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Sex worker refuses sex, man lodges complaint
Rediff.com brings for its readers their weekly digest of weird news stories from around the world
We start off with this weird news about a customer, who complained to trading council, after a prostitute refused to have sex with him.
The consumer protection team of north-west London's Harrow Borough Council received a complaint that the customer, who had travelled to a brothel Harrow, had a wasted trip.
Trading standards officers said they could not investigate his complaint because it was not covered under Harrow's policy.
Instead, he was advised to pursue more "wholesome pursuits".
"The gentleman seemed very aggrieved. He told us he believed he had been refused and was angry about the fact," a council source said.
Councillor Susan Hall, leader of Harrow Council, said: "Prostitution may be the oldest profession in the world, but a complaint of this sort is a new one on us; the trading standards manual doesn't really cover it.
The council said the brothel the disappointed punter attended had been closed down
This is the world's costliest bike
Lauge Jensen has unveiled gold-plated Harley-Davidson which is the world's most expensive motorcycle.
The Danish motorcycle manufacturer has revealed that the customized motorcycle is the world's most expensive motorcycle priced at 535,000 pounds, Metro.co.uk reported.
The special edition Harley-Davidson is on show at the Hamburg Motorcycle Days expo
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Bizarre last meals of executed prisoners
Brooklyn based-photographer Henry Hargreaves has re-created the last meals of nine death row prisoners including Ted Bundy and Timothy McVeigh.
Hargreaves imagined how serial killer and rapist Bundy and Oklahoma bomber McVeigh's last meal would have looked.
He said that he tried to recreate the meals as if the prisoner had just sat down to eat and were looking into their plate, the Daily Express reported.
Hargreaves used cutlery and table cloths from the era inmates died in, with an intention to revamp the traditional ritual.
He added that it's a new look at the traditional ritual to grant a destined person a final meal of their request and to receive religious right.
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This bidi is banned in the US
Food and Drug Administration has banned a tobacco company from selling their bidi products.
Jash International's Sutra Bidis Red, Sutra Bidis Menthol, Sutra Bidis Red Cone, and Sutra Bidis Menthol Cone were found, By FDA, as not substantially equivalent to tobacco products that were previously sold as of Feb. 15, 2007, CBS News reported.
The four tobacco products can no longer be sold or imported into the US, and any product that is already in the country will be subjected to law enforcement action, which includes seizure.
Establishments continuing to sell these items could be found in violation of the law.
The ban is the first one that has been issued by the FDA since the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which gave the watchdog expanded powers for tobacco regulation.
The FDA said that company also did not provide the names of tobacco products equivalent to theirs, which had been approved.
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You best memories are made when you are 25
A new study has revealed that by the time most people are 25, they have made the most important memories of their lives.
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found that when older adults were asked to tell their life stories, they overwhelmingly highlighted the central influence of life transitions in their memories. Many of these transitions, such as marriage and having children, occurred early in life.
"When people look back over their lives and recount their most important memories, most divide their life stories into chapters defined by important moments that are universal for many: a physical move, attending college, a first job, marriage, military experience, and having children," Kristina Steiner, a doctoral student in psychology at UNH and the study's lead researcher, said.
In the UNH study, researchers found a pronounced "reminiscence bump" between ages 17 and 24, when many people defined chapters of their life story beginning and ending. A reminiscence bump is a period of time between the ages of 15 and 30 when many memories, positive and negative, expected and unexpected, are recalled.
"Many studies have consistently found that when adults are asked to think about their lives and report memories, remembered events occurring between the ages of 15 to 30 are over-represented," Steiner said.
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Men at grumpiest when they turn 70
A new survey has revealed that men are at their grumpiest when they hit 70.
Until the age of 65 experts believe that men become better at shrugging off stress and anxiety the older that they get.
Four-fifths told researchers the difficulties that they encountered from the age of 50 receded but then upped again after 70, the Daily Star reported.
