COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Toxicology results for drugs haven't been released , but police believe a man who called 911 and taunted police for about three hours Friday was "obviously high on something."
Alexander Craig, 21, was being held on suspicion of vehicular eluding, DUI and resisting arrest after making about 10 calls between 8:30 and 11 p.m. Thursday and leading police on a chase.
"He called 911 and said, 'I'm hammered ... come get me,"' said Sgt. Rob Kelley. He described his car, dropped clues of where he was and even gave his name.
About 20 officers were involved in the search, but could find Craig.
"He said we need to try harder to find him. He said he couldn't believe he hasn't been caught yet," Kelley said.
After nearly two hours, Craig found them. He pulled up in front of squad cars and drove off, running red lights, driving down the wrong side of the street and jumping medians. He was caught when his car, leaking fluids, broke down and police used a stun gun on him.
Intoxicated drivers usually try to stay under the radar, Kelley said.
"For somebody to call us -- that's a first in 20 years I'm aware of," he said
Sunday, March 11, 2007
April fool
A Dutch adventurer has announced plans to climb Mount Everest, wearing little more than a pair of running shorts.
Self proclaimed 'ice man', 47-year-old Wim Hof already holds several cold-withstanding records.
He once held his breath for six minutes below Artic ice and ran 21 kilometres above the polar circle in Finland naked except for running shorts and no shoes.
For the forthcoming Everest summit attempt, Hof plans to wear climbing boots along with shorts, gloves and a cap.
The Dutchman will set out for Nepal, appropriately perhaps, on April 1
Self proclaimed 'ice man', 47-year-old Wim Hof already holds several cold-withstanding records.
He once held his breath for six minutes below Artic ice and ran 21 kilometres above the polar circle in Finland naked except for running shorts and no shoes.
For the forthcoming Everest summit attempt, Hof plans to wear climbing boots along with shorts, gloves and a cap.
The Dutchman will set out for Nepal, appropriately perhaps, on April 1
MP looks for Klingon votes
A Finnish member of parliament is aiming for re-election by campaigning with a translation of his Web site into Klingon, used in the TV series Star Trek.
"Some have thought it is blasphemy to mix politics and Klingon," said Jyrki Kasvi, an ardent Trekkie. "Others say it is good if politicians can laugh at themsejavascript:void(0)
Publishlves."
He said his politics posed some translation difficulties, since Klingon does not have words for matters such as tolerance, or for many colours, including green -- the party under whose banner he is running in the national elections on March 18.
Non-warriors can also access the site, www.kasvi.org, in English, Swedish ,Finnish and of course Klingon.
"Some have thought it is blasphemy to mix politics and Klingon," said Jyrki Kasvi, an ardent Trekkie. "Others say it is good if politicians can laugh at themsejavascript:void(0)
Publishlves."
He said his politics posed some translation difficulties, since Klingon does not have words for matters such as tolerance, or for many colours, including green -- the party under whose banner he is running in the national elections on March 18.
Non-warriors can also access the site, www.kasvi.org, in English, Swedish ,Finnish and of course Klingon.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Neigbours - Poles apart
A YOUTH football coach is being probed by cops over claims he sawed down his next door neighbour's flagpole. Ian Horne, 39, is alleged to have scaled his neighbours' 6ft fence to cut down the St Andrew's Cross.
Next-door neighbours Chris and Laraine Simmons insist they have been friends with Horne since he moved into his £300,000 pad in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, three years ago.
But Laraine, 51, said she woke at 3.30am last Friday to find her neighbour - who has coached kids at top clubs - brandishing a saw in her garden.
The occupational therapist said: "I woke up when I heard it crashing to the ground, breaking my patio heater in two and plant pots on decking.
"At first I thought he was a burglar but when I looked out of the window, I saw Ian holding a saw at the flagpole.
"I shouted, 'Ian, what on Earth are you doing?' "He was cursing and shouting, 'There's your fucking flagpole. Fly your fucking flag now.'
"Ian seemed tome to be intoxicated. Up until now, we have never had a bad word between us. But this is completely out of order. The police turned up and went in to speak to him but he was in a drunken sleep and they couldn't wake him."
Strathclyde Police confirmed they are investigating a disturbance at the town's Redwood Crescent. A spokesman said: "We are following a definite line of inquiry."
But last night Horne insisted: "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Horne is the training and development director of a company. He lives with his girlfriend Jean and their two children in Redwood Crescent. He also has a son with his ex-wife.
The flagpole was a treasured gift from Chris's mother Evelyn, 82. She said: "I bought my son the flag because I know how much he loves Scotland. it's very sad it has come to this."
Chris, 48, who retired after a steel works accident, said he wants nothing more to do with his neighbour.
He said: "We were good neighbours and friends until this happened. I am proud to be Scottish and put the flag up a few months ago. I even asked Ian what he thought of it and he said it was very nice. I don't know what was going on in his mind when he climbed the fence and sawed down my flagpole."
Next-door neighbours Chris and Laraine Simmons insist they have been friends with Horne since he moved into his £300,000 pad in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, three years ago.
But Laraine, 51, said she woke at 3.30am last Friday to find her neighbour - who has coached kids at top clubs - brandishing a saw in her garden.
The occupational therapist said: "I woke up when I heard it crashing to the ground, breaking my patio heater in two and plant pots on decking.
"At first I thought he was a burglar but when I looked out of the window, I saw Ian holding a saw at the flagpole.
"I shouted, 'Ian, what on Earth are you doing?' "He was cursing and shouting, 'There's your fucking flagpole. Fly your fucking flag now.'
"Ian seemed tome to be intoxicated. Up until now, we have never had a bad word between us. But this is completely out of order. The police turned up and went in to speak to him but he was in a drunken sleep and they couldn't wake him."
Strathclyde Police confirmed they are investigating a disturbance at the town's Redwood Crescent. A spokesman said: "We are following a definite line of inquiry."
But last night Horne insisted: "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Horne is the training and development director of a company. He lives with his girlfriend Jean and their two children in Redwood Crescent. He also has a son with his ex-wife.
The flagpole was a treasured gift from Chris's mother Evelyn, 82. She said: "I bought my son the flag because I know how much he loves Scotland. it's very sad it has come to this."
Chris, 48, who retired after a steel works accident, said he wants nothing more to do with his neighbour.
He said: "We were good neighbours and friends until this happened. I am proud to be Scottish and put the flag up a few months ago. I even asked Ian what he thought of it and he said it was very nice. I don't know what was going on in his mind when he climbed the fence and sawed down my flagpole."
Hoax
A Russian policeman has been jailed for phoning an airport with a bomb warning to help acquaintances of his boss make their flight, the Kommersant daily said on Friday.
A senior police officer, who was seeing off two businessmen in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in February last year, told his subordinate to fix the problem when they failed to board the plane on time.
The assistant phoned the airport and said he had received a message about explosives and weapons on board the plane. The aircraft with 40 passengers on board turned around in mid-air to return to Yekaterinburg.
The police officer and his subordinate were sentenced to 21 months in prison each, the paper reported.
Witnesses cited by Kommersant said the businessmen had been drinking in the airport.
A senior police officer, who was seeing off two businessmen in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in February last year, told his subordinate to fix the problem when they failed to board the plane on time.
The assistant phoned the airport and said he had received a message about explosives and weapons on board the plane. The aircraft with 40 passengers on board turned around in mid-air to return to Yekaterinburg.
The police officer and his subordinate were sentenced to 21 months in prison each, the paper reported.
Witnesses cited by Kommersant said the businessmen had been drinking in the airport.
Coin foul-up
An unknown number of new U.S. $1 coins bearing the image of George Washington are missing the words "In God We Trust" and other lettering along the edges, the U.S. Mint said on Wednesday.
The Mint released more than 300 million gold-colored, George Washington $1 coins last month, but it recently discovered a problem. The coins, made by the Philadelphia Mint, were supposed to have the inscriptions "In God We Trust," "E Pluribus Unum," the date and the mint mark around the edge.
It is unclear how the mistake occurred or how many of the coins are in circulation, according to the Mint statement. The Mint said it would make necessary technical adjustments in the manufacturing to eliminate the defect.
"The United States Mint understands the importance of the inscriptions 'In God We Trust' and 'E Pluribus Unum' as well as the mint mark and year on U.S. coinage. We take this matter seriously," the statement said.
"We also consider quality control a high priority. We are looking into the matter to determine a possible cause in the manufacturing process."
Robert Hoge, curator of North American coins and currency for the American Numismatic Society, said that collectors find coins with a mistake like this, known as a Mint error, desirable when a relatively small number are in circulation.
"Since it was an accident, there is no count of how many were created. That's always the question with a mint error and it's difficult to tell how many there might be," he said.
On the auction Web site eBay, one of the coins sold for
$405.
One of the most famous Mint errors in the United States occurred in 1922. That year, "through carelessness or overzealousness," Hoge said, a defective die for the obverse, or head, side of the 1-cent piece failed to show the "D" mark indicating it was struck at the Denver Mint. One of those coins in mint condition would fetch upwards of $10,000, Hoge said.
The Mint released more than 300 million gold-colored, George Washington $1 coins last month, but it recently discovered a problem. The coins, made by the Philadelphia Mint, were supposed to have the inscriptions "In God We Trust," "E Pluribus Unum," the date and the mint mark around the edge.
It is unclear how the mistake occurred or how many of the coins are in circulation, according to the Mint statement. The Mint said it would make necessary technical adjustments in the manufacturing to eliminate the defect.
"The United States Mint understands the importance of the inscriptions 'In God We Trust' and 'E Pluribus Unum' as well as the mint mark and year on U.S. coinage. We take this matter seriously," the statement said.
"We also consider quality control a high priority. We are looking into the matter to determine a possible cause in the manufacturing process."
Robert Hoge, curator of North American coins and currency for the American Numismatic Society, said that collectors find coins with a mistake like this, known as a Mint error, desirable when a relatively small number are in circulation.
"Since it was an accident, there is no count of how many were created. That's always the question with a mint error and it's difficult to tell how many there might be," he said.
On the auction Web site eBay, one of the coins sold for
$405.
One of the most famous Mint errors in the United States occurred in 1922. That year, "through carelessness or overzealousness," Hoge said, a defective die for the obverse, or head, side of the 1-cent piece failed to show the "D" mark indicating it was struck at the Denver Mint. One of those coins in mint condition would fetch upwards of $10,000, Hoge said.
