And Finally...

The Christmas-themed card was delivered to Swansea Building Society’s Cradock Street branch last week even though it was originally sent in 1903 - so only just over a century too late.

Staff say they hope to find relatives of a Miss Lydia Davies, who previously lived at the address and who the card was addressed to, to reunite them with it.

The Royal Mail said it is likely the postcard was "put back into" its system, rather than "being lost in the post for over a century".

Smugglers disguised $5 million worth of methamphetamine as watermelons and tried to truck them across the border from Mexico, US border agents said.

More than 4,500 pounds (2,000 kilograms) of the addictive drug were wrapped in paper packages painted to look like the juicy fruit and hidden amongst other cargo.

Border agents pulled over the produce-laden tractor-trailer at Otay Mesa in California on Friday and got in amongst the cargo for a closer look.

There they discovered more than 1,200 watermelons were actually bundles of the synthetic drug wrapped in colored paper, US Customs and Border Protection said this week.

A karate expert in Japan who broke a haunted house worker’s jaw with a kick in 2011 has lost his lawsuit against an amusement park.

The man, who admitted to drinking before entering the haunted house at Toei Kyoto Studio Park in Kyoto in 2011 while travelling with his colleagues, had argued that the park should have warned visitors that humans acted as ghosts and it should have protected its staff better.

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The karate expert was startled when a park worker, dressed as a ghost, stepped forward to frighten him. The man, who has not been named, kicked the “ghost” in the face and later said it was a reflex.

Royal Mail have alerted police after postboxes in Kent were vandalised just six months after they were spray-painted like Mr Blobby and Creme Eggs.

A man has appeared in court accused of stealing a packet of crisps worth £1.25.

Patrick McDonagh (37) of Erne Park, Kesh, appeared at Enniskillen Magistrate's Court on Thursday.

He is facing a single charge of theft, whereby he is accused of stealing crisps to the value of £1.25 from Lakeside Service Station on April 30 of this year.

Translation: "crisps" are what Americans call "chips".

Looks like PE requirements have gone up a bit, seeming that being an olympian is not sufficient.

A 42-year-old data analyst has said he is "over the moon" after finally getting his maths GCSE.

Mike Coles picked up his exam result from City of Portsmouth College, more than 20 years after failing it the first time.

He joined hundreds of thousands of teenagers getting GCSE, BTec Tech Awards and other Level 2 results across England, Wales and NI.

When asked how he became a data analyst without a maths GCSE, he said it was down to "modern technology".

"A lot of the systems I use do it for me," he told the BBC.

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His next goal is to pass his English GCSE, and he also hopes to continue into further education.

Orthodox priests brought an icon to the scene of a huge fuel depot fire in southern Russia sparked by a Ukrainian drone attack in the hope it would help tame its flames, the local diocese said on Wednesday.

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The icon of the Unburnt Bush is considered by Christians in Russia as a talisman against fire.

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An image released on Wednesday showed two Orthodox priests standing in a field on either side of a wooden stand holding the large icon as a thick plume of black and grey smoke rose into the sky from the depot behind them.

"The (priests) spoke with the firefighters and blessed all the fire equipment," the local Volgodonsk eparchy told Reuters in emailed comments.

John Wayne Bobbitt, whose penis was cut off by his wife in a high-profile case in the 1990s, underwent the last amputation of his remaining toes last year, The Sun reported Saturday, along with photos of his feet.

He attributed the amputations to toxic peripheral polyneuropathy, a condition he was diagnosed with due to drinking contaminated water at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune military base, where he spent time as a Marine in the 1980s.

The condition damages the nerves, resulting in numbness and weakness. He said it caused him nerve damage and osteomyelitis, a bone infection that leads to ulcers and requires skin grafts.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/16522692

King Charles has an ongoing fascination with UFOs and the possibility of alien life, a new documentary has sensationally claimed.

The documentary 'The King of UFOs' also explores reports of the monarch's inherited secret library of books and files on the phenomena plus other subjects such as crop circles and the paranormal.

It also suggests the late Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II communicated with UFO believers several times.

And now King Charles is exploring his own interest in the fascinating topic, according to the documentary.

One of the most bizarre claims made in the new production is that the then Prince Charles was seen piloting an experimental "UFO-style craft" in Canada in 1975.

Ufologist and filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee said: "Retired Police CID detective, and now owner of The Great British UFO Learning Centre, John Hanson had regular correspondence with Prince Phillip and The Queen and states that they had their own library of UFO and paranormal books."

He told Express.co.uk: "Letters between Hanson and the Queen and Prince Phillip, shown in the film, say they will 'add the book that John sent to them to their own collection/library'."

