Every day, Michelle Philpots wakes up next to a man who has to convince her they are married.

When she expresses doubt, he takes out a photo album and shows her pictures of their wedding 13 years ago.

Michelle and Ian on their wedding day in 1997. She lost her short-term memory in 1994 and every day since then he has to convince her they are married. Some days he has to get out the wedding pictures to prove they are husband and wife.

The 47-year-old’s condition was caused by brain injuries sustained in two road accidents. She can recall everything up to 1994 but since then everything that happens on one day is forgotten the next.

Her case echoes 50 First Dates, the 2004 movie in which Adam Sandler tries to woo Drew Barrymore, who has no day-to-day memory following a car crash.

And it is not just loved ones Mrs Philpots struggles with. She uses hundreds of Post-It notes and reminders on her mobile phone’s calendar to keep her informed of appointments and everyday duties.

Anything she has done or anyone she has met must be logged for future reference. And on the rare occasions she ventures out of her home in Spalding, Lincolnshire, she goes armed with sat-nav programmed with her address.

There are some benefits, however. There is no such thing as a repeat on TV and every joke is funny because it’s the first time she’s heard it.

‘It’s like I am living the same day, day after day,’ said Mrs Philpots, who does voluntary work at a charity for people with disabilities three days a week.

‘I love to watch EastEnders but I can’t remember the characters or any story lines.’ Her husband, a 46-year-old fencer, said the secret of the success of their marriage was patience.

‘It can be very frustrating for me but I have to be patient and understand. I have to keep calm because I love her,’ he said.

‘I’ve known her for 25 years so I am lucky we met before she had the accidents because she can remember me. Luckily we have lots of photos to remind her, otherwise she would forget it all.’

Mrs Philpots suffered brain injuries in a motorbike crash in 1985 and a car accident in 1990. The couple have no children.
Enlarge The aftermath of one of the car crashes which caused Mrs Philpots to lose her short term memory

Mrs Philpot’s case is similar to the storyline in the film 50 First Dates, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Her character, Lucy, suffers from short-term memory loss and forgets her love interest Henry, played by Sandler, every day

Dr Peter Nestor, a neuroscience specialist at Cambridge University, said Mrs Philpots was suffering from anterograde amnesia.

He added: ‘It is reasonably rare but it does exist. You are capable of carrying out day-to-day things and don’t forget how to do certain things like speaking.

‘But if someone was to ask you what you did yesterday, you wouldn’t have a clue.’

[Leggi Tutto]

His lawyer calls it a foolish prank, but a judge isn’t laughing.

A 17-year-old high school student from  admitted in family court Thursday that he defecated in a classmate’s soda during an auto-shop class.

Prosecutors dropped an aggravated assault charge in exchange for the boy’s guilty plea to a charge of tampering with a food product.

Authorities say the victim sipped the soda, then spit it out as his classmates laughed on March 29.

A judge ordered the boy to serve probation, serve 200 hours of community service, write a letter to the victim to apologize – and to write a 1,000-word report on why it’s unhealthy to ingest fecal matter. [Leggi Tutto]

A 102-year-old grandmother has become the world’s oldest primary pupil after going back to school in China.

Ma Xiuxian, from Jinan, Shandong province, started work in a cottom mill at the age of 13, reports the Qilu Evening Post.

But she always longed for the chance of a proper education and has now gone back to school to fulfill her ambition.

“I feel very happy that I can finally realise my dream of going to school at this age,” said Ma.

She was supported by her youngest son, Yi Fengxin, 58, as she walked into her grade one class at Weishan Road Elementary School for the first time.

After her first lesson, she was asked to say a few words and said: “Thank you teacher! Thank you my classmates! I’ll study hard and do my contribution to the country.”

She uses hearing aids to make sure she can hear the teacher and uses a magnifying class to help her read her text books.

Ma was married at 18 when she became a housewife, raising nine children, seven of whom went on to become university graduates.

The school offered her a place after reading about her long held ambition when she was interviewed by a local newspaper.

Yi explained: “My mother even sold her jewellery to help put us through school and her biggest dream was to go to school one day herself.”

[Source]

69-year-old Ruth Flowers is a living example that age shouldn’t get in the way of things you’re passionate about. Like Bette Calman, the Yoga super-granny, Ruth does extraordinary things, for her age.

Known as “Mammy Rock“, around the European club scene, Ruth Flowers is probably the oldest professional DJ in the world. The British granny wears bling-bling headphones, trendy clothes and sports an electrifying hear-do as she works the turntables in popular clubs, in France.

Mammy Rock’s career began when she was 65. Her grandson was celebrating his birthday in a London nightclub, and asked Ruth to join him and his friends. There were a few problems with the bouncers, who didn’t feel right letting a senior citizen inside such an establishment, but as soon as she stepped in, Mammy Rock was bewitched by the lively atmosphere that made her feel so much younger.

She talked to her grandson about becoming a DJ herself, and although he thought she was mad, he agreed to introduce her to a young music producer. After learning the basics of electro music, Mammy Rock developed her very own style, and one of today’s most in-demand DJs.

Ruth had had a pretty interesting youth, going to balls all the time, but with the coming of old age, she became bored out of her mind. She says she’d much rather “sign a contract with a record company than to sign up for the nursing home.”

[Source]

Passengers say a man with strong body odor was removed earlier this month from a flight operated by the regional Canadian airline Jazz Air.

Jazz Air representative Manon Stuart confirmed that a passenger was deplaned from a flight that originated on Prince Edward Island but would not reveal the specific reason for the departure, CNN reports.

“It’s important to understand that our crew members make every effort to resolve a situation before it becomes an issue,” Stuart said. “Unfortunately, in some circumstances it may become necessary for our crew to remove passengers.”

Stuart said Jazz Air, like most carriers, doesn’t have a specific policy concerning body odor.

A woman who sat near the smelly man told a reporter other passengers “were just mumbling and staring” at him.

Another passenger described his smell as “brutal.”

He carried out his crimes at funerals, where it is a well-observed tradition to remove footwear as a mark of respect.

The man, known only as Park, would then strike. Disguising himself as a mourner, he’d remove his own cheap pair of shoes and walk off with a flashier pair.

Luckily for the distraught shoe owners, police brought the thief to heel when they caught him stealing three pairs of shoes at one funeral parlour.

The 59-year-old was promptly arrested and officers discovered the 1,200 pairs of shoes he’d nabbed laid out neatly in size order in a warehouse.

That’s some feet by our reckoning.

It turned out he was stealing the footwear to sell for his second-hand shoe business.

Clearly, he’s a Seoul trader.

Officers have now laid out the shoes at a police station to be reclaimed by their rightful owners.

If you’re finding this tale at all amusing, just put yourself in the victim’s shoes for a minute. Oh, hang on, they don’t have any…