind on St Michael's Road has been glued. The manageress, who asked not to be named, said: ''This has made staff - mainly volunteers - feel very uneasy and we have alerted the police. We have removed our current Christmas cards sales display for the moment. This is great pity as we have been selling off last year's stock and making £70 a week for the charity.'' A police spokesman confirmed they had received complaints and were investigating.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Woman thought horse was airbag
Catherine Lawrence's face was badly bruised and her car written off after the collision with the horse near Tasman in New Zealand. Catherine Lawrence thought the airbag had gone off in her car after she crashed. It came as a shock when she realised it was actually a horse.
Mrs Lawrence, 74, is nursing a badly bruised face and injured eye, but is lucky to be alive after the horse catapulted through her windscreen into her Nissan March on Wednesday night.
The horse was killed instantly and ended up draped across the seats, while the roof was peeled back by the impact. "I thought the body was the airbag that had gone off, " Mrs Lawrence said.
She had already narrowly avoided hitting two horses on the road at Tasman, west of Nelson, when a third ploughed through the windscreen with a "terrific noise and bang".
"The horse hit me on the corner right in front of me. But he didn't come straight back - he went across and he just grazed me, knocking his flaming hooves into my face on the way through, and his head was on the back and the rest of him was piled up beside me on the passenger's seat. If anyone else had been in the car, they wouldn't have had a hope."
Mrs Lawrence was able to get out of the car herself, but was treated in hospital for her facial injuries. "All the doctors at the hospital said go home and buy a Lotto ticket," she said.
Mrs Lawrence, 74, is nursing a badly bruised face and injured eye, but is lucky to be alive after the horse catapulted through her windscreen into her Nissan March on Wednesday night.
The horse was killed instantly and ended up draped across the seats, while the roof was peeled back by the impact. "I thought the body was the airbag that had gone off, " Mrs Lawrence said.
She had already narrowly avoided hitting two horses on the road at Tasman, west of Nelson, when a third ploughed through the windscreen with a "terrific noise and bang".
"The horse hit me on the corner right in front of me. But he didn't come straight back - he went across and he just grazed me, knocking his flaming hooves into my face on the way through, and his head was on the back and the rest of him was piled up beside me on the passenger's seat. If anyone else had been in the car, they wouldn't have had a hope."
Mrs Lawrence was able to get out of the car herself, but was treated in hospital for her facial injuries. "All the doctors at the hospital said go home and buy a Lotto ticket," she said.
Wife makes adulterous husband stand in the street carrying sign saying:'I cheated'
A wife took revenge on her husband after she discovered he was having an affair by making him stand in public with a sign saying 'I cheated'.
William Taylor stood shame-faced on a busy road with the large homemade sign draped round his neck saying: 'I cheated. This is my punishment.'
Taylor said his wife had come up with the humiliating punishment after she found out he had cheated on her. The wife, who has not been named, found evidence of his affair on his mobile phone.
Taylor, of Centreville, Virginia, said his wife had wanted him to stand with the sign for a week. But after a couple of hours he received a call to say his punishment was over.
He told a local TV station in Virginia that he thought his wife was joking when she suggested the idea. 'I thought she was kidding, but she was serious,' he said. 'I figured I got to do what I got to do to makes things right. So here I am.'
Dozens of drivers honked their car horns as they saw Taylor standing forlornly on the busy junction during the morning rush hour.
There's a news video here.
William Taylor stood shame-faced on a busy road with the large homemade sign draped round his neck saying: 'I cheated. This is my punishment.'
Taylor said his wife had come up with the humiliating punishment after she found out he had cheated on her. The wife, who has not been named, found evidence of his affair on his mobile phone.
Taylor, of Centreville, Virginia, said his wife had wanted him to stand with the sign for a week. But after a couple of hours he received a call to say his punishment was over.
He told a local TV station in Virginia that he thought his wife was joking when she suggested the idea. 'I thought she was kidding, but she was serious,' he said. 'I figured I got to do what I got to do to makes things right. So here I am.'
Dozens of drivers honked their car horns as they saw Taylor standing forlornly on the busy junction during the morning rush hour.
