Beyond Belief

Health warning: laughter could leave you in stitches

2013-12-17T17:07:00.001-08:00

It is said laughter is the best medicine, but research has shown a sudden fit of the giggles could be bad for health, leaving some people literally in stitches.

A study of the reported benefits and damage of laughter in patients from 1946 to the present day found a loud guffaw can causing heart rupture, torn gullets and incontinence.

Researchers from Birmingham and Oxford universities concluded laughter can have serious health implications.

One woman with racing heart syndrome collapsed and died after a period of intense laughter and laughing 'fit to burst' was found to cause possible heart rupture or a torn gullet.

A quick intake of breath during laughing was also discovered to often cause inhalation of foreign bodies and can also provoke asthma attacks.

Bursts of laughter were also proven to cause incontinence and trigger hernias.

However the review found that chuckling can also have a positive impact in health.

Laughter reduces arterial wall stiffness, which researchers suggest may relieve tension. And it lowered the risk of heartattack.

Hospital clowns improved lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 'genuine laughter' for a whole day could burn 2000 calories and lower the blood sugar in diabetics.

Laughter also enhanced fertility: 36 per cent of would-be mothers who were entertained by a clown after IVF and embryo transfer became pregnant compared with 20 per cent in the control group.

The researchers say that their review challenges the view that laughter can only be beneficial but do add that humour in any form carries a "low risk of harm and may be beneficial".

They conclude that it remains to be seen whether "sick jokes make you ill, dry wit causes dehydration or jokes in bad taste cause dysgeusia (distortion of sense of taste)".

“We categorised the effects as beneficial or harmful, a usually clear-cut distinction. Some effects, however, such as lowering the threshold for seduction, could not be unequivocally categorised,” said the authors.

“Some readers may ignore the benefits of laughter. That would be serious. Others may dismiss its harms. We call them the laughing cavalier.”

The findings were reported in the BMJ Christmas edition.

A swimming pool is evacuated after an artificial leg is mistaken for a paedophile

2013-12-17T17:03:00.001-08:00

Artificial leg prompts ‘paedophile panic’ at swimming pool and evacuation of children

An entire class of primary school children was evacuated from a swimming pool – because a prosthetic leg sticking out from underneath a cubicle was thought to be a paedophile.

The alarm was raised when staff noticed the foot poking out as the eight- and nine-year-olds got changed following a swimming lesson.

Teachers immediately took the children out of Larkfield Leisure Centre in Aylesford, Kent, but were stunned to discover that the foot was actually part of a prosthetic leg.

Karl Lagerfeld: I want to marry my cat

2013-06-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Designer Karl Lagerfeld has declared that he wants to marry his pet cat Choupette.

The eccentric creative director of Chanel said the one-year-old white Siamese cat was his most prized possession.

Choupette has its own staff, including three maids who are tasked with noting down everything the feline does while Largerfeld is away from their home in Paris so that he can check up on how his beloved pet is spending its time.

"There is no marriage, yet, for human beings and animals… I never thought that I would fall in love like this with a cat," Lagerfeld told CNN's Fashion Week: Backstage Pass.

When asked if the cat flies by private jet, Largerfeld said: "Yes, why not?"

Choupette is well known among fashion circles. As well as its own maids, the cat has 27,000 followers on Twitter. It has its own pillow and dines with Largefeld twice a day, eating food that has been specially prepared.

Female clubbers complain about two-way mirror in ladies

2013-05-24T17:04:00.003-07:00

Complaints from female clubbers that a two-way mirror in the women’s lavatory of a Glasgow nightclub allows male guests to spy on them are being investigated by police and licensing officers.

The feature at The Shimmy Club apparently allows women to be watched while they are using a row of sinks.

The mirror, similar to those used by police when interviewing suspects, is between the lavatory and a function room rented to private parties at a cost of £800.

A spokesman for Glasgow Licensing Board said: "Complaints have been received about these premises and licensing standards officers are currently investigating." Police Scotland also confirmed that it was investigating.

Drew Smith, a Glasgow MSP, said he had written to the city council to ask if licensing provisions had been broken, adding: “I think most of us find the concept of a voyeur toilet disturbing. I would urge the management of this club to board it up and show their customers some respect.

“Women using a washroom should not have to worry about whether they are part of some kind of bizarre peep show."

The G1 Group, which runs the club, posted a message on its Facebook page stating that the mirror was a design feature created as “a bit of fun”.

It said: "The vast majority of people who have visited the club have taken it as such. Its clear that those who are negatively commenting online may not have been lucky enough to get past the door staff yet and viewed the area.

"There has always been signage in the toilets but as a result of media feedback clearer signage has been put in place.

"We are committed to listening to you guys who are our core customer base. So if your feedback is that you want the mirror area to change then we will listen."

One customer called Amy complained about the mirror after visiting the club to celebrate her birthday. She said she saw men in booths adjacent to the mirror “making gestures”.

She added: "Nowhere is it made clear that this is the case, so when visiting the bathroom for the first time, there are women bending over the sink, pouting into the mirror to redo their lipstick, adjusting themselves personally whilst unknowingly being watched by people on the other side.”

She received an email reply from the nightclub operator which said a small disclaimer was printed on the mirror to warn that two-way glass was fitted.

The response added: "Firstly can I apologise that you have been offended, this is 100 per cent not our intention at all. The mirror detail in the ladies' toilet was put in as a talking point, only the ladies at the sinks can be seen, there is another mirror behind the wall for people to use who don't like the one at the sinks.

"I can assure you that if there was any behaviour deemed sexist or immoral or anyone was leering or making inappropriate gestures we would remove them from the club, and if necessary call the police.

"There is a small disclaimer on the mirror, however I will also look at making that bigger. We also have a toilet attendant who advises the ladies about the mirror. To date you are the first complaint, everyone else so far has seen it as we intended, as a bit of fun.”

Australian fisherman spends night with crocodile below bunk

2013-05-24T16:58:00.005-07:00

An Australian fisherman was so enraged with finding yet another crocodile on the end of his fishing line that he took the animal home and spent the night with it sleeping below his bunk bed.

