Wicked Thoughts

Unhelpful

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

The naughtiest dog ever: “Murphy is a very well-bred bull terrier — Dad is a champion from England and Mum is a prize-winning show dog in Australia. His long list of offences, according to long-suffering owner Leigh Pride, from Carrum Downs, includes destroying the fridge. “Murphy used to walk in and flick open the fridge door with his paw, then eat the dog food that was stored in there,” Leigh says. “One day there was no food, so he got mad and ate the fridge!” “Murphy has also eaten the mower, live power leads and the power source of our central heating unit, and pulled up the underground sprinkler system and caused general havoc inside our house and out,” says Leigh. “Murphy also unfortunately dug up our dog who had died two weeks earlier and had to be rushed to the emergency vet and stay in overnight. “He had eaten the towel we wrapped her in and the sheet also — but he didn’t eat her”

Russians fear nuclear doomsday as giant mushroom cloud appears over skies in Siberia: “An enormous mushroom-shaped cloud rises ominously above a Siberian town – sparking fears among witnesses that doomsday has arrived. The terrifying sight could be seen for miles around and was captured on video from the city of Kemerovo, in Russia’s Kemerovo Oblast region. Emergency services were inundated with calls from worried onlookers that a nuclear bomb had been dropped and that annihilation was imminent. Others feared there had been an explosion at the coal mines in the nearby Kuzbass region. In fact, the terrifying-looking spectacle was in reality a rather beautiful, naturally occurring thunderstorm cloud. The anvil-shaped cumulo-nimbus often appears after a heavy thunderstorm, meteorologists told news agency Sputnik”

Burglar rumbled because his low-slung trousers revealed his distinctive burger-and-fries-themed underwear: “A burglar who broke into a woman’s house was caught by police after she recognised his distinctive hamburger-and-fries-patterned underwear. Darren Machon, 39, was wearing boxer shorts with hotdogs, chips, doughnuts, and hamburgers printed on when he broke into the property in Bridgend, South Wales. His trousers had fallen low around his waist and his colourful food-themed underwear was on show. It meant his victim was able to use his distinctive underwear to describe him to police after she caught him rummaging through her downstairs cupboards. He was later arrested by police for a different offence and, as he was getting changed in his prison cell, an officer noticed his distinctive boxer shorts matched those described by the burglary victim”

Alsatian is set free after being trapped in a SEWER for four days: “A terrified Alsatian is finally set free after being stuck in a sewer for four days. Rescuers helped the dog out after it had managed to survive with its head and paws sticking out by the road. The rescue occurred in the city of Bahia Blanca, in the eastern Argentine province of Buenos Aires. A short film shows a police officer crouching over a small drain hole trying to keep the dog calm. A worker widens the hole with a hammer before officers are able to push the mutt’s head out from where it was wedged. Finally they free the exhausted dog and pull it up onto the pavement. Local authorities were called out after residents spotted the pooch and raised the alarm. They had kept it in good health by providing it with food and water while it was trapped.

Black doctor, 55, ‘caught with extreme pornography on his mobile phone including a video of a man having sex with a SNAKE’: “A doctor was caught with a stash of ‘extreme’ pornography, including a video of a man having sex with a snake, a court heard. Cyprian Okoro, 55, allegedly stored the images on his Samsung mobile phone having received them via mobile messaging app WhatsApp, the Old Bailey heard. They included three videos of a woman having sex with a dog, one of a man having sex with a snake and one of a woman having sex with a horse, jurors were told. The defendant is on trial charged with five counts of possessing pornography of a ‘grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise obscene character’. Okoro is also accused of one charge of possessing indecent images of a child relating to a video of a two-year-old boy.

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

When sleep wins

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Not a bright spark: “A New Mexico police sergeant accused of unwittingly recording himself on a lapel camera taking marijuana from his office and giving it to his girlfriend has been released from jail. He faces charges of distribution of marijuana, conspiracy and felony embezzlement. According to state police, McKinney also allegedly embezzled $785 and an 8-ounce brick of marijuana not submitted to the department’s evidence vault.

‘Strong signal’ stirs interest in hunt for alien life: “A “strong signal” detected by a radio telescope in Russia that is scanning the heavens for signs of extraterrestrial life has stirred interest among the scientific community. “No one is claiming that this is the work of an extraterrestrial civilization, but it is certainly worth further study,” said Paul Gilster, author of the Centauri Dreams website which covers peer-reviewed research on deep space exploration. The signal is from the direction of a HD164595, a star about 95 light-years from Earth. The star is known to have at least one planet, and may have more. The observation is being made public now, but was actually detected last year by the RATAN-600 radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, Russia, he said. Experts say it is far too early to know what the signal means or where, precisely,it came from”