There's a news video here.
Naked man hijacks school bus
It was a scary ride home from school for about 10 to 12 Atlanta public school students after a naked man hijacked their school bus and crashed into a ditch off a busy road. It happened at about 4 p.m. on Thursday along Boulevard Drive in southeast Atlanta.
A spokesperson for the Atlanta Public Schools system said that the naked man jumped through the driver's side window of the school bus while it was stopped at a bus stop near a convenience store.
Witnesses said the naked man threw the bus driver out of the seat and took over the wheel of the bus. Students started jumping out of the moving bus as it traveled along Boulevard Drive, screaming for help. The students attend Forrest Hill Academy in southwest Atlanta. Two of them were injured.
Witnesses told Philips that the driver didn’t have a shirt or shoes and that his sweat pants were pulled down to his knees as he drove the bus. They also told Philips that the hijacker was wearing a condom.
The bus later ploughed through a fence and went down a hill, eventually landing in a ditch. Two students were still aboard the bus at the time it landed in the ditch, but they jumped out and ran to safety.
A man cutting grass nearby saw the commotion and ran to the scene of the crash. Witnesses said the man put his foot in the suspect's back and held him until police arrived.
With news video.
A spokesperson for the Atlanta Public Schools system said that the naked man jumped through the driver's side window of the school bus while it was stopped at a bus stop near a convenience store.
Witnesses said the naked man threw the bus driver out of the seat and took over the wheel of the bus. Students started jumping out of the moving bus as it traveled along Boulevard Drive, screaming for help. The students attend Forrest Hill Academy in southwest Atlanta. Two of them were injured.
Witnesses told Philips that the driver didn’t have a shirt or shoes and that his sweat pants were pulled down to his knees as he drove the bus. They also told Philips that the hijacker was wearing a condom.
The bus later ploughed through a fence and went down a hill, eventually landing in a ditch. Two students were still aboard the bus at the time it landed in the ditch, but they jumped out and ran to safety.
A man cutting grass nearby saw the commotion and ran to the scene of the crash. Witnesses said the man put his foot in the suspect's back and held him until police arrived.
With news video.
'Moon rock' in Dutch museum is just petrified wood
The Dutch national museum said yesterday that one of its most prized possessions, a rock supposedly brought back from the moon by U.S. astronauts, is just a piece of petrified wood.
In an investigation into the piece, a space expert told the Rijksmuseum it was unlikely NASA would have given away any moon rock so soon after Apollo returned to Earth.
Rijksmuseum spokeswoman Xandra van Gelder, said the museum will keep the relic as a curiosity. 'It's a good story, with some questions that are still unanswered,' she said. 'We can laugh about it.'
The museum acquired the rock after the death of former prime minister Willem Dreesman in 1988.
Dreesman received it as a private gift in 1969 from then-U.S. ambassador J. William Middendorf who accompanied the Apollo 11 astronauts on a visit to The Netherlands after the first moon landing.
Mr Middendorf told how the rock came from the U.S. State Department, but couldn't recall the exact details. 'Apparently no one thought to doubt it, since it came from the prime minister's collection,' Ms Van Gelder said.
In an investigation into the piece, a space expert told the Rijksmuseum it was unlikely NASA would have given away any moon rock so soon after Apollo returned to Earth.
Rijksmuseum spokeswoman Xandra van Gelder, said the museum will keep the relic as a curiosity. 'It's a good story, with some questions that are still unanswered,' she said. 'We can laugh about it.'
The museum acquired the rock after the death of former prime minister Willem Dreesman in 1988.
Dreesman received it as a private gift in 1969 from then-U.S. ambassador J. William Middendorf who accompanied the Apollo 11 astronauts on a visit to The Netherlands after the first moon landing.
Mr Middendorf told how the rock came from the U.S. State Department, but couldn't recall the exact details. 'Apparently no one thought to doubt it, since it came from the prime minister's collection,' Ms Van Gelder said.
