FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine - International Standard Serial Number ISSN 1449-7425 Issue 54 Vol 5 # 9 December 2004 FreEzine is a free email magazine/newsletter containing articles of interest from a Christian perspective and is published no less than monthly. FreEzine is NOT Spam and is only sent to people who request it. If you ever want to stop (or start) receiving FreEzine you'll find instructions at the end of this newsletter. FreEzine is also available in Spanish - La Revista libre de Ezine, French - La Revue de Ezine libre, German - FreiEzine Zeitschrift, Italian - La Rivista di Ezine libera, and Portuguese - Revista livre de Ezine. A special "hello" to all of our new subscribers. We welcome and appreciate feedback on how we can improve this e-zine for you. IF YOU FIND THIS NEWSLETTER USEFUL... ... PLEASE FORWARD IT TO FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES! IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial: The Christmas Carol Prayer Thought: "Prayed" and "Prayer" in the Bible From My Case Files: The 'Home Improvement' Loan Letters to the Editor: Daffy-nitions: Possibilitarian What's On? Seminars & Workshops Repeatable Quotable: China Article: Bring Back the Meaning of Christmas Natural Remedies: Earache Havagiggle: A Meeting of the Board Split Second Wisdom: After Christmas Shopping The Extensive Exposition: Christmas, a Rare Opportunity to Touch the Soul The Funny Bone: List the Ten Commandments Sermon Snippet: War Heroes Theologically Speaking: Snowmen from heaven? Freebies: Free 2005 Calendar Freebies: Free Christmas Piano Music Multimedia CD Take a Hint: Livening Up a Boring Board Meeting Cooks Corner: Christmas Cheese Cake Watch This Space Subscription & Other Information And in Closing: Twenty Most Bizarre Money Stories of the Year FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine Editorial: The Christmas Carol When World War I erupted in 1914 launching the first great European war of the 20th century, soldiers on both sides were assured they would be home by Christmas to celebrate victory. That prediction proved to be false. The men on the fronts did not get home for Christmas as the war dragged on for four years. During that time 8.5 million men were killed, with hundreds of thousands more injured. The "war to end all wars" took a horrific human toll and transformed Europe. However, on Christmas Eve in December 1914 one of the most unusual events in military history took place on the Western front. On the night of Dec. 24 the weather abruptly became cold, freezing the water and slush of the trenches in which the men bunkered. On the German side, soldiers began lighting candles. British sentries reported to commanding officers there seemed to be small lights raised on poles or bayonets. Although these lanterns clearly illuminated German troops, making them vulnerable to being shot, the British held their fire. Even more amazing, British officers saw through their binoculars that some enemy troops were holding Christmas trees over their heads with lighted candles in their branches. The message was clear: Germans, who celebrated Christmas on the eve of Dec. 24, were extending holiday greetings to their enemies. Within moments of that sighting, the British began hearing a few German soldiers singing a Christmas carol. It was soon picked up all along the German line as other soldiers joined in harmonising. The words heard were these: "Stille nacht, heilige nacht." British troops immediately recognised the melody as "Silent Night" quickly neutralised all hostilities on both sides. One by one, British and German soldiers began laying down their weapons to venture into no-man's-land, a small patch of bombed-out earth between the two sides. So many soldiers on both sides ventured out that superior officers were prevented from objecting. There was an undeclared truce and peace had broken out. Frank Richards was an eyewitness of this unofficial truce. In his wartime diary he wrote: "We stuck up a board with 'Merry Christmas' on it. The enemy stuck up a similar one. Two of our men threw off their equipment and jumped on the parapet with their hands above their heads as two of the Germans did the same, our two going to meet them. "They shook hands and then we all got out of the trench and so did the Germans," Richards said. Richards also explained that some German soldiers spoke perfect English with one saying how fed up he was with the war and how he would be glad when it was all over. His British counterpart agreed. That night, former enemy soldiers sat around a common campfire. They exchanged small gifts from their meagre belongings - chocolate bars, buttons, badges and small tins of processed beef. Men who only hours earlier had been shooting to kill were now sharing Christmas festivities and showing each other family snapshots. The truce ended just as it had begun, by mutual agreement. Captain C.I. Stockwell of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers recalled how, after a truly "Silent Night," he fired three shots into the air at 8:30 a.m. December 26 and then stepped up onto the trench bank. A German officer who had exchanged gifts with Captain Stockwell the previous night