Clare's Collection of Unusual Tales and Pictures

[Dark One]

Missing boy found asleep in boot

A family frantically drove for four hours to search for a missing five-year-old boy - then found him asleep in the boot.

Brodie Nicholas's family used their people carrier to mount a search after he disappeared from home, reports the Mirror.

More than 100 neighbours, dozens of taxi drivers and a police spotter plane all joined in the search.

Brodie's uncle, Moonie Hussain, 39, took the family's car to scour the streets of Portsmouth.

When he returned to Brodie's house, he decided to check the vehicle one more time - and found the boy snoozing in the boot.

Moonie said: "As I looked in the back window, I could see his legs. With the seats up, you can't see into the back of these big cars. He had just woken up and didn't know what was going on. We were just so glad to have him back."

The boy said he had got into the car to get some peace and quiet. He added: "My sister was annoying me and it was comfy in the car."

[Dark One]

Biscuit dunker invented

A Florida man has invented a device that allows people to dunk biscuits in drinks without messing up their hands.

David Friedman, from Boca Raton, unveiled his 'Mr Dunk' creation at an invention show in Pittsburgh, reports the Boca Raton News.

"Eating cookies and milk is a childhood pastime that never seems to go out of style," he said.

"I have always enjoyed dunking cookies in milk, but I felt there had to be a cleaner way to do it.

"I developed this device to make dunking easier and neater for children and parents alike."

[Dark One]

'Tiger' on loose in North Yorkshire

Police in North Yorkshire have warned farmers and villagers to be on guard amid reports a tiger is on the loose.

One woman, in her 30s, said she saw a tiger leap over a fence and cross the road in front of her as she drove to work in the Selby area.

And a second report came from a farmer who spotted the animal on his land near Tadcaster, reports the Northern Echo.

Police dispatched search teams to the area. A spotter plane from RAF Linton-on-Ouse was also called in but no trace of the big cat has been found.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: "A woman telephoned to say she had seen a tiger cross the road in front of her van.

"She was shaken, she said it was a big animal and that it had stripes.

"We searched the area but found no physical sign of the animal. There was no paw prints or spoor."

He said there had been no report of a missing tiger made to the police.

"We do not dispute what the woman said. If we gain any more reports we will step up the search a degree," he added.

[Dark One]

Roofer mistaken for jumper

A German roofer is facing a big bill after emergency services mistook him for a potential suicide jumper.

Police sealed off a busy main road and called out the fire brigade and negotiators to talk to Dieter Holmblutter, 30, who was on the roof of a five storey building in Saarbruecken.

But the roofer was so busy talking on the phone to his girlfriend he failed to notice the commotion below until she asked him what the sirens were for.

Once the mistake was realised, emergency services left the roofer to finish preparing his estimate.

But officials say he will be presented with the bill for wasting their time - reported to be several thousand pounds.

[Dark One]

Man had 1,000 pet rats

A Californian man who kept 1,000 pet rats in his one bed home has admitted his colony "had gotten a bit out of control.

Roger Dier, 67, of Petaluma, insisted the rodents loved him and he loved them, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

But he has been charged with animal cruelty and had his pets taken away.

Nancee Tavares, the city's Animal Services manager, said it was an unusual case: "Not many people like rats," she said. "They have a bad rap."

Dier told authorities that he wanted to protect the rodents, but they began breeding uncontrollably, and soon he was overwhelmed.

[Cat-Eyes]

Just a little out of control... Love them!

[Fuil Dearg]

i think she's right about rats having a bad rap. i think rats are ok. they must have been in fairly bad conditions if there was that many in such a small space. sounds like the guy meant well.
there used to be more than 50 spiders on the ceiling and walls of my bedroom (i counted them). i dont like spiders. i dislike them a lot. especially the long legged ones. and the really, big scary ones. i didnt want to move them cos i didnt want to go near them and no one else would. i asked ppl in my family (i live at home). it was like that for a few months.

[Dark One]

Snake changes colour

A snake capable of changing colour like a chameleon has been discovered in Indonesia.

Two specimens of the snake were found in the Betung National Park on the island of Borneo.

The snakes have been named Kapuas Mud after the river that runs through that part of the island.

The half-metre-long venomous snake is normally brown with an iridescent sheen, but can turn white.

It is not yet known whether the snake can become other colours too, or what exactly causes the change reports New Scientist.

