BERLIN - A homeless woman refuses to stop bathing naked in Munich's public fountains despite being repeatedly fined for breaking public nudity laws.
Bild newspaper reported Thursday the 44-year-old woman named "Bille," who weighs more than 300 pounds, can be seen almost every day with her bottles of soap and shampoo bathing in one of the Bavarian capital's 183 public fountains.
"She's already been charged on 21 occasions for such things as causing public disturbance as well as breaking and entering," a Munich police spokesman said.
A social worker told Bild that Bille keeps rejecting a room in a homeless center.
"We can't force her," he said.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
UK robot football championships
A football tournament between teams of robots has been won by students from Plymouth University. The third robot football UK championships ended in defeat for organisers Warwick University.
The event was aimed at helping the students improve the skills of their robots ahead of the Robot World Cup in Germany in June. The machine shoot-out was held over two days at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London.
Nottingham, Oxford and the Open University also fielded teams.
Each university has to abide by strict guidelines set out by the Federation of International Robosoccer Association (Fira). The box-like robots are modelled around the same body but can be adapted by a team, to make it smaller or lower.
The wheeled machines have scoops to push an orange golf ball, used as the football, around the pitch. They also have vision systems to spot their team-mates, opponents and ball.
Once in the stadium, the miniature Peles show off the work put in by the teams over the last year.
"They are completely autonomous," said Aris Karcanias, one of the Warwick team members. "Once they are on the pitch, they are thinking using the computer."
The five-a-side team's graceful runs and challenging tackles are all watched by a camera that feeds information into a computer programme. The creative brain of the team then makes a decision where a robot should make its pass or move. The information is transmitted to the robots by Bluetooth or by radio.
Once the numbers have been crunched and the decision made, it is just a question of which team of automatons puts the most golf balls in the back of the net. It is not just the winners of the competition that will be off to Dortmund in Germany in June for the official Robot World Cup.
Ideas from all of the teams competing will be used to make a five-a-side squad that they hope will be able to stop the might of teams like South Korea.
A$20,000 of silver found in pipes
Western Australian police are searching for the owner of up to A$20,000 of silver bullion discovered at a house in Como in Perth. Labourers were demolishing the house when they stumbled across the silver bars hidden in plastic pipes underground.
Police say no one has come forward so far.
Demolition worker Jeff Hawkins says an excavator churned up the find.
"The excavator driver was was knocking the house down and sifting through the site, through the footings of the house and he churned it up," he said. "It just came up in the bucket.
"He rang me and said, 'So what's silver worth?', and I said, 'What are you talking about?'. So I got him to bring it in."
Police say no one has come forward so far.
Demolition worker Jeff Hawkins says an excavator churned up the find.
"The excavator driver was was knocking the house down and sifting through the site, through the footings of the house and he churned it up," he said. "It just came up in the bucket.
"He rang me and said, 'So what's silver worth?', and I said, 'What are you talking about?'. So I got him to bring it in."
Pluto is no longer a planet
The International Astronomical Union approved new guidelines Thursday that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.
The leading astronomers, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since 1930, when it was discovered.
In doing so, the group provided a new definition of what is and what isn't a planet.
Pluto failed to make the new cut because its oblong orbit overlaps with Neptune's. It will now be a founding member of the new class of "dwarf planets."
The guidelines also require planets to have enough mass that they are close to round.
Astronomers have been trying to draw a distinction between the eight "classical planets" -- Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune -- and Pluto, which is smaller than Earth's moon and has an eccentric orbit.
Pluto has a large moon named Charon, and two small moons named Nix and Hydra were discovered in 2005.
In January, NASA sent a probe known as New Horizons on the way to Pluto. It is expected to reach the object in 2015.
The leading astronomers, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since 1930, when it was discovered.
In doing so, the group provided a new definition of what is and what isn't a planet.
Pluto failed to make the new cut because its oblong orbit overlaps with Neptune's. It will now be a founding member of the new class of "dwarf planets."
The guidelines also require planets to have enough mass that they are close to round.
Astronomers have been trying to draw a distinction between the eight "classical planets" -- Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune -- and Pluto, which is smaller than Earth's moon and has an eccentric orbit.
Pluto has a large moon named Charon, and two small moons named Nix and Hydra were discovered in 2005.
In January, NASA sent a probe known as New Horizons on the way to Pluto. It is expected to reach the object in 2015.