20 per cent reported a surge in happiness from retirement age until 70, then they too experienced a downturn.
Professor Carolyn Aldwin, of Oregon State University, said that once people turn 70, how they react to these hassles changes and may be dependent on their resources or their situation in life.
The study looked at 1,315 men aged 53 to 85.
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You need to be 18+ to have this burger
A Scottish brewery has teamed up with a UK restaurant to create a one-of-a-kind burger that is so boozy that people hoping to enjoy the treat will have to show an ID to prove they are over 18.
BrewDog founder James Watt and restaurant boss Tom Barton are offering the BrewBurger, which is a 150g beef patty glazed in 5 percent amber ale, with a special beer dubbed Bourbon Baby, the Daily Star reported.
The 15-pound worth dish will be accompanied by fried onions soaked in BrewDog's flagship Punk IPA and a barbecue sauce made from their Paradox 10 percent whisky cask-aged imperial stout.
Watt said that pairing beers with food has become an art form in the craft beer movement, but this was a unique challenge.
He added that the fact their burger has come with an ABV rating is pretty cool.
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World's most extraordinary hotel is in INDIA
Mihir Gahr in Rajasthan has topped Lonely Planet's list of top ten places to stay in the world.
Lonely Planet's writer James Kay said that few hotels are created without compromise and Mihir Gahr is a rare example as this is not just a unique place to stay, but a shrine to the artistic and architectural traditions of Rajasthan in general and Jodhpur in particular, News.com.au reported.
Planet Baobab in Gweta, Botswana and Prendiparte B 'n' B in Bologna, Italy concluded the top three hotels.
The full list of winners:
Mihir Gahr, Rajasthan, India
Planet Baobab, Gweta, Botswana
Prendiparte B 'n' B, Bologna, Italy
Qasr Al Sarab, UAE
Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge, TAS, Australia
Free Spirit Spheres, British Columbia, Canada
Taskonak Hotel, Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
Thonga Beach Lodge, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa
Saugerties Lighthouse, New York state, USA
The Gibbon Experience Treehouse, Bokeo Reserve, Laos
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Revealed: Why babies cry
Crying is the only way of communication for babies. All babies cry at times, which is normal as they express their emotions -- anger, anxiety, frustration, boredom and discomfort -- by crying.
But, parents often do not search for the reason that is making their baby cry. Experts have revealed few reasons that possibly make a baby cry.
The most common reason that makes a baby cry is hunger. For the initial few days, your baby may cry more frequently because of insufficient milk supply. If the baby is on formula feeds, he may sleep a little longer than those who are breastfed.
Another common reason that is probably making your baby cry is the irritability due to soiled diapers. Some babies don't feel uncomfortable even if the diaper is full and continue their play. But some babies feel the burden and start creating a havoc by crying full throttle. In this case, simply remove the wet diaper and your baby will be happy again.
Crying is normal for a baby, but excessive inconsolable cry or not crying at all can be a sign of sick newborn. It is one amongst the danger signs for newborns. So, look for the other danger signs like decreased frequency of urination, fever, cold extremities, vomiting and breathing difficulty. Babies feel discomfort because of bladder distention before passing urine, but their discomfort gets relieved once they pass urine.
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Oldest Superman cover design fetches Rs 178 lakh
A cover design for what could be the oldest comic book cover featuring Superman has sold for $286,800 (Rs 177.8 lakh).
Action Comics No 15, which shows the iconic comic character holding up a submarine from the depths of the ocean, was sold through Heritage Auctions, the Verge reported.
The listing of the cover design, which was illustrated by Fred Guardineer , was valued at $30,000.
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This could be the next teen reading obsession
A book that tells the tale of an alien invasion The 5th Wave has won children's book award.
The 5th Wave, which has been hailed as a "modern sci-fi masterpiece" by US critics, was honoured with the only British book award voted for by kids, after it became an under-the-radar hit with young readers in the UK, the Independent reported.
