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Every Independence Day I like to tell this story about my ride on a decorated party barge in the Fourth of July Boat Parade on False River in the '80s. Because other barge riders were from New Roads, there was great food on the craft, including some delectable deviled eggs from one of the ladies. I made sure to be close to the eggs as we cruised down the lake, waving to the spectators on shore. Unfortunately, water balloons had become popular with teenage boys, and we soon were being bombarded. When one of the balloons hit the nearby railing and burst, soaking me, I was outraged to see the boy who threw it laughing maniacally. Without thinking, I reached behind me, grabbed a deviled egg and hurled it. It hit him square on his bare chest. The expression on his face was priceless as he looked down at the yellow goo. My fellow barge passengers got a big laugh out of my counterattack — except for the deviled egg lady. She was not amused… Psychology 101 Mike Boudreaux, … [Read more...] about Smiley: Barge armed with a devilish weapon

By Andrew Barton & Tom Airey Published 1 day ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire may be as picturesque as they come, but it also has one of the most rapidly declining populations in the UK, according to the latest government census. So why are people deserting the district and what is being done to address the problem? BBC News spoke to people in the sprawling and historic Yorkshire Dales idyll to find out. "I don't think people can afford to live in Richmond itself. It has gone up considerably in the last three or four years," says 57-year-old Sarah Uludole. Stopping for a moment on a side street off Richmond's bustling cobbled Market Place, Mrs Uludole pinpoints that rising house prices are one of the biggest issues facing people who are wanting to stay in Richmondshire - and especially in Richmond itself. … [Read more...] about Census 2021: Can Richmondshire’s population drain be reversed?

It's no secret Meghan Markle and Prince Harry eventually plan to have children now that they're married. The newlyweds have previously spoken fondly of their desires to start their own family when they're good and ready, however, according to British law, Markle and Harry won't actually have parental custody of their own kids. Instead, Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II will technically have ownership of the children. "The sovereign has legal custody of the minor grandchildren," Marlene Koenig, renowned royal author and expert, revealed during an interview with Australia's News.com.au on Wednesday. The law dates back some 300 years during King George I's reign in the 1700s. "The law's never been changed. He did it because he had a very poor relationship with his son, the future King George II, so they had this law passed that meant the King was the guardian of his grandchildren," Koenig continued. It was 1717 when a group of judges voted to pass the law, proposed by George … [Read more...] about Meghan Markle won’t have custody of her own children with Prince Harry, royal expert says

In the early months of 1972, word passed between the indigenous tribes living in the Darien Gap that a man with mythical powers had arrived in the remote swamplands between Colombia and Panama. He wore a white pith helmet and a clipped pencil moustache and was leading an expedition team of two Range Rovers, 59 men, five women and 28 pack horses through the jungle. He carried enough dynamite to blast swathes of trees to smithereens and at night would use a radio set to call in an Army Beaver light aircraft to drop supplies of petrol and beer, which the remote Indians living in the Darien Gap described as “firewater”. “They thought we had magic,” recalls Colonel John Blashford-Snell . “And told each other the most wonderful stories about us.” Blashers, as he is known, who was then a major in the Royal Engineers, was already considered one of the greatest British explorers of the 20th century. A few years previously he had led a successful expedition, as the first European to … [Read more...] about Snakes, swamps and whisky: the British explorers who went on the ultimate boys’ own adventure

Parents have resorted to dipping into their children ’s savings to afford to pay for the soaring cost of household bills , a poll has found. According to a survey for The Telegraph , Britons are lifting £8.5m a day from their children as the sprialling rate of inflation - which recently hit a 40-year high - continues to top up already sky-high domestic costs. The poll revealed that families had withdrawn almost £300 on average from their children’s savings so far this year. It found a third of the 2,000 people questioned had raided their children’s funds this year and suggested a total of £1.4bn has been withdrawn so far. Almost a quarter said they had extracted the funds to pay for increasingly expensive food shops, one in four said they had done so to help pay for exorbitant energy bills, while 6 per cent said they used their children’s savings to pay for travel. More than a quarter said they had either reduced the amount they were keeping aside for … [Read more...] about Parents dipping into children’s savings to pay soaring bills, poll finds

A Russian scientist who was suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer has died shortly after being arrested for high treason. Dmitry Kolker, 54, was dragged from his hospital bed in Novosibirsk, Siberia, and flown to Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. He passed away within two days, and his family believe his death was partly down to his mistreatment at the hands of Federal Security Service (FSB) officers. ‘He died yesterday. Tomorrow we will lodge a complaint over his detention,’ lawyer Alexander Fedulov said. Kolker, a doctor of physics and maths, was the head of the quantum optical technologies lab at the Novosibirsk State University. He was regarded as a world expert on lasers, leading to the accusation that he had colluded with the Chinese security service – a charge he and his family denied. The scientist had travelled to China on a lecturing trip, his son said, but had been accompanied by an FSB agent at all times. Kolker, who had stage four cancer, was too … [Read more...] about Russian scientist dies after being pulled from cancer bed and jailed for ‘treason’

Steph McGovern in the press room at the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards 2018 (Image: Ian West/PA Archive/PA Images) Sign up for FREE for the latest news from the world of showbiz SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Chatty and friendly are the order of the day, something that pervades her successful daily Packed Lunch on Channel 4. And yet, the world might never have got to know her. "I come from Middlesbrough and I went to a college that was very much focused on the needs of the local area which is rooted in heavy industry," she explains. "We spent a lot of time getting input from companies like British Steel and ICI. I was pretty good at science so I saw my future in engineering." Related articles BBC's Naga Munchetty … [Read more...] about What Donald Trump said that made TV talkshow host Steph McGovern laugh

"Hero" is a word used perhaps a little too often these days. Last year, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin talked with the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the Second World War: Hershel "Woody" Williams. Williams died Wednesday at the age of 98 . We think you'll agree, he is, indeed, a true American hero. [This story was originally broadcast May 30, 2021] Hershel "Woody" Williams is literally one-of-a-kind. At the age of 97 he is the last living recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War II. But it's the way he's lived all those years since that really sets him apart. "I felt that I owed back more than I could ever possibly give," he told Martin. He grew up on a farm in West Virginia during the Great Depression. "There were 11 born to my family," he said. "Only five of us survived to adulthood." After Pearl Harbor , he tried to enlist in the Marines, but was rejected as too short. When the Marines started taking horrendous casualties … [Read more...] about Remembering WWII Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams

Retiring Judge Joanna Maze, is looking forward to losing her anonymity in the South Canterbury community she loves but has remained at arm’s length from for the past 11 years. Maze, Timaru's resident District Court judge since September 2011, finished her final court sitting on Friday with "a courtesy farewell between bench and bar" and told The Timaru Herald she made the decision to retire "when I knew that I was beginning to run out of energy ... and a sense that I wanted to have some time left still to do things for myself". "It's a job where you have to maintain a degree of separateness in your life, and that does suit my personality, and this has been a wonderful community to be part of, but I'm ready to be more part of it and that isn't entirely consistent with being a judge in a small community,’’ she said. "South Canterbury really is a delightful community. The people have good values, it is a caring community, it is an ideal size. It's more like a big village really. … [Read more...] about South Canterbury community calling retiring District Court Judge Joanna Maze