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StormMagic said:
Er.....
Luck & Serendipity
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- luck serendipity
Er.....
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Couple lucky to be alive after gas explosion tears apart their home just minutes after they leave the house
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:09 AM on 27th October 2009
A couple are lucky to be alive after their home was ripped apart by a massive gas explosion just minutes after they left the house.
Farmers Stewart and Jose Harrison said they owed their lives to the clocks going back. They left their home in Ashington, near Pulborough, East Sussex, earlier than usual to make the most of the extra hour's morning light.
Just 10 minutes later, the two 1,000-litre Calor gas tanks used to heat their property exploded, ripping the front away from their home and leaving it exposed like a doll's house.
Last night Mr Harrison, 70, and his wife, 67, were too shocked to comment but daughter Judy Sawyer, 37, who lives next door, told of her relief.
She said: 'I just heard this enormous loud bang. I didn't have a clue what it was, I just thought my parents were inside.
'I was very relieved to find they were not in the house. They're still in shock and now they're starting to pick through the debris.'
The couple told friends and family they went out to tend to their beef cattle earlier than usual yesterday because of the clocks going back at 3am on Sunday.
Breeze blocks littered the driveway of the property and a door inside was ripped off its hinges. Furniture, beds and shelves could be clearly seen from the garden after windows and supporting walls were blasted out.
At the back, just two of the 11 rooms survived the force of the blast intact. Broken glass was blown 60ft into surrounding fields.
A team of 20 firefighters tackled the blaze at the former dairy farm. An ambulance crew was also on standby after a neighbour raised the alarm but no-one was hurt.
Two dogs and a cat inside the building amazingly survived the blast. :shock:
The two-storey building was later deemed structurally unsafe for the owners to return as fire investigators probed the cause.
But the couple's passports were recovered from the scene, allowing them to go on a cruise planned for next week.
A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: 'We can confirm it was a gas explosion.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0V8PQKgV7
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:09 AM on 27th October 2009
A couple are lucky to be alive after their home was ripped apart by a massive gas explosion just minutes after they left the house.
Farmers Stewart and Jose Harrison said they owed their lives to the clocks going back. They left their home in Ashington, near Pulborough, East Sussex, earlier than usual to make the most of the extra hour's morning light.
Just 10 minutes later, the two 1,000-litre Calor gas tanks used to heat their property exploded, ripping the front away from their home and leaving it exposed like a doll's house.
Last night Mr Harrison, 70, and his wife, 67, were too shocked to comment but daughter Judy Sawyer, 37, who lives next door, told of her relief.
She said: 'I just heard this enormous loud bang. I didn't have a clue what it was, I just thought my parents were inside.
'I was very relieved to find they were not in the house. They're still in shock and now they're starting to pick through the debris.'
The couple told friends and family they went out to tend to their beef cattle earlier than usual yesterday because of the clocks going back at 3am on Sunday.
Breeze blocks littered the driveway of the property and a door inside was ripped off its hinges. Furniture, beds and shelves could be clearly seen from the garden after windows and supporting walls were blasted out.
At the back, just two of the 11 rooms survived the force of the blast intact. Broken glass was blown 60ft into surrounding fields.
A team of 20 firefighters tackled the blaze at the former dairy farm. An ambulance crew was also on standby after a neighbour raised the alarm but no-one was hurt.
Two dogs and a cat inside the building amazingly survived the blast. :shock:
The two-storey building was later deemed structurally unsafe for the owners to return as fire investigators probed the cause.
But the couple's passports were recovered from the scene, allowing them to go on a cruise planned for next week.
A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: 'We can confirm it was a gas explosion.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0V8PQKgV7
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Boy escapes car moments before it plunges off cliff
An Australian boy has escaped with just cuts and bruises after he jumped from the family car moments before it plunged off a cliff.
Published: 7:00AM GMT 03 Nov 2009
It is believed the seven-year-old had been playing the car and accidentally released the handbrake. The vehicle then rolled down a driveway, crashed through two fences and went over an eight-metre cliff onto a beach below.
Witnesses said the boy jumped out of the window of the moving car when it was less than three metres from the edge, landing in a nearby bush.
Police who attended the scene of the incident, which took place two hours south of Sydney, said the child had "redefined the word lucky".
The drama took place at about 9.50am after the boy's mother parked the 4WD at the top of a 30-metre long driveway.
The woman, the boy and another adult went into the house to visit a relative, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
A short time later, the adults noticed the boy was missing, police said.
"A small boy was in the vehicle and let the handbrake [off] ... and the car rolled across Lawrence Hargrave Drive, across the highway, down a concrete path, tore out about 30 metres of a white fence and he jumped out the window just as it went over the cliff," a witness told Fairfax Radio.
The car, which was severely damaged by the impact, landed with its front end facing the cliff, suggesting it had flipped over in the fall.
The boy escaped the ordeal with minor cuts but was taken to a local hospital for further checks, police said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... iffpp.html
An Australian boy has escaped with just cuts and bruises after he jumped from the family car moments before it plunged off a cliff.
Published: 7:00AM GMT 03 Nov 2009
It is believed the seven-year-old had been playing the car and accidentally released the handbrake. The vehicle then rolled down a driveway, crashed through two fences and went over an eight-metre cliff onto a beach below.
Witnesses said the boy jumped out of the window of the moving car when it was less than three metres from the edge, landing in a nearby bush.
Police who attended the scene of the incident, which took place two hours south of Sydney, said the child had "redefined the word lucky".
The drama took place at about 9.50am after the boy's mother parked the 4WD at the top of a 30-metre long driveway.
The woman, the boy and another adult went into the house to visit a relative, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
A short time later, the adults noticed the boy was missing, police said.
"A small boy was in the vehicle and let the handbrake [off] ... and the car rolled across Lawrence Hargrave Drive, across the highway, down a concrete path, tore out about 30 metres of a white fence and he jumped out the window just as it went over the cliff," a witness told Fairfax Radio.
The car, which was severely damaged by the impact, landed with its front end facing the cliff, suggesting it had flipped over in the fall.
The boy escaped the ordeal with minor cuts but was taken to a local hospital for further checks, police said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... iffpp.html
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- 54,631
Pensioner's miraculous escape after 65ft tree crushes her car during drive to church... and she walks away uninjured
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:14 AM on 03rd November 2009
A pensioner had a miracle escape as she drove to church - when a 65ft tree crushed her car and she walked away uninjured.
Chris Challinor, 70, got the surprise of her life when the mammoth beech crashed onto the bonnet of her Volkswagen Polo.
The front of the car was completely crushed by the trunk - meaning Chris would have been killed if the vehicle was just a few yards further along the road.
She suffered only shock during the incident at 10.30am on Sunday and the grandmother-of-six says she is 'very lucky to be alive'.
Chris, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said: 'I feel incredibly fortunate. If the tree had come down half a second later I would have been killed.
'The whole thing is a blur because it happened so quickly. I just remember coming to an immediate stop with the huge trunk smashing into the bonnet.
'I was frozen in shock until the police and fire service came to release me.
'I was sorry not to make it to church but I think someone may have been looking down on me after all.'
...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0VnTPolQo
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:14 AM on 03rd November 2009
A pensioner had a miracle escape as she drove to church - when a 65ft tree crushed her car and she walked away uninjured.
Chris Challinor, 70, got the surprise of her life when the mammoth beech crashed onto the bonnet of her Volkswagen Polo.
The front of the car was completely crushed by the trunk - meaning Chris would have been killed if the vehicle was just a few yards further along the road.
She suffered only shock during the incident at 10.30am on Sunday and the grandmother-of-six says she is 'very lucky to be alive'.
Chris, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said: 'I feel incredibly fortunate. If the tree had come down half a second later I would have been killed.
'The whole thing is a blur because it happened so quickly. I just remember coming to an immediate stop with the huge trunk smashing into the bonnet.
'I was frozen in shock until the police and fire service came to release me.
'I was sorry not to make it to church but I think someone may have been looking down on me after all.'
...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0VnTPolQo
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South African man wins lottery - twice
A South African man has become one the luckiest lottery players in history after scooping the jackpot twice in seven years.
Published: 9:51PM GMT 06 Nov 2009
The 34-year-old came forward this week to claim £2.4 million (30 million rand) on South Africa's PowerBall draw - less than a decade after he collected £880,000 (11 million rand) in a previous competition.