Indian man married 14 women in two years
An Indian engineer has been charged with bigamy after wooing 14 women and marrying them in the space of just two and a half years. The case has revealed the desperation of middle class Indian women in their quest for a high-status husband.
Most of Tushar Waghmare's wives were highly educated women who were so taken with his professional qualifications that they did not question his background.
Marriage is the most important assertion of status in India's rigidly hierarchical society, and is usually an alliance of compatible families more often than a love match between bride and groom. Mr Waghmare, 40, an Air India engineer from Mumbai, found the women on Indian matrimonial websites, where he described himself as a divorcee looking for a high-caste Brahmin career woman.
Three of the women who replied and eventually married him were engineers themselves or architects. Police said Mr Waghmare had met all their families, who were so awed by his £900-a-month salary that they failed to question him.
Because he provided for them, they did not ask him any questions when he spent up to just three days with each of the women a month before saying he had to work away from home.
Detectives said he was eventually caught when his salary would not stretch to each of his 14 wives and they had to support him instead. "None of the women or their parents ever thought of doing a background check on him as they would be impressed with his job profile," said a policeman.
Most of Tushar Waghmare's wives were highly educated women who were so taken with his professional qualifications that they did not question his background.
Marriage is the most important assertion of status in India's rigidly hierarchical society, and is usually an alliance of compatible families more often than a love match between bride and groom. Mr Waghmare, 40, an Air India engineer from Mumbai, found the women on Indian matrimonial websites, where he described himself as a divorcee looking for a high-caste Brahmin career woman.
Three of the women who replied and eventually married him were engineers themselves or architects. Police said Mr Waghmare had met all their families, who were so awed by his £900-a-month salary that they failed to question him.
Because he provided for them, they did not ask him any questions when he spent up to just three days with each of the women a month before saying he had to work away from home.
Detectives said he was eventually caught when his salary would not stretch to each of his 14 wives and they had to support him instead. "None of the women or their parents ever thought of doing a background check on him as they would be impressed with his job profile," said a policeman.
Samoans fight the switch from right to left
Rebellion is stirring in the normally laid-back Pacific island nation of Samoa, with threats to torch buses and stage mass demonstrations – all over an official plan to oblige citizens to drive on the left.
Thanks to a brief period of German rule in the early 20th century, Samoans have always driven on the right. The government plans to change that on 7 September, making this the first country to swap sides since Ghana in 1974. The rationale is that the switch will encourage Samoans' relatives in Australia and New Zealand to send home their used right-hand-drive cars. At present, most vehicles on the streets of the archipelago are gas-guzzling American left-hand drives.
But locals are not happy, fearing that accident rates will soar and that their left-hand-drive cars will become worthless. A campaign of civil disobedience has begun, with signs reminding drivers to "keep left" after 7 September removed and newly painted arrows on roads altered to point in the opposite direction. Two villages have threatened to force motorists to keep right when passing through.
Twenty-four bus operators are refusing to re-model their vehicles so that passenger doors are on the left, as it is too costly. They dismissed a government offer of £274 compensation per bus as derisory. Nanai Tawan, of Mapuitiga Transport said: "The government thinks we are fools. In protest I would rather bring my buses to parliament and burn them there for parliament to see what they are doing to us."
The changeover was the idea of Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who has been criticised for failing to consult Samoans or order a feasibility study. He has also angered many by claiming it only takes three minutes to learn how to drive on the left. Opponents have not been pacified by the establishment of a test track where drivers can practice, nor by the announcement of a public holiday on 7 and 8 September, to help locals adjust to the new arrangement.
A demonstration planned for next Monday in the capital, Apia, is expected to draw thousands of protesters, and an action group, People Against Switching Sides (PASS), is pursuing legal action in the Supreme Court, claiming the move is unconstitutional. A New Zealand expert, Graham Williams, predicted a "dramatic increase" in the number of crashes and expressed concern about rural areas, where no one wore seatbelts on the narrow roads which were riddled with potholes and speedhumps.