300 reindeer are killed by a single lightning strike after a Norwegian national park is hit by stormy weather: “More than 300 wild reindeer have been killed by lighting in central Norway in what wildlife officials are calling an unusually large natural disaster. The Norwegian Environment Agency has released eerie images showing reindeer carcasses scattered across a small area on the Hardangervidda mountain plateau. The agency says 323 animals were killed, including 70 calves. The animal tragedy is believed to have occurred during a lightning storm Friday. Environment Agency spokesman Kjartan Knutsen told the AP it’s not uncommon for reindeer or other wildlife to be killed by lightning strikes. However, the agency said ‘we have not heard about such numbers before.’ Knutsen said reindeer tend to stay very close to each other in bad weather. This, he added, could explain how so many were killed at once”

Teenage boy dies from a stroke after his girlfriend gives him a hickey: “A TEENAGE boy has died after getting a love bite from his girlfriend. Julio Macias Gonzalez, 17, began convulsing at the dinner table with his family in Mexico City after spending time with his 24-year-old lover, The Sun reports. It is thought the woman gave him a hickey earlier that evening which caused a blood clot that travelled to the teen’s brain, triggering a stroke. Paramedics were called to the scene but Julio could not be saved. The young man’s family are blaming his girlfriend for his death, but she has now disappeared. In 2011, a 44-year-old woman in New Zealand lost movement in her left arm after having a stroke. On noticing a faded love bite, doctors quickly realised damage to a major artery in her neck and linked it to her paralysis”

London Police’s Super Recogniser Unit: “HE’S a modern-day Sherlock Holmes who is so good, even criminals respect him. Metropolitan Detention Officer Idris Bada has a special skill most of us can only dream of — the ability to never forget a face no matter how long it’s been or how fleetingly he glimpsed it. The Londoner is single-handedly responsible for nearly 370 arrests in the last year of everyone from thieves to fraudsters and others down to his “staggering ‘super recogniser” ability. The remarkable man is the star of the Met’s specialist Super Recogniser unit, responsible for more than 2500 arrests in the last year. The combination of identifying those with natural abilities and new technology is rapidly becoming regarded as a new frontier that could revolutionise policing across Europe.

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

For those who remember

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Man claims he is the world’s oldest at age 145: “An Indonesian man who has emerged from obscurity to claim he is the world’s oldest at an incredible 145 years has revealed he is ready to die now. According to documentation recognised by Indonesian officials, Mbah Gotho is 145 and was born on 31st December 1870. He has not surprisingly outlived all 10 of his siblings as well as his four wives, the last of whom died in 1988. All of his children have also died, and now he is survived by his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. Suryanto, Mbah Gotho’s grandson, said his grandfather has been preparing for his death ever since he was 122, but it never seemed to come. Staff at the Indonesian records office have confirmed Mbah Gotho’s birthdate, which is specified on his Indonesian ID card as 31st December 1870. These days, his grandchildren say Mbah Gotho mostly sits listening to the radio because his eyesight is too poor to watch television”

Boaters stranded on uninhabited Pacific island for a week are rescued after passing US Navy aircraft spots ‘SOS’ in the sand: “Two missing boaters stranded on an uninhabited Pacific island were rescued on Friday after a US Navy aircraft spotted a sign they carved in the sand that read ‘SOS’. The survivors – who were spotted on a beach near the makeshift sign on East Fayu Island in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia – are safe, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Friday. The rescue followed a seven-day search by an international maritime team, who searched a total of 16,571 square miles for the pair. The U.S. Embassy in Kolonia identified the boaters as Linus and Sabina Jack, who are both in their 50s. The couple had departed from Weno Island on August 17, en route to Tamatam Island, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. They left with limited supplies and no emergency equipment, and were expected to arrive on Tamatam Island the following day, but never made it”

Bride was left paralysed after slipping on her dress while dancing at her wedding – on Friday 13th: “A bride was left paralysed after slipping on her dress while dancing at her own wedding, which was held on Friday 13. Natasha Timson, from Chelmsford, Essex, was celebrating her marriage to husband Steven Timson, 40, in May by dancing to the song Saturday Night. The recruiter slipped on the polished floor when her shoe became tangled in her satin dress just half an hour before the end of the wedding. She added: ‘I cracked my head so loudly they heard it on the other side of the room,’ according to The Sun. Natasha’s health continued to deteriorate until she learned she had suffered a hemiplegic migraine after the brain injury fall leaving half of her body paralysed. Natasha, who has been in hospital for more than three months, remains in a wheelchair and is unable to move her lower left leg.

