Sunday, August 06, 2006
Play finger twister on your monitor
Click the hand in the bottom left of the screen and place which ever finger lights up on the relevant colour on your screen.
Transsexual chicken wreaks havoc in the henhouse
A hen in southern Sweden that has grown a rooster comb, tail and wattle and begun to crow is wreaking havoc in its henhouse, where the rooster, Henry VIII, is hopping mad, Swedish media reported.
"Henry VIII is bloody angry. The other hens are mostly just surprised but they seem to increasingly accept him or her," said the owner of the henhouse, Christel Hammar-Malmgren.
Hammar-Malmgren woke up one morning in July to the sound of two roosters crowing, instead of just one. To her surprise, she discovered that one of the black hens, Anne Boleyn — all of the hens are named after Henry VIII's wives — had undergone a transformation.
"She had lost most of her hen feathers and had begun growing a comb and tail," she said.
She insisted however that despite the change, and unlike the hen's namesake, there were no plans to end Anne Boleyn's days prematurely.
"Henry VIII is bloody angry. The other hens are mostly just surprised but they seem to increasingly accept him or her," said the owner of the henhouse, Christel Hammar-Malmgren.
Hammar-Malmgren woke up one morning in July to the sound of two roosters crowing, instead of just one. To her surprise, she discovered that one of the black hens, Anne Boleyn — all of the hens are named after Henry VIII's wives — had undergone a transformation.
"She had lost most of her hen feathers and had begun growing a comb and tail," she said.
She insisted however that despite the change, and unlike the hen's namesake, there were no plans to end Anne Boleyn's days prematurely.
Jail for the cross-dressing roller robber
A gunman who dressed as a woman to rob a Melbourne bank and made his getaway on roller-blades has been sentenced to six years jail.
Armed with an imitation gun, Nino Leo Lanu, 32, robbed the National Australia Bank in Mountain Highway, Bayswater, wearing a skirt, wig, makeup and fake breasts.
The County Court of Victoria heard Lanu lived opposite and was a customer of the bank where he stole more than $24,000 on February 20, 2006.
Lanu had raided his mother's wardrobe, used her cosmetics, and bought women's clothing from charity shops to conceal his identity.
He fashioned fake nails and "fake boobs" and donned the roller-blades for a speedy getaway.
He was arrested several days later at the home he shared with his mother, who was also a customer of the bank.
Armed with an imitation gun, Nino Leo Lanu, 32, robbed the National Australia Bank in Mountain Highway, Bayswater, wearing a skirt, wig, makeup and fake breasts.
The County Court of Victoria heard Lanu lived opposite and was a customer of the bank where he stole more than $24,000 on February 20, 2006.
Lanu had raided his mother's wardrobe, used her cosmetics, and bought women's clothing from charity shops to conceal his identity.
He fashioned fake nails and "fake boobs" and donned the roller-blades for a speedy getaway.
He was arrested several days later at the home he shared with his mother, who was also a customer of the bank.
The Great Tranny Robbery
A cross-dressing armed robber fleeing from a raid was hit by a car — after tripping in his high heels.
The transvestite wore a frilly dress for the hold-up yesterday at a town hall cash office.
Three workers handed over cash when he pointed a gun at them. But as he ran outside he tripped, hit a passing car and dropped his gun.
Despite leg injuries he tried to flee again but was wrestled to the ground by a passer-by. Two cops made an arrest.
An eyewitness to the 5pm raid in Kensington, West London, said: “It was absolutely hilarious. The robber was lying in the road in a woman’s dress. He looked a right muppet.
“We were laughing so hard we started to cry.”
The transvestite wore a frilly dress for the hold-up yesterday at a town hall cash office.
Three workers handed over cash when he pointed a gun at them. But as he ran outside he tripped, hit a passing car and dropped his gun.
Despite leg injuries he tried to flee again but was wrestled to the ground by a passer-by. Two cops made an arrest.
An eyewitness to the 5pm raid in Kensington, West London, said: “It was absolutely hilarious. The robber was lying in the road in a woman’s dress. He looked a right muppet.
“We were laughing so hard we started to cry.”
Female judges to hear rape cases as India admits failures of legal system
Under a proposed new law in India, rape cases will only be allowed to be heard by a female judge. The radical measure is the latest in a recent series of initiatives to improve the country's poor record in prosecuting rapes.
Every 29 minutes in India a woman is raped. In Delhi, it is far the most common form of violent crime. Muggings and street crime are far rarer than in Western cities, and the streets are safe for a man to walk even late at night. For a woman it is a different story.
At the end of last year, there were 58,310 rape cases still waiting to go to trial. Even when they get there, rape cases have been among the most glaring failures of the Indian legal system.
The proposed law, which has to be put before parliament, will also allow the victim to have her lawyer with her during cross-examination. Until now, cross-examination in rape cases was held in camera to protect the victim's privacy - but she was not allowed to have her lawyer present.
Every 29 minutes in India a woman is raped. In Delhi, it is far the most common form of violent crime. Muggings and street crime are far rarer than in Western cities, and the streets are safe for a man to walk even late at night. For a woman it is a different story.
