Clare's Collection of Unusual Tales and Pictures

[Dark One]

Saucy web incentive

A Cheshire man's girlfriend has promised him a threesome - but only if he can get five million hits on his website.

Richard Green, 30, of Stockton Heath, has more than 250,000 visits to www.pleasemakethiswork.com so far, says the Sun.

Richard, who played cricket for England Under-19s, said the idea came from his girlfriend, Katie Greenwood, 21.

He said: "A few months ago I asked if she would have a threesome. She said she might be into it but challenged me to make something out of it.

"If I can get more than five million hits to my website she has agreed to let me find a girl - I even have it in writing."

Katie confirmed: "I've agreed to keep my end of the bargain but I want to have a little bit of a say in who the girl will be."

[Min]

Ew.

Anyway.
Anyone want to buy a quarterhorse?


;D

[Dark One]

PMSL! Thats great! Where did you find it?

Boy, 12, 'broke mugger's nose'

A 12-year-old boy fought off a masked mugger and left him with a suspected broken nose.

Police said the schoolboy fought back when the thug jumped out from behind a bush and demanded his mobile phone.

The mugger thought he had found an easy target when he spotted the youngster walking alone along a Bristol street.

But the unruffled boy stood up to the robber, who quickly realised he might have met his match.

The junior crime fighter is believed to have punched the 5ft 10ins man in the face during the ensuing scuffle - prompting the criminal to flee to his car, before driving off.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: "The boy said he was bleeding and heard the man's nose crack, so there's a good chance he broke it.

"We don't know how old the offender is, but he drove off in a car so presumably he must be at least 17."

Police said the man was wearing a red England away shirt with a number 6,7 or 8 on the front.

He is thought to have made off in a Ford Escort, which was dark blue or black and had a rear spoiler.

[Dark One]

Careless cop loses stun gun

A policeman lost his Taser stun gun - after leaving it on his police car roof and driving off.

The officer only noticed the weapon, which gives a 50,000 volt shock, was gone when he got to his destination.

He retraced his route between Lewes and Eastbourne, East Sussex, but there was no sign of the pistol.

Chief Supt Paul Pearce told the Mirror: "Obviously our priority is to recover the weapon as quickly as possible.

"We are concerned that it could fall into the wrong hands. The risk is that it could be picked up by a child, who could easily mistake it for a toy gun.

"The less likely possibility is that it may fall into criminal hands. If anyone has seen it at the roadside, we ask them to dial 999 urgently and tell the police."

The black and yellow plastic Taser looks like a toy gun. But it fires two darts giving a five-second. 50,000-volt shock from up to 21ft, causing muscles to contract uncontrollably.

[Min]

Paul's father emailed it to me I've no idea where he got it from. I'm thinking of downsizing it into an avatar...it's so...wrong...!

[Dark One]

Lol! it'd make a great avatar!

Student knits her own Ferrari

Art graduate Lauren Porter knitted a Ferrari sportscar for her honours degree at Bath Spa University.

The classic red bodywork consists of 250 squares of garter stitch made by Lauren and 20 family members and friends.

The windows are V-shaped stocking stitch, while the details are crochet and the badge is embroidered.

It's all supported by a steel frame which Lauren, 22, of Greatham, Hants, welded herself.

[Dark One]

Britain's most polite armed robber

Police in Stockport are hunting what they believe might be Britain's most polite armed robber.

The man always says "please" and "thank you" as he orders shop staff to empty their tills, reports the Sun.

During one raid he even apologised to one customer after he accidentally bumped into her child.

Police hunting the raider, who usually wears a stocking mask and washing-up gloves during robberies, say he has struck at least four times.

One officer said: "He may have tried to be polite to his victims but there is nothing polite about armed robbery.

"This man used a knife or a hammer to threaten shop staff and onlookers. They were terrified. No amount of 'pleases', 'thank yous' and 'sorrys' can alter that."

[Dark One]

Patient 'lost' for three days in lift

A hospital patient was trapped for more than three days in a broken lift after sneaking away from his bed for a cigarette.

Relatives, hospital staff and police searched for days after wheelchair-bound Karlheinz Schmidt, 68, went missing from the Charite Hospital in Berlin.

