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Friday, May 01, 2009
Virgin Mary found on griddle
The hottest thing on the griddle at the Las Palmas restaurant these days isn't the food - it's the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that a cook says she saw on the griddle.
Restaurant manager Brenda Martinez says more than 100 people have flocked to the small town of Calexico on the California-Mexico border to gaze at the likeness of the Virgin Mary since it was discovered as the griddle was being cleaned.
Among the awe-struck was a group of masked Mexican wrestlers who arrived on Thursday for an exhibition at a nearby swap meet. One, known as Mr. Tempest, says: "This is amazing. It's a true miracle."
Since the discovery, the griddle has been taken out of service and placed in a shrine in a storage room.
Restaurant manager Brenda Martinez says more than 100 people have flocked to the small town of Calexico on the California-Mexico border to gaze at the likeness of the Virgin Mary since it was discovered as the griddle was being cleaned.
Among the awe-struck was a group of masked Mexican wrestlers who arrived on Thursday for an exhibition at a nearby swap meet. One, known as Mr. Tempest, says: "This is amazing. It's a true miracle."
Since the discovery, the griddle has been taken out of service and placed in a shrine in a storage room.
Man would rather count the wrinkles on his dogs balls than serve on jury duty
There are probably better ways to avoid jury duty than the approach recently taken by a Montana man. After Erik Slye, 36, received a jury notice earlier this year, he filed a notarized affidavit seeking to be excused from serving on a District Court panel in Gallatin County. Slye's caustic affidavit, which he prepared with help from his wife Jennifer, can be found below.
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The document, of course, did not sit well with court officials and led a judge to threaten to jail Slye. But after being summoned to court, Slye apologized for the affidavit and avoided being cited on a criminal failure to appear rap. And he also was excused from serving on a jury.
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The document, of course, did not sit well with court officials and led a judge to threaten to jail Slye. But after being summoned to court, Slye apologized for the affidavit and avoided being cited on a criminal failure to appear rap. And he also was excused from serving on a jury.
Dog that chewed off its own feet to escape trap walks again thanks to prosthetics
If there was ever a dog that deserved a second chance, Andre is that dog. He's been living with just two legs for a long time. "He's just a fun loving guy, very warm personality," Martin Kaufmann with OrthoPets said.
Andre came a long way to meet Kaufmann in Denver, Colorado. The 3-year-old Shepherd-Rottweiler-Lab mix is from Alaska and lost his front and back left legs when he was caught in an illegal wild animal trap. He chewed off his own paws to get free and for weeks, he lived under a truck camper shell. He only weighed 38 pounds when Alaskan Dog and Puppy Rescue found him.
Andre's rescuers contacted OrthoPets to make him prosthetic legs. "With just two legs, he can't stand up," Kaufmann said. Just two days after that first fitting, on Wednesday Andre got his first second chance to stand. It didn't take him long.
"This is the first time that Andre has been able to stand on four legs in over a year and a few months now, so it will be an interesting challenge as he learns, instead of having to survive with two legs how he can actually thrive on all four," said Kaufmann. For a second he hesitated, and then Andre hopped up and started running around like any dog with four legs would.
"It's just such an amazing moment to see this guy who's learned how to be very adaptive on two legs and watch how fast he's able to go back to four legs. Just feels good to see he's able to be normal again, such a proud moment," Kaufmann said.
Within another few minutes, Kaufmann took the dog outside and Andre started to play. He ran around the parking lot outside and played with another dog. After a few weeks of adjusting to his new legs, he will go up for adoption.
With news video.
Andre came a long way to meet Kaufmann in Denver, Colorado. The 3-year-old Shepherd-Rottweiler-Lab mix is from Alaska and lost his front and back left legs when he was caught in an illegal wild animal trap. He chewed off his own paws to get free and for weeks, he lived under a truck camper shell. He only weighed 38 pounds when Alaskan Dog and Puppy Rescue found him.
Andre's rescuers contacted OrthoPets to make him prosthetic legs. "With just two legs, he can't stand up," Kaufmann said. Just two days after that first fitting, on Wednesday Andre got his first second chance to stand. It didn't take him long.
"This is the first time that Andre has been able to stand on four legs in over a year and a few months now, so it will be an interesting challenge as he learns, instead of having to survive with two legs how he can actually thrive on all four," said Kaufmann. For a second he hesitated, and then Andre hopped up and started running around like any dog with four legs would.
