Saturday, February 19, 2011

Police help burglars with break-ins...

Police: use a sign to warn burglars about expensive tools

Police told a man worried about his shed being burgled to put up a sign warning thieves that they could get electrocuted if they tried to pinch his valuable equipment.

7:00AM GMT 19 Feb 2011

David Bishop was given that advice after attended a police meeting in Tatsfield, Surrey, following a string of shed burglaries in the surrounding area.

Police previously told residents they should use 'good quality locks and bolts' and not resort to use home-made devices like putting wire mesh around shed windows as burglars may 'hurt themselves' and sue for compensation.

But this week, Mr Bishop a former BBC engineer in his 60s, said that he had approached a PCSO after the meeting to find out how he could protect his electrical gear, which is worth thousands of pounds.

Rather than being given sensible advice about how to store the valuable equipment - some which carry up to 30,000 volts - Mr Bishop says he was told to put up a fluorescent sign to warn crooks they were 'in danger'.

He was told that the best sign to use would be a yellow sign with 'WARNING - ELECTRICAL TOOLS' written on it - and just in case the burglar didn't get the message - or couldn't read - he was also advised to add a 'lightning bolt' to indicate the danger.

Mr Bishop was also told the sign needed to be fluorescent as 'most burglaries happen in the dark'.

Speaking this week Mr Bishop said: "Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?

"I am an engineer and obviously from time to time I have test equipment."

He added: "The police already told me that I shouldn't have wire on the windows as it may hurt the burglars, so I asked a PCSO 'What do I do to protect my equipment?'

"That's when I was told to make a sign warning people there were electrical goods inside.

"I couldn't believe it - and then I was told that it might be an idea to make it a sign that could be seen in the dark."

He added: "It could be potentially dangerous for anyone that broke in. Not for me, because I know where the on and off switch is, but someone breaking in could be killed.

"The law is so stupid, and you never know what decision judges are going to make.

"People do get fed-up with these people trying to help themselves to things which you have worked hard to gather together during past years."

"We have a right to protect our property - criminals have far too much protection."

Crime reduction officer for the area PC John Lee, said: "We are constantly advising homeowners to protect their property and the contents of their shed or garage, however, a commonsense approach needs to be taken.

"To properly secure your sheds, Surrey Police strongly advises people to invest in items such as good-quality locks and bolts, and not to resort to homemade devices, as this could cause injury."

Surrey Police did not wish to comment on the warning sign.

Cyclist rides busy roads with huge fridge on back of his bike.

Freezy rider: Barmy cyclist pedals along busy A-road with huge FRIDGE on the back of his bike

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:05 PM on 18th February 2011

Perhaps he thought he looked cool.

But this cyclist probably just seemed strange to fellow travellers on the A1307 in Cambridgeshire as he pedalled along... with a massive fridge on the back of his bike.

The domestic appliance was balanced upright on the pannier rack and held on by straps.

Scroll down for video

A cyclist pedals along a busy A-road near Wandlebury, Cambridgeshire, balancing a huge fridge freezer on the back of his bike

Passing motorist John Hicks, 38, from Sawston, pulled over with his two sons when he spotted the strange sight on the stretch of road near Wandlebury last week.

Mr Hicks, a marketing director, said: 'It was all very exciting. Other cars stopped too. We just couldn't believe it. It was the most bizarre sight.

Heavy load: Motorists were astonished at the cyclist's unusual cargo

'I don't know how he managed to balance the fridge on the bike. It caused no end of laughs. It just looked so strange.

'We heard he was heading to Linton which is a pretty long cycle, especially if you are carrying a fridge on the back of a bike.'

Pulling power: The cyclist appears to be unfazed by other cars overtaking him

A Cambridgeshire Constabulary spokesman confirmed the force is aware of the incident.

He said: 'People should ride their bikes safely and not carry inappropriate loads.'

The Cambridgeshire cyclist isn't the first person to transport a fridge by unusual means. Writer Tony Hawks famously hitched around Ireland with a fridge.

Bad habit ! Nun kicked out of order for spending too much time on FB...

Bad habit: Nun dubbed 'Sister Internet' kicked out of religious order... for spending too much time on Facebook

Last updated at 2:13 AM on 19th February 2011

For its millions of users all over the globe, Facebook is a fun and harmless way to make new friends and catch up with old ones.

