Saturday, March 19, 2011

Electric guitar adapted to be killer's shotgun-Sweden.

Death metal: Police raid uncovers double-barrelled shotgun fitted into body of hollowed-out electric guitar

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 1:11 PM on 19th March 2011

This electric guitar is more used to having someone blast out killer rifts on it.

But the stringed instrument is clearly packing more than just power chords... after it was adapted to house a double-barrelled shotgun.

Police discovered the potentially lethal weapon after an anonymous tip-off about a horde of unlicensed firearms in Luleå, northern Sweden.

Did this belong to The Killers? The neck of the electric guitar was fitted with two shotgun barrels and it also housed a trigger mechanism

Two barrels: The improvised weapon was discovered during a police raid in Luleå, northern Sweden

A 54-year-old man war arrested after a raid at his house uncovered a sawn-off shotgun, a home made sub-machine gun, a Mauser rifle, two revolvers and a walking stick adapted to shoot like a rifle.

The man, who has not been named, told police: 'They are therapy to keep me off the drink,' according to Norrländska Demokraten.

The guitar was mounted on a wall and its neck had been hollowed out and fitted with two shotgun barrels.

A trigger mechanism had also been fitted to the body of the guitar, according to www.thelocal.se

The man described the musical weapon as 'a fun thing that was not finished'.

Stickers relating to three known gangs were also found at the house and police said they were investigating whether the man was buying and selling stolen weapons.

He faces charges concerning aggravated weapons crimes and receiving stolen goods.

Marilyn's last topless photo shoot before death set to sell for £15,000

'The Last Sitting' of topless Marilyn Monroe, taken just six weeks before her death, set to fetch £15,000 at auction

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 4:57 PM on 18th March 2011

A unique print showing nine photos of a topless Marilyn Monroe from her final ever shoot, just six weeks before she died, has emerged for sale.

Photographer Bert Stern's three-day session with the famous blonde was a return to form for the glamour queen after a few difficult years.

She is pictured playing with a see-through scarf and pouts and poses like the model professional that she was.

Screen legend: Marilyn Monroe's last ever photo shoot before her death is going up for auction, taken in 1962 by photographer Bert Stern

She clearly had some artistic control because after the shoot she crossed out one of the photos on the "contact sheet" because she didn't like it.

Stern published the photographs - titled "The Last Sitting" - nearly 20 years after her death.

He later blew these images up for an exhibition because they beautifully summed up the movie star.

Monroe died aged 36 in 1962 and the photos from this session have helped define the image of her retained in the public conscience.

They are expected to sell for£15,000 when they go under the hammer at the Swann Gallery in New York on March 24.

Marilyn was also photographed here by Bert Stein in 1962

Daile Kaplan, from the auction house, said: ‘The photos were taken over a three day session just six weeks before she died. It was her final ever shoot.

‘Stern took 2,500 photos in all and these are especially nice because she is playing with a scarf.

‘It was nearly two decades after her death that he published them and this contact sheet was blown up for an exhibition.

‘It is unique and includes a red cross over one of the pictures that Marilyn did herself because she didn't like it - it is not as erotic as the rest.

‘The photos discreetly reveal her nudity and showed how Stern engaged her as an actress, model and woman.

‘Marilyn had had problems prior to this, she'd gone through two divorces and apparently was hospitalised the year before.

‘This was a return to form and she looks healthy and the nudity is subtle - it is pre-sexual revolution.

‘There is a delicacy about the images and Marilyn Monroe is often referred to as vulnerable.

‘The scarf is similar because it is beautiful but also has a vulnerable quality. And the cross she put on one of the photos has a quasi-religious quality.

‘She remains a cult figure and young collectors always come back to Marilyn Monroe.’

In the months before her death in August 1962 Monroe had attended President John F Kennedy's birthday party where she famously sang happy birthday.

She was then sacked from the set of the film Something's Got to Give because she kept failing to turn up.

She then embarked on numerous publicity stunts including the Vogue shoot with Bert Stern.

She was found dead in bed at her home in California and the cause of death was recorded as ‘acute barbiturate poisoning’, resulting from a ‘probable suicide’.

It was said that the last person to speak to her was the President.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Armed police break up cricket game-England

Armed police break up cricket game in Manchester

Friends playing cricket in Cheadle, Manchester, were hit for six when armed police arrived at their game.

Related Tags:: Manchester

How's zat: Armed cops rushed to a cricket match in Cheadle, Manchester

How's zat: Armed cops rushed to a cricket match (Picture: Alamy)

They were practising their batting and bowling skills in the Power Star sports equipment factory when a passer-by mistook the ball hitting the metal shutters for gun fire and called the police.

The armed officers who rushed to the scene gave the players - Muhammed Shahzad and Muhammed Ijaz - a bit of a shock, but they understood why they’d swooped in.