Thanks to a brief period of German rule in the early 20th century, Samoans have always driven on the right. The government plans to change that on 7 September, making this the first country to swap sides since Ghana in 1974. The rationale is that the switch will encourage Samoans' relatives in Australia and New Zealand to send home their used right-hand-drive cars. At present, most vehicles on the streets of the archipelago are gas-guzzling American left-hand drives.
But locals are not happy, fearing that accident rates will soar and that their left-hand-drive cars will become worthless. A campaign of civil disobedience has begun, with signs reminding drivers to "keep left" after 7 September removed and newly painted arrows on roads altered to point in the opposite direction. Two villages have threatened to force motorists to keep right when passing through.
Twenty-four bus operators are refusing to re-model their vehicles so that passenger doors are on the left, as it is too costly. They dismissed a government offer of £274 compensation per bus as derisory. Nanai Tawan, of Mapuitiga Transport said: "The government thinks we are fools. In protest I would rather bring my buses to parliament and burn them there for parliament to see what they are doing to us."
The changeover was the idea of Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who has been criticised for failing to consult Samoans or order a feasibility study. He has also angered many by claiming it only takes three minutes to learn how to drive on the left. Opponents have not been pacified by the establishment of a test track where drivers can practice, nor by the announcement of a public holiday on 7 and 8 September, to help locals adjust to the new arrangement.
A demonstration planned for next Monday in the capital, Apia, is expected to draw thousands of protesters, and an action group, People Against Switching Sides (PASS), is pursuing legal action in the Supreme Court, claiming the move is unconstitutional. A New Zealand expert, Graham Williams, predicted a "dramatic increase" in the number of crashes and expressed concern about rural areas, where no one wore seatbelts on the narrow roads which were riddled with potholes and speedhumps.
Bridge smeared with butter to stop suicide jumpers
Officials officials have had a giant bridge smeared with butter to stop people jumping off it.
The 1,000ft long steel structure in Guangzhou, south east China, has become a popular spot for leaping from — causing long tailbacks as drivers stop to watch.
And now the state's government has got so fed up with it, workers have been ordered to spread creamy fat on all the bridge's climbable surfaces.
Government spokesman Shiu Liang said: "We tried employing guards at both ends but that didn't work - and we put up special fences and notices asking people not to commit suicide here.
"None of it worked - so now we have put butter over the bridge and it has worked very well. Nobody can get up there and nobody who tries ever falls."
Bridge guard Wong Man said: "The butter makes the bars and frames slippery and hard to climb on to, and we can easily catch them."
The 1,000ft long steel structure in Guangzhou, south east China, has become a popular spot for leaping from — causing long tailbacks as drivers stop to watch.
And now the state's government has got so fed up with it, workers have been ordered to spread creamy fat on all the bridge's climbable surfaces.
Government spokesman Shiu Liang said: "We tried employing guards at both ends but that didn't work - and we put up special fences and notices asking people not to commit suicide here.
"None of it worked - so now we have put butter over the bridge and it has worked very well. Nobody can get up there and nobody who tries ever falls."
Bridge guard Wong Man said: "The butter makes the bars and frames slippery and hard to climb on to, and we can easily catch them."
Prehistoric monster terrorises children in the Ganges
Indian paleontologists are heading to Calcutta in West Bengal after locals claimed to have fished a prehistoric Coelacanth out of the water.
Coelacanths were believed to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period until the first specimen was found off the east coast of South Africa in 1938.
Since then they have been found in the Comoros, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar.
But the experts are trying to work out how what would be the biggest ever Coelacanth specimen weighing 320 kilos came to be floating down the Ganges. The fish, eight feet long and three feet wide, had a cut on its stomach and some of the fins had been torn free.
Official stands by kids who raised the alarm saying: "Initially we thought that a big sea animal was coming to devour us, it was only when we got out the water we realised it was dead."
Experts believe that if it is a Coelacanth in the fish may have been caught and dumped by fishermen as it almost worthless because the flesh exudes oils even when dead, giving the flesh a foul flavour and a disgusting smell.
Coelacanths were believed to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period until the first specimen was found off the east coast of South Africa in 1938.
Since then they have been found in the Comoros, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar.