"It's just such an amazing moment to see this guy who's learned how to be very adaptive on two legs and watch how fast he's able to go back to four legs. Just feels good to see he's able to be normal again, such a proud moment," Kaufmann said.
Within another few minutes, Kaufmann took the dog outside and Andre started to play. He ran around the parking lot outside and played with another dog. After a few weeks of adjusting to his new legs, he will go up for adoption.
With news video.
Animals shown to dance to music
Researchers have figured out something most pet owners suspected: dogs and cats don't dance, but birds do.
They say they've documented for the first time that some animals "dance" to a musical beat.
The researchers made a series of lab and video studies, watching various animals for signs they were actually feeling the beat of music they heard.
They concluded that some parrots do boogie, and so does the occasional elephant. But there's no sign of such musicality among dogs and cats, despite long exposure to people and music. And chimps, our closest living relatives, also appear to lack rhythm.
They say they've documented for the first time that some animals "dance" to a musical beat.
The researchers made a series of lab and video studies, watching various animals for signs they were actually feeling the beat of music they heard.
They concluded that some parrots do boogie, and so does the occasional elephant. But there's no sign of such musicality among dogs and cats, despite long exposure to people and music. And chimps, our closest living relatives, also appear to lack rhythm.
Canadian woman accused of sex with dog and toddler
Police call it one of the most shocking and disturbing crimes they’ve seen after a woman allegedly broadcast herself on a webcam having sex with her toddler child and her dog.
“It’s one of those things that just makes your stomach roll,” said Essex County OPP Const. Janet Hayes. “It’s hard to believe there are people out there that can commit these despicable offences, especially against their own child. You can’t comprehend someone that could do something like that.”
The Lakeshore woman — police are keeping her name and age a secret to protect her child’s identity — is charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, sexual exploitation and bestiality.
Further charges related to making, possessing and distributing child pornography are possible, once the OPP E-Crimes unit in Orillia finishes a forensic examination of the woman’s computers. Investigators seized several computers from the woman’s home along with other “possible offence related devices.”
Police aren’t revealing the gender or exact age of the baby victim to ensure its identity will remain a secret. The OPP also wouldn’t give details of the alleged sexual activity involving the toddler and the dog, which was a pitbull, but said it was unsettling.
“It was extreme, very extreme behaviour,” said Hayes. “Disturbing. Incomprehensible, just that someone is able to conduct this type of behaviour. A normal person can’t even really comprehend that it’s possible for someone to behave that way. This is very disturbing.”
“It’s one of those things that just makes your stomach roll,” said Essex County OPP Const. Janet Hayes. “It’s hard to believe there are people out there that can commit these despicable offences, especially against their own child. You can’t comprehend someone that could do something like that.”
The Lakeshore woman — police are keeping her name and age a secret to protect her child’s identity — is charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, sexual exploitation and bestiality.
Further charges related to making, possessing and distributing child pornography are possible, once the OPP E-Crimes unit in Orillia finishes a forensic examination of the woman’s computers. Investigators seized several computers from the woman’s home along with other “possible offence related devices.”
Police aren’t revealing the gender or exact age of the baby victim to ensure its identity will remain a secret. The OPP also wouldn’t give details of the alleged sexual activity involving the toddler and the dog, which was a pitbull, but said it was unsettling.
“It was extreme, very extreme behaviour,” said Hayes. “Disturbing. Incomprehensible, just that someone is able to conduct this type of behaviour. A normal person can’t even really comprehend that it’s possible for someone to behave that way. This is very disturbing.”
Australian politician had legs broken to become taller
An Australian politician has gone to extraordinary lengths to be taken seriously by her peers: she has had her legs broken and stretched to become 3in (8cm) taller.
“A lot of young females have insecurities about their weight or their nose; mine was my height,” said Hajnal Ban, 31, a councillor with Logan City council in Queensland.
After nine months of excruciating pain, the councillor became a “normal” 5ft 4in.
Ms Ban was taunted at school and feared that her height would damage her credibility as she entered the legal profession and later went into local politics.
So she went to the Ilizarov orthopaedic clinic in Kurgan, Russia, and paid surgeons A$40,000 (£19,000) to break both her legs in four places and stretch them slowly for 1mm every day for nine months. Eventually she grew from 154cm (just under 5ft 1in) to 162cm.
