Silver takes gold
SEQUINNED dresses might be a staple of ballroom game show Strictly Come Dancing, but one contestant could be accused of taking the idea of glittery showbiz a little too far.
Various outlets report that Debbie McGeeâs prowess on the dance floor is down to her daily supplement of colloidal silver, a sparkly cure-all tolerated, but not encouraged, by medical professionals. And for good reason â an overdose will turn oneâs skin permanently blue, which might clash with your next ballgown.
Advertisement
Perhaps itâs only natural that people assume the long-time partner of magician Paul Daniels must be using magical potions to achieve success. Feedback timidly suggests her limber moves may be down to the fact that before she became a Mrs, McGee was a professional ballet dancer.
Heart of titanium
FEEDBACK has previously pondered the final destination of various biomedical implants collected during oneâs lifetime (18 November).
âOliver Moody says the Beehive pub in Marylebone has some pretty totalitarian ambitions. A sign warns âonly food and drink purchased on these premises might be consumedââ
Michael Zehse writes: âIâve got a titanium aortic valve, worth around ÂŁ1000, so a registrar told me.â Off the peg, perhaps, Michael, but be sure to check the Parkers guide price for that yearâs model to avoid disappointment.
âIf it now belongs to me, maybe I could sign it up for some sort of equity release so I get ÂŁ200 cash now and a firm can have the valve upon my demise,â says Michael, âalthough Iâve pre-donated my body to the London anatomy office, so presumably they will want to remove and recycle it if I die in hospital.â Letâs hope the anatomy office doesnât try to collect early.
Death and taxes
AND the mystery deepens. âWhen arranging the cremation and funeral service for my wife about five years ago,â says Peter Ray, âout of curiosity, I asked what happened to the gold teeth some people might have. I was told by the undertaker that the gold was sent to some government agency.â
Undertakers among you, is this true? It harks of taxation without representation. Surely this silent majority will be spinning in their graves.
Starts with a bang
LASTLY, Peter says he was also asked whether his wife had a pacemaker. Paul Dorner might have a clue as to why: âThis is mentioned in Iain Banksâs 1992 novel The Crow Road, which begins with the immortal line, âIt was the day my grandmother explodedâ.â
Holy hospital
FOLLOWING on from the cyberpunk terms and conditions attached to Greater Anglia trainsâ Wi-Fi services (4 November), Carol Conkey writes in with more odd legalese.
During a recent medical procedure in Nevada, she was handed a patientâs rights statement that included assurances that she had the right ânot to be required to perform work for the facilityâ, and that âno beliefs or practices, or any attendance at religious services, shall be imposedâ.
âI certainly would have objected it they had asked me to mop the floors or wash equipment,â says Carol. And while you might expect to encounter a mass during a colonoscopy, Feedback thinks it isnât normally the type with candles and a liturgy.
Making bacon
THE prospect of lab-grown burgers is so close we could taste it, if we had a million dollars to spend on lunch. Thankfully Tony Lang finds a cheaper alternative thriving in south London.
Shoppers in Mitcham can pop down to Jovan Foods, which, according to the signage outside, bills itself as a âmeat manufacturerâ.
The first law
IN LOCAL news, the Nottingham Post reports the recent appearance of the Northern Lights over the city, says Perry Bebbington. Readers are informed that âa rare scientific reaction will cause the skies above the UK to turn greenâ.
Damp squib
, the occasional explanation of a mysterious eight-legged structure found in the sea off Rhode Island still bubbles to the surface (30 September).
âDonkey feeder, drag anchor, or the remains of a paddle wheel off a paddle steamer?â asks Rodney Tapp. Meanwhile, we suspect Peter Scott has been bingeing on too much family sci-fi drama. âThis metal hoop and its spokes are the remains of the flop TV show âSeagate SG1â,â he claims.
No-no
SOME rules are made to be broken â but not all. Richard King recalls that while training with the Royal Canadian Air Force, âthe station at Portage la Prairie had the usual âNo Smokingâ signs where you would expect, except in the hangars. Here there were fully fuelled aircraft, and signs that read âPositively No Smokingâ.â
A third of
CUTTING everything but the cost? Michael Bisson discovers that his chicken noodle soup is claiming to contain 30 per cent less salt. âWhen I got home from the grocery store, I compared it with my older package and noticed that it was actually 30 per cent less of everything. Even the recipe on the back said to add a third less water to each package.â
You can send stories to Feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This weekâs and past Feedbacks can be seen on our website.