Lotto chiefs on Friday said the winner had beaten "galactic odds" to scoop the top prize twice.
Statistics showed he beat odds of 14 million to one to scoop his first jackpot, and 24 million to one to claim the second.
Thembi Tulwana, spokesman for South Africa's Lottery operator Gidani, said: "It's simply incredible. The odds on him winning twice were galactic.
"I have no idea what his secret is. He's just a lucky bloke."
The double winner has asked to remain anonymous but is believed to be a successful businessman from South Africa's Limpopo province.
Officials said he had indicated he would invest most of the windfall for the future of his four children.
He also said he hoped to spend some on establishing a charity to help Africa's poor.
Despite his victory, organisers said the winner was surprisingly calm when he arrived to pick up his cheque.
Incredibly, he told them he usually spends just £8 (100 rand) a month on tickets.
Ms Tulwana said: "We offered to pick him up, but he decided to drive to our headquarters. We couldn't believe how calm he was.
"He gave the impression of a man who has money.
"We asked him how he'd managed it but he couldn't say. We were surprised to hear he only spends 100 rand a month on the lottery."
The double victory makes the South African man one of the luckiest lottery players ever.
It is believed the most times anyone has ever won a Lotto jackpot is three - a man from Idaho in the USA.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... twice.html
A South African man has become one the luckiest lottery players in history after scooping the jackpot twice in seven years.
Published: 9:51PM GMT 06 Nov 2009
The 34-year-old came forward this week to claim £2.4 million (30 million rand) on South Africa's PowerBall draw - less than a decade after he collected £880,000 (11 million rand) in a previous competition.
Lotto chiefs on Friday said the winner had beaten "galactic odds" to scoop the top prize twice.
Statistics showed he beat odds of 14 million to one to scoop his first jackpot, and 24 million to one to claim the second.
Thembi Tulwana, spokesman for South Africa's Lottery operator Gidani, said: "It's simply incredible. The odds on him winning twice were galactic.
"I have no idea what his secret is. He's just a lucky bloke."
The double winner has asked to remain anonymous but is believed to be a successful businessman from South Africa's Limpopo province.
Officials said he had indicated he would invest most of the windfall for the future of his four children.
He also said he hoped to spend some on establishing a charity to help Africa's poor.
Despite his victory, organisers said the winner was surprisingly calm when he arrived to pick up his cheque.
Incredibly, he told them he usually spends just £8 (100 rand) a month on tickets.
Ms Tulwana said: "We offered to pick him up, but he decided to drive to our headquarters. We couldn't believe how calm he was.
"He gave the impression of a man who has money.
"We asked him how he'd managed it but he couldn't say. We were surprised to hear he only spends 100 rand a month on the lottery."
The double victory makes the South African man one of the luckiest lottery players ever.
It is believed the most times anyone has ever won a Lotto jackpot is three - a man from Idaho in the USA.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... twice.html
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EuroMillions lottery: Couple are Newport's seventh lottery winners in three years
The married couple who won £45 million in the EuroMillions draw are the seventh ticket-holders from their South Wales community to become lottery multi-millionaires in the last three years.
The area around the city of Newport is being toasted as "jackpot valley" after a spate of big-money wins.
But the latest winners – who are due to be named at a press conference on Tuesday – have scooped more than all the others combined.
...
A Camelot spokesman said: "They say lightning doesn't strike twice – but it has struck six times in Gwent before the latest big win.
"You can't explain why they are so lucky but maybe it is something in the Welsh water."
etc...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... years.html
The married couple who won £45 million in the EuroMillions draw are the seventh ticket-holders from their South Wales community to become lottery multi-millionaires in the last three years.
The area around the city of Newport is being toasted as "jackpot valley" after a spate of big-money wins.
But the latest winners – who are due to be named at a press conference on Tuesday – have scooped more than all the others combined.
...
A Camelot spokesman said: "They say lightning doesn't strike twice – but it has struck six times in Gwent before the latest big win.
"You can't explain why they are so lucky but maybe it is something in the Welsh water."
etc...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... years.html
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- Messages
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Nature lover lost in North Sea saved by woman who spotted his camera flashing... 350 miles away
By Allan Hall
Last updated at 10:08 AM on 04th February 2010
A German man owes his life to a woman who rescued him from 350 miles away – thanks to his camera.
The man lost on a frozen stretch of the North Sea was facing almost certain death when he flashed his camera in the hope that someone might be out watching the same beautiful sunset he had set out to witness.
Luckily the camera flash off the coast of St. Peter-Ording near the Danish border was witnessed by a female nature lover sitting in front of her computer in the Westerwald region near the Rhine hundreds of miles away in southern Germany.
She was monitoring a camera set up on the beach to record the vivid sunset.
Seeing the camera flashes she alerted local police who in turn sent through an emergency call that resulted in a patrol rescuing the man as temperatures plunged to -20c.
German authorities said it was the first incident of its kind where a person's life had been saved in this way.
Police spokeswoman Kristin Stielow said: 'He was walking on the ice, got disoriented and would probably have either fallen through the ice or succumbed to the cold.
'He was very lucky that this lady was sharing the same natural phenomenon but from the warmth and safety of her own home.
The man was stranded near St Peter-Ording, while his 'rescuer' was 350 miles away in Westerwald
'He was not a local - a local wouldn't have attempted this. He was boundlessly naive.'
Police said the female hero has asked that her name is not revealed to the media.
The man in his 40s was treated for mild exposure after his ordeal.
He is planning a visit to the woman he owes his life to when he has recovered.
Anyone else wandering the area may not be so lucky, however. After the story ran in Germany, traffic to the webcam jumped so much that the site has crashed.
Viewers can now only see a still image of an building with a restaurant attached to a pier stretching out over the snowy sand.
The beach is nearly nine miles long and almost three quarters of a mile wide. German moviemakers often use it in summertime if they want a setting to resemble the Sahara - the sea blocked out, of course.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... z0eZ2LadcV
The woman must have been very persuasive when she called the Police - at least she wasn't dismissed as another UFO nut reporting strange lights..! 8)
By Allan Hall
Last updated at 10:08 AM on 04th February 2010
A German man owes his life to a woman who rescued him from 350 miles away – thanks to his camera.
The man lost on a frozen stretch of the North Sea was facing almost certain death when he flashed his camera in the hope that someone might be out watching the same beautiful sunset he had set out to witness.
Luckily the camera flash off the coast of St. Peter-Ording near the Danish border was witnessed by a female nature lover sitting in front of her computer in the Westerwald region near the Rhine hundreds of miles away in southern Germany.
She was monitoring a camera set up on the beach to record the vivid sunset.
Seeing the camera flashes she alerted local police who in turn sent through an emergency call that resulted in a patrol rescuing the man as temperatures plunged to -20c.
German authorities said it was the first incident of its kind where a person's life had been saved in this way.
Police spokeswoman Kristin Stielow said: 'He was walking on the ice, got disoriented and would probably have either fallen through the ice or succumbed to the cold.
'He was very lucky that this lady was sharing the same natural phenomenon but from the warmth and safety of her own home.
The man was stranded near St Peter-Ording, while his 'rescuer' was 350 miles away in Westerwald
'He was not a local - a local wouldn't have attempted this. He was boundlessly naive.'
Police said the female hero has asked that her name is not revealed to the media.
The man in his 40s was treated for mild exposure after his ordeal.
He is planning a visit to the woman he owes his life to when he has recovered.
Anyone else wandering the area may not be so lucky, however. After the story ran in Germany, traffic to the webcam jumped so much that the site has crashed.
Viewers can now only see a still image of an building with a restaurant attached to a pier stretching out over the snowy sand.
The beach is nearly nine miles long and almost three quarters of a mile wide. German moviemakers often use it in summertime if they want a setting to resemble the Sahara - the sea blocked out, of course.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... z0eZ2LadcV
The woman must have been very persuasive when she called the Police - at least she wasn't dismissed as another UFO nut reporting strange lights..! 8)
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- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Pregnant driver cheats death after girder smashes through windscreen but misses her by THREE INCHES because she's only 4ft 11
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:23 PM on 11th February 2010
A mother-to-be cheated death when a giant steel girder smashed into her car - because she is so tiny.