Ashley Sala with the 2 metre crocodile that became tangled in his lines while fishing at Ninds Creek, Australia

Ashley Sala spent his birthday fishing at Ninds Creek, in the river mouth at Innisfail, 55 miles south of Cairns, when he thought he'd caught a fish.

"I threw my line out to catch a barra for my birthday and I ended up catching a croc," Mr Sala said.

"I thought I'd caught my one-metre barra. I was so happy, I was yahooing and carrying on.

"Twenty minutes later after fighting it I brought it to the surface and when the moon came out from behind the clouds I realised it was a croc tangled up in my fishing line."

Mr Sala realised the crocodile – which he was "starting to feel sorry for" – would almost certainly drown if the line wasn't untangled. And so, maddened at the frequency with which the crocodiles were stealing his bait, he picked up the reptile, taped its jaws together, and drove it to the house of his local councillor to complain about the crocodile population.

The only problem was that the councillor, Mark Nolan, also in charge of the county's crocodiles, was asleep.

"I went around to Mark Nolan's house because I know where he lives," Mr Sala said. "I was a bit hyped up and shouldn't have been there trying to wake him up but I was sick of going fishing and having this problem with crocodiles."

So the fisherman then decided to take the crocodile home for the night until it could be taken to a wildlife park. His unimpressed girlfriend made the pair sleep in an empty "donga" – cabin – at his family's caravan park.

"I sat on the top bunk and had a few birthday beers by myself and watched the croc on the floor until I fell asleep," he explained.

His councillor later praised Mr Sala's care of the animal, comparing him favourably to Crocodile Dundee actor Paul Hogan.

"Paul Hogan's got nothing on Ashley Sala," he said. "Paul Hogan never slept with a saltie. Ashley has, and I witnessed it.

"So I give Ashley a 10 out of 10 for the way he cared for the reptile during the night and now it's been relocated and it's safely back in a crocodile farm."

Metal body parts recycled after cremation

2013-04-12T07:55:00.003-07:00

Metal body parts are being recycled into road signs, lamp posts, car parts and aircraft engines after people are cremated.

The metal parts of hip replacements, like those pictured, are amongst the parts collected and recycled after a person is cremated

The project has raised almost £1million for charity since it began in Britain in 2004.

Steel hips, plates and screws from legs and skulls are collected after a person is cremated and sent off for recycling.

Even metal plates from false teeth and tiny fragments from fillings can be recovered and re-used, together with metal fittings on coffins.

High value metals which survive the 1000-degree cremation are then sold for use in the automobile and aeronautical industries.

They include cobalt and titanium, found in some implants and dental work. Cobalt is used in aircraft engines.

The salvaged metal from cremations is put in large wheelie bins and collected by contractors who take it to specialist plants for recycling.

The Dutch company behind the recycling says around half Britain's 260 crematoriums have signed up to the scheme which is generating 75 tonnes of metal a year.

Relatives are asked if they want to keep metal parts of loved ones before cremations by the centres taking part in the scheme.

The vast majority say they have no need for them and sign a consent form agreeing to the recycling.

When the cremation is over the ashes and other remaining items go into a compartment in the cremator and then into a special cremulator machine which separates any metal from remaining pieces of bone.

One of the crematoriums in the scheme is at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset which has an average of four-five services a day.

Around one large bin a month is filled with the unwanted metal body parts for recycling.

The crematorium at Haycombe in nearby Bath has around 2,000 cremations a year and also recycles unwanted metal body parts.

A spokesman for the council-owned crematorium said: "We subscribe to a not-for-profit recycling scheme for all metals recovered from the cremation process.

"Applicants may opt to retain the metals but they must take them away and they cannot be returned afterwards."

The recycling schemes are governed by strict criteria set down by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management.

Bristol City Council, which operates two cemeteries, is considering joining the scheme.

Currently metal body parts are buried in the grounds of the crematoriums, but new legislation means this will no longer be possible.

Ruud Verberne, owner of OrthoMetals, the Dutch company behind the recycling, said: "Metals reclaimed from cremations are being increasingly re-used.

"High value metals such as cobalt go into the aircraft or automotive industries.

"Others are sold to smelters and foundries and it is possible that they end up as roadsigns or motorway barriers - there's no way of knowing.

"What is important is that the metals are being recycled, and this is a growing business both in Britain and elsewhere in Europe."

Men take six months to do 'little jobs' around house

2013-04-12T07:49:00.003-07:00

The typical man takes six months to get around to all the 'little jobs' in the house, new research has revealed.

A study found a lack of time, knowledge or enthusiasm is often the reason for the failure to carry out tasks such as repairing squeaky floorboards, replacing light bulbs, and hanging pictures.

Other jobs which regularly wait six months or more include cleaning stained carpets, touching up paint and mending leaking taps.

A spokeswoman for Homebase, which commissioned the study among 2,000 homeowners, said: "We all have 'little jobs' that we put off around our homes.

"These can appear quite daunting and overtime could lead to more serious problems.

"Knowing how to tackle them is key to staying on top of things, and can mean they take little time and effort to put right.

"It's understandable that many people are unsure how to fix certain little problems that crop up in the home and the best way to build your confidence is to seek advice and practice.

"The potential cost of a project can put property owners off too, but fixing problems early mean they won't cost as much as many of us would expect."

Researchers also found 41 per cent of Brits put off their home improvement tasks because they don't know how to do them.

British homeowners have confessed to not knowing how to do some of the smallest jobs around the house.

Mending a squeaky floorboard, a dripping tap or exposed wires leave many of us scratching their heads.

Fixing a broken TV aerial, broken window panes are also thought of as 'difficult' while cracked tiles have one in ten people searching for help.

The cost of a job can also leave Brits cowering, as homeowners are looking at spending around £244 to complete all the little jobs which currently need addressing.

It also emerged in the past 12 months, the average household has already spent £190 on home improvements.

Despite all the tedious tasks waiting to be completed, 46 per cent of people said their house was still 'home sweet home'.

Four in ten said they would describe their home as tidy but tired.