Woman marries corpse
AHMEDABAD, India - An Indian woman, despairing over her lover's accidental death when he fell down a well soon after their engagement, insisted on ceremonially marrying his corpse just minutes before the cremation.
"It was for just few minutes the girl was dressed as a bride and then as a widow," K.M. Kapadia, a police officer in the town of Anand in western Gujarat state, said on Saturday.
Wedding attendees sat the corpse up by a fire, the traditional centre of Hindu wedding ceremonies, and chanted some marriage prayers before cremating the body, police said.
"The girl refused to give away the body of her lover for the cremation till she tied the knot with him," Kapadia said.
The bride's parents opposed the marriage but later attended the wedding ceremony and gave their 22-year-old daughter Tulsi Devipujak clothes and utensils as gifts, according to the Hindu tradition.
"It was for just few minutes the girl was dressed as a bride and then as a widow," K.M. Kapadia, a police officer in the town of Anand in western Gujarat state, said on Saturday.
Wedding attendees sat the corpse up by a fire, the traditional centre of Hindu wedding ceremonies, and chanted some marriage prayers before cremating the body, police said.
"The girl refused to give away the body of her lover for the cremation till she tied the knot with him," Kapadia said.
The bride's parents opposed the marriage but later attended the wedding ceremony and gave their 22-year-old daughter Tulsi Devipujak clothes and utensils as gifts, according to the Hindu tradition.
Shoe sue
A Moyock, N.C., mother has filed a product liability lawsuit against Chesapeake-based Dollar Tree Stores and several other companies over a pair of play shoes that light up.
Jessica Edwards said her 2-year-old was at home in October 2002 when the heel separated from the shoe and 1.5-volt button cell batteries fell out of the Girl'z Wear Light-Up Play Shoes. A battery was found embedded in the child's nostril, causing serious and permanent injuries, according to the suit.
The civil action was filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court against Dollar Tree Stores, Toyworlds Toys Co. L td., Jaring Inc., Global Innovations LLC and others. The lawsuit seeks $10 million in compensatory damages.
The shoes were sold to the child's grandmother by Dollar Tree in Chesapeake, the lawsuit said. The defendants were negligent in the shoes' warning and instructions, according to the suit.
The defendants should have known the shoes were "unreasonably dangerous and defective," according to the lawsuit.
The defendants have been served with the lawsuit, but have not formally responded. Timothy Reid, a Dollar Tree Stores spokesman, said the company's policy is not to comment on pending litigation.
Jessica Edwards said her 2-year-old was at home in October 2002 when the heel separated from the shoe and 1.5-volt button cell batteries fell out of the Girl'z Wear Light-Up Play Shoes. A battery was found embedded in the child's nostril, causing serious and permanent injuries, according to the suit.
The civil action was filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court against Dollar Tree Stores, Toyworlds Toys Co. L td., Jaring Inc., Global Innovations LLC and others. The lawsuit seeks $10 million in compensatory damages.
The shoes were sold to the child's grandmother by Dollar Tree in Chesapeake, the lawsuit said. The defendants were negligent in the shoes' warning and instructions, according to the suit.
The defendants should have known the shoes were "unreasonably dangerous and defective," according to the lawsuit.
The defendants have been served with the lawsuit, but have not formally responded. Timothy Reid, a Dollar Tree Stores spokesman, said the company's policy is not to comment on pending litigation.
Sandy problem
WHEN gales blew half of Blackpool beach into Arthur Bulmer's garden he thought the sensible solution was to cart it back where it belonged.So he was stunned when council bosses warned him that if he moved the sand back on to the shore they would prosecute him for fly-tipping. And if found guilty he could be fined £50,000 or even go to jail.
Furious Arthur, 79, who lives opposite the beach in St Anne's, Lancs, said: "I think it's crazy. I am sure my sand is cleaner than the stuff on the beach because that gets covered in dog muck. The sand is not my property. It has just invaded my garden from over the road."
The civic-minded pensioner said he was just trying to do what is right for the environment and save the council a job. He added: "Now I will have to use a specialist waste disposal firm and that will cost £500."
Storms have left gardens, roads and footpaths in St Anne's covered in tons of sand which is up to 20ft deep.
Fylde borough council said: "The council has no responsibility to clear sand from private land, the owner must do this. However, dumping anything from your garden on to the beach constitutes fly-tipping."
Silly bugger !
If your apartment caught fire, you probably wouldn't do what one suburban Phoenix man did. Maricopa County sheriff's Lt. Paul Chagolla says Jonathan Zaletel allegedly was using a toaster to cook methamphetamine in his bedroom closet when the appliance caught fire.
The 19-year-old Chandler resident first tried water to put out the fire. When that didn't work, he used window cleaner, which also didn't help.
Instead of calling for help, Chagolla says Zaletel drove to a neighborhood Wal-Mart to buy a fire extinguisher.
By the time he returned home, the condo's sprinkler system had put out the flames and the fire department had been called.
Zaletel was booked into jail on suspicion of manufacturing dangerous drugs, possession of chemicals and equipment to manufacture dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and criminal damage and stupidity.
The 19-year-old Chandler resident first tried water to put out the fire. When that didn't work, he used window cleaner, which also didn't help.
Instead of calling for help, Chagolla says Zaletel drove to a neighborhood Wal-Mart to buy a fire extinguisher.
By the time he returned home, the condo's sprinkler system had put out the flames and the fire department had been called.
Zaletel was booked into jail on suspicion of manufacturing dangerous drugs, possession of chemicals and equipment to manufacture dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and criminal damage and stupidity.
Cinema proposal
ROMANTIC Tom Lane asked his girlfriend Tina Kilford to marry him — on a home-made film shown at his packed local cinema.Tina, 36, was tricked into thinking she was going with pals for a night at the movies.
But as she sat watching the trailers Tom suddenly appeared on the screen, wearing a dinner jacket and bow tie and holding a card reading: “Hi Tina”.
Then, as the Joe Cocker song You Are So Beautiful played, Tom showed and discarded 23 cards one by one.
Each bore a message, like “I promise to love you for ever with all of my heart”. And as Tina watched, he held up the final card saying: “Will you marry me?”
Then as the three-minute movie ended, she turned in her seat — to see Tom striding down the cinema aisle. He got down on one knee, produced a ring and proposed.
Stunned Tina said “Yes” as the audience at School for Scoundrels burst into applause.
She said: “When I first noticed him on the screen, I put my ice cream down and said ‘Oh my God’ about ten times.
“It was so romantic of him to go to so much trouble.”
Youth worker Tom and hairdresser Tina have been together for five years.
He spent six weeks planning his proposal, based on the Sixties film of singer Bob Dylan holding flashcards while singing Subterranean Homesick Blues.
He filmed the video with the help of pals and got staff at Cineworld in Weymouth, Dorset, to help. Tom said: “Tina is the most wonderful, kind and funny person I have ever known.
Ski-mask vigilantes
Bank robbers, terrorists and prowlers have given ski masks a bad name for years, but a Connecticut man is wearing them around town to prove that not everyone who dons one is plotting mayhem.Kevin Lambert, 31, got the idea in 2005 after he walked out of a local package store and slipped on a ski mask for an impromptu photograph. A passer-by, fearing the store had been robbed, called police. Lambert was charged with breach of peace and had to perform 15 hours of community service.
Since then, he and his friends have worn ski masks in public places in an attempt to dispel the stereotype. Lambert has even launched a Web site dedicated to "Striving to keep America Warm By Combating Ski Mask Discrimination."
"This isn't something I do to go out and scare people," he said.
In some chilly circles, ski masks seem to be making a comeback. Tom Ramos, 16, said the three-hole knit masks are retro-chic in the snowboarding community of Naugatuck.
On the slopes, sure. But in a bank?
"It's a little out of place," Ramos acknowledged.
Bowling marathon
A Canadian man hopes to break his own record for marathon bowling.
Suresh Joachim of Mississauga begins an effort Sunday to bowl for one week or 168 hours straight, shattering the 100-hour record he set in 2005, The Toronto Sun reports. The bowling marathon is a fundraiser for the Feed The Children Fund.
Joachim, who has 20 mentions in the Guinness Book of World Records, is the number two record-holder in the world. He began breaking records in Sri Lanka before he moved to Canada by feats like standing on one leg for more than 76 hours.
Ashrita Furman of the United States is in the top spot.
"I want to be number one for records, but that guy has more than 100 records -- he's been doing it for more than 30 years," Joachim said.
In Canada, Furman has crawled a mile in 37 minutes and watched television for almost 70 hours. His wedding in 2003 featured 79 bridesmaids and 47 ushers.
Joachim has a more serious effort planned. In December, he plans to begin a 6,000 kilometer (3,600 mile) World Peace Marathon to get signatures on petitions for children's rights.
There's your half !
A 43-year-old German decided to settle his imminent divorce by chainsawing a family home in two and making off with his half in a forklift truck.
Police in the eastern town of Sonneberg say the trained mason measured the single-storey summer house, which was some eight metres long and six metres wide, before chainsawing through the wooden roof and walls.
"The man said he was just taking his due," said a police spokesman.
"But I don't think his wife was too pleased."
After finishing the job, the man picked up his half with the forklift truck and drove to his brother's house where he has since been staying.
England finally has a stadium
The Football Association has finally gained control of the new Wembley Stadium, more than a year after it was originally scheduled to open.
Construction firm Multiplex handed over the keys late on Friday, signalling an end to its £757m building work.
The FA said it was a "significant step" towards staging May's FA Cup final at the new north London complex.
Works were originally scheduled to finish in January 2006, and the cost of the project has increased dramatically.
n a statement on the FA website, chief executive Brian Barwick said the handover was a "significant step towards staging this year's FA Cup final and opening the new Wembley Stadium".
But he said confirmation of whether the final on 19 May would take place at Wembley would only be given after two "ramp-up events" of up to 60,000 capacity to test the facilities.
"We have been preparing for a very long time and are delighted to finally get inside the stadium," he added.
The first of two test events needed to get a safety certificate will be a communit
y day for 60,000 people on 17 March. There will be a mini-football tournament on the day involving celebrity teams, and visitors will also help the organisers test facilities such as the turnstiles, escalators and toilets.The second test event will be an England Under-21 match against their Italian counterparts on 24 March and, unless there are unforeseen problems, a safety certificate will be awarded in time for the FA Cup final to take place.
