Wicked Thoughts

A happy seal

Picture taken in English waters

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

World’s most expensive kebab is prepared at London restaurant where bankers pay £925 for one: “On Tuesday Head chef Onder Sahan unveiled the world’s most expensive kebab at his London restaurant, and says he will pay over £1000 to anyone that can make one better. The chef does not agree with the status of the kebab as a midnight snack, and created the meal to dispel its reputation as a food to be eaten only by drunk people. The indulgent meal is made from the finest Japanese Wagyu beef, fresh morel mushrooms and 25-year-old Italian vinegar. The dish was also made to mark the fourth British Kebab Awards earlier this month. Onder claimed first prize as the country’s best kebab chef. Other ingredients used in his dish include milk-fed lamb and goat minced into a traditional kofta. French Chaumes cheese is also used with courgette flowers, Turkish basil, Jerusalem artichokes and La Vallee des Baux olive oil.

Hotel guest who finds £1,300 under his pillow is OUTRAGED because he says staff didn’t clean his room properly: “Most hotel guests would be happy with a little bit of extra goodies in their rooms but this man in Chongqing, China, was furious when he found 10,000 yuan (£1,291) under his pillow. The man was just about to leave his hotel room on March 28 after spending the night there when he made his discovery, the People’s Daily Online reports. The man named Lu Gang told staff at the Shangdu Hotel that he was unhappy with their level of care as it obviously meant that hotel staff had not cleaned his room properly. Police were called to the hotel where the counted the money which totalled 10,000 yuan (£1,291). They then confiscated the cash. In order not to delay his onward trip, Lu did not wait for the police to find its owner. He was praised by hotel staff and the police for returning the cash”

Furious woman viciously slaps and kicks two teenage girls on the bus when they steal her handbag: “A vigilante bus passenger was filmed as she gave a beating to two teenage girls who had stolen her purse. The incident took place in the city of Virrey del Pino, in the eastern Argentine province of Buenos Aires. The woman had apparently realised whilst on the bus that she had been robbed by the two adolescent girls when her friend told her what they had done. Images captured on a fellow passenger’s phone show her grabbing the hair of one of the girls and repeatedly smacking her on the head and face. The companion of the woman can then be heard shouting: ‘Go for the other one Lea, the other one has it.’ The angry woman then goes for the second girl, in the row in front, also delivering her vicious smacks on her face, this time with her knee. The girl, who is trying to protect her face from the blows, then gives in and hands over the woman’s bag”

Dissatisfied beggar in Russia chucks change back at a driver after she wasn’t given enough money: “This surreal footage shows the moment a seemingly unimpressed beggar handed money back to a driver. In the video, taken in Russia, the elderly beggar wearing a long cloak and leaning on a walking stick walks between cars on a gloomy, grey day. After being refused change from one driver, the woman then shuffles along to the next driver and holds out her hand. She is handed some change from a driver and peers down at the money she has been given. Dissatisfied, the disgruntled beggar then hands the money back – not happy with the amount given. The beggar, leaning on her walking crutch, then approaches the next vehicle after handing the money back”

Save our rock?: “Villagers have vowed to chain themselves to a 11,000-year-old rock after council chiefs said they wanted to remove it on health and safety grounds. Highway bosses said the ancient stone, which lies unlit in the middle of Soulbury, Buckinghamshire, near an unmarked junction, poses a danger to motorists. Residents were left outraged by the suggestion, which was made after a driver demanded £18,000 in compensation after hitting the three-foot rock. Seven people are now threatening to tie themselves to the rock in a bid to stop it being taken. Victor Wright, the parish council chairman, said he thought the decision to remove the stone was ‘health and safety gone mad’. The 65-year-old added: ‘If a motorist can’t see that rock then they shouldn’t be driving. A council spokesman said its investigation of the issue was ongoing”

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

Avocado conoisseur

This may be the funniest Gif I have seen

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

A real tantrum: “An ex-Victoria’s Secret model allegedly flew into a jealous rage and beat a man she met on Tinder after she discovered he had been sexting other women. Heather Payne, 42, repeatedly punched 40-year-old businessman Colby Kirmse in his $1million East Village, New York, apartment after she discovered the racy messages and pictures, according to court documents. The model-turned-designer then pushed his TV off the stand, launched the remote out of the window and then threw his laptop across the room. The blonde, who has graced the runway for the likes of Dolce and Gabbana, was so angry she even forwarded some of the messages to his mother. Kirmse told the New York Post his apartment was destroyed, and admitted being attacked by an ex-model was ‘not one of my highlights’. He was left with a black eye after the incident on July 24. ‘She just destroyed everything in her path like a Tasmanian devil,’ he added”