Five-year-old girl who can solve Rubik's Cube in just 100 seconds

2013-04-07T06:17:00.003-07:00

An amazing five-year-old girl can make solving a Rubik's Cube look like child's play by completing it in just one minute and 40 seconds.

Summer, who is home schooled, regularly solves it in under two minutes and her parents hope to see her demonstrating her talent soon at competitions.

Bright spark Summer Razaq only picked up the 3D colour-matching puzzle at a family party six months ago.

The talented child, from Rotherham, was able to complete a cube in under five minutes before she turned five in October.

Summer, who is home schooled, regularly solves it in under two minutes and her parents hope to see her demonstrating her talent soon at competitions.

Dad Kamran, 33, said: "She just picked up a Rubik's Cube at a party. She couldn't really do it at first, but soon got the hang of it.

"The cubes can be quite expensive, but we've bought her one or two more. It's amazing to see how quickly she can do it now."

Summer, who has siblings Zakir, three and Fahim, one, also enjoys jigsaw puzzles and is now learning a 4x4x4 cube.

She said: "It's fun. I like to sit in the treehouse in the garden at home and do it. I can finish faster now than when I first started."

Mum Nasreen, 29, said: "We're very proud of her. She picked it up so quickly."

The Rubik's Cube was invented in Hungary in 1974 and went on to become the world's best-selling toy.

Kamran, a charity worker, said: "Solving it is all to do with algorithms depending where all the colours are on the sides.

"I don't play chess, but I imagine it's the same as that. You have to think three or four steps ahead all the time.

"You've got to have the patience for it too.

"We're looking at the World Cube Association website at the moment. There's a girl in Bristol who can do it in about the same time but she's seven years old.

"It would be nice to see Summer go along the next time there's an event nearby and see how she gets on."

"We've bought all the books, like ones by Carol Vorderman and study at home. We just find the time.

"Summer's really good with her times tables. We're hoping there's a place back at school for her this September."

British couples row twice a week about the mess in their homes, study finds

2013-03-01T05:47:00.002-08:00

A staggering 2.4 million couples row twice a week about who should tidy up with arguments becoming so heated it affects their sex lives and causes some to break up.

The research found one in five couples, 18 per cent, row at least once a week about which one is causing the mess

Two thirds of women have refused to have sex when distracted by clothes that need to be folded, hung up or put away.

The research found one in five couples, 18 per cent, row at least once a week about which one is causing the mess.

Women's biggest complaint was revealed to be their man leaving piles of clothes on the floor, with 36 per cent irritated by this.

Unfortunately for them, 18 per cent of men still believe it is their partner's job to clean the house, with just 5 per cent taking responsibility themselves.

This slack attitude just increases domestic friction, the study by furnishing store Ikea found.

As a result one in six women - 16 per cent - resort to shouting at their boyfriend or husband to get him to tidy up.

And 10 per cent bribe their man with the promise of an "early night" if they keep the house tidy.

But a third concede it is less of a hassle to tidy up themselves than continually nag.

Partners are most likely to row about the amount of cosmetics and clothing their other half owns, and where they leave it.

A fifth of men (18 per cent) complain their girlfriend has too many beauty products, and 17 per cent say they own too many shoes.

A third (31 per cent) believe their partner simply has "too much stuff".

Furthermore, 13 per cent of women say they would break up with a man if he refused to change his messy habits.

Others find cunning ways of dealing with clutter, sneakily throwing it out or hiding it, the study found.

A third of Brits (29 per cent) have intentionally thrown out items belonging to their partner in a bid to free up space, and then claimed it was a "mistake".

And half (47 per cent) remove clutter from communal areas and hide it in their bedroom when expecting guests, because "no one will go in there".

One in seven women, 15 per cent, say the most stressful thing about moving in with a partner is having to share wardrobe space.

Unlike women, just a quarter of men (23 per cent) say they have turned down a night of passion because their partner's bedroom was too messy.

Graphic designer Rachel Hughes, 34, from Portsmouth, Hants, said: "I argue with my boyfriend every week about the state he leaves our house in.

"He seems to think it is acceptable to leave his dirty clothes in a pile at the end of the bed, but then moans about my shoes 'littering' the wardrobe.

"I do nag him to try and get him to pull his weight but I eventually end up cleaning by myself anyway. It is easier than continually nagging him."

Gemma Arranz, from Ikea, said: "People have very different ideas about what 'tidy' means, but it is still remarkable how many couples argue several times a week about mess and clutter in their homes.

"Our findings show stereotypes continue to ring true, with men annoying their partner by leaving piles of clothes in the bedroom, while women have too many shoes and cosmetics.

"It is sad some argue so much it affects their love lives or may even lead to them splitting up, when simple storage solutions could help them live happily."

TV psychotherapist Stelios Kiosses said: "The results highlight that some men aren't pulling their weight when it comes to keeping a tidy home.

"For women, a house left in a mess symbolises that her partner doesn't care about how she feels.

"Women tend to express this by increasing the amount they complain, but men misinterpret this and tend to take it as a remark meant to make them feel incompetent.

"Mess then becomes a barrier between the couple, creating feelings of resentment.

"Few couples realise the importance of dealing with it until it is way out of control.

"Piles of stuff in every room may affect the couples ability to think clearly, relax, and enjoy their living space so it's important to have storage space for every item to prevent more pile-ups."

Five-year-old runs up £1,700 iPad bill in ten minutes

2013-03-01T05:44:00.004-08:00

A five-year-old boy ran up a £1,700 bill on his parents' iPad in just ten minutes.

Danny Kitchen aged 5 from Warmley, Bristol who ran up a huge £1,700 bill on the iPad app Zombie vs Ninja

Danny Kitchen had asked for the passcode for the device so that he could download a game, Zombie v Ninja, from the Apple store.

Greg and Sharon Kitchen eventually agreed and left their son alone with the tablet computer as they entertained friends at their home in Warmley, near Bristol.

But after downloading the free app Danny found his way into the game's online store and innocently ordered dozens of costly add-ons - totalling £1,710.43.

His mother knew nothing about his spending spree until she saw a batch of emails from iTunes the following day listing what he had bought.