However for Spanish nun Maria Jesus Galan, her online activity on the social networking site ended up costing her job - and her home.

Sister Maria was apparently asked to leave the religious order where she has resided in seclusion for 35 years because she spent too much time on the website, it has been reported.

'Sister Internet': The nun broke the news of her eviction via her Facebook page

And living up to her nickname of 'Sister Internet' - a moniker given to her by her fellow nuns - the 54-year-old broke the news on her Facebook page, where she announced she had been asked to leave the convent following disagreements over the online activity.

Now, an online campaign attracting thousands of supporters is under way, with fan pages springing up demanding she be allowed back into the convent.

Sister Maria had almost 600 'friends' on Facebook at the time of her eviction and listed her hobbies as 'reading, music, art and making friends', according to The Telegraph.

New horizons: Sister Maria now plans to travel following her new-found freedom

The 14th century Santo Domingo el Real convent in Toledo, central Spain, first got a computer 10 years ago to lessen the need for nuns to enter the outside world.

Sister Maria, who entered the order as a novice when she was 21 years old, told The Telegraph: 'It enabled us do things such as banking online and saved us having to make trips into the city.'

However, she began digitising the convent's archives and made them accessible to the world - a move that saw her win an award and gain hundreds of friends via Facebook.

Now living at her mother's house, Sister Maria wants to use her new-found freedom to see the world. She posted: 'I would like to visit London and New York.

'Such things were impossible to even dream when at the convent.'

Friday, February 18, 2011

Mum put daughter in a bin to cure claustrophobia....

The girl cured of claustrophobia after her mum put her in a BIN... and now she's joined the circus as a contortionist

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:49 AM on 18th February 2011

A girl who suffered from severe claustrophobia finally beat her fear when her mother put her in a bin - and now she makes a living squeezing into tight spaces.

Kirsty Nicholson, 23, who now performs as a circus genie in a bottle, had dreaded enclosed spaces ever since she was six.

But it got even worse when she was told that to perform in her dream job, she must use her incredible flexibility to fit into a tiny jar.

Surprise! Kirsty Nicholson tried to scare her mother Alison Nicholson, who cured her daughter's claustrophobia

Surprise! Kirsty Nicholson, squeezed into a wardrobe, tried to scare her mother Alison Nicholson, who cured her daughter's claustrophobia by suggesting she got into a bin

So to finally beat the fear, Kirsty's mother Alison forced her to squeeze into an absurdly small bin and now she can't stop her Kirtsy showing off her talents.

And as these amazing pictures show, bendy Kirsty has taken full advantage of her new talent by squeezing into cupboards and dog cages to shock her own family.

She said: 'I've always been really flexible but petrified of small spaces - so when I was told I had to be the girl in a bottle to be part of the show I didn't think I could do it.

'I'd been to see every tour since I was seven years old so it was my ultimate dream to finally be in it.

'I didn't know what to do and then my mum came up with the idea of practising at home and started forcing me into washing baskets and bins.

Jammed in: Kirsty, who performs in the circus, finds herself in a tight spot while her mother reads he newspaper

'The more I did it the easier it became - so I'd go in and out of different spaces a few times a day.' But after helping Kirsty overcome her fear, her mother's helpful plan quickly backfired as mischievous Kirsty began playing pranks on her.

Kirsty, from Stockton-on-Tees, started hiding in different places at home ready to jump out on her unsuspecting family.

She added: 'It started off as a running joke so I'd get into the washing machine, under the kitchen sink and things like that.

'My mum woke up one morning and found me in the bin next to her. And my sister would go to get a pair of shoes from her wardrobe and find me shoved in there.

'When I'm not on tour I don't have anything better to do so I would scare my family. They used to think it was really odd but now they just laugh it off.'

After originally auditioning as a singer for the wacky Circus of Horrors, Kirsty was told just two weeks before she was due to start that she needed to take on the extra role.

Caged: Kirsty fits the sleeping place of the family's pet dog

Not only did she have to conquer her claustrophobia, but she even had her appendix removed to squeeze into the 2ft by 18in glass jar.

But she insists she never had any hesitation despite being petrified of surgery.

She said: 'I'm the biggest wimp on the planet so it was really scary for me - but it was a small price to pay as it was always a dream to join the Circus of Horrors.

