2018 Other News Stories that might be missed

[Abu Nuwas]

Latest post of the previous page:

They picked on the wrong guy! Doesn't say whether police have the knife - - if they do, someone will be collared soon, and I would not want to be Counsel for the defence.

[Trigger]

Titanic musical halted on opening night in Southampton

A performance of Titanic the Musical was abandoned after debris fell on to the stage during its opening night in Southampton.
Audience members at the Mayflower Theatre said items began falling shortly after the scene in which the ship hits the iceberg.
An announcer said the show was being halted for "health and safety reasons".
The Southampton run coincides with the 106th anniversary of Titanic's maiden voyage from the city in April 1912.
Associate producer Michael Ockwell said: "You couldn't make it up... the irony isn't lost on us."
A theatre spokesman said plaster from a backstage wall had fallen on to the stage but it was "not a major structural issue".
"With the safety of the cast in mind, we made the sensible decision to cancel the second act of the show," he added.
Claire Cleaver, who was attending Thursday's show with her niece, said she initially thought it was an on-stage effect.
"It was quite frightening at first as we didn't know what was going on but the Mayflower handled it very well and there was no panic," she added.
"It's very ironic being the first showing of the Titanic musical and then the show itself sinking. It was a fantastic show, it was so disappointing."
Others posted their reaction on social media.
The theatre said no-one was injured and Friday evening's performance was expected to go ahead as planned following repair work.
Audience members have been told their tickets can be refunded or exchanged.
During the ten-day run - its first in Southampton - a special midnight performance coinciding with the time the ship sank in April 1912 is due to take place on Saturday.
Titanic the Musical opened on Broadway in 1997 and has won Tony Awards including best musical and best score.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-43751330

[boatbuilder]

The name 'Titanic' seems doomed to disaster. Let's hope that a sink hole doesn't open up under the theatre during Saturday's midnight performance.

[Trigger]

Scarborough man to run London Marathon dressed as poppy

A father-of-three is to run the London Marathon dressed in a 5ft-wide poppy suit.
Owen Willis, 49, is attempting to gain the world record for the "fastest marathon dressed as a three-dimensional plant (male)".
Mr Wills, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, must complete the 26.2-mile race in under five hours to beat the existing record.
He is raising money for armed forces charities.
He said he was inspired after running in a previous race.
"When I ran my second marathon in 2014, there were all the poppies at the Tower of London," he said.
"I had this idea that in four years time I would do something to commemorate the end of the First World War."
He spent weeks designing and making his poppy suit, which weighs almost half a stone (3kg) and comprises of 16 pieces that slot together.
Mr Willis is hoping to raise £5,000 for the Royal British Legion and SSAFA, the armed forces charity.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-yo ... e-43775356

[Trigger]

Lymington market trader Wayne Bellows ordered not to shout

A market trader named Wayne Bellows has been told not to shout about his produce after a complaint over noise.
Lymington and Pennington Town Council in Hampshire has reminded Mr Bellows, 53, of regulations that stallholders must not cause a "nuisance".
Mr Bellows, who runs a fruit and vegetable stall, said the warning was "absolutely ridiculous" and ironic, given his name.
The town's mayor said the council had a duty to follow up the complaint.
Mr Bellows is the fourth generation of his family to sell his wares in the market on Lymington's High Street.
He said he used a traditional call to promote his produce from about 10:00 on market days.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-43774595

A case of Bellows by name and bellows by nature?

[Trigger]

Chef fired after serving customer £1.15 Asda own-brand cheese in original packaging

A restaurant in Bristol has come under fire after a customer who had ordered baked Camembert was served Asda’s own-brand of the French cheese in its original packaging.
The cheese usually retails at the supermarket for £1.15, but the dish Emma Daniels was given was priced at £13.
Writing on TripAdvisor, Daniels gave the restaurant, Severnshed, a measly two-star review, explaining how she’d expected more from the upscale restaurant.
“When we go out to eat we realise you pay for more than just the ingredients, you pay for atmosphere, staff, cooking etc etc.
“What I didn't expect was to order a sharing starter of camembert and to be served Asda's own-brand camembert in the original packaging!
Even when I cook it at home I cook it in a terra cotta dish!”
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-styl ... 07306.html