Her credit card company then phoned to query the payments - and Mrs Kitchen, 44, realised what had happened.

She explained: "Danny was pestering us to let him have a go on the iPad. He kept saying it was a free game so my husband put in the passcode and handed it to him.

"It worried me when he asked for the password but I had a look at the game it said it was free so I didn't think there would be a problem.

"We had lots of visitors in the house and were both a little preoccupied. I woke up Monday morning and looked at my emails and had loads from iTunes.

"I thought it must be a mistake, so I checked my bank balance online and nothing had been taken out.

"I thought nothing of it until I my credit card advisor phoned and told me they had authorised the transaction."

Danny had bought dozens of in-game weapons and keys on the iPad 3 including 12 purchases of '333 keys' at £69.99 a time and seven '333 ecstasy bombs' at £69.99.

He also bought five lots of "9000 darts" each costing £69.99, five lots of '4200 darts' at £5.49 each and additional ecstasy bombs totalling £3.22.

Mrs Kitchen, a mother-of-five, said: "I realised what happened and told Danny he'd better get ready for bed and run and hide before daddy got home.

"He was crying, as the rest of the children were telling him we could have bought a house with the amount he had spent.

"He started to run and through his tears he turned back and said 'But where can I hide?' Bless him - that stopped me being angry but of course it's a lot of money.

"Loads of parents in the playground said similar things had happened to them but for a lot less money. I can't believe he was able to spend so much money.

"It was far too easy a thing for him to do and more should be done to limit stuff like this from happening. That game is very annoying - and who would spend more than £1,700 on a game?

"It's the first time any of our kids have done anything like this - and it will be the last."

Danny said: "I said to dad can you put the passcode for the game he said no and then I said it was free so he said yes.

"The next day it cost lots of money. I was worried and I felt sad. I was crying. I'm not sure how I did it, I thought it was free."

"It was a good game, but I will never do anything like this again. I'm banned from the iPad now, but I am still going to play games when I can, but I will be careful now."

Mr and Mrs Kitchen run their own children's entertainment company and have four older children - Rosie, six, Riley, eight, Conor, 11, and Shannon, 15.

Apple have now told the family they will refund the money.

Mr Kitchen, 44, said: "I was livid - not amused at all. But Danny was very sorry so I couldn't stay mad at him for long.

"I'm relieved that they have said they are going to give us back our money. We had to give them so much information and it's taken three days, but I'm relieved."

An Apple spokesman said such incidents had to be reported as quickly as possible.

He said it was vital people kept their pass code, designed to stop unauthorised electronic purchases on its products, safe and said software was available to prevent children from using the iTunes store even if they have the password.

A spokesman said: "All iOS devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod touch) have built in parental controls that give parents and guardians the ability to restrict access to content, eg internet access and age rated content such as music, games, apps, TV shows, movies etc.

"Parental controls also give parents and guardians the option to turn off functionality such as purchasing from iTunes and the ability to turn off in-app purchases.

"Our parents' guide to iTunes details the steps and measures parents and guardians can take to make sure younger players have access to the right content. The first thing we recommend is not to share your password."

Homeless US man who returned diamond engagement ring rewarded

2013-02-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

A homeless US man will soon have well over $150,000 (£98,000) after he returned an engagement ring to a woman who accidentally dropped it in his cup earlier this month.

Sarah Darling's engagement ring was found by Billy Ray Harris (right)

Sarah Darling's fiancé set up a website seeking donations for Billy Ray Harris, who frequently panhandles on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza. By Tuesday morning, more than 6,000 people had donated more than $148,000 to the fund.

"I think in our world we often jump to like the worst conclusion, and it just makes you realise that there are good people out there," Ms Darling said.

Mr Harris discovered the ring about an hour after Darling dumped spare change from her coin purse into his cup. She had taken off her ring earlier that day and put it with the coins.

"The ring was so big that I knew if it was real, it was expensive," Mr Harris told KCTV.

Ms Darling was upset when she realised the next day what she had done. She went back to Mr Harris, squatted beside him and told him that she might have given him something valuable.

"'Was it a ring?'" he recalled asking her. "And she says, 'Yeah.' And I said 'Well, I have it.' "

Ms Darling gave Mr Harris all the cash she had in her wallet at the time.

"It seemed like a miracle," Ms Darling said. "I thought for sure there was no way I would get it back."

In explaining why he did not keep the ring, Mr Harris said he had a religious upbringing.

"My grandfather was a reverend," Mr Harris said. "He raised me from the time I was six months old and thank the good Lord, it's a blessing, but I do still have some character."

Britain's worst driver fails record 107 test attempts

2013-02-20T14:13:00.002-08:00

Britain's worst driver has failed a record 107 attempts at the car theory test and is still yet to pass.

The car practical driving test is designed to see if motorists can drive safely on different road and traffic conditions

The hapless unnamed 28-year old, from London, has so far spent £3,317 trying to pass the theory test, at a cost of £31 each.

The test includes a 57-minute multiple choice exam which 43 out of 50 questions must be answered correctly and a hazard perception test which requires a pass mark of 44 out of 75. Motorists must pass both parts before they can sit their practical test.

A 40-year old determined candidate logged a record number of practical driving tests - passing on his 37th attempt. The unnamed man from the area of Stoke on Trent forked out at least £2,294 trying to pass, which could have bought him a reasonable second hand car.

The practical test costs £62 for a test on a weekday or £75 for a test on an evening, weekend or bank holiday.

The car practical driving test is designed to see if motorists can drive safely on different road and traffic conditions and know the Highway Code.

An AA Driving School spokesperson said: "This is clearly an unusually high number of test attempts, but it is important to remember that everyone learns at their own pace.

"Their determination to pass highlights how important learning to drive is to most people.

"It is a milestone that many people aspire to achieving because of the freedom and independence it brings."

Drunk man 'tried to have sex with an ambulance'

2013-02-17T15:55:00.001-08:00

A 25-year-old drunken man tried to have sex with an ambulance, a court heard.