'I thought I was just going to be a singer but after they realised how bendy I was they told me to learn to fit inside the jar.

'It doesn't hurt while I'm in there - it's more uncomfortable than anything. It's really hot and the door doesn't open from the inside.

'Getting cramp is the worst thing that's happened as it's such a tight squeeze it's excruciating.

'But ever since I was six years old and started learning how to dance all I've wanted to do was join the show.

'And now I have it's amazing - it's the best job in the world. Everyone is like a massive family we're so close.

'Because I started seeing the shows at such a young age I was a bit starstruck to be rubbing shoulders with people like [sword-swallowing hypnotist] Helmut, but they're the nicest people in the world.'

The Circus of Horrors packed full of death-defying acts and wacky stunts is currently on tour across the UK.

Celebrating their 15th year together, an incredible brand new show guaranteed to shock the audience has been put together with the craziest acts from all over the world.

Rescuers cling to man as he jumped from 13th storey-China

We've got you: Rescuers desperately cling on to suicidal Chinese man after catching him as he jumped from 13 storeys up

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 12:42 PM on 18th February 2011

This is the terrifying moment a Chinese man, who wanted to end it all by jumping to his death from the roof of a hospital, is saved by a group of firemen.

The 23-year-old had been left upset after an argument with his girlfriend, and as he let go of the railings, expecting to plunge 13-storeys, he is grabbed by heroic rescuers and hauled back to safety.

The emergency service team had spent two hours trying to coax the man down in Ningbo City in eastern China, but he decided that he wanted to commit suicide.

Grabbed: The 23-year-old man who wanted to commit suicide is saved by firefighters

As he was about to let go, rescue workers grabbed him and hauled him back to safety.

With the use of harnesses, ropes and even their hands the firemen hoisted the young man back on to the roof.

State TV reported that the jumper had quarrelled with his girlfriend, slept in a nearby car park overnight, and then tried to jump from the top of the hospital.

Suicidal: The young man talked to emergency services for two hours but he still tried to jump

In October the South China Morning Post reported that suicide was the second-largest cause of youth deaths in 2009, when 6.3 out of every 100,000 young people died of suicide - a figure up 2.4 per cent from 2008.

However, according to figures used by the World Health Organisation from 2008, China's suicide rate (19.7 per 100,000) is only 66th in the world.

That figure is well behind second-placed Kazakhstan (46.2 / 100,000) and Lithuania (58.5 / 100,000).

Obama promotes breast-feeding.

A Breast-Feeding Plan Mixes Partisan Reactions

Michele Bachmann criticized a new initiative by Michelle Obama.

By KATE ZERNIKE

Published: February 17, 2011

BlogsPerhaps it was inevitable that when Michelle Obama proposed something, Michele Bachmann would be the one to criticize her.

The surprise is how many of the reactions crossed the usual political boundaries.

On blogs and in interviews, some liberal Democrats found themselves agreeing with Representative Bachmann, a Tea Party celebrity from Minnesota, when she criticized the first lady for a campaign to promotebreast-feeding. Some conservatives, meanwhile, stood up for Mrs. Obama for promoting what they said was a healthier choice.

Mrs. Obama told reporters this month that she would promote breast-feeding, particularly among black women, as part of her campaign to reduce childhood obesity. TheInternal Revenue Service then announced that breast pumps, which can cost several hundred dollars, would be eligible for tax breaks.

Ms. Bachmann lashed out at the campaign on Tuesday on Laura Ingraham’s radio show, saying that it reflected a “hard left” position that “government is the answer to everything.”

While noting that she had breast-fed the five children she gave birth to, Ms. Bachmann said, “To think that government has to go out and buy my breast pump — You want to talk about nanny state, I think we just got a new definition.”

While few if any of those who offered comments were against breast-feeding, many noted that some women were unable to breast-feed for medical reasons. Others said that many women without offices or flexible work hours were not offered the time or a place to use breast pumps.

“Holy mackerel, I might have to agree with Michele Bachmann on this one!” noted one person on a blog.

A new mother who called herself a progressive Brooklynite — and would not be identified for fear of scorn from her Democratic friends and other mothers — said that while she hated “just about everything to do with Bachmann’s politics, she is not completely wrong here.”

