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Birthday bet A British woman stands to collect a cheque for 12,650 pounds ($30,824) after betting she would live to 100. Rosalind Strover from Sudbury in Suffolk, eastern England, plans to celebrate her centenary with her family at a nearby golf club. As well as the traditional congratulatory telegram from Queen Elizabeth, she will also receive a cheque for her winnings from bookmaker William Hill. Ten years ago, her daughter-in-law Jennifer wagered 100 pounds at 100-1 that she would reach her century. She topped up the bet with a 50 pound stake a year later at 50-1. A happy 100th year indeed! |
Ungentlemanly conduct An opposition law-maker has triggered a free-for-all in an Indian state assembly, when he threw slippers at the Government benches during a debate over a controversial mining contract. The chief minister of the eastern state of Orissa was hurt when agitated law-makers pushed a table on to his leg. The violence was sparked when deputies from the opposition party began protesting against the grant of a mining lease to a company that plans to set up an alumina refinery in the impoverished state. They said the Government had ignored environmental norms. Point taken! |
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Air pressure
Heavy suitcases aren't the only things weighing down airplanes and requiring them to burn more fuel, pushing up the cost of flights. A new US government study reveals that airlines increasingly have to worry more about the weight of their passengers. America's growing waistlines are hurting the bottomlines of airline companies as the extra pounds on passengers are causing a drag on planes. Heavier fliers have created heftier fuel costs, according to the government study. Through the 1990s, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds. The extra weight caused airlines to spend $275 million to burn 350 million more gallons of fuel in 2000 just to carry the additional weight of Americans. The burden of obesity! |
Too clever to work A Bulgarian woman rated the world's cleverest wants a British firm to give her a job after spending two years on the dole. Bulgarian Daniela Simidchieva, a mother of three, has five Masters Degrees and an IQ of almost 200. She's listed by the country's Mensa office as the world's cleverest but despite sending off hundreds of applications she still hasn't found a job. Her IQ is the same as that of chemist Marie Curie who was the first person to win the Noble Prize twice but cannot even get a cleaning job. Daniela said: "I love learning, but I also want to work. I am qualified as an industrial engineer, as an English teacher and as an electrical engineer as well as having my five Masters degrees. But in Bulgaria I have found that employers do not want clever employees.” Can you beat that, guys? |
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The beauty gift If larger breasts, fuller lips and fewer wrinkles are on the Christmas wish list, cosmetic surgery gift vouchers could be the answer. The number of Britons going under the knife for finer features has rocketed this year and some private clinics have started offering the vouchers to cope with demand. "Husbands buy them for wives, or daughters for their mothers," said one of the UK's biggest commercial cosmetic surgery groups, which has sold hundreds of the vouchers this year. They range from 50 to 1,000 pounds ($90-1,800) and are mostly used for non-surgical procedures such as botox and skin peels. Most patients had already expressed an interest in plastic surgery before receiving a voucher and were not offended by the gift. Who says beauty can’t be bought? |
The beauty gift If larger breasts, fuller lips and fewer wrinkles are on the Christmas wish list, cosmetic surgery gift vouchers could be the answer. The number of Britons going under the knife for finer features has rocketed this year and some private clinics have started offering the vouchers to cope with demand. "Husbands buy them for wives, or daughters for their mothers," said one of the UK's biggest commercial cosmetic surgery groups, which has sold hundreds of the vouchers this year. They range from 50 to 1,000 pounds ($90-1,800) and are mostly used for non-surgical procedures such as botox and skin peels. Most patients had already expressed an interest in plastic surgery before receiving a voucher and were not offended by the gift. Who says beauty can’t be bought? |
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Public lovemaking German police detained a naked 25-year-old woman and her 23-year-old partner who were engaged in sexual intercourse on the pavement in the middle of a busy shopping district. Police in the western town of Duelmen said the couple were spotted by pedestrians late having intercourse. Pedestrians in the town of 40,000 called police, but the couple initially ignored police orders to stop. The naked couple continued their passion-filled activity on the cold asphalt and finally followed police instructions to stop on the third warning. The two now face a 100 Euro ($A170) fine each for disturbing the peace. In throes of passion! |
Tailpiece
A man has six children and is very proud of
his achievement. He is so proud of himself, that he starts calling his
wife," Mother of Six" in spite of her objections. |