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Hawaii holds rare surfing contest as 12m waves roll in

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:24:04 GMT

Hawaii holds rare surfing contest as 12m waves roll in

A rare surfing competition has been held in Hawaii as waves of 12m (40ft) pounded Oahu's famous North Shore.

Thousands of people gathered on beaches and cliffs to watch the world's greatest surfers tackle the waves.

It was only the eighth time in 25 years that the Eddie Aikau competition, named in honour of a celebrated Hawaiian surfer and lifeguard, was held.

The contest is only staged in the most extreme surf conditions and last took place in 2004.

Man dressed up as mother to steal from bank

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:13:37 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.metro.co.uk

Man dressed up as mother to steal from bank

25-year-old Tita Nyambi, of Franklin, N.J., drove up to the drive-through window of the bank and handed over his mother's driving license and a forged bank form.

Bank employees quickly became suspicious that the man dressed in women's clothing and speaking in a high-pitched voice was not in fact Mrs. Nyambi, and called the police.

According to authorities, Nyambi was wearing his mother's pink blouse, black coat and head scarf.

He was still at the bank when police arrived and arrested him. He was taken to jail, and faces charges of forgery and attempted theft by deception.

Disney World to be twinned - with Swindon

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:11:37 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.ananova.com

Disney World to be twinned - with Swindon

Walt Disney World in Florida is to be officially twinned for the first time in its history - with Swindon.

Theme park bosses chose the Wiltshire town, famed for its Honda factory and roundabouts, from a field of 25.

A twinning ceremony is planned at 38-year-old Walt Disney World in Orlando, reports The Sun.

Britons were invited to nominate towns for twinning. Blackpool, Aberdeen, Cambridge, Chester, Milton Keynes and Wigan were in the shortlist of 25.

A panel chose Swindon after watching a video slide-show of its plus points by resident Rebecca Warren.

She will unveil a "Walt Disney World Twinned with Swindon" plaque in Florida next month.

Rebecca, 20, said: "It's fantastic. What an opportunity for Swindon." Mayor David Wren added: "We're delighted."

Disney's Hugh Wood added: "We're looking forward to building a magical relationship."

Wanted: Bad Breath Bandit

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:10:58 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.ananova.com

Wanted: Bad Breath Bandit

A robber dubbed the 'Bad Breath Bandit' is on the loose in Detroit after he carried out a series of bank robberies. The man, who bank workers have described as having crooked yellow teeth and "offensive" bad breath, first robbed a Charter One bank in October.

When he returned last week for more money, bank workers recognised him from his distinctly fragrant breath, police said.

Lt William Wilson said bank workers described the man as thin and unkempt, with "very offensive breath and real yellow teeth".

The police description added: "The whites of his eyes are yellow. He looks and smells dirty. He was wearing a black hooded Carhart type of jacket."

Police say he showed bank employees a note that demanded money. He implied he had a gun but workers did not see a weapon.

The suspect escaped with about $1,000 in the latest robbery.

Balloon proposal falls flat

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:10:30 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.ananova.com

Balloon proposal falls flat

A US vicar's romantic proposal to his girlfriend in a hot air balloon fell flat when he dropped the engagement ring.

The ring fell 500ft into woodland below after James Ng's embarrassing gaffe, reports the Daily Telegraph. Mr Ng, 27, had hidden the £2,000 diamond ring in his camera case. As the pair floated above Ohio in late October, the case slipped from his hand.

"My first thought was don't tell her, and buy another ring - but it took me forever to afford the one I had," he said.

His girlfriend, Sonya Bostic, a 27-year-old teacher, caught on, so Mr Ng dropped to one knee and proposed using a plastic tie twist. She said yes.

Unable to believe the ring was lost for good, the vicar started mapping the co-ordinates of the balloon's journey from the sky.

Over the following week, as his fiancée proudly wore a £5 Wal-Mart ring on her engagement finger, Mr Ng and a friend cut through brambles with machetes, searching for the camera bag.