Pop star George Michael is scheduled to play the first concert at the revamped stadium on 9 June.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
eBay a Palace
Norway's royal palace ran the risk of being sold cheap on the auction website eBay when a hoax advertisement offered it for $US1, media have reported.
The offer read: "Cheap! The royal palace of a young monarchy, just 102 years old, is on sale".
"At the moment, the castle is in Norway but it can be moved to another country whenever," it said.
"The King and Queen are not included in the price but I am sure that they would move with the royal palace."
The palace had already fetched a bid of $US99,999,999 before being taken down yesterday morning.
According to media reports, the anonymous ad featuring a picture of the stately yellow building was still posted on eBay on Wednesday evening and was to run until March 14.
The Norwegian royal palace in the centre of the capital, Oslo, was built in 1849 and is the residence and workplace of King Harald and Queen Sonja.
Contacted by AFP, the royal palace's spokesperson has declined to comment on the case.
The offer read: "Cheap! The royal palace of a young monarchy, just 102 years old, is on sale".
"At the moment, the castle is in Norway but it can be moved to another country whenever," it said.
"The King and Queen are not included in the price but I am sure that they would move with the royal palace."
The palace had already fetched a bid of $US99,999,999 before being taken down yesterday morning.
According to media reports, the anonymous ad featuring a picture of the stately yellow building was still posted on eBay on Wednesday evening and was to run until March 14.
The Norwegian royal palace in the centre of the capital, Oslo, was built in 1849 and is the residence and workplace of King Harald and Queen Sonja.
Contacted by AFP, the royal palace's spokesperson has declined to comment on the case.
Vacancy
A Lonely publican has started a search for the woman who would be a landlady and the love of his life. James Hilton, who runs The Horseshoe, in Matlock, put an advertisement in a weekly newspaper under the heading "landlady-vacancy".It was intended for the personal column but it ended up in the jobs section, leading Mr Hilton to become the butt of several jokes. But, even though Mr Hilton is looking for love, he said that it was necessary that any potential partner was happy to spend evenings acting as landlady.
Mr Hilton, who has already had some interest following the advertisement, including a date on Sunday night, took on the pub with his wife, Mandy, two years ago.
But Mrs Hilton moved out recently and the 41-year-old said that he was missing the company, as well as a woman's presence at the pub.
Mr Hilton, who worked for local radio stations across the country for 19 years, said: "The upstairs flat is big and empty and I'm looking for companionship. Also, a pub is run better by a couple than a single person and it would be good to have a landlady here as a figurehead in the evening."
He is not intending to rush into anything. He said: "It's really a case of meeting people and striking up friendships. If I end up making a few friends out of this, outside of the pub, then that will also be a good thing."
He said that running a pub meant that he did not get much time to go out and meet other people.
"Most of the women who come into the pub are way too young or attached," he said. The father-of-two said that he was looking for someone who was "presentable, attractive and articulate".
He said: "She'll need a good sense of humour to be part of pub life and to cope with me - also someone who's affectionate and likes affection." He said that he would like someone aged 30 to 40, who was looking for a long-term relationship.
He wrote in the advertisement: "If you want to make sure I'm not an ugly axe-wielding murderer with dirty finger nails and covered in warts, feel free to drop in anonymously before applying."
Anyone interested should send a letter and a photograph to Mr Hilton at the pub, in Matlock Green.
Do it yourself skyscraper
For the one-time gangster who built it, it is nothing less than "the eighth wonder of the world". The less charitably disposed dismiss it as a glorified barn, fire hazard and eyesore.But on one thing everyone agrees: Nikolai Sutyagin's home is certainly different.
Nikolai Sutyagin's home
A jumble of planking rising 144ft forms Sutyagin’s record-breaking ‘eighth wonder of the world’
Dominating the skyline of Arkhangelsk, a city in Russia's far north-west, it is believed to be the world's tallest wooden house, soaring 13 floors to reach 144ft - about half the size of the tower of Big Ben.
The house that Sutyagin built is also crumbling, incomplete and under threat of demolition from city authorities determined to end the former convict's eccentric 15-year project.
When Sutyagin began work on his dacha in 1992, he claims he was only intending to build a two-storey house - larger than those of his neighbours to reflect his position as the city's richest man, but certainly not a contender for the Guinness Book of Records.
However, convinced by a trip to see wooden houses in Japan and Norway, he concluded that he had not used roof space efficiently enough and decided to keep building.
"First I added three floors but then the house looked ungainly, like a mushroom," he said. "So I added another and it still didn't look right so I kept going. What you see today is a happy accident."
There were other motives too. Having grown up in a Soviet communal flat, Sutyagin said he felt lonely living by himself.
Not only would his house make a perfect love nest for his molls, it could also accommodate the 18 executives at his construction company.
He even built a five-storey bath house in the garden, complete with rooms where he and his colleagues could have a little bit of privacy with their girlfriends. But Sutyagin was never to complete his dream. In 1998 he was handed a four-year prison sentence, his third jail term, on racketeering charges. He says he was set up.
Hide-away home
To an ordinary passer-by, the farmer's barn housed nothing more than towering piles of bales of straw. Yet behind the tightly-bound blocks of dried grass lay one man's extraordinary bid to build himself a home - without anyone finding out.Amidst a veil of astonishing secrecy, Graham Head spent six years covertly constructing a three-bedroom bungalow camouflaged by carefully placed straw bales.
In a bid to avoid having to get planning permission, his hope was that he could keep the home hidden for so long that the council would have to approve it - even though he was building it on green belt land.
It was a plot that, to his dismay, was to ruin his marriage and leave him facing the prospect of knocking the entire £300,000 construction down.
Head has been ordered to pull down the £300,000 structure . Yesterday stud farmer Mr Head told of his disappointment after his local council ordered him to tear it down. He claims his bungalow improves the area and is "devastated" by the decision.
"This is terrible news," he said. "I don't know where I am going to live now. I think it is disgusting how the council has treated me. They have tried to ruin my life.
"My bungalow is not hurting anyone and I find it hard to understand that they would not like someone like me living on the site. "It is government policy at the moment to encourage equestrian breeding in the countryside. They are trying to encourage it and yet the council have given me a hard time because they don't want me and the business up here."
Mr Head bought the farmland in the picturesque North Downs in Surrey in 1998.
However, it had no farmhouse and was situated in the protected green belt and was deisgnated an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Fearing strict planning guidelines would prevent him from constructing a new home, Mr Head decided to go ahead and build one without permission. As the three-bedroom bungalow took shape, he went to extraordinary lengths to keep it a secret.
The foundations of the home were built under an open barn and he used huge piles of straw bales to hide it from passers by. He and his wife used a secret entrance through the bales to get in and out.
Mr Head had hoped to live in the finished bungalow on Ranmore Common near Dorking for four years without being detected.
But neighbours and regular walkers began to suspect that a house was hidden behind the straw and got in touch with the local council.
What followed was a protracted planning dispute between Mr Head and Mole Valley District Council.
In June 2004 the farmer applied for a 'certificate of lawfulness' application, claiming he had lived in the completed bungalow for four years since buying the land in 1998, and should therefore be allowed to keep the house.
But the council rejected his application and ordered the building to be demolished because its construction had never been given planning permission. The farmer appealed, but this was dismissed after a public inquiry in 2005.
Last week he appealed again, but once more the council refused to grant him permission and ordered the home to be destroyed within six week. Councillor Neil Maltby, who helped local residents fight Mr Head's applications, described the council's decision as a victory for rural England.
Elf story
A man who dressed up as Buho, a female elf, has been convicted by a jury at Belfast Crown Court of taking underwear from a shop in a knifepoint raid.
Robert Boyd, 45, from Broadlands in Carrickfergus, held up staff at the Orchid shop in Belfast disguised in a wig, hat and glasses.
He told the court he had been in a role-playing game at the time and may have blurred reality and fantasy.
Boyd was released on bail. Sentencing was adjourned for probation reports.
In court on Thursday, ten jurors dismissed Boyd's defence and two believed it.
During the three-day trial, the jury heard that Boyd wore a disguise of a blonde curly wig, reading glasses and a beany hat.
He armed himself with a knife before stealing two sets of bras, pants, suspender belts and stockings from the lingerie shop on the Lisburn Road.
The Queen's University senior lab technician was arrested within moments of the robbery on 14 December 2005.
In his defence, Boyd claimed that due to pressures that he was suffering in his work and marriage and his indulgence in a role-playing game called "Shadow Run", he thought he may have been playing the part of criminal elf Buho when he threatened the lone female shop owner at knifepoint after asking for a discount.
He claimed he had gone to the upmarket lingerie shop to buy the two sets of red and black undies as a Christmas box for his wife.
Robert Boyd, 45, from Broadlands in Carrickfergus, held up staff at the Orchid shop in Belfast disguised in a wig, hat and glasses.
He told the court he had been in a role-playing game at the time and may have blurred reality and fantasy.
Boyd was released on bail. Sentencing was adjourned for probation reports.
In court on Thursday, ten jurors dismissed Boyd's defence and two believed it.
During the three-day trial, the jury heard that Boyd wore a disguise of a blonde curly wig, reading glasses and a beany hat.
He armed himself with a knife before stealing two sets of bras, pants, suspender belts and stockings from the lingerie shop on the Lisburn Road.
The Queen's University senior lab technician was arrested within moments of the robbery on 14 December 2005.
In his defence, Boyd claimed that due to pressures that he was suffering in his work and marriage and his indulgence in a role-playing game called "Shadow Run", he thought he may have been playing the part of criminal elf Buho when he threatened the lone female shop owner at knifepoint after asking for a discount.
He claimed he had gone to the upmarket lingerie shop to buy the two sets of red and black undies as a Christmas box for his wife.
Cow eats chickens
When dozens of chickens went missing from a remote West Bengal village, everyone blamed the neighbourhood dogs.
But Ajit Ghosh, the owner of the missing chickens, eventually solved the puzzle when he caught his cow -- a sacred animal for the Hindu family -- gobbling up several of them at night.
"We were shocked to see our calf eating chickens alive," Ghosh told Reuters by phone from Chandpur village, about 240 km (150 miles) northwest of capital Kolkata.
The family decided to stand guard at night on Monday at the cow shed which also served as a hen coop, after 48 chickens went missing in a month.