Goat hanging from a telephone line by its horns as team tries to rescue it: “We have all heard how rescuers have to come to the aid of cats stuck up trees and birds with broken wings, but this operation was a little more complicated. A rescue team needed some long ladders to help a goat which had somehow become stuck on some telephone wire and was hanging around 20 feet above the road in Greece. It was hanging from its curly horns, which had become caught on the wire, and although goats like to climb, no-one is quite sure how it ended up hanging there. First the team pull the ladders out of the van and try to climb up to help the goat, but there is nowhere to rest the end of the ladder. Eventually the men decide to use it to push the distressed animal towards the steep hill that the line is attached to, which is probably how it got there initially. As they pull it down from the telephone line, it quickly runs down the hill and trots off over the road below”

Woman finds glasses inside Cadbury Easter egg: “When Charlotte Garner opened her Cadbury Twirl Easter egg on Sunday, she expected to find chocolate. While there was certainly chocolate, she also found a pair of glasses. Seeing the funny side, Garner posted an image on the Cadbury UK Facebook page informing them someone has lost their glasses. “I’m guessing cadburys didn’t see that one coming,” said one commenter. Another joked: “Cadbury have replied and they say they can’t seem to see the problem.” According to Metro.co.uk, the Twirl Easter Egg was actually for Garner’s four-year-old cousin, bought by her aunt, Sarah Sehmi. “It was hilarious. I could not believe it”, Charlotte told Metro.co.uk. “We were completely taken aback. My four-year-old cousin Ollie opened it and he thought it was a gift.”

Mystery model who posed in her bra, knickers and suspenders in a busy city centre in the middle of a hail storm: “It was the perfect weather for hats and gloves. However, one woman turned heads as she boldly posed in her lingerie during in the middle of a hail storm. The mystery model has now revealed herself to be bridal designer, Rebecca Griffiths, 28 and said she put on the raunchy display to help a friend. And she stunned passers by as they walked past in broad daylight and temperatures so cold that the city was pelted with hailstones. She explained: ‘I was doing a favour for a photographer friend of mine by posing for a lingerie shoot. ‘We started at around 1.30pm and finished at 5pm as it started to rain and it was freezing cold – especially as I wasn’t wearing that much.’ She said she wore two outfits and posed at a number of different locations. ‘A lot of people were stopping and staring, and there were small crowds forming,’ she added.”

When you’ve got to go… Woman caught short in Newcastle City centre relieves herself into the river: “This is the embarrassing moment a woman was caught on camera urinating into a city centre river in broad daylight. With her trousers pulled down to her knees and her bare bottom on show, the unnamed woman was caught shamefully squatting over the railings of Newcastle’s quayside on Easter Sunday. Arijus Dukstas, 20, an events manager who stumbled across the sight close to the Millennium Bridge at around 6pm yesterday, said the young woman ‘really needed to go and just went for it’. She was squatting over the railings in full view of passers-by and her friends. ‘Her friends were just shouting and laughing at her, there was like six of them. Her friend was taking a video. ‘She wasn’t really even that drunk really, she seemed pretty sober”

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

Life in Afghanistan

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

British old lady tried to swim to a cruise liner when it left port without her: “A British holidaymaker has been rescued from the Atlantic after apparently trying to swim to her cruise liner when it left port without her. Susan Brown, 65, was pulled from the ice-cold waters in the early hours of Sunday with severe hypothermia after more than four hours swimming a third of a mile out to sea in the hope of making it to her ship, the Marco Polo. She is thought to have jumped into the water from beside Madeira Airport after believing her husband Michael – with whom she had argued – had got back on board when she lost sight of him. Gripping her handbag the entire time, Mrs Brown made it more than 1,600ft before struggling. according to local reports. Her life was eventually saved by passing fishermen who heard her panicked screams for help shortly after midnight. The three men said her small handbag probably saved her life as it had filled with air and acted as a buoyancy aid”

Brainless British workmen: “Blundering council workers have painted spaces for a new car park – but made them too tight to fit cars in. Spaces at the seaside parking area are so narrow that drivers cannot open the doors to get into their cars and vans can’t fit in the spaces at all. An investigation has been launched into the painting of the lines after complaints from motorists using the slots at Langland Bay, near Swansea, South Wales. Engineer Mervyn Dowrick told how he parks near the beauty spot to go surfing with friends – but was shocked when he couldn’t squeeze in his Volkswagen van. Swansea council said it is investigating and that the lines were painted by contractors.

Photo of lonely stray dog hugging teddy sparks controversy: “A heartbreaking photograph of a lonely dog hugging a teddy at the side of the road has sparked controversy in Houston surrounding stray animals in the city. The pup was spotted by Yvette Holzbach, who helps run the Forgotten Dogs of the 5th Ward Project in the Texan city. Ms Holzbach spotted the dog a few months ago and was touched by it embracing the toy. She posted the photo online and was faced with such a huge outpouring of emotion that her charity tried to track him down, but could not find him. Earlier this month she went back to where she spotted the pup and was told that they thought it belonged to an elderly man. The 89-year-old told Ms Holzbach that he had been rescuing stray dogs from the streets for years and the pup she saw cuddling a teddy was indeed one of his but it had run away.”