Mark Auliya who discovered the snake said: "I put the reddish-brown snake in a dark bucket. When I retrieved it a few minutes later, it was almost entirely white."

[Hannai]

Wow. I know of one Aussie species that goes bright blue for breeding, but not just in a few minutes!

[Dark One]

Wimbledon staff have a ripping time

Wimbledon staff are having a problem with their new uniforms - with 60 pair of trousers splitting.

The cream Ralph Lauren trousers have torn open as line judges bend down in matches.

All 355 officials have had them double stitched by a tailor from the firm.

According to The Sun umpire Stuart Taylor said: "There were lots of accidents and ripping sounds. It was embarrassing."

A Ralph Lauren spokesman said: "We have had the odd problem but theses have been fixed. Everyone is happy."

[Dark One]

Polish MP uses vodka mouthwash

A Polish former MP has escaped a drink driving ban after telling cops he had only been using vodka as mouth wash.

Grzegorz Gruszka was arrested after being pulled over by police in a routine check and failing a breath test.

He was acquitted after he told prosecutors he had not actually swallowed any alcohol, and had only rinsed his mouth with "jogobelka" - a popular local mixture of vodka and mustard.

[Dark One]

Motorway shortcut for OAP in wheelchair

An OAP was caught driving in an electric wheelchair on a busy motorway in Switzerland.

The pensioner decided to go on the motorway near the town of Stans when his bus didn't turn up.

Local police were forced to remove him from the motorway. He told them he was "taking a shortcut" to the town.

[Dark One]

Geordie gets Jamaican accent

A Geordie woman woke up in hospital after suffering from a stroke - with a West Indies accent.

Linda Walker of Westerhope, Newcastle, suffered from the minor stroke at her home and was transferred to the local hospital/

She was shocked when she spoke to family from her hospital bed that she sounded like she was from Jamaica.

Doctors diagnosed foreign accent syndrome, where a stroke or knock on the head affects the brain's voice control centre.

After intensive speech therapy doctors think Linda may keep her Jamaican accent for ever.

According to The Sun Linda said: "I just don't sound like me. Not only did I have a stroke but I got lumbered with this accent too. I don't feel the same person.

"Everybody asks where I'm from and, if I say Newcastle, they just laugh. They think I'm lying. A neighbour asked if I was drunk as my speech is slower and often slurred. I just want my own voice back."

Linda is assisting Newcastle University experts who are researching the rare condition.

Dr Nick Miller, senior lecturer in speech language sciences, said: "Foreign accent syndrome has a lot to do with control of the lips, tongue, vocal cords and breathing, which are all affected by neurological damage. As a result a person's speech becomes severely distorted."

Foreign accent syndrome was first discovered in Norway in 1941 when a young woman spoke with a German accent after an air raid.

[Dark One]

Orange cure for upside down girl

A student who could only read and write upside down has been cured - by the colour orange.

Gemma Williams, 17, could read a book only if it was upside down, reports the Mirror.

Her computer monitor had to stand on its head and she wrote the wrong way up, too.

But now she can read and write normally - thanks to orange paper and filters.

Tutors at Hopwood Hall College in Middleton, Greater Manchester, solved the sports student's problem.

Gemma, from Rochdale, said: "Before, when I turned a book upside down, it made sense.

"Now I can read and write the right way up. It's done using an orange filter which I put over the words I want to read. I use orange paper to write the right way up."

Sue Fowler of the Dyslexia Research Trust said: "We know amber makes things clearer by increasing the contrast."

[Dark One]

Woman shocked by double birth

A woman gave birth to twins a few hours after finding out she was pregnant.

Shocked Carly Coleman from Hailsham, East Sussex gave birth to 5lb 2oz Lilly-Ella shortly after her waters broke.

As Lilly-Ella arrived, they found 4lb 9oz Harry "hidden" behind her.

Carly didn't realise she was pregnant because they grew at the top of her womb behind the ribcage.

Her partner Paul Sexton said: "There was no sign or symptoms at all. I've barely picked myself off the floor from the shock of it all."

He added: "When the hospital called I thought they'd tell me I had one baby - but two?"

[Dark One]

Woman swallows 119 nails

Doctors in Vietnam have removed 119 rusty nails from a woman's stomach.

The 43-year-old woman arrived at Hospital No. 121 in southern Can Tho City complaining of bad stomach ache.

According to IOL.com Dr Tran Van Nam said: "After having her stomach X-rayed and scanned, we found a stack of strange objects and decided to operate as soon as possible."

