Japanese whisky?

February 16, 2012 at 4:48 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Over the past 100 years the Japanese have become one of the biggest consumers and producers of whisky. In 2008 a single malt produced by Japanese firm Yoichi won first place in the annual World Whisky Awards

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

An early hint to women? “Men whose index fingers are shorter than their ring fingers may have longer penises, according to the study out of South Korea. Tae Beom Kim at the urology department of Gachon University Gil Hospital in Incheon, South Korea, said: ‘According to our data… the shorter index finger than ring finger you have, the longer stretched penile length you have’. Previous studies have shown strong evidence that prenatal testosterone may determine finger development as well as penile length, a relationship that Kim and his colleagues launched the study to focus on. The study involved 144 men suffering from urological problems that did not affect the length of their penis, which was measured under anaesthesia.”

Misleading British sat navs have caused £203 million of damage to cars in past year: “Misleading satnavs have caused more than £200 million worth of damage to cars in the past 12 months, it was revealed today. As many as 83% of satnav users have been misled by their system, a survey by Confused.com found. Accidents caused by drivers going the wrong way have led to damage totalling £203 million in the past year, the poll also showed. Of those led astray, 52% ended up screaming at their devices, while 68% have ended up doing longer journeys and clocking up unnecessary miles. Gareth Kloet, head of car insurance at Confused.com, said: ‘Our research has shown that the satnav is not always the blessing it was once hailed to be and, increasingly, motorists appear to be citing the device as a source of frustration and danger.’”

Tiny bird which weighs same as two spoons of sugar baffles scientists with 18,000 mile return migration: “Biologists used GPS tags to monitor the movements of the tiny northern wheatear – and were baffled by how a bird weighing just 25g could undertake a 9,000 mile journey twice a year. The tiny birds fly an average of 181 miles a day, and can spend up to 91 days travelling from Alaska to Africa where they spend the winter. Adjusted for body weight, the scientists describe the journey as one of the longest round trip migrations of any bird on Earth. Birds with long wingspans such as cuckoos and albatrosses are well-equipped for the journey, but the researchers were puzzled as to how such a tiny songbird could endure. They tracked 46 wheatears, which weigh the same as two tablespoonfuls of sugar, with tiny GPS locators weighing less than gram.”

Rare one on the Left

‘The holy grail of stamp collecting’: “One of the rarest and most sought after stamps ever produced is up for sale and expected to fetch over half a million pounds. The plate 77 Penny Red has been dubbed the ‘Holy Grail of philately’ and is one of just nine examples of the stamp ever recorded. Although millions of Penny Reds were printed between 1841 and 1879, a number of plates were never used due to technical faults. Flaws in plate number 77 meant the stamp’s perforations were lined up incorrectly, so all of the test sheets were destroyed. But at least one sheet was released into circulation by mistake – making the 77 every stamp collector’s dream. Dealer Stanley Gibbons heralds it as the ‘most valuable single stamp’ the company has ever had for sale in their 156 year history, with a value of around £550,000.”

Intelligent dog raises alarm when owner injured and immobile: “Badly injured after his car plunged down a hillside on a Scots island, farmer Donald McGregor had no way to raise the alarm – and faced perishing outside in the dark. But the pensioner hadn’t bargained for the heroics of Zulu, his faithful canine companion. The black terrier raced more than half a mile to Mr McGregor’s daughter’s home to alert her to the emergency. Last night the retired livestock farmer’s daughter, Sheila McGregor, 32, spoke about the moment she realised that something was wrong. ‘His dog came to the door,’ she said. ‘I knew it was strange the dog just turning up like that so straight away I thought something must have happened. ‘I went out on the quad bike and heard my dad shouting. His car had overturned on the track and he’d been thrown out down a steep slope.’ In true Lassie fashion, Zulu, who was unhurt, sprinted half-a-mile to Miss McGregor’s door at Slaterich farm – a mile away from his own home, Bar Nam Boc.”

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