Nick Pope, who investigated UFOs for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) until 2009, said: "The Royal Family has been interested in UFOs for decades, but this was also a matter of extreme sensitivity as in some ways, the situation was almost counter to the government's position on this, or it was difficult to gel with it.

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"Prince Philip was very much at the forefront of royal interest in this, although arguably, he was introduced to this by Earl Mountbatten, his uncle.

"(Prince Philip) had a large collection of UFO books. He subscribed to Flying Saucer Review and a number of other publications, but it was all done carefully, so not to take a subscription and say 'please send to Buckingham Palace.'

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"As well as looking at an alleged UFO landing and alien visitation on Lord Louis Mountbatten’s estate in England (allegedly witnessed by one of his own employees), the film investigates the late Queen and Prince Phillip’s interest in UFOs and crop circles.

"The film has exclusive access to unreleased archives and interviews with witnesses and also explores the extraordinary claims that the then Prince Charles piloted an experimental UFO craft in Canada in 1975.

Archive

Previously: Wild claims King Charles 'flew UFO to save lives' in secret military mission

Londoners spotted this ship on the Thames near Tower Bridge, playing the iconic Imperial March theme from the Star Wars trilogies, otherwise recognisable as the Darth Vader music.

But it wasn’t coming from a galaxy far, far away - it was a German Navy ship, in London for training and a supply stop.

A spokesperson from the German Navy told the BBC the music had "no deeper message" and "the commander can choose the music freely".

A shop assistant in Guernsey has been awarded 40 sausage rolls for 40 years of service.

Fifty-six-year-old Kevin Parsons started working at the island's Alliance supermarket in 1984.

Bosses marked the anniversary by giving him a certificate, a tropical-themed mural for his home and a sausage roll for each of his next 40 shifts.

Mr Parsons, who was described as an "Alliance celebrity" by bosses, said "words can't express my appreciation" for his gifts.

A city centre office building has been home to a snail farm for more than a year, in what council bosses allege is an attempt to avoid tax.

About 15 covered crates - containing as few as two snails each - have been kept on the lower ground floor of 9 Dale Street, in Liverpool, since 2023.

Under current law, this could qualify as "agricultural use" and this part of the building would arguably be exempt from business rates.

The firm renting the space said it was a legitimate snail farming operation.

The company, Snai1 Primary Products 2023 Ltd, shares its sole director, Terence Ball, with a company called BoyceBrook based in Ribchester, Lancashire.

BoyceBrook’s website says its team "has a proven track record of minimising the liability for empty property rates" and describes the company as the "Canceller of the Exchequer".

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Each crate contains two snails, according to L’Escargotiere, another company operated by Mr Ball, also based in Ribchester.

Its website says the number of snails per crate is kept to a minimum to avoid "cannibalism, group sex and snail orgies".

On Monday (19 Aug), a 52-year-old office manager visited a police station in Phan Thong District in Chonburi Province with his bullet-riddled car to report an incident regarding an attempted murder, Thai news site Khaosod reports.

Mr Payungsak (name transliterated from Thai) was shot at more than 10 times while he was in his car.

Unexpectedly, the victim survived without any injuries.

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While there were multiple bullet marks on his car, none of the bullets caused Mr Payungsak any injury.

One of the bullets hit his wristwatch, causing it to shatter, but Mr Payungsak remained unscathed.

Talking to the press, he said that this was all because of an amulet that he got from a temple in Trang Province. He said he had worn it for over 40 years and believed it protected him from being hurt in the shooting.

A Tasmanian woman appeared in court on Monday over allegations that she performed a sex act involving a live brown trout on a boat after video footage of the incident went viral online.

As reported by The Mercury, Catherine June Lee, 58, from the state's south, appeared in Hobart Magistrates Court on Monday. She is facing three charges under the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Enforcement Act.

One count relates to possessing a bestiality product between February 2022 and January 2023 and two counts for making or reproducing a bestiality product during the same period. Magistrate Marica Duvnjak granted Lee an adjournment until October.

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The video in question, which went viral on social media and earned Lee the nickname "Tassie Trout Lady," showed her lying on a boat while a man allegedly uses a live trout to perform a sexual act on her.

The video sparked significant public outrage and prompted police investigations, leading to the charges against Lee and Hallam. Authorities at the time reminded the public that possessing or distributing the video was a criminal offence.

On July 20 in Omena, a small town in the “little finger” of northern Michigan, a crowd of about a hundred locals gathered in a church parking lot for the inauguration of their new mayor. A brass band played “The Stars and Stripes Forever” as Sally Viskochil, president of the local historical society, walked across the patriotically festooned stage to make the announcement.