Robot dinosaur goes walkabout

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:09:40 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.ananova.com

Robot dinosaur goes walkabout

A £60,000 remote-controlled dinosaur robot has gone missing from a Walking with Dinosaurs show in Mexico.

It was the first time an exhibit has been stolen from the show, which has toured worldwide and been seen by more than four million people.

"Only in Mexico! How it happened, we don't know. We don't even know if whoever stole it knows its value," said Karla Arroyo, a spokesman for the show.

Walking with Dinosaurs opened in Guadalajara last Friday, and staff discovered that one of the smaller robots was missing after the show closed that same day.

At around £60,000, the missing 5ft dinosaur is the least expensive robot at the show, which measure up to 42 feet and cost up to £600,000.

Despite the robbery, she said the show did not stop: "Everything went on as usual," she added

ITV apologises for rat killing on I'm A Celebrity...

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:53:36 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

ITV apologises for rat killing on I'm A Celebrity...

ITV has apologised after a rat was killed and cooked during this year's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

It also said it would tighten up its procedures. The producers will not face charges over alleged animal cruelty on the show, Australian police have said.

Charges are being brought against the winner, chef Gino D'Acampo and contestant Stuart Manning after they cooked a rat to eat.

The pair have been ordered to appear in court on 3 February 2010.

The RSPCA in New South Wales said it was "not acceptable" an animal had been killed as part of a performance.

"The production was asked if a rat could be caught and eaten by the celebrities in exile camp to supplement the basic rations they had been provided with for their evening meal," said a spokesman for ITV.

Fox tries to take a ride on the London Underground

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:14:09 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.metro.co.uk

Fox tries to take a ride on the London Underground

Commuters on the London Underground are used to unusual sights - but even they were surprised to see a fox calmly walking up the escalator at a Tube station, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

It's not clear where he was trying to get to - Foxford Circus, Shepherd's Bushy Tail, or maybe just Barking.

The picture was taken by freelance journalist Kate Arkless Gray, who posted it to both Twitter and her Flickr photo stream. The picture became a big hit on Twitter, with over 17,000 people looking at the picture., leaving comments like 'Most awesome picture ever!', 'He's the coolest fox ever', and 'Where does he keep his Oyster Card?'

Trucker pulled over with cardboard windscreen

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:28:15 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.ananova.com

Trucker pulled over with cardboard windscreen

A lorry driver was pulled up by police in China - after driving for hundreds of miles with a sheet of cardboard covering his broken windscreen.

Mr Li drove by sticking his head out of the side window - in freezing conditions - or by peering through tiny holes in the cardboard, reports China News Network.

Traffic officers ordered him to pull over after spotting him on the Jinggang'ao Highway in Henan province.

"The weather was extremely cold, but we saw a lorry with a cardboard windscreen - and the driver had his head out of the side window all the time," said a police spokesman.

Mr Li jumped down from the cab with a face that was purple from the cold. He told officers he had been in an accident in Hubei province several days earlier but did not have time to repair it properly because of his tight delivery schedule.

He admitted to police that he had driven with the temporary cardboard windscreen for an incredible 400 miles.

Council teaches over-50s to wear slippers

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:27:31 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.ananova.com

Council teaches over-50s to wear slippers

A council has spent thousands of pounds on a scheme to teach the over-50s how to wear their slippers safely.

The Warwickshire County Council service allows 'older people' to bring in their old slippers and replace them with a new pair, to cut the risk of falling over.

For a fee of £5, participants receive a fitting session, a new pair of the Velcro fastening slippers, and advice on how to wear them, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The council claims that the initiative will save money in the long run because it prevents costly injuries to elderly people.

But critics say the so-called Sloppy Slippers project, which is costing taxpayers £3,500, as a waste of money and "patronising" to people in their 50s and 60s.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This is a patronising campaign that treats responsible adults like children.