[Trigger]

Germans find 'Harald Bluetooth' medieval treasure

Treasure linked to the reign of 10th Century Danish King Harald Bluetooth has been dug up in northern Germany.
An amateur archaeologist and a 13-year-old boy found a silver coin on the Baltic island of Rügen in January when scanning a field with metal detectors.
Experts kept the find secret until a team dug up 400sq metres (4,300sq ft) of land at the weekend.
They found braided necklaces, a Thor's hammer, brooches, rings and about 600 coins, probably buried in the 980s.
"This trove is the biggest single discovery of Bluetooth coins in the southern Baltic sea region and is therefore of great significance," said lead archaeologist Michael Schirren.
Harald Bluetooth was born a Viking and is credited with unifying Denmark and introducing Christianity there during his reign.
In the 980s he fled to Pomerania, now in north Germany, after losing a big sea battle against forces loyal to his son Sweyn Forkbeard. Bluetooth died in 987.
The king was immortalised by Nordic technology firms when they embedded their wireless "Bluetooth" technology in digital gadgets.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-43786129

[Trigger]

Icelandic boy's Titanic Lego replica makes it safely across to US museum

An Icelandic boy who built the world’s largest replica of the Titanic in Lego is to visit the model as it is exhibited in a museum in the US for the first time.
Brynjar Karl Birgisson originally used 56,000 bricks to make the eight-metre replica, but “after the front part broke we had to buy more, taking it to a total of around 65,000”, the 15-year-old said. Lego subsidised the build by giving Brynjar a discount on some of the bricks needed for the project.
And in a move that echoes the sinister plan of Lord Business in the plotline of The Lego Movie, the teenager has glued the model together. “One hundred twenty tubes of crazy glue were used,” he said.
The model, previously displayed in Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Germany, has travelled to the Titanic Museum in Tennessee, where Brynjar will be making an appearance on 21 April.
He said the experience had helped him with his autism. “Although I’m still autistic and will always be, I have trained myself to be ‘as normal as possible’ – whatever normal means,” he told the museum in an interview.
“I was totally unable to communicate when I started the project and now I’m standing on stage and giving interviews. It has given me confidence. When I started the building process I had a person helping me in school in every step that I took, but today, I’m studying without any support. I have had the opportunity to travel and explore and meet wonderful people.”
Brynjar has previously travelled to the US to deliver a TED talk about his autism and the Titanic replica project.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... ds-biggest

[boatbuilder]

Hopefully it will be more 'successful' than the opening night of the Titanic musical reported at the top of the page.

[Trigger]

Wetherspoons told disabled woman to leave Shrewsbury pub

A woman who suffered a brain injury seven years ago was asked to leave a JD Wetherspoons pub after staff mistook her disability for drunkenness.
Grace Currie was escorted out of The Shrewsbury Hotel by bouncers on Saturday night who told her she was too drunk, despite having only one drink.
Ms Currie, 24, said it was "appalling" and she was not even allowed back inside for her bag and coat.
The chain apologised for the mistake and the "misjudgement" of staff.
Ms Currie suffered life changing injuries after she was hit by a car in Baschurch in 2010.
"She had a less than 0.1% chance of making it to the hospital," her mother Lorraine said, "let alone surviving".
Netty Brook, Ms Currie's assistant who was with her at the pub on Saturday night, said being asked to leave was "so degrading for Grace and so upsetting".
"After seven years recovering, it's such a huge thing for Grace to get to the bar and order her own drink," she said. "That is massive. And for her to be treated the way she was, I just can't imagine.
Ms Brook said Ms Currie being asked to leave has "made her feel like this is her fault".
She said people should not need to "have something tattooed across your head saying you're disabled... to be treated with dignity or respect".
The family has asked for assurance from Wetherspoons that their staff "have the training in disability awareness that they clearly need".
A spokesperson for the pub chain said the manager realised "there had been a misjudgement".
"We apologise to Grace for the mistake and hope that this incident will help our staff manage future similar scenarios with better understanding."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sh ... e-43794564

[boatbuilder]

The mystery of the homesick mechanic who stole a plane

In 1969, at the height of the Cold War, a mechanic in the US Air Force stole a Hercules plane from his base in East Anglia and set off for the States. Just under two hours later, he disappeared suddenly over the English Channel. Did he simply crash or was he shot down?

