Spanish fake kidnap mother jailed

A Spanish woman has been found guilty of staging the fake kidnapping of her two children seven times in order to obtain ransom money from her husband.

Over five years, Josefa Sanchez Vargas conned her estranged husband out of more than 600,000 euros (£535,000), saying she had to pay the kidnappers.

But he eventually became suspicious, and hired a detective to investigate. BBC News:

He eventually became suspicious - after SEVEN fake kidnappings. What an idiot! Wouldn't you have thought he would have become suspicious after the second or third kidnapping but seven? He has to be lacking a few brain cells.

Another BBC Boob

Story from BBC NEWS:

Police have launched a nationwide crackdown on motorists who drive while
using their mobile phones, a year after tougher penalties were introduced.

The Mobile Phone Day of Action will target motorists who continue to
flout laws aimed at reducing road accidents.

Drivers can be fined £60 and given three points on their licence if
they are found driving at the wheel.

That is how the story was published on 2008/02/27 at 11:58:56 GMT © BBC MMVIII

Needless to say it has since been corrected.

Thanks to ChillZero .

The Blame Game

Anybody wanting to hear the joke mentioned here (in it's original form) can listen here: and more besides. It's a half hour program with a regular panel of comics joined by special guests and a live studio audience to debate the issues of the day, including 'The Ulster Scots Language', 'The Causeway Visitor Centre', 'Edwin Poots', 'Gerry Adams', 'Rampant Rodents', 'The Rhythm Method', 'The Dalai Lama' and 'The Belfast Eye'.

If you want to here the Wendy Austin interview with Mervyn Storey on Good Morning Ulster as discussed on Smelly Wardrobes then click here, select the Tuesday 23rd October broadcast and fast forward to 1hr 20mins.

How do you pronounce Himalayas - listen to thought for the day (just after the above interview) - I always thought it was Him-a-lay-as but Rev Ernest Grey pronounces it Him-mal-yas !!!!

The Roadmap to Devolution

If anybody wants to know what is happening on the political scene in Northern Ireland there is a semi-humorous/serious video here BBC: which will give you a bit of a look at what is going on (with some local humour thrown in) but don't expect to be any better informed at the end of it.

There seems to be a problem linking to these BBC videos - go to the main BBC Northern Ireland page and look for this - Taxi for Purdy - time to test the devolution map