Sunday, December 28, 2008
Record number of Britons change names by deed poll
A record 46,000 people changed their names by deed poll this year, including one man now called Happy Adjustable Spanners after losing a drunken bet. Other eccentric names adopted by Britons this year include Luscious Lemons, General Ninja Ant and Aron Mufasa Columbo Fonzerelli Ball In A Cup Boogie Woogie Brown.
The number of people who changed their legal names in 2008 was up 15 per cent on the previous year, due to the increasing number of divorces and a rise in the number of older people applying online.
Mike Barratt, chief executive of the UK Deed Poll Service, said they expect a surge of applications next month as family rows over Christmas cause couples to separate. "January is hectic because thousands of people have a 'new name for the new year' attitude and also because there are many marital breakdowns over the Christmas period resulting in separated women wanting to revert to their maiden name."
Although most people adopt a new name for marital or relationship reasons, hundreds made the change to bring a bit of cheer to their lives.
There is now also a Mr Tintin Captain Haddock Confused Brewer, a N'Tom TheHayemaker Haywardyouliketocomebacktomine and a McLovin, the latter named after the lead character in the teenage film Superbad.
Mr Brewer, a 25-year-old stockbroker from Leeds who used to go by the name Chris, chose Tintin due to his receding hairline. Captain Haddock is another Tintin reference.
The number of people who changed their legal names in 2008 was up 15 per cent on the previous year, due to the increasing number of divorces and a rise in the number of older people applying online.
Mike Barratt, chief executive of the UK Deed Poll Service, said they expect a surge of applications next month as family rows over Christmas cause couples to separate. "January is hectic because thousands of people have a 'new name for the new year' attitude and also because there are many marital breakdowns over the Christmas period resulting in separated women wanting to revert to their maiden name."
Although most people adopt a new name for marital or relationship reasons, hundreds made the change to bring a bit of cheer to their lives.
There is now also a Mr Tintin Captain Haddock Confused Brewer, a N'Tom TheHayemaker Haywardyouliketocomebacktomine and a McLovin, the latter named after the lead character in the teenage film Superbad.
Mr Brewer, a 25-year-old stockbroker from Leeds who used to go by the name Chris, chose Tintin due to his receding hairline. Captain Haddock is another Tintin reference.
Upset with service, man reported bank robbery
One Bolingbrook man was quite upset with the service he received at a Bank of America branch, 111 Lily Cache Lane. But instead of calling customer service, he decided to call 9-1-1.
John A. Pighee Jr., 58, had attempted to withdraw money from account, which the bank had a hold on due to an out-of-state lien, police reported. When the bank refused Pighee access to the funds, "he stated he was going to shut the bank down," Lieutenant Ken Teppel, spokesperson for the Bolingbrook Police Department said.
"Apparently Mr Pighee's intention was to disrupt the bank's service in protest, so while inside the bank he called 9-1-1 to report a bank robbery in process," said Teppel. But when operators asked Pighee to give a description of the robber, he gave them a description of himself.
Responding officers looked through the bank's windows and contacted employees inside. Imagine the employees' surprise as they had to explain to police that no robbery was actually in progress. After 15 to 20 minutes, the police entered the bank, saw Pighee—who, of course, matched his own description—and promptly took him into custody.
Police arrested Pighee on a local misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, which was later upgraded to a felony charge of disorderly conduct by the Will County State's Attorney.
"Because he did not imply he had a weapon or gun, did not have a weapon, and did not ask for money, there is no charge for bank robbery," Teppel said.
John A. Pighee Jr., 58, had attempted to withdraw money from account, which the bank had a hold on due to an out-of-state lien, police reported. When the bank refused Pighee access to the funds, "he stated he was going to shut the bank down," Lieutenant Ken Teppel, spokesperson for the Bolingbrook Police Department said.
"Apparently Mr Pighee's intention was to disrupt the bank's service in protest, so while inside the bank he called 9-1-1 to report a bank robbery in process," said Teppel. But when operators asked Pighee to give a description of the robber, he gave them a description of himself.
