Winston Churchill refused to pay his tailor’s bills
Refusal to pay the bills of one’s tailor was famously almost a point of honour among English gentlemen in past centuries, and Winston Churchill was no exception, newly released archives show.
Britain’s World War II leader had racked up a bill of 197 pounds by 1937 — around 12,000 pounds at today’s prices — with Savile Row tailor Henry Poole and Co before he was finally asked to pay up. He took offense, refused to settle the bill and never darkened Poole’s door again. Despite the arrears, the tailor had continued to make clothes for Churchill, said James Sherwood, a historian who has examined Poole and Co’s archives.
“Churchill said it was for morale, it was good for us [Henry Poole] to dress him and he wasn’t aware we were short of cash. He never did pay, and never came back; he never forgave us,” Sherwood added on Poole’s website.
The archives, which go back to 1865, have been dusted off, rebound and the public can view them by appointment for the first time at Poole’s in Savile Row, central london.
(Reuters)
Florida ‘DUI expert’ is charged with DUI
A Florida lawyer, known for his work with DUI defendants, was arrested on charges of speeding and driving under the influence. Fifty-nine-year-old Tom Hudson, author of The Drinker’s Guide to Driving: The Secrets of DUI from One of America’s Top DUI lawyers, was pulled over after being caught speeding in Sarasota. Police say Hudson was driving 15 miles over the speed limit and “weaving in the lane but not crossing lines”. When police administered a drug test, Hudson’s alcohol was above the legal limit at .12.
Officers Chuck Flint and Jimmy Adams instantly recognised Hudson and described his speech as slow and soft-spoken. “All of this is in stark contrast to the defendant’s normal behaviour and demeanor,” Flint said.
Hudson admitted to having a drink at a local bar and was arrested after refusing to participate in field sobriety tests. Once in police custody, Hudson agreed to breath and blood tests which showed his alcohol level above the legal limit of .08. Hudson told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that the experience of being subjected to these tests, which he had himself challenged in court, made it easier for him to sympathise with his clients. “I can tell you this, it’s been an eye-opening experience to see what my clients have been going through for the past 15 years,” he said.
(UPI)
It’s Man versus dolphin in epic water-spitting war
A man taking a dolphin tour during a cruise to the Bahamas made friends with an ocean mammal and the pair exchanged sprays of water from their mouths. The video, posted to YouTube by scottwrk47, shows the man, John, coming face to face with the creature during a Dolphin Encounter off an island near Nassau.
The pair embrace, and the playful dolphin then spits water into John’s face. John appears to take the dolphin by surprise when he gives it a taste of its own medicine. The dolphin squeals with apparent surprise and the two take turns splashing and spraying one another with water until a trainer steps in to end the feud. The new friends share a kiss and the sneaky dolphin then gets one last splash on John.
(UPI)
Bud Weisser held at Budweiser brewery
St louis police say the Budweiser brewery got an unwelcome visit from a man with a memorable name.
Nineteen-year-old Bud Weisser was cited for trespassing and resisting arrest. Police say he was found in a secured area of the brewery last Thursday evening.
Police say in a news release that officers were called after security officers told Weisser to leave and he resisted arrest. Weisser was taken into police custody, then issued summonses for trespassing and resisting arrest.
(AP)
Turkish court asks: is Gollum good or badIJ
A Turkish court overseeing the case of a doctor accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled that a committee of experts should assess whether the fictional lord of the Rings character Gollum is good or bad. Bilgin Ciftci faces up to two years in prison for allegedly insulting a state official by juxtaposing pictures of Gollum and Erdogan on social media.
lawyer Hicran Danisman said she was forced to argue in court this week that “Gollum is not a bad character” because she got “nowhere” with a defence case based on freedom of expression. She said that prompted the judge to rule that a committee, including psychologists and movie experts, should provide an assessment of Gollum’s character.
(AP)