also appeared on a trench bank. They bowed, saluted and climbed back into their trenches. A few minutes later, Captain Stockwell heard the German officer fire two shots into the air. The war was on again. -- Victor M. Parachin, Baptist Press Prayer Thought: "Prayed" and "Prayer" in the Bible In our last issue, we looked at a lesson to be learned from the first time that the word "pray" is used in the Bible. In this issue I want to look at the first time that the words "prayed" and "prayer" are used in the Bible. Interestingly, both have the same positive outcome. The word "prayed" is first used in Genesis 20:17, "Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again," The word "prayer" is first used in Genesis 25:21, "Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant." To me this is encouraging. No matter what the circumstances, God can choose to answer prayer! From My Case Files: The 'Home Improvement' Loan After three decades of counselling, your editor (a retired sociologist) sometimes ponders some of the things which have come up in counselling that, in retrospect, contain an element of humour. This section will be included from time to time to share some of these snippets. Names have been changed to protect privacy. A distraught Maggie explained that she had overheard a telephone conversation her husband Egbert had had with his bank manager. He was negotiating what he referred to as a 'home improvement' loan. When he later asked him what 'home improvement' he had in mind he bluntly told her that the money was in case he needed to buy her a one-way airline ticket for her to visit her mother. Letters to the Editor Cantos de poetry, Catchwords, Changes, Clamourings, Clichés, Commendations, Comments, Commercials, Complaints, Compliments, Congratulates, Credits, Cries, Criticisms, Critiques? We'll Take All! Daffy-nitions: Possibilitarian "Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities - always see them, for they're always there." -- Norman Vincent Peale What's On? Seminars & Workshops: For information on free lifestyle seminars, see . Information on the 2005 GNU Seminars is available from . Also a number of free lectures are advertised on . (P.S. Carolyn of Good News Unlimited has advised that they have some new books in stock: 'The End of Terrorism' (1ET0001) by Des Ford $24.95; 'Which Jesus' (1WJ0001)by Tony Campolo $9.95; 'The Cross of Christ' (1TTC001) by John Stott $14.95; 'Body, Soul & Spirit' (1BS0001) by Pr Ritchie Way $10.00; 'Will Christians go to Heaven when Jesus returns? (1WCG001) by Pr Ritchie Way $7.95; and 'In the steps of our Lord' (1IT0001) by F F Bruce $13.95 (Prices do not include postage - see for details. Repeatable Quotable: "La Chine est un grand pays, habité par beaucoup de Chinois " (China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese.) -- Former French President, Charles De Gaulle Article: Bring Back the Meaning of Christmas Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and, to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed a finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manor was gone. Gone was the eager boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement, "Teach the children". I was puzzled; what did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood there bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children! Teach them the meaning of Christmas. The meaning that children now-a-day's have forgotten!" Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a fir tree and placed it before the mantle. "Teach the children that the pure green colour of the stately fir tree remains green all year around, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts toward heaven." He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant star. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a saviour for the world, and the star was the sign of the fulfilment of that promise." He then reached in his bag and pulled out a candle. "Teach the children that the candle symbolises that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaced the darkness." Once again he reached into his bag and removed a wreath and placed it on the tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolises the eternal nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection." He then pulled out from his bag an ornament of himself. "Teach the children that I, Santa Clause symbolise the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December." He reached in again and pulled out a holly leaf. "Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the Crown of Thorns worn by our Saviour. The red holly berries represent the blood shed by Him." Next he pulled out a gift from the bag and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Teach the children that the Wise Men bowed before the Christ Child and presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit as the Wise Men." Santa reached in his bag and pulled out a candy cane and hung it on the tree. "Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds crook. The crook on the shepherds staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brothers keeper." He reached in again and pulled out an angel figurine. "Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Saviour's birth. The angels sang Glory to God in the Highest, on earth peace, and good will toward men." Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, from his bag he pulled out a bell. "Teach the children that the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should bring man to the fold. The bell symbolises guidance and return." Santa looked back at the tree and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas, and to not put me in the centre, for I am but a humble servant of the One That Is, and I bow down and worship Him, our Lord, our God." --Author Unknown (Editor's Archives) Natural Remedies: Exploring some of nature's hygiene helpers and ways to fix basic ills, chills, aches and pains. Common sense is paramount - some of these hints are health related, and if you have a medical condition such high blood pressure, are taking prescription medication or are in any way unsure whether you should follow the self-help suggestion/s provided, consult a doctor or natural therapist. This month: Earache Crush two cloves of garlic into two tablespoons of olive oil and warm gently over low heat. Strain. Drip a few drops into the ear and wad with cotton-wool. (Note: Do not attempt this if you think the eardrum could be perforated, or if there is discharge from the ear.) -- Pamela Allardice, Natural therapist Havagiggle: A Meeting of the Board "There will be a meeting of the Board immediately after the service," announced the pastor. After the close of the service, the group gathered at the back of the auditorium for the announced meeting. But there was a stranger in their midst. He was a visitor who had never attended their church before. "My friend," asked the pastor, did you understand that this is a meeting of the Board?" "Yes," said the visitor, "and after that sermon, I'm about as bored as you can get!" Split Second Wisdom: After Christmas Shopping It isn't a deal if you don't need it. Not everything is a better price than before Christmas. Read all signs carefully. Shop around. Ideal if you knew the prices before hand Some things are not on sale yet.... camping equipment does not go on sale until mid January. Calendars get cheaper, books get cheaper; and some of the best sales are in late January. -- Tracy Moland The Extensive Exposition. Each issue we will make available a longer article available by email free to those who request it. This is to keep the FreEzine a readable length yet make available more in-depth material for those who are interested. Articles provided under this section do not always reflect totally the beliefs of the editor. In some issues more than one article will be available under this section and articles will need to be asked for by name to save confusion. We have no separate mailing list for the automatic despatch of articles in The Extensive Exposition so a separate request will need to be made for each article. This month's article is the full text of "Christmas, a Rare Opportunity to Touch the Soul" by Kathleen C. Mandeville This is in plain text format, resourced from the editor's archives and made available free by writing to the editor and asking for the article by name. (Please check the available space in your email box before requesting articles (8k req.) The Funny Bone: List the Ten Commandments A confirmation student was asked to list the Ten Commandments in any order. He wrote, "3, 6, 1, 8, 4, 5, 9, 2, 10, 7." --The Lutheran Aside: Are you a writer, a poet or an illustrator? If you have something you have written or illustrated that you would like to consider having published, a free 60 page Style Guide is available online at , or from the Editor of this FreEzine. There is no charge for publishing and YOU receive payment on publication (see the free Style Guide for details). Publishing formats include Books, Pamphlets, Leaflets, Magazines & Ezines, Online video & audio, CD-ROM & floppy-disk electronic books & multimedia, Video & Audio tapes and Talking Books & audio CDs. Sermon Snippet: War Heroes As everyone was leaving the church, the Pastor noticed a young boy in the hallway, looking at a number of pictures on the wall. He said, "Well, hello, young man, how are you today?" The boy said, "Oh, fine." The pastor said, "I see you are looking at the pictures on the wall, do you know who the men in those pictures are?" The boy said "No, who are they?" The pastor said proudly "Well, son, those are pictures of the men in our congregation that gave their life in the service". The boy replied, " The 10 o'clock or the 11 o'clock service? Theologically Speaking: Snowmen fall from heaven unassembled. Freebies: 2005 calendar Normally using the "Reply To Sender" email option doesn't work with FreEzine as a commercial or other unrelated distributor occasionally sends out the magazine. However, for this issue, by using the "Reply To Sender" email option we will regard it as a request and will send you a free one-page 2005 calendar to print or give-away. Get in early for 2005! Reply to sender. Freebies: Christmas Piano Music Multimedia CD. This is a free CD (however you will need to pay postage). Use it as an audio CD and enjoy 13 carols from around the world. It is