Boy charged for meowing
JEANNETTE, Pa. -- Meow. A Pennsylvania judge is being asked to decide whether that word is a harmless taunt or grounds for misdemeanor harassment. Police have charged a 14-year-old boy with that crime. Michael Loughner is accused of meowing whenever he sees his 78-year-old neighbour, Alexandria Carasia.
The boy's family got rid of their cat after Carasia complained that it was using her flower garden as a litter box. Now, she said, the boy makes meowing sounds every time he sees her. He said he's only meowed at her twice.
"I've had to put up with this for three years," Carasia said. "As I walk by, I see Michael and his mother. He got on the porch and hid behind the bamboo screen and starts meowing. If I don't make this stop now, they're going to keep doing this to me. I shouldn't have to worry about walking out of the house and being harassed by this young kid."
Loughner said that on July 23 he went out to hold his dog so it wouldn't leave the yard as Carasia walked by.
"She was walking through and she kept looking at us," he testified. "I grabbed the dog so it wouldn't leave the yard. When I put my head down, I meowed."
He said that was one of the two times he's ever meowed at the woman, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported.
"As she walked in front of the house, nothing was said," the boy's mother, Sally Loughner, told the court. "He stepped off the porch to make sure the dog didn't get out. As he reached down and got the dog, he said, 'Meow.' ... She said, 'Do you want me to call the cops again?' I said, 'Go ahead, he hasn't done anything wrong.'"
There is a history of disputes between the neighbours, according to the paper.
Sally Loughner told the court that she ended up sending her cat to live with family members so that she could "keep peace in the neighbourhood."
Defense attorney David Martin Jr. asked that the case be dropped.
"This should never have been filed," Martin said. "This is not something that police should be wasting their time with or wasting the court's time."
The judge heard from both parties Tuesday. He decided to wait 90 days before ruling, saying he'll decide what to do after seeing how the boy and his neighbour get along in the meantime.
The boy's family got rid of their cat after Carasia complained that it was using her flower garden as a litter box. Now, she said, the boy makes meowing sounds every time he sees her. He said he's only meowed at her twice.
"I've had to put up with this for three years," Carasia said. "As I walk by, I see Michael and his mother. He got on the porch and hid behind the bamboo screen and starts meowing. If I don't make this stop now, they're going to keep doing this to me. I shouldn't have to worry about walking out of the house and being harassed by this young kid."
Loughner said that on July 23 he went out to hold his dog so it wouldn't leave the yard as Carasia walked by.
"She was walking through and she kept looking at us," he testified. "I grabbed the dog so it wouldn't leave the yard. When I put my head down, I meowed."
He said that was one of the two times he's ever meowed at the woman, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported.
"As she walked in front of the house, nothing was said," the boy's mother, Sally Loughner, told the court. "He stepped off the porch to make sure the dog didn't get out. As he reached down and got the dog, he said, 'Meow.' ... She said, 'Do you want me to call the cops again?' I said, 'Go ahead, he hasn't done anything wrong.'"
There is a history of disputes between the neighbours, according to the paper.
Sally Loughner told the court that she ended up sending her cat to live with family members so that she could "keep peace in the neighbourhood."
Defense attorney David Martin Jr. asked that the case be dropped.
"This should never have been filed," Martin said. "This is not something that police should be wasting their time with or wasting the court's time."
The judge heard from both parties Tuesday. He decided to wait 90 days before ruling, saying he'll decide what to do after seeing how the boy and his neighbour get along in the meantime.
America's Drunkest City
Milwaukee has been ranked by Forbes.com as "America's Drunkest City," based on information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 70 percent of adult Milwaukeeans reported that they had at least one alcoholic drink within the past 30 days. That compares with 45 percent in Nashville, Tenn., which ranked last among the 35 cities on the list.
Officials at Visit Milwaukee, the area's convention and visitors bureau, contend that the city has come a long way in ridding itself of its beer-guzzling image. A spokesman said Milwaukee has gone from Brew City to new city with the Milwaukee Art Museum expansion, the convention center and baseball park.
To do the study, Forbes ranked each city in five areas: state laws, number of drinkers, number of heavy drinkers, number of binge drinkers and alcoholism.
Coming in second on the Forbes list is another cold metropolitan area: Minneapolis-St. Paul. The twin cities ranked No. 2 for adults who reported having had a drink in the last month, No. 3 for binge drinkers and No. 12 for heavy drinkers, according to Forbes.
