News Round Up
by Patrick O'Connor
IT'S been the feature of an iconic advertisement for 50 years but there are fears that the Old English sheepdog could become extinct.
The fluffy coated hound has been used to promote Dulux paint but according to The Sun, the Kennel Club reports that only 316 puppies were registered this year.
They fear that the breed is being eclipsed by more fashionable dogs such as the Siberian husky, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Welsh terrier.
Want to lose some weight – then go to see a horror flick. A Daily Mirror story reveals that a study claims that watching a scary film can burn off as many calories as there are in a chocolate bar.
A University of Westminster study recorded the heart rate, oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output of people as they watched a selection of horror films.
Feelings of fear, which triggered the release of adrenalin and raised metabolic rate, could burn 113 calories in 90 minutes – the same as a 30-minute walk.
Dr Richard Mackenzie of the University of Westminster, which held the study with movie rental firm LoveFilm, said: “The 10 films tested set pulses racing. Adrenaline is known to lower the appetite, increase the basal metabolic rate and ultimately burn calories.”
Top tip for weight loss? The Shining starring Jack Nicholson.
We Brits love our cuppa and the world of hi-tech is chipping in to help us out.
According to The Sun, a new device means people can pop the kettle on from their smartphone 10 minutes before they get home.
A WeMo app links up to a device plugged in at home, called the WeMo Switch, using a Wi-Fi connection.
Once set up, iPhone users can then programme their home gadgets from anywhere they have an Internet connection.
We also love our pint and, it would appear, would go to almost any lengths to enjoy it!
The Daily Mail reports on the gory story of a pub landlord who hid the body of a dead customer so he would not miss the busy weekend trade.
Jason Chidgey found the body of pub regular Mark Howells dead in the men’s toilets on a Friday at his pub, the Boot Hotel in Aberdare, South Wales.
But fearing police would close down the pub for their investigation, meaning he would miss out on weekend business, he hid the body in a first-floor bedroom at the pub, a court was told.
Chidgey was jailed for 15 months after admitting perverting the course of justice. The court heard Mr Howells died of natural causes due to alcohol poisoning.
Whoa! Slow down!
Biker Steven Tull, of Liphook, Hampshire, was caught doing 152mph – the highest speed recorded in England. Tull was found guilt of dangerous driving a banned for 12 months, says the Daily Mirror.
The last thing you want in your house is rats – especially if you are planning to sell the property.
The Daily Express reports on a survey by pest control company Rentokil which claims that having rats can wipe £24,000 off the value of an average home. More than half of Britons say they would not buy a house with a rodent problem.
Now don't have a go at me, this is not my view but just the Daily Mail's story on a report by the Automobile Association.
They claim that nearly a third of women will change their driving plans to avoid having to parallel park their car at the end of their journey - twice the rate of men.
“Women are more likely than men to lack parallel parking confidence,” says the report.
If you are feeling a bit under the weather, why not pop out and bite a tree!
The Sun tells us about grandmother Marlene Barnes (72) who claims to have healed herself of a disease with no recognised cure – by eating tree bark.
Marlene started chewing chippings after 48 years with the bowel condition Crohn’s disease.
Now, a decade on, doctors confirm she no longer has any active trace of the illness.
“I read of bark’s medicinal properties and felt it was worth a go.”
The mum of two began cutting bark off trees in a park, then dried and ground it up at home.
A chatty parrot is seeking a new home – the only problem is he swears like a trooper.
The Independent says the RSPCA in West Malling, Kent, is looking to home Beaky, a chattering lory who learnt his foul language from his previous owner.
A spokesman said: “Beaky is an intelligent and playful bird who is a good mimic. Unfortunately, this talent means that he picked up some rather colourful language from his previous home.”
The Sun puts the spotlight on yet another British eccentric.
Fifty five year old historian Andrew Robertshaw has built a replica World War One trench – in his garden!
Andrew, who lives in Charlwood, Surrey, spent a month shifting 200 tons of earth, helped by 30 Army volunteers plus close friends and family. It include a kitchen, an infantry bedroom and officer’s dugout.
Andrew said: “It’s important to show how those troops lived, especially with Remembrance Day coming up.”
The southern town of Slough has had to cope with an image problem over the years, with the poet John Betjeman and the comedian Ricky Gervais portraying it in less than favourable light.
In an 1975 poem, Betjeman called for bombs to rain down on the town - which he deemed no longer fit for humans and Gervais used Slough as a drab suburban backdrop for his hit TV satire The Office.
Now, reports the Daily Mail, local council staff have been banned from wearing strapless tops and flip flops. Under the borough council's new dress code, woman have also been banned from 'over exposing' their bodies in revealing outfits to avoid embarrassing their colleagues and tarnishing Slough's image.