"Instead of the dogs, we watched in horror as the calf, whom we had fondly named Lal, sneak to the coop and grab the little ones with the precision of a jungle cat," Gour Ghosh, his brother, said.
Local television pictures showed the cow grabbing and eating a chicken in seconds and a vet confirmed the case.
"We think lack of vital minerals in the body is causing this behaviour. We have taken a look and have asked doctors to look into the case immediately," Mihir Satpathy, a district veterinary officer, said by phone. "This strange behaviour is possible in some exceptional cases," Satpathy said.
Hundreds of villagers flocked to Chandpur on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of Lal, enjoying his bundle of green grass for a change.
"The local vets said the cow was probably suffering from a disease but others said Lal was a tiger in his previous birth," Ajit added.
But Ajit Ghosh, the owner of the missing chickens, eventually solved the puzzle when he caught his cow -- a sacred animal for the Hindu family -- gobbling up several of them at night.
"We were shocked to see our calf eating chickens alive," Ghosh told Reuters by phone from Chandpur village, about 240 km (150 miles) northwest of capital Kolkata.
The family decided to stand guard at night on Monday at the cow shed which also served as a hen coop, after 48 chickens went missing in a month.
"Instead of the dogs, we watched in horror as the calf, whom we had fondly named Lal, sneak to the coop and grab the little ones with the precision of a jungle cat," Gour Ghosh, his brother, said.
Local television pictures showed the cow grabbing and eating a chicken in seconds and a vet confirmed the case.
"We think lack of vital minerals in the body is causing this behaviour. We have taken a look and have asked doctors to look into the case immediately," Mihir Satpathy, a district veterinary officer, said by phone. "This strange behaviour is possible in some exceptional cases," Satpathy said.
Hundreds of villagers flocked to Chandpur on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of Lal, enjoying his bundle of green grass for a change.
"The local vets said the cow was probably suffering from a disease but others said Lal was a tiger in his previous birth," Ajit added.
Romance
SALT LAKE CITY - It wasn't the most romantic of honeymoons.
Police said a groom is in jail, accused of trying to run over his new wife after a weekend wedding in Las Vegas.
"We have a wedding certificate for (March) 4th. They were still honeymooning when he ran her over," said Lt. Paul Jaroscak, a spokesman for the Salt Lake County sheriff's office.
Police received an emergency call Monday from someone reporting a couple fighting in a car as they traveled on Highland Drive, about 10 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. Katie Martindale, 29, apparently got out of the car and started to walk away when James Olwine, 33, drove off the road and hit her with the car, pushing her into a snowbank, Jaroscak said.
Martindale was not seriously injured but might have a broken leg, Jaroscak said.
Olwine was booked into the county jail for investigation of charges of aggravated assault with a vehicle, the lieutenant said. He has not had a court appearance. Authorities said they did not know whether he had an attorney.
Both have jail records and are "well known to the sheriff's office," he said.
Police said a groom is in jail, accused of trying to run over his new wife after a weekend wedding in Las Vegas.
"We have a wedding certificate for (March) 4th. They were still honeymooning when he ran her over," said Lt. Paul Jaroscak, a spokesman for the Salt Lake County sheriff's office.
Police received an emergency call Monday from someone reporting a couple fighting in a car as they traveled on Highland Drive, about 10 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. Katie Martindale, 29, apparently got out of the car and started to walk away when James Olwine, 33, drove off the road and hit her with the car, pushing her into a snowbank, Jaroscak said.
Martindale was not seriously injured but might have a broken leg, Jaroscak said.
Olwine was booked into the county jail for investigation of charges of aggravated assault with a vehicle, the lieutenant said. He has not had a court appearance. Authorities said they did not know whether he had an attorney.
Both have jail records and are "well known to the sheriff's office," he said.
Jackpot !
Two lottery ticket holders in the US are to share $390m (£202m), the largest lottery jackpot ever in the country.Lorry driver Ed Nabors from Georgia said he was "still numb" as he claimed his prize of $116,557,083. After state taxes are paid, he will get $80m.
The other winning ticket was bought at a liquor store in Woodbine, New Jersey, but the holder has not come forward.
The US government is the other big winner, receiving one-third of the jackpot in taxes - $130m.
Mr Nabors said he was at work in his truck in Dalton, Georgia, when he checked his Mega Millions lottery ticket numbers in a newspaper.
"I just went numb... I just sat there and looked at both the paper and the ticket, you know," he told a news conference after picking up his winnings.
He said he planned to go fishing and to buy his daughter a house.
The huge jackpot sparked a ticket-buying frenzy in the US, with one million tickets sold in one hour in New York state alone on Tuesday.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The Yellow Pimpernel
A council has condemned the actions of a spray-painting preacher who used yellow paint to mark potholes on a road in his West Yorkshire home town. Brian Hollingworth, 69, who calls himself "The Yellow Pimpernel", highlighted crumbling road surfaces in Birkby Hall Road, Huddersfield.Workmen fixed the road but Kirklees Council said repairs were already underway in the street. It said roadworks were not influenced by "guerrilla actions".
Mr Hollingworth said he decided to take direct action to highlight the dangerous road surface as it was causing problems for his Rover Metro.
He used four cans of paint and spent three nights marking the trouble spots on the half-mile stretch of road. Mr Hollingworth, a preacher at Rishworth Congregational Church in Calderdale, said: "I was driving my beloved Metro backwards and forwards and I felt the bumps more and more.
"I thought to myself 'someone ought to do something about these holes in the road' but that someone never turns up. So I thought 'that someone has got to be me'. Bystanders were talking to me and asking what my name was so I just looked at the paint canister and 'The Yellow Pimpernel' came out."
But Martin Bolt, cabinet member responsible for highways at Kirklees Council, said Mr Hollingworth's actions had not influenced the authority.
"It's more coincidence than coercion," he said. "The council has a long standing programme of works. These are not influenced by guerrilla actions."
He said a £4m road repair programme was already under way and another £10m investment over five years had just been announced. Mr Bolt said as far as he was aware, Mr Hollingworth had not made a report about Birkby Hall Road. He added: "Effectively he is doing graffiti. I condemn the action. Anybody stepping into the road spraying is putting themselves and others at risk. There is no reason for people in Kirklees to take such drastic action."
Flat-pack housing
Tyneside, UK --_ It's one thing putting up your own wardrobe or bookcase. But tempers are sure to flare when it comes to flatpack homes. Ikea at the MetroCentre will be the first site in the UK to sell the Swedish homes together with a plot to put them on.
But fortunately the timber-framed houses and flats will already be put up for you.
The estate of about 90 homes, designed by construction firm Skanska in partnership with Ikea, are to be put up in the centre of Gateshead.
Called BoKlok, pronounced "Boo Clook", the houses were pioneered in Sweden in the 1990s for low-income families and are now on the market.
Gateshead Council gave the go-ahead for the wooden houses to come to Tyneside, after councillors agreed to sell a plot of land near Gateshead International Stadium to Live Smart @ Home, who are developing BoKlok in the UK.
there's a virtual tour of the New-Build site here
But fortunately the timber-framed houses and flats will already be put up for you.
The estate of about 90 homes, designed by construction firm Skanska in partnership with Ikea, are to be put up in the centre of Gateshead.
Called BoKlok, pronounced "Boo Clook", the houses were pioneered in Sweden in the 1990s for low-income families and are now on the market.
Gateshead Council gave the go-ahead for the wooden houses to come to Tyneside, after councillors agreed to sell a plot of land near Gateshead International Stadium to Live Smart @ Home, who are developing BoKlok in the UK.
there's a virtual tour of the New-Build site here
Mop-up
New York - Phone-tossing supermodel Naomi Campbell is 'mopping up' - literally - as part of her community service sentence handed down by a Manhattan Court after being convicted of hitting her housekeeper over the head with a cell phone.
Campbell was ordered to mop the floors at a New York city warehouse as part of her community service sentence, which Naomi started today. In addition to mopping the floors, Campbell will also be sweeping them. While you can't say the supermodel is "cleaning up" in the high-profile modeling industry, it is giving Campbell a lesson in humility - which was the intention of the New York judge that sentenced Naomi.
In January, Naomi Campbell pleaded guilty to striking her maid in the head with a cell phone and was fined $363, ordered to attend a few anger management classes, and sentenced to community service. Campbell had been given a reprieve by the judge to start her community service work after the spring modeling period, which Naomi just completed.
Campbell was ordered to mop the floors at a New York city warehouse as part of her community service sentence, which Naomi started today. In addition to mopping the floors, Campbell will also be sweeping them. While you can't say the supermodel is "cleaning up" in the high-profile modeling industry, it is giving Campbell a lesson in humility - which was the intention of the New York judge that sentenced Naomi.
In January, Naomi Campbell pleaded guilty to striking her maid in the head with a cell phone and was fined $363, ordered to attend a few anger management classes, and sentenced to community service. Campbell had been given a reprieve by the judge to start her community service work after the spring modeling period, which Naomi just completed.
May the Sale be with you
The brown hooded cloak worn by Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars trilogy fetched £54,000 from an anonymous bidder at a major auction of movie and television memorabilia in London yesterday. The mantle had lain forgotten for years in a warehouse and was rented out for costume parties until its provenance was discovered last year.
But that was upstaged by the biggest surprise sale of the day: a two-piece tweed suit and hat worn by Sean Connery as Harrison Ford's father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This had been expected to fetch between £1,000 and £1,500 but went for a stonking £26,400 instead.
Another surprise big ticket item was the beaten metal helmet worn by Terry Jones as Sir Bedevere in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It sold for £10,000, more than 20 times its pre-sale estimate of £400-500. "It's just a metal bucket," a bemused costume collector in the saleroom was heard to say.
Other costumes that went under the hammer yesterday included a fur-lined dressing gown from Evita, which fetched £2,700, and James Bond's dinner jacket from Thunderball, again worn by Sean Connery, which was sold for £33,600.
But that was upstaged by the biggest surprise sale of the day: a two-piece tweed suit and hat worn by Sean Connery as Harrison Ford's father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This had been expected to fetch between £1,000 and £1,500 but went for a stonking £26,400 instead.
Another surprise big ticket item was the beaten metal helmet worn by Terry Jones as Sir Bedevere in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It sold for £10,000, more than 20 times its pre-sale estimate of £400-500. "It's just a metal bucket," a bemused costume collector in the saleroom was heard to say.