Completing the list of the top five drunkest cities are Columbus, Ohio; Boston; and Austin, Texas.
Forbes pointed out some surprising results. Some stereotypically "partying" cities didn't rank high on the list. Las Vegas came in at only No. 14; New Orleans, home to Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras, only ranked in 24th place. And a town known for spring-break revelers, Miami, was only No. 33 on a list of 35 cities.
Forbes.com's Top Drinking Cities
1. Milwaukee
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul
3. Columbus, Ohio
4. Boston
5. Austin, Texas
6. Chicago
7. Cleveland
8 Pittsburgh
9. Philadelphia
9. Providence, R.I. (tied)
11. St. Louis
12. San Antonio
13. Seattle
14. Las Vegas
15. Denver/Boulder
16. Cincinnati
16. Kansas City (tied)
18. Houston
19. Portland, Ore.
20. San Francisco-Oakland
20. Washington-Baltimore (tied)
22. Phoenix
23. Los Angeles
24. New Orleans
24. Tampa (tied)
26. Norfolk
27. Dallas-Fort Worth
28. Atlanta
28. Detroit (tied)
30. Indianapolis
31. Orlando
32. New York
33. Miami
34. Charlotte, N.C.
35. Nashville
More than 70 percent of adult Milwaukeeans reported that they had at least one alcoholic drink within the past 30 days. That compares with 45 percent in Nashville, Tenn., which ranked last among the 35 cities on the list.
Officials at Visit Milwaukee, the area's convention and visitors bureau, contend that the city has come a long way in ridding itself of its beer-guzzling image. A spokesman said Milwaukee has gone from Brew City to new city with the Milwaukee Art Museum expansion, the convention center and baseball park.
To do the study, Forbes ranked each city in five areas: state laws, number of drinkers, number of heavy drinkers, number of binge drinkers and alcoholism.
Coming in second on the Forbes list is another cold metropolitan area: Minneapolis-St. Paul. The twin cities ranked No. 2 for adults who reported having had a drink in the last month, No. 3 for binge drinkers and No. 12 for heavy drinkers, according to Forbes.
Completing the list of the top five drunkest cities are Columbus, Ohio; Boston; and Austin, Texas.
Forbes pointed out some surprising results. Some stereotypically "partying" cities didn't rank high on the list. Las Vegas came in at only No. 14; New Orleans, home to Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras, only ranked in 24th place. And a town known for spring-break revelers, Miami, was only No. 33 on a list of 35 cities.
Forbes.com's Top Drinking Cities
1. Milwaukee
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul
3. Columbus, Ohio
4. Boston
5. Austin, Texas
6. Chicago
7. Cleveland
8 Pittsburgh
9. Philadelphia
9. Providence, R.I. (tied)
11. St. Louis
12. San Antonio
13. Seattle
14. Las Vegas
15. Denver/Boulder
16. Cincinnati
16. Kansas City (tied)
18. Houston
19. Portland, Ore.
20. San Francisco-Oakland
20. Washington-Baltimore (tied)
22. Phoenix
23. Los Angeles
24. New Orleans
24. Tampa (tied)
26. Norfolk
27. Dallas-Fort Worth
28. Atlanta
28. Detroit (tied)
30. Indianapolis
31. Orlando
32. New York
33. Miami
34. Charlotte, N.C.
35. Nashville
Wife runs over hubby
ROGERS, Ark. -- An Arkansas man who fell asleep in his driveway woke up when his wife came home and turned into the driveway to park the car and ran over him.
Kristine Bolson told the Benton County Sheriff's Office that she drove into her driveway shortly after midnight Tuesday and heard a loud cracking sound. She said that when she got out of her vehicle, she heard moaning and found her husband, Richard Gonzalez, on the ground near her vehicle. Bolson said she did not initially see her husband in the driveway.
A sheriff's reports said Gonzales told them he had been drinking and he must have passed out. He was treated at a hospital for scratches and bruises.
Kristine Bolson told the Benton County Sheriff's Office that she drove into her driveway shortly after midnight Tuesday and heard a loud cracking sound. She said that when she got out of her vehicle, she heard moaning and found her husband, Richard Gonzalez, on the ground near her vehicle. Bolson said she did not initially see her husband in the driveway.
A sheriff's reports said Gonzales told them he had been drinking and he must have passed out. He was treated at a hospital for scratches and bruises.
