Ten things which raised an eyebrow this week - 10/01/14
Ten things which raised an eyebrow this week
EP brings you a brief round-up of some of the news items which were perhaps as surprising as they were enlightening
- In a week which has seen every State in America, bar Hawaii, experience freezing weather conditions it was so cold in Chicago that even the city zoo's Polar Bears are being kept inside ...
- ...conversely, in Australia, the heatwave has reached such record highs that it has been credited with the death of 100,000 bats across Queensland
- If you've ever thought your child’s nappy might be toxic then you'll feel some sympathy for Austrian hazmat specialists called in when a refuse truck set off alarms on a Geiger counter. The problem? Adult diapers collected from a local hospital were found to be contaminated with radioactive iodine! (The truck itself will remain in a sealed metal container for over a week while the “emissions reach safe levels”)
- With such self-proclaimed titles on his business card as "most influential person of China", "most charismatic philanthropist of China" and "China moral leader" it's possible that Guangbiao Chen is also the most obnoxious person in China!
- “It looks like a gargoyle with a frog on top!” Mystery surrounds a "creepy white statue" which has appeared on a walking path at Castleroe Forest outside Coleraine
- A woman in America has devoured a 72oz steak in under 3 minutes - knocking the previous record of 6 minutes 43 seconds out of the Guinness Book of World Records
- Because Science! Common use of the word “because” has pushed the American Dialect Society to name it "word of the year" - it has also been redefined as a noun, thanks to its modern use as "an ironic and efficient explainer"
- A police officer murdered on duty in 1893 was laid to rest in an unmarked grave because his family couldn't afford a headstone. Now, 120 years later, The Police Roll of Honour Trust has (finally) commissioned a specially engraved marker in time for a dedication ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Scotsman’s death
- Replacing Fillet Mignon with steamed fish & vegetables? Calorie counting on the menu at a State Banquet? If “The School Nutrition Fairness Act” comes into law in America, it will require the White House and the US Department to abide by the same nutritional standards as schools
- And finally, if you’re finding it hard to cope with the post-Christmas blues here are some fun & wacky suggestions on how to deal with the grey and the cold, including “National Rubber Ducky Day” and "Ditch New Year's Resolution Day"