Other costumes that went under the hammer yesterday included a fur-lined dressing gown from Evita, which fetched £2,700, and James Bond's dinner jacket from Thunderball, again worn by Sean Connery, which was sold for £33,600.
Living up a tree
A Bangladeshi man with a head for heights has hit on a perfect solution to try and get a bit of peace and quiet in one of the world's most densely-populated countries.Each day carpenter and aspiring writer Salim Hossen Gaus, aged 25, winches himself 30 metres in a precarious home-made pulley to a small wooden platform he has built at the top of a palm tree.
"I spend four to five hours minimum in the tree reading and writing, listening to the birds chirping," he said, adding his favourite authors were Shakespeare and the Nobel laureate, Bengali writer and poet Rabindranath Tagore.
"The isolation is very pleasing. I don't get any disturbance from people and no-one can distract me from my literary works," he said.
Gaus, from the south-west Jessore district, says he enjoys the tranquillity of his tree house so much he had even taken to eating meals and sleeping there sometimes.
"I feel a deep affinity with nature when I am in the tree writing poetry in the moonlight or looking at the sun rising or setting," he said.
Other villagers at first dismissed Gaus as insane but are now clamouring for their own tree-top hideaways.
"They used to call me mad but many people have become enthusiasts. Now they ask me to build the same kind of tree house for them too," he said.
Lovely darlings !
Dame Edna Everage now has her very own Melbourne city lane way.Dame Edna Place, formerly Brown Alley off Little Collins Street in the city, has been officially opened by the Lord Mayor, John So.
Although the famous Dame is out of town, 10 Edna look-alikes and their 'gladdies' have paraded the red carpet in her honour.
Fellow Melbourne performer Jane Clifton says Dame Edna has always been a critic of Melbourne's architecture but may now have to change her mind.
"It's described as a dead end lane located near Little Collins Street," he said.
"It's ostensively used for deliveries to businesses that back on to it and have no significant architectural features.
"I think she'd be very pleased with that."
Metal thefts
Children's slides, incense holders from cemeteries and even the roof of a public toilet have disappeared in a spate of metal robberies in Japan prompted by surging steel and copper prices.
Last year, there were about 5,700 such robberies in Japan causing damages worth some 2 billion yen (£9 million) and the number of cases is rising, media reports say, citing the National Police Agency.
There were four incidents of metals robberies on Sunday alone, including the theft of 550 kilograms of copper wire worth some 330,000 yen in Gifu prefecture, central Japan, media say.
Last month, thieves stole two stainless steel slides from parks in Saitama prefecture neighbouring Tokyo.
"There were bolts scattered around the area, and the steps for the slides were left behind," a town official said.
Last year, there were about 5,700 such robberies in Japan causing damages worth some 2 billion yen (£9 million) and the number of cases is rising, media reports say, citing the National Police Agency.
There were four incidents of metals robberies on Sunday alone, including the theft of 550 kilograms of copper wire worth some 330,000 yen in Gifu prefecture, central Japan, media say.
Last month, thieves stole two stainless steel slides from parks in Saitama prefecture neighbouring Tokyo.
"There were bolts scattered around the area, and the steps for the slides were left behind," a town official said.
Voting PNG style
The late Elvis Presley plans to be a ghost voter at the 2007 national elections in the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea, if you believe the nation's electoral rolls.
In 2006, almost half of Papua New Guinea's 4.9 million registered voters were regarded by the electoral commission as ghost voters and did not exist.
The commission has been trying for a year to update voter registration ahead of the June 30 elections, but admits voter rolls in remote, rugged highland electorates remain vastly inaccurate.
Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen said ghost voters remained a problem with several Elvis Presleys, the US rocker who died in 1977, registering to vote alongside a handful of Tom Jones and a couple of kings and queens.
As of March, the country's five highland provinces have voter registrations ranging from 116 per cent to 132 per cent, the commission said in its voter analysis.
In 2006, almost half of Papua New Guinea's 4.9 million registered voters were regarded by the electoral commission as ghost voters and did not exist.
The commission has been trying for a year to update voter registration ahead of the June 30 elections, but admits voter rolls in remote, rugged highland electorates remain vastly inaccurate.
Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen said ghost voters remained a problem with several Elvis Presleys, the US rocker who died in 1977, registering to vote alongside a handful of Tom Jones and a couple of kings and queens.
As of March, the country's five highland provinces have voter registrations ranging from 116 per cent to 132 per cent, the commission said in its voter analysis.
Reggae Reggae Sauce
A chef who sang to impress investors on BBC Two's Dragons' Den has said his supermarket deal is a "dream come true" as his sauce hits the shelves.Levi Roots, who was nominated for best reggae singer at the 1998 Mobo awards, persuaded TV entrepreneurs to invest £50,000 in his sauce-making business.
His Reggae Reggae Sauce is now on sale in 600 Sainsbury's stores.
Mr Roots, from Brixton, south London, said events since appearing on the show had been "amazing and life changing".
He said " Mon ,me is well appy , dem done make me dread brodders smile, am out to spliff up!" ( which roughly translated means:"The deal with Sainsbury's is a dream come true for me and my family, and seeing the sauce on the supermarket shelves is an emotional but enjoyable moment,")
Dragons' Den judges Peter Jones and Richard Farley each paid Brixton-based Mr Roots £25,000 in return for a 20% stake in his company.
Mr Jones said: "Levi is a great guy and he's created a great product which he is passionate about.
"I am sure this deal with Sainsbury's will be the first of many fantastic milestones on the way to business success and making his dreams a reality."
The sauce - an old family recipe - will initially be sold at more than 600 Sainsbury's stores for six months. The supermarket will also sell Mr Roots' record Proper Tings (The Reggae Reggae Sauce Song).
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Gem of a thief
A Belgian antique dealer returned from holiday to find a thief had broken into his shop, opened it for business and sold his stock.
While Johan Dumon, 62, from Mechelen, was away the burglar stole valuables from his shop and also his home and held a two day sale.
Neighbours didn't find the sale suspicious - even though the shop had been closed for three years, reports De Morgen.
"I can only conclude the burglar was a clever man," said Mr Dumon. "Instead of dragging it all out of the house he sold it on the spot."
Dumon said the stolen antiques were worth at least £17,000.
Police have spoken to witnesses who attended the sale and have been able to release a description of the man.
Attorney Goedele Van den Brande is confident the man will soon be found - but he says recovering the stolen goods could be impossible as 'purchasers' cannot be forced to return them.
While Johan Dumon, 62, from Mechelen, was away the burglar stole valuables from his shop and also his home and held a two day sale.
Neighbours didn't find the sale suspicious - even though the shop had been closed for three years, reports De Morgen.
"I can only conclude the burglar was a clever man," said Mr Dumon. "Instead of dragging it all out of the house he sold it on the spot."
Dumon said the stolen antiques were worth at least £17,000.
Police have spoken to witnesses who attended the sale and have been able to release a description of the man.
Attorney Goedele Van den Brande is confident the man will soon be found - but he says recovering the stolen goods could be impossible as 'purchasers' cannot be forced to return them.
The Phantom minister
A party leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo who proposed an apparently fictitious person for a post in the new cabinet has been sacked.The so-called case of the "phantom" government minister, Andre Kasongo Ilunga, has puzzled politicians in the war-torn African nation in recent days.
The case came to light when Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga began to appoint ministers to his new cabinet. The elusive Mr Ilunga got the post of trade but resigned before taking it up.
The party's leader, Honorius Kisimba Ngoy, leader of Unafec, a party allied to President Joseph Kabila, allegedly invented Mr Ilunga in the hope that submitting the name of an unknown along with his own would ensure he was appointed to the cabinet.
The stunt apparently backfired when the prime minister appointed Mr Ilunga.
Mr Ilunga seemed to have everything going for him. Despite his relative youth - 34 years old - he was appointed trade minister. But he never appeared, and when officials asked where he was, they were told by his party that he had resigned. The reasons for his decision, they were told, were secret and were contained in a letter to the prime minister.
But journalists in the capital, Kinshasa, did not let such a bizarre development drop, and they were soon dubbing Mr Ilunga "the phantom minister".
Correspondents say the affair has tarnished the image of the government which people hope will rebuild the country after the devastating 1998-2003 war.
"It's just bizarre. Nowhere else in the world could you attempt to swear in a ghost," civil servant Charles Yoshad told Reuters news agency. Prime Minister Gizenga has launched an investigation, saying Mr Ilunga will remain in his post until he resigns in person.
Baby Rhino cam
A rhino has been born at a Devon zoo, in what is believed to be the first birth of its type on a webcam.( Watch the LIVE Webcam HERE - Opens in REAL player)
Sita, a black rhino at Paignton Zoo, gave birth to a calf at 2010 GMT on Monday, watched by thousands of people on the BBC Devon website. Sita-watchers have been observing her day and night for weeks.
The girl calf, who has not yet been named, appears to be doing well and took her first steps overnight, delighted zookeepers said.
Neil Bemment, head of mammals at Paignton Zoo, said: "We're really pleased we've had a successful birth.
"Everything seems to have gone smoothly. Sita is a little bewildered by the new arrival. Sita was exhausted after her labours and we were relieved when she allowed the calf to suckle for the first time. The calf doesn't seem in any hurry to get up, but it seems to be happily twitching its ears."
The calf had difficulty standing up in the first five hours after the birth and was eventually helped by keepers to take its first steps early on Tuesday.
Black rhinos are among the most endangered species in the world and are listed as critically endangered. The population dropped by more than 90% between 1970 and the mid 1990s when it reached a low of about 2,400.
Around the World in 365 days
At 4pm today Ed Gillespie and girlfriend Fiona King will hop on the No 59 bus from his Brixton home to Waterloo station.The 15-minute journey will be the start of a year-long mission to travel the world. But the trip, on which they will visit 20 countries and cover 40,000 miles, has one major complication - at no point will they travel by plane.
The adventure, which includes stops in Paris, Moscow, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand, is designed to prove that there are ways of travelling that are less damaging to the environment than flying.
Mr Gillespie, 34, and Miss King, 28, have mapped a route using 19 trains, seven ferries, five buses, three container ships and a banana boat. In doing so they will reduce their carbon footprint for the trip from eight tonnes to slightly over one.
"I'm putting my time and money where my mouth is to celebrate the joy of slow, low-carbon travel," said Mr Gillespie.
"The trip has provoked a mixed reaction, and some people think I am barking mad, but I am confident that I am making a valid point and this is a good way to get it across."