Granny can keep her plates
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Central Ohio grandmother fought for and won the right to keep her personalized license plate after allegations that they were profane.
Pat Niple, 74, said she wants to set the record straight about her problem. "I'm not an obscene granny," Niple said.
Niple's personalized license plates are NWTF, an abbreviation of Northwood Tree Farm -- a business she owned with her late husband. It also means something else, officials said.
Niple was told that her license plates she has displayed for 10 years would be taken away. She said she was astonished and appealed to keep the abbreviated reminder of her late husband's business.
"You can't take any letter of the alphabet and make something out of it. I don't think we need to give in to obscenity or derogatory things," she said.
After weeks of debate and national media attention, Niple's plates were returned to her last weekend.
UK hits 60m
The UK's population has broken through the 60 million barrier for the first time, figures show.
The Office for National Statistics said the number rose 0.6% to 60.2 million in the year to June 2005. England accounts for 50.4 million of the total.
It was the biggest annual rise since 1962, fuelled by migration from new EU countries and an ageing population.
The population has been rising since the Industrial Revolution. In 1911 there were 42 million people.
The ONS figures are estimates collated from birth and death records and International Passenger Survey data on foreign citizens staying in the UK for more than 12 months.
Northern Ireland, which saw a 0.8% rise in population registered the fastest growth. England's population grew by 0.7%, Scotland was up 0.3% and Wales 0.2%.
The Office for National Statistics said the number rose 0.6% to 60.2 million in the year to June 2005. England accounts for 50.4 million of the total.
It was the biggest annual rise since 1962, fuelled by migration from new EU countries and an ageing population.
The population has been rising since the Industrial Revolution. In 1911 there were 42 million people.
The ONS figures are estimates collated from birth and death records and International Passenger Survey data on foreign citizens staying in the UK for more than 12 months.
Northern Ireland, which saw a 0.8% rise in population registered the fastest growth. England's population grew by 0.7%, Scotland was up 0.3% and Wales 0.2%.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Talking out of his arse
Gliwice: A Polish man who had his tongue removed has a new one made using tissue taken from his buttocks.
Jarislav Ernst, 23, from Gliwice, now has a functioning tongue made from his backside after surgery at the Oncology Clinic in Gliwice's General Hospital.
Head doctor Stanislaw Poltorek said: "The new tongue is alive and well-supplied with blood, and the patient is doing well."
Mr Ernst's tongue was removed after it was diagnosed with cancer.
Jarislav Ernst, 23, from Gliwice, now has a functioning tongue made from his backside after surgery at the Oncology Clinic in Gliwice's General Hospital.
Head doctor Stanislaw Poltorek said: "The new tongue is alive and well-supplied with blood, and the patient is doing well."
Mr Ernst's tongue was removed after it was diagnosed with cancer.
Nail art
A portrait of Leonardo Da Vinci.
created by artist Saimir Strati using industrial nails, was displayed at the International Centre of Culture in Tirana on Wednesday.
Strati, 40, has used 500,000 industrial nails on a 8 sq m wooden board.
He hopes will enter into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest 3-D nail mosaic ever attempted
Another diesel record !
A car built by JCB has broken its own diesel land speed record by reaching a speed of 350.092mph (563.418km/h).
The JCB Dieselmax vehicle achieved the average speed during two runs on the Bonneville salt flats in Utah, USA.
Wednesday's record time beat a speed of 328.767mph (529km/h) the team had set just 24 hours earlier.
The Staffordshire-built vehicle was driven by Wing Cdr Andy Green from RAF Wittering in Cambs. He has said the car is capable of even higher speeds.
The JCB Dieselmax vehicle achieved the average speed during two runs on the Bonneville salt flats in Utah, USA.
Wednesday's record time beat a speed of 328.767mph (529km/h) the team had set just 24 hours earlier.
The Staffordshire-built vehicle was driven by Wing Cdr Andy Green from RAF Wittering in Cambs. He has said the car is capable of even higher speeds.
Roadside eyetest
Some of the first roadside eye tests in the UK have been carried out on motorists in south Wales.Some 300 drivers were stopped for a two-minute check near Abergavenny, Wales. Officials said five would have failed the eyesight part of the driving test.
Drivers were asked to read four number plates at different distances to see if their eyesight was good enough.
New drivers' sight is checked when they sit their test, but it does not need to be examined again until they are 70.
Milkman of the year
A milkman who delivers more than 100,000 pints of milk annually has been named Milkman of the Year 2006.