It was only when technicians were finally called out to fix a broken lift that the severely dehydrated man was found - 80 hours after first getting into the lift.

Schmidt, himself a retired elevator technician who was left disabled following an industrial accident 16 years ago, said: "I left the ward to go outside for a cigarette but the lift just stopped.

"I didn't have any water and it was really hot and sticky. The only thing I had to eat was a couple of biscuits that were in my pocket. I didn't think I was going to get out of there alive."

Schmidt's son Roland, 35, says he now plans to take action against the hospital.

"It's unbelievable that nobody noticed the lift was broken for over three days, and when I finally got to see my dad two hours after he had been found, he still hadn't been given anything to drink. It's amazing that he's still alive. We plan to press charges."

[Dark One]

'Smelly' man kicked off flight

A German man is suing an airline after being kicked off a flight for being too smelly.

Werner Brechtfeld, 46, who had spent the day sightseeing in the hot Hawaiian sunshine, was asked to leave the plane in Honolulu when the person sitting next to him complained.

The passenger told flight attendants that Mr Brechtfeld "stinks to high heaven".

A spokesman at the Duesseldorf court where Brechtfeld is suing for damages, said: "He was asked to change t-shirts but his bags had already been checked in.

"So the air hostesses said he would have to get off the flight as he was disturbing other passengers. He had to wait four hours for the next flight and missed his connection to Germany."

Brechtfeld is asking for £1,500 in compensation for missing his flight back home to Dusseldorf, via LA.

[Dark One]

OAP shoplifter lacks bite

A 70-year-old shoplifter tried to evade capture by biting an arresting officer before realising he'd left his dentures at home.

Pensioner Gustav Ernegger turned on the policeman when he grabbed him as he ran out of a clothes shop in Braunschweig, Germany, after stealing a shirt.

But instead of sinking his teeth into the officer's arm, he was only able to leave a wet mark from his gums.

Police spokesman Gunther Brauner said: "He tried to bite the officer several times, but had forgotten to put his false teeth in and so was unable to cause him any harm."

[Fuil Dearg]

the angle of the axis about which the earth rotates has been changed in the last few decades by some ppl using a lot of water in the northern hemisphere (esp. north america). esp. from swimming pools in ppl's backyards and from washing cars and sprinkers. it means that there is more water above ground at anyone time than there would be otherwise.

[Dark One]

Where did you find that info? I can find no reference to an article for that on the net..

Man pays speeding ticket - after 52 years

A Sussex man who forgot about a speeding fine for 52 years has paid up after finding the ticket in an old coat pocket.

John Gedge, 84, was caught doing 55mph in a 35mph zone during a holiday to Philadelphia in the US in July 1954.

He promised to pay the fine when he returned to his hotel but forgot - until he found the speeding ticket last week.

He sent a note of apology with a £5 note to Philadelphia cops and phoned to say sorry.

John, who lives in an East Sussex nursing home, said: "I told them that Englishmen always pay their debts and my conscience is now clear."

US police officer Mark Focht said: "I'm going to frame the letter and the five pound note as an example to everyone that honesty is the best policy, even if it is a little late."

[Dark One]

Robin Hood's 'house found' - in Sheffield

Archaeologists claim they have found the remains of Robin Hood's house - in Sheffield.

The outlaw is usually associated with Nottingham but researchers believe he came from the South Yorkshire village of Bolsterstone.

Experts from Sheffield University have started a preliminary dig at the site of an 11th century castle in the village.

Robin Hood is a mythical character but researchers believe he was based on the son of Waltheof, the Earl of Huntingdon who fiercely opposed the Norman invasion.

Waltheof was the father of Robert Fitzwalter, an archer who became known as Robin Hood.

One of the volunteers at the archaeological dig, Steve Moxon, said: "This site might have major historical significance.

"Robin Hood was mythical, however Waltheof inspired the key ballad about the death of Hood and the 15th century prose account of him."

[Dark One]

Fish 'n' chips - the secret of long life?

A woman of 98 who's been frying fish and chips for 80 years says her longevity is down to never eating anything else.

Constance Brown, who has just been award the MBE, told the Daily Mirror. "That's all I eat. I don't eat any vegetables at all.