Doctors removed 119 7-to-8-centimetre nails.

The woman has a history of mental health problems.

"Her life is not at risk now and she is recovering," Nam added.

[Dark One]

Ferrari and woman for sale on eBay

A German woman has put her Ferrari up for sale on eBay and added herself as an extra feature.

The 26-year-old, who refers to herself only as Leila on the site, says she hopes the unusual move will help her find a man.

She said: "I've got the car because I inherited a fortune from my parents, and now I'm looking for someone who does not want to marry me just for my money."

She is starting the bidding at £865,000.

She says she has already received hundreds of emails from across the world and one offer of £1.38m "but he couldn't prove he had the money", she said.

[Marija]

Here is something I found interesting on my trip to Dunedin =)



Let me know if it too big! But normal school?? Can anyone explain this?? What makes a school normal? Lol

[Min]

LOL MARIA!! That's one for "What The...?" methinks

[Dark One]

Coffee break costs cops dear

Two policemen who allowed a wanted thug to buy them coffee after his arrest have been suspended after he took the chance to escape.

The 31-year-old, wanted for over 95 different offences, was picked up on a warrant for grievous bodily harm by the two unnamed officers on the Croatian island of Korcula.

But after persuading them to join him for a last coffee, Muzevic paid the bill and fled out of the back of the café, escaping into nearby woods.

The policemen have been suspended and face further disciplinary action while their superiors investigate how they could have allowed a man who has been charged with so many offences to buy them a drink.

[Dark One]

Teen builds sub out of pig trough

A 14-year-old naval enthusiast has built a functioning submarine out of a pig trough.

Swiss teen Aaron Kreier from Eschlikon in the Thurgau canton took the shiny brass ENDO - Extreme Nautical Deep Office - for a successful 15-minute maiden voyage.

He tested it in the Arbon docks this week after being given special permission by harbour police.

The boy has been building the peddle-powered craft since he was 10 out of bits of old farm equipment and says he plans to use it to explore Lake Constance underwater.

[Dark One]

TV crew's prison keys gaffe

A jail is spending £250,000 on replacing all its locks after a bunch of keys was screened in a TV news clip.

Prison chiefs at Feltham Young Offenders' Institution were worried people could use the clip to make copies.

They are replacing their 11,000 locks and 3,200 keys which could cost the taxpayer £250,000, reports the Mirror.

An ITN crew was reporting on the public inquiry into the racist killing of Asian inmate Zahid Mubarek.

Feltham governor Andrew Cross said: "The establishment is going through a re-locking."

ITN said it was "looking into the matter".

Mark Leech, editor of the Prisons Handbook, said: "ITV News should pay the cost in Feltham if they are found to have been responsible for the security breach."

[Dark One]

Giant blackberry on sale

The world's biggest blackberry has gone on sale.

The fruit is double the standard size at 40mm and is sweeter than its cousin.

It was first discovered in New Zealand reports The Mirror.

Marks & Spencer is selling the Kent-grown king blackberry.

Emmett Lunny, M&S specialist, said: "It has a fantastic sweet taste - it just melts in your mouth.

"Demand for delicious and unusual fruit is huge as people want healthy food to snack on."

Last year M&S sold king-size strawberries, blueberries and cherries.

[Dark One]

Balloon travels 2,500 miles

A balloon released by a 5-year-old boy in the UK was found by a British soldier clearing landmines in Iraq.

Kelvin Bielunski received a letter from Corporal Pete Allen telling him how the balloon had made him smile.

The balloon was one of many released by Kelvin's class on June 7th as part of a competition to raise funds for Brewster Avenue Infant School in Peterborough, Cambs.

Headteacher Liz Waterland said: "The balloon must have caught a jet stream and floated until it burst."

Some of the other balloons only got to London, Kent and Sussex.

According to the Mirror Kelvin said: "I'm really pleased it went so far."

[Dark One]

Ghost appears on TV

A woman claims she has a ghost in her TV discovered by her 18-month-old.

Tracey Taylor took a photo of her daughter Faith as she was dusting the TV.

When she got the photos developed she spotted a mysterious face on the TV screen.

She insists the TV was off and there was no one else in the room reports The Sun.

When she showed the photo to Faith she exclaimed: "That's Ben."

Tracey, of Lower Ince, Wigan said: "I think we should get TV ghost hunter Derek Acorah down her immediately. It really is dead weird."