Dairy Crest worker, Kevin Pierce, 49, from Fakenham, Norfolk, has been a milkman for three and a half years.
Mr Pierce was nominated for the Dairy UK competition by hundreds of customers in Norfolk.
"The competition is not just about being the best milkman, but also the milkman with the best customers," said Mr Pierce.
"I have built up a great rapport with my customers over the years.
"They are more like my friends and because I start my round so early in the morning, I am the eyes and ears of the community."
Edmund Proffitt, processing manager for Dairy UK and the awards organiser, said: "Our milkmen are often the forgotten heroes in the community, providing a service that goes way beyond delivering milk, come rain or shine.
"Kevin is a credit to the industry and his win is well deserved."
Minister for "Fitness"
The government has launched a fresh attempt to tackle obesity in England by appointing a "minister for fitness".
Public Health minister Caroline Flint from Sheffield has been given the task of getting people to boost their activity levels.
She wants people to build physical activity into their daily routines to create a healthier nation in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.
Figures due out this week are set to show that, if nothing changes, a third of men will be obese by 2010.
HOW TO STAY HEALTHY
Eat regular, balanced meals
Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day
Avoid foods that are very high in sugar and/or fat
Eat less than 6g of salt/day
If you drink alcohol, drink it in moderation
For adults: 30 minutes moderate activity five times a week
For children: an hour a day of moderate activity
For Hamsters : 8 minutes on the wheel
Cob eater
A GIRL of 13 has become the UK corn on the cob eating champion after beating three men and wolfing down 26 cobs.Petite Emily Cotterill even smashed the British record with her 20-minute feat when she replaced her dad at the last minute.
As her middle-aged, male opponents began vomiting and dropping out, astonished organisers watched while the schoolgirl carried on eating.
Mum Ann, 44, said: "The men were all big guys. We thought our little girl would have no chance, but she just kept going."
Emily, from Rainhill, Merseyside, admitted she had a rather un-ladylike recovery method during the contest in Stretton, Cheshire. She said: "After 15, I felt a little ill but after burping that passed. I won't be looking at a cob for a while and I'm not sure I'll defend my title."
Dad Peter, 46, confessed: "I was going to enter but after seeing the size of the other guys I thought our Emily would do better. I was flabbergasted when she raised the cup."
As her middle-aged, male opponents began vomiting and dropping out, astonished organisers watched while the schoolgirl carried on eating.
Mum Ann, 44, said: "The men were all big guys. We thought our little girl would have no chance, but she just kept going."
Emily, from Rainhill, Merseyside, admitted she had a rather un-ladylike recovery method during the contest in Stretton, Cheshire. She said: "After 15, I felt a little ill but after burping that passed. I won't be looking at a cob for a while and I'm not sure I'll defend my title."
Dad Peter, 46, confessed: "I was going to enter but after seeing the size of the other guys I thought our Emily would do better. I was flabbergasted when she raised the cup."
Hairdryer car
0 to 60 in four secs Costs ½p a mile to run Quiet as a hairdryer ..and it's ELECTRIC
It's as fast as a Ferrari but cheaper than a moped to run - and this car is set to electrify the world of motoring.The Tesla Roadster kicks the nerdy image of electric cars into touch with its stylish looks and top speed of 130mph.
Tesla founder Martin Eberhard said: "This is what we hoped to achieve when we started the company - to build a car with zero emissions that people would love to drive."
Assembled by Lotus, the Tesla runs entirely on electricity but does nought to 60 in four seconds - keeping up with the best sports cars around.
It's only got two gears so powering up to 130mph is smooth and easy. And it costs just half a pence a mile and does the equivalent of 135mpg.
Instead of a fuel tank there is an energy store of lithium cells and a computer that shuts down the battery in an emergency.
It can travel 250 miles before needing a recharge - enough to get you from London to Newcastle. And it is as quiet as a hairdryer.
But it is also twice as energy efficient as hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius which runs on petrol and electricity. And it only takes three and a half hours to charge up. Mr Eberhard said: "It didn't make sense to sell a car that only goes 90 miles on a charge. You spend more time charging the old electric cars than driving them."
Tesla Motors, based in San Carlos, California, believes it will be a massive seller in Britain where petrol has reached over £1 a litre.
The only drawback is the price tag - £50,000. But so far the firm has only made 100 Tesla Roadsters which sold out in three weeks.