Runner penalized for improving!: “A teenage girl has been fined after winning $40,000 in a foot race after improving more in a fortnight more than most athletes could in a lifetime. Talia Martin, 15, won the 120-metre sprint on Monday to receive the prestigious Stawell Gift, but was docked $2,000 for showing rapid improvement at the race in the regional Victorian town. The schoolgirl from Ballarat, north-west of Melbourne, had been eliminated in the heats of the Ararat Gift only 12 days earlier, a below-par performance she put down to the recent death of her aunt. An extreme range improvement is anything more than four metres in a short period of time. ‘When she got here, she ran seven metres quicker than in Ararat which is more than most runners improve in a lifetime,’ Victorian Athletic League chief steward Brian Marantelli said”

Is there really a NINTH planet in our solar system?: “Since its discovery at the beginning of this year, the mysterious ‘Planet Nine’ has had scientists looking for the signs that could confirm its existence. Now, astronomer Mike Brown of Caltech, one of the scientists behind the January announcement, claims he’s found further evidence to support it. The giant hidden planet is thought to sit on the edge of our solar system and is 10 times more massive than the Earth, gaseous, and similar to Uranus or Neptune. Last week, Mike Brown tweeted a photo that shows the plot of a newly discovered eccentric Kuiper Belt Object (KBO). In the post, Brown wrote,: Hey Planet Nine fans, a new eccentric KBO was discovered. And it is exactly where Planet Nine says it should be. Back in January, its existence was inferred from the gravitational influence it has on several Kuiper Belt objects with highly unusual orbits”

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

Magical bacon

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Affordable invisibility cloaks are coming: “SINCE reading or watching Harry Potter, fans have been waiting for the day they can own their very own invisibility cloak. Well, a physicist at the University of Rochester, New York is getting very close to making that happen. Professor John Howell’s first attempt at the optical illusion, captured on video a year and a half ago, is a setup of four lenses that bend light around viewed objects, making them seem invisible while the viewer still sees a consistent, stable background. Howell’s second go at the project is much bigger: a person, not just an object, can stand behind it and disappear. Reported by Business Insider last week, the latest version of the “Rochester Cloak” uses four mirrors arranged in nested V-shapes instead of lenses. The best part? The mirrored contraption costs less than $200 to make, and all the materials needed can be found at a local hardware store”

In the isolated ghost town of Sostila in Italy just one man remains: “SOSTILA is a tiny mountain hamlet at the feet of Italy’s Alps, isolated and cut-off from civilisation. It’s a bunch of greyish stone dwellings with wooden doors and balconies clustered around an intact church bell tower and quaint school where pupils’ left-behind books are still spread on tables. Streets are winding, crooked rock paths covered in grass. It’s a magical place frozen in time for decades. After years of oblivion it is now inhabited by just one lone man who lives there all by himself in his granny’s old cottage. As opposed to the villagers who ran away, he made the opposite choice by returning to his hometown. The panoramic views, fresh morning Alpine air, pristine green valleys and glistening snow-capped peaks are like a drug to him. After a failed marriage and a career as a doctor, Fausto decided to retire and come live among the ancient walls of his family’s dwelling”

Mother is found 42 years after she vanished: “A 42-YEAR old mystery has been solved in the US after police tracked down a long-missing Indiana mum in Texas, where she had been living under an alias. Ms Lula Gillespie-Miller, now 69, admitted to police that in 1974 she left her family and disappeared. Ms Gillespie-Miller had just given birth to her third child at the age of 28 when she signed her kids over to her parents and left home. Her family never heard from her again other than a letter she sent in 1975, which was post marked from Richmond, Indiana. But thanks to the hard work of one a detective, the missing mum was discovered living in Texas and may speak to her daughter, Tammy Miller, for the first time since she was two. Ms Gillespie-Miller told police this week that she “felt she was too young to be a mother at the time,” NBC News reported.”

Yummy soap: “Never in our right minds would we have thought to intentionally take a bite out of a bar of soap, so you’ve got to feel sorry for thousands of Chinese runners. As a reward for completing the Qingyuan marathon, athletes were given a complimentary gift bag at the end of the course. Inside that bag was a bar of soap — great for washing and cleaning, not so great for eating, as plenty of unlucky souls found out. The soap’s packaging — complete with English words and a picture of grapes — led many people to believe the nice-smelling item was actually an energy bar. How kind of the organisers to help fatigued runners boost their energy levels, they must have thought. As reported by the People’s Daily newspaper, bars of soap with bite marks were left everywhere on streets surrounding the finish line. The fact the soap was a deep purple clearly didn’t deter runners from sinking their teeth into the scented treat”

