The rises and falls in the length of skirts are said to be a good way of forecasting what the weather will be like three days in advance, based on research at eBay. Analysts at the company said the length of skirts sold on the website becomes shorter several days before the weather changes for the better, and lengthens when colder conditions are due. On occasions the trend is said to have predicted a shift in the weather before any advice has been issued by the Met Office using more traditional meteorological methods. Demand for skirts on the Internet auction site reportedly rose by 200% a week before the recent hot weather in the UK began, several days before forecasters had announced it. Ruth Szyszkowski, of eBay said: “We’re calling it miniskirt meteorology. If you want to know what the weather is going to be like in three days, just take a look at hemlines.” –– Daily Mail.
ABANDONED: A woman in the US who was left locked alone in a plane asleep for about four hours after landing at Philadelphia International Airport is suing United Airlines.Ginger McGuire (36) is suing for false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and negligence, her attorney Geoffrey Fieger said.A cleaning crew eventually roused her, but she was kept locked in the plane until federal officers were satisfied that she was not a terrorist, said the newspaper.“We are working closely with our partner Trans States Airlines to investigate the cause and remedy the situation with the customer,” United Airlines spokeswoman Sarah Massier told the paper. –– Reuters.
BIG DAMPER: A bus company in China has launched a new “drive safely” campaign –– by hanging big bowls of water next to their drivers.The Longxiang Public Bus Company in Changsha, Hunan province, says drivers must drive gently to avoid spilling any water.Bus drivers are expected to ensure the bowls are still full when they finish their shift.And the company warns drivers that CCTV footage will be studied to make sure they do not top up the bowls with water.“Passengers often complain that sudden braking and bad driving makes them really uncomfortable on the buses,” said a spokesman of the company. –– Orange.
700 HOUR STARE: A Serbian artist has completed the world’s longest ever piece of performance art by staring at members of the public for 700 hours.Marina Abramovic sat for seven hours a day, six days a week, on a chair for her installation, entitled The Artist Is Present at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.Visitors were invited to sit in a chair facing her and simply return her silent gaze. 1 400 people who came and sat opposite the artist, who always dressed in a long cassock.Some spent an entire day sitting opposite Abramovic while others managed just a couple of minutes.Other parts of her retrospective at the museum proved similarly controversial, particularly Imponderabilia, in which visitors must squeeze past a naked man and woman who stand facing each other in a narrow doorway.Abramovic’s more challenging solo work has also included stabbing herself, playing with fire and standing motionless for six hours, having invited visitors to do anything they liked to her. At one point, a man held a gun to her neck but she remained still. –– Orange.