"So I'm living proof you can eat nothing but fish and chips and still be healthy."

Constance - always Connie to customers - still opens up Brown's Cafe in Pembroke, West Wales at 11.30am every day.

She says she was surprised and honoured to hear she's to receive Royal recognition for services to business and the community.

"I don't think I deserve the MBE - it's the public who seem to think I do," says Connie, who kept the shop open during the war years by cooking up corned beef rissoles to defy rationing.

"I'm really surprised, but proud, that everyone seems to have that affection for me. It's an award for my customers and I would like to thank them all. I was shocked really because I didn't know anything about it."

[Fuil Dearg]

jgduffin said:

Where did you find that info? I can find no reference to an article for that on the net..

My sister did a degree in structural engineering a few years ago. i found out then. she learned about it in college and told me. ill try tp find a source for the info.

[Lauren Hedgehog]

jgduffin said:

Robin Hood is a mythical character but researchers believe he was based on the son of Waltheof, the Earl of Huntingdon who fiercely opposed the Norman invasion.

Most of what I could find tends to suggest that in the early ballads Robin was a yeomen, not the son of a lord ;D, though then again I'm not serious researcher

In social terms, Robin here, as in other early texts, is clearly himself a yeoman, whose leadership of the band is by consent- www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/monkint.htm

Lythe and listin, gentilmen,
That be of frebore blode;
I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode."
-A Gest of Robyn Hode
(An early printed Robin Hood ballad)

[Dark One]

The ballad of Robin Hood is written a lot later than most people think. There are two versions of the Robin Hood tale, one based on a nobleman, and the other based on someone with lesser standing. The name 'Robin Hood' was a very old english term that meant thief, so that is a another possibilty of the name. I'll try and find the article i read on it.

Fuil: Thanks, i look forward to reading it.

[England fans stranded in one way street

Two English football fans in Cologne lost their car after mistakenly thinking they had parked it on a road called 'One Way Street'.

The pair wrote down 'Einbahn Strasse' - which means one-way street in German - so they didn't forget where they'd left the hire car.

But when they came to find it again they found that every second street in the inner city was called 'Einbahn Strasse'.

It was only when they found a policeman that they were told the sign was to inform drivers that they were on a one-way street.

They finally managed to find their vehicle hours later with the help of the German police.

[Dark One]

Indian man's 13-inch tail

Thousands of people are queuing up to worship a man with a 13 inch tail in India.

Chandre Oram, from Alipurduar in West Bengal, is regarded as an incarnation of Hindu monkey god Hanuman.

Mr Oram also loves climbing trees and eating bananas, according to the Press Trust of India.

He said: "People have a lot of faith in me. They are cured of severe ailments when they touch my tail. I believe I can do a lot of good to those who come to me with devotion."

However, doctors say his tail is a rare but known congenital defect and that he is not a god.

Although it has made Mr Oram an object of devotion, it has also brought him some problems.

He added: "Almost 20 women have turned down marriage proposals. They see me and agree, but as soon as I turn around, they see my tail and leave.

"I have decided to marry the woman who accepts me and my tail. Or else, I'll remain a bachelor like Hanuman."

Doctors have offered to remove the tail surgically but MrOram has refused their help.

His sister Rekha said: "He will not survive without his tail. It has become part of his being, his existence."

[Dark One]

Wheel clamper gets clamped

Britian's best known wheel clamper has been clamped.

Gordon Miller's Vauxhall Zafira people carrier was immobilised for out-of-date tax.

He was twice jailed for clamping crimes according to The Sun.

He paid the £80 fine to National Car Parks officer Martin King after a long row near his home in Portsmouth, Hants.

Mr King said: "He's getting his just deserts."

[Dark One]

Woman found bear eating porridge

A Canadian woman arrived home to find a bear eating porridge in her kitchen.

"It sounds like a nursery rhyme, doesn't it?" Sgt Paul Skelton of West Vancouver Police told the Toronto Star.

"At least we have a health-conscious bear on our hands."

Sgt Skelton added: "It appeared to be a one to two-year-old bear - a juvenile - within the kitchen enjoying some oatmeal it had obtained by breaking a ceramic food container. When she saw it, she did the right thing. She vacated the area and called us."