Nasty British traffic bureaucracy: “A taxi driver has won a fight with his local council after being wrongly accused of parking on double yellow lines, but accused the council of wasting taxpayers’ money on the case. Sajid Rashid, 40, was furious when he saw his car had a ticket on it after he parked near yellow lines. Mr Rashid, from Burton-upon-Trent, appealed the fine from Staffordshire County Council which rejected his pleas. Despite providing the authority with ‘compelling’ evidence he hadn’t parked illegally, he was taken to a Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Mr Rashid then supplied his photographic evidence to the independent adjudicator showing that his tyres were not on the yellow lines. Yesterday the taxi driver said his fine was revoked as soon as the tribunal chairman saw his snaps – bringing an end to the nine-month battle”

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

Meerkats gather around a heatlamp to summon Satan

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Idiot publishers reject famous author: “JK Rowling has published rejection letters where publishing bosses suggest she go on a writing course and pop into a ‘helpful book shop’ for a novelist’s guide. The best-selling author was pitching her first novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, under her Robert Galbraith pseudonym when she got the replies from Constable and Robinson and Creme de la Creme publishers. The Cuckoo’s Calling, a post-war detective novel, went on to be a number one bestseller, and in order to inspire other writers the Harry Potter author has posted the letters on Twitter. Rowling had chosen to write under a different name in order to publish without hype or expectation, after the phenomenal success she enjoyed with her magical Harry Potter series”

An old-fashioned kid who will go far: “Teenage boys are not known for their chivalry. But 14-year-old Cody Mitschelen brought that into question last week. The California-based 8th grader became an internet sensation after he begged all of his neighbors in Oakdale to let him mow their lawn on Sunday. It was all so he could raise enough money to take his girlfriend of six months, 17-year-old Audrey Fierro, to lunch. Astounded, one of his neighbors Ryan Cox took a photo of Cody toiling away in his yard and posted it on Facebook. Cox wrote: ‘We’ve been going door to door getting him business and he busted his ass mowing lawns and sweeping sidewalks and made enough to take her to lunch and get her flowers. ‘I’m so happy this still exists. ‘Hope is still alive for the future generation. Grinning, Audrey told the news station: ‘He’s definitely a keeper.'”

Man loses leg after shooting lawn mower full of explosives: “A Georgia man trying to videotape shooting a lawn mower packed with explosives lost his leg. One of Pressley’s friends told investigators they put three pounds of Tannerite into an old lawn mower “to blow it up”. That friend also told the responding deputy the entire incident was captured on video. He shoots a semi-automatic rifle at the lawn mower for 30 seconds, getting off more than 20 shots. On the last shot, the lawnmower explodes in a cloud of water vapor. Shrapnel can be seen flying in all direction. The camera shot wavers. “I blew my leg off! Oh, [expletive]!” Two of Pressley’s friends fashioned a tourniquet around his leg, helped him to the front seat of a vehicle, and drove him to a nearby road. That’s where EMS met the group and started working on Pressley. “EMS advised David was missing his left leg below the knee,” the report notes. He was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He is now recovering from the incident”

Child’s card cheers firefighters after her visit to their station: “A young girl from Dublin has sent her local fire station a lovely handwritten note saying she will definitely call them if she’s ‘ever burning to my death’. Firefighters in Nutgrove Fire Station in South Dublin posted the charming card on Twitter. A Dublin Fire Brigade source said: ‘The lads really enjoyed getting the card as it was very funny.’ There are no details available about the young girl, other than her name is Polly. In her note she said: ‘Thank you for coming Nutgrove Fire Station. ‘If I’m ever burning to my death I will call you!’ Posting a photograph of the delightful card on their Twitter feed, Dublin Fire Brigade responded: ‘Out of the mouth of babes. The important thing is the message got across. Cards really brighten up the station.’

Dodgy deodorant: “You may remember the deodorant Old Spice from the hilarious ads about how the scent can change a man’s life. But now furious customers are taking legal action against the deodorant company after suffering from burns, rashes and skin irritation. “I used the Old Spice pure sport and after a couple of days my underarms were raw. It burned so bad that I had to hold ice packs under my arms for a couple of days because of the burn,” a customer from Virginia said. Jeffory from Washington said it took the skin right off his armpits. “I’ve been using Old Spice for a long time, no problems with it, no burns under my arms or anything,” Michael Smith said. “Recently I purchased Old Spice High Endurance Fresh. “I started developing these red marks under my arms three or four days ago.” Another man also posted a video in 2014, complaining about the Old Spice Aqua Reef brand.”