Ms Ban, who was born in Israel and is of Hungarian origin, has lived in Australia since she was a child. She ran unsuccessfully for the conservative National Party during the federal election in 2007 and has been a local councillor for three years. She had the surgery when she was a 23-year-old barrister but Australian media only latched on to her medical history this week. Ms Ban said that she did not want to be remembered as “the girl who got her legs lengthened”.
“A lot of young females have insecurities about their weight or their nose; mine was my height,” said Hajnal Ban, 31, a councillor with Logan City council in Queensland.
After nine months of excruciating pain, the councillor became a “normal” 5ft 4in.
Ms Ban was taunted at school and feared that her height would damage her credibility as she entered the legal profession and later went into local politics.
So she went to the Ilizarov orthopaedic clinic in Kurgan, Russia, and paid surgeons A$40,000 (£19,000) to break both her legs in four places and stretch them slowly for 1mm every day for nine months. Eventually she grew from 154cm (just under 5ft 1in) to 162cm.
Ms Ban, who was born in Israel and is of Hungarian origin, has lived in Australia since she was a child. She ran unsuccessfully for the conservative National Party during the federal election in 2007 and has been a local councillor for three years. She had the surgery when she was a 23-year-old barrister but Australian media only latched on to her medical history this week. Ms Ban said that she did not want to be remembered as “the girl who got her legs lengthened”.
Australian students asked to dress as a disabled person for fundraiser
A primary school has infuriated parents and disability advocates by asking students to come to school dressed as a disabled person as part of a fundraiser.
In a newsletter sent home to parents on Wednesday, Ramco Primary School in South Australia advised it would hold a "disability day" and fundraiser on Friday, May 29, with prizes for the "best students dressed as a person with a disability".
The aim of the dress-up is to raise money for a clinic in Bangladesh that repairs cleft lips and palates in children.
Its newsletter stated: "There will be prizes for the best students dressed as a person with a disability. Get your thinking hats on and see what disability you can represent!"
The well-meaning idea has missed the mark, with one disbelieving parent saying she had spoken to other parents who were also bemused by the concept, wondering how they were meant to dress their child.
Principal Barrey Niven said the idea had been to raise student awareness of what it is like to cope daily with a disability but the idea had not been conveyed well in the newsletter.
In a newsletter sent home to parents on Wednesday, Ramco Primary School in South Australia advised it would hold a "disability day" and fundraiser on Friday, May 29, with prizes for the "best students dressed as a person with a disability".
The aim of the dress-up is to raise money for a clinic in Bangladesh that repairs cleft lips and palates in children.
Its newsletter stated: "There will be prizes for the best students dressed as a person with a disability. Get your thinking hats on and see what disability you can represent!"
The well-meaning idea has missed the mark, with one disbelieving parent saying she had spoken to other parents who were also bemused by the concept, wondering how they were meant to dress their child.
Principal Barrey Niven said the idea had been to raise student awareness of what it is like to cope daily with a disability but the idea had not been conveyed well in the newsletter.
Graffiti volunteers paint over a Banksy
An artwork attributed to the Bristol street artist Banksy was mistakenly painted over by volunteers cleaning up graffiti. The political piece in Glastonbury, said to be worth £5,000, was painted on a wall two years ago and shows an image of Paddington Bear captioned "Migration is not a crime".
But well-meaning volunteers covered over the precious image as part of the town council's drive to rid the area of graffiti, the authority admitted.
Julian Chatt, who owns the wall, claimed he had struck a deal to sell the piece for around £5,000 before disaster struck. He said: "I'd spoken to the town council in the past and asked them not to paint over the artwork. Sure enough, the last few times the council have been out they didn't paint it over.
"But on Saturday morning, I came out of my house there was this chemical smell and when I turned the corner Paddington was gone."
No one had asked him for permission to paint the wall, he said, adding that his insurance company is examining whether the painting is covered. He said he had also reported it to police.
Glastonbury Town Council said today the image was just one of several in the region said to be by Banksy, but accepted the picture had painted over "in error". A spokeswoman said today: "If we made a mistake we'll hold our hands up and say sorry. He's been advised he can make a claim against the council, which he hasn't done yet."
But well-meaning volunteers covered over the precious image as part of the town council's drive to rid the area of graffiti, the authority admitted.
Julian Chatt, who owns the wall, claimed he had struck a deal to sell the piece for around £5,000 before disaster struck. He said: "I'd spoken to the town council in the past and asked them not to paint over the artwork. Sure enough, the last few times the council have been out they didn't paint it over.
