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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Saturday, February 28, 2015

The Daily Drift

Don't forget and miss the Debut of The Truth Be Told tomorrow
Hey, wingnuts, yeah, we're talking to you ...!
 
Carolina Naturally is read in 201 countries around the world daily.   
    
Better him than us ... !
Today is  -  International Sword Swallowers Day

You want the unvarnished truth?
Don't forget to visit:The Truth Be Told 

Some of our readers today have been in:
The Americas
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hamilton, Bermuda
Londrina and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Beauharnois, Montreal, Quebec and Toronto, Canada
Santiago, Chile
Bogota, Colombia
Mexicali, Mexico City and Mexico
Boaco and Managua, Nicaragua
Lima, Peru
Guayanbo and Luquillo, Puerto Rico
Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela
Europe
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Rijeka, Croatia
Ashworth, Bermondsey, London and Slough, England
Laval, Paris, Rouen and Velizy-Villacoublay, France
Herbelhausen, Germany
Athens and Nikaia, Greece
Reykjavik, Iceland
Dublin and Waterford, Ireland
Florence, Giavera del Montello and Milan, Italy
Riga and Ventspils, Latvia
Luqa, Malta
Gdynia, Stalowa Wola and Tarnowskie Gory, Poland
Lisbon, Portugal
Moscow, Ryazan and Vladivostok, Russia 
Pristina, Serbia
Bratislava, Slovakia
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Burriana, Canillas de Aceituno and Mardid, Spain
Geneva, Switzerland
Dnipropetrosk and Kiev, Ukraine
Asia
Bangalore, New Delhi, Patna, Pune, Shillong and Udaipur, India
Jakarta and Kebon, Indonesia
Amman, Jordan
Seoul, Korea
Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan, Malaysia
Islamabad, Pakistan
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Singapore, Singapore
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Africa
Rabat, Morocco
Benoni, Cape Town and Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
The Pacific
Glen Iris, Strathfield and Sydney, Australia
Manila, Philippines

Today in History

1066   Westminster Abbey, the most famous cult in England, opens its doors.  
1574   On the orders of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, two Englishmen and an Irishman are burnt for heresy.  
1610   Thomas West is appointed governor of Virginia.
1704   Indians attack Deerfield, Mass. killing 40 and kidnapping 100.  
1847   Colonel Alexander Doniphan and his ragtag Missouri Mounted Volunteers ride to victory at the Battle of Sacramento, during the Mexican War.  
1861   The territory of Colorado is established.  
1863   Four Union gunboats destroy the CSS Nashville near Fort McAllister, Georgia
1900   After a 119-day siege by the Boers, the surrounded British troops in Ladysmith, South Africa, are relieved..  
1916   Haiti becomes the first U.S. protectorate.  
1924   U.S. troops are sent to Honduras to protect American interests during an election conflict.  
1936   The Japanese Army restores order in Tokyo and arrests officers involved in a coup.  
1945   U.S. tanks break the natural defense line west of the Rhine and cross the Erft River.  
1946   The U.S. Army declares that it will use V-2 rocket to test radar as an atomic rocket defense system.  
1953   Greece, Turkey and Yugoslavia sign a 5-year defense pact in Ankara.  
1967   In Mississippi, 19 are indicted in the slayings of three civil rights workers.  
1969   A Los Angeles court refuses Robert Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan's request to be executed.  
1971   The male electorate in Lichtenstein refuses to give voting rights to women.  
1994   U.S. warplanes shoot down four Serb aircraft over Bosnia in the first NATO use of force in the troubled area.

Culinary DeLites

Pecan pie is always a great treat, but those who truly adore the treat know that the best filling in the world still needs a light, flaky filling to really make the most of the dessert. If you've been having issues nailing the right crust, then maybe you should start thinking outside the pie -that is, consider trying an egg roll wrapper instead. It might sound crazy if you're used to traditional egg rolls that are filled with soy sauce, meat and cabbage, but if you've ever had sweet cream cheese won tons then you know the light dough can be a perfect balance of flaky and crunchy.
Want to try it yourself? Then head over to Capturing Joy for the recipe.