Petite Kelli Chapman, just 4ft 11ins, was waiting at traffic lights when the 30ft steel girder fell from a passing lorry.
It ripped open her red Volkswagen Golf GTi "like a tin can" - but Kelli, 26, walked away unscathed as the girder shot through the windscreen over her head.
Crash experts said if she had been just three inches taller she would have been killed instantly by the the one and a half tonnes of steel.
Kelli, who is three months pregnant, even managed to keep a cool head and call her father PC Rob Chapman from inside the crushed vehicle to ask for help.
PC Chapman said: 'Kelli called me and said "Dad, some metal has fallen on my car"
'But when I arrived at the scene I was just stunned.
'I could not believe what I was seeing. It was carnage. If she was not such a petite girl she would be dead.
etc...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0fPcFdOwy
"..some metal has fallen on my car". :shock: Yeah, look at the picture, that is some big metal!
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:23 PM on 11th February 2010
A mother-to-be cheated death when a giant steel girder smashed into her car - because she is so tiny.
Petite Kelli Chapman, just 4ft 11ins, was waiting at traffic lights when the 30ft steel girder fell from a passing lorry.
It ripped open her red Volkswagen Golf GTi "like a tin can" - but Kelli, 26, walked away unscathed as the girder shot through the windscreen over her head.
Crash experts said if she had been just three inches taller she would have been killed instantly by the the one and a half tonnes of steel.
Kelli, who is three months pregnant, even managed to keep a cool head and call her father PC Rob Chapman from inside the crushed vehicle to ask for help.
PC Chapman said: 'Kelli called me and said "Dad, some metal has fallen on my car"
'But when I arrived at the scene I was just stunned.
'I could not believe what I was seeing. It was carnage. If she was not such a petite girl she would be dead.
etc...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0fPcFdOwy
"..some metal has fallen on my car". :shock: Yeah, look at the picture, that is some big metal!
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- Aug 7, 2001
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- 54,631
Grandfather scoops £3m lottery win after buying ticket with just two minutes to spare
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:20 AM on 02nd April 2010
When Roger Gillespie forgot to buy his regular lucky Lottery numbers, it seemed his chances for riches that week were dashed.
But the grandfather still went to his newsagent on the evening of the draw and arrived with two minutes to spare - just enough time to buy a lucky dip ticket.
That last-minute random selection of numbers won Mr Gillespie £3million.
The 59-year-old from Saint Just in Cornwall has played the Lottery for 15 years. He said: 'I had completely forgotten it was Lotto night but had decided to nip to the local shop to pick up some milk and noticed that the newsagent's lights were still on and that reminded me.
'It was 7.28pm and the Lotto shuts at 7.30pm so I had two minutes to go. I put my head through the door and asked for a lucky dip, put it in my pocket and went to get my milk.'
After checking the numbers later that night, Mr Gillespie thought he had five matches and phoned his daughter to come and check the ticket. 'She came down and after checking the numbers she said "Dad, you've not got five numbers, you've got six!",' he said. :shock:
His ticket, with the numbers 16, 30, 34, 37, 41 and 42, won him £2,969,627 on Wednesday March 17.
The father-of-three, who is a full-time carer for his granddaughter, is selling his three-bedroom cottage and plans to spend the winnings on his family
A neighbour said: 'We're all delighted for him but you wouldn't know he's won a fortune. He's keeping quiet about it, but that's the kind of bloke he is.'
'We're all delighted for him but you wouldn't know he's won a fortune. He's keeping quiet about it, but that's the kind of bloke he is.'
Pat Hosken, owner of the News Centre in St Just where the winning ticket was bought, said she felt 'privileged and happy' to have helped somebody.
She said: 'It makes you feel good to think that you have done some good for somebody.
'I had the winning ticket in my hand and gave it to him so I have touched it. 8) A few years ago somebody won £50,000 but this is the biggest win we have ever had.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0jvzj71mq
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:20 AM on 02nd April 2010
When Roger Gillespie forgot to buy his regular lucky Lottery numbers, it seemed his chances for riches that week were dashed.
But the grandfather still went to his newsagent on the evening of the draw and arrived with two minutes to spare - just enough time to buy a lucky dip ticket.
That last-minute random selection of numbers won Mr Gillespie £3million.
The 59-year-old from Saint Just in Cornwall has played the Lottery for 15 years. He said: 'I had completely forgotten it was Lotto night but had decided to nip to the local shop to pick up some milk and noticed that the newsagent's lights were still on and that reminded me.
'It was 7.28pm and the Lotto shuts at 7.30pm so I had two minutes to go. I put my head through the door and asked for a lucky dip, put it in my pocket and went to get my milk.'
After checking the numbers later that night, Mr Gillespie thought he had five matches and phoned his daughter to come and check the ticket. 'She came down and after checking the numbers she said "Dad, you've not got five numbers, you've got six!",' he said. :shock:
His ticket, with the numbers 16, 30, 34, 37, 41 and 42, won him £2,969,627 on Wednesday March 17.
The father-of-three, who is a full-time carer for his granddaughter, is selling his three-bedroom cottage and plans to spend the winnings on his family
A neighbour said: 'We're all delighted for him but you wouldn't know he's won a fortune. He's keeping quiet about it, but that's the kind of bloke he is.'
'We're all delighted for him but you wouldn't know he's won a fortune. He's keeping quiet about it, but that's the kind of bloke he is.'
Pat Hosken, owner of the News Centre in St Just where the winning ticket was bought, said she felt 'privileged and happy' to have helped somebody.
She said: 'It makes you feel good to think that you have done some good for somebody.
'I had the winning ticket in my hand and gave it to him so I have touched it. 8) A few years ago somebody won £50,000 but this is the biggest win we have ever had.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0jvzj71mq
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French couple's amazing escape after lorry collision 'sliced car in half'
A French couple miraculously walked away from a horrific accident in Switzerland despite their car being sliced in half after being dragged more than 50 yards under a lorry.
By Andrew Hough
Published: 7:30AM BST 14 Apr 2010
Police were left astonished after the French couple, both 20, walked away from the mangled wreckage after the head-on collision on Monday.
In the wake of the accident, which occurred near the small village of Gollion, in the south-west of Switzerland, all that was left of the family's mangled saloon were the seats and the airbags after the car's roof was ripped off.
The pair, who have not been named, were taken to hospital in Lausanne, where their injuries were listed as not life threatening.
The impact of the crash left officers saying the pair must have had a "guardian angel" looking over them.
The unnamed lorry driver, from Lausanne, was taken to hospital suffering from shock.
Police said the accident occured after the car drove straight into the lorry as it attempted to overtake another vehicle just before 7am on Monday.
The car then caught under the truck for more than 50 yards, with the impact sending the doors and the boot lid flying off.
"They must have had a guardian angel," a Swiss police spokesman said.
"A head-on crash with a lorry is not something many people walk away from."
"In fact the lorry driver came off worse. He's still in hospital with shock."
Police later launched a man hunt for the driver of the overtaken vehicle after they fled the scene, french media reported.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -half.html
A French couple miraculously walked away from a horrific accident in Switzerland despite their car being sliced in half after being dragged more than 50 yards under a lorry.
By Andrew Hough
Published: 7:30AM BST 14 Apr 2010
Police were left astonished after the French couple, both 20, walked away from the mangled wreckage after the head-on collision on Monday.
In the wake of the accident, which occurred near the small village of Gollion, in the south-west of Switzerland, all that was left of the family's mangled saloon were the seats and the airbags after the car's roof was ripped off.
The pair, who have not been named, were taken to hospital in Lausanne, where their injuries were listed as not life threatening.
The impact of the crash left officers saying the pair must have had a "guardian angel" looking over them.
The unnamed lorry driver, from Lausanne, was taken to hospital suffering from shock.
Police said the accident occured after the car drove straight into the lorry as it attempted to overtake another vehicle just before 7am on Monday.
The car then caught under the truck for more than 50 yards, with the impact sending the doors and the boot lid flying off.
"They must have had a guardian angel," a Swiss police spokesman said.
"A head-on crash with a lorry is not something many people walk away from."
"In fact the lorry driver came off worse. He's still in hospital with shock."