At the end of last year, there were 58,310 rape cases still waiting to go to trial. Even when they get there, rape cases have been among the most glaring failures of the Indian legal system.
The proposed law, which has to be put before parliament, will also allow the victim to have her lawyer with her during cross-examination. Until now, cross-examination in rape cases was held in camera to protect the victim's privacy - but she was not allowed to have her lawyer present.
'Sick' hen lays one of world's largest eggs
A sickly hen has stunned its owners by laying one of the world's largest eggs.
Pet chicken Gerties huge egg weighed seven ounces and measured ten inches around its long axis, just two short of the world record.
The freak egg had a second, smaller egg complete with shell inside it and so had two yolks, two whites and two shells.
Owner Kasha Pascoe, aged 12, could not believe her eyes when she went to Gerties coop and found the egg lying on the straw.
The egg made a delicious late lunch for Kasha and her brother Alexander, aged 11 at their home at Bovey Tracey, South Devon.
Kasha said: "It was a shame to eat it but it tasted very nice, just like a normal egg but better and there was one egg for each of us inside the same shell."
Pet chicken Gerties huge egg weighed seven ounces and measured ten inches around its long axis, just two short of the world record.
The freak egg had a second, smaller egg complete with shell inside it and so had two yolks, two whites and two shells.
Owner Kasha Pascoe, aged 12, could not believe her eyes when she went to Gerties coop and found the egg lying on the straw.
The egg made a delicious late lunch for Kasha and her brother Alexander, aged 11 at their home at Bovey Tracey, South Devon.
Kasha said: "It was a shame to eat it but it tasted very nice, just like a normal egg but better and there was one egg for each of us inside the same shell."
German woman finds frozen dog in her fridge
A German woman found a frozen dead dog when she opened the refrigerator freezer compartment in her new apartment in the southwestern town of Trossingen.
The previous tenant later told police in the town near Stuttgart that his greyhound pup had died of natural causes several months earlier but he did not have time to give it a proper burial before moving out of the apartment.
Police said the man faces prosecution for violating the "Tierkoerperbeseitigungsgesetz" (animal cadaver removal law).
The previous tenant later told police in the town near Stuttgart that his greyhound pup had died of natural causes several months earlier but he did not have time to give it a proper burial before moving out of the apartment.
Police said the man faces prosecution for violating the "Tierkoerperbeseitigungsgesetz" (animal cadaver removal law).
Driver blames cola, not rum, for deadly accident
A man who argued he blacked out from the sugar in his cola — and not the alcohol in his rum — when he killed a 15-year-old boy while driving has been convicted of hit and run.
Robert Parsons remained silent when Justice David Orr found him guilty of failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
At trial, the court heard Parsons drank 1.5 litres of cola mixed with three freely poured drinks of rum before he got behind the wheel.
Parsons argued he had no recollection of the incident and was in a state of automatism brought on by a diabetic blackout.
Robert Parsons remained silent when Justice David Orr found him guilty of failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
At trial, the court heard Parsons drank 1.5 litres of cola mixed with three freely poured drinks of rum before he got behind the wheel.
Parsons argued he had no recollection of the incident and was in a state of automatism brought on by a diabetic blackout.
Virus program incurs church wrath
Vicars in the UK are up in arms after parts of a program they use to organise church services were branded spyware.
Many users of the Visual Liturgy software rendered the program useless after deleting a file wrongly identified as spyware.
The creators of Visual Liturgy criticised anti-virus firm Symantec for the time it took to fix the bug.
The row between Symantec and Church House Publishing, the creator of Visual Liturgy, blew up on 8 July following an update to the Norton anti-virus software.
The update identified a file called vlutils.dll as being part of a keylogging program called SniperSpy. In fact the file was an integral part of Visual Liturgy. Many people who reacted to the warning by deleting the files crippled the program.
Many users of the Visual Liturgy software rendered the program useless after deleting a file wrongly identified as spyware.
The creators of Visual Liturgy criticised anti-virus firm Symantec for the time it took to fix the bug.
The row between Symantec and Church House Publishing, the creator of Visual Liturgy, blew up on 8 July following an update to the Norton anti-virus software.
The update identified a file called vlutils.dll as being part of a keylogging program called SniperSpy. In fact the file was an integral part of Visual Liturgy. Many people who reacted to the warning by deleting the files crippled the program.
Woman bakes cookies on dashboard
Blistering heat was just what Sandi Fontaine needed to bake cookies for her co-workers — on the dash of her Toyota RAV4.
With temperatures soaring, Fontaine placed two trays of cookie dough on the dashboard, shut the doors and retreated inside to her air-conditioned office.
"My husband wanted me to run some errands this morning," said Fontaine, who works at Baldwin and Clarke Corporate Finance. "I said, 'I can't. I'm baking cookies.'"
Fontaine first tested her dashboard oven three years ago. She said anyone can do it; the only requirement is for the outside temperature to be at least 95 degrees, so it will rise to about 200 degrees in the car. Temperatures in the area reached the mid- to upper 90s.
Thanks Deraser.
With temperatures soaring, Fontaine placed two trays of cookie dough on the dashboard, shut the doors and retreated inside to her air-conditioned office.