Police strip search a man after being arrested and discover that he was hiding a 20cm rifle bolt in his ANUS: “Some days can be a real pain in the ‘you know where’. But that’s something you don’t need to tell one Queensland man, who’s definitely not gun-shy when it comes to his body. Police are hoping to get to the bottom of why a man was found hiding a 20 centimetre rifle bolt up his anus on Friday morning. Warwick police found the implement ‘poking out’ of the 21-year-old’s bottom during a strip search, Sunshine Coast Daily reports. The rifle bolt was longer than a ten dollar note. The man had reportedly been in the Warwick watchhouse (standing upright, we assume) for 20 minutes before the bolt was discovered. He had been arrested on unrelated charges. The man was charged by police with weapons offences, because his unique hiding place is apparently not ‘an approved storage facility’.

Ten new species of freaky, fanged spiders found in Queensland, Australia: “At least 10 new species of trapdoor spiders have been discovered hiding in Brisbane forests and national parks throughout the state. The aggressive, sharp-fanged, eight-legged nasties have been found by a Griffith University PhD student Jeremy Wilson in national parks, including popular Gold Coast tourist spot Lamington National Park and the Capricorn Caves in Rockhampton. Just four species of golden trapdoor spiders are known in southeast Queensland, but Mr Wilson says he’s identified at least 10 more in that area alone. “The really cool thing about them is that they’re really long lived and they don’t move much, they live in these holes their entire life.” But what a scientist identifies as the “really cool thing” about these spiders, is perhaps the most terrifying to most. Trapdoor spiders build themselves holes to hide out in, complete with doors, as the name suggests, keeping them well hidden. Because of their elusive nature, their danger is somewhat unknown, but with 1cm fangs on some, there is potential to do serious damage”

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

Kitty wins

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Heartbreaking picture of dog who won’t leave master’s coffin after Italy earthquake: “Thirty-four caskets lie side by side in a gym in Ascoli Piceno, a grim snapshot of Wednesday’s earthquake that rocked central Italy and left at least 281 people dead and thousands more homeless. Families grieve beside their departed loved ones, saying their final farewells before they are buried on Saturday. Beside one, a small blond cocker spaniel sits, devoted to the end, unable to leave his master even in death. Little is known of the victim, except that he came from Accumoli, one of the communities that bore the brunt of the devastating quake. The quake was so strong that the town sank by 20 cm, according to Italy’s geological institute. The funeral in the gym is to be celebrated by Bishop Giovanni D’Ercole for the victims of nearby Arquata del Tronto. To date 49 of the dead have come from the tiny town and its nearby hamlet Pescara del Tronto.

Please choose one – beef, pork or CHILD? Fancy wedding RSVP accidentally adds an unsavory third meal option: “A soon-to-be married couple accidentally offered their guests a child to eat at their wedding reception – all due to a poorly worded invitation. The invitation asks guests, as is customary, to tick a box to indicate whether or not they will attend. On the following line, guests have to pick one of two entrees – but an unexpected third option makes a surprise appearance. Right after ‘beef’ and ‘pork’, the card appears to give them the choice to pick ‘child (12 and under)’. A polite note adds: ‘Please let us know of any dietary restriction.’ Rather than an incitement towards cannibalism, the couple likely meant to ask their guests whether they wanted a child’s meal. Reddit users made fun of the situation in the comments, with one saying he’d had his main course ‘free roaming and gluten free’. Another decided: ‘I’ll have the Hansel and Gretel.’

Retired man, 78, with no musical ability comes round from a stroke to find he can suddenly play the piano: “A pensioner who survived a stroke was suddenly able to play the piano. He was amazed when he discovered his new artistic talent. ‘I played and I couldn’t believe it. It just came out naturally and I was in shock,’ he said. He said: ‘I had a heart bypass around 20 years ago and ever since, I’ve had problems with my heart. I’ve had countless strokes, but this was the first time anything was noticeably different afterwards.’ He discovered his new found talent after acquiring a piano from a late friend. ‘I sat down next to it to have a look. I just wanted to try and played it. ‘It was just as my friend’s son was walking into the room and he asked if I had ever played before and that he didn’t know I could play. I told him I couldn’t.’ He said he had not gained any other skills since his stroke”

Pub hits back with sign at neighbours who complain about ‘noisy patrons’: “MOST people usually want to maintain a good relationship with their neighbours. But it’s clear that’s not always the case — as one pub proved with an outrageous sign which has since become a viral hit online, reports The Sun. Hilariously, while most establishments would ask patrons to remember to keep it down when heading home, this anonymous pub landlord instead tells its regulars that it’s OK to make a bit of noise — after all, customers have been doing it for years. The sign reads: “When leaving the premises, please remind our neighbours that drunk people have been loudly leaving this establishment long before they decided to buy houses next door to it.” And the notice’s cheeky humour has captured the attention of like-minded internet users, who were quick to agree with the pub landlord’s sentiments”

This Mailman Does the Sweetest Thing for a Dog He Sees Everyday: “This darling canine in Brisbane, Australia, lives to fetch the mail from the postman, Martin Studer, and bring it back to her family. She loves doing this simple task so much that Martin has taken to writing her little letters on the days when there’s no mail for him to deliver. After all, he wouldn’t want to disappoint the old girl. Just look at those big, brown, imploring eyes. Martin posted the photos onto Facebook, where they quickly went viral, as a reminder that sometimes you don’t need to do a very much to make someone’s day.

