Police chief's home burgled as he gave crime talk

Police chief's home burgled as he gave crime talk

A police chief's home was burgled while he was giving a talk on crime prevention.

Superintendent Peter West had to dash from the meeting and drive home to comfort his wife Pauline in Folkestone, Kent.

She discovered raiders had grabbed jewellery and personal items from their house.

Mr West was addressing a public meeting at Tenterden, near Ashford, at the time of the break-in, reports The Sun.

The 50-year-old Commander for the Weald area of Kent was talking about the importance of measures to prevent crime when his wife called him on his mobile.

He said: "My first instinct was concern for my family, followed by my professional instinct of wanting to catch whoever was responsible. I am no different from any other victim of crime in that I want to see justice done.

"I have since taken further security steps to protect my house. Having been a policeman for a number of years, I do understand victims' frustrations and I am very mindful of the security measures that need to be taken."

Man gets stuck in child's tyre swing

An Austrian man got himself trapped in a swing made from a tyre after falling asleep.

The 46-year-old sat on the swing in a playground in the city of Linz. But after falling asleep, he sank into the tyre and became stuck.

A friend who failed to get him out ended up calling the fire service, reports the Krone newspaper.

They tried unsuccessfully for some time before eventually working the man free.

Bono caught smoking in his own hotel

Bono has been ticked off for smoking a cigarette - in his own hotel.



The U2 singer was entertaining the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the Clarence Hotel in Dublin when he lit up.

Staff and friends asked him to stub it out - even though the singer and his U2 bandmates own the hotel.

"It was the wee small hours," Bono said. "I was in the company of people from out of town who didn't know about the ban and for a moment nor did I.

"I was quickly reminded by the staff and a few friends. I apologised then and I apologise now."

Ireland passed strict new anti-smoking laws earlier this year outlawing smoking in public places.

German zoologist says bees not as busy as we think

A German zoologist says bees aren't as busy as people are led to believe.

Professor Randolf Menzel, a neurobiologist and zoologist from the Free University in Berlin, has studied bees for four decades.

He said: "Bees are not particularly hardworking. Instead they sleep a lot and are lazy. They spend up to 80% of the night sleeping and even during the day they often fly to the nest where they rest their wings."

But to compensate for their apparent laziness, Menzel said they were actually very intelligent. He said they were quick learners, were able to recognise various scents and had five memory phases.

The researcher, who last week was awarded a prize for his work by the German Zoological Society, also said bees' learning behaviour, like many animals, was based on a reward system.

"If a bee is rewarded once for something, it remembers it for a week afterwards. But if it is rewarded three times, it will remember it for its entire lifetime," said Professor Menzel.

The memory capacity of the honey-making insects means they can distinguish between more than 50 different scents to find the one they want.

"What is interesting is that what smells good to a bee, is also a pleasant smell for humans," said Menzel.

El Paso Named Sweatiest U.S. City

El Paso, Texas, with average summer temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity of 36 percent, is the sweatiest city in the United States, a study released on Tuesday found.


Research scientist Tim Long calculated heat indexes and relative humidity levels to come up with his top 100 sweatiest cities in America list. By Long's calculations, in just four hours, El Paso's residents produce enough sweat to fill an Olympic swimming (news - web sites) pool, with individuals shedding more than 36 fluid ounces of perspiration an hour.


"The driving force is heat, but humidity is a key factor," said Long. "It can feel like 118 in El Paso but it's only 94."


For the dubious honor, El Paso Mayor Joe Wardy will receive a year's supply of Red Zone antiperspirant from Old Spice, a brand owned by consumer products company Procter & Gamble Co. and the sponsor of the study.


The next four sweatiest U.S. cities are: Greenville, South Carolina; Phoenix, Arizona; Corpus Christi, Texas; and New Orleans, Louisiana.

England car flags may cause accidents

LONDON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of England fans are flying St George's flags from their cars as Euro 2004 nears -- so many that they have been accused of risking accidents.


Motoring organisations are worried the flags could obscure drivers' vision, an offence which could land them with a fine of 2,500 pounds.


Draping the white flag across the dashboard could also be a serious hazard if the sun reflects off it.


"Don't do anything that is going to be dangerous by sticking flags out sidewards where they could strike pedestrians or other vehicles," said a spokesman for the AA organisation.


"If you do have an accident and the police think the flags were a contributory factor, that really could land you in some trouble," he added.


With just under a week to go before England's first match, supermarket chain Sainsbury's has already sold 75,000 car flags which clip to the windscreen.


Junior Playtime, one of the firms supplying them, has sold out completely after shifting some 50,000.


"We've had quite a few phone calls requesting more, and I know my customers have had enquiries they've had to turn down," said sales manager Laurence Watford.

SAD Unpatriotic BarStewards !

Pub will have 'Football Free Zone' for England game

A Nottingham pub is opening what's believed to be the country's first "Football Free Zone" for Thursday's England v Switzerland Euro 2004 game.

Tony Beecroft, landlord of the White Horse Pub in Ruddington has teamed up with winemakers Lindemans to create the 'pub of two halves'.

It'll enable 'football widows' to enjoy treats such as free manicures, re-runs of Sex & The City and free drink and food served by a David Beckham look-a-like.

Commenting on the pilot scheme, Amy Thomson from Lindemans said: "Our pub of two halves offers women, and mums in particular, the perfect opportunity to indulge themselves and still have an afternoon with their husbands.

"Of course we're all hoping for a good result on the day, but for some of us a glass of great tasting wine and some pampering is just too good an opportunity to miss!"

If the trial is successful it could be trialled in other cities during England internationals