Responding officers looked through the bank's windows and contacted employees inside. Imagine the employees' surprise as they had to explain to police that no robbery was actually in progress. After 15 to 20 minutes, the police entered the bank, saw Pighee—who, of course, matched his own description—and promptly took him into custody.
Police arrested Pighee on a local misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, which was later upgraded to a felony charge of disorderly conduct by the Will County State's Attorney.
"Because he did not imply he had a weapon or gun, did not have a weapon, and did not ask for money, there is no charge for bank robbery," Teppel said.
Web overtakes newspapers as source of news in US
For the first time, more Americans are getting their news online than from traditional ink and paper, although the popularity of television still eclipses all other forms of media.
In an apparently sharp shift in habits, the Washington-based Pew Research Centre found that the number of consumers using the web as a main news source surged from 24% to 40% in a year, overtaking the 35% who rely on newspapers. Television slipped from 74% to 70%.
The change is yet another blow to the newspaper industry. Papers across the US are cutting jobs, closing bureaux and trimming costs as they try to adjust to a collapse in advertising revenue.
Experts say that media economics is up in the air. Sree Sreenivasan, a new media professor at Columbia Journalism School in New York, said: "The problem is that advertising dollars from newspapers are being replaced by digital pennies." Sreenivasan added: "Keep in mind that most online news people read still uses a lot of newspaper-sourced copy that has been put on line. It's still a lot of traditional media that's feeding this."
Younger people are migrating towards the web quickly. Among the under-29s, the web leaped from 34% to 59% as the leading source of news, tying with television, with newspapers lagging at 28%.
Many fear for newspapers. One of the US's biggest publishers, Tribune, filed for bankruptcy this month as it struggled with $13bn of debt. Its titles include the Los Angeles Times. Sales of US papers dropped by 4.6% in the six months to September, said the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
In an apparently sharp shift in habits, the Washington-based Pew Research Centre found that the number of consumers using the web as a main news source surged from 24% to 40% in a year, overtaking the 35% who rely on newspapers. Television slipped from 74% to 70%.
The change is yet another blow to the newspaper industry. Papers across the US are cutting jobs, closing bureaux and trimming costs as they try to adjust to a collapse in advertising revenue.
Experts say that media economics is up in the air. Sree Sreenivasan, a new media professor at Columbia Journalism School in New York, said: "The problem is that advertising dollars from newspapers are being replaced by digital pennies." Sreenivasan added: "Keep in mind that most online news people read still uses a lot of newspaper-sourced copy that has been put on line. It's still a lot of traditional media that's feeding this."
Younger people are migrating towards the web quickly. Among the under-29s, the web leaped from 34% to 59% as the leading source of news, tying with television, with newspapers lagging at 28%.
Many fear for newspapers. One of the US's biggest publishers, Tribune, filed for bankruptcy this month as it struggled with $13bn of debt. Its titles include the Los Angeles Times. Sales of US papers dropped by 4.6% in the six months to September, said the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Festive goat up in flames again
A giant straw goat erected each Christmas in a northern Swedish town has been burned down - yet again.
The 13m-high (43ft) animal in Gavle has been torched 23 times since it was first erected in 1966. It has also been hit by a car and had its legs cut off.
The vandals are rarely caught, though in 2001 a 51-year-old American tourist spent 18 days in jail after being convicted of setting it alight.
In 2007, the goat managed to make it through the festive season unscathed.
Goat committee spokeswoman Anna Ostman said this year's unlucky creature was set on fire early on Saturday morning.
Goat highlights:
1966: The first goat is burned down - beginning the tradition
1970: It is set on fire six hours after being erected
1971: Tired of arson, the project is abandoned. Schoolchildren build a miniature. It is smashed to pieces.