“I support what the first lady is trying to do, but I also think there’s already enough pressure on working moms,” she said. “Yes, breast is best, but there are plenty of mothers who love and care for their children, but simply can’t pump — for time, work or physical reasons.”

At the same time, people who said they did not like the Obamas applauded the first lady for her efforts. “I am a conservative,” said a writer to an Arkansas Times blog. “I am also a breast-feeding advocate. This is just stupid.”

Ms. Bachmann was wrong that Mrs. Obama wants the government to pay for breast pumps; the I.R.S. would simply allow people to deduct breast-feeding expenses if they itemize, or use the pre-tax dollars in their medical savings accounts to pay for pumps.

And the federal government is now one of the biggest buyers of baby formula, through its nutritional programs for women and infant children. So giving a tax break for breast-feeding might actually help reduce government spending, as Ms. Bachmann advocates.

But the debate about breast-feeding goes well beyond questions of federal spending. TheAmerican Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be fed nothing but breast milkfor the first six months, citing its benefits for the child, the mother and the environment.

Still, some studies have found it hard to make a strong connection between obesity andbottle feeding, or breast-feeding and a higher I.Q. or a lower incidence of allergies.

A spokesman for Mrs. Obama anticipated the debate, calling breast-feeding “a very personal choice.”

By Thursday — perhaps, again, inevitably — Sarah Palin had weighed in. “No wonder Michelle Obama is telling everybody, ‘You better breast-feed your baby,’ ” she said at a speech on Long Island. “Yeah, you’d better, because the price of milk is so high right now.”

Sili village changes its name....

Sili name must be changed, say villagers

Residents living in the small Welsh village of Sili have voted to change the name after becoming the target of too many silly jokes.

Related Tags:: village; resident; villagers; translation; sili

A road sign for the village of Sili

The villagers have had enough of the sniggers over the Welsh name for the village known more commonly as Sully, and have voted to have it changed.

The ridicule apparently started when new bilingual signs were put up at the entrance to the village.

Resident Andrew Marsh told WalesOnline.co.uk: 'Whoever comes to the village sees that they are coming to a place called Sili. Many people think that is just a bit silly.'

Now after a ballot a majority of villagers have voted in favour of changing the Welsh version of the name to Abersili, which doesn't sound a bit like über-silly, and is not at all funny.

Watch the birdie... It's watching you !!!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the army's latest $4million spy drone disguised as a hummingbird, measuring just 16 centimetres

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:08 PM on 17th February 2011

A pocket-sized spy drone disguised as a hummingbird has been unveiled by a major Pentagon contractor measuring just 16 centimetres and weighing less than an AA battery.

The mini spy plane can fly up to 11 miles an hour and took five years to develop at a cost of $4million.

Army chiefs hope to use the drone’s tiny camera to spy on enemy positions in war zones without arousing detection and eventually deploy it into both rural and urban environments.

Unsuspecting: The tiny hummingbird spy drone has a wingspan of just 16 centimetres and propels itself like a real bird - just by flapping its little wings

Experts hope the drone, which can fly just by flapping its wings, compared with current models which rely on propellers, will eventually be able to swoop through open windows and perch on power lines.

The demonstration by AeroVironment – one of the world’s biggest drone suppliers – lasted eight minutes and saw the new creation fly through a door into an building and out again, and withstand winds of five miles per hour.

Todd Hylton, Hummingbird programme manager for the Pentagon’s research arm said it ‘paves the way for a new generation of aircraft with the agility and appearance of small birds.’

Test: The $4million project has taken five years. The latest demonstration saw the drone fly into and out of a building at 11mph, and withstand 5mph winds for the eight minute flight

Matt Keennon, AeroVironment’s manager on the project, said the milestone of building a machine inspired by nature pushes the limits of aerodynamics.

He added: ‘This is a new form of man-made flight’.

Two years ago the company showed off its first Hummingbird prototype, managing just 20 seconds. The latest flight lasted eight minutes, with engineers expecting longer flights as development continues.

AeroVironment already produces a number of different drones for the US Army.

Last year it had 2,182 orders from the army for its Raven drone, which weighs four pounds with a wingspan of four-and-a-half feet.

Current drones, like the $30million Global Observer, pictured, are shaped like planes - but the new hummingbird creation is aimed at going unnoticed behind enemy lines

Around 86 per cent of its orders come from the Government, meaning last year it was paid a whopping $215million from the Department of Defense.