also MP3 compatible. And it can also be used in a computer to print the full sheet music scores (intermediate piano) for all 13 carols! Check out Please note: freebies are usually only available for the duration of the issue in which they are advertised. To make sure that the free offers remain available for a longer period of time, from January 1, 2004 freebies will be listed on . Then they can be accessed long after the issue date (while stocks last), Take a Hint: Livening Up a Boring Board Meeting A pastor wanted to add some fun to the usually-boring board meetings. Prior to one meeting, he took a flower pot and replaced the top half of the potting soil with crushed-up Oreo cookies - then placed the pot in the middle of the conference room table. During the meeting, he reached nonchalantly into the pot and started grabbing small portions of "dirt," which he proceeded to eat. Eventually he removed his focus from the meeting and became engrossed with eating the "dirt" - sticking to his teeth and smearing on his lips and cheeks. After the initial shock, the "board" members became not so "bored"... Cooks Corner: Christmas Cheese Cake Crust: one and a half cups graham cracker crumbs, finely crushed, a quarters of a cup of sugar, one third of a cup of melted butter. Filling: 2 eggs, half-a-cup of sugar, 16 ounces (475g) of cream cheese, softened, one tablespoon of lemon juice, one cup of sour cream, three tablespoons of sugar and one can of fruit pie filling in heavy syrup. Method: Place crumbs in mixing bowl and add sugar, then drizzle butter slowly in while stirring crumbs. Mix until butter is well distributed. Butter an 8-inch spring form pan or a 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle a thin layer of crumbs on bottom of pan and press down with a flat-bottomed metal measuring cup. Pat crumbs to sides of pan, press into place with the measuring cup, making sure they are of even height all of the way around. The remaining crumbs can be sprinkled on the bottom of crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. To make filling, beat eggs until light. Add sugar and beat 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese and lemon juice and mix well. Turn into crumb crust. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Cool. To make topping, blend sour cream and sugar. Top with your favourite fruit pie filling in heavy syrup, blueberry, strawberry, cherry or peach. Chill overnight before serving. (Serves 6) --Recipe courtesy of Windows Cuisine Watch This Space: Future issues will include other sections not listed here. Why not write to us suggesting what you would like to see included. Subscription Information: FreEzine is a free email magazine/newsletter, published by Lionel Hartley, PhD () no less than monthly and sent out ONLY to those who request it. As FreEzine only uses an opt-in email list, we never buy or otherwise obtain email addresses. Although we encourage our readers to forward a copy of FreEzine to their friends and invite them to subscribe, we have a strictly No Spam Policy. To subscribe, please send an email telling us where you heard about FreEzine, to and type SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. To change your email address, please send a message listing your old and new addresses to and type ADDRESS CHANGE in the subject line. To unsubscribe, simply send a blank message (we invite your comments also) to and type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. It is NOT necessary to access a website and/or go through a complicated ritual to unsubscribe from FreEzine! Unsubscribing permanently removes your name and address. Privacy: Protecting your privacy is very important to us. We will not share, rent, sell, or exchange your e-mail address with a third party for any purpose. A note on the format: Your editor has considered many possible formats, including a colourfully illustrated E-book, hypertext WebPages, Portable Document Format (.pdf), etc. Reluctantly, plain text was chosen to make this ezine available to the greatest number of users - DOS, Windows(R), Macintosh, etc. Address all correspondence to the editor Please do not use "Reply To Sender" email option as a commercial or other unrelated distributor may occasionally send out this magazine. Free offers in FreEzine of CD-ROMs, software, posters, additional articles, screensavers, etc. have a time limit which is normally until the issue of the next edition of FreEzine. Special exceptions are sometimes made and also freebies are listed online where they can be accessed long after the issue date (while stocks last), Back issues of FreEzine are available at and In order to cater for a variety of tastes and beliefs, the content of FreEzine does not always reflect totally the beliefs of the editor. E&OE. Although all care has been taken to check details in this newsletter but no responsibility can be taken if information is inaccurate. The Editor would appreciate being informed of erroneous information so that it may be corrected. Contents of FreEzine are COPYRIGHT and we make every endeavour to acknowledge sources. (Our extensive search for copyright sometimes causes some articles to appear in FreEzine some considerable time after