1976: A car crashes into the goat
1979: The goat is burned down before it is finished
1987: The goat is treated with fireproofing - but still goes up in smoke
The 13m-high (43ft) animal in Gavle has been torched 23 times since it was first erected in 1966. It has also been hit by a car and had its legs cut off.
The vandals are rarely caught, though in 2001 a 51-year-old American tourist spent 18 days in jail after being convicted of setting it alight.
In 2007, the goat managed to make it through the festive season unscathed.
Goat committee spokeswoman Anna Ostman said this year's unlucky creature was set on fire early on Saturday morning.
Goat highlights:
1966: The first goat is burned down - beginning the tradition
1970: It is set on fire six hours after being erected
1971: Tired of arson, the project is abandoned. Schoolchildren build a miniature. It is smashed to pieces.
1976: A car crashes into the goat
1979: The goat is burned down before it is finished
1987: The goat is treated with fireproofing - but still goes up in smoke
Police hunt hit-and-run skier in Italy after girl sees father killed
Police in the Italian Alps are checking ski passes, viewing security videos and questioning holidaymakers in the hunt for a mystery skier who came down the slopes too fast on Christmas morning and collided with a man, 51, leaving him dying from a head injury in front of his 12-year-old daughter.
Arthur Lantschner, a cook from Collepietra in Alto Adige, was skiing with his daughter at the Obereggen resort near Bolzano when a man described by police as tall, in his 30s and dressed in a blue ski suit collided at speed with him from behind, possibly striking Lantschner's head with an elbow.
The two men fell into the snow before the unidentified man got back on to his skies and fled, leaving Lantschner suffering from a cranial trauma which prompted cardiac arrest. A helicopter was called after a nearby skier spotted Lantschner's daughter standing in shock in the snow, but her father was dead when he arrived at Bolzano hospital.
"The mystery skier was not masked, we have a rough description of him and we are appealing to all holiday skiers to help us track him down," said Davido Perasso, of the Bolzano carabinieri paramilitary police.
Carabinieri were yesterday combing the three exit points at the foot of the 32 slopes that make up the resort, which is popular with Italians and Germans. Video footage from bank cashpoints in the area is being studied and hotel managers are being questioned. "The problem is that there are 18,000 hotel beds in the area," said Perasso.
Lantschner, an expert skier who raced in his youth, had taken advantage of blue skies, compact snow and few crowds on Christmas morning to take his daughter skiing, choosing a medium-rated slope at Obereggen. "With few other skiers around, the hit and run skier still managed to strike Lantschner in the dead centre of the slope," said Thomas Ondertoller, a resort official.
Arthur Lantschner, a cook from Collepietra in Alto Adige, was skiing with his daughter at the Obereggen resort near Bolzano when a man described by police as tall, in his 30s and dressed in a blue ski suit collided at speed with him from behind, possibly striking Lantschner's head with an elbow.
The two men fell into the snow before the unidentified man got back on to his skies and fled, leaving Lantschner suffering from a cranial trauma which prompted cardiac arrest. A helicopter was called after a nearby skier spotted Lantschner's daughter standing in shock in the snow, but her father was dead when he arrived at Bolzano hospital.
"The mystery skier was not masked, we have a rough description of him and we are appealing to all holiday skiers to help us track him down," said Davido Perasso, of the Bolzano carabinieri paramilitary police.
Carabinieri were yesterday combing the three exit points at the foot of the 32 slopes that make up the resort, which is popular with Italians and Germans. Video footage from bank cashpoints in the area is being studied and hotel managers are being questioned. "The problem is that there are 18,000 hotel beds in the area," said Perasso.
Lantschner, an expert skier who raced in his youth, had taken advantage of blue skies, compact snow and few crowds on Christmas morning to take his daughter skiing, choosing a medium-rated slope at Obereggen. "With few other skiers around, the hit and run skier still managed to strike Lantschner in the dead centre of the slope," said Thomas Ondertoller, a resort official.
Failed party trick lands Swedish man in burns unit
A Swedish man’s attempt to impress his girlfriend on Friday night backfired, putting him in the hospital with serious burn injuries and facing allegations of endangering the public.