The novel, which is the first in a planned trilogy, is already lined up as a major Hollywood film franchise with Material Pictures.
The book, written by author, Rick Yancey, has partly been inspired by the leading physicist Stephen Hawking, who once said that if aliens visit Earth, the outcome is going to be much like when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans.
The novel won the overall prize in The Red House Children's Book Awards, after more than 15,000 younger readers voted through the Federation of Children's Book Groups and online.
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Baby Poo sausages?
Scientists have found a bizarre new way of making sausages healthier -- by using baby poop.
According to a new research, bacteria from baby poop can help make sausages, which could transform savoury meats into health foods much like probiotic yogurts.
Several types of sausages are made using bacterial fermentation, which helps give sausages their characteristic tangy flavour and provides them chewy texture and intense red colour, LiveScience reported.
Scientists in Spain reasoned that probiotic bacteria could be used in fermented sausages.
Scientists tried fermenting six batches of sausages using three strains of bacteria found in baby poop and three other, commercial probiotic strains of bacteria.
Previous research established the strains the researchers used from infant excrement were safe for people.
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Dog files to run for mayor of US city
Every dog has his day! A dog filed to run for mayor of a US city but the campaign was cut short as the canine's paper work was not in order.
Dylan Westie, a West Highland White Terrier, filed to run for mayor of Irving, Texas, saying in a prepared statement that "a significant portion of council leadership has gone to the dogs."
Mike Howard, the dog's owner, agent and attorney, on Tuesday, filed a petition on the Terrier's behalf to be on the ballot for the May 5 election, CBS News reported.
But the campaign quickly collapsed as Westie's candidate forms were so riddled with technical errors that the city rejected them even before considering his species.
Howard filed the petition, complete with valid signatures to put Dylan's name on the ballot. However, the city said Dylan's not a registered voter and therefore, does not qualify.
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Why Dubai doesn't want the poor to own cars
In a land where supercars like the Ferrari Enzo are often abandoned at the roadside or in police impound lots and the police cruise around in supercars of their own, it might be hard to imagine that there are actually folks who have more normal levels of income.
But Dubai's director general, Hussain Lootah, wants to keep these average folks off the road -- to clear away the traffic that's frustrating the obscenely wealthy
Lootah told The National, "Everybody has their luxury life, but the capacity of our roads cannot take all of these cars without ownership laws."
He feels that this problem can be tackled by increasing parking fees, increasing fuel costs, and increasing insurance prices--as well as a strict salary threshold that would require a minimum amount of income to allow a person to own a car.
Lootah thinks a reduction in the number of drivers permitted to use the roads would increase use of mass transit, which, in Dubai, includes "luxury buses," taxis, and, Lootah says, a soon-to-be-expanded metro train system.
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Kit Kat, the most influential candy bar ever
KitKat has been named the “most influential candy bar of all time” in a survey of experts and historians by Time magazine.
The wafer-filled chocolate is regarded as the first confectionery to successfully sell in every market around the world from Europe and America to Asia and Africa. It enjoys particular cult status in Japan.
The first all-KitKat store has just opened in Tokyo, selling nothing but an incredible range of flavours of the bar – including green tea, purple sweet potato and edamame soy bean.
America's Hershey's came in second and Toblerone, the triangular prism chocolate bar that dates back to 1908, came in third place. Early versions of the Swiss sweet had a filling that is traditionally found in candies like Almond Joy and Three Musketeers.
Time ranked the Nestle Crunch bar in tenth place, stating that the candy used cheap puffed rice to lower the cost of candy bars
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Meet the human magnet
A Bosnian man has claimed that he has the ability to stick just anything to his body.
Muhibija Buljubasic claims that he can stick anything to his body, including stick forks, spoons and all manner of kitchen utensils to his body and face, by radiating a special energy, the Mirror reported.
Buljubasic said that he discovered the special ability of his about five years ago.
He said that he is also able to stick objects like mobile phones and TV remote controls to his face too.