Callum Ward was seen 'simulating a sex act' on the bonnet of the ambulance

Callum Ward, 25, was seen "pressing" himself against the emergency vehicle before "simulating a sex act" on the bonnet.

Official police logs show an officer who saw him stated: "It looks as though he is attempting to make love to the front of the ambulance".

Ward was drunk and had taken cannabis and amphetamine and was "in relatively high spirits" before the incident in November in Barnstaple, Devon.

He was first spotted setting fire to a packet of peanuts inside a phone box before mounting the ambulance, Barnstaple Magistrates Court was told.

He was found guilty of being drunk and disorderly and in possession of Class B drugs.

He was sentenced to a community order with a supervision requirement for six months and ordered to pay £60.

Ward, of Barnstaple, told the court: "I did start using drugs and drinking. I have seen the error of my ways with that."

In 2007, Robert Stewart, of Ayr, Scotland, was placed on the sex offenders’ register after being caught trying to have sex with a bicycle.

Giant rabbit scares burglar out of family home

2013-02-17T15:51:00.002-08:00

A petrified burglar fled a family home in the middle of the night - after coming face-to-face with their giant pet rabbit.

Toby the rabbit

Kimberley May, her fiance Martin, and their three-year-old daughter Olivia were all sound asleep when the thief broke into their house.

But as the raider rifled through cupboards the noise woke up Toby the family's British Giant bunny in his kitchen cage.

The 4.5kg, two-feet long pet began stomping so loudly on the floor that the intruder was caught on the hop and left.

Kimberley said: "We went to bed on Wednesday at about 10pm. In the early hours of the morning Toby our rabbit did five loud thumps.

"I sort of half woke up then realised he'd stopped and went back to sleep.

"When I went downstairs every single cupboard and drawer were open, there were bits out everywhere, then we started noticing things were missing and we phoned the police."

Kimberley, a nurse, is convinced that two year-old Toby's thumping scared the thief off from their house in Plymouth, Devon.

She found a hoard of items left piled up on the sofa which she thinks the burglar was preparing to take but left behind.

She added: "Because of Christmas and my birthday just gone, I had loads of gift sets and perfumes that they'd laid out across the sofa.

"We think that when the rabbit thumped it scared the burglar off and they left all the stuff they were going to take.

"He's like a little dog, if you whistle him he comes.

"The rabbit was just traumatised in his cage, shaking. He's usually really friendly but he tried to go for the policeman."

The crook still managed to get away with other valuables including a treasured First World War medal that belonged to Kimberley's great-grandad.

Kimberley added: "They managed to take a laptop, an iPad and my handbag with my purse and everything in, but the worse thing was my great granddad's medal.

"My gran actually died in 2007, she lived in a council house all her life, hardly had any possessions That was the one thing important thing she had.

"They also took a box which had all our wedding invitations and favours in it, as well as paperwork which I was due to give to the church and reception venue."

Detective Constable Nick Bloom said: "We believe the family was burgled between 10.30pm on Wednesday February 6 and 7am on Thursday February 7.

"The police are asking for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward."

Toby still has some way to go before he is fully grown - British Giant rabbits can reach up to 5.9 kg.

Owner Kimberley, 30, said monster bunny Toby was so big he lives in a cage built for a Labrador.

Kimberley and online salesman partner Martin, 33, got their prized pet from an animal adoption centre who took him in an unwanted pet.

She said: "He's playful, really friendly, and he doesn't mind my three-year-old crawling all over him. He's like a small dog really.

"He has the run of the house and at night he goes in a dog's crate. It's a Labrador-sized cage.

"When he thumps on the floor its incredibly loud - you can hear it echoing around the house."

On the night of the burglary Toby stomped his five-inch long feet so loudly on the plastic floor of his crate that he managed to wake Kimberley up.

She said: "The rabbit had obviously seen the burglar when he went into the kitchen.

"I heard him thump five times on the bottom of his cage and I woke up, sat up, then turned over and went back to sleep.

"As I've done that the bed springs have made a loud creaking sound, so the guy has probably heard movement and made a run for it."

Although the thief managed to take some valuables Kimberley fears the break-in could have been even worse had it not been for Toby.

She added: "If he hadn't been scared off he could have come upstairs looking for things. My daughter was asleep up there - it could have been really dangerous.

"Toby has done the job of a guard dog. We're so proud of him we've rewarded him with a new tunnel to play with.

"It's a cat's tunnel obviously because he needs a big one."

Richard Clayderman serenades Galapagos tortoises with Chariots of Fire rendition

2013-02-11T03:41:00.003-08:00

A pair of Galapagos tortoises at London Zoo were serenaded with a rendition of Chariots of Fire by pianist Richard Clayderman today, in a bid to get the slow-moving reptiles in a mood to mate.

The music – from the French musician's latest album Romantique – appeared lost on the slow-moving giants who didn't appear particularly impressed.

Clayderman played his hit Ballade pour Adeline and a rousing rendition of Chariots of Fire – however neither hit did anything to lift their spirits.

They only seemed to perk up when zookeepers brought them some carrots.

Galapagos tortoises are the largest in the world and can live for over 150 years. But the gentle animals have struggled to fend off predators and are now under threat.

Clayderman said that his golden retriever loved to lie by the piano when he was playing, "so maybe it's good for the animals to listen to music."

Maybe. But it's possible tortoises just don't appreciate what Clayderman has described as his "New Romantic" style.

Clayderman himself seemed a bit bemused by his record company's launch stunt.

"After playing all around the world – I used to do concerts in Asia, in South America, in Europe – it's funny to be here, in this very nice zoo," he said.

Chinese millionaire street sweeper refuses to give up work

2013-01-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

A Chinese millionaire has refused to give up her day job as a street sweeper for fear of losing her work ethic and worrying over her lazy children.

Mrs Yu had never been late for work and had only asked for three days off in the last 14 years

After nearly four decades of hard labour as a farmer, cook, lorry driver and street sweeper, a sudden million pound windfall might tempt sweet thought of retirement.

But 53-year-old Yu Youzhen has a rather more unbending work ethic.

Five years ago, her family land in Donghu village, near the city of Wuhan, was bought by the government for a property development.