“And our new mayor is. . . ” There was a collective intake of breath. “Lucky!”

There was a smattering of applause, but a few members of the audience looked stunned. Mike McKenzie, 53, an Illinoisan with a summer home in Omena, turned to me, befuddled.

“Boy,” he said. “I guess people really are fed up with the old two-species system.”

Lucky, after all, is a horse. He’s a cross between an American Quarter and an American Paint, to be precise, and the first equid to be elected mayor of Omena. Until now, this race has only ever been won by a dog—and, once, a cat. You could say Lucky was an underdog in securing the town’s highest office, except he beat twelve actual dogs, five cats, and a goat. Many of them were in attendance. The victor was not.

As the results sunk in, Rosie, the incumbent mayor, a Golden Labrador mix, wandered around the crowd, saying her goodbyes. The band broke into “Hail to the Chief” for her, and she paused, as if to listen.

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This is the only election Omena locals have felt like talking about this summer, though there are a few parallels with another, human race. Over the last few weeks, I’ve watched voters argue about whether Schatzi Putnam, an Australian Shepherd mutt, would tone down his anti-immigration rhetoric. During the last election in 2021, he promised to “build a wall, a beautiful wall” to keep out the geese.

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Over the last few weeks, the species question has been the number one source of debate in town: Is a dog or cat better qualified for public office, or did they need a third-species candidate to come in and shake things up, or even drain the swamp?

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/16408621

A Boba Fett action figure sold for over $1.3 million, making it the most expensive Star Wars toy, and the most expensive toy in general, ever sold. Boba Fett is one of the best bounty hunters in Star Wars, and he's been an icon of the franchise ever since The Empire Strikes Back. He was a sensation as soon as he appeared in the Star Wars movies, and his popularity grew enough that he got a solo spinoff show, The Book of Boba Fett. There was even a now-canceled Boba Fett movie at one point, and one toy perfectly exemplifies how important he is as a character.

A Boba Fett action figure, specifically the 1979 Kenner Star Wars Rocket-Firing Boba Fett (Mailer) J-Slot (V2)/2 Missiles Action Figure, was recently sold by Goldin at auction for $1,342,000 including the premium fee. According to the collectibles marketplace company, that price makes it the most expensive toy ever sold.

Previously: This Rocket-Firing Boba Fett Is Officially the World's Most Valuable Vintage Toy

A man who was convicted of pointing a gun at Burger King drive-thru worker who wouldn’t accept drugs for payment and later shooting at other people elsewhere the same night has been sentenced to 143 years in prison.

Prosecutors who announced the sentence Thursday said the drive-thru incident was the beginning of a series of crimes Eugene Robertson carried out in the Denver suburb of Aurora on Oct. 17, 2022. No one was wounded.

In April, a jury found Robertson guilty of 17 crimes, including eight counts of attempted murder. The sentences for many of the crimes were stacked on top of each other, leading to a long sentence. Robertson had faced a maximum sentence of more than 400 years when he was sentenced Aug. 9.

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The Sentinel Colorado in Aurora previously reported that a witness at the convenience store store told police there seemed to be “something off” about Robertson and that he was “talking about God” and carrying a Bible with a purple cover.

A man has described buying a spherical chicken egg, which he spontaneously purchased at auction after a few pints, as "money well spent".

Ed Pownall, from Lambourn, in Berkshire, shelled out £150 for the egg, which is reportedly one in a billion.

The egg, which is round rather than ovoid, was sent to him by courier from Scotland.

It had been discovered by a woman who found it in a box from her local supermarket in Ayr.

Mr Pownall spotted the rarity up for sale on the website of auction house Thomson Roddick Callan while he was at the pub.

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When asked whether he had any regrets over his purchase, Mr Pownall said: "It's quite fun... I think for a £150 it's been money well spent."

A Texas woman was awarded a Guinness World Records title for the surprising contents of her mouth -- a 3.11-inch-wide tongue.

Brittany Lacayo told the record-keeping organization she decided to apply for the title after learning about the former record-holder, Emily Schlenker, whose tongue measured 2.89 inches wide.

Lacayo's tongue is exactly as wide as the average length of an adult woman's tongue: 3.11 inches.

Her tongue actually is wider than it is long when measured from the epiglottis, the flap of cartilage located behind the tongue.

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The male version of the record belongs to American Brian Thompson, whose tongue measures 3.49 inches wide.

