Eideard

Elaine Davidson, who has almost 7000 piercings covering her body, married Douglas Watson, at a low-key wedding reception in Edinburgh.

Brazilian-born Miss Davidson, 46, made a bizarre sight in a flowing white wedding gown and floral tiara with only her face visible, which was painted green and covered in 192 piercings.

It contrasted markedly from her older husband, who is aged in his 60s, who was more conservatively-dressed in a simple navy suit, a sky-blue shirt and Marks and Spencer tie. The two bridesmaids were dressed in pink.

Bespectacled Mr Watson, who has no piercings or tattoos, clutched his bride’s hand as they walked out of the central Register Office in front of stunned onlookers.

The couple, who live in Edinburgh, where she operates an aromatherapy shop called Tropical Rainbow, happily posed for photographs before heading off for a reception at a local city cafe…

“People see the piercings but I see the amazing personality underneath. We have known each other for a long time…

“I am always amazed by the effect her piercings have on people. She’s an incredible woman.

“People think its unconventional but that is the woman she is and people love her for it…”

The former nurse now has 6,925 including more than 1,500 that are “internal” that are said to weigh almost seven pounds.

They say that love is blind. I hope it is also hypo-allergenic and anti-magnetic.

A couple are suing a hotel after a disastrous wedding that resulted in a catalogue of complaints.

Garry and Lorraine McKay are demanding their money back, plus £10,000 each in damages, claiming that their big day was the “worst day of their lives”, ruined by hotel staff who failed to live up to the standard promised in their brochures and letters.

An Edinburgh court heard that after the wedding, at the Hilton Coylumbridge, near Aviemore, several guests were struck down with food poisoning.

It was claimed that during the reception, sparkling wine ordered for the wedding party was given to other hotel guests by mistake, that cleaners tried to eject the bride from her room while she was getting ready and that guests were unable to taste the cake because the chef took it away.

The McKays said that the wedding ceremony was delayed because there was no blotter on the table to sign the register, that the reception started late, there were only five waiting staff to serve 15 tables and that some of the meals were cold.

They said that guests had been promised sticky toffee pudding but got spotted dick, there were no mints served with the coffee and there was a mix-up about whether drinks should be served inside or in the hotel grounds.

The court heard that when the bridal party complained about the service, a brandy and coke was sent up to the room for the bride’s 20-month-old daughter as an apology.

Mrs McKay, 46, told her local newspaper: “It was supposed to be the most important day of my life, but instead it turned out to be the worst. We saved up for ages to pay for it. This will haunt me forever.”

Har! Stand up for your rights as consumers, folks. We all get screwed often enough as it is.

Four rowers have smashed a 114-year-old record by crossing the Atlantic in 43 days, 21 hours and 26 minutes.

The Artemis North Atlantic Rowing Challenge crew left New York on 17 June and touched the quayside at St Mary’s [Scilly Isles] just before 1500 BST.

The previous record, set in 1896 by Norwegians George Harbo and Frank Samuelson, stood at 55 days and 13 hours.

Skipper Leven Brown told BBC News it was a “pell-mell, helter-skelter” trip. “It’s been absolutely amazing and what a reception we’ve here in the Scillies,” the 37-year-old from Edinburgh said.

“The funniest thing for me was walking up the quayside – after more than six weeks of not walking my legs felt more than a bit unsteady.”

During the record attempt, the team survived 33ft-high (10m) waves, encountered whales and even rescued a man overboard…

Harbo and Samuelson set the previous record in 1896

Rowing with the skipper were Ray Carroll, 33, from Galway in Ireland, Don Lennox, 41, from Lanarkshire and 39-year-old Livar Nystad from the Faroe Islands.

Bravo! A world-class athletic feat – deserving every bit of recognition they receive.

Rowing has always been a favorite pastime of mine. Though as a lad it was most often associated with catching sufficient food for our family.

Scientists investigating the effects of cannabis on bone health have found that its impact varies dramatically with age.

The study has found that although cannabis could reduce bone strength in young people, it may protect against osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones, in later life. The team at the University of Edinburgh has shown that a molecule found naturally in the body, which can be activated by cannabis – called the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1) – is key to the development of osteoporosis.

It is known that when CB1 comes into contact with cannabis it has an impact on bone regeneration, but until now it was not clear whether the drug had a positive or negative effect.

The study…showed that the same compounds decreased bone loss in older mice and prevented the accumulation of fat in the bones, which is known to occur in humans with osteoporosis. The results are published in Cell Metabolism.

Osteoporosis affects up to 30 per cent of women and 12 per cent of men at some point in life.

Stuart Ralston, the Arthritis Research Campaign Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Edinburgh, who led the study, said: “This is an exciting step forward, but we must recognise that these are early results and more tests are needed on the effects of cannabis in humans to determine how the effects differ with age in people.

“We plan to conduct further trials soon and hope the results will help to deliver new treatments that will be of value in the fight against osteoporosis.”

They’re also getting a group rate from Mamma’s Pizza.

Phil Norton/Photosensitive used by permission

Edinburgh is to become the first British university to help make cheap medicines available to the developing world by licensing research to pharmaceutical companies only on condition that poorer communities get life-saving drugs at cost price.

One in three people around the world has no access to basic medicines and 10 million children a year die for want of affordable and effective drugs. Now, under pressure from students, Edinburgh aims to force companies to supply cheap drugs in return for using patents held by the university. The idea has built on a World Health Organisation campaign supported by Bill Gates’s Gates Foundation, Bill Clinton’s Clinton HIV/Aids Initiative and the Department for International Development…

“Of the challenges facing the world at present, global health and access to medicines is among the most crucial. We are hopeful that by making our medicines as accessible as possible to those in greatest need, we will make a real difference to the millions of people who die from often-preventable diseases every year…”

Of the 35 million deaths from chronic disease that occurred in 2005, 80% occurred in low- and middle-income countries. However, scientists working within a number of universities have realised the influence they can have to intervene in the situation. Between 1991 and 2005, the number of patents held by universities more than doubled, giving them leverage over how the big pharmaceutical companies use their research…

Mori Mansouri, UK National Coordinator for Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, described Edinburgh’s adoption of the policy as a major step forward. “We want to ensure every health-related innovation developed in campus laboratories is made available in the developing world at the lowest possible cost, and increase the amount and impact of university research on neglected diseases,” he said.

There are no easy battles for positive, progressive goals. Not when profits are involved.

Darren Sharp’s attention was first drawn to the Vauxhall Corsa because it was over the time limit.

But as he prepared to write out a fine, he noticed the woman “sleeping” on the driver’s seat. Attempts to rouse her by knocking on the window failed and he dialled 999 to alert the emergency services.

A paramedic rushed to the scene in Edinburgh city centre and Darren helped him lift the woman from the vehicle.

But attempts to start her heart with a defibrillator failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The parking ticket had only expired by minutes when Darren, 38, found the body…

It is believed her death was due to a medical condition.

Love that understatement – death owing to a medical condition.