10 stories that could be pranks - but aren't

[Guest]

Today is 1 April, when jokers set out to fool and the rest of us are on our guard. Here is our annual round-up of some of the day's seemingly spoof news stories which are actually true.


1. A Japanese inventor has devised solar-powered clothes which can top up the battery on an iPod or mobile phone.

2. The Home Office is being asked to pardon Anne Boleyn, 500 years after she was executed, because she was "obviously innocent".

3. A study of men who attended lapdancing clubs found one man, named by researchers as "Graham the philanthropist" who went five times a week and believed "he was helping the women to make money quickly so they could become financially independent".

4. A family of four ate 20,000 Kit Kats to win prizes worth £12,000. "We had them for breakfast, dinner and tea," said 53-year-old Pat McGovern of Teesside.

5. Joss Stone has earned £5m, shooting her into the top 20 of a rich list of young entertainers. Will Young is worth £8m.

6. A Belgian police training manual which aims to help recruits understand body language has caused a row by likening George Bush's facial expressions to a chimpanzee's.

7. Thousands of visitors are rushing to Death Valley to see a remarkable range of wild flowers which have bloomed there.

8. A tow-truck driver in South Africa has been arrested on suspicion of tampering with traffic lights to make accidents more likely.

9. Conmen in Slough are getting people to pay £400 for laptops, before handing over bags filled not with computer but with bottles of water.

10. Christopher Eccleston, fresh from getting critical acclaim and near-record ratings as the new Doctor Who, has quit.

BBC News Magazine

 

[Op_Cit]

Your thread reminds me of another true thing, my favorite superhero of all time:

Do you know what ever happened to "Anglegrinder Man"? Is he still active over there in Britain?

 

[Guest]

Your thread reminds me of another true thing, my favorite superhero of all time:

Do you know what ever happened to "Anglegrinder Man"? Is he still active over there in Britain?

The name rings a bell, but I'll be honest and say I can't place it. I certainly haven't heard about him recently.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

6. A Belgian police training manual which aims to help recruits understand body language has caused a row by likening George Bush's facial expressions to a chimpanzee's.

And this was a problem because..?

 

[Guest]

And this was a problem because..?

The Chimps' Union lodged a formal complaint.

 

[rgraham666]

3. A study of men who attended lapdancing clubs found one man, named by researchers as "Graham the philanthropist" who went five times a week and believed "he was helping the women to make money quickly so they could become financially independent".

Damn. Busted!

 

[Guest]

Damn. Busted!

Funny, I thought of you when I read that one.

(It's the name, just the name! )

 

[Svenskaflicka]

The Chimps' Union lodged a formal complaint.

*standing ovation*

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Here's another true story from the Chicago Tribune:

Researchers have found that animals laugh.

So far they've just demonstrated this with chimps, dogs, and rats, all social animals. Rats "chirp" when you tickle them behind the neck, but only if they like you. If they're frightened of you, it's no go. Young rats chirp when they play rough-and-tumble, and playing recorded chirps to rats makes them start to play.

Same with dogs. Dogs make a particular panting sound that's their "play" sound. Playing this sound to puppies starts the puppies playing. Spectral analysis of the sound shows that it's different from the usual panting, with more high overtones that humans can't hear. We can reproduce the sound though, by panting "H-H-H" with our throats tightened and the dog will understand you want to play.

Chimps laugh on the exhale and inhale, unlike humans, who only laugh on the exhale. Again, tickling and roughhousing elicits this response.

They're just starting to look at other animals for laughing behavior, but so far they think it's confined to social animals.

---dr.M.

 

[Op_Cit]

The name rings a bell, but I'll be honest and say I can't place it. I certainly haven't heard about him recently.

The guy that runs around in a superhero outfit cutting (parking violation) wheel clamps off on call.


I truly envy you Brits for having this guy. We've been hoping for some masked hero to save us from the photoradar vans/ red light cameras over here for some time.

Here's the link I got from google, but the website's down:

Anglegrinderman

 

[Guest]

Here's another true story from the Chicago Tribune:

Researchers have found that animals laugh.

So far they've just demonstrated this with chimps, dogs, and rats, all social animals. Rats "chirp" when you tickle them behind the neck, but only if they like you. If they're frightened of you, it's no go. Young rats chirp when they play rough-and-tumble, and playing recorded chirps to rats makes them start to play.

Same with dogs. Dogs make a particular panting sound that's their "play" sound. Playing this sound to puppies starts the puppies playing. Spectral analysis of the sound shows that it's different from the usual panting, with more high overtones that humans can't hear. We can reproduce the sound though, by panting "H-H-H" with our throats tightened and the dog will understand you want to play.

Chimps laugh on the exhale and inhale, unlike humans, who only laugh on the exhale. Again, tickling and roughhousing elicits this response.

They're just starting to look at other animals for laughing behavior, but so far they think it's confined to social animals.

---dr.M.

I just tried it out on my dog. I panted the "H-H-H" at him and he responded by humping my leg. I think he confused my signals.

 

[Guest]

The guy that runs around in a superhero outfit cutting (parking violation) wheel clamps off on call.


I truly envy you Brits for having this guy. We've been hoping for some masked hero to save us from the photoradar vans/ red light cameras over here for some time.

Here's the link I got from google, but the website's down:

Anglegrinderman

Ah yes! Now I remember. I knew I'd heard the name before. Indeed, he's a very cool guy. I haven't heard anything of him in a little while, though. I hope he's still out there doing such a marvellous public duty.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

I just tried it out on my dog. I panted the "H-H-H" at him and he responded by humping my leg. I think he confused my signals.

You asked for it.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I just tried it out on my dog. I panted the "H-H-H" at him and he responded by humping my leg. I think he confused my signals.

Nah. He just knows how to play.

Don't try this with elephants though.