News of the Weird - this just in!

[PeteC]

Had to be plastic for sure. Wood would have been gone long ago dissolved by stomach acid. Pete

[pharvey]

I guess there's a few people who would like to **** him!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... China.html

[STEVE G]

A woman was reunited with diamond ring two years after it was accidentally flushed down toilet after hiring waste firm to sift through 12,000 gallons of sewage.

The company put a camera in to the cesspit tank, filtered the waste and even sent a brave worker into the tank with a metal detector to help Joan Speirs.

But by an astonishing co-incidence, an employee from the same small family firm stumbled across the ring more than two years later at a sewage works and it has now be returned to its delighetd rightful owner.

Mrs Spiers, 67, Conservative leader of Reigate and Banstead Council, in Surrey, was at the Charlwood Hotel, near Gatwick, when she lost the antique gold ring, set with a valuable certified diamond and a dozen smaller diamonds.

Julie French, who directs Dorking-based waste disposal company Clear Master with her husband, Colin, said: "She was understandably distraught. The ring was worth a significant amount of money but it was also of great emotional value because it was given to her by her late husband.

"We did everything we could. We emptied the sewage tank and put a camera into it to see if the ring had got lodged anywhere.

"We even sent a guy into the tank with a metal detector.

"We took out 12,000 gallons of sewage and put it through a filter we had built specially.

"We got permission to empty the tank at a Thames Water site and put it through the sewage works, hoping that would filter it out, but we still didn't find it."

The company, which has just eight employees, was working on a contract to clear out a channel at the same works two and a half years later when worker Lloyd Hampshire saw the gem glinting through the muck.

Mrs French said: "He took it in the shower with him to rinse it off and brought it into the office.

"My husband was the only person who had seen the original photo of the lost ring and recognised it immediately. Two of the smaller diamonds had fallen out but apart from that, it was just in need of a good clean.

"We verified it was the same ring then handed it over to Cllr Spiers, who was emotional to say the least. She had completely given up any hope of seeing it again.

"It gave us all a warm feeling because we knew how much it meant to her.

"She has had it professionally cleaned, because of where it had been for so long, and is keeping it in a much safer place now."

[richard]

Diamond recovery! Smells fishy or shi***

IOW news

Coca-Cola legal threat over Relentless restaurant sign
Sign and can Coca-Cola claims the restaurant sign is too similar to its Relentless energy drink logo

Coca-Cola has threatened legal action against a Hampshire restaurant - named Relentless - claiming the steak house's sign breaches its trademark.

The soft drink giant claims the Relentless Steak & Lobster House in Southsea breaches the trademark on its Relentless energy drink.

Owner Scott Matthews, 24, said he was "gobsmacked" at receiving a 17-page legal document demanding it be changed.

He said the restaurant was named after his father's fishing boat.

Mr Matthews said the lettering on the sign had been written in an "Olde English" font on his home computer.

Coca-Cola has given Mr Matthews until 9 November to remove or redesign the restaurant sign, which it says looks too similar to the branding of its energy drink.

Mr Matthews said reprinting the sign would cost £700 to £1,200. But he added he was confident of winning any legal battle over the trademark.
Scott Matthews Mr Matthews insists the restaurant logo is different to that of the energy drink

"There are too many differences in it - I don't see how you could get the two confused," he said.

"It's just ridiculous really... we'll fight it all the way."

Coca-Cola confirmed it had contacted the Relentless Steak and Lobster House, which opened in March, and requested that it redesign its current logo.

A company spokesperson said: "We believe it bears a strong resemblance to our Relentless energy drink design and that this may lead to consumers thinking the two are connected.

"In line with our trademark rights, we take action to protect our brands and to avoid consumer confusion."

Crazy. They will never win a court case but may make out well with an out of court settlement and abundant publicity

[STEVE G]

(Reuters) - Australia's rugby league bosses have told the Canberra Raiders they expected "appropriate" action to be taken against Joel Monaghan after a photograph of the player simulating a sex act with a dog was posted on the internet.

The picture of the former Australia winger, taken at the team's end of season party, was posted on a social networking site Thursday and Monaghan issued a statement through his manager apologising for a "moment of sheer madness."

"Joel can't blame anyone but himself for an act of stupidity that will haunt him for the rest of his life," manager Jim Banaghan said. "There are no words of explanation that can be offered because none can be appropriate.

"It was a moment of abject stupidity brought about by too much drink and a complete lack of any thought process.

"He apologises unreservedly for the outrage that people feel at the moment and blames nobody but himself."

Local media have speculated that Monaghan, who said he was not in a "fit emotional state" to discuss the issue with club officials, could have his contract cancelled.

The governing National Rugby League (NRL) made it clear it would be watching the Raiders' disciplinary process.

"The National Rugby League (NRL) has today warned the Canberra club that it will closely monitor any disciplinary action taken against Raiders player Joel Monaghan," NRL Chief Executive David Gallop said in a statement.