But the experts are trying to work out how what would be the biggest ever Coelacanth specimen weighing 320 kilos came to be floating down the Ganges. The fish, eight feet long and three feet wide, had a cut on its stomach and some of the fins had been torn free.
Official stands by kids who raised the alarm saying: "Initially we thought that a big sea animal was coming to devour us, it was only when we got out the water we realised it was dead."
Experts believe that if it is a Coelacanth in the fish may have been caught and dumped by fishermen as it almost worthless because the flesh exudes oils even when dead, giving the flesh a foul flavour and a disgusting smell.
Shark born out of water
A baby shark had an out of water birth when he popped out of his egg into a diver's hands in Cheshire. The creature decided to enter the world as eggs were being transferred from Blue Planet Aquarium's 3.8m litre Caribbean Reef display.
Measuring just 10cm (4ins) in length, the bamboo shark was taken to the quarantine section for medical checks.
Diver Kelly Timmins said: "We're just hoping it doesn't bond with the first thing it sees, which was me."
The shark has been named Ariel and is coping well without his mother. "It is pretty unique for a shark to be born out of the water," Ms Timmins added. "Ariel's doing well though.
"These sharks spend the first few weeks living off a little egg before moving on to solid food but he's growing well. We're also hoping it is only a matter of time before his brothers and sisters start hatching out - although we're hoping they'll do it all in the water."
The aim is to get the eggs out of the main ocean display before they hatch to protect them from the larger species.
Measuring just 10cm (4ins) in length, the bamboo shark was taken to the quarantine section for medical checks.
Diver Kelly Timmins said: "We're just hoping it doesn't bond with the first thing it sees, which was me."
The shark has been named Ariel and is coping well without his mother. "It is pretty unique for a shark to be born out of the water," Ms Timmins added. "Ariel's doing well though.
"These sharks spend the first few weeks living off a little egg before moving on to solid food but he's growing well. We're also hoping it is only a matter of time before his brothers and sisters start hatching out - although we're hoping they'll do it all in the water."
The aim is to get the eggs out of the main ocean display before they hatch to protect them from the larger species.
Lightbulb ban puts fairground rides at risk
Traditional fairground rides such as merry-go-rounds, ghost trains and carousels are at risk of "losing their authenticity" because of the Brussels ban on light bulbs. Incandescent light bulbs have been banned by the European Union to cut back carbon dioxide emissions. Clear, pearl and frosted 100 watt bulbs will also not be on sale from September 1 with a shift towards 25 and 40 watt bulbs.
However, officials at the Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, which houses Britain's largest collection of classic rides, claim the new bulbs will not illuminate their machines. The centre believes the rides used in parades, fairs and circuses for over 100 years will be plunged into darkness and will lose their ''authenticity''.
Guy Belshaw, spokesman for the Fairground Heritage Centre, said the EU was ''legislating against a bit of fun'' and is asking for the public to donate traditional light bulbs before they run out. The centre, in Lifton, Devon, boasts Victorian roundabouts, a 1940's ghost train and little-known novelty rides which use hundreds of coloured light bulbs each year.
A 'Supersonic Skid' which spins skidding cabs in a circle and is currently being restored, needs a total of 1,400 lamps. The Fairground Heritage Trust says it has enough 110 volt lamps to last the next two years but will then run out.
Mr Belshaw said: ''We are really short of the coloured ones - we could lacquer them yellow and red but they do not always look the same. We are just hoping someone will have a supply somewhere.'' Bulbs with the right voltage are common in the US but they are manufactured with a screw fitting rather than the bayonet-style found on the rides.
The trust recently sourced 1,000 clear lamps but want to find more before they run out. A voluntary initiative to phase out the old-fashioned bulbs has been in place since 2007, but it will be illegal to import the conventional pearl or frosted bulbs, or incandescent bulbs of 100 watts, from September 1. In Britain, trading standards officers will carry out inspections and members of the public will be able to report any shop continuing to stock the illegal bulbs.
However, officials at the Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, which houses Britain's largest collection of classic rides, claim the new bulbs will not illuminate their machines. The centre believes the rides used in parades, fairs and circuses for over 100 years will be plunged into darkness and will lose their ''authenticity''.