"But on Saturday morning, I came out of my house there was this chemical smell and when I turned the corner Paddington was gone."
No one had asked him for permission to paint the wall, he said, adding that his insurance company is examining whether the painting is covered. He said he had also reported it to police.
Glastonbury Town Council said today the image was just one of several in the region said to be by Banksy, but accepted the picture had painted over "in error". A spokeswoman said today: "If we made a mistake we'll hold our hands up and say sorry. He's been advised he can make a claim against the council, which he hasn't done yet."
The £500,000 teddy bear
The nations most expensive Teddy bear has gone on sale in Suffolk - with a price tag of half a million pounds.
But the buyer of the cuddly toy will also get the bear's home - a beamed cottage in Lavenham - one of the country's most picturesque medieval villages.
The three-foot bear - which belonged to homeowner Walt McKinlay's daughter - is now in the window of the property with a "buy me" sign.
Mr McKinlay, 73, a retired butcher and farmer, said: “It is time for me to move on so I decided that Teddy might help me sell the house. I have already had a lot of interest and a couple of viewings after property hunters saw him in the window.
“He was originally given to my late wife by her parents and then our daughter Sadie had him but she is 44 now."
The new owner will have to pay £495,000 for the Teddy bear and the 17th century property in the village's ancient market square. The former public house, now called Christmas Cottage, has also been a tea room and book shop and has two bedrooms and a small rear garden.
But the buyer of the cuddly toy will also get the bear's home - a beamed cottage in Lavenham - one of the country's most picturesque medieval villages.
The three-foot bear - which belonged to homeowner Walt McKinlay's daughter - is now in the window of the property with a "buy me" sign.
Mr McKinlay, 73, a retired butcher and farmer, said: “It is time for me to move on so I decided that Teddy might help me sell the house. I have already had a lot of interest and a couple of viewings after property hunters saw him in the window.
“He was originally given to my late wife by her parents and then our daughter Sadie had him but she is 44 now."
The new owner will have to pay £495,000 for the Teddy bear and the 17th century property in the village's ancient market square. The former public house, now called Christmas Cottage, has also been a tea room and book shop and has two bedrooms and a small rear garden.
Judge quotes Philip Larkin in child fight
A divorce judge quoted a famous lewd poem yesterday as he made a ruling in a family battle — saying: “They f*** you up, your mum and dad.”
Lord Justice Nicholas Wall used the words of English poet Philip Larkin to stress the devastating impact on children when couples keep warring after they split up.
The Appeal Court judge, dealing with a residence order, said he hoped he would give the mother and father a fright because they had both come “within a whisker” of losing their nine-year-old son.
As he ruled the boy could live with the mother, he said the parents had harmed him by their “ongoing mutual dislike and recriminations” for each other following the break-up.
The judge issued a statement overturning a decision by Luton County Court, Beds, at which custody of the boy had been given to his maternal grandparents.
Quoting poet Larkin’s 1971 work This Be The Verse, he said: “They f*** you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had, and add some extra, just for you.” He said: “These four lines give a clear warning to parents.”
Lord Justice Nicholas Wall used the words of English poet Philip Larkin to stress the devastating impact on children when couples keep warring after they split up.
The Appeal Court judge, dealing with a residence order, said he hoped he would give the mother and father a fright because they had both come “within a whisker” of losing their nine-year-old son.
As he ruled the boy could live with the mother, he said the parents had harmed him by their “ongoing mutual dislike and recriminations” for each other following the break-up.
The judge issued a statement overturning a decision by Luton County Court, Beds, at which custody of the boy had been given to his maternal grandparents.
Quoting poet Larkin’s 1971 work This Be The Verse, he said: “They f*** you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had, and add some extra, just for you.” He said: “These four lines give a clear warning to parents.”
Dog survives near-fatal encounter with Homer Simpson
A pet dog needed life-saving emergency surgery - after swallowing a plastic toy of cartoon character Homer Simpson. Dalmatian collie crossbreed Dixie, from Aberdeen, ate a Kinder Egg Surprise chocolate with the toy inside.
It showed up on an X-ray and was removed by PDSA vets, who said Dixie could have died without surgery.
Owner Victoria Keir said: "Dixie loves chocolate so must have seen the Kinder egg and gulped it down. We would have never known had it not been for Homer." She explained: "I didn't suspect anything at first until Dixie stopped eating and drinking.
