KEY POINTS:
"My red electric Enviromower lawnmower [case and catcher] has been stolen from my garden shed," says a reader.
"Note to the thieves: 'Hey guys, what's the use of stealing an electric lawnmower when you don't have the battery, charger or starter key? How do you think an electric lawnmower works?' If anyone finds my lawnmower dumped somewhere, I'd really appreciate having it back. Please contact Henderson police, lost and found, on 839-0600."
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A record 46,000 people changed their names by deed poll in the UK this year, including one man now called Happy Adjustable Spanners after losing a drunken bet. Other eccentric names adopted by Britons this year included Luscious Lemons, General Ninja Ant and Aron Mufasa Columbo Fonzerelli Ball In A Cup Boogie Woogie Brown.
Although most people adopt a new name for marital or relationship reasons, hundreds made the change to bring a bit of cheer to their lives.
There is now also a Mr Tintin Captain Haddock Confused Brewer, a N'Tom TheHayemaker Haywardyouliketocomebacktomine and a McLovin, named after the lead character in the teenage film Superbad. Mr Brewer, a 25-year-old stockbroker from Leeds who used to go by the name Chris, chose Tintin because of his receding hairline.
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One of Trish's colleagues went to Papamoa Beach on Christmas Day and witnessed the following:
"A woman thinking someone was in trouble in the water [they weren't] drove her near-new Range Rover into the ocean to lend a hand. On getting only a short way in, she became stuck ... Two males in 4x4 wagons thought they would go to her aid. As you can guess, they too got stuck. Maybe too many champagnes for breakfast?"
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Throwing a stick for a dog is dangerous for the animal, a leading UK vet has warned. Dan Brockman, a professor of small animal surgery at the Royal Veterinary College in London, has advised owners to use rubber toys or balls instead because of the serious injuries caused by dogs being stabbed by sticks. "When I see people throwing sticks for their dogs in the park I just get so frustrated," he said. "I want to go and tell them to stop." A report by Professor Brockman detailed cases of dogs being paralysed after a stick stabbed their spinal cord. It also recorded dogs having their internal organs damaged by sticks stabbing their bodies. Some have also died after an infection caused by splintered sticks spread around the body.
(Source: telegraph.co.uk)
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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Latisse, a prescription drug whose main use is to promote eyelash growth. From the makers of Botox, the eyelash-thickening drug is designed to help those with sparse eyelashes. The active ingredient in Latisse is bimatroprost, the same ingredient that is in a glaucoma treatment, Lumigan. Patients taking Lumigan found a side-effect of the drug to be eyelash growth.
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