Happy Christmas! Mystery man hands out wads of £50 notes in supermarket after 'coming into some money'

Now that's what I call a nice story that warms the cockles of your heart!

When a man handed out envelopes to supermarket shoppers on Christmas Eve, most people thought he was advertising an in-store promotion. He slipped the letters into trolleys and baskets, wishing  customers a merry Christmas before moving swiftly on. But the envelopes weren’t filled with vouchers or adverts – they each contained a £50 note.

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One lucky shopper at the Tesco store in Sampford Peverell, Devon, said yesterday that the envelopes also held a letter, with the following message: ‘Happy Christmas. I have recently been fortunate enough to have come into quite a lot of money – more than I need for myself and my family. So I thought that I would share some of it with other people – the £50 enclosed is for you.

‘I hope this enables you to have a little extra cheer this Christmas. You do not have to do anything other than spend the money – and it is real, there is no trick, no hidden cameras or catch. Just have a happy Christmas.’

The recipient, a retired teacher, said that after leaving the store he took the cash to the bank, where staff confirmed it was a genuine banknote. ‘The man just smiled, wished us a merry Christmas and was on his way,’ he said.

‘I am sure he was giving out other envelopes and it’s such an incredible gesture.’ He admitted that he and his wife nearly threw the blank envelope away. ‘I’m glad we didn’t,’ he added.

Luke Davies, the supermarket’s manager, said the grey-haired mystery benefactor had made quite an impression. ‘Several customers have mentioned him,’ he said.

‘I don’t know why he would do it, but if it’s what it appears to be it’s a very generous thing to do.’

Read More:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2079370/Happy-Christmas-Mystery-man-hands-wads-50-supermarket-coming-money.html#ixzz1hvFgBZik

PC AIR airline launches maiden flight with transsexual attendants

Ray Kroc, the founder of MacDonalds famously said, "Take care of the customers, and business will take care of itself". I doubt he had the following in mind with katoeys now being offered the chance to become flight attendants.

A ladboy struts his/her stuff.

The new Thai airline, PC Air, on Thursday took officials and journalists on its maiden flight out of Bangkok under the ministrations of four third sex flight attendants. The privately-owned Thai airline’s management prides itself on its equal-opportunity employment policy for transsexuals.

It invited about 100 Civil Aviation officials and journalists on its inaugural flight from Bangkok to Surat Thani, 530 kilometres south, and back again.

"Today, we are ready to embark on the new journey and we would like to introduce our four transsexual angels," PC Air president Peter Can told the passengers before take off.

The airline, founded in 2010, made a media splash last year when it encouraged third sex candidates to apply for flight attendant positions. The cabin crew also included, 19 female and seven male flight attendants, as well as the transsexuals, airline sources said.

PC Air is to specialize in charter flights.

"Today is our proving flight with our well-trained cabin crew who has passed all the requirements by Department of Civil Aviation," Chan said. "PC Air assures you of safety and we are ready to serve all our passengers."

Thailand has a relatively high rate and social acceptance of male-to-female transsexuals, but rights campaigners have pointed to discrimination and intolerance from institutions and employers.

 Source:  http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/519342-new-thai-airline-launches-maiden-flight-with-transsexual-attendants/

Hairy limbs keep bed bugs at bay

I always knew there had to be some advatage to being hairy and now I know. Hungry bugs placed on shaved arms were more likely to try to feed compared with those on unshaved arms, the journal Biology Letters reported. Researchers say the hair slows down the bed bugs and warns the victim. Pest controllers say the UK is currently experiencing a steep rise in the number of bed bug infestations.

 


















Prof Michael Siva-Jothy, from Sheffield University's Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, recruited 29 brave volunteers to test the theory further, watching the bedbugs as they found a place to feed and removing them only as they were about to bite.

He found that more layers of both longer visible hairs and finer, "vellus" hairs near the surface appeared to work as a deterrent to the insects, with the finer hairs also acting as an early warning system. "If you have a heavy coat of long thick hairs it is easier for parasites to hide”

Prof Siva-Jothy said: "Our findings show that more body hairs mean better detection of parasites - the hairs have nerves attached to them and provide us with the ability to detect displacement." He said they also slowed down the insect as it searched for a tasty spot to bite. 

"The results have implications for understanding why we look the way we do, what selective forces might have driven us to look the way we do, and may even provide insight for better understanding of how to reduce biting insects' impact on humans." However, even though men are naturally hairier than women, they do not appear to be bitten less often.

So there you have it. If you're hairy like me, you might not make it onto the front cover of FHM, but at least you'll sleep well at night!

 More here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16166134