Mr Gillespie, who worked as environmental manager for Transport for London before starting his own climate change company Futerra, said: "I'm not an anti-flying fanatic. I've taken more than my fair share of flights in my time, working in Jamaica, Australia and the South Pacific as a marine biologist. "Maybe this latent carbon guilt has contributed to my decision to undertake this particular journey.
Hair thief
An Australian man who worked as a baggage handler for the national airline Qantas has been jailed for at least two years for stealing hair from women's luggage to satisfy a sexual fetish.
Rodney Lyle Petersen, 30, pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to 50 counts of theft, Australian Associated Press reported.
The court was told that Petersen would rummage through lost or delayed luggage that he was returning to passengers. He collected the hair from brushes and clothing, then put it inside plastic slips and record the women's personal details.
Police said he had catalogued the hair in more than 80 bags.
Petersen's lawyer told the court that his client did not mean to frighten the women because they were not meant to find out.
The court was told that Petersen suffered from a range of sexual deviances.
He was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail, with a non-parole period of two years.
Rodney Lyle Petersen, 30, pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to 50 counts of theft, Australian Associated Press reported.
The court was told that Petersen would rummage through lost or delayed luggage that he was returning to passengers. He collected the hair from brushes and clothing, then put it inside plastic slips and record the women's personal details.
Police said he had catalogued the hair in more than 80 bags.
Petersen's lawyer told the court that his client did not mean to frighten the women because they were not meant to find out.
The court was told that Petersen suffered from a range of sexual deviances.
He was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail, with a non-parole period of two years.
What's that lump ?
An obese woman who weighed more than 180kg (400lbs) said she did not know she was pregnant until two days before giving birth this week to a healthy baby boy.
April Branum, 39, of Garden Grove, just south of Los Angeles, went to a local emergency room on February 26 with stomach pain only to discover she was pregnant with a full-term foetus.
Doctors discovered the baby as they took X-rays of Branum's abdominal area and referred her to UCI Medical Centre in the nearby city of Orange, California, for prenatal testing, said Susan Mancia, a spokeswoman for the centre.
No defects were detected and two days later on February 28, Branum gave birth by caesarean section to a healthy, 3.4kg (7.5lbs) boy named Walter Scott Edwards III.
"I'm tired but happy. The happy cancels out the tired part," Branum told Reuters, adding that she had struggled with unsuccessful gastric bypass surgery performed seven years ago when she weighed about 225kg (500lbs).
April Branum, 39, of Garden Grove, just south of Los Angeles, went to a local emergency room on February 26 with stomach pain only to discover she was pregnant with a full-term foetus.
Doctors discovered the baby as they took X-rays of Branum's abdominal area and referred her to UCI Medical Centre in the nearby city of Orange, California, for prenatal testing, said Susan Mancia, a spokeswoman for the centre.
No defects were detected and two days later on February 28, Branum gave birth by caesarean section to a healthy, 3.4kg (7.5lbs) boy named Walter Scott Edwards III.
"I'm tired but happy. The happy cancels out the tired part," Branum told Reuters, adding that she had struggled with unsuccessful gastric bypass surgery performed seven years ago when she weighed about 225kg (500lbs).
Six-legged Tree frog
A Waikato University scientist has offered an Arohena schoolboy $100 for his six-legged frog.Seven-year-old Brett Wilson found the six-legged green tree frog on a friend's farm outside Te Awamutu this week and named him Frog.
Now biological scientist Nick Ling wants to buy Frog to run DNA and skin tests, which could determine why he developed the abnormalities.
The Waikato Times has reported findings of a four-legged chicken, a five-legged frog and now Frog the six-legged amphibian.
Brett found Frog while fishing for tadpoles, but it was his mum Vanessa who noticed his deformities.
Frog has two right rear legs and another leg that stretches from under his stomach and around his back.
His left rear leg does not move, but both front legs are normal.
Brett said Frog could not jump but he could swim and wiggle his toes.
Dr Ling said pollution, or a glitch in nature, could be responsible for Frog's deformities.
He said frog numbers were declining worldwide because of toxic pollutants in waterways, but he knew of no increase of abnormalities in the Waikato.
"Sometimes it occurs spontaneously, sometimes it can be an environmental abnormality."
Schoolboy boobs
A group of New Zealand school boys who snuck off to watch topless men and women parade on motorbikes, have been busted after appearing on the front page of a newspaper enjoying the spectacle.The students from Shirley Boys' High School in Christchurch have been given detentions for truancy after appearing on the front page of The Press, the newspaper reported.
Six of the boys appeared clearly on the newspaper, dressed in school uniforms and cheering on the parade.
The event, called Boobs on Bikes, is held in various New Zealand cities during the year to promote a sex expo.
Bare-chested women and men take part in the parade, driving slowly around on motorcycles.
The boys did not miss any classes, but had used their lunch passes to head to the parade, rather than to go home for lunch.
"It was worth it," the paper quoted Year 12 student James Hardy as saying.
"It was funny as."
But the school was not amused, initially asking that the kids be expelled, but later downgrading the punishment to after-school detentions.
"I think we have had enough publicity about that," was all a representative from the school said when contacted by AAP.
But James' grandmother has publicly defended her grandson.
"They were not taking drugs or robbing banks," Kathy Hardy told a radio station.
Royal pranksters
Princely pranksters Wills and Harry have been accused of recording a bogus message on the Queen's answerphone. The pair were asked for help by their regal gran when she was baffled by the technology.
But she was reported to be mortified when she heard the end result.
Their message said: "Hey wassup! This is Liz. Sorry I'm away from the throne." The recording continued: "For a hotline to Philip, press one. For Charles, press two. And for the corgis, press three."
According to The Daily Star, the Queen saw the funny side later when she thought about which VIPs might have heard the message.
But her private secretary was not so amused. The paper says he almost fell off his chair the first time one of his calls was put through to the voicemail.
The Queen, who is 80, has been taught by Prince William and Prince Harry how to send text messages on her mobile phone. She was given her first mobile phone in 2001 by the Duke of York.
But she banned servants at the royal palaces from carrying phones on duty, after becoming annoyed at their ring tones. The ban was reportedly prompted by several mobile phones ringing during a major banquet held for foreign dignitaries.
But she was reported to be mortified when she heard the end result.
Their message said: "Hey wassup! This is Liz. Sorry I'm away from the throne." The recording continued: "For a hotline to Philip, press one. For Charles, press two. And for the corgis, press three."
According to The Daily Star, the Queen saw the funny side later when she thought about which VIPs might have heard the message.
But her private secretary was not so amused. The paper says he almost fell off his chair the first time one of his calls was put through to the voicemail.
The Queen, who is 80, has been taught by Prince William and Prince Harry how to send text messages on her mobile phone. She was given her first mobile phone in 2001 by the Duke of York.
But she banned servants at the royal palaces from carrying phones on duty, after becoming annoyed at their ring tones. The ban was reportedly prompted by several mobile phones ringing during a major banquet held for foreign dignitaries.
Monday, March 05, 2007
UK to Oz for blind pilot
A blind aviator is aiming to fly halfway around the world to raise £1m to help prevent blindness.Miles Hilton-Barber, 58, from Derbyshire is hoping to become the first blind aviator in history to fly from the UK to Sydney.
His departure on Monday was delayed by bad weather - and he is now unlikely to leave for at least several days.
He will be accompanied by his sighted co-pilot Storm Smith in a specially adapted microlight. He will fly in stages along the 13,500-mile route across Europe, the Middle East, India and Indonesia. He will use speech-output technology to fly the microlight on the 45-day journey.
The money raised will go to Standard Chartered Bank's charity Seeing Is Believing, which is supporting the World Health Organisation's attempts to wipe out preventable blindness in developing countries.
Loo TV
Should I stay or should I go? It is an age old conundrum for football fans who fear missing the big match action while they spend a penny.But football-mad drinkers at the Murderers in Norwich need worry no more because TV screens have been installed above the urinals - ensuring a loo with a view.
Phil Cutter, landlord of the Timber Hill pub, said he came up with the idea after taking a toilet break himself in a pub in Ipswich.
“I remember going into the pub and they had loudspeakers in the toilets and I thought we could go one better than that,” he said.
“We were having the toilets re-done anyway. We always had chalk boards in the toilets advertising games and what was coming up and I thought about what could be developed, and be a bit different. We're quite well known for sport anyway and always at half-time in the game people wander away from the bar to go to the toilet so I thought we could kill two birds with one stone.”
Two TV screens have now been installed in the men's toilets and are waiting to be hooked up with the latest technology to give fans the best possible digital pictures of the games.
And when there is no Premiership or international games on the screens, the pub can show in-house advertising so there will always be something to look at.
Mr Cutter said the televisions had already proved a big talking point with punters - with some of the women coming in also wanting something similar in the ladies' loos.
Pole-axed
A German man who spent 10 days in a self-made box atop a 22-metre (72 foot) high pole to protest a looming jail term was lured off his perch by his wife -- who sent up a topless picture of herself in his lunch box.Fred Gregor, 45, was bidding to have his 15-month conviction for fraud overturned by squatting in his tiny 3.25 square metre cubicle atop a converted television mast. He told Reuters in a telephone interview last week that he wanted a new trial.
His wife Susanne, 25, backed his protest until the former stripper and mother of their five children decided she had had enough. Bild newspaper published the topless photo of herself in a wedding dress she sent him. He came right down, she told Bild.
Kidney for tractor
A farmer persuaded doctors to remove one of his wife's kidneys so that he could sell it for money to buy a tractor, she has told police.
Safia Thaheem Bibi discovered the organ was missing only when she sought treatment for an unrelated complaint.
She told Pakistani police that she confronted her husband who confessed he had used the 70,000 rupees (about £600) he got for the kidney to buy a second-hand tractor for his rice fields.
A new tractor would have set Ahmed back about £5,000, so instead he is alleged to have invested in a second-hand machine - a valuable commodity in a region where a farmer can earn up to £250 a month hiring it out.
Ahmed is currently on bail in connection with the case, along with a number of his relatives. All insist they are innocent. If convicted of having the kidney removed unlawfully, they face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Safia Thaheem Bibi discovered the organ was missing only when she sought treatment for an unrelated complaint.
She told Pakistani police that she confronted her husband who confessed he had used the 70,000 rupees (about £600) he got for the kidney to buy a second-hand tractor for his rice fields.
