Welfare Check On 91-Year-Old Woman Ends in a Good Laugh

A 91-year-old woman in Westlake, Ohio, is part of a program that allows residents to sign up for a daily phone call to check in and make sure everything is okay. So, when the phone call went through and the unidentified woman didn’t answer, police were alerted to perform a welfare check. When they arrived, they rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. That’s when they used a code to open the woman’s garage door. Her car was inside, so the police became more concerned. They entered the house and made their way from room to room, until they finally reached her bedroom. It turns out the woman was fine. She had missed the calls because she was trying to beat her record in a video game. The woman was thankful that officers checked on her.

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Would You Pass the Royals’ Cleaning Test?

It’s no secret that the royals have high standards. Everything is precise and to the letter, so it should come as no surprise that the same thing is true for cleaning the palace and the other royal residences. The test the royal family uses for prospective housekeepers is definitely not for the faint of heart. Prospective housekeepers have to pass the so-called "dead fly test." According to Tracey Waterman, head of staff recruitment for the British royal family, she or one of her staff hides a dead fly in the fireplace or on the carpet of a royal room before welcoming every potential new employee. “Once the dead fly is placed, I then bring the candidate into the room. I lead them into the room quite slowly, just giving them a chance to glance at the room, have a little look at what we’ve got inside the room. Bringing them to the fireplace, maybe highlighting that we’ve got a beautiful fireplace,” Waterman says. “At this point, I’d expect them to see the dead fly and hopefully pick it up.” If the new housekeeper fails to notice the fly (or just leaves it on the carpet), well, that’s pretty much it. The point of the dead fly test is to determine the applicant’s eye for detail and their ability to act quickly if something doesn’t look quite right. That, as Waterman says, is the difference between a housekeeper in a five-star hotel and in a royal palace. She adds that while half the candidates tend to notice the dead fly she’s placed, only 1 out of 10 will actually bend down and pick it up. "That’s the special housekeeper.” Successful candidates get quite a nice package, which includes 25 days annual leave, all bank holidays, a pension plan, maternity and paternity leave with pay, volunteering days (days off with pay), as well as physical and mental health support. They also get free tickets to all palaces and galleries of the Royal Collection Trust, and a 20% discount at their gift shops. Lunch at the palace on work days is also free. Unfortunately, you won’t get rich working as a palace housekeeper. The annual salary is a mere $32,000 for a 40-hour work week, with shifts spread across all seven days.

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Fleet of "Flying Ferries" Will Provide Zero-Emission Transportation

Tourists and commuters along Norway’s stunning coastline will soon travel aboard “flying ferries,” quietly whizzing above the water to their destinations. Boreal AS will launch the world’s largest electric fleet next year. Water travel is an essential part of daily transportation along Norway’s fjord-lined coast, and the uniquely fast hydrofoils will speed up commute times. Electrifying passenger boats has been challenging because e-ferries have lacked the range and speed needed to replace diesel-powered vessels connecting towns across Norway’s 62,000 miles of coastline. The Candela P-12 solves this: it combines a cruising speed of 25 knots with a range of around 40 nautical miles, enabling electric operation on routes previously only served with diesel fuel. The P-12’s unique performance comes from computer-controlled hydrofoils — wings mounted beneath the hull — that lift the vessel above the water at speeds above 18 knots. By flying above the waves, drag is drastically reduced, and energy consumption drops by around 80% compared with conventional vessels of similar size. Furthermore, the efficient P-12 can fully recharge in an hour using standard DC car fast chargers, avoiding the expensive megawatt-scale charging systems required by conventional electric ferries. Passengers will also see a major upgrade in comfort. The vessel’s digital flight controller reads wave conditions using sensors and adjusts the hydrofoils in real time, ensuring a smooth ride even in rough seas.

 

 

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When Porsch Made a Tractor

Some people are surprised to learn that their favorite supercar brands also produce vehicles that are more at home in a field. The first Lamborghinis, for example, were tractors, and are still manufactured today. Then there’s Aston Martin, which was acquired by Sir David Brown, founder of a company of the same name that began manufacturing tractors with Harry Ferguson in 1936. Porsche falls under the same category. Their older tractors are quite rare and quite expensive if they’re in good condition. Late last year, a lovingly restored 1959 Porsche Master 419 went on the market for $66,550. Following World War II, Porsche was one of only two companies allowed to produce tractors in Germany. One of the more interesting models produced during these years was the Porsche P312 — also known as the Kaffeelug or "coffee train" — manufactured for coffee farmers in Brazil. It was modified at the factory to run on gasoline, possibly due to concerns on the part of the coffee farmers about the impact of diesel fumes on the flavor of their coffee. Around 300 of these unusual machines were made. Looking more like a submarine or an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile than a tractor, it was specialized for working in tight coffee rows, designed to move between plants smoothly. Very few original P312 tractors survive, making them highly sought-after restoration projects.

 

 

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