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(6 views)Toyota is recalling hundreds of thousands of Prius hybrid models around the world due to braking problems in the latest blow to the troubled carmaker.
Plus, basically, they are crap.
(9 views)An Australian performance artist has set a Guinness world record by swallowing an amazing 18 swords at the same time.
Chayne Hultgren, also known as the Space Cowboy, beat his own 2008 record by swallowing the swords, each 28.35in long, at an event in Sydney.
The swords were all bound together with a steel clasp and Mr Hultgren held his head back to create a straight channel into his lower body.
He said that while the stunt was not dangerous, he had spent many hours training for it.
He started with a garden hose, and trained himself not to gag.
After setting the record, Mr Hultgren, 31, described it as definitely one of his greatest achievements so far.
"Wow, I did it, it feels good, thank you very much, it feels really good actually," he said.
Mr Hultgren started practising with swords at the age of 16 and says he has used different methods to perfect the art.
"I stretch my throat with hoses and use a few different techniques to basically enable me to do what, until now, has been impossible".
"I don't just straightaway grab 18 blades and shove them down my throat - you've got to practise a lot and build up to it," he said.
Your cat adds, from a safe distance, I cannot download the video with this story. Someone has moved the goalposts somewhere.
(12 views)Drinking two or more soft drinks a week can double the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, a new study claims.
Researchers found that there was a correlation between drinking sugary drinks and the cancer which affects around 7,000 people in the UK every year.
They believe that the high sugar content increases the amount of insulin the pancreas produces which could be why they are more prone to cancer.
Dr Mark Pereira, co-author at the University of Minnesota, admitted that people who consume soft drinks on a regular basis, tend to have a poorer diets overall but he felt the drinks did have a real effect.
"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," said Dr Pereira.
Although relatively rare, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most deadly, and only five per cent of people who are diagnosed are alive five years later.
For the current study, Dr Pereira and colleagues followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. During that time, there were 140 pancreatic cancer cases.
Those who consumed two or more soft drinks per week (averaging five per week) had an 87 per cent increased risk compared with individuals who did not.
No association was seen between fruit juice consumption and pancreatic cancer.
Dr Pereira said that these results from Singapore are likely applicable to all western countries.
"Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent health care. Favourite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries," he said.
Professor Susan Mayne, at the Yale School of Public Health, said these study results are intriguing but have some key limitations that should be considered in any interpretation.
"Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal association or not.
"Soft drink consumption in Singapore was associated with several other adverse health behaviours such as smoking and red meat intake, which we can't accurately control for."
(11 views)A police force spent £100,000 on 'storytelling sessions' to encourage senior officers to share their sucesses.
The sessions organised by Greater Manchester Police were supposed to improve policing, with the lessons learned pasted on a cartoon storyboard to form a 'business strategy'.
News of the courses comes after GMP proposed to shed 300 police posts and a further 150 civilian jobs to cut costs.
Consultants Storytellers Ltd were hired by Chief Constable Peter Fahy to host the sessions at the Piccadilly Hotel in the city centre last May.
The firm promise to 'help business leaders connect their people to strategy, vision, values and change through the art of storytelling'.
Ian Hanson, a Police Federation spokesman, said: "GMP is becoming the Ministry for Silly Ideas. I find it incredible that the chief constable is trying to slash hundreds of police posts in an attempt to reduce costs but seems to find the money for these kinds of activities.
"They need to ask the people of Greater Manchester whether they want officers on the beat or in a hotel telling stories."
GMP human resources officer Julia Rodgers defended the sessions. She said: "GMP is committed to providing the best possible service for local people. It is essential that all staff are aware of the priorities and what is required from them to ensure we can be effective.
"The activity is the latest phase of work to tackle the issues that affect local people and ensure we can make a difference to the quality of life in Greater Manchester."
(22 views)The overly aggressive mating habits of a group of amorous ducks will force visitors away from a rural North Yorkshire market town and destroy tourism, locals fear.
A number of male drakes have become engaged in the "wild mob-handed mating technique" when chasing female partners in the breeding season, Thirsk locals said.
Experts say the birds have become aggressive due to the decreasing number of females throughout the area.
Now residents fear the bad behaviour from the passionate birds, which live around Cod Beck, near the town centre, will destroy local tourism.
With duck mating season approaching, Thirsk Town Council has held crisis talks with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England and the RSPB to try and solve the problem.
New homes have been located for some of the birds but locals fear the banished birds will simply fly back into the area.
"The problem can be distressing for young children and we’ve had a number of complaints about this issue," said town councillor Alan Morton.
"The law forbids us from shooting them or anything like that and we’re working within the law and talking to groups about this."
North Yorkshire County councillor for Thirsk, Gareth Dadd, added: "Although some people think this is a bit quakers it could actually cause offence to some.
"Perhaps this is a problem that we need to take a serious view on."
A RSPB spokesman said: "This is quite a familiar scenario when it comes to ducks and when it comes to mating they are quite aggressive.
"It’s an interesting problem."
(27 views)A one-armed man is being hunted by police for stealing a single cufflink worth £120 from a jewellery shop.
The thief pretended to be looking for a present for his mother when he knocked boxes of cufflinks on the floor and made off with one in the shape of a boxing glove.
The gold cufflink from CJ Vinten in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, is worth £120 and police have issued CCTV footage of the thief.
Sally Ann Manthorp, who works at the shop, said: "It wasn't until we watched the CCTV we saw he had an empty sleeve tucked in his pocket."
PC Steve Wells added: "A man fitting the same description was acting suspiciously in other shops so jewellers in the area have been alerted. We hope members of the public will help us identify man so we can speak to him."