Ijaz, 25, told the Daily Mail: 'We'd been watching the England match and finished work so thought we may as well play cricket.

'We were just messing around and could hear shouting saying "Come out! Come out!"

'At first we carried on as we didn't realise it was to do with us.

'But when we realised it was, we headed outside and as soon as we opened the door we could see lots of armed police. It was a bit of a shock but they were just doing their job.'

TV star blames driving offence on breast implants...

17 March 2011, 9:33

Star blames driving offence on implants

A Romanian TV star who was caught driving without a licence blamed an emergency caused by her new breast implants.

Simona Suhoi, 28, faces up to five years in jail after police found her behind the wheel a month after she was banned from driving.

The former singer and designer, who is known as Simona Sensual, was pulled her over for not wearing a seatbelt in her home city of Bucharest.

She said: "I admit I shouldn't have driven the car but I had no other choice.

"You see, I was having terrible pains in the chest, I think it was because of these brand new breast implants.

"I tried to get a taxi but they were all busy so I jumped into the car and dashed for the clinic. I mean, what was I supposed to do?"

Ms Suhoi, who had her licence suspended when she was involved in a traffic accident, says she will contest the charge in court.

1940's wartime house up for sale...

Fast-forward to the future: Couple sell up 1940s 'time capsule' house for modern abode

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 12:28 PM on 18th March 2011

A couple who have turned their house into an amazing wartime home are set to auction it all off - and fast forward 70 years into the 21st century.

Ad Hickley and Pam McMillan are set to move more than 400 miles - and at the same time surge seven decades into 2011 Britain.

They have spent the last 20 years scouring car boot sales and auction houses for all things Second World War to create one of the most astonishing houses in the country.

Period living: Pam McMillan and Ad Hickley have lived in their wartime-era house for 11 years

But now Ad and Pam are poised to bid a final emotion-charged farewell to their unique 1940s lifestyle when they sell off their treasured possessions.

More than 400 lots will go under the hammer at the weekend after they decided to flog their stunning time capsule smallholding at Banham, near Attleborough, Norfolk, and head south to Land's End, Cornwall.

The fanatical history enthusiasts have loved living in their 19th century cottage surrounded by 1940s furniture, books and trinkets for the last 11 years.

Old-fashioned: The kitchen features such 1940s style appliances as a gas cooker and others which date back to wartime

But they will auction most of their staggering collection on Saturday after finding a buyer for their home.

Ad and Pam have even opened up their property to hundreds of visitors for the last six years as part of a wartime open weekend.

They will also donate some of the sale at Rushmere Cottage to military charity Veterans Aid.

Fun and games: A Ludo set and selection of card games and a 40s-era lamp are among other items the couple have added to their collection over the past two decades

A treasure trove of wartime items including a gas cooker, piano, military uniforms, rusty old bicycles, bulky farm machinery, and a vintage tractor will be sold as they look forward to their new life together in Cornwall.

Ad said it would be sad to see their possessions go to new owners but the hardest part would be leaving the house and their sprawling eight-acre grounds.

The communications consultant said: 'It is a bit of a time travel from 1945 to 2011.

'Running a smallholding with animals is quite hard work and we are looking forward to downsizing and doing a little bit less. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time doing it and have had a tremendous response from all the visitors we have had over the years.'

Hanging up: This authentic 1940s Bakelite telephone is among the many items which will be auctioned

'It is going to be quite an emotional day for us ' Thousands of visitors have attended their annual 1940s smallholding weekend, with vintage tractors, working horses and Land Girls to experience rural life during the war.

The historic property also provided the backdrop to Anglia Television's A Wartime Summer and A Wartime Winter, presented by Paul Heiney.

Ad said they learned something new about wartime rural Norfolk every open day.

One of the biggest rewards of living here was sharing it. 'A lot of children know about the 1940s from computer games, but they saw a different side to 1940s life in an ordinary small cottage,' he said.

Set of wheels: This 1939 Fordson Standard tractor is still in good condition

One of the brilliant things we have had is talking to people who lived in Banham and the surrounding villages during the war and had some fascinating conversations. Highlights of the auction include a working 1939 Fordson Standard tractor, which the couple used to plough the fields for their sustainable 1940s lifestyle, and a Land Army uniform.

Ms McMillan, who works for Norfolk Museums Service, said it was strange to see all their bits and bobs marked up with auction numbers.

She said: 'It is weird now and it is going to be weirder on Sunday when it has all gone. We had to be very rigorous and sat down together and went through every single item.

'It was difficult but we had to be tough. It is going to be really hard. We will not be able to go to a boot sale for months.'

Tourist attraction: The couple have shared their 1940s passion with others by having open days at the house

Thursday, March 17, 2011

New York's most expensive house for sale at $90 million....

