Wicked Thoughts

A very narrow home in Scotland

The super thin building is just 1.2m wide at the front and 3.5m wide at the back, hence the nickname “the wedge”. Not as remarkable as the Flatiron in NYC, though. How come that thing doesn’t blow over in a high wind?

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Wandering police dog escapes and gives family a fright: “A POLICE dog in training gave a Flemington family a surprise this morning when it wandered into their home and joined them for breakfast. Kerrianne Merrick, who is 21 weeks pregnant with her second child, was in her kitchen when she turned to see the nine-month old German shepherd snooping about her feet. Bullet had escaped from the home of his nearby puppy trainers, pushed open the family of three’s front door and made himself at home. “I nearly jumped onto the kitchen table when I saw him,” Mrs Merrick said. “It freaked me out.” With her 15-month old sitting in a high chair and small Spanador Ruby barking furiously, Mrs Merrick feared the situation could have turned ugly. “You read about all these dog attacks and fear the worst, but the dog was very calm,” she said. Husband Peter Merrick quickly took Bullet outside where they discovered the dog’s police-issue tag. “You could tell he was trained,” Mrs Merrick said.”

Mummified body of ‘robber’ found in bank’s air vent after workers complain of bad smell: “A mummified body has been discovered inside an air duct in a French bank after workers had been complaining of a bad smell for several months. Police and firefighters were last night attempting to dislodge the half-rotten corpse at a branch of Credit Foncier in Lyon, eastern France. Investigators were trying establish if it was an attempted break-in that went wrong or a homeless man seeking refuge, according to a local prosecutor. Marc Desert said it may be the body of an ‘unlucky burglar’ who got stuck, according to the Daily Telegraph. The body was found in a bend in the ducting, which is just 20 inches in diameter. The vent leads from the roof to a staff bathroom.”

The 93-year-old yoga teacher who is more flexible than most of her students: “Even after a total hip replacement in the early 2000s, Tao Porchon-Lynch continues to teach students yoga at 5am everyday. The energetic 93-year-old, from Westchester, who has been practicing yoga for over 70 years also does the waltz, jitterbug, samba and cha cha cha in her spare time. ‘I also like to do foxtrot – all the crazy ones,’ she laughs, describing dancing the tango as being like drinking champagne. After practicing yoga in her youth in India the former model and actress moved to the US when she was in her early 30s. After a career in Hollywood movies and on television Porchon-Lynch began working with UniTel in the 1960s, establishing TV stations in India. She has since been teaching yoga to students in India, France, and the USA for more than 45 years including certifying 400 other teachers.”

Sardine seals: “These tired seals were spotted snuggling up for a nap in their thousands. The animals had come ashore in California in their hundreds during what is called a ‘catastrophic molt’, where they shed an entire layer of skin and hair. The bizarre spectacle took place at the Piedres Blancas rookery, California. Mr Jensen, from California, said: ‘At this time of year the seals are growing new skin and shedding their old skin. ‘The juveniles and females come first, followed by the young males and then the adult males. ‘The elephant seal molt is considered a ‘catastrophic molt’ because, unlike most mammals, it occurs in a short period of time.’”

Australian Leftist politician steals lines from Hollywood flick: “The Liberal Party has released a video showing Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese delivering lines straight out of the Michael Douglas movie The American President. The YouTube clip shows Mr Albanese telling journalists: “In Australia we have serious challenges to solve and we need serious people to solve them. “Unfortunately Tony Abbott is not the least bit interested in fixing any of them. “He’s only interested in two things, making Australians afraid of it and telling them who’s to blame for it.” It then cuts to a clip for The American President showing Michael Douglas’ character President Andrew Shepherd, delivering the same lines in reference to his opponent. The rip-off was spotted by none other than Liberal Party director Brian Loughnane, a big fan of the movie. “I thought, this is too good to be true, so I googled the script and then we set about making the video”. [Video at link]

And don’t forget to catch up with all the Strange Justice before you go.