Police later launched a man hunt for the driver of the overtaken vehicle after they fled the scene, french media reported.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -half.html
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National Lottery: if your name's John or Margaret, it could be you
People called John and Margaret have proved the luckiest National Lottery players, according to records released today.
Published: 10:50AM BST 13 Apr 2010
The top 10 men's names among winners who have banked prizes of more than £50,000 are John, David, Michael, Peter, Robert, James, Paul, William and Stephen.
The luckiest women are named Margaret, Susan, Patricia, Mary, Christine, Elizabeth, Jean, Janet, Linda and Karen.
The National Lottery released the names ahead of Wednesday's £17 million draw, the fifth Lotto Triple Rollover in its 15-year history.
A National Lottery spokesman said: ''With a rare £17 million Lotto Triple Rollover up for grabs, players will do anything to gain a little more luck.
''If you aren't lucky enough to be called John or Margaret, perhaps this is the time to form a syndicate with your fortunately-named friends, and why not invite David and Susan in too?
''The jackpot prize has got to be won on Wednesday and players will be keen to make sure they are in with a chance of banking the life changing prize.
''Not only will someone, somewhere in the UK win big, but the draw will also be a boost to communities up and down the country, as higher sales mean more for the Good Causes, adding to the £24 billion already raised.''
No one has matched all six numbers in the previous three draws, taking the jackpot to £17 million.
It cannot roll any further and will be shared between winners in the next prize level tomorrow if no one selects the six winning numbers.
etc...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... e-you.html
My middle name makes the men's list - is that worth a flutter?
My brother has both his names there - does that make him twice as lucky as me? But perhaps I catch up a bit as my son's name is also listed... :?
But I don't have any close links with any of the women's names- most odd.
People called John and Margaret have proved the luckiest National Lottery players, according to records released today.
Published: 10:50AM BST 13 Apr 2010
The top 10 men's names among winners who have banked prizes of more than £50,000 are John, David, Michael, Peter, Robert, James, Paul, William and Stephen.
The luckiest women are named Margaret, Susan, Patricia, Mary, Christine, Elizabeth, Jean, Janet, Linda and Karen.
The National Lottery released the names ahead of Wednesday's £17 million draw, the fifth Lotto Triple Rollover in its 15-year history.
A National Lottery spokesman said: ''With a rare £17 million Lotto Triple Rollover up for grabs, players will do anything to gain a little more luck.
''If you aren't lucky enough to be called John or Margaret, perhaps this is the time to form a syndicate with your fortunately-named friends, and why not invite David and Susan in too?
''The jackpot prize has got to be won on Wednesday and players will be keen to make sure they are in with a chance of banking the life changing prize.
''Not only will someone, somewhere in the UK win big, but the draw will also be a boost to communities up and down the country, as higher sales mean more for the Good Causes, adding to the £24 billion already raised.''
No one has matched all six numbers in the previous three draws, taking the jackpot to £17 million.
It cannot roll any further and will be shared between winners in the next prize level tomorrow if no one selects the six winning numbers.
etc...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... e-you.html
My middle name makes the men's list - is that worth a flutter?
My brother has both his names there - does that make him twice as lucky as me? But perhaps I catch up a bit as my son's name is also listed... :?
But I don't have any close links with any of the women's names- most odd.
mrpoultice
Fen-dwelling Slodger
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2003
- Messages
- 374
National Lottery: if your name's John or Margaret, it could
Funny that Rynner. I had heard that people called, Ujarak, Lutaaq, or Inusiq were much more likely to win the lottery.
In fact, I had heard that.................
You had to be Inuit to win it.....
I'll get my coat.
Funny that Rynner. I had heard that people called, Ujarak, Lutaaq, or Inusiq were much more likely to win the lottery.
In fact, I had heard that.................
You had to be Inuit to win it.....
I'll get my coat.
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
New research proves that lucky charms DO actually work
By Daniel Bates
Last updated at 12:37 AM on 1st May 2010
They are taken to exams, job interviews and weddings in the hope they will bring good fortune.
But rather than being mere superstition, lucky charms do actually work, psychologists claim.
Researchers told half the golfers on a putting green that they were playing with a lucky ball, and the rest that they were playing with a normal one.
Those with the lucky ball sank 6.4 putts out of 10, nearly two more putts on average than the others - an increase of of 35 per cent.
The results have sparked huge interest among behavioural psychologists who say they put luck in a different light.
The research from the University of Cologne was on just 28 students but the results are being considered significant.
But the figures will also be an encouragement for the millions who cling to a lucky shirt or ring on special occasions to bring them fortune.
....
Lysann Damisch, co-author of the study, set to be published in the journal Psychological Science in June, said: 'Our results suggest that the activation of a superstition can indeed yield performance-improving effects.'
Stuart Vyse, professor of psychology at Connecticut College, added: 'Simply being told this is a lucky ball is sufficient to affect performance.'
Mathematicians have demonstrated in the past the role that randomness plays in people's lives, but this has not stopped many believing the opposite.
A recent survey found that 77 per cent of people were at least a little superstitious and/or engaged in some form of superstitious behaviour.
A total of 42 per cent said that they were 'very or somewhat' superstitious.
Peter Thall, a biostatistician at the University of Texas, said: 'The idea that wearing a red shirt, saying some sort of incantation or prayer or carrying a lucky charm will bring good luck is very appealing because it gives people the illusion that they have some degree of control over future events in their lives.'
'The painful truth is that we have little or no control over the most important events in our lives.'
Sometimes, however, people overestimate how much control they have over their lives.
A team of British researchers in 2003 asked 107 traders at investment banks to play a game simulating a live stock exchange.
They were told that pressing the letters Z, X and C on the keyboard 'may have some effect on the index,' when in fact it didn't.
Traders in the study who held this false belief the strongest had lower salaries, indicating the idea they made their own luck could be harming their decisions.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... -work.html
By Daniel Bates
Last updated at 12:37 AM on 1st May 2010
They are taken to exams, job interviews and weddings in the hope they will bring good fortune.
But rather than being mere superstition, lucky charms do actually work, psychologists claim.
Researchers told half the golfers on a putting green that they were playing with a lucky ball, and the rest that they were playing with a normal one.
Those with the lucky ball sank 6.4 putts out of 10, nearly two more putts on average than the others - an increase of of 35 per cent.
The results have sparked huge interest among behavioural psychologists who say they put luck in a different light.
The research from the University of Cologne was on just 28 students but the results are being considered significant.
But the figures will also be an encouragement for the millions who cling to a lucky shirt or ring on special occasions to bring them fortune.
....
Lysann Damisch, co-author of the study, set to be published in the journal Psychological Science in June, said: 'Our results suggest that the activation of a superstition can indeed yield performance-improving effects.'
Stuart Vyse, professor of psychology at Connecticut College, added: 'Simply being told this is a lucky ball is sufficient to affect performance.'
Mathematicians have demonstrated in the past the role that randomness plays in people's lives, but this has not stopped many believing the opposite.
A recent survey found that 77 per cent of people were at least a little superstitious and/or engaged in some form of superstitious behaviour.
A total of 42 per cent said that they were 'very or somewhat' superstitious.
Peter Thall, a biostatistician at the University of Texas, said: 'The idea that wearing a red shirt, saying some sort of incantation or prayer or carrying a lucky charm will bring good luck is very appealing because it gives people the illusion that they have some degree of control over future events in their lives.'
'The painful truth is that we have little or no control over the most important events in our lives.'
Sometimes, however, people overestimate how much control they have over their lives.
A team of British researchers in 2003 asked 107 traders at investment banks to play a game simulating a live stock exchange.
They were told that pressing the letters Z, X and C on the keyboard 'may have some effect on the index,' when in fact it didn't.
Traders in the study who held this false belief the strongest had lower salaries, indicating the idea they made their own luck could be harming their decisions.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... -work.html
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Frano Selak: 'world's luckiest man' gives away his lottery fortune
A music teacher, Frano Selak, who was dubbed the world's luckiest man after cheating death seven times before winning the lottery has now decided to give away his fortune.
By Andrew Hough
Published: 8:15AM BST 14 May 2010
The 81 year-old won £600,000 five years ago in the lottery in Croatia, to celebrate his fifth marriage, after earlier surviving plane and train crashes.