Step inside New York's most expensive house... on sale for a staggering $90million

By SIMON NEVILLE
Last updated at 4:40 PM on 17th March 2011

New York’s most expensive house has gone on sale for a whopping $90million (£56million).

The mansion in Manhattan’s opulent Upper East Side boasts ten bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, three kitchens, a wood-panelled library, an elevator, a gym and a garden.

If you think the asking price is a tad steep you could always choose to rent it for a more moderate $210,000 (£130,000) a month.

Who would live in a house like this? The New York townhouse's asking price is a record-breaking $90million

Fancy living here? The New York townhouse's asking price is a record-breaking $90million

Should someone stump up the cash, it would smash apart the previous record holder, held by The Harkness Mansion at 4 East 75 Street, which billionaire J. Christopher Flowers bought for $53million (£32million) five years ago.

The French Gothic mansion on East 80 Street was built in the early 1900s by dime store magnate Frank Winfield Woolworth for his daughter, Helena. It is nestled between two other mansions he also had built at 2 and 6 East 80 Street for his other daughters Edna and Jessie. The two other townhouses remain intact also.

They were all constructed by the architect Charles Pierpont Henry Gilbert who designed city and country homes for the wealthy.

Opulent: The house was built in 1911 for Frank Woolworth's middle daughter, Helena

Opulent: The house was completed in 1916 for Frank Woolworth's middle daughter, Helena

Pre-war: It has been completely renovated to a pre-war design and has 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and 3 kitchens

Pre-war: It has been completely renovated to a pre-war design and has 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and three kitchens

Record: If the mansion sells for the $90million asking price it will beat previous New York record holder The Harkness Mansion for $53million in 2006

If the mansion sells for the $90million asking price it will beat previous New York record holder The Harkness Mansion sold for $53million in 2006

Situated in Manhattan's wealthy Upper East Side, the building was bought for $6millon in 1995

The house, which at 35ft wide has been completely renovated into a pre-war style, was bought in 1995 for a mere $6million (£3.7million) by the late gym magnate Lucille Roberts when it was used as a men’s gym.

Stretching over more than 18,000 square feet, the new owners will be able to comfortably a dinner party, thanks to the dining room which seats over 50.

New York townhouse super-broker Paula Del Nunziom from Brown Harris Stevens, will be attempting the massive sale and has written up a lavish description.

She starts: ‘Completed in 1916, the imposing limestone façade of this neo-French Renaissance mansion features a central foyer opening to a grand entry hall providing access to the main residence.

‘With a massive fireplace, the enormous entry includes three closets and an elegant powder room, access to a kitchen in the rear as well as the wide landing of the grand master staircase.’

But Del Nunziom need not worry. She was responsible for The Harkness Mansion sale in 2006 for $53million (£32million) and since 2007 has sold 43 townhouses worth a combined $700million (£433million).

So, why the enormous asking price?

She explains: ‘While the other great mansions that have come on the market in New York have been shells requiring total renovation, this is the only mansion to be formally available that has been fully renovated in a traditional prewar style.’

16-year-old 'branded for life' as a piece of meat...

'Branded for life': Mother's fury as under-age daughter, 16, tattooed with '100% Welsh Lamb' as a dare

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:35 AM on 17th March 2011

A seething mother says a tattoo parlour left her 16-year-old daughter 'branded for life' after inking '100% Welsh Lamb' across her backside.

Police are investigating after under-age Levi Brady, from Fairwater, Cardiff, had the tattoo without being asked to prove her age.

Schoolgirl Levi had the tattoo for a dare and managed to keep it a secret from her family for two weeks. But when she injured her hip falling off a horse her horrified mother Renee spotted it for the first time.

'Branded': Levi Brady got the '100% Welsh Lamb' tattoo on her backside as a dare and managed to keep it a secret from her family for two weeks. She now regrets her decision

Innapropriate: Levi was with friends when she paid £30 for the blue ink design at the Tattooland parlour in Riverside, Cardiff

Mrs Brady, 38, said: 'The tattooist has branded a child as a piece of meat for the rest of her life.

'It is the most disgusting thing to have on a young girl and the location of the tattoo is grossly inappropriate - she is only 16.' Levi was with friends when she paid £30 for the blue ink design at the Tattooland parlour in Riverside, Cardiff.

But she immediately regretted it and knew it was a 'stupid' thing to do.

Mrs Brady said: 'I couldn't believe she had done such a silly thing - but the law is there to protect young people from themselves.

'People in these establishments have a duty to act responsibly rather than betraying the trust of parents.

'We need a system where every customer is logged and a photocopy of their ID is taken.' The law states that giving a tattoo to anyone under the age of 18 is illegal under the 1969 Tattooing on Minors Act.