Kombucha Tea

Kombucha tea has been a faddish drink for the health-conscious for decades. Are its touted benefits the real deal or the stuff of rainbows and unicorns?

Food Additives

Food additives that are commonly used to thicken processed foods may disrupt the bacterial makeup of the gut, causing health problems.

Sleep Longer

Cold and snowy weather make you sleepy? Research shows that's not uncommon.

'Witchcraft'

An innovative British effort to stem sex trafficking in Africa uses belief in magic and witchcraft to help victims.

Random Celebrity Photos

thepieshops:

Brigitte and The Dogs on Flickr.
Brigitte Bardot in Paris circa 1954.
Brigitte and The Dogs
Brigitte Bardot in Paris circa 1954.

French man again crowned 'world's best pig squealer'

Noël 'Nono' Jamet the pig squealer from northern France has done it again. His impression of a breastfeeding pig won him the top prize for the sixth year in a row at France's annual agricultural fair in Paris.
Truck driver Monsieur Jamet, 48, dresses up in pink, straps on pig ears and a pig-nose, and then uses a microphone to do pig noises to the best of his ability.
"When it comes to being a breastfeeding pig, you really have to entertain the public," he said after the event at the Agricultural Fair (Salon de l’Agriculture) at the Porte de Versailles.

The competition pulls in the crowds every year to watch competitors grunt and squeal for a chance to win the trophy. When Monsieur Jamet's not acting like a pig at agricultural shows, he can also be found squealing at weddings and birthday bashes. And it's not the kind of skill one can pick up overnight. He's been practicing since the age of 15.

Man unsuccessful in attempt to make passable counterfeit money using printed table napkins

A suspended sentence was handed down recently in a Canadian provincial court to a Lennox Island man who tried to produce counterfeit money using table napkins manufactured with images of $100 bills printed on them.
The court was told that 22-year-old Cass Alder purchased a package of napkins stamped with images of $100 bills, cut the images out of the napkins and secured them to paper using a glue stick.
To ensure the image of the $100 bill was affixed to the paper, it was placed in the oven for a short period of time. Alder then tried to purchase several items at a convenience store with one of the bogus bills. The clerk refused to accept it.
Alder then left the store, leaving the bill behind. His attempt to pass counterfeit money resulted in a term of probation of 18 months. Speaking for himself, Alder said he’d made a lot of mistakes in his life. "It took me a long time to realize I deserved better than this for myself,” he said.

28-year-old man accused of assaulting 92-year-old girlfriend

Memphis police have charged a 28-year-old man with assault after he was accused of choking and shaking his 92-year-old girlfriend. Thomas Standley was arrested on Wednesday morning and charged with domestic assault and assault.
Police were called to a duplex in East Memphis at around 10pm on Tuesday. The victim’s daughter told police that she heard her mother screaming saying “let go of me, you’re hurting me.”
The woman said she went next-door to check on her mother and Standley became angry and pushed her out of the front door. Police arrived at the scene and detained the suspect. The 92-year-old woman told police that the suspect got mad at her because she did not want to take her medicine. She said he choked her, squeezed her arms and shook her.
She told officers that the Standley, who is her live-in boyfriend, hurts her all the time and she was afraid to call police. She said she lived in fear and that she after she signed over power of attorney to the suspect she can’t get away from him, according to the affidavit. Standley was uncooperative with police and arrested. He is due in court on Thursday.