"Normally she's full of energy but suddenly she just seemed to become very listless and depressed." She added: "I can see the funny side now but at the time it was extremely traumatic and I'm very grateful to the PDSA for saving her life."
PDSA veterinary surgeon Alison Hamel said: "Dixie was very ill when she was brought in. She had lost a lot of weight and was extremely dehydrated. We needed to discover quickly what was wrong to provide the right treatment in time.
"The X-rays confirmed there was a foreign body but it was a big surprise to discover a plastic egg shell with Homer Simpson inside. We see many objects that have been swallowed but this has to be one of the most unusual."
It showed up on an X-ray and was removed by PDSA vets, who said Dixie could have died without surgery.
Owner Victoria Keir said: "Dixie loves chocolate so must have seen the Kinder egg and gulped it down. We would have never known had it not been for Homer." She explained: "I didn't suspect anything at first until Dixie stopped eating and drinking.
"Normally she's full of energy but suddenly she just seemed to become very listless and depressed." She added: "I can see the funny side now but at the time it was extremely traumatic and I'm very grateful to the PDSA for saving her life."
PDSA veterinary surgeon Alison Hamel said: "Dixie was very ill when she was brought in. She had lost a lot of weight and was extremely dehydrated. We needed to discover quickly what was wrong to provide the right treatment in time.
"The X-rays confirmed there was a foreign body but it was a big surprise to discover a plastic egg shell with Homer Simpson inside. We see many objects that have been swallowed but this has to be one of the most unusual."
Sex on royal lawn couple arrested
A couple were arrested after being caught having sexual intercourse on the Queen's lawn outside Windsor Castle. The pair, in their early thirties, stripped on a private grass bank at the castle, where Her Majesty was in residence.
They were watched by crowds of tourists beneath the castle's Garter Tower, in full view of hotels, pubs and shops over the road. Several Japanese tourists filmed the couple for up to twenty minutes before they were arrested by armed Royal Protection Squad officers.
The couple, who were described by police as "respectable people with respectable jobs", were said to be "mortified" by their actions. A police source said they were put in cells overnight to sober up before being cautioned for outraging public decency.
Witness Mark Robinson, 44, said: "One window from the guardroom opened up and when a soldier saw what was going on he told his mates – and lots of windows opened. "The couple did not care who was looking and just kept going as if they were in their own bedroom.
"They even ignored the Please Keep Off The Grass signs. A few soldiers were geeing them on from above and plenty of young people did the same from the roadside. There were camera flashes going off and people videoing."
The couple reportedly stopped after being confronted by two protection squad officers arrived in an unmarked Range Rover, accompanied by a police car. A Windsor Castle source said: "The Queen was in residence at the time, but her private apartments are at the other end so she would have been blissfully unaware of it."
They were watched by crowds of tourists beneath the castle's Garter Tower, in full view of hotels, pubs and shops over the road. Several Japanese tourists filmed the couple for up to twenty minutes before they were arrested by armed Royal Protection Squad officers.
The couple, who were described by police as "respectable people with respectable jobs", were said to be "mortified" by their actions. A police source said they were put in cells overnight to sober up before being cautioned for outraging public decency.
Witness Mark Robinson, 44, said: "One window from the guardroom opened up and when a soldier saw what was going on he told his mates – and lots of windows opened. "The couple did not care who was looking and just kept going as if they were in their own bedroom.
"They even ignored the Please Keep Off The Grass signs. A few soldiers were geeing them on from above and plenty of young people did the same from the roadside. There were camera flashes going off and people videoing."
The couple reportedly stopped after being confronted by two protection squad officers arrived in an unmarked Range Rover, accompanied by a police car. A Windsor Castle source said: "The Queen was in residence at the time, but her private apartments are at the other end so she would have been blissfully unaware of it."
Pensioner who tidied up allotment branded 'vigilante' by council
Pamela Dunn, a public-spirited pensioner who tidied up a rubbish-strewn allotment, was branded a vigilante by her local council in Dorset and told to stop. Mrs Dunn, 66, thought she was doing a good turn as she cleared unsightly junk from the plot of land.
But as she spent days removing the rubbish, including a mass of weeds, an upturned shed and a broken washing line, she received a letter from the town hall. Despite the allotment being left to rot for more than two years, officials claimed her attempts to improve it were the equivalent of vigilante action. She was told to stop immediately.