Pink Scrabble
SCRABBLE is changing colour for the first time in its history, makers Mattel said today.
The famous board game has taken on a pink hue to raise money for charity.
Letter tiles, racks, boards and boxes will all take on different shades of
pink in the special edition version.
Mattel, which makes Scrabble in the UK, will donate £1.50 for every pink set sold to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
The toymaker said the colour change was the board game’s first since its creation in 1948.
Pink Scrabble sets will go on sale in the UK from mid-September.
Too much fiddling I reckon
A woman who experiences 40 orgasms a day from a sexual condition has been put on probation for a £6,000 benefit fraud.
Ruth Leach, 49, who suffers from persistent sexual arousal syndrome, said she was single in order to claim council tax, housing benefit and income support for herself and her 10 children. But in reality she had taken in a lodger, Simon Leach, 22, who then became her toy-boy lover.
The two then lived as a couple, before eventually marrying.
Leach, from Blackpool, Lancashire, did not tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about the change in her living conditions and was found out after she sold the story of her unusual illness to a woman’s magazine.
Warren Spencer, acting for the prosecution in the case, told Blackpool Magistrates’ Court: "She was shown a Take A Break magazine article, in which she herself describes her relationship with Mr Leach in some detail, effectively describing they live together as a couple."
At a hearing last month Leach admitted four counts of false representation between July 2003 and August 2004.
Leach has been put on probation for two years and ordered to pay £50 costs.
Ruth Leach, 49, who suffers from persistent sexual arousal syndrome, said she was single in order to claim council tax, housing benefit and income support for herself and her 10 children. But in reality she had taken in a lodger, Simon Leach, 22, who then became her toy-boy lover.
The two then lived as a couple, before eventually marrying.
Leach, from Blackpool, Lancashire, did not tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about the change in her living conditions and was found out after she sold the story of her unusual illness to a woman’s magazine.
Warren Spencer, acting for the prosecution in the case, told Blackpool Magistrates’ Court: "She was shown a Take A Break magazine article, in which she herself describes her relationship with Mr Leach in some detail, effectively describing they live together as a couple."
At a hearing last month Leach admitted four counts of false representation between July 2003 and August 2004.
Leach has been put on probation for two years and ordered to pay £50 costs.
Cows have accents
Cows have regional accents, a group of British farmers say, and phonetics experts say the idea is not as far-fetched as it sounds.
Lloyd Green from south-west England is one of a group of farmers who first noticed the phenomenon.
"I spend a lot of time with my friesians and they definitely 'moo' with a Somerset drawl," he said, referring to the breed of dairy cow he owns."I've spoken to the other farmers in the West Country group and they have noticed a similar development in their own herds. I think it works the same as with dogs - the closer a farmer's bond is with his animals, the easier it is for them to pick up his accent."
Dom Lane, spokesman for a group called the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers to which Mr Green belongs, said it contacted John Wells, professor of phonetics at University College in London, who said that a similar phenomenon had been found in birds.
"You find distinct chirping accents in the same species around the country. This could also be true of cows," Professor Wells said on the group's website.
Mr Lane says accents among cows probably develop in a similar way as among humans and resulted from spending time with farmers with differing accents.
"Apparently the biggest influence on accents is peer groups, on children in the playground, for example," he said.
"Herds are quite tight-knit communities and don't tend to leave the area."
He added more scientific research was needed to prove what was just an anecdotal theory at this stage.
Lloyd Green from south-west England is one of a group of farmers who first noticed the phenomenon.
"I spend a lot of time with my friesians and they definitely 'moo' with a Somerset drawl," he said, referring to the breed of dairy cow he owns."I've spoken to the other farmers in the West Country group and they have noticed a similar development in their own herds. I think it works the same as with dogs - the closer a farmer's bond is with his animals, the easier it is for them to pick up his accent."
Dom Lane, spokesman for a group called the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers to which Mr Green belongs, said it contacted John Wells, professor of phonetics at University College in London, who said that a similar phenomenon had been found in birds.
"You find distinct chirping accents in the same species around the country. This could also be true of cows," Professor Wells said on the group's website.
Mr Lane says accents among cows probably develop in a similar way as among humans and resulted from spending time with farmers with differing accents.
"Apparently the biggest influence on accents is peer groups, on children in the playground, for example," he said.
"Herds are quite tight-knit communities and don't tend to leave the area."
He added more scientific research was needed to prove what was just an anecdotal theory at this stage.
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