Odd News From Around The World.

[donthani]

JOB DONE: Women approach DIY tasks calmly (Europics)

ASSEMBLING flat-pack furniture is a ready-made way of sparking an argument between couples.

But it is women who are better at putting together the boxed-up bookshelves than men, according to a female boss at furniture store Ikea.

The man of the house may be keener to show off his “construction skills” while the fairer sex wins hands-down in the real DIY stakes, according to Petra Hesser, head of the Swedish giant’s German operation.

It is all down to women approaching the task calmly and following instructions from beginning to end, she said.

“Men never look at the directions and have the most problems with construction because they always think they can do that,” she told the Austrian Times.

Confirming that women are better at putting together their furniture, she said: “Tests have shown this to be true.”

Ms Hesser said that even though the instructions might be confusing and complex, women more often take the time to study them first, whereas men are impatient and tackle the job with no clue what they are doing.

Ms Hesser added: “The woman first sorts the parts in an orderly way. Men throw them in a pile and then something goes miss


Psychologist Gladeana McMahon said it was little surprise that women confound the stereotypical image that they are poor at DIY.

She said: “Men often joke about women not being very good at DIY but it is not the case at all. Women are far more patient and look at things in a much calmer way than men.

“They take their time, whereas men often feel under pressure to achieve things quickly.

“Men think they should be able to do these kind of tasks easily, as if it is wired into their DNA.

“But women take it more in their stride and, importantly, are not afraid to ask for help.

“Men won’t ask for help often because they see it as an affront to their masculinity.

“Women are good at multi-tasking and use both sides of their brains, which helps them to work things out, whereas men are much more linear in their approach.”

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/749 ... men-at-DIY

[Irish Alan]

A romantic marriage proposal on a beach turned into a nightmare when a wave swept the bride-to-be out to sea. Scott Napper had taken Leafil Alforque to Proposal Rock near Neskowin Beach in Oregon to pop the question.

Ms Alforque, 22, had arrived in the US state from the Philippines just three days before the proposal.

The tide had receded around the rock when the couple began to walk round it, Mr Napper said.

The 45-year-old was preparing to propose and present his sweetheart with a ring he was carrying in his pocket.

But about three metres from the rock, a wave suddenly came crashing towards them.

"I turned into it to keep from getting pulled under it," Mr Napper said.

By the time he turned round to look for Ms Alforque, she had been swept away by the receding waters.

"That's the last I saw of her," Mr Napper said.

Emergency services arrived on the beach within minutes but were unable to find her.

Ms Alforque's family in the Philippines are hoping her body can be recovered from the sea.

The Tillamook County Sheriff's Office is routinely checking the beach and looking for possible witnesses, although no foul play is suspected.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20081205/twl ... d0ae9.html

[laphanphon]

AMERICA TAKING CARE OF THEIR OWN. just think how the innocent at Guatamo bay feel after 7 yrs.

Former U.S. Contractor Alleges 9-Month Detention in Iraq
Translator Says He Was Denied Attorney, Phone Calls While Held For Months

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6436263&page=1

[Farang1]

[b]Mass. man melting snow with blowtorch ignites home[/b]
Tue Dec 23, 9:00 am ETNEW BEDFORD, Mass. – Fire officials in New Bedford, Mass., say a man using a blowtorch to melt ice on his back porch ended up setting his house on fire, causing up to $30,000 in damage.

Fire Capt. Scott Kruger tells The Standard-Times of New Bedford that no on was injured during Monday's incident at the three-story home.

Kruger says the man was using a torch hooked up to a 20-pound propane cylinder. He got too close to the building's wood frame and ignited the vinyl siding. The fire quickly spread into the building's second- and third-floor apartments.

It took 25 firefighters to subdue the blaze that damaged bedrooms in the upstairs units, and caused damage to the structure and wiring.

The homeowner will not be charged.

Information from: The Standard-Times, http://www.southcoasttoday.com

[beer monkey]

UK

TRUSTING Tom Algie left his shop unattended for a day off — and made £187 from his honest customers.

Dad-of-two Tom, 47, fancied a day with his family but didn’t want to shut his DIY store.(Hardware)

So he made an honesty box out of a bucket, a tube and a funnel, then left it on the counter with a note reading: “Please choose the items you want and place the right money inside.”



He returned that evening to find takings of £187.66 and two euros. Nothing had been stolen or damaged.

Customers in scenic Settle, North Yorks , even wrote notes thanking Tom. One said, “This is why we moved to Settle,” while another wrote, “This has made my day.”

Settle has a population of 2,100, but serves a wider rural area and has about 100 shops.

Tom said: “I didn’t think twice about leaving the shop open. Settle is a lovely quiet town, there’s never any trouble here. I put faith in my customers and I wasn’t disappointed.

“It’s nice to know there are a lot of good honest people out there and not everything is all doom and gloom.”
The Sun (UK)

[westerby]

UK

TRUSTING Tom Algie left his shop unattended for a day off — and made £187 from his honest customers.