Grandmother Mrs Dunn, a leading member for the local Women's Institute, has reluctantly downed tools and criticised the council. Mrs Dunn has kept her own allotment in Sherborne in pristine condition for 25 years and could no longer bear to look at the untidy neighbouring plot.
She said: "The site looked so bad after two years of nothing and it was starting to encroach onto my allotment so I decided to do something about it. I cleared and dug half of the plot but had to stop because I couldn't lift the heavy stuff like two dumped fridges. I wrote to the council advising them what I had done. I asked them could they please either get the person who they have rented it to to clear the rest of the plot or could they themselves clear it.
"They wrote back saying I had taken vigilante action and I must desist immediately. I find that very offensive. We all help people at the allotment and for them to turn round and say I am a vigilante indicates he doesn't live in the real world. There's just no way I am a vigilante and I took great umbridge at that."
Mrs Dunn, a retired gardener, was so appalled by the matter she attended the next meeting of Sherborne Town Council and gave members a piece of her mind. She said: "I told them I don't suppose you have ever helped anyone in your life, but my generation was brought up to help others - I don't think that went down very well. I am a very low profile person but if something riles me that is wrong I will say something about it." Since her outburst, Roy Musgrove, the council's finance officer who wrote the original letter, has apologised to her.
But as she spent days removing the rubbish, including a mass of weeds, an upturned shed and a broken washing line, she received a letter from the town hall. Despite the allotment being left to rot for more than two years, officials claimed her attempts to improve it were the equivalent of vigilante action. She was told to stop immediately.
Grandmother Mrs Dunn, a leading member for the local Women's Institute, has reluctantly downed tools and criticised the council. Mrs Dunn has kept her own allotment in Sherborne in pristine condition for 25 years and could no longer bear to look at the untidy neighbouring plot.
She said: "The site looked so bad after two years of nothing and it was starting to encroach onto my allotment so I decided to do something about it. I cleared and dug half of the plot but had to stop because I couldn't lift the heavy stuff like two dumped fridges. I wrote to the council advising them what I had done. I asked them could they please either get the person who they have rented it to to clear the rest of the plot or could they themselves clear it.
"They wrote back saying I had taken vigilante action and I must desist immediately. I find that very offensive. We all help people at the allotment and for them to turn round and say I am a vigilante indicates he doesn't live in the real world. There's just no way I am a vigilante and I took great umbridge at that."
Mrs Dunn, a retired gardener, was so appalled by the matter she attended the next meeting of Sherborne Town Council and gave members a piece of her mind. She said: "I told them I don't suppose you have ever helped anyone in your life, but my generation was brought up to help others - I don't think that went down very well. I am a very low profile person but if something riles me that is wrong I will say something about it." Since her outburst, Roy Musgrove, the council's finance officer who wrote the original letter, has apologised to her.
Two-year-old becomes youngest member of Mensa
A two-year-old girl has become the youngest member of Mensa, the society strictly for geniuses.
With intelligence far beyond her years, Elise Tan Roberts can name 35 capital cities and identify the three types of triangle. Her IQ is 156, the average IQ in the population at large is 100.
Mensa accepts the top two per cent of the population based on IQ and normally only tests children over 10 years old, but the society made an exception and welcomed Elise based on a standard intelligence measure.
The child is in the top 0.2 per cent for her age, according to Professor Joan Freeman, the child psychologist who used the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale to test Elise.
John Stevenage, head of Mensa, said he was always delighted to welcome a new member.
“Elise’s parents correctly identified that she is an exceptional child. They now realise they have an interesting challenge on their hands as she grows up. We wish them well and look forward to seeing Elise develop in the coming years.”
With news video.
With intelligence far beyond her years, Elise Tan Roberts can name 35 capital cities and identify the three types of triangle. Her IQ is 156, the average IQ in the population at large is 100.
Mensa accepts the top two per cent of the population based on IQ and normally only tests children over 10 years old, but the society made an exception and welcomed Elise based on a standard intelligence measure.
The child is in the top 0.2 per cent for her age, according to Professor Joan Freeman, the child psychologist who used the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale to test Elise.
John Stevenage, head of Mensa, said he was always delighted to welcome a new member.
“Elise’s parents correctly identified that she is an exceptional child. They now realise they have an interesting challenge on their hands as she grows up. We wish them well and look forward to seeing Elise develop in the coming years.”
With news video.
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