Over the last couple of weeks while I have been off line there have been some great news stories and statistics. Here are a few of my favourites:
- Man uses hedgehog as weapon – thanks Jon Jolly
- Victim of mugging offers coat to mugger as well as wallet – a great story on going the extra mile
- Lance Corporal Matt Croucher hurls himself onto Taliban grenade – heroic sacrifice – would we have done that? – thanks Nigel
- Under-age drinking – research which includes:
“Police confiscated 44,000 pints of alcoholic drinks during a crackdown on under-age drinking in February”
- A man who left a 17th Century violin – valued at £180,000 – on a train appeals for its safe return.
- A former church minister who caused £60,000 damage to two Porsches tells of his “miracle” escape.
- Thousands of camels will enter a beauty contest in the United Arab Emirates.
- An Australian man jumps onto the back of a crocodile that is attacking his wife, and forces it to flee.
- A US man sells the domain name pizza.com for $2.6m – after maintaining the site for $20 a year since 1994.
- The Simpsons is pulled from Venezuelan TV for being unsuitable for children – and is replaced by Baywatch! But then returns.
- Embarrassment for two Brisbane police officers after a handcuffed suspect steals their patrol car.
- A Russian man trying to sleep off a night’s drinking fails to notice a six-inch knife in his back.
- James Bond’s Aston Martin plunges into an Italian lake while being delivered to the set of the latest 007 film. (Thanks also to David)
- McDonald’s is giving its UK workers new designer uniforms, in a “mark of respect” for its staff.
- A woman’s diet around the time of conception may influence the gender of her baby.