Thread for Insensitive Things

[CrystalGeezer]

Okay, I'm going to wear my Irony Hat proudly and just say it. This is kinda funny.


---------


Millionaire Segway owner dies in cliff fall in UK

Jimi Heselden, 62, who bought the U.S.-based firm, and who was also chairman of Hesco Bastion, was discovered in a river near Leeds, northern England, on Sunday.
From Reuters

8:28 AM PDT, September 27, 2010


The British millionaire businessman who owns the firm Segway has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff with one of the two-wheeled electric scooters near his body, police said on Monday.

Jimi Heselden, 62, who bought the U.S.-based firm, and who was also chairman of Hesco Bastion, was discovered in a river near Leeds, northern England, on Sunday.

The incident, described as a freak accident in the media, was not being treated as suspicious. A Segway was found near his body, a police spokeswoman said. "It is with great sadness that we have to confirm that Jimi Heselden has died in a tragic accident near his home in West Yorkshire," the company said in a statement.

Invented by Dean Kamen, the self-balancing Segway scooter was made famous by then U.S. President George W. Bush when he took one for a spin, only to jump off after losing control.

Heselden, a former miner who left school at the age of 15, became a wealthy businessman, donating millions of pounds to charity. This month, he gave 10 million pounds ($16 million) to a community project which helps disadvantaged areas.

He made his fortune with Leeds-based Hesco Bastion, which developed a flat-pack wire mesh "blast wall" container, replacing the traditional sandbags, used by British and coalition troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Media reports said Heselden was one of Britain's richest men, with a fortune put at 166 million pounds ($260 million).

Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times

 

[VacancyForABackscrubber]

Size 24 woman drops to Size 12 in less than a year after discovering she was called 'Fat Steph' on friend's phone

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:07 PM on 28th September 2010

* Comments (0)
* Add to My Stories



* Gym membership and soup and milkshake diet transformed 25-year-old from a laughing stock

StFlab to fab: In just 12 months Stephanie Ledigo spent £600 on gym membership and thousands on cosmetics and hair styling in her battle to change her life

A pretty Barbie fan has gone from flab to fab after spotting she was listed as 'Fat Steph' in a friends' mobile phone address book.

Stephanie Ledigo weighed 21st and was a Size 24 but was unaware of how she was viewed by her closest friends.

But after the 25-year-old spotted what they really thought about her on a phone contacts list she vowed to turn her life around.

In just 12 months Stephanie spent £600 on gym membership and thousands on cosmetics and hair styling in her battle to change her life.

And it paid off - as she went from dowdy brunette to brilliant blonde losing eight stone and shelling out £7,000 for breast surgery.

Despite her plummeting waist line, Stephanie's bra size had increased from a 42AA to a 34D.

Since her amazing transformation she has landed her dream job as a stylist and found love.

But Stephanie, from Cheshire, said she no longer had time for the friends who branded her big behind her back in the past.

She said: 'I asked my friend who "Fat Steph" was but the look of horror on his face told me everything.

'I was disgusted that I'd let myself become this monster by eating junk food.

'I used to go mad on carbs like toast and comfort foods - to avoid going out clubbing I'd suggest going for meals with friends where I'd eat until I felt sick.

'It became a social thing, I associated food with having a good time.

'I tried to make everybody like me in different ways by spending loads of money on people.

'I was seven grand in debt because I'd buy all the drinks and food - I felt lucky to have people to go out with.

'Whenever we went out to clubs, lads would point and laugh at me and to stop myself getting depressed I'd eat a takeaway at the end of the night.'

When she was nine, Stephanie weighed 8st, and she remembers how she was 'enormous' throughout her teenage years.

By her twenties her confidence had hit an all time low.
Before: Stephanie no longer has time for the friends who branded her big behind her back in the past

Before: Stephanie no longer has time for the friends who branded her big behind her back in the past

She said: 'I'd hit rock bottom - I'd look at all my friends in their skimpy outfits and just die inside.

'I let men treat me appallingly and became known as a push over.

After ditching her friends and joining a gym, Stephanie drew up a strict diet drawing inspiration from the thin celebs she admired.

She stuck pictures of glamour models and curvier girls like Kelly Brook across her fridge to stem the urge to revert back to scoffing food for comfort.

She added: 'I never weighed myself - then went to my first diet class and cried for ages as I never knew how bad it was and how terrible I looked.

'I thought my size was a running joke with all my lad mates so I started making jokes about eating to fit in.
'My boobs were a size 42AA which is why I always knew I wasn't born to be fat'


'But now all I eat is the healthier things - firstly I did a soup and milkshake diet and went to a fitness class every week.

'I started drinking four litres of water every day instead of tea, coffee or alcohol plus I cut the carbs and weight just fell off.

With her slimmer figure and new found confidence, Stephanie decided to give herself an image overhaul.

She said: 'I dyed my hair blonde and had expensive extensions put in, next came the fake tan and nails.

'My boobs were a size 42AA which is why I always knew I wasn't born to be fat.

'I spent another £7,000 loan increasing them to a 34D.'

While Stephanie was loving her new image, not everyone was that pleased - as she began drawing attention from her former friends' boyfriends.

She remembers how a few of them even went as far as sending her a 'joke' text message revealing they wanted to sleep with her.

But she didn't have time for them and enjoyed flaunting her curvy new looks and attracting the attention of men.

She said: 'I loved being slim and single but I had no time for the boys who suddenly became interested because you should like someone for their personality.

'It felt weird people asking me for my number in clubs, or people telling me how hot I was through Facebook picture comments.'

In June this year Stephanie won a competition to style pop band Starman, who appeared in Pineapple Dance Studios.

And to top off her year, she found love as she began dating Starman bassist Mickey Cowdroy.

She said: 'He's wonderful and funny, he sees my inner beauty as well as my looks.

'I can't believe how dramatically my life has changed - when I see pictures of "Fat Steph" now I don't recognise myself.

'This is the new Steph and she's fierce.'