Woman refused to leave burning home because it was too cold outside

A woman from Maryville, Tennessee, escaped serious injury on Friday morning after facing the dilemma of remaining in a burning house or seeking refuge in the freezing cold. When Blount County firefighters were dispatched to a fire alarm call at 1:43am they didn’t yet realize the homeowner was still inside the structure. Blount County Fire Capt. Jerry Phillips called the house several times, and eventually got in touch with homeowner Rose Creech. “He could hear a fire alarm beeping in the background and she was coughing,” said Blount County Fire Lt. Tim Ogle.
“He asked her if she was okay, and she told him, ‘My kitchen’s on fire.’ And as soon as she said that he lost contact with her.” Phillips was able to get Creech back on the line and discovered she was still inside the home. Phillips told Creech she needed to leave the residence, but she replied that it was too cold to leave, Ogle said. Phillips begged the woman to leave the home, but when Blount County Firefighter Richie Storie arrived, he discovered she was still inside. As Ogle explained, when Storie arrived, the garage door was open. He walked through and found an open door which led into the home.
“He encountered black smoke,” Ogle said. “Thick, dense, black smoke, almost all the way to the floor.” Storie had heard that Creech was still inside, so he yelled inside the home and she responded. The firefighter, who had arrived in his own vehicle without an air tank, asked if she could make it outside. But because of the thick smoke, she was unable to see well enough to do so. Storie tried to lead her out with his voice, and Creech eventually found her way out another nearby door, where deputies from the Blount County Sheriff’s Office were waiting. Ogle said they were able to help Creech down to a neighbor’s house, where they waited for an ambulance.
As for the fire, firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the kitchen. There was still heavy smoke damage throughout the home. But because of the cold, all the water firefighters were using was freezing, Ogle said. “Not only was our water freezing outside anywhere that it hit the ground, but the water that we sprayed in the kitchen on the vinyl flooring was freezing on the floor,” Ogle said. “We were ice skating around that house.” It appears the fire started on or near the range top of an electric stove in the kitchen, Ogle said. Creech was transported by Rural/Metro Ambulance Service to be treated for smoke inhalation. She did not suffer any burns or major injuries, Ogle said.

Woman scattered nails on road in bid to boost business at her husband's tyre repair business

A 36-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly scattering nails on a main road in Hua Hin, northern Thailand, in an effort to bring more business to her husband’s tire repair shop.
After receiving regular complaints about burst tires since January, police took to the streets as undercover garbage men and spotted a woman spilling nails while riding a motorcycle.
Officers arrested the woman, identified as Kesarin Channiem. According to police, Kesarin said her husband’s tire business had fallen on hard times, and that the nails were an effort to bring in more customers.
Police have charged Kesarin with damaging property, and urged other motorists affected by the nails to come forward and press charges.

Customer Service Complaint, 1750 B.C.

Please remain on the line. You clay tablet is very important to us. Tablets will be answered in the order in which they were received.
The British Museum owns a baked clay tablet from the Mesopotamian city of Ur. It is a complaint about a delivery of copper. The response time may be a bit long.

Pharaoh Brutally Killed in Battle

Analysis reveals major cuts to the king's feet, ankles, and lower back, as well as multiple blows to his skull.

Random Photos


One-Third Rule

Researchers have discovered the ideal lash length that protects your eyes from dust and damage.

What They Do

The eyelashes of most animals are one-third the length of the eye's width to create an optimal protective zone.

Freeze-Fall

A Collection of Frozen Waterfall Photographs

Eidfjord, Norway
These breathtaking photographs of frozen waterfalls from all over the world make up a collection that is worth the short time it takes for readers to peruse it. When such powerful forces of nature — flowing water and freezing temperatures — meet, it makes for some awesome sights (and treacherous exploring).
See the entire collection, as well as brief descriptions of each location, in this article.

The Nitrogen Cycle

plowing-fieldWorldwide, the nitrogen cycle is off


When exposed to nitrogen fertilizer over a period of years, nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia evolve to become less beneficial to legumes – the plants they normally serve. These findings, reported […]

Bends in Plumbing

The Chilean geyser called El Jefe provides new insight on how these natural wonders work.

Weird Winds

Flooding and high tides along the East Coast in 2009 and 2010 were triggered by a major change in wind patterns and offshore currents


Curiosity's New Selfie

In a spectacular new Mars selfie, rover Curiosity stands proud on the bedrock at the base of Mount Sharp at it's Mojave work site in an area nicknamed Pahrump Hills.

