A three-second record, and more

A three-second record

A British soccer player has set a new world record by being ejected from a game after only three seconds. When the referee whistled the start of the game, David Pratt, 21, of the amateur team Chippenham Town, immediately lunged at an opposing player and was shown soccer’s infamous red card. “It’s not something I’m proud of,’’ said Pratt of his world record. The previous record of 10 seconds was set by Italian star Giuseppe Lorenzo in 1990.

Sean Connery's happy talk

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Sean Connery has revealed the secret of his happy marriage—not being able to talk to his wife. The 78-year-old actor has been married to French-born wife Micheline for more than three decades, but he still can’t speak a word of her native tongue, while her English is limited. Their inability to hold extended conversations—and to bicker—is “what has kept us together all these years,” Connery says. “What should be a handicap is actually a godsend.”

Scared off by Thor

A burglar in Scotland was frightened off when he was interrupted by a homeowner dressed as Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Torvald Alexander, 39, had attended a costume party dressed as the hammer-wielding deity, complete with red cape, breastplate, and horned helmet. Encountering the burglar, Alexander/Thor instinctively charged at the man, causing him to leap from a window and flee in terror. “I think I would be quite scared if someone looking almost like a gladiator ran at me,” said Alexander.