A new tractor would have set Ahmed back about £5,000, so instead he is alleged to have invested in a second-hand machine - a valuable commodity in a region where a farmer can earn up to £250 a month hiring it out.
Ahmed is currently on bail in connection with the case, along with a number of his relatives. All insist they are innocent. If convicted of having the kidney removed unlawfully, they face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
What's this ear ?
CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A Michigan couple expecting a delivery of furniture parts said they were surprised to receive human body parts instead.
The two packages from China -- which included a liver and a partial head -- were mistakenly dropped off at Franck and Ludivine Larmande's home this week. They said a DHL express driver thought the bubble-wrapped items were pieces for a table.
The woman said her husband began unwrapping one package and said, "This is strange, it looks like a liver." He started to open the second one, but called the sheriff after spotting an ear.
Authorities said the preserved body parts were destined for a medical research lab. They said 28 similar packages might be dispersed across the country. Two other packages broke open en route, scattering their contents.
A DHL spokesman said it's looking into the matter.
The two packages from China -- which included a liver and a partial head -- were mistakenly dropped off at Franck and Ludivine Larmande's home this week. They said a DHL express driver thought the bubble-wrapped items were pieces for a table.
The woman said her husband began unwrapping one package and said, "This is strange, it looks like a liver." He started to open the second one, but called the sheriff after spotting an ear.
Authorities said the preserved body parts were destined for a medical research lab. They said 28 similar packages might be dispersed across the country. Two other packages broke open en route, scattering their contents.
A DHL spokesman said it's looking into the matter.
British wealth map
London and Hampshire have the greatest concentration of wealthy people in the UK, according to a new "wealth map".The capital is home to 13 per cent of the wealthiest individuals in the country, while eight per cent live in Hampshire.
But areas that are traditionally seen as less affluent have also made it into the map's top 10, with Yorkshire in third place at 6.1 per cent and Lancashire in sixth (3.8 per cent) behind home counties Surrey (5.8 per cent) and Middlesex (4.8 per cent).
Cheshire, famed for being home to sports stars, is in 11th position with 2.7 per cent of the nation's wealthiest people.
Two Scottish counties make it into the top 20 in the survey by Barclays Wealth Insights of the richest five per cent of the population - who have more than £100,000 in investable assets.
The survey also revealed Britain is increasingly a nation of the self-made rich, with 71 per cent of people saying savings from earnings was one of their key sources of wealth. Inherited wealth ranks third as an income source, named by 30 per cent of people, behind profit from property investments (44 per cent).
Mark Kibblewhite, managing director of Barclays Wealth's private banking division, said there had rarely been a better time to be living in the UK.
New dinosaur discovered
A new dinosaur species was a plant-eater with yard-long horns over its eyebrows, suggesting an evolutionary middle step between older dinosaurs with even larger horns and the small-horned creatures that followed, experts said.The dinosaur's horns, thick as a human arm, are like those of triceratops -- which came 10 million years later. However, this animal belonged to a subfamily that usually had bony nubbins a few inches long above their eyes.
Michael Ryan, curator of vertebrate paleontology for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, published the discovery in this month's Journal of Paleontology. He dug up the fossil six years ago in southern Alberta, Canada, while a graduate student for the University of Calgary.
"Unquestionably, it's an important find," said Peter Dodson, a University of Pennsylvania paleontologist. "It was sort of the grandfather or great-uncle of the really diverse horned dinosaurs that came after it."
Ryan named the new dinosaur Albertaceratops nesmoi, after the region and Cecil Nesmo, a rancher near Manyberries, Alberta, who has helped fossil hunters.
The creature was about 20 feet long and lived 78 million years ago.
Swiss invade Liechtenstein
A LOST company of Swiss soldiers accidentally "invaded" neighbouring Liechtenstein.
The 170 infantry soldiers wandered more than a mile across an unmarked border into the tiny principality early on Thursday before realising their mistake and turning back.
A spokesman for the Swiss army confirmed the story, but said: "We've spoken to the authorities in Liechtenstein and it's not a problem."
Interior ministry spokesman Markus Amman said nobody in Liechtenstein had even noticed the soldiers, who were carrying assault rifles but no ammunition.
"It's not like they stormed over here with attack helicopters or something," he said.
This article: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=337092007
The 170 infantry soldiers wandered more than a mile across an unmarked border into the tiny principality early on Thursday before realising their mistake and turning back.
A spokesman for the Swiss army confirmed the story, but said: "We've spoken to the authorities in Liechtenstein and it's not a problem."
Interior ministry spokesman Markus Amman said nobody in Liechtenstein had even noticed the soldiers, who were carrying assault rifles but no ammunition.
"It's not like they stormed over here with attack helicopters or something," he said.
This article: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=337092007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
How not to spell
This Guy is funny, thick , but funny
Listen here how to spell AC/DC for a free ticket
Listen here how to spell AC/DC for a free ticket
Spud-alike
A model of singer Amy Winehouse has taken first prize in a celebrity potato contest in east London.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Robber robbed
Police caught up with the man they thought had robbed a Fayetteville bank, but when he went to show them the loot, he discovered he'd been ripped off, too.
A police spokeswoman says Joseph Thomas Mulkerin was arrested at a Bragg Boulevard motel and charged with common law robbery of almost 22-hundred dollars from a Wachovia branch.
Mulkerin went to his motel room to show officers the money, but discovered some of it was missing.
Police later charged motel maintenance man David Mims with breaking into the room and taking some of the cash.
Mulkerin had been released from prison on January 11th after serving a sentence for the 2005 robbery of the same bank, in which he pleaded guilty to taking nearly 11-hundred dollars.
A police spokeswoman says Joseph Thomas Mulkerin was arrested at a Bragg Boulevard motel and charged with common law robbery of almost 22-hundred dollars from a Wachovia branch.
Mulkerin went to his motel room to show officers the money, but discovered some of it was missing.
Police later charged motel maintenance man David Mims with breaking into the room and taking some of the cash.
Mulkerin had been released from prison on January 11th after serving a sentence for the 2005 robbery of the same bank, in which he pleaded guilty to taking nearly 11-hundred dollars.
Hera wall filling
THESSALONIKI, Greece — A 2,200-year-old statue of the goddess Hera has been found in a wall of a city under Mount Olympus, mythical home of Greece's ancient gods, archaeologists announced Thursday.The headless marble statue was discovered last year during excavations in the ruins of ancient Dion, some 50 miles southwest of Thessaloniki.
Archaeologist Dimitris Pantermalis said the life-sized statue had been used by the early Christian inhabitants of the city of Dion as filling for a defensive wall.
He said the 2nd century-B.C. find appeared to have originally stood in a temple of Zeus, leader of the ancient Greek gods, whose statue was found in the building's ruins in 2003. The statue of Hera stood next to that of Zeus in the temple, said Pantermalis, a Thessaloniki University professor who has headed excavations at Dion for more than three decades.
"The statue represents a female form seated on a throne, and is made of thick-grained marble like the one of Zeus," he said. "It shows exactly the same technique and size, which led us to link the two statues beyond doubt."
Pantermalis said that, if confirmed, it would be the first time two statues of different gods have been located from a single temple in Greece. He said it was also possible that a statue of Athena, goddess of wisdom, could have stood in the temple of Zeus. He said he was hopeful that it might be found during future excavation.
Dion was a major religious center of the ancient Macedonians. Alexander the Great offered sacrifices there before launching his victorious campaign against the Persian Empire in the 4th century B.C.
Excavations so far have revealed temples, theaters and a stadium, city walls, a hotel, baths and streets with an elaborate drainage system, as well as many statues.
The area was first inhabited during the Iron Age, and survived into early Christian times, when it was the seat of a bishop.
Pantermalis will present the find on Friday, during a three-day archaeological conference that opened in Thessaloniki Thursday.
We trust God, but not you Kevin
HOBART, Ind. - It says "In God We Trust" on US money.
But God still can't write checks. Police in Hobart, Indiana, accuse Kevin Russell of trying to cash a 50-thousand dollar check from God.
Detective Jeff White says Russell presented the check at a bank with the words the "King Savior" and "King of Kings" on the signature line. Authorities say Russell had several other checks with him signed the same way, including one made out for 100-grand. White's being held at the Lake County Jail on a number of charges, including check fraud and intimidation.
But God still can't write checks. Police in Hobart, Indiana, accuse Kevin Russell of trying to cash a 50-thousand dollar check from God.
Detective Jeff White says Russell presented the check at a bank with the words the "King Savior" and "King of Kings" on the signature line. Authorities say Russell had several other checks with him signed the same way, including one made out for 100-grand. White's being held at the Lake County Jail on a number of charges, including check fraud and intimidation.
Tater bomb
A 74-year-old Italian grandmother who bought a sack of potatoes at the her local market found a live grenade among the spuds.
"I found a bomb in the potatoes," Olga Mauriello said in a telephone interview with Reuters.
"I went to the market to buy some potatoes and that's where the bomb was. But this bomb was covered in dirt, and I put it in water and got all dirt off. And then I realised 'It's a bomb'!"
Police said the pine cone-shaped grenade, which had no pin and was still active, was the same type used by U.S. soldiers in Europe in World War Two. Authorities believe the mix-up happened at a farm in France, where the grenade was plucked from the ground along with potatoes.
To the woman's relief, police and explosives experts in the small town of San Giorgio a Cremano, near Naples, recovered the grenade and safely detonated it on Wednesday.
But Mauriello was still shaking off her close brush with death. It didn't look like a potato and it was heavier than one. But what if she had cooked it?
"If I hadn't felt its weight, I wouldn't even have realised that it was a bomb," she said.
"I found a bomb in the potatoes," Olga Mauriello said in a telephone interview with Reuters.
"I went to the market to buy some potatoes and that's where the bomb was. But this bomb was covered in dirt, and I put it in water and got all dirt off. And then I realised 'It's a bomb'!"
Police said the pine cone-shaped grenade, which had no pin and was still active, was the same type used by U.S. soldiers in Europe in World War Two. Authorities believe the mix-up happened at a farm in France, where the grenade was plucked from the ground along with potatoes.
To the woman's relief, police and explosives experts in the small town of San Giorgio a Cremano, near Naples, recovered the grenade and safely detonated it on Wednesday.
But Mauriello was still shaking off her close brush with death. It didn't look like a potato and it was heavier than one. But what if she had cooked it?