Kangaroo, emu flavored chips spur controversy

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:16:28 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Kangaroo, emu flavored chips spur controversy

SYDNEY - Some Australians are up in arms over a new kangaroo and emu flavored chip, horrified that people are encouraged to eat the nation's coat of arms which depicts the iconic Australian animals.

Complaints to Australia's Advertising Standards Bureau said the "BBQ Coat of Arms" chips were degrading for native wildlife and sent the wrong message to Australian children, reported the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

"It implies that it is perfectly OK to kill kangaroos and emus just for fun!" said one complaint.

But the company manufacturing the chips rejected the charge, saying the kangaroo and emu flavored chips celebrated Australia's heritage.

The Advertising Standards Bureau investigated the complaints against the new chips but decided not to take any action.

15-year-old Wis. cheddar sells for $50 per pound

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:00:07 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

15-year-old Wis. cheddar sells for $50 per pound

MINERAL POINT, Wis. (AP) — A 15-year-old cheddar made in Wisconsin, possibly the most mature cheese for sale in the country, is selling well despite the $50-per-pound price tag, its producer said Saturday.

Hook's 15-year Sharp Cheddar, produced in 1994, went up for sale in a handful of outlets on Friday and has proven popular, said cheese maker Tony Hook.

"It started moving a lot faster than we expected," said Hook, 57, who — along with his wife and brother — runs Hook's Cheese Co in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. "People have been so excited about it."

The cheddar began as part of a gigantic batch that weighed 5,200 pounds. The Hooks let much of the batch age, and sold large chunks at the 10- and 12-year marks. But they felt it was aging so flavorfully that they saved 1,200 pounds to let it mature a few years longer, Hook said.

The world's weirdest Christmas trees

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:16:05 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.metro.co.uk

The world's weirdest Christmas trees

Deck the pools: Festive divers work at an aquarium in Manila

Little bit of fun: This silicon tree is 0.04mm wide

Dizzying: Mexico City’s 90m tree dwarfs the traffic passing by

A lot of bottle: Paris boasts Christmas trees made from recycled plastic bottles

Spotty: Claridge’s tree-and-leopard scene, designed by John Galliano

Hallelujah - trapped pensioner freed

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:14:42 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.ananova.com

Hallelujah - trapped pensioner freed

An 80-year-old chorister who got trapped in a hospital toilet was freed after singing the chorus to Handel's Hallelujah.

George Hudson, from Cranbrook in Kent, started singing to raise the alarm after the emergency chord failed to work, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Mr Hudson, who was at the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells for a hip replacement operation, was then rescued.

"I pulled the red chord and I got no response. I waited a bit more and when I started to get a bit chilly I wondered what I could do if they're not taking any notice of the bell," he said.

"I thought, oh well, it's coming up to Christmas, so I gave them the opening verse of the Hallelujah chorus. The doors then opened very quickly.

"I like to think it was because they didn't want to disturb the rest of the patients rather than my singing."

'Cavemen' inherit billions

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:13:59 GMT

clipped by: drgreenfingers

Clip Source: www.ananova.com

'Cavemen' inherit billions

Two penniless brothers who are so poor they live in a cave could be set to inherit a share of a £4 billion fortune.

Zsolt and Geza Peladi live in the cave outside Budapest, Hungary, and sell scrap they find on the street for pennies.

Now they and a sister who lives in America are said to be on the verge of inheriting their grandmother's massive fortune after a life of poverty.

They learned of their good fortune after homelessness charity workers in Hungary were contacted by lawyers handling the estate of the brothers' maternal grandmother who died recently in Baden-Wurttenberg, Germany.

"We knew our mother came from a wealthy family but she was a difficult person and severed ties with them, and then later abandoned us and we lost touch with her and our father until she eventually died," said Geza, 43.

Under German law however direct descendents are automatically entitled to a share of any estate.