The woman told police in Västervik in south eastern Sweden that her boyfriend poured gasoline over his arm and set the fuel on fire.
“It obviously didn’t go well. He burned his arm and other parts of his body and was in a state of shock,” said Kalmar police spokesperson Reine Johansson. “Don’t ask me what the point of the trick was supposed to be.”
The 33-year-old man was taken via ambulance to the hospital in Västervik. According to police he will likely need specialized care at the burn clinic of Linköping University Hospital.
Following the failed stunt, the man is also under suspicion for negligence which endangers the public. Police add that they have no reason to believe the man's burns resulted from actions other than those described by his girlfriend.
“We haven’t been able to talk with him yet; his condition is too bad to allow it. But we naturally plan to do so as soon as possible,” said Johansson.
The woman told police in Västervik in south eastern Sweden that her boyfriend poured gasoline over his arm and set the fuel on fire.
“It obviously didn’t go well. He burned his arm and other parts of his body and was in a state of shock,” said Kalmar police spokesperson Reine Johansson. “Don’t ask me what the point of the trick was supposed to be.”
The 33-year-old man was taken via ambulance to the hospital in Västervik. According to police he will likely need specialized care at the burn clinic of Linköping University Hospital.
Following the failed stunt, the man is also under suspicion for negligence which endangers the public. Police add that they have no reason to believe the man's burns resulted from actions other than those described by his girlfriend.
“We haven’t been able to talk with him yet; his condition is too bad to allow it. But we naturally plan to do so as soon as possible,” said Johansson.
Praise be: vicars benefit as lead thefts follow prices decline
The economic gloom spells woe to many, but there is one group for whom the downturn has brought a welcome if unexpected benefit: vicars.
As a consequence of the collapse in global commodities prices, which has seen the cost of metals plunge to a fraction of their value just several months ago, thefts from church roofs have begun to abate, insurers say. More widely, the economic decline has seen a parallel dip in the theft and sale of all stolen scrap metals, a crime which became so lucrative as commodity prices rose that thieves resorted to the wholesale theft of manhole covers, metal road signs and power cables.
Perhaps the most immediate effect has been felt in the specialised world of ecclesiastical insurance, which spent years at the frontline of one of the most spectacular crime booms, as thieves stripped churches of lead from roofs, stole lightning conductors and even removed bells and gates to be melted down.
Ecclesiastical Insurance, which covers 95% of the country's Anglican churches, once paid out on only a handful of such claims every year. But as lead prices soared to a peak of just under $4,000 a tonne, the liability rose to more than £9m last year, a figure which increased again to £1m a month earlier during 2008. But with lead now hovering at around 25% of its peak, claims in October dropped to around £600,000. "It seems to be slowing down, admittedly from a very high level,"said Chris Pitt, a spokesman for the insurer. "We still expected 2008 will be the worst year in history for metal theft from churches, but hopefully if prices stay low it could start to drop further."
As a consequence of the collapse in global commodities prices, which has seen the cost of metals plunge to a fraction of their value just several months ago, thefts from church roofs have begun to abate, insurers say. More widely, the economic decline has seen a parallel dip in the theft and sale of all stolen scrap metals, a crime which became so lucrative as commodity prices rose that thieves resorted to the wholesale theft of manhole covers, metal road signs and power cables.
Perhaps the most immediate effect has been felt in the specialised world of ecclesiastical insurance, which spent years at the frontline of one of the most spectacular crime booms, as thieves stripped churches of lead from roofs, stole lightning conductors and even removed bells and gates to be melted down.
Ecclesiastical Insurance, which covers 95% of the country's Anglican churches, once paid out on only a handful of such claims every year. But as lead prices soared to a peak of just under $4,000 a tonne, the liability rose to more than £9m last year, a figure which increased again to £1m a month earlier during 2008. But with lead now hovering at around 25% of its peak, claims in October dropped to around £600,000. "It seems to be slowing down, admittedly from a very high level,"said Chris Pitt, a spokesman for the insurer. "We still expected 2008 will be the worst year in history for metal theft from churches, but hopefully if prices stay low it could start to drop further."