"If I hadn't felt its weight, I wouldn't even have realised that it was a bomb," she said.
Reservoir cover
A plastic cover the size of about six football fields will be placed over a reservoir in far west New South Wales to help stop evaporation.The pool-like cover would be placed over the holding pond at Stephens Creek Reservoir near Broken Hill, an area of almost seven hectares.
Brian Steffen from CountryWater says the cover would stop evaporation.
"That will save about 143 million litres of water each year," he said.
The total cost will be about $840,000, with $700,000 provided by the NSW Government.
Mr Steffen says that includes the cost of testing different designs.
"A lot stronger than a pool cover, but exactly the same theory - cover that water so it doesn't evaporate," he said.
The cover should be in place by early October.
Hiccup update
An US teenager finally took a long breath uninterrupted by the hiccups that had plagued her for five weeks.
The hiccups stopped around 5:00pm (local time) the St Petersburg Times reports.
"Jennifer Mee had a few more spasms, but then she stopped and took her first uninterrupted breaths since ... January 23," the paper said.
No one seems to know what cured the 15-year-old girl from the western Florida city of St Petersburg, who had hiccupped almost uninterrupted for weeks.
Miss Mee had seen an infectious disease specialist, a neurologist, a chiropractor, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist, took prescription medication and tried a patented device designed to stop hiccups, the paper says.
She also appeared on the NBC network's Today show.
Early Thursday morning, Jennifer says she hiccupped just one more time.
"Right now, my nose is burning and my throat hurts," she said.
But she felt a lot better than she has in weeks, St Petersburg Times says.
The hiccups stopped around 5:00pm (local time) the St Petersburg Times reports.
"Jennifer Mee had a few more spasms, but then she stopped and took her first uninterrupted breaths since ... January 23," the paper said.
No one seems to know what cured the 15-year-old girl from the western Florida city of St Petersburg, who had hiccupped almost uninterrupted for weeks.
Miss Mee had seen an infectious disease specialist, a neurologist, a chiropractor, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist, took prescription medication and tried a patented device designed to stop hiccups, the paper says.
She also appeared on the NBC network's Today show.
Early Thursday morning, Jennifer says she hiccupped just one more time.
"Right now, my nose is burning and my throat hurts," she said.
But she felt a lot better than she has in weeks, St Petersburg Times says.
Time for a change
Peru's Government has launched a campaign to combat the chronic lateness that pervades its society.
At noon (local time) Peruvians were urged to synchronise their watches to sirens and church bells and launch a new era of punctuality.
The concept of punctuality is so elastic in Latin America that they even have a different name for it - English time.
But in Peru, President Alan Garcia's Government has decided it is time for an attitude change.
The "Time Without Delay" campaign is challenging the tardiness culture by equating lateness with disrespect for others.
One poll says 91 per cent of residents in the capital, Lima, support the initiative.
The campaign does not include any sanctions or rewards, but the Government expects a new culture of punctuality to take root by July.
At noon (local time) Peruvians were urged to synchronise their watches to sirens and church bells and launch a new era of punctuality.
The concept of punctuality is so elastic in Latin America that they even have a different name for it - English time.
But in Peru, President Alan Garcia's Government has decided it is time for an attitude change.
The "Time Without Delay" campaign is challenging the tardiness culture by equating lateness with disrespect for others.
One poll says 91 per cent of residents in the capital, Lima, support the initiative.
The campaign does not include any sanctions or rewards, but the Government expects a new culture of punctuality to take root by July.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Not so Smart
The owner of this car, and American NCP Car Parks employee - who used to work for NASA - managed to foregt that he had a 15ft retractable mast stuck to the roof of his car as he drove under a low barrier at a car park in Luton, Bedfordshire.
Des Carmody, who took a picture of the calamity, said: 'There was a loud bang and I turned to see the car rising up in the air to settle on its tailgate.'
The unhurt driver immediately phones his bosses to say, 'I've had a bit of an accident. I've done something stupid.'
Medical honey
Honey could be the latest weapon in the battle against hospital superbugs.
It has long been used to dress wounds by the Aborigines, who trusted its anti-bacterial powers.
And after watching them at work, doctors have combined sterile honey from Australian bees with seaweed to clean wounds infected after heart surgery.
Medihoney is already being used on patients at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
It is combined with a gum extracted from the seaweed, which helps draw out and absorb harmful bacteria. The ingredients are then placed on dressings which are applied to the wound.
If successful, the treatment could eventually be used in hospitals to help fight bugs such as MRSA that claim around 5,000 lives and cost the Health Service £1 billion a year.
Previously, honey has been combined with anti-bacterial compounds and used on patients with catheter infections in a kidney unit at a hospital in Brisbane.
Doctors found that as well as fighting bacteria the mixture was not met with the resistance commonly seen when conventional anti-bacterial medicines are used. All honey contains hydrogen peroxide from an enzyme that bees add to nectar. The chemical is known to kill bacteria.
Honey also contains a substance called glucose oxidase which increases its anti-bacterial properties.
It has long been used to dress wounds by the Aborigines, who trusted its anti-bacterial powers.
And after watching them at work, doctors have combined sterile honey from Australian bees with seaweed to clean wounds infected after heart surgery.
Medihoney is already being used on patients at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
It is combined with a gum extracted from the seaweed, which helps draw out and absorb harmful bacteria. The ingredients are then placed on dressings which are applied to the wound.
If successful, the treatment could eventually be used in hospitals to help fight bugs such as MRSA that claim around 5,000 lives and cost the Health Service £1 billion a year.
Previously, honey has been combined with anti-bacterial compounds and used on patients with catheter infections in a kidney unit at a hospital in Brisbane.
Doctors found that as well as fighting bacteria the mixture was not met with the resistance commonly seen when conventional anti-bacterial medicines are used. All honey contains hydrogen peroxide from an enzyme that bees add to nectar. The chemical is known to kill bacteria.
Honey also contains a substance called glucose oxidase which increases its anti-bacterial properties.
Small change
Zimbabwe's central bank has released a $50,000 note – worth only £3 – in response to the country's inflation crisis.
Previously the highest face value note was 10,000 Zimbabwean dollars, but the currency's value is just a sixteenth of what it was a year ago.
The hyperinflation has been driven by rumours of a government freeze on wages and prices.
In August, the central bank slashed three zeros from the currency to eliminate the need to use of bags and large bundles of currency for the smallest of purchases.
Zimbabwe is suffering from its worst economic crisis since independence in 1980, with inflation of nearly 1,600 per cent, the highest in the world.
Previously the highest face value note was 10,000 Zimbabwean dollars, but the currency's value is just a sixteenth of what it was a year ago.
The hyperinflation has been driven by rumours of a government freeze on wages and prices.
In August, the central bank slashed three zeros from the currency to eliminate the need to use of bags and large bundles of currency for the smallest of purchases.
Zimbabwe is suffering from its worst economic crisis since independence in 1980, with inflation of nearly 1,600 per cent, the highest in the world.
Not a wise move
After racking up more than £300 parking fines in the last two years, one motorist decided to let traffic wardens know exactly what he really thought of them.Chris Huskinson was so infuriated after receiving fine after fine from wardens that he bought a very cheeky sign to place in the windscreen of his car. The 22-year-old student then parked his R-registered Ford Fiesta, put a pay and display ticket on his car and went shopping in town with his friends.
But it didn't take long for a traffic warden to get his revenge - shortly after Mr Huskinson's pay and display ticket ran out, one eagle-eyed warden was on hand to dish out another ticket.
Opening his little black book, the warden filled out yet another £30 fine for the student to pay before attaching it to the windscreen of the vehicle. But even he could see the funny side of the 'I Hate Traffic Wardens' sign and after writing out the ticket he decided to take some photos of his own to show work colleagues
Mr Huskinson said: "I got the sign a few weeks ago. I decided to get it because I have been hit with about £300 worth of parking fines in the last two years and I was getting really angry about it.
"I don't not buy tickets or let them expire on purpose but somehow I keep getting caught out," he said. "I had paid to put a ticket on the car but it ran out."
Mr Huskinson who lives in Burton-on-Trent said: "I had got caught up while shopping and obviously the traffic warden couldn't book me fast enough."
He had placed his pay and display ticket on his burgundy hatchback but his ticket ran out just after 2pm and he was given the fixed penalty notice just after 2.30pm.
The student said: "I do hate traffic wardens just like everyone else and getting my first ticket since having the sign makes me hate them even more."
A must have
These days there's a remote control for just about every gadget in the home, from the widescreen television and DVD player, to the Sky box and hi-fi.Let's face it, not everyone can afford to go out and blow money on the latest universal touchscreen remote or home automation system in order to simplify their life.
For those of us who are forced to juggle the half-dozen or so remotes, try this invention.
The clever, albeit ungainly Remote Wrangler is a unique piece of headgear that creates a remote control magnet all around one's face.
By utilizing the oh-so-versatile Velcro, this device enables remotes, iPods, junk food, caffeine pills, and an essentially limitless amount of other objects to flank your dome, theoretically saving you hours on end hunting under murky couch cushions for long lost controllers.
As if this weren't enough to have you scurrying down to the shops, it also doubles as a battery-powered temporal massager.
Bigfoot Prints
Is a Bigfoot living in the forest above a town in the United States?A local couple from Marysville in California has found big prints in their local woods and they even have photographs of their mysterious discovery.
Experts are saying that it may not be a hoax.
The couple are adamant that they are not making this tale up.
Take a look at this local report and then decide for yourself...
Smoke gets in your eyes
It's one in the eye for the anti-smoking brigade.
This smoker has developed a party trick of inhaling smoke through his ears or eye-sockets.
After inserting the cigarette in his ear or eye, he scrunches up his face as he takes a drag.
The man, from the Chinese city of Shanghai, then blows out the smoke through his mouth– and, by the looks of it, through the pain barrier, too.
But, if you are daft enough to want to emulate the dangerous stunt, be warned. However you smoke, it is still bad for you.
Jean King, Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco control, said: 'These are certainly unusual images and he seems to be quite uncomfortable.
'What is more uncomfortable is that two-thirds of adult Chinese men currently smoke which will mean many millions of entirely preventable deaths over the next 50 years in China unless they can be helped to quit.'
So be warned: don't try this at home. Certainly don't try it at home, video it, stick it on YouTube and send me the link. Really don't do that.
I found this on Youtube
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