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

Some Texas history

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Man woke up after a drunken night partying and found he had bought a BUS: “A DJ woke up to discover that he had bought a £30,000 coach online while out partying in Ibiza. Dave Little, from County Durham, went out to the island at the beginning of the week to enjoy the massive super clubs and bars with girlfriend Lucy Maria, 23. With tickets to clubs sometimes costing more than £100 each, it was far from a budget holiday, but he didn’t expect the expense he woke up to on Wednesday. Mr Little, a part-time DJ, found a notification on his phone informing him that he had bought a Scania Irizar Century Coach for £28,500 on eBay when he left the club. It was a shock for Mr Little, who posted the news on Facebook with the caption: ‘Still can’t believe what I did last night in Ibiza.’ He says he has absolutely no need for a bus and doesn’t even have a licence to drive one. ‘I messaged eBay straight away to explain I had bought the bus by accident and I am waiting to hear back from them.”

Prospector finds 4.1kg gold nugget in Australian bushland that is set to sell for $250,000: “A hobby prospector who has scoured bushland for over a decade struck gold twice in a week, with his latest find valued over $250,000. The man said he initially thought he had found a horseshoe when he stumbled upon the 4.1 kilogram nugget dubbed ‘Friday’s Joy’ around thirty centimetres under the ground in Victoria’s ‘Golden Triangle’, north west of Melbourne, last Friday. ‘I was in total disbelief as I didn’t think nuggets of this size were still around.’ The prospector, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he was motivated to search the area after finding a tennis-ball sized 0.2 kilogram nugget only a day earlier”

Mathematician solves the puzzle of the perfect parking lot – and says leaving your car at an angle is key: “A professor has revealed the math behind a perfect parking lot, including the angle of the spaces, direction of traffic flow, and even the shape of the building. Based on his analysis, the expert says designs should favour one-way traffic and a diagonal space layout rather than a grid to optimize efficiency. When building from scratch, he points out that a helical design, a spiral shaped garage, is best. ‘With a rectangular layout, you need to change your direction of travel by 90 degrees, which requires a substantial lane width to accommodate your turning circle,’ Percy wrote. ‘But for a diagonal layout, the bays on both sides are inclined towards you. ‘These require less course adjustment and the access lane can be narrower, so we can fit more parking bays into the same space.

Up to his neck in work… literally!: “One utility worker has left the internet stunned after he literally dived into his work while trying to fix a leaking pipe. Jimmie Cox, from Granbury, Texas, was photographed face down in a puddle of muddy water by homeowner Andrea Adams on Tuesday. Adams said she called Acton Municipal Utility District on Tuesday to report a leak coming from a pipe running under her front lawn. Cox showed up, before digging down through the turf in order to locate a one inch pipe that had burst below ground. Adams said she walked into her house as Cox was working, and when she came back out she saw him submerged as he reached down through five feet of dirty water in order to clamp the line. Cox is equally astounded by the attention the image is garnering, though says diving into flooded lawns is nothing new in his line of work. Eventually he managed to stop the leak”

Crazy prankster screams in pain after bathing himself (and dunking his head) in 1,250 bottles of hot chilli sauce: “Fired up UK YouTuber Cemre Candar decided it would be entertaining for his viewers to watch him bathing in 1,250 bottle of hot chilli sauce. At the beginning of the video Cemre fills up his bathtub with several gallons of the liquid, and adds a few spicy chilli peppers in on top. The nutty prankster then hops in, topless. ‘Oh my God, it’s in my b***’ he shouts immediately in great pain. Amazingly, Cemre manages to stay in the tub for around one-minute-and-a-half. After submerging his entire body in the stinging red sauce he screams ‘It’s in my eyes. ‘Get me a towel,’ he shouts to his friend, ‘that’s it I’m done,’ he adds. ‘Very painful hours later’, Cemre records himself in a calmer state, although still sore from the challenge. He says: ‘What’s up guys. It’s been a couple of hours and I feel like I’ve been through hell and come back.

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

Is this the happiest dog in the world?