Levi was yesterday making inquiries about having the tattoo removed by expensive laser treatment.

She said: 'I don't like it. It's not feminine - just a bit of writing permanently on me.

'It was a moment of madness - it looks stupid.' South Wales Police confirmed they were investigating a complaint against the tattoo parlour involving an under-age customer.

A spokesman said: 'We have interviewed the complainant and inquiries are ongoing.' The punishment for tattooing a minor is £50 fine - or £100 for a repeat conviction.

Cardiff Council Trading Standards are also investigating.

Play a T-shirt in Air Guitar glory...

Are you a guitar hero? Then try the T-shirt you can play

By CHRIS SLACK
Last updated at 12:03 PM on 16th March 2011

If you find yourself mimicking Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page or Joe Bonamassa when their songs come on your iPod, then this is the invention for you.

That's because the latest guitar to hit the market doesn't come with six strings and require an amplifier.

It is in fact a case of slipping on a special T-shirt.

Guitar God? The new invention uses barcode and webcam technology to make sounds as you strum the T-shirt - and rewards playing in time with points

Designed by FauvelKhan, which is run by two engineering graduates from Swansea University, the latest invention to take on Fender and Gibson is a garment which turns into a playable musical instrument using just a computer and a piece of software.

It works by using barcode technology on the shirt, which is picked up by a webcam as the user's hand passes over the symbol - and then makes notes.

Points are then scored if the notes are strummed in time as the user plays.

The idea was first developed by company bosses Luke Khan and Warren Fauvel to be used as a promotional object by band The Last Republic.

Now though it is up for an award in the Music Related Technologies category at the SXSW Accelerator event in Austin, Texas, which takes place this week.

It is the only European entry on the eight strong shortlist.

Mr Khan, from Cardiff, said: 'It was a surprise to be the only European-based company shortlisted.

Rocking out: A competitor in the UK Air Guitar Championship sticks to the traditional method for belting out those classic riffs

'To be selected for the final eight from 400 worldwide entries is testament to the creative and hard-working team we have.

'SXSW puts us on the world stage and it's exciting to think of what this means for the company going forward.'

The invention will be judged by a panel of experts as well as a live audience at the festival which showcases advances in social media, mobile applications and web entertainment.

Should the invention win it will become one of more than 20 awards that FauvelKhan has won since its foundation four years ago.

Megalodon shark jaw 11ft across and 9ft tall...

Jaw-dropping! Largest prehistoric Megalodon shark jaw ever assembled up for auction

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 4:11 PM on 15th March 2011

The jaw measures 11ft across and is almost 9ft tall
The Megalodon shark died out 1.5million years ago and was 16metres long

It makes the Great White shark in Jaws look like a goldfish.

But this giant prehistoric shark jaw comes from the largest predator ever to have existed on Earth.

The 16-metre long Megalodon shark, which died out 1.5million years ago, was once the true king of the ocean, weighing an awesome 100 tons.

Big bite: It took famed fossil hunter Vito Bertucci almost 20 years to reconstruct this Megalodon shark's jaw, which measures 11ft across and is almost 9ft tall

It took famed fossil hunter Vito 'Megalodon' Bertucci almost 20 years to reconstruct the jaw, the largest ever assembled and which measures 11ft across and is almost 9ft tall.

The late Mr Bertucci found fragments of the ferocious species in the rivers of South Carolina.

The jaw set is composed of 182 fossil teeth, some over seven inches long and is expected to sell for $700,000 (£436,000) at a sale by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, on 12 June.

Megalodon ruled the temperate and warm waters of all the oceans between 25million and 1.5million years ago.

David Herskowitz, Director of Natural History Auctions at Heritage Auctions, said: 'The Megalodon was a shark that grew to the length of two city buses and preyed on whales and other sharks.

'With jaws that size, and a hugely voracious appetite, you or I would be no more than an hors d'oeuvre for this monster.'

Mouth of a monster: The jaw set is composed of 182 fossil teeth, some over seven inches long and is expected to sell for $700,000 (£436,000) at auction in Dallas, Texas, in June

Vito Bertucci died in 2004 in Georgia while diving for prehistoric shark's teeth.

His brother Joey Bertucci, who is auctioning the jaws, said: 'This was Vito's legacy. He loved it. He dragged it around everywhere.

'This was something he just had a vision to do, and it took him a lifetime of collecting to be able to build it.'

The maximum size of the Megalodon has been of much debate - cartilage rarely fossilises and therefore no complete shark has ever been found.

However, near-complete sets of dentitions have been found, which allows for accurate reconstruction.

The Megalodon's colossal mouth would have produced a but force of 10.8 to 18.2 tons.

Megalodon ruled the temperate and warm waters of all the oceans between 25million and 1.5million years ago

The Quirky Globe

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