Ten things which raised an eyebrow this week
Ten things which raised an eyebrow this week
Following the week in which it was discovered there could be 100 billion barrels of oil in Sussex, Maya Angelou was (possibly) misquoted on a US commemorative stamp and it was revealed that Barry Manilow has secretly married his long-time manager, Garry, EP brings you a brief round-up of some other interesting news items which may have skipped your attention
- Forget scaling its highest peaks, if reports by Chinese state media are correct you'll soon be able to catch a train under Mount Everest! Comprised of "a series of very long tunnels" the plans under consideration would link China directly to Nepal though it is unclear at this point which, if any, other countries have been consulted
- While taking part in a panel discussion about the search for other habitable planets, NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan shocked attendees by predicting proof of alien life will be found in the next two decades
- Not so "girl power"-ful after all? Using data from 1,002 companies listed on the Forbes Global 2000, research by the University of Cambridge Judge Business School places Britain 9th for "economic influence wielded by women" behind Ireland, Scandinavia and Australia (which placed first)
- Previously written off as a forgery, a play entitled "Double Falsehood" is now being lauded as a lost masterpiece by Shakespeare! Set in Spain the script has all the hallmarks of the great Bard's work including sexual intrigue, cross-dressing and the prerequisite simple misunderstanding resulting in comedic chaos
- In Scotland, Torry and Ferryhill councillor Alan Donnelly was less than impressed when pranksters hacked his email account and had a £100 Domino's Pizza delivery sent to his home. Lamenting "I don't even like pizza!" Mr Donnelly has reported the culinary crime to police
- In an effort to improve accessibility and transparency, the NYPD is painting all police cars with a Twitter handle to identify which precinct said vehicle is attached to, hoping this will help the force "connect with New Yorkers through social media."
- "Market day tomorrow - that's all bases covered!" Residents in the quiet Scottish village of Dornoch have been left scratching their collective heads, and posting comments on social media, as to why a sign post has been erected directing tourists to the Toilets, a Doctor's surgery, a museum and ... an abattoir!? In an even odder twist, said abandoned abattoir is scheduled for demolition later this month
- In a disturbing parallel to what is happening in our seas today, scientists now believe that they have proof that the biggest mass extinction event in history, known as the "Great Dying" was caused by ocean acidification caused by the prolonged eruption of super-volcanoes which generated massive volumes of CO2 - an alarming event being replicated today by massive levels of pollution and poisoning
- "Embarass", "embaras" or "embarrass"? "Occurrence", "occurance" or "occurence"? While enjoying the school break this week, perhaps now is the time to Test your Spelling before the children start bringing homework back again
- If you think you're having a bad week, spare a thought for the driver towing a caravan in Somerset who was caught on camera attempting to overtake a HGV. Severely misjudging how much space there was, the vehicle was completely destroyed when the caravan clipped the truck, flipped and split in half tossing its contents into the path of oncoming, unsuspecting traffic in the process
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