OTHER DINGES 2ND ED

2nd edition

08 June 05

overseas

West Bengal Villagers desperate to end a drought held a wedding for two giant TOADS in a bid to appease rain gods.	Chicago Puffed-out marathon runners ran 27 miles instead of 26 after a bungle by race organisers.
New York An Irish woman is suing New York's Walford-Astoria hotel for £10 million claiming an allergic reaction to a feather pillow.	Illinois Unhappy Dean Craig set his house on fire when uninvited guests refused to leave. He now faces an arson rap.
Austria Firemen called to a flooded flat in Vienna, found two 6ft pythons, a 100pound pig and a 3ft cayman swimming.

headlines

Smuggled Beneath Skirt
A woman, arriving in Melbourne on a flight from Singapore, was searched going through customs after officers heard "flipping" noises.
They found 15 plastic water-filled bags holding 51 live tropical fish hidden beneath her skirt in a purpose built apron. She faces jail or a fine for wild life smuggling.

Mermaid Girl
A 13 month old girl born with her legs fused together like a tail, is recovering after an operation to seperate her limbs and give her a chance of normal life. They hope she will be able to walk by the time she is two.

A 16 year old American girl is the only other known survivor of mermaid syndrom.

New Deadly Bug
A new strain of the deadly superbug, Clostridium Difficile, tougher than MRSA killed 12 patients in a single outbreak.
In 2003 CD killed 934 and MRSA killed 955.

The bug causes severe dirrhoea, leading to death from dehydration and kidney failure. It's caused by over use of antibiotics. The bacteria occur in the intestine naturally, but are kept under controll by other bacteria. When those are killed off the CD takes hold and spreads rapidly.

Venice is Drowning
Venitians are trying to hold at bay the water that has threatened to engulf the fragile cities of Venice.
The lowest part of Venice now lies half a metre above sea level. Homes and shops are frequently inundated with water. The salt water cleans the streats but causes the brickwork of walls to expand and crumble.
A population from 130'000 to 60'000, many have left the city. The piazza can be covered in water more than a 100 times each winter.

Sirens rung out from a network of towers can be heard whenever the sea threatens the city.
A £2.5billion scheme is now underway, to create 78 mobile underwater barriers - each weighing 300 tonnes - to rest on the sea bed. When high tide surges, the barriers will raise like drawbridges. It is due to be completed by 2011.

environmental

Potter Book The new Harry Potter book will be printed in forest frienly paper. The first UK bestseller to be published in the "green format".
Teenages Scientists discovered why teenagers have mood swings: Puberty delays production of the sleep chemical melatonin - making it "biologically imposible" for them to get enough sleep.	Car Free Land Developers want to convert a derilect wasteland into a £700 million canalised metropolis for 5'000 people. The car free comunity will be accessed by underground roads with subterranean car parks. Above it will be completely pedestrianised.

what hasn't made the headlines

Hosepipe Ban
Hosepipe bans are likely in the southern England after one of the driest winters on record. Resevoirs have been reduced to half normal levesl. Restrictions are on garden sprinklersand unattended hosepipe use.

Hamsters eat flats
Four council (munisiple) flats may have to be demolished - because 60 hampsters are eating away at the cavity walls. A tenant let four get behind his skirting boards and they have bred and bred.

Vicar and Tarts
A VICAR is touring a city's red light district in a van looking for prostitutes.
He plans to hand out food and drink to the 200 girls on street corners, as an act of friendship.

from the UK about the SA

Shark kills fish man
A FISHERMAN was killed by a great White shark as he and a friend desperately tried t fight it off with a speargun.
Henri Murry, 22, of Cape Town, and pal had been fishing - it's thought the shark was attracted to the blood and guts from the fish they cought.

what I call news

Vat Madness
Here are a few of the strange changes to rules that came into effect during 2004:
°Morocco, the peration of Turkish-style baths and public showers are exempt from vat, but tax of 7% must be paid on all soap used.
°Portugal, pasta: Spagetti and Penne incur 5% vat, Cannelloni, Ravioli or Tortellini incur 19% vat.
°United Kingdom, residents are exempt from vat on food, but not when food has hallucinogenic properties. The sale of magic mushrooms is subject to 17.5%. Hot prepared food is taxable, but not if the food is cold when it reaches the customer. Toasted sandwiches has no tax, because toasting relates to flavour and not necessity of been hot.

Anti-wrinkle
The answer to our dreams.
Doctors have discovered an invisible infra-red light that inproves skin elasticity.The light also confers a level of protection against the effects of UV light (a cause of photo-ageing).
The Restorelite was launched last year, costing £135'000.
For more info: 08000 523 939
www.restorelite.co.uk

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