She used the compensation money to being building a property empire which now includes 17 apartments worth some 10 million yuan (£1 million), according to the Wuhan Evening News.

Nevertheless, six days a week Mrs Yu dons an orange coat and goes to work as a street sweeper, earning a monthly wage of £142.

"Work is not just about the salary, it makes one focused. Laziness gives rise to all sorts of bad habits," she said, to the Chinese newspaper.

The head of her cleaning team, Fu Guoju, noted that Mrs Yu had never been late for work and had only asked for three days off in the last 14 years in order to attend the funerals of her mother-in-law and father.

Mrs Yu's dogged attachment to her orange jacket appears to stem partly from habit and partly from a nagging worry over her feckless children.

Her 33-year-old son, Liang, has had a chequered career, working selling lottery tickets for a while and spending long spells at home, lounging on the sofa.

"I want to be a role model for my children," said Mrs Yu. "I do not want to sit around idly and eat up my fortune".

"My son once stayed at home for two months, and I kept scolding him during that time. Now he is doing pretty well. He said to me later I was right. I was worried he would hang out with bad people and ruin our family."

Her son is currently working as a driver in her home village for £120 a month while her daughter mans the kiosk at a cinema for £200 a month.

Since the Chinese newspapers revealed Mrs Yu's work ethic she has become a minor celebrity. The Communist party's propaganda machine has also been quick to pounce on her as an example of a model worker.

"Starting from loving labour and living a meaningful life to make her feel at ease, Yu Youzhen gives us a good starting point," said the state-run Beijing News in an editorial.

Boy burned as BlackBerry phone 'bursts into flames'

2012-12-04T23:29:00.000-08:00

A schoolboy suffered serious burns after a BlackBerry smartphone appeared to burst into flames in the middle of the night and set fire to his bed.

Kian McCreath with his duvet that was set on fire by the exploding phone

Kian McCreath, 11, fled from his bedroom screaming "my bed is on fire" after flames engulfed him while he slept last weekend.

His mother Sarah, 39, awoke to her son’s screams after the new BlackBerry device, bought as a gift for his brother, Mason, malfunctioned and spontaneously combusted.

The youngster was rushed to University Hospital Coventry with serious burns to his legs and feet after plastic stuck to his skin. He has been left permanently scarred.

The year 7 pupil said tonight: "It was really scary. I woke up with my legs in a fire at the bottom of my bed. I'm also having problems sleeping at night."

The family is now demanding the popular BlackBerry Curve 9320 mobile is recalled from shops in time for Christmas.

Tonight, local trading standards officials were investigating the incident, which occurred just after 2.30am last Sunday at the family’s home in Coventry, West Mids.

Research in Motion, the manufacturers behind BlackBerry, also confirmed that an internal investigation had been launched as “a priority”.

Kian’s father, Pete, a 39 year-old carpenter, bought the £13 a month mobile phone for his eldest son as a 13th birthday present, from a Vodafone shop in Birmingham.

No problems were reported for about a week. Mrs McCreath had placed the charging phone in the boy’s bedroom because it is used as an alarm just a few hours before it blew up.

She said that after going to sleep, she heard a loud “pop” sound, before he son started “screaming at the top of his voice, shouting ‘my bed's on fire’”.

They dashed into his room, to find the bottom of his duvet and mattress alight as Mrs McCreath frantically smothered the fire using a quilt.

Kian was immediately put in the bath to cool the burns before being rushed to hospital. Mrs McCreath, an administrative assistant, said her son has been left traumatised by the incident.

She said: “It was just horrific. He was in a lot of pain as his feet had pretty much been engulfed in flames.

"I ran into the room and started battering the flames with his brother's quilt to put them out.

"The bed was charred and the phone itself was just a blackened shell. It could have easily been much worse if he hadn't have woken up.”

She added: "If I had left the phone on the landing, the whole house could have gone up. You just don't expect this to happen with a mobile phone.

"You wouldn't think something so small could do so much damage – my son could quite easily have died. It sends a shudder down my spine to think what could have happened. “

"He hasn't been able to use his own mobile phone since and is having trouble sleeping. He is going to be scarred for life as well.”

She warned that thousands of children will be receiving the phones as Christmas gifts, so “parents need to be aware of the dangers before somebody dies”.

Mr McCreath added: "If Sarah hadn't acted so quickly that room could have gone up in flames within minutes.

"It was just lucky she got there so quickly. I'm shaking just talking about it.

"The phone... needs to be tested. A lot of kids are raving about that Blackberry phone right now. My main concern is for the safety of other kids.”

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council's trading standards office said: "We have received a complaint and we are going to investigate the matter."

The family have since contacted Trading Standards, who have urged them to keep the mobile as evidence, while McCreath has held a video conference with RIM officials over his concerns.

A spokesman from Research in Motion said: "We take claims of this nature very seriously and are investigating this matter as a priority." She declined to comment further.

Blackberry devices were the biggest selling smartphones in Britain last year.

Music graduate gets job as human scarecrow

2012-10-09T22:52:00.001-07:00

A student who graduated university with a degree in music and English is putting his skills to good use in a Norfolk field, after being employed as a human scarecrow.

Jamie Fox will use a ukulele, accordion and cowbell to frighten away troublesome partridges

Jamie Fox, 22, who recently graduated from Bangor University, will use a ukulele, accordion and cowbell to frighten away troublesome partridges.

While his fellow students may be pulling pints, going travelling or desperately seeking their first professional role, Mr Fox will earn £250 a week patrolling the ten-acre field.

Wearing a bright orange coat, he will play the musical instruments in a bid to finally scare off the hardy birds, which were unperturbed by ordinary scarecrows.

His employer, a farmer from Aylsham, Norfolk, even warned him to “bring a deckchair and a good book” for his days in the oilseed rape field, where he will also practice his ukulele in the hopes of getting a full-time job in music.

Mr Fox, who says his friends are “slightly envious” of his role, is now saving to pay for a trip to New Zealand next year.

"I get to sit and read for a lot of the time but whenever I see the partridges, I have to get up and scare them off," he told the BBC.