Monstrous Black Hole

Astronomers have discovered an out-of-place supermassive black hole -- 12 billion times more massive than the sun -- that inexplicably formed when the universe was less than 900 million years old.

Ceres' Mystery Bright Dots

As NASA's Dawn mission slowly spirals in on its dwarf planet target, Ceres' alien landscape is becoming sharper by the day.

Lucky Fisherman Catches Monster Catfish

Dino and Dario Ferrari caught this 9-foot long, 280 pound catfish in the Po River in northern Italy. It’s a Wels catfish (Silurus glanis). After a fierce, 40-minute battle, the twin brothers reeled in a creature that is being called the “monster of the Po.”
It’s time for a huge serving of fried catfish!
Or perhaps not. After measuring and photographing the fish, which is probably about 30 years old, they let it back into the water. You can see more of those pictures at the Daily Telegraph.

Humans, sea anemone share nerve signal origins

SEA&SEA 1200HDHumans, sea anemone share nerve signal origins


New research shows that a burst of evolutionary innovation in the genes responsible for electrical communication among nerve cells in our brains occurred over 600 million years ago in a […]

Crocodile Paradise

The remains of seven different croc species were found in a once swampy, food-filled site.

Rogue Owl

The town of Purmerend has advised residents to arm themselves with umbrellas when out at night, in response to a mysterious spate of owl attacks.

Animal Pictures

Friday, February 27, 2015

The Daily Drift

Don't forget and miss the Debut of The Truth Be Told on March 1st
Hey, wingnuts, yeah, we're talking to you ...!
 
Carolina Naturally is read in 201 countries around the world daily.   
    
Everybody Loves Polar Bears ... !
Today is  -  International Polar Bear Day

Don't forget to visit our sister blog: NNN
Don't forget to visit: It Is What It Is

Some of our readers today have been in:
The Americas
Buenos Aires, Argentina
La Paz, Bolivia
Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil
Montreal and Quebec, Canada
Buenaventura, Colombia
Curridabat, Costa Rica
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Boaco, Nicaragua
Lima, Peru
Luquillo, Puerto Rico
Europe
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Rijeka, Croatia
Prague, Czech Republic
Egham, England
Lyon, Rouen and Salon-De-Provence, France
Muenchen, Germany
Nikaia, Greece
Dublin, Limerick and Waterford, Ireland
Giavera del Montello, Milan, Ravenna and Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy
Luqa, Malta
Chisinau, Moldova
Arendal and Oslo, Norway
Gdynia, Tarnowskie Gory and Warsaw, Poland
Moscow, Ryazan and Vladivostok, Russia
Belgrade and Pristina, Serbia
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Alafar, Burriana and Madrid, Spain
Zurich, Switzerland
Izmit, Turkey
Dnipropetrovsk and Kiev, Ukraine
Asia
Beijing, China
Bangalore, Coimbatore, Gaya, Patna, Pune, Shillong and Trichur, India
Jakarta and Medan, Indonesia
Tehran and Yazd, Iran
Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Sandakan and Sibu, Malaysia
Islamabad, Pakistan
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Africa
East London, Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
The Pacific
Glen Iris, Strathfield and Sydney, Australia
Manila, Philippines