Celebrity pup beams with delight as she rides on swing. Six-year-old dog called Uni-Chan lives in Tokyo, Japan, with her owner. She is a Shiba Inu

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Female hiker found alive in a remote mountain chalet – where she had been living for an entire MONTH after her partner slipped down a cliff edge and died: “The Czech woman, aged in her 30s, and her male companion in his 20s had set out on the Routeburn Track in New Zealand’s snow-clad Southern Alps, about 60 kilometres from Queenstown on July 24. But two days later he died after falling down a cliff after becoming disoriented and she had to fend for herself. She spent three nights in the open in the high country, where temperatures frequently plunge below zero degrees in winter. Eventually she reached the Lake MacKenzie track warden’s hut where she broke through a window to gain access and waited for weeks for rescue. Her mental and physical state – including frostbite – and deep snow stopped her from leaving. The hut had four bunks, cooking and heating facilities and was stocked with food, according to reports.

British Keystone Kops blow up pesto sandwich after being called to investigate suspicious package: “A bomb squad blew up a pesto sandwich after being called to investigate a suspicious package at London Bridge. Officers closed off a busy high street on Sunday afternoon after a brown bag was discovered at a bus stop close to The Shard and London Bridge train station. After an investigation, police decided to execute a controlled explosion on the package, which splattered pesto and bread across shop windows. Eye witness Adam Smith had tried to walk through Borough High Street, south London, but was stopped at a police cordon. ‘Standing at the bus stop chuckling to myself as I keep seeing more evidence of the sandwich explosion. ‘There is pesto on the first floor windows.’

Locksmith designs and builds his own wooden aircraft to get to work (and he even parks it on the street outside): “Frantisek Hadrava is not your normal work commuter. For starters, when the Czech locksmith parks his ride to work in the car park next to his building, he has to use four parking spaces. The 45-year-old also felt driving to work for 14 minutes was too much. So he cut his travel time in half. You see Mr Hadrava, 45, of Zdikov in the Czech Republic, now travels to work in an ultralight wooden plane after spending two years designing and building the aircraft. The flight takes less than 7 minutes and he insists the plane is cheaper than if he were to travel by car. The commute is 15 km away from his home by road. Based on the U.S. design of light planes called Mini-Max, the Vampira aircraft cost him about 100,000 Czech Koruna (about 3700 Euros) to build. The plane has an open cockpit, propeller powered by a 3-cylinder engine made by Czech firm Verner. Mr Hadrava said that the aircraft, which is almost entirely made of wood, had a fuel consumption of 6 litres of petrol per hour and can reach a top speed of 91 miles/hr.

American Nazis at work: “A nine-year-old aspiring pilot with a pacemaker has spoken about the ‘terrible’ ordeal he suffered at the hands of TSA at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport. Chille Bergstrom was to travel home to Minnesota with his family on Saturday, but was denied an alternative screening process. He was then surrounded by armed police and agents, who told his mother they have stopped terrorists using children with pacemakers. The youngster, who was born with Godlen Hars Syndrome, has undergone 15 open heart surgeries in his short life – but still needs to have a pacemaker to survive with his four heart defects. Because of this, they are required to always request alternative screening as he cannot go through metal detectors – but in this case, the TSA refused. His mother Ali Bergstrom, of Wyoming, said she showed authorities the documentation proving Chille needs the alternative screening. A spokesman for TSA said the agency are reviewing the incident and in touch with the family”

George the dog who was left ‘depressed’ after his best friend died finds happiness with Donald the duck: “After a dog lost his best friend and fell into a depression, a duck came to the rescue. George, a pooch living in Tennessee, suffered the loss of his best friend, a Labrador named Blackie, two years ago. And, according to his owners, hasn’t quite been the same since. But last Thursday, George’s owner Jacquie Litton was surprised to discover that her beloved pup had gained himself a brand new friend, one that had taken to waddling after and cuddling up to grieving George. ‘We have no idea where this duck came from but he sure does love George,’ she wrote. ‘And since the duck has arrived George has not cried one time.’ George and Blackie had been together for 12 years, and his owner said that he ‘has been heart broken and has grieved with anxiety so bad that he has almost died twice.’

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

If only we knew the joke

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Tall men are winners: “With regards to male body shape, research often focuses on the importance of height. Indeed, although the preference for a ‘tall, dark, handsome stranger’ is a cliche, there is a biological basis for this preference, with only healthy high quality men able to invest the physical resources required to develop tall stature. Hence, height is associated with positive physical and mental health. It is also related to important social outcomes such as social status, educational success, and income. This may reflect perceptions tall men are more assertive and dominant than shorter men. Consequently, research suggests tall men are more desirable to women and are themselves able to attract more attractive partners.

