Friday, August 8, 2008

English 'Lord' puts life up for sale on eBay

An eccentric British millionaire has put his entire life up for sale on the Internet - including his title of Lord of the Manor of Warleigh - in the hope of converting his assets into cash.

David Piper, a hotelier who made headlines six years ago after advertising for a wife to become his "lady of the manor", wants to sell his west of England existence on the auction site eBay and move to London to be closer to his children.

He is selling two hotels, two Bentleys, a collection of paintings and his title of Lord of the Manor - which he bought along with a large estate for one million pounds ($2 million).

"This sale is brought about as the present lord has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer," the advertisement for the sale explains.

"For sale as a whole or in part... can include David, the existing eccentric lord of the manor, physically as well to a suitable purchaser."

Piper, who is well known in his hometown of Plymouth for his antics, is hoping to raise up to 4 million pounds, although he estimates that the total value of the estates was as much as 6 million before property prices fell.

More than 100 bids have been received so far, with the current offer standing at 1.3 million pounds. Bidding closes on August 11.

Piper's move follows that of Ian Usher, a British-born man living in Perth, Australia who earlier this year auctioned off all his worldly goods, including his home. He ended up raising much less than he had hoped - barely making $380,000.

Piper's attempt six years ago to find a bride ended in minor disaster.

More than 2,000 young women answered his advertisement in the International Herald Tribune newspaper and he chose a 32-year-old American divorcee to try out to be his lady. She arrived with her two young children, but fled the manor after only a few days, unable to go through with the union.

As part of his new venture, Piper said he was offering to introduce whoever purchased his life to some of the women whose applications he turned down.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Cat's yowling saves owner from fire

INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI: A 97-year-old woman says her cat's early morning yowling saved her from a house fire.

Grace George, of Independence, said her cat Boo Boo's yowling from an open bedroom window early morning on July 30th woke her up from a sound sleep.

``I got so aggravated,'' George said. ``I didn't know why she was doing that.''

George picked up the black and gold brindle, a stray she had taken in about 15 years earlier, and felt her way through the dark house until she reached the kitchen.

It was just 4 a.m., and she wanted more sleep. So she started to put the cat outside.

Then she smelled smoke. ``I knew I had to get out of the house,'' said George, seated Thursday on a sofa in her daughter's house, just down the block.

George ran toward the street in the rain, and flagged down the third car she saw.

``Thank God it was a lady,'' she said. ``All I had on was bikini underwear and a tank top.''

Firefighters got Boo Boo out of the house safely and administered oxygen.

For now, George and her heroic cat are staying with George's daughter.

George told her daughter, ``I'm going to get her a special treat, a can of salmon. That's $2.''

``No,'' Patty Young said. ``It's up to five.'' The Independence Fire Department believes lightning caused the fire.

Israeli parents forget daughter at airport...

An Israeli couple going on a European vacation remembered to take their duty-free shopping and their 18 suitcases, but forgot their 3-year-old daughter at the airport, police said on August 4.

The couple and their five children were late for a charter flight to Paris on Sunday and made a mad dash to the gate. In the confusion, their daughter got lost.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a policeman found her wandering in the duty-free area at Ben-Gurion airport, Israel's bustling main international air portal. He said the officer alerted airline staff, but the flight had already taken off.

Israeli media said the parents were an ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple but did not give their names.

Rosenfeld said the parents were unaware they had boarded the aircraft with only four children instead of five until they were informed by cabin staff after 40 minutes in the air.

The child, accompanied by an airline staffer, took the next flight to Paris where she was safely reunited with her parents.

Rosenfeld said police would question the couple when they return from vacation, on suspicion of parental negligence.