"This is an appalling incident and one that has offended everyone associated with the sport ... it is important that the club deals with it appropriately and that it reports to the NRL as soon as possible on the outcomes."

[STEVE G]

Tower falls the wrong way during botched demolition
A botched demolition in the US sent a tower crashing the wrong way, bringing down power lines and sending spectators running for their lives.
(With video)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvid ... ition.html

[Nereus]

Chinese vase sells for $69m in London

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainmen ... -in-london

A brother and sister who unearthed a Chinese vase in a clear-out of a suburban London house were stunned when it sold for a world record-breaking STG43 million ($A69 million) on Thursday.

The 18th-century piece of Qianlong-era porcelain was expected to fetch between STG800,000 and STG1.2 million ($A1.2m and $A1.9m) when it went under the hammer.

But the total price, including commission and VAT on the commission, was STG53,105,000 ($A85.6 million) after bids in the packed auction room went sky high.

Believed to have been acquired by an English family during the 1930s or earlier, auctioneer Bainbridges said how it reached northwest London would never be known.

The owners, who had inherited it, had little idea of the fortune it would make them when they found it in the Pinner property.

The vase is understood to have been carried off by a private buyer from China for what is believed to be the highest sum for any Chinese artwork sold at auction.

The eye-watering price it fetched shocked both auctioneer and the owners.

Helen Porter of Bainbridges said: "They had no idea what they had. They were hopeful but they didn't dare believe until the hammer went down.

"When it did, the sister had to go out of the room and have a breath of fresh air."

The auction in Ruislip, north west London, attracted many Chinese bidders keen to get their hands on a piece of their imperial past.

Bainbridges described the 40cm-high piece as one of the most important Chinese vases to go on sale this century.

A posting on the auctioneer's blog said: "It is a masterpiece. If only it could talk!"

The vase, decorated with a fish motif, was described as "a piece of exquisite beauty and a supreme example of the skill of the ceramicist and decorator".

The item has a yellow painted trumpet neck and a double-walled construction, meaning an inner vase can be seen through the perforations of the main body.

Qianlong was the fourth emperor in the Qing dynasty and one of the longest-serving in Chinese history, reigning from 1735 to 1796.

The Chinese ceramics industry in the 18th century was known for the perfection of its porcelain and the evolution of new decorative techniques.

[hhfarang]

I have that same vase, but it says "Made in China" so I thought it wasn't worth anything!

[PeteC]

I have that same vase, but it says "Made in China" so I thought it wasn't worth anything!

Talking about China, did you see that sanctimonious piece of Chinese garbage who stood up at the news conference in Korea? Obama announced he would take a question from a Korean News person and this Chinese guy stood up and said,,,"you see Mr. Obama, here in Asia we're all the same family so please allow me to ask a question...". The same family my ass. Tibet and the western region hate the Han Chinese, as do the Taiwanese, N. Korea doesn't talk to S. Korea, Japan and China relations are at an historic low, Vietnam is courting the USA. The only people who really like the Chinese for non-economic reasons are the Chinese. The camera then went off this guy mentioned. I don't think he ever asked a question and they may have hauled him away. You had to see it to appreciate it. Very rude and presumptuous IMO....twat. Pete

[pharvey]

Just when you think you have heard everything!! Do you like to read a good murder mystery?

Not even Law and Order would attempt to capture this mess. This is an unbelievable twist of fate!!!!

At the 1994 annual awards dinner given for Forensic Science, (AAFS) President, Dr. Don Harper Mills astounded his audience with the legal complications of a bizarre death. Here is the story:

On March 23, 1994 ........ the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus , and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound to the head. Mr. Opus had jumped from the top of a ten-story building intending to commit suicide.

He left a note to the effect indicating his despondency. As he fell past the ninth floor, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window, which killed him instantly.

Neither the shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide the way he had planned.

The room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. They were arguing vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun! The man was so upset that when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife, and the pellets went through the window, striking Mr. Opus.

When one intends to kill subject 'A' but kills subject 'B' in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject 'B.'

When confronted with the murder charge, the old man and his wife were both adamant, and both said that they thought the shotgun was not loaded. The old man said it was a long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her. Therefore the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, assuming the gun had been accidentally loaded.

The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the shotgun about six weeks prior to the fatal accident .. It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.

Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder even though he didn't actually pull the trigger. The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.

Now comes the exquisite twist... Further investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus. He had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's murder. This led him to jump off the ten-story

building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing through the ninth story window.

The son, Ronald Opus, had actually murdered himself. So the medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.

A true story from Associated Press.

[Nereus]

Maybe this should be in the gun thread:

Truck dealer offers AK-47s to new buyers

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8141546

A truck dealer and gun rights supporter in Florida has tripled his sales by offering a free AK-47 assault rifle to all new buyers, he said on Monday.

"My sales have increased three-fold," Nick Ginetta, of the Nations Trucks dealership in the central town of Sanford, told AFP. He said his clientele is mostly hunters, fishermen and outdoorsmen.

