23 Jul 2012

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE AND A RANSOM FOR NORMAN

That's right, it's left .......
Council workers in Swindon have baffled members of the public for the past three years with a pedestrian crossing that says 'look left' but points to the right. More

Bizarre story of the week ...... 
A historic letter indicates the Nazis planned to assassinate Sir Winston Churchill, the British wartime prime minister, with a bar of exploding chocolate.
Giving a new meaning to the dessert name “death by chocolate”, Adolf Hitler’s bomb makers coated explosive devices with a thin layer of rich dark chocolate, then packaged it in expensive-looking black and gold paper. More


More housework and less hunting?
Neanderthal man may have spent more time doing chores than out hunting.
Archaeologists at the University of Cambridge studying the distinctive skeletal features of Neanderthal remains say they have debunked the traditional image of our extinct prehistoric cousins.
They found that compared to modern and most prehistoric homo sapiens, Neanderthals had significantly overdeveloped right arms - in some cases 50% stronger than their left.
In the past this has been interpreted as a sign they carried spears in their right hands, but now researchers say the asymmetry was probably the result of less glamorous subsistence tasks. More


Fighting crime with FidoCam.
Jerry Lee the police sniffer dog might have kept James Belushi's police detective character out of trouble in the action comedy K-9, but dogs at Staffordshire Police are using digital cameras to keep their officers safe.
The Staffordshire police dogs are the first in the UK to be equipped with the new FidoCam, a digital camera unit fitted on their heads to fight crime. More


My two favourite stories of the week ....... 



1,000p or the gnome gets it. Kidnappers leave home owner, Lorraine Dearing, chilling ransom note and photograph of stolen garden ornament being held at knife point.
Mrs Dearing paid £5 for Norman the gnome two years ago but insisted she would not bow to the kidnapper's demands adding that she hoped 'nothing awful' would happen to Norman. More


It comes to something when the rescue vessel sent to rescue you needs rescuing!
The sailors - from the North Star Shipping company which provides maritime support to UK offshore businesses - were on a rescue rib conducting a training exercise when the engine cut out leaving them helplessly drifting in Aberdeen Bay. The company dispatched a fast rescue vessel to help the stranded vessel but then became caught up in the rapidly receding tide - leaving both boats stuck on the rocks near Torry lighthouseMore


Whoops - or words to that effect ......
Judges from Guinness World Records were due to witness bartender Salvatore make his “Old and Wise” cocktail at the exclusive Playboy Club in Mayfair, West London, when the plan to mix the world's most expensive cocktail had to be scrapped after a clumsy drinker smashed a 234-year-old £50,000 bottle of cognac. More


15 comments:

Suko said...

What a fun post! I especially like the story about the Neanderthal men!!

brandileigh2003 said...

Sad, I spend a lot of my time doing housework too... but I don't like to hunt, so can I use that time to read?

Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

ashok said...

your posts are always a great read :)

Gina said...

Loving the fido cam but really....beheading a gnome? *-*

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Husband dearest would argue that this was the best thing possible to happen to any garden gnome.

Crazy Life of a Writing Mom said...

What a fun read! I'm still laughing about the exploding chocolate. I guess that's one way to go. But what in the world would he say at Heaven's gates? St. Peter would think he was lying about his cause of death for sure--and I've heard where they send liars LOL! On second thought, death by chocolate sounds terrible ;)

DMS said...

These posts always amaze me. Such interesting material out there. Death by Chocolate- was fascinating. I am glad I am not the one who smashed the expensive cognac. Ouch!
~Jess

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

New definitions of the Neanderthal. Poor neanderthal current men... their cover has been blown.

Poor pup. Might be helpful, but that doesn't look comfy at all.

The gnome piece was a bit disturbing. It would be funny if it wasn't so violent.

Joan said...

hi,great you've managed to post a comment, thanks a lot, love your new profile picture

A Lady's Life said...

I love the hedge hog and the police dog and the Neanderthal story. And how bad can it get when rescue boats require rescue lol
Some stories are just so incredible and
beyond words.

NRIGirl said...

So, it's not just me confused between Left and Right in direction! Comes as a relief!

Golden Eagle said...

Whoops indeed! LOL.

Interesting stories.

Blond Duck said...

I wonder what kind of chores they did--sweeping up dust must have been all day!

Jenners said...

A gnome napping? What is the world coming to?

The Bookworm said...

I hope Norman is ok! Lol