British Culture secretary wants cinema-style age ratings for websites
Internet sites could be given government-approved age ratings to prevent children accessing inappropriate material, a cabinet minister has suggested, in a move that is likely to trigger fears over web censorship.
The culture secretary, Andy Burnham, said in an interview that the government is considering the need for "child safe" websites – registered with cinema-style age warnings – to curb access to offensive or damaging online material.
He plans to approach US president-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration with proposals for tight international rules on English language websites, which may include forcing internet service providers, such as BT, Tiscali, Sky and AOL, to provide packages restricting access to websites without an age rating.
"There is content that should just not be available to be viewed. That's my view. Absolutely categorical," Burnham, the MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, said. "If you look back at the people who created the internet, they talked very deliberately about creating a space that governments couldn't reach. I think we are having to revisit that stuff seriously now."
Other safeguards mooted by Burnham include compelling websites such as YouTube and Facebook to remove offensive material within a specified time after they have been alerted to it, and changing Britain's libel laws to make it cheaper for people to sue publishers if they have been defamed online. Internet providers will be urged to adopt the proposals in the new year, but if that failed to work, Burnham said the proposals might have to be enshrined in law.
Burnham, a father of three, insisted his proposals were not intended as an attack on freedom of speech, but were a necessary counterweight to the proliferation of "unacceptable" material on the internet in a similar mould to the 9pm watershed on television. "It worries me – like anybody with children. Leaving your child for two hours unregulated on the internet is not something you can do. The internet has been empowering and democratising in many ways, but we haven't yet got the stakes in the ground to help people navigate their way safely around what can be a very, very complex and quite dangerous world," he added.
The culture secretary, Andy Burnham, said in an interview that the government is considering the need for "child safe" websites – registered with cinema-style age warnings – to curb access to offensive or damaging online material.
He plans to approach US president-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration with proposals for tight international rules on English language websites, which may include forcing internet service providers, such as BT, Tiscali, Sky and AOL, to provide packages restricting access to websites without an age rating.
"There is content that should just not be available to be viewed. That's my view. Absolutely categorical," Burnham, the MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, said. "If you look back at the people who created the internet, they talked very deliberately about creating a space that governments couldn't reach. I think we are having to revisit that stuff seriously now."
Other safeguards mooted by Burnham include compelling websites such as YouTube and Facebook to remove offensive material within a specified time after they have been alerted to it, and changing Britain's libel laws to make it cheaper for people to sue publishers if they have been defamed online. Internet providers will be urged to adopt the proposals in the new year, but if that failed to work, Burnham said the proposals might have to be enshrined in law.
Burnham, a father of three, insisted his proposals were not intended as an attack on freedom of speech, but were a necessary counterweight to the proliferation of "unacceptable" material on the internet in a similar mould to the 9pm watershed on television. "It worries me – like anybody with children. Leaving your child for two hours unregulated on the internet is not something you can do. The internet has been empowering and democratising in many ways, but we haven't yet got the stakes in the ground to help people navigate their way safely around what can be a very, very complex and quite dangerous world," he added.
Ex-DVLA worker denies putting rude word on driving licence
A former Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency employee has denied putting an obscene word on a driving licence.
Siobhan McMurdo, aged 24, appeared at Swansea Magistrates Court charged with impairing the reliability of data held in a computer. The offence is alleged to have taken place in May this year, but was not brought to light until the licence holder had to produce his documents while abroad.
It is alleged that instead of inputting "United Kingdom" in the area that lists the licence holder's place of birth, Miss McMurdo put "United C***".
"This lady was an employee at DVLA and entered information on to a licence," said the prosecution. The complainant had sent his licence in to be exchanged for a photo card licence, and the information put on it was not correct. It didn't read 'United Kingdom' but showed something alternative that was in fact abusive.