But the bear refused to budge despite the best efforts of three police officers.

"The bear didn't appear to be aggressive and wasn't destroying the house, so they just let it do what it was doing and eventually the bear decided to make its way out of the residence and down toward a forested gully," Sgt Skelton said.

[Dark One]

'Who wants free money'

A man threw £20,000 of bank notes into the air on a busy seafront "to spread a little sunshine".

Passers-by scrambled to grab the cash as the 40-year-old shouted: "Who wants free money?"

Motorists jumped out of their cars and a nearby pub emptied in Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, reports the Mirror.

Shopkeeper John Morris said: "It was bedlam. People descended on the cash like locusts. One man got £700 and a barmaid picked up £400."

The man was arrested 15 miles away on suspicion of drink-driving.

[Dark One]

Police arrest crime film actors

Police in Colorado reportedly mistook actors making a crime movie for the real thing and arrested them.

Deputies handcuffed crew members and pointed a rifle at actor Chris Borden, says the Rocky Mountain News.

Borden, 25, one of the stars of low budget thriller Different Kinds, said: "It took a little while for me to realise I could've died for my art."

Larimer County sheriff's deputies had responded to a call from a park ranger reporting a hostage situation.

In the scene being filmed, Borden pistol-whipped a man who was trying to rescue a woman Borden had kidnapped.

"They told me I looked like I didn't care if I got shot because I had a criminal demeanour," Borden said.

Borden claims deputies told him the only reason they didn't shoot him was because they saw a cameraman.

Borden and director Eileen Agosta now both face disorderly conduct charges and are due in court in August.

"We're considering having the whole cast show up to say: "Hey, we were filming a movie"," Borden said.

[Dark One]

Bride's big day

A bride's dress was so big it got stuck in the church door.

Carly O'Brien's 25 stone dress was 8ft wide and cost £25,000.

It took twenty people an hour and a half to push 16-year-old Carly through the church door and up the aisle followed by her 60ft long train.

The 30-layer dress, covered with 3,000 Swarovski crystals, diamond head-dress and train meant dad Frank, 40, had to walk in front as there was no room alongside.

Carly, who spent nine and a half hours getting into the dress, was so exhausted when she got to the altar in Gloucester that the groom, Michael Coffey, 17, and 14 relatives carried her out.

Sister Crystal, 20, said: "Carly wanted her day bigger than Jordan's. She got it."

[Dark One]

Lost mum was workmate

An adopted Iowa woman who tracked down her biological mum was shocked to find they had worked together.

Michelle Wetzell discovered her real mother was Cathy Henzen - her ex-colleague at a beauty salon in Davenport.

“There she was, the whole time,” Miss Wetzell told the Quad-City Times.

Miss Wetzell was adopted when she was just four days old, and wanted to learn her mother’s name and address and mail her a coupon for a free manicure.

But she could not believe it when she learned her mother was a receptionist at the Davenport salon where she works as a beauty therapist.

Ms Henzen found out she was pregnant in 1975 at a time when she was getting a divorce and already had two young daughters.

There were lots of arguments and she feared her daughters were being harmed by seeing and listening to the fighting.

"I couldn’t risk bringing another child into this family," Ms Henzen said.

[Dark One]

T-shirt maker seeks damages from bear hunter

An entrepreneur is to sue a hunter for shooting Bruno the Bear one day after he printed hundreds of Bruno T-shirts with the slogan: 'You'll never catch me'.

German businessman Peter Nesselthaler, 35, says he plans to sue the hunter who shot Bruno the bear for damages.

Hunters had been given permission to shoot the bear six weeks ago after he started killing sheep in the border area between Bavaria, Germany, and Tyrol, Austria.

But Bruno seemed to have a charmed life as he remained on the run. As well as hunters, hundreds of tourists had flocked to the area hoping for a sighting of the bear.

Nesselthaler, from Munich, said: "I can't believe they really did it, he had not harmed anyone. I am going to demand damages for all the merchandise I had printed for the bear tourists that I will not be able to sell now."

In neighbouring Austria Manfred Furtner, head of the Austrian Hoteliers Association, said: "It's a disaster that he is gone.

"He was the best free advertising we have had for years, neither the locals nor visitors were afraid of him."