That's a nice story, I wonder if he leaves his front door unlocked when he goes to sleep at night time?

[aznyron]

West IMO most people are cash register honest if I walk in to a store to purchase a item and no one was there I would walk out with out the item only reason is if I paid for it the cash left behind might temp the next person to steal it that is only my opinion which is like A/H every one got one it seem mine like to trade places once in a while with my head thinking it smarter

[stattointhailand]

UK

TRUSTING Tom Algie left his shop unattended for a day off — and made £187 from his honest customers.

That's a nice story, I wonder if he leaves his front door unlocked when he goes to sleep at night time?

I remember when I was a kid (five or six), and visited my cousin in Newcastle for the first time, being amazed that they left the front door open all day and all night, and it opened onto the street (no front garden). People just invited themselves in with a "hi, are you there" and proceeded to walk through the house.
I was used to a clip round the ear, if I left the door open, together with a "were you born in a field? put the bl**dy wood in the 'ole"

[beer monkey]

2 Fisherman survive floating in an Ice-Box in the sea for 25 days near Australia

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Two men were found floating in an ice box in the seas off Australia and told authorities they had spent 25 days adrift after their fishing boat sank with the loss of 18 other crew members, an official said Tuesday.

The men, 22 and 24, from the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar, were rescued from the Torres Strait by a helicopter Saturday and flown to a hospital on Thursday Island off the coast of Queensland state, Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins said.

Both men stood in the pink ice box which has waist-high sides and waved when they were spotted by a customs border protection patrol flight.

The men told police they had been aboard a 30-foot (9-meter) wooden fishing boat that sank Dec. 23 with a total of 20 crew from Thailand and Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.

Jiggins said the men found refuge inside a large insulated box that held ice on the boat. "At the time of the sinking, the two survivors also witnessed other crew in the water with no flotation devices," she said.

She did not know what the men ate or drank during their ordeal.

One of the rescuers, pilot Terry Gadenne, told Seven Network television that each man drank about four pints of water within seconds of being hoisted aboard the helicopter.

An official at the hospital, Dr. Oscar Whitehead, said the men were in good condition and would be discharged into the care of immigration authorities later Tuesday. He said their greatest medical problem had been dehydration.

[Pakawala]

Didn't know whether to post this here or in one of the football forums...


1981 & 2005 - two interesting years

Interesting Year 1981

1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe
3 Australia lost the Ashes tournament.
4. Pope Died

Interesting Year 2005

1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe
3 Australia lost the Ashes tournament
4. Pope Died

Lesson Learned

The next time Charles intends getting married...someone should warn the Pope !!!

[aznyron]

Didn't know whether to post this here or in one of the football forums...


1981 & 2005 - two interesting years

Interesting Year 1981

1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe
3 Australia lost the Ashes tournament.
4. Pope Died

Interesting Year 2005

1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe
3 Australia lost the Ashes tournament
4. Pope Died

Lesson Learned

The next time Charles intends getting married...someone should warn the Pope !!!

Brian you did again I am rolling on the floor laughing so hard my gut hurts

[beer monkey]

More tragic and shocking than Odd.

A SOCCER fan plunged to his death from a 60mph coach when he opened the emergency exit thinking it was the door to the LOO.

Danny McFarlane, 22, plummeted head-first on to a motorway — and was then hit by an overtaking car.

The hired coach carrying 40 Manchester United supporters screeched to a halt on the hard shoulder of the M5 as a doctor who saw the horror also pulled over.

The medic battled to save the fan but Danny died in the road from multiple injuries.

Last night his shattered mum Carol — a widow — was being comforted by friends in Newport, South Wales.
Devastated

Danny — her only child — was described as “her life”.

The coach had set out from Newport on Saturday morning and was on its way back after United’s 1-0 victory over Everton at Old Trafford.

Jubilant fans were drinking and singing when carpenter Danny, nicknamed “Blue Eyes”, got up to spend a penny in the on-board toilet.

A fellow fan said: “There were high spirits and a lot of drinkers on the coach, which may explain how the tragedy happened.”

Danny’s devastated aunt Diane Lane said: “He was just a beautiful boy in every way — looks and personality. He had the brightest blue eyes and that’s what people called him.

“He was always cracking jokes and had one of those laughs that set other people off. His mother loved him so much. He was her only child and her life.”
Dumbstruck

Danny — whose dad Frankie died six years ago — was a lifelong United fan.

[stattointhailand]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090204/tuk ... dbed5.html

An 83-year-old 'cold case' has been reopened after a dying man allegedly confessed to killing a missing teenage girl.

Emma Alice Smith, 16, has not been seen since she set off on her bicycle from her home in Waldron, East Sussex, to a local railway station in 1926.

Sussex Police have now announced their Major Crime Branch will re-investigate the case after receiving new information from a member of the girl's family.