"This only came to light when the complainant tried to use his licence when he was abroad and subsequently a complaint was made. The prosecution say that this is the only offence of this kind that the defendant is alleged to have made. There is no evidence to show there was a string of offences."
The case has been adjourned for eight weeks until a pre-trial hearing takes place at Swansea Magistrates Court on February 17 next year. Miss McMurdo has been given unconditional bail until then.
Siobhan McMurdo, aged 24, appeared at Swansea Magistrates Court charged with impairing the reliability of data held in a computer. The offence is alleged to have taken place in May this year, but was not brought to light until the licence holder had to produce his documents while abroad.
It is alleged that instead of inputting "United Kingdom" in the area that lists the licence holder's place of birth, Miss McMurdo put "United C***".
"This lady was an employee at DVLA and entered information on to a licence," said the prosecution. The complainant had sent his licence in to be exchanged for a photo card licence, and the information put on it was not correct. It didn't read 'United Kingdom' but showed something alternative that was in fact abusive.
"This only came to light when the complainant tried to use his licence when he was abroad and subsequently a complaint was made. The prosecution say that this is the only offence of this kind that the defendant is alleged to have made. There is no evidence to show there was a string of offences."
The case has been adjourned for eight weeks until a pre-trial hearing takes place at Swansea Magistrates Court on February 17 next year. Miss McMurdo has been given unconditional bail until then.
Missing nurse may have been in car boot for 10 days
A nurse found in the boot (trunk) of her car suffering from hypothermia and dehydration could have been there for up to 10 days, police said yesterday. Magdeline Makola, 38, was wearing nightclothes and had been tied up so she could not escape. She was discovered in her vehicle in the town of Airdrie, east of Glasgow, on Friday.
The nurse, a South African-born British citizen, was said to be suffering from minor injuries and "extremely traumatised" by her ordeal, making it difficult to interview her. Makola, from Livingston, east of Edinburgh - 23 miles (37 kilometres) from Airdrie - had not been seen since she left work at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on December 15. She was reported missing after failing to turn up for work on December 18.
Her bank card had been used in Airdrie and a police officer searching the town's streets heard her cries for help. Officers smashed the car windows to get to the boot.
"One of the road policing officers discovered the car and heard some noises from within," said Chief Inspector Tommy Tague of Lothian and Borders Police. He said police believe Makola could have been in the boot for up to 10 days.
There did not appear to be any motive for the abduction, said Tague. "This would appear to be completely out of the blue. Magdeline is a very committed nurse and she has a close circle of friends."
Detectives want to trace a stocky man with dreadlocks whom they believe she met through a mutual friend five or six years ago in Scotland, Tague said, appealing for information. He said Makola's car had been used during the time that she was missing. Officers would not confirm whether the nurse had been drugged or threatened with a weapon.
The nurse, a South African-born British citizen, was said to be suffering from minor injuries and "extremely traumatised" by her ordeal, making it difficult to interview her. Makola, from Livingston, east of Edinburgh - 23 miles (37 kilometres) from Airdrie - had not been seen since she left work at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on December 15. She was reported missing after failing to turn up for work on December 18.
Her bank card had been used in Airdrie and a police officer searching the town's streets heard her cries for help. Officers smashed the car windows to get to the boot.
"One of the road policing officers discovered the car and heard some noises from within," said Chief Inspector Tommy Tague of Lothian and Borders Police. He said police believe Makola could have been in the boot for up to 10 days.
There did not appear to be any motive for the abduction, said Tague. "This would appear to be completely out of the blue. Magdeline is a very committed nurse and she has a close circle of friends."
Detectives want to trace a stocky man with dreadlocks whom they believe she met through a mutual friend five or six years ago in Scotland, Tague said, appealing for information. He said Makola's car had been used during the time that she was missing. Officers would not confirm whether the nurse had been drugged or threatened with a weapon.
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