Guy Belshaw, spokesman for the Fairground Heritage Centre, said the EU was ''legislating against a bit of fun'' and is asking for the public to donate traditional light bulbs before they run out. The centre, in Lifton, Devon, boasts Victorian roundabouts, a 1940's ghost train and little-known novelty rides which use hundreds of coloured light bulbs each year.
A 'Supersonic Skid' which spins skidding cabs in a circle and is currently being restored, needs a total of 1,400 lamps. The Fairground Heritage Trust says it has enough 110 volt lamps to last the next two years but will then run out.
Mr Belshaw said: ''We are really short of the coloured ones - we could lacquer them yellow and red but they do not always look the same. We are just hoping someone will have a supply somewhere.'' Bulbs with the right voltage are common in the US but they are manufactured with a screw fitting rather than the bayonet-style found on the rides.
The trust recently sourced 1,000 clear lamps but want to find more before they run out. A voluntary initiative to phase out the old-fashioned bulbs has been in place since 2007, but it will be illegal to import the conventional pearl or frosted bulbs, or incandescent bulbs of 100 watts, from September 1. In Britain, trading standards officers will carry out inspections and members of the public will be able to report any shop continuing to stock the illegal bulbs.
Ball and chain found in River Thames
A ball and chain believed to have shackled a convict who drowned trying to escape has been found in the banks of the Thames. The eight kilogram leg iron is the world's only known complete ball, chain and lock found through excavation.
The device, which would have been impossible to remove without a key, discovered sticking out from the mud on the south bank of the river near Rotherhithe. The cast iron device suffered only a tiny amount of rust because it was encased in thick black mud on the river foreshore which shielded the metal from oxygen.
No bones were found alongside the discovery, but Museum of London Docklands archaeologists said today if a prisoner had perished in the river while chained up their bones would have been scattered long ago.
Photo from here.
The design of the lock indicates that the find dates from the seventeenth or eighteenth century and was likely made in Germany.
Kate Sumnall, a archaeologist who examined the find, said: "It's high quality iron that could have been melted down and used again, so was very valuable and that means it's unlikely that someone just threw it away.
"That means someone was probably imprisoned in it. We know from the lock design that it was not a slave ball and chain but was definitely used for a prisoner. Without the key I doubt very much anyone could have got out of it without cutting off their own foot."
The device, which would have been impossible to remove without a key, discovered sticking out from the mud on the south bank of the river near Rotherhithe. The cast iron device suffered only a tiny amount of rust because it was encased in thick black mud on the river foreshore which shielded the metal from oxygen.
No bones were found alongside the discovery, but Museum of London Docklands archaeologists said today if a prisoner had perished in the river while chained up their bones would have been scattered long ago.
Photo from here.
The design of the lock indicates that the find dates from the seventeenth or eighteenth century and was likely made in Germany.
Kate Sumnall, a archaeologist who examined the find, said: "It's high quality iron that could have been melted down and used again, so was very valuable and that means it's unlikely that someone just threw it away.
"That means someone was probably imprisoned in it. We know from the lock design that it was not a slave ball and chain but was definitely used for a prisoner. Without the key I doubt very much anyone could have got out of it without cutting off their own foot."
Humanists protest over Creationist zoo
Tourism boards have been urged to stop promoting a North Somerset zoo which presents creationist ideas. The British Humanist Association (BHA) says Noah's Ark Zoo Farm undermines the teaching of science.
Signs at the zoo in Wraxhall describe how the "three great people groups" could be descended from the three sons of Bible ark builder Noah. A spokeswoman for the zoo said they viewed the natural world as a product of both God and evolution.
Another sign at the zoo says animals hunt and kill food because "man rebelled against God". The zoo's website also explicitly rejects Darwinism, describing it as "flawed", and claims scientists are afraid to talk about "design" in the natural world.
BHA education officer Paul Pettinger visited the zoo at the end of July. He said: "I found lots of creationist and pseudo-scientific beliefs.