The pot plants that could clean up the air in your home: “They brighten up our homes and cheer up our offices. But house plants also clean up the air that we breathe. Research has shown that popular pot plants also absorb dangerous chemicals, leaving the air cleaner for us to breathe. One of the best ‘natural air fresheners’ is Guzmania lingulata, or the scarlet star, a colourful and tropical type of bromeliad which blooms for months indoors. Others include the corn plant (Dracaena fragrans) which boasts long, variegated leaves that are particularly good at mopping up acetone, the pungent chemical in nail varnish remover. The work comes amid mounting concern about the damage done by indoor air pollution, including toxins called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which released by everything from paint and printers to cleaning chemicals and dry-cleaned clothes. The Royal College of Physicians has estimated that indoor air pollution contributes to 99,000 deaths in Europe every year”

Here it is: The Shed of the Year: “The 2016 Cuprinol Shed of the Year is a real annual contest that is aired on BBC’s Channel 4 and apparently attracted thousands of viewers this year, who tuned in to watch Kevin Herbert’s Berkshire shed take home the top prize. Herbert’s shed is called West Wing, and unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) it is not a miniature version of the executive section of the White House wing, nor an homage to the NBC political drama. It is, however, made from 90% recycled materials and is basically a fun little apartment. It also took home the Eco Prize. The shed will reign for the next year,

Proof that money can’t buy you style: Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates hits St Tropez hotspot in socks and sandals: “He’s the co-founder of Microsoft and is worth a staggering £68 billion. But Bill Gates, 60, proved vast wealth can’t always buy you style when he made a major fashion faux pas – combining socks and sandals – while lunching with U2’s Bono in St Tropez, on Wednesday. Dressing down for the lunch-date at the Club 55 on Pampelonne Beach, the 56-year-old rocker and the tech guru, 60, appeared to have raided their holiday wardrobes. Heading to the sunny climes of the Cote d’Azur – popular with many of the yacht-set – for a spot of R&R, the two icons looked to have slipped into the Mediterranean mind-set.

Man falls through middle of old trampoline: “A man was caught on camera gracefully flipping and jumping on a trampoline – until he came down too hard and went right through the netting. In the video, the man on the trampoline flips forward, then back and forward again. Then the jumper does one more back flip – and plops right through the trampoline. Hysterical laughter roars from behind the camera as the man on the trampoline appears to have momentarily injured his groin. The jumper seems stunned but then sees the humor in his little accident. He’s then able to walk away with a smile on his face, leaving tow leg-sized holes in the trampoline”

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

Magic

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Women are programmed to have affairs so they have a ‘back-up plan’ in case their relationship fails, say scientists: “What drives women to cheat is a subject that has been long debated over the years. And now scientists are suggesting women have been programmed by evolution to pursue affairs in case they decide to leave their partners. New research claims this ‘mate switching hypothesis’ particularly applies to childless women whose loved one can affect their ability to raise offspring. David Buss, Cari Goetz and their team told the Sunday Times: ‘Lifelong monogamy does not characterise the primary mating pattern of humans. ‘Breaking up with one partner and re-mating with another – mate switching – may more accurately characterise the common, perhaps the primary, mating strategy of humans.’ Scientists claim people would pick partners with the highest chance of survival, but have someone in reserve in case that person died”

Australia’s largest black truffle worth $3,000 and weighing 1.5kg is discovered near Melbourne: “A truffle farmer has dug up what could be Australia’s biggest truffle, weighing more than 1.5 kilograms. Stuart Dunbar, owner of the Yarra Valley Truffles farm in Victoria, and his Lagotto Romagnolo dog Lani found the earthy fungi under a tree root last Thursday. Mr Dunbar told Daily Mail Australia that he spotted it under a tree before the season, marked it and checked its growth regularly. ‘It took 45 minutes to carefully get it out from under a large tree root,’ he said. Weighing in at a hefty 1511.10 grams, the giant black winter truffle could fetch him $3,000. In previous seasons, he has harvested truffles in the 100-200 gram range, which he sells at $2 per gram. He said he has had a particularly good season this year, finding truffles ranging from 600-800 grams. He said that harvesting truffles can be a delicate process, adding that he has broken a few of the prized fungi this season”

Monster crocodile leaps into the air to try and catch a DRONE: “A five-metre long ‘monster’ crocodile in Australia’s remote outback was recently captured on video leaping out of shallow water in an attempt to snatch a drone out of the sky. Footage of the amazing moment, taken by a fisherman in the Kununurra region of Western Australia, shows the sheer power possessed by a man-eater of that size. Lying among reeds in shallow water, the massive animal is careful not to move, seemingly hoping to remain hidden from the drone it has sensed hovering overhead. After capturing a few seconds of footage of the reptile, the drone begins to fly off to see more of the stunning Australian landscape. But then, without any warning, the crocodile strikes. Leaping out of the water, the powerful reptile attempts to use its jaws to snatch the drone from the sky. Fortunately, the drone narrowly escaped the attack”