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

Meanwhile in Canada …

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

A fish that can climb WALLS: “A blind fish discovered in the caves of northern Thailand has given researchers a rare glimpse into evolutionary processes that took place nearly 400 million years ago. Called Cryptotora thamicola, the unusual fish can walk and climb up rocks in a waterfall, moving similarly to a salamander. This cavefish shares some features with early tetrapods, when four-footed animals first moved from water to land during the Devonian Period. While Cryptotora thamicola isn’t the only fish known to leave the water, researchers say it’s unique in its skeletal structure, giving it a salamander-like gait. Cryptotora thamicola walks with a gait known as a ‘diagonal-couplets lateral sequence’. This fish moves by symmetrically alternating its pectoral and pelvic girdles. The pink-coloured cavefish was observed to walk on both rough and smooth wet surfaces toward the direction of flowing water, with its body remaining close to the ground.”

The wrong tornado-damaged Texas home was torn down after a potential glitch in Google Maps sent a bumbling demolition team to the wrong address: “When Lindsay Diaz and Alan Cutter’s duplex was hit by the storms, they were left needing some repairs to make it a home again. But the pair are now without a place to live altogether, after a demolition company mistakenly tore their Rowlett property down. The pair, who are neighbors, were waiting on whether FEMA would give them insurance money to fix the damage. However the crews came in and removed their home at 7601 and 7603 Calypso Drive. They were supposed to take down 7601 Cousteau Drive – which is one block away. Billy L. Nabors Demolition, the firm behind the work, did not comment on what happened. But one of the employees reportedly used Google Maps to share the location of the duplex. When both of the addresses are entered into the app, the same house is highlighted, possibly leading to the confusion”

NC Man Arrested for Not Returning Rental VHS Tape 14 Years Ago: “A North Carolina man says he was arrested for not returning a video cassette tape he rented 14 years ago. James Meyers Jr., a single dad from Concord, said he was driving his 10-year-old daughter to school at around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday when police pulled him over for a broken brake light. Meyers gave the police officers his driver’s license and was shocked when they said there was a warrant out for his arrest for not returning a VHS rental, “Freddy Got Fingered,” from 2002, he said. “Because I had my daughter in the car and we were on the way to school they said that I could take my daughter to school and go to work and then find a babysitter, and then come into the police and turn myself in.” He did so, and was processed at the Concord Police Department on a charge of “failure to return hired property” before being transferred to Cabarrus County Jail, where he was released on a written promise. Meyers rented the VHS from J&J Video in Salisbury, North Carolina, according to police. “The store has been closed for about 10 years now, if I’m not mistaken,” he said.

The human torch! Science teacher’s cool experiment sees fireball erupt in student’s hands: “One American teacher is going to extreme lengths to make sure his science classes keep students on their toes – by setting them on fire. A pupil helps his chemistry teacher with a demonstration. But the youngster clearly gets more than he bargained for when his teacher creates a huge fireball in his hands. The teacher uses methane-filled soap bubbles to light the fire in the teenager’s hands, much to the amusement of his classmates who can clearly be heard egging him on. He tells his class: ‘I’ll put the bubbles all along his arm, we’ll set his whole arm on fire,’ which is met by delighted cheers from the youngsters. They then cheer and clap as the teacher launches a countdown before nonchalantly creating a fireball in the student’s hand – but it is of course all done in a safe and controlled environment.

Retired policeman, 58, stumbled across £90,000 worth of cannabis while on holiday: “A retired policeman was left baffled when he stumbled across a suitcase on a Fuerteventura beach containing £90,000-worth of cannabis resin. Richard Cresswell, 58, rushed back to get his friend Blair Jones to help him open a mysterious case he found among washed-up debris and was shocked to find wrapped slabs of cannabis. The pair took the 25.7-kilo haul to the police station but after finding that there was no-one on duty, they took it back to their hotel for the night. The retired policeman said he knew what was in the plastic packages as soon as the smell hit him. ‘It’s actually quite a nice smell – I don’t smoke, but if it was legal I’d use it as pot pourri’ he said. ‘It took us some time to get through all the layers – we were going quite carefully as we had no idea what was inside, it could’ve been explosives. ‘I’d certainly never come across a drugs find that big during my career as a police officer.'”

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

Tough passenger

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Charity shop begs readers to stop handing in used copies of EL James’s bondage thriller after being inundated: “A charity bookshop is begging women to stop handing in secondhand copies of steamy novel Fifty Shades of Grey. Women who bought the erotic thrillers are dumping them in charity shops – because they do not want to keep them in their own home. The best-selling trilogy, which tells of the dark sexual relationship between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, has sold more than 125 million copies worldwide. But an Oxfam store in Swansea, South Wales, has received so many copies of E.L James’s novels it has been forced to say: ‘Please – no more’. The shop has become so inundated with ‘literally hundreds’ of the books they have been forced to hand them over to a warehouse where they will either be sold online or recycled.”

