An electrician has revealed that his wristwatch might have saved his life after he was hit with 11,000 volts while working.
Steve Edwards, 51, spent five days in intensive care being treated for burns to his face, chest, neck and arms after the horrific incident.
The father-of-four, from Bristol, puts his early recovery after the shock on September 18 down to the skill of nurses - and his metal watch.
The cable jointer, from Bedminster Down, was connecting a high-voltage switch, thinking the power was off, when the charge went through his body.
Mr Edwards said: 'I should have died from an 11,000-volt explosion - I think it was my watch that took the electricity down to earth rather than my body.
'After I was burnt, I was fully aware of what was going on - I can remember coming away and trying to put myself out and then my colleagues threw me on the floor.'
Link
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Kangaroo tries to drown dog, attacks owner
A kangaroo startled by a man walking his dog attacked the pair, pinning the pet underwater and slashing the owner in the abdomen with its hind legs.
The Australian, Chris Rickard, was in stable condition Monday after the attack, which ended when the 49-year-old elbowed the kangaroo in the throat. He said he was walking his blue heeler, Rocky, on Sunday morning when they surprised a sleeping kangaroo in Arthur's Creek northeast of Melbourne. The dog chased the animal into a pond, when the kangaroo turned and pinned the pet underwater.
When Rickard tried to pull his dog free, the kangaroo turned on him, attacking with its hind legs and tearing a deep gash into his abdomen and across his face.
"I thought I might take a hit or two dragging the dog out from under his grip, but I didn't expect him to actually attack me," Rickard, 49, told The Herald Sun newspaper. "It was a shock at the start because it was a kangaroo, about 5 feet high, they don't go around killing people."
Kangaroos rarely attack people but will fight if they feel threatened.
The Australian, Chris Rickard, was in stable condition Monday after the attack, which ended when the 49-year-old elbowed the kangaroo in the throat. He said he was walking his blue heeler, Rocky, on Sunday morning when they surprised a sleeping kangaroo in Arthur's Creek northeast of Melbourne. The dog chased the animal into a pond, when the kangaroo turned and pinned the pet underwater.
When Rickard tried to pull his dog free, the kangaroo turned on him, attacking with its hind legs and tearing a deep gash into his abdomen and across his face.
"I thought I might take a hit or two dragging the dog out from under his grip, but I didn't expect him to actually attack me," Rickard, 49, told The Herald Sun newspaper. "It was a shock at the start because it was a kangaroo, about 5 feet high, they don't go around killing people."
Kangaroos rarely attack people but will fight if they feel threatened.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Winston Churchill D-Day cigar discovered
The cigar has now been valued at £800 by an expert during the filming of the Antiques Roadshow.
Student Christian Williams, 33, was given the cigar when he was just 12 by his grandad Ronald Williams, a WWII veteran.
At over six inches long the cigar has never been touched by its owner, who keeps it safe in a sturdy wooden box.
It was taken from a historic meeting between Churchill and the other Allied leaders at the famous Casablanca Conference.
Placecards bearing the names of the world leaders taken with the cigar from the conference combined with Mr William senior's testimony helped the authentication of the cigar.
Mr Williams, a student at Lincoln College who lives in nearby Horncastle, said he felt like he owned a piece of history.
He said: "I've kept the cigar a secret and completely to myself since my grandad gave it to me all those years ago.
Link
Student Christian Williams, 33, was given the cigar when he was just 12 by his grandad Ronald Williams, a WWII veteran.
At over six inches long the cigar has never been touched by its owner, who keeps it safe in a sturdy wooden box.
It was taken from a historic meeting between Churchill and the other Allied leaders at the famous Casablanca Conference.
Placecards bearing the names of the world leaders taken with the cigar from the conference combined with Mr William senior's testimony helped the authentication of the cigar.
Mr Williams, a student at Lincoln College who lives in nearby Horncastle, said he felt like he owned a piece of history.
He said: "I've kept the cigar a secret and completely to myself since my grandad gave it to me all those years ago.
Link
Friday, November 20, 2009
Alleged burglar warms up bottle for crying baby
An 18-year-old is in police custody after he warmed up a bottle for a crying baby inside the house he was allegedly robbing. Indianapolis police arrested the suspect at Arlington High School on Tuesday after receiving a tip from a television viewer saw surveillance video on a newscast.
Detectives said two suspects forced their way into a home on Friday morning and began ransacking the house. Police said that when a baby started crying, one of them warmed a bottle in a microwave oven and gave it to a child to feed the baby.
The suspect was being held on charges of burglary, robbery, criminal confinement and pointing a firearm.
Link
Detectives said two suspects forced their way into a home on Friday morning and began ransacking the house. Police said that when a baby started crying, one of them warmed a bottle in a microwave oven and gave it to a child to feed the baby.
The suspect was being held on charges of burglary, robbery, criminal confinement and pointing a firearm.
Link
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
'Captain America' wins rock-paper-scissors title
A Michigan man has won the world Rock Paper Scissors championship in Toronto. Tim Conrad clinched the title after five hours of play and nine matches at the Steam Whistle Brewery on Saturday night.
Facing off against his best friend in the first all-American final in championship history, Conrad beat Tom Butkin with paper covering rock.
Organizers say Conrad dressed as Captain America during the competition to honor his home country.
Conrad takes home $7,000 in prize money.
Link
Facing off against his best friend in the first all-American final in championship history, Conrad beat Tom Butkin with paper covering rock.
Organizers say Conrad dressed as Captain America during the competition to honor his home country.
Conrad takes home $7,000 in prize money.
Link
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Fla. police seek alleged bad breath bank robber
Authorities in Florida are searching for an alleged bank robber with "notably bad breath" who asked a teller to fill an orange Halloween bag with cash.
The Broward County sheriff's office says the man wore sunglasses when he held up the TD Bank branch in South Florida on Monday morning.
The man told a teller to fill the bag with cash and motioned toward his waistband. The teller didn't see a gun during the heist.
Authorities believe the man fled the scene in a white Honda Accord.
Link
The Broward County sheriff's office says the man wore sunglasses when he held up the TD Bank branch in South Florida on Monday morning.
The man told a teller to fill the bag with cash and motioned toward his waistband. The teller didn't see a gun during the heist.
Authorities believe the man fled the scene in a white Honda Accord.
Link
Monday, November 16, 2009
Mona Lisa 'had eyebrows'
Pascal Cotte said Leonardo built the painting up in layers, the last being a special glaze whose optical properties increased the illusion of a three-dimensional face. Above the glaze Leonardo painted details such as the eyebrows.
Cotte said: "That could explain why the eyebrows have disappeared – they have faded because of chemical reactions or they have been cleaned off."
He has uncovered a host of secrets about the Mona Lisa using a 240 megapixel camera. It can measure light so sensitively as to see through the top paint surface and uncover the layers below.
For example, infra-red imaging shows Leonardo moved the position of a finger on the left hand "to give a more relaxed position, consistent with the smile", Cotte said.
Link
Cotte said: "That could explain why the eyebrows have disappeared – they have faded because of chemical reactions or they have been cleaned off."
He has uncovered a host of secrets about the Mona Lisa using a 240 megapixel camera. It can measure light so sensitively as to see through the top paint surface and uncover the layers below.
For example, infra-red imaging shows Leonardo moved the position of a finger on the left hand "to give a more relaxed position, consistent with the smile", Cotte said.
Link
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