Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Rare Churchill TV screen test to be shown

LONDON, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Rare footage of Winston Churchill, in a screen test for television, will be shown to mark the 75th anniversary of British party political broadcasts.

Churchill, who was 74 when the 1949 shots were taken, is heard observing the test will help him understand how "this thing they call TV is going to make its way in the world," TV officials told The Daily Telegraph.

The former war-time British Prime Minister, then leader of the opposition and no TV fan, confined most of his broadcasts to the radio.

The video, released by the British film Institute, also showed future Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher making a pitch for the housewives' vote.

"You know men have not made such a success of it all the time," she said. "So, to yesterday's men, tomorrow's women say hello."

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Canadians: No tacky sweater gifts, please

TORONTO, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A majority of Canadians surveyed said they prefer gift cards as a Christmas present rather than sweaters or clothing they'll probably never wear.

An Ipsos Reid poll for American Express of 1,000 people found 83 percent like to receive gift cards because they enjoy choosing their own gifts, an Amex release from Toronto said.

Chantel Simmons, editorial director for Sweetspot.ca, an online lifestyle portal, said the findings make sense.

"At some point, everyone has received a well-intentioned gift from a grandparent or an uncle that was so off-the-wall that it tends to become family lore," she said. "The idea of 'holiday sweater syndrome' is having its cultural moment right now in Canada as we become increasingly sophisticated consumers, particularly around the notion of what our gifts say about our own personal taste."

She said gift-givers should "consider the aftermath of an unwanted gift."

For those who have received gifts they didn't like, 29 percent said they had returned it and the same number said they had re-gifted the item.

The online poll was conducted Nov. 12-13 and had a 3.1 percentage point margin of error, Ipsos Reid said.

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'Jetman' flight ends up in Mediterranean

TANGIER, Morocco, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A Swiss pilot's attempt to fly 24 miles from Africa to Europe using a jet-powered wing strapped to his back ended with a swim in the Mediterranean.

Yves "Jetman" Rossy, 50, hoped to be the first person to cross between continents using such a machine, The Times of London reported. In 2008, the daredevil became the first person to fly the English Channel with a jet wing.

Rossy took off Wednesday from Tangier, Morocco, jumping from a plane at an altitude of 6,500 feet to begin the flight, headed for Atlanterra, Spain, at speeds up to 180 mph.

After his search-and-rescue team pulled him out of the sea, Rossy told reporters bad weather was involved in his failed attempt. He described the jet wing as "not easy to fly" and said cloud cover made it tougher.

When he sensed he was heading down, he decided to cut his losses.

"Unstable at this height that's no playing any more," he said. "So I did throw away the wing and opened my parachute. Thereafter it was the easy part because we did train (Tuesday)."

His 8-foot jet wing was propelled by four jet engines and steered by the body movements of the flier.

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Rejected Gingrich gift goes to pit bulls

DALLAS, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- The owner of a Dallas strip club whose $5,000 contribution to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was rejected is giving the money to a shelter for pit bulls.

The shelter, at Animal Gardens 40 miles outside Dallas, is to be named Newt's Nook, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Thursday. Annett Lambert, who runs the animal sanctuary, said she was happy to get the donation from strip club owner Dawn Rizos.

"I can't tell you how much this new building means to us," Lambert said. "Dawn didn't deserve to be treated like that, but this will do so much for these loving dogs until we find them good homes."

American Solutions, Gingrich's think tank, selected Rizos' company, DCG, for an entrepreneurship award but the award was withdrawn when American Solutions learned DCG's main business is running The Lodge, a strip club.

The pit bull shelter is to be named Newt's Nook in honor of the Republican former congressman from Georgia turned right-wing pundit and conservative elder statesman. Its signage will feature a cartoon of Gingrich standing next to a pit bull.