Village Installs Knitted Traffic Cops to Slow Down Speeding Drivers

The historic village of Fillongley in North Warwickshire, England, has come up with a unique method of slowing down speeding drivers. The locals dressed knitted mannequins in high-visibility vests to look like traffic cops in a crafty bid to cut down on accidents. Members of the town’s Knit and Natter group created the realistic cameras and mannequins after a series of accidents along the village’s main street. The group’s latest recruit is a knitted officer stationed beneath a 30mph sign, complete with a mock speed gun aimed at oncoming traffic. Locals believe the effort is working, with many drivers falling for the mock speed cameras. Mayor Heather Badham said the realistic creations have been faking out drivers since they were installed on October 13, following four months of preparation. Official figures show there have been 11 accidents in four years along the Nuneaton Road junction, which is steps away from an elementary school. Villagers have taken to social media to express their support of the measure, with one commenter saying: “I certainly did a double-take when I saw the one with the camera.” The knitted cops certainly speak to the creativity of the community.

 

 

Continue Reading...

Finland Wins World Olive Picking Championship

Olive picking is not the easiest thing in the world to do. It involves timing the harvest to the right maturity, spreading collection nets, and detaching the fruit by hand. It turns out that a team of Finnish competitors is the fastest at doing just that. Finland emerged as the surprise winner of the ninth World Olive Picking Championship on the Croatian island of Brač, outperforming teams from nine other countries despite having no olive-growing tradition of its own. The team harvested 122 pounds of olives in just 45 minutes, finishing ahead of the Czech Republic and Poland in a competition that combines traditional olive harvesting with international tourism and friendly rivalry. This year’s competition brought together 40 participants representing ten teams: Finland, Sweden, Serbia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, the United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. Each team had four competitors: two women and two men. With defending champion France absent this year, the title was up for grabs. The United States placed seventh with 93 pounds. Instead of a large cash payout, the winners receive a gold medal and walk away with bragging rights.

Continue Reading...

Will Putting Aluminum Foil In Your Dishwasher Make Your Silverware Sparkle?

If nothing else, social media is a harbinger of hacks and advice. One of the latest hacks is the belief that putting aluminum foil in your dishwasher will make your silverware sparkle. The idea is that a chemical reaction known as ion exchange occurs when the warm water, detergent and the cutlery in the dishwasher come into contact with each other. That reportedly helps remove watermarks and tarnish, leaving cutlery sparkling clean. There’s just one problem: the reaction only occurs with silver cutlery; if your flatware is made of stainless steel or some other metal, the chemical reaction won’t take place. The hack is simple: After you finish loading the dishwasher, ball up some aluminum foil and put it in the cutlery compartment. So, does it work? The short answer is no. Aluminum foil can remove tarnish from silver, but there’s a bit more to the process than simply tossing a ball into your dishwasher. You have to wrap each utensil in aluminum foil, place it in a bucket, cover it with hot water, add a cup of baking soda, let it soak for 30 minutes, unwrap them, and dry them with a soft cloth. If you have a lot of time on your hands, you might want to give it a try, but don’t just toss a ball of aluminum foil in your dishwasher thinking it’s going to do the trick.

Continue Reading...

During World War I, London Was Protected By “Balloon Aprons”

Apron screens came into use shortly before the end of the World War I in response to attacks by German bombers on London. They consisted of three balloons, 500 yards apart, joined together by a heavy steel cable. No enemy aircraft were actually caught in their nets but they did force enemy aircraft to fly higher, reducing their effectiveness as bombers and making them more vulnerable to attack. Although military planners approved a line of 20 aprons — requiring massive support crews of about 30 men per balloon — only about 10 aprons were fully operational by the end of the war.

Continue Reading...