“I ring a cowbell and I've even played the accordion, but the ukulele doesn't seem to have any effect on them.

"The farmer said to me, 'Bring a deckchair and a good book'. A couple of my friends in busier, more generously-paid jobs, are slightly envious.”

Farmer William Youngs said he resorted to his human scarecrow after partridges were not put off by more ordinary methods of frightening them away.

"The only way to get rid of them is to walk down the field and push them off," he said. "Jamie's doing a good job. You can really see the difference."

Has the Loch Ness monster finally been caught on camera?

2012-08-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

A monster hunter who has spent 26 years searching for the Loch Ness Monster claims to have taken the "best picture ever" of the beast, after dedicating 60 hours a week to his quest.

Nessie hunter George Edwards waited 26 years for this moment - and he now believes he has the best picture ever taken of the Loch Ness monster.

He spends his life on the loch - around 60 hours a week - taking tourists out on his boat Nessie Hunter IV, and has led numerous Nessie hunts over the years.

But this image is the one that's convinced him that there really is a monster or monsters - out there. It shows a mysterious dark hump moving in the water towards Urquhart Castle.

"I was just about to return to Temple Pier (in Drumnadrochit) and I went to the back of the boat which was facing the pier and that's when I saw it," said 60-year-old Mr Edwards, a lifelong believer in the monster.

"It was slowly moving up the loch towards Urquhart Castle and it was a dark grey colour. It was quite a fair way from the boat, probably about half a mile away but it's difficult to tell in water."

Far too many people have being seeing them for far too long," he said. "The first recorded sighting was in 565AD and there have been thousands of eye witness reports since then.

"All these people can't be telling lies. And the fact the reports stretch over so many years mean there can't just be one of them. I'm convinced there are several monsters."

Steve Feltham, who has dedicated the past 21 years to hunting for Nessie was unequivocval.

"It is the best photograph I think I have ever seen," he said.

From his base on Dores beach and has studied many Nessie sighting photographs.

"I think the images are fantastic - that's the animal I have been looking for all this time," he said yesterday.

"I would say it doesn't prove what Nessie is, but it does prove what Nessie isn't, a sturgeon which is a fish that has been put forward as one of the main explanations as to what Nessie could be but this hasn't got a serrated spine like the sturgeon.

Mr Edwards his vessel's sonar to make a contact but to no avail. "I hung around for a good half-an-hour and used the deep scanning sonar to try and pick it up, but I'm afraid I had no luck at all."

Mr Edwards took the photo at 9am on 2nd November last year on a compact Samsung digital camera that he always keeps on the boat.

Before releasing it publicly he sent it to the USA for analysis, though he can't reveal further details.

"I did not want to mention my sighting until I was sure that I had not photographed a log or something inanimate in the water in the water," he said.

"I have friends in the USA who have friends in the military.

"They had my photo analysed and they have no doubt that I photographed an animate object in the water. I was really excited as I am sure that some strange creatures are lurking in the depths of Loch Ness."

Netherlands councillors call for fines for wrong weather forecasts

2012-07-15T10:51:00.001-07:00

Local councillors in the Netherlands are calling for weather forecasters who get their predictions wrong to be fined.

The demand comes from Labour councillors in Hoek van Holland who say that "bad" forecasts are spoiling the local seaside trade.

It follow claims that wrong forecasts in both the Netherlands and Belgium are damaging outdoor attractions as day trippers cancel plans to go out because of poor weather prospects.

Joep Thonissen, head of Recron, the Dutch tourist attraction association, said "incorrect" forecasts were causing "considerable damage" to visitor attractions.

He said, "Last week it was really good weather over most of the country but the weather forecasts were full of heavy rain and thunderstorms, so people stayed home."

KNMI, the commercial weather bureau, based at Hilversum, near Amsterdam, whose forecasts are widely used by Dutch TV and newspapers, has been blamed with Mr Thonissen saying: "Heavy rain above Hilversum does not mean that is the case in the rest of the country."

"Recent weather reporting has been completely inaccurate and it is hitting local businesses dearly because people are cancelling bookings. I agree they should be fined on the grounds of disseminating incorrerct information."

Cees Molenaars, a spokesman for KNMI told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: "TV, radio and newspapers use the raw data we deliver but it is up to them to how their forecasts turn out."

Last week, tourist attraction bosses in Belgium called for "less pessimistic forecasts" and urged meteorologists to pay as much attention to sun as they do to rain.

French cows reared on fine wine

2012-07-11T04:57:00.001-07:00

French cows are enjoying up to two bottles of high quality wine every day as farmers attempt to produce the best beef in Europe.

Jean-Charles Tastavy, who came up with the idea, said the two Angus and one Camargue were initially fed the wine in a mix of barley, hay and grapes

The extraordinary development has seen a 'Vinbovin' label of meat established which is already being championed by some of the best restaurants in Paris.

It follows an experiment in Lunel-Viel, in the southern Herault region of France, which saw three cows fed local wine for four months.

Jean-Charles Tastavy, who came up with the idea, said the two Angus and one Camargue were initially fed the wine in a mix of barley, hay and grapes.

It soon became clear that they were 'happy cows' who ended up producing an exceptionally succulent meat.

Outlining how he encouraged the cows to enjoy a tipple, Mr Tastavy said: "For each animal, alcohol intake should be equivalent to the amount recommended by health authorities for a man – namely two or three glasses of wine a day. In the case of cows, this amounts to between a litre and a litre-and-a-half a day."

"The cattle loved what was on the menu and drank it with relish," said Claude Chaballier, owner of the farm where the experiment started last year.

Referring to the Muscat grape, Mr Chaballier added: "I thought that next time we may try Muscat so as to give the meat a more musky taste."

Laurent Pourcel, a Michelin-starred chef, is among those enthusing about the 'luxury meat' saying: "It has a very special texture – beautiful, marbled and tender, and which caramelises during cooking. All the best Parisien restaurants will take it."

Japanese Kobe beef, which is made with beer, is currently considered among the best in the world, but the possibility of cows enjoying vintage wine will guarantee an even more luxurious product.