He also survived other disasters including landing on a haystack after falling out of a plane door that had blown open. :shock:
Now the pensioner has decided that "money cannot buy happiness" and has decided to live a frugal life.
He has sold his luxury home on a private island, given away his fortune to family and friends and moved back to his modest home in Petrinja, which is south of Zagreb, in the centre of the country.
He kept the last bit of his winnings for a hip replacement operation so he could enjoy life with his wife and also so he could build a shrine to the Virgin Mary to give thanks for his luck.
Mr Selak said he has never been happier.
"All I need at my age is my Katarina. Money would not change anything," he said.
"When she arrived I knew then that I really did have a charmed, blessed life.
"I never thought I was lucky to survive all my brushes with death. I thought I was unlucky to be in them in the first place."
He added that people were always telling him he was lucky to have survived so many disasters but he added: "I always think I was unlucky to have been in them in the first place but you can't tell people what they don't want to believe." 8)
He had his first escape in 1962 when a train he was travelling on from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik jumped the rails and plunged into an icy river.
Seventeen people drowned and he barely made it to the riverbank after suffering from hypothermia, shock, bruises and a broken arm.
A year later, he was thrown out of a plane on his first and only flight when a door flew open.
This time 19 people died but he was thrown clear of the crash and landed in a haystack.
Then in 1966, a bus he was on skidded into a river, drowning four. He swam to safety with just cuts and bruises.
Accident number four came in 1970 when his car caught fire as he drove along a motorway and he fled with seconds to spare before the fuel tank exploded.
Three years later, he lost most of his hair when a faulty fuel pump spewed petrol over the hot engine of his car and blew flames through the air vents. :shock:
Then in 1995 came his sixth accident when he was knocked down by a bus in Zagreb but walked away with minor injuries.
The following year, he was driving in the mountains when he turned a corner to see a UN truck coming straight for him.
His Skoda careered through a crash barrier and over the 300ft precipice.
But he leapt clear at the last minute and sat in a tree as he watched his car hit the bottom and explode. :shock: :shock:
He then won £600,000 with his first ever lottery ticket and celebrated his fifth marriage saying: "I guess all the earlier marriages were disasters too." 8)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... rtune.html
A music teacher, Frano Selak, who was dubbed the world's luckiest man after cheating death seven times before winning the lottery has now decided to give away his fortune.
By Andrew Hough
Published: 8:15AM BST 14 May 2010
The 81 year-old won £600,000 five years ago in the lottery in Croatia, to celebrate his fifth marriage, after earlier surviving plane and train crashes.
He also survived other disasters including landing on a haystack after falling out of a plane door that had blown open. :shock:
Now the pensioner has decided that "money cannot buy happiness" and has decided to live a frugal life.
He has sold his luxury home on a private island, given away his fortune to family and friends and moved back to his modest home in Petrinja, which is south of Zagreb, in the centre of the country.
He kept the last bit of his winnings for a hip replacement operation so he could enjoy life with his wife and also so he could build a shrine to the Virgin Mary to give thanks for his luck.
Mr Selak said he has never been happier.
"All I need at my age is my Katarina. Money would not change anything," he said.
"When she arrived I knew then that I really did have a charmed, blessed life.
"I never thought I was lucky to survive all my brushes with death. I thought I was unlucky to be in them in the first place."
He added that people were always telling him he was lucky to have survived so many disasters but he added: "I always think I was unlucky to have been in them in the first place but you can't tell people what they don't want to believe." 8)
He had his first escape in 1962 when a train he was travelling on from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik jumped the rails and plunged into an icy river.
Seventeen people drowned and he barely made it to the riverbank after suffering from hypothermia, shock, bruises and a broken arm.
A year later, he was thrown out of a plane on his first and only flight when a door flew open.
This time 19 people died but he was thrown clear of the crash and landed in a haystack.
Then in 1966, a bus he was on skidded into a river, drowning four. He swam to safety with just cuts and bruises.
Accident number four came in 1970 when his car caught fire as he drove along a motorway and he fled with seconds to spare before the fuel tank exploded.
Three years later, he lost most of his hair when a faulty fuel pump spewed petrol over the hot engine of his car and blew flames through the air vents. :shock:
Then in 1995 came his sixth accident when he was knocked down by a bus in Zagreb but walked away with minor injuries.
The following year, he was driving in the mountains when he turned a corner to see a UN truck coming straight for him.
His Skoda careered through a crash barrier and over the 300ft precipice.
But he leapt clear at the last minute and sat in a tree as he watched his car hit the bottom and explode. :shock: :shock:
He then won £600,000 with his first ever lottery ticket and celebrated his fifth marriage saying: "I guess all the earlier marriages were disasters too." 8)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... rtune.html
- Joined
- May 5, 2009
- Messages
- 1,490
The lesson here is don't get onto public transit or drive on any road if Frano Selak is near?
:shock:
:shock:
escargot
Disciple of Marduk
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2001
- Messages
- 43,404
- Location
- HM The Tower of London
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
American woman wins lottery for a fourth time
An American woman has been named the luckiest lottery winner in the world after scooping her fourth multi million pound jackpot.
By Paul Thompson
Published: 10:19AM BST 06 Jul 2010
Joan Ginther won £6.2m with the top prize from a scratch card bought from a store in Texas, pushing her total winnings to more than £14m
Her first multi million payout came in 1993 when she won £8m from a £20 scratch card.
Mrs Ginther chose to take £180,000 a year for 19 years after paying tax on her win to give her a total prize of £3.6m. In 2006 she won a further £1.4m and again opted for a lump-sum payment of £1m after paying tax on the winnings.
Two years later the 63 year-old who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, scooped a further £2m.
Incredibly, three of the tickets were bought from the same small convenience store in the town of Bishop, Texas.
Friends said Mrs Ginther would return to her home town to visit her father and would drop in at the local store to buy a scratch card.
Store manager Bob Solis said they sell 1,000 lottery tickets a day, adding: "This is a very lucky store."
Experts said the chances of winning four lottery jackpots was more than 200 million to one.
"This final bit of winning lottery must confirm Mrs Ginther as the world's luckiest lottery player," said a spokesman for World Lottery News.
"We would be interested to see just how much she spends on lottery tickets and scratch-offs." 8)
Officials with the Texas lottery said Ms Ginther had chosen not to talk about her winning streak but said the odds of winning four times were many millions to one.
"We have had multiple winners before," said spokesman Bobby Heith.
"But she's obviously been born under a lucky star."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -time.html
An American woman has been named the luckiest lottery winner in the world after scooping her fourth multi million pound jackpot.
By Paul Thompson
Published: 10:19AM BST 06 Jul 2010
Joan Ginther won £6.2m with the top prize from a scratch card bought from a store in Texas, pushing her total winnings to more than £14m
Her first multi million payout came in 1993 when she won £8m from a £20 scratch card.
Mrs Ginther chose to take £180,000 a year for 19 years after paying tax on her win to give her a total prize of £3.6m. In 2006 she won a further £1.4m and again opted for a lump-sum payment of £1m after paying tax on the winnings.
Two years later the 63 year-old who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, scooped a further £2m.
Incredibly, three of the tickets were bought from the same small convenience store in the town of Bishop, Texas.
Friends said Mrs Ginther would return to her home town to visit her father and would drop in at the local store to buy a scratch card.
Store manager Bob Solis said they sell 1,000 lottery tickets a day, adding: "This is a very lucky store."
Experts said the chances of winning four lottery jackpots was more than 200 million to one.
"This final bit of winning lottery must confirm Mrs Ginther as the world's luckiest lottery player," said a spokesman for World Lottery News.
"We would be interested to see just how much she spends on lottery tickets and scratch-offs." 8)
Officials with the Texas lottery said Ms Ginther had chosen not to talk about her winning streak but said the odds of winning four times were many millions to one.
"We have had multiple winners before," said spokesman Bobby Heith.
"But she's obviously been born under a lucky star."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -time.html
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Tourist falls into the Grand Canyon... and SURVIVES
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 6:26 PM on 7th August 2010
A French tourist has survived after falling into the Grand Canyon.
The unnamed 18-year-old man slipped while taking pictures near the rim, park rangers said.
He plummeted 75 feet before landing unconscious on a ledge as horrified tourists looked on.
