Daily Telegraph / BBC

UK police  unveiled a police tractor yesterday, it was not paid for by public money,    Lincolnshire’s $75,000  tractor has been lent by manufacturer John Deere and modified by the National Farmers’ Union.

The police tractor will be displayed at shows to highlight police work but could also be used in the event of severe flooding or an environmental disaster.

It is decked out in police livery and, despite a top speed of 25mph, has a flashing blue light.

Lincolnshire police will display it at farming shows to highlight the fight against agricultural crime.

Photo: MASONS

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:35 PM on 3rd September 2010

There might be the occasional flare-up on court - but it was on the genteel stands of the Arthur Ashe Stadium that the real action took place yesterday.

Police were forced to escort three fans out of the U.S. Open after a fight broke out during Novak Djokovic’s match against Philipp Petzschner.

The second round match was halted in the eighth game of the first set after the brawl kicked off - apparently when a female spectator and her father took exception to another fan’s swearing.

Third-seed Djokovic and Petzschner stopped playing and looked up into the stands while New York police handcuffed the fans and led them out of the stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens.

Ed Merrison, Sky News Online

A planeload of British Airways passengers feared for their lives when they were told they were going to crash - only to learn the warning message went out in error.

Travelers flying from Heathrow to Hong Kong heard the message: “This is an emergency. We may shortly need to make an emergency landing on water.”

Cabin crew on the Boeing 747 had to quickly reassure passengers their worst nightmare was not about to come true, telling them the warning was a mistake and there was no emergency.

BA, which said the incident took place within the last seven days, apologized for the scare.

The airline explained that the message was an automatic one triggered by a computer.

By ThirdAge News Staff  ThirdAge.com

Posted August 18, 2010 12:52 PM

An egg recall is taking place upon recognition of a potential salmonella contamination. Along with Minnesota, the recall affects Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado and California.

There have been seven confirmed cases of salmonella in Minnesota linked to the multistate recall One of the seven people sickened was hospitalized for a short time but has recovered.

The recalled eggs were packaged under the following brand names: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund and Dutch Farms and Kemps.

The eggs, packed in 6-, 12- and 18-egg cartons, have date codes and plant codes on the end of the cartons. Date codes range from 136 (May 16) to 225 (last Saturday). The affected plants’ codes are 1026, 1413 and 1946. The plant number begins with the letter P and then the number. The date follows the plant number, for example: P-1946 223.Today is day number 233 out of 365.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Healthy people infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis or arthritis.

Anyone who bought the affected eggs should not eat them but return them to the point of purchase for a refund.

Read more: http://www.thirdage.com/news/egg-recall-effect-due-salmonella-contamination-fears_8-17-2010#ixzz0xB1nsYKb

1. It is noteworthy to point out that conducting a garage sale is an environmentally- friendly green activity. It keeps usable items out of our landfills and redistributes them into the appreciative hands of new owners. Simply put, garage sales have the ability, and in fact do, lower our carbon footprint as consumers.

2. When you consider having a garage sale, determine your motivation and the reasons why you would like to have a sale in the first place. Are you wanting to turn unwanted items back into cash, looking to simply your lifestyle by owning less “stuff” or are you saving for a special purpose, for example, an upcoming vacation trip, purchasing a new car or perhaps upgrading your computer system? No matter what your motivation is, by following a few, easy-to-follow steps, you will help to insure the success of your sale.

3. Start early! Garage sales are a lot of work, so get out your pencil and paper and begin a ‘To Do’ list immediately. Do not leave the many details you will encounter to memory—write them down and do it now. For example, what items are you considering selling, whom should you notify that you are intending to have a sale—including friends and media, what date would like to have your sale, should you include other sellers and invite them to have a group sale with you, is the location convenient and easy to find, what will be your sale hours and anything else that you think might add to the success of your sale. Some garage sale hosts sell baked goods during the morning rush and food items throughout the day or will even offer fresh hot coffee to their buyers. In short, make your buyers feel welcome so they will stick around and spend their money with you.

4. Set your sale hours and then stick to them. This is the most important tip of this entire list. You are running the sale so do not let “early bird” shoppers run you. Given the chance, they will. If your advertising states, “Sale begins at 7 a.m., No Early Callers, please” stand behind this policy. Just the same, early callers will show up nonetheless, but ignore them and go about your business of setting up your sale and attending to the last minute details before opening your doors. In the end, early callers know “the rules”, but are willing to finagle they way in before other buyers if you will let them. Allowing them to do so serves no one well. It makes you feel overwhelmed and may have the net effect of offending other attendees who play by the rules. Again, stick to your policies.

5. Do not allow people in your home to try on clothes, etc. unless it is to view an advertised item being offered for sale that is too large to bring out of the house conveniently. As friendly as garage sale goers are, they are still strangers and should not be allowed into your home. One exception is someone who is in dire need of a bathroom and then, you should accompany them in and out of your home by the most direct route possible.

6. You will need to determine how to advertise your garage sale. Signs may not be legally posted on the public right-of-way nor stapled to utility poles. Some effective and affordable forms of advertising include: mailing or hand distributing flyers to your neighbors, using email contact lists, taking out a classified ad with the local newspaper or regional shopper, posting online at appropriate local and regional websites, using the bulletin board at your workplace and telling your family, friends and coworkers that you are having a sale, where it will be located, the date(s), the hours you will be open and what you will be offering for sale.