MAGGOTS set to make a comeback in medicine: “Modern medicine may be upgrading centuries-old techniques to repair wounds that just won’t heal. Researchers from North Carolina State University and Massey University in New Zealand have found that genetically engineered maggots can clean non-healing wounds and promote cell growth. This is done using a human growth factor, which the maggots secrete while removing dead tissue. In a treatment known as ‘maggot debridement therapy’ (MDT) the sterile larvae are raised in a lab and applied to a wound. This type of treatment focuses on non-healing wounds, in particular diabetic foot ulcers, and is cost-effective and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Researchers engineered ‘enhanced wound-healing’ green bottle fly larvae to produce human growth factor PDGF-BB”

New era of ‘affordable’ supersonic flights with ‘mini Concorde’: “Sir Richard Branson is set to order 10 supersonic jets, which the manufacturer claims will herald a new era of ‘affordable’ supersonic travel. The airline tycoon has confirmed that Virgin has options to buy 10 of the recently revealed supersonic Boom jets, which will be capable of flying at 1,451mph – about 100mph faster than Concorde – and reaching New York from London in three and a half hours. The Boom jet is being built by former Amazon executive Blake Scholl, who is putting a prototype of Boom together in a Colorado aircraft hangar. When created Boom will have 40 seats – with a ticket costing $5,000 (£3,540). Speaking to Bloomberg, Scholl, 35, said: ‘The idea is for a plane that goes faster than any other passenger plane built before, but for the same price as business class.'”

New Zealanders choose their flag: The old one: “New Zealanders have voted to keep the same flag they’ve had for the past 114 years, rejecting the chance for a new design. Preliminary results from voting in a referendum to decide if the flag would be changed were in favour of keeping the old design, which is similar to the Australian flag and incorporates the Union Jack. The New Zealand Herald reported 2.1 million people voting with the result as 56.6 percent in favour of the same flag and 43.2 percent in favour of a new flag. Last year, a competition was held to design options for a new flag for the country, which New Zealanders voted for. A selection committee chose four flags from a vast number of entries, and voting in an earlier referendum selected a black, white, blue and red fern and stars design by Kyle Lockwood. It was that flag that was outvoted in the latest referendum. The result has brought the end to the first-ever public vote by a country on its national flag.”

A celebration of an event that took place 2,500 years ago: “Orthodox Jewish children and their parents have swapped their traditional clothing to put on a colourful display to celebrate the festival of Purim in Stamford Hill, east London. The holiday is marked with carnival-like parades where people dress up in masks and fancy dress outfits and eat traditional food, such as Hamantash pastries. A holy day in the Jewish calendar, it commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia during the 5th century BC when royal adviser Haman plotted ‘to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day’. Huge celebrations are held around the world from the streets of east London to the beaches of Tel Aviv. It is the one day alcohol is not only allowed but positively encouraged.”

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

A REAL plumbing problem

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Woman shocked to see DUCT TAPE holding together the Air New Zealand plane she is travelling on: “A young mother with a fear of flying was left shocked after she noticed part of the airplane she was travelling on was held together by sticky tape. Jessica Baker was flying with Air New Zealand from Nelson to Christchurch and was already nervous before lift off because her baby son was travelling with her. The mother posted photos of the tape, which was holding together part of the engine panel on the wing of the aircraft, on social media on Sunday with the caption ‘Kiwi ingenuity at its finest’. ‘I’m not a good flyer so it made me incredibly nervous seeing that,’ Ms Barker said. Air New Zealand spokeswoman Emma Field has said the tape is specialist aviation speed tape and an approved material used for airplane maintenance. The tape is generally made from aluminium and is used for temporary coverage of non-structural elements of the craft”

Argentinian model Vicky Xipolitakis reveals she’s ‘only loved ugly men’ – just moments after her politician fiance announces their engagement: “Controversial South American glamour model Vicky Xipolitakis has given hope to men who aren’t classically handsome everywhere – by saying she prefers dating ugly men. The 30-year-old model from Argentina is once again dominating tabloid headlines in her native country after admitting that she’s only ever loved men who aren’t good looking. Spare a thought for her fiance though; Xipolitakis made the announcement just moments after her boyfriend, politician Jose Ottavis, told a television host that they were to wed. Ottavis is vice president of the Chamber of Deputies for Buenos Aires and has been frequently teased about his height – he’s much smaller than his 5ft 7.5in fiance – since the couple announced that they were dating several years ago.”

Dazzling 15.99 carat Burmese ruby and diamond ring expected to fetch $15 MILLION at auction next month: “A one-of-a-kind Burmese ruby and diamond ring is set to fetch up to $15 million when in goes up for auction in New York next month. The gem, called the Jubilee Ruby, is one of more than 250 beautiful jewels which are all set to be sold at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction on April 20. In addition to the centerpiece of the auction, the ruby, other items up for offer include rare diamonds and other jewels from the likes of Cartier, Graff, David Webb, Harry Winston, Buccellati and more. The 15.99 carat Jubilee Ruby in the most important Burmese ruby to be auctioned in the United States for over two decades, with the last being a 16.20 carat Burmese gem sold by Christie’s in October 1990. The stone is set in a gold and diamond Verdura mounting and is described as ‘a rarity in its exceptional size, color and quality'”