Read the full story

Although this was almost 50 years ago, this lengthy but interesting story is told today in the above BBC link.

[Trigger]

Animals smell and make funny sounds! Fed-up farmer hits out at neighbours who bleated to council about his noisy livestock

No one living near a farm should be surprised if it pongs a bit and the animals make a racket every now and then.
But when Stephen Nolan's chickens clucked too much, a retired financier in a neighbouring house complained to the local council.
Now Mr Nolan, 48, has hit back, putting up a sign warning: 'This property is a farm. Farms have animals! Animals make funny sounds, smell bad and have sex outdoors. Unless you can tolerate the above, don't buy a property next to a farm.'
His family have owned Laneside Farm in Higher Wheelton, Lancashire, since his grandfather bought it in the Thirties. As well as free-range hens and geese, they keep ten shire and Clydesdale horses and four pigs on the ten-acre farm.
Mr Nolan said: 'We've had complaints to the council, so we put the sign up to say if you don't like farming then don't move next to a farm.
'The person who complained doesn't like the hens making a noise. Our family has been here since before the war, so we're not going to move.'
Mr Nolan and his father Cyril claim their neighbours, former financier Philip Nuttall and his wife Yvonne, have repeatedly complained about farming activities in the past decade.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z5D5WxnXuF

[Trigger]

A woman was killed when a car crashed into the house she was inside

The vehicle caused "significant damage" to the property in Clevedon, near Bristol, when it hit the building at 20:27 BST.
Neighbours in Yeolands Drive were evacuated from their homes by police amid fears a gas pipe was damaged in the crash.
A man and woman who had been inside the car were arrested at the scene, Avon and Somerset Police said.
The force said residents who had been asked to leave had been able to stay with friends or family.
"Our response is ongoing and emergency services are likely to be at the scene for some time," it added.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-43815325

[Trigger]

Disability-led ensemble to play BBC Proms

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra's Resound ensemble will become the first disability-led group to play the BBC Proms this summer.
The group is led by James Rose, who has cerebral palsy and conducts using a baton strapped to his head.
His fellow musicians have conditions such as blindness, autism and partial deafness.
They'll make their Proms debut less than a year after being formed, at a "relaxed Prom" on 27 August.
The low-key concert is aimed at children and adults with autism, sensory impairments and learning disabilities; and will be signed for those with hearing difficulties.
James Rose told the BBC he was "delighted" to be conducting at the Proms, adding: "There are barriers facing disabled musicians, and our performance at the Proms will show that inclusivity is possible within classical music.
"I hope that our BSO performance will inspire people, with or without a disability, to engage with music and open up more opportunities for diversity and accessibility in the arts sector."
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43801951

[Trigger]

Dog's 'cancer' turns out to be four teddy bears

A sick St Bernard dog whose owners feared she could have cancer was found to have eaten four teddy bears instead.
Eight-year-old Maisy had a CT scan which showed an unusually full stomach and a mass on her spleen, which led her vet to diagnose possible cancer.
During an operation to remove the spleen, Wakefield-based vet Nick Blackburn found the soft toys in her stomach.
Mr Blackburn said "this was not something we were expecting to find".
"We all know certain dogs enjoy chewing things they shouldn't but managing to devour four full teddy bears is quite a feat," said Mr Blackburn.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-43826189

[Trigger]

Deer found stuck upside down between garage and wall

A deer left rescuers with cuts and bruises after it was rescued from being wedged upside down between two walls.
The RSPCA were called to a property in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, on Thursday afternoon after a resident found the animal stuck beside her garage.
Animal welfare officer Steve Wickham said: "It had hooves on top and antlers beneath and was very much still alive".
After fire crews arrived helped to hold the feet and head, the deer was lifted to safety.
Mr Wickham said: "I've looked at the photos and I've still no real idea of how it got there, wedged upside down.
"The usual procedure is to hobble the animal - tie its legs together - but it kept kicking those off.
"So me and the firefighters had to hold its legs and head still while we got ropes under it and then as we lifted it out.
"I'm nursing a fair few cuts and bruises this morning but we got it out and the deer was last seen running off into the woods."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-de ... e-43834330