they were written). You may freely quote from FreEzine PROVIDED is cited as a reference source. Occasional contributions from Good News Australia are used with permission. YOUR contributions and comments most welcome. Although all out-going emails are scanned using Symantic's Norton AntiVirus with the most recent virus definitions, FreEzine cannot warrant or represent that this communication (including any enclosed files) is totally free from any electronic viruses, faults or defects. And, in closing: Twenty Most Bizarre Money Stories of the Year Join us as we take a look back at 2004 which will go down in history as a bad year for the art world, a good year for Oprah Winfrey guests and what is probably just the beginning of eBay domination (Some figures are in Pounds as these were gleaned from a British website - see below) A Scottish businessman had solid gold pound signs embedded in his teeth. Second-hand dealer Harry Adams later admitted that bartering on a recent trip to Morocco proved difficult with a mouthful of gold. Source: The Scotsman Fans of Britney Spears furiously logged onto eBay to bid up to £280 for a piece of her spat out chewing gum. Replete with the pop babe's saliva, eBay had to withdraw the tempting item when it realised it had broken its own rules on selling items that can track a human's DNA. In September fraudsters bought $400 worth of goods from a store in Cincinnati with counterfeit money only to come back and demand an exchange for the products in return for money. When the store owners - who had realised the previous notes were fake - gave them their counterfeit money, they complained. The manager told them to take their complaint to the police before contacting the law himself. Pete Doherty - ex Libertines singer and tabloid fixture - was banned from London's Groucho Club after wrecking a piece of modern artwork thought to be worth around £100,000 in October. The singer was performing a charity gig with his band Babyshambles in October and according to onlookers an over-excited Doherty grabbed a metal sculpture from the ceiling and it disintegrated on the floor. The club's bosses are reportedly furious over the incident and a source told a tabloid: "Staff made it clear they never want to see him in their club again." Art lovers probably did a good impression of the Edvard Munch masterpiece "The Scream", when it was snatched in a daytime raid in Oslo in October. Valued at £33 million to £41 million the iconic painting has made no appearance since the raid but in 1994, another version of The Scream disappeared from the city's National Gallery. It was recovered undamaged and the art world is hoping for a similar outcome this time. Singer Katie Melua's future schedules were put up for sale on eBay attracting bids for £200. The listing stated: "I found this at Guilfest in the VIP bar behind the main stage. It is genuine and does tell you where she is going to be for the rest of the year. When her live appearances are, where she's flying to and what airports she will be using." When the seller realised that the singer was terrified at the thought of the document reaching the wrong hands the schedules were returned to her. In May, Hell - a modern art tableau by Jake and Dinos Chapman went up in smoke and so did millions of pounds worth of other priceless originals - most of it owned by Charles Saatchi. The fire that ripped through the warehouse where the art collector kept most of his collection burnt Brit Art works including the Chapman's Hell to a crisp. Saatchi reportedly paid half a million pounds to commission the work which took two years to create and featured 5,000 cast hand-painted figures. Liverpool City Council fined Gary Colbert £60 for dropping a used match in the street. Mr Colbert and the 24 other people who were fined for dropping litter all had to pay the £60 fine each and £75 costs. Mr Colbert responded that he thought the fine was "ridiculous." Despite dying in 1977 Elvis Presley still earns an annual income of £22 million. Sales of merchandise, Graceland visits and royalties mean that the King tops the list of highest earning dead celebrities. Peanuts cartoon creator Charles Schulz came second followed by Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien at third place. Other top deceased earners include Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Freddie Mercury. A Ukrainian schoolgirl destroyed a cash machine with her bare hands after it swallowed her card. Police were called out to investigate reports of a thug vandalising the machine to see the 14 year old who 'looked as if she couldn't hurt a fly' start punching the machine. Bosses at Privatbank who own the machine demanded £4, 5000 in damages from the girl to repair the machine. In September a Brazilian man paid for goods in The Electronics Shop in Rio de Janerio with more than 32,000 coins. Ernesto Torres do Couto, 50, said his actions were a protest against the shop who had once denied him credit after making him wait six hours to reach a decision. It was then that Do Couto said he decided to plan his revenge by paying for his next purchase at the shop with coins. He said: "I spent two years putting all the coins together, it was a lot of work