Park rangers received a report of a man falling over the edge of Mather Point, which is a short walk behind the South Rim's visitor centre.
Paramedics rappelled down to the man's location and stabilised him so he could be airlifted out of the canyon and transported by ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Centre.
Park officials say the man - whose name and hometown have not been released - was treated for wrist, ankle and neck injuries.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... z0w0vH80lG
Bad luck about the injuries - but it could have been so much worse!
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 6:26 PM on 7th August 2010
A French tourist has survived after falling into the Grand Canyon.
The unnamed 18-year-old man slipped while taking pictures near the rim, park rangers said.
He plummeted 75 feet before landing unconscious on a ledge as horrified tourists looked on.
Park rangers received a report of a man falling over the edge of Mather Point, which is a short walk behind the South Rim's visitor centre.
Paramedics rappelled down to the man's location and stabilised him so he could be airlifted out of the canyon and transported by ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Centre.
Park officials say the man - whose name and hometown have not been released - was treated for wrist, ankle and neck injuries.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... z0w0vH80lG
Bad luck about the injuries - but it could have been so much worse!
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Boy, 3, unearths £2.5m treasure trove on FIRST metal detecting expedition
By Andrew Levy
Last updated at 2:32 AM on 17th November 2010
IF James Hyatt was old enough to understand the concept, his family would tell him he is blessed with beginner’s luck.
The three-year-old was minutes into his first ever attempt at metal detecting when he found a gold locket potentially worth £2.5million.
He had just been passed the device at a field in Hockley, Essex, when it began to buzz.
Buried 8in below was a reliquary.
This is a gold container used to hold religious relics – items believed to be the remains of religious figures or objects associated with them.
Experts have dated the locket to the early 16th century – the era of Henry VIII – and say it could have belonged to a member of the royal family.
The reliquary has been declared treasure trove at an inquest, meaning the proceeds of its sale will be shared between James’s family and the landowner.
James’s father Jason, 34, said: ‘My son is one of the luckiest people ever.
‘If we go to the doctors he’ll put his hand down the side of the sofa and pull out a tenner.’ 8)
James, who is now four, was on a metal detecting trip with his father and grandfather in May last year when he asked to try using the equipment.
His father, a web designer who lives with his wife Rebecca, James and six-month-old daughter Emily in Billericay, Essex, added: ‘After about five minutes we got a buzz and we started digging.
‘James was so excited when he realised he had found real treasure. Dad was blown away.
'In 15 years doing it as a hobby I'd never found anything like it. If we get any money it will be for the children.’
James said: ‘I was holding the detector and it went beep, beep, beep. Then we dug into the mud. There was gold there. We didn’t have a map – only pirates have treasure maps.’
The sides of the reliquary are about an inch long and it is 73 per cent gold.
The front is engraved with an image of the Virgin Mary clutching a cross while the back has five bleeding hearts.
Only three other reliquaries of this type are known to have survived.
James’s find will be valued and then offered for sale to institutions including the British Museum.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z15X5gDdOU
By Andrew Levy
Last updated at 2:32 AM on 17th November 2010
IF James Hyatt was old enough to understand the concept, his family would tell him he is blessed with beginner’s luck.
The three-year-old was minutes into his first ever attempt at metal detecting when he found a gold locket potentially worth £2.5million.
He had just been passed the device at a field in Hockley, Essex, when it began to buzz.
Buried 8in below was a reliquary.
This is a gold container used to hold religious relics – items believed to be the remains of religious figures or objects associated with them.
Experts have dated the locket to the early 16th century – the era of Henry VIII – and say it could have belonged to a member of the royal family.
The reliquary has been declared treasure trove at an inquest, meaning the proceeds of its sale will be shared between James’s family and the landowner.
James’s father Jason, 34, said: ‘My son is one of the luckiest people ever.
‘If we go to the doctors he’ll put his hand down the side of the sofa and pull out a tenner.’ 8)
James, who is now four, was on a metal detecting trip with his father and grandfather in May last year when he asked to try using the equipment.
His father, a web designer who lives with his wife Rebecca, James and six-month-old daughter Emily in Billericay, Essex, added: ‘After about five minutes we got a buzz and we started digging.
‘James was so excited when he realised he had found real treasure. Dad was blown away.
'In 15 years doing it as a hobby I'd never found anything like it. If we get any money it will be for the children.’
James said: ‘I was holding the detector and it went beep, beep, beep. Then we dug into the mud. There was gold there. We didn’t have a map – only pirates have treasure maps.’
The sides of the reliquary are about an inch long and it is 73 per cent gold.
The front is engraved with an image of the Virgin Mary clutching a cross while the back has five bleeding hearts.
Only three other reliquaries of this type are known to have survived.
James’s find will be valued and then offered for sale to institutions including the British Museum.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z15X5gDdOU
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Man bought £30 painting from Devon shop for its oak frame... and sold watercolour inside for £48,000
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:37 PM on 1st December 2010
When a middle-aged man bought a £30 oak picture frame, he had no idea that the painting which accompanied it was worth a small fortune.
So the lucky customer was ecstatic after selling the work of art for a cool £48,000 at auction today.
After originally thinking nothing of the watercolour painting of Canadian Indian totems when he saw its 20ins by 16ins frame at a Devon antiques shop, he paid the small sum to put another picture in it.
It wasn't until the unnamed buyer got it home that he decided to research the name of the artist on the painting before discarding it.
A quick 'Google' search of painter Walter J Phillips established that he was one of Canada's most famous artists whose previous works have sold for £50,000.
The unnamed owner, who is from Devon, contacted Bonhams auctioneers for further help and the experts confirmed the work was carried out in the late 1920s.
They gave it a pre-sale estimate of £10,000 but it went for nearly five times that amount when it sold at auction in Toronto.
The vendor excitedly monitored the progress of the sale online and was 'over the moon' with the final outcome.
Charles Lanning, of Bonhams, said: ‘Although the vendor didn't realise it at first the painting in a stunning watercolour of Canadian Indian totems.
‘He brought it to us after he purchased it for its oak gesso frame at a local Devon dealers about six months ago for not very much money. He didn't want the painting.
‘But when he took it home he researched the artist and felt it might be more interesting than he had realised and then he called us.
‘We decided it was best to sell this charming watercolour titled The Hoh-Hok Houseposts at Karlukwees, in our Canadian art sale. It was the obvious place to sell as the artist has a reputation in North America.
‘Our client observed the sale over the internet and we spoke to him afterwards and naturally he was delighted and over the moon with the sale.
‘He was pleased with the estimated price so you can imagine how he felt with the final sale price.’
The vendor agreed to keep the frame and the painting together.
Phillips, who died in 1963 aged 79, wrote in his unpublished manuscript on how he was taken with the village of Karlukwees in British Columbia.
The work was painted in the late 1920's, while he travelled along the Pacific Coast.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z16wt6R1Ec
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:37 PM on 1st December 2010
When a middle-aged man bought a £30 oak picture frame, he had no idea that the painting which accompanied it was worth a small fortune.
So the lucky customer was ecstatic after selling the work of art for a cool £48,000 at auction today.
After originally thinking nothing of the watercolour painting of Canadian Indian totems when he saw its 20ins by 16ins frame at a Devon antiques shop, he paid the small sum to put another picture in it.
It wasn't until the unnamed buyer got it home that he decided to research the name of the artist on the painting before discarding it.
A quick 'Google' search of painter Walter J Phillips established that he was one of Canada's most famous artists whose previous works have sold for £50,000.
The unnamed owner, who is from Devon, contacted Bonhams auctioneers for further help and the experts confirmed the work was carried out in the late 1920s.
They gave it a pre-sale estimate of £10,000 but it went for nearly five times that amount when it sold at auction in Toronto.
The vendor excitedly monitored the progress of the sale online and was 'over the moon' with the final outcome.
Charles Lanning, of Bonhams, said: ‘Although the vendor didn't realise it at first the painting in a stunning watercolour of Canadian Indian totems.
‘He brought it to us after he purchased it for its oak gesso frame at a local Devon dealers about six months ago for not very much money. He didn't want the painting.
‘But when he took it home he researched the artist and felt it might be more interesting than he had realised and then he called us.