"My husband wanted me to run some errands this morning," said Fontaine, who works at Baldwin and Clarke Corporate Finance. "I said, 'I can't. I'm baking cookies.'"
Fontaine first tested her dashboard oven three years ago. She said anyone can do it; the only requirement is for the outside temperature to be at least 95 degrees, so it will rise to about 200 degrees in the car. Temperatures in the area reached the mid- to upper 90s.
Thanks Deraser.
Station bosses ban fireman pole amid health and safety fears
Barmy fire chiefs came under a blaze of criticism today after they banned the traditional fireman's pole - because it posed a 'health and safety hazard'.
Firefighters risk their lives every day but bosses overseeing the construction of a new £2.4 million station ruled the poles are too dangerous.
It is feared someone may slip off and hurt themselves, get repetitive back strain, turn an ankle or, heaven forbid, suffer severe chaffing to the hands and or thighs.
Staff will now have to run down the stairs of the new Greenbank Fire Station in Plymouth, Devon, raising concerns that vital seconds will be lost on their way to a 999 emergency call.
Firefighters risk their lives every day but bosses overseeing the construction of a new £2.4 million station ruled the poles are too dangerous.
It is feared someone may slip off and hurt themselves, get repetitive back strain, turn an ankle or, heaven forbid, suffer severe chaffing to the hands and or thighs.
Staff will now have to run down the stairs of the new Greenbank Fire Station in Plymouth, Devon, raising concerns that vital seconds will be lost on their way to a 999 emergency call.
"Anti-stupid" pill tested on mice
A German scientist has been testing an "anti-stupidity" pill with encouraging results on mice and fruit flies, Bild newspaper reported.
It said Hans-Hilger Ropers, director at Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, has tested a pill thwarting hyperactivity in certain brain nerve cells, helping stabilise short-term memory and improve attentiveness.
"With mice and fruit flies we were able to eliminate the loss of short-term memory," Ropers, 62, is quoted saying in the German newspaper, which has dubbed it the "world's first anti-stupidity pill."
It said Hans-Hilger Ropers, director at Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, has tested a pill thwarting hyperactivity in certain brain nerve cells, helping stabilise short-term memory and improve attentiveness.
"With mice and fruit flies we were able to eliminate the loss of short-term memory," Ropers, 62, is quoted saying in the German newspaper, which has dubbed it the "world's first anti-stupidity pill."
17, 277 reasons to be sick
Sickly Brits will suffer 17,277 ailments during their lifetime, a survey revealed.
Each of us endures an average 221.5 bouts of illness, however brief, every year.
Over a 78-year lifespan, we can expect 1,326 headaches, 390 stomach upsets, 234 colds, 312 blisters and 1,014 incidents of cramp.
Back pain is the nation’s biggest torment, striking each of us about 80 times a year. That’s an agonising 6,240 bouts in a lifetime.
Bumps and bruises come next. We each suffer 60 a year in accidents — or 4,680 in a lifetime. Headaches, at 17 a year (1,326) come third.
TOP TEN UK AILMENTS: 1 Back pain (80 a year, 6,240 a lifetime); 2 Bumps and bruises (60; 4,680); 3 Headaches (17; 1,326); 4 Heartburn (15; 1,170); 5 Cramp (13; 1,014); 6 Pulled muscles (9; 702); 7= Stomach upsets (5; 390); 7= Cuts (5; 390); 9= Blisters (4; 312); 9= Cricked neck (4; 312).
Each of us endures an average 221.5 bouts of illness, however brief, every year.
Over a 78-year lifespan, we can expect 1,326 headaches, 390 stomach upsets, 234 colds, 312 blisters and 1,014 incidents of cramp.
Back pain is the nation’s biggest torment, striking each of us about 80 times a year. That’s an agonising 6,240 bouts in a lifetime.
Bumps and bruises come next. We each suffer 60 a year in accidents — or 4,680 in a lifetime. Headaches, at 17 a year (1,326) come third.
TOP TEN UK AILMENTS: 1 Back pain (80 a year, 6,240 a lifetime); 2 Bumps and bruises (60; 4,680); 3 Headaches (17; 1,326); 4 Heartburn (15; 1,170); 5 Cramp (13; 1,014); 6 Pulled muscles (9; 702); 7= Stomach upsets (5; 390); 7= Cuts (5; 390); 9= Blisters (4; 312); 9= Cricked neck (4; 312).
Vet nurse rides to Outback record
A British veterinary nurse has galloped into record books by becoming the first woman trek across the Australian Outback on horseback.
Anna Hingley, 24, from Stourbridge, West Midlands, finished the 2,000-mile trip in Cairns, Queensland.
She and her partner John Ostwald began their trek in Broome, Western Australia, five months ago.
A civic reception has been arranged for the pair in Cairns. Their trek raised £4,000 for an Outback charity.
Anna Hingley, 24, from Stourbridge, West Midlands, finished the 2,000-mile trip in Cairns, Queensland.
She and her partner John Ostwald began their trek in Broome, Western Australia, five months ago.
A civic reception has been arranged for the pair in Cairns. Their trek raised £4,000 for an Outback charity.
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