An artist paints optical illusions in the palm of his hand: “The holes, swimming pools, butterflies and other seemingly three-dimensional objects Jordan Molina paints in his hand look amazingly real. Even when he demonstrates how it’s done by showing the design process, the viewer’s eye is tricked into believing Molina really is holding a terrifying spider, or that his palm has a flesh wound in it that can be closed with a zipper. Molina, a French artist also known as TutoDraw, specialises in hyperrealism and believes that everyone can learn how to draw properly – it just takes passion. Revealing some top tips for those who wish to attempt to emulate his style, he said: ‘My trick is observing and understanding the construction of a drawing. ‘I myself improved by practicing on paper, but the internet and digital drawing helped me massively, especially drawing on a graphics tablet.'”

The avocado STONE is good for you: “But after slicing into an avocado, most people toss away the solid seed in its middle – assuming it is has no nutritional value. Yet, a new viral video claims an avocado seed is actually the most nutrient-dense part of the fruit. New York City nutritionist Amy Shapiro, of Real Nutrition NYC, told Daily Mail Online that avocado seeds are, indeed, packed full of antioxidants and fiber. She explained that the seeds can be blended down into a powder, and added to a smoothie or yogurt for an extra nutritional kick. The seed is removed as normal, but then dehydrated in the oven, cut into small pieces and blended into a fine powder.”

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

Not the way it’s supposed to be

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Unicorns were real: “With a huge horn rising several feet from the top of their skulls, it is easy to see how their fossilised remains could have been mistaken for the skeletons of the now mythical unicorns. But it seems a giant species of rhinoceros, thought to have died out in Siberia 350,000 years ago may have actually clung on long enough to really enter into human legend. Scientists claim to have discovered evidence the giant Elasmotherium sibiricum, or Siberian Unicorn as it is known locally, may have survived in part of Kazakhstan until 26,000 years ago. This last refuge in south western Siberia could have allowed the strange creatures, which would have grown to the size of mammoths weighing up to five tons, to have encountered humans. Early humans began spreading across Asia more than 50,000 years ago and probably moved into Siberia at least 35,000 years ago.”

They’re not ‘dumb blondes’ after all: “Blondes may be ‘bombshells’ who have more fun, but they’re also tarnished with a reputation for being dumb. Now, a study has found this stereotype is not only inaccurate, the opposite could actually be true. Researchers found women who said their natural hair colour was blonde had an average IQ score within 3 points of brunettes and those with red or black hair. Data for the study came from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) – a national survey of people who were between 14 and 21 years old when they were first interviewed in 1979. To eliminate any bias in the IQ tests caused by ethnic and racial differences, Jay Zagorsky from Ohio State University dropped all African Americans and Hispanics from the analysis, reducing the sample size to 10,878 white, females. The findings showed that blonde-haired white women had an average IQ of 103.2, compared to 102.7 for those with brown hair, 101.2 for those with red hair and 100.5 for those with black hair.”

Woman learns she’s pregnant on day of husband’s wake: “COURTNEY Hill held her husband’s lifeless hand at his wake and whispered the most heartbreaking news: she was pregnant. Brian was tragically killed in a truck accident on February 2. He and Courtney, from Chicago, had been trying for another child so their toddler daughter, Reagan, would have a sibling. Courtney took a pregnancy test on the morning of his wake and discovered the bittersweet ‘positive’ result. Little did she know she wasn’t expecting just one baby, but three. Two weeks ago she was rushed to hospital after suffering what her family thought was a miscarriage scare. Courtney was in shock after doctors told her “honey, you’re pregnant with triplets”. Heart-achingly, Courtney says she’s “excited to have three more smiles that remind me of [my husband]”. Her sister Amanda has set up GoFundMe account to help the family with this “spectacular and slightly scary news”.

Bone-crunching moment two buffalo die as they smash heads in front of cheering crowds in China: “Tackling something head on can often be an effective technique… but perhaps not if you’re these two buffalo. The horned animals were filmed charging at each other for sport in China only to collide skulls and fall instantly to the floor. Huge crowds have assembled to watch the fight and line the sides of a rectangular pitch. They cheer as the buffalo run towards each other but the battle is short-lived. The animas’ heads crash into each other with such terrific force that they both fall backwards. One topples sideways to the ground, legs swinging into the air, while the other lies on its front, a pool of blood forming by its head. Whether the beasts ever recovered is not known but it certainly seems unlikely and it is presumed they died on impact.”

Water buffalo that is so HORNY it can barely lift its head: “They are impressive beasts even when they are of normal size. But this wild water buffalo is even more eye-catching than most. He is the proud owner of a set of an extremely large pair of horns. The extraordinary mammal was captured at Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, by amateur wildlife photographer Sanjeev Chadha. The 49-year-old was hoping to snap a pair of colourful great hornbill birds but then the buffalo lumbered into shot. There are over 97.9 million of the beasts in India, representing over half of the entire world population. According to National Geographic, the buffaloes can have horns that span up to five feet. The beasts spend most of their time submerged in Asian marsh waters in subtropical forests”

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

New ways of STEALING…

ESPECIALLY LOOK AT SCENE THREE…

SCENE 1.