"They ask you to pray for animals, and so on. We're very concerned because it will undermine education and the teaching of science." The BHA is calling on tourism boards to stop promoting the zoo.
But Noah's Ark's owner Anthony Bush says his zoo simply presents a variety of views, one of which is creationist.
Signs at the zoo in Wraxhall describe how the "three great people groups" could be descended from the three sons of Bible ark builder Noah. A spokeswoman for the zoo said they viewed the natural world as a product of both God and evolution.
Another sign at the zoo says animals hunt and kill food because "man rebelled against God". The zoo's website also explicitly rejects Darwinism, describing it as "flawed", and claims scientists are afraid to talk about "design" in the natural world.
BHA education officer Paul Pettinger visited the zoo at the end of July. He said: "I found lots of creationist and pseudo-scientific beliefs.
"They ask you to pray for animals, and so on. We're very concerned because it will undermine education and the teaching of science." The BHA is calling on tourism boards to stop promoting the zoo.
But Noah's Ark's owner Anthony Bush says his zoo simply presents a variety of views, one of which is creationist.
Albino skunks charm centre staff
A pair of albino skunks are kicking up a stink after being born at an animal refuge centre in Cumbria.
Staff at Knoxwood Wildlife Rescue Centre near Wigton say the "rare" male and female kittens have proved a popular addition with visitors. The pair, who were born eight weeks ago in a litter with two black and white striped skunks, are yet to be named.
Their mother Nansie was recently brought to the centre after being found wandering on Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
She fell pregnant after the father, Pepe, was taken to the centre from the Cumbrian fells.
Rescue centre founder George Scott said: "From what we understand about one in 20,000 skunk births are albino so to get two in one litter is pretty special. They are a lot less timid than their black and white counterparts and our visitors just love them."
He said staff did not intend to reintroduce any of the skunks into the countryside as the animals were not native to the UK.
Video.
Staff at Knoxwood Wildlife Rescue Centre near Wigton say the "rare" male and female kittens have proved a popular addition with visitors. The pair, who were born eight weeks ago in a litter with two black and white striped skunks, are yet to be named.
Their mother Nansie was recently brought to the centre after being found wandering on Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
She fell pregnant after the father, Pepe, was taken to the centre from the Cumbrian fells.
Rescue centre founder George Scott said: "From what we understand about one in 20,000 skunk births are albino so to get two in one litter is pretty special. They are a lot less timid than their black and white counterparts and our visitors just love them."
He said staff did not intend to reintroduce any of the skunks into the countryside as the animals were not native to the UK.
Video.
Cillit Bang used to clean nuclear waste
The £1.99 household product Cillit Bang is being used to help clean plutonium stains at the defunct Dounreay nuclear power plant in Caithness.
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) said it would help reduce the £2.6bn cost of dismantling the site.
The cleaner's use has also drawn interest from operators of other nuclear sites in the UK. A different domestic product has already been applied in the cleaning of contaminated glass tubes.
Randall Bargelt, of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which owns Dounreay, said such innovative thinking would save taxpayers, who are funding the cost of the dismantling project.
Staff at Sellafield in Cumbria were among those monitoring the use of Cillit Bang in Dounreay's experimental chemical plant.
One of the clean-up team suggested trying the product after the fluid normally used was deemed to be slowing down the operation. The cleaner was found to markedly reduce levels of radioactive contamination.
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) said it would help reduce the £2.6bn cost of dismantling the site.
The cleaner's use has also drawn interest from operators of other nuclear sites in the UK. A different domestic product has already been applied in the cleaning of contaminated glass tubes.
Randall Bargelt, of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which owns Dounreay, said such innovative thinking would save taxpayers, who are funding the cost of the dismantling project.
Staff at Sellafield in Cumbria were among those monitoring the use of Cillit Bang in Dounreay's experimental chemical plant.
One of the clean-up team suggested trying the product after the fluid normally used was deemed to be slowing down the operation. The cleaner was found to markedly reduce levels of radioactive contamination.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Footballer launches kung-fu style flying kick to player's head in revenge attack
This is the moment a Bolivian football match turned ugly when a player launched a ferocious kung-fu style flying kick to a rival's head, knocking him unconscious.