No trace of her was found during the original search but Detective Chief Inspector Trevor Bowles said the new information led officers to believe she might have been murdered near her home and dumped in a nearby pond.

She disappeared as she cycled to Horam railway station - which has since been demolished - but it is believed she never arrived as her bike was not found at the station where she usually left it.

Mr Bowles said the teenager's great-nephew came to police last year and told them that her sister, Lillian, was told by a dying man in 1953 that he was responsible for her murder.

The man allegedly disposed of her body and the bike in a local pond.

This information was kept within the family and not reported to police, so was never investigated at the time.

Mr Bowles said officers have since carried out some investigatory work by researching council records to find information about who lived in the area at the time.

But he added that the purpose of the inquiry was to locate the teenager's body and return her to her family, so she could be buried according to their wishes.

Officers are not looking at any suspects in the investigation.

An SOS message was broadcast in the 1950s as Emma's father, who was distraught at her disappearance, lay dying. But the message drew no response.

A plaque was placed on his grave in Waldron churchyard.

A police spokesman said: "We do not intend to dredge up local ponds. If there are searches, they will be specific and based on evidence given to us. We are looking at two or three locations.

He added: "This investigation, into an incident 83 years ago, has to be balanced against significant competitive demands on Sussex Police and the Major Crime Branch.

"The public of Sussex rightly expect us to balance demands of investigations such as these against the more active, current investigations we deal with."

[hockeybrit]

A young butcher and his friend have been accused of killing and dismembering a teenage girl before baking her organs with potatoes and eating them.

' Maxim Golovatskhikh and florist Yuri Mozhnov allegedly told police they feasted on the body parts "because they were hungry".

Some of the teenager's body parts were discovered across the Russian city of St Petersburg, including her head which was wrapped in a plastic bag, a court heard.

The victim - who has not been officially identified - disappeared on her way to school on January 19, city prosecutor Sergei Kapitonov said.

He said she was drowned in a bathtub before being cut into pieces and eaten.

The two accused told investigators they cooked some of her internal organs with vegetables in a stove, he said.

Mozhnov and Golovatskhikh are being held on suspicion of murder.

The suspects, both 19, knew the victim, and she accompanied them voluntarily to an apartment rented by another acquaintance on the day she went missing, Mr Kapitonov said.

They were arrested after the plastic bags were found in at least two separate locations.

The court heard the suspects decided to kill the victim after an argument erupted between her and Golovatskikh.

The girl's father was unable to formally identify her.

The case continues.

from Sky news http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090204/twl ... d0ae9.html

probably tasted better than Somtam :-&

[hockeybrit]

Britain is OFFICIALLY in Distress

British PM red-faced over flag gaffe

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been left red-faced after the national flag was displayed upside-down at a ceremony with visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
Even worse, observers note teasingly that the gaffe reflects his current political woes, since traditionally flying the flag upside-down on a ship signifies that it is in distress.

The red white and blue flag, commonly known as the Union Jack, was proudly in place at a ceremony to sign a business deal in Brown's Downing Street office on Monday.

But eagle-eyed observers noted that the flag was mistakenly attached upside-down on the wooden stick, placed on the table in front of Business Secretary Peter Mandelson.

The proper way to display the flag is with the broad white diagonal stripes at the top on the side nearest the flag pole -- on Monday someone had clearly attached the miniature flag the wrong way up.

A Downing Street spokesman admitted the mistake.

"It is regrettable that on this occasion the Union Flag was not displayed correctly. We have looked into how this happened and have taken steps to ensure it is correctly displayed at all times in the future," he said.

But that did not stop observers having fun with the symbolism of the error.

"You would think people in Downing Street would recognise it because they see the flag so often," Mike Kearsley, director general of the Flag Institute, told the BBC.

"Having the flag upside down historically was a sign of distress. You might have it put it up on a fort to warn those in the know -- other British forces -- that there was trouble from the enemy."

And he added: "I'm surprised that people of the calibre of Mandelson and the prime minister could allow such as mistake.

"They were just little plastic flags on wooden sticks, which you could easily take off and put back the right way up."

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090204/to ... 58bda.html

[Pakawala]

They call it 'Amazing Thailand' but this would be more appropriately called "Weird Thailand"...

(Sorry, you may have to Cut & Paste the below 'cuz I'm not sure how to make it an active link.)

http://bangkokdaytours.com/QuirkyThaila ... Bread.html

After looking at this one, you can actually say, "Now I've seen it all."

[stattointhailand]

What were you searching for when you came up with that ........ on second thoughts ........ I don't think we want to know

[laphanphon]

glad i didn't buy that bread machine in bkk

[stattointhailand]

Pakawala, have a word with Andy ....... this might just catch on .........I knew that last baguette reminded me of something

Like the Avitar.... very realistic ...... left it short again .......but what's with the "syrup"?

[beer monkey]

Now he has talent...those models where fantastic.