Treasure hunter accidentally finds one of the largest hauls of Roman coins in the UK: “A metal detectorist has revealed he managed to find the largest Roman coin hoard in the north of England because he was craving a bacon sandwich. David Blakey, 57, from Hartlepool, spent years searching for a significant haul of treasure in fields up and down the country. But it was only when he was about to give in and go for lunch during an early morning session in Wold Newton, East Yorkshire, he found the hoard of a lifetime in 2014. Experts believe the coins date back to the time of Constantine the Great, who resided in York during the 3rd Century. The coins are on display at the Yorkshire Museum until October, but the staff are hoping to raise the funds to keep the collection there permanently. A tired and hungry Mr Blakely was on his way back to his van for a bacon sandwich when his metal detector suddenly alerted him to what was a vast haul of Roman coins”

Egyptian man is jailed in Saudi Arabia after being accused of using a SORCERER to bewitch his employer: “An Egyptian man has reportedly been sentenced to six years in prison on charges of attempting to disturb public order, violating the kingdom’s labour laws and communicating with a sorcerer to bewitch his employer. The Egyptian, who was unnamed in a report by Saudi newspaper Okaz, was accused of acquiring a secret military document that listed the movements and names of Saudi troops and of emailing this document to the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and Iran are regional rivals. The kingdom has long-accused Iran of meddling in its affairs and trying to destabilise the region”

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

Texas tan line

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Melania puts Slovenia on the map: “When Melanija Knavs drove around Ljubljana in a fluffy skirt on a metallic blue Vespa with her boyfriend in the late 1980s, the Slovenian capital was a sleepy town that offered little excitement to rare visitors. Over the past two decades since she left her native Slovenia, became a model known as Melania Knauss and married American billionaire Donald Trump, Ljubljana has turned from a gray and drab place with almost no nightlife, into a lively and picturesque city filled with restaurants, cafes and nightclubs packed with foreigners. Slovenia has often been confused in the past with another small central European state, Slovakia. But since Donald Trump joined the presidential race in the U.S., his wife and potential first lady have come into public limelight, along with the country where she was born and raised”

Is Forest Bathing the New Yoga?: “Fitness trends cycle through their popularity so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. Does Soul Cycle still reign supreme? Is hot yoga in or out? Could the Olympics inspire a competitive badminton fad? But one recent craze captured my fancy: forest bathing. Despite its name, forest bathing has nothing to do with water. Rather, it’s an immersion in nature, often coupled with guided meditation. Originally known as shinrin-yoku, which translates to “taking in the forest atmosphere,” forest bathing began in Japan in the 1980s, and has been been linked to health benefits ranging from reduced blood pressure and stress levels to boosted immunity. The practice has been gaining popularity in the States, with luxury hotels like Blackberry Farm and the Mayflower Grace in Connecticut featuring it as a wellness experience”

‘Flying motorbike’ can hit 112mph on land AND in the air: “Maxim magazine recently selected PAL-V as the most likely company to deliver a ‘real’ flying car. ‘Clearly it is impressive that a magazine with a readership of close to 9 million people would recognize the work we have done to create a flying car that actually conforms to existing regulations and is safe to fly,’ said Robert Dingemanse, the firm’s CEO. He promises ‘significant updates’ in the next several months as the firm begins manufacturing of the PAL-V Limited Edition model. The firm says its design is ‘The ultimate vehicle to go wherever and whenever you want to, easily overcoming all sorts of barriers. ‘Now you can leave home and fly-drive to almost any destination! Avoid traffic jams and cross lakes, fjords, rivers or mountain ranges like an eagle. ‘Land on the other side and drive in your own vehicle to your final destination.'”

Suffering from wrist pain? A spoonful of sugar could help the healing process: “A sugar jab could be a new way to ease the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects over 1.5 million people in the UK. Researchers from Taiwan believe when the sugary mixture is injected into the hand, it will reduce inflammation and stimulate the tissue to heal. In a new study, doctors will treat 60 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome with a solution containing water and 5 per cent dextrose, a form of sugar derived from corn. Previous research has suggested dextrose injections can help reduce inflammation in patients with osteoarthritis, and animal studies have shown that the treatment can improve some tissue damage caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. The condition is very common and occurs when a nerve that runs into the hand becomes trapped or compressed at the wrist, as it passes through the carpal tunnel — a narrow passage in the wrist”

Will the Voynich manuscript finally be cracked? Publisher to create clones of ‘the world’s most mysterious book’: “It is a centuries-old manuscript written in an coded language that no one – not even the best cryptographers – has cracked. Scholars have spent their lives puzzling over the Voynich manuscript, whose intriguing mix of elegant writing and drawings of strange plants and naked women has some believing it holds magical powers. Now after a ten-year quest for access, Siloe, a small publishing house nestled deep in northern Spain, has secured the right to clone the document. Some suggest it was the work of Leonardo da Vinci as a boy, or secret Cathars, or the lost tribe of Israel, or most recently Aztecs. The weathered book is locked away in a vault at Yale University’s Beinecke Library, emerging only occasionally”

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

CRANKY ELDER PERSON

A very cranky old woman was arrested for shoplifting at a grocery store.