‘We decided it was best to sell this charming watercolour titled The Hoh-Hok Houseposts at Karlukwees, in our Canadian art sale. It was the obvious place to sell as the artist has a reputation in North America.
‘Our client observed the sale over the internet and we spoke to him afterwards and naturally he was delighted and over the moon with the sale.
‘He was pleased with the estimated price so you can imagine how he felt with the final sale price.’
The vendor agreed to keep the frame and the painting together.
Phillips, who died in 1963 aged 79, wrote in his unpublished manuscript on how he was taken with the village of Karlukwees in British Columbia.
The work was painted in the late 1920's, while he travelled along the Pacific Coast.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z16wt6R1Ec
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Climber found reading map after 1,000ft fall
A climber who fell 1,000ft (305m) down a mountain and survived was found by his rescuers standing up reading a map.
The 35-year-old lost his footing at the summit of Sgurr Choinnich Mor near Ben Nevis in the Highlands and plummeted down the near-vertical eastern slope.
Lt Tim Barker, from the helicopter rescue crew, said: "It seemed impossible... he must have literally glanced off the outcrops as he fell."
He added the climber, from Glasgow, was shaking from "extreme emotional shock".
Lt Barker, the Royal Navy's Sea King helicopter crew's observer, said: "We began to hover-taxi down the slope and spotted a man at the bottom, standing up.
"We honestly thought it couldn't have been him, as he was on his feet, reading a map. Above him was a series of three high craggy outcrops.
"It seemed impossible. So we retraced our path back up the mountain and, sure enough, there were bits of his kit in a vertical line all the way up where he had obviously lost them during the fall.
"It was quite incredible. He must have literally glanced off the outcrops as he fell, almost flying."
The helicopter, from HMS Gannet in Prestwick, Ayrshire, was already airborne on a training exercise when it was scrambled to the scene just after 1430 GMT.
A paramedic was winched down to check the climber over. He appeared unscathed aside from some superficial cuts and bruises and a minor chest injury.
Lt Barker added: "He is lucky to be alive. It's hard to believe that someone could have fallen that distance on that terrain and been able to stand up at the end of it, let alone chat to us in the helicopter on the way to the hospital.
"Really an amazing result - I have to say, when we got the call and realised the details of where he'd fallen, we did expect to arrive on scene to find the worst-case scenario."
The climber, from Glasgow, was one of a group of 24 who had reached the summit when the accident happened.
He is being treated at Southern General Hospital in the city.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12317356
A climber who fell 1,000ft (305m) down a mountain and survived was found by his rescuers standing up reading a map.
The 35-year-old lost his footing at the summit of Sgurr Choinnich Mor near Ben Nevis in the Highlands and plummeted down the near-vertical eastern slope.
Lt Tim Barker, from the helicopter rescue crew, said: "It seemed impossible... he must have literally glanced off the outcrops as he fell."
He added the climber, from Glasgow, was shaking from "extreme emotional shock".
Lt Barker, the Royal Navy's Sea King helicopter crew's observer, said: "We began to hover-taxi down the slope and spotted a man at the bottom, standing up.
"We honestly thought it couldn't have been him, as he was on his feet, reading a map. Above him was a series of three high craggy outcrops.
"It seemed impossible. So we retraced our path back up the mountain and, sure enough, there were bits of his kit in a vertical line all the way up where he had obviously lost them during the fall.
"It was quite incredible. He must have literally glanced off the outcrops as he fell, almost flying."
The helicopter, from HMS Gannet in Prestwick, Ayrshire, was already airborne on a training exercise when it was scrambled to the scene just after 1430 GMT.
A paramedic was winched down to check the climber over. He appeared unscathed aside from some superficial cuts and bruises and a minor chest injury.
Lt Barker added: "He is lucky to be alive. It's hard to believe that someone could have fallen that distance on that terrain and been able to stand up at the end of it, let alone chat to us in the helicopter on the way to the hospital.
"Really an amazing result - I have to say, when we got the call and realised the details of where he'd fallen, we did expect to arrive on scene to find the worst-case scenario."
The climber, from Glasgow, was one of a group of 24 who had reached the summit when the accident happened.
He is being treated at Southern General Hospital in the city.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12317356
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Falmouth student wins lottery after wishing on a wishbone
4:19pm Wednesday 2nd February 2011
A Falmouth student has ended January on a high after scooping £1,000 on a £2 lotto scratchcard - hours after making a wish he would win.
Jonathan Biss, 21, bought the card from a Tesco store in the town.
The cash strapped student decided to buy the ticket after he had made a wish to win the lottery prior to pulling a wishbone earlier on in the day.
Mr Biss said: "It's so crazy I can't believe I've won so much money, especially after I wished for it to happen.
"I rang my girlfriend who was then out shopping and she couldn't stop screaming."
Earlier in the day Mr Biss had been preparing a chicken sandwich and handed his girlfriend the wishbone, secretly wishing he would win the lottery.
"I later took the opportunity to go for a walk with friends and popped into my local store, where to my surprise I had purchased the winning card," he added.
The national lottery claim that there are 'four scratch card winners every second', with prizes ranging from £1 to £1,000,000.
The Falmouth student will be celebrating by go out for a slap up meal and says that he hopes to invest some of the money on a motorbike.
http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/fp ... _wishbone/
4:19pm Wednesday 2nd February 2011
A Falmouth student has ended January on a high after scooping £1,000 on a £2 lotto scratchcard - hours after making a wish he would win.
Jonathan Biss, 21, bought the card from a Tesco store in the town.
The cash strapped student decided to buy the ticket after he had made a wish to win the lottery prior to pulling a wishbone earlier on in the day.
Mr Biss said: "It's so crazy I can't believe I've won so much money, especially after I wished for it to happen.
"I rang my girlfriend who was then out shopping and she couldn't stop screaming."
Earlier in the day Mr Biss had been preparing a chicken sandwich and handed his girlfriend the wishbone, secretly wishing he would win the lottery.
"I later took the opportunity to go for a walk with friends and popped into my local store, where to my surprise I had purchased the winning card," he added.
The national lottery claim that there are 'four scratch card winners every second', with prizes ranging from £1 to £1,000,000.
The Falmouth student will be celebrating by go out for a slap up meal and says that he hopes to invest some of the money on a motorbike.
http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/fp ... _wishbone/
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- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Bad luck to be attacked by a pitbull, but...
Boy, seven, mauled by pitbull is lucky to be alive after stranger broke into flat to save him
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:36 AM on 10th February 2011
A stranger broke into a flat to save a seven-year-old boy who was being mauled by a pitbull.
Jack Wellstead was today said to be 'lucky to be alive' after he was dragged unconscious and covered in blood from the home by Lawal Alhadi.
The boy suffered terrible bites to his head, feet and legs after he got trapped in the hallway of the flat with the animal while playing with friends.
Mr Alhadi, 27, heard Jack's screams as he passed the property in West Ham, east London, and smashed down the door.
He said the hallway of the home was a horrific 'bloodbath' as he dragged the pitbull away from Jack and carried him to safety.
'I whacked the dog so hard on its head but he jumped on me and ripped my trousers apart,' he told the Evening Standard.
'I eventually managed to grab hold of the boy but his injuries were horrific and he was unconscious. It was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life.'
Jack is now set to go home after a series of operations at The Royal London Hospital.
He has had skin grafts and tissue removed from his legs, but doctors say he is incredibly lucky to escape serious scarring on his face.
Surgeon Mohammed Shibu said today: 'He's been very lucky.
'The serious lacerations weren't on his face and did not go deep into his muscles and nerves.'
Jack's mother Victoria Devlin, 43, said her seven-year-old son was making a good recovery after the attack on January 15.
She said: 'When I first saw him in A&E I just collapsed. The first week and a half were really hard.
'He's had a few nightmares and I don't think he'll be ready to go out in a while but generally he's doing really well. Jack is to have counselling but is expected to make a full recovery.
'I think it's going to be a long road but I know how lucky he is to be here.
The pitbull was destroyed and police are investigating the attack
Mr Shibu, who also treated the Hackney twin babies mauled in their home by a fox last year, said he is thrilled with Jack's progress.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1DY1AmP3d
Boy, seven, mauled by pitbull is lucky to be alive after stranger broke into flat to save him
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:36 AM on 10th February 2011
A stranger broke into a flat to save a seven-year-old boy who was being mauled by a pitbull.