A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, ‘Funny, I thought I locked the locker…

Hmm, ‘He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay – all cards were in place…

A few weeks later his credit card bill came – a whooping bill of $14,000!

He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions.

Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system And asked if his card had been stolen…

‘No,’ he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep – you guessed it – a switch had been made.

An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet.

The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.

Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.

How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy?

$9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped?

Small amounts rarely trigger a ‘warning bell’ with some credit card companies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to a big one!

SCENE 2.

A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it and the waitress folded the receipt And passed the credit card along.

Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person.

He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man.

All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card.

No exchange of words — nothing!

SCENE 3:

Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly to my checking account.

The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure.

While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.

I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture.

He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I’m paying close attention to what he is doing..

He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open.

About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved.

Now I’m standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card.

Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.

Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor.

Never let your card out of your sight…

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THE NEWS

Odd news from around the world

Man’s Fitbit chart reveals his heart rate DECREASED after his ex moved out (and he concludes he’s better off without her) “While most break-ups lead to angst and heartache, one man has managed to scientifically prove that he is better off without his ex. Reddit user johnnybags has shared the results of an activity monitor that appear to show his heart rate dramatically decreasing throughout the month in which his girlfriend moved out of their house. He took to the internet in the early hours of Monday morning to share a screen grab from his Fitbit, a wearable device that tracks and records your sleep patterns, movement and heart rate. According to the device, his heart rate dropped from 75 beats per minute to just 61 over a period of 30 days – suggesting the break-up has made him calmer and more relaxed. WellAdjustedOutlaw said: ‘Well, at least you have the data to prove you’re better off without her!'”

‘What have I done to make you treat me so disrespectfully?’: “A woman who was propositioned by a stranger she met online has fired back with a hilarious message inspired by The Godfather. The anonymous woman responded to being asked for sex on OkCupid by a man she had never met, who is believed to be from Vienna, Virginia, by hitting back with a Don Corleone quote from the 1972 classic, blasting: ‘You don’t ask with respect. You don’t even think to call me Godfather.’ However, her would-be suitor was apparently not a Francis Ford Coppola fan, as the Godfather references were completely lost on him. Ignoring the Godfather references, he admitted: ‘You are scaring me a lot.’ The woman’s comeback was borrowed from a famous scene starring Mafioso Don Corleone and Amerigo Bonasera, in which the latter asks Dorleone – the ‘Godfather’ – to kill two young men who have brutally attacked his daughter. Corleone reprimands Bonasera for asking such a big favour without showing proper respect”

Café owner threatens to post CCTV footage on Facebook of a couple who left without paying: “Paul Stenson, proprietor of The White Moose Café in Dublin, took to Facebook at the weekend to shame two people who had allegedly walked out without paying for their breakfast at the hotel venue. After threatening to upload CCTV footage of them, the unnamed couple phoned the restaurant to settle the bill, claiming that they had thought it had been included in the price of their overnight stay at the adjoining Charleville Lodge. But Paul insisted they were fully aware it was an additional cost and launched a further attack on the unnamed customers on the venue’s Facebook page. And it has resulted in a surge of support for the venue, with people saying they want to visit just because of the Facebook posts – and some don’t even live in the same country.”

Bananaman to the rescue! Reveller in fancy dress chases naked man through city centre on night out: “When you see Bananaman chasing a naked man down a busy street you have to question whether you’re dreaming. But this was a sight many in Birmingham witnessed when a streaker larked about a main street in nothing but his birthday suit before a reveller dressed as Bananaman got involved. Hilarious video footage shows the naked man sitting in the city’s main Golden Mile before getting up and dashing madly down the road with seemingly no care for his safety as police sirens sound in the background. Suddenly a man in fancy dress as comic book hero Bananaman darts out from the corner of the screen and runs towards the streaker. Eventually police officers caught up with the 47-year-old man and forced him to spend the night in the cells.”

Mystery of the ‘pink lake’ solved: “On the largest island in Western Australia’s Recherche Archipelago sits a picture of the surreal. A bright pink lake called Lake Hillier has entranced both tourists and scientists for years, with the latter speculating that its bubble-gum hue is likely the result of salt-loving algae. In a new investigation, researchers confirmed the presence of these and many other ‘extremophile’ microbes that contribute to the lake’s unusual colour. Among the many microbes collected in the Lake Hillier samples, the researchers found Dunaliella salina, the algae long thought to be the culprit behind the pink waters. D. salina produces pigment compounds called carotenoids, helping it to absorb sunlight. These compounds also give the algae a reddish-pink colouring”

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