KEY POINTS:
Russell Parrish of Epsom writes: "This sumptuous, beautifully prepared picnic sat unattended in the rain at the corner of St Andrews Rd and King George Ave all day Tuesday. I am intrigued to see whether anyone returns to enjoy it when the rain finally stops."
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Listening to loud music encourages young men to drink more and at a faster rate, according to a study completed in France. Researchers controlled the volume of music in two bars while tracking the drinking habits of unsuspecting male subjects between the ages of 18-25. "It seems that loud music throws people off their game and renders them less in control of their capacity to moderate their drinking," said addiction expert Dr Marc Galante. They also considered the possibility that louder music might simply make verbal communication less viable, leading to more drinking. (Source: Healthonthenet.org)
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Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions: Otto Lilienthal died on August 10, 1896, from injuries sustained two days earlier in a crash of one of his hang-gliders. Thomas Midgley Jnr accidentally strangled himself with the cord of a pulley-operated mechanical bed of his own design in 1944. Alexander Bogdanov, a physician and scientist, conducted an experiment for a "rejuvenation" technique wherein he deliberately gave himself a transfusion of blood from a student who suffered from malaria and tuberculosis. He died of the subsequent infections. Franz Reichelt, "the Flying Tailor", jumped off the Eiffel Tower while trying out his combined overcoat/parachute invention. The parachute failed to open and he died from the fall. Marie Curie, co-discoverer of radioactive elements radium and polonium, died in 1934 of aplastic anaemia as a result of exposure to ionising radiation. (Source: MentalFloss.com)
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Wearing low-slung baggy trousers could land you behind bars for a year in Flint, Michigan. Police chief David Dicks has declared war on people known as "saggers". They can be arrested on sight, serve up to a year in jail and pay a huge fine for what Dicks calls "immoral self- expression". So far, Dicks has only issued warnings to saggers, but he's made it clear that anyone with pants below the butt - whether or not they've got boxers underneath - is violating the city's disorderly conduct code.
Today's Webpick: In 1969 two Australians living in London bought a lion from Harrods department store and raised it as their pet. When the animal became too large conservationists convinced the pair the lion should be rehabilitated into the wild. This is their reunion after a year apart. Sappy and terrifying at the same time. Watch ithere. Scroll down.
These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.