Today in History

425   Theodosius effectively founds a university in Constantinople.  
1531   German Protestants form the League of Schmalkalden to resist the power of the emperor.
1700   The Pacific Island of New Britain is discovered.  
1814   Napoleon's Marshal Nicholas Oudinot is pushed back at Barsur-Aube by the Emperor's allied enemies shortly before his abdication.  
1827   The first Mardi-Gras celebration is held in New Orleans.  
1864   The first Union prisoners arrive at Andersonville Prison in Georgia.  
1865   Confederate raider William Quantrill and his bushwackers attack Hickman, Kentucky, shooting women and children.  
1905   The Japanese push Russians back in Manchuria and cross the Sha River.
1908   The forty-sixth star is added to the U.S. flag, signifying Oklahoma's admission to statehood.  
1920   The United States rejects a Soviet peace offer as propaganda.  
1925   Glacier Bay National Monument is dedicated in Alaska.  
1933   The burning down of the Reichstag building in Berlin gives the Nazis the opportunity to suspend personal liberty with increased power.  
1939   The Supreme Court outlaws sit-down strikes.  
1942   British Commandos raid a German radar station at Bruneval on the French coast.
1953   F-84 Thunderjets raid North Korean base on Yalu River.  
1962   South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem is unharmed as two planes bomb the presidential palace in Saigon.  
1963   The Soviet Union says that 10,000 troops will remain in Cuba.  
1969   Thousands of students protest President Richard Nixon's arrival in Rome.  
1973   U.S. Supreme Court rules that a Virginia pool club can't bar residents because of color.  
1988   Debi Thomas becomes the first African American to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.  
1991  Coalition forces liberate Kuwait after seven months of occupation by the Iraqi army.

Christian Homeschoolers Sell Daughter Into Arranged Marriage, Offer Discount Because She’s ‘Damaged’

by Jameson Parker 
Recently, America’s secretive “Christian homeschooling” movement found itself at the center of attention when a 19-year-old girl created a viral plea for help proving she really existed. Her parents had withdrawn so far from the rest of society that they had refused to get her a social security number, a birth certificate, or any form of medical history – in essence, the girl, now a young adult, was an undocumented illegal alien, despite having been born in Texas. The neglect has prevented her from entering into society on almost every level: She can’t get a job, she can’t attend college, she can’t rent or buy a home or car.
But if people assumed that the parental malfeasance displayed by her parents was the worst the movement had to offer, a new whistleblower has shown that these fundamentalist Christian communities can be infinitely more damaging than that.
Jennyfer Austin was adopted as a child into just such a home and was from then on blocked off from the outside world. During her formative years, Austin grew up under strict, oftentimes severe, religious parenting that she says only got worse as her mother was “egged on” by homeschooling friends and church leaders.
Christian fundamentalists often opt for homeschooling over public or private schools because it allows them to control every aspect of their children’s lives. A study released in 2013 found that homeschooling has been growing steadily in recent years. 77 percent of parents asked why they chose to homeschool their children said that it was a desire to provide moral instruction that they believe “secular” schools lack.
For Austin, being shut away from the watchful eye of the public school system allowed her parents to keep her near. Even when she reached adulthood, Austin was prevented from going out into the world. Unlike many Christian homeschooling children, Austin knew that she had a birth certificate and social security number (because of her adoption), but her adoptive mother hid the documents as a way of keeping Austin close.
Austin’s description of life in her home sounds like something out of Saudi Arabia, not California:
‘Dating was a complete no-no. I might be able to have a parent-approved courtship and go places in public, but I couldn’t possibly do something like hold hands with a boy.’
She was forced to wear long skirts and blouses with high necklines and long sleeves. If she chose a skirt which went to mid-calf, she would have to put on knee-length boots so no leg was shown.
‘Even my swimsuit went down to my knees and had sleeves,’ she recalled. ‘I wasn’t allowed to shave. My grandfather felt that any part such as my legs that needed to be shaved should not be shown off in public.’
Most appallingly, at the age of 20, Austin was told by her parents that she had been “sold” to a man twice her age, a situation that Austin and others like her say is disturbingly commonplace. She says her parents’ asking price for her was $25,000, a fee that was much smaller than the average (around $50,000), because due to her being molested as a child she was considered within her Christian community to be “damaged goods.”
Thankfully, Austin managed to escape from her appalling life, which was, to be frank, little more than an imprisonment. Escaping was nonetheless difficult. After refusing to marry the man her parents were paid to deliver her to, her mother said Austin owed the would-be husband a refund of his $25,000 down payment. Instead, she fled.
Austin is now married, albeit to a man that she actually chose to be with. She now says that she is focusing on rebuilding her life in a society that her parents had tried for her entire childhood to keep her from.
She says that because of her experience that she no longer identifies as a Christian. Her adoptive parents may not have been representative of all of Christianity, but Austin can certainly be forgiven for not wanting any part of it.
According to a report by the AHA Foundation, a group which focuses on protecting the rights of women, America is home to a large number of forced marriages. Concrete numbers are hard to come by given the secretive nature in which they take place, but the group identified as many as 3,000 cases in just the last two years. Many of the cases involve immigrants who maintain the customs from their home country, however there is anecdotal evidence to suggest the fundamentalist Christian movement is also implicated.