7. Be sure to take into account when scheduling your garage sale other competitive social activities such as university sporting events, Kansas City sporting events, high school functions, downtown parades, merchant sidewalk sales, auctions and any other local event that might draw the crowd away from your sale. Avoid disappointment by planning ahead and be sure to schedule an advertised rain date in case of inclement weather. Otherwise, buyers will be gathered on your front porch at 7 a.m. with their umbrellas!

8. Make sure you have all items cleaned, sorted, arranged and priced before the day of your sale. You will not have the time to do so during the sale. Again, plan ahead.

9. Have plenty of cash change on hand in order to be able to break large bills and as a way to better serve your customers. This is important because if they have to leave your garage sale to get change, they may end up not coming back. Start with a large quantity of $1.00 bills and $20 (two rolls) in quarters.

10. Remember: HAVE FUN! Be polite. Greet everyone upon their arrival, be flexible when it comes to negotiating price and offer to help people pack and load their purchases. Humor goes a long ways towards making shoppers feel comfortable being on your property. The more comfortable and relaxed they feel, the longer they will linger and take time to make additional purchases.

©2010 Stan Trekell

Stan Trekell appeared on the July 24, 2010 show to discuss running a successful garage sale.  Stan is an expert in finding treasure among the junk at garage sales, auctions, tag sales, and estate sales and selling those for a profit.  He will be appearing on future shows to discuss those topics in more detail.

The pair look more like starved spacemen tucking into the tropical treats at the back of Jane Robert’s home in Fareham, Hants.

Miss Roberts, 46, leaves out two coconuts a week and suspends them on pieces of string from her washing line and watches her furry friends dig in.

She said: “The first time I saw them feeding I nearly died laughing, they looked like a pair of astronauts and even now I can not stop chuckling every time I see them.

“I make a large hole in the coconut so they can get to the flesh. They cannot get enough of them.

“I worry they might get stuck up there one day but they are clever little things.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7394609/Astro-squirrels-use-coconut-shells-as-helmets.html

For years, women with large chests have struggled to find the right support, with many of those with the highest cup sizes only served by specialist bra outlets.

Now, one department store is to start stocking a K-cup brassiere, in response to the growing numbers of women with extremely large busts.

Selfridges has taken the decision to stock the supersize bra after seeing a surge in sales of lingerie in larger sizes.

Purchases of bras for those with D to G cups have risen by 50 per cent year-on-year since 2005, and now account for one in four bra purchases, the store said.

The £32 model, made by luxury brand Fantasie, and previously stocked only in specialist shops, is over four foot in circumference, with each cup measuring one and a half foot at its widest part.

It uses extra thick straps to provide sufficient support.

Helen Attwood, Selfridges’ Buying Manager for Lingerie, said demand for large bras followed the trend for the average woman to weigh more than those of previous generations.

She said: “We are seeing more demand for the larger sizes and especially for fashionable, sexy bras in bigger sizes for younger women.

“We are in general getting heavier and therefore more women have larger busts, but it can even change depending on the time of the month.”

Already, 10,00 women have bought the K-cup from specialist shops, manfacturers Fantasie said.

The most popular bra size in the UK is a 36D, up from a 34B just a decade ago.

Dr Joanna Scurr, a lecturer in biomechanics at the University of Portsmouth said: “Breasts are getting bigger but it’s not just because we are getting heavier.”

The university has carried out research which examined 300 British women over four years and found an increase in the size of the average bosom, regardless of the woman’s weight.

Dr Scurr said: “We don’t yet know the reason but it has certainly made women much more aware of the need for correct support.”

Studies have found 85 per cent of women wear a badly fitted bra, with many women underestimating their cup size, and overestimated the measurement around their back.

Until now, the largest bra on the high street has been the J-cup, launched by Marks and Spencer three years ago.

The K-cup is available at Selfridges in London and Manchester Trafford.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/7434093/Supersize-K-cup-bras-arrive-on-the-high-street.html

It was supposed to be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for two New York Rangers ice hockey fans.

The man chose the match at Madison Square Gardens, New York, to propose to his girlfriend live on the stadium’s big screen.
Valentine proposal

Will you marry me?: The woman looks shocked after her boyfriend proposes to her live on screen during the New York Rangers match

But his proposal was clearly the last thing on her mind, as she shook her head in disgust and stormed out of the ground.

In the middle of the second period of the match against the Tampa Bay Lightning last night, the fan - known as Nick - pointed his girlfriend towards the big screen, which said ‘Melissa, will you be my Blueshirt Bride?’

His girlfriend puts her hand to her mouth in shock, but after thinking about the offer for a few seconds she looks distinctly unimpressed, gathers her belongings and makes for the exit.

Fans of the Rangers, known as Blueshirts, then booed her as she left the stadium.

It is unclear whether the proposal was genuine, although ice hockey fans are speculating the pair may well have been actors.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1251118/Valentines-Day-let-ice-hockey-fan-girlfriend-storms-mid-match-marriage-proposal.html#ixzz0fcgLXf1k

As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed new legislation that:

• Extends the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010.
• Expands the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners purchasing a new or existing home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010.

Click here for more information,Realtor.org ,