"If I (were) selling Hyundais, I would not go for that. It wouldn't attract my customer base," he added.

He unveiled the offer last week in a show of support for US troops ahead of Veterans Day.

"A lot of veterans have given a lot of sacrifice for this country, for our rights, and one of the rights that we have is the ability to own firearms," Ginetta, himself a veteran, said.

In the last four days he has handed out 21 vouchers for new AK-47s that can be used at a local gun shop, where he has reserved 100 of the assault rifles at wholesale prices.

He plans to continue the offer until the guns sell out.

"I give you a voucher to go to the gun shop, and you have to pass all state and federal regulations," he said, adding that customers can use the vouchers for other firearms.

"The whole reason to advertise (AK-47s) was to create buzz... I chose the weapon for that specific reason. I wanted the buzz. To be honest, I didn't anticipate the success."

The decision to focus the ad campaign on the AK-47, an assault rifle used by armed groups the world over, including insurgents battling US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has not gone unnoticed among Ginetta's employees.

"The salesmen, they make jokes," he said. "'Nick, line one. It's (Osama) bin Laden. He wants to buy a truck!"

[STEVE G]

(Reuters) - An Australian team sponsor has pledged to buy a beer for every adult in the country should the home side beat England in the upcoming Ashes series. Under the "Shout the nation" commitment, if Australia win back the Ashes from England over the next two months, free coupons for Victoria Bitter (VB) will be printed in five newspapers at the conclusion of the final test on January 8.

Buying a bottle of VB for some 13 million adult Australians would cost nearly $20 million at retail prices, although the brewer has chosen the first series in Australia for many years where England are thought to have a decent chance of victory.

"We're going to buy the biggest round in Australian history," VB's Craig Maclean said at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Tuesday.

"VB is urging all Aussies to get behind the team as they fight to reclaim Aussie pride and what's rightfully ours -- the Ashes."

[STEVE G]

First Americans 'reached Europe five centuries before Columbus voyages'
(The Telegrapth.co.uk)

The first Americans reached Europe five centuries before Christopher Columbus "discovered" the New World, according to claims made by a Spanish university team.

Scientists tracing the genetic origins of an Icelandic family believe the first American arrived in Europe around the 10th century, a full five hundred years before Columbus set off on his first voyage of discovery in 1492.

Norse sagas suggest the Vikings discovered the Americas centuries before Columbus and the latest data seems to support the hypothesis that they may have brought American Indians back with them to northern Europe.

Research indicates that a woman from the North American continent probably arrived in Iceland some time around 1000AD leaving behind genes that are reflected in about 80 Icelanders today.

Investigators discovered the genes could be traced to common ancestors in the south of Iceland, near the Vatnaj Kull glacier in around 1710 ruling out initial theories that they may have arrived via Asia.

"As the island was practically isolated from the 10th century onwards, the most probable hypothesis is that these genes correspond to an Amerindian woman who was taken from America by the Vikings some time around the year 1000," Carles Lalueza-Fox, of the Pompeu Fabra university in Spain, said.

A Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, in the eastern Canadian region of Terranova, is thought to date to the 11th century.

Researchers said they would keep trying to determine when the Amerindian genes first arrived in Iceland and would seek to link them to burial remains in the Americas.

The genetic research, made public by Spain's Centre for Scientific Research, was due to be published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

[STEVE G]

(Reuters) - A court in the northwestern German city of Muenster has banned a man from tattooing his pony with the logo of rock band the Rolling Stones.

The court came to the pony's emotional rescue after the owner shaved off a patch of its hair and pre-tattooed a pattern on its hindquarters of the "Tongue and Lip Design" logo found on albums, t-shirts and other Rolling Stones memorabilia.

The owner said he wanted to make his pony "more unique and beautiful" with the tattoo inspired by a musical group whose albums include the chart-topping "Tattoo You."

But the court ruled that his intention to tattoo the pony contravened animal protection laws, which specifically prohibit tattooing warm-blooded vertebrates.

In a statement the court said causing animals pain without reasonable cause was against the law and added that making the pony more beautiful was no justification.

It said the tattoo in question did not function as an identification mark, but rather served the owner's individual economic interests -- a business registration filed by the owner gave the court reason to believe he wanted to make money with a tattoo service for animals.

[lindosfan1]

Cannabis fed to ducks by French farmer for 'deworming'
Mr Rouyer said none of his ducks had worms A French farmer has been given a one-month suspended jail sentence and fined 500 euros (£428) for feeding his ducks marijuana to rid them of worms.

Police arrested Michel Rouyer after they discovered 12 cannabis plants and about 5kg (11lb) of the drug during a visit to his home after a theft.

Mr Rouyer said there was "no better worming substance" for ducks and that his flock was in excellent health.

A police spokesman said it was the first time they had heard such a claim.

Mr Rouyer, who lives in the village of Gripperie-Saint-Symphorien on France's Atlantic coast, did also admit to smoking some of the marijuana