Lady's celebratory 21st birthday balloons led to police accusations of Islamic State propaganda

After Sarah Ericsson hung up balloons in the shape of the number '21' for her birthday, her home in Sweden was paid a visit by police officers who thought they stood for 'IS' and had been put up by supporters of the Islamic State extremist group. "It was a little strange," the 21-year-old student said.
She was already in class on Monday when her boyfriend Fabian Ã…kesson, who was staying at her home in Karlskrona, received a visit from police. A passer-by had called them after looking through the window at two balloons pushed together to make the number '21' and confusing their reverse image with the letters 'IS', which the extremist group also known as Isis and the Islamic State often uses as part of its propaganda.
"We understand why someone would report it if they thought it looked like IS-propaganda, although everyone else just thought it looked like the number '12' from outside," Ericsson said. Her boyfriend Fabian Ã…kesson explained that he was stood looking out of a window brushing his teeth on Monday morning when he noticed several police cars outside the house and then heard a knock on the door. When he went to open it, he was greeted by three police officers, who quickly realized that they had made a mistake.
"I laughed about it and they showed me a photo that they had taken where from their perspective, it did almost look like the letters IS," he said. But despite police accepting the error, Ã…kesson said he was still asked to remove the balloons from the window. "They asked me to take down the balloons to avoid further misunderstanding. We laughed some more about it all and they wished me a nice day, and wished my girlfriend a belated Happy Birthday," he said. "Extremism should always be taken seriously, and we did take the balloons down immediately," added Ericsson.

Mother angry after playground slathered in lube

A brand new playground in Plymouth, Devon, was coated with lubricant in a dangerous stunt by mindless yobs. Angry Clarice Thacker discovered the vandalism at the £40,000 park in Frogmore Field when she took her two-year-old boy Sonny along for one of their regular afternoons playing on the equipment.
After noticing Sonny slipping on climbing frame steps, Clarice realized the whole play park has been tarnished with the slippery substance. “At first I thought he’d just slipped, but then he went down the slide and he absolutely flew down it. Then his clothes and his hands were covered in lubricant.
“Another lady was there with her grandchild and she thought it was glue, but it was like jelly and we realized it was lubricant. I found an empty packet of lubricant on the way out and took a picture of it before I put it in the bin. It’s disgusting that someone would do this.” And Clarice says it’s just good fortune that Sonny, nor any other child, was badly hurt. “He could really have hurt himself when he slipped from the bars. And it was all over the climbing frame.
“We phoned the council straight away and they said they’d be out to clean it up.” A spokesman for Plymouth City Council said: “We take very seriously any reports of damage to our playgrounds and deal with them as quickly as possible. It’s disappointing that this act of vandalism has taken place on a playground that is primarily designed for younger children. All our playgrounds are cleaned and inspected on a weekly basis, but we would encourage anyone who finds any damage to contact us.”

Man suffered bruised knee after being blown out of exploding bathroom

A New York man escaped with just a bruised knee after he was a launched out of a bathroom by an explosion. Jeffery Oppenheim was visiting his friend Andrew Pessin in Providence, Rhode Island, on Sunday when the unusual incident occurred.