A deep love of sandwiches of all types runs through my veins, but wearing the scent of a sandwich spread feels like a step too far. Hellmann's disagrees — the company has decided to bottle the smell of its signature mayonnaise in a classy cologne.

The mayonnaise brand has just dropped a special new collaboration with Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis. In 2023, the quarterback went viral for putting mayonnaise in his coffee. This led to Hellmann's striking a deal with Levis for a lifetime supply of the spread.

Levis's deal with Hellmann's was intended to showcase the many uses of mayonnaise. While we all know how useful mayo can be in the kitchen, this new partnership is ready to highlight the scent of a jar of Hellmann's, bringing the condiment into the world of personal grooming. Hellmann's sent me a bottle of its new Will Levis No. 8 mayonnaise cologne so I could try it myself. Mayonnaise with a little lime in it is this author's preferred mayo spread, but maybe Levis and Hellmann's can dress things up enough to convert me into a Hellmann's fan.

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On the one hand, I don't think anyone truly wants to smell like a jar of mayonnaise (no hate if you do), so going light pungent scent might not be a bad decision for Hellmann's. On the other hand, as a Takeout writer, one of my biggest pet peeves is when brands do not fully commit to the bit. Take for example, when Heinz released a pickle ketchup not too long ago. Though the dill taste was present and appreciated, it just wasn't enough for a true pickle lover like myself. The same is true of this mayonnaise cologne.

All in all, this is an unexpectedly enjoyable cologne. I imagine asking someone who was wearing it, "Hey, you smell great. What do you have on?" Would you be happy to say it's Parfum de Mayonnaise? If so, then this collaboration is for you.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin:

A pair of colonoscopies that included a screaming patient and a surgical tech without a medical license handling scope insertion put a Tampa doctor on probation last week by the state’s Board of Medicine.

Dr. Ishwari Prasad also was fined $7,500, must pay $6,301 in Florida Department of Health case costs and has to take a five-hour continuing medical education course in laws, rules and ethics before Aug. 7, 2025. But the probation provides the meat of Prasad’s punishment.

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Prasad has never been disciplined by the Board of Medicine previously, but state records show some insurance payouts to patients of $250,000 in 2017 to the estate of a patient, who alleged a mistake caused a year-long delay in diagnosing colon cancer; $115,000 in 2008 to a patient who suffered “a spontaneous perforation of a diverticula in the third portion of the duodenum” and died after a long hospital stay; and $250,000 in 2004 to a patient who “sustained a colon perforation following the colonoscopy.”

Prasad’s current problems started on June 5, 2023, at the Ambulatory Surgery Center, 4500 E. Fletcher Ave. in the Tampa area.

According to the Florida Department of Health administrative complaint, Prasad uses hearing aids, but wasn’t wearing them during the two colonoscopies he was in charge of that day.

“During one or both procedures, the surgical team was unable to effectively communicate” with Prasad, the complaint said.

During the first colonoscopy, the complaint said, Prasad “improperly delegated” to a surgical tech, someone without a medical license, at least one of the following tasks: scope insertion, scope manipulation, manipulating the snare over polyps or tissue or removing polyps or tissue.

(During the second colonoscopy, the complaint said, Prasad “began inserting the scope before the patient was fully sedated. The patient began yelling.

Prasad “did not immediately stop the procedure when it became apparent that the patient was not fully sedated. [Prasad] failed to realize that the patient was not fully sedated due to [Prasad’s] failure to wear” his hearing aids.

Lying that he was a volunteer at a student-care centre and that he needed to complete a game challenge to get back his slippers, Tan Boon Hwee convinced a woman to let him draw smiley faces on her toes.

After drawing on her toes, he touched her feet so that he could adjust their positioning for picture-taking.

For this, Tan, 35, was sentenced on Thursday (Aug 15) to eight months' jail for outrage of modesty.

On top of that, there was another penalty of 36 days' jail because he committed the offence while on a remission order, which is typically issued to prisoners who show good conduct and are then allowed to be released after serving two-thirds of their sentence.

Tan, who has a sexual interest in feet, was convicted before for similar offences from 2019.

He has chronic adjustment disorder with depressed mood and paraphilic disorder (related to atypical sexual interests), but the latest assessment by the Institute of Mental Health, dated May 3 this year, found that these disorders had no contributory link to his offending.

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In April 2022, TODAY reported that Tan was sentenced to two weeks and five days' jail after being convicted of two charges of outrage of modesty.

In one of these offences, he had claimed to be a member of a non-existent charity called the "Barefoot Walking Society" when he molested a woman by caressing the soles of her feet. They had met through dating application Tinder.

In 2019, he was fined S$8,000 for five molestation offences.