The company, based in California with 732 full-time employees, expects to sell even more drones to the Government once rules are relaxed to allow spying within America.

The unveiling of the Hummingbird comes just weeks after the same company launched its $30million Global Observer with a wingspan similar to a Boeing 747 which can survey an area as large as Afghanistan.

Chris Fisher, project manager at AeroVironment explained: ‘It gives the guy on the ground the opportunity to see what’s on the other side of the hill. There’s only so much you can see with binoculars. A small [drone] can get up and go over the hill. That gives the ground soldier a capability that is huge.

He added: ‘One of the things we benefit from is the average young person in the military has hours and hours of video games experience. They are attuned to holding these things in their hands; moving the joysticks around with their thumbs and that’s how our planes are flown. To an 18-year-old it’s extremely simple.’

Lake monster photographed at Windermere...

Is this Bownessie? Three-humped beastie spotted in Lake Windermere

By PAUL HARRIS
Last updated at 2:04 AM on 18th February 2011

The mist was swirling eerily over the lake. In the half light of morning the visibility was patchy, and the air had an unusual chill. Nothing stirred. All around was silence.

Oh, what a perfect day for the Bowness Monster to go for a swim!

From deep beneath the surface of Windermere, he must have seen Tom Pickles and his companion Sarah Harrington kayaking across the water. Why, they even had a camera-phone on board.

Hump-backed: The image of 'Bownessie' taken by IT worker Tom Pickles on Lake Windermere

So of all the spots Bownessie might have picked to break cover on 11 sparsely populated miles of the lake, he chose to pop up right beside them.

Three or four humps appeared, Loch Ness-like, near an islet. A wake like a motor boat’s spread out in a V-shape behind it. At one stage, the terrified pair calculated, it was scything through the water at something approaching 10mph.

Click went the camera-phone; splash went the monster and disappeared; up went the excitement level at the prospect of the best alleged sighting of the elusive Bownessie in more than half a century.

Discovery: Tom Pickles and Sarah Harrington spotted the beast during a team building exercise organised by their company

Of course, it could all be a monster deception – but let’s not spoil it just yet. For if this is truly a photograph of a legendary creature that inhabits the waters around Bowness, then it’s the most convincing proof yet that something rather scary is lurking in the deep. Or – depending on your point of view – not.

The unidentified swimming object (USO) was spotted at 10.35am on the last day of a residential ‘team-building’ course organised by the IT company that employs Tom, 24, and Sarah, 23.

They had kayaked about 300 yards from the shore near Belle Isle when ‘something the size of three cars’ sped past.

‘I thought it was a dog,’ said Tom. ‘Then I realised it was much bigger and moving really quickly. Each hump was moving in a rippling motion and it was swimming fast. I could tell it was much bigger underneath from the huge shadow around it.

It looks calm now: a steam launch on Windermere where 'Bownessie' was allegedly spotted by a kayaker

‘Its skin was like a seal’s but its shape was abnormal – it’s not like any animal I’ve ever seen before. We saw it for about 20 seconds. It was petrifying. We paddled back to the shore straight away.’

'Bit early in the season for your mother to start swimming'

Clearly, then, the USO was not a dog or a seal. Biologists also dismissed the notion of it being a giant catfish. A humungous snake, perhaps? Yes, said Sarah: ‘It was like an enormous snake. It freaked us all out.’ This is reckoned to be the eighth time something resembling Bownessie has been sighted on Windermere since the 1950s. But no incident has produced a photo and testimony as intriguing as this one. Pity Tom and Sarah couldn’t find the video button though.

Experts say the photo looks genuine but the file size is too small to verify if it has been altered. Not that anyone is suggesting some computer specialists on the last day of a works outing would be scurrilous enough to mock up a classic Nessie photo on a digital camera.

The possibility they could have been hoaxed cannot be ruled out. But why would anyone want to perpetrate such a cruel deception? Well, hotel owners won’t be turning away curious visitors or spot-the-monster tours this season. Surely it couldn’t all be a gimmick though?

‘Windermere and Bowness are incredibly popular destinations and don’t need gimmicks,’ said Cumbria Tourism spokesman Ellis Butcher. ‘Nonetheless, at the start of the tourism year, it doesn’t do the industry any harm to have this kind of profile.’

The Quirky Globe

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