Fog blamed for boat crashing into restaurant

As fog shrouded the Florida coastline at about 5pm on Monday, a 39-foot boat crashed onto the shore in front of the Sunset Grille in Little Harbor, sliding across a broad beach and smashing into the restaurant.
Two people suffered minor injuries. Seven people were on the boat and one was taken to a hospital. The person driving the boat "just kept going straight and never turned,'' said witness Bob Schafer.
The four-engine boat was travelling at 40 to 50 mph, said Nacole Revette, a Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokeswoman. She said firefighters shored up the restaurant roof.

No alcohol was suspected. The fog appeared to be a major factor in the crash, said Baryl Martin, a Fish and Wildlife spokesman. The boaters' names were not released. An investigation is ongoing, Martin added.

Thief caught out when phone rang in his shoe

A student who denied stealing an iPhone was exposed as a thief when the device started ringing in his shoe. When Harold Penn-Timity was confronted by the victim and his friends, as well as an off duty policeman, he thought he could brazen it out that the thief wasn't him. That was until someone rang the number of the missing mobile and the phone could be heard ringing from Penn-Timity's footwear and he was promptly arrested.
At Luton Crown Court the 25-year-old pleaded guilty to a single charge of theft. Douglas Page, prosecuting, told how on November 10 last year in Fitzroy Court, a halls of residence at Luton University, Penn-Timity was confronted by a group of young men over the theft of the iPhone 5. In fact a passing off duty policeman saw a group of males surrounding the defendant and decided to go and investigate. One of the young men present shouted out "That twat robbed me - look in his back pocket."
Mr Page said the off duty officer discovered the group suspected Penn-Timity of stealing the phone, but he was denying any responsibility and saying "I haven't got it." The prosecutor said it was then that the owner of the phone asked one of his friends to call his number. "It could be heard ringing and it was found in Penn-Timity's shoe," said Mr Page. The court was told he said "I didn't take it on purpose. I was going to give it back."
Penn-Timity claimed he had come across it and picked it up and then been frightened to hand it in thinking he would be accused of stealing and kicked out of the university where he was on a media course. Tim Nutley, defending, described it as a "opportunistic offense" and out of character. Judge Peter Wright sentenced Penn-Timity to a 12 month community order and told him he must perform 80 hours of unpaid work.

Man fell asleep while trying to steal bus

A 20-year-old man from north Belfast, Northern Ireland, who fell asleep on a bus he allegedly tried to steal has been refused bail. Joseph McMahon, from the Antrim Road, is charged with trying to steal a double decker bus. He is also accused of stealing two mobile phones from a shop, causing criminal damage to a phone, and possessing cannabis.
All the alleged offenses took place on 19 February. He is further charged with disorderly behavior at the Royal Victoria Hospital the following day. A detective constable told Belfast Magistrates Court that with 128 convictions, along with drink and drug addictions, Mr McMahon "appears to have no concern for the consequences of his actions, so is a danger to both himself and others".
"He passed out on the bus he attempted to steal, so given the circumstances, it's alarming to think about the consequences that may have ensued if he had managed to steal the bus," the detective said. He also said Mr McMahon had numerous breaches of bail and court orders, adding that he was currently under two suspended jail terms for burglary and theft and was only released from custody last month.
Mr McMahon's solicitor said he had instructed her that he would abide by any bail conditions set by the court, but a judge told the solicitor it was "very difficult for me to say that there's any chance of him keeping to conditions". The accused is due back before the court via videolink on 20 March.

Saunas May Help You Live Longer

Sweating it out in the sauna is good for your heart, suggests new research, which links saunas to the longer lives, at least among men.

Social Media and Body Image

Body-image-1The Impact of Social Media on Body Image


A new study estimates that approximately a half million teens struggle with eating disorders or disordered eating. Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating can cause serious physical problems and, at their […]

Too many food choices

Junk food diet binge eatingToo many food choices exacerbate the battle against obesity


Some scientists say that when mothers eat poorly during pregnancy, they pass along traits to their children that make them more likely to have poor diets and have related health […]

Prevent Allergy

With peanut allergies on the rise worldwide, a study found that contrary to previous advice, feeding foods containing peanuts to babies before 11 months of age may help prevent allergies.