The thief is described as white, bald, wearing a dirty navy blue bomber jacket and blue jeans.
(52 views)A father was banned from carrying his daughter on his shoulders during a shopping trip to Tesco.
Martin Dunkley was confronted by a security guard when he tried to enter a branch of the store in Cambridge.
The guard told the 45-year-old taxi driver to take six year-old Natalie down for health and safety reasons.
But he refused and decided to shop elsewhere.
A Tesco spokeswoman urged Mr Dunkley to return to the store and talk to the manager about his concerns.
She added: "We take the safety of our staff and customers very seriously. Each store can make these decisions on an individual basis. We have no blanket policy on this issue."
The incident comes after other Tesco stores recently banned customers from wandering around stores wearing pyjamas, then from going barefoot.
(24 views)Men are struggling when it comes to modern day chivalry, a study has found.
Despite more than three in four women saying they would love to receive a romantic letter or poem, only half of men have penned either, it found.
Most women claim they would treasure a love letter, or poem, for the time and effort spent writing it, which is perhaps why six per cent of men confessed to passing off existing romantic poetry as their own in order to impress the fair sex.
While the passionately composed love lyric was an important feature of wooing in olden times, more than one in five men today were are more inclined to use their mobiles to dash off a text.
More than one in ten would instinctively an emailed message to their loved one.
The study found that while the majority of women are regular users of Facebook and Twitter, more than half would feel disappointed to receive a wall message or tweet instead of a traditional greetings card this coming Valentine's weekend.
The study, of more than 2100 adults, found two in three women would like to be complimented on their appearance, while a third appreciated a partner with good eye contact, regarding this as a sign of devotion.
The Lindt Lindor "Code of Modern Chivalry" report found some behaviour that would-be modern knights should avoid at all costs:
* If taking one's loved one for dinner, pick up the bill – a third of women admit they do not expect to "go Dutch" on Valentine's Day.
* Focus on the lady one is with, as wandering eyes are a major cause of offence for eight in 10 women.
* Switch off the phone and Blackberry, or even better, leave them at home. Interrupting the evening with a phone call, text or email would almost unanimously irritate women.
Relationship expert Jenni Trent Hughes said: ''We may no longer be knights in shining armour or damsels in distress, but we still want and need romance – it is part of our emotional DNA.
''The beauty of romance in the 21st Century is that it is a blank slate.
''Forget about everyone else and make Valentine's Day work for you and the object of your affection.''
(22 views)Gordon Brown is eating up to nine bananas a day as part of a health drive ordered by his wife Sarah, it has been claimed.
The Prime Minister has turned to the fruit as a substitute for KitKat bars to give him the energy to survive long days at No 10, The Sun reported.
Mrs Brown apparently told her husband to reduce his chocolate intake in an effort to get him in shape before the general election, which is expected in May.
The newspaper claimed that Mr Brown's three-KitKat-a-day habit had been significantly reduced, with the Prime Minister now only treating himself when under extreme pressure.
It quoted a Downing Street source as saying: "Like with everything, Gordon is an obsessive. Bananas are his big thing now – he can't get enough of them."
"The PM has always liked to chew on something during endless meetings. So the suggestion was made to him that bananas might be a more healthy option that the KitKats and fizzy drinks he loves.
"He knows he's up against two fitter and younger men in David Cameron and Nick Clegg during the Election campaign, so he's keen to look a bit leaner. He has taken up jogging and goes to the gym."
Bananas and politicians do not always go well together. A photograph of David Miliband holding one the fruits during the Labour conference in September 2008 came to symbolise his perceived immaturity, undermining his leadership hopes.
(18 views)Drinking beer especially pale ale strengthens your bones and could stop them becoming brittle, a study suggests.
Researchers found that the drink contained a substance that boosts bones and could mean they are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis.
They discovered that beer, especially pale ales, contains high levels of silicon known to slow down the bone thinning that leads to fractures and boosting the formation of new bone.
The finding, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, backs up previous research which also showed that the drink was good at fending off brittle bones – especially in women.
"The factors in brewing that influence silicon levels in beer have not been extensively studied", said Dr Charles Bamforth, lead author at the University of California.
They found that lighter beers with a greater use of hops had the most silicon.
Silicon is present in beer in the soluble form of orthosilicic acid (OSA), up to half of which can be absorbed by the body making beer a major contributor to silicon intake in the Western diet.
Based on these findings, some studies suggest moderate beer consumption may help fight osteoporosis, a disease of the skeletal system characterised by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue.
The researchers found that the extra heat used in malting darker beers tended to destroy some of the silicon. Beers with more hops naturally had more silicon they found.
Osteoporosis or low bone density is often described as a silent epidemic of the 21st century. In the UK alone it results in more than 200,000 fractures annually and costs the NHS more than £1 billion a year.
Three million Britons are affected by osteoporosis.
The actual biological role of silicon in bone health and formation is not known though it is thought to help manufacture collagen, one of its major components.
"Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," concludes Dr. Bamforth.
"Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort and much of this survives into beer."
Dr Claire Bowring, National Osteoporosis Society, said the research did not mean that people head for the pub.
“These findings mirror results from previous studies which concluded that moderate alcohol consumption could be beneficial to bones," she said.
However, while the National Osteoporosis Society welcomes measures to improve bone health we do not recommend anyone increases their alcohol consumption on the basis of these studies. While low quantities of alcohol may appear to have bone density benefits, higher intakes have been show to decrease bone strength, with an alcohol intake of more than two units per day actually increasing the risk of breaking a bone.
"There are also many other health concerns linked with alcohol which cannot be ignored.”
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