There is a down side, however: the introduction of wine into the feed of the Lunel-Viel cows tripled the cost of their feed, adding up to £80 to the cost of a prime beef cut.

Indonesian smoking orang-utan to kick the habit

2012-07-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

Tori is a teenager with a bad habit. The 15-year-old orang-utan has been smoking cigarettes at an Indonesian zoo for a decade, but she’s about to go cold turkey.

Tori the smoking orangutan inside her enclosure at a zoo in the central Java town of Solo

Zookeepers said on Friday that they plan to move Tori away from visitors who regularly throw lit cigarettes into her cage so they can watch and photograph her puffing away and flicking ashes on the ground.

The primate mimics human behavior, holding cigarettes casually between her fingers while taking long drags and blowing bursts of smoke out her nostrils to the delight of visitors.

Taru Jurug Zoo director Lili Krisdianto said the move was aimed to protect four endangered orangutans at the 14-hectare (35-acre) zoo in the Central Java town of Solo.

Results of a medical test are expected Saturday to determine how much Tori's smoking has affected her health, said Hardi Baktiantoro of the Borneo-based Center for Orangutan Protection, which is helping to coordinate the intervention. A mesh cover will initially be placed over Tori's cage, and later she will be moved to a small island away from the public, he said.

Several Indonesian zoos have come under scrutiny following animal deaths, including a giraffe that died in the long-troubled Surabaya Zoo in March with an 18-kilogram (40-pound) ball of plastic in its stomach after years of ingesting trash thrown into its enclosure by visitors.

Indonesia is also one of the last remaining countries where tobacco companies face few restrictions on selling, advertising and promoting products long banned elsewhere.

More than 60 percent of all men light up and a third of the country's entire population smokes.

Lifeguard sacked after saving drowning man outside his beach patrol

2012-07-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

A young lifeguard in Florida has lost his job after rescuing a drowning man in a section of beach he was not assigned to patrol, local news media reported on Wednesday.

Tomas Lopez, 21, fired for helping drowning man

Tomas Lopez, 21, was manning his post on Hallandale Beach, north of Miami, on Monday afternoon when a beachgoer alerted him to a swimmer struggling in an "unprotected" part of the beach.

"It was a long run, but someone needed my help. I wasn't going to say no," said Lopez, quoted by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper.

The unidentified man was rescued, then rushed to hospital where he remains in intensive care. But when Lopez went to file an incident report, he was fired for going 500 yards out of his assigned area.

"They didn't tell me in a bad way. It was more like they were 'sorry, but rules are rules,'" Lopez said. "I couldn't believe what was happening."

"We have liability issues and can't go out of the protected area," explained a supervisor for the private contractor that supplies lifeguards for Hallandale Beach, a popular destination for Canadian winter holiday makers.

"What he did was his own decision. He knew the company rules and did what he thought he needed to do."

No longer in a job that pays $8.25 an hour, Lopez said he would do what he did again if he had to. "It was the moral thing to do," he said. "I would never pick a job over my morals."

Coastguard pilot suspended for using helicopter to pick up steaks from Orkney butcher

2012-04-22T01:17:00.001-07:00

The pilot of a coastguard helicopter has been suspended after flying to an island at the end of a training exercise to collect fillet steaks from his favourite butcher.

The crew of the Shetland Coastguard aircraft flew 85 miles from their base to pick up £400 worth of prime cuts on the unscheduled shopping trip to Orkney.

The incident came to light after a video of the helicopter landing in a field was posted on YouTube.

Mobile phone footage, since removed from the site, showed two crewmen collecting a bag of beef from several butchers who were there to see the landing.

The aircraft touched down in a field near ER & T Craigie, a butcher based at Tankerness on the east mainland of Orkney.

CHC Helicopter, the operator of the aircraft, has launched an inquiry and confirmed that the pilot had been suspended.

A spokesman said the training exercise had been completed before the landing, and any costs incurred would be met by the company, not the taxpayer.

She added: "We expect high standards of professionalism from all our employees and if we find these have not been met, we will take the appropriate action.

"While the aircraft was previously engaged in a training exercise, it was operating a non-revenue flight at the time of the incident in question."

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it had asked CHC to investigate as a matter of urgency and regarded any misuse of its assets as "completely unacceptable".

Meanwhile, Thorfinn Craigie, 38, the butcher at the centre of the incident, said he was horrified to learn that the pilot had been suspended, and pointed out that the aircraft had been "in the area" at the time.

He also revealed that it was the second time a helicopter had landed to collect premium meat.

He added: "They normally land about two miles away at Kirkwall Airport and they wanted us to meet them at the airfield. But I told them that since I own the land behind the butchery shed, they could land there.

"One of the crew said that would be great because they have to train to do drops in rough areas.

"So they did it last month and did it again on Monday. They love our meat and came back for more. It was all good cuts. Fillet steaks and roasting joints of silverside."

Mary Scanlon, the Highlands and islands Conservative MSP, said Orkney meat was world famous for its quality, adding: "The Shetland Coastguard are obviously aware of this, but next time they fancy some of it they should consider vacuum-packed mail order, and not use life-saving training time for a shopping trip."

'Eggless' chick laid by hen in Sri Lanka

2012-04-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

'Eggless' chick laid by hen in Sri Lanka

The "eggless" chick has survived, but the mother has died

A Sri Lanka hen has given birth to a chick without an egg, in a new twist on the age-old question of whether the chicken or the egg came first.

Instead of passing out of the hen's body and being incubated outside, the egg was incubated in the hen for 21 days and then hatched inside the hen.

The chick is fully formed and healthy, although the mother has died.

The government veterinary officer in the area said he had never seen anything like it before.

PR Yapa, the chief veterinary officer of Welimada, where it took place, examined the hen's carcass.

He found that the fertilised egg had developed within the hen's reproductive system, but stayed inside the hen's body until it hatched.

A post-mortem conducted on the hen's body concluded that it died of internal wounds.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says that the story has made headlines in Sri Lanka, with the Sri Lankan Daily Mirror's concluding: "The chicken came first; not the egg."