She gave everyone a hard time, from the store manager to the security guard to the arresting officer who took her away.

She complained and criticized everything and everyone throughout the process.

When she appeared before the judge, the judge asked her what she had stolen from the store.

The lady defiantly replied, “Just a stupid can of peaches.”

The judge then asked why she had done it.

She replied, “I was hungry and forgot to bring any cash to the store.”
The judge asked how many peaches were in the can.

She replied in a nasty tone, “Nine! But why do you care about that?”

The judge answered patiently, “Well, ma’am, because I’m going to give you nine days in jail — one day for each peach.”

As the judge was about to drop his gavel, the lady’s long-suffering husband raised his hand slowly and asked if he might speak.

The judge said, “Yes sir, what do you have to add?”

The husband said meekly, “Your Honor, she also stole a can of peas.”

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Pine named Adonis found growing in Greece is named Europe’s oldest tree as scientists say it was planted more than 1,000 years ago: “It was first planted over a century before the Battle of Hastings on the highlands of northern Greece. And now a Bosnian Pine tree named Adonis has been named as Europe’s oldest tree after growing for more than 1,075 years. The tree was first planted in 941AD – some 87 years before William the Conqueror was even born – and has now been discovered by scientists at Stockholm University and the University of Mainz. Swedish dendrochronologist Dr Paul Krusic who led the expedition said: ‘It is quite remarkable that this large, complex and impressive organism has survived so long in such an inhospitable environment, in a land that has been civilised for over 3,000 years.’ Adonis is one of more than a dozen others which are of millennial age, found in a treeline forest high in the Pindos mountains.

16-year-old ‘protective’ cat named Baby mauls SEVEN pitbulls and hospitalizes a dog walker in vicious attack: “An overprotective cat has unleashed furry fury on seven unsuspecting pitbulls out for a walk. The 16-year-old pet named Baby attacked the feisty dogs as they strolled past the front of the cat’s home on Monday in British Columbia, Canada. Betty Jean Thompson, who owns the stereotype-breaking scratcher, said she tried to warn the walkers not to bring their dogs too close. But the warning came too late, and moments later Baby was flying through the air with her claws extended, aiming for Javiera Rodriguez’s pitbull, Bandita. Rodriguez said the cat immediately latched onto her dog’s face, clawing at her eyes and mouth. Massive red scratches covered Bandita’s face, with the damage so bad she had to be taken to the vet. One of the other women walking her dogs, Kyla Grover, was hurt while trying to break up the cross-species brawl. She had to go to hospital after being bitten and scratched on her hand by the ferocious feline”

The more we see someone, the more attractive we find them, say researchers: “It is often said that familiarity breeds contempt. In fact, it sems that the more we see someone, the more attractive we find them. Far from falling head over heels, we may find love at second, third or even fourth sight. Researchers at Hamilton College in New York State gathered a range of photographs of faces and had them rated for attractiveness on a nine-point scale by a focus group. During the second viewing, the attractive faces were deemed extra-appealing and scored more highly than the first-time round. And the monitors showed bigger jumps in two types of brainwave that are generated when we are excited.

Rabbit cafe opens its doors in Hong Kong to animal lovers: “The newest addition to Hong Kong’s cafe scene is taking a soft approach to business – and the hosts are all ears. ‘Rabbitland’ offers a new breed of dining experience, with 12 resident bunnies who munch on grass while customers pet them between sips of tea. Tucked away on the third floor of a high-rise in the busy commercial district of Causeway Bay, the cafe says it gives people who have no room to keep a pet in space-starved Hong Kong the chance to bond with the fluffy animals. Most of the rabbits have been abandoned by previous owners, and aren’t on sale. ‘I like how soft they are and like their fur and how gentle they are when you feed them,’ says Natalie Chan, 11, whose mother had brought her to find out more about keeping rabbits as she wants one as a pet”

Mother sues hospital in Victoria for costs of raising son after failed termination: “A 23-year-old woman is suing her doctor and the public health system for hundreds and thousands after a botched termination left her with a son she did not want. Two days after the termination a report by the hospital found a pathology sample taken as part of the termination procedure showed no foetal parts or other remnants of the pregnancy. But she says a month later she returned to her GP feeling tenderness and a prickling sensation in her lower abdomen. The GP referred her for another blood test, but not for an ultrasound. Three days later, she returned, still “feeling a bit sick”. The blood test showed elevated levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin, a hormone produced when you’re pregnant. The woman claims that after this visit she should have been given an ultrasound to “see if the uterus and surrounding tubes were empty of pregnancy”.

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