but I feel that I've got my revenge now." It took 11 shop assistants almost three hours to count the coins. Persistent spammer Jeremy Jaynes was sentenced to nine years imprisonment in a US court for selling non-existent money making schemes. The eighth most prolific spammer in the world received 10,000 credit card orders in one month for products that included a 'Fed Ex refund processor' and an 'internet history eraser.' Source: Daily Mirror A taxi driver in Romania was given just £20 as a reward for returning £7,000 after it was left in his cab. Adrian Popa who gets about 60p for a journey found the money after dropping tourists off at a hotel. He said: "After I dropped them off I noticed that there was a small bag on the back seat. I opened it to see if there was any ID and I nearly collapsed in shock when I saw the money. Luckily, there was a passport and I recognised that it was one of the tourists from the hotel so I went to return it. Their faces turned white when I gave the bag back to them. And then they gave me £20 as a reward." Popa got another £20 from his boss as an 'honesty bonus' after his company had heard what he had done. A Swiss man made a million overnight when public finance officials transferred more than £2.5 million to his account by mistake. The 29-year-old Zurich man couldn't believe his luck when he checked his account and saw what looked like 'dozens of noughts' instead of the minus sign he was more used to. But the man said he knew it was a mistake and he reported it straight away. "It was nice to be rich for a short time though." Rudolf Meier, head of the Zurich financial office, called the incident a 'data processing error and a chain of unfortunate circumstances' and said the problem in the canton's new system had since been fixed. In February a French court awarded £500 damages to a family which discovered a dead mouse lurking in a tin of vegetables. The family claimed their dinner was over when the rodent tumbled out of the tin with the vegetables into the cooking pot. The family rejected the producer's offer of a supply of canned food and a cookbook and decided to take the case to court. In February a teenager took his father's credit card before spending £12,000 on a four day spending spree in Rome and Brighton. After landing in Rome and spending the night in a three-star hotel the 17-year-old then reportedly spent £1,900 in Versace, £1,800 in Dolce & Gabbana and, £800 in Prada, He paid £300 for a limousine tour of Rome and also booked into the five-star £340 a night Hassler Roma hotel. After returning to the UK he booked a limousine from Gatwick and picked up three friends in London before travelling to Brighton where they took two £250-a-night rooms. The next day the teenager picked up a £860 video camera. He said of his actions: "If Dad had got me these things in the first place I would not have had to steal his card." His father, who reportedly earns £100,000 a year as an investment banker, described his son "a little ****" but forgave him. Oprah Winfrey gave a £28,000 car to each member of her delighted studio audience during one of her talk-shows. All the recipients were judged by letters from friends and relatives to be especially worthy for the gift because of mobility problems and/or good deeds done by them for their communities. The recipients themselves had no idea that they were going to be walking away with a free car before attending the show. Winfrey said of the giveaway held in September: "No dream is too wild, no surprise too impossible to pull off," before leading the crowd to a car park filled with Pontiac G6 cars all topped with red bows. Two hundred and seventy six cars in total were given away totalling a list-price value of around $7.7 million. Paul Thompson, drummer with Mercury Music Prize winning band Franz Ferdinand found himself being chased by debt collectors due to an unpaid restaurant bill. The bill, dating back to April, is to do with a meal at Frocks restaurant in Hackney, London where the drummer and his wife Esther celebrated their marriage. The restaurant's owner, Andy Steel said: "I just got fobbed off so I've got a debt collector trying to pursue it." A spokesman for the band said: "He's been away so much for the past six or seven months that he's not been able to keep track of his bank account." A Michelin starred chef accused a £500 diner of stealing a £25 spoon from his haute cuisine restaurant. Angry chef Tom Aiken allegedly accused businesswoman Sarah Roe of slipping one of the restaurant's custom made teaspoons in her handbag. According to Roe the gastronome announced in front of the other diners: "A silver spoon is missing from your table - what do you know about this?" Roe replied: "Do you really think I've come all this way to steal one spoon?" before stating she now planned to boycott Aiken's Chelsea restaurant. A German bank manager who allegedly stole from rich customers and then put £830,000 into accounts of hard-up customers was arrested. The latter day Robin Hood was put under investigation for 70 cases in October. The man had decided to redistribute customers' wealth believing the well-off account holders would not notice the difference. -- Courtesy of Nicolette Loizou