Jack Wellstead was today said to be 'lucky to be alive' after he was dragged unconscious and covered in blood from the home by Lawal Alhadi.
The boy suffered terrible bites to his head, feet and legs after he got trapped in the hallway of the flat with the animal while playing with friends.
Mr Alhadi, 27, heard Jack's screams as he passed the property in West Ham, east London, and smashed down the door.
He said the hallway of the home was a horrific 'bloodbath' as he dragged the pitbull away from Jack and carried him to safety.
'I whacked the dog so hard on its head but he jumped on me and ripped my trousers apart,' he told the Evening Standard.
'I eventually managed to grab hold of the boy but his injuries were horrific and he was unconscious. It was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life.'
Jack is now set to go home after a series of operations at The Royal London Hospital.
He has had skin grafts and tissue removed from his legs, but doctors say he is incredibly lucky to escape serious scarring on his face.
Surgeon Mohammed Shibu said today: 'He's been very lucky.
'The serious lacerations weren't on his face and did not go deep into his muscles and nerves.'
Jack's mother Victoria Devlin, 43, said her seven-year-old son was making a good recovery after the attack on January 15.
She said: 'When I first saw him in A&E I just collapsed. The first week and a half were really hard.
'He's had a few nightmares and I don't think he'll be ready to go out in a while but generally he's doing really well. Jack is to have counselling but is expected to make a full recovery.
'I think it's going to be a long road but I know how lucky he is to be here.
The pitbull was destroyed and police are investigating the attack
Mr Shibu, who also treated the Hackney twin babies mauled in their home by a fox last year, said he is thrilled with Jack's progress.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1DY1AmP3d
rev_dino
Administrator
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- Jan 9, 2006
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- Location
- Denver CO, USA
I think it's interesting that the DM managed to avoid the use of the word "hero" in this piece, when generally the tabloids splash it everywhere in stories like this.
Also, why did they choose a picture of a yawning dog to accompany it?
Also, why did they choose a picture of a yawning dog to accompany it?
rev_dino
Administrator
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- 464
- Location
- Denver CO, USA
First they came for the yawning dogs, but I said nothing!
I see someone commented about on the DM site, too! At least the dog in the DM looks a little bit like a bit. I seem to recall the Sun or some other paper using a Rottweiler picture in a piece about pitbulls a few years ago.
I see someone commented about on the DM site, too! At least the dog in the DM looks a little bit like a bit. I seem to recall the Sun or some other paper using a Rottweiler picture in a piece about pitbulls a few years ago.
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Stories like this make me want to take up gambling!!
Exeter racecourse punter wins £1.45m on £2 accumulator
A heating engineer from North Devon has won £1.45m on an accumulator, after placing an original bet of just £2. :shock:
Steve Whiteley, 61, from North Tawton, hit the jackpot at a meeting at Exeter racecourse, which he had attended on a free promotion.
Mr Whiteley said he was "not a horse racing man" and only went once or twice a year.
The final horse of his six-race accumulator, Lupita, ridden by Jessica Lodge, won at odds of 12-1.
He said: "The most exciting bit was after the fourth race when my mate said only seven people in the whole country were still in it.
"I couldn't watch the last race.
"I'm shaking like a leaf, I can't believe it."
He said he selected his horses at random: "It's difficult to say how I came up with them.
"The first few selections I had two in each race and that was going to cost £32 so I scrapped that.
"Why did I pick the last one? Lodge is just a name that sticks in my head.
"I'm not a horse racing man, I only go once or twice a year.
"I'm a heating engineer - well I was."
Jayne Amor, racing manager from Exeter's Tote, said: "The excitement at the racecourse was unbelievable.
"When we realised it was one ticket it was so exciting, the whole of the Tote has been cheering him on.
"He came to us after four races to check if he had been reading his ticket correctly.
"His money will be in the bank tomorrow morning."
At £1,445,671.71 Mr Whiteley's winning dividend was the largest in the history of the Tote Jackpot, where punters are required to correctly predict six winners on a card.
The winning horses at Exeter were Semi Colon (2-1), Black Phantom (12-1), Ammunition (16-1), Mr Bennett (16-1), Lundy Sky (5-1) and Lupita (12-1).
Lupita had not won in its last 26 races and the race at Exeter was jockey Jessica Lodge's first winning ride.
Asked what he would do with his winnings, Mr Whiteley said: "We're going on holiday a week on Friday.
"We were going to fly cattle class but we might upgrade now."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-12683126
Exeter racecourse punter wins £1.45m on £2 accumulator
A heating engineer from North Devon has won £1.45m on an accumulator, after placing an original bet of just £2. :shock:
Steve Whiteley, 61, from North Tawton, hit the jackpot at a meeting at Exeter racecourse, which he had attended on a free promotion.
Mr Whiteley said he was "not a horse racing man" and only went once or twice a year.
The final horse of his six-race accumulator, Lupita, ridden by Jessica Lodge, won at odds of 12-1.
He said: "The most exciting bit was after the fourth race when my mate said only seven people in the whole country were still in it.
"I couldn't watch the last race.
"I'm shaking like a leaf, I can't believe it."
He said he selected his horses at random: "It's difficult to say how I came up with them.
"The first few selections I had two in each race and that was going to cost £32 so I scrapped that.
"Why did I pick the last one? Lodge is just a name that sticks in my head.
"I'm not a horse racing man, I only go once or twice a year.
"I'm a heating engineer - well I was."
Jayne Amor, racing manager from Exeter's Tote, said: "The excitement at the racecourse was unbelievable.
"When we realised it was one ticket it was so exciting, the whole of the Tote has been cheering him on.
"He came to us after four races to check if he had been reading his ticket correctly.
"His money will be in the bank tomorrow morning."
At £1,445,671.71 Mr Whiteley's winning dividend was the largest in the history of the Tote Jackpot, where punters are required to correctly predict six winners on a card.
The winning horses at Exeter were Semi Colon (2-1), Black Phantom (12-1), Ammunition (16-1), Mr Bennett (16-1), Lundy Sky (5-1) and Lupita (12-1).
Lupita had not won in its last 26 races and the race at Exeter was jockey Jessica Lodge's first winning ride.
Asked what he would do with his winnings, Mr Whiteley said: "We're going on holiday a week on Friday.
"We were going to fly cattle class but we might upgrade now."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-12683126
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- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
A scrape with death: Woman's car falls off FIFTH floor of car park... and miraculously she only suffers 'cut on head'
By Oliver Pickup
Last updated at 12:48 AM on 5th April 2011
Even the most competent driver has the occasional problem with parking.
However, this female motorist took it to a whole new level when she drove off the side of a multi-storey car park in Melbourne, Australia.
In a heartstopping plummet down 50ft, the small silver sedan struck the roof of an adjoining house and ricocheted round, finally coming to rest on its side in an alley.
The driver had to be cut out of the car by firemen after the incident yesterday morning.
Amazingly she escaped serious injury, and according to an Ambulance Victoria spokesman she suffered only a 'cut to her head' and was released from hospital.
'She was very lucky,' the spokesman added.
The woman's car was driven through the gap between the sixth and fourth floors of the Kim Lim car park on the corner of A Beckett Street and Anthony Street in the heart of the Australian city's central business district.
There is no explanation for why the incident happened. The woman has not been identified.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1IdtJytAk
By Oliver Pickup
Last updated at 12:48 AM on 5th April 2011
Even the most competent driver has the occasional problem with parking.
However, this female motorist took it to a whole new level when she drove off the side of a multi-storey car park in Melbourne, Australia.
In a heartstopping plummet down 50ft, the small silver sedan struck the roof of an adjoining house and ricocheted round, finally coming to rest on its side in an alley.
The driver had to be cut out of the car by firemen after the incident yesterday morning.
Amazingly she escaped serious injury, and according to an Ambulance Victoria spokesman she suffered only a 'cut to her head' and was released from hospital.
'She was very lucky,' the spokesman added.
The woman's car was driven through the gap between the sixth and fourth floors of the Kim Lim car park on the corner of A Beckett Street and Anthony Street in the heart of the Australian city's central business district.
There is no explanation for why the incident happened. The woman has not been identified.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1IdtJytAk