Young player Sergio Jauregi attacked rival player Leonardo Medina in revenge for an earlier incident in the match when Medina elbowed him. Following the fight a brawl broke out between the two teams Oriente Petrolero and Blooming and both players were sent off.
Young player Sergio Jauregi attacked rival player Leonardo Medina in revenge for an earlier incident in the match when Medina elbowed him. Following the fight a brawl broke out between the two teams Oriente Petrolero and Blooming and both players were sent off.
Kung fu nun pulls cars with hair
A Kung Fu expert has towed eight cars 30m with her hair in Kaifeng City in China.
Zhang Ting Tang fell short of her target of 100m but was still pleased with the stunt.
The 52-year-old, who credited her martial arts skills to the strength of her hair, then shaved it off so that she could officially be recognised as a nun.
Video.
Zhang Ting Tang fell short of her target of 100m but was still pleased with the stunt.
The 52-year-old, who credited her martial arts skills to the strength of her hair, then shaved it off so that she could officially be recognised as a nun.
Video.
12-year-old boy survives eight days in safari game park
A young boy survived eight days alone in the Kruger National Park surrounded by lions and elephants after being separated from his family. Alex Mboweni, 12, astonished rescuers by fending for himself for so long, drinking from waterholes shared by wild animals.
He became separated from his family after they ran from border guards while crossing from their native Mozambique into Limpopo province in north east South Africa. "I got lost and never thought anyone would find me alive. I did not know where I was or where to go and when the sun went down on the first day I sat next to an anthill to keep warm," he said.
"I was really scared at night as I heard wild animals making lots of noise. I heard lions roar in the night and other animals making noises. I was very scared. I was so glad to see the sun come up and I was thirsty but I couldn't see any water for the next two days. On the third day I was really weak and I thought I was going to die but I kept walking until I suddenly found the river.
"As I was drinking the water a huge elephant came charging at me so I ran away again. For the next few nights I slept on the anthill and went to the river once in the day to drink some water but I felt myself getting weaker and weaker." The boy's father went to a police station in the border town of Saselamani to say his son was lost in the bush. A search was then mounted by police and the family in the area where he had last been seen.
"After eight days I was too weak to walk to the river and I lost all hope. But then I heard the voice of my mother calling my name, said Alex. A police spokesman said: "After his father told us Alex was lost in the park we went with him and his mother to look for his son.
"We told his mum to climb on top of a hill and call his name. She climbed up the hill and called her son's name five times and on the sixth shout, Alex appeared. I thought he must have been eaten by lions and it was only a million to one chance that he would be alive. I couldn't believe my eyes when he came out of the bush."
He became separated from his family after they ran from border guards while crossing from their native Mozambique into Limpopo province in north east South Africa. "I got lost and never thought anyone would find me alive. I did not know where I was or where to go and when the sun went down on the first day I sat next to an anthill to keep warm," he said.
"I was really scared at night as I heard wild animals making lots of noise. I heard lions roar in the night and other animals making noises. I was very scared. I was so glad to see the sun come up and I was thirsty but I couldn't see any water for the next two days. On the third day I was really weak and I thought I was going to die but I kept walking until I suddenly found the river.
"As I was drinking the water a huge elephant came charging at me so I ran away again. For the next few nights I slept on the anthill and went to the river once in the day to drink some water but I felt myself getting weaker and weaker." The boy's father went to a police station in the border town of Saselamani to say his son was lost in the bush. A search was then mounted by police and the family in the area where he had last been seen.
"After eight days I was too weak to walk to the river and I lost all hope. But then I heard the voice of my mother calling my name, said Alex. A police spokesman said: "After his father told us Alex was lost in the park we went with him and his mother to look for his son.
"We told his mum to climb on top of a hill and call his name. She climbed up the hill and called her son's name five times and on the sixth shout, Alex appeared. I thought he must have been eaten by lions and it was only a million to one chance that he would be alive. I couldn't believe my eyes when he came out of the bush."
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